Hey Reader!

If you’re a long-time subscriber, you might remember a format I used to do called “If we were having coffee.” It’s simple—we pretend we’re out having a little coffee chat and I update you on my life and the thoughts that have been swirling around my head.

Side note: If you're not a long-time subscriber, it may come as a surprise to you that this is actually edition #139! I'm working on making the backlog of old newsletters publicly available so that you can browse through the archive.

Today I’m bringing back these virtual coffee dates as part of my attempt to get back to what excited me so much about YouTube when I first started… casual, personal updates and conversations.

🫤 If we were having coffee, I’d mention that I’ve been feeling pretty disengaged in school. It’s a much easier semester, which I can’t complain about. I’m consistently spending under 20 hours per week attending class and doing homework combined. The not-so-great part is that I genuinely enjoy school… so when I’m disengaged, I feel like a little part of me dies. I’m learning, for example, that advertising is NOT for me, and 4/5 of my classes are basically about advertising. My favorite class is that remaining 1/5… Research Methods. This class is the bright spot of my week. This only makes me even more confused about my career path, because I’m not sure I’m built for a career in academics. Unless…?

🏃‍♀️ If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’ve gotten back into running. I actually had a running phase back in high school when I decided to overcome my fear of running and do the Couch to 5K program. Eventually, I got to a point where I could bang out 6 miles without stopping! After a while, I just got tired of repeatedly running the same two boring routes in my Wisconsin suburb and preferred going to the gym for some variety. This month, on a whim, a friend invited me to sign up for a 6.5K race with her in Madrid, and ever since then I’ve actually been enjoying going on 30-ish minute runs in my neighborhood. I must say, having a city to run in is a game-changer. I have hundreds of possible routes, and I usually don't know if turning the next corner will bring a relaxing downhill slope or a tough hill to climb. It’s almost like running, gamified.

✈️ If we were having coffee, I’d gush to you about how excited I am to go home for Spring Break! In just two weeks, I’ll be flying back to the US. The way my class schedule happened to be arranged, I was able to add an extra 5 days of break by missing just two sessions of class, so of course I took that deal. A while back, I had a conversation with a friend’s mom and she told me that, by the time you’re a junior or senior in college, the desire to visit your parents wanes and you find yourself asking, “Do I really have to go home?” Well, I can tell you that this has NOT been the case for me, and I cannot wait to spend a relaxing week and a half playing Minecraft with my brother, going to Zumba classes with my mom, and watching episodes of Jeopardy with my dad.

🧘‍♀️ If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’ve been focusing on my mental health. I felt like crap a few weekends ago. Sometimes I just get into these states where I feel very stuck, cry a lot, and can't find motivation to even wash the dishes. It’s okay, it happens. I just need to work a little harder on maintaining my momentum and getting enough sleep. So I’ve been: eating more fish (canned sardines ftw), taking omega-3 supplements, going outside for 10 minutes every morning, and prioritizing those maintenance tasks: washing the dishes before bed, cooking healthy food, and chipping away at projects consistently so that work doesn’t build up into a daunting mountain.

💼 If we were having coffee, I’d confide that I’m a bit stressed about the summer internship search. I really am not putting as much effort into it as I should. When I have a sponsored YouTube video due the next day and homework deadlines to meet… sending my CV to 5 more companies just doesn’t feel as urgent as it actually is. In any case, I do have a few promising leads. I’m currently most excited to hear back from a music company that I completed a HireVue interview for, and I’m anxiously checking Reddit every day to see if any other applicants have heard back from the hiring managers. And this week I’ve blocked out at least 6 hours to spend on applying 🫡 Wish me luck.

⌚️ This week's video

Sometimes I desperately need a day to just take care of all of the life admin stuff that has been building up: clean the apartment, run errands, get my life organized, etc. In this video, I shared a simple Ultimate Reset Day schedule that you can follow.

>> Click here to watch!​

A few of my favorite things

🧠 OK, ignore the clickbaity title — this podcast episode about the dangers of AI is actually really thought-provoking. My main takeaway is that our most imminent danger is probably not the “machines” themselves but what humans will do with the machines. If you take a listen, I’m really curious to hear what you think!

⚡️ A new professor (whom I reallyy like so far) recommended a book by philosopher Byung-Chul Han called Non-Things. She linked us this interview where Han talks about information overload, the disappearing value of objects, and depression.

🌖 Everything I’ve recommended so far is depressing takes on technology and the future 😅 But to add one more to the list, I'm going to see Dune: Part Two this week and I could not be more excited (I rewatched the first one this weekend and the cinematography and soundtrack are just stunning).

🥥 Tried this new recipe for chicken coconut stew, highly recommend. By the way, if you want a nice Notion database to organize your personal recipe collection in, you’ll find one in my FREE Adulting Dashboard template!

❔ for you.

If we were having coffee, what life updates would you have for me? Hit reply to this email, I want to hear 😇

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Lots of love,
Beatrice

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