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Hey,
You hanging in there?
Making through the onslaught of trauma that is being a resident of the United States at this moment in time?
I wont let my rage about the current state of things out here, but if you are feeling it too - know that you aren’t alone.
We will each have our own way of contributing to improving the situation and it will look different for many of us, but remember that small acts of kindness and resistance add up.
Finding joy is one of the small acts of resistance that I try to make space for regularly and I hope you do to.
If you are a subscriber to this newsletter then you know one way I do that is through reading.
I often joke about reading as an escape from reality but it really is about joy.
Reading allows me to learn about experiences or sometimes even feel like I’ve experienced something new.
You are probably also here because reading brings you joy, but if not, I encourage you to pick up something you normally wouldn’t read and expand your views.
No one needs to read (or listen to) a lot of books.
But we should all read widely to lead wisely.
If all we know is our own lived experience then we miss out on so much of what it means to be human.
Scroll for a quick update and to see the new additions to the ⚒️Workbench.
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🧪Alchemy Notes
I skipped my entire first newsletter (and the blog post) for this month. I thought about it, but was working crazy hours to deliver a budget… so I just didn’t.
Am I disappointed in myself? A bit.
But, I am also proud that I was able to just not do something that probably only I really cared about delivering on time. Sometimes it just can’t all get done on time.
I have still not set any sort of reading goal for myself in terms of quantity this year, but January was a good month of reading for me.
I’ve also decided that after my current list of holds at the library (I’ve got about 10ish in the queue) I will go back and read those books from my home collection before letting myself build up my holds list from the library again. I’ve got to give that home collection that has been building up some attention.
If you’ve been reading anything good lately be sure to hit reply and tell me about it!
Help bring more joy into my life.
⚒️The Alchemist’s Workbench
Why Workbench instead of TBR?
Because these are the books checked out from the library right now… aka the ones I’ll be reading soon since… you know… deadlines/due dates.
(I also have a stack of ‘owned but unread’ books, a queue of holds, and an endless ‘for later’ list on my library profile.)
But this Workbench is what’s literally on my table, not just on a list.
📖Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent (Currently Reading)
This is book 2 of The War of Lost Hearts Series (sequel to Daughter of No Worlds) and as you can tell I love a good series. So far this has been a decent follow up, but it is the 2nd of 3 books and I’m curious to see how much of a cliffhanger I am left with.
I’m always looking to learn better ways to do pretty much anything, so this seemed like a good book to get a unique viewpoint. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book by a mentalist and how they do what they do intrigues me.
If you name your memoir something kind of weird and off beat like this, chances are it’ll end up on my TBR.
📗The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
I love an already complete series. This is book 3 of 3 and I’ve really enjoyed the series so far. Fingers crossed for a satisfying series end.
As someone who has almost always worked for a company that makes a physical product I’m always looking to increase my understanding of manufacturing. Hopefully I learn a thing or two.
💥The Home Collection
Alongside the Alchemist’s Workbench, I also have what I call The Home Collection…books I own and plan to savor slowly, revisit often, or keep for reference. There will only be books here if I have purchased or been gifted a new book, so it won’t have content every month (or at least that’s what my family hopes).
✨There are no new additions this month, much to the relief of my family.✨
📚 P.S. I read a lot… across strategy, memoir, psychology, and the occasional fantasy/romance/thriller/witchy novel. The book recs in this newsletter aren’t filler. They’re part of how I think, lead, and help clients navigate complexity. Want to see what else is on my shelf? Take a peek at my bookstore (affiliate link, updated regularly).
⚗️Potion Shelf Picks
I only recommend things when I think, “Oh, this could actually help someone skip the spiral.” This is the stuff I use, enjoy, and would suggest over coffee if you mentioned the right kind of headache.
💊Ritual Vitamins: It’s still cold and flu season. I swear by these multi-vitamins that I’ve been taking for a couple of years now. I managed to avoid the nasty cold going around our house at the end of January and I’d like to think these helped.
👗Armoire: I know many of you are tired of hearing about this, but I really love renting a few pieces each month. It keeps me from buying a bunch of stuff I’ll only wear once and lets me try out some things I normally wouldn’t without the risk. The link gets you a discount and me some account credit (you can also use the code taral18 at checkout).
I only say yes to things that aren’t junk… but I don’t personally use or swear by every one.
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👋🏻Let’s Not Make It Weird
Hi, I’m Tara, Founder and Chief Alchemist at Alchemy Advising. I help founders and execs untangle their finances, rethink pricing, and build smarter systems so their businesses can scale without burnout. After nearly 20 years in finance and ops (with brands like HOKA and UGG), I now bring that big-brand strategy to growing businesses who need clarity, not just spreadsheets.
If you’re new here, here’s how to stick around:
💬 Hit reply if you’ve got a book recommendation for me (or you just want to say “Hi!”).
📬 Forward this to a friend whose TBR pile or P&L is getting out of hand.
📅 Want to talk shop? Visit www.alchemyadvising.co and learn about working together or book a chat.
“Don't give up on yourself. So you make a mistake here and there; you do too much or you do too little. Just have fun. Smile. And keep putting on lipstick.”