Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley: Recent Episodes

Kate Hanley

Finding the Throughline: Conversations about the Creative Process invites you into the minds of writers and other creatives as they open up about their process, their doubts, and what kinds of changes they’re thinking about making. The questions are mildly invasive, honestly, and the answers are unvarnished…and so refreshing! Whether your creative work is writing, painting, making music, parenting, or simply living, Finding the Throughline can help you get—and stay—inspired. Invigorated, even. For detailed show notes on each interview, visit katehanley.substack.com. And if you’d like to hear these interviews in one ad-free episode (as opposed to broken up into three shorter episodes with a few ads sprinkled in to keep the lights on), become a paid subscriber once you’re there. .

Today I'm interviewing Dr. Heather Sandison, who is the founder of the Solcere medical clinic and the Marama residential elder care facility in Southern California–the first memory care facility to have the goal of returning its residents to independent living. Heather is working on a book where she details her evidence-based approach--full disclosure, I am helping her write that book and as we've been working on it I've gotten so excited by her stories of folks who have made incredible gains in their brain health that I had to have her on to share the things we can all do now that will help us have better brain health, memory, and cognition in the future. Wait til you hear the stories of her patients who have gotten better! You’ll want to do what they’re doing. Marama at Home digital course Solcere medical clinic website This episode sponsored by: HelloFresh – Use promo code 50BETTERPERSON to save 50% and get free shipping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time isn’t just this tangible thing that you can parcel out and have it behave in predictable ways. So let’s stop trying to make it our b-i-t-c-h, whaddya say? The thing is, when you are feeling good and in a groove, mentally, physically, and spiritually, you cut through tasks like a hot knife through butter. It’s better, then, to stop trying to manage your time, and focus instead of managing your energy. This is not just some woo-woo thing that I personally believe. The Harvard Business Review article that describes the Energy Project study I mention in this episode This episode sponsored by: AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 HelloFresh – Use promo code 50BETTERPERSON to save 50% and get free shipping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Dr. Cassie Holmes, professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, social psychologist who researches the intersection of time and happiness, and who teaches a wildly popular MBA class on how to change the way you think about time in order to boost happiness. She generously shares her evidence-based strategies for changing your approach to time and making more space for the things that really matter to you. I love this episode!! Dr. Holmes’s book, Happier Hour Time tracking sheet Time crafting canvas This episode sponsored by: AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 HelloFresh – Use promo code 50BETTERPERSON to save 50% and get free shipping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dumb little things you have to do repeatedly can eat up your time and drag your energy down. Since this week is all about ways to take better care of the intersection of time, energy, and happiness, finding solutions for these minor aggravations is the subject of today’s episode. I don’t know about you, but I find teeny little changes ridiculously exciting, which means I’m ridiculously excited about this episode. This episode sponsored by: AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 HelloFresh – Use promo code 50BETTERPERSON to save 50% and get free shipping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I'm interviewing planning expert Sarah Hart-Unger, host of the Best Laid Plans podcast. A self-described "compulsive list maker and life planner," Sarah's planning prowess has been honed through experience. In addition to Best Laid Plans, Sarah is also the co-host of the Best of Both Worlds podcast, with Laura Vanderkam; is a pediatric endocrinologist; has three kids; and is a daily blogger and a devoted runner. In this interview, Sarah shares how she makes time for planning, her systems for sharing plans with her family, her favorite planning tools, and the mindset she brings to planning in the first place (which was way different from how I had been approaching it). Best Laid Plans podcast Best of Both Worlds podcast Sarah’s website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m sharing ways to make planning less stressful and more happy-making. Today’s big idea is that there’s a type of planning that most of us don’t even think to make room for on our calendars, but that can help us do our best thinking and ensure that we pay good attention to the things that matter most (and that tend to get drowned out in a typical day). It’s called the Shultz Hour–listen to the episode for all the details! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big reason we make plans is to stave off stress–if you know what’s happening when it gives you a feeling of control and helps you know that you’re doing the things that you need and want to do. And there’s a certain type of planning that can also make you significantly happier, and not the kind of satisfaction that comes from having all your ducks in a row, but actual happiness that recharges your creativity, helps you be in the moment, and creates memories that can last a lifetime. What is this magical planning hack? Plan. More. Vacations!! Research quoted in this episode: 1 in 4 Americans who work in the private sector get NO paid time off 700 million vacation days go unused each year Vacations really do help us feel less tired and more mindful People are more engaged and productive at work after taking a vacation Survey that found that taking time off reduces reports of depression That vacation feeling only lasts about 2 weeks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think about getting older, or the elderly in general, what words come to mind? The answer to that question can have a big impact on your health–from how long you live to how high your risk of developing dementia is (even if it runs in your family!). I’m sharing some fabulous news about getting older all this week on the podcast. This is stuff that was pretty new information for me so I hope that it will be a pleasant surprise for you too (and that it might even help you live longer and better, which research suggests it could!). New York Times article on Dr. Levy’s research Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I'm taking a look at aging, and the simple but powerful things we can do to make our getting older experience better on many levels. And today I'm talking with someone who is a leading voice for women to re-think their attitudes toward aging, and to embrace some new tools and strategies to make aging just a new phase of life--and not something to dread. My guest today is Tamsen Fadal–as the evening news anchor for WPIX-11 in New York City, Tamsen has spent her entire career being told that at any moment, she would age out of her job. Now in her early 50s, she’s going stronger than ever, and has a lot to say on exceeding expectations (others’ and our own) as you get older. Plus, she is (and looks) amazing, so I get her to spill the things she does to keep herself in a good space as she constantly keeps her eye on what’s Coming Up Next (the name of her podcast). Listen to Tamsen’s Coming Up Next podcast Follow Tamsen on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have to actively try to counter the ideas about aging that we’ve been swimming in for years and years in order to truly get on board with the idea that getting older is something to not just make peace with, but also to actively celebrate. To help you do that, I’m sharing 3 major, huge, fricking fantastic benefits of getting older. It’s time to get pumped! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve been talking to friends and hearing from listeners that a lot of you are pondering life changes–maybe it’s because the kids are grown, or just because it’s time to switch things up. Or maybe your hand is being forced because you’re dealing with some kind of health thing. The common theme I’ve detected is that it’s happening at midlife. It has also been a time that has been shown time and time again in research studies to be a time when we’re our least happy. Yep, there’s a U curve of happiness and midlife is the bottom of the U. That’s the bad news. The good news is…it goes up! But let’s talk about how to feel better about this naturally low point. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking to Meagan Francis, host of the podcast Mother of Reinvention, mom of 5 kids (who range in age from 13 - 25), somewhat recently divorced, self-employed since she was 25 years old, and no stranger to pivoting. I asked Meagan about how motherhood–and women’s identities–change as kids get older, how to pick up the pieces when it feels like the chessboard of your life gets completely upended, and why you might not want to hold out for when the kids leave home to start reinventing yourself and your life. Follow Meagan on Instagram Check out Mother of Reinvention (And subscribe! Rate! Review! Share!) Visit Meagan’s website This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midlife is basically puberty in reverse. Huge hormonal shifts. The dawn of a new phase of life. A body you may or may not recognize. As the mother of a now 15-year-old daughter, I can see the similarities between us and you know what? A lot of it is awesome. Come find out why. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 1970, North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds. 3 billion!! This is a problem because birds do so many important things – they eat pests, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, and protect ecosystems. They’re also direct descendants of the dinosaurs–they are living proof of life’s resilience and if they are dying in droves, it really doesn’t bode well for the rest of us. So let’s talk about some simple things you can do to help our feathered friends. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Jodi Helmer, it all started by adopting a rescue dog. That led to fostering other dogs in order to help them get adopted. That led to a move to the country in order to have more space. That led to taking in one very naughty donkey who was running out of a time at a kill shelter. And now, Jodi and her husband Jerry are caring for 48 rescued animals and are running a non-profit animal sanctuary. In honor of animal week, I interviewed Jodi about what rescuing animals has taught her about herself and life in general, why animal sanctuaries are so incredibly needed, and how you can support this important work without opening your home to 48 animals. Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary website Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary Instagram Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary Facebook page Jodi's books on gardening, farming, and living green

This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why am I talking about animals on a show about being a better person? Animals can really bring out our better instincts and give us an opportunity to get out of our own heads, thinking about our own problems. Plus, they're cute. I originally aired this episode in late winter, thinking it was the perfect time for a little cute infusion when our spirits could go for some lifting. But now that we’re experiencing the hottest summer on record, I think it’s a great opportunity for a re-listen! This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more AirDoctor – Use promo code BETTER to save up to 39% or $300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can’t talk about how to get better and making more of your own food without also talking about getting better about grocery shopping. After all, you can’t cook what you don’t have. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who embrace leftovers, and those who turn their nose up at them. By the end of this episode, I hope you’ll be firmly in the embrace ‘em camp, if you’re not there already. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you definitely don’t need any formal training to be a great home cook, having a couple of techniques up your sleeve can make things a lot easier. So today I’m sharing three cooking strategies that, over the years, have saved me weeks of time. I did learn them from a pro, but not in a class or culinary school. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s face it: Adulting can be a real slog. The list of things to do and take care of can feel relentless. However, that does not mean that doing the things you need to do has to be boring, or tedious. You CAN use fun to goad yourself into doing those things you have to do, and enjoy yourself while you’re doing it This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Aqua Tru – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off any water purifier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In order to invite more fun into your life, it helps to give some thought to what you consider to be fun, and what you’ve been doing for fun lately, and objectively assess whether you might need to prioritize fun a little more. I think of it as doing a fun inventory. That may sound like a clinical approach to playfulness, but what you inspect, you respect. C’mon, it’ll be fun! This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Aqua Tru – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off any water purifier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want something in your life to change, you’re craving more meaning, a great place to start is by looking at fun. I get that fun can feel frivolous, and that it’s easy to think that we should wait until things calm down before we even consider doing something just for the fun of it. But fun is not just enjoyable, but also it’s vital to our wellbeing and even to our very purpose for being on this planet in this body at this juncture in time. Woah. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Aqua Tru – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off any water purifier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably are already aware of parfaits as a breakfast option. But did you know that you can pack them to go??? I’ve got a story, plus how to make them delicious without being a total sugar bomb, as, let’s face it, most parfaits are. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Aqua Tru – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off any water purifier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One criteria I had for this week’s grab-and-go breakfasts is that they do not involve dirtying a pan during the morning hustle. Which rules out eggs, right? Wrong. This is a cooking method for ‘fried’ eggs popularized by Mark Bittman that is going to crack breakfast wide open (I could not resist the pun). This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Aqua Tru – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off any water purifier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK, I know: Chia pudding sounds like something your hippy aunt made in the 70s. But trust me, it’s really flipping good. I admit I discovered chia pudding when I was on the ketogenic diet a few years ago and needed something to fill the dessert void. But chia pudding also makes an awesome breakfast, tastes kind of like rice pudding (and if you’re not into that texture, I’ve got a fix for you), provides heaps of fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, and keeps you pleasantly full for a few hours. PLUS, did I mention you really just have to stir some stuff together in the same jar that you store it in and eat it out of? I share the formula and lots of possible variations in this episode. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Aqua Tru – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off any water purifier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever gotten home from vacation and felt… sad? Out of it? Just not like yourself? That very real phenomenon is what we’re talking about today. Both why it happens, and what you can do about it. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raise your hand if you’ve ever gotten home from a vacation and felt like you needed to check into a detox facility. Or, as the saying goes, you needed a vacation to recover from your vacation. Today, we’re talking about how to have plenty of fun when you’re away without overindulging to the point that you feel like crap. My interview with Ashley Whillans on overcoming time poverty Interview with Ashley Whillans on the benefits of vacation time Study on the benefits of 11 minutes of exercise

This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vacation is fun to think about, but less fun to pack for. I just got back from our first-ever two-week vacation and feel, for the first time, that I really nailed the packing. So I’m sharing the packing strategy I used with you! Here are those categories: Exercise, lounging, dressing up, weather, activities, everyday, toiletries, entertainment This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How often do you think about how your life has been going up to this point? Not very often, right? I’ve got an exercise for you today that can help you get a little objectivity and clarity on who you are and what you’ve done that’s also just a fun thought experiment, and that is to think about what the title of your memoir would be. Those prompts again are: A specific incident or place that has shaped you Finish the phrase This is the Story of ____ or A Year of _____ A phrase you heard a lot or say a lot The most provocative thing you believe The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr This episode sponsored by:

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There’s just something about how you say stuff to another person that can come straight off the truth, like a wind that comes down a mountain. You’re not overthinking, you’re just talking and boom, there it is. Sometimes honestly I don’t really know what I think about something until I talk to someone about it. I’m a big believer in verbal processing. Today I’m sharing 3 ways to get your verbal processing fix–one free, two that you pay for. For those times you need help thinking clearly, you’ve always got these three tools at your disposal! THERAPY Zencare website Psychology Today’s Therapist Finder COACHES Melody Wilding’s website (executive coaching) Andrea J. Lee’s website (life and business coaching) Brittany Drozd’s website (small business and leadership coaching) My website (although you can email me at kate@katehanley.com or DM me on IG @katehanleyauthor) This episode sponsored by:

NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you can tell that you’re not thinking clearly about something it can be so frustrating! So you just try to think harder and that really doesn’t get you anywhere. Here’s what I’ve learned–it’s not trying to think the same thing, just harder, that helps you think more clearly. It’s thinking differently. Which…how do you do that exactly? I’ve got 2 questions to ask yourself that help you do just that. My interview with Andrea about breaking the cycle of anger My interview with Andrea about separating moral outrage from personal outrage Andrea J Lee’s website This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a unique kind of control that a lot of mothers–myself included–display. It's called maternal gatekeeping, where we think no one else (including our partners in parenting) is as good a caretaker as we are. And while it’s understandable why we seek this level of control, it’s also not helping anyone. So let’s see what we can do to loosen our grip. Here’s that Ohio State University study I mentioned. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Expectations are a real bugger. They make us feel that if things don't happen the way we think they will, there's something wrong with us. But of course, things rarely happen the way we think they will. So how can we start to let those buggers go? Especially when we're not always aware that we have them in the first place. I’ve got a really simple but really powerful mantra for you. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes there are things that you feel like you've let go, or that you should have let go already, when in truth it still feels like they’re clinging to you, like cigarette smoke gets in your hair and you can smell it the next morning, if you’re old enough to remember going to restaurants and bars where smoking was permitted. Here are three practices you can do in those instances to wash that smoke right outta your hair--three practices that work on the energetic level. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many obstacles to creating and assimilating new habits that help us become better people. I mean, of course, otherwise we would all be walking around as the best possible version of ourselves and wouldn’t that be grand? Here's how to deal with one of the biggest obstacles: backsliding. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m sharing something that can help you stay on track with your efforts to start a new habit. Best of all, this tip takes about five seconds to do!! It harnesses the universal truth that what you focus on grows, and helps you pay attention to your success more than your lapses. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s say you’re trying to build a habit of spending 10 minutes a night putting things away and restoring some amount of order to your home. It’s easy to think of that as just a chore, or a box to tick, which is not all that motivating. It’s like eating your lima beans or something else that you hate that you are trying teach yourself to endure. But when you raise your awareness of how those 10 minutes benefit you, your energy shifts, and when you change your energy, you change your results. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trying to become better is not a reason for feeling bad about yourself. You will mess up. You will backslide. You will completely forget. And it is OK. All you need to do is simply start again. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that because habits are so unconscious and so well-worn, it can take a really big dose of motivation to get you to take action and then to sustain that action. The good news is that I’m going to share a great motivator with you. The bad news is that it is not all that pleasant. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Habits are like icebergs--you can perceive just the tip of them, when actually most of them exist underneath the surface of your awareness. You can’t just throw some dirt and some grass seed on the tip of an iceberg and turn it into a meadow--it’s still gonna be a mountain of ice that runs deep. You need to see what's under the surface to truly change it. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knowing what’s on your “don’t list” will help shore up your boundaries, and that helps you walk a little taller and keeps any bad behavior from taking away from your well-being. This episode sponsored by: NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can be generous in some ways, and stingy in others. And it’s really fascinating to start to unpack where you are a natural giver, and where you might be more likely to freeze up and think, oh heck no.Maybe those are areas that you can think about differently and find your way to feeling more generous; but maybe those are just things that don’t suit you for some reason, and you can focus on other ways to be more giving without feeling bad that you’re secretly a Scrooge. This episode sponsored by: Better HelpGive online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While giving is often energizing, there are definitely times when it’s draining. Or even upsetting. It can leave you feeling taken advantage of, or unappreciated. And that doesn’t feel good. In addition, sometimes your giving can make the person you’re trying to give to feel bad--micromanaged, or like you think they aren’t capable. So today, let’s figure out how to keep giving in the realm of feeling good.This episode sponsored by: Better HelpGive online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We think about giving to others in very practical ways, but there are ways that you can give to people emotionally, too. And some of them feel good. But others, really don’t. Today I talk with Damon Brown, a coach for non-traditional entrepreneurs who does a lot of emotional support in his line of work, as well as a multi-time author (links to his book just below), about how to value the emotional labor you do for others, and how to discern when maybe that’s not your work to do. Damon’s website Damon’s Bring Your Worth YouTube show This episode sponsored by: Better Help Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever had the thought that you could stand to be a more generous person, I hope today’s episode will show you that there are SO many ways to be giving–well beyond giving money or time–and that something you hear today will get you into the higher energy state of seeking to be of service to others. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of what being a better person means, I’m guessing that being generous is one of the first things that pops to mind. BUT, that’s not to say that we have to be 100% selfless, or always put others first, or give until it hurts. So, how do we find that balance? Let’s start by looking at the benefits of being generous–not for the other person, but for you. In today’s episode I’m sharing some cool research findings on the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of giving. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You already know that gratitude is a nice way to appreciate something that has already happened, but did you know that gratitude can also help you create the future you want? Well…it can! Today I’m sharing how to thank yourself for doing something that you haven’t done yet. It sounds a little weird, I get it, but basically, it’s about thinking how much your future self will appreciate the things that you do now, in the present. It’s a cool way to get your butt into gear on doing something that feels hard, scary, or unappealing today. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know gratitude is good for you–we’ve heard the advice to keep a gratitude journal, and I’ve talked before about reminding yourself of all the things you’re grateful for while you’re lying in bed at night. But there’s something really powerful about actually expressing your thanks outloud. Since it’s Thanksgiving here in the U.S. today, today is a great day to take this idea for a test drive. I’ve got some research to share on the power of telling someone else what you’re grateful for, but first, I’m going to start with a couple of little examples that show you what I mean. Something we have done in our family at Thanksgiving is to go around the table and everyone names one thing that they’re grateful for. You know, it’s not a speech or a big to-do, you’re just naming something, and you can always say something obvious like family or food and there’s absolutely no shame in that. BUT some very meaningful and memorable moments have come out of that exercise. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi friends. Today I’m replaying an interview from Thanksgiving, 2020 with Polly Campbell about how to practice gratitude even if you’re really busy and lazy and frankly don’t want to be bothered. We’re in a different place than we were in 2020, thankfully, but her advice is still as true as ever. I hope it helps you get in the grateful spirit. Here’s a link to a full transcript of today’s episode. Polly’s podcast, Simply Said Polly’s website This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday I talked about something you can do in the moment of feeling stressed out during a family gathering that will help you not get your feathers ruffled or your peace disturbed. Today, I’m sharing a stress buster that you can do in advance that will help you stay in a groovy space the day of. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s the thing about family: You love them, and they can drive you crazy. Which makes you react in a way that you wish you hadn’t, and then you feel guilty. It can be a real merry-go-round of unpleasant feelings. And when faced with those unpleasant feelings at a gathering where there is plenty of food and probably alcohol, it may be tempting to try to stuff them down with another piece of pie or glass of Scotch or wine or whatever your family beverage is which might help you forget your upset for a few minutes but then you feel disgustingly stuffed or hungover and ultimately just feel worse. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve heard me say it before and you’ll hear me say it again, what you focus on grows. If you want more positive behavior, notice it. Call attention to it. We all love to be acknowledged for our efforts to do the decent thing. As a bonus, recognizing someone else doing something good helps you feel better, too. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever been telling someone how you feel about something, and they told you to just calm down? Or that you’re over-reacting? Or that you shouldn’t feel that way? It didn’t feel good, right? Today I’m sharing the opposite of that approach–aka, validating–aka, how to help the people you talk to feel seen, heard, and understood. Once you get the hang of this, it’s so fun, because you know what to do to truly help someone feel better. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Colleen Doyle Bryant, author of Rooted in Decency: Finding Inner Peace in a World Gone Sideways because, I mean… a) we need it and b) if that doesn’t fit the theme of being a better person, honestly, I don’t know what does! I asked Colleen, what decency even is, why it feels like it’s on the decline, and what kinds of things each of us can do as individuals to help bring back a culture of respect. She told me about how we all need a “Check Accuracy” light on our mental dashboard, and the power of a tiny little pause to help us connect instead of get disgusted (she also told me why it can feel like someone who sees things differently than you can make you want to squinch up your nose and turn your head away, as if you had just smelled something gross). I learned a lot and you will too when you give us a listen! Colleen Doyle Bryant’s website Follow Colleen on Instagram This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s no denying: There are a lot of bummers in the world. You could really spend all day, all week, maybe even your whole life just dwelling on them. While it’s true that bummers exist, it’s not the whole story. There are also plenty of beautiful, uplifting, heartwarming things in the world. Lately I got a reminder that it’s on us to actively seek out the positive, and so now I’m passing that reminder on to you. Prepare to feel better! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a busy time of year so I’m bringing you a few more quick hits–simple, easy, quick things you can do to make the world a better place and to boost your own feelings of being a decent human. When it comes to making a difference in yourself and the world, there are two ways basic ways to approach it: increase the positive, or decrease the negative. Today’s episode is about the second half of that equation. This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that there is a balance that you’ve got to strike in order to improve your relationship to life admin. And that is to make peace with the fact that while the human brain loves to close open loops–and cross things off the to-do list–it’s also true that there will always, always be more to do on the adulting front. So you can't let your peace of mind depend on how many things are left on your to-do list. Here's some insight on to how to make peace between doing, and never being done. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! How to Be a Better Person Tees, Mugs, Totes & More 35 percent off through Sun 11/13!!! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is actually three ideas for making life admin less overwhelming. These are mindset shifts that will help you think about adulting differently--a key step in making it all feel a little less relentless. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! How to Be a Better Person Tees, Mugs, Totes & More 35 percent off through Sun 11/13!!! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frankly, life admin just makes me want to lie down. Which is why I’m excited to be interviewing my friend, Jessica Tudos, a mindful organizer based in Toronto whom I always love talking to about how to get a grip on the many facets of life while still respecting things like creativity and being moved by inspiration and having a lot of things going on because you’re genuinely interested in a lot of things–something Jessica calls being multi-passionate. In today's episode, Jessica dishes up how she keeps all the details of life contained, and how you can do it, too, in a way that suits your personality and your life. I learned a ton! Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! How to Be a Better Person Tees, Mugs, Totes & More 35 percent off through Sun 11/13!!! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scheduling is one of my VERY LEAST favorite life admin tasks. Am I the only one with an allergy to planning for something that's not related to having fun? Today’s big idea is my very best tip to make sure that you have the majority of the appointments that you, your pet, and your family needs with next to no effort on your part. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m talking about how to take better care of all the details of life–making appointments, paying bills, prepping your taxes, keeping your paperwork up to date, your car maintained, your communication handled, etc., etc., etc. In other words, I’m talking about adulting. And when I went to research this topic I realized it had a very technical sounding name: life admin. Which simultaneously made me feel a mixture of grief and relief--a simultaneous feeling of, no wonder I’ve been feeling the way that I have, and, dang, I guess this is really a thing that must be reckoned with. Let's do it, together. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s just something about how you say stuff to another person that can come straight off the truth, like a wind that comes down a mountain. You’re not overthinking, you’re just talking and boom, there it is. Sometimes honestly I don’t really know what I think about something until I talk to someone about it. I’m a big believer in verbal processing. Today I’m sharing 3 ways to get your verbal processing fix–one free, two that you pay for. For those times you need help thinking clearly, you’ve always got these three tools at your disposal! THERAPY Zencare website Psychology Today’s Therapist Finder COACHES Melody Wilding’s website (executive coaching) Andrea J. Lee’s website (life and business coaching) Brittany Drozd’s website (small business and leadership coaching) My website (although you can email me at kate@katehanley.com or DM me on IG @katehanleyauthor) This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you can tell that you’re not thinking clearly about something it can be so frustrating! So you just try to think harder and that really doesn’t get you anywhere. Here’s what I’ve learned–it’s not trying to think the same thing, just harder, that helps you think more clearly. It’s thinking differently. Which…how do you do that exactly? I’ve got 2 questions to ask yourself that help you do just that. My interview with Andrea about breaking the cycle of anger My interview with Andrea about separating moral outrage from personal outrage Andrea J Lee’s website This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever been so focused on thinking about something clearly that you ended up completely overthinking it? Yeah, me too. Today I’m re-playing an interview with Melody Wilding, a licensed social worker, an executive coach and author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work. Although this interview originally aired in October, 2021, Melody’s insights offer a lot of context for why you may tend to overthink in the first place as well as some strategies for how to get out of the overthinking loop. I particularly loved what she shared about the upsides of the predisposition that makes you more prone to overthinking. I hope you enjoy it! Melody’s book, Trust Yourself Melody’s website This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes there’s just so much stuff rattling around inside your head that it’s hard to sit with one thought. Today I’m sharing the morning ritual I’ve been doing that has helped me extract all that noise from my brain and put it somewhere where a) I don’t have to think about it anymore and b) get some objectivity on those thoughts. It’s part of a week of episodes dedicated to thinking straight–something that can feel really hard when life is moving a million miles an hour. This practice comes from the classic self-help book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Grab a notebook and a pencil! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I bet you’ve got a pretty good grasp on your to-do list–it’s probably on some kind of endless loop in your mind. But have you given any thought to what’s on your to-don’t list? This is what helps your brain find rest, and balance that constant focus on what you’ve got to get done. And it’s what we’re talking about today, as part of a week of episodes on thinking straight. Harvard Business Review article on why to stop doing low-value work This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have to actively try to counter the ideas about aging that we’ve been swimming in for years and years in order to truly get on board with the idea that getting older is something to not just make peace with, but also to actively celebrate. To help you do that, I’m sharing 3 major, huge, fricking fantastic benefits of getting older. It’s time to get pumped! Adorable podcast merch 35 PERCENT OFF October 26 - 30! Support the show and save! This episode sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m taking a look at how we can all feel happier and more at peace with the fundamental truth–and privilege–that so long as we are living, we get a little older each day. For today’s episode, I’ve got two words for you: intergenerational friendships. Adorable podcast merch 35 PERCENT OFF October 26 - 30! Support the show and save! This episode sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I'm taking a look at aging, and the simple but powerful things we can do to make our getting older experience better on many levels. And today I'm talking with someone who is a leading voice for women to re-think their attitudes toward aging, and to embrace some new tools and strategies to make aging just a new phase of life--and not something to dread. My guest today is Tamsen Fadal–as the evening news anchor for WPIX-11 in New York City (who recently turned 51), Tamsen has spent her entire career being told that at any moment, she would age out of her job. Now, at 51, she’s going stronger than ever, and has a lot to say on exceeding expectations (others’ and our own) as you get older. Plus, she is (and looks) amazing, so I get her to spill the things she does to keep herself in a good space as she constantly keeps her eye on what’s Coming Up Next (the name of her podcast). Listen to Tamsen’s Coming Up Next podcast Follow Tamsen on Instagram Adorable podcast merch 35 PERCENT OFF October 26 - 30! Support the show and save! This episode sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s what we tend to think of when we think of getting older: a downhill slide. When there are plenty of good things that are actually getting better–including self-confidence and happiness. In this episode, I share the research and the good news. This episode sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think about getting older, or the elderly in general, what words come to mind? The answer to that question can have a big impact on your health–from how long you live to how high your risk of developing dementia is (even if it runs in your family!). I’m sharing some fabulous news about getting older all this week on the podcast. This is stuff that was pretty new information for me so I hope that it will be a pleasant surprise for you too (and that it might even help you live longer and better, which research suggests it could!). New York Times article on Dr. Levy’s research This episode sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BETTERPERSON and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever felt like you’re running as fast as you can, but you’re still not getting anywhere? That’s how a listener named Nicole was feeling. She wrote in with a question. Here’s what she said. “At the end of every day I feel like even though I was busy all day, I didn’t do anything that’s getting me any closer to my goals. After going to meetings, running errands, making dinner, walking the dog, answering emails–I’m wiped out but don’t feel like I really have any progress to show for my efforts. Sometimes I find myself wondering, how do I stop spinning my wheels?” I talk Nicole through a little audit where you answer 8 questions about what’s going on in your life right now. Those questions are:

What am I enjoying the most right now?

