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Hey there,
Well, Q1 didn’t go quite how I’d hoped😬. It’s been an adjustment with a fractional role and a new client… and living with the state of the world. But, I’m still here, operating through all the noise and trauma… although I may have already finished 39 books (72% fiction) so I’ve been spending some time in fantasy worlds to help.
In my last newsletter I also shared some fun things I’ve been up to. In case you missed it I was on a podcast. You can listen here. I also wrote an article. You can read it here.
I’m also really happy to share that while a few days late I did finally write a blog post. I was inspired by a book I read back in January, but forgot about for a while with the busyness of budget season.
Let’s get into it.
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🧪Alchemy Notes
This month I wrote about rest… specifically, why I'm terrible at it, what that's costing me, and what I'm trying to do about it.
The Brain at Rest by Joseph Jebelli, PhD gave me the language for something I've been carrying for a long time. It's honest in a way that surprised even me. It ended up being about neuroscience, ADHD, and running a business on a depleted brain. But it’s mostly it's about not wanting my daughter to inherit the same struggle.
Read the Blog: Work wasn’t the Problem. I am.
📚The Alchemist’s Bookshelf
Why these books made the cut:
I don’t recommend just anything. These are titles I’ve read, loved, and still think about. Some links are affiliate, which helps support this newsletter, at no extra cost to you.
✨Read of the Month:
🧠The Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life by Joseph Jebelli, PhD
A fascinating look at what your brain is actually doing when you think you’re doing nothing. It connects rest, memory, creativity, and long-term brain health. Making a strong case that constant productivity isn’t impressive, it’s inefficient.
📖Picks for whatever phase you are in:
For when you want a standalone fantasy:
🌹Alchemised by SenLinYu
A layered, slow-burn story about transformation. Think: power dynamics, identity shifts, and the uncomfortable reality that becoming something new usually requires letting something old break first.For warmth and quiet rebellion:
📖The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
A deceptively cozy read about women who are done playing nice and start asking better questions. It’s about friendship, reinvention, and what happens when you stop accepting roles that were handed to you without your input.For a peek behind the curtain:
🔥Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry
Part memoir, part time-travel-adjacent reflection on ambition, identity, and what happens when life refuses to follow your carefully color-coded plan.
📚 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).
👋🏻Let’s Not Make It Weird
Hi, I’m Tara, Founder and Chief Alchemist of Alchemy Advising. I help growing businesses untangle their finances, rethink pricing, and build smarter systems so they can scale without burning out.
With nearly 20 years in operations and finance, including FP&A leadership at brands like HOKA and UGG, I now work with founders and execs who need clarity, not just spreadsheets.
Think: budgeting, forecasting, pricing, and big-picture planning that actually connects to how your business runs day-to-day.
If this newsletter made you nod, pause, breathe a little easier, or find a new book here’s what’s next:
📬 Forward this to a founder or leader who’s buried in numbers but hungry for insight.
💬 Hit reply if something sparked (or you just want to say “Hi!”).
📅 Want to talk shop? Visit www.alchemyadvising.co and learn about working together or book a chat.
“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”