February 2026
"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive." -the Dalai Lama
Dear gorgeous, brilliant, incredible you,
I’m feeling chatty.
I heard a rumor (or maybe it was just a wish inside my own head) that February is arriving gently with plans to go easy on us…
…which I realize is a hard thing to promise (and maybe an even harder thing to believe)…
…but I sure do appreciate the sentiment anyway, because, well, 2026 sure came screaming out the gate, eh?
Criminy.
I hope you are taking deep, serious care of you (& your precious soul!) right now. The way I see it, the louder the noise in the world, the harder we commit to the basics of Soul Fitness self care. As I keep saying, this revolution needs all hands on deck.
So join me as we do some deep breathing at red lights, we curate our feeds relentlessly (#factsoverfear) and limit our social media exposure in general, we pump nutrient-dense food into our bodies, we delay phone time in the mornings and close up shop early at night, we drink our water, we stretch our muscles, and we rest.
We seek out joy, we celebrate as much as possible, we check in with our friends, we laugh with our friends, we laugh at the absurdity of the world. We cry and the release is exquisite.
We balance our awareness and our civic engagement against our capacity, our ability, our wherewithal, our health.
Only we know our own hearts. Only we are responsible for our own selves. Only we can breathe our bodies as deeply and as often as needed.
Inhale love, exhale love.
The horrors persist, but so do I.
I am sending you the calm of a million deep breaths, with a reminder that the antidote to despair is action. Tangible, offline action.
Maybe you…
Host a dinner. Shovel a neighbor’s walk. Put books in a free little library. Leave hand warmers and snacks for the delivery drivers. Make extra food and drop it off to a friend or neighbor. Make muffins and take them to your appointments or your kid’s teacher.
Call and/or write your Senators, ask them to vote the way you’d like them to. Call and/or write your House Representatives, tell them the same thing. Attend a city council meeting, learn their names. Help people register to vote. Volunteer for a local campaign. RUN for a local campaign.
Participate in fundraisers that align with your values. Donate money to causes with boots on the ground. Amplify the work others are doing. Support small and local businesses. Double check that you are using your shopping dollars to shape the kind of world you feel good about living in. Peacefully protest, as is your right. Donate time to organizations, groups and coalitions with strategic plans and dedicated leaders.
Smile at a stranger. Heal your shit. Deal with your trauma. Outgrow your road rage. Grieve. Move your body. Go to therapy. Maybe it’s time to step up. Maybe it’s time to grow up. Maybe it’s time to get on with it. Maybe it’s time to let go.
Either way, breathe. Chin up. We’re all in this together.
Soul Fitness Habit Tracker
Checking in…
MOVEMENT
Haven’t missed a day of my Yoga With Adriene (YWA) calendar yet this year, including an incredible hour-long live virtual class at the tail end of the month. I’m grateful to be a part of the Find What Feels Good community (and it gives me such a rush every time Adriene shares one of my yoga videos on her IG stories!)
I got a new pair of kicks designated solely for my walking pad and a gaggle of new socks for the holidays, and the combo has helped motivate me to increase my step count despite multiple days of it “feeling like” negative temperatures.
I’m a Mall Walker now! Ha! My friend Vicki and I had a strong weekly walking streak going through summer and fall but this brutal winter derailed us in a major way. We finally said enough is enough, let’s figure something out - and mall walking is what we decided to try first. Turns out, we loved it. New winter hobby, unlocked.
Stumbled upon an instructor who really inspires me through the Lifetime Live Stream classes I like to dabble in, and because a little inspiration is all it takes sometimes, I have consequently made it a point to strength train 1-2x a week for a handful of weeks now, which is better than no times. Proud of me!
NOURISHMENT IN MY BODY
Per doc’s orders, I’ve added a few things to my daily routine. Namely, a scoop of monohydrate creatine in my morning mushroom chai, and a Black Cohosh supplement in capsule form. Creatine is good for muscle mass (important as we age!) and brain health, and Black Cohosh is primarily used for menopause support. BAM! Look out, world.