What am I enjoying the least?

What feels really gratifying right now?

What feels like a waste of energy?

When I think about my life over the next year or so, what excites me?

When I think about life over the next year or so, what weighs me down?

Is there something I need to keep in mind about this particular point in time?

Is there something that would really help at this particular point in time?

Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know a great way to simplify your life? By being crystal clear on your priorities. Because if you aren’t sure what your top priorities are, you’re going to get your attention hijacked by all kinds of stuff that doesn’t really matter. Which is fine, you don’t need to be a robot that is completely focused on important things all the time. BUT, if you don’t know what your priorities are, well, you’re not all that likely to be making steady progress on the things that matter to you. TODAY I’m sharing a priority-making matrix tool that I use and have shared with coaching clients for years that always helps me sift through the many things on my to-do list and floating through my brain. Download the Priority-Making Matrix here! Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clothes can make you feel like a million bucks, or totally like yourself and at ease. But a lot of times, trying to figure out what to put on your body so you can go about living your life is any number of negative things–complicated, frustrating, embarrassing, or stressful. I have certainly felt all those ways when trying to get dressed, or worse, when I’m out and about and really wishing I were wearing something else. Today I’m interviewing Scarlett DeBease, a personal stylist I met when I attended a group photoshoot. I admit I was a little intimidated when I met her because she was so well put together–but she’s just as funny and down to earth and sweet as she can be. I picked her brain at that day-long shoot and then last week, I invited her on to the podcast so I could hit record and share her insights with you. Scarlett’s book Stop Stressing About Dressing Scarlett’s videos on Ending Your Closet Shame Follow Scarlett on Instagram Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking about a powerful way to simplify during a time when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Whenever you’re facing a challenge, it’s really common to think, I have to figure out an all-new strategy! I need to start doing this new thing! And thinking in this new way! And figure out things that I’ve never figured out before! When really, you’ve probably been in a similar situation before, and there were things you did then that helped. This is one of the benefits of being an adult. For many things that you experience, it’s no longer your first rodeo. So before you go knocking yourself out to figure out what new skills or approaches you need, spend a little time thinking about what’s helped you in the past. It’s how you learn from your own experiences. Kinda like self-mentorship! Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m devoting this week of episodes to simplifying. I mean, life is complicated enough. To be clear, it’s not like you can engineer all complexity out of your life. But there are ways you can make things more simple and give yourself a little extra space to think. When you’re at a point where the idea of simplifying is sounding good to you, it’s tempting to want to change a bunch of things–cancel plans, maybe declutter a closet or two, extricate yourself from some commitments, and maybe try to add in some basic self-care things. It’s all good stuff to do, no question. BUT, if you try to do all those things at once, or within a tight span of time, it gets to be a LOT. Here’s how to keep it simple. Or at least, simpler. Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wanting to help someone who’s in need of support IS honorable. But what it ISN’T, is about you. You are not the solution for their problems, nor is it your responsibility to solve their problems for them. I think this is another reason why we sometimes resist reaching out to someone in need of help–we fear that we won’t actually be able to help, or that we might get overwhelmed by the amount of help they need. I share a helpful analogy that can help get your head on straight about what your ultimate goal is.

Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more!

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One of the beneficial roles we can play as someone’s friend or loved one is to notice them. Not judge them, or rate their appearance, but just take in their presence. In this episode, I’ll share some common signs that someone might be having a hard time with life. Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast I interview Jen Singer, a writer friend of mine who has survived cancer, Covid, and heart failure and who now writes books aimed at helping people–both those who have just been diagnosed, and the people who love them–deal with big, scary, illnesses. In this episode, Jen shares the things we tend to say to sick people that really aren’t that helpful, shares some ideas of what to say that actually help, and offers great ideas for how to really show up for people who are going through a health scare. Check out Jen’s Just Diagnosed Guides Follow Jen on Instagram Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are three questions you can keep in your back pocket that will make it super easy to check in with someone. This way, you won’t be at a loss for words–which is a big reason why we may be tempted to stay away when someone we know or love is going through something hard. I know you don’t want to say the wrong thing--so say these things instead. Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m replaying episodes that talk about how to be there for the folks in your life who are going through it–whatever it may be. The blues, anxiety, stress, illness, family stuff are all normal parts of life and we all get by with a little help from our friends (or family members, or neighbors). But just because it takes a village, it doesn’t mean that we automatically know how to be a helpful village person! Today’s big idea is that when someone you know and maybe love is facing something tough, it’s easy to want to help, but not so easy to know HOW to do that, exactly. Let's talk about the very most important--and powerful--thing you can do, that doesn’t even require you to say a thing. Support this podcast by buying “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may not think that you’re making negative assumptions about other people–after all, most of us know that to assume makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me. But, trust me, your brain is filling in a lot of blanks about the people you encounter every day, and probably in a fairly ungenerous and judgmental way. Today's quick-hit helps with that. It’s a mantra I remind myself of again and again and again. It always helps. Go shop for “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saying thank you is about more than being polite--it's about training yourself to look for the good, even in situations that are otherwise neutral or even negative. It helps you re-wire your brain, which is trained to look for and remember the bad. So–what kinds of unusual stuff can you muster up some gratitude for today? Go shop for “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably say the words “how are you?” a few times a day without thinking much about it. But if you put just a little more oomph in to that question, you create a really cool and powerful opportunity to connect with another human–and that really helps you feel like a better person. Come get all the guidance you need to have a moment that fills both your cups. Go shop for “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re in a hurry it’s easy to wish everyone would just get out of your way already. It’s a real “me first” state of mind: “Please step to the side so that I may get to my very important destination!” Today's quick hit can help you pull yourself out of that subconscious way of thinking, and potentially even make someone else's day (which feels just as good to you as it does to them). Go shop for “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast recently celebrated its third birthday and passed a million downloads!! Whoop whoop!! We’ve also gained a lot of new listeners over the last couple of weeks, so this week I’m taking it back to basics and re-sharing episodes that offer one quick, practical, and impactful thing to do to help you feel like a better person who is making the world a better place. Today’s quick hit is to look people in the eye. This may seem like no big deal, or like it doesn’t have anything to do with being a better person, but listen in for how much it matters. Go shop for “I Give a Shit” and “Be Kind” mugs, tees, hoodies, totebags and more! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever wish you could get a clear sign of the universe about what you should do in a certain situation? The current obsession I’m sharing with you today helps you do just that. Which is why I’m obsessed with it. What’s your current obsession?? Come share it on the aptly-named Running List of Current Obsessions Google sheet! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s come to this, I’m afraid. I’m currently obsessed with a household appliance. A vacuum cleaner, to be exact. But I have never vacuumed so much in my life, and certainly never had fun while I was doing it. Come hear what happened when I showed it to my mom. What’s your current obsession?? Come share it on the aptly-named Running List of Current Obsessions Google sheet! This episode sponsored by: Better Help

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Why is it that your first cup of coffee or tea is so perfect that you want another one, but the second one is never as good? I’m a tea drinker and I was plagued by trying to find a way to have the right amount of tea at the right strength and temperature. I mean, it’s the little things, right? And then I took my thrift-loving daughter to Goodwill one day and occupied myself by lookin at the household items aisle. And that’s when I saw them. One of my current obsessions – a big ass mug. With a bonus beverage I’m also currently telling everyone I know about–a low-carb beer alternative. What’s your current obsession?? Come share it on the aptly-named Running List of Current Obsessions Google sheet! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you always on the lookout for things that will help you sleep more–especially ones that don’t require a prescription, aren’t habit forming, and don’t make you wake up feeling groggy? Me too. And I recently found one that works so well, I’m completely obsessed with it. (Hint: It’s a supplement, but it’s not a pill!) What’s your current obsession?? Come share it on the aptly-named Running List of Current Obsessions Google sheet! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, I’m doing something new–sharing the handful of things right now that I am loving so much that I find myself talking about them with friends and family. So I figured, why not share them with you, too? Today’s current obsession is a show–but it’s not any show. It’s a show that models body acceptance and celebrates bodies of all sizes. I’ve been watching it with my daughter and I can feel it helping both of us love our bodies more. I mean, not bad for a little Amazon Prime and chill, right? What’s your current obsession?? Come share it on the aptly-named Running List of Current Obsessions Google sheet! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all been there–we had the whole day open to do as we pleased, and we had all these things we wanted to get done, but by the time 5 oclock rolls around, we haven’t done squat. Today’s episode is about how to avoid frittering away the day. And today’s episode is inspired by a listener question. Hooray! If you have a question or quandary you’d like me to address on a future episode, email me at kate@katehanley.com. Bonus points for recording a voice memo and attaching it to your email (we can totally keep you anonymous if you like). This episode sponsored by: Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dumb little things you have to do repeatedly can eat up your time and drag your energy down. Since this week is all about ways to take better care of the intersection of time, energy, and happiness, finding solutions for these minor aggravations is the subject of today’s episode. I don’t know about you, but I find teeny little changes ridiculously exciting, which means I’m ridiculously excited about this episode. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Dr. Cassie Holmes, professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, social psychologist who researches the intersection of time and happiness, and who teaches a wildly popular MBA class on how to change the way you think about time in order to boost happiness. She generously shares her evidence-based strategies for changing your approach to time and making more space for the things that really matter to you. I love this episode!! Dr. Holmes’s book, Happier Hour Time tracking sheet Time crafting canvas This episode sponsored by: Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re cracking open your planner, or opening up your digital calendar (I use both)--here’s what we tend to do: put in the things we have to do first. Things like commute, work, have this meeting or this appointment. And then we try to squeeze in everything else around it–things like, do something with friends, exercise, read, do our hobbies. All those things make us who we are and add enjoyment to our days and richness to our lives. I say, let’s switch that whole approach around. Make space for the things you WANT to do, FIRST, and then squeeze in all the things you have to do around it. It’s the equivalent of the financial advice to pay yourself first–take the time you need for yourself right off the top, and then everything else will sort itself into the spaces that are left. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time isn’t just this tangible thing that you can parcel out and have it behave in predictable ways. So let’s stop trying to make it our b-i-t-c-h, whaddya say? The thing is, when you are feeling good and in a groove, mentally, physically, and spiritually, you cut through tasks like a hot knife through butter. It’s better, then, to stop trying to manage your time, and focus instead of managing your energy. This is not just some woo-woo thing that I personally believe. The Harvard Business Review article that describes the Energy Project study I mention in this episode For more episodes on raising your energy, scroll back to March and look for the “tending your energy” tag in the episode titles. There’s good stuff there! This episode sponsored by: Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big reason we make plans is to stave off stress–if you know what’s happening when, it gives you a feeling of control and helps you know that you’re doing the things that you need and want to do. And there’s a certain type of planning can also make you significantly happier, and not the kind of satisfaction that comes from having all your ducks in a row, but actual happiness that recharges your creativity, helps you be in the moment, and creates memories that can last a lifetime. What is this magical planning hack? Plan. More. Vacations!! Research quoted in this episode: 1 in 4 Americans who work in the private sector get NO paid time off 700 million vacation days go unused each year Vacations really do help us feel less tired and more mindful People are more engaged and productive at work after taking a vacation Survey that found that taking time off reduces reports of depression That vacation feeling only lasts about 2 weeks

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If planning is so great–and because I’m devoting a week of episodes to it, I think it’s clear that I do believe in the power of planning–what do you do when plans change? Does that mean all your effort is wasted? That’s what we’re talking about today. (I think we can all relate to dashed plans now that we’re in a post-COVID world.) This episode sponsored by: Better Help Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I'm interviewing planning expert Sarah Hart-Unger, host of the Best Laid Plans podcast. A self-described "compulsive list maker and life planner," Sarah's planning prowess has been honed through experience. In addition to Best Laid Plans, Sarah is also the co-host of the Best of Both Worlds podcast, with Laura Vanderkam; is a pediatric endocrinologist; has three kids; and is a daily blogger and a devoted runner. In this interview, Sarah shares how she makes time for planning, her systems for sharing plans with her family, her favorite planning tools, and the mindset she brings to planning in the first place (which was way different from how I had been approaching it). Best Laid Plans podcast Best of Both Worlds podcast Sarah’s website This episode sponsored by: Better Help Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As great as planning is, it’s important to give yourself the space of having no plans on a regular basis. John Lennon said life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans–planning for no plans means you’re just giving yourself some space for life to unfold without totally derailing what you had planned. (Plus, what NOT to do during this unplanned time.) Relevant blog post: Plan for No Plans This episode sponsored by: Better Help Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m sharing ways to make planning less stressful and more happy-making. Today’s big idea is that there’s a type of planning that most of us don’t even think to make room for on our calendars, but that can help us do our best thinking and ensure that we pay good attention to the things that matter most (and that tend to get drowned out in a typical day). It’s called the Shultz Hour–listen to the episode for all the details! This episode sponsored by: Better Help Zapier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Insomnia tends to follow two basic patterns–difficulty getting to sleep, and difficulty staying asleep. Today’s episode is for the folks in the second camp, who wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time getting back to sleep. I have several strategies to share that you can use to help you get the rest of your z’s. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is for anyone who’s insomnia style of choice is to wake up in the middle of the night and have problems getting back to sleep. I have really interesting and, ultimately, good news for you. Humans have only been sleeping straight through the night as a matter of general practice since the Industrial Revolution. Before that, it was customary to be up for an hour or so in the middle of the night. So if this happens to you, you’re not a failure! I also share tips on how to get back to sleep. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I recently discovered something that helps me sleep better every time and it’s something you don’t often hear about. And that is turning off–or moving–your WiFi router before you go to bed. Call me crazy if you must, but I swear that WiFi keeps me awake! Maybe I’m just an environmentally-sensitive oddball… but maybe, you are two. I have an experiment for you to try, just to see if electromagnetic frequencies might be contributing to your sleep woes. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A good night’s sleep can feel elusive when you’re in the grip of insomnia. There are some very fundamental things that can you can do before bed that will help change your sleep story and get the rest you’re craving. Come learn both the what and the why of the key ingredients for sleep. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All your basic advice on sleeping better starts with developing a bedtime routine, which is a great thing to have (and one I talk about on tomorrow’s episode). BUT, good sleep starts much earlier in the day than bedtime. In fact, it starts as soon as you wake up. Listen in and discover the things you can do during the day that will help you get the rest you need at night. This episode sponsored by: Zapier Nutrafol promo code “BETTER” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One criteria I had for this week’s grab-and-go breakfasts is that they do not involve dirtying a pan during the morning hustle. Which rules out eggs, right? Wrong. This is a cooking method for ‘fried’ eggs popularized by Mark Bittman that is going to crack breakfast wide open (I could not resist the pun). Charity, whom I interviewed two episodes, has another mind-bending no-pan-dirtying way to cook eggs in the morning, so if you’re an egg lover, go listen to that episode, too. What’s your favorite easy/tasty/healthy breakfast? Tell me at kate@katehanley.com and I’ll share it on a future episode! This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably are already aware of parfaits as a breakfast option. But did you know that you can pack them to go??? I’ve got a story, plus how to make them delicious without being a total sugar bomb, as, let’s face it, most parfaits are. What’s your favorite easy/tasty/healthy breakfast? Tell me at kate@katehanley.com and I’ll share it on a future episode! This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mornings are hectic. People are grumpy. And there’s breakfast to be had. Today I’m interviewing Charity Mathews of Foodlets.com and author of numerous cookbooks for kids about her best tips for making breakfast drama-free. (She shares a recipe that involves the microwave that blew my mind.) Charity’s website Foodlets on Instagram Foodlets on Facebook Foodlets on Pinterest The Foodlets YouTube channel Charity’s books What’s your favorite easy/tasty/healthy breakfast? Tell me at kate@katehanley.com and I’ll share it on a future episode! This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I admit I discovered chia pudding when I was on the ketogenic diet a few years ago and needed something to fill the dessert void. But chia pudding also makes an awesome breakfast, tastes kind of like rice pudding (and if you’re not into that texture, I’ve got a fix for you), provides heaps of fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, and keeps you pleasantly full for a few hours. PLUS, did I mention you really just have to stir some stuff together in the same jar that you store it in and eat it out of? I share the formula and lots of possible variations in this episode. What’s your favorite easy/tasty/healthy breakfast? Tell me at kate@katehanley.com and I’ll share it on a future episode! This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My kids are starting school today. My new highschooler needs to be ready for the bus at 7am (WHY?). And my mind has been whirling on what we can do about making breakfast easier while still providing plenty of fuel for all the thinking and learning and social navigation. I’ve come up with four customizable grab-and-go nutritious and tasty breakfasts throughout this week. Today’s breakfast is overnight oats. I’ve got a foolproof formula, a host of possible toppings, and a couple of tricks to share. What’s your favorite easy/tasty/healthy breakfast? Tell me at kate@katehanley.com and I’ll share it on a future episode! This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all got stuff in our closet that we don’t wear, don’t like, maybe don’t even remember how it came to be ours. It might be tempting to just toss it into a dumpster and be done with it, or stick it in a bunch of trash bags and haul it to the local thrift store, but 57% of all donated items still end up in the landfill. Today I’m sharing how you can minimize the environmental impact of your unwanted stuff. It IS possible.

Amazing article on what to do with old underwear and bras

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Sure it’s fun to get a bargain when you’re clothes shopping, but the fashion industry–particularly fast fashion–is really tough on the environment. Today I’m sharing an environmentally friendly way to get great clothes for cheap (that DOESN’T involve supporting cheap clothing brands that exploit human and natural resources). AND, how spending more money for the rest of your clothes saves you–and the planet–in the long run.

Today I’m talking about ways to responsibly spend less on the majority of the clothes you buy (in a planet-friendly way–no disposable clothes!), so that you can also spend more on certain pieces that are designed to last. It’s all geared to help you reduce the environmental impact of your clothing choices.

UN Environment Programme stats on the environmental impact of fast fashion

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Once hailed as the material of the future, plastic has become a real problem for the planet--it uses fossil fuels to make, burning it or letting it decompose releases a lot of chemicals into the environment, and recycling it doesn't seem to be making much of a dent. Is it possible to reduce your plastic in a meaningful--and still doable--way? That's what I’m asking Stephanie Seferian, author of Sustainable Minimalism: The Aspiring Minimalist’s Guide to Living Consciously and Contributing to a “Greener” Tomorrow, and the host of the Sustainable Minimalists podcast, which I love and think you will too.

Sustainable Minimalists podcast Follow Stephanie on Instagram

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What do you do when you’re sick of what you’ve been wearing. OR, you’ve got something coming up where you want to look sharp. You go shopping, right!? Whee!! Well, yes, but you don’t need to leave the house to shop at the most environmentally sustainable place on the planet–AKA, your own closet.

ClosetMaid survey An article about the Movinga survey on percentage of clothes worn Average items of clothing purchased each year

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Ever get home from a shopping trip and feel like you got swept up in the moment and you’re not really going to wear what you bought? Or opened a drawer or your closet and saw stuff in there still with tags on it, and felt guilty about wasting money? I’ve got a question to ask yourself that can help change that. It’s part of a week of episodes on planet-friendly shopping. After all, it’s back-to-school season, and even if you aren’t headed back to the halls of learning (or are responsible for a child who is), the urge to buy new dungarees, notebooks, and backpacks is STRONG. Let’s consume consciously. Whaddyasay? The EPA’s stats on textile use Marge Piercy poem: “To Be of Use” This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there someone in particular, or maybe even a group of people you’ve lost touch with in the last couple years? If yes, it makes sense–a global pandemic can really put a damper on your social activities!

This week I’m talking about taking stock of where you’re at in general at this point in the pandemic and in the year. And a cool way to do that is to reach out to someone that you’ve lost touch with since the world shut down in early 2020. When the two of you catch up, it’s a great chance to verbally process what you experienced and what you learned from it.

Send me your better person questions! Email: kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

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How often do you think about how your life has been going up to this point? Not very often, right? I’ve got an exercise for you today that can help you get a little objectivity and clarity on who you are and what you’ve done that’s also just a fun thought experiment, and that is to think about what the title of your memoir would be.

Those prompts again are: A specific incident or place that has shaped you Finish the phrase This is the Story of ____ or A Year of _____ A phrase you heard a lot or say a lot The most provocative thing you believe

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

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So maybe there’s something on your goal list for 2022 that you haven’t been doing–something like exercise, or saving more, or marketing your business or even posting on social media. You’re just not doing it.

Today I’m sharing something that helps me tremendously, and it’s really kinda silly. But hey, so be it. It’s turning the thing you don’t want to do into a game. Specifically, into a game of bingo.

Couple of examples: Home yoga practice summertime bingo Summer reading bingo from The Novel Neighbor in Missouri

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As we ponder what we want to do differently in the months to come, I’ve got a suggestion that will help us all take our stress levels down. Can we all just be cool with our electronic communications taking a little longer? This is my prayer (and it should help us dial back that screen use that spiraled out of control out of lockdown and, let’s be honest, hasn’t really come back down.)

Is there a way to create a little more space around our digital communications that I forgot? Let me know! kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com.

BBC article on increase in texting during pandemic

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Now that we’re three years into the pandemic–and in the last stages of summer when you can feel fall getting ready to come swinging in like Miley Cyrus on her wrecking ball–we’re in a collective contemplative moment. In today’s episode I’ll talk you through how to check in on your yearly goals, as well as a bigger picture check-in on how you’re doing in general at this particular juncture in time.

Goals review: What goals have I achieved? What haven’t I completed but have made progress on? What haven’t I done because I’m no longer interested? Is there anything new I want to add,

Taking stock in general: What’s going well? What isn’t going as well as I’d like? Where is my energy being drawn? What things am I feeling repelled by? What do I need more of? What could I stand less of?

Relevant blog post: 27 Ways to Take Stock for Evaluate Your Life Day

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We all need inspiration in this life and one place I get mine is from my podcast crush–Make Your Damn Bed, a short daily podcast from Chicago-based comedian Julie Merica. Today I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite Make Your Damn Bed episodes, about the healing powers of watching Bob Ross (the groovy 70s artist who had a painting show on PBS for decades). Get ready to feel soothed, inspired, and ready to find a way to work with any jacked up stuff that lands smack dab in the middle of your day. If you are digging Julie, go subscribe to Make Your Damn Bed! She’s also a great follow on Instagram. Send me your better person Qs and I’ll answer them on a future episode! kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

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I’ve got a podcast crush–a show that I love that I think you will too. It’s Make Your Damn Bed, from Chicago-based comedian Julie Merica, who is just a peach of a human–plus, funny!--and who also offers short daily episodes to help you look for the good and bring your best.

Today and tomorrow I’m running one of Julie’s episodes in my feed. Today’s is all about creating that wonderful feeling of having your shit together by using a technique from the cooking world–”mise en place,” which is a French phrase that means “putting in place” or “gather.” Down South, where I went to high school, you might call it “fixin’ to get ready,” and it can give you a stable platform for the rest of your day–heck, even your life. Julie explains.

If you are digging Julie, go subscribe to Make Your Damn Bed! She’s also a great follow on Instagram.

Send me your better person Qs and I’ll answer them on a future episode! kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

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Having a sense of community and a feeling of belonging to where you live is so important–both to a life well lived and your overall wellbeing. Yet, at this stage in the pandemic, so many people are at least considering how and even where they want to live after the pandemic. Today I’m talking with Melody Warnick, a journalist who has written two great books on the importance of place–This Is Where You Belong and her brand new book If You Could Live Anywhere. Melody can help you figure out where you’re going to feel at home, and then how to up your sense of belonging once you’re there (even if you’ve lived there a long time).

Melody Warnick’s website Melody’s books

Send me your better person Qs and I’ll answer them on a future episode! kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

This episode is sponsored by: Zapier.com Nutrafol.com (use the promo code BETTER) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s something you might be doing every night without even thinking about it that could be negatively impacting your neighbors, your community, and the environment. It’s flicking a switch and turning an outside light on. Which doesn’t seem like that big a deal, right? But it can have a lot of repercussions that you’ll learn about today. A link to the New York Times article on light trespassing Send me your better person Qs and I’ll answer them on a future episode! kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Nutrafol.com (use the promo code BETTER) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling connected to other people feels nice, but can it actually improve your health? Yes it can, and there’s one particular hormone that makes that statement true, and that’s oxytocin, aka the love hormone, which I’m sharing some cool factoids about today, as well as how you can raise it and get the health benefits it brings while ALSO feeling a stronger connection to others. Study showing oxytocin’s links to aging Study that showed that watching an emotional video increased generosity to strangers Send me your better person Qs and I’ll answer them on a future episode! kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Nutrafol.com (use the promo code BETTER) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s just say that when you’re just out and about, running errands and minding your business, an angry driver honks at you, yells at you, and flips you off. And, your kid is in the car with you. What do you do?

Well, I’ll share what NOT to do in today’s episode, based on a true story! Yep, I’m coming clean on my road rage issues today and sharing a cautionary tale.

Send me your better person Qs! Email: kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

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This summer I’ve been re-watching the show “Better Things,” with Pamela Adlon, on Hulu, and I I love it for its lessons in reality, and unreality, and how messy motherhood and modern life and also, how despite it all, there are so many moments of truth and beauty. It’s like one of my favorite Dolly Parton sayings, “It’s all wrong but it’s all right.”

Pamela Adlon on Fresh Air

Send me your better person Qs! Email: kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

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Summer + reading = two of my most favorite words. Today I’m sharing the 2 memoirs I read in various summery locations that I just capital-L Loved:

Easy Beauty, Chloe Cooper Jones Punch Me Up to the Gods, Brian Broome

“Fearing For His Life” – Chloe Cooper Jones’ Pulitzer-nominated article

Let’s connect on Goodreads

Send me your better person Qs! Email: kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com

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Need ideas for what to read this summer, whether you’re hitting the beach or just chilling in bed? I’ve got 4 suggestions for you–all ones I read while I was on vacation and loved. Today I’m talking about the two novels I read, one’s romance, one’s YA, both are awesome.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, Akweake Emezi The Falling Girls, Hayley Krischer

Let’s connect on Goodreads

Send me your better person Qs! Email: kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if there was money out there somewhere that belonged to you but you didn’t know it was there? Wouldn’t it be cool if there were a search engine where you could type in your name and see if there were any old paychecks that never made their way to you, or a 401K account from your first job that you forgot about, or a refund from a company. Welp, there is! And I have got a nutty story for you about it. Planet Money Escheat show Send me your better person Qs! Email: kate@beabetterpersonpodcast.com This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever gotten home from vacation and felt… sad? Out of it? Just not like yourself? That very real phenomenon is what we’re talking about today. Both why it happens, and what you can do about it. This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of vacation, you think of something positive–fun, adventure, relaxation, being carefree. And yes all those things can happen. But sometimes, you can also feel a little sad, displaced, or just…wonky…when you’re on holiday. I call ‘em the vacation blues, and today we’re talking about why they can happen and what to do about them.

