Sofie Couwenbergh
@sofiecouwenbergh.com
Writer, thinker, and dance aficionada. Fueled by tea, passionate about interpersonal communication. She/her. Essays and poetry on https://sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/
You don't want to dance with everyone, so you can't expect everyone to want to dance with you.
... and that goes for more than just dancing.
... and that goes for more than just dancing.
May 23, 2025 at 2:48 PM
You don't want to dance with everyone, so you can't expect everyone to want to dance with you.
... and that goes for more than just dancing.
... and that goes for more than just dancing.
A week or so ago, an old, grumpy-looking man appeared on the street I park my car. He’d be sitting there on a bench, face closed. So two days ago, I decided to greet him a “boa tarde” as I walked past.
His face lit up and showed a serious lack of teeth. “Boa tarde,” he replied.
👇🏻
His face lit up and showed a serious lack of teeth. “Boa tarde,” he replied.
👇🏻
May 17, 2025 at 9:47 AM
A week or so ago, an old, grumpy-looking man appeared on the street I park my car. He’d be sitting there on a bench, face closed. So two days ago, I decided to greet him a “boa tarde” as I walked past.
His face lit up and showed a serious lack of teeth. “Boa tarde,” he replied.
👇🏻
His face lit up and showed a serious lack of teeth. “Boa tarde,” he replied.
👇🏻
Reposted by Sofie Couwenbergh
OK, this is wild.
In September 2023, geophysicists across the world started monitoring a very odd signal coming from the ground under them.
It was picked up in the Arctic. And Antarctica. It was detected everywhere, every 90 seconds, as regular as a metronome, for *nine days*.
What the HELL?
1/
In September 2023, geophysicists across the world started monitoring a very odd signal coming from the ground under them.
It was picked up in the Arctic. And Antarctica. It was detected everywhere, every 90 seconds, as regular as a metronome, for *nine days*.
What the HELL?
1/
May 12, 2025 at 3:20 PM
OK, this is wild.
In September 2023, geophysicists across the world started monitoring a very odd signal coming from the ground under them.
It was picked up in the Arctic. And Antarctica. It was detected everywhere, every 90 seconds, as regular as a metronome, for *nine days*.
What the HELL?
1/
In September 2023, geophysicists across the world started monitoring a very odd signal coming from the ground under them.
It was picked up in the Arctic. And Antarctica. It was detected everywhere, every 90 seconds, as regular as a metronome, for *nine days*.
What the HELL?
1/
Today I realized,
I'm not too much.
Their arms simply weren't strong enough to hold me.
I'm not too much.
Their arms simply weren't strong enough to hold me.
April 18, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Today I realized,
I'm not too much.
Their arms simply weren't strong enough to hold me.
I'm not too much.
Their arms simply weren't strong enough to hold me.
Writing is digesting.
You take in something raw or well-cooked.
To make it your own, you need to swallow, even when that's hard.
As the experience moves through your system,
what's nourishing gets absorbed,
what's not passes through,
and in the end,
you just hope that what comes out is solid.
You take in something raw or well-cooked.
To make it your own, you need to swallow, even when that's hard.
As the experience moves through your system,
what's nourishing gets absorbed,
what's not passes through,
and in the end,
you just hope that what comes out is solid.
April 15, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Writing is digesting.
You take in something raw or well-cooked.
To make it your own, you need to swallow, even when that's hard.
As the experience moves through your system,
what's nourishing gets absorbed,
what's not passes through,
and in the end,
you just hope that what comes out is solid.
You take in something raw or well-cooked.
To make it your own, you need to swallow, even when that's hard.
As the experience moves through your system,
what's nourishing gets absorbed,
what's not passes through,
and in the end,
you just hope that what comes out is solid.
About how Portuguese helps us differentiate between how we define ourselves and the temporary states we move through.
open.substack.com/pub/sofiecou...
open.substack.com/pub/sofiecou...
States of Being
As hard as it is to implement, I like how Portuguese makes the difference between ser (“to be”) and estar (“to find oneself in a state of”).
open.substack.com
April 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
About how Portuguese helps us differentiate between how we define ourselves and the temporary states we move through.
open.substack.com/pub/sofiecou...
open.substack.com/pub/sofiecou...
