<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Autumn Diaries]]></title><description><![CDATA[Midlife musings from the road less travelled.]]></description><link>https://www.autumndiaries.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p3Qe!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f9a7705-467f-4cfb-a672-b829211ffc26_256x256.png</url><title>Autumn Diaries</title><link>https://www.autumndiaries.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 10:59:32 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.autumndiaries.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Kerstin Martin]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[autumndiaries@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[autumndiaries@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Kerstin Martin]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Kerstin Martin]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[autumndiaries@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[autumndiaries@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Kerstin Martin]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Ahem. A change of direction...]]></title><description><![CDATA[Opening up the blog]]></description><link>https://www.autumndiaries.com/p/ahem-a-change-of-direction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.autumndiaries.com/p/ahem-a-change-of-direction</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Kerstin Martin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 06:51:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HOBt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4badab0-5f27-49a4-b6d1-3c031f5d4e4d_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Today I decided to change the name of this blog and its direction.</p><p>I am still on my weight loss journey and it&#8217;s going well. But I realized that over the last decade or so, I have pretty much said all there is to say about weight loss, trauma, ADHD, diet culture and all of that. I have enjoyed blogging about it, but more than anything I just need to <em>do</em> it, which I am. However, my love of blogging has been reignited and I do want to continue writing.</p><p>It is 2026 and the world as we know it is changing at a rapid pace. Between the political turmoil and the expansion of AI into many layers of our lives, there is an overwhelming sense of uncertainty, worry, and divisiveness. I want to chronicle these unsettling times through the lens of an independent woman who was raised by a resilient, stubborn, and resourceful single mother of three. We were a low income family, but growing up in Germany in the 70s and 80s meant we had a taxpayer-funded social safety net: afforable housing and healthcare, enough food, excellent free public schools and universities. It was not a perfect system and things were definitely not always easy, but having that kind of a safety net and a mother who &#8220;refused to feel poor,&#8221; made all the difference to how I approached life as a woman.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iKKZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F765ed35d-5d33-408d-a6e0-9f2501560343_3729x2797.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iKKZ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F765ed35d-5d33-408d-a6e0-9f2501560343_3729x2797.jpeg 424w, 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I love life, humans, and the beauty of this world. I don&#8217;t love bigotry, xenophobia, racism, and misogyny. Life is too precious to hate, but I can also see how easy it is to be sucked into the divisive lure of internet silos and echo chambers. I do believe that patriarchy is on its last breath. Not surprisingly, it&#8217;s not going silently. But those of us who want a better world, where <em>everyone</em> has a realistic chance at a free, dignified, and safe life, are no longer silent, either.</p><p>I archived the previous weight loss posts and changed the name of this blog to <em>Autumn Diaries &#8211; </em>because autumn is my favorite time of year, and at 63 also the current season of my life. &#127810; </p><p>If you were mostly interested in my weight loss content, I completely understand if you&#8217;d rather unsubscribe again. But if you are curious about where this new direction will take us, then I&#8217;d love for you to stay.</p><p>Either way, thank you for your support with that part of my life, it meant a lot!</p><p><em>Kerstin xo</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>