the report | vol. 27

Feb 01, 2026

The universe has a funny way of letting you know whether or not you’re on the right path. Like, “oh, you just blew up your life to pursue this thing, and it’s really hard and scary, and you’re exhausted and are questioning everything? Here, have a brand partnership, on the house.”

January has simultaneously been one of the hardest, yet most thrilling months of my recent memory. In an effort to burn it all down and rebuild as a writer, I went half-time with my old job, started working at a coffee shop 4 days a week to get the fuck out of my house and away from my computer, all on top of writing more than ever and tending to this Substack. I intended to fully leave my old job, but couldn’t make it work financially.

So, now I have three jobs. Oops.

It’s a lot. My capacity is definitely at its limit, and I feel like a shell of myself by the end of most days. BUT it does create a sense of time pressure. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Parkinson’s Law, but it’s something I’m all too familiar with. Essentially, it’s the idea that tasks will expand to fill the time you’ve allotted for them. If you give yourself a week to write something, for example, you will take the full week. If you give yourself three hours, you will, almost miraculously, finish it in three hours. It’s just the level of focus and intensity that changes.

When I had all day to sit in front of my computer, basically a full week to write something without many time constraints, I would take the full week. But now, my time has been squeezed and compressed, and the time I do spend in front of the computer is a lot more focused.

There’s a lot more writing happening and a lot less watching YouTube videos.

But let me tell you — I am exhausted. It’s that deep kind of exhaustion you feel in your bones. From the time my head hits the pillow at night and when my alarm goes off in the morning (which is usually at 5 now #baristalife), I might as well be dead.

I'm feeling stretched (and stressed) in so many ways. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard at anything in my life. Every time I have to turn down an invitation or start nodding off on the couch at 7:30, I question if it’s worth it.

But then, something happens like getting reached out to for a brand partnership with Herman Miller (my first ever !!), and I feel like it’s the universe throwing me a bone, letting me know I’m doing the right thing.

I won’t drone on about it because I’ve already written about it pretty extensively, but this felt like a massive win for me. I want to put a lot of energy into partnerships this year, and this was such a huge step in actualizing that.

I want to be able to travel, meet people, experience things, have my eyes opened —as Mary Oliver said, pay attention, be astonished, and tell about it. To show people and help them understand how incredible this one, precious, impossible life is on this precious, impossible planet. This has been my goal for a really, really long time, and I’ve struggled to figure out how to bring it to fruition. But now I feel like I’m so close I can taste it.

So, THANK YOU for being here and being part of that journey. My gratitude for each and every one of you is boundless.

Now on to what I’ve been getting into this month….

restacking —

I’ve protected my peace so much, I’ve accidentally made myself boring. by Niamh Duffy

The Wankery Verdict: “Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated” by Annie Scott

the impermanence is the point by Vidya (if you read one thing…)

eating —

Rye chocolate chip cookies

In the Colorado episode of DIRT on YouTube (see below), one of the stops was a regenerative potato farm that uses rye as its cover crop, and they made rye chocolate chip cookies that sounded SO good, so I took this recipe for a spin, and they were stunning.

playing —

We Live in Time — I watched this movie on the plane back from Michigan, and it was a MISTAKE because I CRIED THE WHOLE TIME. Why do I do this to myself???

A+ romantic drama, though. One of my all-time favorites of the genre, I’d say.

Shrinking — I love this show, and I never hear anyone talking about it, but it’s so endearing! Only one episode of season 3 is out, but it’s already the only thing I want to watch (and I’m just a sucker for those little moments of Brett Goldstein).

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — Look, I love the GoT universe as much as the next person, but I’m not totally sold on this one yet! It’s a little underwhelming so far.

DIRT — I just learned about this series on Huckberry’s YouTube, and I love it. If you’re into food + travel shows, I think you’d enjoy it!

obsessing over —

My dad got me ceramics lessons for my birthday (experience gifts, ftw), and I LOVED it. It was so far out of my norm, but something I’ve long romanticized. I have visions for my future of running an olive oil farm, keeping bees, and making pottery.

Now, I’m not very good at it (currently), but I have a whole new appreciation for ceramics—I’ve been flipping over all of my mugs and admiring the trimming work—and handmade things in general. We don’t often think about the years that go into honing a craft when we’re consuming something, especially because we consume SO many things. But this has really given me a renewed sense of how important slow consumption is.

All said, now I’m frustrated because I want to get better, but the reality is I just don’t have the time or money to pursue it further. I’d love to come back to it someday, though!

recommending —

Kyrgies slippers

Last month I treated myself, and this month I’m coming back to report: 10/10 recommend. They are cozy and warm, yet breathable, give my toes room to wiggle, and are so chic looking.

I’ve been lightly dabbling in Traditional Chinese Medicine (I highly recommend giving Dr. Felice Chan a follow!) and learning about how important it is to keep your feet warm.

I’m not totally sold on the meridians of it all (although I’m open to it!), but my comfort level has drastically increased, so I’ll take it.

treating —

PSTR Studio

This is the year I finally invest in making my home a cozy and inviting space. Not perfect—but thoughtful. Lived in. We live in a lick-and-stick grey box, and I really want to inject some character into it.

I LOVE art but… It’s fucking expensive! HOWEVER, I got some cash between my birthday and Christmas and put it towards getting something on the walls in our awkward little office, and replacing a piece of wedding decor we were using to fill wall space in our bedroom.

PSTR has some really fun prints (I LOVE Eniko Eged), and their prices aren’t too outrageous.