How My Life Has Changed Since Being Robbed (Issue #28)
This week’s theme is extremes — what happens when something is taken to its furthest extent, and the takeaways found in pushing limits.
Hi friends!
At the end of 2020, I had my entire life savings stolen from me. You heard that right. It’s a story I’ve discussed in depth a few times since then, and if you want all the details and my full reflections, you can listen to my Truer Crime episode about it here.
The reason I bring this up now is because today’s theme is all about extremes, and I guess you could say that being the victim of a large financial crime is one of the more extreme things to happen to me. And no need to sugarcoat it – it was pretty awful! We’re nearing the three-year anniversary of that time, and while most of it now feels like a scary, blurry, distant memory, what I learned about myself and the world around me has remained clear. It was actually this experience that led me to start my podcast Truer Crime (I share more about this time and what led to the podcast in the Truer Crime Trailer, so make sure to check that out)! This was also the perspective that led me to host a brand new podcast from Tenderfoot TV: The Vanishing Point, which covers the stories of five missing Indigenous folks from Hoopa, California.
So… a lot’s happened in the last three years. One extreme moment that altered my life and career forever! For today’s issue, I want to examine the ways we explore and hold space for the most extreme, complicated, and nuanced parts of life. Enjoy!
A round-up of things to watch, read, and listen to as you head into the weekend.
The Atlantic: Will Republicans Pay a Price for Extremism? by Ronald Brownstein
This article explores Trump’s immigration policies and the ways his strategy for the upcoming election is to lean further into hard-line, exclusionary tactics. I was really interested in Brownstein’s speculation about whether or not this strategy will actually work for him, and it made me think of the next recommendation, which I listened to a few weeks ago…
The Daily Podcast: A Texas Town Tried Tougher Border Security. Now It’s Having Regrets.
This episode of The Daily features the perspectives of a few folks living in a Texas town on the border of Mexico. All the folks interviewed were hoping that tougher border security would present the solution to the problems they were watching play out in their community, but all that changed when tougher security was actually employed. It’s a really interesting episode about the ways more extreme policies might not be as ideal in practice and raised some critical questions about immigration reform.
Podcast: Unrestorable
The story follows two missing children who were last seen with their mother, Catherine Hoggle. Eventually, Hoggle would be arrested and charged with their murders. But despite this, she’s never been tried on these charges, and that’s because, for nearly a decade, she’s been considered not competent to stand trial. To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave you with the end of the podcast’s description: “In addition to a compelling and tragic personal narrative, this case raises broader issues about mental health and the justice system and the unintended consequences of well-intentioned laws. Journalists Sarah Treleaven and Beth Karas examine a father’s quest for justice and one key question that overshadows this case: Can you really fake being incompetent and get away with murder?”
Podcast: The Kids of Rutherford County
I’ve listened to the first two episodes of this so far, and it’s really an incredible listen. Here’s the description: “For over a decade, one Tennessee county arrested and illegally jailed hundreds, maybe thousands, of children. From Serial Productions and The New York Times, a four-part series reveals how this came to be — and what it would take to stop it.”
Questions for you + your besties <3
Would you rather…
spend your next lifetime as a mayfly (a bug with a notoriously short lifespan), or become a tree with a lifespan of hundreds of years?
be able to time travel but only to the future or time travel but only to the past?
always have a clean house, or always have a full tank of gas?
be able to eat whatever you want but only drink water, or be able to drink whatever you want but only eat oatmeal?
have floppy ears like a dog, or a nose and whiskers like a cat?
Things to try + share in the group chat.
A fun fact about me is I used to HATE lasagna, and pretty much all Italian food for that matter. Lasagna has always been my mom’s favorite, but as a kid, it really wasn’t something I hoped to see on my dinner plate. Since then, I’ve had a complete change of heart on Italian food (and it’s now one of my fave cuisines)! I found this lasagna soup recipe and I’m super excited to try it out for a great twist on the classic.
These laundry whitener + stain remover pods from OxiClean are a great bleach alternative with extraordinary results. The product has amazing reviews, and some of the before and after pictures are unbelievable. I’ve had good experiences with the powder version of this product, but the pods are easier to use with similar results!
I first found Paul Castle on TikTok and quickly fell in love with his art and adorable illustrations. Paul has a rare eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which has caused him to lose about 90% of his vision. However, technology has helped him adapt his drawing process so he can continue to create art even as his vision has diminished over the years. Paul has also written a children’s book called The Pengrooms, which you can hear the full story about in this TikTok:
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserYou can buy The Pengrooms on Paul’s website here, and be sure to check out all of Paul’s other great art while you’re there!
Looking for something to read this weekend? Make sure to check out the bonus issue paid subscribers got this past Monday:
Memoir is one of my all-time favorite genres, so I shared my go-to recommendations! I included a mix of memoirs from celebrities, political figures, and normal folks whose lives have unfolded in unique ways. Check it out here.
Talk to you on Monday!
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