Hey all, Joe here and you are listening to Under the Influence.

Do you have hobbies? Because I don't really have hobbies. And I think that's my fault,

because I have managed to turn a lot of very hobby-like, hobby-ish things into my business, right?

I read for a living. My main job, my main form of income is writing, which some people do as a hobby.

I make podcasts, so I can't really listen to those

as a hobby. I have not yet monetized bird watching, but I'm sure I could if I really,

really felt like I had to. I work out. I do. I go to Pilates and yoga, but that also doesn't feel like a hobby. It feels like something I do to be strong and to stay healthy.

But I'm endlessly fascinated by people who do have hobbies who prioritize time for something that is just, just for fun.

My best friend, Jackie Cascarano, she is getting her master's in positive psychology

at the University of Pennsylvania.

And she is also fascinated by hobbies and fascinated particularly by how women both don't

have and also need hobbies.

So together, Jackie and I have decided to explore the world of hobbies.

Over the course of the next year, we're calling it our adventure year.

She got a head start because I've been finishing up the manuscript for Parisian Heist.

Get those orders in today, people. Seriously, just order the Parisian heist right now while you're listening. You're not going to regret it. Okay. It is a wonderful, wonderful book. It's going to be a great surprise when it drops into your mailbox on July 14th. Like wonderful surprise. You'll be like, yay, Bastille Day. Yay to me. I'm going to go eat some cheese in a baguette now and read my book.

Anyway, yes. So Jackie got a head start on the adventure on the adventure year. She has started taking mahjong classes. I'm going to start mahjong classes soon. And I really wanted to share this with you because I want to hear about your experiences with hobbies and then also explore

just the idea of women not having things that we do for our personal joy, for our personal

pleasure, the things that can crack open our brains in new ways and how embracing those

kinds of things can actually contribute to our mental and physical well-being.

So here is my conversation with Jackie, where we get started on our adventure year.

Hello, Jackie.

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