Writing a book is a solitary act. And as much as I love it (I have a real capacity for solitude, let me tell you), I also crave connection. (Probably not surprising to readers of my first book.) While working on Rest Easy, I talked to many people about their relationship to rest. Not all of those stories made it into the book, but I loved every one of them. I loved learning from them, yes, but also getting to know them. These conversations are the closest I get to my previous career as a user researcher, where interviewing strangers and going deep on who they are and how they experience the world was something I got to do all the time. Today I have a new project to share, which is both an extension of the book and of my passion for interviewing. I’m excited to announce Rest Easy, a show about navigating ambition, work, and rest in our busy lives. If the book is focused on exploring why we don’t get enough rest and offering research-backed techniques for us to get more high quality rest, the podcast is a space for us to go deeper. To look at our often squishy relationship to rest and learn how some of the most interesting creatives out there integrate rest into their routine—and how they, like us, sometimes struggle with it, too. We'll hear from bestselling authors, illustrators, and creatives like Jake Knapp, Marlee Grace, and RJ Palacio about how they manage ambition, work, and getting the rest they need. I’ve had so much fun recording these episodes and getting to know and learn from these incredible human beings. You can listen to the trailer here: New episodes will drop via Substack so make sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter for the latest. Special thanks to Evan Roberts, David Boyer, Mia Lobel and Paola Vengoechea for their help with this project. 💌 Thanks as always for reading along and supporting my work. If you like what you see, hit the heart button, drop a comment, or share this with someone you think will love it, too. You can order my new book or book me for a speaking event here. If you’re in New York, please join me at my next book event at P&T Knitwear on 11/29 with Melody Wilding. Hope to see you all there! 💌 Get full access to Letters from Ximena at ximena.substack.com/subscribe
