<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[By Kate Dove: Romanticizing]]></title><description><![CDATA[One-off articles from the past and present]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/s/romanticizing</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RAer!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd57899bd-9cbe-4e1f-a356-187ce5e244f7_1280x1280.png</url><title>By Kate Dove: Romanticizing</title><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/s/romanticizing</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 18:56:40 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[hellokatedove@gmail.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[hellokatedove@gmail.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[hellokatedove@gmail.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[hellokatedove@gmail.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[The path in front of you doesn’t disappear just because…]]></title><description><![CDATA[A poem on redirection]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/the-path-in-front-of-you-doesnt-disappear</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/the-path-in-front-of-you-doesnt-disappear</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:38:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RAer!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd57899bd-9cbe-4e1f-a356-187ce5e244f7_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>The path in front of you doesn&#8217;t disappear</strong></p><p>Just because you stopped to look at a pretty rose</p><p>Or the engraving of two lovers&#8217; initials in an oak tree</p><p>Wondering if they are still in love</p><p>If they got everything they wanted from their romance</p><p>It doesn&#8217;t mean prickly sticks have fallen on the path while your attention was elsewhere</p><p>In fact, would the path be as memorable without what you stopped to ponder on?</p><p>Admire?</p><p>Dream about?</p><p>Is it distraction, or unplanned direction?</p><p>Because how can you forget the path</p><p>When you dwell in everything that makes it so beautiful</p><p></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/the-path-in-front-of-you-doesnt-disappear?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/the-path-in-front-of-you-doesnt-disappear?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Three Easy Date Recipes I'm Loving in my Third Trimester]]></title><description><![CDATA[With pictures!]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/three-easy-date-recipes-im-loving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/three-easy-date-recipes-im-loving</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:36:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Truthfully, I wouldn&#8217;t have known this without TikTok, but it is said that dates are a powerful food in helping to soften the cervix for labor prep. A few years ago, when I was living in a high rise apartment with my now husband, I&#8217;d spend my nights wrapped in satin with dates and dark chocolate as I gazed out at the river in front of our building. It was a ritual that anchored me into softness and presence at the end of the day, and now as I am also eating dates in preparation for labor, I am brought back to slowness and enjoying sweet moments. </p><p>Dates show up as being used as a tool throughout history. In Ancient Egypt, they were a symbol of fertility and used in remedies to help women in labor. In the Quran, Mary is instructed to eat dates while in labor with Jesus to ease her discomfort. In modern times, studies are being done on the effectiveness of dates for pregnant women. (&#8220;Evidence Based Birth&#8221; has a really great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEhrOjWgtHg">video</a> highlighting some of the findings!)</p><p>I have a vivid memory from when I was a young teen where my Cypriot grandparents were snacking on dates on a summer afternoon. They tried to convince me to have one, saying it tasted like candy, but I was stubborn and refused lol! Now, I see how delicious these are and have been obsessed with using them multiple ways in recipes to prepare for birth. I&#8217;m not a medical professional, but it is recommended to eat 3-4 medjool dates, OR 6-7 deglet noor dates later in the third trimester. (I&#8217;ve started this at 31 weeks, but some wait until 34-35 weeks.) </p><p>Okay, that&#8217;s enough of my rambling! Onto the recipes that you can make weekly to rotate your date intake:</p><p></p><h3><strong>All three recipes include this base of pitted dates that are boiled then blended to create a caramel. Technically this can be a recipe of it&#8217;s own, and used as a sweet spread on morning toast or a muffin.</strong></h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg" width="306" height="407.92994505494505" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jO1N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa09be23-2ace-43ec-8107-68419b1198fd_3024x4032.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><h3>Recipe #1: Cocoa Date Chews </h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uwp5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c38805-8a47-441d-ad3c-d2013037b03c_2644x2689.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uwp5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c38805-8a47-441d-ad3c-d2013037b03c_2644x2689.jpeg" width="288" height="292.94505494505495" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uwp5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c38805-8a47-441d-ad3c-d2013037b03c_2644x2689.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uwp5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c38805-8a47-441d-ad3c-d2013037b03c_2644x2689.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uwp5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c38805-8a47-441d-ad3c-d2013037b03c_2644x2689.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uwp5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31c38805-8a47-441d-ad3c-d2013037b03c_2644x2689.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1637,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:290,&quot;bytes&quot;:2636895,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/i/201321575?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jx6Z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa48ff66b-8f9a-4625-991b-636aa3d2e544_3024x3400.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>These are perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up, or a snack that can be had on-the-go! They&#8217;re soft, a little chewy, and so satisfying!</p><p><em>Ingredients: (Makes 12 chews)</em></p><p>25 pitted deglet noor dates OR 18 pitted medjool dates, boiled then blended</p><p>2 cups almond flour</p><p>2 raw egg whites</p><p>2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder</p><p>3 tbsp black strap molasses</p><p>a few pinches of salt</p><p></p><p><em>Step 1:</em></p><p>Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil</p><p></p><p><em>Step 2:</em></p><p>Boil 25 pitted deglet noor OR 18 medjool dates for 10 minutes. Turn the burner off, and allow them to sit and cool for about thirty minutes, then blend (add a couple of splashes of water to help them churn into a caramel texture)</p><p></p><p><em>Step 3: </em></p><p>Mix the date caramel with all other ingredients until you get a sticky texture (the dough will be a bit wet)</p><p></p><p><em>Step 4:</em> </p><p>Form 12 balls and place on the baking sheet, then cook for 20 minutes</p><p></p><p><em>Step 5: </em></p><p>Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes. Refrigerate them for a chewy texture, and enjoy!