To your health
Wednesday, Oct. 14 — Happy Wednesday!
For most of y’all, the Georgia-Alabama game was the sporting event of the weekend. For me, it was the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Kenya’s Amos Kipruto won the men’s elite race in 2:01:09, while Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa defended her women’s title with a 2:13:33. Roswell native Emma Grace Hurley ran the fastest-ever marathon debut for an American woman, finishing seventh among women in an impressive 2:20:47.
Here are some stories that have brought me joy this week:
🩰 Millennials (and some of us younger Gen Xers) everywhere screamed with delight when Julia Stiles incorporated some of her iconic “Save the Last Dance” moves on “Dancing with the Stars” last night.
🎉 After his uncle’s viral Facebook post, hundreds of people showed up to cheer on Ethan Woodhead, a runner from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, in the Chicago Marathon.
🏀 The Atlanta Dream advanced to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013, with Games 3 and 4 slated for State Farm Arena.
🎾 Atlanta-born tennis pro Coco Gauff nearly broke the internet when Gunna’s new music video, “pop it,” dropped last week.
🩺 I appreciated tennis player Emma Navarro opening up about her recent health challenges, including RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) and Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
💪🏽 Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall joined fellow 2024 Olympian Ilona Maher for a wholesome workout on Maher’s YouTube channel last week.
Be well!
✨ Laura
🔁 “I’m so OCD about my desk” is not what this is. OCD is a loop, and the compulsion is often completely silent. OCD Awareness Week, Oct. 11-17. Intown Psychology, Midtown. Free consultation. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Hope Booth Brings 24/7 Mental Health Support to Spelman
☎️ Atlanta-based nonprofit Hope Booth partnered with L’Oréal Paris to install a mental health kiosk at Spelman College on Sept. 30. Housed in a reimagined telephone booth, the interactive kiosk offers free, 24/7 mental health support services for students.
The booth provides accessible, stigma-free resources ranging from breathing exercises and positive affirmations to connections to support services in a five-mile radius.
🫶🏽 Read my story about Hope Booth here.
Most of what people believe about OCD is wrong
SPONSORED BY INTOWN PSYCHOLOGY
🔄 It is not a preference for tidiness. It is a loop. An intrusive thought that will not leave, and something you do to make it quieter. The relief lasts about a minute, and the loop learns.
A lot of it is invisible. Counting. Mental review. Replaying a conversation. Asking for reassurance. Nothing to see from the outside.
→ OCD Awareness Week is Oct. 11-17. Intown Psychology works with kids, teens, and young adults in Atlanta. Get a free consultation.
New Floral Garden Commemorates Rosalynn Carter
🍑 True story: my oldest dog, Rosalind, is named after former first lady Rosalynn Carter because we got her from a farm that had a stall at the Freedom Farmers Market. On Oct. 2, the Gateway85 Community Improvement District honored her namesake with a new garden of 1,946 flowers at Best Friend Park, a nod to the year she married Jimmy Carter.
The garden planting was part of Gwinnett County’s second annual Jimmy Carter Day celebration, complementing the CID’s mural honoring the late president, unveiled last year.
💐 Read more about the CID’s beautification efforts here.
Breast Cancer Survivors Debut in Drag at Pretty in Pink Gala
💃🏽 In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, five survivors of breast cancer made their drag debut at Lips Atlanta to raise money for EmpowHer and Him Breast Cancer Foundation on Oct. 6. Lips Atlanta drag queens gave survivors Giselle, Paris, Leona, Kee Kee, and Fairon drag transformations at the Pretty in Pink Gala. Attendees enjoyed dinner, drinks, and drag as the women performed numbers about empowerment and survival.
🩷 Read more about the fundraiser in reporter Katie Burkholder’s story.
🔁 “I’m so OCD about my desk” is not what this is. OCD is a loop, and the compulsion is often completely silent. OCD Awareness Week, Oct. 11-17. Intown Psychology, Midtown. Free consultation. SPONSOR MESSAGE
The Short List
🚨 This is not a drill: Lena Dunham’s “Girls” is returning to HBO with a five-episode run that will begin filming in 2027. And nogstalgia, like watching your favorite TV shows, is linked to good brain health.
🎞️ I agree with The New Yorker. Betty Gilpin is having a moment. Check out this interview with Gilpin on her breakout role in “GLOW” (RIP), Emmy-winning turn in “Widow’s Bay,” and the upcoming season of “The Lowdown” (one of the best shows you’re not watching).
🐺 Singer-songwriter Remi Wolf’s new album, “Mud,” dropped last Friday and is absolutely stacked with great songs. Don’t miss this interview with Wolf in Vogue.
Book It
💐 A couple of weeks ago I wrote about phone-free activities in Atlanta. While I don’t have my mother’s green thumb, I do really enjoy the art of floral arranging. I’ve attended Le Jardin Français’ floral design workshops a few times. Nothing’s more soothing than working with colorful blooms for a few hours — especially when your instructor has a French accent.
➡️ Snag one of the few remaining spots for this Saturday’s workshop at 10:30 a.m. at the shop’s Westside Provisions District location.
The Rundown
🧘🏻♀️ Dirty South Yoga Fest returns on Oct. 17 to Loudermilk Center. Purchase tickets here for the event, which includes yoga sessions, sound baths, spa treatments, and more.
👟 2026 Komen Greater Atlanta Race for the Cure, Oct. 17; race site opens at 7 a.m.; race starts at 8:45 a.m.
🩷 Pink With Purpose: Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, Oct. 17 at 10:30 a.m. at Chiringa on the Eastside Beltline.
Seoul Social Club, a K-beauty and fashion pop-up, Oct. 16-18 at Ponce City Market.
📕 Book launch and author talk with Allison Hill (“Your Job Won’t Love You Back”) on Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at The Lola.
🪩 Girls on the Run Georgia Sneaker Soirée, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Park Tavern.
