megan hernbroth
@meganhernbroth.bsky.social
recovering climate finance reporter, newly minted essayist | currently writing at meganhernbroth.substack.com | previously writing at axios, business insider
I was hoping to have a nice little dual race report this weekend, but a stray rock in Issaquah had other plans.
I’ve spent a lot of my sedentary week thinking about why I do what I do, how I feel about risk, and what I’m going to do next.
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/missteps
I’ve spent a lot of my sedentary week thinking about why I do what I do, how I feel about risk, and what I’m going to do next.
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/missteps
Missteps
A stray rock in Issaquah is my new enemy
meganhernbroth.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I was hoping to have a nice little dual race report this weekend, but a stray rock in Issaquah had other plans.
I’ve spent a lot of my sedentary week thinking about why I do what I do, how I feel about risk, and what I’m going to do next.
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/missteps
I’ve spent a lot of my sedentary week thinking about why I do what I do, how I feel about risk, and what I’m going to do next.
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/missteps
I sprained my foot last weekend (more to come in this weekend’s essay) and let me tell you there are few weeks worse than this to be deprived of my sole coping mechanism (running for very, very, very long periods of time)
November 12, 2025 at 10:42 PM
I sprained my foot last weekend (more to come in this weekend’s essay) and let me tell you there are few weeks worse than this to be deprived of my sole coping mechanism (running for very, very, very long periods of time)
Softbank was among the handful of venture funds that declined to comment on whether it had any involvement with Epstein back when I asked in 2019, yet is named explicitly in the below email
www.businessinsider.com/top-silicon-...
www.businessinsider.com/top-silicon-...
November 12, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Softbank was among the handful of venture funds that declined to comment on whether it had any involvement with Epstein back when I asked in 2019, yet is named explicitly in the below email
www.businessinsider.com/top-silicon-...
www.businessinsider.com/top-silicon-...
not the clearest evening in northwest washington but aurora borealis still visible
November 12, 2025 at 2:41 AM
not the clearest evening in northwest washington but aurora borealis still visible
Reposted by megan hernbroth
I was staying in Nederland, Colo., when the shopping center burned to the ground. I evacuated my hotel and watched the flames reach towards the early morning sky. It wasn’t my first evacuation, and despite what folks in my new town think, it won’t be my last
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
Burn piles
Outing myself as a non-local
meganhernbroth.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I was staying in Nederland, Colo., when the shopping center burned to the ground. I evacuated my hotel and watched the flames reach towards the early morning sky. It wasn’t my first evacuation, and despite what folks in my new town think, it won’t be my last
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
I was staying in Nederland, Colo., when the shopping center burned to the ground. I evacuated my hotel and watched the flames reach towards the early morning sky. It wasn’t my first evacuation, and despite what folks in my new town think, it won’t be my last
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
Burn piles
Outing myself as a non-local
meganhernbroth.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I was staying in Nederland, Colo., when the shopping center burned to the ground. I evacuated my hotel and watched the flames reach towards the early morning sky. It wasn’t my first evacuation, and despite what folks in my new town think, it won’t be my last
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/burn-piles
It’s easy to be scared of the dark. It is full of unknowns, full of potential threats. But when the horrors are playing out in broad daylight, embracing the darkness becomes a lot more appealing.
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/under-the-...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/under-the-...
Under the cover of darkness
When daytime horrors persist
meganhernbroth.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:58 PM
It’s easy to be scared of the dark. It is full of unknowns, full of potential threats. But when the horrors are playing out in broad daylight, embracing the darkness becomes a lot more appealing.
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/under-the-...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/under-the-...
When times are strange, there’s something comforting about living strangely with time.
On learning from the past as we confront the future we’ve brought upon ourselves while remaining grounded in the present
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/living-in-...
On learning from the past as we confront the future we’ve brought upon ourselves while remaining grounded in the present
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/living-in-...
Living in strange times
Have you hugged a tree recently?
meganhernbroth.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
When times are strange, there’s something comforting about living strangely with time.
On learning from the past as we confront the future we’ve brought upon ourselves while remaining grounded in the present
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/living-in-...
