Medium is an online publishing platform with a hybrid collection of amateur and professional people and publications, or exclusive blogs or publishers. Medium offers all users 3 reads per month before introducing a paywall, which once a member of allows for unlimited engagement.

The news kinda sucks right now. Even progressive outlets have removed comment sections, forcing those seeking engagement into anonymous Reddit hell holes.

Luminary is a podcast streaming platform and the first with a monthly access fee.

Luminary is the first paid podcast platform and honestly, it was only a matter of time. Podcasts are the best free education out there, and the hosts deserve to be fairly compensated beyond pre-roll ad spend. Podcast hosts such as Guy Raz, Michael Barbaro, and Rich Roll, and their guests, have become my professors. And they’ve kept their show’s free to listen to through other platforms.

Spotify is a music streaming platform where the right music or podcast is always at your fingertips.

Music delivers joy and improves our moods. That alone is enough justification for a $2.50 monthly fee to unlimited music and podcasts. To add more though, consider Spotify as the soundtrack to your commute, your workday, your workout, your life. Especially attractive is Spotify if you choose not to pursue a Luminary subscription with the volume of podcasts included.

Down Dog Yoga is an anytime, anywhere, unique yoga practice. With over 30,000 different configurations, and multiple levels, voices, and settings you are able to individualize your practice, every time.

I love community, but don’t love rushing to an afternoon class, or meeting an early morning schedule, especially the more autonomous I’ve become over my schedule. With Down Dog, if I’m inspired to fall into a practice, or only want to dedicate 15 minutes, I’m empowered to do so.

Did you know that people spend almost 3x more time on Insight Timer than many other apps who have 10 times more downloads and a bazillion times more revenue? Insight Timer is the world's largest free library of guided meditations on earth and the world’s most loved meditation Timer.

You’ve read the articles about meditation, have tried and failed to keep a practice, or even lied about having a practice on a first date. Whatever your truth is, I don’t care. What I care about is Insight Timer.

The first social fitness network, Strava is the number one app for runners and cyclists. It has an international user community of over 40 million and a team that spends each day searching for new ways to inspire athletes and make the sports they love even more fun.

Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform, most commonly used for email marketing.

Email lists are measured by the value of each subscriber. That individual subscriber value is a constantly debated metric and often shared only when it’s of an impressive value. Subscriber worth aside, the important message here is to keep an email list.

FindTap is a first of its kind drinking network for smarter cities and a cleaner planet. With their app, users find the closest place to refill a water bottle within seconds.

This may not be a subscription, but it is something to use monthly. No, daily.

Never underestimate the power of two things:

1. Hydration.
2. That the sum of small acts can change the world.

you may have noticed is that this list does not include Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV or any other streaming service. This was intentional. As entertaining as the content within these platforms is, the majority of shows and series do not support a growth mindset. If anything, they encourage unhealthy and stationary behaviors.

Consider replacing the hours spent horizontal delaying sleep fixated on streaming screens with podcasts, yoga, or Medium. Or, if you enjoy reading, open a local library card and access their digital downloads from anywhere. Another free service.