Don’t work out on an empty stomach, the WWW Framework to use social media more consciously, and forgetting how to be human

I’m back on Substack. 🥳

Irene Chu

Jun 15, 2025

Quote of the Week:

“Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.” — Dalai Lama

What I’ve Been Up To

It’s been a while! Over a year since I last wrote here. So before diving in, here’s a little life update.

August 2023: Quit a safe, stable teaching job to write online.

March 2024: Landed a job at Kurogo as a Content Writer, building personal brands for founders.

When I quit teaching (this was my second time), everyone said:

“Why are you leaving such a safe, stable job?”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“The pay is great.”

And I doubted myself, too:

“Did I make the right choice?”
“Am I going to find any clients?”
“Will I work $8/hour on Upwork again?”

But I took the leap anyway.

I didn’t have all the answers. Just a quiet belief that I could figure it out.

And slowly, it started to work out.

Since working at Kurogo, professionally, I’ve:

Worked 100% remote with an incredible team of 17 spread across Europe and Southeast Asia
Worked with 10+ clients across industries like FMCG, marketing, and environmental testing
Learned directly from incredible founders

And achieved results like this with my Pod (shoutout to Alessia and Ilaria):

Secured a Vogue Business feature for one client
Raised 700,000 pounds in investment for one client.
Went viral multiples (500 - 10,000+ reactions) for multiple clients
Received invitations to participate in Dragons’ Den UK for two clients
Grew from 4,000 to 12,000 followers and 1.4 million views in 30 days for one client

But life isn’t just work.

Personally, I’ve:

Reached 500+ watch time hours on YouTube with just 180 subscribers
Visited Taiwan 2x to spend time with my parents (I live in Budapest)
Set up a small art shop on Shopify, selling polymer clay key chains
Started doing Pilates (always been more of a gym gal)
Started growing microgreens with my husband
Visited Malta and Greece
Got married!!! 💍

And next month, I’m going back to Canada for 1 month after leaving for 6 years! (I grew up there.)

So why am I sharing this?

Because if you’ve been doubting yourself… I get it.

But trust me…

It is possible to bet on yourself. And win.

And now... I’m back on Substack. 🥳

On Nutrition

I used to train on an empty stomach. For years. 🫠

But it turns out fasted training isn’t great for women. Here’s why:

I started doing it because:

My brother did it
I thought it would burn more fat
I heard skipping breakfast and working out fasted helps with weight loss

But the problem?

Most of those studies were done on men, and men’s bodies work differently from women’s.

2 months ago, Dr. Stacy Sims, a top exercise physiologist, explained everything on the Mel Robbins podcast, and it blew my mind.

She said women shouldn’t work out on an empty stomach because:

It messes with our hormones.

Fasted training can lower oestrogen and progesterone, two hormones that affect our mood, appetite, brain, bones, immune system, and more.

It affects kisspeptin.

Kisspeptin is a brain signal that helps regulate those hormones. Without fuel, kisspeptin drops, and so do other hormones.

It slows down the thyroid.

Even just four days of fasted training can affect your thyroid, which controls your metabolism, heart rate, and body temperature.

It raises cortisol (stress).

Women already have higher cortisol. When you train without food, your body gets stressed and holds on to fat instead of burning it.

So what should women do instead? Dr. Sims recommends:

Eat more protein.

You can lose body fat even without exercise if you eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight (or 2g per kg).

Cut calories at night.

Try eating less in the evening, not before your workout. That way, your body has fuel for the day and can burn fat while you sleep.

Eat before you train.

Have a small snack 30 minutes before working out. For strength, aim for 15g of protein. For cardio, add 30g of carbs. Then eat again after your workout.

Bottom line:

As Dr. Stacy Sims says, “Women are not small men.”

Fasted workouts might work for men, but not for us.

On Happiness

In 2016, I spent hours scrolling social media.

By 2025, I barely use it (except YouTube and LinkedIn for work).

I quit cold turkey, but that’s not the only way. If you want a gentler, more mindful approach, try the WWW Framework by Catherine Price (shared by Dr. Laurie Santos):

I used to be addicted. I’d doom scroll for hours. The result?

I wasted time
I felt awful comparing myself to others
I watched others live their lives instead of building my own

One day, I’d had enough. I deleted all the apps cold turkey. Since then:

I’ve gained back time
I compare myself less
I focus on building my own life

You don’t have to quit like I did. Dr. Laurie Santos shared a method called the WWW Framework by Catherine Price. It helps you use your phone (or social media) more consciously.

Here’s how it works:

What for?

Why are you opening social media? Are you trying to buy something? Feeling lonely? Or just bored?

Why now?

What triggered it? Are you anxious? Procrastinating? Looking for a distraction?

What else?

What could you do instead that meets the same need without picking up your phone?

Start asking yourself these questions.

It’ll help you scroll less and live more.

On Self-Development

Confession: I’m scared I’m forgetting how to be human.

4 weeks ago, my friend messaged me. He opened up about what he was going through, the demons he was facing, the turning point he’d reached.

I wanted to respond with the ‘perfect’ message. Something that was kind, compassionate, and supportive.

So what did I do?

I used ChatGPT to help me write it, using my own thoughts. And… it turned out great.

But afterwards, I felt guilty. I didn’t understand why until I heard Simon Sinek speak on The DOAC podcast. He said something that hit me:

“As the end product becomes easier to produce, it’s humanity that’s going to suffer.”

That was it. Even though my intentions were good, it wasn’t ME writing a message to my friend. It wasn’t human. It was ChatGPT.

Simon said, “Unless we take personal accountability, to teach and learn human skills, they will disappear. We’re already starting to see this.”

Think about it. We now ask ChatGPT what to say when a friend is struggling, what to text after a fight, how to respond to feedback.

So, the most important skills needed in the evolving world of AI? Human skills.

How to listen
How to hold space
How to express empathy
How to take accountability
How to give and receive feedback
How to resolve conflict peacefully
How to have an effective confrontation

Here’s how I’m starting to relearn them:

Talk to people more.

I’m an introvert, and most of my close friends live far away. So I rarely talk to anyone outside of my partner and coworkers. That needs to change.

Pause before turning to AI.

When something happens, I try to sit with it. Think. Reflect. Respond from the heart.

Study human connection.

I read books and listen to podcasts on how to build real emotional skills.

Point being:

ChatGPT will give you an answer, and it might be good.

But if you skip the hard part of doing the work yourself, you’ll learn nothing.

At the end of the day, human beings want human beings.

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter!

If you have a minute, I’d love for you to respond to this poll:

Also, as always, if there’s anything you want me to address, talk about, or answer, PLEASE email me your questions!

Thank you so much for being here! 😊

See you soon,

Irene

The Happiness Diary

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