What Would You Like to Discuss This Year?

I know this is a bit late but I hope you see it!

I think it would be awesome to do a post (or many) about PCOS. A lot of women have it, I think maybe somewhere close to 10%? Anyway, there are resources out there on the Internet and books and podcasts of various helpfulness, but what I’m interested in is hearing from actual women who have it. For me, the most distressing symptom has been hirsutism and I find that it’s often the least addressed (or commented on as an afterthought) in what I read about on PCOS.

I had to take it upon myself to really self-research and advocate for myself. Traditional doctors are often very dismissive or unhelpful (want to put you straight on meds/ the Pill, which just ~sort of~ mask symptoms and don’t solve anything long term). In my mid/late 20s I took it upon myself to seek out holistic ways to heal from the inside-out. I had lots of success with an herbalist and lifestyle changes, and am more comfortable in my body at 30 than I ever have been before.

Anyway, I’d LOVE to hear from other women in this community with PCOS (and would be really happy to share my experiences too). I think you might be surprised how many women have experiences with this and other hormonal issues. It’s such a frustrating thing to go through because women’s healthcare just isn’t where it should be! And these under-researched, sort of “tricky to diagnose” syndromes can cause so much shame and confusion. Oh, if I could just go back and talk to my sad, anxious, hairy, acne-ridden teenage self who had no one to talk to! It’s still difficult and expensive to find real experts– maybe post on that too!

Thank you so much for considering!

HNY! I’d like to see more career advice (i.e., different career paths, how to transition into a new career, asking for a promotion, etc.)

also my favorite and most people’s as evidenced by over 1,000 comments…i think we all appreciate when you do the “how are you feeling” posts..breakfasts, favorite book or podcast, etc it means so much in such turbulent times ..for me i see that and i let go of a big exhale and curl up and take it all in..it’s such a treat and for a time we all feel closer and in it together!!

bucket lists

how would you spend your perfect day in winter

grandma recollections..i’ve read some on here and it’s so sweet

Starting over! I’m sure once we turn the page on this pandemic, a lot of people will be leading different lives, but me? Within the next few months, I’ll be divorced, putting my house on the market, moving to a new city, starting fresh with two toddlers, navigating a new school system, trying to make friends, and – eek – possibly date. I’d like a post! And possibly a pep talk.

Ok, so this is like my 5th or 6th comment (sorry!), but I would love a community post where people contribute their ride or die products- bonus points if they’re clean/socially responsible, etc. I’m at the age where I want to love everything in my house, but I don’t want to have to test 20+ products to find the best-ever laundry detergent or dishwasher powder. I would love to hear about the products that your friends/readers are passionate/would shout from the rooftops about. (To contribute, my current ride or die products would be Vahdam chai tea for me and Alaffia bubble bath and Puracy stain remover for my toddler :).

Also, I know laws vary from state to state, but I’d love to hear more about the experience of surrogacy, both for the surrogate and the eventual parent(s).

Finally, the Fugitive really is the best. My family used to make fun of me because I’d even watch it when it was on tv on the Spanish channel… and I most definitely do not speak Spanish.

I know you have one post from 2018, but I would love more parenting posts for those with with only children please! I’m pretty sure we’re done having babies (the first year is so, so hard… and I’m old!), but I’d love tips and tricks. I grew up in a large family, so I always had lots of built-in playmates. I love thinking about traveling with our daughter once it’s safe again, but it makes me kind of sad thinking she has to hang out with just us or other adults during her vacation (no cousins anywhere close to her age).

And, to somewhat contradict myself, I’ve always been curious about fostering and I’d love to see some profiles of foster parents. The foster parents who are usually featured in the news or online are so, so unlike me and have such different situations (huge families, stay at home mom, rural or suburban location) that I’m not sure I could make work.

