Thought it didn’t shove it in your face, this book focused on the climate. But it got me thinking more broadly about the world we’re creating — and leaving — for our kids. In my most generous assessment, there’s a lot we’re doing better than ever before: more of us are politically engaged because we understand our votes matter. Many of us — though far, far from all — are more accepting and kind toward people who aren’t like us.

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But we’re also more divided. More distracted. Technology consumes our lives in ways that aren’t healthy for us, and set a troubling example for our children. Bad men continue to escape consequence—just look at the Epstein files. Law-abiding people, including children and babies, are being sent to inhumane detention centers. Americans exercising their right to peacefully protest are being shot in the street. Mass shootings persist because our legislators prioritize special interests over protecting kids. Tens of thousands of Americans die every year for lack of adequate health care. It’s appalling. It’s scary.

And yet—my greatest joy remains showing my kids the magic of the world, and celebrating that magic in every form. From modeling what a truly loving, healthy marriage looks like, to finding a new playground.

The week in one sentence

Keep showing up, even when it’s hard.

What helped

I’m officially in full nesting mode, and everything in my body is telling me to tackle random house projects instead of work. I’m also trying to lean into the fact that I’ll be a mom of two for just a few more weeks — which means making the most of this time with my oldest two before the baby arrives. As you can probably tell, the state of the world has been weighing on me. But I’m trying to turn that despair into action, and into love for my family. When I’m struggling, I come back to my favorite poem: Good Bones by Maggie Smith.

Watch: Paradise — We’ve been watching the second season of this show, and it is so freaking good. Suspenseful, character-driven, and full of genuine surprises.

Read: Heartwood by Amity Gaige — This has been a really great reading stretch for me. This novel about the search for a hiker lost on the Appalachian Trail in Maine is genuinely unputdownable. The discomfort of the third trimester had me up extra early this morning, and the silver lining was getting to read in a quiet house.

Listen: The Idiot from Serial — Serial is back with a new podcast that proves their storytelling team is still the very best. It’s a story of drama and crime within the reporter’s own family, and it’s absolutely captivating.

Buy: These fun Threshold carrot candles — We don’t usually decorate for Easter, but I spotted these whimsical candlesticks at Target and couldn’t resist. Bonus: my kids comment on them every single time they walk by.

A small good thing

Today is No Kings Day! If you’re out there participating — thank you for standing up and speaking out peacefully for this country. And if you’re not able to be there in person, keep speaking out however you can: on social media, in your community, or with your wallet.

Next week’s gentle focus

Presence. For my family, and for myself.

I care deeply about being informed. I believe it’s my duty as an American to know what’s going on—and to care about what’s happening to others, whether specific policies affect me directly or not. That’s why we vote.

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Lately, my husband and I have been wrestling with how to talk about the state of the country (and the world) with our kids. They’re little, so you have to put things in language they can hold—but you can’t give them nothing. They’re people in the world, too.

And the truth is: they already know more than we think. My daughter especially is having conversations at school that bring big questions home—about families being separated, about who is safe, about what is fair. We try to answer what she asks, plainly and gently, without handing her the full weight of it all. As hard as it can be, it’s our job to help them understand the world—and to grow into people who care for the people around them.

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The week in one sentence:

While working so hard to protect my little ones, I can’t forget that I need to protect myself, too.

A quote to sum it all up:

“Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves.” —Princess Diana

Watch: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO). I was skeptical because I haven’t been impressed with Game of Thrones spinoffs before, but this show is very, very good: complex characters, heart-pounding storylines, and fantastic writing.

Tool: The Opal app. I’ve been thinking seriously about getting off social media for a bit because I know it’s bad for me, and I find it incredibly hard to stop a scroll spiral once it starts. Until I finally cut the cord, Opal has been key—it blocks social media apps during the hours I choose, and it’s enough of a hassle to override that I almost never do.

Read: Hard Parenting, Better Relationships: New Evidence (Institute for Family Studies). My husband sent me this study earlier this week, and I felt so validated by the findings—especially about the periods of parenting that moms vs. dads tend to find most difficult. Worth a read for any parent.

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A small good thing (5 minutes)

Do one “help someone keep their job” action:

1. Pick one local organization that supports job training, food security, or immigrant legal aid.

2. Set up a small recurring donation (even $5).

3. Text one friend: “Want to do this with me?”

Next week’s gentle focus

Getting outside every day. My days are always better when I get sunlight and fresh air, and now that the weather is starting to improve, I have no excuse.

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The U.S. women’s hockey team won gold. Mikaela Shiffrin won gold, becoming the most decorated American women’s skier in history. Elana Meyers Taylor finally won bobsled gold in her fifth Olympics. And Alysa Liu won gold in figure skating.

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I’m so inspired by all of these women and could write entire pieces on their grit and determination. Elana Meyers Taylor, for example, has two children and celebrated her win alongside her nanny. There’s so much proof there that kids do not force you to give up on your dreams.

But I mostly want to talk about Alysa Liu. Her story has really stayed with me.

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In 2019, at age 13, she became the youngest national champion ever. In 2022, at 16, she competed in the Olympics. Later that year, she announced her retirement—she was burned out and ready to move on with her life.

But two years later, she made a comeback. And now, she is an Olympic gold medalist.

She is such a powerful example of trusting yourself and giving yourself the freedom to change your mind without guilt. (she’s also the daughter of a refugee and proof that accepting refugees and immigrants makes this country great.)

I’m 17 years her senior, but man, do I look up to her.

Over this past year, there have been times I’ve known in my gut that something wasn’t working, but I charged ahead anyway because I’d already decided I was going to—only to admit later that a specific piece of my business wasn’t working.

I’ve cried a lot of tears thinking my career was over because I decided to pivot, while also knowing in my gut that I could return to my previous career in some form if I wanted to.

I’ve second-guessed myself over and over. I’ve guilt-tripped myself over so many decisions.

Alysa Liu’s confidence and calm—and her understanding of her own needs—make her such a role model to me. She’s exactly the kind of person I want to teach my kids about: gritty, with boundaries.

The week in one sentence:

Never underestimate the power of believing in yourself.

What helped

One tiny system: Designating days for their focus and sticking to it.
This week, I started designating days of the week as “work” days and “family” days, meaning I focus primarily on those areas on those days. This is a game changer for me because I’m not constantly switching between parts of my brain.

One quote: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt

One “make it easier” move: Grocery orders, always. I had been going to the grocery store each week since moving because we now live so close to so many options. But if I don’t rely on convenience for at least one big house chore a week, I’ll never stop doing chores. This is my go-to, and the easiest way to get through my list quickly.

Tool: Google Gemini for interior design.
We recently moved and are working room by room to decorate our new house. We’ve done this by taking photos of blank rooms and asking Gemini to decorate them based on our furniture and style. It’s not a perfect system (and we still have to go out and find the things in the photos), but it’s been fun.

Read: Summer Sisters by Judy Blume.
I always think of Judy Blume as a children’s author, but this adult novel is a fun and moving examination of female friendship. I have no idea how I came across it, since it was published in 1998, but it’s a good reminder that there is so much to read out there that isn’t new.

Listen: Kid Nuz podcast.
My five-year-old daughter loves listening to this short, kid-friendly news roundup, and I love listening to her listen to it. Highly recommend for introducing kids to daily news (they talk very little about politics, which I find interesting—but also understandable).

Recipe: Beef Noodle Stew by The Roasted Root.
This would ordinarily be a stretch for my kids, but they love noodles—even in this form. My husband also explained the importance of protein to them last week, so they’ve been asking what counts as protein in every meal, which helped us get them to eat the beef.

Next week’s gentle focus

Trust what I already know in my gut.

I started writing in a tumultuous season: I’d just lost a job I loved, launched a business that excited me (and scared me in equal measure), and was parenting two small kids—while my heart was still recovering from the loss of a pregnancy and the loss of a career identity that had steadied me for a long time.

