on nostalgia and a very nice week

just the hits #10

You know how I said I wanted an easy week? Well, the universe delivered - kind of.

My North Star this week was spending quality time with my family to help ground us after some hard moments (which had us backing out of some plans at the last minute, with our regrets).

We played board games, had dance parties, built nonsensical Lego things (highly recommend keeping a rolling drawer cart filled with random Lego bricks by you at all times), and curled up on the couch to watch The Wild Robot again (where I predictably bawled my eyes out).

I did make it out to grab dinner with some of my closest girlfriends, and attended Beyond Capital’s Women in Impact lunch (with some of the most impressive women I’ve ever met). I ran outside for the first time in years, returning home with the biggest smile on my face.

I slept fairly well. I got in a few strength training sessions. I made some delicious meals and hit my protein goals most days. And while these things make me sound spectacularly lame, they also have me feeling really good.

If it’s helpful, I’m sharing my strength training plan, regular dinners, meditations, and journaling prompts to help me stay grounded (I’ll be updating this every week):

the plan - october 2024

I’m back in Pennsylvania today to canvass with Indian American Impact - will be sharing the day over on Instagram.

I have two podcast interviews to share - one on my mental health journey, and what I want everyone to know about Kamala Harris. You can also catch up with the latest newsletters here:

#5SmartReads - October 15, 2024

just the hits #9

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Canadian Boyfriend

by Jenny Holliday

This is for those who have been crushing on Joshua Jackson since Mighty Ducks.

He narrates the role of Mike, a widowed professional hockey player who asks his Rory (his daughter’s ballet teacher who’s also processing her own trauma) to be their babysitter. Emotional walls fall, attraction and tension builds, and it’s a beautiful, vulnerable book enhanced by Jackson’s own voice.

I recommend buying the audiobook on Libro.fm (which supports indie bookstores). You can get 2 bonus books when you start a subscription with the code HITHA.

You can find my 2024 reads here, and last month’s reads here.

Sonoma Creamery Crisps ($28 for 6 packs)

This is an actual text exchange between me and

Julia @smarterinasec

(my fellow lover of smart reads and high protein snacks). And it’s for good reason, because these crisps are my new hyper-fixation snack when my meal times are out of whack.

These have a stronger flavor and a more cracker-like texture over Parm Crisps (which I really like), and pair great with a Ghia spritz or a glass of Pinot Noir (which is how my parents and I enjoyed them yesterday evening). The pepper jack flavor is my favorite.

Find all my Amazon favorites here.

Nobody Had a Better Week Than Early ’00s Teen Stars

published in Glamour

Elder millennials, this is our time. Grab yourself an obnoxiously large tumbler of water, your favorite high protein snack, some magnesium, and tuck in with these perfect blends of nostalgia and jadedness that sums up being in your late 30s/early 40s.

In other excellent millennial nostalgia news, Rainbow Brite is coming back (with a stellar new team behind her).

I share smart & fun reads, cheap (and useful thrills), and outfits on Instagram, and random musings on Threads. If that’s your thing, please hang out with me over there!

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Sharing

• Two great podcast episodes:

  • Jeanelle Teves’ episode on

    A Day In Her Life
    (the way Jeanelle practices joyful discipline is really inspiring).

  • How the founders of Arrae run their business (great tips on growing and managing a team).

• The best solutions to address climate change are also the most simple.

• These shoes arrived this week, and I haven’t stopped wearing them since opening them (recommend sizing up 1/2 a size).

• del Rey is the publisher behind some of my favorite fantasy books - but I had no clue that the imprint was named after its founder, Judy-Lynn del Rey. Truly a woman ahead of her time (and our present, if I’m being honest).

These are my most popular recommendations.

Making

Please don’t judge me when I tell you how we’re doing burger night these days. Instead of loading up a burger the proper way, I make a deconstructed burger plate - a Beyond Meat Juicy Lucy burger patty served alongside toasted brioche slider rolls, dill pickles, and burger sauce. I cut off a tiny bite of each (pickle, then burger, then roll) and dip the bite into the sauce before eating, and it is perfection. And yes, I know it’s a desecration of the almighty burger, but it’s also excellent.

Answering Asking For Your Help

I’m doing my friend Amanda’s 35 day brand challenge (everything I’ve done for the past 15 years online has been very vibes only & seizing opportunities), and I have a brief survey that will help me be more intentional in what I write, create, and host. If you have a few minutes, please fill it out!

Catch up on last month’s questions and answers.

Reading

I’m in a reading funk. Got a ‘can’t-put-it-down’ book recommendation? Please share!

Trying

to run outside more. My usual workout set is fine for warm weather, but this extra gear came in clutch on a chilly morning earlier this week.

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If you enjoyed this weekend’s letter, please consider:

• tapping the ❤️ icon below

• tapping the 💬 and answer this question - who was your childhood crush?
  Mine was Charlie Conway from the Mighty Ducks (OG Joshua Jackson fangirl here), and also the animated Aladdin (embarrassing, but true)

• upgrading your subscription, if budget permits. #5SmartReads is sent every Tuesday morning.

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday.

xo,
HPN