Reality Bites, vol. 2 (Substack Edition)

A smattering of things I find share-worthy

How’s your week going? Mine’s been pretty status quo. When you’re unemployed and waiting to hear if your dog cleared the waitlist to set sail on the Queen Mary 2 (more on this another time), your days generally consist of job hunting (LinkedIn and Indeed and Upwork, oh my!) and manifesting your dog clearing the waitlist to set sail on the Queen Mary 2.

I’m house/dog-sitting for a friend for the next 4 weeks, which means Jack and I get to play house, and what a beautiful house it is. And it comes with a yard! And another Lab! Jack’s buddy, Oscar.

Dogs of a feather

Something I hear often is, What’s a Substack? This unique platform is steadily growing, but it’s also fairly new (est. 2017). There are so many great Substacks out there that if I’m not careful, my entire day would be shot to hell because I’d spend it reading newsletters all day. You know that “one in, one out” rule people practice with their closets? I try to do it with podcasts and Substacks. So this week, I’m sharing some of the newsletters I subscribe to, in hopes that maybe one or more will pique your interest and you’ll be introduced to some new content. Because good writing was meant to be shared.

In no particular order, a few of my fave stacks:

• Downtime: Alisha Ramos is the mastermind behind Girls’ Night In, one of my all-time favorite newsletters that was exactly what its name suggests: Comforting, fun ideas for the gal who’d rather get cozy than crunk. GNI has since morphed into Downtime, which Alisha describes as “a lifestyle newsletter for curious women with good taste, big feelings, and a lot on their minds.” Not sure I have good taste, but big feelings and a lot on my mind? Hello. One of these days I’m going to pull the paywall trigger on this, if I haven’t already done so by the time I hit publish.

• Happier In Hollywood: The podcast by the same name, run by TV writing/producing team Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, is one of my can’t miss listens. So when they started a Substack, I smashed that subscribe button. While their podcast is focused on the ins and outs of life as a freelancer in television (relatable), their Substack is a bit more personal. I especially love the writing tips.

• Olivia’s Substack: Another podcaster publication! Olivia is half the brains of Bad on Paper, a pod I’ve been listening to for a few years now.¹ While I’m sure it’s not effortless, Olivia’s writing reads as such. Her voice is an alliteration of R words — raw, relatable, romantic. She’s created an intentional life of writing that I covet, and does it from her charming Hudson, NY home. I even enjoy reading about her home renovations…and that’s a topic I normally don’t give a crap about. I do, however, give a crap about what’s on people’s desks, and wouldn’t you know, she writes a series on just that! She’s also the author of Such a Bad Influence, which I still need to read.

• Scratch Pad: This is the newsletter of Grace Atwood, former co-host of Bad on Paper (Olivia replaced her when Grace decided to focus on other projects a couple years ago). Grace is one of the OG influencers, and she continues to stick the landing with everything she does, from clothing collab drops to skincare recs. It’s funny — aside from her book taste, I don’t find I have much in common with Grace² and yet, I look forward to her newsletter each week.

• Passport 2 Pleasure: If you’ve listened to the first episode of (de)Tour Guides, then you know ENM is a relationship style that intrigues me. And that’s what relationship coach Ally’s Substack is all about.³ She explores this topic in a lighthearted way while also making you feel safe, and offers a treasure trove of community-based content behind her paywall (which, at only $8 a month, I consider a steal of a deal).

• Deeply Felt: Full transparency, this is the only Substack I pay for as of now (like I said, must. contain. Substack. self!). Kelly is an IRL friend, colleague and major inspiration to me.⁴ Every damn thing she writes hits home, and every damn thing she writes is — you guessed it — something she feels deeply. I guarantee that if someone isn’t feeling the feels before diving into Kelly’s writing, they will be by the time they’re done reading.

And thus concludes this week’s Bites…for now anyway. I have a sneaking suspicion this Substack list is a living, breathing, ever evolving thing. If you have any Substacks you’ve been loving, please share!

Cheers,

Ali

P.S. I’m overthinking the hell out of the content I’d like to throw behind a paywall, mainly because I want it to be valuable to readers. I’m open to any/all suggestions. What would you like to see here for $5 a month?

1. & the reason I discovered I’m still a reader despite the social media madness (cough, The Idea of You, cough)

2. She has cats, I have a dog. She’s got great taste in clothes and home deco, I do not. She loves to host, I loathe the mere thought of it. You get the gist.

3. She misspells her name, but we’ll let that slide…

4. A tv producer who writes good shit that makes you feel things