Hello Reader,

Last week, my first grader went on a field trip to our local apple orchard.

It's all she talked about all week.

On Wednesday morning, she burst into our bedroom before her alarm went off to announce she was ready to go. She even declared she would skip breakfast to make sure she got to school in time.

When I picked her up that day, I heard ALL the details about hayrides, apple cider, donuts and apple picking. This special day brought joy and excitement for an entire week and made memories for days (years?) after.

When I re-evaluated how I wanted to work and show up in the world last summer, I made a conscious choice to make more space for adventures like this field trip.

During my full-time job, my heart and mind often wanted to do one thing while my schedule and quarterly goals dictated something entirely different. While I enjoyed my work, I didn't get to work in my zone of genius as much as I would have liked to.

Now that I'm self-employed, I am taking full advantage of the flexibility: I dedicate at least two weekdays to some type of adventure each month.

And - much like my daughter - I look forward to them for days and feel nourished for days after.

Last Friday, for example, I spent the morning reading and writing in my favorite coffee shop one town over. From there, I set out on a hard 2-hour solo hike and spent the afternoon snuggling my friends' new baby and hanging out with my kid.

It felt frivolous to play hooky on a Friday. I had to consciously let go of the shame and accept that we certainly deserve some time to ourselves.

And what can I tell you: As I put one step in front of the other, panting my way up the mountain, I thought through some strategic questions and found a whole new perspective on some business model questions.

In this week's newsletter, find out what I've been cooking (literally and metaphorically speaking), reading and three adventures I'm excited about this month!

Between my ears

Life, most recently: Things I'm excited about, pondering and trying out:

• I don't watch horror movies. I'm a lightweight. My brain cannot tell fiction from reality and they haunt me for weeks. But I do like something a little spooky leading up to Halloween!
  • Last year, we watched The Fall of the House of Usher. I had to quit after two episodes because it was too real and gruesome. But, very well done! If you like scary and gory, this might be for you!
  • This year, we watched Midnight Mass and I did make it through (barely). Remote island, a fallen character returning home and weird things happening connected to the new priest.
  • If both of these are too much, I recommend Hubie Halloween. It just might be my favorite Halloween movie with the ever so charming Adam Sandler (+ Ben Stiller + Ray Liotta + Maya Rudolph etc.)
• Because I've been working from coffee shops a lot and people still seem to think it's ok to take Zoom meetings right next to me (it's not!), I have been listening to some classical music to drown out the noise. This NPR tiny desk concert by Ludovico Einaudi hits the spot every time!
• On my plate these last two weeks:
  • ​Bircher Muesli: One of my favorite make-ahead breakfast with fresh apples (from said apple orchard field trip), raisins and cinnamon.
  • ​Fall Quinoa Spinach Salad. The recipe is not for everyone (nutritional yeast and tahini, among others) but I loved the crunchy apple and caramelized butternut squash!
• I hosted a pumpkin carving party. The kids were out of school for a bank holiday so we pooled the children and helped them make jack-o-lanterns.
• I'm returning to a my old co-working space! I love my home office and certainly enjoy the benefits of coworking with my husband most days but I also want to stay involved in my community so I am rejoining the Staunton Innovation Hub - just in time for their annual Halloween costume contest!
• Virginia is my chosen home and my friends at Deep Structure Productions produced 2 seasons about life here. Check out the trailer for the newest season of Life in the Heartland.

On my Bookshelf

My recent Book of the Month pick was The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohan Loigman and I really enjoyed it - a well paced story that takes place in 1930s New York and present day Florida.

I just finished Prague by Arthur Phillips which we'll be discussing at our International Book Club tomorrow night. It's very different from what I typically read and took some persistence.

I'm currently enjoying The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue. I spent some time living with my sister in Cork, Ireland. It's always fun when you recognize street names and pubs in a novel you're reading! I really enjoyed the nuanced characters that weren't all good or all bad.

If you're buying any books, PLEASE buy from your local Indie bookshop (if they don't have it on their shelves, they'll happily order them for you) OR shop via Bookshop.org OR give a home to pre-loved books by buying them used.

Please and thank you ❤️

Shen-ANIKA-ns

Here are my 4 adventures this month. I scheduled these weeks in advance to make sure I prioritize time for myself:

1. Adult dance class. To celebrate my friend Maggie (happy birthday Maggie), she invited some of her friends to join her for a drop-in adult dance class at our local black box theatre. It's been a long time that I took dance and I barely knew what any of the terms meant but we moved our bodies through space to music and had a good laugh. It's refreshing trying something that you're definitely not good at.
2. Shenandoah National Park Hike: Living so close to the national park, I vowed to myself I'd spend more time in nature. Solo hiking was a great opportunity to hear myself think on the way up, have a packed lunch with a stunning view and catch up on 60+ minutes worth of voice messages from friends on the way down.
3. A girls' day in Richmond later this week: I'll attend CreativeMornings Richmond and meet up with a friend after for some pastries, second hand shopping and lunch.
4. In 2 weeks, I'll work from Charlottesville. Just because. New environments, different bookshops, a new lunch spot. I wouldn't normally devote a 40-minute drive each way just because. But then again - why not?

On my radar

Here are events to keep an eye on:

• October 22-24: E.Builders Forum, Kansas City, MO
• October 28-30: SOCAP Global, San Francisco
• October 30 - November 1: Startup Champions Network Summit, Bay Area, California
• November 14-15: Innovation Ecosystem Summit (virtual)

What events are missing that other changemakers should know about?

I will be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika