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🤔 Brainteaser of the day: What word did Shakespeare invent that we still use today?

Click here to see the answer.

✅ Today's Checklist:

• Cameron shares her grandma's gardening tips

• The juicy book to pick up this weekend

• Pet of the week: Meet Max

QUICK LINKS

🗣️ Learn how to embrace feedback without getting defensive.

🤖 Confidence with AI skyrockets when team training is hands-on and practical.

💸 The must-read financial growth books stacking our bookshelves.

💪 Strong muscles support more than your body.

GARDENING

Everything I Know About Gardening Came From My Grandma

My grandma is the kind of gardener whose tomatoes are always sweeter, whose hydrangeas are always fuller, and whose yard looks like it belongs in a magazine.

She taught my mom. My mom taught me. Now, the three of us have gardens full of vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, and more houseplants than we probably need.

Here are her tried-and-true tips; the kind that don't just make your plants survive, they make them thrive.

Step One: Know Your Zone

Before you plant anything, know your climate.

Grandma's rule: don't fight your zone.

Use these two guides to know when to plant and what to plant when:

• USDA Plant Hardiness Map

• The Old Farmer's Almanac Planting Calendar

If you plant the right thing at the right time, half your work is already done.

Outdoor Gardening Must-Follows

1. Kill Weeds Before They Start

Three months before planting season, lay flattened cardboard boxes (remove tape and stickers) or thick newspaper directly over weeds in your garden beds.

Let the rain break it down naturally.

When it's time to plant, poke holes through and plant directly into the soil. The cardboard or newspaper decomposes, and you'll have almost zero weeds.

Add three inches of mulch around trees, shrubs, and flower beds to keep weeds down. Just don't pile mulch against trunks or stems because that causes crown rot.

2. Tomatoes Need Strategy

• Break off the three lowest branches before planting

• Dig a 3-5 inch trough instead of one deep hole

• Lay the plant horizontally and cover most of the stem

Tomatoes grow roots along buried stems, which makes them incredibly strong.

⭐ Bonus: Plant basil and geraniums nearby and add two inches of fresh soil around the base to help deter bugs.

3. Take Care of the Soil, Not Just the Plants

"Gardening isn't about plants. It's about soil."

Healthy soil has:

• Texture

• Moisture

• Oxygen

• Nutrients

• Microbial life

If what's happening underground is strong, what's happening above ground usually takes care of itself.

Remove debris, dead leaves, fallen fruit, and broken branches because they harbor insects and disease. Compost them if your pile gets hot enough to kill pathogens.

4. Prune Properly

• Prune in late winter or early spring

• Trim before buds fully form

• Cut at an angle

• Keep fruit trees under six feet tall and wide

Shorter trees are safer and easier to harvest. It may take a few seasons of gradual pruning to get there.

5. Water Smarter

• Never water in the heat of the day

• Water at the roots, not the leaves

• Morning is best

Feed your lawn monthly during cold, wet winter months. Winter rain helps water it in and reduces rust disease.

Extra Pro Tips

• Drill a hole in leftover pumpkins and leave them in your yard for squirrels and wildlife in winter

• Keep bird feeders full, but disinfect regularly to prevent disease

• If you're new to gardening, try seed tape for easy spacing

Indoor Plant Rules Grandma Swears By

Fertilize Monthly

Bi-weekly, or at least once a month. No exceptions.

Tip: Most fertilizers don't smell very good and can sometimes stink up your space. Try this odorless fertilizer.

Bottom Water Everything

Fill your sink or bathtub and let plants soak from the bottom up. This:

• Prevents overwatering

• Encourages deeper roots

• Reduces fungus issues

Always let plants drain fully before returning them to decorative pots. Poor drainage leads to root rot.

Check Soil the Right Way

Set reminders:

• Weekly in summer

• Every two weeks in winter

Stick your finger two inches into the soil:

• Damp? Don't water.

• Dry at one inch? Time to water.

Not all plants need water on the same schedule.

Fiddle Leaf Figs Are Dramatic

Choose their placement carefully. Once placed, don't move them. They are extremely sensitive to light and temperature changes.

Potting Matters

Use terracotta or plastic pots inside decorative ceramic ones.

Remove from the decorative pot before watering. Let it drain fully. Then return it.

