An Introduction, First Edition

July 30, 2026

Originally shared with our email subscribers as part of First Things First.

Not everything. Just the things that have stayed with me.

A recipe worth making, Something I've been wearing on repeat. A film, a conversation, an object, a corner of the internet, an idea I keep circling back to.

Nothing groundbreaking. Just a weekly collection of what feels worth passing on.

WHAT I'M WEARING

Moving to Melbourne has completely changed the way I get dressed.

I'm less interested in statement pieces these days and more interested in clothing that quietly does the job. Things that keep me warm enough for a cold morning walk to school, a full day at the office, an afternoon at my daughter's dance, and somehow still feel put together by dinner.

At the moment, I'm wearing a Toteme wool-and-cashmere coat over a merino set by An Action A Day, finished with an Acne wool scarf and New Balance x Auralee sneakers. It's become a bit of a uniform.

I'm learning the best clothes are the ones you stop thinking about. The ones that let you get on with your day.

WELLBEING

I've been trying to make my mornings feel less reactive.

Nothing elaborate. Just a few small rituals that seem to have a surprisingly big effect.

I've started doing a few minutes of vigorous lymphatic drainage movements after my shower, followed by a gua sha while my skin is still damp. It feels less like a beauty routine and more like a gentle way of arriving in the day.

Before coffee, I've swapped the empty stomach for coconut water mixed with a turmeric and vegetable tonic. I almost never wake up hungry, but I've realised my stomach appreciates a little kindness before caffeine does its thing.

Evenings are becoming slower too. I've been taking Hemp Farmacy gummies before the familiar dinner-bed-bath sprint begins. Everything seems to happen at a slightly gentler pace, and I'm sleeping more deeply because of it too.

None of these habits have changed my life, but together they make the day feel a little softer.

OCCUPYING MY MIND

I've been thinking a lot about the quiet value women bring to the world.

Not just professionally, but emotionally. The invisible labour. The instinct. The experience. The conversations that happen behind closed doors that quietly change the direction of someone's life or business.

I've also been thinking about what it means to genuinely champion other women. Not performatively, but practically. Sharing opportunities. Recommending someone's work before your own. Introducing people who should know each other. Creating community instead of competition.

Maybe it comes with this season of life, but I'm becoming more interested in recognising the value of my own time too.

Not from a place of ego, but from a place of respect.

What is my experience worth? What is my perspective worth? What is my time worth?

They're uncomfortable questions, but increasingly they feel like important ones.