hey there!

Welcome to debrief, a newsletter investigating culture, work, and being alive.

You probably recognize me from YouTube/TikTok/Instagram/etc. as “that Biglaw attorney” or “the lawyer who quit her corporate job.” And those things are all true! But here, a few steps away from the incessant algorithmic demands of social media, you’ll find I am more than just my former job.

What can I expect from debrief?

I like to write about the many facets of living in a society and being alive—expectations in corporate settings, being power-hungry, family abolition. This will occasionally veer into discussions of mental health and media criticism of shows that people are talking about and musical ecosystems like K-pop. I also write about whatever is on my mind at the moment, so don’t be surprised by personal essays and musings on creativity and (reluctant) entrepreneurship.

Additionally, I answer reader questions in the Of Counsel column. (You can submit a question here.)

Why should I subscribe?

Hopefully because you find my writing thought-provoking, illuminating, and helpful in your own life. And if you don’t—which is totally okay—or simply don’t love email newsletters and only want infrequent updates about upcoming book(s), you can subscribe first and then manage your notifications here:

debrief with cece xie is sent out 1-2x a week. It includes think pieces and video essays, articles to Read & Debrief (with discussion questions for paid subscribers), and essays for paid subscribers (sometimes accompanied by video or audio).

debrief (podcast) is basically the audio-only parts of debrief with cece xie, which means it is sent out 1-3x a month. If you are a paid subscriber, you can set up your private RSS feed to receive subscriber-only episodes on wherever you listen to podcasts.

Of Counsel is sent out 1x a month.

Book is, hopefully, self-explanatory—and will only be used periodically for substantial publishing announcements (e.g., preorders, publications, events).

A lot of your content is free. What’s the point of becoming a paid subscriber?

Because you find my work—on here or YouTube or TikTok or out in the physical world—valuable! And you want to support its creation and ensure that my educational and informational content remains freely available to all.

I love sharing knowledge with the world; paid subscribers help make this possible. Paid subscribers gain access to my inner sanctum—stripped-down videos and podcast episodes, nascent ideas that need to be treated like newborn kittens, and all the things I discuss and share with friends, colleagues, and mentees (but not the internet at large because nuance often gets lost in translation at scale!)—as well as archival posts older than six months. Subscribing also helps ensure that my informational and educational video content on all other platforms remains freely available to all.

Please know, though, that having you here and being able to be in conversation with you is the most important thing to me. If you are a student without disposable income, un- or under-employed, or a minimum-wage worker, just email me or fill out this form and I’ll comp you a free subscription, no questions asked. And if you want access to a paywalled post for whatever reason, email me with the link to the post and I’ll send the full version to you. (I check these once every few weeks, so build that lead time into your expectations.)

And if you have the financial means to donate one of these subscriptions, you can do so here. You can also gift a subscription to someone you care about here. And you can check out group subscriptions (with a 15% discount for the first year!) here.

I have something else to say. How can I reach you?

Feel free to send your suggestions and comments to cecexie[at]substack.com. debrief is a work in progress, much like my own life, and I welcome your thoughts and feedback on what you would like to see! Please note that because of the volume of emails received, I cannot respond to every message—but rest assured that I read all of them and take them under due consideration.

I truly appreciate your messages and thoughts, as they are a sign that my content has struck a chord in some way. After all, my goal as a writer is to put things out into the world that resonate and help others feel less alone, which I think is the best thing that one person can do for another.

Thanks for spending some of your precious time with me. I can’t fully enumerate how much I appreciate it—but I shall try.