Working Girl's Guide #37: Moving in with bae and launching my workwear collection

DeepSeek takes on Nvidia, 12th Tribe and I take on workwear, and I’m MOVING! Let’s get into it.

What’s DeepSeek and why is everyone freaking out about Nvidia?

You probably already know that Nvidia (the leader powering AI…literally) is a huge deal - in fact, Nvidia was the world’s most valuable company ever, until Monday. That’s thanks to DeepSeek, a brand new AI assistant out of China, which developed a ChatGPT competitor at a fraction of the cost. People freaked out about how dope DeepSeek is, Nvidia lost $600 billion in market cap on Monday, and that meant Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang personally lost $21 billion. Don't worry too much, though, he still has over $100 billion (LMAO hard to conceptualize!). What’s next? TBD! Some are calling DeepSeek a security nightmare, others aren’t too worried about that, and are more focused on a probable Nvidia recovery.

Free refills are back at Starbucks! But you can’t pee for free anymore 😕 

Changes are brewing (so sorry about that bad pun) at Starbucks. Last year, when now-CEO Brian Niccol was poached from Chipotle, people wondered what he’d change: guac on your lattes? Chorizo cake pops? Don’t worry, none of those things happened, but he is bringing back some old Starbucks vibes like condiment bars and Sharpie messages on cups, plus some new things, like free refills on brewed coffee and tea in reusable ceramics cups. Also, no more bathrooms or water for non-paying customers: if you wanna pee, you’re gonna have to pay. It’s all in the name of Niccol’s vision for Starbucks: a “welcoming coffee house where people gather and where we serve the finest coffee."

There’s a new list of safest cities in the US (and sadly mine isn’t on it)

For my readers in that “let me get out of San Francisco and have kids” phase (couldn’t be me), Forbes is out with their newest report on the safest cities in the country, and while SF is definitely not on there, there’s some promising finds! Like, I was pretty surprised that New York City is the 13th safest city (of cities with population over 100k). Irvine, California is #1, and Honolulu is #2… I mean, twist my arm. When we expand beyond large populations, the top safest city in the country is Ramapo Town, in New York’s lower Hudson Valley. It’s covered in hydrangeas and looks quaint AF, so while you’d have to drag MY cold dead body out of San Francisco, Ramapo looks like a great pick for anyone eager to try something new. If you’ve been, please report back!

Speaking of all these great cities one could move to…I'm MOVING! Not out of San Francisco, but in with bae (tears of joy and also gonna miss my roomie era so much). So I spent the entire weekend furniture shipping — here's me at TJ Maxx trying out my 16th couch in a row! Excited to share my new space with you all!

I’ve never been more excited for this section of my newsletter. ICYMI, I collaborated with 12th Tribe on a workwear capsule, and it is SO. GOOD. You know I spend my life in workwear, and yes, I have plenty of pieces I love, but there just wasn’t that much out there that felt professional and also had some edge. I felt like the options were either perfect for a sorority brunch or a middle aged compliance offer (no hate to either party!). But the 12th Tribe collection? It is giving reformed office siren and I am HERE FOR IT. And the prices are reasonable: $278 for a 3-piece set? Bonus: you can order each piece in a different size, which I absolutely stan. Check it out the full collection, let me know what you think, and tag me if you order and try on!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and I know some of you are getting out the doilies and going hard on homemade cards for everyone you love, and some of you are too busy to even remember that January is almost over. Whether you’re spending V-day with friends, a partner, or treating yourself, you can make it special and fun without going too over-the-top (or high effort!).

Here are my tips (don’t tell bae):

1. Embrace semi-homemade. There is nothing wrong with a store-bought dessert that you take home and sprinkle with some powdered sugar or candy hearts!

2. Candles make anything feel fancy. Grab a few cheap ones, dim the lights, and suddenly your space is sooo romatic (or cozy for a solo self-care night).

3. If you're gifting, think sentimental but easy. For your partner, write down a few reasons you adore them on sticky notes and scatter them around. Don’t overthink it.

This week on the pod, Ross and I ask a question that we unfortunately both know the answer to far too well: do you have to be insane to start your own company? No, but it definitely helps.

We pull back the curtain on our entrepreneurial journeys, sharing the highs, lows, and everything in between. I go behind the scenes on my new workwear line (did you hear I have a workwear line???), and we chat pros and cons of a solo-founder role, plus explore alternative paths like joining a founding team or supporting other business creators.

Stick around for a critical look at hunter sales roles, an unexpectedly heartfelt PSA about gas cap locations, and a few actionable tips on how to gaslight your family (in the most entertaining way possible).

Thanks for reading!