#5SmartReads - April 7, 2023

Genevieve “Jenny” Dreizen is the co-founder and COO of Fresh Starts Registry, the first and only platform for everything you need to begin again, including divorce or breakup, moving, career changes, stepping into your truth, or starting again after grief. On the heels of her sister Olivia’s divorce, which prompted Olivia to have an ‘aha moment’ when she realized we needed to reframe the narrative around big life changes, and her own decade-long relationship ending Olivia and Jenny founded Fresh Starts as the first Support Registry and Divorce Registry to help remove the overwhelm of starting over following any big, bold life transition as well as assemble the hype team of experts to support them through it.

Jenny is passionate about creating usable, efficient, and beautiful systems to run Fresh Starts to maintain their Experts, Support Specialists, and Freshies. When not planted in front of her multi-screen setup, Jenny might be found baking brownies, working on a poem or essay, or doing her favorite thing - going for a walk and buying herself a little treat.

You Don’t Need To Clean The Playroom- You Ned To Move It (Cubby)

I'm a big believer in intuitive design and this piece from Cubby speaks to that. Why are we letting architects and contractors who don't live in our homes decide which rooms are which?

The article suggests finding spaces that allow you to remove yourself from the visual "mess," which they rebrand "use," that maybe even allow you to close a door when the day is done. It recommends setting you [and your kids] up for success and making tidying a breeze with a place for everything and everything in its place. It's a digestible starting place for a playroom reset with some great resources.

Hey, It’s Still Okay To Brag About Your Life- You Just Have To Do It Right (Cosmopolitan)

Bragging about yourself as for so often been considered a big no, no - but then, we as women are asked to speak about ourselves or network and suddenly it feels like we need to brag about ourselves. And we don't know how, and we don't know how to do so in a way that doesn't make us cringe.

Meredith Fineman breaks it down into a number of easy steps with very convincing arguments on why bragging isn't just necessary - but good! Her reminder that you and your voice are worthy of praise is poignant, it can be so easy to feel goofy when singing your own praises. The article is also a solid reminder to document your jobs well done in the workplace, an important practice we should all make routine for promotions and job applications alike.

Why It’s Never Too Late To Take A Gap Year (Mr. Porter)

Burnout is something I have a lot of real life experience with, as a founder right now it feels like a monster I am always trying to outrun (and then I'm tired from running!).

I loved this piece from Mr Porter about the adult gap year as a reset. Gap years are traditionally for teenagers before they start college, giving them a little time and space to feel some freedom and gather from experiences.

This article suggests maybe youth is wasted on the young - maybe gap years are better spent on those of us who have worked for years and maybe they'd be more fun in a luxury resort than a youth hostel. I wonder if we can't have both: months of rest every number of years to let us rest, read and restore?

Why Friendship Makes Us Healthier (BBC Future)

It took me longer than I'd like to admit to understand the importance of friendship, but I am so glad I finally arrived.

This piece from the BBC talks about both the physical benefits of friends (did you know that having a wide variety of social connections could actually help from catching a cold?) to the mental and emotional benefits. It also outlines the difference between solitude (something I personally need quite a lot of!) versus loneliness (no thank you, please).

We are big believers that community care is self care and reaching out to your community is a very important aspect of your and their mental health. Have you checked in with a friend today? Here's a text you can send right now: "Hey you! Just thinking of you and all of your magic. I hope you're having a lovely day and I can't wait to hear how life is going!"

Finding True Love After Finally Leaving A Dead-End Situation (Shondaland)

I have been a big Melanie Hamlett fan since her 2018 piece entitled "If you're married to adventure, is there room for anyone else?"

Melanie writes thoughtful and thought provoking pieces about relationships, gender dynamics and the absolute need for women to decenter men from their lives. In short, I love her. This piece is about choosing herself and the recognition that being with someone who makes you feel lonely is way, way worse than being alone (see previous point I made about solitude versus loneliness).

I imagine we've all had the experience of someone keeping us around and giving us less than we deserve, be it romantic, platonic or professional - Melanie writes about this experience in such a beautifully earnest and true way, it makes those experiences of mine feel very seen. And don't worry, it has a happy ending.