u/Altruistic_Gene_6869

Hi everyone! I’m looking to have an engagement ring made and would love to hear who you recommend based on your personal experiences.

Being able to choose and approve the individual stones is really important to me. I’m looking for high-quality stones with lots of sparkle and a vendor who is great with custom work and attention to detail.

Who would you trust for an engagement ring? I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has had a custom ring made and can share their experience (and photos if you have them!).

Thank you so much! 💕

Between Hayden Panettiere’s death, Nicolandria spotting and Jordan’s wedding, I’m going to be missingggg the girls’ takes this morning

Dear Bryan,

I love [solidcore]. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be writing this.

Like so many members, I’ve spent thousands of dollars here because I believed I was paying for a premium experience. The workout is second to none. Most of the coaches are incredible. They are the reason so many of us keep coming back.

This isn’t about them.

It’s about leadership.

Lately, it feels like we’re paying more and getting less.

Membership prices continue to rise, but the member experience feels like it’s moving in the opposite direction. Studios are dirty. Customer support has become increasingly AI-driven, often sending members in circles instead of solving problems. Many studios still lack basic amenities you’d expect from a premium fitness brand. The community notices when costs go up but service goes down.

We notice when it’s harder to reach a real person.

We notice when member experience starts taking a backseat to efficiency.

We notice.

I also couldn’t help but notice your recent LinkedIn posts only allow comments from your connections. Maybe there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. But from a member’s perspective, it sends the wrong message. It gives the impression that feedback is welcome only when it’s controlled.
If those comments were open, I don’t think you’d see hate.

I think you’d see disappointment.

Because people aren’t frustrated with [solidcore] because they hate it. They’re frustrated because they love it. They remember what made this company feel different, and they’re watching it slowly become like every other company that prioritizes growth over the customer experience.

We’re not asking for luxury.

We’re asking that premium prices come with a premium experience.

We’re asking to be able to reach a real person when we need help.

We’re asking for clean studios.

We’re asking leadership to spend as much time investing in members as it does talking about growth.

The workout is still the best in the business. That’s exactly why so many of us are speaking up. We want to keep recommending [solidcore]. We want to keep celebrating milestone classes. We want this company to succeed.

Please listen to the people filling your classes every single day.

We’re not asking for perfection.

We’re asking you to do better.

Friendly reminder for anyone parking in a ParkATX area:

FREE15ATX1
FREE15ATX2

Each code gives you 15 minutes of free parking, so you can stack them for 30 free minutes if you need a quick stop.

I’ve used them successfully, so figured I’d pass them along in case it saves someone a few bucks.

EDIT: code resets every 24 hours!

Has anyone been? It looks to be in the back of Barton Hills Market.

I was scrolling TikTok and found a video on it and the user claimed it was the best pizza he’s had in Austin.

Looked like Joe is from New York

Hey toasters 👋

I went ahead and created r/deartoasters as a dedicated spot for all of our girly swirly advice requests and questions.

This isn’t meant to replace the community we already have. It’s simply a place where people can ask questions and get advice from fellow toasters.

One thing to note: I have a full-time job and plenty of responsibilities outside of Reddit, so I’m definitely not looking to be the sole moderator or run this as a one-person show. My goal was simply to create a space for the community.

If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, feel free to join, post, and help shape what it becomes. 💕

Including ads.

Ads took up at least 10% of the episode

My boyfriend and I are officially entering our ring era and I realized I know basically nothing about diamonds.

We’re leaning toward a lab diamond, but now I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of color, cut, clarity, carat, fluorescence, certification, proportions, and approximately 47 other things I didn’t know existed a week ago.

For those of you who have already gone through the engagement ring process:

• What do you wish you knew before buying a diamond?
• Which of the “4 Cs” actually mattered most in real life?
• Are there any specs that jewelers hype up that most people can’t even see?
• Did you go lab or natural, and would you make the same choice again?
• Any regrets about size, shape, setting, or budget?
• What was something you thought would matter a lot but ended up not mattering at all?

I’ve already learned that cut seems to be king, but beyond that I feel like everyone has different opinions.

Basically, if you could go back and give your pre-engagement self one piece of diamond-buying advice, what would it be?

Please share your wisdom so I can avoid making expensive sparkly mistakes. ✨💍

I used to love this place. I’m a matcha drinker, so this is specifically about their matcha drinks.

They used to be top 3 in Austin for me, and now they’re bottom 3. I can barely taste the matcha anymore - it mostly just tastes sugary. Customer service also seems to have declined. The last few times I’ve gone, I’ve genuinely hated my drinks.

EDIT: if you’re going to leave a downvote, leave a comment. I’m genuinely curious