Lifestyle

Relocating To Austin? Tips for a Safe and Successful Move

Published

5 years ago

February 28, 2021

Whether you’re pursuing higher education, accepting a job offer, moving closer to loved ones, or simply want a chance of scenery, relocating to Austin, Texas, is a fantastic choice. As excited as you are to embark on this new venture, you can’t help but think about the stress of moving. From finding a place to stay and tying up loose ends to packing your things and getting adjusted, there’s a lot that needs to be done. To top it off, you’ll have to handle these things in the middle of a pandemic.

Is it safe to move right now? If so, what precautions should you take? Chances are you’ve thought about things like this and more as you prepare for your move. Before panic sets in, causing you to give up on the idea altogether, consider these steps to make relocating to Austin a bit smoother.

Get The Facts

The country’s status in the fight against the coronavirus changes every day. Therefore, you must keep up with current events. Before deciding when you’ll move to Austin, you need the facts. Review the city and state’s official sites for the latest number of cases and any rules or regulations for relocating to the area. You should also reach out to the moving company to find out what requirements they have to follow. Knowing this information ensures that you are in compliance and, therefore, safe.

Look Into Temporary Housing

Finding a home or apartment in the middle of a pandemic is daunting. If you’re scheduled to move soon but haven’t secured a permanent residence, there are other options. If you have friends or family in Austin, you can ask to stay at their place until you iron things out. Another idea would be to look at furnished apartments in Austin. If you’re a college student waiting on housing or you’re due to start your new job in a few weeks, the flexible leasing options give you a roof over your head while you figure out what’s next.

Take Advantage of Online Services

Transitioning from one place to another goes beyond packing your boxes. From turning off utilities to changing your address, there are several steps to getting adjusted to your new town. As a measure of safety, you should take advantage of online services. Many tasks can now be completed online to save you time and reduce your exposure to the coronavirus. You can request health and educational records to be transferred digitally, change your address with the US postal service, and even schedule for utilities to be shut off or on without leaving your home.

Moving Precautions

There are several risks associated with moving. As such, you should take precautions. For starters, hire a moving company that has taken steps to safeguard their customers. You should also avoid using recycled boxes, sanitize your belongings before packing them, and wear PPE when interacting with movers. Once you arrive at your new place, clean and sanitize the entire space before unpacking.

Quarantine

You might be excited about exploring Austin once you’ve arrived, but you’ll have to put those plans on hold. The best thing for you and everyone else is to quarantine for a few days to ensure you haven’t contracted the coronavirus. This is especially true for individuals that reside in heavily impacted states. Though it will be hard, do your best to stay indoors. Use this time to unpack and create a comfortable living space. If you’re not experiencing any symptoms after a few days, schedule an appointment to get tested. Once you’ve been given the all-clear, then you can explore the city any way you’d like without putting yourself or anyone else at risk.

There are so many wonderful things that make Austin the perfect place to call home. Whatever your reason for making a move, you must take precautions. As the national pandemic continues to wreak havoc, you want to ensure that you remain safe. From educating yourself on current pandemic news to quarantining for a few days after you arrive, each of these tips will help make your new venture easier to manage.

Lifestyle

The Message Women Need Today: Cathi Carrier’s Mission to Bring Back Self-Worth

Published

15 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Michelle Langton

Many women spend years quietly stepping out of the frame, avoiding cameras, hiding behind filters, or brushing off compliments because they no longer recognize the person staring back at them. It is not vanity that drives those moments; it’s a deeper feeling of slipping away from yourself. That emotional weight is something Cathi Carrier has witnessed for more than three decades, and it’s what shaped the mission behind Purely Bella.

Cathi didn’t build her career in a boardroom. She built it in a treatment room, one client at a time, listening to stories that rarely make it into conversations about skincare. Women would sit down and immediately apologize for their appearance, convinced they were “too late” to take care of themselves. What she saw instead were women who had given so much to others that they had forgotten how to give to themselves.

Her understanding didn’t come from textbooks. It began when she was a teenager struggling with acne that felt bigger than a skin issue; it affected her confidence, her social life, and even the way she carried herself. That experience gave her empathy long before she had professional expertise. She knew what it meant to feel uncomfortable in your own skin, and she never forgot it.

In her treatment room, skincare became something deeper than cleansing and moisturizers. It became a place where women were welcomed without judgment, where they could talk openly, exhale, and feel seen. Over the years, she learned that skin reflects far more than age or stress. It reflects how much space a woman has allowed herself to take up in her own life.

Stories like Sara’s stayed with her. Sara, a retired schoolteacher, walked in with her shoulders rounded and her spirit dulled. She apologized repeatedly for her skin, barely making eye contact. Carrier designed a simple treatment plan, but the real change came from the conversations, the consistency, and the small moments where Sara started to reconnect with herself. Months later, Sara hugged her and said she finally felt like herself again. That transformation, skin healing paired with emotional renewal, is what convinced Carrier that skincare can be a form of healing when done with intention.

Still, she reached a limit. Her treatment room could only help one woman at a time. The desire to create a greater impact pushed her to start Purely Bella, a brand built to carry her philosophy beyond the walls of her spa. The transition wasn’t glamorous. She had to learn manufacturing, sourcing, regulations, and everything in between. But she stayed focused on real women and real results, clean formulations that worked, without the fear-based marketing the industry often leans on.

Purely Bella’s mission is rooted in a simple promise: you don’t need to turn back time to feel beautiful. You need to move forward with confidence and grace, knowing your best self is not behind you. Cathi believes this deeply. She speaks often about how a morning skincare routine is not just about products, it’s a daily choice to care for yourself, a reminder that you matter.

Her mission is also a response to the pressures women absorb from the world around them. Society is quick to tell women their value fades with every birthday. Cathi rejects that entirely. She wants daughters to grow up watching their mothers feel proud in photos, not hide from them. She wants women to recognize that aging is not the enemy; the real enemy is the culture that tells them to shrink as they grow older.

In a crowded beauty landscape, Cathi Carrier is not asking women to chase perfection. She is inviting them to remember who they are, and to step back into the frame with confidence.