I’m deeply purpose-driven. My work has never been only about money—although that part is nice, and I’ve learned that my ability to contribute financially to my family actually matters a lot to me. But otherwise, it’s always been about making meaning, creating value, and giving something back. And I won’t pretend that where I am now is any less chaotic than where I started last summer. If anything, it’s just a different flavor of uncertainty. Frankly: I’m tired.

Not tired of writing here. I’m tired of feeling like I have to prove myself over and over again in every area of my life—without always being sure there’s much juice coming from the squeeze.

And I’m finding it harder to show up and talk about parenting hacks and small business advice when the world feels like it’s in shambles, and what’s actually on my mind is how to protect my family and show care to the people around me. I’m also tired of chasing a new professional identity when I knew, deeply, that I was good at the job I had before all of this.

Then there’s the motherhood piece—how it constantly puts us in impossible positions where we’re asked to choose between the parts of ourselves that give us purpose and value.

I love being a mom more than anything in the world. I also love working. And at six months pregnant, I can feel how badly I want stability—real stability—beyond the small business season I’m in right now, a season that isn’t yet providing the salary I want (or previously made) at this stage of life.

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But because I’m six months pregnant and have two little kids at home, I’m also staring down the reality that I’ll have an infant in my arms incredibly soon. It raises questions I think a lot of us carry:

How do we balance it all?
How do we quiet an ego that knows we could be contributing more than we are right now?
How do we accept the season we’re in while remembering it’s exactly that—a season?

So, this is my long-winded way of saying: I’m gently reevaluating my content here so it’s more honest to where I am now.

Right now, I’m a mom first, a concerned citizen second, and a small business owner third. The tools I use are the tools of someone doing this in real life, with little kids underfoot and limited time—just like you.

Moving forward, these will be my most common lanes. I’d love if you’d take the survey and tell me what you want more of:

The week in one sentence

I’ll give it to you in one word: recovery.

What helped

One tiny system: Rest. That’s it. The best thing I did for myself this week was take a nap and stop trying to grind through the exhaustion of pregnancy, recovering from being sick, and the physical marathon of Disney. No amount of grit changes tired.

One phrase/script: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” —Anne Lamott

One “make it easier” move: Categorizing my to-do list into red/yellow/green:

• Red: must get done

• Yellow: important but not urgent

• Green: can wait

The Shelf (3–5 things worth keeping)

Watch: If you haven’t already seen it, Bad Bunny’s halftime performance was such a joyful celebration of Puerto Rican culture and will immediately boost your mood (or be like me and watch it far too often).

Read: Scandi Class by Annabella Daily. My dad was from Norway, and I’ve always felt tied to my Scandinavian roots. I love how she compares Scandinavian parenting to American parenting—thoughtful without being preachy.

Use: This chore chart. Especially before baby arrives, I’m trying to make chores more visual and automatic. In this one, parent chores are one color and kid chores are another—which feels like exactly the clarity we need.

Buy: Fresh flowers. Such an instant mood shift. If you can, buy flowers when you grocery shop—tiny joy, big return.

A small good thing

If you’ve felt heavy lately, take a few minutes to find an organization you can lend your voice to. It can be national or local—whatever you have the capacity for in this moment. Just search the topic and location.

For example, whenever I’m struggling with how to take action, I always turn to Moms Rising to find simple ways to direct my energy in this moment.

Next week’s gentle focus

Reevaluate and refocus. Just because I decided to do things one way before doesn’t mean I have to keep doing them that way.

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I’m convinced I’d be better by now if my kids weren’t constantly yelling to me from the other side of the house… and if I weren’t constantly attempting to yell back. But that’s life with kids, I suppose. Everything moves a little slower, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

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The week in one sentence

Sometimes the best laid plans run off track (thanks snow and no voice!) but that’s ok.

What I’m holding

I also want to shout out everyone who participated in yesterday’s nationwide general strike in protest of ICE and the administration’s immigration crackdown.

It’s hard to know the right action to take when you’re trying to respond to violence and inhumane policies. But I do know how difficult it is to change your patterns—how, when, and where you buy; what you’re willing to disrupt; what you’ll do even when it costs you something. That effort matters.

And I love that some local businesses that stayed open chose to donate a portion of their proceeds to support immigrants and legal aid groups. That’s a reminder I need often: being conscious about where you spend your money does matter.

The Shelf

A few things I’m saving, loving, using, or recommending this week:

1. Read: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. I admittedly am nowhere close to finishing this, but was hooked from the very first page. I’m excited to dig in more while traveling this week!

2. Read: I Grew Up with Alex Pretti by Kristen Radtke in The Verge I came across this heartbreaking essay by Alex Pretti’s childhood friend about who the ICU nurse who was killed in Minneapolis really was. It’s short, a reminder that there are real people behind news stories, and very worth the read.

3. Read: Women Made Up Nearly All The Job Losses Last Month. Here’s Why by Holly Corbett in Forbes, This should be alarming to all of us. When I lost my job last year, one of my foremost thoughts was about how I’d continue to focus on my career in a way that also supports the flexibility that having small children requires. It can feel so limiting. We should all be alarmed that women are continuing to exit the workforce, and we need to adjust our economic infrastructure with childcare, paid leave, and flexibility to better support women. (Can you tell I have a lot of feelings about this??)

4. Watch: I was sick in bed one day this week, and I binged all of His and Hers on Netflix. Tessa Thompson was amazing, and I really think Jon Bernthal makes everything better. It kept me guessing until the end - highly recommend.

5. Throat/voice comfort: warm water + honey + lemon on repeat (send me any other remedies you have–I will try basically anything pregnancy-safe at this point).

6. A values-aligned spending reminder: if you’re trying to be more intentional, pick one category this week (coffee, kids clothes, books, takeout) and make a deliberate choice there. Might I suggest First Light Coffee (I know, shameless plug)? If you’re a paid subscriber, then you received a discount code this week. If you’re not, upgrade now, and I’ll send you one too.

A small good thing

Pick one action that fits your actual life today:

• send a small donation to an immigrant legal aid org you trust, or

• share one vetted resource on social media (not a hot take), or

• check on one person you know who may be feeling scared right now.
  

Next week’s (not-so) gentle focus

I’d like to say my focus is to fully recover, but actually - we’re going to Disney World! We’re heading there to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday, and we’re all super excited (though we’ll see if Disney is friendly to the six-month pregnant crowd). Have tips? Please send them my way!

If you want to reply, tell me: what’s on your Shelf this week?

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When my son was home, we snuggled up and watched How to Train Your Dragon, one of my all-time comfort movies (not just kid movies, it is a great movie. Period.). And when my daughter was home, we broke into her new embroidery kit and started stitching a cloud. We both move slow, but I just love the joy it brings her.

They weren’t the work days I was anticipating, but they were beyond valuable. (And they also sparked a few ideas for what we’ll do when we’re inevitably snowed in this weekend.)

If you’re on the East Coast, you’re probably also doing the “storm prep math” right now—snacks + batteries + plans for if the power goes out. In our area, we’re expecting heavy snow starting late Saturday night going into Sunday. I packed away a big box of kids’ craft kits a few weeks ago that I’m fully expecting we’ll crack open again… and I’m also bracing for lots of snow time outside (my daughter is already narrating the snowman she’s going to make).

If you have favorite snowed-in activities for kids—especially the ones that buy you ten consecutive minutes—send them my way.

And I can’t wrap up this section without naming something heavy that’s been on my mind.

You likely have seen the photos and reporting about a five-year-old boy detained by ICE in Minnesota—a story that’s circulating because the image is so viscerally heartbreaking. I can’t stop thinking about how terrified my own five-year-old would be in that situation. This is horrific and wrong.

And if you feel yourself shrugging at a child being used as collateral in an enforcement operation, I hope you’ll take a real moment to reexamine your values and your humanity.

The week in one sentence

This week was an exercise in managing expectations against reality—and an invitation to savor the good things I’m beyond lucky to have.

