Oh, I’m so so glad you did the full picture, real life post. I can relate, to expectations, to feeling a little down even though you are in the midst of something extraordinary. Why? What’s wrong me, I think. But really nothing. I am human. To allow all that to have space and yet to focus on the good so that rises. Thanks for this.
It's such a weird, murky space! For me, it's been helpful to hear others talk about their experience and how wonderful + hard it's been so hoping that this helps someone else.
Jun 2, 2023·edited Jun 2, 2023Liked by Christine Yu
I have your book ordered and am eager to read it. Thanks for this candid post. I followed another writer last year on her substack as she described launching her excellent book. You might appreciate her post about the occasional humiliation of launching a book and going on tour: https://erikabolstad.substack.com/p/when-no-one-shows-up
I see you linked to Lululemon's Further initiative. I know some of the women athletes chosen to participate, and they're bursting with enthusiasm and now evangelizing Lululemon (as is part of Lululemon's intent and deal). But I am skeptical of it and see it mainly as a way for Lululemon to gain market share, and their science research and promotion of these women as role models is secondary to the business deal. I did not like how they took them out of their natural environment and did that glamorous Vogue-like photo shoot; it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also, I would like to ask them if they talked openly about their contract salaries (doubtful) and made sure they were each getting a fair and good deal; e.g. is Mirna getting the same as Camille? This could have been a chance for women athletes to band together and demand equal and higher pay, but my hunch is they had to sign NDAs and it's likely not equal. Anyway, sorry, rant over!
Oh thank you for sharing Erika's post. The subhed of her newsletter is perfect: "The appetite, vanity and humiliation of the writing life" because writing is all those things.
And thank you for your thoughts on the Lululemon initiative. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Lululemon, stemming from their founder and the racist nature of the name, and have remained skeptical of the brand. I don't love the high fashion photo shoot either. There's no way they would do this if it wasn't good for their bottom line but my (maybe naive) hope is that they also recognize that part of what makes this good for the bottom line is actually putting their money and investing in the athletes themselves (not just their performances) and in supporting them in a sustainable way, which includes the science piece of it.
Stefanie Flippin was on The Rambling Runner podcast to discuss how she came to sign with Lululemon as part of this initiative. Granted, she's one of their sponsored athletes now but she did share some interesting details about the negotiations (but not in terms of how her compensation compares to others).
Oh, I’m so so glad you did the full picture, real life post. I can relate, to expectations, to feeling a little down even though you are in the midst of something extraordinary. Why? What’s wrong me, I think. But really nothing. I am human. To allow all that to have space and yet to focus on the good so that rises. Thanks for this.
It's such a weird, murky space! For me, it's been helpful to hear others talk about their experience and how wonderful + hard it's been so hoping that this helps someone else.
I have your book ordered and am eager to read it. Thanks for this candid post. I followed another writer last year on her substack as she described launching her excellent book. You might appreciate her post about the occasional humiliation of launching a book and going on tour: https://erikabolstad.substack.com/p/when-no-one-shows-up
I see you linked to Lululemon's Further initiative. I know some of the women athletes chosen to participate, and they're bursting with enthusiasm and now evangelizing Lululemon (as is part of Lululemon's intent and deal). But I am skeptical of it and see it mainly as a way for Lululemon to gain market share, and their science research and promotion of these women as role models is secondary to the business deal. I did not like how they took them out of their natural environment and did that glamorous Vogue-like photo shoot; it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also, I would like to ask them if they talked openly about their contract salaries (doubtful) and made sure they were each getting a fair and good deal; e.g. is Mirna getting the same as Camille? This could have been a chance for women athletes to band together and demand equal and higher pay, but my hunch is they had to sign NDAs and it's likely not equal. Anyway, sorry, rant over!
Oh thank you for sharing Erika's post. The subhed of her newsletter is perfect: "The appetite, vanity and humiliation of the writing life" because writing is all those things.
And thank you for your thoughts on the Lululemon initiative. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Lululemon, stemming from their founder and the racist nature of the name, and have remained skeptical of the brand. I don't love the high fashion photo shoot either. There's no way they would do this if it wasn't good for their bottom line but my (maybe naive) hope is that they also recognize that part of what makes this good for the bottom line is actually putting their money and investing in the athletes themselves (not just their performances) and in supporting them in a sustainable way, which includes the science piece of it.
Stefanie Flippin was on The Rambling Runner podcast to discuss how she came to sign with Lululemon as part of this initiative. Granted, she's one of their sponsored athletes now but she did share some interesting details about the negotiations (but not in terms of how her compensation compares to others).
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/updated-538-stefanie-flippin-and-lululemons-massive/id1257440830?i=1000614699934