</p><p></p><p></p><h3>Recipe #2: Date Muffins</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg" width="398" height="378.31868131868134" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1384,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:398,&quot;bytes&quot;:2617635,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/i/201321575?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p4Kp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffa20f52a-cf00-4e2b-ae44-0ad16fdf3d73_3024x2874.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><em>Ingredients: (Makes 12 muffins)</em></p><p>25 pitted deglet noor dates (I used the Nature&#8217;s Garden brand)</p><p>2 cups almond flour</p><p>1/2 cup all purpose flour</p><p>2 tsp baking powder</p><p>1 cup coconut milk (doesn&#8217;t matter whether canned or in a carton)</p><p>2 eggs</p><p>3 tbsp black strap molasses</p><p>A couple pinches of salt</p><p></p><p><em>Step 1:</em></p><p>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 muffin tin with cupcake liners</p><p></p><p><em>Step 2:</em></p><p>Boil the dates for 8 minutes, then turn the burner off and allow them to cool for thirty minutes. Then blend. (Add a couple of splashes of water to help the dates break down into a caramel texture)</p><p></p><p><em>Step 3:</em></p><p>Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl or container, then add all wet ingredients including the date caramel. Mix together until you get a brown, sticky texture. </p><p></p><p><em>Step 4:</em></p><p>Add the batter to the cupcake liners, and bake for 25 minutes. The result will be a smooth inner texture. Bake for longer if you want it to be more dense!</p><p></p><p></p><h3>Recipe #3: Brunch Date Loaf</h3><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg" width="314" height="370.9931506849315" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1380,&quot;width&quot;:1168,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:314,&quot;bytes&quot;:282055,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/i/201321575?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F74e96e09-9e00-4fb0-a66d-52c30432b1cb_1168x2052.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pEFQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82617b1e-2ddd-4079-bf56-baaa9a553686_1168x1380.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><em>Ingredients:</em></p><p>21 Pitted Medjool dates</p><p>1 1/8 cups all purpose flour</p><p>1/2 cup coconut milk (doesn&#8217;t matter whether canned or in a carton)</p><p>2 eggs</p><p>2 tsp baking powder</p><p>2 tsp black strap molasses</p><p>1/2 tsp salt</p><p>1 tbsp olive oil</p><p></p><p><em>Step 1:</em></p><p>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x4 loaf pan with a tablespoon of olive oil (I like to use the Trader Giotto&#8217;s Imported Olive Oil from Trader Joe&#8217;s.)</p><p></p><p><em>Step 2:</em></p><p>Boil the dates for 10 minutes, then turn the burner off and allow them to cool for thirty minutes. Blend with 1/4 cup of water</p><p></p><p><em>Step 3:</em></p><p>Mix together all dry ingredients first in a large bowl or container, then add in the wet ingredients (including the date caramel.) </p><p></p><p><em>Step 4: </em></p><p>Once all ingredients are combined, pour the batter into the loaf pan</p><p></p><p><em>Step 5:</em></p><p>Bake for 45 minutes, then allow to cool out of the oven for at least 20 minutes</p><p></p><p>Enjoy with your breakfast in the morning topped with some jam or cream cheese, or topped with melted chocolate at night for a dessert!</p><p></p><h4>I&#8217;d love to know how the recipes turn out! Sending all of you my best!</h4><p></p><p>Xoxo,</p><p>Kate Dove</p><p></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><blockquote><p><a href="https://payhip.com/b/3D2kW">The Spirit Baby Diaries ebook</a></p><p><a href="https://payhip.com/b/3hUXs">The Intuitive Girl&#8217;s Guide to a &#8216;No BS&#8217; First Trimester</a></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Siren-Mermaid-Romantasy-Retelling-ebook/dp/B0GLDD569L/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=Hw3SK&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f8e88413-4697-42ea-9bf7-b28eb886330d&amp;pf_rd_p=f8e88413-4697-42ea-9bf7-b28eb886330d&amp;pf_rd_r=141-6886007-6908168&amp;pd_rd_wg=JfY6F&amp;pd_rd_r=ae7af17a-5278-4df9-90b0-4762482e9759">&#8216;Blue Siren</a>: A Little Mermaid Romantasy Retelling&#8217;</p><p>Connect with me on socials: <a href="https://linktr.ee/katiethecreatress">https://linktr.ee/katiethecreatress</a></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kate-Dove/author/B0F9K6W4YB?ref=ap_rdr&amp;shoppingPortalEnabled=true&amp;ccs_id=94480792-9a72-49c8-abd4-d6df0a77f200">Read the &#8220;Threads&#8221; spicy romantasy series</a></p><p><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8eNnrDHjCL46LemeemspjYGRHJLzzX4B&amp;si=oLcjUgNTe9ZktS1h">Feminine Energy playlist on Youtube</a></p></blockquote>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[34 Week Bumpdate]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nesting, Resting, and Home Renovating]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/34-week-bumpdate</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/34-week-bumpdate</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:12:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RAer!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd57899bd-9cbe-4e1f-a356-187ce5e244f7_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;d be lying if I said I&#8217;m not loving eating Clio bars daily just as much as my boy. What started as a little sweet treat that made him wiggle and kick has become a sacred snack ritual between me and him to enjoy our time together before he comes into the physical. </p><p>In my peripheral vision are three large boxes (that are much too heavy for this 4&#8217;10&#8221; gal to open and put together!) that are going to transform our space and storage in preparation for James&#8217; arrival. </p><p>As my nesting hormones kick in and prompt me to stay close to home, I&#8217;ve thought about how much this house me and Sean live in have held us through emotional ups and downs, creativity, and now the next generation of our family. While this place is a fixer upper, and can certainly overwhelm me from time to time, I remember the crisp fall day when Sean brought me to see the outside of the house for the first time before closing. </p><p>It was late afternoon with wispy grey clouds overhead, and my squinted eyes observed the new area I had never been to before; not too far away from where I grew up, but an entirely new environment. When I laid eyes on the house, a little smile winked in my chest, and I said, &#8220;I can see myself nesting here.