GABRIELA YARELIZ

This Week’s Favs 05.01.26

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s 2004 in my brain. My birthday is days away, and I am feeling nostalgic.

I bought Bubbilicious watermelon gum 🍉. I saw the Laguna Beach reunion happened, and went back to old clips of the show. All the shows I wasn’t allowed to watch are on my mind, ha. Ahh the Y2K early teen scene. I will never forget that Teen People spread of Cavallari. I wanted Kristin Cavallari’s hair. And no, I am not blonde.

I will never forget this spread. I loved it so much.

On theme, Spencer Pratt from The Hills is running for mayor in LA, and I love his campaign.

The O.C. is on the brain. I saw a clip of Summer Roberts and remembered when gold eye shadow, liner and bronzer was the thing. And juicy tubes from Lancôme. Never forget the lipgloss popping.

Aside from nostalgia, I have read a lot about vision this week.

“The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something…. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion, all in one.” John Ruskin

The mode this week was ‘survival’. Allergies were insane, and I couldn’t breathe until yesterday, despite being on meds. I could barely open my eyes. I started a new Ladder challenge and that left me sore and crawling from chair to chair because my quads were on fire. And my period was the least of things (full report coming on that).

I accomplished my bloodwork, ended up with a nail in my shoe (thank you, NYC. Did not go through the shoe. Thank you, Jesus), and listened to a lot of podcasts.

I am deep in Emma Grede’s new book. I walked past a Gap store window, and it looked very nostalgic. Is it me or is Gap back?

I heard this song, and it flung me back:

2006, anyone?

Does nostalgia just mean we are seeking aspirational in the midst or grit and grime. Is it hope in the middle of failing systems? Or comfort of sweet memories? Is there any way the future can hold the glimmer and sparkle of the early 2000s? I would argue the present would be better if we made the Y2K way of life the now.

Strangers

By: Gabriela Yareliz

What happens when you realize the person you (thought you) knew the best is a completely different person than you imagined? If you have been divorced or if you are a child of divorce, you know this can happen, and happen unexpectedly.

Rumor has it, Strangers is on backorder. When was the last time you heard of a book on backorder? I got mine on Kindle, so that is a solution.

How do we assess a marriage? What is deemed success? Do we make excuses for red flags when the marriage is intact, and then, easily spot them when all falls apart? Why do people suddenly flip like a switch? Do they actually change overnight or are signals missed under the cloak of trust? Does anyone judging from the outside ever really know what happened on the inside? (Most likely not).

Belle Burden did a bold thing and shared the story of her journey when her marriage fell apart. I am looking forward to reading this book, and I found this awesome interview with the author and the Foster sisters. If you have read the book, there is additional insight. If you haven’t read the book, it will push you to open the book and start. I know I am starting mine.

The Tunnel

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I was on the train stuck in the tunnel. I was seated by the window, and I would lean toward the glass to see the darkness ahead. I was looking for the literal light at the end of the tunnel where the train takes the bridge toward Manhattan. We passed a deceiving bright blue light, and then, plunged into darkness again until we finally hit the bright sunshine of the bridge.

Healing sometimes feels that way. We often have to endure a lot of darkness and pain before we hit the sunny bridge, so to speak.

It’s a curious thing that being whole requires that tinge and ache of pain. Healing is a process— a tunnel. But when you keep moving, you may have the opportunity to hit the bridge. The key is to remember how worth it the sunshine is. It can be daunting to keep trekking in the dark, but keep moving forward. Your effort is not in vain.

Recently, I started biohacking my period again. Making shifts and changes to balance hormones and feel different. I hit my third cycle within this process (second month), and I am hopeful I will be ready to share soon. All the hacks, protocols, changes and lifesavers. More soon.

Healing With Roxy (co-founder of EyeAm) shared a powerful shift in healing affirmations. Rather than saying, “I am healing,” we shift the perspective to “I am healed.” We declare things by faith and do the work. One of my favorite affirmations has been, “I am letting go of fear and replacing it with faith.”

What are you changing and healing?

Patron Saint of Ill Passengers

By: Gabriela Yareliz

When you ride an Uber and you do not feel well, you feel every bump in the road. You feel every pothole and every poor, slapped on repair.

In NYC, it can be a harrowing experience. There should be a patron saint of all sick Uber passengers. Praying for them all.

Weigh the Role

“You get to decide who gets to be a part of your story, and how much.” Brianna Wiest

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Every day, we decide what roles and weight people have in our lives— the ones we choose and even the ones we are surrounded by circumstantially. It can be a boss, a podcaster, a parent, a writer, a coworker, a roommate, a landlord, a neighbor— even if you can’t control the fact that they are there and are who they are, you decide the role they play in your story. You decide how much air time they get. (My husband reminded me of this, recently). Your entertainment and who mentors you from afar is a choice that should be made with discernment, as well. These people shape your life, too.

There are a lot of people who do not deserve a central role (and sometimes a role at all) in your story, and yet you give them a lot of space to weigh on your soul and shape the emotional energy and daily story. We all do this.

This is your reminder today, to choose carefully how much weight and space you allow the people around you. Craft your story carefully. And remember not to be a side character in your own life.

