This week was a doozy. It had some amazing moments (being a part of Caroline Chambers’ What To Cook event, quality time with two of my closest friends, seeing Zarna Garg tonight). It also had some hard moments - an anxiety attack at the beginning of the week, working through some challenges at work, the news (and some worst case scenario planning). “What to do when I don’t feel like doing anything” was the theme this week. I relied heavily on my monthly plan (for what to cook, exercise, meditate), as well as these: What To Wear What To Read What To Do (When There’s Too Much To Do)
I would be so appreciative if you upgrade your subscription to help support #5SmartReads (my weekly news series that amplifies underreported stories and underrepresented perspectives). I’m taking a note from Emily Amick and am lowering the annual subscription to $30/month. Catch up on the latest here:
Toxic Productivityby Israa Nasir Most popular productivity books send me in a ragey spiral about the patriarchy - which is why I tend to avoid them. Most books are written by (and for) men who have the financial and time privilege to outsource and focus their time and energy on their best and highest use. Women need something different, and that starts with unlearning what doesn’t work for us before we learn to redefine productivity and achievement on our terms. And that’s exactly what my brilliant friend Israa delivers in this book. It’s a gentle, forgiving guide to help you life your best life - and it’s the book that helped me reset after my anxiety attack earlier this week. While books are not a replacement for talk therapy, Israa’s decades-long experience as a therapist comes through every word of her book. It’s supportive, empathetic, and caring - qualities we rarely attribute to a book, but this one is. It comes out Tuesday (and if you’re in NYC, please come to her book party!), and I highly recommend picking up the physical copy to annotate, work through the exercises, and be able to reference easily in the future. You can find my 2024 reads here, and my November reads here. Quilted Jacket ($45)Every time I wear this jacket out, someone stops me to compliment it. And when I tell them it’s an absolute steal from Amazon (and it’s reversible, and there are other patterns and colors), I sorely wish my phone wallpaper was a QR code that linked to it. I digress. This quilted jacket is incredibly soft, cut perfectly for my shorter torso and 5’4 frame, and is that perfect throw-on-and-go piece that makes any outfit. As tempted as I am to get another, I’m really content with my blues/pink floral one that zhushes up my usual jeans and t-shirt. The only downside? No pockets. It’s still worth it. Find this month’s Amazon favorites here. Zooey Zephyr Wants to Do Right by Montanapublished in Teen Vogue
We have a lot to learn from Zooey Zephyr, a state representative in Montana. She received national attention for her vocal opposition to Senate Bill 99 (banning gender-affirming medical and surgical care for children) and subsequent censure last year, and there is so much more to her and her work outside of this major issue. Zephyr brings a both/and approach to leadership that I think is vital today - being steadfast in your values while doing what you can, the best you can, consistently and quietly. Her belief in everyone deserving dignity and safety can be seen in her legislative efforts, from protecting trans rights in Montana to tenant protections and infrastructure repairs. Hope is a choice, and a hard one right now. This fantastic interview fanned the flickering flame of hope in my heart - I hope it does the same for you.
If you enjoyed this weekend’s letter, please consider:
Please take exquisite care of yourself this week. xo,
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