&#8221; </p><p>Three years later, that&#8217;s exactly what I&#8217;m doing. </p><p>I&#8217;ve always thought about the next moves and the next adventure, not just with this home but in every area of life. Now, as I feel the veil thin and my baby change positions in preparation for his descent, I give my concerns and fears to this old home. </p><p>I admire the pale yellow walls, the bathroom we redid last year, and the late afternoon sun that streams through the kitchen windows, allowing me to perfect taking photogenic pictures of the meals I&#8217;ve been craving and making lately without fail! </p><p>If there&#8217;s anything I&#8217;d like to brag about with this pregnancy, it&#8217;s the fact that it&#8217;s been turning me into a master of baked goods and bistro style dinners! </p><p>Everything is falling into place one by one, day by day. I&#8217;ve never felt this comfortable in slowing down, and letting both tasks and creative projects, already brewing for postpartum, churn finely has been a new sensation of peace that feels like it belongs in my life long term. </p><p></p><p>Six more weeks to go! Stay tuned &#128330;&#65039; </p><p></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=email&amp;r=&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=email&amp;r="><span>Subscribe</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Standing at the Alter of Motherhood (a poem)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Standing at the alter of motherhood]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/standing-at-the-alter-of-motherhood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/standing-at-the-alter-of-motherhood</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 21:08:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Standing at the alter of motherhood</p><p>She is not a burden</p><p>She is a guide</p><p>She knows more than my naive mind can comprehend</p><p>With the weight on her shoulders integrated seamlessly into newfound strength</p><p>She moves beyond the daisies and lilacs I frolic in</p><p>And leads me to the grotto where the moon shines on roses through the night until the gold of daylight penetrates my skin</p><p>In the darkness between what I know, and her world, I surrender to her essence without needing to know her eyes in broad daylight</p><p>Her being lures until it consumes, but in her consumption, I slowly *become* her</p><p>Because she was always waiting for me</p><p>Waiting to show me the magic outside of maidenhood</p><p>So that I may take over her alter</p><p>And learn how much more the heavens and earth have to offer me</p><p></p><p>Photography by <a href="https://boudoirbydeegiordano.com">Dee Giordano</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg" width="4600" height="3067" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:3067,&quot;width&quot;:4600,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FSP9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F890d7afc-3f15-48ce-9596-c64b3713aa3e_4600x3067.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Battling Pregnancy Anemia But Make it Poetic]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wrote this two minutes ago in my notes.]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/battling-pregnancy-anemia-but-make</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/battling-pregnancy-anemia-but-make</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 03:38:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Wrote this two minutes ago in my notes. There may be typos. Context can be found after the poem. Cue &#8216;Arsonist&#8217;s Lullaby&#8217; by Hozier</em></p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg" width="869" height="1177" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;normal&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:1177,&quot;width&quot;:869,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:0,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Voi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff1a2e24-df21-4960-abcf-281f84632818_869x1177.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p></p><p>There comes a point where the earth can no longer pull from the lacking hydration of the rain</p><p>Or the water beneath</p><p>For some time, it sustains</p><p>Maybe slightly flourishes</p><p>Until it becomes too dry, and a fire takes place</p><p>I never thought of myself as having much fire; <em>or </em>bottling up the warmth of the flames too much to the point where the fire bursts uncontrollably</p><p>Being pregnant has brought this fire up, and I can feel the rush of new nutrients trying to drown out the bursting flames</p><p>Elements are clashing in me</p><p>And my baby can feel it all</p><p>What I want for him and me is balance</p><p>A cool breeze to refresh us</p><p>But what I hope he learns is that a fire is only scary when its nourishing functions are ignored for too long</p><p></p><div><hr></div><p></p><p>I carry a genetic blood trait, beta thalassemia, that makes you appear anemic on paperwork whether you have symptoms or not. Growing up, this looked like dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Prepregnancy, it was just fatigue. </p><p>At this stage in my pregnancy, not only is my hemoglobin lower than &#8216;normal&#8217;, but my iron stores have also dipped. And I&#8217;ve realized that my body has been so used to depletion, that the introduction of supplements to raise my body to &#8216;normalcy&#8217; is bringing up what has been festering beneath.</p><p>Energetically, the blood represents passion in life. The passion itself is neutral; an integral part that represents our presence and fulfillment in life. But it can either become pressure and/or suppression, or a billowing force with no bounds. </p><p>My doula and I were talking yesterday about how each pregnancy brings with it different spiritual lessons. For me, with having a son as my first child on the way, I feel I&#8217;ve been initiated into new layers of my feminine energy over and over again, and trusting that he can hold me through it. </p><p>To your average person, it may sound like a lot of expectation to have on a baby. But it&#8217;s not an expectation; it&#8217;s an awareness of how deeply their experience of coming to earth is holding me through my own transition. </p><p>I&#8217;ve become familiar with my soft feminine, my intuitive feminine, my sensual feminine, and so on. But this essence is different. </p><p>She stands tall and doesn&#8217;t back down, even if I try. </p><p>This fiery feminine of mine rises like lava from a volcano, and only solidifies when she has space to pour out. </p><p>Not uncontrollably; but slowly and intentionally.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[🎙️💌 A Voice Note For You]]></title><description><![CDATA[On finding the perfection in timing, and noticing the synchronicities already happening around you]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/a-voice-note-for-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/a-voice-note-for-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:03:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RAer!