A few weeks ago, I had my first ever astrological reading.

Earlier this month, I agreed to join friends for a session with a psychic in Nashville. The experience shook me a bit. When I sat down, she looked at me and said, “You just achieved a very significant professional milestone. Did you get a big promotion or something?”

Or something, I answered.

There is no scientific proof that an astrology reading holds any more truth than a game of chance. There is also zero scientific evidence to support the validity of psychics, despite what the woman on the corner of West 14th and 8th may have told you.

Not long ago, I attended a dinner salon filled with award-winning investigative journalists, scientists, tech executives and non fiction authors - people who, by definition of their professions, frequently seek evidence, proof and science-backed facts. These folks would likely tell you they’re not into “that woo woo stuff.”

But eventually the dinner conversation turned to psychic readings, tarot cards and astrology.

What is happening to us?

Does this have anything to do with the fact that people are collectively moving away from religion? In doing so, are we seeking spirituality in the form of crystal healing, astrology, psychics and psychedelics? Microdosing hard drugs is basically mainstream now. I’m working on an upcoming story where I talk about the benefits of ketamine and red light therapy on mental wellbeing.

For some, exercise is a form of religion. My husband and I look forward to our weekly Sunday ritual which includes a tabata workout in our garage. Are Sunday circuits our church?

My hypothesis on the whole religion vs. spirituality and the existential-slash-identity crisis many of us are having around these topics boils down to three things I believe we’re actually seeking: connection, ritual and community.

If you can find these things through your religion, great. I always struggled to do that through mine. Yet I easily find it in our Sunday morning routine. If you can find this trio through spirituality, astrology, psychedelics, vibes, crystals, you do you boo.

Perhaps if we don’t allow things like religion, spirituality, or our level of “woo-woo-ness” to fully define us, we’ll be better equipped to explore this gray area of our lives in new and unexpected ways. For example,

Connection: I, along with many others, have written extensively about how society is craving connection more and more in a time that has us all feeling somewhat fragmented, disconnected and working through an epidemic of loneliness. One way to create connection is to engage in small daily rituals with your family, friends and neighbors. Sunday suppers, monthly moms nights out (I see you Sunnyside mamas), eight-minute phone calls with people who live across the country. Always seek new ways of connecting. Not only is it fun, it actually fosters longevity.

Ritual: Rituals make us happy. They make us feel calm and in control, especially the small, everyday ones. Michael Norton, author of The Ritual Effect, explains, “What seems to matter is that you name it as a ritual, and that you actually do the ritual and don’t just think about doing it. Many things we do every day are a little ritualistic. We may get ready for work the same way every morning – you might brush your teeth first and then shower. If I ask people to flip the order and tell me how they feel, some people don’t care, but others report feeling a little uncomfortable, a little off.”

Whether your daily ritual involves something as mindful as a 10 minute meditation or one as simple as saying “I love you” to your partner each night before bed, take comfort in that practice and recognize the value it holds.

Community: We all know it’s community who can lift us up during our biggest setbacks (Chapter 7 if you haven’t read it yet!) They’re the folks who offer us a counter narrative when we’re trying to convince ourselves we’ve failed.

But these communities naturally evolve. I was recently visiting one of my oldest and closest friends in California who I don’t see nearly enough and we giggled while looking back at old emails about the community we formed in our 20’s and early 30’s. That community has shrunk, shape shifted, expanded and evolved. Though we can go months, sometimes years without seeing each other, that original group is bonded by that early community formation, and is currently out to dinner as this newsletter drops into your inboxes.

Our rituals evolve, too. Every day is a new opportunity to create a new ritual, a new connection, a new spiritual exploration, or to peek into a new corner of your community. So delight in your existing rituals as you embrace new ones. Bring your community in to participate and enjoy the feeling of connection it brings you.

What rituals are you participating in these days? How are you cultivating your community and finding connections, even when it takes extra energy and effort?

And while I have you, what’s your sign?

In the meantime, here’s what this Libra is:
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Women’s sports are really having a moment. Iowa-LSU’s game earlier this month was the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record, until the other day, when “the women's title game drew more viewers than the men's, averaging 18.7 million viewers on ABC and ESPN and peaking at 24 million viewers. This made the game played between No. 1 seeds Iowa and South Carolina the most-watched women's college basketball game on record, as well as **the most watched basketball game, men's or women's, since 2019.”**

Are we seeing a turning point for women’s sports? And why now?

More in women’s sports: The WNBA just announced a partnership with a birth control brand?

​Opill is the first daily birth control pill available in the United States without a prescription, and this is its first major campaign.

It makes sense for a birth control brand to target college students, but it also feels very bold, very progressive, very culturally relevant, and likely ripe for backlash during a moment where women’s reproductive rights are being threatened across the country.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark, the WNBA’s number one overall draft pick, is receiving a base salary of $76,535 for her first year in the league, just a touch lower than her male counterpart, NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama, who was offered $12.1 million for his first year.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which, “requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.”

Basically, it allows pregnant workers to get bathroom breaks and safety accommodations made if they have to do manual labor like heavy lifting as part of their role. It also includes abortion as part of “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.” So of course that piece came under fire from certain far right groups.

But the EEOC just ruled that these protections will remain in place, a decision Fortune’s Emma Hinchcliffe says, “is a rare common-sense victory for abortion rights these days, when headlines more often spotlight increasing restrictions. Abortion is a ‘related medical condition’ to pregnancy and childbirth; the reversal of Roe doesn’t change that. And a law that guarantees job protections for pregnant people should also guarantee protections for people whose pregnancies end.”

This may not seem like a huge deal, but in this realm, we will take a win anywhere we can.

Everyone who allowed me to interview them for my Fast Company article, “The Secret Negotiating Power You Have When You Get Laid Off.” This piece includes practical advice from career experts and employment lawyers on how to tackle severance negotiations, along with firsthand accounts from those who regretted taking their employer's severance package and one who completely walked away (me.) At first I was hesitant to share the details of my severance story. But after talking to so many people who were too afraid to go on the record for fear of backlash, I decided it was worth sharing so others could be more informed, better prepared and armed with the tools and tips needed to tackle a potential layoff - one of the most common career setbacks.