From Reuniting (with my Sister) to Recycling Right (with Ridwell)

Friday Musings: Recommendations and Resources

Happy Friday, fellow compassionistas. Here is this week’s note where I share a couple things I’m loving right now — books, movies, food, music, podcasts. (Inspired by all of you who ask me for my recommendations.)

This was an incredibly special week that’s hard to convey without telling you my life history. My sister (Lori) and one of her sons (Sam) came to visit us in California for the first time. All that’s to say, my husband and I played host and tour guide for a week and didn’t have a lot of time for anything else, but I’ll share some relevant and related musings nonetheless.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

If you've followed me for any length of time, you know that Stoicism is one of the guiding philosophies in my life (along with Taoism). One of the main texts of Stoicism is Meditations by Marcus Aurelius—and translations matter. After reading other versions, I took the suggestion of Ryan Holiday, contemporary Stoic writer and thinker, who recommended the Gregory Hays edition. And now (much to Holiday’s delight), there’s an updated edition featuring a new foreword by Holiday himself. As part of our itinerary, I brought my nephew to City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco during their visit, and I picked up a physical copy for myself (I’d only had the Kindle version until now). You can get your copy here.

Sushi

My sister told me that Sam loved sushi, so I knew I’d be taking them to have some while they were here. As I have emphasized before: sushi doesn’t mean fish — it actually refers to the vinegared rice that’s the base of the dish. The topping or filling can be vegetables, tofu, or yes, sometimes fish — but it’s the rice that makes it sushi. So yes, vegan sushi is real sushi! Here’s some incredibly creative (and delicious) sushi from Shizen for next time you’re in San Francisco, but of course you can find plant-based sushi options wherever you are!

Matcha

Speaking of Japanese food and drink, I’ve been a tea junkie my whole life (I’ve never had a cup of coffee), and I am working on a long-form article for subscribers (coming up). Matcha is finely ground green tea powder made from specially grown and processed tea leaves—and of course, we had a lot of it in Japan. Traditionally enjoyed during tea ceremonies, it’s now also an everyday favorite for its earthy flavor and health benefits. On our last visit to Japan (which I wrote about here in my Substack travel series), one of my goals was to bring home a special matcha bowl—a handcrafted ceramic vessel used to whisk and drink matcha—and I found a beautiful one I now enjoy at home. You can find high-quality matcha in many tea shops or online. It’s delicious, beneficial, and I highly recommend it. (And you can even join me in Japan next year on our all-inclusive vegan trip!)

Ridwell

I knew we’d have a bit more waste while hosting, which is why I’m sooo grateful to have Ridwell as a service. As I recommend in my book, A Year of Compassion: 52 Weeks of Living Zero-Waste, Plant-Based, and Cruelty-Free, Ridwell is a recycling service that picks up hard-to-recycle items like plastic film, batteries, light bulbs, textiles, and more—keeping them out of landfills and giving them new life. They operate in several U.S. cities including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco Bay Area, Denver, Austin, Minneapolis, and Chicago. If you’re not in a pickup city, they now offer a mail-in box option: you can order a Ridwell box, fill it with accepted items, and send it back—making it easy to reduce waste no matter where you live.

Podcasts

Despite playing tour guide this week, I still found time to listen to some of my favorite podcasts.

• The Great Northern War: The Battle of the Baltic Part 1 (The Rest is History)

• Peter the Great: Bloodbath in the Kremlin Part 2 (The Rest is History)

• Peter the Great: The Rise of Russia Part 1 (The Rest is History)

• The Last Emperors (The Ancients)

• The Glorious Revolution (Dan Snow’s History Hit)

What do you think? Have you heard / watched / read any of these? Subscribers can comment on this and all other posts. They also get daily inspiration, exclusive articles, recipes, cooking demos, resources, and recommendations. They also access special events, live Q&As, subscriber chats, and enjoy connections with like-minded community members. Join us!

Before you go, here are some more resources for you.

👉 Work with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for. (One one-on-one consultation is also a perk of the Founding Member/VIP level here on Substack.)

👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity

👉 Listen to Food for Thought – Inspiration for living compassionately, sustainably, and healthfully (18 years strong!)

👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions.

👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.