Planner Spotlight: Elena Sonnino’s Thrive Journal
Our inbox did a happy dance when Elena Sonnino's application came in, and in her answers—much like in the woman we were to meet—there was an abundance of light and energy. And how could there not be those things, and more, coming from someone who aims to “help women get rooted, curious, and totally alive in their life so that they can thrive with more joy” and whose website boasts a Sunrise in Your Pocket manifesto?
Elena is a life coach, speaker, and yoga instructor, who has run marathons and survived cancer. She’s written a book, Inhabit Your Joy: A Book of Nudges, and came to us with an established audience of enthusiastic and motivated followers. Her company, Flying Lion Coaching “is all about empowering women to embody their most nourished and rooted selves so that they can thrive.” Sign me up!
Elena also created her first Thrive Journal, which she accurately describes as a “planner meets journal” and shared it with her coaching clients in 2020. She had been dreaming of creating a journal since she became a life coach in 2016, but her efforts didn’t quite hit the spot. By 2023 Elena’s vision and dreams had grown. She wanted her new iteration of the Thrive Journal to have a “more magical and luxurious feel” so that it “could reach even more people . . . so that more and more people could create ripples of thriving in their life.”
“My clients are mainly women (40-60) who have lived their lives in survival mode and crave more peace, more freedom, and more joy in their lives.”
Elena had heard about us from momAgenda founder Nina Restieri, whose planners and planner products we’ve been designing and managing overseas production for since 2005. She was interested in our Custom Planner Design and Overseas Planner Production services. We read through her form and reached out right away. After meeting Elena, we at Copper Bottom knew that we wanted to collaborate with her to turn her dream of a thoughtfully redesigned Thrive Journal—it really is a gorgeous hybrid, part journal, part undated planner—into a reality.
Be ROOTED.
This creates a strong foundation. It is your starting point.
Your core. Your home.
Be CURIOUS.
Curiosity as a state of being is an act of self-love.
BE ALIVE.
Being alive is about claiming and owning your joy instead of
outsourcing it to others.
The Thrive Journal is undated, so users can pick it up whenever they want or need to, and dive right into planning. There are prompts throughout that guide users to being rooted, curious, and alive, and to reflect. There is space—to journal, to make lists, to doodle . . . to do whatever your heart desires. All this between a soft, luxurious (Yes! We made it happen.) metallic cover.
Taking Elena from dream to day planner was smooth sailing. And speaking of dreams, Elena was a dream client. Her passion and enthusiasm were infectious as well as inspiring and motivating. She was clear about what she wanted and allowed us to do what we do best. Her questions were thoughtful. She felt the same. The [CBDC] team was always responsive to my questions. Communication and workflow were steady and effective. They were extremely professional, while also being nurturing. Heather was always a grounding sounding board; Amy Michel was super responsive regarding details and the process; and Jenna’s design was both intuitive and responsive to my feedback.
And is the newly unveiled Thrive Journal . . . thriving? According to Elena it is being received with love and excitement. Everyone comments on the feel of the cover and the pages, the energy that is infused with, and the uniqueness of the support that the journal offers.
It was our privilege and honor to work with Elena in taking her Thrive Journal to the next level so that it can reach a wider audience—a wider audience of women who can be influenced and even guided by Elena’s strength and her spark as we at Copper Bottom have.
Are you ready to connect with and embody your truest self, one day at a time?
Look no further than the Thrive Journal.
Have you been feeling inspired and ready to kick off the design process for your own custom planner?
I created a guide featuring 5 things your day planner MUST include . . . and it’s available now at the link below.
