Mindful Mondays: Midsummer Review
What I've been writing, reading, and listening to so far this summer
Good morning, and welcome to Mindful Mondays! I hope you’re enjoying your summer. This week, I’ll be catching you up on some of my writing over the past couple of months and sharing links to some great reads and listens I’ve found across the internet. Enjoy!
What I’ve Been Up To
In addition to working with therapy and coaching clients in my private practice, I’ve been continuing to write weekly essays as part of Write of Passage’s Runway program. I also recently took Photography for Creatives with
, which was a lot of fun and inspired me to include some original photos in Mindful Mondays.Milestone Reached: 600!
Today’s email is going out to 624 subscribers. And with an open rate of around 55%, Mindful Mondays is quite well-read. If you’re reading this, thank you for your support. By reading, liking, and commenting on this newsletter, you inspire me to keep going when the writing gets tough.
Previously on Mindful Mondays
In the last month, I’ve published four new essays: a review of Rupert Spira’s book You Are the Happiness You Seek, a new approach to overcoming procrastination, a delve into the psychology of Dungeons and Dragons, and a list of books that changed the trajectory of my life. If you missed any of these, and they pique your curiosity, I invite you to check them out.
A Few Great Reads
Simon Sarris on Reading Well: In his latest Substack essay,
shares some suggestions on how to live a good reading life. A few of my highlights: read mostly fiction, read slowly, re-read the books you adore.Why Write Memoirs: A Review of All The Wrong Moves by Sasha Chapin: Last month, I wrote an introduction to the work of
, who has a great Substack where he talks about things like spiritual awakening and men’s fragrances. Now, my friend over at has written an insightful and funny review of Sasha’s memoir. But it’s not just about Sasha’s book—it’s about what a good memoir is and why writing one is a worthwhile endeavor.Nutrition Science’s Most Preposterous Result: Could ice cream actually be good for you?! As a self-proclaimed gelato connoisseur, I sure hope so. But this article from The Atlantic isn’t really about that. It’s about the human side of science, and why experts might choose to ignore their own research findings when they show a result that doesn’t support their existing paradigm or narrative.
Podcast of the Month
Charlie Morley and Dr. Garret Yount on the Science of Lucid Dream Healing: Have you ever had a lucid dream—one where you realize that you’re dreaming and can choose what to do in your dream? It’s a dizzying freedom. In this episode of the Guru Viking podcast, Steve interviews Charlie Morley and Garret Yount about a recent clinical study they did on using lucid dreams to heal PTSD and nightmares.
Poet’s Corner
The birds have vanished down the sky. Now the last cloud drains away. We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains. —Li Po, “Zazen on Ching-t’ing Mountain” trans. Sam Hamill
Thanks for reading Mindful Mondays! As always, I appreciate your feedback on this newsletter. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to read more about? Reply to this email or leave a comment below to let me know.
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Loved Charlie Becker's essay about memoir and Sasha Chapin as well. So much that I am now mid-play through the All Wrong Moves audiobook. And congrats on your growing subscriber base Chris. You deserve it!
Loved having you in Cohort Two of Photography for Creatives!