I am so excited to finally share the launch of Anti-Spam on Substack, the new home for my newsletter and all of its future content!
As of August 2023, all content on sarahmacdonnell.com was uploaded to the new platform. Original articles will remain here, but the full archive including updated versions of all posts and ALL NEW CONTENT is available exclusively on Substack to paid subscribers for $6/month. If you were receiving my emails prior to August 2023, your subscription was transferred over to Substack by placing you on the “free list”. Free subscribers receive very limited access to Anti-Spam. For full access and to receive all the same content you were getting before, I would greatly appreciate if you upgraded to a paid subscriber!
On Anti-Spam, you will find new and improved versions of all your favorite articles, like Clean Beauty 101, Healthy(ish) NYC Guide, Sugar 101, A Quick Guide to Supplements and Remedies, as well as 40+ NEW recipes, travel black books, health guides, and other exciting content.
I love sharing, writing, and researching. I get texts all the time asking about recipes, recommendations, travel tips, health questions, and more. I have spent years collecting information, bookmarks, and curated lists of what I love and find impactful. But building resources takes time. Anti-Spam is my solution to sharing this bank of knowledge with all of you.
My work is not sponsored, nor do I receive affiliates or any other paid endorsements. There are so few places like this on the internet anymore. These days, it’s rare to find content untouched by influencers or ads. It makes the world confusing and the consumer distrustful. Your $6 a month (the cost of one coffee out!) allows me to continue providing honest resources. If you value my content, find it interesting, or want answers, I would greatly appreciate your paid support so I can continue writing for my friends, family, network, and larger community.
Once you subscribe, new content will be delivered straight to your inbox. Expect recipes, health 101s, curated recommendations, reviews, everyday hacks, travel black books, cleanish guides in your favorite cities, and more (but not that much more, don’t worry). It’s anti-spam.
I knew I wanted my email newsletter to become something new—to stand on its own from my coaching business and build a following supported by a brand identity that resonated with more people. This website is an excellent representation of me, and it emcompasses my business (both of which it was intended for). I wanted the newsletter to speak to a larger community that might be less interested in who I am, but is interested in how to build a healthy life. They might just not know where to start.
[anti-spam]:
Trademark: opposition to Spam, a brand of salty processed canned pork formed into a solid block.
Noun: the opposite of unsolicited junk email, i.e. a high-quality email or newsletter.
Anti-Spam is a candid critique of Spam (the food) and other unsolicited junk like it. It is a fun, no-bullshit health newsletter. The name represents a need to quiet all the noise, opinions, and fads circling in the health world.
Anti-Spam brings it back to basics, skips over trends to find solutions, and exposes ultra-processed food and hidden toxins that contribute to a lower quality and quantity of life, without being too serious. The goal is to make “wellness” work for you, while acknowledging the inherent flaws in the industry. Expect bluntness, banter, candid inquiries, key clarifications, and creative solutions.
Anti-Spam is NOT about living in fear. Rather, it is about changing what we can control with a little sacrifice as possible, and not worrying about what we can’t.
If you’re like me, you know what it’s like to be plagued by analysis-paralysis, forever in search of curated, trusted sources to distill the daily media overload (the “spam”). In an influencer-driven culture where everyone is an entrepreneur, every recommendation is sponsored, and life feels like a competition for the best of everything—sifting through the noise and making a decision can be confusing. Especially when it comes to health.
I created Anti-Spam to speak to anyone who wants to build a healthy life, but might not know where to start. I wanted to share my solutions to an oversaturated, overwhelming world of contradictory information. My approach is realistic and approachable, without being too serious—nobody is perfect, and at the end of the day, “wellness” is fucking hilarious. We live in an outrageous world, so we might as well embrace it and start taking responsibility for our little slice of it.
To build a healthy, long life, feel good, and continue to perform at the same level for as long as possible, we can no longer be careless about our bodies. These vessels that carry us through life are kinda important. Our genes are not our destiny; through daily habits and behaviors, we have the power to change how our DNA is expressed, in turn preventing disease, rewiring our brain, breaking old habits, and transforming our quality (and quantity) of life. “Health is wealth” has never been more true; you can have all the money in the world, but without your health to enjoy it, you have nothing.
This cultural conundrum spans health, food, and travel—all areas I love, but have spent countless hours agonizing over. Should I eat traditional foods like meat and real dairy, grains, or plant-based? Do seed oils matter? What is the best place for cold brew in the West Village? Is cold brew even better than iced coffee? What’s the best bistro in Paris if you’re only there for 24 hours? Should I make Half Baked Harvest’s “best paleo chocolate chunk cookies”, “grain free pb chocolate chunk cookies”, or “the best gf chocolate chip cookies ever”? WTF is the difference? If you identify with the headspace behind any of these questions, I can help. We are constantly running against the clock, with too many choices and not enough trusted recommendations, hoping to make the right decision in the short time we have.
Everyone has a point of view, and I’m not here to claim I know best; however, I am here to offer simplicity. Expect high-level, condensed options that are extracted from first hand experience and extensive research. This information isn’t available anywhere else (obviously). If you trust me and my network, even just a little bit, you will find value here.
This is not about striving for perfection. There are truly endless options out there that will result in a positive experience. I want to offer one way, one avenue, to success. I want to streamline the decision-making process, clarify misconceptions, and extract the valuable bits from a confusing world. I want to save you time by doing the work for you.