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd57899bd-9cbe-4e1f-a356-187ce5e244f7_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[It would be easier if...]]></title><description><![CDATA[(A poem on changes)]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/it-would-be-easier-if</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/it-would-be-easier-if</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:49:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It would be easier if it never rained</p><p>Never poured</p><p>Never snowed</p><p>Never stormed</p><p>The same temperature every day</p><p>No need to question if you should bring an umbrella</p><p>Because who would need to think about that anyway?</p><p>But what would you trade?</p><p>The flowers?</p><p>The wind?</p><p>The afternoon shade?</p><p>It would all be too comfortable, you see</p><p>Too predictable </p><p>Too stable</p><p>Wouldn&#8217;t be free</p><p>All color would drain from life</p><p>And what some would see as strife would just be freedom embodied</p><p>The chaos</p><p>The strom</p><p>The necessary death</p><p>It&#8217;s inevitable, anyway</p><p>So why stress?</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="5472" height="3648" 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srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525722512810-b309e4b9b310?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1Nnx8cGluayUyMGZsb3dlcnN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYzNjYwOTI5fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@ujitomo">TOMOKO UJI</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Lost Art of Self (Pleasure) Performance]]></title><description><![CDATA[on reclaiming the idea of performance in our sexuality]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/the-lost-art-of-self-pleasure-performance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/the-lost-art-of-self-pleasure-performance</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:02:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The first rays of morning sun used to feel like a love letter to my soul. I&#8217;d wake up energized, invigorated, and turned on. The past couple of years, the silence and solace of the moon in a pitch black midnight sky have been the source of my inspiration. </p><p>My body was folded against the couch, a second heartbeat still thumping between my thighs. My living room was glowing in little specs of stars coming from the autumn-leaves fairy lights strung along the wall. This should have been where I called it a night and crawled beneath my pillowy white comforter, but my eyes clicked open as a surge of energy rushed through my heart. </p><p>By now, I should know what pleasure does to me. Half of the chapters I&#8217;ve written in my books have been a byproduct of the aftermath of my own ecstasy; like it&#8217;s CPR that brings a character or a feeling to life, and start speaking with enthusiasm. And of course, it doesn&#8217;t settle until I&#8217;ve opened my notes app at 1am and let the stream of consciousness pour onto the digital page as fast as I could type. </p><p>Tonight though, the only way to settle myself was to dance. As predicted, dance would be the thing to open me up to the concept I&#8217;m now sharing with you in this post.</p><p>I opened YouTube, and clicked on the song &#8220;Cry to Me&#8221; by Solomon Burke. </p><p>It&#8217;s not until now as I&#8217;m typing this where I&#8217;m realizing that my first media introduction to sexuality was catching glimpses of the movie &#8220;Dirty Dancing&#8221; whenever my mom had it on TV late at night. Especially that seductive scene where Baby and Johnny&#8217;s dance to &#8220;Cry to Me&#8221; leads to&#8230; well, I shouldn&#8217;t spoil too much in case you&#8217;ve never seen the movie ;) It&#8217;s on Netflix right now, by the way!</p><p>On one hand, dance and performance became the safe space I&#8217;d turn to when processing my emotions or needing an outlet for my creativity. On the other hand, it became where I sought my need for validation and praise. I always saw dance and my sexuality as interlinked, because the end result of how I wanted to (or currently do) feel after either, is the same. </p><p>Confidence.</p><p>Boldness.</p><p>Magic.</p><p>Play.</p><p>In the chakra system, the sacral chakra located in the womb space represents the center for creativity and sexuality, energetically linking the two. </p><p>So of course, it was no surprise when my in-bedroom thoughts after healing vaginismus (which you can read more about <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/bykatedove/p/tell-me-why-it-turns-you-on?r=4e36j5&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=false">here</a>) became something like this, and reflected some of the emotions I had while also growing up performing in dance. Pop a &#129344; in the comments if you&#8217;ve had any of these, too:</p><p>&#8220;Am I doing this right?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Am I making him feel good?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Is this making <em>me </em>feel good?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;God, I hope he doesn&#8217;t think I&#8217;m annoying&#8221; (or insert whichever pronoun resembles your sexual preferences)</p><p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s get this over with&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Am I being too much?&#8221;</p><p>In an attempt to scope out what was aesthetically pleasing, or to recreate what was pleasurable, I took a tool out of my dance repertoire; filming.</p><p>Filming myself pole dancing naked. Filming myself mimicking the sex positions that I knew felt good, so I could see for myself what my body was feeling called to do. Naturally. On its own. <em>Improvising.</em></p><p>Like art, whether it is writing, dance, painting, etc., sex demands us to feel. Even if it&#8217;s an escape, we are still amplifying and giving attention to an emotion that we want or need to feel. Art can be replicated. Sex can be replicated. But all art begins as inspiration, as <em>improv,</em> and sex gets to be the same. </p><p>The performance gets to switch from an instruction manual, to an imitation of a spark that we get to feel over and over again. Some things may stay the same, but each touch, each movement, exists within its own world. <em>We </em>get to attach meaning to who we are as a performer. And what makes a great performer is their embodiment of an identity. Who are we, and who do we become, when our skin is bare and we are under the gaze of another? There may be a script, lines that are always present, but our emotions fill in the gaps. Our awareness and nurture of who we are <em>being</em> is what amplifies the satisfaction that we seek. </p><p>Who we are may not be for everyone, but the people we <em>are</em> for will accept all that we have to give, no matter how it looks or sounds. </p><div><hr></div><p>Over the summer, I released book four of the &#8220;Threads&#8221; series, &#8220;Threads of Sin and Thrones.