the report | vol. 20

Whelp.

Here we are, on July 8th, for my June recap, which was supposed to be posted on the 6th, but June really got away from me. I got out of my weekly rhythm and now I feel like I’m playing catch-up (for my self-imposed deadlines, LOL).

Over the last month, this Substack has seen insane growth (if you’re new here, hi! The Report is a monthly, informal dump of the things that have been bringing me joy and value). And with that, I’ve been thinking of new ways to use this space and connect with all of you!

When I started, I was just writing for me, as a way to iron out my thoughts, ideas, and philosophies: things on my mind that felt important. And while it’s still that, I just never imagined that so many people would resonate with my words, let alone let me infiltrate your inbox every week. I’m just overflowing with gratitude—it makes my head spin a bit.

So, I’ve been brainstorming different ways I can add more value and a sense of community to this space—to use my powers for good, as it were.

I often hesitate to blend work and art: for those of you who don’t know, I’m a breathwork and movement coach. Because I often write scathing critiques of the wellness industry, I’ve felt like I had to keep that side of me hidden from this space. As if in some way, my life in the flesh is a betrayal of my online life (or vice versa).

But, as I thought about it, I determined that, not only is it not a betrayal, it’s a necessity. Because when I blend my work and art, what you get is wellness, but for people who are tired of or turned off by Wellness™. For people who want substance, not just performance. Who are tired of optimizing and just want to live. To use wellness as a tool and conduit for what it was meant to be all along: freedom.

It’s scary to make adjustments while things are going well, but now that this space is growing, it feels pertinent to offer more of myself and connect on a deeper level.

So here’s what’s changing:

In a word, nothing 😅

You’ll still get essays from me every week, same as before, but I will also be doing a weekly breathwork audio for paid subscribers.

And as a preview of what that will look like: I’m not a hyperventilate-until-you’re-in-outer-space type of breathwork coach. I’m what you might call a “functional breathwork coach”. The way we breathe matters, and my work is focused on sessions that serve as training the way you breathe to trickle over into the rest of your life. They’ll be subtle, short, simple, with vibey music so that you can just pop in your headphones and do them anywhere, along with some banter and education.

This starts next week, so for the next week, I’ll be having a subscription sale, as well as offering a free trial!

As always, thanks for being here, and enjoy this volume of the report!

xx Erin

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reading — Women Who Run With The Wolves

My husband went out to the bookstore to get himself a book. He didn’t end up finding one for himself, but when he got home, he pulled this one out of his bag and said, “I saw this and thought it was perfect for where you’re at”, fully not knowing that it’s been on my reading list for ages.

I haven’t started it yet (almost done with Between Two Kingdoms—it was fantastic!), but I can’t wait!

eating— Kefir popsicles

I love a little treat. I love a little treat with some bennies even more. I’ve been making these Kefir pops (if you’re unfamiliar, Kefir is basically gogurt) as a little gut-friendly summer snack and they’re so fun and delicious!

I’ve been mxing kefir and coconut milk (it’s not a science, but it’s about 12 total oz of liquid) with blueberries, maple syrup, vanilla, and butterfly pea powder (because I have it and why not), or cacao powder, vanilla, honey, and cacao nibs (because I have them and why not). Pour into popsicle molds, freeze, and there ya go!

playing— Nine Perfect Strangers

Lily Montasser

said that Nine Perfect Strangers was like “The White Lotus but on shrooms” in an issue of The Edit—say less. It’s one of those shows where you feel like you’re joining events already in progress, and the what and why of everything that’s happening is slowly revealed to you over time, picking up momentum as the season progresses, like a snowball rolling down hill. Almost every episode has me saying, “Wait, WHAT?!” as I’m forced to stare at my aghast reflection in the black screen as the credits roll.

obsessing over — Mumford and Sons

I’ve been a Mumford and Sons evangelist since their first album dropped in 2009. I was in high school, and none of my friends, who I made share an earbud with me on the bus to witness the genius that was The Cave, got it. I didn’t care.

Then, in 2020, they disbanded, and I was devastated—I’d never get the opportunity to see them live. C’est la vie, I suppose.

BUT THEN they got back together (minus the Son that instigated the disbandment), dropped an album, and announced their first tour in seven years. I nearly passed out when I saw that not only was my small city on the list, but we were their first stop.

Needless to say, the energy was electric (also, how was I so unaware of how hot Marcus Mumford is? My god). So often, I’m tapped out on the artist for a bit after I see them in concert. But this show only grew my obsession, and I’ve been listening to them nearly nonstop since.

They even did a surprise acoustic set that they didn’t do the first night (they played two nights and we went to the second), where they played one of my all time favorite songs that I had fully resigned myself to thinking there was no possible way they would play it (it’s kind of an interlude and a pretty deep in their catalog. When I heard the first note, I immediately recognized it and started BAWLING.

Even if you like them just a little bit and they’re coming to a town near you, run, don’t walk.

recommending — Range

Look, I don’t consider myself a pilates princess by any stretch of the imagination. That said, I do dabble. I’ve done some good pilates, some bad pilates, and what I can tell you is that most of what is out there is absolute bullshit.

Range by

Kara Duval

is most certainly not bullshit.

Kara’s classes strike a perfect balance of gentle and challenging. Her disposition, a breath of fresh air. Her exercise selection, exquisite. Think: Pilates meets somatic movement plus primal movement. Her classes speak to the messiness of being a human in a way that you’d never expect to get from a pilates class. *chef’s kiss*

treating — Hinoki

For the most part, I do not like scents in my personal care items. I’m very sensitive to fragrances—nothing fills me with rage more than walking by someone in public and getting assaulted by their perfume from 10 feet away (especially when out on a hike, wtf).

But when I ordered my usual skin care from Wonder Valley, they included a sample of their Hinoki body wash, and now I’m obsessed. Full disclosure, I won’t be purchasing the body wash because I can’t bring myself to spend more than $8 on soap, BUT, now I want Hinoki everything. It smells like I’m at a luxury resort in the Redwoods overlooking the ocean, where it’s $3,000 a night. Now I only want hinoki—rollers, incense, give me all of it.