Oh, Kendrick's a Gemini?

Plus giveaway winner announced

Welcome to DPP, a weekly newsletter about the real-life trials and tribulations of pleasing, and how I leverage emotional intelligence for proper recovery. Letters land on Tuesdays and sometimes surprise days, please consider me a first-class seat with your inbox?

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Hi there!

I am back in action after my ode to things around my home and being restricted to my bathrobe due to the Flu. I hope you all are taking your vitamins and washing your hands. I will be touching nothing and no one for the rest of the year.

Today’s letter is a giant THANK YOU to you for subscribing. We are a community of over 500+ and I am so grateful for your presence. Whether you’ve been here from the beginning (if so, thanks for sticking around), or if you are new- I want to say thank you so much for witnessing my writing, my experience with emotional intelligence, with personal development, with the regressions, all of it. Next to Monster Jam with August, this is my favorite place on Earth and I’ve never had a favorite place before…thank you, thank you, grazie, danka, gracias, and Thank You in all the other languages that exist.

The giveaway from my post a couple of weeks ago closed last Friday, and we have a winner!

I used a free raffle drawing site called Wheel of Names. Super user-friendly- the only downside is that you do need to enter all the names manually- or if you can import- I have not figured out how to do that quite yet!

Our names from those who left a comment, an Amazon Review, or restacked the giveaway post were all entered on the wheel and the site spins to select a winner.

I am so excited to gift a journal to the kind and incredible,

Jocelyn Lovelle

! Thank you Jocelyn for being such a supportive friend- I’ll link both journal options below so that you can choose which one you would like me to send your way.

Giveaway Option #1:

The Guided Emotional Intelligence Journal

Giveaway Option #2:

Lovelet Journal: Inspired By Elizabeth Gilbert's Letter

Readers- Jocelyn is a fellow substack author- check out her words and work if you haven’t already- we love her!

A Few Other Delights:

Over the past week the Superbowl happened, which I realize everyone has already had enough of, but, “hey Drake 😁” is still swimming laps around my mind. “The revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time, but the wrong guy…”

I’ve watched nothing but a million clips of the halftime show since it happened and I learned a bit more about Kendrick. He’s a Gemini - and for all us star-gazers out here, the wonderful analysts of TikTok and YouTube tell me that Kendrick isn’t going after Drake as a form of self-depreciation due to personal trauma. He’s not projecting self-loathing. According to my very reliable internet sources, as a Gemini (the twins), Kendrick is a healed performer. He knows how to balance Light & Dark. He can tune in and channel both the good and the bad. If you’re familiar with the book, The Artist’s Way, then you know that it’s essential for artists to come in touch with all parts of themselves to create meaningful art. Gemini’s are really good at tapping into both sides of themselves. By performing Not Like Us on Live TV to about 100,000 viewers, knowing the consequences, Kendrick shows us he’s locked in, and unafraid. ❤️‍🔥

My girl Brené Brown would say that Kendrick entered the “arena” (both literally and figuratively speaking here). Brown’s concept of “being in the arena” encourages people to speak up, dare to effect change, and put themselves out there. There will always be lookie-lu’s in the stands, on the outside looking in with judgment. Brown reminds those brave enough to step in, that it’s easy to stand on the outskirts and cast judgment. What’s hard is being brave, and stepping into the arena- letting others talk. Knowing that not everyone will love and agree with you. For people-pleasers, stepping into the arena is social suicide. Entering the arena is a metaphor for facing fear, self-doubt, and vulnerability when striving to make a difference.

While I realize that emotional intelligence is never about tearing the other person down, I have recently come to embrace the fact that all of us have both the shadow and light sides of ourselves- no matter how much excavating we do. Because of this, the creative consciousness in artists is expressed through that dance with yin & yang. I don’t know what the truth is with Drake. I do know that Kendrick is a skilled artist and performer and in a time of doom & gloom, he brought THE LIGHT by channeling some DARK. (No light for Drake though.)

In the event you missed it, or like me, would like to watch it for the zillionth time: Superbowl Halftime Show 2025

Chicken Soup TV For the Soul

The Mindy Project on Netflix

I never saw this show the whole way through when it was on air. I am currently working on watching every show Mindy Kaling has ever worked on or written. I recently finished The Sex Lives of College Girls written and produced by her. 10/10. She shares in her MasterClass that the show was inspired by The Social Network. I can totally see it.

The Mindy Project is wonderful- I see themes from The Office (which she co-wrote most episodes of with BJ Novak) and I love her character Morgan Tookers, RN. He reminds me of Dwight Shrute. In the best way.

Mindy’s EQ and character development in the first three seasons is so much fun to watch- she goes from the least self-aware person to a much more aware AND self-accepting OBGYN with the help of her staff who are actually more like family.

It’s funny and light, while also going deep, and exploring life's purpose. Nice to have on at the end of a long day to de-frag.

Song & Dance

I’ve got two songs for you today (lucky you!) The first one is my current obsession- a collaboration between two favorites:

• Are You Even Real by Teddy Swims & Givéon

and Augie’s current obsession:

• Die with A Smile by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga

I never liked this song when it first came out. It just didn’t hit the right places for me when I listened to it as a romantic tune. Listening to it from Augie’s POV has of course, changed everything for me and I too, am now obsessed because we sing it to EACH OTHER. I love grand displays of love that are not focused on typical romance. Why not interpret grand gestures of Love for our children? Siblings? Pets? Parents, or friends? When I do this, I tend to find such rich meaning and connection. It’s like an inside joke, that’s not actually a joke. I live for these kinds of moments. Taking something and giving it OUR OWN MEANING. Nothing more special to me. That’s not to say that romantic love doesn’t matter- but it shouldn’t be THE ONLY kind of Love shared among the masses.

That’s all for this week, folks! Thank you again for being here. I love you.

If the world was ending, I’d wanna be next to youuuuu 🎶,

K. Alexandra

📬 Want a Custom Card?

I send physical snail-mail style cards to all paid subscribers as a tangible THANK YOU from the most vulnerable and validated part of me, to you! If you upgrade to paid- I will get your mailing address and send you a card! 💌 My deepest gratitude goes out to my newest paid subscriber: Heidi L.!