Hi! My name is Bree, and I write about how to have better days at work (and in life). Subscribe for writing on everything from building cozy teams to living a Portfolio Life. You’ll also be the first to know about book launch events and giveaways—Today Was Fun will hit bookstores July 2025!
Who knew there would be so much love for Grandpa Andy and his mornings!
That last post was far and away the most popular one I’ve written. If you’re a new subscriber because Grandpa Andy recruited you, welcome!
I have a second resolution and this is the goal:
Ugly Healthy (aka. Health vs Health cosplay)
In my younger years my resolutions were about having curves in all the right places. Usually some diet regimen to be skinnier. Now, in my 40s? The curves can go where they want. I want bacteria in all the right places.
Did you swoon? Surely you did. It’s a combo resolution of two things I’ve been increasingly convinced matter a LOT: gum health, and gut health. For me, this means increasing my flossing from 3-4x per week to daily. Less gum bacteria! And eating gut-friendly foods like yogurts, fermented things, and vegetables. More gut bacteria!
It’s all about inside health—not the external appearance of health. Which has me more broadly considering the things in my life that are actually healthy, versus what is health theater; health aesthetic.
Take, for example, the very simple act of showing up to a Zoom meeting sweaty or with wet hair. If I have a call with you and I look a flushed mess, rest assured I am at my finest. I exercised. I took time to make my probiotic-y breakfast. I did not cut into my 8 hours to wake up early enough to fit in hair and make up.
That’s Ugly Healthy.
To take it further, I think about all the strategy and planning decks I’ve seen in my career that say nothing but have had their hair and makeup done (i.e., a nice font and fancy formatting). Versus the brilliant idea a team had while laughing together that they jotted down in a 2-line email with a typo.
Now I love a little glam once in a while and am certainly a fan of visual design, but if we’re using either as concealer instead of expression, we’re using them wrong.
I hope you’ll indulge in a little Ugly Healthy this week. That might mean:
Laughing so hard you’re definitely birthing new wrinkles
Getting extra sleep instead of doing your hair (enter: hats)
Wearing clothes that make you happy, whether or not they’re “professional”
Taking time for deep work vs. spitting out emails for the appearance of productivity
Making a proper, healthy lunch even if you’re on a call
Having friends over more often, even if your home is a mess
If you have more examples of Ugly Health, please share them in the comments! Wishing you all many hats this week.
I recently realised that I as a woman am also allowed to look like a grandpa in the gym, in a baggy t-shirt advertising some liquor brand tucked in to even baggier pants. I don’t have to squeeze into yoga pants and a matching bra!
LOVE this, Bree! Bacteria-related resolutions are great!! For me, ugly healthy is prioritizing warmth in my work outfits so I can walk to work and not freeze! Some very cute hairstyles do not work with a hat pulled over, so work fits/looks get simpler in the winter.
Also, I have to plug my favorite dental floss: Dr. Tung's Smart Floss. It expands to really get gunk out, and there's a nice gentle cardamom flavor.