Monday, 4/14/25: Talking about what’s on my radar this morning

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday and some positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: I’m thankful for kind messages from friends and family, a shopping field trip on Saturday and easy travels down to Florida Sunday!

TODAY: I’m most excited to hang with my parents after work today!

INTENTION: My intention this week is to do a consistent shutdown ritual at the end of each workday. 

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

On My Monday Radar

Each Monday, this newsletter rotates between personal reflections & essays and a round-up of links, recommendations, and other positive things on my radar. If you’re looking for some content to ease into your week, take a scroll through the links below. Hope you enjoy!:It feels like it’s been a while since my last reading roundup, so here are a few books I’ve read and enjoyed lately:

• A Queen’s Game by Katharine McGee. I am a big fan of Katharine’s American Royals series, so when I saw she had a new book out, I was immediately interested! This one is historical fiction. As one review summarizes, it dives into “the grandeur of 19th-century European royalty, blending historical drama with the author’s signature knack for multi-POV storytelling.” It reminded me a bit of Bridgerton, but with a royal spin. It ends on a cliffhanger, but luckily, I saw there’s another book in the works… yay!
• Within Arm’s Reach by Ann Napolitano. Ann’s Hello Beautiful was one of my favorite books of 2024, so when I saw another book by her available at the library, I jumped at the chance to read it. I have to admit – I liked it but didn’t love it. Some of the storylines were a bit heavy, and while Ann is one of those authors I’ll read anything from, something about this one felt a little off (especially in comparison to Hello Beautiful). Reading the author’s note at the end gave me some clarity – it turns out this was actually her first novel, recently republished! That context helped explain a few of my reactions. It wasn’t my favorite, but I still found myself invested in seeing how the story ended.
• Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. This book was beautifully written and had such an interesting premise! It’s a fresh twist on the time travel genre – a romance that also gives you something to think about.

What have you been reading lately?

A few other things I’ve been enjoying or thinking about:

• I have to admit: I find the publishing platform Substack a bit overwhelming. After being a longtime lifestyle blog reader, I’ve seen so many creators move to Substack and put posts behind paywalls. I’m all for supporting creators and paying for their work, but managing all those individual subscriptions can be a lot. I try to be selective about how many I’m paying for at once. That said, I recently found a Substack I loved so much that I ended up getting an annual subscription. It’s called My Sweet Dumb Brain, and is all about the ups and downs of life. This post initially hooked me, and I’ve been enjoying the author’s “glimmers” roundups and the year-long series she’s writing ahead of turning 40.  
• TV recs needed! Matt and I recently finished The Residence on Netflix and really liked it. But now we’re search of something new to watch. Any recommendations?
• I popped into J. Crew on Friday and picked up both the white and black version of this short-sleeved cardigan (yay for sales and a birthday coupon!). A spring staple! Perfect for throwing over a dress or wearing with jeans when it’s still a little chilly outside.
• Also on my spring shopping wishlist… these espadrille sandals! I live right by a Rothy’s store and catch myself fawning over them in the window whenever I walk by. I think they are so cute! The only issue is I can’t narrow down which of the colors I like best, ha!

Picture of the Week

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan