Optional Optimism

I swear I cannot get a single minute on Instagram without someone asking me if I miss the 90s. Gwen Stafani waves back at me but not Gwen now, this was when she walking in the spiderwebs, way more grunge and way less Jesus. And a see through purple V-tech phone beckons me back. And Blockbuster comes up a lot. And Delia’s -which would probably make it if they came back actually.

A list of things I enjoy right now: I have been ravenous for books this past month. My imagination loves a portal and reading creates an outlet for expression and release. Left to my own devices and a doomscroll, I cannot say my own crafted portals are always that supportive. I wrote a 2026 book list here and have already gone off the list, haha. Power balls with peanut butter, honey, oats and dried coconut and Just Ingredients protein in Vanilla Bean flavor.

Let me spin a yarn real quick about how I met Steph Corker (find her namely as Steph Corker on here). Many moons ago, we were both working at lululemon, Steph based in Vancouver atHQ running recruitment for lululemon when the company was launching beyond North America.

Never Eat Soggy Waffles Or something like that, the mnemonic device we were all taught in order to remember North, South, East and West. Or was it sour watermelons in your neck of the woods? These days, I navigate by a different kind of compass, one I've come to call the compass of alignment. We’ll get to that. Of course, I know what an actual compass looks like and I have seen the dial move on a hiking trail but that is about the extent of it for me.

I am obsessed with this new series I launched featuring badass women doing life on their terms and timelines. I have two more for you this month because it is launch month and it is so fun to be inspired by these women. Today, meet Kelly Ferraro of Side Hustle. I cannot even deal with how creative this mini truck idea is and how Kelly has literally launched the coolest business(es) with her family in Austin, TX.

I am launching a new interview series about women in business + women in life. We talk how they got started, how they are feeling into all of themselves and a society of support. Honestly, I don’t find the 9-5pm mold fits nearly anyone anymore and so, I wanted to learn and listen from others. You’re invited. I am excited to introduce you to my first interviewee, Anna Kujacznski, she is a mentor + mystic and writer.

A little context to share before you read on as I talk to a lot of people who do not read the romantasy (romance + fantasy) genre as much I do. So in the style of parody, I am flipping the script on the common narrative of a 500 year old lead male character falling in love with a 19 year old female character. It is almost every series I have read that they is about a 400+ age gap. And yes, one MMC (main male character) was a 500 year old virgin and his name is Nyktos.

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I love borrowing creative inspiration to write-jump from and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this very post from Melissa Urban and disagreeing with her on every single one she posted. How alive, how human! Psst, hi Melissa! Taking my turn to share where I no longer am willing to pretend to like what you like, how Aquarian of me, really.

I am reading a really weird book right now titled ‘No One is Talking About This’ by Patricia Lockwood. It came recommended from Caro Clare Burke who wrote ‘Yesteryear’, another really weird book (have you read it yet?). The Lockwood book is written in fragments from a social media influencer and so far is highlighting the absurdity of existence right now. I am liking how much it disrupts the norm of books I often read. And so, I keep reading.