Life Force

This message from Erwin McManus is fire.

A To Do List by Rainier Wylde

“Get out in it. Wander. Be lost. Eat real food. Order the steak this time instead of the salad. Or both, why choose?

Drink the expensive bubbly. Don’t save it. Light a flare, hold it up for everyone to see. Get outside. Sink your feet into the mud. Touch the sky. Call the friends you miss.

Quit something you’re good at if it’s killing you. Read a book that doesn’t promise prescriptions or answers.

Remember your mother. Speak to the ghost of your father.

Forgive. All is forgiven. Laugh at the wrong part of the joke. Find beauty in the gutters, in the broken. If you’re going to love, don’t ask it to save you. Make art again, like it’s the first time. Weep for those that time has left behind.

Build a fire; let it burn your life. Hold the ones beside you.

Hug them close. Get dressed up for no good reason at all.

Let the neighbors talk. Dance with a purple lobster on a street that doesn’t have a name. Tell someone you’re in love with them; why the hell not, there’s not time to waste.

Listen to the ordinary good birds. They’re singing. You have to listen for them. They want you to hear them.” Rainier Wylde

No Small Act

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I went from listening to a podcast about Alix Earle vs Alex Cooper (I don’t know these people, but it’s all people can talk about) to Oprah talking about the Hoffman Process (I landed there after the heartwarming Emma Grede podcast).

I was walking from an appointment, and the sun was showering us with gracious rays of warmth. A part of me anxiously wanted to pull out my phone and open the Outlook email app, but then, I stopped myself. I looked around at the bright avenue and the invitation to live sunk in. I started walking and ended up at the edge of the neighborhood. As I walked, I relaxed into the cadence, and freedom started to sink in. I had taken the afternoon off from work, and as I usually do, I had difficulty shaking off the week. But every step I took away from my work laptop and resisting the urge to open the apps in my pocket made me more defiant and free. The weight started lifting. I started to breathe deeper.

I felt the sunshine on my face, and released my to do list.

These are ordinary moments, but they are not small. They make up the acts of defiance that make us feel alive. The robotic autopilot starts to glitch and sputter to a stop. Suddenly, we feel the blood pumping through our veins. As I walked, I did a full circle, and started to feel the exhaustion settle in. It was sweet. I had accomplished something and beat electronic despair. That is no small act.

I invite you to do the same.

Musings About Magic Rice, Meetings, Poison Control, and More

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I found a magic rice.

It cooks in six minutes. I don’t know what that sorcery is. I looked for it again this week like it was a sack of magic legumes and didn’t find it. I am on the hunt for Brad’s Organic Basmati Rice. (After years of feeling pure antipathy for rice, I am on a rice kick).

Staff meetings shouldn’t be longer than 45 minutes, and they most certainly should not be two hours of the day.

This morning, I was so on autopilot, I can’t remember if I spit out my mouthwash or accidentally swallowed it. It’s Thursday, and this is where we are at. (It was a minuscule amount, so I am not worried, and you should not be either. There will be no calls to Poison Control. Plus what would I tell them? I am not sure if I ingested it? Lord.)

Yesterday was Earth Day, and I was only outside for my commute, which made me sad. I will try and get outside midday, today. Wherever you are— get outside.

I got a text yesterday from a friend that started with “Wellness Check” Wednesday. We all need an occasional wellness check, which reminded me that May should become a month of medical appointments and check-ups. Have you done your annual check-ups and blood panels?

We need to keep each other accountable, and take care of ourselves. This is your PSA.

The trains from Brooklyn into Manhattan have been an absolute dumpster fire, lately. They make the morning a choose-your-own-adventure situation.

Tomorrow is Friday. Deep breath. We are almost there. And no matter where this train goes or whether I find that rice again— my breath is minty fresh.

This Week’s Favs 4.22.26

“Confidence doesn’t come from believing in yourself. It comes from having done the uncomfortable thing enough times that your nervous system stops flagging it as an emergency. Because nothing is actually hard, it’s just unfamiliar.” Layla Shaikley

This new Blake Shelton song touches the heart!

This message:

“Maybe because my mind is always overflowing, chaotic, holding a hundred ideas and emotions at once, my body and my mind flourish in quiet spaces. I crave symmetry because it calms me.” Garance Doré

I don’t know guys… I wanted to look like Mandy Moore, Gwen Stefani or Nicole Richie, and they are still fire.

My icons are still aspirational:

Botox and a fountain of youth, I tell you.

Keep it aspirational. Stay inspired. Remember what Cara Alwill said— it is going to be the Glitter Pink Bombshell Summer. You can find us all mentally in 2003. I got so inspired this weekend, I slathered self-tanner on (I am still pale), and washed my hair. I wore velour. I am inching toward this Glitter Pink Bombshell Summer.

I started the year with a Pvolve challenge, and I am deep in the Jennifer Aniston one. It has been a fun one, and I am obsessed with the P3 trainer with the handle. It’s happening. I keep wondering if I can copy everything I did in high school (ok, not everything), and then feel the energy I had back then. Time is an energy thief.

How is your week going? What has inspired you?