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Let’s talk one of the most important things about vacation: What book–or books–to read. I mean, vacation time is so precious, you don’t want to be stuck with a book that you’re just not feeling! To help you choose your vacation reading material, today I’m talking with Holland Saltsman, owner of the independent bookstore The Novel Neighbor in the Webster Groves neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. The Novel Neighbor website (for Summer Bingo and Mystery Boxes) The Novel Neighbor on Instagram The Novel Neighbor on TikTok

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Vacation is fun to think about, but less fun to pack for. I just got back from our first ever two-week vacation and feel, for the first time, that I really nailed the packing. So I’m sharing the packing strategy I used with you! Here are those categories: Exercise, lounging, dressing up, weather, activities, every day, toiletries, entertainment This episode is sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raise your hand if you’ve ever gotten home from a vacation and felt like you needed to check into a detox facility. Or, as the saying goes, you needed a vacation to recover from your vacation. Today, we’re talking about how to have plenty of fun when you’re away without overindulging to the point that you feel like crap. My interview with Ashley Whillans on overcoming time poverty Interview with Ashley Whillans on the benefits of vacation time Study on the benefits of 11 minutes of exercise This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] Seeing people’s perfectly coiffed selves and photoshoot-ready homes on social media fuels our perfectionism and causes our mood to dip. But… why are we looking at these accounts? What if you filled your feed with people who looked like a real person, complete with bad hair days and a messy room in the background? I call these folks your messy mentors, and if you don’t have any, well… I say start with Amy Schumer. Wall Street Journal article on the effects of social media on young women’s mental health This episode sponsored by: Nutrafol (promo code ‘BETTER’) Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] We all have things about ourselves that we’re not proud of. Maybe we even feel ashamed of. Could be big, little, or somewhere in between. And perfectionism is a natural outcropping of wanting to compensate for those things. But the truth is, your imperfections, failures, struggles, and things you’ve gotten wrong all give you wisdom and strength. And despite what your inner critic might try to tell you, they are exactly the things you can help other people with. The more you can accept your imperfections, the more impact you can have in your world and the world at large. Let’s discuss. This episode sponsored by: Nutrafol (promo code ‘BETTER’) Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] As honorable as it is to care about being a better person and to give a shit about bringing your best and making a difference, we can go overboard with it all and feel like crap if we’re not doing our best at all times. Today I’m talking to someone who can help us embrace all the ways we’re imperfect– therapist and meditation teacher Tara Cousineau. Tara is author of The Kindness Cure, creator of the course Overcome Perfectionism Through Self-Compassion for the meditation app Insight Timer, and a faculty member at the Harvard Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Cambridge Health Alliance, MA. Tara’s website Tara’s book, The Kindness Cure This episode sponsored by: Nutrafol (promo code ‘BETTER’) Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] Perfectionism isn’t just the type A, dot every i and cross every T form personality that a lot of people associate with the term. It can show up in a lot of sneaky ways, including procrastination, workaholism, impostor syndrome, difficulty delegating, picking fights, and numbing out. Come listen to learn how, even if you’re not a detail-oriented person, you might still be in perfectionism’s grip. This episode sponsored by: Nutrafol (promo code ‘BETTER’) Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] Perfectionism is an understandable and natural response to an increasingly uncertain world. It’s a coping mechanism that, at some point, starts to create more problems than it solves. Albert Einstein said that in order to find a solution, you really have to understand the true nature of the problem. So in this episode, we’re looking at where perfectionism comes from, in the name of being able to find truly helpful ways out of it. 2017 study on the rise of perfectionism among college students Study that shows anxiety is on the rise This episode sponsored by: Nutrafol (promo code ‘BETTER’) Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] One huge obstacle to creativity is your inner critic, which is a negative commentary that’s coming from inside your head, so it’s very hard to have perspective on. The inner critic has good intentions–it’s basically trying to help ou not look like a fool for doing something badly–but really, sometimes you have to do things badly in order to do the things that matter. Meaning, sometimes you’ve really got to stink up the place. So let’s talk about how to work with the inner critic so that it doesn’t derail your creative efforts, or make them more painful than they need to be.

This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] Here are some tried and true ways to get into that state where inspiration is rushing in to meet you, like Kermit and Miss Piggy racing toward each other across a grassy field. Let’s talk where to go and what to do get those creative ideas flowing. 2012 study about how going on a hiking trip makes you 50 percent more creative than folks who stay home 2013 study on the power of spending time in green spaces to turn on your creative faucet

This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] So, HOW do you incorporate creativity into a pretty gosh darn busy life? Like, really… let’s talk nuts and bolts.

Today I'm interviewing Jackie Dishner, an Arizona-based artist, author, and writer who teaches creativity classes. I'm gonna get her to break it down for me like I'm 5 years old so that we can all see our way to gettin' our creative on.

Jackie knows not only about how to tap creativity to produce art, but also how to use that creativity muscle to pivot in your business and your life. After this interview I used one of her tips to draw a picture of my husband when he was in the 7th grade–and it turned out pretty well!!

Sponsors: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] Maybe creativity isn’t something that you feel you have. Or maybe it feels elusive. I mean, of course–no one feels creative every minute of every day. But none of that means you’re NOT creative. It just means you might need a way in. I’m sharing two of those ways in this episode. They are: curiosity, and willingness. Listen in for specific questions to ask and things to try to put these two traits into play and get your creative flow going.

(Also, as an update on my personal curiosity list, I have only pursued one of them – garden design. Hey! It’s something.)

This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Note–this is a replay episode! So if you hear an out-of-date reference to COVID, that’s why. New episodes start again July 25.] Sure, creative pursuits are fun but are they actually good for you? Oh my goodness yes–in this episode we cover the many mental and emotional benefits of simple, everyday acts of creativity can boost your mood, help you process stuff, and increase your experience of

Studies about creativity’s influence on positive emotions Other studies about creativity’s positive impact on depression and anxiety New York Times article about the family who made one origami crane for every day of lockdown

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There’s one tried and true way of earning more money that’s practically the American way – starting a side hustle. What do you need to think about before you decide to go for it? So that it doesn’t become just another way that you over-work yourself? That’s what we’re talking about today. Fiverr Task Rabbit Care.com Rover.com

This episode is sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may feel like the only way to earn more money is to work more hours but that’s a false belief. It’s also possible to get paid for things that are intangible, like connections, and to get paid multiple times for work that you do once. Today we’re talking about how to get out of the paradigm of trading time for dollars. It’s part of a week of episodes on earning more. And may I say, this is when things get really juicy! Smart Passive Income My interview with Jennifer Barrett on how to think like a breadwinner Think Like a Breadwinner book This episode sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perhaps the most obvious way to earn more money–which is the subject of all the episodes here on How to Be a Better Person this week–is to get a raise at work. And yet, according to a Payscale survey, 60% of Americans have never asked for a raise. Today’s episode is designed to keep you out of this 60%! I’m talking with DeAnne Pearson, a career coach in Austin, Texas, and the founder of DeliberateCareers.com. I've sent many people to DeAnne over the years to help them figure out how to earn more while also enjoying their work more. I love her loving straight talk, and I think you will too. [After this question: " A lot of times the only thing standing between us and making more money is us... we're not feeling confident enough to make the ask, or are more focused on why it won't work than how it could. What kind of a pep talk can you give to someone who needs a little oomph to go about asking for that raise or promotion." ... you can start DeAnne's answer when she says “One of the first things I would say is…."--and cut what she said before.] This episode is sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have stuff we don’t use, wear, or even like. We have so much stuff it can’t even fit in our house: 38 percent of all Americans have a self-storage unit. Today we’re talking about how to turn that stuff into cash. Today I’m going to share how you can sell your jewelry, clothes, kids’ stuff, furniture, sporting goods, books, and everything else. Let’s find you some money today! Cashforgoldusa.com Poshmark (use code KATE_HANLEY for a $10 credit) ThredUp Kaiyo Aptdeco Play it Again Sports This episode is sponsored by: Zapier.com AthleticGreens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, happy Fourth of July!! Let’s get some financial freedom happening around here, whaddyasay? I’m covering two ways you can get the money you already have, or are already spending, to help you earn more money with either a high-yield savings account, which can help you get a MEGA SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER return on whatever money you are currently keeping in a regular savings, and by figuring out which credit card can help you get the most cash back (and maybe a cash incentive or frequent flier mile infusion). Websites mentioned in this episode: Bankrate.com Thepointsguy.com

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There are things you should NOT cut your spending on even though prices have risen. I can't tell you exactly what those things are, but I CAN help you figure it out for yourself. Judge me if you will, but one of my non-negotiables is a cleaning person--it gives me my weekend back (although, really, I still spend most of the weekend doing others chores; they're just ones I basically enjoy) AND it saves my relationship. Don't worry -- you can fund these things by plugging up the leaks and upping your ingenuity, as discussed in earlier episodes this week (so scroll down and listen if you missed 'em). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spending money on new stuff is sometimes necessary but it’s not always required–especially when you start thinking creatively about what you already have. Turning up your ingenuity muscles is a fun and gratifying way to help yourself spend less–and we’re going to talk about how to do it today. And, no, you don't need a glue gun or a can of spray paint or hidden talent for upcycling. PHEW. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prices are rising, maybe a recession is looming. What are some practical ways to protect your financial health? That's what we're talking about today, when I'm interviewing Emma Johnson, author of The Kickass Single Mom and the 30-Day Kickass Single Mom Money Makeover and founder of the website wealthysinglemommy.com. Emma's a financial expert whose advice applies to everyone, no matter your parental or marital status and I love her no-nonsense approach and I think you will too. As Emma says about the economy, "The party is over." So... does that mean we have to start clipping coupons? Nope--but we can definitely spend less while appreciating more, and Emma walks us through how to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spending money on things you don’t use, need, like or even realize you’re spending is like trying to fetch water with a colander–or like your bank account has sprung a leak. Today we’re talking about how to plug up the little–or maybe big–leaks in your monthly expenses so you have more money to do things that matter, like give, save, invest, or donate, without impacting your bottom line. Let's find you some extra money, whaddya say?! (I saved $324 in about 15 minutes... get pumped!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you spend what you need to spend and still keep yourself financially healthy in uncertain times? It starts with your mindset, and that’s what we’re talking about today–a positive way to think about spending less. It’s part of two weeks of episodes on money. This week is all about spending less of it. And next week is earning more of it. Because there are of course two sides to the equation, and there’s only so much spending you can cut, whereas earning more has a lot more potential for growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our collective culture has always prized certain body types and sizes over others. We reinforce it in the paintings, photos, television shows, movies and social media posts that we watch. They say representation matters, because when you see those same images of the same types of physical appearances over and over and over again you internalize that look as the best way to look. Meaning, you become a member of the body police–and you start looking for all the ways you and the other people you see don’t fit those idealized images. So let's all turn in our badges and retire from the body police force, whaddyasay? Here's how. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s easy to be critical of your body when you’re only thinking about how it looks. When you start engaging the ole bod in a dialogue and hearing what it has to say, it helps deepen your relationship with and respect for it. You're not gonna talk smack about someone who's helping you live your best life, are you? 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m super excited about today’s episode because it’s a topic I’ve been really feeling into lately, both as a woman who recently got my menopause wings (I don't call menopause "The Thickening" for nothing), and as the mother of two young teens who are going through all the changes that come with puberty. But body acceptance is really vital at any age, and that’s what today’s guest can help us think about in new ways. Today I’m talking with Alissa Rumsey, a New York City Registered Dietitian & Nutrition Therapist and author of the book "Unapologetic Eating" for her take on why it's so easy to NOT be accepting of our own bodies, what we can do about it, and how our feelings about our own bodies relates to broader issues of social justice and helping people of all KINDS of bodies feel more acceptance. Check out Alissa's website and book Follow Alissa on Instagram Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Body acceptance is something that’s pretty internal. It comes from changing how you think and feel, and while I LOVE talking about the mind component of any change, sometimes you just want to know what to DO differently. Today I’m sharing something you can do. And that is to wear clothes that fit your body--no more squeezing in to the size you wish you were or think you should be, or hiding under a too big size. Let's just let our bodies be seen in their actual size! How to Fix Vanity Sizing (Time Magazine link) Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After we’ve all been cooped up with the pandemic, a lot of us are feeling like we’re emerging with a different body than we went in with thanks to all kinds of reasons, from stress eating to working at home where the fridge is always right there. AND, our collective culture has been teaching us for centuries that certain body types are better than others, and we’ve internalized those messages. When really, the only people who benefit from maintaining any kind of physical ideal are the diet industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the supplement industry, and the plastic surgery industry. These episodes are my prayer that we can find our way to feeling good with our bodies as they are, or at least feeling better (which is always the goal here at How to Be a Better Person). Here's the pic of me in the documentary that my friend saw Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about a power snack that you might be thinking that, yeah, it’s really tasty, but it’s not actually healthy, right? This snack of mystery that we’re breaking down today is popcorn. It’s part of a week of episodes on easy ways to up the nutrient-density of your diet by upgrading your snacks. I saved popcorn for last because it’s probably the most FUN snack on the list. But why is it included on a list of nutritious snacks? Well, first of all, popcorn is a whole grain. And it's got a surprising number of antioxidants and minerals. And it's fairly low-carb! I also share the only way to cook it, as well as what to put on it. PLUS -- I want to know, what power snacks do you love that I didn't talk about??? Post a pic on IG and tag me @katehanleyauthor, I wanna see AND I'd love to share your ideas in this weekend's newsletter! This episode sponsored by Aura Frames. Use code PERSON to save $20 on the perfect Father's Day gift while supplies last! Get your daily nutritional insurance with AG1 at https://athleticgreens.com/better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s a snack that you can pre-cook in large quantities, will stay fresh in the fridge for a long time, you can eat on its own or dip into something you probably already have in your fridge to make it taste completely different and new? It’s the humble, hard-working hard-boiled egg. I’m going to give you the hard sell on this awesome snack as part of a week of episodes on 5 power snacks that will help you both help you up the nutrient-density of your everyday diet AND answer the age-old question of, what should I eat? This episode includes 9 ways to jazz up your hard-boiled egg! And my foolproof way to cook them perfectly. This episode sponsored by Aura Frames. Use code PERSON to save $20 on the perfect Father's Day gift while supplies last! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s power snack is more of a category than a particular snack, but that just means it comes with tons of options so you won’t get sick of it any time soon, and it is: SEEDS. Why seeds? As the baby of a tree or a plant, they contain everything a new plant being needs to come alive and thrive. Which means they are PACKED with nutrition. Come hear for yourself the impressive list of nutrients and benefits, and learn a no-recipe recipe for a tahini/miso sauce (tahini is ground up sesame seeds, which have more calcium than dairy) that you will want to put on everything (or perhaps even eat with a spoon). Study that shows that flax seeds are the HIGHEST SOURCE of lignans of any food. 321 tahini sauce: 3 tbsp. tahini, 2 tbsp. miso, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, stir and thin with water to taste. This episode sponsored by Aura Frames. Use code PERSON to save $20 on the perfect Father's Day gift while supplies last! Get your daily nutritional insurance with AG1 at https://athleticgreens.com/better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, on this week of episodes focusing on power snacks that are equal parts easy, delicious and nutritious, I’m talking about a couple of snacks that are especially great for those times you’re not crazy hungry but you’re more looking for a party in your mouth–something to break up the day. As fermented foods, they are also good–and unexpected–sources of probiotics. Specifically, I’m talking about pickles and olives. With info on the beauty of the pickle plate, and the surprise revelation that these are both fermented foods and thus, good sources of probiotics (something we would ideally eat a little of every day). Research on the elaic acid in olives and its role in mitigating breast cancer risk. This episode sponsored by Aura Frames. Use code PERSON to save $20 on the perfect Father's Day gift while supplies last! Get your daily nutritional insurance with AG1 at https://athleticgreens.com/better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After last week’s episodes on getting involved in the effort to curb gun violence, I felt like we could all use a subject that was a little less… intense. (Myself included.) You know, a little palate cleanser. And that subject, is snacks. Specifically snacks that are a) yummy, because, of course taste comes first, and b) easy to pull together, because when you want a snack you and it now, and c) healthy. Maybe even ridiculously healthy. Like, if you ate more of these foods your nutrient density and overall health would likely improve. That’s what we’re talking about this week on the podcast. I call ‘em power snacks. And the first snack that will up your nutrition is... berries. They're low-glycemic and they're high in all kinds of antioxidants thanks to their deep hues. You can eat them fresh or frozen. Heck, you can grow them! I share my all-time fave smoothie recipe and four other ways to snack well with berries. (Ooh, there's also a one-ingredient sorbet recipe.) This episode sponsored by Aura Frames. Use code PERSON to save $20 on the perfect Father's Day gift while supplies last! Get your daily nutritional insurance with AG1 at https://athleticgreens.com/better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know social media is a fun way to stay in touch with friends, promote your offerings if you’re a business owner, and follow your favorite influencers. But can it also be a powerful tool for creating change? Why yes, yes it can. That’s what we’re covering today–5 ways to use social media for activist purposes.

Follow Shannon Watts on Twitter Follow me on Twitter Sign up for Moms Demand Action--text ACT to 644-33 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you really want to do something to help change a big issue but your knees are knocking a little bit, or a lot, I get it. The thought of attending a march, or making calls to your fellow citizens, or knocking on doors can be a little–or a lot–intimidating. As someone who has felt those fears and done those things anyway, I can relate. AND I can report that once you’re in motion, those fears recede and it feels so good to be doing something for the common good. And today, I’m going to share three specific tricks I’ve learned since I first phone banked for a candidate in 2016 to make activism less scary and more FUN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s no two ways about it–gun violence in America is a public health problem. Gun violence kills over 110 Americans every single day, and is now the number one cause of death in children. It’s a huge problem that we owe it to our children to solve. And yet, it’s a huge problem. What can one person even do? That’s what you’re going to learn on today’s episode. I’m interviewing Jennifer Boylan, who is the volunteer, legislative and elections lead of the Rhode Island chapter of Moms Demand Action–the volunteer organization devoted to passing common sense gun laws and reducing gun violence that has over 8 million supporters nationwide, with a chapter in all 50 states. Join Moms Demand--text ACT to 644-33 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a warning, I’m talking about upsetting subjects in this episode, such as gun violence, so if you’re listening with kids around, or you’re in a place where you need to take care of yourself and what you’re exposed to, come back tomorrow, when I’m sharing three ways to make activism less overwhelming, intense, and/or scary. Gandhi said to be the change you wish to see, and of course, he’s right–we can’t wait for others to do things differently, we have to start with ourselves. But, if you only ever think about issues in terms of what you yourself want, well…it’s not actually all that helpful. Because one person only has one experience, and issues affect multiple people, sometimes millions or even billions of people. Wanting to get involved and create change is noble and good and I hope you act on that desire. But I also hope that you use that desire to break out of your bubble and consider how other people are impacted by that same issue–especially those people who have the most at stake. That’s what we’re talking about today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a heads up that the episodes this week were inspired by the upset so many of us, myself included, felt after the events in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. So if you’re listening with kids around, or you’re in a tender place, take care while listening as we will be talking about tough topics. It’s easy to numb out. And it may seem easy for other people to move on. But if in your heart, you haven’t moved on--maybe you’re nervous to send your kids to school, or maybe you're feeling helpless and sad--this episode is for you. Because wrapped inside that upset is a desire for change. And that desire is here for a reason. I hope this episode will help you open the door to that desire, because your origin story as an agent of change is on the other side. Join Moms Demand--text ACT to 644-33 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a unique kind of control that a lot of mothers–myself included–display. It's called maternal gatekeeping, where we think no one else (including our partners in parenting) is as good a caretaker as we are. And while it’s understandable why we seek this level of control, it’s also not helping anyone. So let’s see what we can do to loosen our grip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes there are things that you feel like you've let go, or that you should have let go already, when in truth it still feels like they’re clinging to you, like cigarette smoke gets in your hair and you can smell it the next morning, if you’re old enough to remember going to restaurants and bars where smoking was permitted. Here are three practices you can do in those instances to wash that smoke right outta your hair--three practices that work on the energetic level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If anyone’s ever told you to let something go, you may have thought about telling them where they can stick it; or you may have thought–I wish I could! I don’t know how. Today I’m interviewing Nina Purewal, co-author of the international bestseller Let that Sh*t Go. We talk about how you have to let shit out before you can let it go, and how to let go of things that might actually seem like they're constructive--like being uber-productive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Expectations are a real bugger. They make us feel like if things don't happen the way we think they will, that there's something wrong with us. But of course, things rarely happen the way we think they will. So how can we start to let those buggers go? Especially when we're not always aware that we have them in the first place? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"You've got to let it go." It's something we're told, and say to others, all the time. But it. Ain't. Easy! This week we're talking about how to really let go of all kinds of stuff. Including, today, stale old ideas. Because if being a better person is important to you, better implies change. It means progress. And progress does not come from putting your fingers in your ears and saying 'la la la, I already know everything!' Today’s episode was inspired by a listener named Chris, who DM’d me on Twitter to suggest this topic. So if you have a topic you’d like me to cover in the future, hit me up! I’m katewhanley on Twitter, or you can email me at kate@katehanley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We each have our own unique pace–some of us are hares, and naturally move quickly, while others of us are more tortoises, and we move a little bit more slowly and just tend to have less urgency. And sometimes we’re a mash-up of the two–I call those tor-tares, where sometimes you’re fast, and sometimes you’re slow. Do you know which one you are? Let’s find out, and why it matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can do all the careful planning you want, and set goals for your time. But you can still get distracted and fritter the time you so thoughtfully planned away faster than rice through a colander. Today, I’m sharing 5 ways to automate some guardrails around your own attention, by tweaking your tech settings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you regularly feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day? That feeling has a technical term--it's called 'time poverty,' and it's something we're going to learn how to reduce in today's episode. I'm talking with Ashley Whillans, assistant professor at Harvard Business School, a leading voice in time and happiness research, and the author of the excellent book, Time Smart. I enjoyed this book so much--it's succinct, it's practical, it's educational. I turned down multiple corners of multiple pages and got out my special notebook so I could do the exercise Ashley outlines. I really recommend it, and I'm so excited to have Ashely here today to help us all feel more time affluent. Ashley's website Ashley's book, 'Time Smart' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s really common to pride yourself on your ability to get things done. We live in a capitalist society, after all, where productivity and output are kings. BUT, today I’m advocating a switch from letting your to-do list dictate how you spend your time, to letting how much time you have determine which things you’ll do. This is especially helpful if time is something that always seems to be running out on you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How often do you think something along the lines of, “there just aren’t enough hours in the day”? Well, good news, today I’m sharing a really powerful tool for finding more time for the things you value and enjoy–even, especially if you have a big-time sucker in your life, like a long commute, a caregiving role, or something else that feels like robs of your time to do what you want and need to do on the regular. It’s part of a week of episodes on becoming more time savvy. Something I for the most part do NOT feel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sharing ways that committing to a creative endeavor – including, but not limited to, hosting a podcast – is like a personal development seminar by sharing the specific ways producing over 700 episodes of this podcast has helped me grow as a person. If you’re dreaming of starting a podcast or putting any kind of creative work out in the world, I hope that hearing these things will help you take the plunge–or even if you don’t need to learn these same lessons, that hearing this list will help you realize that sharing your voice in some way can help you work with whatever areas of growth are waiting for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you ready to discover some new podcasts? Or are you thinking about starting your own podcast? Either way, you’re in the right place, because I’ve got some resources to share with you today!

Here are your links: Earbuds Podcast Collective Good Pods Death, Sex, and Money @arithisandthat Podcast Monetization Secrets Good Morning, Podcasters @tannerhelps LibSyn $109 mic (on Amazon) Sound Advice Strategies Squadcast @katehanleyauthor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are podcasts such a big thing? And can listening to them–and/or creating them–make you a better person? These questions are what we’re going to dig into today, and so much more (like how to find new podcasts to listen to and what to think about if you’re starting to dream about starting one). Who can help us cover all these topics? Arielle Nissenblatt, founder of Earbuds Podcast Collective and community specialist at the podcasting platform, SquadCast. Arielle is like the Pied Piper of the podcasting community, especially on Twitter, where she shares tons of great ideas and tips for listeners and creators alike. I try not to fangirl, but I was nervous! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you come up with ideas regularly? Not just any ideas, but solid ideas, lots of ‘em, and on a schedule? That is exactly the lesson I have been learning and integrating since starting this podcast in the fall of 2019, and what I’ve learned about it is exactly what I’ll be sharing with you today--specifically, the four places I regularly find inspiration, as well as what I’ve learned about taking those ideas out of my head and getting them out into the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does someone decide to start a podcast? And why does that person stay committed once the novelty has worn off? I’m answering both of those questions today, as part of a week of episodes on the act and art of podcasting itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two really hard parts of building a regular movement habit–starting it, and sticking with it. Today, we’re talking about how to keep going with it once you’ve broken the seal, and how to get back on track when you inevitably fall off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK, so you’re convinced that it’s time for you to move more, if only you can find the time. That’s what you’ll learn how to do in today’s episode. So today I’m sharing some helpful questions to ask yourself that can help move you from thinking about exercising, to actually doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Forrest Kolaski, my personal trainer, whom I’ve been working out with for about four years, for his perspective on how to stop thinking that you should be getting more exercise and start actually doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m taking aim at the idea that in order for exercise to count, you have to be wearing spandex and you have to break a sweat, and I’m doing it by shining a light on the life-changing magic of a daily walk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you gotten out of the habit of exercising and can’t seem to get motivated to moving again? Well today’s episode can help, because I’m sharing 6 ways that exercise boosts your health that go far, FAR beyond burning calories–which is where I think most of us begin and end in our minds when it comes to reasons for exercising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A key part of focused attention is shutting out anything that isn’t what you’re choosing to focus on. So it’s only natural that at any given time, there are many things that you aren’t paying attention to. But sometimes, important stuff gets lumped into that group of “things I’m ignoring.” Today, we’re taking a look at what those things are for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know those moments when your ability to pay attention to any one thing drops out and you feel overwhelmed by everything and it’s just all too much? Today, I’ve got something to help you with that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Dr. Michelle Braun, neuropsychologist and author of High Octane Brain, about what parts of the brain are responsible for attention, the difference between attention and focus, the relationship between time and attention, and how to create the condition your brain needs to be able to focus--while still enjoying some good old fashion distraction, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two kinds of attention--one that we tend to prioritize (and wish we were better at), and one that we tend to judge as bad (or have been told is bad by teachers, parents, and bosses). You need both, because they feed each other. Come find out what type of attention will help improve your focus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is attention, really? Is it the ability to take in information, or get work done? Well, yes, but it’s so much more than that. And that’s what we’re going to dive into today, in this introduction to a week’s worth of episodes on attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever wonder why you do the things you do? Or why you don’t do the things you don’t do? Your subconscious knows quite a lot about what your unwritten rules (that I call pink elephants--more on that in the episode) are, but you have to do a little digging to get the conscious mind to understand what’s really going on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I surveyed listeners, I asked them what they struggled with when it came to being a better person. And so many of them said people-pleasing. Let's talk about how to stop giving a shit about whether other people are happy with you or not. Hahaha, not exactly--you can still care about whether the people in your life are happy, but you can unhook some of those beliefs in your mind that make it seem like their happiness is your responsibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Suzanne Kingsbury, founder of Gateless Writing, a method of teaching the art and craft of writing that's designed to get you past the gatekeeper of your inner critic (AKA the source of all those judgments you secretly make about others, and yourself). It's hugely important when you're trying to create something, but learning how to work with your inner judge helps in all parts of your life. It helps you be more joyful, innovative, empathetic, and able to connect with others and yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I bet there are all kinds of areas of your life that may be ready for a re-boot. Your home, your relationships, your diet, your exercise routine, your car, your closet… I mean, phew! It’s a lot. A way to get yourself into motion is to figure out where the energy in your life is festering, and then address that one spot. Here's how you do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re not taking stock of the things you tell yourself on the regular, guess what--you’re going to make the same choices that led you to feeling like you needed that detox and that de-cluttering in the first place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s one of the most radical, life-affirming, helpful things you can do on any given day? That’s what we’re talking about today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can be hard to feel connected to the magic of the world in the midst of your daily life, but today’s topic can help you have a tangible experience of it. AND it can teach you how to make positive changes in your life, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Emily Murphy. Emily is a gardener who is currently rewilding her yard in Northern California. She's also the author of the new book Grow Now, which is beautiful and inspiring and really gets you pumped about thinking about what you're gonna grow in new ways. I'm excited to talk with Emily today because she has an enthusiasm and love for growing that is totally contagious and inspiring and that ties into personal growth and protecting the Earth that I just know is going to get you pumped about creating or enhancing the green spaces that you have access to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m coming to you with some motivation for getting out of your house and going outside so that Mother Nature can pull you a little closer and give you the hug you didn’t even know you needed. One's a really cool natural phenomenon that doesn't have a word in English, but it does in Japanese! One's something you may not have paid attention to before (although many people are obsessed with it). And one's a really cool app that the whole family can use together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if there were something that wasn’t a prescription drug that could help you focus better? Well, there is, and it’s completely free with no side effects. It’s nature. I talk you through some of the science that suggests that being in nature can improve your cognitive abilities and figure out how to put this superpower of nature together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID brought a heaping helping of stress and uncertainty--two things that can strain even the strongest relationships. It also came with a LOT of together time. Like, way more together time than any couple or throuple or whatever your jam is really ever ought to spend together for such an extended amount of time. If you're experiencing doubts about your relationship right now, here's how to tell if it's because COVID accelerating the age of your partnership, and what to do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s one thing that I wish I could wave my magic wand and everyone would stop doing in their relationships, and that is keeping score. I get that women typically do way more of the emotional and the household labor and that it needs to end. BUT, keeping score is not the way out. If it were, we'd have made more progress on this front than we have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that the initial rush of a new relationship wanes. But does that mean that if you're in a long-term relationship your sex life has no choice but to fizzle out? No. Today's guest is Dr. Stephen Snyder, author of Love Worth Making and a sex therapist in NYC who has some awesome news and practical, doable, fun tips to help you enjoy and foster that physical connection to your partner--even if you're lazy, don't have time, or feel too tired for sex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m coming to you today with a tip on how to keep your relationship strong even when there’s been some disturbance in the force. There’s a key to making sure that your fights end positively, and it’s something I was never taught–and that I think a lot of us have never been taught–and it has been a game-changer for me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the things that your partner does that drive you crazy suddenly didn’t annoy you so much anymore? Because we all have things about our partner that make us nuts. Today’s big idea is that the flip side of the things that initially draw you to someone and that you value about them the most is often exactly what drives you the craziest. It’s the yin and yang of life--the very thing that draws you to someone is also the thing that repels you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen, full confession, I’m not a coffee drinker. I just don’t like the way it tastes and I’m convinced it’s genetic because my dad doesn’t like it either. But I’m not here to bash coffee. If you drink it, keep drinking it! It has a lot of health benefits too, particularly in regards to protecting you from developing fatty liver disease. I’m just saying, GIVE TEA A CHANCE. Green tea, especially, which is just ridiculously good for you, as well as herbal teas. Which are technically called 'tisanes'--now you know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunlight is basically a healing tonic for your physiology. Yes, you can overdo it and get sunburned, but that’s no reason to avoid this omnipresent part of life that is vital nourishment for your eyes, brain, and entire embodiment. Can't sleep? Immunity in need of a boost? Mood not where you'd like it to be? Just feeling off in general? Sunlight can help! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting yourself into a truly relaxed state is like taking your car in for a tune-up and having an amazing therapy session all in one great-feeling package. The only kicker is, it takes a little effort. You’re not just going to magically achieve a physiological state of relaxation by doing the things you think you’re doing to help you relax, whether that’s watching your favorite show or having a glass of wine. In this episode, I share 4 different ways to woo true relaxation. Here's a link to an article where I talk about constructive rest and how to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cuddling or snuggling does more than just feel nice--it bathes your cells in oxytocin, the so-called love hormone that does incredible things for your body. And that also, sadly, declines with aging. Here's a pep talk for making time for physical contact, as well as four ways to boost oxytocin that doesn't require another person. Prepare to feel the love! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which is cleaner--indoor air, or outdoor air? The answer might surprise you. (It surprised me!) After I share with you why the answer is what it is, I think you'll be excited to remedy the situation--and breathe in the benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So very many of us have experienced something that makes us feel ashamed. Something that we’re scared that if people knew the truth about, we would be judged and shunned for. And that shame can worm its way into your subconscious and make you feel like deep down inside, you are a bad person. In today's replay episode (it originally aired in August, 2021), I talk about how to start rewriting the internal narrative that says because this thing happened, it means you're a bad person. Prepare to feel lighter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It feels so awesome when you adopt a new healthy habit--whether that's cleaning up your diet, moving our body more, meditating, what have you. And it feels equally as bad when you let that habit slide. Which, we all do. Does it mean we suck? Just aren't meant to be that virtuous and healthy? In today's replay episode (it originally aired in August, 2021), I talk about how to pull out of the shame spiral. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you’re telling a little fib, or blatantly telling someone something that isn’t true, or even NOT telling someone something that IS true, dishonesty is often one of those things that triggers a visit from the “am I a bad person?” thought pattern later on. In today's replay episode (it originally aired in August, 2021), I break it down with honesty expert--and close personal friend--Judi Ketteler, author of the "book Would I Lie to You?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are thousands of articles, etiquette experts, friends, and family members who will tell you that being late is disrespectful--in other words, something that contributes to making you a bad person. I ask: Is it though? In today's replay episode (originally aired in August 2021) we take a deep look at what it says about you if you're always running late and forgetting stuff and therefore, potentially letting other people down. Let me just say, I FEEL this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm taking a week off from producing new content and replaying one of my favorite series of last year, where I flipped things around and, instead of talking about being a better person, took a look at the things we ALL sometimes do that can leave us wondering, am I a bad person?

