THE ROOT 9: 12.2

Forget the Slice, Bake a Bigger Pie

One of my favorite podcasts, hands down, is The Knowledge Project. It’s not the first time I’ve said it, but Shane Parish has a knack for asking questions and interpreting concepts in such a unique way. Even when he interviews someone who's been on countless other podcasts, the perspective you get always feels fresh and different.

This quote from a recent episode really stuck with me:

At its core, this quote hits on something very human: envy. You might catch yourself questioning your own abilities when you see a colleague, friend, or acquaintance seemingly excel at something you aspire to do. As a result, it can feel like a zero-sum game – their success means less "success pie" for you, breeding envy and jealousy. But does that really serve us? We might be wired this way due to competitive environments like college admissions and job applications, but is it truly beneficial?

Interestingly, I've been noticing a trend on TikTok that, despite the platform's potential for fostering judgment, seems to be creating a positive feedback loop. It's this idea of "engaging from the bottom up" – actively interacting with content, especially from smaller creators, through likes, comments, saves, and shares – to boost your own growth as a result.

This isn't about analyzing its effectiveness for social media growth or virality, but the underlying ethos of supporting others in the process feels powerful. It echoes Estée Lauder's mindset: we don't have to just take from an existing pie; we can all bake a bigger one together, so everyone gets more. It's refreshing to see creators supporting each other, hoping to boost both their own growth and that of someone they might never even meet.

This concept extends far beyond TikTok engagement. Think about it in a work setting: setting a colleague up for success not only promotes their growth but likely makes your own day-to-day work smoother and fosters more genuine, energizing relationships. If you're on a fitness journey, inviting a friend to join might make them more excited and comfortable to start their own, while you gain support and potentially positively impact their life. If you're an entrepreneur, offering advice to a friend on a similar path creates a valuable relationship where you can both support each other's growth. Growing with others and supporting them is undoubtedly less draining than succumbing to envy.

So, the next time you find yourself eyeing someone else's slice, consider this: what if you could help bake a bigger pie instead?

Whipped Up a Winner: Egg White Cloud Bread for Breakfast

If you are new here, you know I looove to hyper fixate on something I love. And right now, I am loving this Egg White Cloud Bread breakfast recipe. The first time I made this recipe, inspired by @rawfitnessandnutrition (IG), I hand-whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks with a stainless steel whisk for it to work, which took close to 15 minutes. Then I tried with a handheld milk frother – total flop; I had to replace the batteries. I loved it so much that I literally purchased a KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Mixer to make it faster. So yeah, I hyper fixate.

To give credit where credit is due, the reel that inspired me to make this:

Here is my adaptation of her recipe, including the protein powder and slight modifications I made to the base and topping ingredients:

Here is a quick macro breakdown per serving (Yoana’s Way):

Let me know if you try this out, like it, and have a fun new topping idea to test out! 😊 I’d love to switch it up.

Okay, this may feel like a cop-out, but my excuse for finally mentioning this hat is that I just purchased two new ones to deepen the breadth of my assortment, one may say.

I work out in a dark ball cap 80-90% of the time (I can’t stand hair in my face, hence why I did my feature on the SmartWool Merino Thermal Headband a few weeks back), and even though I have several Adidas caps, my Columbia ball cap is my absolute favorite. It’s so breathable. It’s just, dare I say, the best.

And if you don’t believe me, here is a quick collage from just the month of May alone (of which we have only been in for 14 days and I cycle my hats to make sure I don’t breakout from them being sweaty).