When you crave something deeply and then get a drop of it - but just one - your need isn’t met; you’re just reminded of it fiercely.
And so with gratitude for each drop, comes grief for the lack of a stream.
And so with gratitude for each drop, comes grief for the lack of a stream.
April 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM
When you crave something deeply and then get a drop of it - but just one - your need isn’t met; you’re just reminded of it fiercely.
And so with gratitude for each drop, comes grief for the lack of a stream.
And so with gratitude for each drop, comes grief for the lack of a stream.
There is no applause
for choosing to create light
amidst the pain and sadness,
but it's the only way
to not let the darkness win.
for choosing to create light
amidst the pain and sadness,
but it's the only way
to not let the darkness win.
April 10, 2025 at 8:59 PM
There is no applause
for choosing to create light
amidst the pain and sadness,
but it's the only way
to not let the darkness win.
for choosing to create light
amidst the pain and sadness,
but it's the only way
to not let the darkness win.
This ad made me chuckle :)
March 29, 2025 at 10:51 AM
This ad made me chuckle :)
"Less normalized (...) is the grief we experience when losing ourselves. Sometimes, we consciously upgrade who we are, yet in the process, we ignore that not everything about the old us was that bad. We throw away the baby with the bathwater and then wonder why we miss something to care for." >>>
On Self-Loss and Grief
How often do you hold space for the grief you experience when you lose a part of yourself? Sometimes we consciously upgrade who we are, yet in the process, we ignore that not everything about the old ...
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com
March 27, 2025 at 3:03 PM
"Less normalized (...) is the grief we experience when losing ourselves. Sometimes, we consciously upgrade who we are, yet in the process, we ignore that not everything about the old us was that bad. We throw away the baby with the bathwater and then wonder why we miss something to care for." >>>
“When we feel our heart leap at the thought of one option before us, and our heart sink at the mention of another, what does that portend for the choice we ultimately make?” - 'The Extended Mind' by Annie Murphy Paul
March 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
“When we feel our heart leap at the thought of one option before us, and our heart sink at the mention of another, what does that portend for the choice we ultimately make?” - 'The Extended Mind' by Annie Murphy Paul
Reposted by Sofie Couwenbergh
Women’s Health Startups File EU Complaints Against Tech Giants Over Content Censorship buff.ly/ESa6ERz
March 13, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Women’s Health Startups File EU Complaints Against Tech Giants Over Content Censorship buff.ly/ESa6ERz
@pmillerd.com Just wanted to let you know there's a little typo in the link to your membership in your bio :)
Have a lovely rest of your day.
Have a lovely rest of your day.
March 13, 2025 at 1:49 PM
@pmillerd.com Just wanted to let you know there's a little typo in the link to your membership in your bio :)
Have a lovely rest of your day.
Have a lovely rest of your day.
What if it’s not a matter of choosing how much we focus on building our future and how much we enjoy the now, but a matter of building our future in a way that is joyful, purposeful, and gratifying as we go about it?
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/entreprene...
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/entreprene...
An Alternative Definition of Entrepreneurial Success
It’s been hip for a while to go against the hustle culture, but usually, the people who advocate that are people who have already sold their businesses for fuck-you money, who are already very financi...
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com
March 13, 2025 at 1:34 PM
What if it’s not a matter of choosing how much we focus on building our future and how much we enjoy the now, but a matter of building our future in a way that is joyful, purposeful, and gratifying as we go about it?
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/entreprene...
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/entreprene...
Contentment is just as much about accepting who we are not, as it is about being true to who we are.
March 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Contentment is just as much about accepting who we are not, as it is about being true to who we are.
Would you rather reach the end of your life and regret all the growth you avoided out of fear of discomfort, or be uncomfortable now with a good chance of more joy and calm in the long run?
March 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Would you rather reach the end of your life and regret all the growth you avoided out of fear of discomfort, or be uncomfortable now with a good chance of more joy and calm in the long run?
