'The Surprising Holiday That Led Me To Find Love Again'
Plus, we had the Briscoes Lady round for a cuppa!!
Kia Ora, Capsule Community! Welcome to your Sunday Substack.
Thanks for joining us! If you’re a regular reader of Capsule NZ and/or this newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription so we can keep making content we all love.
What We’re Thinking About This Week…
Mōrena!
This time a week ago, I (Emma) was lucky enough to be part of the opening day of the Christmas Joy Store, a yearly initiative by Kindness Collective to help bring festive food and presents to families who would be going without otherwise. It was, without a doubt, the most festive I have felt all month.
Whenever the world seems like it’s too big, too scary and too toxic, it’s a good reminder to turn your phone off, get outside and get amongst your community.
The people visiting the Christmas Joy store are having, as Kindness Collective CEO Sarah Page puts it, the worst months or years of their lives. The things that so many of us take for granted – not just food on the table but festive food for that, having presents under the Christmas tree, having a Christmas tree, none of those are realities for these families.
If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the bad news out there, it’s a great time to do something tangible to help the huge levels of need in every community - donate food, donate money, donate a present. It really is a win-win - you give to someone who needs it, and the spark of joy that action brings then warms up both of you in an utterly chaotic month!
Have a wonderful weekend!
What it’s Like to Have the Briscoes Lady Over to Your Place for a Cuppa…
Kelly Bertrand hosts the Briscoes Lady – otherwise known as Tammy Wells – at her place for a cuppa and a chat, and has a mild panic attack about the state of her tea towels.
After a long career as a journalist in New Zealand, there are few Kiwi celebs I get star-struck around. I’ve been to countless All Black weddings, fancy TV awards and even a few (weird) A-list shindigs, and nothing and no one really fazes me anymore.
Until I saw the bloody Briscoes Lady walking up the front steps of my house, and I had to work really hard not to squeal out loud.
I, at the age of 34, literally haven’t lived in a world without her on the telly. She’s been the face of Briscoes for an incredible 36 years, following a successful career as a sound engineer in radio. In that time she’s had two children and, as of next year, she’ll be a grandmother. In these times of incredible divide, she remains one of those gloriously Kiwi things that seems to unite us all. If you’re a New Zealander, then you, for some reason, love the Briscoes Lady.
I’d received an email a few days before that the Briscoes Lady – ‘Tammy’ to her friends and real-life people – was keen to pop around to chat all things Christmas and my god, I can’t tell you how jazzed I was to host her in my house. That was, until the panic set in.
Would she judge my non-matching mugs? What about the ratty tea towels? How fluffy should the cushions be? This is a woman who presumably knows everything there is to know about homewares and linens and Manchester and OH MY GOD I’ll have to make her a cup of tea…
Believe me, I dusted places I didn’t even realise we had. The carpet got not one but two vacuums. I spent a good 20 minutes thinking about what Christmas candle to light. But soon, looking immaculate and impossibly cherry for first thing in the morning – novelty Christmas tree earrings included – Tammy sweeps into my home with a huge bear hug that’s so maternal and warm I almost want to cry, and that’s before she offers an endless stream of compliments.
“Look at your gorgeous house!” “What is that delightful smell?” “Oh, aren’t you just lovely!”
How a Group Travel Trip Changed My Life… And Even Led Me to Find Love Again
Dumped and despondent, Capsule’s Emma Clifton knew that something needed to change following a broken engagement. Powered by a life-changing Intrepid Travel experience, she knew exactly what she needed to do to heal – dive head-first into travel once again. Turns out, the universe had a WILD plan for her – meeting her now husband. Here, she shares her experiences of small group adventures and how curiosity and connection changed EVERYTHING.
Capsule x Intrepid Travel
There are certain rites of passage that are supposed to help you get over a rough patch in your love life and on the pristine, absurdly picturesque island of Palawan, I am currently experiencing a slightly unpredictable one, involving public karaoke.
It’s 2015 and I am days into an eight-day Intrepid small group adventure through Palawan, the sliver of an island off the coast of the Philippines. It’s so stunning it feels like a dream – at one point while snorkeling, the tropical fish are so beautiful I accidentally swim head-first into the boat that’s taking us between the small but towering white-sand islands that dot around the water.
At the time of my trip, I am a month away from my 30th birthday and I am terrified about how single I have been for the past few years and what it means to turn 30, alone. Naturally, I have built this tiny reality into a full existential crisis. The opportunity to leave my life and go to the Philippines is a welcome escape and the first example of a pattern I will repeat continuously for the next five years of my life: when in doubt, go travelling.
This is the trip that gave me the confidence, the empowerment and the drive to see what the world has to offer me – knowing I don’t need anyone else, apart from a small group of strangers, to travel with me.
This is the trip that would eventually change my life.
Is My Kid Safe on Snapchat?
Is my kid safe on Snapchat? Maybe it’s something that’s been on your mind lately – or maybe it’s something that has been in your blindspot and yes, now you really are thinking and worrying about it. We chat to an expert all about Snapchat and what you can do to make sure your child is as safe as possible.
First up, as a general rule – we encourage parents to delay access to any social media for as long as possible. This is because research is revealing multiple indicators that social media can be profoundly harmful for our kids’ mental health and well-being.
That said, here are some specific safety notes for Snapchat.
Because Snapchat doesn’t save pictures and messages, it’s really difficult – almost impossible actually – to monitor our kids’ activity and see what they’ve posted and received.
In 2022, Snapchat introduced Family Centre, a feature which allows parents to install the app on their own device and link their account to their teen’s. This allows the parent to keep abreast of which accounts their teen is engaging with and who they follow. However (sorry, last one!), parents still can’t see or read their teen’s Snaps and messages. Family Centre also doesn’t allow any control over content on Discover, leaving teens open to content which is often inappropriate. Interestingly, while the app itself is 13+, Common Sense Media rates Snapchat as suitable for teens 16 and up, largely due to the exposure to age-inappropriate content and data collection.
Keeping phones out of bedrooms is an important strategy to reduce online risks in general and ensure our kids get a good night’s sleep without the temptation of checking their social media in the wee small hours. (We all know how much time can be lost when we go down that rabbit hole!). Giving our kids access to phones and social media doesn’t mean they need to have 24/7 access, we can set the limits and boundaries for how and when they use it.
Countdown To Christmas: Stress-Free Gift Guides For Everyone
No matter your budget, time-frame or the complexity of the person you’re buying for, Capsule has you covered in our gift guides.
Need to festive up your home and you don’t want to break the bank? Here are our picks of home decorations, including a reversible cushion??!! Twice the festive fun! Need a suggestion for the person who has everything? You’ll never guess the product that Kelly has referred to as ‘an absolute game-changer’. (Spoiler Alert: A water flosser!) Need some secret Santa ideas or cute gifts for teachers? We’ve got super fun ideas here for well-within-your-budget gifts.
Diagnosed with Dyslexia at 48, This Kiwi Woman Has Battled Back from Self-Doubt to Achieve Her Dreams – You Can Too
Are you wanting to upskill, change career paths entirely or simply pursue your passions? You NEED to look into Massey University’s Certificate of Proficiency – just like Leanne did. Here’s her incredible story of success (and check out our yarn with budding vet Brooklyn here!)
Have you ever sat around with your best friend over a glass of wine and talked about the path that you didn’t take?
The ‘what if’ yarn we’ve all had with our besties is one of life’s inevitabilities – every decision comes with an opportunity cost, every choice is partnered with reality, responsibly and practicality.
A lot of us don’t do anything about the ‘what if’s’. Leanne Solomon, however, did – and despite a huge setback after being diagnosed with dyslexia at 48 years old, she’s absolutely winning with her new life direction, training to be a bicultural social worker.
Leanne (Te Arawa) is one of those beautiful people whose mission in life has always been to help others. It’s her calling, her passion and what she’s good at.
But it took her a few decades to realise HOW she wanted to help people. Life, as it does, gets in the way. But as Leanne says, it’s never – never – too late to follow your passion.
Hungry for More?
Here’s what we’ve read and loved this week. Check out some of this week's best stories from the web:
YOUR 2024 THERAPY WRAPPED McSweeneys
Are Millennials Ageing Well The Cut
Did Something Go Wrong At Your Wedding Cup Of Jo
That’s it from us this week! Thanks for reading - we look forward to catching up with you again next week. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on any of these posts today (or any others!) feel free to leave a message in the comments and we can have a chat!
Have a good week!
x The Capsule Team: Alice, Emma, Kelly & Sarah