Weekender #222

🌍 Earthing and grounding tech—does any of it actually work?

🏋️‍♀️ How AI can upgrade your workouts with smarter training and recovery.

🖤 Black History Month ideas that feel meaningful, not performative.

⚖️ The terrifying reality of working in Trump’s government while pregnant.

When our first child went away to university, just a three-hour flight away, I cringed every time someone asked, “Oh, how is it being an empty nester?” We still had one kid at home, so I’d reply, “It’s not empty.”

Two years later, our second child chose a school in another state, and again we’d hear, “Empty nesters, eh?” I’d say, “I don’t like that phrase. Our nest isn’t empty, it’s just quiet.”

Now, more often than not, while my husband and I still live here in “the nest,” the most accurate word really is empty. But not in the sad way people mean. It’s quieter, lighter, and surprisingly full in new ways.

First-time parents get asked around eight months pregnant, “Are you nesting yet?” That frantic phase of building a crib, buying diapers, figuring out how to open and close the stroller without losing a finger, and washing all the oh-my-god-this-is-so-cute clothes in baby detergent.

It’s overwhelming and grounding all at once. You’re preparing for a tiny human to arrive. Once they do, the nest becomes loud, sticky, messy, warm, and mostly happy. Definitely not empty. As the years pass, the nest fills with memories and stuff.

Fast forward about 18 years and your “baby” takes their first real vacation from the nest. I say vacation because they come back for breaks and celebrations.

The first phase of “empty” is the quiet. It’s eerie. A settling sound in the house would wake me, hoping it was one of them grabbing a late-night bowl of cereal. Eventually, you adjust. Your hearing just gets better at picking up your partner’s chewing, stomping, and groans.

Grocery receipts no longer include kid food. The fridge holds ingredients, not a freezer full of Costco meals. Realizing you can eat some version of salad for dinner every night if you want feels wildly liberating. Your time is yours again.

The family calendar no longer revolves around school plays, sports, and birthday parties. Now it’s marked with university breaks in each child’s color, dinners with friends, and more doctor appointments than you expected.

Not being part of their daily lives is an adjustment. The hardest part is not knowing if they had a good or bad day. Getting only a sliver of their week feels like saving their stories for later.

Our nest is always open. Their rooms aren’t home gyms, but they do have high-quality sheets now. When they come home, it’s different. We’re in bed before they go out. One pot of coffee gets us through the morning, and speaking of morning, ours starts in the morning, not after noon (How can they expect to get anything done starting the day at that hour?!).

Do I spoil them when they’re home? Of course. Nothing quiets my mom-worry like having all four of us under one roof.

I want them to know this is their nest whenever they need it. And when they leave, after hugging their childhood sleep stuffy, I empty the fridge and make a salad.

— Laine Gaither, The Assist Guest Writer

Winning teams don’t waste time toggling between tools or chasing dead leads.

They run on systems that move as fast as they do.

Apollo.io and Salesforce are built for sales pros who want more than a contact list — they want a pipeline that performs.

Start with Apollo.io:

• Access 275M+ verified contacts across every industry
• Build, automate, and personalize outreach at scale
• Know exactly who’s engaging and when to follow up

Scale with Salesforce:

• Centralize lead, deal, and account data in one place
• Automate tasks, track every touchpoint, and never miss a handoff
• Get reporting that tells you what’s closing and why

High-volume prospecting meets enterprise-grade execution.

📚 Read: Eat Your Ice Cream by Ezekiel J. Emanuel

A refreshing take on longevity that pushes back on hustle culture and perfectionism around health. Instead of obsessing over every rule, Emanuel focuses on building a life worth living through purpose, relationships, and balance—yes, including enjoying the ice cream.

📺 Watch: Sirens on Netflix

Packed with drama, thriller undertones, and rich-people-being-weird energy, Sirens pulls you into a world where power, privilege, and obsession collide. Think the elite intrigue of Revenge, but sharper, darker, and filled with characters you second-guess trusting.

🎧 Listen: Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet: A Step-by-Step Blueprint

Jay Shetty’s podcast ep lays out a clear, motivating framework for resetting your mindset and direction going into the new year. It’s practical without being preachy, offering structured reflection, intention-setting, and momentum-building for anyone craving clarity and forward motion.

March 6 is Employee Appreciation Day.

Which means your team is about to get a lot of generic emails and exactly zero serotonin from them.

If you want your “thank you” to actually land, make it edible.

A curated snack box from Simpalo is the kind of appreciation people notice, remember, and immediately text their coworkers about. It shows up at their door. It feels thoughtful. And yes, it gets eaten.

Why this works so well for modern teams:

• It’s easy to send, even if your team’s fully remote
• The snacks are healthy, energizing, and not sad
• It feels personal without you doing mental gymnastics

Want to level it up?

• Add a short note. Real beats poetic.
• Choose better-for-you snacks that won’t sit untouched.
• Mix individual gifts with a team-wide “we see you” moment.

Simpalo’s Employee Appreciation Snack Pack is a crowd favorite.

The Premium Healthy Box hits when you want to go a little extra.

Or build your own custom box and brand it if you’re feeling fancy.

You can even add fresh fruit. Because nourishment is a flex 🍎.

Bottom line: snacks are a love language.

This March 6, send appreciation your team can actually unwrap.

👉 Take the 2-minute quiz to get started

Upcoming Events

• Thurs 1/22 @ 10AM PT: Invisible to Irreplaceable: Personal Branding for Women Leaders (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)
• Fri 1/23 @ 10 AM PT: Idea to Automation — Turning Concepts into Workflows (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)
• Tues 1/27 @ 11AM PT: Agent.ai Workshop

* Smart Girl Society is our private community for women who want deeper conversations, accountability, and tools that actually make life easier. Learn more and join while doors are open.

🐶 Pet of the Week: Meet Millie Lemon

Millie Lemon is an Olde English Bulldogge with the biggest personality! She’s a sassy little thing who demands attention by giving you the most dramatic side-eye when she’s not the center of the room. Her favorite hobbies include sunbathing, stealing socks, and giving kisses that feel more like headbutts. She’s a ray of sunshine with a whole lot of sass, and honestly, her owners wouldn’t have her any other way.

Have more feedback? 💌 Reply to this email and tell us.

✨ P.S. Want more inspiration and positivity to kick off your week? Sign up for our Motivational Monday texts (U.S. only).