Happy Friday {{first name | my friend}},

This woman is in the middle of the ocean, attempting to become the first American woman to row completely unassisted from the coast of California to Hawaii. (Her social media check-ins along the way are fascinating!) 🌊

ECL TRIVIA: What is the name for the living community of microorganisms on your skin that can help protect you from harmful germs? (Answer below)

🐧 PENGUIN GUARDIAN: A former kindergarten teacher, now 72, protects a huge colony of king penguins on this reserve. “Every day I came out here with a thermos and a sandwich. I’d spend the whole day, frozen to the bone… making sure people didn’t disturb the penguins.” Read her story and penguin success here.

💩 CIRCULAR SEWAGE: Denver is looking for ways to replace fossil fuels for downtown building heating and cooling by tapping Earth's geothermal energy and repurposing heat from sewage. If the pilot works, it could be a blueprint for decarbonizing urban cities across the U.S. What do you think about the plan?

🦫 PLATYPUS RETURN: After 50 years of absence inside Australia’s oldest national park, platypuses are breeding and up to 20 known individuals. See a photo of the survey and discover more about what this means for other animal adaptation and reintroduction programs.

💨 FILTRATION HOW-TO: It’s not the most glamorous job, but here’s a quick guide to twelve spots in your home and appliances you might be neglecting to clean. Regularly cleaning these will make sure your family’s lungs and body aren’t the things manually filtering allergens, dust, and debris.

🫘 FOOD IS MEDICINE: MIT researchers just revealed there’s a self-repair switch inside your gut, and THIS common amino acid in everyday foods like eggs, beans, and more is now shown to activate immune cells that signal your intestinal stem cells to rebuild and regenerate. Learn how this could naturally help cancer patients HERE.

🧠 MEDITATION MINUTES: Did you know your brain starts rewiring the moment you close your eyes? Scientists just discovered meditation triggers measurable brain changes in under 2 minutes, peaking at exactly 7 minutes! LEARN HERE about the details of this remarkable study.

Over the last couple years, I’ve realize that a lot of us aren’t actually low on energy.

We’re overstimulated… under-hydrated… and using caffeine to bulldoze through the signals our body is trying to send us.

I noticed it especially in the afternoons. That wired-but-tired feeling where another coffee sounds helpful, but somehow also makes everything worse later.

That’s part of why I’ve been liking LMNT’s new Lemonade Iced Tea.

It feels different than most caffeinated drinks because it’s built around hydration first. You still get a small amount of caffeine from real black tea extract, but paired with electrolytes and naturally occurring compounds like L-theanine that create a much steadier effect.

Less spike. Less crash.

And honestly, I’ve found I reach for LESS caffeine overall when my hydration and minerals are dialed in.

It’s become an easy afternoon swap for me lately.

You can CHECK IT OUT HERE and get a complimentary 8-count sample pack with any order to find your favorite flavors.

The skin microbiome. These tiny residents support your skin barrier and can influence inflammation and overall skin health.

Why and how they work, and what to avoid…