The Nuance Diaries

I hate this part of internet culture where something happens and we all immediately want to comment on it and give our hot takes. And I especially hate how quick society is to make light of something very scary and serious just because it happened to a celebrity. I also hate how righteous people can be - as if having a keyboard gives us the right to say what kind of behavior is okay and not okay....

Welcome back to The Nuance Diaries! I write what sensitive, deeply feeling people are thinking but don’t say. AKA the stuff you usually save for the group chat. Free subscribers receive occasional free posts, and paid subscribers ($7/month) receive at least 1-2 essays a week + access to The Authenticity Library + my full archive of 150+ posts. I spent yesterday, November 4th 2025, desperately tryi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenuancediaries.substack.com I wrote this song before and after one of the worst anxiety attacks of my life. The first verse or so came to me on the F train, coming home from Gowanus, Brooklyn. And then the rest came to me very quickly, almost 24 hours later, when I was back in my body. It was the first time that I had really, really i...

Dylan Mulvaney didn’t change her name when she transitioned — but her one-woman show inspired me to change mine. The name of my newsletter, that is. Dylan briefly discusses nuance at the end of her iconic one-woman show, The Least Problematic Woman in the World. Something about hearing that word, in the context she presented it in felt like a lightbulb moment. I was like, ‘Oh, right, nuance. This...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenuancediaries.substack.com If you’re new here, welcome! Here inside the nuance diaries (formerly Wild Cozy Free), I write the things that highly observant, deeply feeling people are thinking, but rarely say aloud. Writing is how I attempt to make sense of this sharp, messy, imperfect, wild world. Paid subscribers ($7/month) get at le...

If you’re new here, welcome! Here inside the nuance diaries (formerly Wild Cozy Free), I write the things that highly observant, deeply feeling people are thinking, but rarely say aloud. Writing is how I attempt to make sense of this sharp, messy, imperfect, wild world. Paid subscribers ($7/month) get at least one essay each week + access to my archive of 140+ posts and podcasts + other fun perks,...

People are often taken aback when I talk about my time at The Mountain School. I don’t really blame them; if I met me, I would probably be surprised that I’d spent four months on a farm in Vermont when I was 16, too. But I did. And I loved it. I loved seeing the stars at night. I loved the community that my semester formed. I even grew to love the animals that horrified me at first. (I still don’t...

The swiftie in me kind of died writing that. But it’s true. She can’t. To be clear, Taylor has saved my world many times over. I vividly remember hearing ‘Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind’ in my childhood/teenage bedroom, and being forever changed. And yet, as powerful as Taylor’s music has been for me, she alone cannot save the world, and we have to stop acting like i...

I wrote the song Storybook Undone almost exactly two years ago after signing a copy of the Best Women’s Stage Monologues of 2022 , an anthology in which I’m featured. Here in this book you will find 70 very diverse monologues written for women. These pieces present great acting challenges, and actors will have the pleasure of sinking their teeth into this sublime material while continuing to perfe...

I am *not* a licensed mental health professional. RESOURCES available at AFSP and 988 and NAMI and one of my favorite resources for Black women and non-binary individuals, The Loveland Foundation . (These are also copied again at the end of the post.) Today is suicide prevention day. As I sit here writing this, it’s the night before. I had no idea that today was the exact day, as I was writing all...

Hi there, A lot has changed since I wrote this post back in August ‘25. As I sit here writing this update, it’s November 30th, ‘25. The first change, the name of this newsletter! It’s now The Nuance Diaries! The second thing, a post I never thought I’d publish, went viral. The third thing, and perhaps the most important — I went against pretty much everything I said in the essay below. Yes, I have...

Quick announcement - I’ve decided to throw out my strict posting schedule. I’m still going to limit myself to emailing you once a week because I refuse to clutter your inbox. BUT in the meantime, over on Substack, I will be posting as much as I want, whenever I want. What does this actually mean, Alexa? I’ll still show up in your inbox once a week. Sometimes, I’ll post something and opt out of ema...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thenuancediaries.substack.com I wrote this song about a year ago, and it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. The phrase “I know I’m working hard, and sometimes I can see it” came from one of my best friends during a conversation about how it can be hard to see our own progress when there’s no tangible ‘proof’ of how hard we’re...

