Some Things Are Still Beautiful
Article Round-Up: 7.6.25
Enjoy this week’s curated round-up or articles, videos, and more from the web to help you live a healthier, happier life.
Updates:
Last night I went to a friend’s birthday party—though calling it a “party” feels like underselling it.
Think poolside cocktails, a dance floor that pulsed with energy, a live DJ spinning under the stars. It was wedding-level production.
There must’ve been fifty to seventy people there, all gathered around the same moment of celebration.
And somewhere between bites of catered food and deep conversation with friends, I did something I’ve been trying to make a habit:
I paused.
I stepped back from the crowd just long enough to let my senses catch up. Water splashing. Bass thumping. Laughter ricocheting off the walls. The warm hug of night air, wrapped in starlight.
In that moment, the world felt different. Softer. Kinder.
There’s something almost magical about those rare pockets of joy—when a group of humans, each carrying their own quiet battles, can gather in one place and simply… be.
No agendas. No masks. Just shared presence.
For a little while, it felt like we were living in a utopia. Like all the noise of the outside world had been put on pause.
And what hit me hardest wasn’t the music or the energy—it was the people.
I felt this quiet swell of gratitude rise in my chest. Gratitude for the community I’ve found over the years. The people who remind me that I’m not alone. The ones who make the world feel lighter.
Because it’s easy to get caught up in the headlines, the deadlines, the endless scroll of things that feel broken.
But sometimes, all it takes is a moment like that—under starlight and shared laughter—to remember that not everything is broken.
Some things are still beautiful. Still worth showing up for.
And that’s enough to keep going.
Featured Thoughts:
What If You Didn’t Feel Bad About the Shrimp Taco?
One of my clients had this moment last week:
Her husband surprised her with a shrimp taco—totally unplanned, not tracked, definitely not part of her “perfect day.”
She ate it.
She enjoyed it.
And then… she kept thinking about it. Not with regret exactly, but with this lingering mental chatter like, “Should I have done that? Did I mess something up?”
Here’s what we talked about:
👉 The decision wasn’t the issue.
👉 It was the lack of closure that kept her stuck.
If you choose something intentionally—because it matters, because it fits your values, or simply because you wanted it—then let that be enough.
Guilt shows up when we feel like we didn’t make a real choice. When we act out of obligation, impulse, or people-pleasing and then feel like we’re “paying for it.”
But when your choice is yours—on purpose—it becomes a tradeoff, not a mistake.
That’s the skill:
Know why you’re choosing what you’re choosing.
Accept the tradeoff.
Move on.
Freedom isn’t never going off plan.
It’s knowing how to get back on without punishing yourself.
Published This Week:
What Prince's Unique Style Teaches Us About Making Friends
Prince was a defining musical artist of a generation, but his career didn’t start successfully.
How Much Protein Can You Really “Use” From a Single Meal?
Takeaway: The long-held belief that your body can only use 20-30g of protein in a single meal is challenged in this new research. Here are the key findings:
You can use more than 25 grams of protein in a meal, especially if you're active.
It's good to spread your protein intake across different meals.
Eating enough total protein each day is more important than worrying about how much you eat in one meal.
P.S. Not sure who needs to here this—“Natural” GLP-1 supplements are not real.
P.P.S. If my post about yesterday’s shenanigans resonated with you, it’s one of the reasons I’m writing a book about making friends as an adult. Join the waitlist to get exclusive insider content here: