Please, Please Me

Introducing Self-Care Listicle

Welcome to Please, Please Me—my NEW monthly mixtape listicle of self-care hits and people-pleasing pivots. As a recovering “yes” machine, I’ve spent years tuning into everyone else’s needs while putting my own on mute. But, as The Beatles once sang, “please please me, oh yeah, like I please you”— this is my way of finally flipping the script.

Each month, I’ll share the books, podcasts, rituals, and random delights that helped me put myself back on the setlist. Because if I’m going to keep saying “please,” it might as well be to myself first. This roundup is my reminder (and yours?!) that small acts of self-kindness aren’t selfish—they’re essential.

Since this newsletter started out (and remains!) based in leveraging emotional intelligence as a means to recover from people-pleasing, I thought it would be fun to activate the first pillar of EQ (Self-Awareness) and break down the listicle in terms of the 6 Senses: See, Hear, Smell, Taste, Touch or Tangible, & Spiritual/Serendipitous.

Thanks for being here!

Starting with Touch…

Tangible: This Summer Luxury

My sister introduced me to the Lamborghini of beach chairs, and we splurged on a 2-pack (one for each of us) from Costco. Tommy Bahama makes a folding beach chair with backpack straps, a built-in cooler pouch, an extra bar to hang your towel, a cell phone holder, and a drink slot. It reclines ALL THE WAY DOWN, and basically is going to be a key ingredient for any/all outdoor days this summer.
Augie was heavily invested in selecting the pattern we ordered and he is OBSESSED with the chair. It travels in each room with him, and he refers to it as “The Pouch”.

If you are a Costco cardholder, check out the deal here:

Tommy Bahama Beach Chair- 2 Pack

After MUCH deliberation, we committed to the “Green Leaves” pattern and we love them.

Taste: My Tea Recipe

I love tea. Hot or iced. Green, Black, Herbal, Oolong, you name it- I like it.

I also love cardamom. Back in my barista days, there was an annual Barista Competition that coffee nerds would practice and train ALL year for. I was one of those nerds, and my “specialty drink”- a new recipe created by competitors, was a cardamom cappuccino. While I didn’t end up winning competitions, I did win with this recipe that is delicious in both coffee and tea.
Last night, we went for iftar (breaking fast/aka: dinner) with some family and I made my tea. The family joked that it “Sold Out” within minutes! This recipe is EASY PEASY and will elevate almost any cup:

• Equal parts sugar and water (I use 2 cups each) *You can use sugar alternatives like Stevia, or Monk fruit

• 1 cup of whole cardamom kernels

• 2 tablespoons of rose water (optional- but smells delightful)

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Let simmer for as long as you like. An hour or two is perfect.

Strain cardamom pods, pour your syrup into a clean container like a mason jar or even a clean hand-soap container so that you can simply “pump” your syrup into coffee or tea cups, and KEEP REFRIGERATED. Good for about 2 weeks.

Add syrup to taste in your beverage of choice and ENJOY! 🫖

See: Listicles I Can’t Live Without

You know those easy-to-read, oh-so-relatable writers whose lists you flock to? Well, if you don’t- let me enlighten you. These substackers create lists that I live for, they ALWAYS hit the mark on all things lifestyle, and I am never disappointed after reading their roundups.

1. Savorings by

   Stefanie Mullen
   12/10 content. She is impeccable.

2. Shame Sandwich by

   Megan Lee
   also 12/10 content. Amazing book recs.

Hear: This Podcast & This Audiobook

This is a new one. Brand new. There are only 2 episodes so far. Thanks to TikTok I discovered it, and I spent an hour with a woman I have written about here before: Amy Poehler!

Good Hang with Amy - Ft Tina Fey

Premise: Amy seeks to incorporate a bit more joy into our lives with this podcast. She admits that through uncertain times she finds herself seeking out laughter and joyful moments, and she wants to share those moments with us! The podcast can be found basically anywhere. AppleMusic, Spotify, YourTube. You can listen and watch, or just listen while driving. I loved it and will be tuning in again.

I’m also listening to Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. I have the physical book as well, but my friend,

here, hold my coffee

agreed to read with me, and she opted for Audiobook so I jumped on board too! It’s narrated by Dr. Brown herself and it is such a great combo of all her books combined. Shame, Guilt, Parenting, Courage, VULNERABILITY as a superpower vs weakness- all good reminders.

Sort of Spiritual: A Quote

This is temporary.

-Omar Ali (AKA: my lobster)

I feel like this one is self-explanatory, but since I have you- in conversation this week, O followed a statement with “this is temporary” and it hit me as though I have never understood just how temporary everything truly is. Similar to “This too shall pass”, his words resonated, and I have been mentally rewinding back to them this past week when I find I need to center.

---

You did it! This concludes my first official listicle! What did you think?

Thank you millions for reading- if you try my Cardamom Tea- LET A SISTER KNOW HOW YOU LIKE IT. Nothing brings me more cheer than to hear about a new fan of this beverage. Except for new subscribers.

May we all be pleased in the week ahead,

K. Alexandra

P.S. 📬 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- I will get your mailing address and send you a card! 💌 My deepest gratitude goes out to my newest paid subscriber: a very special Lauren✨