What helped

One tiny system

The car bag of extras
This is a parenting trick I should have learned long ago, but a bag of key things the kids might need kept in the car is a must. I have always just done a whirlwind through the house whenever we’re about to go somewhere. But these past few weeks, I’ve made a point of keeping a bag of extras (snacks, clothes, wipes) in the car at all times. Game changer, even if just for peace of mind.

One phrase/script

“This is a care week, not a productivity week.”

Yes, I have found myself saying this more frequently than I would like lately. But this is the season I am in right now, and the productivity will come.

One “make it easier” move

I (mostly) stopped trying to ‘catch up’ at night.
I am not a night person and shouldn’t pretend to be. So instead of playing catch up then, I focus on these things: reset the kitchen, prep for tomorrow (review my list of to dos), and then I actually relaxed. It’s minor, but man does it help with the burnout.

The Shelf

A few recs from my corner of the world this week:

Recipe: Cookie and Kate’s healthy banana bread. Yes, there are a million banana bread recipes, but this one is genuinely reliable and weekday-friendly—whole wheat, naturally sweetened, and easy to tweak. I make it at least once a week and usually add chocolate chips because: childhood.

Watch: One Battle After Another. We watched it this weekend and it absolutely delivered—funny, sharp, unhinged in the best way. The cast is stacked (DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor—the latter two who I’m rooting for in the supporting categories at the Oscars), and the performances are the kind that linger.

Listen: Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder (NBC News). It’s a well-reported, immersive take on a case that has been analyzed to death—but still manages to feel fresh and unsettling. Hosted by journalist Andrew Goldman.

Use: eBay. Ok, it feels so dumb that I am recommending a super old shopping site that we all know about, but when was the last time you used it? Until this week, I don’t think I ever had. But my son checked out an ancient book at the library featuring a story about some retired lego action figures, and he hasn’t been able to stop talking about one of them for weeks. I googled around and found the lego action figure for $11 on Ebay, and it made his week when I gave it to him. Bonus: buying things secondhand!

A small good thing

One doable community/civic action + a script.

Action: Send a message to your members of Congress urging protections for children and families in immigration enforcement—specifically, humane treatment, legal counsel access, and limits on family detention. (You don’t have to write an essay. A short note counts.) You can also use the 5 Calls app if you’d prefer to make a phone call.

5-minute steps:

1. Look up your Representative + Senators.

2. Use the contact form (or call the DC office).

3. Copy/paste the script below and hit send.

Script (email or voicemail):
“Hi, my name is [Name], and I’m a constituent in [City/ZIP]. I’m calling to urge [Senator/Representative Name] to support policies that protect children and families in immigration enforcement—no child should be traumatized or detained without safeguards, and families should have access to legal counsel and humane treatment. Please share what actions [Name] is taking to ensure child welfare and due process protections. Thank you.”

Next week’s gentle focus

One priority: Work that helps get me ahead (so for example, write these substack posts early,
One boundary: No “serious work” during bedtime hours—those hours are for family + reset + rest.

If you want, reply with your best snowed-in kid activities (bonus points for low-mess). I’m building my emergency list now.

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And then there’s the tired of being a person in the world—particularly, a person in the United States right now. It’s hard to watch the news and see human rights violated so blatantly, and to see our allies disrespected so repeatedly. I know that exhaustion is amplified by the millions for people who are fearing for their hardworking families right now. It isn’t right, and it isn’t fair.

Somewhere underneath all of that, there’s a small, stubborn part of you that still wants to be brave.

For me, the moments I’ve been “brave” are what give me the energy to keep going through the hard parts. And not every act of bravery has to be a “burn your life down and start over” kind of brave. Sometimes bravery is simply continuing to show up.

It’s sending the email (or opening the email) you don’t want to deal with. It’s continuing to parent when everything you do seems to elicit a meltdown. It’s helping your neighbors when those efforts are demonized by people in positions of power.

I’ve recorded a few podcasts lately where the concept of bravery has come up — especially in relation to starting a business after the Trump administration dismantled USAID last year. But the truth is: I don’t think my decision to start a business was any more brave than the decision of so many of my colleagues to stay in government and keep fighting the good fight to save lives and alleviate suffering, no matter what. And it’s no more brave than the people who were left jobless and hit the ground running to find something new, in an absolutely brutal job market.

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I could list hundreds of small braveries I witness all the time: my daughter walking into her new classroom and introducing herself to a group of girls who already know each other; my son walking up to some boys at the library to ask if he can help with their dragon LEGO; the young professional walking into a networking event; the child daring to challenge their parents’ beliefs; the countless people in Minnesota showing up for their neighbors in small ways amid a large ICE presence; the journalists who keep doing their jobs despite being demonized for daring to report.

And so on. And so on.

Every bravery matters. But here’s the critical thing to remember:

Bravery isn’t always a leap. Sometimes it’s just choosing the next right thing and doing it even though it’s hard.

A reframe on bravery for real people

Everyday bravery looks like:

• sending the email you’ve been avoiding

• making the appointment you keep putting off

• apologizing to your kid and trying again

• asking for help

• taking one small action instead of doomscrolling

• saying “not this week” and meaning it

• returning to your work after a setback and not letting shame take over

• admitting you’ve made a mistake, and actually learning from it

It can look like taking your life seriously—even when what you do every day doesn’t feel “serious.”

I’m not an expert, and I don’t claim to be. But I do think reframing what counts as brave in your everyday life can have a real impact on your mental health. It’s easy to feel bogged down in the mundane or stuck in the motions. But there are small braveries in how we approach each day.

Try one of these as a reframe.

A menu of everyday brave moves

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Happy Friday! Welcome to the first newsletter in a new Friday series I’m calling Held Together. I talk about a lot of interconnected though sometimes seemingly divergent topics on this page, and I’ve been thinking about how to best share the things that are actually resonating with me as a writer, reader, parent, and business owner–but also just as a human trying to survive in these crazy times. Held Together is my Friday note on parenting, work, and staying human—a few honest reflections and the small things that helped.

I hope everyone had a great week. Ours was, in a lot of ways, a steadying one: school drop-off keeps getting a little easier, we joined the YMCA, and we knocked out a couple big home projects. I also crossed off a bunch of business tasks that had been festering for way too long—a huge win.

The only downside: the to-do list still grew faster than I could cross things off. Thanks, parenthood.

Even with the good personally, I’ve felt heavy all week watching what’s happening in Minneapolis and around the country in the wake of Renee Good’s death, and I’m growing more alarmed by videos of people—including, in some cases, American citizens and children—being forcefully detained by ICE. I feel nervous and scared, and honestly unsure what healing looks like from here.

If you’re hurting too, please know I’m with you. And if you’ve found coping mechanisms that actually help, I’m all ears.

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This week in one sentence:
Small gains count—especially when the world doesn’t feel steady.

What helped

• A tiny reset: a 10-minute audit of the day. Where did we snag (mornings, dinner, and bedtime tend to be the toughest in our routine)? What’s the smallest fix that would help tomorrow?

• A phrase that (mostly) kept me from spiraling: You don’t have to be perfect. Just pick the next right thing.

• A make-it-easier move: Plan breakfast for tomorrow, today. Including for myself. (Don’t skip yourself!)

The Shelf (things worth keeping)

• Recipe: It’s rare that everyone in my house likes the same thing, but this salmon bowl recipe from @parsleyandprosecco was a hit.

• Listen: Let’s Collectively Fantasize About A Family-Friendly Society (Culture Study podcast). Anne Helen Petersen is one of my favorite culture writers, and this episode gave me a lot to chew on—I found myself nodding along and yelling “yes!” more than once. (And right off the top they get to one of my all time greatest frustrations).

• Read: The Cut - How Are We Supposed To Parent Through This by Danielle Cadet - This heartbreaking essay really captured so much of what I’m feeling right now as a mom trying to parent through this scary time.

• Watch: Rovina’s Choice (The New Yorker) A deeply human story about the inhumanity of the USAID shutdown—and a reminder that policy decisions have real consequences.

