I've been avoiding mainstream news for years now. Since before the last election, if you want honesty.

Any news I get comes from international sources, TikTok, social media, occasional satire. Why? Because somewhere in the last decade, news stopped being "here's what happened" and became "here's what you should think about what happened." Opinion dressed up as fact. Entertainment pretending to be information.

That's my opinion, by the way. Not fact. Just what I've observed.

I live in Minnesota. Northern suburb of Minneapolis. I graduated from a tiny liberal arts school called St. Olaf College - yes, the one Rose from The Golden Girls mentioned. Betty White actually visited in 1992.

I've lived in other parts of the world. UK for a year. Belgium for six months. Houston for thirteen years. Here's what's true everywhere: humans are pretty much the same. Different languages, different customs, different foods - but they all have families, work they do, people they love.

That's why what's happening in my state right now feels heinous to me. A massive overreach of power and authority.

An administration that has spent little to no time here, presuming to know what's going on, running what is essentially a campaign of terror on citizens - that's an abuse. Of our federal budget. Of power. Of people.

My state has a tumultuous recent history. George Floyd was murdered here. His murderer was convicted in a court of law by a jury of his peers. And now this: federal agents detaining people without due process. I'm using the word "kidnapping" deliberately.

I expect some of you will unsubscribe after reading this. I've prepared myself for that sadness and rejection.

But here's the truth: I can't pretend these actions aren't affecting me and my ability to build and run a business.

I have a group chat with my college classmates - 37 years after graduation, we still meet. One of them lives a block away from where Renee Good was shot. She describes her neighborhood as a war zone. Helicopters overhead. Masked agents deploying tear gas. Breaking car windows to pull people out.

If you're thinking "you have no business talking about politics," you're right. I don't know much about politics.

What I do know: none of these people deserve to be treated this way.

That's what I'm commenting on.

Here's what I keep forgetting: You're allowed to be scared and still show up.

You don't have to have a plan. You don't have to know what to do. You don't have to fix what's broken or save everyone or even save yourself.

When the world feels like this, the most radical thing you can do is stay human. Take care of your people. Feel what you feel. Do one small thing when you can, and give yourself permission to do nothing when you can't.

Being functional doesn't mean being fine. It just means you're still here.

Some of my adventures from this past week, leaning heavily into whimsy and fun (it’s what I need right now):

Bring Back These Insults

Not gonna lie, this one made me snort out loud and gave me flashbacks to the playground.

The Bonobo Experiment

Nature already ran the experiment on male vs. female-led communities. Spoiler: the results are in, and they're not great for the patriarchy. Bonobos are female-dominated, non-violent, and - most importantly - they don't kill each other. Meanwhile, chimps (male-dominated) wage war. Make of that what you will.

I Am The Wombat

If you could be any animal, what would you be? I'm going with wombat. They crush predators' skulls with their plated butts, poop in squares, and are nocturnal. All of this tracks for me.

Partner of the week

No partner this week. The options I was given to promote were truly ridiculous. No way am I gonna promote something just to promote it.

When everything feels impossible, you don't need a plan. You don't need to fix everything. You don't need to have it together.

You just need one tool that works right now.

Pick the prompt that matches where you are. Use it once. That's enough.

The world needs you functional, not destroyed. And functional doesn't mean fine - it just means you're still here, still breathing, still trying.

Each prompt takes less than 5 minutes. You can use them as many times as you need. There's no limit. No judgment. No requirement to use all three.

When you need to set a boundary at work but can't say "I'm falling apart":

Role:

You are a diplomatic communications expert who helps people set boundaries professionally.

Objective:

Help me write a message that says "I need space/time/grace" without oversharing or apologizing.

Context:

I need to [reschedule/decline/delay something]. The reason is [personal/overwhelming/none of their business]. My relationship with this person is [boss/client/colleague]. I need to sound professional, not broken.

Output:

Give me 2 versions: one more formal, one more casual. Both under 100 words.

✨ Try it in ChatGPT (free version works great)

One hour. Live, not recorded. Cameras optional. Come as you are.

Tuesday, January 20th | 7-8PM CST | No Recording

Take care of yourself. Take care of each other.

I know this was heavier than usual. I thought about not publishing it. About keeping things light and AI-focused and "on brand."

But I can't pretend the world isn't on fire while teaching you how to use AI tools. That would be dishonest. And you deserve better than that.

If you made it this far, thank you. If you're still here after reading about ICE raids in my state, thank you. If you're scared too, you're not alone.

The world needs you functional, not destroyed. And functional doesn't mean fine.

💜

Deb

P.S. If this issue resonated (or didn't), hit reply and tell me. I read every response.

P.P.S. Know someone who needs permission to not be fine right now? Forward this to them.