Today's episode is the number one thing listeners told me makes them feel like a bad person: impatience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doubt is something that is always going to crop up from time to time. And when those doubts come in–well, it can feel like torture. It’s an open invitation for your inner critic to go hog wild. And it can also feel like a sign that you ought to stop. A very clear, blinking, neon sign that means "DON'T DO IT!" I have another way to view it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your inner wisdom lives in your body, whether you call it a feeling in your bones or a gut feeling or something you know all the way down to your toes. The more we learn about the gut the more science recognizes it as a second brain, with more than 100 million neurons spread throughout the digestive tract. That’s a lot of processing power that we overlook when we try to only cogitate our way through something. And we’re never really taught how to understand the signals our body – aka our gut – is sending out. And that’s a real loss because while analytical or critical thinking is not bad, it’s just not the only game in town. Let's make today the day this starts to change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm interviewing award winning book coach Lisa Tener. Why am I interviewing a book coach during Trust Yourself week? Well, a lot of people think writing a book is strictly an intellectual pursuit, but it's also so much about being able to access your creativity and trusting yourself and your message. Lisa has a signature process that she walks her clients through called Meet Your Muse, and it's basically an opportunity to have a conversation with the wisest, most inspired part of yourself. In this episode, Lisa talks me through it and you get to meet my very cute and little muse. And if you'd like to experience the process directly for yourself, here's the link where you can Meet Your Muse. Check out Lisa's The Joy of Writing Journal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two basic forces in the world – fear, and love. And with our negativity bias–the tendency of our brains to focus more on things that didn’t work out or that cause pain than on the things that go well and lift us up–we place way too much of our focus on fear. This exercise helps give love more of a voice the next time you're facing a decision. I offer a nicely designed PDF version of today's exercise on my website. Click here to download it (scroll to the bottom of the page, pop in your email address, and click the "I want clarity" button). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every single one of us has a wise part of ourselves that always has our best interests at heart and that can process all kinds of information and feelings and sensation that our thinking mind can only barely start to perceive. That wise part is your intuition or your gut, and developing a relationship with it is a crucial piece of trusting yourself. The problem is that it’s an internal voice and frankly, we have a lot of internal voices, and not all of them are all that helpful. So in order to be able to start building a tighter relationship with your intuition, it’s really helpful to figure out how to tell the difference between your gut, and your fear. In this episode, I share some key differences between the two voices so that you can recognize more easily when you’ve gotten hooked by fear, and pay more attention to the messages that are coming from your intuition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that there is a balance that you’ve got to strike in order to improve your relationship to life admin. And that is to make peace with the fact that while the human brain loves to close open loops–and cross things off the to-do list–it’s also true that there will always, always be more do on the adulting front. So you can't let your peace of mind depend on how many things are left on your to-do list. Here's some insight on to how to make peace between doing, and never being done. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big is actually three ideas for making life admin less overwhelming. These are mindset shifts that will help you think about adulting differently--a key step in making it all feel a little less relentless. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frankly, life admin just makes me want to lie down. Which is why I’m excited to be interviewing my friend, Jessica Tudos, a mindful organizer based in Toronto whom I always love talking to about how to get a grip on the many facets of life while still respecting things like creativity and being moved by inspiration and having a lot of things going on because you’re genuinely interested in a lot of things–something Jessica calls being multi-passionate. In today's episode, Jessica dishes up how she keeps all the details of life contained, and how you can do it, too, in a way that suits your personality and your life. I learned a ton! Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scheduling is one of my VERY LEAST favorite life admin tasks. Am I the only one with an allergy to planning for something that's not related to having fun? Today’s big idea is my very best tip to make sure that you have the majority of the appointments that you, your pet, and your family needs with next to no effort on your part. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m talking about how to take better care of all the details of life–making appointments, paying bills, prepping your taxes, keeping your paperwork up to date, your car maintenanced, your communication handled, etc., etc., etc. In other words, I’m talking about adulting. And when I went to research this topic I realized it had a very technical sounding name: life admin. Which simultaneously made me feel a mixture of grief and relief--a simultaneous feeling of, no wonder I’ve been feeling the way that I have, and, dang, I guess this is really a thing that must be reckoned with. Let's do it, together. Contribute your tips and successes to the Life Admin Tipsheet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people are more empathetic and/or sensitive and so they get an intuitive read on other people’s energy without a lot of conscious effort. But everyone can get better at reading other people’s energy with a little practice. In this episode, I share four things to assess--because you deserve to be around people who make you feel good! Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sadly, and of course, there are some things in life that will bring your energy down. Some of these things come in from the outside, generally from other people, and others generate from within your own mind. Interestingly enough, more come from within than without! Here's how to identify them, and what to do about them. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your energy isn't set it and forget it. There are simple things you can do to raise it up. Here are my favorite 8 ways--which one will you try so you can conduct your own energy experiment? Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that figuring out what raises your energy and what squashes it is a crucial part of being able to take care of yourself and your overall energy. I call it doing an energy audit, which sounds very official, doesn’t it? Like someone’s going to come to your house wearing a hard hat and carrying a clipboard? Don’t worry, it’s not like that. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people when they think of energy as something that a person has, they’re thinking about stamina or strength. Or what my grandmother used to call ‘pep’. And if you have a lot of it, you’re like the Energizer bunny, and if you don’t, you need a nap. But energy is a definite personal resource that is about more than your ‘get up and go.’ It's something you can take care of, and it will take care of you, and help draw people and opportunities to you that are an energetic match. Today we start to raise your awareness of what kind of vibe you have. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 1970, North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds. 3 billion!! This is a problem because birds do so many important things – they eat pests, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, and protect ecosystems. They’re also direct descendants of the dinosaurs–they are living proof of life’s resilience and if they are dying in droves, it really doesn’t bode well for the rest of us. So let’s talk about some simple things you can do to help our feathered friends. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A category of animals that really needs our support is pollinators–the butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, moths and even bats—that spread pollen from plant to plant and make it so those plants can flower and fruit. Approximately 35% of our food crops and more than 75% of all flowering plants depend on pollinators. You may have heard that honeybees and monarch butterflies–two of many important pollinators–are in trouble and vulnerable to massive die-offs. They are not the only ones. Now that it's time to start dreaming of the plants you're going to plant this year, here are three easy gardening things to do to help our plants, pollinators, and food supply thrive. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Jodi Helmer, it all started by adopting a rescue dog. That led to fostering other dogs in order to help them get adopted. That led to a move to the country in order to have more space. That led to taking in one very naughty donkey who was running out of a time at a kill shelter. And now, Jodi and her husband Jerry are caring for 48 rescued animals and are running a non-profit animal sanctuary.

In honor of animal week, I interviewed Jodi about what rescuing animals has taught her about herself and life in general, why animal sanctuaries are so incredibly needed, and how you can support this important work without opening your home to 48 animals.

Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary website Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary Instagram Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary Facebook page Jodi's books on gardening, farming, and living green Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maybe your kid is begging you for a pet but it's not in the cards. Maybe you really want a pet but the landlord doesn't allow it. Maybe you're just not sure. Luckily, there are many ways to develop loving bonds with animals that don't require becoming a pet parent! Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why am I talking about animals on a show about being a better person? Animals can really bring out our better instincts and give us an opportunity to get out of our own heads, thinking about our own problems. Plus, they're cute. And I think late winter is prime time for a little cute infusion when our spirits could go for some lifting. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may not think that you’re making negative assumptions about other people–after all, most of us know that to assume makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me. But, trust me, your brain is filling in a lot of blanks about the people you encounter every day, and probably in a fairly ungenerous and judgmental way. Today's quick-hit helps with that--and also helps increase your capacity for love. Not bad, right? Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saying thank you is about more than being polite--it's about training yourself to look for the good, even in situations that are otherwise neutral or even negative. It helps you re-wire your brain, which is trained to look for and remember the bad. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Say you’re checking out at the grocery store, or picking up books from the library, or getting dinner delivered, or actually eating out in a restaurant. It’s pretty automatic to say, “how are you?” to the person who is helping you. And then they say ‘Fine, how are you?” And these kinds of pleasantries are more important than they might seem. But they don’t really require a stretch. And sometimes we have to try in order to be a better person. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re in a hurry it’s easy to wish everyone would just get out of your way already. You know, it’s a real “me first” state of mind. “Please step to the side so that I may get to my very important destination!” Today's quick hit can help you pull yourself out of that subconscious way of thinking, and potentially even make someone else's day (which feels just as good to you as it does to them). Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m sharing really quick, concrete things you can do to act on the desire to be a better person. I love to talk about deeper, bigger stuff, and figuring out how to make long-lasting changes. But sometimes, you just need a quick hit. That’s what the episodes this week are all about. Today’s quick hit is to look people in the eye. This may seem like no big deal, or like it doesn’t have anything to do with being a better person. But hear me out. Enjoying these episodes? Leave me a tip! All proceeds are used to offset production costs and create more episodes. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laziness gets completely frowned upon in our productivity focused society. But you could have a very good reason to be feeling–or being perceived–as lazy. AND that feeling of not wanting to do anything–which, I fully admit, I have been feeling so frequently lately–is likely telling you something really important. Let's see what laziness has to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your network isn’t some wall of trophies that you can proudly point to. It’s your support system--the net beneath your trapeze AND the slingshot that can help launch you higher or in a different direction than you could go on your own. And most likely, the last two years of working remotely and hunkering down hasn't exactly been great for strengthening this web. Let's fix that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Damon Brown, author of the brand new book Career Remix: Get the Gig You Want with the Skills You've Got about the things you should consider before you up and quit your job. Even if you’re NOT currently secretly–or not so secretly–fantasizing about heading off for greener pastures, thinking about these things will help you improve your relationship to the work you do and understand exactly what it is you have to offer, and what you stand to gain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something so very many of us has experienced during this pandemic is challenges to mental health. And in general, we've gotten a lot more open about sharing our mental health struggles with others. How does this impact our work lives? How can we make space for mental health while still taking care of business? Let's talk about it. I also answer a question from listener Nina. If you have questions you'd like me to address in a future episode, email me at kate at katehanley dot com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast is all about re-imagining work. After all, like the rest of our lives, much of our work lives have been upended since the pandemic started. Whether that’s the physical location of where you’re doing your work, or how stressful your work has been, what’s clear is that work is not the same as it was in 2019. So let’s take this opportunity to figure out where we want it to go from here, both for yourself as an individual and for our society as a whole. No big deal! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wanting to help someone who’s in need of support is honorable. But what it ISN’T, is about you. You are not the solution for their problems, nor is it your full responsibility to solve anyone’s problems. I think this is another reason why we sometimes resist reaching out to someone in need of help–we fear that we won’t actually be able to help, or that we might get overwhelmed by the amount of help they need. I share a helpful analogy that can help get your head on straight about what your ultimate goal is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the beneficial roles we can play as someone’s friend or loved one is to notice them. Not judge them, or rate their appearance, but just take in their presence. In this episode, I’ll share some common signs that someone might be having a hard time with life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are so many people who run anxious, and you likely have many of them in your life. Maybe they are a family member or a dear friend. A lot of the things that we say to people when they’re in the throes of anxiety may be well-intentioned, but ultimately not that helpful. Today, I'm talking with Dr. Susan Bernstein who'll help us take a look at those common, unhelpful things, and figure out what to say instead. Susan has an MBA and also has a Ph.D. in somatic psychology, so her expertise really covers the gamut of the mind, the body, and the heart. She’s also just a lovely person whom I’ve been connected to for coming up on two decades–all because she responded to one of my email newsletters. You are going to love her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here are three questions you can keep in your back pocket that will make it super easy to check in with someone. This way, you won’t be at a loss for words–which is a big reason why we may be tempted to stay away when someone we know or love is going through something hard. I know you don’t want to say the wrong thing--so say these things instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m talking about how to be there for the folks in your life who are going through it–whatever it may be. The blues, anxiety, stress, illness, family stuff are all normal parts of life and we all get by with a little help from our friends (or family members, or neighbors). But just because it takes a village, it doesn’t mean that we automatically know how to be a helpful village person! Today’s big idea is that when someone you know and maybe love is facing something tough, it’s easy to want to help, but not so easy to know HOW to do that, exactly. Let's talk about the very most important--and powerful--thing you can do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t have to drag your butt to a museum in order to interact with artwork. You can do it from home in ways that maybe you never thought of or that you might think don’t count, but they DO! They absolutely do. And, bonus, they’re pandemic-friendly! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is actually 7 ideas–I’m sharing 7 easy ways to read more. Including some cool ways to use audio books, and permission to do something that some people think makes them a bad person, or at least a bad reader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking to Becky Karush. Becky is the founder of Read to Me Literary Arts, where she hosts group writing salons–which I attend and am devoted to–and coaches writers individually. She is also the host of the wonderful Read to Me podcast. Becky is going to get you SO EXCITED to read–and she gives some great ideas on how to make time for reading, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm sharing the 5 books that I read in 2021 that I really feel helped me a better person because they helped me see something in a new way, or expanded my empathy toward others, or what have you. I loved these books! And am excited to share them with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During this pandemic January, when the nights have been long and the news has been bleak, I’ve been extra aware that what so many of us turn to when times are hard is art. Whether that’s shows or movies, books, music, actual art work or another form of creative expression, art is what helps us get through. This week on the podcast I’m talking about how to consume art as a means to being a better person–and just feeling better about the world and your place in it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nothing says 'ahhh' like cracking a cold one or pouring a glass of wine. Or does it?? I’ve got three ways to help yourself switch into chill mode without having a drink--I'm thinking one of these will be a helpful alternative for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the main reasons we turn to alcohol is to help us let our hair down--to laugh a little more easily, to be a little more uninhibited, to be more fun. BUT, having a drink is not the only way to loosen up and have fun! Let’s talk about other ways to take an oil can to the creaky spots in your psyche without relying on a glass of something to provide it for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this re-broadcast, I interview Michelle Smith, a TEDx speaker, author, podcaster, mental health and addictions counselor and founder of Recovery is the New Black, about how to tell if your drinking has become unhelpful, or maybe even harmful. Come hear why Michelle says that the opposite of addiction is connection, and why she's having more fun as a sober person than she's ever had before. (This episode is not all doom and gloom, as the title might suggest!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this re-airing of an interview I did with Sarah Kate of Some Good Clean Fun, we explore why alcohol is so heavily marketed to women, why drinking less is a rebellious choice in our society, and why alcohol is a feminist issue. Don't worry, we don't get strident. :) It's just that, you think AA and you think schlubby dudes in a basement. Just like with medical care, women have their own unique experience of alcohol and it's time we talked about it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm taking a week off from new episodes this week and re-airing a series I did last summer on re-thinking drinking. It is, after all, Dry January--in other words, a natural time to be thinking about drinking less, or not at all. This week, let’s just see what’s ready to be seen in terms of our relationship to alcohol. I am NOT here to preach or proselytize, I promise! This is a judgment-free zone!! Let's just take a look, together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You've heard the advice to put on your own oxygen mask first, and that you can't give from an empty cup (I've said this myself many times, including on this podcast). But I've been re-thinking this. Because, first of all, you don't have to have your shit together in order to help someone else. And second, being of service raises your own energy. So how do you balance self-care with helping others? It's kind of like making a smoothie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though wanting to be of service seems like a noble idea, it’s pretty easy to have an attitude that makes you more of a pain in the butt than an actual source of help. Here are three ways of thinking that are going to block you from actually helping--and a different goal to keep top of mind when seek to be of service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Rabbi Daniel Cohen, who serves at the largest modern orthodox synagogue in New England in Stamford, CT. He’s the author of "What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone? Cultivating a Life of Legacy." He has been a rabbi for over 30 years, meaning he’s had hundreds of end of life conversations and delivered thousands of eulogies which gives him a unique perspective on life. I wanted to talk with Rabbi Cohen about how to find the courage to shift your comfort zone to include standing up for what you know to be right, and to expand your tolerance for risk in a way that inspires you to step up and be of service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are SO many people and causes that are in need of help that it can be overwhelming, trying to decide how to give back without overextending yourself. If you get involved in every cause or try to help every person that needs it, it’s easy to end up getting overwhelmed and not actually being that much help. Today I’m sharing a strategy I’ve learned that makes giving back easier–so that you can do it in a way that lifts you up instead of wears you down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being of service isn’t just a noble thing to do, or something to tick off on a list of things that make you a better person. It’s actually beneficial to you too, primarily because it gets you into a higher level of energy. Not energy as in what my grandmother used to call pep, but energy as in your vibe and how you show up in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning: Deep thoughts about comfort zones ahead! In which I argue that maybe what you've become comfortable with isn't actually all that comfortable--it's just familiar. And how making changes that make SEEM like they're taking you out of your comfort zone are actually leading you to someplace where you are truly at ease. (And how to deal with the discomfort of the unfamiliar while your comfort zone recalibrates.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to upping the cozy factor in your home and in your body–as I covered in the previous two episodes–seeking coziness and comfort is also worthy goals when it comes to making life decisions, like what you do for work and where, who you’re in a relationship with, and where you live. Which flies in the face of most conventional advice, which says that you have to leave your comfort zone if you want to have a fulfilling life. So let’s break this down a bit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don't always have control over your environment, but you do have say over what goes on your body. Today I'm sharing my top 5 ways to keep yourself cozy as a baby lamb snuggled up to its mama, no matter where you are. As my favorite pin says, "Cozy does it." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Environment is such a big piece of your wellbeing. It’s definitely worth taking a little time to set up your space for a little extra coziness. I promise these ideas are inexpensive and you likely already have things on hand that will help you execute them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast is all about finding comfort and coziness. It’s just the time of year–and that time in the world at large as we round the corner on 2 years of a pandemic with a spike in cases. Let’s use this s-h-i-t show as an opportunity to embrace feeling cozy, whaddya say? Today’s big idea is that seeking coziness is more than just a comfort measure–it’s a survival mechanism that boosts all aspects of health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One area of life that is in need of recovery for a lot of people right now, in this first week after the holidays, is your primary relationships. I wrote a blog post called How I Stopped Hating My Husband and You Can Too in 2013, about how I learned how to stop keeping score regarding who did what around the house and how to communicate about how I was feeling about the division of labor. That blog post has consistently been the biggest source of traffic to my blog, but let me tell you, while that traffic remains steady through the year, it spikes around the holidays. Why? Because there’s typically one partner who is taking on the bulk of the work that the holidays require, and in heterosexual relationships, that partner is typically the woman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The problem with recovery is that we tend to think it’s only for certain situations–an addict who has hit rock bottom, for example, or someone who has experienced a major illness or surgery. And then, even in those situations, we expect recovery to happen on a certain schedule and to progress linearly, like an arrow that’s pointing upward and forward. Today’s big idea is that not only is recovery appropriate in a whole range of situations, including after times of widespread uncertainty, like the one you and I and everyone else on Earth is living through now, but also that it doesn’t happen on a timetable, and it doesn’t follow a straight line. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that we have a cultural bias against recovery–because if you’re recovering from something, then something must have been kicking your butt. And we’re not great at tolerating quote-unquote weakness. When the truth is, there are so many good things about being in recovery. To share some of those good things with us, I’m talking today with Billy Manas, a recovering addict, and author of the book Kickass Recovery. Billy is also a top contributor on Elephant Journal where he writes a lot about addiction, relationships, and mindset. He's also a singer-songwriter who's got a treat for you at the end of the episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that, once you recognize that you are in a recovery phase–and honestly, who among us hasn’t experienced loss and challenge in these last few years–you will naturally want to do something about that awareness. This episode lays out what that something is--and it's probably not what you'd expect, or that some part of you is going to hear. It's still true! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m talking about recovery. Because after the two years we’ve just had, plus the holidays–which are typically enough on their own to make you feel like you’ve lost touch with the things that make you feel your best–I think a lot of people are ready for some of that action. What I love about the idea of recovery is the re- part–it’s not creating something new that you’re never had before. It’s getting back into the groove, not digging a new trench. And it’s acknowledging that you’re not at 100 percent, so it requires you to cut yourself–and everyone else who’s in recovery–some slack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s anti-resolution is probably the most important of them all. I should have maybe run it on Monday, but for whatever reason, my episodes that drop on Fridays tend to get the most downloads, so here it is: Un-Fix Yourself. That might seem like a mixed message, coming from a podcast called How to Be a Better Person. Just to be clear, I don’t want you to be a different person. Just to help you be that version of yourself that you know is in there, and that can get overlooked when we’re busy, or stressed, or distracted. It’s not fixing we’re after here. It’s remembering. And growing. And neither of those things are possible when you're focusing on the flaws you want to make go away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I used to be obsessed with productivity hacks. How could I make better lists so that I got more done in a day? What could I do to promote my focus so that I could produce more? I wasn't seeking ways to find my own flow and do my best work--I was just trying to wring more and more stuff out of my brain and cram more and more things into my schedule. Today's surprising strategy for a better new year is the opposite of all that--AND it can help you do your best thinking and find your groove. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s anti-resolution is to Stop Being Nice. Wut?! Despite the fact that women have been socialized to be nice above all else, it's not actually a very noble goal, as my co-host this week, Terri Trespicio, breaks down today. Does that mean you should go out and let your a-hole flag fly? Or become outright mean? Goodness, no. It just means you set your sights on something different--something that takes a lot less energy than being nice AND that gives you more energy, because it's gratifying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s surprising strategy for a better new year is to Un-plan Your Life. Which, depending on how much of a planner you are, may sound like just a completely ludicrous idea. BUT, as this week's co-host, Terri Trespicio, will talk us through--plans change all the time. Multiple times. Especially in our new pandemic reality. (I can’t tell you how many trips I have booked and canceled in the last six months.) And sometimes, even when your plans work out, you've put so much stock in them that you can feel lost now that they're no longer on the horizon. So what do you do instead? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of the year we just had, and how grueling it has been in terms of stress and uncertainty and the sheer volume of decisions we’ve had to make on a daily basis, I want to approach this new year’s season a little differently. Instead of reflecting, and setting goals--both of which are great to do and if you love doing ‘em, good for you do NOT let me stop you--I am dedicating this week’s episodes to the theme Un-Do 2022: 5 Surprising Strategies for a Better Year. I just think we’ve all had enough of “I’ve just gotta do this” or “let’s do this” thinking. Given where we are at this point in time, let’s NOT do. Or rather, let’s UN-do, and make way for a more nuanced and personal path to emerge. Something else that’s different about this week is that I’ve got a co-host: my good friend Terri Trespicio, author of the brand new book Unfollow Your Passion and my go-to source for advice that flies in the face of conventional wisdom. First up: Unsubscribe to those sneaky ideas that are gumming up the works in that beautiful brain of yours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is actually a really tiny little thing that can help you come into the present moment and feel supported. And that really tiny little thing is to bring the soles of your feet to the floor. Seriously, it's a tiny thing with a massive footprint. (SO sorry for that awful pun!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your body is your friend and your passport to being present. Because while your mind can hop all over the place in time--in to the future, back in to the past, into hypothetical situations and daydreams--your body is always. Here. Right. Now. Here's how to meet up with your body and enjoy each other's company in this moment. Sooooo dreamy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your ears are a portal to the present moment, because listening well is basically meditating. It’s focusing your awareness on one particular point--in this case, what you can hear--and it gets your mind into a quiet and receptive state, which keeps it from running off in to the future or wandering back into the past. Today, you're going to make like a human tape recorder and listen like perhaps you've never listened before! PLUS: some of the things preschoolers hear when they do this exercise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A great way to settle into the present moment is to focus on your powers of observation. It’s also perfect for observing the winter solstice, which is today! Solstice means “standing still of sun” and on this day it’s like we’re suspended between two realities, of the light going away, and the light coming back. So sitting still and just seeing what you can see is actually a great way to honor this particular moment in time. Let's just see what there is to see, shall we? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eating is something you do every day. It’s tasty. AND it can be a portal into a calmer state of mind. The catch is, eating probably isn’t going to help you be present unless you decide that you want it to be. Otherwise, you’ll probably revert to just getting the food in your mouth without much thought. ALSO: a story about how I ate mindfully with 500 other people in a theater in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Setting an intention before you head into any kind of holiday situation, whether that’s a family gathering, or doing some kind of chore, or shopping, or traveling, can help you achieve those twin goals of reducing stress and enjoying more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen, I get that there is a lot of work that goes into holiday celebrations and it is so natural and tempting to kind of groan your way through them or talk about how you hate them. You may not feel 100% at peace with all the stuff you’ve got to do all the time, but even just remembering that you could choose to accept that this is just part of it can help you get to a place where you’re not hating every minute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I want to talk specifically about how to navigate family gatherings. And to help with that, I’m interviewing Amy E. Smith, a life coach and communications specialist who specializes in all things self-worth and confidence. Amy has been on the show before sharing how to enforce a boundary without being a jerk. Her e-workbook is called "Stand Up for Yourself without Being a Dick," so I think you can see right there that she’s given this topic some serious thought--let’s find out what she’s got to share. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that you can really up your enjoyment of the holidays by getting really clear on what it is about them that you love and focusing on those things--and letting everything else recede into the background. So at this juncture, it’s really helpful to take a moment to remember what the holidays are all about --and to be clear, there are so very many holidays that happen in December and January, I am absolutely not only talking about Christmas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve got a tool for you that will help you figure out what parts of the holiday you want to prioritize and which you might dial back on. It’s a priority-making matrix that I learned as a tool to help you figure out how to maximize your impact and reduce your stress at work, but it’s really cool to use it on your life stuff too. To make your own priority-making matrix, you need a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you start to look back on your daily writing over time, something really cool happens. You can start to discern patterns and insights that are deeper than your daily concerns. They help you see the arc your life is currently on. You have to do two things to discern these deeper message, which is exactly what I'm sharing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s nothing that can kick up resistance and self-doubt more quickly for a lot of people than to sit down and pick up a pen or open a blank document. That’s because your inner critic is going to prick up its ears the second you decide to write something down because writing is THAT POWERFUL. In this episode, I share with you how to zoom past that inner critic and get those fingers flying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm interviewing Kristin Manieri, a certified mindfulness teacher, host of the excellent podcast "60 Mindful Minutes" and author of several books on mindfulness, including The Mindfulness Journal: Daily Check-in. Kristen shares her insight on why written check-ins are invaluable, as well as how to build the habit of doing them, and what to actually write about when you do them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While, yes, writing is a great way to get to know yourself better, it can also help you be more productive. And not the whirling dervish, work on a ton of things at once and end the day in an exhausted heap, kind of productivity. But peaceful productivity, where you can get in a zone because you know you’re working on the right thing for the right reason and the right time. Yes, please! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writing has this mystique, like it’s something only for certain people, and that’s just a darned shame because writing is just a magical, and powerful way to get to know, understand, and even like and appreciate yourself more. It’s a tool that you just don’t want to leave on the table simply because there’s a story in your head that you’re ‘not a writer.’ Today’s big idea is an elemental truth: which is that you ARE a writer. And I've got a quick meditation and writing prompt to help you feel that in your bones (and actually write something cool). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Consuming wellness content is kinda like that board game for kids Chutes and Ladders. It starts off like a ladder Take these steps to get your health to a better place. It’s cool, you’re learning things, getting ideas, trying them out in your own life, hopefully enjoying some tangible evidence of feeling better. But you can also be moseying along and then boom, fall down a chute into some pretty hairy spaces. For example, falling pray to conspiracy thinking. Today I look at why that is and how you can keep your wits about you.

