The latest: Reading/watching/listening + fave products
Oh hi there! ! Meegan here, back with another post for you. This one isn’t about fitness, pregnancy, or pretty much anything related to the business of building backsides, as is my usual fare. Instead, I’m going to take the liberty of making a few recent-favorites lists because THAT is way more satisfying than doing actual work. And also because I am very into trying new things and then passing judgment on those things (ha!). If you’ve read our old newsletters, you’ll remember my Watching/Reading/Listening section. This is that, only better because I’ve had a year and a half of what is essentially pandemically-induced house arrest to either consume content or order shit off the internet. So without further ado… let’s review.
Watching
Ozark I’m starting off with this one so you can sample my TV-taste bonafides. Ruthie is one of my two TV besties. If we knew each other IRL, we would drink whiskey and shoot beer cans out in a field every weekend while we talked business. This show is violent, but the story is brilliant and each season just gets better and better. P.S. Laura Linney is incredible as Wendy Byrde (duh). P.P.S Season 4 debuts 1/21/22.
Yellowstone, or as we call it in our house, Kevin Costner’s Coats, is where my other TV bestie resides: Beth. This bitch has zero effs to give and that is just fine by me. This show is the Montana-based soap opera you didn’t know you needed. Also, in addition to Kevin Costner’s impressive assortment of outerwear, there are also A LOT of incredible Pendleton blankets to covet. Fourth season starts November 7th!
Mozart in the Jungle I’m jealous of anyone who gets to start this journey for the first time. You’ve got Gael Garcia Bernal on the one hand and Bernadette Peters on the other (OMG, I love her so much). Perfect light-hearted antidote to Actual Life. My friend Andrea Hogan of Pacific Daze recommended this as her favorite show of ALL TIME and it does not disappoint. Such a smart, clever, sweet show. p.s. My husband also loved this show and he never wants to watch anything. Except for Ozark and Yellowstone. And All American.
All American A teen show from the CW that’s legitimately well-written. Shakespearean in its themes, even. It’s about a kid from Crenshaw who transfers to Beverly Hills High to play football. Think 90210 meets Friday Night Lights. There’s high school drama, family dynamics, social issues, football games, a fire soundtrack, plus everyone is totally good-looking and it’s funny, too. Also, Taye Diggs! Oh, and the main Beverly Hills mom character has the best wardrobe on TV. I literally just internet search her wardrobe the entire show on this amazing site.
Dark Want something a little weirder and a lot more complex? Dark is a German science-fiction, time travel series that addictive once you get into it. It’s a mystery and a thriller and a philosophical undertaking all in one. It can be difficult to follow so pay attention and I highly recommend watching it along with someone else cause you’ll really want to discuss and unravel. My producer Evan and I were obsessed when we watched this. Like hour-long-phone-calls-to-dissect-the-plot kind of obsessed.
READING
The Big Leap. A favorites list (by me) wouldn’t be complete without a little self help, feel me? You know how we sometimes sabotage ourselves when everything is going well? Or we have that dark feeling that other shoe must be about to drop? That’s called the Upper Limits problem and it’s something you can work through to expand your upper limit. This book by Gay Hendricks teaches you how. I’ve rec’d it to a few friends and we’ve all loved it.
Where the Crawdads Sing. This was a book in Reese’s book club which honestly makes my contrarian nature want to run the other way, but it’s legitimately fantastic. The perfect escapist, sweeping novel about a badass girl who raises herself in the North Carolina marsh.
Circe Another book about a fierce woman completely on her own (yes, I too am noticing a theme here), I bought this in the airport earlier this year with zero information going in and what a gem it turned out to be. About Circe, the minor goddess of Greek mythology who turns Odysseus’s men into swine and lives on her own private island casting spells for all eternity. Could NOT put this down.
PRODUCTS: I could prob live without these, but I would strongly prefer not to.
This concealer from ELF. When you have a baby and also you happen to be 40, you need under-eye concealer. Like more than before. This one doesn’t crease or cake AT ALL and it’s cheap AF with LOTS of shades. That said, Estee wants you to know her fave concealer is RMS.
This oil from Le Prunier is the best thing that has happened to my skin in a long, long time. Organic, truly so moisturizing, won’t break you out, calming, and it smells like heaven. They were out of stock for quite a while at the beginning of the year and that sucked, so now I’m on autoship.
Clarins Radiance Drops. Let me just say this is the coolest stuff ever. You add two to three drops to your moisturizer and you gently, gradually tan in a totally natural-looking way. I don’t use these that often, but they really work! Use them twice in a row and you’ll have a lovely golden glow.
This foot file. Be CAREFUL. It works almost too well. If you have feet that have a permanent dirt layer like I do, this is real deal. I also have the Diamencel foot buffer #20 and that doesn’t even compare to this one (Diamencel is considered the gold standard apparently?) Also, if you want an excellent at-home pedicure tutorial, I love this girl. Her videos are easy to follow and informative. (Remember when Oprah had that episode where she put her feet on a lady with a foot phobia? Aww, the good old days.)
K18. Hair healer! After my hair fell out post pregnancy, this was the only thing that made me think there might be some hope left in the world. A leave-in mask that bonds with the weaknesses in your hair. All hair types, especially curly/kinky. This product is bizarre—I’ve never seen anything like it. And thats’s an endorsement.
Last—the thumbnail image to this post. My beloved dry shampoo from Klorane. This stuff WORKS. You can easily go 6 days without shampooing. It’s gentle and nondrying and BEST OF ALL, you won’t smell like a teenager. The smell is natural and really subtle.
LISTENING
Two friends told me about Huberman Lab in the same week (Taylor and my friend Sarah—both wicked smart, thoughtful people who love research). Dr. Andrew Huberman is brilliant, first of all, and second, he covers topics related to the body in significant depth. This particular podcast is titled Science & Tools For Muscle Growth & Increasing Strength & Muscular Recovery, but the entire series is worth your time. (and is VERY appropriate for BBP!). Totally fascinating.
AND: For the Human Design observers out there (I’m a Projector… can’t you tell?), THIS podcast by Jenna Zoe interviewing Heath Ellis will light your fire a little bit. Especially for entrepreneurs. I re-listen from time to time just for the inspiration.
All right, babes, that’s all for now. If you have any recs for me, I’d love to hear them! Leave them in the comments of message me at meegan@backbodyproject.com. Next post is a guest post by Taylor on the absolute nonnegotiable importance of Vitamin D. Fun!
-Meegan