Vibe Check: July 2025
Your Monthly Mood Board 🧚
It’s July, and I’m drowning.
Drowning in work, projects, travel, social commitments, and really big feelings. The idea of a slow summer has never appealed to me more, while never being further out of reach. Still on the heels of two weeks in France, I now leave again in the coming weeks for another work trip - this time, two weeks in Asia. I AM AWARE that these are uptown problems, but I can’t help longing for an empty calendar, fruit juice dripping down my fingers, and a few days lying in a hammock with my phone on do not disturb.
I’m seemingly not alone, with my Substack feed brimming over with pieces on all things slow: the art of staying in more, the slow media movement, building a life you don’t need to escape, why peace is a better metric than productivity, and the ultimate no-plans weekend itinerary, to name a few.
The vibe I WANT for July is slow, sunny, and serene, but the reality is salty, sweaty, and slammed.
To try and stay above water, I’m keeping my head down and blinders on, finding moments of calm where I can schedule them in. I’m channeling the IDGAF multitasking self-care energy of Cher, wearing face masks while running errands. I’m trying to turn corners of my house into sunlit sanctuaries for moments of downtime, and luxuriating for an extra 15 morning minutes in our new king bed. I’m channeling my stress about travel into excitement, researching summer things to do in Tokyo and Hong Kong, and getting swept up in images of Asian street style. I’m eating ice cream and listening to girl rock and embracing new, fun elements into my wardrobe.
Here are some things bringing me respite and joy lately.
🎶 I’m loving Lorde’s new album Virgin, which I’ve listened to on loop over a lot of long drives this week. It’s exactly what I’ve been craving.
😻 Ben sent me this video of Tagrie the cat, and we’re both completely obsessed.
👟 I’m officially a diehard Gazelle Girly now. I got my first pair right before my trip, and with the fun added pop of color and A+ comfort level for running around all day, I’m all fucking in with three different pairs now.
🛍️ Specifics since there are so many styles: I like the Indoor Shoe, and I need to size down by half a size (8.5 instead of 9).
☑️ Have you heard of the PARA Method? It’s an organizational method that helps you categorize all your digital content into four categories—Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. I stumbled across it last week and am trying to wrap my head around it, but it seems interesting.
🖼️ My latest YouTube obsession? ASMR at the Museum from the Victoria and Albert Museum. From unboxing classic Chanel to iconic classic camera clicks, the curators not only share the sounds but also details about the pieces, making the videos as interesting as they are satisfying.
🎤 On the recent episode of Las Culturistas with Michelle Obama, they talked about Benjamin Hightower’s Pink Pony Club performance on America’s Got Talent, and I have watched it literally ten times.
🏆 Speaking of the pod, they just released the nominees for their 4th annual Las Culturistas culture awards, and I am deceased. I’m so freakin happy for them to have it airing on Bravo and Peacock this year.
🍗 My current food hyperfixation is Chicken Milanese. It’s always been one of my favorite meals, but I’ve been making it on repeat using this recipe once or twice a week for the last month or two. It’s so easy and I love pairing it with Brussels sprouts, rice, and salad.
🤖 A new favorite follow of mine is Christina Ernst, or She Builds Robots. Ernst combines fashion and engineering to make “wearable, magical technology.” Using her engineering degree, she went viral with her robotic Ratatouille Halloween costume, and has been featured all over for not only her whimsical creations but her STEM tutorials for girls.
💦 Need a pool day? I just discovered Resort Pass last weekend when finding a pool to spend the day at for my friend’s birthday, and it was a DREAM.
🎬 Did you check out the NY Times list of the Top 100 movies of the 21st century? We’ve been discussing it all week. See which ones your favorite movie makers picked, and create your own Top 10 Ballot. (Note: It’s unacceptable to me that Moulin Rouge and Marie Antoinette weren’t on this list.)
🎥 And if that reinvigorates your inner film buff, The Atlantic has Your Summer Project: Watching These Movies.
⏰ As someone who is constantly stressed about getting everything I want to do done, I loved this piece, There’s So Much Time from Amie McNee.
💙 This piece from ADWEEK really resonated with me, The Impossible Role of Influencers in a Divided America. “We don’t need a culture of walking on eggshells. We need a culture that makes space for difference.”
🇫🇷 Speaking of influencers and advertising, having just been to Cannes Lions, this piece Beyond Cannes by Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie gives you a pretty good look at the experience and echoes many of my thoughts about it.
👩🎨 Currently, the thought of adding anything to my plate at home or elsewhere sounds exhausting, but in general, I really like this idea of Becoming the Creative Director of Your Own House by Jenna O’Brien.
Wishing you all a lovely, slow, sun-drenched-but-not-too-hot July. I’m hoping the next vibe check is less frazzled, but let’s face it, I probably won’t have a beat to breathe until Labor Day.
Soooo good! Love you! Hope you keep your head above water!