• Shortcut: A foldable laundry basket for the chaos-clutter. I do a 10-minute sweep, toss in anything out of place, then do a quick put-away lap. Simple, weirdly game-changing.

• Do: I was feeling very blah this morning, so on the way home from school dropoff I popped into Paris Baguette and got a chocolate croissant and a coffee. It didn’t completely cure me, but helped at least a little. So this is permission to get yourself a little treat.

A small good thing

Need inspiration for how to make sure your friends know you love them? Start here: 12 Ways to Say I Love You by Caroline Chambers

Bonus: links to some of her amazing soup recipes just as we go into a cold week (at least here in Maryland!)

Next week’s gentle focus

Evenings without bringing the computer into bed at night to keep working (this is my bad habit). Just let yourself rest.

Reply with one thing that helped you this week (or one Shelf recommendation). I’m collecting reader picks for next Friday.

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The fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, and the way officials are already shaping the story to fit their own narrative while investigations are still unfolding (and when we’ve all seen the video), is gutting.

And the president’s steady stream of discriminatory rhetoric is hard to stomach as a mom sending small kids out into the world every day—because it doesn’t just reflect hate. It normalizes it. It teaches people what they’re allowed to do to each other.

I still believe most people are good. I don’t care what political party you identify with. I care that you care about other people—all other people—and that you’re willing to act like it. It is really hard not to feel disillusioned and helpless when the people you’d expect to hold truth to power aren’t doing enough—or at times, anything—to provide the checks and balances vital to our democracy.

If you are tired and scared, I am with you. I don’t have all of the answers—or frankly, any answers—to how to solve the big problems of our time other than care for yourself, care for each other, and keep showing up even when it feels hope is lost.

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I have realized that when the news is relentless, my brain looks for two exits:

1. Shut down (doomscroll, numb out, snap at the people you love, think “what’s the point?”)

2. Do something (even tiny) so your body remembers: I’m not powerless.

If you start at shut down and crawl your way to “do something,” you’re not failing. You’re human.

The 5-minute plan (pick one)

Not all actions require a whole morning, a whole meeting, or a whole new personality. Here are a few five-minute options that still count.

1) Check in with yourself: “the next right thing”

Choose one:

• Drink a glass of water. (or hell, wine, if you’re not pregnant like me)

• Step outside for 90 seconds.

• Put a hand on your chest and take 5 slow breaths.

• Write one sentence: “What do I need today?”

Then do the next right thing you can actually finish in under five minutes (start the dishwasher, lay out tomorrow’s clothes, make the appointment, put shoes by the door). This isn’t trivial—this is nervous-system triage.

2) Check in with your people (with specific support)

Pick someone who might be feeling the heat: an immigrant friend, a journalist friend, an LGBTQ friend, a new mom, the “fine” mom, the small business owner you know is drowning.

Copy/paste script:

Hey — I’ve been thinking about you this week. No pressure to respond fast, but I want you to know I’m here.
If it would help, I can (pick one):
• drop off a meal / groceries
• do a school pickup
• watch the kids for an hour
• make a few calls/send a few emails with you
What would feel supportive right now?

Shorter, lower-lift:

Thinking of you. I’m here. Want company, help, or a distraction?

A “we’re not alone” version (close friends):

I’m at capacity with the news this week. If you are too: you don’t have to carry it alone. Want to trade one small doable action and check in tomorrow?

That’s it. That’s the five minutes. And it counts.

Bonus 5-minute civic action: one message to one elected official

If you have a little extra capacity, send one note to your member of Congress asking for transparency and independent oversight when federal law enforcement use-of-force incidents result in civilian deaths.

If you like having a script + numbers handed to you, the 5 Calls app/site makes this ridiculously easy.

Email/contact-form script if you’d prefer to go that route:

Hi — I’m a constituent and a parent. I’m asking you to support transparent, independent oversight of federal law enforcement use-of-force incidents, and to push for timely public disclosure of facts and investigative steps when a civilian is killed.
Please share what actions you will take to ensure accountability and community safety.
Name, City/ZIP

If you want to name the specific incident without overstating:

I’m especially concerned after the January 7, 2026 fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

Share

If all you can do this weekend is one five-minute thing—good. If all you can do is love your kids well and teach them to be good people—also good.

The goal isn’t to carry the whole world. The goal is to stay soft enough to keep loving your people, and steady enough to keep showing up.

Pick one tiny action. Send one text. Prep one small thing. And let it be proof: you’re still here. You still care.

P.S. If you’re new here: I write about building a life that works in chaotic seasons—parenting, small business, and showing up for our communities without burning out. If that’s your kind of morning, you can subscribe free (or join the paid community to get the templates + deeper workbench tools).

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And that’s not even mentioning my business, parenting, and just being a person in the world. There are family logistics, holiday plans, and the low-level hum of “I should really be doing more” playing in the background all day long.

And layered on top of all that is the news. The needs. The very real hurt in the world that doesn’t pause just because my calendar is full.

I feel this tension constantly: I want to help. I also feel maxed out. I don’t often have a spare three hours to volunteer on a Tuesday afternoon. Some days, I don’t even have three extra minutes.

For a long time, I treated “giving back” as this big thing I’d get to later—when the kids were older, when work slowed down, when life felt less chaotic. (So…never?) But the more I’ve sat with it, the more I’ve realized that small, almost embarrassingly tiny actions do add up. They don’t fix everything, but they tilt the scale a little more toward good.

And that counts.

So here’s a simple way I’ve been thinking about it lately: not as a giant, perfect version of service, but as 1-minute, 5-minute, and “a little extra” options I can grab depending on the day I’m having and the energy I actually have.

None of this is revolutionary. But that’s kind of the point.

1-Minute Things

These are the “I’m standing in line / waiting for the water to boil / hiding in the bathroom for a second” actions.

• Round up or add $1 at checkout (online or in person). It feels small, but if you do it consistently, it becomes a quiet little habit of generosity.

• Send a coffee to someone who is quietly carrying a lot—a teacher, social worker, nurse, organizer, or friend who’s in the thick of it. A $5 digital gift card with, “You’ve been on my mind. No need to reply.” That’s it.

• Share one link with intention, not guilt. A local mutual aid fund, a small nonprofit you love, someone’s GoFundMe. Not “everyone has to do this,” just “if this speaks to you, here it is.”

• Text someone, “Thinking of you—no response needed.” Especially the people who are always taking care of others. Sometimes being seen is the thing that gets them through the day.

• Move $5 to a recurring monthly donation. Set it and forget it. You don’t have to make a big announcement about it; it just quietly runs in the background of your life.

If you only have one functioning brain cell and 60 seconds, these still work.

5-Minute Things

For the days when you have a tiny bit more bandwidth, but not exactly “sign me up to chair the committee” energy.

• Write a quick thank-you email to a teacher, childcare provider, coach, or community worker. “Here’s one specific thing you did that mattered.” People save these.

• Add one extra item to your grocery cart for a local pantry or community fridge. Shelf-stable staples, baby supplies, or hygiene products go a long way.

• Leave a review for a small business that took good care of you recently. This is such an underrated way to help. A thoughtful paragraph on Google, Yelp, or their website can make a real difference.

• Forward a resource to someone who could use it. A job posting, scholarship, grant, free training, or support program that matches someone you know.

• Sign up for one concrete, time-limited task. Maybe it’s bringing snacks to a school event, baking for a fundraiser, or proofreading a newsletter for a local org. Not “I’ll do everything forever.” Just one thing.

Five minutes doesn’t sound like much. But it’s usually the difference between “I’ll get to it someday” and “I actually did something.”

A Little Extra (When You Have More in the Tank)

And then there are the days or weeks when you do have a bit more to give—when the kids are healthy, work is relatively stable, and you’re not in pure survival mode.

That’s when you can lean into slightly bigger things, still designed to be manageable:

• Host a low-key gathering with a giving twist. A playdate, coffee meetup, or book club where everyone brings one item for a food pantry, family shelter, or school drive.

