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Welcome to BriCember: Where I've Been

Welcome to BriCember: Where I've Been

Welcome back to Bri Books podcast! If this is your first time, WELCOME! And if you’re a return listener from the last 6 (!!!!!!) years, welcome back. Bri Books is now also on YouTube: watch here.

Today is November 30th, marking not just the beginning of Advent season, but the beginning of BriCember!

What is BriCember?

BriCember is a personal project wherein I challenge myself to produce and publish a podcast episode a day in the month of December. Not only is December my birth month, it’s also the perfect time of the year to catch up on where you’ve been and where you’re going.

What’s Coming Up This BriCember?

In 2025, I’ll be approaching BriCember through the lens of literature, with lots of recommendations of what to read. But I’m also aligning it not just with the month, but with how we think of time. This BriCember will be aligned with the moon phases.

But Wait, Where Have You Been, Bri?
I’ve spent most of 2025 in flux, in the most beautiful way. Last year, in 2024, I began a new career at JPMorganChase. In 2025, I started to find my professional stride. I also moved house in 2025! I moved from one apartment in Brooklyn to another, and I’m nesting. We’ll be doing deep dives into winter food as well this BriCember. Also, I’m still reeling from the fallout of my mothers’ death. That’s a constant on my mind. Which brings me to….writing! I’m officially writing again, and I’m focused on writing and publishing in 2026. I’m giving myself the rest of the year to sharpen up my writing, so I can graduate to having an agent and finishing my book. I’ve been reorganizing my life in very tiny, quiet ways, and art has been a big part of 2025. I’ve been painting, and I’ve been traveling. I’m grateful that travel has been part of my working life in 2025. This year, I went to Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong; and Singapore, in addition to Western China and Mexico. Prayerfully there will be more travel in 2026.

What’s Coming in BriCember 2025

I’ve broken each week of December according to the moon cycles.

Week 1: All about wine! Holiday wine menu planning, how to spend $60 at your local wine shop, Austrian wine, Madeira, orange wine, and having fun learning about terroir in the wine world.

Week 2: Winter reset! We’ll shift into how to prepare for a restful winter, my favorite health and beauty picks of 2025, gentle goal-setting, how to go gently into the new year; what to grow and sow in the new year! Lifestyle toolkit; manifestation journaling and how to get started; a winter mid-season check-in;

Week 3: Cozy-maxxing! Winter recipes, soups, and spices; winter food rituals; what’s in season at the farmers market in winter; deep winter books/ the best books to hunker down with this winter

Week 4: Prepping! What we want to bring into 2026 (and what we’re leaving in 2025); gratitude journaling; manifestation journaling; how to round out 2025 gently and with discernment.

Listen to Bri Books and find @BrionnaJay on Instagram. You can always find Bri Books on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at bribookspod.com.

Mother's Day, Year Two: A Reflection on Grief and Growth

Mother's Day, Year Two: A Reflection on Grief and Growth