Sorry to comment on this a week late, but I was just chatting with a friend who had a baby last week and is stuggling with breastfeeding and it brought me right back to when I was in her shoes with my kiddo a year and a half ago. Breastfeeding was incredibly difficult for me and I have a distinct memory of googling around trying to find a blog post along the lines of “permission to stop breastfeeding.” I didn’t find what I was looking for, but in my dreams it would be a post on Cup of Jo giving new mothers gentle permission to do what is best for them and their babies with some data poins to show that at the end of the day, a fed baby and a happy mama are the best outcomes. I think this sort of content would be inredibly valuable for a lot of women who stuggle with breastfeeding.

Thank you for all that you and your team do – this is my favorite place on the internet!! xx

I may be a bit late to the party with this request, but I’d love to see a post (or several) about truly nontoxic skincare, body care, and makeup brands or products. My resolution for 2021 is to switch to non-toxic products (from toothcare to lip balm, facewash to bodywash, the whole shebang!). However, I am so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information (and misinformation) out there. For example, I’m a big Burt’s Bees fan, but some of their tinted lip products/lipsticks/glosses have chemicals that have been linked to cancer. Obviously nothing is perfect, but I want to make informed purchasing decisions. With so many things labeled “green” “clean” or “organic” that it can be hard to differentiate between products. I’d love Cup of Jo’s guidance and keen eye for quality on this endeavor. Thanks!

Additionally, I know this is more of a lifestyle blog, but I’ve loved posts that veer towards career–especially targeted content about women in demanding professional careers. I am a young lawyer, and I find myself wishing for candid content by other professionally motivated women (young and old). Work-life-balance content seems to dominate professional women discussions, but I’d love to see advice about making decisions, choosing a new job, deciding between firms or offers, navigating tricky work dynamics, how to ask for a raise, asking for feedback, etc from real woenwho have some experience and perspective geared at a cup of jo reader (one who values family, community, and self-rejuvenation time as much as professional success). I know that’s a bit vague, but I appreciate your openness to readers’ ideas!

Any chance you could do a home tour with Abby again? I loved her previous home tours.

I would love a post on disappointment, particularly professional disappointment. We’re all sometimes turned down for jobs or schools or opportunities that we dearly wanted; then what? I’d love insight on any aspect of “getting over it,” from mantras and commiseration stories to brands of tea!

This might be too much work to put on your staff – but I would love to see follow-ups to posts that ask questions (top books, good podcasts, what movie, etc) with a breakdown of what this amazing group of people say in the comments (like a pie graph of the top 15 answers or something like that) – gleaning the wisdom of the reader comment section is part of what i adore about this little corner of the internet

I also think it’d be interesting to see what the winner of your give-away ends up getting. (if they’re willing to share) – because you often ask “what would you get” and you do a great job showing items on everyday people – plus it’d be an easy way to double promote for your advertisers. just a thought

Something I’ve struggled with this year: just months before the pandemic began, I found out that my husband of 22 years has had multiple affairs, and one was an on/off thing with one of my “friends” that lasted for 10 years. Obviously, I was devastated, but it was also a bit of a reckoning with myself and my own imperfections and ultimately we made a decision that we both wanted to save the marriage. We tried therapy but it was a bad fit, and I have confided in 2 friends about the situation over this past year, but have left my family and actually my closest friends out of it out of some weird sense of shame and also probably some misplaced protective instincts for my husband. Anyway, I think this would have obviously been difficult to sort through and deal with, but the pandemic and isolation has added a whole new surreal layer to this situation. It’s been over a year since I found out and we have mostly come out the other side of this, but I know there is definitely still lots of hurt and anger and mistrust lurking below the surface. Anyway, LOOOONGGGG story short, I’d be curious to read about other people’s struggles in their relationships in the face of the pandemic, and how couples handle their rollercoaster emotions when you can’t really can’t be by yourself.

Not a mum but please more Motherhood around the World. It is my favourite series (well, maybe a tie with Beauty Uniform)

I hope this doesn’t sound too shallow for these crazy times, but:

I have gone my whole adult life without ever wearing makeup, save for occasionally putting on lipstick and almost entirely blotting it right off, but I just turned 45, and I think I suddenly might need to start. At least a little bit. But I have no idea where to begin, or any techniques, and I need help!!

More posts from Gemma please. I’ll read anything she writes. :)

A little late to this post, but would love to hear from expecting parents or those looking to start a family soon. How are they grappling with the current climate, both political and pandemic-wise?

We’re getting conscious of our age and just really struggling with the ethics of trying to start a family and feeling safe doing so. Our parents like to tell us there was always some lingering threat in the air across generations, but this current climate feels especially intense.

Helping children deal with the continued pandemic and advice about working from home while kids are in virtual school.

I am in my late 30s and single – and love being single! Dating/finding a partner is just not a priority for me. Is this normal? Weird? Does anyone else feel this way?? I love my friends, but almost every conversation inevitably turns to the topic of dating/relationships. With so much talk about relationships, I would love to hear from other women who have chosen NOT to prioritize being in a relationship.

I’d love to see more about sustainable living practices!

Would love to discuss unemployment and lack of success and struggling with money.

I am close with a bunch of women who went to school for and currently work in the arts. Now that we’re in our mid 30s they have all settled down with/gotten married to partners who have some money. I am very fortunate to have married the love of my life but who barely knew what an IRA was even just a few years back. I don’t regret this relationship for a second and don’t think I even have a sense of “keeping up with the Joneses,” but navigating this dynamic, even with my closest friends, is frustrating and challenging. We have to say no to trips, to dinners out, having to say “can the group gift be a contribution of $40 instead of $150” and knowing even that’s more than I’d comfortably contribute. It was much easier when we were all pinching pennies!

I’d also love to discuss what amounts and what obligation we have for donating to charities. Is there a percentage of their salary that people stick to? Do you do monthly donations to something meaningful to you? Do you just do an individual lump sum as you get asked? I would love to know how other people donate.

Divorce and life as a newly single 30-something who hasn’t dated in over a decade…and now finds herself single …in a pandemic! Help!

I’d love to hear about relationships across the political divide–particularly those relationships we choose, like marriage and friendship (as opposed to relatives that you are stuck with or can distance yourself from). My partner and I have grown further and further apart on politics over the years, and it is a constant low-grade strain (depending on current events, sometimes high-grade). Our relationship doesn’t seem like it should work, yet he is simply a good partner and father. It works for now. We talk about our disagreements and can more or less see where the other comes from, even though we cannot agree. It can feel very lonely, and confusing, but I know we are not the only couple who are split on politics. And if our country has any hope of reconciling, surely a zero-tolerance policy towards those who disagree with you (within certain moral parameters) is not the way forward. How do other people cope?

+1 on motherhood topics! Pregnancy, postpartum, parenting, navigating relationships with partners and with friends, especially when your friends and peers are at different stages in their life (I’m 26, in graduate school, married, and expecting my first baby this summer, and almost none of my friends have gone to/are going to graduate school, none are married but some are engaged, and no one as far as I know is planning for kids any time soon!), and motherhood around the world!
+1 on environmental things- ways to reduce waste at home and out and about, changes you can make to your home to make it more efficient, how to be environmentally conscious on a budget and with kids? Also would be super interested in environmentally friendly (or friendlier) beauty and style
+1 on style/beauty uniforms- I love the ones that are mostly about the people! But I’m also a sucker for fashion and beauty goods.
Stories about managing money- we are saving for a house and the whole process of finding and purchasing a home is NUTS, especially after being renters for so long!

I do have a question…a small one! I am committed to finally finding the answer in 2021. Please help me.

How. Do. I. Properly. Roll. Pie. Dough?

I understand the million other steps involved in making the pie, but rolling the dough realllly grinds my gears.

Every recipe of and instruction from all of the pie gurus say to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, and then roll it out. But when I try to roll out the chilled dough it’s soooo hard…BECAUSE IT IS COLD. It tears, it fights me. What am I missing?

HELP!