How To Make & Break Habits with Productivity Expert, Charles Duhigg

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody were most recently seen at the 2024 SAG Awards! They stunned on the red carpet with Leighton in a brown satin dress and Adam rocking a navy suit. Both Adam and Leighton were absolutely glowing!

Funny enough, GG characters Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf have a brief fling in the show, and Badgley and Brody share a striking resemblance to one another, which Badgley jokes about during the episode.

Brody admits he was “smitten instantly” with his now-wife after seeing her and the rest of the GG cast come through Canter’s, a Los Angeles deli Brody frequented.

The duo didn’t date until several years after their first introduction, but Brody was certainly crushing on Meester, despite her remaining "elusive" and "aloof." His recounting of their love story goes against everything that Meester’s shared about their relationship's origin, but Brody stands by it — and apparently has receipts. 👀

"I couldn't get a total read because, even though she professes to have been interested in me and all those things, not only did she not pursue that, I mean, she was perfectly willing to let that never happen,” Brody added. "Yeah, she was perfectly willing to let that message in the bottle return to sea at several points.”

The Burnoutby Kinsella Sophie

Sasha's corporate life has left her feeling everything but inspired. Her days revolve around putting out 'fires' at work which means her personal life essentially doesn't exist. Deciding to leave that behind for a while, she books a trip to her favorite resort only to find that it doesn't look or feel like paradise once she arrives. She runs into Finn and he's just as stressed as her, but he wears his ornery feelings on his sleeves.

This leads to disagreements and a series of notes that leave them no choice but to talk to each other. Suddenly, there's so much to talk about and the discovery of a shared hobby begins bringing them closer than their burnout ever will.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are two sisters who have written a manual that's meant to help you get to the root of your burnout. They combine science and resources that also help you deviate away from letting stress control your life. Additionally, the sisters have put together The Burnout Workbook: Advice and Exercises to Help You Unlock the Stress Cycle so you have more room to complete the exercises in Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

The 30-Day Burnout Fix: End Exhaustion, Break the Stress Cycle, and Reclaim Control Through Mindset Shifts, Behavioral Change, and Emotional Mastery by Janessa Rhoades

Reading about someone's experience with burnout makes us feel less alone and that's exactly what you can find in The 30-Day Burnout Fix. Janessa Rhoades is adamant about giving you action-based tools that you can apply to your daily life. It's similar to receiving 'homework' after your therapist session. In order to change the way you live, this book lets you know that you have to be willing to do the work.

Burnout Recovery: 15 techniques to overcome chronic stress, regain control, restore your energy and your focus by Amber Pierce

I love when burnout books tell you what you can expect in the title. While I'm all for an ambiguous fiction title, I prefer mental health books to be straight forward. Burnout Recovery is great to read if you feel similar because it breaks down how you can tell if you're about to become burned out, the stages of burnout, and there's even a quiz that helps you gauge how stressed you are.

From Burnt Out to Fired Up: Reignited Your Passion for Teaching by Morgane Michael

Although I'm not a teacher, I decided to read this book because I think it's important to recognize that everyone is capable of feeling burned out. I have a few associates who have talked about feeling stressed while teaching and it made me realize how much teachers can be taken for granted.

What From Burnt Out to Fired Up does is help teachers rediscover their passion and joy for teaching while learning to set important boundaries.

Therapist Burnout: Your Guide to Recovery and a Joyful, Sustainable Private Practice by Kelly Higdon & Miranda Palmer

This also goes without saying, but therapists are also capable of feeling the effects of burnout. As often as I rely on my therapist to help me work through my own issues, I sometimes wonder how she takes care of herself while helping clients. This book gives a little more insight into how therapists can do jus that without losing their desire to be of service to others.

Fist Pumps by Scott MacDiarmid, MD

Fist Pumps was another personal read because my sister is a Pharmacist and I've heard many stories about how medical industry professionals can be treated poorly by patients. I think it's easy for people in this profession and others to remember that they're worthy of rest, but Fist Pumps is a book that says, "No more!"

It's a great gift to give someone who works in the medical industry IMO.

I'm So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Lifeby Amy Shah, MD

I'll be honest — the title alone convinced me to buy this book because I'm pretty sure I've screamed the explicit version of it within the past week. Aside from stating the obvious, Amy Shah, MD also asks you to consider how your diet may be affecting the way your body responds to stress. She even shares a hormone-balancing tea that's actually pretty tasty if I say so myself.

Brilliant Burnout: How Successful, Driven Women Can Stay in the Game by Rewiring Their Bodies, Brains and Hormones by Nisha Jackson, PhD

I can't get enough of evidence-based burnout books like Brilliant Burnout. After realizing my stress has been affecting my body, reading this book helped me realize that everything matters internally. Nisha Jackson, PhD does an excellent job of describing how to optimize one's hormones, brain, and body so that burnout can start taking a backseat.

Mommy Burnout: How to Reclaim Your Life and Raise Healthier Children in the Process by Dr. Sheryl Ziegler

I'm not going to lie — becoming a mom made me question my sanity because it can be freaking tough to navigate. Even if you do have support, there are moments when guilt and burnout threaten to burn everything down, leaving you feeling exhausted. But, Mommy Burnout has been helping me take a moment to catch my breath so I don't lose my mind.

It's also an encouraging read that wants moms to get past this idea of being perfect because it honestly doesn't exist and can cause more harm than good. In other words, it's like reading something your own therapist may tell you.

Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself: 5 Steps to Banish Guilt and Beat Burnout When You Already Have Too Much To Do by Dr. Morgan Cutlip

Because I can't get enough of mommy burnout books, I decided to read Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself for good measure. If it's not obvious, I'm literally sick of mommy guilt and burnout on top of stress I feel in other areas of my life. What I can say is that this book helps moms to acknowledge how we feel without placing the blame on our kids. It's easy to take our frustrations out on others in general, but little people don't deserve our inability to self-regulate our emotions.

Reset: Live a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray

Burnout culture is absolutely real and it's threatening to hinder how we live our lives + interact with others. While this is a Christian-based book for men, they're certainly important to consider because burnout isn't impartial to a particular group of people. I bought this to help my S.O. navigate his toxic work culture, expectations placed on him by society, and family. So far he's said that it's helping him to realize the importance of slowing down to allow more grace to enter his mind.

Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work by Kandi Wiens, Ed.D. - Available For Purchase April 23, 2024

This book isn't out yet, but I had to include it on this list because it's a highly anticipated read. Aside from learning about the what burnout is and how to reset our hormones so we can minimize our chance of experiencing it, emotional intelligence is also important to be aware of. Kandi Wiens, Ed.D. specifically switched careers to understand why so many are struggling with burnout at work and her incredible discoveries have led to Burnout Immunity.

Here's How Often You Should Cut Your Hair, According To Professionals

I’ll admit it — it had been eight months since my last haircut. My hair had lost its shape, my layers were nowhere to be found, and my ends were begging for mercy. Life got busy over the last few months and I was neglecting my haircare like never before.

My hairdresser could immediately see that I was beyond due for a cut and said I needed to get more taken off than I was hoping. I was definitely disappointed — I'd been working on growing out my hair for a while now, and it just felt like my hard work had completely gone to waste. He explained that getting consistent haircuts is the key to growing out healthy and strong hair, rather than letting it grow and grow until it eventually breaks. So let's dig into the top three things you can do to avoid this scenario!

1. Just Get The Dang Haircut

Also avoiding a haircut like I was? You might want to schedule one at your nearest salon. Like my stylist said, when you wait too long between trims like I did, you risk your hair becoming heavy, dull, and lifeless. When the hair is dry or even dead, it’s nearly impossible for it to hold a curl or style, essentially collapsing on you and taking on more and more heat damage all the while. I know the pain of spending time on a blowout only for it to fall minutes later — it’s the worst.

According to Jack, getting a haircut every 10-12 weeks is the best time frame or your ends will pay the price. Between blow-drying, curling, straightening, sun, and weather, our ends get dry and start to break without the proper care. Getting consistent haircuts allows hair to bounce back, shine, and perform the way we want in a healthy way.

2. Leave-In Conditioners Are Your Friend

His top piece of advice to keep your hair looking and feeling hydrated between trims? Invest in conditioning treatments. Jack swears by the Olaplex conditioning system, specifically the No 3 Hair Perfector. Made with patented OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology™, this conditioning treatment repairs and prevents damage in as little as three minutes. No 3 promises to reduce breakage and visibly strengthen hair, so it’s the perfect assistance to keep ends fresh between cuts. Another conditioning treatments I’ve used and loved for years is the Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask, which is designed to restore moisture, elasticity, and shine to dry hair.

3. Switch Up Your Shampoos

Switching shampoos frequently is a pretty hot tip that I honestly hadn't thought of. Our hair gets used to the same products and grows tired of them, resulting in lackluster locks. Jack’s advice is to switch brands after finishing every bottle of shampoo to bring life back to your hair. Have two brands that you’re loyal to? Even switching back and forth between them after every bottle should make a big difference in your hair. I’m a huge fan of the R+Co Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo, which makes my hair look thick and full, as well as the Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo, which is so hydrating and gives so much shine.

In the end, navigating your back-and-forth relationship with haircuts often feels like a rollercoaster ride between wanting that fresh look and cringing at the receipt. Luckily, by using conditioning treatments and switching up your products,, you can keep your locks healthy, shiny, and full of life between trims. But take a newly learned lesson out of my book: don't let your ends pay the price for procrastination and just book the haircut.