June Checkup
Here’s the tl;dr from Alive and (un)Well this month.
The Front Desk
Are you in heat wave hell like we are? Pretty sure we’ve all discovered new places on our body that produce sweat.
We’re sitting in front of our fans and air conditioners, drinking allll the electrolytes, and doing what we can to keep ourselves and our pets cool. Brains are feeling a little extra foggy too, so we’re looking forward to non-heat-wave summer weather and our business-as-usual SPF applications.
But because you don’t come to us for meteorological updates (we’re glad), here’s what we read, raged, and treated our ears to in June.
The Waiting Room
☀️ what made us feel alive
My mom celebrates a milestone birthday this month and my brother and I have been working on a surprise project for her over the past several weeks. She’ll have opened it right before this round-up is sent out, so let’s hope we made her feel loved, cherished, and supported. What a gift it is to celebrate the people who prop us up without the expectation to reciprocate. — BFF Kat
One word: PRIDE. We had an absolutely incredible local Pride this year with some of the best people and a lot of fun events. This year in particular, it was extra affirming to be around community and people who actively want us to live and thrive. — BFF Jess
I’m hosting my first fantasy photo retreat in August and I was incredibly nervous because the price point is nearly four times higher than anything else I’ve offered — which makes sense, as most shoots I host are 2-3 hours vs. a three-day period like this retreat will be. It took less than two weeks for all seven model spots (plus two assistant spots!) to fill. I almost cried. It’s a wild and incredible feeling to know people enjoy my art enough to want to take part in it. — BFF Ash
🫠 what made us feel (un)well
I could go on so many rants about health insurance, but I’ll leave you with this very June-specific gripe: Why has it taken almost an entire month to approve a much-needed medical procedure? My pain anesthesiologist recommended a couple of different cervical spine injections for me and I’m just over here, living in agony, waiting for my insurance provider to get their ish together and decide if it’s “medically necessary.” (I, once again, am shouting into the able-bodied void: If you’re ever wondering why a person with a chronic condition isn’t “getting better faster,” may I point you in the direction of Exhibit A?) — BFF Kat
This fucking government and the hate, greed, and indifference that fuels it and its supporters. Also my insurance premium increased, so that’s super awesome. — BFF Jess
Ahead of filming in Spain next month — more on that in the rabbit holes section below — the cast and crew had a call to go over the best practices for getting back into the U.S. as American tourists. Unsurprisingly, from those who have recently traveled abroad, there’s been mixed reception to Americans based on the bullshit that is our government. While it’s always a good practice to be mindful — as someone who lived in London for nearly half a year I know American tourists already have a bad rep, including from me who enjoyed my quiet rides on the tube unless Americans were on board — there is an extra layer of uncertainty with the volatility in what’s happening here. — BFF Ash
📺 what we’re watching
“Secret Life of Mormon Wives” on Hulu: — BFFs Kat and Jess
I’m not sure if season one was actually better, or if it was more novel to me (I don’t usually watch reality TV). I was pretty convinced with season one that the women in momtok aren’t actually friends, but season two really drove that point home. They aren’t friends, they don’t really know how to be friends even when they mean well, and they desperately need community. I want to wrap each of their traumatized selves in a big hug… and then give them a reality check. I was glad to see more of the mental health storyline in season two, and I’d really like more of that and more backstory and day-to-day life instead of so much focus on the drahhhhhmaaaa. I was impressed to see Whitney show up for Jen the way she did. And Taylor’s family is awful. — Jess
I echo a lot of Jess’ commentary above, so I’ll just add that I’m 20 episodes deep on this show and I truly don’t know what makes each of these women tick. Who are they as individuals? Even if I wanted to be their friend, I wouldn’t know who I could bond with because their interests and personality traits sure do blend together. And again, if you’re a producer of the show, I’d really love to have a discussion with you about how healing from trauma with ketamine is portrayed. It’s not a party trick, babe! — Kat
“The Menu” on Hulu: I know, I know, this movie has been out for several years with rave reviews and I only just watched it the day prior to writing this. The performances of everyone in the cast — not just the main characters — were brilliant, and I found myself enthralled the entire 107 minutes. While the social commentary is still so on point, I found myself resonating with a lot of the themes as an artist myself, especially as one who has to live within the confines of capitalism. While it’s definitely dark and I suggest going in prepared for it, if it’s still on your watchlist I cannot recommend it enough. — BFF Ash
