I am Carla Birnberg.

by

me circa chapel hill

Writer-Carla. Circa 1998

 

Years ago I took a writing course from the amazing Sarah Dessen.

“Before we start,” Sarah said.  “I want to share a story.”

In unison we snatched our pens and poised them over paper.

“Nothing you need to write down,” she laughed.  “Just an explanation why I’m tired today.  I call it biscuiting.”

(pens poised.  *crickets* from the room.)

“In the South, women bring homemade biscuits to gatherings.  Each woman hopes hers are best—yet also presents them with an “excuse” why they won’t be.”  (Note: Was this the offline start of the humble brag?!)

(pens down. *crickets continue*)

“Anything along lines of: these biscuits would be perfect, but____.“

(nods.  perplexed looks.)

“I call this biscuiting.  The permitted disclaimer sentence or 3 then moving on.  No long-winded rambles.  I allow it when people present writing etc.  Mine today is: if the workshop seems disjointed it’s because_______”

my figurative biscuits.

My figurative biscuits.

I don’t recall what Sarah biscuited about that day as I was busy ruminating on the *concept* as succinct disclaimer/excuse.

Nearly 15 years later, I still am.

Biscuiting is part of my family’s vernacular.  It’s our slang for make excuses, keep them SHORT and mooove to the meat of what you wanna say.

  • If you look around today you’ll see everything has changed.
  • If you click around today you’ll see absolutely nothing has changed.

I toyed with a post discussing WHY (I shifted), HOW (my writing will remain the same) and WHEN (I intuited it was time to remove my MizFit veil & be unapologetically myself) until I realized it was all BISCUITING.

Instead, I offer you another story.

On the playground last week a woman said to me:

I channeled you this morning as I dressed.

I’d no memory of seeing her before (!) so was eager to hear what she’d say next.

She gestured to a large flower in her hair and waved her hand around sparkly sun glasses on her face.

I wanted to wear these, but I knew they were probably too flamboyant.  I told myself Carla Birnberg would wear these if she wanted.  If she can—then I can too.  And I did.

This interaction captures precisely why Ive chosen to expand my brand from MizFit to Carla Birnberg.

It’s as simple (and as vast) as knowing it’s time to expand this:

Screen shot 2014-01-04 at 4.07.37 AM

And to acknowledge *life* isnt about fitting in.

Because really—isn’t being a misfit about far more than the 2% of our day we focus on fitness?  

It’s a lifelong effort to get comfortable in our skin and become utterly, unapologetically ourselves.

same

we’re the same.

 

Join me in endeavoring to stay fit(ish), rock the motherhood (at times), and tell our truths…all while remaining our misfit selves?

 

 

 

 

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Comments

  1. LOVE the new look (and the post to go with it!) Having just gotten a total makeover myself on the blog, I know it is energizing! Of course we will continue to love your awesome posts! Looks awesome!

  11. Ok.
    You’ve given me lots to consider because I biscuit a LOT.
    And I’d read anything you wrote under any name, Carla.
    Thank you for being you.

  15. Wow.
    It’s a huge change, Carla, and not really much at all.
    I, too, would read anything you wrote under any name.

    Congrats on the new look.

  18. Like the new look of the blog. But I am a little torn. I liked the Mizfit. In your writing you were always ‘apologetically yourself’ in every aspect of your life. I know the Mizfit will never completely go away. Good for you for reinventing your focus.

  35. Wow!! I truly love it because it represents you better. The clean look is just so refreshing. I remember when my site redesign was done… I felt relieved and lighter. Now I’m having my home page redesigned and I can’t wait. Our sites are our “store fronts,” and we need to feel like they are “us.” Congrats on using your organic name too!

  36. Been waiting for this since you told me change is coming & of course yu changed your other social platforms.. all I can say if LOVE!!! A great post, a great way to explain it, a great way to live..

    Me – still working on this: It’s a lifelong effort to get comfortable in our skin and become utterly, unapologetically ourselves.

