Hello to all my wonderful subscribers, hope y’all are enjoying the changing of seasons — a great moment to reset, start fresh, and focus in on the things that inspire and bring you happiness.
Social Impact Insights: We All Need Some Inspiration
I spent the last six weeks of summer getting myself into serious inspiration mode. After the heavy hits of Supreme Court rulings, mass gun killings/racist attacks, and extreme heat across so much of the world, I felt like I needed to focus on the things that bring me joy, and allow that to inspire me in my daily life and in my work with my clients. I absolutely believe that doing social justice work over the long haul requires breaks, fun, and creative inspiration.
I talk a lot in this newsletter about the power of Female Rage. And yet I am also a big believer in the power of Female Joy. To me that means seeking out fun, gratitude, and wisdom in the company of other women, or in things that are traditionally considered “women’s interests.” So in addition to surfing as much as I can (more on that below), I also sought out pop culture focused on women, from the serious to the frothy.
I was excited to see that as a late summer series, Film at Lincoln Center was showing the Three Colors trilogy in the theater. It’s a three-part meditation on Chance, Grief, Creativity, Ennui, and Reclaiming Joy in the context of a newly-unifying Europe, from 1993-94.
The films are Blue, White, and Red, named for the colors of the French flag, with themes that echo from the French motto of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. As much as I'm a major film addict, I am constantly amazed at how many great films I actually haven’t seen. These films are such a Gen X staple, so it’s a little shocking I’d never seen them, but then I remembered, I was starting law school when they came out. I think I missed a lot of major international cinema during those years! They’ve always been on my list, but I never properly planned out seeing them.
So it felt like a sign from the universe that they were going to be on the big screen, rolled out in order. A main reason I’ve always wanted to see them is that two of my favorite French actresses star in two of the films, Juliette Binoche and Julie Delpy. Binoche has a special place in my heart because she starred in one of the first international films I ever saw in a theater—The Unbearable Lightness of Being — making me feel very sophisticated at the time. And Delpy of course also stars in the Before trilogy, another classic of Gen X cinema.
Of the three films, White resonated for me the least, mostly because it was focused on the main male character’s POV, rather than Delpy’s. I wanted to know more about her character, her motivations, and her desires. But I found myself pretty obsessed with Blue and with Red, which stars another icon of French cinema, Iréne Jacob. Together, the films offer a chance to think deeply about what it means to have Europe coming together, and how coming together and falling apart are often moments punctuated by chance and the rule of fate.
And as a lawyer, I was fascinated by how much the law and the court system is almost its own character in the films. This all felt particularly poignant to think that 30 years after these films came out, the world is both more connected than it’s ever been, and yet that sense of community, shared humanity, and a shared set of rules that we all seek and are hungry for is more at risk than it’s been in decades.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had ignored all the mania about Emily in Paris when it premiered on Netflix during the especially dark days of the pre-vax pandemic. You might think that kind of frothy fun was just what I needed, but I’ll confess to having been a bit snobby about it. I decided it would be a fun summer watch, and it more than exceeded my expectations.
Yes, Emily is a little annoying with her can-do American ways, but the fashion, the Parisian setting, and the other characters (the cynical French and her best friend, a more worldly American in Paris) are all just so entertaining. And then, as I watched the second episode, I kept wondering why I was so drawn to Emily, and I realized how much she reminded me of my best friend from law school, Sofie Wonderly Hosford.
The actress playing Emily, Lily Collins, has a face and hair and a way of talking (at least in character) that is very similar to Sofie. And Sofie always had that go-hard, can-do spirit that often defines us to the rest of the world as Americans. Sofie died a decade ago, and she is someone I think of and refer to in my own mind often, so it was a special treat to watch a fun and frothy series that gave me a fleeting sense of what it was like to be around her.
Rounding out my summer pop culture Female Joy inspirations are the rap duo of Rap Sh!t, Issa Rae’s new fictional series. Filmed and set in Miami, it is loosely inspired by one of my favorite teams of female rappers, the City Girls, who are from Miami and are also Executive Producers. Watching these artists feed their creativity, hustle their way into gigs and opportunities, and deal with creative frustration, sexism, and racism, is all I needed to maintain my own sense of hustle and creative energy.
Surf Synthesis: Mind and Body Flow
I’ve been surfing as much as I can, and have been paddling out once a week solidly. On occasion, I’ve been able to squeeze in two surf sessions a week. Summer is always tricky, I actually try to work on weekends so I can have a day during the week to head out and surf. My goal and that of my friends is to avoid the congested summer weekend crowds in the lineup. Luckily I’m a pro at working off my phone to and from the beach, even taking a few client calls from the trailer where we store our boards (my friend joked that our landlord could put a desk and some wifi in, and we’d be set!). And of course, it’s extremely clutch that I have the flexibility to work weekends when everything outside is crowded and I can focus at home on mapping out client strategy, creating documents, and managing communication flow.
As always, the combination of warmer water and a steady state of good vibes in the water has improved my surfing and my confidence. I’ve been in such a good groove all summer, feeling my body surf rather than overthinking things mentally. And in the spirit of sharing pop culture/media that is frothy and fun, I’ve been reading Diane Cardwell’s Rockaway: Surfing Headlong into a New Life. It’s her memoir of learning how to surf as an adult as she came out of her rough post-divorce years. As someone who had to fully commit and overcome surfing’s intimidation factor as an adult, knowing the joy was worth engaging with the fear, I can relate to so much of her story of Female Joy.
Tarot Inspiration: The Star
This month’s card vibes nicely with the theme of Female Joy. She is the Star. The Star comes after a cycle that ends in great and heart-wrenching change, a total reset. The Star offers us hope in the form of compassion, the heart’s response to suffering. She asks us to take a quiet moment, breathe deep, look around, and express gratitude for all the blessings we have in life. In many ways, she is the meditation card for me. After hustle and bustle, when it’s time to take stock, to acknowledge how difficult things can seem and can actually be, it’s important to have compassion for ourselves and for others, as we work up the inner strength to get back out there again. I think that’s been the theme of late summer for me, stocking up on as much Female Joy as I can, as we rush into a busy fall. Enjoy the change of seasons!
More to come! Let me know what you want more of in these newsletters, subscribe, and share with others who you think will be interested.