Reading and loving: Two great new books reframing wellness culture came out this week:

The Body Liberation Project, by wellness personality Chrissy King, covers how to separate self-worth from how we look and build physical strength in individualized ways.

Real Self-Care, by women’s mental health specialist Pooja Lakshmin, MD, is rooted in a paradigm shift to find true self-care outside of consumerism.

Weekend baking: This sunny, plush olive oil cake with blood orange glaze is almost too pretty to eat…almost. I love how olive oil cakes stay moist on the countertop for days, and this one is equally ideal for breakfast, afternoon tea, or dessert.

If you're looking for the absolute SOFTEST joggers ever: "I'm a superfan of this best-selling pair from Vuori. They're buttery soft, stretchy, and they're nice enough to wear outside the house. I've bought them in 3 colors (and am a BIG fan of Vuori's other stuff, too.)" -Alisha, Founder at GNI *Sponsor 

So you want to be a mentor: Check out the latest podcast from NPR’s Life Kit, all about structuring nurturing relationships that aren’t one sided or weird. 

Sweat it out: This beginner-friendly pilates workout requires no equipment but still packs a punch—perfect for incorporating into a morning workout or evening wind-down. 

Green thumbs wanted: I started lusting over these cheerful gardening gloves while planning my first ever spring garden: the sturdy cotton protects hands from thorns while offering grippy dots to help grab stubborn weeds. But I swear, the lavender flower details make them cute enough to wear for daily life in colder weather. (They come in designs like mushrooms and radishes too!)

For the cat people: I can’t wait for Catnip, a new magazine for cat lovers launching this fall. Sign up for the good mews—sorry, news—when they launch, and in the meantime, their Instagram is a great source of joy, a.k.a. kitten pics. 

Another meal chart: If you loved cookbook author Julia Turshen’s flexible soup matrixes in Issue #307, you’ll love this graph showing three meals that use up core ingredients like precious-but-perishable fresh herbs. (Get the full recipes here.

Sleep more, stress less: Support your circadian rhythm with Apollo, a neuroscientist-developed wearable using proven touch therapy to track and rebalance your nervous system while you sleep. Try it. *Sponsor 

The quickest route to dinner: I often rely on store-bought curry paste to build big flavors in minimal time, and this Malaysian version from Mama Lam’s is truly in a league of its own. It’s rich, complex, and made from family recipes by a mother-daughter duo (cute!).

Michelle Yeoh: The Crisis That Changed My Life 8 Years Ago Keeps Happening *gifted link* (NYTimes). I’m celebrating the iconic actresses’ Oscar win by reading her important op ed advocating for human rights organizations to prioritize the needs of women and girls in disaster response. 

Why Daylight Saving Is So Hard on the Body — And What to Do About It (Vox). The key is to ease into it.

22 Works of Fiction to Read This Spring *gifted link* (NYTimes). An eco-feminist thriller, a satirical campus novel/love story hybrid, and the debut novel from Tom Hanks (yes, that Tom Hanks). 

There Will Never Be Enough Tiny Ice (Punch). Inside the equally impractical and alluring world of tiny ice TikTok.

How to Make a Big Decision, According to Decision Coaches (Shondaland). When the pro/con list just isn’t cutting it. 

How to Scroll, Text, and Stream Before Bed and Not Ruin Your Sleep (SELF). Let’s be real: We’re all doing it.

Please note: Some of these reads may be under paywalls depending on your reading habits! We believe quality journalism is worth paying for, and strive to offer gifted links when available.