September Changes

September brought a great deal of contemplation, purging, and Gilmore Girls. Autumn has always been a transitional period for me — typically ushering in new mindsets, new lifestyles, even new homes. This year has not been an exception, although it seems to have been for the highly anticipated weather change.

On the 2nd, we left for Copenhagen, a priority on our travel list. When we travel, our priorities are simple — we want to find the best brunch, coffee, and pastries the area has to offer. Of course, we love exploring and I particularly enjoy dragging around my Fujifilm X-T30 II to capture photos.

Copenhagen, September 2025

When we arrive in a new city, we typically beeline for a park to rest and get a feel for the new environment. In Copenhagen, our park of choice was Kongens Have (The King’s Garden), which was just a few minutes from our hotel near Rundetaarn.

We spent five nights in Copenhagen, spending most of our time walking the streets and checking bakeries off of our “must visit” list. Here are some highlights:

  • The cinnamon bun at Apotek 57 was, probably, the best pastry I’ve ever had.

  • When I’m in NYC, I always visit La Cabra for coffee and cardamom buns, so naturally I was keen to try it in Copenhagen.

  • We had dinner at Seks, which was absolutely phenomenal. We went back the next morning for coffee, which was great as well. I’d plan a trip back just to revisit.

  • Luckily, we stumbled upon Gaza Grill one evening and decided to have dinner. Another winner.

After Copenhagen, we spent just two nights in Berlin for an event. It was quite a change of scenery, and culture. I can’t say that it is a place I’ll be hoping to return to soon, but it was valuable. When we were there, we discussed how the primary benefit of travel is how it expands your mind — experiencing the cultures, lifestyles, environments. Travel can teach empathy, especially in a place like Berlin that houses memorials for human atrocities.

I had great coffee at Bonanza and Jules, and enjoyed the overall environment at Holzmarkt.






Berlin, September 2025

Our journey home included a pit stop in Durham, NC for a Sierra Ferrell show. While we were there for less than a day, we absolutely loved what the little city had to offer.

This period of travel, away from most work, provided the necessary mental capacity to seriously rethink some areas of life. I’d spent the entirety of the year focused on building businesses and prioritizing constant “life optimization.” This wasn’t new for me — I’ve been trying out different projects and obsessing over goals, habits, and processes for years — but I absolutely reached new levels with it this year. That can be attributed to many factors, but I do think a large part has to do the fact that I had fallen into “grind” culture.

Late nights staring at a computer screen and hours spent working as social currency. Digital gurus discussing the “scam” that is education and promoting their online course in the next sentence. Endless posts of so-called millionaires flexing their watches, supercars, and extended stays in Bali.

Now, I knew from the jump that this culture didn’t fully align with my own values and ambitions, but I did relate to the relentless effort. I did relate to the idea that anyone can build something and change their life.

Here’s where they lost me.

  1. It is not a human-centric culture, and that became abundantly clear with the rapid adoption of each new AI offering.

  2. There’s a lack of care around quality. They will sell scams and slop to make a quick buck, and then go teach others how to do the same. This applies to customer services as well. They’ll opt for WhatsApp agreements and false promises over building honest business relationships.

  3. Greed is rampant. Selflessness is incredibly uncommon.

I know these are generalizations, but they do represent the general experience I’ve had in this space. I have made incredible friends that these points don’t apply to, but they, too, are seeking something different.

Here’s what I want instead.

  1. Goals and daily actions rooted in my values.

  2. A life that prioritizes meaningful, genuine connection.

  3. To constantly do what I can to help others, and surround myself with those who do the same.

  4. Honest, human-centric business. I like to say “people over profit” and mean it.

In order to do this, I’m rejecting grind/hustle culture in favor of a life that fulfills me everyday. More time in nature, more presence with friends and family, more rich conversation. Less phone time, less grind, less pressure.

“I want to be part of a system in which wealth means having enough to share, and where the gratification of meeting your family needs is not poisoned by destroying that possibility for someone else. I want to live in a society where the currency of exchange is gratitude and the infinitely renewable resource of kindness, which multiplies every time it is shared rather than depreciating with use.”

Robin Wall Kimmerer

The other day, I said I wanted to live a “digital-centric analog life” — rooting my actual living in the physical world, while using digital tools to benefit me in a healthy way.

A part of this shift into a new lifestyle is the reprioritization of learning. In September, this meant forcing myself to read a piece of literature (I chose A Farewell to Arms). In October, I’ll be continuing this journey with literature while also focusing on a research project and writing (like this).

Here are some things I’ve enjoyed lately:

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© 2026

All rights reserved.

© 2026