A New Year

Hi friend,

You made it to the other side of the holidays, and to the beginning of 2026! 2025 was a year that proved the only constant is change. Can our brains catch up? And are we prepared mentally, emotionally, whatever for the turbulence the next year will bring? 

If your attention is your currency, over the past 365 days we spent ours working on stories we wanted to see out in the world. The topics included divorce (paying alimony, friendship fallout), health (drinking issues, incontinence solutions, colonoscopies, bogus cures), beauty (general face-aging anxiety, hair loss), and friends (post-kids, making new ones).

So it’s out to 2025, and on to January and its diabolical self-improvement messaging. But what if you’re too worn down for a resolution or a health goal? If you have a can opener, you too can try the wellness habit that’s bubbling up in the over-40 set. You might already be doing it! Stay tuned for that story next week.

Bye,
Your friends at Gloria

If the idea of a New Year reset makes you want to opt out entirely, same. We’re skipping extremes, all-or-nothing thinking and trying something more realistic instead. Simple Life aids you in building healthier habits without restrictive rules or food guilt, and it’s already helped millions of people make meaningful, lasting changes. You take a quick quiz, and the app creates a plan tailored to your routines, preferences, and life.

It even adds a little accountability with Blinky, a furry sidekick who cheers you on when you check in and clearly notices when you disappear. It’s thoughtful, science-backed, and refreshingly doable; a better way to head into 2026, with tools that actually stick. Try it here. #partner

TO WATCH Sometimes you want an easy watch that won’t jangle your nerves. Enter Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman’s Song Sung Blue, a PG13 project about two middle aged musicians who start a Neil Diamond tribute band. Hudson compares the film to Touchstone classics from the ‘80s and ‘90s, which is a solid selling point. We’re also curious about the new doc I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not, which is streaming now on CNN.

TO SHOP Ruggable’s collaboration with Anthropologie is so charming. There are pretty runners and doormats, plus a handful of their most-loved rugs, all fully washable. See the whole collection here. #partner

TO LISTEN After hearing some lackluster feedback from friends about Marty Supreme, we’ve shelved our interest in seeing it in theaters (“it’s just so male”). But we have been enjoying its official soundtrack as well as this companion playlist. The work of a true music nerd.

TO MAKE This soup is extremely warming and comforting, and was a welcome antidote to the overfilling meals we’ve been sitting down to over the holidays. It comes together quickly, and the step where you blend the vegetables is key for families whose kids try to pick every visible carrot out.

TO SIP If Dry January isn’t your thing, but you are looking for a light reset, this is what we’re sipping. We love Cann’s low-dose THC sparkling beverages for nights when we want something festive and social without alcohol. It’s like a cocktail with no hangover attached. We usually get the variety pack, but we’re also eyeing this new spritz-inspired apéritif. Shop it all here. #partner

“The prophet of Y2K.” • Millennials love a pre-nup. • A small prediction: More women will go public about issues from aesthetic treatments in 2026. • If you want to read something positive, try this list of 2025’s impressive medical breakthroughs. • We should be concerned about kids and phones, but we should also be concerned about our parents and phones.

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