This Week’s Favorites 11.07.26

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It has been a week. This week, I literally had to calculate my age on a calculator because I couldn’t remember how old I was and had tacked on like three years. (The sudden panic, guys…)

It was a special week in that I got to see Michelle Branch. The Beacon Theatre is beautiful. When they shut those lights off though, people are looking for their seats with flashlights like they are in some Indiana Jones movie. Acoustics aren’t great. Mostly the music is amplified. If you don’t know the lyrics to a song, you can’t understand a word through the muffling. We sang along and clapped. A unique night of nostalgia that ended in torrential downpours.

Always a fan of this woman.

I saw Chiara Ferragni on IG this week after not seeing her in ages. She looks so well and happy. I wish her all the happiness. It was sad hearing about how her husband cheated on her throughout their marriage and almost left her at the altar (he would have done her a favor). All the things. When you hear stuff like this, your heart just breaks. May she and any woman who has endured such cruelty find all the happiness in the world.

Chiara has found joy, and for that, we rejoice.

November is flying by. On Modern Witnesses, our Seven Days of Gratitude (gratitude challenge) are approaching and start on 11/19. I am done with week one of Sustain on Ladder. Trying to up my iron and fiber intake has been a struggle (still). My stomach gets so weird and bubbly. Not a fan of the feeling but trying to be compliant (for health’s sake). I feel like an air balloon…

This podcast episode on fiber was so good and stressed the importance of it:

I finished Re-Regulated by Anna Runkle, this week. It was good. Reaching my 50th book of the year. If there is anything I have learned from many books on trauma, it’s that writing things down is medicine for the soul. Journaling can literally heal you. Not an exaggeration.

The sun is out, which is surprising. Everyone expected a cozy, rainy weekend. We’ll take it. The weather is so weird. Almost 80F in November. Today, it at least feels like autumn.

I did some cleaning yesterday that gave my soul a degree of satisfaction (yes, that kind of cleaning). And today, we enter into true rest. Twinkle lights are on, and Christmas issues of magazines are arriving. I still have quite a bit of Christmas shopping to do! Are you ahead or behind schedule?

In the midst of my busy week, these are the things that caught my attention:

“So much of what keeps us small is loyalty to an old story.” Wilde Paper, Authenticity Day 2

“You’ve got big, pretty visions of what success looks like, but I have to be honest: sometimes success is as simple as not giving up.” Arnold Schwarzenegger

Croissant lamps spotted on Rocky’s Substack.
Too cute!

This week’s song:

Michelle Branch Day

Her hair had me in a chokehold.

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It’s Michelle Branch Day.

I have been thinking about this day since she announced her tour.

If you told me when I was ten that I was going to see this woman, I would have passed out.

When you are a kid and you play pretend, you don’t always get to be who you want to be. Sometimes, you do. It all depends on who you play with and what category. Kids are weird. They have imagination for some things and not for others. If we played Spice Girls, it was always reasoned that I couldn’t play the blonde Baby Spice. I had to be Scary Spice (because I was the closest thing to black). You know, elementary school reasoning. You had to stay in your lane. Now, this didn’t mean I didn’t play characters I liked. I sure did. If we played American Girl, I could be Addy or Samantha (as my bangs gave me striking resemblance; plus I had the doll). If we were Powerpuff Girls, I was Buttercup (also my fav). If we were Charlie’s Angels, most girls wanted to be Lucy Liu, but that worked out because Cameron Diaz’s character was my favorite. She was goofy, fit and light-hearted. I also played Drew Barrymore’s character more times than I can count. (I always did like the edgy characters).

Michelle Branch was a favorite for me to imitate.

Mind you, we were between the ages of 8 and 11– so imagination was in full swing. When it came to musicians, the very popular Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson were off the table— so I often picked edgier picks. Ones people were less likely to pick: Selena (Quintanilla), Shakira (just turned blonde), Gwen Stefani (with the braces), Pink, Christina Aguilera (dirrty era), Vanessa Carlton and yes, Michelle Branch. Michelle was a favorite. Her music is like Journey’s music. It makes you fly high. If only you knew how many times I stood in the middle of an empty small church school activity room that looked like an empty racket ball room (or mental hospital lol) because of its square dimensions and plain nature, strumming an invisible guitar.

Xtina’s dirrty era in the early 2000s.

We would stay in that room practicing tumbles and coordinated step and dance routines to Jaci Velasquez songs for church talent shows and then pivot to the latest artists (I mean Christina Aguilera’s “Lady Marmalade” was all the rage then, and we sure as hell weren’t singing that at the church camp talent show).

Michelle Branch on tour now (via her IG).

When I think of Michelle Branch, it warms my tiny child heart. First, representation matters, and listen, I am not Asian. But growing up where so many in pop culture were white and blonde— the Michelle Branch, Shakiras and Anne Hathaways of the world gave some of us a character. Someone unique to aspire to be like. (Don’t even get me started on Princess Diaries. It was life-changing).

Via Michelle Branch’s IG.

What I loved the most about Michelle was her power. Her ballads often have passionate choruses that you just have to belt. She is confrontational (we all collectively scream, “Are you happy now?”)

She walked so Avril could run. (Also have forever loved Avril).

These women defined Y2K for us millennial women. The early 2000s started with pop-rock, heavy eyeliner, mid-length layers and a guitar strap on your shoulder. We were reminded of this by Julia Stiles, recently. Before Paris and Nicole took us on a ride, we were screaming into a mic about Sk8er Bois, because that was euphoria.

Circle back to now. Michelle Branch has three kids. She vanished for a bit. I love that women are becoming mothers and then return with power for a new chapter that, honestly, the world needed. We needed this. And not just my ten-year-old self. I needed this now.

Just as the VS Angels showed us powerful women and mothers returning for a new (and powerful) chapter, this is part of the movement. Hilary Duff’s tour, Michelle Branch returning— it’s all a message that screams— your best is still ahead of you. You can pivot, you can mother, you can take a break, you can grow, you can mature— you can also still love what shaped your past.

Michelle Branch returned into my view a few years back when I realized one of my favorite writers Kelly Oxford is best friends with her. They would often post outings together. I was like, Omg!! Michelle!!

Ironic that a favorite writer would be such a close friend of Michelle’s. Or not. Sort of makes sense. All these webs of connections. When you click into a frequency, you just click.

So here we are. Thanks for coming down my brain dump of memory lane. For revisiting the characters I’ve played. It’s not every day you meet a person you pretended to be. Ha. I am ready to see Michelle. I have been ready since 2001. Two thousand freakin one. We are all grown now. Am I wearing heavy eyeliner? Damn right, I am. Am I going to sing “Everywhere” at the top of my lungs? Damn straight. Joy is going to be everywhere tonight…

Happy Michelle Branch Day to all who celebrate.

Planning for 2027

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Sixty days. It was everywhere this weekend. Something about 60 days left until 2027.

This seems to be the recent theme across platforms— winter arc vibes. ❄️

I leave you with this fun and smart prepare-for-the-new-year video. It’s time to get practical and dreamy. Time to sketch out our hopes.

Yesterday, on a teaching call, my coach Dr. Edie was telling us we are so good at seeing needs of others and the things we need to do— but how quick are we to see delights and gladness? How are we planning for joy?

“What are your threads of delight?” Dr. Edie asked.

So that’s the assignment— we should look at what needs planning, improvement, and structure, but also, we need to take time and plan for joy and delights.

What’s on your list?

Free Rempe

Image via Instagram.

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Yesterday’s New York Rangers game against the Edmonton Oilers was atrocious. Given the Oiler-Panther rivalry— I am no fan of the Oilers (or McDavid), but at least they came to play. The commentators kept saying how the Oilers were coming off of back-to-backs and how fatigued they must be. They weren’t. They don’t make excuses. The Rangers had a week break (unheard of given the NHL schedule), and they looked lost, disjointed and pathetic.

We rehash what I have been saying post after post— Mike Sullivan sucks as a coach. And don’t say he coached the U.S. Olympic team. I know. I also know based on the players who played for that team, that the all-stars did their thing and preferred to take coaching and mentorship from John Tortorella, who was on coaching staff.

Mike Sullivan stands there, week after week, saying the team did its best— while they lose under circumstances they could control. He makes excuses for the team, which is why they aren’t going anywhere. Given current leadership and satisfaction with mediocrity, I declare this season done. We have covered this. How much of his own BS he believes is still a valid question.

You know who has been missing from the ice game after game? Matt Rempe. Maybe you didn’t notice, though his 6’9” frame is hard to miss. I am hyper-aware because he is my favorite player. He always brings spark, confrontation and was part of the solid 4th line that was the only line that played consistently last season for the Rangers. In discussion with my husband, he pointed out two valid points— the Rangers dismantled the only line that had actually been playing for them and Sullivan may be trying to set himself up for firing because he is sick of this team. (Joke is on him because we are sick of him).