• Offer your specific skill for one clear project. Maybe it’s helping a nonprofit tighten up their messaging, designing a simple flyer, editing a grant narrative, or advising on social media. The key is one project, not an open-ended commitment.

• Volunteer for a single shift, not a whole season. One morning at a food bank, one afternoon packing hygiene kits, one event helping set up or clean up.

• Adopt one ongoing thing that fits your life. Maybe it’s dropping off pantry items once a month, mentoring one student, or becoming the person who always brings extra snacks for the classroom or the sideline.

None of this requires your whole personality to become “Volunteer of the Year.” It just asks for one step beyond your normal rhythm when life allows.

Remember: Burning Yourself Out Isn’t Generous

I have to remind myself of this constantly: burning myself to the ground in the name of helping doesn’t actually help anyone—not my kids, not my community, not the people I care about far away.

The most sustainable giving usually comes from people who protect their energy enough to keep showing up over time, not just in one dramatic burst.

So if you’re staring at the news and your calendar and feeling guilty that you’re not doing more, maybe the question isn’t, “Why am I not doing everything?”

Maybe it’s, “What’s one tiny thing I actually have the energy to do this week?”

A text. A $5 donation. A thank-you note. An extra can of beans in the grocery cart.

It all counts.

And if all you can do today is take care of your own household and be kind in the small radius of your life—that matters too.

If this was helpful, you can stick around here for more tiny, doable ways to give back—even in the middle of real life. Hit subscribe, share this with a friend who’s also maxed out, or just pick one small thing and call it a win. 💛

For paid subscribers, I’ve also put together a short bonus list of specific organizations and ideas if you want somewhere concrete to start.

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On top of that, our home went on the market, so amidst the doctor visits, we also managed an endless cycle of cleaning, rearranging, and trips to the storage unit. It’s our first time selling a home, and it’s truly not for the faint of heart. (Seriously—how do people do it? I need advice for not going crazy during the process.)

Somewhere between filling water cups and rearranging the closet one more time, I realized I wasn’t really a small-business owner last week. I was just… mom and home manager.

The truth is, I tried to do both. I opened my laptop between doses of Tylenol, answered a few emails with a child draped across my lap, and felt the familiar guilt of falling short—at work, at home, everywhere.

But at some point, I gave up the charade. The inbox would wait. I pushed a few calls to this week, held orders for an extra day until I had time to pack them. My kids—the center of my world—needed me more.

Now I’m going to be really honest here: I derive a lot of worth from working. Losing my job this year was such a gut punch because I like working, and I’ve been intentional about pursuing work I truly care about. I give so much credit to stay-at-home moms—I think it’s the most challenging work there is—but it’s not right for me in the long term.

Right now, though, I’m in a season where my work life and home life look very different than they ever have before, and I spend a lot of days asking myself if I’ve made the wrong move. When I’m reflective, I realize that’s part of the invisible pressure we put on moms—to be everything, all at once.

We tell ourselves we can “do it all” if we just manage our time better, wake up earlier, push harder. But sometimes, no amount of hustle changes the fact that you’re holding a sick toddler who just wants you, and that’s the only thing that actually matters in that moment.

That belief—that if we were just better, we could do everything—is such a disservice to ourselves and to moms everywhere.

So last week, I didn’t do it all. I didn’t even do most of it. I did the things that had to get done to keep us afloat, and I let the rest go. Frankly, there wasn’t time for anything more than that.

Maybe that’s what “doing it all” really means: not doing everything, but doing the right things at the right time.

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Think: When I do X, then I do a tiny act of care. No heroics. No perfection. Just small, repeatable moves that add up.

Disclaimer: Someone told me yesterday that parents of young kids like myself are making the world a better place just by making an effort to raise compassionate children. If all you have time for is that, it is truly the most important thing you can do. What I write here is aspirational, but isn’t always going to work out because life is hard. I see you, and I know you’re doing your best.

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1) “When I… then I…” Habit Recipes

Steal mine, then write your own. Aim for one per category (home, errands, business, kid life). If it’s not effortless, it won’t happen—so make it microscopic.

Home

• When I start the coffee maker, then I drop $1 into our “Kindness Jar” (monthly donation to the diaper bank).

• When I do Sunday grocery shopping, then I pull one unopened item for the pantry box by the door.

• When I fold the laundry, then I pull one item for donations.

Errands

• When I check out at the grocery store, then I buy one item for a community pantry.

• When I pass the community fridge, then I leave two single-serve shelf-stable items (fruit cups, protein packs).

• When we pick up new library books, then we drop one gently used children’s book in the donation bin.

Business (for my fellow small-shop owners)

• When I print shipping labels, then I tuck a “thank you” card for the buyer.

• When I post a product promo, then I share one local mom-run business in Stories—social cross-pollination counts.

• When I total my quarterly earnings, then I send 5% of last month’s profit to our chosen org (right now, that’s World Central Kitchen).

Kid Life

• When I drop the kids off at school, then I give them a big squeeze and remind them the reasons that they’re special.

• When I rotate kids books, then I add one picture book from our shelf to the Little Free Library box.

• When we clean out our toys, then we make a box of special things to give for donations.

Good → Better → Best tiers (pick what fits today)

• Good (30 seconds): Round up at checkout.

• Better (5 minutes): Add one pantry item.

• Best (a little extra): Invite a friend to match the action and screenshot your donation for accountability.

2) Kid Roles (Toddlers welcome)

My kids are small, and they love jobs. My daughter always says her favorite activity is “chores”, and I’m trying to figure out how to use that in a way that won’t slow me down. Here are a few ideas they can actually do:

• Sticker Captain: They place a heart sticker on pantry-donation items.

• Count Crew: They count diapers going into the donation bag (“Let’s count to 10!”).

• Carrier Pigeon: They carry one lightweight item to a donation box.

• Artist in Residence: They draw a sunshine on our thank-you cards for teachers/delivery drivers.

• Choice Maker: They pick the pantry item (“apple sauce or mac cups?”).
  

Mini scripts to narrate the why (keep it simple):

• “In our family, we share.”

• “We’re helpers. Helpers notice small needs.”

• “We give what we can, when we can.”

• “Kindness matters.”

For bigger kids, add: a tiny budget to manage, a map of Little Free Libraries to restock, or a monthly “champion” role (they choose the org and track the jar).

3) The 15-Minute Monthly Reflection Ritual

Put this on the calendar as “Kindness Closeout.” Tea optional, stickers mandatory.

Step-by-step

1. Count the touchpoints: How many tiny actions happened? (Round ups, pantry drops, thank-you notes, cross-promotions.)

2. Tally the give-back: Dollars/time donated—any number counts.

3. Spot the friction: Which stack felt clunky? (Move the pantry box, for example.)

4. Pick one to keep, one to tweak: Don’t add five new things. Choose one.

5. Schedule the next anchor: Put the next donation/pickup on the calendar now.

Three quick prompts

• What tiny action felt surprisingly good?

• What did the kids enjoy or talk about later?

• Where could we make this even easier?
  

Make It Friction-Free: Your Autopilot Kit

Create a shoebox or basket near the door with:

• Pre-stamped thank-you cards + stickers

• A small “pantry to-go” box

• A Kindness Jar (cash/coins)

• A printed/google doc list of local orgs (diaper bank, community fridge, mutual aid)

• Spare tote for drop-offs

• One Sharpie (because somehow they vanish)

If you run a business, add: a stack of insert cards for customers, a monthly 5% reminder sticky on your monitor, and a “share a fellow mom-run shop” template for Stories.

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Write Your Own Recipes (copy/paste template)

• When I ____________________, then I ____________________.
  
  

• Good: _________________________________________________ (30 sec)
  
  

• Better: _______________________________________________ (5 min)
  
  

• Best: _________________________________________________ (extra time)
  

Pin three of these where you’ll see them: coffee maker, car console, packing station.

Why this works

• No new time blocks. You’re not adding—just attaching.

• Built-in accountability. The habit itself cues the action.

• Kid-friendly. Small people love rituals and jobs; this gives them both.

