Welcome to Stockholm Syndrome
This blog was born in the space between wanderlust and routine. Between the longing for new horizons and the reality of carpool lines, grocery lists, and the slow creep of sameness that settles over modern life. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt the dull ache of restlessness while living a life that looks “fine” on paper.
Why Stockholm Syndrome?
Good question.
No, this isn’t a blog about hostages falling in love with their captors. But it is about living in a world where the familiar can feel like captivity—and how to make peace with it while still finding ways to break free.
I’ve always been drawn to the offbeat. At risk of sounding like a Pick-Me Girl, while other kids played with dolls, I built forts and raised ant colonies. When the world screamed Britney, I was more of a Christina. And I never really left that emo punk phase behind—just traded the studded belt for a Tushbaby.
It wasn’t rebellion for rebellion’s sake—well, maybe sometimes—but rather rebellion driven by curiosity. I’ve always been pulled toward the parts of life that rarely get airtime: the subcultures and rituals that don’t show up on morning talk shows, the alternative paths that get passed over for more polished versions of “success.” I’ve long wondered why certain ways of living dominate our collective imagination when there’s a whole, weirder, richer world to explore just beneath the surface.
This blog was born out of that curiosity—and, if I’m honest, a little suburban claustrophobia. I live in a place where the landscape is Target parking lots and five-lane roads, where culture often feels like it got scrubbed off with a Clorox wipe. And now, with motherhood on the horizon, my odds of spontaneous escapes to places like Istanbul or Kyoto are shrinking by the day.
So I’m making a trade: plane tickets for pages. This is my journal of cultural excavation—a way to travel without leaving, to explore different lifestyles, values, rituals, foods, and ways of being from around the world, and maybe, just maybe, find some relief from the sameness of modern life.
Because I know I’m not the only one feeling this way.
There’s a low hum of restlessness that runs through so many of us. We crave variety. We want the spice rack of life, not just salt and pepper. Put some sriracha in my mayo for crying out loud! But money, kids, jobs, health, responsibilities—these things keep us grounded. Or stuck. Depending on the day.
So how do we deal? We get curious.
This blog is for the quietly desperate and the creatively curious. For the wanderers stuck in place. For the ones who once said “I’ll never live in the suburbs,” and now find themselves Googling air fryers during nap time.
It’s also for anyone who suspects there’s beauty in the mess. Who believes you can live a rich, meaningful life even if you never set foot in Tahiti. Who think culture isn’t just something you consume on vacation, but something you can grow in your own backyard.
Here’s what you’ll find here:
Topics We Love:
- Culture – Stories, rituals, and rhythms from around the globe
- People – Uncommon characters and community connectors
- Essays – Observations on the human condition and cultural contradictions
- Lifestyle – Everyday routines, elevated through curiosity
- Nature & Place – Landscapes, cityscapes, and the energy of where we live
- Travel – Near or far, with or without a passport
- Food & Entertainment – What we gather around, from home kitchens to dive bars
- Design – Spaces, objects, and aesthetics that shape our world
- Relationships – Love, friendship, chosen family, and the tangled bits in between
What You Won’t Find:
- Trend-driven product hauls or affiliate link dumps masquerading as storytelling
- Pinterest-perfect spaces with no sign of actual life lived inside them
- Content engineered to impress rather than connect. We’re here for the raw edges, the crooked frames, the half-folded laundry on the bed
This space isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. There will be mess. There will be meaning. And hopefully, a little magic in between.
Our Manifesto
We live in a country that promised comfort, and delivered it in spades.
But somewhere along the way, it forgot to make it meaningful.
So here we are—in our homes, in our routines, in our beautifully complicated lives—still looking for something more.
Not more stuff. Not more noise.
More connection. More insight. More truth.
We believe experiencing culture shouldn’t be locked behind a boarding pass.
And that no one culture holds all the answers, but every culture has something to teach us.
This is for anyone with a curious mind and a craving for depth.
We believe in slow mornings and second chances.
In learning how other people live. Not to judge, but to understand.
In building a life that feels intentional, not just inevitable.
We believe rooted relationships and parenthood aren’t one-size-fits-all, and they can absolutely coexist with curiosity.
That being grounded doesn’t mean being stuck.
That a rich inner life matters just as much as a full family calendar.
This is Stockholm Syndrome.
A journal for those who are still exploring—through story, through culture, through the lives and rituals of others, as a way of finding their way back to themselves.
You don’t have to escape your life to make it your own.
But you do have to keep your eyes open.
So yeah, Stockholm Syndrome. A name that’s tongue-in-cheek, sure, but also a nod to the weird dance we do with our circumstances. You can hate the strip mall and still love the bakery in it. You can feel trapped and still find wonder. You can be here, and still reach elsewhere.
Let’s explore.