On learning from the past as we confront the future we’ve brought upon ourselves while remaining grounded in the present
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/living-in-...
survived my first PNW spider season and lived to write about it
(and also the importance of building when things feel impossible and the battles are always uphill, in case that feels as relevant to you as it does to me)
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/how-to-bui...
(and also the importance of building when things feel impossible and the battles are always uphill, in case that feels as relevant to you as it does to me)
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/how-to-bui...
How to build a web
So long, spider season
meganhernbroth.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
survived my first PNW spider season and lived to write about it
(and also the importance of building when things feel impossible and the battles are always uphill, in case that feels as relevant to you as it does to me)
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/how-to-bui...
(and also the importance of building when things feel impossible and the battles are always uphill, in case that feels as relevant to you as it does to me)
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/how-to-bui...
my very small town has over 100 people out today, including an inflatable chicken and inflatable pig
small town protests rule
small town protests rule
October 19, 2025 at 2:01 AM
my very small town has over 100 people out today, including an inflatable chicken and inflatable pig
small town protests rule
small town protests rule
I saw my first wolf a few summers ago in Alaska, and I think of it every time my therapist refers to me as a “lone wolf,” which is basically every other week.
Turns out, wolves (and humans) aren’t meant to do life solo. Who knew?
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/pack-animals
Turns out, wolves (and humans) aren’t meant to do life solo. Who knew?
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/pack-animals
Pack animals
When wolves get lonely
meganhernbroth.substack.com
October 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I saw my first wolf a few summers ago in Alaska, and I think of it every time my therapist refers to me as a “lone wolf,” which is basically every other week.
Turns out, wolves (and humans) aren’t meant to do life solo. Who knew?
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/pack-animals
Turns out, wolves (and humans) aren’t meant to do life solo. Who knew?
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/pack-animals
Oh no, she’s being vulnerable and earnest on the internet again
This week’s essay is about growth, performance, and my mother
Enjoy
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/dear-diary
This week’s essay is about growth, performance, and my mother
Enjoy
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/dear-diary
Dear diary
Casualties of getting to know myself
meganhernbroth.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Oh no, she’s being vulnerable and earnest on the internet again
This week’s essay is about growth, performance, and my mother
Enjoy
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/dear-diary
This week’s essay is about growth, performance, and my mother
Enjoy
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/dear-diary
i’ve had a working theory that the second verse on the smallest man who ever lived from ttpd was one long dick joke and when i say this is the most vindicated I’ve felt in a long time!!!
anyway, wood is a bop and im happy for both of them
anyway, wood is a bop and im happy for both of them
October 4, 2025 at 1:55 AM
i’ve had a working theory that the second verse on the smallest man who ever lived from ttpd was one long dick joke and when i say this is the most vindicated I’ve felt in a long time!!!
anyway, wood is a bop and im happy for both of them
anyway, wood is a bop and im happy for both of them
Reposted by megan hernbroth
If you want to understand open adoption, it makes sense to start with birth parents—yet studies of them are few. 2+ yrs ago, I began talking w/ birth mothers to try to understand what living in an open adoption is like for them, and what rights or options they might have if challenges were to arise.
When Adoption Promises Are Broken
Many birth mothers hope to maintain contact with their child. But their agreements with adoptive parents can be fragile.
www.theatlantic.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM
If you want to understand open adoption, it makes sense to start with birth parents—yet studies of them are few. 2+ yrs ago, I began talking w/ birth mothers to try to understand what living in an open adoption is like for them, and what rights or options they might have if challenges were to arise.
Reposted by megan hernbroth
"CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss" is the exact same deal as "Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth"
October 1, 2025 at 2:24 AM
"CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss" is the exact same deal as "Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth"
Oh, how I’ve missed autumn. I realized how quickly I settled in to the season’s insistence to slow down, to notice, to be present. The leaves are golden, the air is cool, the world feels dire, I’m burned out again. But, I’m here
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/autumns-ep...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/autumns-ep...