Hi friends. It’s been a minute. Many minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months since I last published anything here. I have been doing a lot of writing and stopping and starting and stopping and rewriting and musing on what my first post back would be. I haven’t published anything personal that really speaks to what's going on with me in a while. I feel almost paralyzed with anxiety every time I sit...

LINKS MENTIONED https://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk Alexa's FB Marketplace Authenticity and Money Conversation w/Melissa Mitt Essay I Wrote About Selling My Coffeetable Read the full essay/transcript at wildcozyfree.substack.com . Excerpt below! “OK don't panic.” Books 1-6 in Sophie Kinsella’s brilliant Shopaholic series all start with those three words except for the one that begins with, "OK. I can...

I am in my own lane I will not let myself down I am in my own place, I am my own house I’m sitting on my living room floor on a chilly January Sunday. I just sold a coffee table I’ve never really liked, to a recent college graduate who loves it. She’s furnishing her first New York City apartment. I’ve been wanting to sell this table for a while, so I’m thrilled that it’s finally sold. And yet, I i...

You might be wondering what the hell I have to say to you that’s important enough that I’d post something on Christmas Eve. CHRISTMAS EVE!! A day often, rightfully reserved for last-minute shopping, cooking, seven fishes dinners, holiday movies, and maybe some semi-peaceful (or at least tolerable?) time with loved ones. Or maybe - you’re excited to be hearing from me, in which case… Either way, I...

Hello friends, We’re a week away from Thanksgiving. Which likely means you’ll be asking Jesus to take the wheel any day now. While I do not have Jesus’ direct extension line, I do have something else that can help. MY HOLIDAY SURVIVAL KIT PARTY! I want to share these tools, resources, and insights about surviving the holidays with as many people as possible before Thanksgiving next week. WHY? Beca...

Transcript at wildcozyfree.substack.com The Holiday Survival Kit Party (Both on demand course access and live workshop tickets) is ON SALE until midnight PST. For SIXTY PERCENT off. I created the Holiday Survival Kit Party series because I wanted to give people the tools and resources that I’ve used over the last few years to bring more intentionality and authenticity to the holiday season. I LOVE...

Click below after you watch/listen! https://www.alexajuanitajordan.com/myshop/p/holidaysurvivalkit At the party, you’ll get the gift of… ➕ PRACTICAL TOOLS for navigating the holiday season with more intentionality and authenticity ➕ COMMUNITY ; intimate group discussions centering the challenges of the holiday season through an authentic lens Topics include but are not limited to… Dealing with f...

Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode! With over a decade of experience in print and digital media, Kevin McSpadden is a seasoned journalist adept at crafting engaging and informative stories. Kevin’s background as a writer, copyeditor, and production manager has instilled in him the value of teamwork, attention to detail, and a commitment to fair reporting. Kevin has navigated dive...

Click here to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Melissa is an Accredited Financial Counselor® & Coach who walks alongside purpose-driven entrepreneurs in getting comfy with money, both in their business and personal lives. Her finance journey truly began once she realized that life after college couldn’t be forged on student loans and credit cards. She’s experienced various versions of self-...

Have you checked out New Yorker Goes West ? I’m writing all about my new chapter in California, as a lifelong New Yorker. This is not your average travel blog. This is a raw, unflinching, intimate look into what it’s like to leave the life you’ve always known behind and begin a new one, miles away. Will I share great recommendations for fish tacos? Of course. Will it all be sunshine and palm trees...

Have you checked out New Yorker Goes West ? I’m writing all about my new chapter in California, as a lifelong New Yorker. This is not your average travel blog. This is a raw, unflinching, intimate look into what it’s like to leave the life you’ve always known behind and begin a new one, miles away. Will I share great recommendations for fish tacos? Of course. Will I tell you about my favorite comf...

Have you checked out New Yorker Goes West ? I’m writing all about my new chapter in California, as a lifelong New Yorker. This is not your typical travel blog. Or your typical cross-country adventure. What does “typical” really even mean? This is a raw, unflinching, intimate look into what it’s like to leave the life you’ve always known behind and begin a new one, miles away. Will I share great re...