Hey friend,
We’ve officially transitioned to summer which means it’s time for the round-up of favorite resources from this past spring.
Below you’ll find the compilation of recommendations. This list reflects the books, essays, podcasts, shows, and videos that made a positive impact on members of this community over the past three months (a big thank you to those of you who shared your favorite recs with me).
A reminder about formatting before we jump in…
Each recommendation will have a brief description and link to access it.
If a recommendation has a “*” next to it, it means it has been recommended before. One “*” for every issue it has appeared in before today.
Also—a celebratory side note—we have officially cycled through a full year’s worth of recommendations. You can revisit any of the previous seasons’ recommendations below:
❄️ Winter 2022-2023 Recommendations (here)
🍁 Fall 2022 Recommendations (here)
🌞 Summer 2022 Recommendations (here)
Have fun browsing and enjoy whatever jumps out at you. 🥂
~ L
🎧 Listening Recommendations
Podcasts
Julia Gets Wise with Jane Fonda, Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
I love this podcast. Julia Louis-Dreyfus interviews older women who have lived extraordinary lives on a mission to give voice and extract wisdom from older women who oftentimes become invisible. J L-D is obviously hilarious. Listen for a good time.
Unveiling the Alpha Child: Healing People Pleasing, Over-Responsibility and Anxiety, AnxietyRx
This podcast was recommended to me by my therapist*. I’m unsure about the other episodes, but I found this episode helpful as it explores how we learn to read other people's needs when we are children and slowly neglect our own and how this self-neglect and lack of self-care becomes an insidious and destructive program that separates us from our own selves internally and creates a tremendous amount of alarm. *caveat: my therapist (and I) have mixed feelings about the model of the podcast (selling of a course/book after), but the content of this one felt helpful enough to recommend.
We Can Do Hard Things Crossover, Good Inside x We Can Do Hard Things
If you love Glennon Doyle and her wife Abby Wambach and you’re a parent, this is a really fun listen. My favorite thing they discussed was “What’s the best parenting decision you ever made?” Gems on gems.
Music
R&B and Ribs Set, J. Espinosa
This mix is a party, period. If you’re from the Bay and you know J. Espinosa you know the vibes.
📖 Reading Recommendations
Books
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Dr. Peter Attia
https://peterattiamd.com/outlive/
I feel like everyone should read this book. A deep dive into how to live better and longer challenges the conventional medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health. It felt like someone gave me the cheat codes for how to set myself up for success with my health as I age.
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model, Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
https://ifs-institute.com/nobadparts
One of those books that’ll settle your soul and the voices in your head. So appreciated this perspective and view of the self. From the description: We’ve been taught to believe we have a single identity, and to feel fear or shame when we can’t control the inner voices that don’t match the ideal of who we think we should be. Yet Dr. Richard Schwartz’s research now challenges this “mono-mind” theory. “All of us are born with many sub-minds―or parts,” says Dr. Schwartz. “These parts are not imaginary or symbolic. They are individuals who exist as an internal family within us―and the key to health and happiness is to honor, understand, and love every part.”
Essays
So You’ve Decided Not to Blow Mother’s Day, Everything Happened
This essay made me LAUGH and was also so insightful for anyone looking to give a mother in their life a gift on Mother’s Day. Bravo to the author — a fun and enlightening read.
The Myth of Unconditional Love in Romantic Relationships, Esther Perel
https://www.estherperel.com/blog/the-myth-of-unconditional-love-in-romantic-relationships
Freaking Esther, man. Doing it again with this one. A snippet to give you the jist: We learn that romantic love is supposed to flood us with certainty and thus there is no room for ambivalence. But ambivalence is as intrinsic to relationships as love itself.
The 7 types of rest that every person needs, Saundra Dalton-Smith MD
https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/
Did you know there are 7 types of rest…(I didn’t). I thoroughly appreciated this breakdown with suggestions on how to incorporate each of the seven types of rest into everyday life.
What We Never Say About Parenting, The Cut
https://www.thecut.com/2023/02/the-good-parts-of-parenting.html
A healthy encouragement to celebrate the Good Parts of parenting.
Finding the right fit in a Psychotherapist, Dr. Peter Attia
https://peterattiamd.com/finding-the-right-fit-in-a-psychotherapist/
This article identifies which elements of a relationship with a therapist (potential or current) will likely lead to an effective outcome. Lovely for anyone therapy-curious.
📺 Viewing Recommendations
YouTube
Mother uses spinach as metaphor to teach bullied son
Worth the watch. It’s two minutes and it’ll probably make your eyes tear up and your nose burn (a powerful example of parenting with love and tenderness).
Streaming
Ted Lasso, Apple TV+
https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/
Iykyk. The world is a better place after this series. Heartwarming. Touching. Meaningful. I’ll miss it.