&#8221; The main female character, Margaret, begins her story as a struggling college student performing sexual favors for her peers in order to get by. She wants more, and has so much more to <em>give</em>, but her performance to those she was satisfying wasn&#8217;t her true nature. They wouldn&#8217;t have been able to handle it, either. She says in her first chapter, &#8220;At this point, it&#8217;s all choreographed anyway.&#8221;</p><p>Without giving too much away, of course, she becomes entangled in the main male character Ajax&#8217;s world and his sex club. She wholeheartedly embraces the art of performing. Whether it&#8217;s on the dais with him, or spinning around the poles on the dance floor in lingerie, Margaret lets her hair down and is well aware that she&#8217;s putting on a show in the eyes of others. But she loves it because she is safe to be her wild self. She had the desire all along to be admired and adored, but just needed the right mindset and space to do it. </p><p>Performance is never about proving your worth. </p><p>Performance is about documenting, physically or mentally, what you love and loving it so much that you want to share it. Performing on your own is between you and God. (or the universe.) </p><p>When we perform for the sake of amplifying a spark of what we crave, improvisation of our curiosity, excitement, play, and <em>openness</em> are what lead to our pleasure. And after the curtains close, after the last period is put on the page, our body remembers and guides us through it over and over again.</p><p></p><p>Xoxo,</p><p>Kate Dove &#128330;&#65039;</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, 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srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1525753609950-724d3715874d?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxwb2xlJTIwZGFuY2V8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzYwMzkyMjI2fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 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https://linktr.ee/katiethecreatress</p><blockquote><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F38CD7FD?binding=kindle_edition&amp;ref_=ast_author_bsi&amp;ascsubtag=srctok-ab0129d0b02d45b0&amp;btn_ref=srctok-ab0129d0b02d45b0">Read the &#8220;Threads&#8221; spicy romantasy series</a></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Tease-Halloween-Romance-Novella-ebook/dp/B0FNQ1MH9K?ref_=ast_author_dp&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1">Preorder &#8220;Tarot Tease&#8221; spicy Halloween romance novella</a> (releasing 10/18/25)</p></blockquote><blockquote><p><a href="https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8eNnrDHjCL46LemeemspjYGRHJLzzX4B&amp;si=IQtYLrH1rmeoTyWZ">Feminine Energy playlist on Youtube</a></p></blockquote></blockquote><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tell Me Why It Turns You On]]></title><description><![CDATA[Musing on what our sexual desires are trying to tell us, and how sex is an expander for our reality]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/tell-me-why-it-turns-you-on</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/tell-me-why-it-turns-you-on</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:11:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It was February 2018, and chaos was erupting in my favorite teacher&#8217;s classroom in B-hallway, where I had gone, while playing hooky from gym class. It was an intoxicating kind of chaos, where you could hear laughter down the hallways and different movies playing from each classroom as the staff nonstop checked the clock until the end of the day. Our local NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, had just won the super bowl and half the school had taken off to go to the parade. </p><p>Which was how I wound up in the B27 classroom with a group of my friends with a 10 minute kink quiz on the screen of my phone. </p><p>I could feel him looming behind me, the guy I was hooking up with at the time, but trying to keep my bubbly smile on my face and not sweat through the long-sleeve red dress I wore that day. Looking back, I find it comical that my generation (Gen Z) found entertainment and had conversations about sex through internet quizzes when, quite frankly, we didn&#8217;t know shit about ourselves. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="280" height="419.44223107569724" 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srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1675593130358-99fee1408bad?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0NXx8cm9tYW50aWMlMjBzZXh5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc1ODczMzcyOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@kate_gliz">Kateryna Hliznitsova</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>I exaggerated on my answers, because of the nagging desire I had to be validated and accepted. But he could see right through me. He could always tell when I didn&#8217;t feel safe, when I lied, or when I was holding back on what I truly wanted. (Spoiler alert, I married him.) As a teenager, my dream was to be the glamorous women I&#8217;d see on YouTube performing burlesque in feather boas and diamonds. A woman who was adored, sexy, and at ease. I&#8217;d spend hours watching videos of heels dance classes in Los Angeles, caught between the desire to be a big star or to marry young, live a soft life where I&#8217;m provided for, and pursue my passions when the urge strikes me. </p><p>Turns out, you can do and be both, but that&#8217;s a conversation for another time. </p><p>The reality of my relationship to myself, and my body, looked like this:</p><p>- Needing to repeat saying something over and over again until it exhausted me</p><p>- Worrying about fainting during sex (and having uncomfortable sex)</p><p>-Trying to be sexy, but the performance outweighing my true self image</p><p>I was just a young girl experimenting with womanhood, but I didn&#8217;t know then how much my curiosity for my own dreams and fantasies would expand me. (Pisces Lilith here, iykyk)</p><p>Fast forward 8 years, I have just turned 24 and have been slowly coming out of a years-long healing phase with my sexuality. Starting from 19 years old, I began healing what I came to know as vaginismus- a condition where the pelvic floor is chronically tight, due to physical or emotional trauma, that causes sex to be painful or practically impossible. </p><p>Sex has always seemed to be the key for how I understand the concepts and realities of the universe, and this part of my journey unraveled the tearful, anxious relationship that I had with my own body&#8217;s sense of safety. I had to go deep, and train my body time after time how to relax when receiving, and most importantly, how to trust myself. </p><p>But even in the periods of time where I couldn&#8217;t associate pleasure with penetration, or bring the sweaty, high-moaning, luxurious fantasies of mine to life, I was still a young woman with a mind that swirled with curiosity. Which began to beg the simple question, &#8220;<em>Why?&#8221;</em></p><p>Not only was this something I asked myself, but in the countless hours-long conversations with my now husband about our desires, passions, kinks, and turn ons, he&#8217;s always found away to invite me to go deeper. To not just answer &#8220;Why?