1/8 of my Weekly Cafe Working Sessions Challenge (I really need a better name for it): done! I was so much more focused than I usually I am at home yet at the same time it felt a little too intense, maybe. I'm excited to see how I'll feel next week.
March 6, 2025 at 10:01 AM
1/8 of my Weekly Cafe Working Sessions Challenge (I really need a better name for it): done! I was so much more focused than I usually I am at home yet at the same time it felt a little too intense, maybe. I'm excited to see how I'll feel next week.
I'm on day 437 of sharing Little Things that brought me joy throughout the day on my Instagram stories (maybe I should share them here too?). Here are 9 lessons I learned in the first year. A thread:
March 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I'm on day 437 of sharing Little Things that brought me joy throughout the day on my Instagram stories (maybe I should share them here too?). Here are 9 lessons I learned in the first year. A thread:
Developer friends:
We just launched a Honeybadger region in Europe. For all your performance monitoring and error tracking needs — now with EU data residency.
Tell your friends!
Tell your friends!
Announcing our new EU data region! 🇪🇺 🌍
If you want to use Honeybadger but must keep your data outside the U.S. (you know, for whatever reason) — this is for you.
Read the blog post, and/or stick around for the key takeaways. 🧵
www.honeybadger.io/blog/eu-data...
If you want to use Honeybadger but must keep your data outside the U.S. (you know, for whatever reason) — this is for you.
Read the blog post, and/or stick around for the key takeaways. 🧵
www.honeybadger.io/blog/eu-data...
March 4, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Developer friends:
Friends want to be there for you. If you're struggling with something right now, reach out to them. You're not bothering them. You're offering them a chance to show up as friends.
March 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Friends want to be there for you. If you're struggling with something right now, reach out to them. You're not bothering them. You're offering them a chance to show up as friends.
@amykey.bsky.social I'm taking your workshop at Salted Books in a few weeks and I *think* we could leave a question for you upon signing up but I didn't at the time. I do have one now, though. If I'm not misremembering, would you mind if I shared it here? Thanks!
March 1, 2025 at 12:50 PM
@amykey.bsky.social I'm taking your workshop at Salted Books in a few weeks and I *think* we could leave a question for you upon signing up but I didn't at the time. I do have one now, though. If I'm not misremembering, would you mind if I shared it here? Thanks!
I'm challenging myself to work at a cafe for at least 1 hour a week for 8 weeks straight. Not much of a challenge? It is to me, for the reasons listed in this post. I also share why I'm doing this, and how I'll use public accountability to stay on track.
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/challenges
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/challenges
Using Public Accountability to (Hopefully) Improve My Life
When I started my Little Things series back in December 2023, I did so on Instagram because I knew that sharing it publicly would keep me accountable.
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com
March 1, 2025 at 12:43 PM
I'm challenging myself to work at a cafe for at least 1 hour a week for 8 weeks straight. Not much of a challenge? It is to me, for the reasons listed in this post. I also share why I'm doing this, and how I'll use public accountability to stay on track.
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/challenges
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/challenges
When you're dealing with something invisible, "How are you" can be one of the hardest questions to answer. You want to be honest but positive, open but protective. If you’ve ever struggled with deciding what or how much to share, this might resonate.
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/invisible-...
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/invisible-...
Invisible Conditions and the Complexity of “How Are You?”
One of the hardest things about living with an invisible condition is needing to decide multiple times a day, every day again, how you’ll respond to the question: “How are you?”
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com
February 28, 2025 at 10:06 AM
When you're dealing with something invisible, "How are you" can be one of the hardest questions to answer. You want to be honest but positive, open but protective. If you’ve ever struggled with deciding what or how much to share, this might resonate.
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/invisible-...
sofiecouwenbergh.substack.com/p/invisible-...
The hidden cost of chronic conditions is time. They're not just draining and require you to rest more. You spend so much time on research, doctors, figuring out which supplements to get where, and nervous system regulation instead of just living. You are a constant caretaker, of yourself.
January 22, 2025 at 11:21 AM
The hidden cost of chronic conditions is time. They're not just draining and require you to rest more. You spend so much time on research, doctors, figuring out which supplements to get where, and nervous system regulation instead of just living. You are a constant caretaker, of yourself.