Harvesting Like a Pro

• Harvest in the morning for peak crispness and flavor

• Harvest frequently when plants are full-grown (sometimes daily)

• Use clean scissors or garden snips instead of pulling by hand, especially for herbs, lettuce, peppers, and beans

• Support the vine with one hand while picking larger fruits like tomatoes or zucchini to prevent tearing the plant

• Do not wash produce until you're ready to use it; store dry to extend freshness

• Let onions, garlic, and potatoes cure in a cool, dry place for a couple of weeks before storage to help them last for months

Freezer hacks:

• Wash, dry, and freeze extra tomatoes whole

• Slice lemons and limes, freeze in bags

They double as ice cubes and never water down your drink.

The Roots of It All

Gardening is patience.

It's preparing months before planting.

It's pruning when nothing looks alive.

It's trusting what's happening underground.

If you care for the soil, the timing, and the roots, everything else grows.

Even you. 🌱

WORK SMARTER

If You Use Excel at Work, This Will Save You Hours

Be honest: how much of your Excel workflow is manual because "that's just how you learned it"?

Dragging formulas. Cleaning columns one by one. Double-checking you didn't break something.

Chances are you learned Excel by Googling, copying formulas, and hoping for the best.

Miss Excel (Kat Norton) is hosting a free 60-minute class that teaches the shortcuts and automations most of us never learned—the kind that make you faster and way more confident when someone asks for numbers "real quick."

You'll learn how to:

• clean messy data in minutes

• use formulas that actually save time

• build simple reports and pivots

• automate repeat tasks

• move at keyboard-shortcut speed

If Excel shows up in your job even occasionally, this pays off immediately.

👉 Save your spot in the free class.

STAFF PICKS

📚 Read: Credence by Penelope Douglas

If you're in the mood for a romance that's intense, messy, and absolutely not "light beach read" energy, Credence delivers. It's addictive in that "I should go to sleep but I can't stop" way, with characters making big choices and bigger mistakes.

📺 Watch: I Love LA (HBO Max)

This is a love letter to LA that feels honest. Perfect for when you want that city buzz from your couch, plus a reminder of why LA has a chokehold on so many of us.

🎧 Listen: E85 by Don Toliver

For the R&B girlies who want something that still hits like a workout track: this one has a ridiculously catchy beat that makes it hard to sit still. If you're already a Don Toliver fan, it's an easy add to your rotation when you need that extra push to lock in and move.

BODY & BALANCE

Move in a Way That Feels Good Again

If your joints are talking back or your usual workouts just aren't working like they used to, it may be time for a different approach.

Wall Pilates is a low-impact way to build strength, improve balance, and support your core using just a wall at home. It's gentle on your joints, easy on your nervous system, and designed to work with your body.

Women say they feel less stiff in the first week, more energized in the second, and start noticing more tone by week four.

Because this isn't about pushing harder. It's about finding what actually works for your body now.

Take the quick now to get a plan tailored to you.

JUST FOR FUN

COMMUNITY

🗓️ Upcoming Events

• Thurs 3/12 @ 10AM PT: Think Like a Leader: 3 Strategic Frameworks to Build Your Power (SGS Only* | Join the waitlist)

• On Demand: 2026 Compliance Predictions Companies Can't Afford to Ignore

* Smart Girl Society is our private community for women who want deeper conversations, accountability, and tools that actually make life easier. Join the waitlist to get in the next round.

🐶 Pet of the Week: Meet Max

Max is the definition of a scaredy cat. He's the sweetest kitty, but it takes time for him to warm up to new people. He loves peeping out of boxes and laundry baskets, taking naps with his humans, and drinking water for an oddly long period of time. Max loves being as close to your face as possible and will only let his mom pick him up. Here he is just living his best life, tongue out and fully unbothered.

🐾 Got a cute fur baby? Submit them to be our pet of the week in an upcoming issue.

💼 Job alert: Director of Finance & Operations at the org, AAPIP (Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy). Browse our job board here.

SPILL THE TEA

Our Weekly Work Horoscope March 9-13, 2026

Turn your birth chart into a work calendar. Try Eume for free.

Productivity forecast: 🟩- peak, 🟨- steady, 🟦- creative, 🟧- slow, 🟥- low

♈️ ARIES: The Green Light. Your ideas are getting the attention they deserve. This is the week a project gets a major green light. Your voice carries more weight in meetings, so use it. Speak up about that process improvement you have been thinking about. People are ready to listen to you and follow your lead. This is not just a lucky break. You created this momentum. Now, direct it where you want it to go.

