The TueDo List: Taste the Nation + Pandemic Peloton + Fran Hauser
THIS WEEK
Padma Lakshmi is a national treasure and so is her Instagram. Behold Beyoncé’s Juneteenth gifts: A new song and a directory of Black-owned businesses. Turn back time and watch 1970s Cher play every role in West Side Story. Summer + masks = maskne. They’re getting the Almost Famous band back together for a 20th anniversary podcast. Funny butt types and “bootyful fonts.” Remember Daria? Her friend Jodie (played by Tracee Ellis Ross!) is getting her own show. How loneliness could be changing your brain and body. A lovely essay about butterflies, eyelashes, and beauty. Cutest couple ever: Debbie Millman interviewing Roxane Gay for Creative Mornings. Indie bookstores recommend 38 great summer reads (#24 sounds right up our alley). New exercise inspo: a Richard Simmons action figure. How cute is Akobi?
(Photo: Dominic Valente/Hulu)
Obsessed: My Pandemic Peloton
(Amy Barr on her beloved Peloton)
Before the pandemic, I was a gym devotee, enjoying a mix of yoga, spinning, and strength classes. Plus I worked out with a personal trainer. My sessions not only strengthened my muscles, they were a social anchor. So, when my gym closed I initially felt adrift. Without regular classes and a trainer putting me through my paces, my routine fell apart. Less exercise, more cookies. Then, like a gift from the gods, a Peloton bike descended.
At home I don’t worry about the person next to me spewing COVID germs. The bike is ready whenever I am; no class schedule to adhere to, no travel time. I’m building a new fitness community, and can even filter fellow cyclists by gender and age so I’m huffing along with moms in their fifties, not dudes in their twenties. Peloton stats are surprisingly motivating. In just a few weeks, I can ride farther and faster. That never seemed to happen in my group spin classes.
It’s 30 minutes so by the time I’m feeling like my lungs will burst or legs will fall off, I’m done.
Besides Peloton, there are tons of other streaming options. Yesterday, I started a 28-day core program. Next week, I’ll add yoga. So while I think of my pals and trainer with affection, I’m not sure I’m ever going back to the gym.
— Amy Barr
TUENIGHT 10: Fran Hauser
Bio: Fran Hauser is a best-selling author, speaker on women's leadership, and business advisor. Her first book, The Myth of the Nice Girl, was the top business book of 2018 on Audible.
Beyond the Bio: “I became a mom in my 40s through adoption. I love my boys and am so committed to giving them a beautiful life. While being a mom has made me more of a worrier in some ways, it's also given me the courage to try new things. My boys learned how to ski as toddlers and they convinced me that I should learn too. So, I did. (Seriously, who is crazy enough to learn to ski in their 40s?) They push me beyond my comfort zone and I love them for that.”
What makes you a grown-ass lady? I have the confidence to say NO to things that don't matter or bring me joy. I no longer feel the need to say yes just because I want to please someone or because I'm afraid of missing out.
1. On the nightstand: The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, lavender oil and family photos.
2. Can't stop/won't stop: Reading! I just finished The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe and my husband and I are reading The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer to our kids.
3. Jam of the minute: You Say by Lauren Daigle and Have it All by Jason Mraz.
4. Thing I miss: Human connection :(
5. 80s crush: Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles.
6. Current crush: Honestly, no one comes close to Jake!
7. Latest fave find: My friend JJ Ramberg recently launched a podcast app called Goodpods. I've discovered so many cool podcasts through it, including The Daily Poem and Book Dreams. Also, I've taken up hand lettering and it's been an amazing creative outlet for me.
8. Last thing you lost: My airpod case - it's been missing for weeks. I finally gave in and bought a new one.
9. Best thing that happened recently: Readers of international editions of my book The Myth of the Nice Girl have been posting on social media. It's so fun to see my words in different languages and to see the impact the book is making beyond the U.S.
10. Looking forward to: Putting this pandemic behind us and re-engaging with the world ❤️
FOLLOW: Ashley Nicole Black
STORY: Two Old Friends on Growing Up Black and White in Lincoln, Nebraska
(Photo courtesy of Sara Gilliam)
By Sara Gilliam and Eric Crump
A few weeks before the 2016 election, we shared a conversation about race between Sara, a white woman, and Eric, a Black man, who had grown up as neighbors in Lincoln, Nebraska. In light of the many race-related horrors that have transpired since the election, including the present moment, we reached out to Sara and Eric to find out what’s on their minds.
Celebrating the rest of Pride month like:
