Issue 8 | A Morning Brew
Navigating New Year's resolutions, healthy habits and motherhood, and the sh*t storm around us
Happy MLK Jr day to everyone! (I obviously wrote this yesterday) This day feels even more meaningful given all that’s going on in the US right now. I’m taking some time to reflect on Dr. King’s words and what I can do better, in this chapter in my life and in this chapter of our country’s history, to show up for the marginalized.
I woke up this morning to the coziest house. Outside, snow blanketed our street, our heater hummed faithfully, and all of my loves were in my bed and or near it. There is nothing quite like getting a slow start to your day. No rushing to work. No weekend activities pulling me to the door. Just pure, slow, bliss. Days like today are few and far between, especially since Dina was born.
Lately, it feels like I’ve been moving at warp speed with little sleep. I blinked, and suddenly I’m 16 months postpartum. My child is 16 MONTHS (or 1 year and 4 months, for those who do not have babies).
Because of how insanely fast my time is flying, my word of the year for 2026 is savor. I want to relish in my daughter, romanticize this period of my life, and soak up every little minute. I want to read more intentionally, eat nourishing foods, learn new things, and move my body as much as possible. I want 2026 to be the year where I get lost in a painting, spend 4 hours eating one meal with friends, and create a whimsical, beautiful world for Dina.
I don’t think I’m alone in this desire to slow down. The murmurings online show there is a growing pull toward making 2026 an “analog” year (are we all reaching for our old iPods and actual physical books?). I think we are all tired. Tired of doom-scrolling, of the surge in AI-generated content, of overconsumption, and in witnessing cruelty unfold in real time.
Technology, ChatGPT, and social media are all useful tools and do play a role in my life, but it’s easy to get lost in chaos that is the modern world. Everything this vying for your attention. I want to stay connected and informed. I also want to protect my peace, my mental health, and my energy.
And then there is the sh*t storm.
I feel like I’ve been watching the news since November 2016 (let’s be real) with my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe *he* won then. And after everything we’ve lived through since, I could believe it when he won again in 2024. He is not the root of all evil, but I do find him deeply despicable. Paying close attention to current events since 2017 has been draining, and, at times, has made me lose faith in a lot of people.
The news coming out of Minnesota has been heartbreaking. Whatever your interpretation of that video may be, no one should have to die just because we continue to arm racist, trigger-happy, poorly vetted men. Add that to the cuts to aid in African countries and the resulting famines, the genocide in Palestine, Russia’s war in Ukraine… and the list goes on. It’s all just so, so sad.
In the midst of all the disappointment and tragedy, I’m trying to find stillness. I’m trying to choose peace without choosing ignorance, and presence without turning away. While I want to savor all the beauty that life has to offer, I don’t want to ignore everything happening around us. I hope my New Year’s resolutions help me build towards a year full of meaning. My goal is to fill my cup so I can have enough to also show up for those around me.
Here is my list of resolutions that I hope will help me savor and make the most out of 2026:
Break my sugar addiction so I can enjoy sugar without bingeing. While this may not sound aligned with the word of the year, savor, I think it is. Sugar/alcohol became my crutch when I was low on energy or when I was wanting to relax. I’m currently doing the Whole30 with an emphasis on listening to my own body and the signals it was sending. I want to be able to enjoy and savor one glass of wine or a piece of chocolate without needing a second and a third.
Find ways to move my body that align with my chaotic schedule. I’ve already started doing this at the end of last year, but I want to carry this goal with me throughout 2026. For a long time, I treated exercise like an all-or-nothing event. If I couldn’t fit a Crossfit workout 5 days a week, then why work out at all?
Instead, I’ve been squeezing in movement wherever I can: a 30 minute yoga session on my living room floor after putting Dina to bed, an exercise class at lunch when I’m in the office, or a 20 minute walk around the block before bed. I’m not a morning person and I’ll likely never be, especially in this stage of my life, when Dina wakes up 2-3 times a night, every night. I can barely wake up to get to work, let alone wake up to go to the gym at 6 am, so I’m making do with what I’ve got.