&#8221; with &#8220;Because it excites me,&#8221; but because of something more raw in my identity and perception of life. </p><p>Now, as a spicy romance author, I come across many posts and conversations around turn-ons and sexuality. I&#8217;ve dug through chats and had conversations where people have talked about why they like what they like. Take Praise kinks for example. We all desire to be appreciated, validated, and rewarded, but the beauty of this specific turn on awakening the senses, points to a deeper theme in the unconscious where it either wasn&#8217;t received at another point in life, currently feels like it is missing, or is an expander to what you are already giving yourself. </p><p>And I think that&#8217;s a beautiful conversation we can have. Because sex can heal. Sex can alchemize pain into pleasure (I went into the trenches of this for sure!) Sex is a mirror. It shows us not only what can bring us to sexual climax, but what we can implement outside the bedroom to bring sensuality to our day-to-day life. It&#8217;s an act of polarity, where we get to infuse and balance multiple aspects of our personality into an expression where we are stripped down physically and emotionally. </p><p>It&#8217;s my understanding that both casual sex, and sex in committed relationships, can have this effect. Because pleasure doesn&#8217;t start with what the other person can give. It starts with the way we are already inviting pleasure into our lives, for <em>us</em>, and the trust that we&#8217;ve cultivated in our body. Sex is both pleasure and creation, and I&#8217;m not just speaking on the creation of human life, but an amplifier for what needs to heal (anyone else ever cry after sex?), what desires attention, and what wants to multiply in our life. </p><p>Desire gets to be both deep, and fun. It&#8217;s a GPS for what we are craving on an unconscious level. (If you want to hear more on that, I invite you to listen to <a href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/what-eros-and-psyche-teach-us-about">this episode of The Glow Code podcast</a>) </p><p>I can assure you, I&#8217;m definitely not dissecting my fantasies while I&#8217;m riding my husband at midnight on a Saturday (and I&#8217;d highly encourage being present in your wild pleasure) but each time afterwards, I find myself recognizing how it made me feel, what new inspiration it lit up in me, and where I may need to nurture myself more. This goes for him as well! (Half the chapters I write for my books are from post-orgasm flows, you&#8217;re welcome &#128521;) </p><p>However, sex gets to be a bridge between our physical bodies, and the energies around us that we don&#8217;t see, but can feel. Underneath our turn-ons, kinks, and fantasies, there is an aspect of ourselves waiting to be awakened. We (healthily) like what we like <em>because </em>it is part of our unique identity and beauty that we have brought into this life. The spiritual explanation side of this may not resonate with everyone, but seeing sex as a masterpiece both of physical indulgence and a wise teacher acts as an effortless matchmaker between who we are now, and who we desire to be. </p><p>So, I want to let you in on a personal mission of mine this year. (Having started a few days ago, on my 24th birthday)</p><p>I believe an aspect of my fantasies have to do with wanting to satisfy a never-ending curiosity in my mind to understand relationships, connections, and how sex gets to be an expander of our reality. I&#8217;m making an effort to have deeper conversations around sex outside of the online world, and experiment with the way pleasure shows up in my life both in and out of the bedroom. Then, reporting it back to all of you, of course &#128536;</p><p>(Astrology girlies, maybe this has something to do with my Mercury and Mars both in the 5th house in Libra, in my solar return chart?)</p><p>I&#8217;m not giving myself a schedule with these posts, as I want the lessons and experiences to happen naturally, so stay tuned on the Notes section as well as The Glow Code Podcast. </p><p>Signing off here!</p><p>Xoxo,</p><p>Kate Dove &#128330;&#65039;</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/tell-me-why-it-turns-you-on?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/tell-me-why-it-turns-you-on?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share By Kate Dove&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share By Kate Dove</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0F9K6W4YB?ccs_id=5aa7e9dc-6db0-41cc-ae0b-15cb721354e5&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Kate Dove Romance Books&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0F9K6W4YB?ccs_id=5aa7e9dc-6db0-41cc-ae0b-15cb721354e5"><span>Kate Dove Romance Books</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-glow-code/id1829525245&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The Glow Code Podcast&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-glow-code/id1829525245"><span>The Glow Code Podcast</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Maybe I was a sailor in another life]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was a couple of years ago when I first discovered Gene Keys, a tool combining astrology and human design to help you understand your energy.]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/maybe-i-was-a-sailor-in-another-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/maybe-i-was-a-sailor-in-another-life</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 19:21:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xgP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pullquote"><p>It was a couple of years ago when I first discovered Gene Keys, a tool combining astrology and human design to help you understand your energy. That&#8217;s when I first noticed my Life&#8217;s Work sphere being centered around alchemizing conflict into peace, and through artistic expression. Growing up with a childhood where there was chaos around me, but not towards me, I was looking from the outside in while still being effected by the energy thrashing around me. </p><p>Nowadays, in the middle of chaos, there&#8217;s a hopefulness that washes over me when chaos is erupting, and reminding myself that things will be beautiful on the other side. This poem is a dedication to navigating chaos, and the prelude to The Glow Code podcast episode coming this Friday, 8/15/25</p><p>Enjoy!</p></div><p>Maybe I was a sailor in another life</p><p>Watching the rhythm of the waves below</p><p>Nothing but the sun and air on my back</p><p>Trusting the breeze against my bones</p><p>Because, why do I now obsess over peace?</p><p>Why do waves of chaos feel like opportunity?</p><p>A tide stripping sweat off my body?</p><p>Sometimes I like to be the one with the water</p><p>Playing</p><p>Dancing</p><p>Jumping</p><p>And when words cut too deep, instead of being met with endless waves below, a curiosity sparks in my veins</p><p>Maybe I don&#8217;t jump into coral and seashells, but into the calm river that awaits me on the other side. Letting myself drift.