When I reach for my fountain pen, everything slows down—my breathing, my thoughts, even my handwriting. From an ink disaster in a travel bag to a friend’s gift-wrap room and my late-in-life leap into recording music, this is the story of how small, “extra” rituals help me clear the noise and choose a more intentional, beautifully complicated life.

Sundays and I have always had a complicated relationship. As an ambivert, I can turn it all the way on for work and travel, then crash into long stretches of doing “nothing” at home—only to feel guilty for not writing the song, filming the video, or building the next big strategy. In this personal reflection, I unpack the idea of a “French Sunday,” why rest feels so conflicted in American hustle culture, and what it might look like to give myself real permission to slow down.

What if the real flex isn’t the crown, but the calendar behind it? I’ve been obsessed with the stories about Queen Elizabeth II starting her days with paperwork and structure long before the ceremonies. I don’t know how many of those stories are perfectly accurate—but I like who I become when I choose to believe them. In this post, I share my very unofficial “Queen Rules,” from a fake red box to 4 p.m. tea.

My boss thought my greenroom setup was “just makeup” until I called it my confidence trick. That moment sent me back through decades of vanity-side conversations—from my mum’s mirror to QVC greenrooms to caring for her through Alzheimer’s. This is the story of how a simple beauty ritual became my inner sanctum, and why I now invite others to pull up a chair at the mirror.

“Give me 90 days and we’re going to change your life.” When Codie Sanchez said that, it didn’t just sound like a YouTube hook—it felt like a mirror. In this post, I share how I’ve tried (and often failed) to apply her principles of obsession, focus, and leverage, and why imperfect effort still compounds