“The Pitt” on HBO Max: I am a rare bird in that I am someone who deeply understands the health care system and everything that makes up the patient experience… and yet I still like and find comfort in medical dramas, no matter how soapy. So when I say this show is my new Roman Empire — and just as good as everyone said it was — I mean business. I love that it bucks the traditional mold of these types of shows by providing zero character development outside the hospital’s walls (and yet I feel like I understand some of them on a soul level). The episodes contain extremely realistic patient arcs that span multiple hours, nuanced end-of-life conversations, and lacy dark humor that ties the chaos together. If they don’t need to rent a UHaul to take home all of their Emmys, we’ve lost the plot entirely. January 2026, when season two airs, can’t come soon enough. — BFF Kat
The Philip DeFranco Show on YouTube: While I’ve actually been watching this for years, it’s one of the only ways I consume news nowadays. While his reporting typically has little to no bias, at the end of each story he tends to share his thoughts on the matter but always starts that section with the disclaimer that they’re his opinions and to not take them as fact — and then opens it up to the community. The comment section from the previous video is often pulled into the next video so it feels like an actual conversation. — BFF Ash
📚 what we’re reading
“32 Days in May” by Betty Corrello: Yes, I understand the irony that I read this book in June. I will fully admit I picked it up because the main female character had been recently diagnosed with lupus. I didn’t find myself fully connecting with the romance — single POV is really hard to get right in the genre, in my opinion — but there were some absolutely fire lines that related to illness and chronic pain. I’ll leave you with this excerpt, which hits a little too close to home. — BFF Kat
“Loving a sick person is quite simple. You just have to be selfless and extremely patient and incredibly flexible. You have to be okay with hearing no and I can’t and not today over and over, coming home to find the once-vibrant, formerly brilliant person you thought you were dating is now green-gray and wearing the same ratty, foul pajamas you left her in hours ago. You have to know how to worry about the right things, bracing for the pain before it comes, like Will she need one of my kidneys?”
🎧 what we’re listening to
The “Hamilton” soundtrack: Don’t @ me, but I’ve never actually seen the broadway show — I know most of the music though! Their stealthy, 2025-coded 10-year anniversary melody at the Tonys prompted me to have the soundtrack on repeat all month. It was rife with intentional messaging, so I don’t think there was any coincidence that they ended the performance with the refrain about history having its eyes on us. It does indeed. — BFF Kat
🐇 what rabbit holes we’ve explored
Once upon a time I was acting and modeling regularly. I was fancy-shmancy and had an agent and manager and attended so many classes. But post-college, as I was trying to figure out life as a professional instead of a student, it fell away because of time constraints and my espresso depresso being in full swing. Seeing yourself on camera when your mental health is spiraling can really show — to yourself, even if not to others. While in the past two years I have been reintroducing myself, it’s only been more recently that I decided to really push back into it and take a chance. So when a friend posted an open call at a local talent agency, I went for it! I’m still waiting to hear back if they want to sign me, but I decided before auditioning that I would be OK if they said no. And in a few weeks I’m heading to Spain to act in an indie film, so the rabbit hole I’ve been exploring is really acting up a storm. It was like that expression of riding a bike — sure, I was a little rusty, but it has been incredible finding myself again. — BFF Ash
I’m learning how to use Obsidian and Matrix, and that’s about all my brain can handle right now. 😅😂 — BFF Jess
The Exam Room
Missed something from us this month? Here are a few of our faves!
It’s both comforting and maddening that this was our most popular post this month
Learn what a BAHA is in BFF Kat’s hearing diaries
Quick question: Why are we still dismissing pain?
We revealed our relationships with routines and accountability
It’s summer and BFF Ash came in hot with accessible travel tips
Here’s how we navigate our mental health triggers
Paid subscribers got to know us (and our health) better
We hyperfixated on the texture of velvet and talked about finding our sparks (again)
How we know an episode, attack, or flare is on the horizon
Same time next month?
We’ll be back in July talking about bad migraine advice, double standards, temperature regulation, and so much more. Hopefully we won’t be sweating from our eyeballs then!