Some Good Words: June Edition

Why we speak weirdly at home, extraordinary birding, confidence whiplash, and more!

Happy weekend, WANT fam!

There are quite a few new faces here after launching the preorder campaign for Want Your Self earlier this month! If that’s you, welcome to WANT’s corner of the internet. I’m so thrilled you’re here. Please introduce yourself in the comments and say hello!

Speaking of: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to every single person who has preordered a copy, who has shared the WYS link with a friend, who has sent a note of encouragement — all of you! This is very much one of those dream-come-true situations – especially after feeling like I've been in Author Hermit Mode for SO long and wondering if, when this day came, people would even order it. Ordering a book in advance sometimes feels trivial as a reader (like, cool, awesome, I'll get it when it's out!) but when it comes to being an author, preorders are EVERYTHING. The book's success in 4 months upon release date is very much about what happens from now until then. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for preordering right now — it's a vote of confidence in both me and this Little-Book-That-Could.

If you haven't yet, check it out here and order your copy from your favorite bookseller. Or order two. Or three. Or as one of you told me you did, twenty-five!!

For all the newbies: every month, you’ll be receiving two(ish) emails from me and WANT via our email newsleter, The Good Word. The first is usually some piece of motivation, or a tool to help you shift your negative self-talk patterns. It’s usually more robust and more personal, and meant to help you navigate the highs and lows of being human in this world.

*If you want a look at our entire collection of tips, tools, motivation, and inspiration, go browse through The WANT Library at womenagainstnegativetalk.com — these posts date all the way back to 2015, so needless to say, there’s pretty much something for everyone!

Some Good Words is our second monthly email/post dedicated specifically to recommendations OUTSIDE of the WANT universe. Some of of my favorite newsletters are the ones with lists of on-brand recommendations for things to enjoy both online and off. There’s SO much noise out there when it comes to media to consume — what do I watch? what do I read? — and I always find it so helpful when I’ve got a set of vetted recs to sift through from someone I trust. I’ve structured this kinda-sorta inspired by the the James Clear 3-2-1 rubric, but with my own spin on it: THREE things to read, TWO things to watch, and ONE thing to hear.

The links, podcasts, shows, books, etc. that I’ll share will span across genres and themes. Some things will be pure fun, some might tug at your heart.

But one thing will remain consistent: everything I share here will be with the intention of helping you move forward fearlessly in your own life by being proactive, not reactive.

I’ve also included A Note From Your Self: This note is meant to be read to you, from you. It’s a reminder of who you are, what’s possible, and what might be worth considering today.

I also want to begin including some of YOUR recommendations!!! Leave a comment directly in this post on Substack (or just email me at katie@womenagainstnegativetalk.com) to share what you’re loving, and it might get included in a future round-up. And of course, while I’d be so sad to see you go and really do hope you’ll stick around, you can always either opt out of receiving email updates via the Notifications preferences when you click on WANT, or unsubscribe entirely. But I do hope you’ll stay, and hope WANT can become a welcome addition to your inbox :)

SOME GOOD WORDS

To quote Taylor Swift — are you ready for it?

(I am!)

Here are some links to articles, videos, podcasts, and more that have enriched my life lately — and that I think you’ll love, too.

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3 THINGS TO READ:

1. Generation Connie via NY Times — “We all have our own stories about how our families came to the United States, and why they chose the name they did. But we’re also part of a larger story: about the patterns that form from specific immigration policies, and the ripple effects that one woman on TV prompted just by being there, doing her job.” One of my favorite reads of the entire year, with so many elements of fantastic journalism rolled into one beautifully written piece. Part group memoir, part profile, part historical/cultural analysis. If you haven’t read this one yet, now’s the time. Also, A+ to the NYT team for making this such an engaging scroll both on desktop AND mobile!
   