  37. The new look suits you! And I get why the woman channeled you. She’s right..you WOULD wear those sunglasses if you wanted to. I admire that so much. It does give other people the strength to be themselves if they can see someone they admire doing just that. 🙂

  40. The world would be black and white without amazing people like you. It reminds me of The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy lands in Neverland in contrast to the sepia tones of KS. You are Neverland! One of my favorite movies!

  41. You are inspiring in so many ways this is just perfect! Your stories about your life in general and who you are completely is why I love you and I am sure why so many others do too. Love the new look !

  42. Yaaay Carla! I love the new site and that you and mizfit are now visually one 🙂 My heart feels the peace and truth in this new you. It’s been a long time coming is right . Love you my friend!!

  44. I wanted to say, “what a lovely transformation” but at the same time, it’s still you so it seems in appropriate. The refresh looks great and I’m loving getting more YOU coming through.

    Is Mazel Tov appropriate? Not sure but in saying it anyway.

  46. Great stuff, Carla!! Although…I’ll probably *not* rock the motherhood myself!!! Misfittin’ in though – I’m all about that!!

  48. Love this!! So glad to have recently connected with you! Love the inspiration that you share! Big year for me, turning 50 in a few months. Saying goodbye to the 40’s but looking forward to what the 50’s have for me!

  51. Carla, this looks fantastic. And you know what? As I was reading your description for the why of the switch, I realized those are all things that I already come to your site for anyway 🙂

  54. I just live day to day doing what I have to to make a living and fill the rest in with things that I love to do.
    And rarely care what people think or say about my life/lifestyle.
    From about age 9 on. (my first recollection that I didn’t care if you don’t like it that I named my rabbit “Nature”. You just don’t “get” it.)
    Still nine at heart.
    Stay 9. It helps.

  55. This makes me so very happy to see. The reason I started reading your blog so many moons ago was because of who you were that came shining through the words and the page. You were a kindred spirit. This change seems…. like it always was this way to begin with and a perfect fit.
    🙂

  57. oh and the Mizfit thing…SO many people use it. (MissFit, MSFit, MisFit, etc) that it’s completely overdone in the blog world. so yeah, good choice.

  58. I love this!! I’m striving to be 100% unapologetically myself (not there yet but…) and you have shown me that it is possible, important and necessary!!
    Love the new look of the blog, too!!

  60. Smiled the whole time through this! (and interesting concept on “biscuting…” Makes so much sense!) Love the look of the site and the reason for you expanding. And what an incredible compliment from that woman on the playground! Kind of like you saying you were thinking of me this weekend. 🙂

    Cheers to YOU – Carla Binberg. 🙂

  61. I have a feeling I’m going to be picking up the term “biscuiting”…I like that! And I love this change. I think it’s very fitting 🙂 Congrats!

  63. Congratulations on reinventing yourself, Carla! Curiously, I’ve been contemplating doing a similar move for similar reasons… 🙂

  64. I never heard the term, but of course I always see the behavior. In the same vein, as a surgeon, I try to present a confident attitude, but do not want to be seen as cocky or pompous.

    I once told my dad in private, prior to his receiving a very prestigious medical award, to tell the audience It’s about time they recognized him as the genius he really was. lol!

    He didn’t, but he ain’t no biscuit neither 🙂

  65. This is fantastic! And really inspiring… for the last 6 months, I’ve been contemplating merging my laurapeifer site with mommyrunfast… I just don’t feel like the “mommy” “run” and “fast” are always going to work to define me and I’d like to use my name instead, but I haven’t figured out how I want to move ahead with that. So glad you made it happen for you!

  67. I love everything about the new look and this post! Thanks for sharing the story of biscuitting, I totally get it and I do it. Time to stop and be unapologetically myself in all aspects of my live <3

  68. I was a red-headed, straight A, freckle-faced, glasses wearing, flat-chested twin. Zero hope of fitting in. Then I grew up and found out being unique is cool! Congrats on being more happy.