More resources: Maintenance Phase, "The Wellness to QAnon Pipeline" Conspirituality podcast Dr. Timothy Caulfield Abbie Richards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the problems with wellness is that it’s freaking expensive. And for that reason, it’s also elitist. Buying organic, grass-fed, Fair Trade all costs more. Add to that supplements, like omega 3s, and probiotics, and protein powders, organic mattresses and infrared saunas and it's like an exclusive realm only for 1 percenters. Today I'm sharing five FREE and powerful ways to boost your health and helping you think of the money you do spend on your health as a worthy investment instead of chasing the latest fad. B Breathe O Open the window N Get out in nature E Eat mindfully S Sleep! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast we’re taking a look at some of the aspects of the health world that maybe deserve some re-thinking. And one of those things is weight. Today I’m interviewing Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, a functional medicine doctor, author of the soon-to-be-released book Younger You, and award-winning clinician and researcher who has a cutting-edge and evidence-based way to assess health and reduce the risk of disease that takes weight out of the equation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The issue with wellness that I’m taking aim at today is that it can be awfully shaming--whether that judgment is coming from your doctor, an article or podcast or book, a friend or loved one, or even yourself. Let's unpack this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m taking a look at health and wellness and trying to help you and me and everyone navigate this super important topic that also can be, for lack of a better term, crazy-making. And the first issue I’m taking aim at is the fact that when it comes to health advice, it is confusing as hell. How in the heck can you figure out what's the right way to be healthy?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a positive emotion that can help you be happy with what you have and shift out of that mental state where you’re feeling incomplete and like you might need something to fill a hole in your life. It's contentment. Not the "I have the remote, a blanket, and a cup of tea" kind of contentment. That's nice, but this is way deeper. And if you play along, you can feel it by the end of this episode. True story! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is, no surprise about gratitude. After all, it’s Thanksgiving in the US--essentially a national day of gratitude. But it's about a specific way of sharing your gratitude that's been shown by science to have long-lasting beneficial effects (like, months or even years). Plus, two tiny gratitude stories that are still fueling me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wonder is a positive emotion that has tremendous benefits, in addition to being so much fun to seek. But it’s not something we tend to think about much in the midst of the daily grind. I hope today’s interview will help change that. I’m talking with Andrea Scher, author of the brand new book called Wonder Seeker that is literally wonderful, and has been called a “Beacon of joy in a book.”

Follow Andrea on Instagram Check out her book Join her read-along e-course Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know how in Goodfellas, Joe Pesci gets upset when someone calls him funny and he gets ticked off and says, "Am I clown? Do I amuse you?" all menacingly, like amusement is some kind of offense? Well, it's not. It's actually a SUPER powerful positive emotion and I've got an embarrassing story to tell that I think will help you experience it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine that your emotional wellbeing is a see-saw. On one side are all the negative emotions, and on the other are the positive emotions. We tend to not focus on the positive emotions that much, and that's a darn shame because they have SO MUCH to offer in terms of refilling your well, making you more resilient, and just feeling more alive. Luckily, you can build and broaden your experience of them... and we'll start to unpack how today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all make financial mistakes. No one has a track record of doing the precisely right thing with their money 100% of the time. It’s really really easy to spend money in ways that don’t pan out the way you’d hoped. It’s also really really easy to beat yourself up about those money mis-steps because you can quantify the mistake. So let's talk about how to forgive yourself for those inevitable mistakes so that you increase your trust in your own ability to handle money. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spending money isn’t the only way to procure the things you want and need. There are online communities and social networks where people are giving and receiving all kinds of things that have value for free. And one of these are the Buy Nothing groups on Facebook. I am completely obsessed with my local Buy Nothing group. Let me tell you why. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I’m talking with Brittni Sennett, a professional financial planner who helps womxn take a whole self approach to improving their financial lives. Brittni isn’t your typical, buttoned up financial planner and her clients aren’t your typical already wealthy investors. She makes it a point to help womxn reduce their overwhelm and increase their confidence around money, and she’s here today to talk to us about how our painful experiences with money in the past might be holding us back, and how we can heal from them and grow both as people and as managers of our own finances. Follow Brittni on Instagram. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two primary ways to have more money in your pocket--you can spend less, or you can earn more. And far too many of us--particularly women--are focused solely on the “spend less” portion of that equation. Let's change that. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was inspired to make this the first episode of a week of episodes on real money talk because I just this morning had a moment of total money panic. I went to check the balance on our joint account--my spouse and I both pay in equal amounts each month and we use that joint money for our expenses, so it ends up getting spent by the end of every month and replenished at the start of each month. And despite the fact that as I write this it’s only the second week of the month, our account was at $0. Zero dollars! Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being a better person isn't a fluke of genetics or good parenting. Everyone has inherent goodness. Everyday, you’re faced with hundreds of decisions, and it’s in those decisions where you have the potential to move toward better. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t have to be a better person ALL the time. And thank goodness for that. Because trying to do anything 100% of the time is a recipe for burnout. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for the opportunity keeps your eyes open to what good things might be trying to emerge. And finding those opportunities is what helps you use the simple act of living your life as a personal development seminar.

Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ven though it’s a simple concept, awareness is a pretty rare and wonderful thing, like an orchid in a sea of carnations. Because it’s a lot more convenient to not pay attention to stuff--particularly your own stuff. Being able to see yourself clearly is how you start to make better choices. It’s also an easy and effective way to wade into change. Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t have to transform yourself into Mother Theresa or Gandhi or whomever your ideal ‘good person’ is. Truly, you just have to care enough to opt for a better choice at your next opportunity.

Sign up for the How to Be a Better Person newsletter and never miss an episode! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s something that may seem very small that actually has the potential to have a very big impact on your community at large, and that is to have more conversations with the people you know about the laws, policies, bodies, and people that govern where you live. Chatting with friends is something that might have gotten you labelled a 'bad student' when you were in school, but now it's something that helps you be a good citizen.

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You elected officials are very interested in hearing what people think about the issues that they’re working on--or not working on. And, remember, you are one of those people. So, they want to hear from YOU. Here's how to do it, and how your writing or calling or Tweeting amplifies your influence in a mega way.

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Today, we’re going to learn how a person who gives a shit--which is how I think of that desire to make a difference in yourself and the world--can become more engaged in democracy. I’m interviewing Nirva LaFortune, who is my city council representative here in Providence, Rhode Island. Nirva is also my neighbor and my friend, and most excitingly, she is running for mayor of Providence--that election is one year from now, in 2022. She's giving us the inside scoop on how much civic participation by regular ole folks matters.

Here's a link to learn more about her.

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Local news outlets are a crucial piece of democracy. Journalists for local papers attend town hall meetings and school board meetings and zoning meetings and committee hearings and THEN THEY REPORT ON THEM. If the government or other entities that serve the public are up to shenanigans, or not fulfilling their duties, journalists are who bring that to light, and who report the full spectrum of a story and not just what one side wants people to know. Sadly, local journalism has been decimated over the last 15 years, and it got even worse over the pandemic. Let's talk about easy--some free, some not--ways to help keep our small local news outlets open.

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This week on the podcast, in honor of Election Day (which is tomorrow), I’m talking about how to be a better, more engaged citizen. Most of us know it’s important to vote in our presidential elections, but those only come around every four years, and there are so many more opportunities to influence your state and local government for the better. Democracy is, after all, by the people and for the people. You are those people, and without your engagement, the government doesn’t work as it’s intended.

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Thanks to social media it’s easier than ever to immerse yourself in images of seemingly perfect people, in seemingly perfect spaces, living seemingly perfect lives. It seems like a fun diversion, but it’s often creating feelings of anxiety, depression, and making us feel worse about ourselves. So, what to do? Well, you COULD get off social media altogether, and I would applaud you. Or…. you could do this. Got something you'd like to hear me cover on future episodes? Shoot me an email! I'm all ears and love hearing from you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that the things about you that don’t fit an image of perfection are actually a source of strength. They are often actually what you’re here to help other people with. Distilled into one catchy phrase, your mess is your message. Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I hope to help us all see how perfectionism might be driving our desire to be better and to embrace all the many glorious ways we’re imperfect. Today I’m talking to someone who can help us do just that clinical psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Cousineau. Tara is the author of The Kindness Cure, creator of the course Overcome Perfectionism Through Self-Compassion for the meditation app Insight Timer, and a faculty member at the Harvard Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness. And Tara will help us see how self-compassion can help unwind the inner algorithms that lead to perfectionism. Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not just the type A, dot every I, and cross every T form of perfectionism that a lot of people associate with the term.

I’m going to share some of the ways perfectionism shows up so that you can have a better idea of whether it’s something you are experiencing without potentially realizing it.

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This week on the podcast I’m talking about perfectionism, because as honorable as it is to care about being a better person and to give a shit about bringing your best and making a difference, we can go overboard with it all and feel like crap if we’re not doing our best at all times, which leads to feeling bad about ourselves and burn out. That’s not what we’re after! Got a comment or a question? I'm all ears! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Devoting some time to stretching is a great way to check in with yourself and your body and see how you’re feeling, where you might be feeling tension that you weren’t aware of, and just sending yourself some love. But you probably already knew that. Today is not about knowing, it's about doing. Legs up the wall * Both feet straight up the wall for a few minutes * Open your legs into a V for a few minutes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The great thing about nature is that it has that magic ability to both calm you and energize you. And that’s precisely what we’re after during this week dedicated to dawdling and replenishing. Let me know what you do to replenish! Take a pic of you enjoying some nature and tag me on Instagram! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that you’ve said no to some stuff and cleared some space in your schedule and your head, and you’ve spent some time alone and had a chance to digest some emotions, let’s get your senses involved and do something that feels physically fantastic. Let me know what you do to replenish! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spending time alone is a key ingredient for replenishment. The thing is, when you’re alone, no one is talking to you, or asking you to do something, and you can hear yourself think. Even if you are the most extroverted extrovert, alone time is still helpful and important. Let me know what you do to replenish! Take a pic of you during your alone time and tag me on Instagram! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m doing things a little differently, and trying to create some space for us all to slow down a little bit, catch our breath, and refill our wells a bit. I’m calling it the Five-Day Dawdle--as in, five days of doing the definition of dawdling, which is to move slowly . Every day this week I’ll give you one easy thing you can do with whatever you’ve got, wherever you are, to slow the heck down and make space for replenishment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many big, capital-D decisions that can take a really long time to figure out. Things like, should you move, change jobs, break up, have kids, or anything that feels like it’s going to change your life. These big decisions require taking your time, being patient, and thinking things through. But it’s really hard to be on the verge of figuring out what to do next. So how do you find some peace during the decision-making process? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One way to avoid overthinking or ignoring some of the things that you need to decide is to give yourself a deadline. In other words, some times you need to decide WHEN you’re going to decide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because you are listening to a podcast called How to be a Better Person, you give a shit, about a lot of things, including making good choices. And that desire, while beautiful, can also be a slippery slope into overthinking. I mean, we’ve all been there, right? That’s why I’m excited to be interviewing Melody Wilding, a licensed social worker, an executive coach and author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the reasons why decisions can be so taxing is that we’re over-relying on our brains to make them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for making pro and con lists and doing research and mulling things over, but your brain isn’t the only game in town. There’s also your heart, which is all about love. It sees possibility and seeks expansion and understands things like truth and beauty--all things that the rational mind is kind of unimpressed with. I've got an exercise that will help you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us know the basics of decision-making--name the problem, list the options, weigh the pros and cons of each, and choose the best one. But sometimes, the straightforward, tried and true approach just doesn’t work. Especially now in the Covid era, when there are so many added decisions we’ve needed to make that often feel like impossible choices.For some decisions, you need a way to cut through the noise, give your rational, thinking mind a break, and check in with your gut, aka your intuition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK the pandemic did NOT help us have a healthy relationship to screens. Not that all screen time is bad, but... we could all pretty much use a check in on how much time we spend starting at a screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a scientific term for the phenomenon of acting differently online than you do in real life, it’s called the internet disinhibition effect. So if you get fired up and leave snarky comments or bad reviews, you're living out a scientific principle!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Smartphones are designed to be addictive. If you can't stop looking at yours, it makes sense. Does that mean there's nothing you can do? No. Dr. Jud Brewer, a New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of habit change, is here today to talk us through getting out of that craving state of mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anytime you are online (unless you’ve paid for a subscription service with no ads), SHOPPING IS EVERYWHERE!! It’s very, very hard to resist. Which is tough on our willpower, which is a finite resource that burns pretty quickly, our credit card balances, and the environment. Let's break that see, click, buy cycle. Or at least interrupt it. Fast Fashion Turning Parts of Ghana into Toxic Landfill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All our connectivity makes a lot of things easier, but there are some things where you don’t really want to take the easy route: for example, fostering day to day closeness to people you love. Survey That Found that Americans Spend 59 Hours a Week on the Internet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, you commit to something. Something that helps keep a very manageable amount of your energy directed toward making a difference. I'll also share how I came to be secretary of the PTO--and why I'm so glad I did, despite the meetings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what I think might end up being the shortest How to Be a Better Person podcast episode ever, your tiny assignment today is just ridiculously simple. But hearing why it matters so very much will help inspire you to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may not have 50,000 followers on Instagram or a million followers on tiktok, but you still have influence. Today’s piece of the challenge is to take the information you gathered on who is already doing the work on the thing you want to help address, and use your influence to help spread the word about their work and their needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s a crucial thing to keep in mind when it comes to making a difference on issues big and small, global and local: You don’t need to be the savior rushing in a white horse. In fact, you'd likely only make things worse. Instead, your task today is to find someone who's already working on the thing you care about, so you can add your support to the cause. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m doing something a little bit different. Because I’ve gotten such a great response to my free I Give a Shit sticker (it's a nice antidote to the I give zero effs thing that’s been floating around) and because there are just so many things happening in the world that, if you are a person who gives a shit, can really weigh on you, this week we're going to relieve some of that angst by doing something about the stuff that’s weighing heavy on our hearts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your emotions aren’t here to torture you; they’re messengers, giving you information about what you value, need, and want. Here's one question to ask yourself to figure out what information your anger is trying to convey. (Then it won’t have to try so hard to get your attention.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each of us has a set of beliefs about anger that we’ve been carrying around since we were little. By taking a little time to think about what those beliefs are, you can get a little more objectivity and perspective on this emotion that so often prevents you from thinking clearly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I wanted to talk to someone who could help us think about anger in new ways and potentially interrupt any of our habitual patterns around it so that we’ve got some space to learn some new skills for dealing with it. The person I’m talking to today is Andrea J. Lee. Andrea is the author of the blog "We Can Stop Being Abusive" on Substack, the controversial article "I Verbally Abused my Husband: Here's How I Stopped," published in the Washington Post and the book We Need to Talk for small business owners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s nothing wrong with anger management strategies, which are fine but, to use a healthcare analogy, learning how to manage anger is trying to mitigate symptoms, instead of treating the root cause. Let’s look at some of the many, many things that can give rise to anger so that you can see what root causes that you might be able to address. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episodes were inspired by a listener question about feeling angry all the time lately, and what to do about it. And since anger is definitely having a moment (all that cooped-up angst has to have somewhere to go), let's figure out what all this collective anger might be here to show us. First question: is anger a bad a thing? Or a good thing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even when you’re busy and don’t feel like you have a lot of time to do things just for the fun of it, you can increase your experience of fun by tuning in to how fun feels in your body. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s face it: Adulting can be a real slog. The list of things to do and take care of can feel relentless. However, that does not mean that doing the things you need to do has to be boring, or tedious. You CAN use fun to goad yourself into doing those things you have to do, and enjoy yourself while you’re doing it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Dr. Rachel Allyn, a relationship and sex therapist and the author of the new book, The Pleasure Is All Yours: Reclaim Your Body’s Bliss and Reignite Your Passion for Life. After all fun and pleasure go hand in hand, and if you’re listening from the United States, we live in a pretty repressed society where pleasure is either frowned upon or just ignored. Let's turn that beat around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In order to invite more fun into your life, it helps to give some thought to what you consider to be fun, and what you’ve been doing for fun lately, and objectively assess whether you might need to prioritize fun a little more. I think of it as doing a fun inventory. That may sound like a clinical approach to playfulness, but what you inspect, you respect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I get that fun can feel frivolous, and that it’s easy to think that we should wait until things calm down before we even consider doing something just for the fun of it. But fun is not just enjoyable, but also it’s vital to our wellbeing and even to our very purpose for being on this planet in this body at this juncture in time. Woah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who embrace leftovers, and those who turn their nose up at them. By the end of this episode, I hope you’ll be firmly in the embrace ‘em camp, if you’re not there already. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can’t talk about how to get better and making more of your own food without also talking about getting better about grocery shopping. After all, you can’t cook what you don’t have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s be honest, figuring out what to eat can also be overwhelming. So today, I’m interviewing Kate Schulz, co-host of the Dinner Sisters podcast, for her tips on how to figure out what the heck to have for dinner. Kate is a home cook through and through with no professional chef experience or training, so she can definitely relate to that feeling of having no idea of what to make for dinner and of being turned off by complicated recipes. I’m excited to get insights on how to make cooking less stressf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you definitely don’t need any formal training to be a great home cook, having a couple techniques up your sleeve can make things a lot easier. So today I’m sharing three cooking strategies that, over the years, have saved me weeks of time. I did learn them from a pro, but not in a class or culinary school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that vegetables are good for us, but few of us are eating as many as we probably ought to be. In fact, a survey commissioned by the food brand. Dr. Praeger's found that a quarter of Americans have never had a vegetable! So let’s talk about how you can eat more vegetables in an easy and tasty way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ok, yes, fall is busy, but it's about more than just being a busy little squirrel and hiding away your acorns for the winter to come (although it is about that too). Let's look at the deeper meaning--and opportunities--of fall so we can be intentional about this sometimes tempestuous season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instead of creating a rigid new schedule for fall, think about how making your schedule more like a song--with a consistent rhythm that can adapt to different circumstances, like verses (weekdays), choruses (weekends), and even shredding guitar solos (those days that kick your butt). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with my go-to nutrition expert, Mary Sheila Gonnella, of Occidental Nutrition--a recurring guest on this podcast, a friend of mine, and a very talented and passionate nutritionist who blends traditional approaches,-like taking care of your blood sugar and insulin levels, with ancient practices such as Ayurveda. I'm asking her what kinds of foods will help us stay strong during this transitional time, as well as how to manage fall allergies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s just go ahead and admit it. Transitions can be really hard. And fall is a lot of transitions rolled into one--changes in weather, in schedules, and overall energy. I share two ways to help you feel more stable and safe during this wonky time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right about now, it is easy to be feeling like you’ve gotten off track with your healthy habits. Maybe your bedtime has crept later, and if you have kids, so has theirs. Maybe it felt too hot to cook so you got really into eating more stuff like pizza or fries because they were so easy. Or maybe you’ve been hitting the booze more because there have been barbecues and trips to the beach or the lake or the woods or the park. More. . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So very many of us have experienced something that makes us feel ashamed, and that shame can worm its way into your subconscious and make you feel like deep down inside, you are a bad person. Something that we’re scared that if people knew the truth about, we would be judged and shunned for. Let's talk about how to start leaving that shame behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don’t know about you, but I find it comforting to know that humans have been backsliding for thousands and thousands of years! It’s not a question of if it will happen, but when. And therefore, not something that means you’re a bad person. Just something that means you’re human. Let's talk about what to do when you realize you've let your healthy habits slide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you’re telling a little fib, or blatantly telling someone something that isn’t true, or even NOT telling someone something that IS true, dishonesty is often one of those things that triggers a visit from the “am I a bad person?” thought pattern later on. So let’s break it down with Judi Ketteler, author of the book Would I Lie to You? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s trait is running late and forgetting stuff and therefore, potentially letting other people down. Let me just say, I FEEL this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I want to flip things and instead of talking about being a better person, to spend a little time talking about the things we all sometimes do that can leave us wondering, am I a bad person? When I surveyed listeners several months ago about the things that make them feel like a bad person, the most popular response was impatience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Accepting the things about yourself that you might otherwise judge as ‘bad’ is a big piece of loving yourself. After all, love isn’t conditional. It’s not, I’ll love myself after I lose 5 pounds, or get a new job, or things calm down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These August days are about as quiet as it gets on the work front (except for, perhaps, the week between Christmas and New Year's). Let's take this opportunity to restore our ability to focus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To help us all think about how to go about cultivating more grit I wanted to talk to a pro, so I reached out to Shannon Huffman Polson, the youngest woman ever to climb Mt. McKinley, one of the first women to be trained to fly an Apache helicopter during her time serving in the Army and author of The Grit Factor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of my better person principles (that I shared last week in episode 509) is that every challenge has an opportunity wrapped up inside it. Even the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad challenges, like, say, a global pandemic. And one of those opportunities now is to strengthen and hone our ‘keep going’ muscles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You used to more or less be able to decide when you wanted to wade into a potentially heated conversation. Now, whether you're talking about masks, vaccines, or the start of school, you can stumble into them multiple times a day. What's a person who's trying to be a better person to do? Face them head on, or keep the peace? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being a better person isn't a fluke of genetics. Everyone has inherent goodness. Everyday, you’re faced with hundreds of decisions, and it’s in those decisions where you have the potential to move toward better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t have to be a better person ALL the time. And thank goodness for that. Because trying to do anything 100% of the time is a recipe for burnout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for the opportunity keeps your eyes open to what good things might be trying to emerge. And finding those opportunities is what helps you use the simple act of living your life as a personal development seminar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though it’s a simple concept, awareness is a pretty rare and wonderful thing, like an orchid in a sea of carnations. Because it’s a lot more convenient to not pay attention to stuff--particularly your own stuff. Being able to see yourself clearly is how you start to make better choices. It’s also an easy and effective way to wade into change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t have to transform yourself into Mother Theresa or Gandhi or whomever your ideal ‘good person’ is. Truly, you just have to care enough to opt for a better choice at your next opportunity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One huge obstacle to creativity is your inner critic, which is obsessed with keeping you safe, and will try to convince you that anything new you’re either thinking, doing, or trying to create, is either dangerous--as in, it could open you up to ridicule--or bad--as in, a waste of time. I’ve got a way to short circuit that very human instinct. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fun fact: the root of “spire” means breath, so inspired means filled with breath, or since if you aren’t breathing you’re dead, filled with life. So even if you don’t care one whit about doing anything creative, inspiration is still essential. Here's how to make it seek you out like a glamorous, love-starved pig. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK, let's talk nuts and bolts. HOW do you incorporate creativity into what I'm assuming is already a pretty gosh darn busy life? I'm interviewing Jackie Dishner, an Arizona-based artist, author, and writer who teaches creativity classes. I'm gonna get her to break it down for me like I'm 5 years old so that we can all see our way to gettin' our creative on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of us--many of us--do NOT feel like we are creative beings. Like, it’s something that only gets handed out to some folks, and others are stuck in logical land. When really, creativity is an innate human trait, we all have it, in some form, to some extent. But perhaps it’s gotten rusty or is just feeling neglected and hard to access. So today I want to talk about something that might feel easier to access that is a precursor to creativity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid cases are trending back upward, this summer has been intense on the weather front, and you know, I think the collective we could really go for a topic that’s comforting and taps into the dreamier, more imaginative side of life. Plus, creativity is one of the unique characteristics of humans, so nurturing your own inventiveness is part of being a better person. And, creativity has a TON of important benefits to offer us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This pandemic summer, when we still can’t really predict what the fall, winter and spring ahead will be like, and yet we theoretically are out of the worst of it, is a very transitional time to be. And the human brain typically does NOT like transitions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is the 500th episode of this podcast! Can you believe it? I hardly can.

For today’s big idea, I’m sharing five things I’ve learned over these past 500 episodes. But before I do, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening, and for caring about being a better person. I never in a million years would have made it this far without you--this is your milestone, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since tomorrow is the 500th episode of this podcast, and I am so blown away by this number, that I wanted to talk to someone who knows the symbolism of numbers to help me understand what this particular milestone means on a symbolic level. I spoke with energy healer and teacher, Julie Ann, and she not only blew my doors off with what 500 means, but shared how to figure out the significance of any number in your life that is catching your attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

C'mon, you can admit it. When you see the photos of your friends on their vacations to the Cape, or Hawaii, or the lake, part of you is jealous. Maybe even a little judgy. Today, let's talk about how to work that feeling and turn it into an opportunity to invite a getaway in to your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something we don’t generally think about when we think about being more generous is giving to ourselves, too. Which is a really important piece of being a more giving person, because you can’t give from an empty cup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can be generous in some ways, and stingy in others. And it’s really fascinating to start to unpack where you are a natural giver, and where you might be more likely to freeze up and think, oh heck no.

