Buckle in, listeners, because we’re diving head-first down the rabbit hole of *cringe*. What does cringe look like these days? How do we embrace it—the good kind? How do cut everyone (ourselves included) some cringe slack?

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Today’s prompt: Nell Diamond’s repost of a tweet from @isabelunraveled. (For more on Nell, founder of Hill House Home, dip into these profiles from New York Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.)

The Justin Long post. Discuss!

For some cringe backstory: Kaitlyn Tiffany’s story “How Did We Get So ‘Cringe’?” for The Atlantic.

We had to revisit Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic—because avoiding cringe and chasing perfectionism are related…no? See also: Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel, David Brandon Geeting’s installment of the Perfectly Imperfect newsletter, and the edition of Kaelen Haworth’s Kael Mail newsletter about ins but no outs.

Check out Her Country by Marissa R. Moss. Among the themes: how Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, and Mickey Guyton gave up on wanting people to like them to find success.

On finding affection for your younger self: this Anne Helen Petersen newsletter, Jonah Hill’s doc Stutz, the podcast Mortified, Justin Cooley on his role in Kimberly Akimbo, and Mo Willems in the NYT.

A definition of post-cringe; an example of post-cringe: Kaitlin Phillips.

How are you embracing cringe? Who’s your cringe-spiration? We need your thoughts at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For a whole lot more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

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YAY.

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