Columnists

06/07/2026 · Stafford

The Affirmation Nobody Tells You Actually Works (It's Boring on Purpose)

Stop trying to trick your brain into confidence. There's one specific type of affirmation that bypasses all your internal BS detectors—and it works because it's almost aggressively unsexy.

06/06/2026

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Why You've Been Reading Poems Backwards Your Whole Life

Most of us learned to hunt for the "meaning" in a poem like we're solving a riddle. Here's why that's backwards—and what actually happens when you read the way poets want you to.

06/06/2026

Column

The Danger of Quoting People Who Knew What They Were Talking About

We've turned wisdom into decoration. But there's a radical difference between owning a Stoic quote on your phone and actually understanding why Marcus Aurelius needed it.

06/06/2026

Column

The Fed Just Admitted It Blew the Landing, and Nobody's Talking About It

Jerome Powell spent two years telling us a "soft landing" was possible. Last week's jobs report proved him wrong—and the market's calm reaction reveals something darker about who actually pays the price.

06/06/2026

Column

My Husband Won't Stop Texting His Ex—And He Doesn't Think It's a Problem

She says it's "just logistics," but his ex-wife is texting him memes at midnight. When does "co-parenting communication" become emotional infidelity?

06/06/2026

Column

The Dead Bug Is Stupid-Looking and Completely Worth Your Time

Your lower back hurts because your core isn't actually doing its job. Here's the exercise that fixes it without requiring you to look like you're training for the Marine Corps.

06/07/2026