M 🟧T🟨W🟨T🟧F🟧

♉️ TAURUS: The Right Conversations. You have a knack for being in the right place at the right time this week. The important conversations are happening, and you are in them. Listen for the idea that connects to your own goals. A colleague's casual comment on Tuesday could be the missing piece for your project. Your job is to connect the dots that others are missing. Send that follow-up email you have been considering. It lands well.

M🟩T🟨W🟨T🟩F🟩

♊️ GEMINI: The Sweet Spot. This week, you find the perfect intersection of what you are great at and what they are willing to pay for. It is time to talk about your compensation or project budget. You have the data to back up your request. Present the facts clearly. Someone in a leadership role is already in your corner. Let your recent successes speak for themselves. You have earned this next phase of professional and financial growth.

M🟥T🟧W🟧T🟥F🟧

♋️ CANCER: Momentum Is Real. All that quiet, consistent work is starting to pay off in a big way. You can feel the pace picking up, and you are more than ready for it. A door opens to a bigger opportunity, something with more visibility. Say yes. Your discipline has set you apart. When a collaborator seems unsure, trust your own vision. You are the one driving this forward. Your steady hand is your greatest asset.

M🟦T🟧W🟧T🟨F🟩

♌️ LEO: The Blueprint. Your focus is sharp and your vision is clear. This week is less about the daily tasks and more about designing your future. Sketch out the plan for the next six months. A conversation about shared finances or resources goes your way when you ground it in a long-term vision. You see the whole board, not just the next move. This clarity is your advantage. People trust a leader who knows where they are going.

M🟧T🟨W🟧T🟧F🟧

♍️ VIRGO: Quiet Brilliance. You have the solution to a problem that has been slowing everyone down. Your ability to see the flaw in the system is a superpower this week. Offer up your elegant fix during a team meeting. While others are talking, you are building a better way. The daily workload feels heavy, but your efficiency is how you win. You are clearing the path not just for yourself, but for your entire team.

M🟨T🟧W🟧T🟨F🟩

♎️ LIBRA: The Art of the Ask. This is your week to ask for what you want. Your timing is perfect for a delicate conversation about your role, a project, or a partnership. You have the data and the diplomacy to get a yes. Frame your request around mutual benefits. You are not just asking for yourself. You are improving the situation for everyone involved. Your reputation for being fair and strategic precedes you, making this the perfect time.

M🟨T🟩W🟩T🟨F🟨

♏️ SCORPIO: System Upgrade. You have a sudden burst of clarity on how to make everything work better. It's time for a major system upgrade, whether it's your personal workflow or a team process. Spend Tuesday morning reorganizing your approach to a major project. The time you invest now will save you countless hours later. You are cutting through the noise and finding the most direct path to success. Your focus is your greatest strength right now.

M🟦T🟩W🟩T🟩F🟩

♐️ SAGITTARIUS: Your Moment Arrived. That idea you have been sitting on is ready. This is the week it finally lands with the right people. Your unique perspective is exactly what a current project needs. Do not water it down. Present your vision with the full confidence it deserves. A collaborator is looking for someone with your exact skills. Send the email introducing yourself. You are more prepared for this opportunity than you think. The time for waiting is over.

M🟥T🟧W🟨T🟧F🟧

♑️ CAPRICORN: The Setup Pays Off. All the groundwork you have been laying is about to pay off. A conversation mid-week reveals that your strategy was the right one all along. Someone in a position of power trusts your judgment. Use this moment of influence wisely. Your opinion carries significant weight, so offer it. You are not just completing tasks. You are building a reputation for being the person who sees three steps ahead. This is your week.

M🟩T🟩W🟩T🟩F🟩

♒️ AQUARIUS: Trust That Feeling. You are getting a clear signal about what needs to change in your daily routine. Trust that feeling. A quiet insight you have on Monday morning will completely reshape your week for the better. Block off an hour to work on that one thing without interruption. Your best ideas come when you give yourself space to think. You are building a smarter, more efficient way of working, and it starts with this small, intentional shift.

M🟧T🟨W🟨T🟧F🟧

♓️ PISCES: The Missing Piece. Someone in your network has the missing piece to your current puzzle. This is the week to reach out and connect. Make that phone call you have been putting off. A casual chat with a mentor or a peer provides the exact insight you need. You do not have to figure this out alone. Your community is your greatest resource, and they are happy to help. You just need to be the one to ask.

M🟦T🟩W🟩T🟩F🟩

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