I’m two months in taking my morning shot of the i70 elixir from Olive Tree People. I admit the taste is still growing on me (and yes, I could mix it with something but I’m sort of a purist like that - ‘tis why I always drank my coffee black), HOWEVER, the taste doesn’t linger and the benefits are undeniable, so I’m just gonna put my big girl pants on and deal with it because I’m hooked on feeling this agile and this peppy, and drinkable skin care definitely helps provide a glow from the inside out.
So, what exactly is this stuff?
i70: The Beauty Molecule is an elixir composed primarily of:
Hydroxytyrosol: a powerful natural antioxidant found in olives and well-known for its exceptional health and anti-inflammatory benefits
Hyaluronic acid: a powerhouse molecule that is capable of holding 1000x its weight in water, allowing it to intensely hydrate anything it has repeated exposure to, making it popular for deep skin moisture, wrinkle reduction, skin elasticity improvement, faster wound healing, and joint lubrication.
i70 is then fortified with lavender, black currant, turmeric, camu camu, and elderberry, a combo absolutely packed with insane amounts of Vitamin C, and known to help with immune support, digestion, insomnia, anxiety, skin elasticity, and mood stabilization. So far, i70 has proven to be my friend.
NOURISHMENT ON MY BODY
More Oliveda talk! (#sorrynotsorry) It’s just that the more I use it, the more I like it, and the wider I cast my experimental net through its product catalogue, the better my skin gets.
Because I joined as a consultant (for the discount!), I have access to over 65 product videos that range from :45 seconds to 15 minutes, and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time this month watching them, taking copious amounts of notes, the way I do when I’m hella interested in something.
One thing I’ve learned is that because the products are bioactive (meaning they interact on a cellular level with your skin barrier, rather than sitting on top of it), it takes a bit of intentional runway to acclimate to the products, so part of my focus is studying how to introduce and layer the products with one another for the healthiest skin your cute face has ever seen.
Enter: the Skin Cycle calendar - a four-day rotation of Skin Care, alternating between Exfoliation, Retinol, Repair, and Replenish protocols. I’ve made two Skin Cycles so far, one for me and one for my sister, and we’ve both found them helpful in knowing what to use when (and why!) It’ll be a tool I create for anyone who wants to try this line of skin care through me - I’m all about helping other people feel this good about their skin.
What I like about Oliveda:
365-day returns if you don’t love it
a 20+ year history as a German-based wellness company, meaning higher, safer product standards
It’s waterless beauty, and because we replace water fillers with potent active olive leaf cell elixir sourced from olives grown in our own groves in Spain (#farmtoface), the products are highly concentrated with pure, organic goodness, and a little goes a long way, which means your skin care dollars get streeeeeetched.
I’m downright enchanted with the way my skin feels when I finish up my nightly routine. It’s almost as if it’s tingling or sparkling or dancing…I don’t know how exactly to describe it, but I take a moment each evening to bask in it.
It’s got me smiling at myself in mirrors again.
This exfoliant is blowing my mind
SLEEP
In an effort to find relief for my sweet husband and his persistent acid reflux, we’ve inserted a 4-inch sleeping wedge underneath our mattress. In addition to reducing the reflux, it’s rumored to help with circulation, neck/back pain, and breathing. It’s only been a couple weeks, but so far, so good.
SPACE
It’s been a slow drip of decoration-arranging around here. Christmas proper got packed up early, and we’ve been glowing our way through the winter evenings with sparkles, snowflakes, and candle decor. Also out for its yearly appearance: our collection of framed Valentines from years past. Big believer over here in decorating throughout the winter months to help mark the passage of time.
SENSE OF CONNECTION
In January, the YWA calendar dished out Sunday Sound Baths, which I “soul fitnessed” into Sunday Sound Bath Sauna Sessions, which I definitely plan on continuing throughout February. I typically listen to podcasts while I sauna, but the sound baths elevated the experience in a way I wasn’t expecting - I found them to be relaxing, peaceful, meditative, and restorative. Also helpful in this regard: the heat-resistant sauna pillows that James got me for Christmas (from the same company that makes my incredible bath pillows!)
Creating a Shape Around February
Guiding Thought: What kind of seed am I planting in this moment?