2. Why We Speak More Weirdly at Home via The Atlantic — “Familects are a part of the intimate register of language, the way we talk ‘backstage’ with the people we are closest to. They’re our home slang, if you will, where we can be our nonpublic selves in all their weird glory.” I recently delighted when a close friend told me about a trip she recently took with someone she’s been dating for a while. While the trip itself sounded amazing, the thing that delighted me the most was when she mentioned some shorthand she and her partner had developed. This, to me, was an unassuming but significant sign of taking things to the next level, so to speak: stepping out of the routine of "normal” language and creating a shared way of communicating that’s fully and completely YOU. You might have a “familect” with your partner, your best friend, your parents, your siblings…and this is a lovely, short, older (2021) read on how we create the feeling of family.
   

3. We Should Be Ambitious About Our Friendships via Elle — “When our cultural norms treat living with friends as a passing phase and our housing is designed for nuclear families, it takes imagination to dream up a life built around friends.” I loved this reframing on a subject that’s been discussed over and over again. Making friends as an adult can be tough…but much like getting a job vs. going after a career goal, maybe it’s actually not just about the making of friends but the idenfication and pursuit of our friendship ambitions. (also worth checking out a good companion piece to this in the NYT about the art of dependence)

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2 THINGS TO WATCH:

1. Being Mary Tyler Moore on MAX — I often tell people I grew up with the childhood of two different generations melded into one: my own, and my mother’s. As the kid of a woman who was a kid who adored Mary Tyler Moore, my brother and I got introduced to The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show very early on. I loved Laura Petrie and Mary Richards, but as I grew older, I realized I loved the real Mary the most. This documentary is a bittersweet look at her life and the impact she’s had on generations of women.
   

2. Extraordinary Birder on NatGeo (or Disney+) — Even if you’re not a birder or a bird enthusiast, this docuseries is so wholesome, so joyful, and so fascinating! Each episode, lifelong birder Christian Cooper visits a different area — from Alabama to Puerto Rico — and introduces us to not only the birds of the region, but the people working to make sure they’re able to flolurish amidst our modern life. Cooper is the perfect host, and you’d have to be a robot to not at least mildly pick up his genuine, unbridled enthusiasm and passion. I might be biased (I am), but the New York City episode is not to be missed. Did I cry when they visited Wild Bird Fund? Sure did!

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1 THING TO HEAR:

Do It Today Podcast by Kara Cutruzzula on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

I’ve sung the praises of my friend (and WANT community member!) Kara before — her phenomenal daily newsletter Brass Ring Daily is a fav on our Resources page! — but I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about her must-listen podcast, Do It Today. I was lucky enough to be her first guest last August, and I’ve never missed an episode since. True to Kara’s uber-motivational yet highly-pragmatic style, each 20-minute-or-less episode talks to someone in a creative industry specifically about what they’re doing that day, and how they’re doing to do it. If you love inside-looks into other people’s processes, and want some encouragement that’s actually applicable to wherever you are in work and life, subcribe now.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WANT

A couple WANT posts you might have missed…both, coincidentally, featuring Friends gifs.

Confidence Whiplash

It wasn’t the act of being self-assured that was giving me the feels I was feeling — it was the act of being self-assured over and over again.

How To Handle The "I Should Have Known Better" Self-Talk

A *facepalm* story about something I can't believe I did, plus more tools for making shift happen.

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THANKS FOR BEING HERE

I’ll be back next month and can’t wait to chat more then!

Move forward fearlessly, spread the good word, and be the you you know you’re meant to be…

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ONE LAST NOTE FROM YOUR SELF

Knowing how you want to feel is important, my friend. And, so is knowing how you know.

Is it a feeling in your body? Your head? Your heart?
Do you feel relaxed? Energized?
Tense? Loose?
Do you do or say certain things? 
What does your body language look like?

If you know how you know you're where you want to be, you'll have a much easier time not only appreciating the moment you're in, but getting in alignment when things feel off-center.

Notice it all today,
Your Self