Read & Riot | Substack

❤️ Essays

the hidden cost of growing up a high achiever

what happens when the pressure to be perfect doesn’t end with school but becomes your entire adult identity.

Jan 12 • Read & Riot

ignorance and identity: why we choose illusion over truth

a reflection on selfhood, performance, and the comfort of denial in a chaotic world.

Jan 5 • Read & Riot

letter to my January self: lessons, mistakes, and growth in 2025

a year of hard decisions, naïve mistakes, and the quiet joy of small moments

Dec 29, 2025 • Read & Riot

why you should be proud of yourself

reflections on mistakes, growth, and the beauty of getting back up again

Dec 8, 2025 • Read & Riot

everyday strangers, unexpected friends

from side characters to friendship

Dec 1, 2025 • Read & Riot

heartbreak & silence: why do you care? (part I)

when the one you hurt is the one who still holds you.

Nov 24, 2025 • Read & Riot

I write when depressed. what happens if I get happy?

writing as survival & the weight of emotions

Nov 16, 2025 • Read & Riot

real women, real bodies & the impossible beauty standards

why female bodies are labeled imperfect, and how embracing imperfection is true power.

Nov 12, 2025 • Read & Riot

How to Be Human

how to find yourself again: a practical guide to self‑discovery

what actually works when you feel lost, stuck, or disconnected from yourself.

Dec 22, 2025 • Read & Riot

why you need a commonplace notebook: your second brain & creative archive

the analog tool that is the ultimate digital detox for your ideas

Dec 15, 2025 • Read & Riot

how to choose goals that actually make you happier

lessons from psychology

Nov 21, 2025 • Read & Riot

Read & Riot

Read & Riot

Candid essays about navigating growth, doubt, and the everyday challenges of being fully human in a world that forgets how.

📕 Books

5 cozy books that will stay with you long after you finish them

Five books that feel like comfort and challenge at once, from Rilke to Ogawa. A thoughtful reading list for anyone craving meaning, warmth, and…

Dec 18, 2025 • Read & Riot

5 books that changed me forever

stories that stayed with me long after the last page

Nov 1, 2025 • Read & Riot

Essay Collection Review: Creative Non-Fiction, Camille Paglia & the Politics of Provocation

The book that made me furious, obsessed, and inspired

Oct 26, 2025 • Read & Riot

media I'm consuming

media I'm consuming #nov '25

The Use of Photography, Recoding Life & Hidden Lines

Nov 27, 2025 • Read & Riot

october recommendations

powerful books, experimental songs, cult movies and more

Nov 4, 2025 • Read & Riot

Recommendations

Diary of a girl looking

Diary of a girl looking

Diary of a girl looking

The Odd Atelier

The Odd Atelier

Ella

Diary of a Melancholy Marketer

Diary of a Melancholy Marketer

Alyssa Gonzales

Lillian Kennedy

Lillian Kennedy

Lillian Kennedy

Pathfinding

HM Öste

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