Lidia Varesco Design

This morning, I read a post by my friend Heidi Stevens about her morning ritual of reading a physical book after waking—before jumping on a screen.

Shortly after that, I opened an NPR Life Kit email about how to boost your summer reading and read this advice: “You shouldn’t wait around for the perfect quiet moment. Read whenever and wherever.”

Because I believe in synchronicities, I took this as a sign. I do sometimes feel like I have to dedicate a block of time to reading: a chapter, an hour, an afternoon. But like Heidi says, it can simply be “a sentence of something that’s beautiful.” I’m inspired to start a new ritual of reading a few pages each morning—or even just a beautiful sentence.

Do you have a daily reading ritual or habit?

This week The Association of Consultants to Nonprofits held their 37th Annual Member Meeting, sharing the past year’s highlights and FY27 goals, introducing new board members, and celebrating member milestones. As a past board member and current committee co-chair, I’m proud to be part of ACN’s evolution over the last 10 years and look forward to future growth.

Adding to my collection with the collab: Rally Finale in PMS 2404. I don't think Ive ever used that color!

If anyone sees Orange 021 at your local , please pick on up for me!

An author brand is about more than visuals. It’s the experience, message, and connection readers have with you and your work.

On July 9, I’ll be joining Conspire Creative's Power Hour for Authors for a conversation on Author Branding as Business Strategy. In this free 60-minute Zoom session, we’ll talk about how intentional branding can help you build stronger reader relationships and support your goals as an author.

Bring your questions and walk away with ideas you can start applying right away.

Registration link is in the comments!