last week in the wild: #03
a milestone, an interstellar comet and never letting the bastards grind you down
June 29th — July 5th
Happy Sunday, another week in the jungle! 🐆
First, some news I’m STOKED to share: WILD BARE THOUGHTS became a “Substack Bestseller” last week and I couldn’t be more proud, honored and grateful. I’d like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who reads my wild thoughts and ideas—none of this would be possible without you. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
I started taking the idea of sharing my writing more seriously in April—I set a goal to publish a couple times a week. Since then, I’ve been writing daily and have far exceeding my publishing goals, averaging about 4 posts per week. I showed up consistently and authentically—and kept going, despite receiving my fair share of hate. I don’t say that for pity—I say that because I think we all need the reminder from time to time that when you expose yourself and your ideas to the world, that inevitably means you will expose yourself to the ridicule. It’s all part of the process and sometimes you just gotta pick your head up and keep going. (I actually wrote about this last week and used one of my favorite artists, Henri Rousseau, as the example.)
The love I’ve received here has far outweighed the negativity. I truly am overflowing with gratitude to have this space to share all of my wild ideas with you. Thanks for your support, your encouragement, and for simply being here—you are so appreciated.
all free essays published last week —
June 29th: last week in the wild: #02
July 1st: bureaucracy is getting bodied by AI
July 2nd: imposter syndrome is the price of showing up
July 3rd: creative audacity: the art of not giving a f*ck what "they" think
July 4th: maybe patriotism isn’t cringe after all
what paid readers read last week —
June 30th: THE DAILY 5 — WEEK TWO
July 5th: the lie and seduction of the "perfect method"
Don’t forget to check out THE DAILY 5 if you haven’t already—Week 3 goes out tomorrow :)
What is THE DAILY 5??? FAQs
The 5-minute daily ritual that changed how I think
THE DAILY 5 is a weekly journaling practice for people who want to understand themselves better—but don’t have hours to reflect every day. It’s structured, intentional, and grounded in real self-awar…
devastating floods in Texas —
The floods in Central Texas last week were catastrophic. Entire landscapes were swallowed in minutes. As of this morning (Sunday, July 6) the death toll has risen to 69, with many still missing. Kids were swept away at summer camps. Cars flipped. Homes vanished. Entire towns had no idea what was coming until it was too late.
The worst part is—it wasn’t unpredictable. The rainfall was extreme, but not unimaginable. We had the data. We had the models. What we didn’t have were the tools in place to act on it. The National Weather Service is still relying on tech that hasn’t been meaningfully updated since the 90s. Alerts sent too late. No real-time flood zone precision. Outdated radar infrastructure that can’t track flash events with any nuance.
It’s easy to feel helpless in moments like this. But we’re not. Not really. We’ve built telescopes that can image galaxies millions of light-years away, yet we’re failing to tell people a river is about to eat their street.
I hope this is a wake-up call—not just to upgrade the systems, but to reframe how we think about technology in the first place. It’s not just for convenience. It’s for preparedness. It can literally save lives.
My heart goes out to everyone impacted by the floods. Absolutely devastating to witness.
a wild interstellar comet —
Speaking of advanced tech, an interstellar comet the size of a small city is sliding through the solar system—only the third one we’ve ever recorded. We spotted it with new telescopes in Chile, the kind that can scan the entire night sky in only a few nights. It doesn’t care about us. It isn’t here for us. It’s just passing through.
Sometimes I think we spend too much time arguing about the news and not enough time noticing how strange it is to be alive at all.
Thoughts on Zuck aside, you gotta admit, the man can deliver us memes. I hope all my fellow Americans had a lovely 4th of July weekend 🇺🇸
A very important reminder from
I get my old person on regularly. Sitting outside as I type this, actually.
Only all the time? 👀
This one is extra potent 🔥
Finally, remember:
I hope you enjoy your Sunday, friends. And remember, your work is important, you are worthy, don’t ever let the bastards grind you down ツ
XO, STEPF
ICYMI, LAST-LAST WEEK IN THE WILD 🐆
That's such a huge milestone, congratulations Stepfanie! I've loved reading your work, you deserve all of the success.
Congrats on such an achievement! And thanks for the insightful notes, really resonated with Diogo's (also sitting outside for no reason at all is heavenly)