January 2023 Brain Food
A couple of weeks ago I was on a call talking about the word “success”. I was curious if the group felt as disconnected from that word as I did.
It turns out, there are some powerful emotions that arise when you talk about success. The problem with the word? It’s been hijacked by our culture to mean fame, a billion-dollar valuation, buying and dismantling Twitter, big houses, Gucci bags, and perfect skin.
I don’t know about you, but that definition of success looks and feels pretty exhausting…
Every year I like to choose a different word to focus on. This year, I have decided to redefine what success means to me. But where to begin? Success is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that it’s difficult to unwind the tangle of conditioning, culture and external pressures to get to the heart of it.
Instead of looking to my immediate surroundings, I started to think about what “success” is to other entities in our world, particularly the natural world.
When we talk about natural ecosystems, you often hear the word “thrive”…a “thriving ecosystem”.
Lightbulb moment.
What if we as humans started to look at “success” through the lens of “thriving” instead?
Just like the natural world, every plant and animal needs a different combination of soil, air, water, animals, and plants to thrive. Humans also each need their own combo of other humans, work, creativity, food, water and shelter to thrive.
With that in mind, as we move into 2023, I ask you. What do you need to thrive?
TARRA is here to support that however, we can, including feeding you a regular diet of Brain Food each month. This one is particularly fresh, so consume it with aplomb and we’ll see you in February.
Your 2023 Travel Solved
If travel is your ticket to thriving in 2023, take a look at She Gone, a recently launched platform set to transform the way women travel. Memberships are on deck soon, with additional cities and locations to be announced. Meanwhile, follow on IG for their top travel recommendations.
Fresh Tracks: Lea Sen
Music is essential for many of us (self-included) and Lea Sen is my new fresh tracks obsession. This 23-year-old producer and artist from Paris is lighting up our Spotify with her grab bag of influences ranging from jazz to Ariana Grande to Nick Drake. We’re definitely here for it and anything else she produces in the future.
Get a Handle Your Hormones with WomanCode
Thriving for many of us in 2023 (ahem, here’s looking at you over 40s) looks like gaining a deeper understanding of our ever-present and elusive hormones. Alisa Vitti has done the hard work for us showing how to maintain health and vitality through food and movement in her book WomanCode.
Networking Rules: To Introduce or Not Introduce?
Your network is essential to your thrive quotient. Learn to protect the people who are inside of that community. You know those “will you make an intro” requests that cause you to question: “Do I or don’t I?” No matter the situation, when you do make an introduction via email on behalf of someone else, follow these 3 baseline rules.
The Decline of Etiquette & the Rise of Trauma Dumping
A must-read from The Atlantic for your thrive-worthy boundary setting in 2023. “For centuries, strict social norms dictated what people could politely talk about—and…how much they knew about even those closest to them. Today, a…question seems to be on many people’s minds: Do we know too much about those around us?”
Feel Good Skin
Taking candy from children isn’t kind. However, swiping their skincare might be the best thing for your skincare this year. We’re slathering our dry Colorado skin with Melabébé’s sublime “Protect” body creme. Formulated for little ones, but ideal for anyone in need of serious care, Melabebe is crafted by Denver-based Kelli Ogunsanya as an inclusive skincare line for kids.