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While giving is often energizing, there are definitely times when it’s draining. In addition, sometimes your giving can make the person you’re trying to give to feel bad--micromanaged, or like you think they aren’t capable. So today, let’s figure out how to keep giving in the realm of feeling good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking to four-time TED speaker Damon Brown about emotional labor--why it's the best thing you have to offer, and also how it can quickly deplete you if you're not intentional about it. PLUS, we break down the costs of letting someone pick your brain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are so many ways you can give, and they don’t necessarily require a lot of time or money, which is what we typically think of when we think of giving. Check out this list of ways to be generous that will get you in that giving mood.(You can tell there are a lot of them, as this episode is over 10 minutes, which I try not to do--but I wanted you to see the full buffet!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, generosity is a virtue, and a key piece of being a better person. BUT the funny paradox about giving is that it feels really good to help others, and those good feelings help energize you in all parts of your life. Find out why Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People’s best--including our own--may look nothing like what we would have expected in the 'before times.' We have to give each other a wide enough berth to be harried, or to overreact, or to be slow, or irritable, and to not make that behavior mean that anyone’s a bad person, or incompetent, or any other judgmental thing we could think. Here's how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During times of transition, it’s easier than ever to judge our fellow humans, which is ironic, because this is when we need to offer each other the most tolerance we can muster. Here's a way to short-circuit this very human inclination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Gwen Moran who writes and speaks about the intersection of workplace issues and life. Gwen is a regular contributor to Fast Company, Inc., and many other outlets, where she’s been writing extensively about re-emergence from the pandemic and what that means for all of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You've probably noticed that people are acting a little...odd lately--aggressive, irritable, forgetful, slow. That's because collectively we're in a time of upheaval and our social skills have atrophied. You can either get knocked off your center, or you can try this approach to staying grounded during this funky time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the urge to pour yourself a drink strikes, it’s helpful to have a couple other strategies in place that you can do instead. Here are three of my favorites. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's common to pop open something alcoholic when you're stressed, just so you can switch into chill mode. So what can do you to take the edge off if you're not drinking? Hoo doggie...so many things!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often turn to alcohol as a way to let loose and have fun. So if you stop or cut way back on drinking, does that mean you're going to be boring? Nope. Today I'm talking about other ways to get into that ‘let’s have some fun’ state of mind without relying on a glass of something to provide it for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Sarah Kate, founder of the website Some Good Clean Fun and advocate for breaking free from mommy wine culture, about how simply deciding to drink less can be difficult, why it's something worth serious consideration, and what's possible on the other side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Michelle Smith, a TEDx speaker, author, podcaster, mental health and addictions counselor and founder of Recovery is the New Black. Michelle describes herself as a sobriety advocate, and I'm excited to talk to her today about how to tell when your alcohol consumption might be something you need to take a closer look at, and exactly how to do that and what to do next. (Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week of episodes is for everyone, but especially anyone who is waking up today feeling any kind of negative way about how much they had to drink this weekend, and who might be feeling ready to make a change. In other words, this episode is for anyone who is sober curious. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re not taking stock of the things you tell yourself on the regular, guess what--you’re going to make the same choices that led you to feeling like you needed that detox and that de-cluttering in the first place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many obstacles to creating and assimilating new habits that help us become better people. I mean, of course, otherwise we would all be walking around as the best possible version of ourselves and wouldn’t that be grand? Here's how to deal with one of the biggest obstacles: backsliding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trying to become better is not a reason for feeling bad about yourself. You will mess up. You will backslide. You will completely forget. And it is OK. All you need to do is simply start again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As wonderful and enjoyable and nourishing as meditation is, you are going to have times--many, many times--when you don’t feel like doing it. It's not a question of IF it will happen, it's a question of WHEN. Come find out why we do that, and learn 3 strategies for outsmarting your resistance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although it feels like one, money is NOT a finite resource. They print more money every day. And yet, we tend to think of money as a zero sum game--once it’s gone, it’s gone. Today's mantra helps you shift out of that perception of lack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm offering a look a look at the business side of this podcast--why I started it, how I produce it, how much it earns, how much it costs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CNBC reports that up to 80% of jobs are filled by networking--and that up to 70% of jobs are never even listed anywhere publicly. It really is who you know. So what if you don't feel like you know the right or enough people? Here's a little networking 101 for the real world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with someone who helps people think about work in new ways all day, every day. She knows how to counsel people who are making changes in their work lives. Tami Forman is the executive director of Path Forward, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to give people who’ve taken time away from work to care for their loved ones the opportunity to re-enter the workforce, and she shares one of the most helpful visuals that makes thinking about new work opportunities so much simpler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is something that can help you get more energized about work, AND help you deliver more value and make a bigger impact while also having to try less hard. YES I know this sounds like magical thinking, but it’s not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If we are in what economists and journalists are calling a Great Reassessment of work, what do we want to take in to account when we’re doing this re-assessing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you still want to hug everyone? Are there places where you want to continue wearing a mask? Was there a part of pandemic life that you want to keep going? Or something you DIDN'T do (or people you didn't see) during the pandemic that you realize was actually good for you? Let's use this weird, tiring, transitional time for a boundaries check-in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two types of boundaries, and we tend to only think about one of them, which means you could be neglecting an important way of keeping yourself in a good place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Amy E Smith, a life coach who teaches chronic people-pleasers how to stand up for themselves without being a dick. I mean, yes please! Amy gives a masterclass on what boundaries are, how to figure out what boundaries you might be, and how to maintain them with kindness. You're gonna love her, but she does use salty language so heads up if you're listening with kids around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drawing boundaries might feel limiting, but anytime you put some guardrails around something, you actually plug up holes where energy could leak out of, or outside distractions could get in through. And corralling your energy is, paradoxically, mega-freeing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us think about boundaries as a means of self-protection, which they are, but thinking of them solely that way puts you in a defensive stance, like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish mascot. And that stance takes a lot of energy to maintain, even if you’re only doing it psychically. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, there's plenty of things about perimenopause that suck. But as a post-menopausal person, I'm here to tell you about what you have to look forward to. (It's good news.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I value Western medicine, I truly do, but there are some things where it’s not all that helpful, and women’s health and wellness is generally one of them. Here are three types of health care practitioners who might be able to really help smooth the bumps of your perimenopausal transition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Jolinda Johnson about the many symptoms of perimenopause, many of which I think will surprise you, as well as easy but powerful things you can do for yourself that mitigate those symptoms. Jolinda knows her STUFF!! I learned a ton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could your fatigue be related to perimenopause? Could your weight gain? What about your back pain? Because perimenopause can trigger a whole slew of seemingly disconnected symptoms, the probable answer is yes. Come learn some of the more surprising symptoms of perimenopause. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For too long, this natural shift that every person with a uterus and ovaries goes through has either been seen as either sad, scary, or shameful. It’s time to normalize perimenopause, and bring it into the light.

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For today’s big idea, I’m sharing my VERY BEST tip on how to have just a fabulous time at the beach. It’s so good, I can’t even believe I’m sharing it, because now it will be out of the bag, and if more people start doing it, at some point it won’t be so special any more. But it really is so great that I’m willing to risk it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all the extra sunlight and the heat that’s happening right now, it can be hard to get good sleep. I know it feels like all that extra sun is penetrating straight into my brain! So let’s talk about how to get the zzzzs you need even now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Katy Bowman, biomechanist and bestselling author of many books, including her newest, Grow Wild: The Whole-Child, Whole-Family Nature-Rich Guide to Moving More. We break it down how to get kids back into moving their bodies and heading outside--even after a pandemic when they basically become one with their screens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's tip is making a summer bucket list, which helps ensure that you actually DO all the summery things that you love the most, so that you don’t roll up to September with that nagging feeling that you didn’t have the summer that you wanted. Except I don't love that name, so let's call it Goals for a Glorious Summer . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is about way more than sun, swimming, and barbecues. It’s about refilling your well after a long winter and a chilly, rainy spring. And that’s doubly, ESPECIALLY true after a pandemic winter!! Knowing what summer is really about helps you recuperate from what has been a hard, nutty yea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what you’re going to do to relax, or how long you have to do it, something you need to do to really maximize your efforts is to establish your own safety. This is a piece that most advice on how to relax misses--but when you implement this strategy, you really amp up your benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you want and need a form of stress reduction that is "done for you" so that you can really go deeply in to the restorative relaxation zone. These three modalities can really help you go there and lessen the effect that stress is having on you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm sharing two stress reduction activities that you can do at home, with a tiny bit of equipment but nothing more exotic than a couple of blankets or a pillow, in about 20 minutes, and they can really transport you to another state of being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the insidious things about stress is that it will try to convince you that you don’t have time for anything that’s not related to getting things done. I promise you, you have a couple minutes for yourself, and you CAN foster relaxation in that short of a time. The hardest part, really, is simply deciding to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vegging out, doing nothing, and even leisure skills are not what I’m talking about when I say relaxation. That’s because relaxation is a specific physiological state of being. And in today’s stressful world, it often doesn’t happen by accident. If you don't know what you're aiming for, you're not likely to hit it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re a mom home with kids, your burnout is potentially at a whole ‘nother level after being your kids teacher, therapist, cruise director, best friend, playmate, nurse. I just want to say, I see you. I honor you. Today’s episode is especially for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have it in our head that work equals effort, which means hard, which means not fun. But you’re working from home. No one is observing you. You absolutely can, and absolutely should, find a way to enjoy it more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest problems of working from home--and the piece that plays the biggest role in work from home burnout--is that it’s very easy to feel like you should be working all the time. Here's how you prevent that from happening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though you don’t have to commute to an office when you work from home and therefore don’t technically need to leave the house, trust me--you NEED to leave the house! Here's why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With more people home all day, eating all meals at home, the dishes are just relentless. So relentless, in fact, that if you feel like you need to stay on top of them, you won’t get any work done, and you won’t get any rest. Here's how to strike a balance between having getting your work done and having a house that's clean enough that you don't lose your mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are all charged up to get back to normal life where we are leaving the house and interacting with others on the regular again, there is privilege in that excitement that is helpful to acknowledge now. Because there are many folks who are dreading it for an array of good reasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At some point in your life, no matter what race you are, you are likely to be called out for some mis-step. Let’s talk about how to handle that so that it becomes a growth opportunity, and not a moment of shame or anger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, mindfulness is a helpful tool when you're meditating--but can it help you have conversations about race, too? You bet. Racial justice educator Dr. Amanda Kemp is here today to tell us how and why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start sharing the things you’ve learned about anti-racism and the results of the inner work you’ve done with the people in your circle of influence. Even if you don't feel ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Frederick Bryan said “Self-awareness IS a form of action,” so today we're just going to do a little check-in on how all that anti-racism flurry of last summer has shaken out in your own mind, actions, and life. It's a chance to take stock and re-commit, because anti-racism is still very much needed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some of us--maybe more of us that you might realize--the idea of getting back out there and mingling with folks post quarantine is feeling a little scary. So let’s talk about how to make small talk even when it feels like you’re the Tin Min and your jaw has gotten rusty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are invariably going to be times when you need to talk about something with someone...and you are NOT going to want to do it, because it has the potential to be awkward, or angry-making, or just emotional in general. Having a game plan makes this much more doable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Morra Aarons-Mele, host of the Anxious Achiever podcast and author of Hiding in the Bathroom: How to Get Out There When You'd Rather Stay Home. I’m excited to get her perspective on how to work with things like anxiety and being introvert that your monkey mind might try to use to convince you to avoid doing hard things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A good apology is an admission that you got something wrong. Which might be an occasion for you to feel like a bad person. Just to be clear: Being a better person isn’t about being perfect. It’s about using mis-steps as an opportunity to grow. An apologizing well help you do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I asked my daughter if there were any situations where she wasn’t sure how to be a better person, she didn’t have to think long to come up with, what do you say to someone who’s crying. Which, I mean, 13 year old girls and their hormones mean there are lots of opportunities for tears, am I right? But tears definitely aren’t only for adolescent girls. We will all be in a situation where we’re talking to someone who is sad. So let’s talk about how to be there for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As wonderful and enjoyable and nourishing as meditation is, you are going to have times--many, many times--when you don’t feel like doing it. It's not a question of IF it will happen, it's a question of WHEN. Come find out why we do that, and learn 3 strategies for outsmarting your resistance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A common obstacle to actually sitting down and meditating is the thought of, “I don’t have time.” So let’s take a look at how to make the time for meditation so that we can get out ahead of that thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking with Jess Naim, a Philadelphia meditation teacher who has a great way of making things like meditation and visualizing and breathwork not only relevant to real life, but also fun. She shared some meditation hacks that are nothing short of thrilling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knowing exactly what to do when you meditate helps empower you to actually do it. Today I'm giving you a basic formula for what to do during a meditation practice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s easy to think of meditation as something boring you’re supposed to do to take care of yourself--kind of like flossing. When actually meditation is a pleasurable, decadent, and just ridiculously loving thing to do for yourself. Come find out why it’s like a warm shower for your mind and a hug for your psyche. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is one thing that has a huge potential to enact changes that will protect the earth and help our climate heal, and that is to join forces with an organization that is lobbying the government to adopt climate-friendly laws and practices. This helps enact sweeping changes that really move the needle; it also helps you personally in SO many ways. Let's discuss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding ways to waste less food is great for the planet. And… it’s not something that we’re doing all that well. In fact, according to the United United States Department of Agriculture, one pound of food per person per day goes to waste--that's up to 40 percent of the entire food supply. Zoiks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Emily Murphy, a regenerative organic gardener, nature activist, and author of the book Grow What You Love, asking her what we as individuals can do in our own yard, and on our windowsills, and in our own communities, to grow the change we want to see in the world and help us feel like we're doing our part. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How you power the lights, the heat, the cooling, the devices, and all the electronic doo dads in your home is one of your biggest levers for either contributing to climate change, or steering us away from it. Yet renewable energy costs more than fossil fuel-based energy. OR DOES IT? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of course we want to make the planet a better place... but that often means paying a little bit more for the things that have a smaller footprint, whether that's recycled copy paper or organic strawberries or low-VOC paint. Is it worth it to spend more on environmentally-friendly things? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Brooke Thomas about how the tough times are an invitation to re-connect both with our bodies and with who we are at our core. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Harriet Marsden is used to dealing with haters. As evidence, an anonymous reader sent Harriet a copy of my book (How to Be a Better Person), with a very passive aggressive note, and Harriet had the good humor to snap a pic and post it on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I first encountered the idea that we’re talking about today, I definitely looked like a meme of a person whose mind has just been blown. It’s the idea that in general, women are vulnerable to thinking less of themselves, chronic stress, and warped perceptions of their own worth because we live in a patriarchal society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, doctors are helpful but the person who has the most sway over your health, is you. In today's episode, I talk with herbalist Kim Charlot of Eden's Leaves about how she came to embrace herbs as a primary part of her wellness strategy, and how you can use these gifts of nature to do the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that kids are home pretty much all the time, there’s been a lot of coverage in the media about how women are bearing the brunt of taking care of kids while schools, daycares, and now camps are shut down. I want to take a look at the reality of this, and not just what the headlines say, so I interviewed Rachael Ellison, co-host of The Breadwinners podcast and an expert on work-life balance, for her take. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let today be the day that you very intentionally assess what you DON’T want to bring with you into the phase that comes after the pandemic. Doing so will help you release those things--from your life, from your consciousness, and even from your energy--and free you up for what's trying to bloom in your life.

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I bet there are all kinds of areas of your life that may be ready for a re-boot. Your home, your relationships, your diet, your exercise routine, your car, your closet… I mean, phew! It’s a lot. A way to get yourself into motion is to figure out where the energy in your life is festering, and then address that one spot. Here's how you do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liza Zaslow of Gotham Organizers (whose video on organizing a tiny space has been viewed over 2 million times) shares how to make a big impact on your space in a small amount of time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since a big portion of our lives happens online, it’s certainly worth some of your time to de-clutter your inbox. All those old emails hanging around in there are a looming presence every time you go into your inbox--and the average American adult checks their email 15 times a DAY.

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If you’re not taking stock of the things you tell yourself on the regular, guess what--you’re going to make the same choices that led you to feeling like you needed that detox and that de-cluttering in the first place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your highest priority is NOT to make sure that your bills are paid. It’s to make sure that YOU are paid. And how you do that is today’s money mantra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's easy to get caught up in the hunt for low prices--believe me, I know the thrill of a bargain well! But are you saving money if you buy something you never use on sale? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Too many of us--especially women--only focus on being able to pay our bills. While honorable, doing so prevents us from thinking about how to build wealth and create financial freedom. Jennifer Barrett, author of Think Like a Breadwinner, aims to change that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s say there’s something that you’re NOT buying because it feels out of reach in some way. If you tell yourself--or someone else--that you can’t afford it, or you’re too broke--you’re basically putting energy in to this idea that you don’t have enough money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although it feels like one, money is NOT a finite resource. They print more money every day. And yet, we tend to think of money as a zero sum game--once it’s gone, it’s gone. Today's mantra helps you shift out of that perception of lack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I saw the gif, it hit me. It was a drawing of a woman hugging a house and it said "Quarantine Forever" as hearts pulsed around head. I was feeling something surprising, even confusing--some sadness that quarantine will end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What we’re being called to grow our resilience. Because you can’t build resilience when everything’s hunky dory. Where we are right now is like the bottom of a push-up. Do you know how push-ups work? I didn’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Beverly Harzog, an expert on debt and credit cards and consumer finance analyst for US News & World Report, who has a great way of making financial subjects--especially emotionally-charged ones, like debt--very practical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last year, we have all been having to make impossible choices. Deciding between mental health and physical health, and individual health versus community health, or financial health versus mental health. I share two guidelines for making these impossible calls more manageable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m hearing from folks from all walks of life is that if they are doing basically OK--they haven’t lost their job, or a loved one, they aren’t in financial or physical peril--they feel guilty about it. Let's talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that even though we are undoubtedly living through a time of re-emergence, we need to be mindful of how we do it. After all, we just went through something just epically scary and exhausting. Expecting that we can just rush back "out there" is gonna be a shock to the system.

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One thing that can make you NOT want to re-emerge after the long pandemic winter is seasonal allergies. Here's a simple and powerful detox that helps you shake off winter AND ward off the spring sniffles and sluggishness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What we wear is is a great vehicle for expressing who we are now. And frankly, since we’ve been inside wearing sweatpants for a year now, it's also something we might be feeling a little rusty about. Today I'm interviewing Elysha Lenkin, a fashion stylist with a holistic twist, to get her guidance so that we can come out of this feeling great and refreshed, inside and out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like any muscle that gets weaker when you don’t use it, we’re all rusty and awkward when it comes to talking with other people.Tip today isn’t any specific social skill. It’s simply this... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of today being the first work day since daylight savings time began, I’m sharing three strategies that will help you minimize the aftershocks of moving the clocks forward a full hour in one night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many obstacles to creating and assimilating new habits that help us become better people. I mean, of course, otherwise we would all be walking around as the best possible version of ourselves and wouldn’t that be grand? Here's how to deal with one of the biggest obstacles: backsliding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Which means that in order to really cement in a new habit, it helps to reward yourself and savor every benefit you notice that it does to beat yourself up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a New York City cardiologist, and author of Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum’s Heart Book: Every Woman’s Guide to a Heart-Healthy Life. Suzanne has been on helping her patients prioritize their own health by building new habits and breaking old ones for 20 years, and shares her best tips on staying on track. (She's so great!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you actually remember to do a new habit? And hold yourself accountable for doing it even when it's inconvenient? The truth is that what you track improves, because what you focus on grows. So here's how to track your new habit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a way to make creating a new habit a lot easier and a lot less of a cognitive lift--and that is by linking the new thing you want to do to some existing habit that’s already ingrained in your brain.

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Trying to become better is not a reason for feeling bad about yourself. You will mess up. You will backslide. You will completely forget. And it is OK. All you need to do is simply start again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that because habits are so unconscious and so well-worn, it can take a really big dose of motivation to get you to take action and then to sustain that action. The good news is that I’m going to share a great motivator with you. The bad news is that it is not all that pleasant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I had the privilege of working with today’s guest, Dr. Daryl Gioffree, on his new book, Get Off Your Sugar and not only does he know his stuff, but he’s passionate about helping folks get healthy and just a really good guy. I get him to share his insights about breaking one of the toughest habits to break--and that is eating sugar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In order to successfully outrun an already established habit, you’ve got to have a plan. Otherwise, you’re going to be winging it, and likely to run right off the road when you hit any kind of bump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Habits are like icebergs--you can perceive just the tip of them, when actually most of them exist underneath the surface of your awareness. You can’t just throw some dirt and some grass seed on the tip of an iceberg and turn it into a meadow--it’s still gonna be a mountain of ice that runs deep. You need to see what's under the surface to truly change it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is controversial. And it is that household chores, like doing the dishes or folding the laundry CAN be done in such a way that they qualify as self-care. Gasp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think self-care means getting a massage, or a pedicure, or taking a yoga class, but little things like doodling, cooking, and even stamp collecting can help you keep yourself in a good spot. Kevin, a listener who collects stamps, shares his perspective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether it's with a partner, or yourself, sex is an indisputable part of being a person and therefore has a role to play in being a better person. It's also an important way that we take care of ourselves on multiple levels--physical and emotional. That's why I'm interviewing Alicia Gauvin, Executive Director of the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, for her perspectives on why sex--and pleasure--matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although there’s nothing pampering about trying something you’ve never done and, let’s face it, probably doing pretty badly at first, opening your mind and possibly your body up to a new skill or discipline is a great way to keep your mind sharp, and to expand your worldview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While self-care is a wonderful thing, in can also be an occasion for you to come face to face with all kinds of different emotions--sadness, anger, grief, shame, agitation, you name it. And since many of us have a tendency to not want to experience some of these more uncomfortable emotions, you may find yourself wanting to skip out on your self-care so that you don’t have to feel them. I hope this episode helps change your mind about that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of the ‘self’ in self care, you probably think about your body and your mind. But today I’m talking about a way to take care of your energetic--aka your vibe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes self-care is the equivalent of eating your lima beans (or insert your other least favorite vegetable). And while that’s not sexy or particularly exciting, it’s OK. Because perhaps viewing these not-so-pleasurable things as important self-care might help you actually do them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can here so much about self-care that it starts to smell a little off to you. I totally get that, and so does today's guest, with Macala Lacy, a community-based yoga teacher, mental health therapist, and wellness educator based in Los Angeles. She shares a really helpful re-frame that can help cut through any mental backlash you might have to the phrase itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While we think of self-care as something you DO--like yoga, or meditation--self-care doesn’t always have to be an action. Sometimes it’s a decision--a simple yes or no. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast is all about self-care--something we all need to do, and often need reminders to do, and now, in the midst of this pandemic winter, our self-care requirements are higher than ever. Also, what else are you going to do?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I just spent the month of January NOT drinking, and it really gave me some insights that surprised me, in terms of how it made me feel and also in what I learned about drinking’s specific effects on women, on the individual and collective level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is a listener-suggested topic: that feeling that you're a fraud and you're going to get found out. Ugh so many thoughts about this one! Including three ways through it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of us are feeling anxious or depressed, and meds and therapists can help, they aren’t the only tools we have. One of the tools that most people don’t consider to be related to mental health is nutrition. So I’m interviewing my go-to healthy eating expert, Mary Sheila Gonnella, aka the Queen of All Things Nutrition about how to nurture our mental health at every meal time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the podcast I’m sharing the final four books that are on my list of 8 Books that Made Me a Better Person in 2020. These aren’t necessarily the books I loved the most during 2020, although some of these were absolutely transporting reads. They’re the ones that helped me re-think things, have more empathy, have more hope, become more inspired to make a difference in myself and the world, and I hope some of these will help you do the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can't be part of the solution for a problem we don’t truly understand--the books I chose for this list will open your eyes, mind, and heart to seeing the world differently. More clearly. They will build your resolve to be part of the solution, and give you inspiration and direction on how to go about doing just that. While they can be tough reads, they are all excellently written! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode will help you figure out where to start your de-cluttering process--what will give you the biggest bang for your buck without being too overwhelming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, de-cluttering sounds like a good idea, but what about those sentimental things that you don’t use, don’t need, but the thought of getting rid of them gives you a little pang? Namely, things you received as gifts, and things that were created by or belonged to someone you love. You can--and should--purge them. Here's how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Katie McCann, a professional organizer in Westchester, NY and owner of the award-winning home organization company, Haven. Katie’s not just a whiz at organizing and de-cluttering, she’s also great at the emotional side of getting rid of things, and at making organization a regular part of your life. And that’s what I want to talk to her about today--simple practices we can use to get and stay uncluttered, five minutes at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

De-cluttering isn’t just about getting rid of things, it’s about making room for what you need now and what will help you create a future you want. In other words, it’s an essential part of the process of making space for who you are--which is something you can't just leave up to chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that there’s a huge component to de-cluttering that can stop you in your tracks, and that’s the mental and emotional side of getting rid of stuff. Specifically, how to decide what you’re ready to let go of, and how to process the emotions that those decisions are going to stir up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I chose this as a final mantra for 2021 because there’s a common desire for things to get back to normal. I get it, I do. I want to go inside my friends' houses, send my kids off to summer camp, travel somewhere, make plans… But on a deeper level, there is no going back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the heels of a Presidential election when it feels like the gap between Democrat and Republican is a gaping hole it’s easy to be more aware of differences than similarities. Stronger together means we’re in this together--this life, this planet, this moment, and if we can acknowledge this truth we don’t have to focus on keeping others out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing Sonia Satra, an actress who played Lucy Cooper Spaulding on the Guiding Light for five years and is now the founder of Moticise--a mind-body practice that helps you create a life that you want. Sonia’s got a great origin story about the power of the self-talk to change your life, so I'm talking to her about why mantras work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s mantra is so helpful to remind yourself of this truth in response to all kinds of upsetting news or developments, big or small, personal or national. After all, you can’t change a habit you don’t know you have, and you can’t heal a wound you don’t realize is there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because we’ve been living through a hard time that is not over yet, particularly in regard to the pandemic,this week on the podcast I’m talking about mantras that can help us stay grounded, hopeful, and helpful during 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes a lack of motivation can mean you’re just all around tired. In which case you should just let yourself off the hook and rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may THINK you don’t have motivation to do something, but that just might be on a cognitive level. You might actually have a deeper desire to get going on something... if only you can recognize it. And a great way to do that is to tune in to the signs that you might be getting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking to Terri Trespicio. Who, says she doesn't believe in motivation. And who, whether she likes it or not, is a motivational speaker. Her Ted talk "Stop Searching for Your Passion" has gotten over 6 million views. Today she shares what to seek instead of motivation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes it takes thinking about how your actions affect other people to really get yourself into gear. And usually, when we are avoiding doing something, we’re not thinking about other people. And I say we should be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like most things in life, procrastination isn’t 100% bad or 100% good. It’s what you make of it. And I’m saying, some procrastination can actually be helpful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember how Bugs Bunny would smell something yummy, like a roast chicken, and he would start floating in the air towards it? Well, envisioning how good you’ll feel after you’ve done something is the real life equivalent of that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there’s something that you’re wanting to do, or needing to do, and you’re not doing it, a good way to get yourself motivated is to think about the ways your inaction is costing you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hayley Krischer is author of the amazing and important book about sexual assault, Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf. Hayley worked on this book, which is her first, for over 20 years, and she’s got a thing or two to share about how to find your motivation, as well as how to sustain it over the long haul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s tempting to feel like you have to wait to get motivated before you take any action, when the truth is, getting going will put wind in your sails and get your motivation humming. Here's how to get into motion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, I’m focusing on motivation. Because it’s an important thing at any time, but it’s something we’re even more interested in at the start of the year. And, after a year like 2020, which was so um, eventful, and stressful, it may be feeling hard to access. https://www.dropbox.com/s/bxgh52joz092slt/Ep%20357_In%20Search%20Of-Motivation.wav?dl=0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know you’re not supposed to pick favorites of your own creations, but today's question is kind of my favorite! It influences everything that you do in the new year, and even if you never set one goal afterward, it can change your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve REALLY got to work hard not to censor yourself when answering this question, because your ego will just love to chime in and say, 'What are you thinking? That’s not possible.' It's so important that you name your true answers anyway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m inviting my friend, business coach Brittany Drozd, on to the podcast to share one of her favorite questions that she likes to ask herself and her clients at the start of the new year. It's not one you're likely to hear in any goal-setting workshop--and that's what makes it so great Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's question is also about looking back, but with a much more positive lens than yesterday's focus. It helps raise your energy and access gratitude. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, this first full week of the new year, I’m doing things just a little bit different in that in each episode, I’m posing one question to ask yourself to help you process 2020 and wrap your head and your heart around 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Year’s Day is a super potent time for setting the tone for the rest of the year. You want to do something on this first day of 2021 that blazes a trail for how you’d like the rest of the year to go. I've got a simple guideline that helps you do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can be very heartening to give yourself credit for all the many things you’ve been taking care of, and recognize yourself for your accomplishments--big, tiny, and everything in between. It can help show your ego that you actually deserve to rest, and normalize why you might be feeling so tired. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something that makes this whole process a lot more effective is processing what’s come before, so that you don’t have to keep carrying it around with you. My dear friend Paige Chapman, a self-care coach and owner of the virtual yoga studio Mama’s Wellness Joint, talks us through the tools she uses to do just that in her monthly new moon and full moon ceremonies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the best ways to restore yourself is to sleep. Now, sleep is a huge topic that could fill many episodes. Just for today, I’m going to talk about the number one way to make sure you get the rest you need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is the final week of 2020. Normally, I’d be talking to you about finishing strong, or taking stock of the year that just happened, or setting goals for next year. But this is not that time. This final week of the year on the podcast is about restoration--restoring yourself, your energy, and your spirit. No plans to make. No goals to set. Just refilling the well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To keep things short today, so that no matter what plans you do or don’t have to celebrate Christmas or not celebrate Christmas you’ll have a few extra minutes, I’m sharing a poem I recently discovered that has been like a balm for my soul. It's short, and wonderful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anxiety is often the result of living in the future--thinking about what hasn’t happened yet, perhaps even dreading it, or just trying to anticipate what might be coming down the pike. The way out of anxiety is to pull your attention back to the present. Here's how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two supplements that crop up in articles and books, as well as in the scientific literature, over and over as being important players in brain health, mood, and in things like depression and anxiety. But most of us don't think of them as mental health support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the coaching world anxiety is often described as excitement without breath. So let's do a REALLY easy--and calming!--breathing exercise to help redirect your body and your attention away from anxiety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fairly common trigger of anxiety is thinking about all the things that are left to be done. We want to feel like everything is taken care of before we allow ourselves to settle down and just chill. But here’s the thing: That’s never gonna happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So often, when you are feeling anxious, if you examine the thoughts you’ll find that you’re pre-living out an imagined situation--and generally not a positive situation. It's like you're rehearsing unhappiness. Here's how to stop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking a page from project management, today I’m talking about scheduling your worry time so that you can put up some boundaries around your attention without having to try to stop worrying altogether, which is a pretty tall--as in impossible--order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m interviewing the fabulous Leigh Medeiros, author of The 1-Minute Writer, a developmental editor, and a creativity coach. and someone who has lived with at times severe anxiety for over 30 years for her tips on anxiety's lessons, as well as how to work with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two spots on your body that really help quiet the swirling thoughts of anxiety according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today I talk you through how to find them and stimulate them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When something feels as high-stakes and as interior as anxiety does, it’s really helpful to shine a light on it and observe it, which helps you see it as something that is separate from you. That's what we're doing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rolling with tough times requires acceptance. Which might seem like you're giving up, but really it's just laying down your resistance. When you can access acceptance, you get to stop putting effort into trying to change things you can’t change. (Which is exhausting, plus futile.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alone time is also how we catch up to ourselves, process our emotions, and just be, without having to respond to anyone. For those of us quarantined with other people--especially parents with kids--it is also scarce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a lot harder to be patient and thoughtful -- and honest! -- with your kids when you're with them all the livelong day. Today I’m happy to have my friend Judi Ketteler, author of the book Would I Lie to You? Here with us to talk about how to be honest with kids without being TOO real (especially when you're stressed out). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you overrelying on the F bomb? It's awfully easy to do... but it’s a slippery slope, and the next thing you know you can be dropping F bombs all over the place, including when it's just not appropriate. (Been there!) (Caution: There is cursing in this episode.)

