Pooja's Picks
Five of my favorite links for September discovery.
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Hi folks! I’m just back home after being on the road last week. I was in Killington Vermont, which is so lovely, and was a much welcome escape from the sweltering Austin heat.
This week, I am going to try something new. I’m calling it “Pooja’s Picks” — some things I’ve been reading, listening to, watching, wearing, and more. Pooja’s Picks will be things I enjoyed and am excited to share with you, and/or things that really resonated with me or made me think more deeply about a topic. If y’all like this format, I’ll work this type of post into the monthly rotation.
These recommendations won’t include affiliate links (unless specifically stated) but I might venture down that path in the future (if I do, I’ll let you know); these are things I consumed and cared about. Let me know if you like this feature (or hate it, you can be honest) by replying to this email or leaving a comment.
September recommendations from yours truly
1. Self-silencing is making women sick by Maytal Eyal in Time
This article is almost a year old, but its poignancy remains. Women account for almost 80% of autoimmune disease cases, and the author, a psychologist, posits this could be caused by women striving to remain pleasant and agreeable at all costs — especially when it comes to silencing their own voices and needs. She often tells her (mostly female) clients to “be more disappointing.” I LOVE this advice.
2. Half Ideas by in
In this Substack piece, Bethany uses the term “half ideas” for the phenomenon that happens when you have a spark of an idea but are not feeling passionate enough to finish it. I had a little “a-ha” when I read Bethany’s description; I have notebooks full of half-ideas, and I mistakenly thought of them as ideas that didn’t work out. In reality, these are just half ideas waiting to become full ideas (or not!). Bethany’s whole newsletter,
, is great.3. Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America by Shefali Luthra
Abortion rights are heavy on my mind and heart ahead of November’s presidential election, and I recently appeared with Luthra, a health policy journalist, as guests on the Reimagining Love podcast. Luthra’s nonfiction book, Undue Burden, follows four individuals who are seeking abortion care in America after Roe was overturned. It’s a powerful read and will make you rethink your biases around who seeks abortions and who is impacted by our crumbling reproductive healthcare infrastructure.
4. House of the Dragon director Geeta Vasant Patel triumphs by fueling dragon fire with feeling by Melanie McFarland in Salon
You might not yet know the name Geeta Vasant Patel, but you should. I found Patel after I finished Hulu’s Under the Bridge, and was researching a piece for this newsletter (When Girls are Victims and Villains). Patel directed the season opener of Under the Bridge, and as I went down an internet rabbit hole, I discovered that she’s been at the helm of episodes of so many great shows, including Ahsoka, Dead to Me, The Mindy Project, and The Magicians.
Most recently, Patel directed the first few episodes of House of Dragon while she was nursing a newborn. (!!) Total badass. Say what you will about the Game of Thrones franchise — Patel’s directorial skill and the way she centers motherhood in the newest series are brilliant. I loved getting to know a little bit more of her story in this Salon piece.
5. newsletter and Twitter account
I thought I was done with Twitter (not calling it X) when Elon Musk devoured it. But, alas, I’ve found myself crawling back during election season, since many of the political reporters I follow are still using it. Sigh.
Anyway, the other day I discovered this fascinating Twitter account @techemails, and it’s wild. It posts real tech conversations of yore, including email threads between Mark Zuckerberg and the Instagram founders circa 2012, and an exchange between Rupert Murdoch and Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos infamy. This one has to be my favorite: “Any blood results? See you soon, Rupert.” WILD!
Interestingly (or, err, not surprisingly) after combing through a good number of the tweets, I located only one woman CEO included in any exchanges: Meg Whitman of eBay (not counting Holmes). Tech bros will be tech bros. There’s also a Substack newsletter that you can subscribe to: .1
What did you love this month? What sent your brain spinning? What took you down a rabbit hole? Tell me in the comments!
xo,
Pooja
As far as I can tell, these emails seem accurate because they match up with corresponding court documents.
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Hey Pooja, loved the links shared for September. The one that touched me the most was the Times article about self silencing and its link to disease in the body for women. Here's to raising our voices together and speaking up! thank you x
I truly like this format and sharing…it would be nice if you included it monthly!