  73. Oooo. Look at the fanciness we have here. Loving it!
    As for biscuiting, I can’t take my mind off the hot buttery kind now. All your fault I can’t post a decent comment right now!!!

  74. I like the new spiffy blog getup! 🙂
    Working on figuring all that out myself. I can’t go real name for the time being because of the day job, but I’m pretty sure I could do a better job with my “brand”.

  79. Biscuiting! The sunglasses!! I love it! Long enough in a writing class, there was the same apologetic preamble to reading one’s work aloud. The instructor said, “Instead of apologizing and explaining why your work is not great or perfect, just say APPLE and that will take care of it.” Biscuits! Apples! Yayyyy!

  81. I remember how excited I was the first time I emailed you AND YOU WROTE BACK! And then I got a bracelet and that, in my mind, kinda made you a BFF, and…well…here I am five (or is it seven?) years later, still nodding my head and thinking, ‘Damn…that’s something I hadn’t thought about before,’ or on the opposite end, ‘Yup.’ You have and always will be Carla the really insightful exercise/fitness person from da’burgh whose writing slays me. All the best on your new brand, but I know that won’t change YOU 🙂

  82. Carla, I love the new look and your post today. It is beyond true, and when we are authentically ourselves, only great things can happen. I also liked the story about “biscuiting”. How true is that in so many facets of life. SO cheers to you for being YOU …through and through! xo

  92. Yay! As you know I’ve done a similar thing – shelving Diet Schmiet (or absorbing it) into Debbish. I have a long way to go on the weightloss journey but my life is about far more than that – as is yours!

    xxxx

  94. I’ve never heard it called “biscuiting” but I do it all the time, and I hear others do it too! I love having a word for it.

    Your design is really great, Carla. Your tagline is so inspiring.

  95. I love it! It is so you! And so appropriate for this time in your life and in your message. I applaud you as these sorts of changes come with many second guesses. Cheers!

  96. Let me jump on the bandwagon, too–love it! Did you really spray paint on the wall or is that a special effect?! I concur, change is good, way to go Carla!

  101. Love the new you:) And that header photo is fabulous. Best of luck with taking your brand in its new direction.

  102. Uh, I guess I’ve been under a rock and missed this. Congrats on the launch, and the evolution! This evolution is like tree pose. Strongly rooted, but energetically moving upward. Love!

  103. Hi Carla- so amazed at your throwing caution to the wind and throwing your brand under a bus. It was a fabulous ride and it did everything you wanted it to do. The world doesn’t need another fit blog for fitness sake but it does need you in all your glory. Thank you. Would u mind describing bisquiting to me again? I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.

    • AHHH NO BUS HERE. It’s an all electronic FIAT and Im bringing MizFit along for the ride.
      She’s right here next to me in the passenger seat as we’ve just EXPANDED to encompass all of my various facets of…ME which most definitely includes fitness as a backdrop to it all!

      I love you asked about the biscuiting as I have a HUGE presentation today and plan to gift myself one sentence:

      I dont rock the power points so if we hit a snag—Im going to just smooth it out and move forward because my CONTENT I KNOW ROCKS.

      It’s one short fleeting NONVERBOSE excuse and then ONWARD. With confidence. And with the KNOWLEDGE that by being unapologetically MYSELF Im enough.

  105. Love this, “I wanted to wear these, but I knew they were probably too flamboyant. I told myself Carla Birnberg would wear these if she wanted. If she can—then I can too. And I did.” Sweet. The change is nice. The site looks great.

    Might take time for the change to catch on, like any for that matter. But it’ll catch back up with Mizfit in no time). 😉

Trackbacks

  1. […] the video, I say “What you can, when you can,” which is a hashtag I discovered via the unapologetically herself fitness queen and mom Carla (did you see her re-done site? Gotta check it out!). #wycwyc – […]

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