Learning about and enjoying art again. When I was in high school, I was in IB. A few friends took the higher-level visual arts class, and I remember feeling a little sad that I didn’t have room in my schedule to take it too. Since then, I’ve learned that that class was extremely stressful and time-consuming, and while I don’t care to bring anymore stress into my life, I love the idea of seeking out art, writing about its background and history in an art diary, and reflecting on how it makes me feel. I took an art history class in college and if I had the money and the life conditions that would permit, I would have totally majored in it! It was by far, my favorite class.
When I lived in Europe, I used to go to museums often and - I was thinking about this the other day - I haven’t been to an art museum in years. I also want to complete one creative piece this year. I have so many unfinished projects: embroidery, unfinished pysanky, paint-by-numbers painting, a knitting kit, and the list goes on.
I really like the idea of a personal curriculum. I’ll expand on this in a future post!
Be more intentional and focused with my career and finances. I’m at a point where I’m actively thinking about what’s next for me, career-wise. I am balancing a desire to slow down, with a real sense of ambition. There is a pull to grow, be challenged, and move forward. I don’t need more right now, but I want something that feels aligned.
I want to be more thoughtful about where I direct my energy professionally, creatively, and financially. I want to pursue growth and progress without burnout, and I never want to have to choose between growth and success and my family (my family will win). I want to experience depth, meaning, and alignment, over constant motion.
My finances are closely tied to this, as they are an area I want to improve and not just ignore and make more money. I’m becoming more aware of how I shop out. Usually, it’s out of boredom or restlessness, and I want to be more intentional about what I bring into my life.
Ultimately, I want to want less. I want to consume less, both materially and mentally, and I want to invest that energy into being more deliberate in my professional career, as well as my personal life.
Rediscover myself after postpartum. Postpartum has been one of the most challenging and beautiful seasons of my life. They aren’t exaggerating when they call it the fourth trimester. Caring for a tiny human makes everything fade away into the background, including yourself.
This year, I want to focus on feeling like myself again. I had passions and interests before becoming a mother, and while this season doesn’t allow the same time or energy for them, I don’t want to lose them entirely. I want to curate a life full of things that feels meaningful, layered, and authentic. I want a life that makes room for both motherhood and the person I am outside of it.
My daughter is everything to me, and I also want her to grow up seeing a mother who is curious, engaged, and well cared for. A mother who loves to learn, move her body, cook, travel, play, and tends to her own well-being. This ‘rediscovery’ resolution will show up in small tangible ways: my personal style, how I care for my body, and how I support my emotional well being.
Do you still do resolutions? What are your hopes for this year? Comment below in the chat!
Three things I’m enjoying this week…
From Zero to Well-Read (click for Spotify or Apple Podcasts) - This podcast has been a recent addition to my rotation. Along with my goal to read more, I want to improve my retention and get some more meaning out of what I read, rather than consume for the sake of consuming. I’ve only listened to a few episodes, but I am really enjoying revisiting some of the old books I read. The Great Gatsby episode was really enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to listening to One Hundred Years of Solitude next!
Pluribus (on Apple TV) - I finished this season and have been really enjoying the show. The premise is that an alien virus infects almost everyone on earth, and they all become a singular ‘we’. Carol, a romance author who hasn’t been honest about her own life, has to now face the hive mind. She, a perpetually unhappy person, has to contend with the apparent happiness of the collective ‘we’ and figure out how and if she can save the world. I like that it’s more philosophical in nature rather than a zombie, apocalyptic, jump-scare.
Night Songs by Alli Dyer - (available for pre-order. Release date is August 11, 2026). I was given an early copy of this book on NetGalley to read and review. I’m about 20% of the way through it and really am enjoying it. Rhea grew up living at her terrible aunt and uncle’s house. She finds out that she is the heiress to the former country singer Lulabelle Powers. She not only inherits her fortune, but also inherits her mother’s secret!
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