Both valid points. I can’t imagine a man of Sullivan’s arrogance is happy with the Rangers after his comments leaving the Penguins.

When seeing the line-up, I was annoyed to not see Rempe in the mix. I googled him, and saw a piece on his frustration for lack of play time (valid— he is like, Put me in coach), and a handful of articles hinting toward an Oilers trade— God help me).

You know what they say— if you love something or someone, you set them free. Listen, my point is I believe this kid is a STAR ⭐️. I said it. I really do. By not sending Rempe to the AHL (and don’t get me wrong, he deserves to stay in NHL territory), they are holding him hostage. They won’t let him play, and they won’t send him back. He is just going to practice and praying he gets to play. And night after night, he doesn’t get to play. This is the easiest way to kill a player both in skill and spirit.

So I am calling for #FreeRempe. Release the kid to play. Either put him in the line-up or yes, trade him. It would suck for all of us who won’t see him on the regular; but I would rather him be released to exceed his potential (because surrounded by the right team and coach, he will) versus letting him languish in the locker room in a beanie.

There is no team I have more disdain for than the Oilers. I would rather see the Remps go to Canada and slay than the current hostage situation. He deserves better. So this is my plea to Rangers staff— #FreeRempe (he deserves to play), fire Sullivan (his mindset is doing nothing for this team other than digging its grave further into the ground), trade Mika (because he does nothing but harm). And if you only grant one wish— free Rempe. Let the kid play. Drury and the franchise deserve the consequences of their choices, but Rempe deserves better.

Advice from Garance

Image via Pinterest.

“There are a thousand ways to upset people. And the maddening thing is that most of them are completely beyond my control.

And that’s why I’ve chosen to be delusional.” Garance Doré

That quote is from Doré’s latest piece above, Don’t Let Them. The years have flown by and one thing hasn’t changed— Garance Doré is still one of my favorite writers. There is something about her humor and how she writes that it has always clicked with me. Over the years, I’ve connected with her (former) Studio and Atelier (when they sent me merch), her book launch, and then more recently, when she did her meetup in NYC.

She is an icon, and she still makes me LOL when I read her stuff. She is wonderfully kind in person. I miss her old website, and many of her old writers, too. It was pretty magical, but the latest iteration of her work on Substack still gives us the dose we all crave. This last one from Garance was a bit nostalgic. Here is to being a dash of delusional.

This Week’s Favorites 10.30.26

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Is it concerning that everyone I saw in costume was a grown adult? Or is that just NYC because there are no children? I don’t know. That Starbucks on Amsterdam had a line of like 300 people, fairies, cowgirls, Shrek even.

Also, what is up with the lines at Spirit Halloween? They go around the block. You are telling me everyone waited until the two days before Halloween to shop for a costume? Group workout classes in costume— why are adults like this? What happened to us? Ok, that’s my paragraph of judgment. I can’t relate. I don’t understand the psychology behind it.

Me being shady.

This week felt like ten years. I got home today, turned on the twinkle lights and exhaled. Deep exhale.

This week, I finish Stronger to the Core + on Ladder, and also surpassed my 90th workout. Sustain starts Monday!

RCLM.

Daylight Savings is coming. Dark cozy season is upon us. The barricades are out for the marathon that will have us all locked in on Sunday.

I finished a book on burnout this week, and it is the BEST book on burnout and boundaries that I have read. Also, the fact that she is Hispanic made it all so real and relatable. More than any book I have ever read. She gets it. It’s fantastic. I finally put a notebook in my backpack and scribbled down some reminders.

Read this book.

My mind currently looks like this:

These are some of the favorites from the week:

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.

Only God creates. The rest of us copy.” Michelangelo

“Someday, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.” C.S. Lewis

“The more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.” Nassim Taleb

“Often, we have to choose between having a hard conversation or having a hard life.” Emily Ballesteros

Nostalgic song of the week:

Emma Grede x DVF

A fascinating conversation with a fascinating woman. I read her book years ago, just as it came out. I had pre-ordered it. I am excited to hear she is writing a book on kindness— and she is almost 80. In the words of Emma— she is a true icon. She talks about independence, honesty, paying it forward and seduction. She already said, if she has a decade left, it may be her best decade yet.

“Fear is not an option.” DVF’s mother