How to meet someone new (without feeling awkward) 🫣

Whether you're trucking along at your desk or enjoying the summer sunshine outdoors, press play and stomp along to these soulful country songs. 🎶

"Meeting someone new can be scary. We often rely on established social cues to communicate with those around us, and we tend to build our most intimate relationships within familiar environments — school, extracurricular activities, or a place of worship. But social cues can’t cover everything."

If we’ve learned anything, it’s that not all trails are the same — and neither are the shoes. Our editors love REI Co-op for trail-running shoes that make it easy to say yes to a new route, a little more mileage, and that trail we hadn’t planned on taking.

Our editor recently made these leeks and she is eating them for every meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an egg on top, or with crackers as a snack.

🧶 We’re in stitches: Jimothy the raccoon has taken the internet by storm, why not ​crochet one up for yourself with this free pattern​?

🌵 Grow wild: Our editor is on a gardening kick and recommends ​this guide for nurturing for your native plants​.

🤝 Becoming a confident communicator: This conversation is ​reshaping the way we think​ about human interactions

💼 For job seekers: Brightland, one of our favorite olive oil companies, is seeking a remote ​Brand Designer​.

📝 A good question: When was the last time you met someone new? Was it as scary as you imagined, or are you grateful for the interaction?

"If you love beautiful coffee table books and also our national parks, then go ahead and pre-order ​Max Humphrey's two new books​ coming out on Aug 25. Described as "A photographic journey through an iconic national park," each book will take you through the wonders of Yellowstone and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks, right from your living room sofa." [​Pre-order here​]

A reader comment we love:

“I love Regina’s articles. And good on you The Good Trade, for offering the voices of women of a range of ages! There’s so much we can learn from one another, younger and older — I could spend days here! I’m just a tad younger than Regina and really appreciate her perspective, and ​loved this article​.”

For more from The Good Trade, explore our website for heartfelt editorials, honest product reviews, and community-sourced resources for more mindful living. Subscribe here to get The Daily Good delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday, and follow us on Instagram @thegoodtrade.