Too Cold for Smoothies? Think Again…

Baby, it's cold outside… but your protein goals don't have to hibernate. ❄️ If the idea of blending frozen berries in February makes you shiver, I get it. But before you ditch your daily shake, I want to share two cozy, cold-weather protein smoothies that are tailor-made for perimenopausal women and backed by new scientific research that might surprise you. In my latest blog post, I break down: How protein helps reduce hot flashes by stabilizing blood sugar Why it's essential for curbing cravings, supporting muscle, and beating brain fog And why now is the time to prioritize protein (even if it's chilly out) Plus, I'm sharing two brand-new winter smoothie recipes: ✨ Raspberry Almond Smoothie ✨ Ginger Pear Smoothie Both are designed to nourish your hormones and warm your body from the inside out. Ready to sip your way to better energy, fewer cravings, and a calmer mood? 👉 Read the full blog post here To your everlasting health, Dr. Tracy If you wish to stop receiving our emails, you can unsubscribe from this list. 2401-A Waterman Blvd, Ste 4 #296, Fairfield, CA 94533, US

Mass Market vs. Soulful Writing—What Really Matters

How can you make your writing speak to readers on a deeper level? View in browser Recently, a close writing friend told me he would forgive a writer for a messy plot if there was underlying passion and depth. I agreed. When you pick up your typical mass market paperback, you're presented with a perfectly formulated product. It was written to appeal to a wide audience, easily digestible and mildly entertaining. These books often repeat themselves in endless series to keep readers buying indefinitely. These kinds of books might help pass a few hours on the train, but will they change your life? Probably not. Why? Often, it's because the writer prioritized formula over feeling. They followed the market instead of sharing their soul. They didn't bleed for it. And you can tell. You can feel that the heart of the writer is missing. So how can you make your writing speak to readers on a deeper level? How can you make your stories the ones readers treasure and recommend to everyone they know? Write for yourself, not to pander to every buyer out there. Think about the writers who changed your life. Imagine if they tried to fit themselves in an easily marketable box. If you want to make your book unforgettable, write about the things that most deeply stir you, and you will stir them. Be part of our creative movement Join the free Write Catalyst beta. Learn More Struggling to connect with what stirs you most? Unlock your very own special brand of magic. Take the Writer Archetype Quiz I'd love to hear what you think about this article. Feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts. May the muse be with you, Christa Founder, Write Catalyst (formerly Let's Get Published) Don't forget to follow our new social links christa@writecatalyst.com You received this email because you signed up on our website or entered our writing contest. Don't want to to hear from us?  Unsubscribe

Your body is ready for change—are you?

Imagine this... It's March 20, 2026 - first day of Spring. You wake up naturally—no alarm needed. You feel energized, refreshed, and ready to take on the day. Your mind is sharp, your mood is steady, and your body feels like yours again. When you catch your reflection in the mirror, you see a version of yourself you thought you'd lost—vibrant, confident, and strong. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? But it doesn't have to be. This is Your Year to Thrive Right now, you might feel far from that vision. Maybe you're dragging yourself out of bed each morning, already tired before the day begins. Or you're frustrated by the constant brain fog, mood swings, and stubborn weight that seems impossible to shift. You might even feel like your body is working against you. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. So many women feel stuck in a cycle of fatigue and frustration during perimenopause and menopause. But here's the good news: Your body wants to heal and thrive. It just needs the right support. Three Steps to a Healthier You in 2026 You don't need to overhaul your life overnight to start feeling better. Small, intentional changes can lead to big results. Here's how to begin: Set One Realistic Goal Choose something simple yet impactful. Maybe it's getting to bed by 10 PM, drinking more water, or moving your body for 15 minutes daily. Small wins add up over time. Nourish Your Hormones Focus on meals that stabilize blood sugar and support hormonal balance—think protein, healthy fats, and plenty of colorful veggies. Avoiding sugar crashes can make a world of difference. Seek Expert Guidance A personalized approach can fast-track your results. Instead of guessing what works, get tailored strategies based on your body's unique needs. Introducing the Hormone Harmony Jumpstart Program If you're ready to move from surviving to thriving, the Hormone Harmony Jumpstart Program is here to help. This program is designed for women like you who are tired of feeling stuck and want real, lasting change. It's all about giving your body the tools and support it needs to feel balanced and energized again. Here's What's Included: A Comprehensive Wellness Assessment & Lab Testing Discover the root causes of your symptoms and what your body truly needs. A Personalized Action Plan Tailored strategies to help you manage symptoms, improve energy, and regain control of your health. One-on-One Support Guidance and accountability every step of the way, so you're never navigating this journey alone. Exclusive Resources Tools, recipes, and expert tips to make implementing changes simple and sustainable. The Hormone Harmony Jumpstart Program is for you if: You're dealing with fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, or mood swings but are otherwise healthy. You value a personalized, expert-led approach. You're ready to invest in your well-being and make 2026 the year you reclaim your health. Take the First Step Today Your body is ready for change—are you? This is your chance to feel vibrant, confident, and in control again. Let's make 2026 the year you finally prioritize yourself and your health. Click below to learn more and get started: Schedule your free Hormone Health Analysis Here Let's make this the year you thrive! Warmly, Dr. Tracy If you wish to stop receiving our emails, you can unsubscribe from this list. 2401-A Waterman Blvd, Ste 4 #296, Fairfield, CA 94533, US

