Open Tabs: Color Analysis, Executive Dysfunction, and Wealthy People Flexes
Welcome to Open Tabs — my biweekly roundup of what I’ve been reading, learning from, and quietly obsessing over. Inside, you’ll find the tabs I’ve kept open long after I’ve read them; they might have even shifted how I work and how I think. This week’s edition features articles from Time, Fast Company, Maalvika, and David Roberts.
On a personal note: I got my color analysis done last week at Seklab in NYC and I’m having a bit of an identity crisis. Black is not my color 😭 Is there a support group for New Yorkers who have given up wearing black? This week, I’m doing my best to start embracing color (I’m a Spring Bright, if you’re curious) and trying to see what changes for me when I show up in technicolor.
Now, let’s open some tabs.
My Open Tabs
→ SMART TALK: THE ARTICLES I CAN’T STOP REFERENCING THIS WEEK
Open Tab #1: What to Say When You Forget Someone’s Name (Time)
There’s nothing that makes me want to melt into the floor faster than forgetting someone’s name! Especially when I feel like I should know it. It might feel small but remembering someone’s name signals that they matter to me. I’ve tried every trick: nodding vaguely, introducing other people so they say their name first, pretending I’m just bad at names across the board (a lie). This piece made me laugh, but also reminded me how important small repair moments are in relationships. Sometimes leaders fail and you can recover gracefully from something small like forgetting someone’s name.
Open Tab #2: There’s No Such Thing as Background Music (Fast Company)
Apparently, music isn’t just “background noise”, it directly affects your brain’s executive functioning. This article breaks down how purposeful passive listening (like choosing lo-fi beats for reading emails or strings while brainstorming) can help shift your mental state.
It also gave me language for something I did instinctively in a past job that was particularly brutal for me and my mental health: I started every morning with Stevie Wonder (yes - Sir Duke was on the playlist!) and closed out my day with Berlioz. I didn’t know why it helped, only that I needed both playlists, every single day. Now I know: that was me doing some necessary regulating, not just vibing.
Open Tab #3: Why Are We Lying to Young People About Work? by Maalvika
This one punched me in the gut a little. Maalvika writes about how we’ve overcorrected on hustle culture and accidentally made “struggle” feel like a sign you’re doing something wrong. Before I found her writing, I noticed that this exact topic has been coming up in my conversations recently! Discomfort at work often leads to growth. And honestly, it’s fairly normal to panic the first time work feels sticky or directionless; it can be shocking. I’ve also been the person who gives up when I actually just needed to stick it out and grow. If you lead people, this is a good reminder to normalize challenge as part of the path for your teams.
Open Tab #4: The Status Flex of Being Busy by David Roberts
David’s piece is technically about class — specifically how the wealthy are using busyness as a status flex. Not luxury, not leisure. Just the constant hum of doing. But what struck me most was how much of it I recognized. High-achievers do this too. We stay booked to feel valuable. We fill our calendars so we don’t have to face bigger questions. But clarity comes when you finally stop filling every open block and give your brain space to breathe.
If you’ve been craving direction but can’t find space to even think, that’s a sign.
I always enjoy David’s writing. I appreciate how frank he is about his wealth and his lifestyle. Reading his Substack taps into my curiosity about how others live and what led to their success.
My Newsletter & Podcast
→ IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER
Why Some High Performers Get Promoted and Others Don’t
My post from this week is taking off and for good reason. I shared a behind-the-scenes story from a friend in HR about two high-performing women up for promotion. Same drive. Same workload. Totally different outcomes. I wrote it because I wanted to share the exact real talk that we don’t usually get about performance reviews, specifically what actually gets said behind closed doors. If you missed it, it’s worth a read.
→ IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: OUR MOST RECENT PODCAST EPISODE
An Interview with Cathie Urushibata, Creative Director at Shake Shack
Cathie is the Creative Director at Shake Shack and her story is incredible. She started at the company 12 years ago as their very first in-house designer. She built her career from the inside, growing into a leadership role where she now shapes the brand’s entire creative direction. She also serves on the board of Art Start, a nonprofit that uses the creative process to nurture historically marginalized youth. We talked about growing at a company over time, her leadership approach, and the lessons she wants to share with her daughter. This one felt so conversational, you’ll enjoy it.
🎙️ → Listen now
This feels like the perfect Open Tabs share. I am personally very happy that Derek C. Blasberg is on Substack!! I’m screenshotted (is that even a word?!) in this week’s post, so you know it’s good.
My Final Thoughts
→ FINDING AND BUILDING YOUR OWN COMMUNITY
On the theme of relationships and building a network online. Some of the most game-changing relationships in my career started with a DM. Or on a Twitter (never X) thread. Or through a random “you’d like this person” intro in a Slack group I almost didn’t join.
I was reminded of that after a recent interview I did with Anna Raskind, who I met through Substack. We ended up talking about how sharing your thoughts publicly and posting content is a form of networking. And how sometimes, the most meaningful connections don’t happen at a networking mixer—they happen because of your digital footprint.
Here are a few examples from my own life:
Winy Bernard Bertin, my podcast co-host, and I met on Twitter more than a decade ago.
Our previous podcast guest, Allison Stadd 🥁, introduced us to this week’s guest, Cathie.
And I met Kel Rakowski on here because as I was leading a workshop on salary negotiation, I accidentally revealed my Notes App with inspirational quotes from Doechii 😭. She messaged me afterward to share her love of Doechii (and this topically relevant post!). You can catch my guest post on her Substack here.
None of the above was part of some polished master plan!
So, if you’ve been questioning whether it’s still worth it to put yourself out there, this is your nudge: sometimes your next opportunity or creative collaborator isn’t in your org — it’s in a group chat. Or your inbox. Or waiting for you to post something brilliant (or silly) online.
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If we’re not connected yet—let’s change that. I’ve been loving getting to know more of you. Connect with me on LinkedIn and say hey. 👋🏽 I love seeing who’s subscribing, what you’re working on, and where your career is headed.
From my browser to yours.
That’s it for the second edition of Open Tabs. Have a great rest of your week!
—Ashley
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I'M THRILLED WITH MY SHOUTOUT, ASHLEY! Looking forward to seeing a lot of each other around here :)
Can’t WAIT to check out these Recs and thank you for the shoutout!! So impressed by how much good content you put out regularly!!! It’s inspiring. 🔥