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These are intense, extreme times. Everyone is triggered. And that means it's really hard for us to have empathy for each other--and for ourselves--thanks to something called 'amygdala highjack'. Here's a way out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t get to say how the people you love handle their stress. You do get to talk with them about it, but you don’t get to tell them how to do it. Here's what you can do instead to truly support them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right now, it’s impossible to make plans. And our pre-COVID lives already feel like a distant memory. Where does that leave us? Right here, right now. And for the vast majority of us, that is someplace we are not at all used to being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably think you KNOW what to do when you’re stressed. But Carey Davidson, author of The Five Archetypes, says that the things we typically to do try to calm ourselves down actually only make our stress WORSE. And, naturally, she shares what to do instead that will actually bring us back into balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's take an objective, non-judgmental, genuinely curious look at the things we are using to numb out now. Like, oh, I don’t know… WINE. Because while there’s a time and a place for everything, if you’re automatically choosing to numb instead of feel, it’s gonna start taking a toll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's take an objective, non-judgmental, genuinely curious look at the things we are using to numb out now. Like, oh, I don’t know… WINE. Because while there’s a time and a place for everything, if you’re automatically choosing to numb instead of feel, it’s gonna start taking a toll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Black Friday, instead of focusing on buying what’s on sale, you think about your holiday spending as a way to express your gratitude for the businesses that sell the things you buy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may take a little more mental flexibility to be grateful this year, but the things you appreciate will be even more meaningful. Because having things taken away from us tends to highlight what remains, and forces us to appreciate stuff that we might otherwise overlook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m talking with Polly Campbell, author of How to Live an Awesome Life and You: Recharged, who is a great source of guidance for personal development in the real world. (And keeps it real for us lazy folks.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a fun Jedi mind trick for you: Rehearse the gratitude you’ll feel in the future as a way to get yourself motivated to do something that feels hard, scary, or even boring today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If thinking about gratitude as something just horribly virtuous is not appealing, you can think of it as an exercise in attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our hidden beliefs have a lot of sway over what we do and think, and if you haven’t gone looking for them, ever, or in a while, you’re in for some real a-ha moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A way to get out of the black and white thinking that goes hand in hand with judgment is to embrace the concept of maybe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To really break judgment down, today I’m interviewing Suzanne Kingsbury--founder of Gateless Writing, a method of teaching the art and craft of writing that melds brain science, Zen practice, and craft tools. A cornerstone of Suzanne's teaching is that your best thinking is accessed by getting past the critical, ego mind--which is also the source of all those judgments you secretly make about others, and yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you may know that to assume makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me,” are you aware of how many blanks you subconsciously fill in every day? Whenever you do, you mistake opinion for fact. Luckily, there’s a way out of this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A crucial part of the journey to being a better person is to examine your biases--the things you judge without even realizing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes, impatience can be the spark that lights a flame on your doing something different--no matter how scary or big or hairy it may feel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Understanding what’s underneath your impatience is an important piece of learning to work with it more skillfully. I’m sharing five possible sources with you today, and I’ll cover one more, which is kind of a biggie, tomorrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Kelli, who was my coach for years and who taught me so much about patience for her take on what it's all about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's talk about what you can do BESIDES get impatient when you’re waiting for something big to happen; something that affects the realities of your life, like waiting to hear back from a job interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Waiting for the election results and heading into winter after we’ve already been dealing with a pandemic for nine months certainly is a big ole invitation to get impatient. But even in the grooviest of times, patience can be challenging. So let’s take a look at it, starting with those little things that can give you an eye twitch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hard times feel even harder when you hold yourself to a standard that made sense when things were basically normal. You've got to cut yourself some slack. But how?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although it’s tempting to tell yourself, “I can’t wait until this is over so I never have to think about it again,” there will come a day when you will miss parts of what you’re living through now. And recognizing those parts now will help give you strength, courage, and hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with Brooke Thomas about how the tough times are an invitation to re-connect both with our bodies and with who we are at our core. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something that can make hard times feel harder is when what you’ve always done to get through the tough stuff stops working. It happens to everyone. So what do you do now?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re nervous, or feeling some aftershocks from the 2016 election that you’re not looking forward to reliving, or angry, or insert your own response here, I think it’s helpful to think about what you can do to feel good on election night and the days after. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting out of your head and shifting your focus to something other than your thoughts is a powerful antidote to cynicism. Today I share three ways to do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

he four most dangerous words in the English language are “I already know that.” Deciding that you know better is a recipe for staying stuck and feeling disconnected from others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I interview Shelley Moench-Kelley, author of the brand-new book Here’s Your Pill, Kitten, about how a freak accident led to her spending three months as the youngest resident in a nursing home, and how that tough experience helped her have more faith in and more compassion for her fellow humans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s something you can do when you notice yourself thinking that some particular person or people in general suck, something that keeps you open to possibility and helps you trust that life is happening for you, and not just to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m talking about cynicism and how we can keep our faith in humanity strong even when it feels like the whole world’s gone crazy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a very good reason why it might feel so hard to give a darn about your health in winter. And also why your mood might also turn dark. And that is the lack of light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 2019 review analyzed 10 studies that included data from over 3 million people, an found that dog owners had a 24 percent risk reduction for death from any cause. And that’s just one reason to get a dog. I’m going to give you a few more, but first, I have to tell you about our dog, Cookie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm asking Dr. Chris Chlebowski, homeopath, naturopath, chiropractor and author of the upcoming book The Virus And The Host: How To Get And Stay Healthy In The Age of Novel Infectious Disease about how taking better care of your own health makes you a better person, and the world a better place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You likely have something that you eat or do that you know isn’t all that great for you, but anytime you think about giving it up, you dismiss that idea immediately. Here's another way to think about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all fall off the health wagon at some point. Here's why you don't want to wait until a health crisis, or even a health thing, to get back on it. Also, I cover how a parody video of me, made by my daughter, helped me make sense of a health thing in my own life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creativity isn’t a one and done thing. It’s a part of you and just like a dog or a baby it needs loving care on the regular. So, today, we’re going to cover ways to make creativity just a thing you do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In order to breathe life into your ideas and get them out into the world, you’ve got to get the ego to stand down. And the way you do that is by giving yourself permission to let that thing suck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking to Zarinah El-Amin, CEO of Book Power Publishing and author of the brand-new book Book Power, about how to get over the excuses you may be giving yourself for not doing anything creative. And wow, does she deliver! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creative ideas have a hard time penetrating a busy mind. You’ve got to clear a little space in that beautiful noggin of yours for the ideas to come in and be heard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, I’m pivoting to talk about something that’s still super important, but is way, way lighter than the pandemic-related themes I’ve been covering lately. And that thing is creativity. I mean, doesn’t that sound nice right about now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because empathy is important, but often not enough, when it comes to dealing with difficult people, today talking about setting boundaries--both for them and for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that difficult people are still people. And you are a person. And deep down we are more alike than we are different. So a helpful way to approach a difficult person is to seek out the things that connect you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does conflict have an upside? Today I’m talking with Amy Gallo, who is the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict to get her inside scoop on how and why to engage with the difficult people in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I wouldn’t wish a difficult person on anyone else, I believe that they, like every other challenging situation, show up to teach us something. It’s on us to look for that opportunity that’s wrapped up inside every fraught interaction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I’m talking about how to handle the difficult people in your life, whether it’s folks you don’t know that you encounter out in the world, a problematic neighbor, a boss or colleague, or even a partner or a family member. Because at this juncture in 2020, it feels like the stress and the uncertainty are bringing out the worst in people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loving yourself is a nice idea but it’s kind of squishy--how do you actually go about doing it? Well, I’ve got something to share with you that will help you put ‘love myself’ on to your calendar, and then actually do it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Accepting the things about yourself that you might otherwise judge as ‘bad’ is a big piece of loving yourself. After all, love isn’t conditional. It’s not, I’ll love myself after I lose 5 pounds, or get a new job, or things calm down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I first encountered the idea that we’re talking about today, I definitely looked like a meme of a person whose mind has just been blown.

It’s the idea that in general, women are vulnerable to thinking less of themselves, chronic stress, and warped perceptions of their own worth because we live in a patriarchal society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If someone is constantly saying mean, disparaging, discouraging things about you, would that make it feel like they loved you? Yeah. No. But that’s what we often do to ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loving yourself is something so few of us are ever given any guidance on, in any way. We just don’t talk about it as a thing. It’s like this big secret that very few people speak about. This week, let’s change that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As important as it is to give back through activism in some way, you don’t want to let it become something that depletes you. Today I’m sharing 3 things I’ve learned about how to give back without wearing yourself out.

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It’s so tempting to rush toward something that you perceive to be a problem with a full head of steam and a lot of ideas about what should be done. But if you do, you could very well become part of the problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking with two women who helped me embrace my inner activist both through their example and through the organization that they co-founded, The Womxn Project. We're talking about how activism can be fun, rewarding, and one of the great adventures of your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you find the right cause for you, it makes you more effective, it gives you more energy, and it enriches your life more. So the question then is, how do you find the right fit? And once you do, how do you find the bandwidth? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m talking about activism--getting involved in causes you care about and lending your voice, time, and energy to creating positive change in the world. After all, being a better person isn’t just about you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is a very special day on the How to Be a Better Person podcast. I’m declaring a new international holiday. It’s Unreturned Message Forgiveness Day. Woo hoo! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s face it, other people’s happiness isn’t under your control. Sure, you can love someone and support them, but if you’re trying to make them feel a certain way, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here's something to remind yourself of before you go rushing in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking to someone who is a total expert at doing good in the world by living unapologetically as yourself. Lisa Cherney, who has been mentoring entrepreneurs for over 20 years, teaches that you don't have to do anything just because people like it (evidenced by the fact that she closed her seven-figure business that people loved because it was wearing her out). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something we do when we’re overly focused on other people’s happiness is apologize. A lot. I’m not talking about owning up to something that you truly got or did wrong. I’m talking about a reflexive “I’m sorry” for anything that doesn’t go off without a hitch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I surveyed listeners, I asked them what they struggled with when it came to being a better person. And so many of them said people-pleasing. Even Tupac Shakur, lion of hip-hop, said, “I gotta stop treating people like I owe them something.” Let's talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We need more nature in our lives, and a great way to get it is to get yourself a houseplant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While it’s tempting to stay busy and wait for “things to calm down,” being able to be nimble during transitions requires you to be somewhat in touch with how you feel about what’s changing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being able to ride the waves of change IS possible. But it doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes some self-care. Which is why I’m bringing my nutritionist bestie, Mary Sheila Gonnella, back on to talk us through some practical strategies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve got a quick but powerful little ritual to share with you today that will help you take stock of what’s happened, be grateful for what you’ve got, and plant some seeds for the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transition is a fact of life, but it’s not easy. And that’s why I want to talk about how to stay steady during times of transition this week. Because that is where we’re at. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a particular type of conversation with a particular type of person I want to talk about today -- and that is talking with the folks who reach out to you on behalf of someone who is running for office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you have to keep your mouth shut. It’s the only way you can listen. But it’s often not easy to do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Harriet Marsden is used to dealing with haters. As evidence, an anonymous reader sent Harriet a copy of my book (How to Be a Better Person), with a very passive aggressive note, and Harriet had the good humor to snap a pic and post it on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you ask an open-ended question, you’re going to get a much richer response and invite whomever you're talking to into a true dialogue. And I’m guessing that you may not realize how many dead-end questions you might be asking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know we all need places to turn that aren’t roiled by turmoil right now, and that you come to this podcast for inspiration and ideas. But being a better person also means making the world a better place, and I can’t not acknowledge that the world is feeling like a very mixed up place and the intensity of that does not appear to be lessening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cultivating your ability to observe things is a crucial piece of reining in your attention. Today I'm going to talk about how you can build your observation skills by watching the clouds. If you can learn to watch the clouds, you can learn to watch your thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking about how to strengthen your listening muscles. Because not listening is something many folks who have taken my survey name as the top thing that they struggle with when it comes to being a better person. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m excited to talk to Paula Rizzo, author of Listful Living and Listful Thinking, about how to stay focused on what matters when we have so very many things to distract us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our attention was already scattered before corona hit, and now it’s like an order of hashbrowns from Waffle House--it’s scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked. One thing we can do to bring it back is to reduce the number of attention-stealers we’re exposed to on a daily basis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m talking about attention, because a) our brains are all over the place and b) that scattered feeling is at the root of so many of the things we’re struggling with now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A couple of weeks ago, I asked listeners to share the single best thing they’ve done that has helped them take their stress levels down several notches since the pandemic started. I was really inspired by your answers so I want to share them today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you hear a recommendation to do some deep breathing and you think, ‘Oh God, please no! Anything but that,’ I have a true confession for you: I feel the same way. Every time I think, ‘Noooooooooooo I don’t wannnnnnna.’ And then I do it anyway and it always ALWAYS helps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking to Kim Charlot, the founder of Eden’s Leaves, an herbal products company, about easy ways to use herbs to bring our bodies back into balance naturally. Just hearing her talk is like a tonic for my nerves, I swear! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I recently discovered something that helps me sleep better every time and it’s something you don’t often hear about. And it literally is as easy as flipping a switch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is, admittedly, pretty big--which is, how do we use social media consciously? Both for our own health and wellbeing and the health and wellbeing of the country at large. I start this big hairy discussion by telling you about a jumpsuit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I am a huge fan of choosing how you’ll think about things and looking for opportunity wrapped inside any challenge, there is also a downside to optimism. And that is that it can be delusional at best, and even harmful at worst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can tell yourself that absolutely everything is horrible and focus on what’s stressing you out. Or you can take some care in deciding how you’re going to think about it and choose a more empowering view. This is called reframing, and knowing how to do it, and then doing it, is a key part of not getting worn down by life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leisure isn’t something we tend to value. But pursuing what my husband calls "leisure skills" is crucial for warding off burnout because it helps you be in-- and stay in--the moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something each of us can do to make it so that we don’t get as far as burnout is to let some stuff go. (I feel the need to tell you that I really want to say s-h-i-t right now but I’ve been hearing from a lot of folks lately who listen with their kids so I will keep it clean!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many things you can do to keep yourself from crossing over in to burnout, which I will get into in the rest of the episodes for this week. But before we jump into solutions, I want to talk about what burnout is and what it's NOT, which is a personal failing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author of "Difficult Conversations" and 20-year member of the Negotiation Project at Harvard Sheila Heen comes on to share some pointers on how to have these tough talks--including those that involve calling out or calling in racism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm giving you four phrases to keep in your back pocket for when you get into difficult conversations/disagreements with folks that will help steer you away from getting into an "I'm right," "No, I’m right?" dynamic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is especially for all my fellow conflict avoiders. And the big idea I want to explore today is that each of us has influence. And when we avoid controversial subjects because we’re afraid of getting into ig, we violate one of the tenets of being a better person, which is to use your power for good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a principle we can grasp onto that will help us navigate tough discussions, and that is that it is impossible for everyone to be right. So stop trying to prove your point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You used to more or less be able to decide when you wanted to wade into a potentially heated conversation. Now you can stumble into them multiple times a day. What's a person who's trying to be a better person to do? Face them head on, or keep the peace? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doing the things that help you stay strong isn’t an all or nothing proposition. And when you can’t do a lot, doing a little is a great second place option. (Featuring many listener-submitted things to do that help you keep going.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The way you think about the things that are requiring you to develop your stamina has an awful lot to do with how much you are able to take. To increase your wherewithal, you've got to increase your tolerance for discomfort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To help us all think about how to go about cultivating more grit I wanted to talk to a pro, so I reached out to Shannon Huffman Polson, the youngest woman ever to climb Mt. McKinley, one of the first women to be trained to fly an Apache helicopter during her time serving in the Army and author of The Grit Factor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you are living through a challenging time, you’ve got to let some things slide. And because they help refill your well, you really don’t want those things to be your self-care. So… what gives? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The things that are weighing heavy on your mind and your heart are also detracting from your stamina. And Lord knows, there are so many of them right now, particularly in the realm of interpersonal interactions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thinking about how you’ll think about what you’re going through today in 10, 20, or even 50 years really helps problems feel smaller, and when your problems feel less daunting, it’s easier to keep going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building in some white space into your life will help you have more stamina for when things are busy, and help you have less stress when they aren’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are lots of different ways to build your stamina, from adjusting your mindset to getting good sleep to eating the foods the fuel you up instead of deplete you.

That’s why today I’m talking with the Queen of All Things Nutrition, Mary Sheila Gonella of Occidental Nutrition in Northern California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every challenge has an opportunity wrapped up inside it. Even the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad challenges, like, say, a global pandemic. And one of those opportunities now is to strengthen and hone our ‘keep going’ muscles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giving your days a basic rhythm will help ground you and make sure you’re doing the things that sustain you without having to spend a lot of effort on having to find the time or the motivation to do them.

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Today I’m talking with fitness expert and author Ellen Barrett about how to pump up your own happiness and give your stress a release valve by moving your body--not by pounding out a workout, but by enjoying some energy-raising movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Complaining, while tempting, and human, only heightens tension rather than defuses it. Here's what you can do instead.

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There are certain things that you just don’t want to do if your goal is to de-fuse tension. And we all do them. So let's take a look at them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tone matters. It has always mattered, but it matters now more than ever. (And it's what helped me not get into a fight with a stranger in the coffee bean aisle.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, I’m devoting all the episodes to what I’m calling Operation De-Escalation, because we are all on our last nerves. We'll explore ways you can help take things down a notch, both in the outside world and in your own mind. And today is all about acknowledging that we're all on edge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is one of my personal favorites because when I answered this question for myself, it helped me find a process that helped me get my work done without feeling guilty or stressed--and it can help you do the same thing. See you next week with new episodes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ooh, this is a juicy episode that helps you poke around in your subconscious and figure out why you do the things you do AND why you don’t do the things you don’t do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode helped put How to Be a Better Person podcast on the map when it got mentioned in an article called "The 7 Podcasts Will Help You Achieve Your Goals in 2020." It offers a deceptively simple, and deceptively powerful, forgiveness exercise that is NOT about forgiving someone else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is another 'best of' episode that gives you one simple task to do for the rest of the day, and that is to do whatever it takes to not interrupt anyone. It's harder than it might sound (and shows just how challenging it can be to truly listen). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Know that awkward moment, at a 4-way stop sign or on a sidewalk, when you don't know who should go first? Just for one day, be the person who waves the other person on. It's nice, yes, but it also alleviates decision fatigue (and dispels awkwardness).

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As you head out to celebrate the 4th of July, you are probably going to see plenty of examples of behavior that you are going to want to judge something fierce. This 'best of' episode will help you either a) head judgment off at the pass, or b) at least not get stuck in it when it does settle in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alone time is an important component of emotional hygiene, but since Covid-19 struck, it's been in limited supply for those folks who live with other people--especially when those other people are your children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it's a worthy effort to try to be and do better. But if that's all you do, it can start to feel like you're wearing a too-tight jacket. And then you want to just give up. This 'best of' episode helps you keep making progress while also cutting yourself some slack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's another one from the vault that pertains to relationships. It's a mantra that helps you find the right balance between being truthful and being kind. (And includes a story about my daughter that will send you straight back to 6th grade.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Repairing after a fight is a rarely taught skill that helps you keep your relationship strong even when there’s been a disturbance in the force. And let's face it, with all the upheaval 2020 has brought with it thus far, it's easier than ever to pick fights with the folks you love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting more nature in your life helps ease everything from inflammation to anxiety and depression. Even more importantly, in my mind, is it gives you a mental reset, and oh my goodness gracious, who doesn’t need a mental reset right about now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I truly believe that smoothies are the perfect food for this moment because they’re delicious, chock full of whole foods, and require minimal prep and minimal cleanup. Smoothies for president! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're stuck at home, your gym is probably still closed (or maybe you're nervous about going)--how can you keep up with moving the ole bod during quarantine? Biomechanist, author, and all-around smarty pants Katy Bowman can help you think about meaningful ways that address your movement needs that also make you a better person and the world a better place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all heard the advice to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but most of us are still drinking the same amount of water that we ever were. Which is, let’s face it, probably not enough. Here's an awesome way to boost health by boosting hydration that takes less than a minute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are probably things you’ve been doing to help you cope with these weird, weird times that maybe aren’t the healthiest choices. That is totally OK and very human of you. But it’s very possible that the coping mechanisms we adopt now will calcify into a habit that will be hard to undo. Asking yourself this one Q will help you keep it in check. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are committed to doing the work required to become an anti-racist, it’s a wonderful thing, but you don’t want to go it alone. We need anti-racism to spread beyond ourselves and to do that, we have to link up with other people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that each of us has to take responsibility for our own education about the issues we care about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrea J. Lee is a master coach who helps people do the things that feel impossible--kind of like dismantling racism might feel. She's here to help us discern the difference between feeling personally offended and morally offended, so that we can be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is that a huge, monumental piece of the inner work that it will take for white people to truly become anti-racists, both in their own minds and out in the world, is getting more comfortable with messing up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're wrestling with with a basic, fundamental question that is on more people’s minds than ever at this particular point in history: are you racist or not? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is something that’s tough to swallow and also a path to hopefulness. And that is that we need to accept the reality that the past is not anything we’re going to get back to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a tough time for everyone, for a lot of reasons. But our kids are really taking this on the chin, at all ages. So let's check in on how they're doing and how we might be able to better support them through it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that kids are home pretty much all the time, there’s been a lot of coverage in the media about how women are bearing the brunt of taking care of kids while schools, daycares, and now camps are shut down. I want to take a look at the reality of this, and not just what the headlines say, so I interviewed Rachael Ellison, co-host of The Breadwinners podcast and an expert on work-life balance, for her take Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the coronavirus continues to be a factor in our lives, we’re having to continually deal with new and different shades of grief. Because that’s really what’s at the crux of so much of the news regarding the pandemic--loss. And the tricky thing about grief is that it’s a slippery little devil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will schools be back in the fall? Is it safe to fly, and even if we decide it’s safe, will flights be canceled? If you’ve been furloughed, when will you get called back? Will you get called back? How long will COVID be part of our mental calculations. There are just so many things we don’t know. And that is a really tough place to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, I am not posting new episodes this week. In this quick episode, I explain why I'm participating in the #podcastblackout. I'll be back next week--and in the meantime, let's stay connected on Facebook or Twitter (where I'm KateWHanley) or Instagram (katehanleyauthor).

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Today’s big idea is how to make change in a socially distanced world. After all, all the problems we had before Covid are still there. Many of them are getting worse--economic inequality, violence against black people. Elections are coming up. We’re stuck at home. What can we do? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s something about quarantine that’s good that’s not all peace, love and understanding. And that is being crabby and salty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I remember after 9/11 happened when George W Bush addressed the country and said the most important thing we could do was go shopping. I remember thinking, really? Buying stuff is important now? We’re feeling that same tension today, as staying home saves lives but it also kills businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm interviewing Emma Johnson, founder of WealthySingleMommy.com, about how to foster resilience in our kids as their world is completely changed. It's easy to say, oh kids are resilient, but how we talk to them and treat them has a TON to do with how well they weather tough times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that we’re forced to slow down, doesn’t the hectic pace of our former lives feel a little insane? Is having a jam packed schedule where we’re wringing everything we can out of every moment something we even want to get back? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quarantine has forced us to embrace new things. This isn’t always easy for us humans, as new things mean change and change can be scary. Like it or now, the quarantine has forced us to be inventive. One of my favorite examples of this is the Ministry of Silly Walking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our relationship to food has been going through a transformation these last few weeks: more meal planning, more cooking at home, and more whole foods. There’s been stress baking. And stress eating. And food insecurity. What about the way you've been eating do you want to carry forward? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we’ve all stayed home, we’ve let a lot of things slide on a personal care level. And I wonder, how much do we WANT to carry forward? Is this an opening for all of us to be more real in our appearance? Let’s break it down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm talking to someone who's a whiz at building and nurturing relationships to share how we can keep up the connections we've made during quarantine--and what meeting people in the future might look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like we want to take a clear-eyed look at the positive changes that quarantine has brought about and decide what we want to bring with us as we re-emerge, we also want to think about what we want to leave behind because it really didn’t serve us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week and next, I’m going to be taking a look at the things the quarantine allowed us to experience that maybe we want to keep around, even when we’re starting to re-emerge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It feels SO GOOD to get out and do some of the things we used to do. But just because it’s technically OK for us to get out more, it’s not a get out of jail free cards--the virus is still circulating. You really want to be able to be mindful about the risks even as you soak up how good it feels to be around other people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A huge piece of minimizing an outbreak of any infectious disease is called contact tracing--it’s the tedious, old-fashioned work that takes a lot of humanpower. You and I can help with this effort big time by keeping a journal of everyone we’ve come into contact with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During this time of Covid, we're all needing to beef up our science skills so we can stay up to date and make the best decisions for ourselves and our families. It's not enough just to take the information in, we've got to process it and then put it into practice.

