issue #35 - the first one of 2020

July 05, 2020

New year. Some new, some old priorities. Same me.

If you’re in New York, I’d love for you to join me on Monday for All Womxn Project’s January workshop! I’ll be speaking on their panel and making my vision board for the new year. Get your tickets here!

If this is your first e-mail from me, welcome! In addition to writing the book How To Pack, I'm an entrepreneur and angel investor, an avid reader, and a mom of two boys (a 4 year old and a 4 month old).

Every Saturday, I share the 20 best reads from the Internet (culled from the daily shares on my Instagram), the books I've read that week, and things I'm generally loving at the moment. You can join the conversation on all these articles - and more! - in my Facebook group.

Looking for my packing list template? Here you go!

#ThingsILove This Week

  • I can't wait to start Taza Ayurveda’s Fresh Program, which launches on the 20th. I feel significantly better when I’m incorporating Ayurvedic recipes and rituals in my day, and this is a nice way to reintroduce them. If the price is out of reach, this book is an incredible resource and made such a huge difference in my and my husband’s lives!

  • My Taco Bell obsession goes way beyond the food. I really love their merch, and this blanket and this water bottle in particular. The blanket is insanely cozy and perfect to shield my eyes during the scary parts of Jack Ryan. The water bottle offers the smoothest drinking experience from any of my other water bottles, if that’s a thing. It also just makes me really happy.

  • All of Rho’s toys have been sorted, organized, and live in one of these mesh bags. I learned this hack from my friend Liz, and it’s a lifesaver for kids’ toys. All of Rhaki’s toys fit in one of the smallest sized bags. Poor Rhak.

  • There’s something deeply satisfying in finishing a needlepoint project. I just finished this one, which I started over Thanksgiving. I’m now working on this Thorn Alexander canvas, and going to attempt some new stitches in the background. I’m aware of how spectacularly lame this sounds. And I love it.

  • Do you need a lap desk? No. Is it my favorite thing at this exact moment (and where my laptop is sitting as I type this newsletter)? Absolutely.

  • Random questions I was asked via Instagram:

    • This is the rajma recipe I used (I used 2 cans of kidney beans instead of dried, and poured some of the liquid into a blender with 2 more cans of kidney beans, blended, and added back to the dish)

    • My usual Taco Bell order is a #1 supreme crunchy with beans instead of meat, and I drizzle 1 diablo and 1 fire sauce packet per taco. I usually always get a bean burrito for later. And cinnamon twists. Always cinnamon twists.

    • This is the Kindle Oasis case I have (I get asked this a lot!).

What I read this week (andon vacation, and my January Book Of The Month pick):

A quick note - I hope you reserve the books I recommend from your local library, or purchase them from your favorite independent bookstore or the audiobook fromLibro.fm. I’ll be using Bookstore Link for all my book links, which lets you find and order these books from your favorite indie bookstore online.

  • WOLFPACK (physical copy here) - need a pep talk? You need Abby Wambach’s voice in your ears, talking about leadership and teamwork and love and everything. WOLFPACK is a quick listen - about an hour - but filled with such incredible wisdom and energy. This was my first book of 2020, and I’m so glad it was.

  • Mythos (physical copy here) - short stories are perfect to listen to. I can listen to a full one while getting the boys’ breakfasts ready, or 2 during my commute. Mythos is a perfect audiobook - each chapter is its own myth, but told in a chronological narrative that has me itching to re-read Percy Jackson once this is over. Unlike most mythology collections, Mythos is very funny and written in modern prose, which makes it even easier to digest. It’s a collection that mythology neophytes and experts can both enjoy.

  • Strike Me Down (ARC provided by NetGalley, out April 7th) - I didn’t love this book. I thought the plot was interesting - a forensic accountant is hired to investigate missing funds from the fitness studio she loves - but everything else was lacking. The format of the book was jarring, as the book is told from two characters’ POV and they alternate chapters. Only one character’s voice is in the first person, which I found strange. I also deeply disliked everyone in the book and found them underdeveloped. This should have been a DNF (did not finish), but it’s a testament to the storyline that I kept pushing through the end.

  • Ascending Davos - I think often to a meeting I had at Cardinal Health some 6 years ago, where I met a group of leaders that helped me define leadership for myself. Meghan FitzGerald was one of those people, and she’s become a mentor since. Her career is an incredible one, and Ascending Davos is part memoir, part strategy guide on how to define and ascend your personal Davos in our life. She’s amazing. As is her book.

Current book reviewshere, and here are all my random Amazon favorites.

Hitha’s Favorite Things

The Top 4

  1. What is private equity, and why is it killing everything you love? (Vox) Highly recommend you listen to this episode of Second Life with Tamara Mellon, who shares how private equity investors changed how Jimmy Choo (the business) operated.

  2. The Ladies Who Launch (The Cut)

  3. 37 Pressing Questions About Harry and Meghan’s Royal Family Exit (The Ringer)

  4. The Grooming Gap: What “Looking the Part” Costs Women (In These Times)

The Catch Up

Monday - everything you need to know about what’s happening in Iran. This will make more sense if you read them in order!

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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