The Wellness Industry, Cheerleaders & Somatic Writing: Issue 54
New Year, New Things, Refreshed Me.
I'm Charlotte, and I write like I speak. My friends always ask me for recommendations on books, films, and podcasts, so I created Grab a Slice to share my suggestions and help others discover new favourites.
Do you frequently share recommendations with someone? If so, why not share this newsletter with them as well?
Kia ora lovely friends,
It’s soooo good to be back! Ahhh 2024, how are you here already!? I’m always so ready for the festive holidays, and then within the blink of an eye, they’re bloody over. WHYYYY? I hope you had a fantastic break, and if you were working through it, I hope you have a restful break planned ASAP!
Anywho, I’m back to work next week, (sob) but I wanted to share a bunch of reccy’s that I devoured during my holidays.
Let’s get into it!
But I’m a Cheerleader, this visually stunning comedy/romance film is *cough* very 1999, but that didn’t stop me from loving it. It’s full of Christian and homosexual stereotypes which was a bit cringe and tough to watch at times, and I found the subject matter in general a bit iffy in terms of what it might be like to exist as a gay person in a ‘straight world’. The colour palette and the soundtrack will no doubt win you over though!
I’ve been shamefully scrolling all the TikToks with the “I Like This Little Life” singing trend. Good lord, it’s both cringe, absurd and hilarious. The trainwreck trend I can’t look away from.
If you haven’t yet discovered the witty, hilarious comedy account by Maddy Mitchell on Instagram - then get into it. I have so quickly become obsessed with her list-style reels that I find myself going to her account to see if I’ve missed anything. Too! Damn! Funny!
Someone told me it was a book only after I began watching Boy Swallows Universe via Netflix. I haven’t been this engrossed in a TV show for ages so I binged it immediately upon discovery. Incredible storytelling, deep topics and stunning characters. Instant recommendation!
I finished reading Jennette McCurdy’s ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ and it turns out, that A LOT of you have also read this book! Subject warning in terms of sexual abuse and eating disorders of course**. I truly recommend listening to the e-book if you can as Jeanette reads it and it feels that much more powerful.
I am about to finish ‘The Gospel of Wellness’ by Rina Raphael which puts a magnifying glass on the… at times… complete absurdity and darkness of the wellness industry. Particularly around how it markets itself to vulnerable females. When I say it was anger-inducing, I mean it.
I truly believe in the power of writing, and how it can help heal wounds, clear mental clutter, make you sleepy, remove anxiety and even motivate me. So this article was a great little read at Dua Lipa’s Service95 ~ Writing for Wellness - The Healing Power of Words.
How interesting and strange are these somatic writing exercises via this PDF by CAConrad? I would love to try one of these sometime!
As always, it’s the first custom-made monthly playlist for January 2024.
Would you reply to this newsletter via email and let me know what you’re listening to at the moment?
I’m considering introducing a couple of other sections to this newsletter…. things like “What I’m eating?” for recipes.
Let me know what you think!
__Charlotte xx