</p><p>Letting it all be the boat that guides me home</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xgP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:683,&quot;width&quot;:736,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:324,&quot;bytes&quot;:67924,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/i/170718235?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xgP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xgP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xgP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0xgP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F89738d34-92ee-459d-b861-fb38919a0ed8_736x683.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What I've Learned in the First Six Months of Being a Published Author]]></title><description><![CDATA[Full Video on My IG]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/what-ive-learned-in-the-first-six</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/what-ive-learned-in-the-first-six</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 20:03:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It has been six months since publishing my first spicy romance/romantasy novel. A novel that started as a simple passion project, a hobby that I wanted to indulge in, that became something I wanted to share with the world. The series quickly expanded to four books, with the fourth releasing just last month. </p><p>Becoming an author has taught me a lot about my self image, identity, and moving away from the &#8216;starving artist&#8217; archetype and finding empowerment in unapologetically sharing these works with the world. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading By Kate Dove! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>The video breaking down the top three things I learned can be found <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM_EC3aJIpi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">here on my IG</a>. </p><p></p><p>Thank you all so much for the support, and I can&#8217;t wait to keep this journey going!</p><p></p><p>Xoxo,</p><p>Kate Dove</p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="174" height="261" 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srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1588535216551-e5c9a0ada2cc?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0M3x8c3BhcmtseSUyMHB1cnBsZSUyMGJvb2t8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzU0NDI0MTc3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a>Taisiia Stupak</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading By Kate Dove! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faded Heartbeats - Poem]]></title><description><![CDATA[At one point or another, we all desire to fit in.]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/faded-heartbeats-poem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/faded-heartbeats-poem</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 03 Aug 2025 18:30:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="pullquote"><p>At one point or another, we all desire to fit in. And to fit in, we dim ourselves. We conform. We hide. And in the hiding, the sound of our heart drowns out. What we were once passionate about, or are but too scared to pursue it, becomes cluttered in the noise. The disobedience to our true selves. &#8220;Faded Heartbeats&#8221; is a short poem on the fear around baring it all, and exposing who we truly are. </p></div><p></p><p>How many times do you shade your heart?</p><p>Blind its view of the light?</p><p>All she wants is to roam free</p><p>Frolic in fantasy</p><p>Because her job is to bring it to reality</p><p>How many times do your arms fold over her?</p><p>Constricting her breath until her power is numb</p><p>She is the center</p><p>The pulse</p><p>The conduit of climax</p><p>But you don&#8217;t want to feel that, do you?</p><p>It&#8217;s too much.</p><p>Too loud.</p><p>Too&#8230; unacceptable.</p><p>Baring it all is a curse</p><p>A prophecy of loneliness</p><p>Wrong</p><p>Her nudity is her purpose</p><p>Her exposure is her turn on</p><p>Her pleasure is your pleasure</p><p>How long will it take to surrender?</p><p>How small do you need to make her before you finally give up?</p><p>What will it take for you to spread open, to follow her lead?</p><p>Ride it out.</p><p>Dance with her, not against her.</p><p>And let it all crash through you.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!228z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a64c980-ace7-4a52-bd2b-4b9a638ae514_750x750.jpeg" width="750" height="750" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA["Do you think she woke up one morning and said 'I think I'll go..."]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Myth of Writer's Block, and Seeing Your Creativity as a Relationship]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/do-you-think-she-woke-up-one-morning</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/do-you-think-she-woke-up-one-morning</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 21:09:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png" width="326" height="579.5555555555555" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1920,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:326,&quot;bytes&quot;:1172688,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/i/168990119?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DOc_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7ba33bd-4c4d-462a-bba7-92e661ad5900_1080x1920.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Seven years ago, late evening had arrived and 16 year old me was curled up on the couch in a polka dot nightie and fluffy pink robe with chai tea steaming from a mug as Legally Blonde played on the TV. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading By Kate Dove! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>It was my first time watching it, and was a recommendation from my aunt when we were figuring out which rom com movie we wanted to watch that night. </p><p>There&#8217;s a specific scene that I remember often, where the main character Elle is experiencing a dark-night-of-the-soul after her breakup with the man she thought she&#8217;d be with forever. She&#8217;s in a pool of half-eaten chocolates, seething with frustration and wallowing in her self defeat as a romantic love story played on her television. There&#8217;s a moment where she is down in the dumps and all of the sudden, an idea hits her. She spins around and gasps, her eyes widening as she announces that she is going to go to law school, where her ex attends, to win him back. </p><p>The intuitive part of me is giddy thinking of the way she had this realization, because the nudges and urges we get, that we don&#8217;t always see the outcome of, always have a way of becoming one of the best things to happen to us. (And it was for her!)</p><p>At this point in time, at the end of July 2025, I have published four books in the past six months, and it&#8217;s a journey I hadn&#8217;t seen coming. But that initial spark, that first inclination to open a document and write the story that was simmering in my mind, has led to a fulfillment I couldn&#8217;t have predicted.