Autumn's ephemeral lessons
A season to pause and appreciate
meganhernbroth.substack.com
September 28, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Oh, how I’ve missed autumn. I realized how quickly I settled in to the season’s insistence to slow down, to notice, to be present. The leaves are golden, the air is cool, the world feels dire, I’m burned out again. But, I’m here
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/autumns-ep...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/autumns-ep...
Hello burnout my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/a-sturdy-t...
I’ve come to talk with you again
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/a-sturdy-t...
A sturdy tire
I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending
meganhernbroth.substack.com
September 21, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Hello burnout my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/a-sturdy-t...
I’ve come to talk with you again
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/a-sturdy-t...
Social media has rotted our brains, our reality, and our relationships. I’m truly unsure of where we go from here, but I do know I want out of this hellscape
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/passive-vo...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/passive-vo...
Passive voice, the collective
Another essay about the scourge of social media
meganhernbroth.substack.com
September 14, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Social media has rotted our brains, our reality, and our relationships. I’m truly unsure of where we go from here, but I do know I want out of this hellscape
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/passive-vo...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/passive-vo...
Despite what the calendar says, it is still summer in the high country. Hot and smoky under a blistering sun. Summer takes all that she can get, but it’s up to us to ensure she can’t take it all
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/endless-su...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/endless-su...
Endless summer
The fruits are ripe for picking
meganhernbroth.substack.com
September 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Despite what the calendar says, it is still summer in the high country. Hot and smoky under a blistering sun. Summer takes all that she can get, but it’s up to us to ensure she can’t take it all
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/endless-su...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/endless-su...
How can someone hold joy at the same time as big, existential dread? Are personal victories and new relationships worth celebrating in the face of so much suffering? I don’t have any of the answers, but here’s my best attempt so far
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/finding-jo...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/finding-jo...
Finding joy at the end of the world
A sunset over the Pacific
meganhernbroth.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 3:24 PM
How can someone hold joy at the same time as big, existential dread? Are personal victories and new relationships worth celebrating in the face of so much suffering? I don’t have any of the answers, but here’s my best attempt so far
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/finding-jo...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/finding-jo...
How do you get something — a place, a hobby, rock climbing — to finally click? I think I figured out the answer
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/try-hard
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/try-hard
Try hard
Win big
meganhernbroth.substack.com
August 17, 2025 at 3:18 PM
How do you get something — a place, a hobby, rock climbing — to finally click? I think I figured out the answer
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/try-hard
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/try-hard
👀
makes the DOE response I recently got from a request I filed several years ago at a job I no longer work at interesting
makes the DOE response I recently got from a request I filed several years ago at a job I no longer work at interesting
The Department of Energy said it will close FOIA requests from last year unless the requester emails the agency to say they are still interested. Experts say it's an "attempt to close out as many FOIA requests as possible."
🔗 www.404media.co/trump-admini...
🔗 www.404media.co/trump-admini...
Trump Administration Outlines Plan to Throw Out an Agency's FOIA Requests En Masse
The Department of Energy said it will close FOIA requests from last year unless the requester emails the agency to say they are still interested. Experts say it's an "attempt to close out as many FOIA...
www.404media.co
August 14, 2025 at 12:57 AM
👀
makes the DOE response I recently got from a request I filed several years ago at a job I no longer work at interesting
makes the DOE response I recently got from a request I filed several years ago at a job I no longer work at interesting
I took my brother on his first backpacking trip earlier this week to celebrate his birthday. His idea! But when he kept saying how he’d been humbled by the hiking, I thought back to my own early experiences outdoors and what’s keeps me coming back
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/big-sky-fe...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/big-sky-fe...
Big sky feelings
On getting humbled
meganhernbroth.substack.com
August 10, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I took my brother on his first backpacking trip earlier this week to celebrate his birthday. His idea! But when he kept saying how he’d been humbled by the hiking, I thought back to my own early experiences outdoors and what’s keeps me coming back
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/big-sky-fe...
meganhernbroth.substack.com/p/big-sky-fe...
spent this week touching rocks, highly recommend
August 7, 2025 at 3:44 PM
spent this week touching rocks, highly recommend