Happy Sunday!
As of June 16th, I’m 26 and officially on the other side of frontal lobe development. I have finally accepted that pursuing the life I want and striving to become my higher self isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.
Over wine, bread, and disappointing service at Mirabelle Wine Bar in the Valley, I confided in my best friend about the stress of being my best self. It's so easy to fall off track with my morning pages, post-dinner walks, gua sha routine, weekly prayer, and all the things that cultivate peace, clarity, and confidence in my aura. I questioned after Mezcal shots at Everson Royce Bar, a night out, and chaotically waking up for my personal training session if I had already fallen off the wagon just one week into a year older and wiser.
Side note: I haven’t; I’ve learned your morning routine is still effective at 5 PM.
I think back to preschool and elementary school, where things were rigid: nap time, playtime, bedtime, and play dates. Now, at 26, my life mimics that period of pre-adolescence. Lights out by 10:30 have replaced my parent-approved bedtime, 30 minutes of meditation are the new nap times, and a calendar invite with four of my girlfriends to see Inside Out 2 feels like an adult playdate.
I’m a mutable sign (Pisces Moon, Gemini Sun, and Sagittarius Rising) through and through and have always been a bit structure-averse, wanting to go with the flow and not be caged in. But the structure that once helped kick off my life is now what I need to unlock my fullest potential—there’s no denying it.
The mental clarity and increasing confidence that 26 has brought is exhilarating. I’m genuinely grateful to be a year older and to have the tools, wisdom, and knowledge I have in my arsenal.
This weekend’s newsletter includes a few wellness things that keep me healthy, aligned, and thriving at 26, my thoughts (so far) on the final season of Power Book II: Ghost, and the articles that ushered me into a new year.
Before we start, here’s what 26 looks like so far!
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A Few Articles + Pieces of News (Links In Header)
How the self-care industry made us so lonely
I’m a whore for any content that critiques and explores our relationship to the wellness industry. This piece from Vox further supported my aversion to using terms like self-care and supporting influencers and brands who have over-indexed in the commodification of being well. If you’re interested in learning how the wellness industry has ebbed and flowed over the past century and how self-care became a commercial product. This is for you.
to be creative, be where you are
All the cliches are true. “The magic you're looking for is in the work you're avoiding.”
I've always struggled with presence. For life to feel exciting, I need something to look forward to; a calendar invite keeps me moist. This Substack article from Mind Mine on becoming more present and presence as a prerequisite for creativity is a gentle reminder that everything I need and all the happiness I'm looking for is already within me.
A standout quote:
To be truly yourself is to exist fully in the moment, without placing any additional packaging on how you are being seen.
Jodie Turner-Smith Takes Control
I'm four months single, and reading Jodie Turner-Smith's post-relationship clarity is healing. She's candid about the complexities of being a working mother, the swirl obsession that plagued public perception of her relationship, and everything she would do differently.
This quote resonated with me:
...one major lesson that I took away from this, which is just that people don’t need to know everything.
#Real
40 Acres and A Lie
The excellent journalists at Mother Jones explore what happened to the roughly 1,200 formerly enslaved Black Americans who were given land through the "40 acres and a mule" promise. The project uses AI and the Freedmen’s Bureau record to examine this promise's disappointing but not surprising outcomes, the possibilities of modern-day reparations, and more.
If you loved Ta-Nehisi Coates's 2014 article “The Case for Reparations,” this package of features and podcast episodes is for you.
Meet Alex Consani, the People's Princess
I loved this profile of Alex Cosani from Who What Wear. After piecing together her lore via tweets, the comments of viral TikTok videos, and Instagram captions, I needed to know her more intimately in an editorial sense. I’m happy to see a trans woman get editorial space dedicated to her life that isn’t just about her queerness. Wishing this coverage and care on my black trans girlies!
Why It Was Easier to Be Skinny in the 1980s
“It’s the hormones,” “Those damn microplastics,” “It whatever is in the food these days.” We’ve all known, whether from doing research or intuitive observations, that something is different about today’s food.
Returning to what I wrote in the intro, being “healthy” is hard. Although personally, I'm not solely focused on being skinny, this article from The Atlantic unpacks how and why maintaining our weight and eating healthier is more complex than ever nowadays. It’s an oldie 2015, but still relevant, eye-opening, and possibly cathartic for anyone working to develop better eating habits or improve their relationship with food.
Some other articles:
Intimate photo series celebrates Black fatherhood through portraits of hands
Tyler, The Creator’s Collaboration With Parachute Is a Pastel Dream
A Few Wellness Things
I just highlighted an article discussing how the wellness industry has become commodified and here I am recommending ~things~ to indulge in on your wellness journey.
But let’s face it, it’s an investment, and here are a few noteworthy things I've invested my time and money:
Methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM Powder:
Not meth, but my superhero for recovery and hair growth. While I typically advocate for getting nutrients from whole foods (MSM is found in corn, fruits, and even coffee), I can't deny the ease of incorporating powdered MSM into my routine. The three almost tasteless scoops have increased my hair growth. I’ve seen better recovery after heat styling my hair and fewer aches and pains after working out.