</p><p>With our creativity, and our purpose, we often work backwards; planning out all of the physical actions and trying to have those build momentum, rather than realizing that creativity is <strong>a relationship.</strong></p><p>Creativity, and the intuitive hits that lead us in the right direction, come when we are fully receptive. </p><p>When we have surrendered, thrown our hands up to the Universe, and said &#8220;I&#8217;m all yours.&#8221;</p><p>(Sexy, if you ask me.)</p><p>I was always the woman who fell into the trap of &#8220;I&#8217;m not doing enough,&#8221; or &#8220;What more can I do?&#8221; It&#8217;s this mindset, this bind that we have on our <em>perceived </em>path, that blocks the flow of our creativity. I don&#8217;t share this to brag, but there was not one moment in writing my books where I had writer&#8217;s block. Why?</p><p>I won&#8217;t lie, it took years (since 18 years old) of learning about my energy and personal development, but our body, and the gifts we feel called to share with the world, flow freely when we allow it to lead <strong>us, </strong>rather than the other way around. Sometimes we act too fast on an idea, or act on an idea that we think is the right thing to do but actually drains us. This is where we are called back to our heart, where we are invited to go inwards and allow that to be <em>more than enough</em>. </p><div class="pullquote"><p>It is from that space where art is born, and all we need to do is let ourselves be the vessel for it to come fully to life. </p><p>We are the conduit of energy, not the creator. And that is okay! </p><p>It is our natural state to be receptive to consciousness outside of us, which includes the ideas and visions we have that are choosing us to bring them to life. </p><p>When you remember that you are <strong>chosen</strong>, that there is no rush, and that your creativity is a unique relationship that you get to nurture, that is where the magic begins.</p><p>You are the muse, the idol, the submissive (I know that word may be triggering to some, but submission does not occur without your trust or permission. And when it comes to the gifts you have? There is no safer surrender.)</p></div><p>Many of us are accustomed to Chronos time, like that of a ticking clock and using numbers as a means of measuring how much we have moved through space and time. Creativity works in Kairos time. Kairos time isn&#8217;t one second, hour, or day; it&#8217;s unlinear, and defined by the right and opportune moments where we don&#8217;t have to force movement, because our energy is doing the moving for us. This is where we act on that spark that comes through, without hesitation or resistance. Because we&#8217;ve allowed Creativity to work on its own time, with the safety and inner knowing that it shows up for us when we are ready. </p><p>The ideas and visions show up when we have a clear channel, and aren&#8217;t bound by the inner beliefs or timeframes we think we need to have in place. In fact, letting Creativity naturally lead the way is where we <em>collapse</em> time. </p><p>Everyone&#8217;s relationship with Creativity will look a bit different, but like any relationship, when it is nurtured and accepted, it will speak more clearly and make us more magnetic to what we want to attract or how we want to feel as a result of bringing our gifts and talents into the world. </p><p>(On my YouTube channel is a <a href="https://youtu.be/Bv6-9iwPcgw?si=xirDGuVLAq_-sv9g">video with a prompt</a> that you can use to learn about your astrology, Gene Keys, and Human Design, and how your creativity naturally works at its core, so you can begin feeling momentum and not encounter hesitation or resistance.)</p><p>Bringing this back to Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, she trusted her path even if it looked strange to others. She allowed <em>desire</em> to lead the way, even through her low moments and the times where she didn&#8217;t know how it was all going to work out. Even though many of us are not <em>taught</em> how to feel safe in this trust, our body and creativity are ready for us when we acknowledge that we can <em>remember.</em></p><p></p><p>Xoxo,</p><p>Kate Dove </p><p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg 424w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T6Zb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48f4fd10-e3df-4ce1-94e7-4263219b185c_750x737.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading By Kate Dove! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What I've Learned From Writing Three Books in Six Months]]></title><description><![CDATA[Book Three of the "Threads" series is releasing April 28th!]]></description><link>https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/what-ive-learned-from-writing-three</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://bykatedove.substack.com/p/what-ive-learned-from-writing-three</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kate Dove]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 18:50:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hello everyone! Happy April 1st! I was so excited this morning because I sent out the official ARC copies for Book Three of the &#8220;Threads&#8221; series, &#8220;Threads of Honey and Hyacinths.&#8221; </p><p><em>The official release date is April 28th!</em></p><p>This journey of becoming an author, after being in the personal development space for four years, has been a wild ride! The momentum has been nonstop in this season of my life, and I wanted to share with you all what I&#8217;ve learned from writing three romantasy books in six months. </p><p>Enjoy!</p><p>xoxo,</p><p>Katie Ubele</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;688c2bd4-3197-45bd-a789-e15bfac6f11e&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:1129.4563,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Goodreads Page&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash"><span>Goodreads Page</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katie-Ubele/author/B0DQWK62TM?ref=ap_rdr&amp;isDramIntegrated=true&amp;shoppingPortalEnabled=true&amp;ccs_id=0ee21b2d-b7e8-4934-aa45-e8a3f36de54f&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Amazon Page&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katie-Ubele/author/B0DQWK62TM?ref=ap_rdr&amp;isDramIntegrated=true&amp;shoppingPortalEnabled=true&amp;ccs_id=0ee21b2d-b7e8-4934-aa45-e8a3f36de54f"><span>Amazon Page</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bykatedove.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg 848w, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ace79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1161,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:238084,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;round white and pink floral plate&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="round white and pink floral plate" title="round white and pink floral plate" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-12L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Face79dae-9776-4bd3-a8dc-82ab93126607_1080x1161.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a>Heather Barnes</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>