Morning Brew - 🥂 Kimchi mayo

I’m probably not the only one who’s sick of asking everyone about their staycation plans and what to watch next after rewatching Schitt’s Creek for the third time. I actually know people who enter meetings a few minutes late to just avoid small talk altogether. It’s sad to say, but meaningful conversations can be rare these days. 

Psychologist Lucy Foulkes put together a guide on how to have more meaningful conversations both at work and in your personal life. How Foulkes defines a meaningful convo: They “allow us to learn something important about ourselves, about the other person, or about the world—and, when this happens, we come away feeling better understood and connected with those around us.” 

How to get there? Trade chit chat for an icebreaker (but not one of those cheesy, first-day-of-camp ones). Mine this massive Google Doc for ideas. Then, come up with your own thoughtful, open-ended questions—ones that start with the ol’ journalism basics: who, what, when, where, why, and how. And for the secret ingredient: Actually listen to the person’s answers. The true magic of a meaningful convo lies in reciprocity. Don’t be afraid to open up and share something personal too (see Brené Brown’s first TED Talk). 

• 99 unsolicited pieces of advice from author Kevin Kelly, cofounder of Wired. One rule of thumb: “Even in the tropics it gets colder at night than you think. Pack warmly.” Facts.
• This Maui Kale Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing should be on your picnic recipe rotation. It’s refreshing and all-around tasty. 
• Save room for baby shrimp fried rice and of course, dessert—a pillowy sponge cake. Download the Send Chinatown Love e-cookbook, and if you love it, consider making a $15 donation to SCL, an org that supports small, struggling businesses in Chinatown. 
• On repeat right now: Lake Street Dive’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. Between the vocals and the cutest, “biggest little venue in NYC”—Pete’s Candy Store—you don’t want to miss out. 
• Your makeup bag may have expired (like really, when’s the last time you wore blush or bronzer?). This dermatologist shared why it might be time to toss your makeup, and the general expiration dates for different products. 
• Darrick Williams’s 14-part TikTok series called “the size of things” is blowing my mind. Think about how many objects in the world are so small that we don’t see them, so we don’t think they exist, but they do… 

Credit card points are like silver or china—you like the idea of collecting ’em, but you’re not really sure when or how to use them. Whether it’s cash back, travel miles, or free stays at The Ritz, almost every credit card has a rewards program. But how do you know if you’re picking the right card and if you’re getting the most points for your buck? 

The person to ask: Brian Kelly, aka the points guy. He’s got an 800 credit score and 25 credit cards (the real question: How big is his wallet?). Kelly recently shared his credit card tips and travel hacks with Brit Morin, founder and CEO of Brit + Co, on her podcast Teach Me Something New, and it’s an episode you don’t want to miss. 

If you don’t know which card to pick, odds are you’re not going to be able to choose between all the deals and offerings. Kelly’s best tip is to look at what you typically spend your money on, and align your spending with credit cards that give the maximum rewards for that category. Two of his favorite cards: the Capital One Venture (2x on everything) and the Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x points on travel and dining). 

Mushrooms are now a morning must-have.

Replace your cup of joe with a new morning ritual—one that contains organic functional ingredients, 4 adaptogenic mushrooms, and ayurvedic herbs. 

That’s some fancy-shroom-talk for a better way to start your day. MUD\WTR (that’s mud water) has 1/7th the caffeine of a cup of coffee, leaving you with just the right amount of energy—without the anxiety, jitters, or post-coffee crash. 

So instead of a caffeine overload, you’re getting the delicious hit of cacao and chai for mood and a microdose of caffeine, lion’s mane for alertness, cordyceps to help support physical performance, and much more.

Unmuddle your routine with MUD/WTR™ today. 

Watching new brands go from scrappy startups to IPO darlings fueled their entrepreneurial mindset. And whether or not your grad’s business idea is off the ground just yet, these innovative essentials will keep them inspired. Check ’em out in the Sidekick Graduation Gift Guide here. 

• I’ve been stocking my fridge with goodies from Umamicart—the virtual Asian supermarket with hundreds of products, expertly curated from Asian American, immigrant-led, and up-and-coming brands. The KPop Kimchi Mayo is fire—both in taste and spice level—and I still gotta try the much-talked about Kewpie Mayo. Heads up: Umamicart only delivers to certain states in the Northeast, but they’re quickly expanding. 
• A better-for-you car scent that doesn’t look like an evergreen tree. Drift’s wood air fresheners are strong enough to mask the smell of your latest fast food run or your kid’s smelly soccer cleats, but they’re not overpowering. All their products are free of harmful chemicals (phthalates and parabens), and there’s a new scent out every month, so you’ll never get bored.
• My go-to oat milk at the moment: the Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend. It’s creamy (just enough, not too thick) and froths perfectly if your go-to morning bev is an oat milk latte. Bonus: it has less sugar than some of the other brands out there.