• Compounding impact. A dozen tiny acts beat one perfect plan we never start.

Reply with one habit you’ll pair with a give-back action. I’ll collect a few favorites (with permission) to share next week so we can all borrow from each other’s autopilots.

Quick philosophy: a reset isn’t a reinvention. It’s a return to what works and makes you feel good, with fewer steps and kinder expectations. These are the small levers I’m pulling to make the next four weeks feel lighter, more focused, and a little more joyful.

Family Reset

1) The One-Hour Meal Prep (Sunday “Power Hour”)

Goal: fewer breakfast and after-school spirals, more calm—and fewer dishes.

• Roast two trays of veggies.

• Batch a meat protein (chicken thighs or sausages) + a plant protein (beans or lentils).

• Make two easy bases (noodles for kids + a greens base for adults).

• Chop strawberries, grapes, and other big fruit.

• Breakfast assembly line: overnight oats, banana bread, or hard-boiled eggs for 3 weekdays.

2) Screen-Time Trim—Without a Meltdown

• Set two daily screen-free windows (e.g., 7–8 am and 5–7 pm).

• Create a “tech basket” by the door; devices park there during those blocks.

• Expand my own social media limits—especially during the hours my kids are home.

• Swap one show with a “10-minute starter” bin: Play-Doh, magnet tiles, coloring, etc.

• “Watch-together rule” for any new show so we can chat out loud about it.

• Weekend movie? Make it an event: fort, popcorn, lights off → novelty without creep.

3) After-School Micro-Rhythms

• Movement Monday (walk/scooter loop)

• Tea-Time Tuesday (cocoa/tea + one book or short show)

• Wonder Wednesday (one science or sensory tray)

• Try-It Thursday (arts and crafts or a fun new game)

• Free-Play Friday (parents off the hook—kids choose)

Family success metric: 4 weeknights with a 20-minute dinner + one screen-free family hour on weekends.

Business Reset

1) Narrow the Brand

Working one sentence: First Light helps busy people remake their mornings—through small-batch coffee, simple routines, and community.

• Three primary offers: beans, events, morning tools.

• If a task doesn’t strengthen one of these pillars or grow my core audience, it moves to Q4 or “no.”

2) Cut What’s Not Working (with receipts, not vibes)

• Open analytics: kill any channel/post type with <1% click-through or zero sales for 60 days.

• Consolidate social platforms: pick 1–2 where community actually replies.

• Two experiments max this month; everything else is maintenance.

3) Expand to Markets—Simply

• Make a shortlist of 4 target markets/events for October - November.

• Standardize the kit: one load-in checklist, one price sheet, one 10×10 layout.

• Book two dates now; leave two as “rolling holds” for great opportunities.

• Collect one email list per event (clipboard or QR) + send a 24-hour thank-you note.

Business success metric: 2 booked events + 50 new emails + one clean “offers” page.

Personal Reset

1) Better Sleep (the boring magic)

• Caffeine cutoff at 2 pm; lights dim by 9:30 pm.

• 5-minute “close the day” list: three wins, three to-dos for tomorrow.

• Aim for consistent bedtime over “perfect” bedtime.

• Read before bed, and cut off the TV at least 30 minutes before lights out.

2) Move First Thing

• Lay out clothes + fill water the night before.

• 20-minute “non-zero” plan: Peloton, run, or strength circuit—pick one and go.

• Track streaks, not distances. The goal is activation, not achievement.

3) Less Drinking / Healthier Eating

• “Dry-ish” September: weekdays alcohol-free.

• Swap to sparkling water/NA options in a pretty glass.

• Plate habit: half produce, palm-size protein, quarter starch.

• Keep a “fast five” dinner list on the fridge to avoid the dinnertime stress or unhealthy swaps.

Personal success metric: 20 morning movement sessions + 20 alcohol-free days.

How I’ll Keep It Real

• Scope small. I’m stacking one new habit per category per week.

• Review Fridays. 10 minutes to circle what worked and what quietly didn’t.

• Permission to pivot. If something’s not helping by week two, it goes.

Try-It This Week (steal mine!)

• Family: Do a 60-minute prep and declare two screen-free windows.

• Business: Write your brand in one line + pick your 3 offers. Archive one task that doesn’t fit.

• Personal: Park your phone in the kitchen + move for 20 minutes before anything else.

If you’re resetting this month, I’d love to hear what you’re shifting—family rhythm, business focus, or personal habit. Hit reply or drop a comment with your top three.

P.S. If you want a nudge, I’ll share my simple “Morning Wins” checklist and the one-page event kit I use—just say “send it.”

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I’ve talked a lot about Gaza here—and that continues to sadden and infuriate me to the point of tears constantly. Today, however, I want to draw attention to other emergencies getting worse outside the headlines. Here are five crises that deserve more of our attention—what’s happening, why it matters, and what to watch next.

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1) Sudan: Famine in Darfur, aid under fire

After a year of confirmed famine conditions in parts of North Darfur, a UN convoy carrying food to Darfur was just destroyed by a drone strike this week. Nearly 25 million people face acute hunger, with displacement nearing 13 million. Since the conflict began, nearly 120 humanitarian aid workers have been killed. Cholera is spreading across multiple states, and access for aid is repeatedly attacked or blocked.

What to watch: the siege of El Fasher, cross-border disease spread into Chad, and whether humanitarian corridors open.

2) Eastern DR Congo: Massive displacement + a fast-moving cholera surge

Fighting around North and South Kivu has pushed internal displacement to record levels (over 7.3 million). Camps and host communities are overstretched, and cholera cases this year already exceed last year’s total.

What to watch: fighting near Goma, new movements of people, and whether cholera prevention and treatment can scale.

3) Myanmar & the Rohingya: A war at home, a lost generation in exile

Inside Myanmar, about 3.6 million people are displaced by widening conflict. In Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, funding cuts forced thousands of learning centers to close—pushing Rohingya kids out of school and into work or early marriage.

What to watch: further displacement from fighting and whether donors reverse education funding cuts in the camps.

4) Burkina Faso: A crisis with the least attention

Roughly a quarter of people need assistance amid sieges, conflict, and service collapse—yet funding is severely lacking. The country routinely ranks among the world’s most neglected crises. What to watch: market blockades, civilian access to care, and whether funding picks up before lean season deepens.

5) Haiti: Lowest-funded appeal in the world as violence spreads

Haiti’s UN appeal is the least funded globally (about 9% of a $900M plan), even as a state of emergency extends across key agricultural regions and displacement rises. What to watch: whether security gains materialize, food prices stabilize, and basic services can resume in gang-affected areas.

How to help in just a few minutes

• Give where access is real: MSF/Doctors Without Borders, IRC, ICRC, WFP, UNICEF, and UNHCR, among others, all have active operations in these contexts. Even small recurring gifts help agencies plan.

• Fund neglected sectors: There is a lot of talk about supporting food aid, and that is of course critical, but you can also help with: Safe drinking water and adequate sanitation in Burkina Faso; cholera response in DRC and Sudan; education for Rohingya kids in Bangladesh. It all matters, and it’s all connected. For example, lack of safe drinking water exacerbates needs in food crises.

• Use your voice: Share one crisis update with your network today. Call or email your representatives asking to protect humanitarian funding and press for access agreements.

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This week in DC, that choice is in our face. Federal authorities and city officials have been clearing homeless encampments across the District—part of a broader federal “takeover” and push to move people out of public spaces. Reports describe encampment sweeps near the Kennedy Center and elsewhere, with warnings that people who don’t accept shelter could face fines or jail. Advocates and service providers are sounding alarms that this approach frays trust and ignores the root causes: housing affordability, healthcare, and stability.

Housing-first organizations in DC keep repeating what the data already shows: moving people along is not a solution; housing with services is. Miriam’s Kitchen–a local organization actually working to help homeless people–put it plainly this week: punitive measures don’t solve homelessness; permanent housing and supportive services do.