Top Goal: Keep a good thing going - I’m in the i70 groove, I’m in the yoga groove, I’m in the Sound Bath Sauna groove, and I’m finally, after six infuriating months of sub-par health care, in a proper-dosage-of-hormone-replacement-therpay groove, thanks to a kind-but-comprehensive earful I gave my doctor during our December visit, outlining all the ways her practice was failing me. To her credit, she listened, acknowledged what a cluster it has been, apologized, offered profuse advice and guidance regarding my present health concerns, situated my HRT prescription levels straight away, and then didn’t charge me for the hour. Apology accepted AND lesson reinforced - advocate for yourself, love.
Looking Forward to: Hosting a Galentine’s Brunch and Punch for some gal pals where we’ll eat heart-shaped waffles and make goal-oriented punch cards to help send our 2026 on the proper trajectory; Attending my online book club meeting with Kamala Harris (even though I don’t think I’m going to read the book - I started to but it makes me too sad, knowing/living the outcome); shadowing at a local correctional facility where I’m being trained to help inmates register to vote; attending my niece’s Opening Night Wizard of Oz musical, where she’s playing a flying monkey AND a munchkin #proudauntie
Main Focus: My buddy Amy Peele’s book release on February 24! I’ve had the pleasure of being Amy’s Project Manager for the better part of the last year, which means we’ve been planning and preparing for this moment for months. Last Bite, Amy’s fifth (and likely final) book, is her first foray into Women’s Fiction, and as one of the lucky ones who has already read it, I can honestly say she knocked it out of the park. (Plus, it’s set in Chicago, so the Midwest references are superb.) It’s been an amazing experience on my end, and I’m excited for the book be out in the world.
Watching: Pluribus (Apple); Palm Royale (Apple); The Big C (Netflix); Man on the Inside (Netflix); Emily in Paris (Netflix); Queer Eye/Final Season (Netflix)(only 5 episodes?! weak); Hometown (HBO/hgtv); Junk or Jackpot (hgtv); Big Ass Beach Houses (hgtv)
Reading: So far this year I’ve read Great Big Beautiful Life (Emily Henry); Part of Your World (Abbey Jimenez); Atmosphere (Taylor Jenkins Reid); All the Way to the River (Elizabeth Gilbert). All love stories, all completely different from one another, all enjoyable reads in their own ways.
What I love about this time of year: love! flowers! valentines! the Super Bowl! wearing pink and red and hearts! how easy it becomes to buy heart-shaped or heart-decorated things! how the days get incrementally longer!
Reflecting on: how we, as a society, lived our way into this collective
nightmaretimeline and how quickly we can live our way out of it and onto something betterI have this friend who: knits amazing pieces. My dear pal, Heather, is the artistry behind One Knit Wonders, an online boutique of beautiful hand-knit shawls, ponchos, hats, cowls, accessories, baby clothes, and more. I personally own a handful of OKW creations, including a gorgeous champagne-colored lace-knit shawl I wore on my wedding day. Go ahead and bookmark this page.
So, what about you? How is your sleep, your movement, your nourishment, your skin, your spirit, your space, your sense of connection? Where are you shining? What needs your attention?
Times may seem tough but I have faith that you are tougher.
Let’s squeeze the last little bits of shedding and release out as the Year of the Snake comes to a close mid-month, and rise to the occasion of (r)evolution, growth, and change as the Year of the Fire Horse takes off.
I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Give this post a “like” to let me know you were here, and please let me know if I can be of service - I want to see you win!
P.S. Here are 5 Instagram accounts that have been teaching, inspiring, motivating, and/or entertaining me lately:
Kellie Gerardi @kelliegerardi “Research Astronaut & Payload Specialist; TIME100 Creator and USA Today Woman of the Year” (and Swiftie!)
Amanda Nelson @amandasmildtakes (“American history, political pun-ditry. Welcome to the Pettysburg Address”)
Mika Ross @mikaross.therapist (“Tiny tips for better relationships from a therapist who wants to scratch her husband’s eyes out sometimes.”
Victoria Hutchins @thedailyvictorian (“movement, poetry & unsolicited advice”)
Gabrielle Stanley Blair @designmom “Author of #EjaculateResponsibly. French life, renovations & opinions from designer, NYT best selling author, and mother of six.”
Great newsletter as always- thanks for the mention 💜🙏💜