The best thing I did for my sleep this year was buy men’s pajamas.

If you'd asked me a year ago what could really improve our sleep, I wouldn't have said men's pajamas. But here we are. Joe made a lifestyle switch that a lot of people have had to make recently: going into the office every single weekday. While he genuinely enjoys the social side of being back at work, one thing immediately became clear — sleep was no longer flexible. No more catching up with an extra hour in bed on Monday or Friday. No more after-work naps to recover from a rough night. That time was now reserved for commuting. All of a sudden, both sleep quality and sleep quantity weren't optional for him…they were essential. Welcome to my world, I thought to myself! So we started with the first change, and I know this might surprise you. We changed his pajamas. Before, Joe slept in old cotton T-shirts. You know the kind — fine at first, but not great once you start tossing and turning. In the summer, he'd sweat. In the winter, if the heat kicked on too much, he'd sweat then too. Which meant restless nights… and usually me waking up right along with him. Once we switched him into all-natural, breathable bamboo pajamas, everything changed. He started sleeping through the night. No more overheating. No more tossing and turning. And (bonus for me) no more getting woken up in the middle of the night. I was sleeping better too. The difference was immediate enough that I paid attention. And once we saw how much the bamboo pajamas helped him, I decided to take it one step further and brought in bamboo sheets. Now? They're his favorite sheets we own, and that's saying something, because we've tried organic cotton (the economical ones and the pricey ones), cozy flannel, Oprah's T-shirt sheets… all of it. The bamboo sheets are the ones we both sleep the most soundly on. They regulate temperature beautifully, feel incredibly soft, and just… work with your body instead of against it. Sometimes the biggest improvements don't come from complicated routines or drastic changes. Sometimes, they start with what you wear to bed. And sometimes, unexpectedly, the best thing you do for your sleep is buying men's pajamas. SHOP Bamboo Sheet Sets and Pajamas at Faceplant Dreams and Use Code AMANDA30 to Save 30% Sleep well, Dr. Tracy If you wish to stop receiving our emails, you can unsubscribe from this list. 2401-A Waterman Blvd, Ste 4 #296, Fairfield, CA 94533, US

Structural PC group cohesion problems BEGONE!

͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Eliminating Session Zero with Nine Words and Swearing Structural PC group cohesion problems BEGONE! Samuel James Feb 14   READ IN APP   I really like the Oath from Mythic Bastionland: SEEK THE MYTHS HONOUR THE SEERS PROTECT THE REALM These are the statements the PC knights live and die by. It’s how they move through the world. The group has instant pursuits. Do any one of these things next and something interesting is basically guaranteed to happen. It’s the equivalent of all that session-zero-nonsense (”Are we a team? What’s our goal? What do we DO?”) boiled down in three statements (of three words each, the artistry here makes me cry tears of joy). What’s your alignment? THE OATH. Why are we together? THE OATH. What are we here to do? FULFILL THE OATH. What if we were to apply this to other games? Specifically, what does this look like for Electric Bastionland? Is there any social contract that can keep these rag-tag hooligans together? Something more than treasures? Debt might be the starting point, but there needs to be some transcendent purpose besides loot, something we can criticise D&D for all day. That, and murder, I suppose. So tackling debt is still the main obejctive in EB, just as seeking the myths is the cornerstone of MB. As knights, you’re there to be part of the story of the world. As treasure hunters, you’re after the treasure, the stuff that can set you free. But after that? There’s still more treasure to get, I suppose... But what beyond that? By word of McDowall, the debt is only a starting point after which the adventure is fueled by the entanglements we made along the way. That’s the intent anyway. In practice, my players stop caring once they check that big, big box (i cri). I think this is the experience of most playgroups in EB. And yet in Mythic Bastionland, there’s no checkbox. You keep going. There are more myths to seek, seers to honour, realms to protect. And if you don’t like it, you’re not playing MB anymore, go play something else. Mythic IS the Oath. While think about how this could work in Electric Bastionland, I’ve also been reading Stephen Lawhead’s retelling of Robin Hood. In his telling, the protagonist prince Bran (the soon-to-be titular Hood) suffers calamity: his king-father is murdered and he is sent on the run by invaders. His only way back to reclaim his throne is to BUY the title for more money than he’s ever seen. He transforms into the leader of renegades, King Raven, and loots the invaders to work off this debt. Along the way, he gifts necessities to his impoverished people and explores the forest wilderness, making it his new home. I see themes from this version of Hood and our treasure hunting PCs of Bastion. So here are the three “Oaths” I came to, with explanations to follow: GET THE GOODS AID THE UNLUCKY EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN GET THE GOODS The first oath. I like ‘goods’ more than ‘loot’ or ‘treasure’ because alliteration and it feels more thematic to city weirdos than dungeon dwellers. Plus it’s fun to shout across a battlefield. Do it right now and tell me that doesn’t feel... goooood. It’s a command, an imperative, a repetitious phrase and it just gels well. It aligns with the original purpose of EB (clear your debt) but goes beyond that after the debt is cleared. ‘Get the goods’ may be what the hunters tell each other after a successful mission as reminder to grab some grub. Or yelled when a precious orb clatters across the planks of a pirate ship. Or said mirthfully before diving into a den of vice. It’s the pursuit of value, beauty, and dopamine. Not much else to say as it doesn’t deviate far from the intent of the source material. AID THE UNLUCKY Serve others. This is the purpose beyond clearing debt that adventurers can latch on to. Because my inversion stated earlier about what we made along the way is about FRIENDS, not entanglements. It’s something I was grasping at with the Happy Helpers supplement: connection, relationships, community. Being there to help others is EB’s version of ‘Protect the Realm’. Because no PC has an attachment to the city of Bastion itself, but its PEOPLE. I like ‘unlucky’ more than ‘poor’ or ‘downtrodden’ because EB is more about struggling circumstances than struggling classes. See the failed careers that are noticeably bourgeois. So the reason you’re an adventurer is due to a setback (or series of setbacks) and doesn’t directly dictate the contacts or resources you have access to. You’re not (explicitly) oppressed either. This isn’t like Skorne where you’re rebelling against big bad tyrant or freeing slaves from some Conan-style cult. So you are, like many others in this overgrown town, unlucky. But you’re getting back on your feet. (The dirty secret is that everyone is unlucky is some way due to thrownness, but it’s up to the group to act on that how they see fit.) This oath is about being basically kind and investing in the world (ie its folks). You’re not beating up homeless people. You might target snobby people in high position to give to the poor (and help yourself, why not). This is stopping the treasure hunt to help some little guy with their little person problems. Old man can’t stand the racket going on upstairs? Aid the unlucky. Oh, it’s a gang of drug dealers make havoc? Aid the unlucky (whatever