Chrissy Rutherford’s FWD JOY (Forward Joy) newsletter:
My cousin used to forward me editions of FWD JOY, and I soon became a loyal reader. I appreciate Chrissy’s multifaceted approach to wellness: not just diet, exercise, or therapy. The veteran fashion and social media expert is candid about personal, sometimes embarrassing experiences like breakups and moving home in her 30s without being preachy or positioning herself as an expert.
Personal Traning or Small Group Traning
I often marvel at how I can afford a personal trainer, reflecting on how my 15-year-old self would be in awe that I can now incorporate one into my life. I feel incredibly grateful that something I had sworn was for celebrities or CEOs is now at arm’s length. The next level of my workout journey is to be invited to Alo Gym.
I'm captivated by the mental focus and sense of accomplishment weightlifting provides. However, the combination of planning my workouts, being accountable for hypertrophy and muscle development, and building a consistent routine overwhelms me. I could lock in and do all the research and planning to stay in shape, but I’m happy to pay someone else to guide me on this journey and highly recommend it to anyone feeling stressed about their workout regimen.
I'm starting private sessions with a new personal trainer this week in Los Angeles. If you're in D.C., my previous trainer hosts a weekly small-group training class worth your while (pictured above). I also love SWEAT DC.
Follow Yumi Sakugawa and buy her coloring book.
Creative discipline and unlocking my creativity are major themes of 2024 for me. I'm focused on using my time on social media to interact with accounts that inspire me, including comic artist, wellness blogger, and all-around genius Yumi Sakugawa. As noted above, I've always struggled with feeling like discipline and excitement are polar opposites, but Yumi's content has challenged my thinking. She advocates using structure not as punishment but as a vehicle for self-love.
I bought Yumi’s coloring book for my sister this past holiday season, and it’s just so darn cute—one of those gifts I wanted for myself but forced on someone else. There’s nothing more whimsical yet mature than coloring "Rest Is Important” at this big age. Purchase the book here.
A Thoughts on Power Book II: Ghost
I can't mince my words; this new and gratefully last Power Book II: Ghost season is corny. The show has always teetered on the line of a shoddy soap opera or even a modern-day telenovela, but this season fully crosses that line. I binged the first three episodes over the weekend and found myself sighing relief after the closing credits rolled.
The ghosts of Monet Tejada's (played by Mary J. Blige) past are an unnecessary storytelling device.
Why is Diana pregnant?
Adding Nona's daughter to the final season feels messy and untethered.
I enjoy Brayden's character, but the subplots and scenes focused on him and his family feel unfinished.
Power Book II: Ghost is busy like any crime drama, but this season is rushed, especially now that we’re one episode away from the mid-season finale. When I compare the complexities and fullness of OG characters like Tasha St. Patrick and Angela Valdez, their scenes that didn't involve James "Ghost" St. Patrick and their interior lives felt more developed than this version of background characters like Effie, Diana, or even Drew. The spin-off has consistently struggled to maintain fruitful storylines for its secondary characters, predominantly female characters.
Luckily, the action scenes are still intense and not wholly predictable.
My biggest gripe is the series' bringing back a connection to Angela Valdez through a DEA agent named Angel "Junior" Young, who's revealed to be her nephew. Easter eggs like this are exhausting and seem more like a "gotcha" moment for the writers rather than adding anything entertaining, new, or substantive to the plot. I value it when series and universes can effectively conclude storylines, regardless of their former significance. The Power Universe’s recurring theme of "things coming back to haunt you" feels overused at this point in the series. There are almost TOO MANY characters with an axe to grind with Tariq; instead, I’d love to see an unlikely ally appear.
When I’m not binging Power, here’s what I’m digging.
I’m biased as the show’s Senior Producer, but I’d take a listen to Session 363 of Therapy for Black Girls on how (sometimes awful) depictions of Black women’s dating experiences on TV reflect the state of the dating world in real life featuring Dr. Sarah Adeyinka-Skold of U Penn.
The Sunday Times went inside Olivier Rousteing’s Paris Home!
A Few Other Things
This Wednesday, I’ll publish my first travel recap of my trip to Mérida, Yucatán!
After feeling tennis-averse and not wanting to latch on to the Challengers, tennis-core wave, I took a semi-private tennis lesson with my friends at Sunset Tennis Club in Beverly Hills and have zero regrets. My friend Alexis also wore the cutest Alo tennis dress I’ve added to my wishlist.
Last week on the pod, I re-released my episode with Teen Vouge’s Kaitlyn McNab. I texted Kaitlyn, and she shared her summer reading list, which I’ll drop on the A Few Minutes IG feed. Follow us!
That’s all for today! Is there anything specific you’d like me to write about? Article recs? Please email me: ellisellice@gmail.com.
loved this!! as someone with ADHD, the line “I've always struggled with feeling like discipline and excitement are polar opposites” resonated soooo much. still learning this but hopefully, by the time my frontal lobe develops, i’ll be able to understand that practice of discipline more 🥹. thank u for this & happy belated birthday again 💜