Open Tabs is Sunnie’s weekly newsletter, where we share what we’ve been watching, listening to, reading, buying, and thinking about. Plus, we ask someone cool what they’ve been up to.
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She’s a college freshman by day, a nonprofit founder by weekend, and… apparently an impromptu dorm-room karaoke singer by night? Brooklynn Riley founded Stick2Kindness in 2022, and has since left thousands of sticky notes promoting kindness, understanding, and positive self-talk to people who walk by (and they sell v cute merch that benefits a mental health-focused charity).
Sunnie caught up with Brooklynn as she finished her first semester at fashion school in NYC, and she talked about making time for herself, celebrating small wins, and which iconic singer is her style inspo.
1. What gave you the idea to start Stick2Kindness?
Growing up, I had a lot of friends who were struggling with their mental health. So I've learned at a very young age how important that was, and how important it is to talk about it to make the struggle more bearable.
2. What does self-kindness actually look like as you adjust to life at school?
Not being hard on myself. Being a first-year in college, I have so many expectations. I'm so eager to do so many things, and I have so many things I'm passionate about. But understanding that things do take time and everything's not going to fall into place all at once is so important for me. And definitely taking breaks from my phone.
3. How do you wind down at night when you’re finally done with everything?
Me and my roommate do karaoke! Karaoke is, like, such a big therapy session for us at the end of the day. Whatever we're feeling, we put on some really hype music. If we're feeling like we need to get our energy out before bed or we had a long day, we'll throw on the slow songs and do karaoke on our beds. We literally went to the store and bought microphones for it.
4. How do you celebrate small wins, like getting through a hard week or just showing up when you don’t feel like it?
Well, obviously, small rewards, like going for ice cream or just treating myself to something smaller. I love fashion, so like if there's something I've really been wanting, like, just knowing that I do deserve to also treat myself, even though I love helping other people – I’d say that. I love a good ice cream run.
5. Not only do you have awesome style, but you literally study fashion! Where do you find your inspo? Where do you shop?
I take so much inspiration from the music industry. I love looking at the wardrobes of Olivia Rodrigo and Lady Gaga. I love music so much. I feel like music is my self-expression, but so is fashion, so I feel like both of those just come together for me. I’m also a big Pinterest girl. I’m always on Pinterest, being creative.
I love Urban Outfitters. I feel like they have such a wide variety. They have the best denim. I love their jeans so much. And I like Zara a lot. Other than that, I just like finding, like, niche little brands, which has been really easy for me to do at fashion school. I learn about a new brand every day, so it's cool.
6. Any self-care goals for 2025?
I’m trying to read more. I do like to read, but I haven’t been a big reader. When I do, though, it’s such an escape for me, so I’m trying to make time to do that.
To Read:
✦ New York Mag just dropped its “Culturati 50,” where they talked to people who shaped entertainment this year about their thoughts on… entertainment this year. Chase Sui Wonders talks “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Lola Tung talks “John Proctor Is the Villain,” and Amaya Papaya talks Labubus.
✦ The Forbes Under 30 Class Of 2026 is full of Gen Z-ers doing cool things in their own ways, including actors Anna Cathcart and Marissa Bode, sports icons Coco Gauff and NiJaree Canady, fashion cool girl Georgia Costello (aka Strawberry Milk Mob), content creator Katie Fang, and literally HUNDREDS more. It’s definitely worth clicking through the lists.
To Watch:
Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
✦ The “Dancing with the Stars” freestyles, obviously. We’re lucky we didn’t break anything trying every lift from the finale over Thanksgiving! While we love our Mirrorball champions Robert and Witney (and all the runners-up), we’re still freaking out over Whitney Leavitt’s Joker-inspired final dance on Call Her Daddy.
✦ We’re obsessed with Steve Harrington and his group of (twentysomething) tweens. Despite being barely conscious when the first season of “Stranger Things” came out, we’re hooked – and deep into online theories about what’s going to happen to the Hawkins crew. We’re stocking up on cozy ‘80s-themed goodies, like this pillowcase, this hoodie, and this baby tee, for our upcoming late-night watch parties.
To Listen:
✦ The new episode of “She’s Not Next, She’s Now” focuses on pro indoor women’s volleyball, and the interview lineup is insane: LOVB Houston star/Olympian Jordan Thompson, four-time Olympian/LOVB Nebraska legend Jordan Larson, and two-time Olympian/LOBV Salt Lake standout Jordyn Poulter.
✦ Emma Chamberlain danced to “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” in a viral TikTok promoting her appearance on Owen Thiele’s podcast (IYKYK), so we knew the actual “In Your Dreams” ep was going to hit. Emma opened up about how her iconic friendship with Owen began and why she keeps dating musicians (hint: she quotes Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild.”)
✦ Ornaments are like bag charms for your x-mas tree if you think about it, and is it so wrong to give our family Christmas trees a little bit of our own flair? Some of our favorite ornaments are this vintage ticket stub, this Polo bear (hundreds of dollars cheaper than the viral Polo bear sweater but still as Instagram-worthy), this bag of Sour Patch Kids, and this adorable little mouse.
✦ Sorry if you don’t care about the Spotify Wrapped list of everyone you’ve ever met… but we totally do. Yes, our Instagram stories are flooded, but we’re obsessed with snooping into everyone’s yearly roundups every December. If nothing else, they remind us there’s no shame in spending hundreds (and maybe thousands) of hours listening to Lady Gaga. It’s self-care, if you ask us.
✦ Abby Lee Miller yassified Neil Patrick Harris’ face. In a viral IG post (slide 3), the former Dance Moms coach edited the “How I Met Your Mother” star so much that it drew the attention of the entire internet. NPH commented, “Ummm… what did you do to my face..?” Abby Lee responded that he “looks fabulous no matter what,” which, like, true.
✦ Acquired Style wore a literal parade float to Thanksgiving dinner. We look forward to TikTokker Brigette Pheloung’s (@acquiredstyle) over-the-top Thanksgiving outfits every year, and her inflatable float-inspired dress was next level.