What I want my kids to see (and hear) from me

• That we don’t judge strangers’ stories. We say “people experiencing homelessness,” because language matters and people are more than their hardest chapter.

• That discomfort isn’t necessarily danger. Feeling uneasy is a cue to pay attention, not to dehumanize.

• That kindness is a habit. Small, steady moves add up.

• Every person matters. Compassion for others costs us nothing and can mean everything.

A few easy ways to model compassion this week

1. Learn a name. Say hello to the same neighbor on your block or commute and ask their name. Use it the next time.

2. Carry small “care kits.” A zip bag with socks, wipes, a snack, and a hand-written note from you/your kid.

3. Drop food in a local community pantry. My mother-in-law took my kids to do this yesterday, and it means so much to them and to us to be able to give back when we have so much.

4. Buy (and tip) a Street Sense Media vendor (or other local organization collecting money on the street). Teach your kids to exchange money respectfully and thank the vendor for their work.

5. Donate locally, where dollars turn into meals, case management, and housing support. Great options in DC:

   • So Others Might Eat (housing, healthcare, meals) [Note: a friend and I volunteered for lunch service here this week, and it was truly one of the most organized volunteer experiences I’ve ever had. Highly recommend!]

   • Miriam’s Kitchen (housing-first + meals).

   • Pathways to Housing DC (permanent supportive housing)

   • Bread for the City (food, medical, legal, social services)

   • Thrive DC (meals, showers, workforce support)

6. Carry water in summer, hand warmers in winter. Keep a few extras in your stroller or car.

7. Practice people-first language at home. When a child asks “Why is that person there?” answer simply: “Everyone’s circumstances are different. Our job is kindness.”

8. Volunteer as a family. Many orgs have age-appropriate shifts (sorting donations, assembling kits). Check guidelines first. We bring our kids to hygiene kit packing events with our church, and they love to be involved with packing of supplies.

Compassion doesn’t fix everything. But it keeps us human while we fight for systems that actually work. And for our kids, it builds muscle memory: when someone is hurting, we don’t look away—we move closer.

Who doesn’t have five minutes to spare? (Okay—some days, we have four.)

Since becoming a mom, I’ve been seized with figuring out ways to make a difference with the limited time I have—for the world and for myself. Like many new moms, I’ve had that feeling of going through each day and not exactly knowing what I had to show for it—despite keeping two kids alive, working a full-time job, and mostly keeping my world in order.

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But I also wanted to find ways to make a difference outside my own door. Heard of the phenomenon of getting your pink back after having kids? Same. It was time to regain my place in the world.

So I try to think in five-minute increments. That’s still enough to move the needle—in our businesses, our parenting, our mental health, and in making the world a better place.

Here are a few ideas for quick, meaningful wins you can try today. Read ahead, and you’ll also find snippets from morning routines from successful people.

For Your Business

Every order and every kindness counts—and it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge them.

• Send a thank-you email to a recent client or customer—just gratitude, no pitch. As a new business owner, every order and every kindness counts, and it goes miles to acknowledge that. Bonus: ask for advice or feedback from customers, especially repeat ones.

• Post a behind-the-scenes photo on social media to remind people you’re human, not just a logo. Confession: social media is… not my favorite. I’m slow at it and second-guess everything I post. But I love the connection it builds, and that’s why I’m there.

• Check your website’s contact form to make sure it works (you’d be surprised how often it breaks). Also, make sure you’re capturing email addresses and can respond quickly.

• Follow up on one lead that’s been sitting in your inbox. It’s easy for these to slide down the priority list when you’re in the thick of it, but every lead matters.

• Write down one big goal for the month and one small step to take this week to move the needle.

For Parenthood

Nothing makes kids feel more special than undivided attention.

• Put your phone down and play for five minutes—or as long as you can spare. And make sure you focus on each of your kids by letting them lead the way.

• Get out the cookbooks and have the kids pick a recipe they’d like to make. My kids love to do this, and it makes them feel like they’re part of the process. Bonus if you let them cook with you too—they love that even more (though this will almost certainly take more than five minutes).

• Ask one “what’s your favorite…?” question at dinner (snack, superhero, song, thing that happened today, etc.). Or really, anything open-ended.

• Put on a song and dance—just one—before bed or after school. Right now in my house, the music is all things K Pop Demon Hunters, which honestly I like just as much as they do.

• Give a specific compliment (“I loved how you helped your brother today”) instead of a general “good job.” My favorite time to do this is right before bed.

For Mental Health

I don’t enjoy meditating, but deep breathing for even a minute or two can make a big difference.

• Breathe deeply for one minute—inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four.

• Name three things you can see, hear, and feel to bring yourself into the present. This is a tip I learned from a therapist years ago to manage anxiety, and it still helps me to this day.

• Step away from your screen and do something analog. Write by hand, cook from an actual cookbook, or go for a walk. Taking an intentional break from screens does wonders for my mental health. Hard to do? Try downloading the Opal app, which blocks certain apps for specific times of day.

• Make your bed. Small, but for me, it makes a huge difference in helping me feel grounded and less scattered for the day.

• Send a quick “thinking of you” text to someone you love. Our relationships—near and far—are critical to staying happy. Don’t forget to foster them, even if you only have a minute to spare.

For Making the World a Better Place

Small actions add up—especially when we each take them.

• Sign one petition for a cause you believe in. Not sure where to start? Try the ACLU, Moms Rising, and Everytown for Gun Safety.

• Donate $5 (or whatever you can spare) to a local food bank or mutual aid group. I’ve talked here about donating to bigger orgs like World Central Kitchen, but your local food bank could probably use some support too. Find yours here.

• Share a helpful resource on your social media or in a group chat. This can be a shared social media post or an article—keeping your community informed matters.

• Gather up your used books and bring them to your local Little Free Library. My kids (and I) love to pick through ours, and I love to drop our used books by. Don’t have one near you? Your local library probably has a donation drop box as well.

• Write a thank-you message to a local teacher, nurse, or public servant.

Five minutes won’t change the whole world. But it might change someone’s day—yours included.

Morning Routines of the Successful

I’m a firm believer you don’t have to start before the sun rises to have a morning routine that works. I’m going to start sharing some of the morning routines of successful people—and ideas for applying their routines to your life. Have an idea of someone I should feature? Reply to this email to let me know!

• Tim Cook (Apple) — up around 3:45–4:00 a.m. (I agree that this is crazy, but whatever works!), scans customer emails first, then hits the gym. Try it: front-load “listening to customers” (DMs, comments, reviews) before anything else.

• Oprah Winfrey — practices Transcendental Meditation for about 20 minutes in the morning, and starts the day with gratitude. I’ve established that I’m not big into meditating, but quiet is effective. Try it: set a 10–20 minute timer for stillness before picking up your phone.

Before we dive in—a quick thank you. Last week, The Baltimore Banner ran this feature on my story of pivoting after my agency was shut down by the Trump Administration. I’m so grateful it resonated with so many of you. Your messages and orders mean the world. A stack went out this morning, with more heading out tomorrow.

Pivoting is scary. I think about how I must be crazy at least 100 times a day. But it’s so much easier with this community around me. Truly, thank you.

Reset Button

After every vacation, I give myself a little post-trip reset plan—a way to get back on track after a week of sleeping in (kind of–I do still have toddlers) and overindulgence. While I didn’t exactly follow my own script today, these are the three buckets I always aim to fill.

1. Movement
I did move my body most days on vacation, so that’s a win. But I definitely fell out of my usual mix of weighted vest walks, strength training, and the Peloton. This morning, once the kids were out the door, I jumped right back in. My goal: return to exercising before they wake up, because it changes the whole tone of my day.

2. Make a List of Everything (and I mean everything)
Nothing builds momentum like crossing something off. So I write it all down—everything from “shower” to “mail orders.” It might seem silly, but seeing even the smallest tasks get checked off gives me that forward motion I need.

3. Plan the Week’s Meals
After seven days of restaurants and ice cream every night (a sacred vacation tradition in our family), it’s tough to shift back to home-cooked meals, but it’s essential. Planning ahead is the only way we all, kids included, get back to eating like our normal selves.

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Bonus Reset: Catch Up on the News

This might be an unpopular opinion, but one thing I love about vacation is tuning out—at least a little. Between the Administration’s daily assault on basic rights and crises in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond, the weight of it all can be overwhelming. Most of the time, I consider it my responsibility—as a citizen and as a mom—to stay informed. But for a few days, I give myself permission not to spiral. It does wonders for my mental health.

Now I’m back, catching up on what I missed, and—unsurprisingly—feeling disheartened. Today especially, I’m thinking of my friends in DC, who will now see troops on the streets under the guise of cleaning up crime. The fact is: Violent crime is at a 30-year low. Is there crime in the city? Sure—it is a big city. But saying that it is overrun by crime is sensational and dangerous. As someone who lived in DC for years (and still lives nearby), I’m baffled and saddened for this amazing city.

Got some good news stories? Share them - I love to hear!

Today is one of those days for me. I was feeling under the weather yesterday, so now I’m playing catch-up — with work, the house, and prep for our upcoming vacation (YAY! And also, shout out to my husband for making a calendar of everything we’re going to do on our trip).

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So this reminder is for me just as much as it is for you: You don’t need to do it all to move forward. You just need five minutes.

Here are a few five-minute wins that help when I’m feeling behind. You don’t need a fancy planner or a productivity overhaul. You just need to pick one and begin.

Five-Minute Wins

🧽Wipe down one surface — A counter, a table, a sticky spot that’s been bothering you for a week. Small reset, big visual payoff. I told my husband this weekend that my goal is to go to bed with completely clean counters. Not easy with all the kid clutter we sift through — but two days in, I’m loving it.

🛍 Declutter five things — One drawer. One bag. Five items out (trash, donate, rehome). That’s it. I’ve been pre-scheduling donation pickups lately, and it’s forced me to bag things up regularly. Highly recommend.

🗓 Set up your calendar — As a small business owner getting off the ground, I feel aimless a lot. Blocking out my days — even breaks to clean the kitchen or start laundry — gives me structure and sanity.

📩 Unsubscribe from 10 emails — Your inbox doesn’t need squatters. Clear the noise so the important stuff stands out.

📱 Text one friend — Not a full catch-up. Just a “thinking of you.” It’s so hard to make time for people when you’re in the trenches of parenting and life — but a little connection goes a long way.

📝 Write a mini to-do list — Not everything. Just three things. Then star the one that matters most. Once you finish that, start again.

🕯 Light a candle — Honestly? This might not “count” as a win, but it makes everything feel better. Candles give my home the hygge energy I’m forever chasing.

🥕 Chop one veggie — Future-you making dinner will be grateful.

🧠 Close one tab — Literally or metaphorically. What’s open that doesn’t need to be? (I just counted mine — 14 tabs. Not necessary.)

🎉 Celebrate one small win — Didn’t yell. Got out the door. Sent the invoice. Those moments matter — name them.

Five minutes won’t change everything. But five minutes is how everything changes.

And if you string together enough of these micro-wins, eventually you realize you weren’t stuck. And you know how to begin again. As always, thanks for reading, especially on days like today when I’m running behind.

Children are being deliberately starved in Gaza.

If you read nothing else, let it be this:
If you think it’s acceptable for children to starve to death in a war they had no hand in, I suspect that one day you will look back in shame—because you were on the wrong side of history.

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What’s Going On

It’s been nearly two years since the brutal Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent escalation of violence in Gaza, but the crisis is reaching a tipping point. Humanitarian conditions have worsened by the day, and now they are catastrophic.

Earlier this week, 115 aid organizations signed an open letter warning that the ongoing blockade and Israeli airstrikes are pushing Gaza toward mass starvation. Children are dying of malnutrition and dehydration in hospitals that lack even the most basic supplies. Families are reportedly surviving by drinking salt water.

Food aid is being blocked. Food warehouses have been bombed. Civilians trying to collect food have been killed at distribution sites. Crops and water systems have been destroyed. For months, humanitarian organizations have pleaded for safe, unimpeded access to deliver aid—only to be blocked, delayed, or targeted.

Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas' terror, and they absolutely should. What happened on October 7 was horrific. But this? This is not defense. This is the deliberate starvation of civilians. This is the starvation of children. This is cruel. This is a man-made famine.

Why You Should Care

Even if you’re not following every headline—even if Gaza feels far away—this matters.

Because using starvation as a weapon is a war crime.
Because silence makes us complicit.
Because pretending this is just "part of war" is gross.
Because children are dying.

Many of the organizations raising the alarm have worked in war zones for decades—and they’re saying they’ve never seen anything like this. And still, despite their pleas, governments are failing to act with the urgency this moment demands.

We cannot afford to look away.

I can’t help but think of my own children. What it would be like to hold them while they begged for food I didn’t have. What it would be like to have nothing to give them. What it would be like to lose them—slowly, painfully—not because I failed, but because the world did.

What You Can Do

🟡 Contact your representatives. Urge them to demand an immediate, sustained ceasefire and full humanitarian access. August is congressional recess, but many members hold town halls—show up, speak out.

🟡 Donate if you can. Support vetted groups working to deliver aid under impossible conditions:

• World Food Program

• World Central Kitchen

• The Palestinian Red Crescent

• Save the Children
  

🟡 Use your voice. Share posts. Write to local media. Talk to your friends and family. The more people who speak out, the harder it is for leaders to ignore.

🟡 Keep paying attention. The news cycle may shift. Our attention may waver. But families in Gaza don’t get that luxury.

The difference between life and death for a child in Gaza might come down to whether the world decides to care fast enough.

We just got back from an incredible trip to Tilghman Island—Maryland and DC friends, I truly cannot recommend the Wylder Hotel more—where my husband planned a weekend full of activities to celebrate my birthday. And with everything else swirling, I’ve been trying to pay closer attention to the things that bring me back to earth. Not because they fix everything, but because they make it all feel a little more bearable. A little more beautiful. A little more mine.

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Here are three things quietly holding me together right now:

1. Dance parties with my kids

If you’re overwhelmed, may I suggest a chaotic dance party soundtracked by Danny Go? If toddler music isn’t your speed, we’re also big fans of Chappell Roan and Beyoncé over here (my daughter asked for Pink Pony Club and Freedom on the way to camp this morning, and I’m taking it as a parenting win).

But in all seriousness, these dance breaks are the ultimate reset button—for all of us. They’re a reminder that joy doesn’t have to be scheduled or earned. It can just show up—right between breakfast cleanup and chasing down wiggly kids for sunscreen.

2. Time in and on the water

I often really miss living in the city—but never in the summer. Our weekends are spent in and on the water, and it truly sparks joy. Whether it’s the boat or the pool, I feel calmer just being near it. There’s something about water that softens life’s sharp edges.

Lately, it’s also been a space for small miracles. My daughter swam across the pool by herself for the first time. My son dunked his head under and popped back up, eyes wide and grinning. And this weekend, I watched both of them stand up on paddleboards (assisted, of course). It was magic—for them, but honestly? Just as much for me.

3. Daily dog walks

Our dog Bagel lives to be outside. Rain or shine, any season, he can be found sprinting back and forth in the backyard like it’s his job. It took him a while to learn how to walk on a leash, but lately he’s hit his stride—and so have our morning walks.

Now, it’s the first thing I do after camp drop-off. It’s a gentle, grounding start to the day—for both of us. The rhythm, the movement, the predictability—it all helps me shake off the morning chaos and ease into whatever’s next. I’ll pop in a podcast, take a deep breath, and let myself just walk before the day really begins.

None of this is revolutionary. It’s not a productivity hack or a perfect morning routine. It’s just what’s working right now.

What’s keeping you grounded these days?

P.S. If you need a little grounding yourself, might I suggest a cup of First Light Coffee? It's made for slow mornings, soft landings, and starting again—no matter how many times the day derails you.