Morning Brew - 🍻 Rice crispy

We’ve all felt shut down in a group setting. When someone on your team dismisses your ideas or won’t let you finish your thoughts, you can’t help but wonder “Is it me or is it them?” 

A recent New York Times article suggests it happens more often than you think, especially to women. In a survey about gender equity in the workplace, one in five women noted feeling overlooked or ignored during video calls. Women also face a double standard: We have to project capability and likeability. And it’s even worse for women of color. “Some Black women feel pressured to modulate their tone so they are not perceived as conforming to the harmful ‘angry Black woman’ stereotype,” Dr. Modupe Akinola, a professor of management at Columbia Business School, told The NYT. 

Technology can complicate things, too. Your screen freezes. Another person starts talking. You’re then interrupted. It happens, but it becomes problematic when you begin “shutting down” because of your peers, not your tech problems. You avoid a key person on your team, which can become a larger group, and then everyone suffers.

The Times article offers advice on making the workplace a safer environment to share ideas—especially for women. Managers can start asking themselves, “Am I hearing some ideas more than others? Have I made sure everyone got a chance to speak?” And set ground rules, such as not interrupting others during meetings. 

Empowering employees to do their best work is 10x more difficult in a remote work setting, but it’s doable with these tips, including channeling Brené Brown and leading with vulnerability. 

• Hot take: Justin Bieber’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert is better than his Never Say Never World Tour. 
• Feel nostalgic about Friday nights at Blockbuster by streaming “The Last Blockbuster” doc on Netflix. 
• King Arthur Baking Company’s pillowy cinnamon roll recipe lives up to the hype. I might be too busy dreaming about these gooey rolls of goodness to write the rest of Sidekick. Jk.
• Three tools for hosting a remote game night that doesn’t include Zoom charades. Phew.

What’s the secret to happiness? Just ask Dr. Laurie Santos, cognitive scientist and professor of Yale’s most popular course ever, “Psychology and the Good Life.” Hint: It’s not more $$$, straight As, or a Model Y. 

After graduating from college early last March, a friend and I followed in the footsteps of more than three million others and enrolled in Dr. Santos’s free, 10-week class, The Science of Well-Being (based on her Yale course). On the syllabus: debunking happiness myths and adopting evidence-based practices that actually improve your mood. Yes, there are homework assignments and weekly tests (no studying required), but don’t worry, Dr. Santos isn’t into pop quizzes. You’ll walk away from the course with concrete steps for increasing your happiness...that aren’t limited to meditation. 

Any former classmates of mine out there? Hit reply, and let me know what you thought of Dr. Santos’s course. And if you’re too cool for school, check out her podcast, The Happiness Lab. Two of my favorite episodes to get you started on your happiness journey: Reconnect With The Moment and Dial D for Distracted. 

Rate your comfort level from 1-10.

If you answered anything less than 10, you’re not comfy enough. And you need Bombas.

That’s because Bombas IS comfort. They have shirts made from pima Peruvian cotton, underwear that overperforms on softness, and cozy socks of the normal and slipper variety.  

Bombas believes everyday clothes can be as cozy as covering yourself in puppies (one of those puppies is named Biscuit, btw).

Plus, they’ve donated more than 50 million items to people in need. Very chill.

Get 20% off your first purchase with code BREW.

• Snap, crackle, pop with Blake’s Seed-Based Rice Crispy Treats. The seed-based snack brand reinvented a fan favorite childhood snack, making it nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and equally delicious. 
• Baboon to the Moon’s Go-Bag makes me excited about the possibility of traveling again in 2021. The sleek, durable duffel doubles as a backpack, and it fits way more stuff than you’d think. Plus, there’s a funky print on the inside. 
• Epicurious recently reviewed the best griddles for pancakes, bacon, and everything in between. As a staunch brekkie fan, my rec is the All-Clad Nonstick Double Burner Griddle. I use mine to make chocolate chippies and, once in a while, homemade English muffins. 

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