Oh, hello!
To begin again, thank you to the subscribers who have committed your dollars and invested in Make It Better. Every time one of your recurring payments comes in, even when I take a break from writing, I am reminded to show up. Thank you for your generosity and support!
Why you’re getting this: this is a brain/heart dump of sorts. The things I send out with people I want to stay in touch with..the things I text my 1:1 connections and feel like I want to share with you. Since I took a pretty big break from writing in 2024, I don’t expect you to stick around, and you can unsubscribe easily (don’t worry, I won’t know if you go).
The upgraded purpose of this letter: to serve and guide the leaders who build things and upgrade systems, making our world better through consistent effort, ideas, innovation, and care.
And, I believe deeply that right now, we all have the chance to be leaders in our lives and communities. We are all leaders.
With that, Some (new) healthy boundaries and guidelines
I publish monthly.
If I talk about healthcare, biotech, Femtech, longevity tech, health tech, human performance, etc.. the words posted here are not intended to be used as medical advice or medical care. Consult your primary care provider (PCP) for your healthcare needs and questions that may be inspired by what you read.
Feel free to ask questions or provide ideas for future posts. I won’t always be able to respond to comments or your emails, but I do read them! And appreciate your thoughts, comments, and ideas.
Keep in mind that this is a one-woman show. I do this in my free time. So, unfortunately, there will be grammar errors and spelling mistakes. I try to make it a habit to proofread with a fresh brain in the mornings, but sometimes this doesn’t happen. Everyone will be fine.
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Ok. Got that covered. Here is what I am sitting with this month:
This quote hit my inbox in August, “You don't need more intensity; you need more consistency. Intensity impresses; consistency transforms.”
Consistency has both been a boundary and a practice I’ve held close to my heart all year. A clear boundary for deepening and developing personal and professional relationships. Understanding consistency is something I have to practice, daily, with discipline and self-compassion as I transform my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
I also work with an Exercise Physiology coach, Tom, who’s part of my recovery team. We co-wrote a piece over the summer that helped me see how much of an impact consistency had on my health and recovery. You can read that here.
I turned 49 the other day and have been updating all my bloodwork, and annual exams. Today, we ran through my results and it is clear the impacts on my physiology of being a three-decades-long endurance athlete who also restricted AND is in peri-menopause.
For the next 3-6 months, we will be adding some heart health care to my life. I’m learning about how to best take care of my health, therefore not further increasing my risks of stroke or heart attack (like it’s a legit possibility based on my bloodwork currently).Grateful to be (breast) cancer-free for another year. Dense-breasted women make sure you’re getting a mammogram and ABUS. You’ll want to ask your provider for the ABUS.
While I am bombarded with wellness company ads and posts daily about things to buy that will make my life better, I have carefully built a health-providing team over the past couple of years I can talk with honestly and vulnerably. That is a win!
For any of you in the crowd who are women or love women, this podcast with Stacy Sims and Steven Bartlett is worth your time! It is in-depth and somewhat exercise physiology geeky, but it answered the question, “Is mainstream exercise advice sexist?” Here for it.
Schedule your 2025 visits and consider getting bi-annual bloodwork with a provider who will talk to you thoroughly, providing you the care you deserve. I know those relationships can be hard to develop, but it truly is a life-changer.As I sit here in the shadow of Jan 6th, and four years later the people of our country return to office the same man who tried to overturn the 2020 election results one thing stands out the most - how little that day matters.
Maybe we didn’t see it replayed on TV or social media like we did when 9/11 happened. It was not a viral reel played from 2020 - 2024 so we would never forget. Whatever we collectively did, it wasn’t enough.
The news sources coaching/helping me right now:
Raging Moderates
Aaron Parnas
Jessica Yellin
Under the Desk News
Pivot
The Bulwark
Assembly Required
Letters from an AmericanI made a vision board this year. I don’t do that, ever. But, this year I did - I’ll let you know the outcomes in a year ;)
A friend and beloved esthetician Linda concocted this candle - using scents that help the Vagus Nerve. It is DIVINE!! So are her treatments if/when you come to Bozeman.
My sister posted something on BlueSky about small habits or routines that have completely transformed my daily life. Here is my flow as soon as I wake up:
- wake up and open the Oura app to sync (I prefer Oura over Whoop and/or Garmin/Suunto because of their women’s health and research vertical, and the investment the company is putting into women’s health and longevity care) as I make coffee
- connect Oura to HRV4Training (which syncs to Training Peaks), which helps me decide how to train that day, whereas Oura is a little less vague and helpful to me as an aging athlete
- “morning practice” with coffee - meditation, writing, ground in body (10-30 minutes)
- daily use of Carbon - an app that ensures I meet my caloric needs to sustain the active lifestyle I live and coaches you along your journey.
That’s it for now. Thank you again for letting me into your day!
See you soon,
Becca