This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!

Hi friends! It’s been a busy week over here. Monday after work is Pilates and it absolutely kicked my ass. Lower abs?! I didn’t even know those existed. Tuesday after work we went to a book launch for Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson where the author, Tourmaline, was in conversation with Angela Y. Davis and Eric A. Stanley. It was so good and I’m so glad we made the time to go. Wednesday was a work holiday party in the evening and I’m writing to you from Thursday evening. Tonight I deleted the Duolingo app from my phone and I already feel lighter. I also added the Finch Care app because everyone I know that uses it has nothing but wonderful things to say about it. I’ll let you know!

New episode of EEDA Pod this week! Typewriters, Tomatoes, & Travel: 2025’s Lessons Learned

Patricia and Nicole celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice podcast and close out the last full episode of the year by reflecting on 2025 and sharing personal growth and lessons learned. They discuss the importance of routines, delegating tasks, and finding joy in simple, screen-free activities with each other and friends.

You can find our show, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also support the show on Patreon, where we have some perks for paid subscribers with even more coming this year. You can also just make a recurring donation through subscribing to our Patreon, as our show is independently run and without ads. It helps keep us going!

It’s a resource week and I’ve a couple light things for you.

Resource 1: Book Riot’s 2026 Read Harder Challenge

Yes I’m biased because I’ve been with Book Riot for over 9 years now but I still think this is one of the coolest things we do. Every year we come up with 24 prompts that will expand your reading horizons, diversify the books you read, and even get you to pick up things you may have normally missed. Throughout the year, Book Riot will have content making recommendations via the Read Harder newsletter.

Resource 2: Qobuz

In October I shared a resource in Vol 6, Res 33 called Cut off the Spigot. While I find it hypocritical that it’s on Substack, they do have some incredibly helpful information. I’d been meaning to get off Spotify for a while and one of their top recommendations for a music streaming service that isn’t deeply immoral is Qobuz. This is a paid service and they pay their artists almost six times what Spotify pays.

I made the move from Spotify to Qobuz for music and I’m happy to report that it’s wonderful. It is also very easy to transfer your favorites, playlists, and even favorite playlists not made by you over to Qobuz from Spotify, as long as the track exists on both platforms. I know that the idea that migrating favorites can be a barrier but it was truly simple.

Now, if anyone has any podcast app recommendations for Android that aren’t Podcast Addict or YouTube Music, I’m all ears!

Promo: My Zoom Referral Link

I decided to get a paid subscription to Zoom for this following year. I’d like to do more non-day-job things with people and sometimes y’all don’t live in the same area as me. I’m thinking about coworking for Patreon members, maybe a book club for Patreon members too! Who knows? That’s for 2026 me to decide. If you are also interested in a paid Zoom subscription you can get 15% off using my referral link and I’ll get some credit too.

Recent & Current Reads

Inclusion of a book in this section is not necessarily a recommendation and these books won’t always be added to my Bookshop. Links are affiliate links.

Recently Read:

• The Best American Food Writing 2019 edited by Samin Nosrat

• The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker

• This Is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky

• Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

Currently Reading:

• Why Do I Keep Doing This? Unlearn the Habits Keeping You Stuck and Unhappy by Kati Morton Lmft

• Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs & Andrew Eakett