that means here). Oh, the leader is a BIG jerk with dad problems and a hard upbringing? Aid the unlucky. Did you give the old man a pair of noise-cancelling headphones? Or help him move to another borough? Or destroy the gang so they stop bothering the old guy? Or help the gang leader with his issues? I dunno, but sounds like you’ll have a story to tell after all this aiding unlucky people. Can this oath be in tension with the first oath? You bet your Malcolm Reynolds. In Firefly, the crew is faced several times with the decision to get paid or do the right thing and help someone in an unlucky rut. And they’re big damn heroes for it. An excellent exchange So rather than hoping you’ve fallen in love with the world after you’ve picked it clean, why not get invested early? People are the key. EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN The third oath. The catch-all. The one where you ask, “Wait, where haven’t we gone yet? What’s out there?” Where MB has many hexes to explore, EB has a few location groups with BIG depths to explore: Bastion, Deep Country, The Underground, and (somewhat) the Living Stars. With the exception of the last one listed, these areas have principles and mapping procedures that make them so unique in feel. These DEMAND to be explored. This oath then taps into that curiosity factor that fuels those self-starter adventurers. We don’t want hobbits that settle their debts, strike it rich, and then stay indoors with their new Bastionite friends. We want the treasure hunter Tooks with that streak of restlessness. “Yeah, what the HECK is out there?” This oath is about going to dangerous places and getting into trouble. Sure, we’ll get stuff in those places and help people along the way, but don’t you want to see it all? And this isn’t limited to places, but knowledge and discovery too: “This Oddity does strangeness, let’s explore its limits!” “Alright, there’re Aliens out here and NO ONE has STUDIED THEM?” “That machine said something about a Queen Motherboard and I can’t let a name like that drop unpursued.” This is honouring the idea of Seers and the knowledge they keep but in a more Enlightenment “God helps those who help themselves” kind of way. “I want to see for myself.” Very romanticism, very Frankenstein, very swashbuckling, very Indiana Jones. “Adventure is OUT THERE!” “Allons y!” “The road goes ever on and on!” Lastly, I’ve been calling these oaths, but let’s hone in on that. Oaths are sworn in front God and witnesses, something that binds you to your word. And words ARE actions in the middle ages, so saying something is just as though you did it. There’s no “it was just a prank” as we see lived out today. Oaths aren’t modern. But Codes are. “Keep to the Code!” The Treasure Hunter’s Code, the Explorer’s Code, the Adventurer’s Code, the Trailblazer’s Code. I haven’t landed on which one yet (ideas welcome below), but the idea is there: “these are principles we live by even if we don’t measure up.” PCs act in accordance as part of the setting buy-in. Now, for the reminder to act these out... In MB, you have the Seers who in-universe remind you of the oaths you swore. Rulers are also likely knights themselves and therefore know the oath you’ve be called to. But in EB? There’s no Mr. Boss or some other unifying character coded into the world of Bastion. No seers, saints or churches or rulers that codified the Code. So honestly this is where have a club or guild could be very useful to the DNA of the game. Something like a Treasure Hunter Guild where members abide by the Code and thereby promise to look after each other. Then you have the old granny leader or the jerk rival or the blushing fans or fellow outcasts. Found family kind of stuff. At the very least, the Code is something printed or written on the character sheet. Then when players are at a loss for what to do, simply state in your best pirate-y accent: “Keep to the Code!” Basically, do one of those things and you’ll get unstuck. But hey, do what you want at your table, ignore any advice you don’t like. They’re more like guidelines anyway. Post-Script: I chose to discuss Electric Bastionland because it’s my go-to trad game when the adult players number more than three. Three or less? Mythic Bastionland. Children? Labyrinth Adventure Game using Adventure Hour! rules and character creation. I lead a simple life. Nowadays I play EB but for these changes from MB: Gambits, Critical Damage change (half of current VIG/STR to go down in a fight), and rolled Scars. Then I just grab an NSR/OSR-style dungeon and go for it. By the way, how RARE is it that a later entry in a series makes you go back to older entries but carry over the rules from the latest game? Speaks to the variety of flavours and ever-evolving ruleset at play here. I dig. Oh, what’s this? The Code applies to basically every heart-of-gold swashbuckling adventure story? Dungeons and Dragons session zero SOLVED? Oh, fancy that. Want more TTRPG problems taken care of? Sub! Pledge your support The Story Games Sojourn blog is FREE to all. If you wanna support this work, browse my itch.io page so you also get a game out of your generosity. Contact me directly here if you have any questions or want to tell me something cool. :) Pledge your support   Like Comment Restack   © 2026 Samuel James 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe