Click. Read. Love. 1.3.25
On making life better all year round, plus the most incredible podcast, the book at the top of my reading list, your brain off social media, and more...
Welcome back! This is an extra full edition of Click. Read. Love. We missed one during Christmas week so there are tons of great links and recs I’ve been saving. I hope you enjoy, and if you’re not a paid subscriber yet, get full access for $7/month or $65/year (23% savings).
As I was leaving the grocery store yesterday the cashier said “Happy New Year.” It took me by surprise. I genuinely forgot it was 2025. It’s a bit (a lot) unlike me (an eldest daughter) to start a new year with no plan. No long list of goals to tackle, no new habits to form (or break).
Of course I have dreams, aspirations, and goals to accomplish, but I’ve learned there’s more than one way to achieve them. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
I can’t opt-out of capitalism entirely, but I can choose not to participate in the consumption of products and services sold under the false promise of self-improvement. Most of the things that will make my life better in the next year can not be bought, and no amount of slick marketing can convince me otherwise.
I have been slowly, steadily, and not always easily, working to make my life better. This process has been years in the making. To live in true alignment with my values. To prioritize people over profit. To make time for the things that matter (family, friends, nature, community) and ruthlessly shed everything that doesn’t. I could never have gotten to this place had I not left influencing behind. I made hard decisions, but spending a year free from consumption altered the course of my life.
I am heading into this year knowing it will not be easy, but with a quiet determination that I will do whatever I can to make it better—not just for myself, but everyone around me too (that includes you 💖).
In this week’s edition of Click. Read. Love.
What happens to your brain when you take a break from social media
The non-plastic alternative for making tea
Personal fragrance is on the rise. Is it safe?
The wild west of perimenopause treatments
The most incredible podcast I’ve ever listened to (seriously)
The book at the top of my reading list
And much more