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One of the most tough to swallow pieces of life in the time of covid is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. The opportunity it presents is that we are getting a fabulous opportunity to learn how to roll with things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is devoted to exploring how we can re-emerge from quarantine mindfully. I’m kicking things off with a really deep, perhaps unpleasant, big idea. And that is, that as much as we are eager for things to “get back” to normal, there is no going back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s take a look back at this final week, which was all about calming down in your own mind. Mindset shifts are subtle, a little squishy, even, but they have so much power to shift you into a better state overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All we can do during these times is roll with it as best we can. And that requires you to surrender. It isn’t giving up. It’s really just laying down your resistance. It means you get to stop putting effort into trying to change things you can’t change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SO excited to be talking to Jill Miller, author of "The Roll Model" and creator of YogaTuneUp.com, as she is honestly one of the BEST people I know to talk about how to help yourself calm the eff down. Jill shares the 5 tools we all always have at our disposal to help us feel safe and at ease even when it feels like the world itself is unsafe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For those of us quarantined with other people--especially parents with kids--there is a whollllllle lotta together time. In many ways, it’s great. But alone time is also how we catch up to ourselves, process our emotions, and recuperate, kind of like Superman heading north to hang out in the fortress of solitude. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So....about that time I cursed at a total stranger, right to her face. Cursing is cathartic, but it's also a slippery slope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this second week of the challenge we’ve covered ways to reduce stress in your relationships, so that whether you are cooped up together or separated from each other, you can still feel connected. Here's a recap as well as an assignment for the weekend that helps you put it all together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you get frustrated, remember that we are in really weird extraordinary time and let that help you lower your expectations about everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talk to Judi Ketteler, author of the new book "Would I Lie to You?", about how to be real with your kids without hurting their feelings--since we're all stressed out, it's easy to blurt out things you wish you hadn't said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t get to say how the people you love handle their stress. You do get to talk with them about how they’re handling their stress, but you don’t get to tell them how to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corona shaming is real! We are all judging each other like crazy right now. So let’s take a little look-see at what judgment is all about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m doing things a little bit differently in that I’m offering a re-cap of what we talked about this week. My hope is that it will help you integrate the stuff we covered and take it all out for a spin over the weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s impossible to make plans these days. And the past already feels like a distant memory. Where does that leave us? Right here, right now. And for many of us, that is someplace we are not at all used to being. That’s the discomfort. The gift is that now is really the only place we ever can be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably think you know what to do when you’re stressed. But the things we typically do to calm ourselves down often only make our stress worse. That’s because what we need in times of duress is likely to be what we don’t usually do, and it’s only by embracing these things that brings us back into BALANCE. Pretty trippy, huh? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s big idea is taking an objective, non-judgmental, genuinely curious look at the things we are using to numb out now. Whatever it is, I’m not here to tell you not to do it. I’m just saying, be mindful. Make it a choice. Why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are on an Emotional Roller Coaster right now. This a straight up fact. And what do roller coasters have? Highs, and lows. Accepting that this is where we are, and that our feelings are going to be all over the place, will help us deal with all the feels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever wonder why you do the things you do? Or why you don’t do the things you don’t do? Your subconscious knows quite a lot about what your unwritten rules (that I call pink elephants--more on that in the episode) are, but you have to do a little digging to get the conscious mind to understand what’s really going on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have different things that stress us out. But what we all have in common is that we all have buttons and they all get pushed. When you know more about your buttons, you don’t get as blindsided when they get pushed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have been practicing yoga for 25 years. And pretty much every time I do it, I try to talk myself out of it. Why do we do this to ourselves?? Let's find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is for my partnered up listeners, and while I’m talking about the difference between masculine and feminine energies, I believe the advice contained here applies to couples of all types. But first: How’s it going, being quarantined with your partner? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you noticed how “quiet” it is outside? How you can hear what feels like hundreds of birds? Now that the outside world has quieted down, maybe you’ve noticed how loud it is inside your own mind. Let's make your inner world a little more like the outer world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re waiting for a feeling of calm to descend on you, like a bird on your shoulder, you’re going to be waiting a long time. You’ve got to invite it in, and a really powerful way to do that is to create some space in your home for relaxation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sitting is bad for you. We know this. And yet being confined to your home means it’s easier than ever to spend the vast majority of your day sitting. Stretching helps combat the physical toll that sitting takes on you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news cycle has our attention in a death grip. You can change your mind about how you’re doing and what’s going to happen three times every hour. You need access to your inner wisdom more than ever in this high stakes crisis. Here’s how to cultivate it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stress is mental but it’s also physiological. There are many different supplements that can help your physiology be able to handle stress better. Today I’m sharing the two—just two---that my years of writing both magazine articles and books about health have taught me to always have on hand and prioritize during times of stress.

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In times of high stress—and right now is undeniably one of those times—your nervous system is on alert, like a dog with its ears pricked up. Unless you do something to proactively counterbalance it, your nervous system will stay hyper stimulated. And when you’re on high alert like that, it’s hard to think straight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We need friends now more than ever—they help us laugh, they give us space to share our fears, and they remind us of who we are when we’re not being someone’s mom or wife or employee. In short, they help you get your crazy out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all of us working remotely in not necessarily ergonomic conditions, and obsessively scrolling through social media, looking at our screens is wrecking our posture. In today’s episode I’m sharing one thing you can do to combat the toll all this hunching and scrolling and watching is taking on your back. And that thing has to do with your butt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kids need a space to share their concerns. They also need help not staying focused on the scary stuff. Here’s a ritual you can do to help your kids process their feelings a bit while still being grateful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Closing open loops helps give you a sense of much-needed sense of control right about now; it also helps you get clarity and move forward, even when there are so many things that remain out of your control. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My tip for you today is in the form of a phrase that I find helpful whenever I notice that I am starting to feel anxious about what’s going to happen next. And that phrase is, ‘More will be revealed.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know that doing household chores can feel like a grind. But here’s the thing: Chores provide us many many wonderful things that we need now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now is an opportunity to put something back into our lives that maybe had gotten squeezed out before-- and that’s checking in more often with people. It’s not just something to do--it’s how we get through this, together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our lives have changed, and that is a loss. And loss goes hand in hand with grief. If you are feeling like there’s no way in heck you are going to be able to take this quarantine, you might be having a (very natural) resistance to grieving. This episode can help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While regular life may be interrupted, many of us still need to get work done. From home. Where our kids are also likely to be. Which means… focus can be hard to find. Oh, I feel this so hard! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During uncertain times a daily routine helps your mind find rest. It gives you structure, and structure gives you stability. Here are some guidelines for creating a routine that supports you now and into the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re a parent, you’re facing a double whammy right now of managing your own anxieties about the coronavirus while also modeling resilience and stress management for your kids. Here’s how you can put on your own mental oxygen mask first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get counted by the census helps you take care of your family, your neighbors, you’re your extended community throughout your state. And luckily, in this age of social distancing, it’s something you can easily do from home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is Wellness Wednesday on the podcast and I’m coming to you with a tip that can help you eat healthier in less time and with less food waste. And that is to embrace the magical power of leftovers. You may be thinking “ew,” or “boring,” but hear me out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip can help you communicate better by changing not what you say, but how you say it by becoming more aware of your tone of your voice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking things personally is something our mind LOVES to do. We do it without thinking. And whenever we do it, we make it a lot harder to see things clearly. But if you don’t know you’re doing it, is it possible to stop? Yes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, on this last day of the week. I’m asking you to do something that’s really going to give you some objectivity on your tech habits. It might sound a little daunting, but I’m here to tell you that it is doable. AND that it is powerful. Even fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today your assignment is to choose THE MOST annoying thing about your digital life, and do something to alleviate it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, it’s time to talk about what will probably happen when you start looking to your tech devices as much as you once were. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A huge piece of what makes our phones so addictive is that they are designed to razzle dazzle your mind, the same way that the floor of a Las Vegas casino is. Let’s make them more boring.

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Your Digital Clutter Quotient is a simple number that reflects just how stressed you are by your devices. Seeing this number helps motivate you to make changes by helping you objectively see just how much your digital life is contributing to your stress.

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How outsourcing can save your sanity, your relationship (because then you can stop fighting about who’s going to do it), and maybe even the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When someone you love is going through something painful, here’s what I’m guessing you want to do: jump in. Start helping. Maybe even try to fix it for them. While your intentions are good, your efforts can be harmful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m sharing a simple, powerful way to cue your relaxation response so that you can get out of that stressed out state where your body feels like crap. And that is to do something to invert your body. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Great ideas aren’t “out there.” There’re right in front of you. And they’re often disguised as a bad idea. It’s like they’re hiding in plain sight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While of course I’m a fan of doing what it takes to be a better person, doing all the things that are so good for you can also start to feel just a little too… I don’t know, wholesome. It gets tiring. It can start to get a little restrictive, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 2020 is a leap year, tomorrow, February 29th, is a bonus day--kind of like the extra hour we get when we turn back the clocks in the fall, only times 24. And in honor of this very special occasion, I want to suggest that tomorrow is a fantastic time to experiment with spending time without feeling the need to fill it up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we are living through some very, very tense times. And that means there are lots of opportunities for you to have disagreements with other people, in real life and online. It can feel disagreeing and being a better person are at odds with each other. They aren’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most efficient way through an emotion is to allow yourself to feel it. But that can feel pretty scary, so we try to will ourselves not to feel the feelings. Well, guess how well that works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Information is so easily accessed these days that it’s on all of us to do our own research before we ask someone else if we can pick their brain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reading something by someone’s who has a completely different experience of the world from helps you have a more attuned, realistic, and empathetic view of the world around you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allowing yourself to suck at something also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in something that’s super powerful, and that’s beginner’s mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m talking about how to find the right balance between being truthful and being kind. Because it’s not always easy to find. And sometimes it feels downright impossible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip can help you tone your arms, prevent low back pain, and improve your breast health and overall immunity--all by doing something that you have to do every day of your life with just a smidge more intention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Too often, we don’t ask a question because we’re afraid of looking stupid. But the truth is, if you’re confused about something, chances are someone else is too. Asking dumb questions helps bring clarity, and clarity is everyone’s friend. Don’t be afraid to seek it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like passion in a relationship wanes, so does passion in life. It’s motivation that will keep you going when that happens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I spent the first couple years of our marriage fairly obsessed with who was doing what in our relationship--and I always seemed to be the one who was losing. It wasn’t until I STOPPED doing this one thing that things started to shift (and we stopped fighting about the dishes). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People learn how to treat us by observing how we treat ourselves. And if you are not taking exquisite care of yourself, well, you can’t expect that anyone else will be able to, either, Even the person who loves you the most and is committed to your happiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip, part of Be a Better Partner Weeks, can help you keep your relationship strong even when there’s been some disturbance in the force. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m coming to you today with a tip that will help you think differently about the things your partner does or ways your partner is that drive you crazy. Because let’s be honest, we all have things about our partner that make us nuts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Be a Better Partner week here on How to Be a Better Person! Today’s tip is about a fundamental attitude shift in how you approach every conversation with your partner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mending something instead of replacing it takes exponentially fewer resources than buying a whole new thing. It also saves you money. But there’s something else good that happens when you fix something that’s broken instead of buying a new one that’s really important, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine that you are slowly filing on to an airplane. You get to your row and, bam, there’s a baby. Dun dun DUN. What do you do?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may not realize it, but your body is sending you signals all the time. They’re easy to overlook because we like to let our minds run the show. But when you ignore these cues, you miss an opportunity to recognize what you need and then to give it to yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip is a subtle shift in body position that can really radically change your experience at a networking function. You talk to more people, and you also have more fun. The only downside is that it might make you hungry for carbs. =) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you fail, or mess up, or don’t get what you want, it is a bummer. But if you look a little deeper, there’s always a lesson in it. While I don’t advocate glossing over the hurt, I do absolutely believe that when you ask yourself, “What is this experience here to teach me?” it helps you grow. And that’s what being a better person is all about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I loved “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and gladly dumped every stitch of clothing I own out on to my bed and went to town deciding what no longer sparked joy. But there’s one thing she doesn’t talk about that has been bugging me ever since. And that’s acquiring more stuff. Which is something we all do, all the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes circumstances demand that you go it alone, and that’s fine. We all need to be able to take care of ourselves, am I right? But there’s a time and a place for everything, and sometimes that time and place is for asking for help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m bringing you a tip that will help you increase the nutritional value of your diet across the board without depriving yourself of any “bad” foods. Sounds good right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine that you’re sitting in a conference room for a meeting. It’s right after lunch, and people are trickling in slowly. For a minute, it’s just you and one other co-worker. You immediately notice that she has a little piece of spinach wrapped right around one of her top front teeth. What do you do? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip can help you think differently about when it’s time to get out there and work for what you want, and when it’s appropriate to take a step back and do something that’s super powerful but not all that well regarded in our society, and that is to surrender. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter how big your social media following is, you are an INFLUENCER via what you buy. Consider this your reminder to use that influence for good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has their own pace. YOU have your own pace. Not only is there no shame in knowing and honoring your own speed, there’s power in it.

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Here are three ways you can take great care of yourself and the ones you love using nothing but the touch of your fingers whenever you’re feeling headachy, stomachache-y, or anxious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As an adult, there are so many administrative things that need your attention. The reality is that life is a full-time job. And most of us also have other full-time jobs. So when do you get this stuff done without forgetting important details or sacrificing too much either work time or down time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is some serious stuff going down in the world. It’s a lot to reckon with. It’s awfully easy and tempting to think, what can one person do? But there are at least five major ways you make a difference in yourself, others, and the world at large when you do something to give back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This idea will help you be more strategic about giving back, whether that’s by donating your money or your time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unless you have a live-in household staff, chores are an inescapable part of life that for average Americans add up to a whopping 690 hours a year. Do you really want to hate something that you’re going to spend 690 hours on every year for the rest of your life? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am a meat eater, and everyone in my family is a meat eater. I am not here to pooh-pooh it or tell you you should really be a vegetarian or a vegan. I AM suggesting that you make more of your meals each week meat-free, and that you improve the quality of the meat you do eat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m going to take a wild guess and say that sitting and staring out the window isn’t exactly hailed as a great thing to do by your boss, but it actually is wonderful for you—and your productivity—in multiple ways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Especially in these winter months, it’s easy to overdo it on the hibernation. Leaving the house and going to the thing sounded cool when you first heard about it is how you invite new people, ideas, and opportunities into your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remembering that there is a time and a place for everything helps you remember that you don’t need to do three things at once: you do one thing, and then the next thing, and then the next. It makes life feel more manageable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you interrupt the automatic reflex of replying to the question “How are you?,” with, “I’m fine” you create an opportunity for something this world needs more and more of… human connection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s make this the cold and flu season where we don’t get taken down for the count by a virus that wouldn’t have been as big a deal if we’d just had stuff on hand to minimize it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Delegating is about more than sharing the workload, it’s also how you empower people. Here’s how to do more of it, and do it better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter how you feel about the holidays, they are a giant opportunity to get away from the routines that keep you in a healthy, productive, non-reactive zone. So take a few minutes today to think about the structures you can put in place that will get you back there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is kind of an obvious tip. But it did not occur to me to set this goal for myself until last year, when I was 48. Sometimes the obvious thing is just too close to see. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writing a letter to your future self is how you start to focus on something that so most of us forget to think about when we’re wanting to do things differently -- and that is how GOOD we’re going to feel once we’ve done it. And feeling good is motivating. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Any time you’re embarking on something new, it really helps to do something right at the start that signifies how you intend to do things from here on out. That means what you decide to do on New Year’s Day sets the tone for the rest of year. So…what will you do today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Resolutions are just too big--it’s like trying to eat an elephant. So don’t make any resolutions this year, how about that? Today I’m sharing what I suggest you set instead—they’re not sexy, but they work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s face it, few people keep their resolutions. So this week is BETTER THAN RESOLUTIONS week on the podcast. Today your mission is to take the first step in New Year’s planning, and that’s pick a theme for the year ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking a moment to look back at the year that’s ending is a crucial piece of the goal-setting process that a lot of people miss; one that can help you go ALL-IN on the coming year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dalai Lama says, “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” And if you’re listening to a podcast on how to be better person, you’re interested in deepening those roots of goodness, am I right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m sharing something that will help you make the most of this particular day, whether you love it or dread it; something that can help you slow down and savor the good stuff, or help you stay steady when all you really want to do is run away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m just here with a quickie today because I know it’s a busy week for a lot of people. I just want to give all of us a reminder that this week is a really really tough week for a lot of people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Monday, but more importantly, it’s the day after the winter solstice. And the day after the winter solstice is the dawn of a new half of a year. The question I’m asking myself and that I’m posing to you in honor of this occasion is… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since today is Friday and on Fridays I talk about finances, and since it’s the holiday season and so many of us are spending more money than we typically do at other times of the year, am going on the record and asking you to patronize small, local businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip goes straight to being a better person in that it helps you interact with more kindness and openness with other people and helps you be of service in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The average person spends five hours a day looking at their phone, and it is wreaking some serious havoc on your musculoskeletal health, too. It’s not easy to be your best when you’re in chronic pain. Especially when that pain has a fairly simple fix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thanking people publicly gives those folks some much deserved recognition. It helps them feel appreciated. But what you might not consider is that it also lifts the curtain on just how many people it takes to do cool things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today your mission is to close the gap between the time when you get an inspiration or an idea and when you act on that inspiration or idea. I’m telling you, this tip has the power to really change your life and to do it pretty quickly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s so easy to wake up in January and look at your credit card bills and your bank account and regret how much money you spent. I’m not here to tell you to make a budget, or keep freeze your credit card in a block of ice. I’m only going to suggest that you set an intention to spend your money mindfully. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I admit it: the thing I’m sharing with you today took me a couple of years to adapt to. And that thing is to use more gender neutral language in your everyday interactions. (E.g, no more “you guys.”) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s face it, unless you go to get a pedicure, your feet really don’t get a lot of love. Yet they are your base, your foundation. They make it possible for you to get around and do all the things you need to and want to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two basic buckets that work falls into -- either you are being a service provider, or you are acting as a consultant. If you don’t have an awareness of which role you’re filling, and when, and why, you’re likely to get stuck in one or the other, and that’s when things start to break down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotions don’t go away just because you stuff them down. It’s a paradox that the most efficient way to process an emotion is to allow yourself to experience it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something that we all need any time, but especially in the midst of a whirlwind like the end of the year, is downtime. Or what I like to call, white space.

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Raising kids takes a village, but so does being a person. Today we’re talking about consciously thinking about who are the people in your life who lift you up, and you do the same for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m not here to sell you on the concept of reading. What I want to do today is help you find the time to read. Because that is often the biggest impediment to actually doing this wonderful, heart- and mind-expanding thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a very rare person who truly enjoys the process of hearing something that they’re not doing great at. But getting hip to it is how you start to get better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip is something to reach for when something you’re working on or toward isn’t going as you’d like, and you’re starting to get frustrated, or angry, or dispirited in some way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot about Thanksgiving is focused on consumption, both the actual feast and the shopping frenzy that happens the day after. A nice counterbalance to all that consuming is giving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what holiday you celebrate, today’s tip can help you lessen some of the stress at whatever holiday gathering you might be attending.

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I want you to head into the holiday feeling refreshed and uplifted. That’s why today’s tip is going straight to the source of where nearly all stress originates, and that’s to your very thoughts.

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Cooking is actually fun. It’s creative. It’s got good smells, pretty visuals, and good tastes. It’s movement. What’s not fun is try to produce something edible when you and/or the people you’re feeding are hungry. That’s stressful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surely there are some places in this world where you don’t need an omnipotent GPS voice to get you there. I mean, what happens when the grid goes down and we’ve all lost the ability to navigate by ourselves? What then? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re having fun, you are in the moment. You are very present, and you are relaxed. That’s when things can flow. As paradoxical as it may seem, sometimes you have to plan for fun. This is one of those times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knowing what’s on your “don’t list” will help shore up your boundaries, and that helps you walk a little taller and keeps any bad behavior from taking away from your well-being.

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What are your bad health habits? Are you like me in that you intend to drink only one glass of wine, but always end up having two? A lot of times, after you raise your awareness about something, it starts to shift all on its own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I am encouraging you—imploring you, even!--to take an honest-to-gosh lunch break. And by that I mean, move away from your computer, and keep your hands and your eyes off your phone. Why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I want to help you find your way into two great practices--conscious breathing and mindfulness—by doing ONE SIMPLE THING that only takes about five seconds. Sounds pretty good, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may seem like your highest goal in any difficult situation is to keep things from spilling over into anger or upset. But keeping the peace can look an awful lot like sweeping things under the rug, and ignoring what needs attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The average person spends 15 minutes a day looking for a lost item—that’s a lot of unnecessary stress on a daily basis, and over the course of a year, that’s more than 91 hours spent on rummaging through your bag or your house silently freaking out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip is about dedicating some amount of time to NOT spending money. Because sometimes NOT doing something is the best way to help you figure out how you want to do it in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all long to feel heard and understood. Like, deep down in our souls we want to feel gotten. And it is so easy to do this for another person. So easy! And yet, it’s pretty rare that we actually do.

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I have something very specific to suggest that you do in honor of International Kindness Day. And it’s not be kind to others! I hope you already know to do that, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip is designed to help you be a better and more efficient communicator. And in this day and age of overflowing inboxes and texts a-plenty, it may surprise you, because I am going to encourage you to do something that may seem even a little old-fashioned… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip can nudge you into feeling more generous, which isn’t something you hear about nearly as much as you do about gratitude. Gratitude is focusing on what you have or what you get. And generosity is focusing on what you can give to others. It encourages you to see yourself as a source of goodness and not just a recipient.

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Today’s tip delivers self-care in all kinds of ways, helping you tend to your physical health, your mental health, and even your psychic health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine how tickled you’d be to pick up your mail today and see a handwritten note from someone thanking you for something you did or said. It would make your day, wouldn’t it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many ways that compliments don’t end up being all that complimentary. Especially when they are related to appearance, compliments can get loaded, quick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of course you want to swoop in and fix things for someone you love if it’s possible for you to do so. But I want to plant the seed in your mind that fixing things for other people is in no way guaranteed to actually be helpful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you might spend a fair amount of time thinking about what you’re going to eat, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you don’t spend a lot of time observing what you eat.

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Everyone has a time of day where they are most likely to be operating at full capacity. I like to call that time of day your power hour. It’s kind of like you get to be a super hero for only one hour a day—what hour would you choose to don your cape?

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My mother in law raised 5 boys, she worked full time as a Spanish teacher and she had dinner on the table every night at 5:30. Once I asked her how she did it and said well, you just do what you can while you can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have heard that to forgive is divine, and it is. But it can also feel like a pretty tall order sometimes. The desire to forgive may not come for a while, but there is a half-step a long the way, and that’s what I want to talk to you about today.

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I recently read that every single piece of plastic that’s ever been made—which adds up to 8.3 billion metric tons—is still on this Earth. Some plastic is recycled, sure, but, according to National Geographic up until 2015 only 9 percent was re-used. We can do better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking about a way to look at the things you buy and consume as more than mere things. And that is to think about all the many, many people that went into creating those things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a little different than my previous tip to give someone a high five, although it’s definitely related. Giving a high five is about celebrating. This is more about training yourself to notice and call attention to something that’s positive, but maybe not worth a big ole ‘woo hoo.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m not talking about getting more steps on your Fitbit, although this can help you do that and that’s a perfectly lovely thing to do. It’s really just about interrupting the impulse to do things the no-brainer way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A powerful way to get re-motivated is to really think about the difference your work is making for people. You don’t have to be working for a nonprofit that’s saving the world in order to do this. Here’s how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At some point today, you’re going to be somewhere where for a few moments you have nothing in particular to do. And I’m willing to bet that after about, oh, 10 seconds of waiting, you’re going to get this great idea that says, I could check my phone! Don’t do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s easy to get in to the habit of checking in with everyone else in your household or on your team at work to see what they think, prefer, and need. But it’s really damn hard to remember to do the same thing for yourself.

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Make a Difference Day has been a national holiday since 1992. I’m sure you can easily find several volunteer opportunities you could do in your city or town today, and I hope you’ll do that! But I want to suggest another way you can make a difference, today and every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you start thinking “there’s more where that came from”, you shift your focus FROM the money you no longer have and TO the additional money you could invite into your life.

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Getting interrupted is so frustrating. It impedes your train of thought, for one. Worse, it can feel like you’re being silenced and that what you have to say doesn’t matter. And it’s something we can do to other people even when we have the best of intentions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Falling asleep is a little bit like re-entry of a space shuttle – there are certain windows you need to hit for best results. Here’s a dead simple way to make sure that you’re in the right place at the right time for falling asleep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the trickier things about working with other people is that you often have to give them feedback on how they’re doing. And few people actually enjoy getting feedback, especially when that feedback contains something that could be construed as negative or criticism. There is a way to deliver that feedback so that it doesn’t feel negative or like criticism, and knowing how to do that helps you be a better co- worker, manager, and leader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know how when you see someone doing something really cool, sometimes you get jealous? Or maybe even think, “That bee-yotch!” C’mon, you can admit it. Today’s tip is here to help you shift out of that mentality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can be hard to sleep on Sunday nights when you’re thinking about the things you want to and need to get done that week. To help us all get more zzzzs tonight, I’m sharing 2 simple DIY things that help you get to sleep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being in a hurry makes it easy to wish everyone would just get out of your way already. It’s a little bit like, how dare you slow me down, can’t you see I’ve got important things to do here! I mean, right? Here’s a simple way to step out of that habit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re a homeowner, financial gurus and advisors (and my Dad) will tell you to make one extra mortgage payment a year. I say, that’s a great idea! The problem is, it’s not exactly easy to find extra money just lying around waiting for something do. This tip can help (works for student loans, too). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re taking aim at something that so very many of us do--especially those of us with kids, although it’s certainly not reserved for the parents of the world--and we tend to do it unconsciously. Or, if we’re aware of it, we probably think it’s actually a good thing to do for other people. Here’s what it is, and why it’s not great. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s really, really hard to be a person of any kind without a body, am I right? So, a better cared for body helps you do the things that being a better person will call on you to do. #wellnesswednesday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s tip is intended to help you build more of a boundary between your work time and your personal time. It’s not a solid wall – if you need to work for an hour after the kids go to bed, there’s no shame in that. It’s more like some shrubbery—a tangible reminder of where one part of life (mostly) ends and another begins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I suppose this gets a little woo-woo. So I hope you can go there with me. I’m basically asking you to try on the idea that life is happening for you instead of to you. Also, the blog post I mention is here: https://katehanley.com/look-for-the-loving-reason-always/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What I want to share with you today is a deceptively simple, and deceptively powerful, forgiveness exercise. What’s deceptive about this? Well, for starters, it is NOT about forgiving someone else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s no denying it—it hard to resist the allure of a ringing or dinging phone. Sometimes, I even flinch when I just imagine I’ve heard my phone vibrate or buzz. (I’m not the only one, right?) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m guessing you’ve had the experience where you’ve gone to the store to pick up something you need, only to realize once you get back home that you already had it. Or that there’s at least one thing hanging in your closet right now that still has the price tag on it. Maybe it’s a lot of things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today your mission is to recognize how you might be contributing to your own unease by treating good things as if they were bad things. (This is such a common thing to do.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I want you to think about light, and what types of light you’re exposed to at what times of day. Why does this matter? Your body has something called a circadian rhythm, which is a really cool hormonal orchestra that is deeply influenced by your exposure to light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is something that, when I do it, makes my whole week go better. It helps you take the effectiveness of your to-do lists to another level, by being savvy and strategic about WHEN you make them. And don’t you just love being savvy and strategic?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We just don’t get a lot of opportunities to high five each other outside of sports settings. Let’s bring it into real life more and encourage each other to do the hard stuff, the cool stuff, the stuff that deserves at least a little recognition.

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Imagine you’re driving to work, or your kids to school, and an impatient driver swerves to pass you and calls you an a-hole or flips you the bird as they zoom by. What’s going through your mind at that moment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where do you go when you need “me time,” or when you’re tired, or when you just need a minute to think? We’re all moving in so many different directions; you need a space that’s dedicated to rest and restoration so that you have the energy to do the things that matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Friday and that means we’re either talking about friends, finances, or fun. And on this particular Friday, I’m sharing a strategy that applies to all three of these various topics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us haven’t ever stopped to observe our own body language. And it’s a crucial part of our relationships. In fact, studies of married couples have found that body language is a big predictor of divorce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because this episode is airing on a #wellnesswednesday, I’m talking about how to be a better person in your own body by doing one simple thing that can have a big ripple effect. And it all starts with your butt! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here me when I say this, especially my fellow women or women-identifying folks, who may have absorbed the message that confidence is somehow bad: There is not now, nor has there ever been, any shame in voting for yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I want to share a fun little something you can do to train yourself to see the positive. And it’s something you can do with kids, or friends, or partners, so it’s a good bonding experience too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I want to go back to a topic I talked about last week, which is listening. Because since I recorded that I heard a really cool story about the power of aiming to simply listen better that I wanted to share. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Challenging yourself to leave more positive reviews will help you remember to look for the experiences that go well. And what we focus on grows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our friends help us be better people because they help us see ourselves more objectively. They make us laugh. They also help us remember who we are outside of our responsibilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know our first reaction is typically to hide something we did wrong, but owning up to a mistake is SUPER freeing. When you admit a mistake, you don’t have to expend energy on either trying to ignore it, or justifying why you were right to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your mission for today is to lie on the floor. Yep. That’s it! Just stretch out on your back on the good ole floor. Why? And how? Tune in to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Focus is part skill, part ingrained trait, and part habit. If you haven’t been doing much of it lately, or if it’s something that’s nearly always challenging for you because of the way your beautiful, one-of-a-kind mind works, focusing is NOT easy. Here’s how to make it more doable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re in conversation with someone and they’re doing the talking, you’re most likely not listening. I know you probably think you are. But you’re not. You know what you’re doing? You’re thinking about what you’re going to say next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'll be following a routine all year. You don't need to keep track or anything. Sharing so you have some idea what to expect. Monday - Mindset and motivation and how you thing about things

Tuesday - Work, productivity and time management

Wednesday - Wellness, movement, sleep and body related topics

Thursday - Relationships including co-workers along with kids and spouses Friday - Fun, friends and finances

Saturday - Home and how we move in the world

Sunday Heart space - self care Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The desire to be a better person is different for all of us. It will also mean different things too. The one thing that we all have in common is a willingness to make an effort to be the best version of ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Start your day with one simple thing you can do in the next 24 hours to be a better person. Author Kate Hanley shares inspiration to help all of us be the best version of ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices