Ep 272: Best Books of the Year (So Far)

After 6 years and nearly 400 episodes, we are bringing 10 Things To Tell You to a close.Thank you. For everything. You can find me writing and hosting community conversations over on Substack at Secret Stuff. Follow me on Instagram @laura.tremaineStay subscribed to this feed for any future podcast announcements. ****The 10 most important things to tell you:READSHARENOTICEMOVEDECORATEDRESSDOCUMENTPRACTICELISTENTHANK...and I share one very special 11th thing in the episode. Thank you for listening. It has been my honor to be in your ears for the last 6 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's my birthday week! Which means it's my annual birthday episode.This year I'm sharing the phrase that keeps running through my mind and the many ways I'm applying it to my past and my present.(Plus there's a special announcement at the end of this one. Don't miss it.)JOIN SECRET STUFF HEREFULL SHOW NOTES HEREMENTIONED in this episode:Ep 265: How Have You Changed in the Last 10 Years? (with Meg Tietz)Ep 259: 10 Questions for the Anniversary of a Big EventEp 253: Regrets and Reflections from 15 Years Working on the InternetEp 225: Change Happens When You're Looking the Other Way (a birthday episode!)Ep 180: 4 Metaphors for Turning 44Ep 122: Don't Give Away Your Power (Thoughts On Turning 42)Ep 70: Age is just a number, right?Ep 21: 10 Thoughts On Turning 40 SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wondering why all of your favorite creators, journalists, and writers are moving to Substack? Have you signed up for a few but are basically confused about how to navigate the Substack universe? This episode is for you.I moved my longtime newsletter the Secret Posts and membership community Secret Stuff to Substack back in December, and I have lots of thoughts about this trend and how to make it your Substack user experience better.Click HERE to sign up for the Secret Stuff Substack, where you'll get all my Secret Stuff essays for free or can upgrade for the Book Club & Symposium meetings, plus lots of other goodies.FULL SHOW NOTES HEREMENTIONED in this episode:Secret Stuff SubstackSubstack Tutorial post (with screenshots)How to listen to Substack podcast episodes in my podcast app SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My real life book club members Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith join me to talk about the best books we've read (so far) in 2025! Join SECRET STUFF on Substack for our BONUS conversation and for Stephen King SummerWe've created special lists of all the books we talk about on amazon and on Bookshop FULL SHOW NOTES HERELaura's Best Books of the Year (so far):Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady HendrixLong Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-AknerThere’s Always This Year by Hanif AbdurraqibShow Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld Didion and Babitz by Lili AnolikYasmin's Best Books of the Year (so far):Careless People by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsEntitlement by Rumaan AlaamIt Begins with You: The 9 Hard Truths About Love That Will Change Your Life by Jillian Turecki Steph's Best Books of the Year (so far):Run for the Hills by Kevin WilsonMutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-SmithLike Mother, Like Mother by Susan RiegerALSO MENTIONED:The Chani AppYou Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani NicholasThe Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie BostwickSUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You!FOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to mark your special day with a dedicated Birthday Journal. Whether you're celebrating on your actual birthDAY, or your birthday week, or taking your whole birthday month to look back and look forward on your life, these ideas and prompts will help you make the most of this period of introspection. The 4 sections of the birthday journal:TimelineWho I WasWho I AmWho I Want To BeFULL SHOW NOTES ARE HEREMENTIONED in this episode:Ep. 249: 4 Ways To Journal (For People Who Don’t Like Journaling)ALL JOURNAL PROMPT EPISODESOther episodes about journaling:Ep. 9: 10 Ways to Journal Ep. 62: Should you reread or burn old journals and letters? Ep. 103: Journaling for GrownupsEp. 127: “You read my journals?” (A conversation with my mom) SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2016, at age 47, Bethany Winters was diagnosed with Grade 3 Stage IIB Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. What followed was a year of intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and total hysterectomy.In this episode, Bethany shares 10 Things about breast cancer survivorship, and how it's not ever really over even when declared "cancer-free." This is a tender and important conversation. This episode originally aired in 2021. As part of my effort to highlight the best of my past episodes, I wanted to replay this important conversation. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Please take care while listening. SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a conversation with my husband, Jeff, and our two teenagers Lucy and Finch. We're answering listener questions about family dynamics, living in LA, how the kids feel about their parents' careers, and what they picture for their futures. Other Tremaine family episodes:Ep 59: Marry the person you could quarantine with (the Tremaines wave hello from lockdown)Ep 69: 22 Things Out Family Watched in QuarantineBONUS: Tremaines Wave Hello From One Year of the PandemicEp 138: 10 Questions To Ask Your Kids (with Lucy & Finch)Ep 211: The Cell Phone Contract for TeensFULL SHOW NOTES HEREMentioned in this episode:Ep 255: Making R-Rated Art As A Mom (with Stacy Rukeyser)***SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 5th annual STEPHEN KING SUMMER starts June 1! Join us as we deep dive on the world's greatest living story teller. For Stephen King Summer 2025, we're reading:THE SHINING (1977)Under the Dome (2009)And we're watching:Christine (1983)Episode 1 of The Outsider (2020)Doctor Sleep (2019)Stephen King Summer is a part of my Secret Stuff book club & membership community. Browse Stephen King Summer MERCHNot sure where to start with Stephen King? Jump right into Stephen King Summer OR listen to this episodes for book recommendations: Ep 121: Stephen King Starter KitEp 222: Stephen King Starter Kit Part II (What To Read And What To Skip)Hope to see you over on Secret Stuff for the 5th annual STEPHEN KING SUMMER! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had no idea how much I needed this conversation with actor, producer, director, writer, and musician Fiona Rene. In just one hour she taught me the value of believing in yourself above all else, more than anyone else, almost to the point of delusion. You might know Fiona Rene from her roles on Lincoln Lawyer, NCIS: Hawaii, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and her leading role in the #1 CBS show Tracker, but Fiona and I immediately connected over our Oklahoma roots. In this ONE THING conversation - where I ask my guests about the ONE THING they would tell you - we talk about self-confidence, the balance between "being" and "doing" and why believing in yourself above all else is the key to success. Follow Fiona Rene on InstagramLearn more about Grandma's HouseFULL SHOW NOTES ARE HERE SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode with my friend Amy Ortloff originally aired in August 2021 with the title Teaching People To Grieve With Me. As part of my effort to highlight the best of my past episodes, I wanted to replay this conversation, which is one of the most important I've ever shared.Content warning: Child loss and suicideIn 2017, Amy Ortloff lost her middle child Ryan to suicide. Ryan was just 17 years old. Less than a week after his death, Amy took to her personal Facebook page and starting sharing every single day. She began by sharing stories about Ryan, family memories and examples of the kind of kid he was. She didn't want her child to be forgotten. As the weeks went by, deep in grief, Amy also started sharing her own experiences of this devastating time she was living through. She shared what she was learning in therapy, she set and shared her personal boundaries for interaction for those in her small town Oklahoma community. Amy's sharing was raw and vulnerable. It was heartbreaking and powerful. I made a point to read her posts every day that first year after Ryan. This episode is about the effects of that real-time sharing during the hardest time of her life, the positive and the negative. Amy was teaching us how to grieve with her, and it made an enormous impact on me long before I ever wrote a book about sharing stuff. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741. Please share this episode with anyone who needs to hear it. SUBSCRIBE to 10 Things To Tell You so you never miss an episode!CLICK HERE for episode show notesFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on InstagramFOLLOW @10ThingsToTellYou on FacebookSIGN UP for episode emails, links, and show notesJOIN Laura Tremaine’s SECRET SUBSTACKBUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura TremaineBUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.