Medium Lady Talks: Recent Episodes
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Hello, Hi! I'm Erin and this podcast is about figuring out the medium effort way to get the most out of life today. I hope that the things I unpack here can help other women, and invite them to explore their own ways to live life in the present. This is a show about experimenting, to get closer to what matters most. I'm glad you're here, so let's settle in.
Everyone's feed said "kinda chic" this summer — Drew Barrymore's was, Reese Witherspoon's was, Priyanka Chopra's was too. In this solo episode, Erin traces the "kinda chic" trend from its quiet April 2026 origins on Instagram to its full celebrity-mainstream moment in August, unpacks why a three-word phrase gave so many women an "exhale" they didn't know they needed, and pulls the practice apart into two distinct emotional moves — savoring and guilt-neutralizing — that listeners can use whether or not they ever post a word of it.
Part trend breakdown, part values practice: media observation and permission slip in one.
What Is the "Kinda Chic" Trend?The "kinda chic" trend is a 2026 Instagram and TikTok format where people caption a photo or moment with "kinda chic to..." or "feels kind of chic to...," followed by something that doesn't fit the traditional, expensive definition of chic — a curvy body, an unglamorous home, an unfashionable habit, an ordinary routine. Instead of chic-as-exclusivity, the trend redefines chic as self-acceptance: whatever quietly makes you feel like yourself, said out loud, on purpose.
Where Did "Kinda Chic" Start?The earliest post Erin traced is from April 2026, by Australian body-positivity influencer Maria Begins, who posted lines like "kinda chic being a curvy woman and actually liking it" and "kinda chic growing a human, giving birth, and wearing the aftermath like couture." The trend spread through May and June around body image, then expanded into money and even politics by July, picking up some backlash along the way for creators stretching the format past its original spirit.
By August, it was fully mainstream: Drew Barrymore's carousel ("kinda chic to be in your fifties," "kinda chic to take your dog with you everywhere you go") hit six figures in likes within days. Reese Witherspoon followed with her own list ("kinda chic to be underestimated," "kinda chic to cheer on other women," "kinda chic to start a book club"). Priyanka Chopra posted an extensive list of her own — including "kinda chic to meet your husband at the Met Gala" — with a caption that closed the loop entirely: "kinda chic to hate this trend."
Erin traces the deeper roots even further back — to a May 2025 TikTok moment where creator Tara Colleen posted a gatekeeping "things I find incredibly unchic" list, judging other women's style choices. The backlash to that video — essentially, "who gets to decide what's chic?" — simmered for the better part of a year before resurfacing as the "kinda chic" carousel format by April 2026. All told, roughly an 11-to-12-month cultural cycle from gatekeeping to reclamation.
Why Did the Trend Get So Popular?The format works because it offers relief, not information. A private, often shame-adjacent thought gets relabeled as a deliberate, aspirational choice instead of a failing — and the comment section does the rest, with strangers confirming "same" or "you're allowed," turning a private admission into public permission. Content strategist Rachel Holt, whose breakdown of the format Erin references in this episode, describes the trend's core mechanic simply: it takes something you quietly feel bad about and turns it into a choice.
Is the Trend Already Over?By August 2026, the format had turned recursive — Priyanka Chopra's own caption joking "kinda chic to hate this trend" is, in Erin's words, the moment "the snake has captured its own tail." Self-parody at that scale is usually a late-stage signal, and Erin notes her own feed already feels "more kind of than chic."
Key Ideas From This Episode Chic has always required an observer. Historically bestowed by wealth, taste, or proximity to the right rooms — the trend didn't remove the gatekeeper, it just moved permission from a small cultural elite to the algorithm. * Two distinct moves live inside the same three words. Savoring (noticing something already good — Erin's daily dog walk) and guilt-neutralizing* (relabeling something that already feels bad, on purpose — Erin's "too-small house") are not the same practice, even when they sound identical in a caption. * Nothing stays outside the market for long. Even the trend's most organic-feeling origin point — a body-positivity post — sits inside an industry that's been heavily monetized for years. This episode's takeaway skill: when a private value-practice turns into public content, notice whether you're still doing it for you. * The real experiment: collapse the audience to one. Can you grant yourself the same exhale a comment section gives you, without needing it confirmed by anyone else? Erin's challenge to listeners — post or don't, but learn to hand yourself the permission slip either way.
Resources & Links Mentioned* Maria Begins — early "kinda chic" post, April 2026 * Drew Barrymore's "kinda chic" carousel * Reese Witherspoon's "kinda chic" post * Priyanka Chopra's "kinda chic" post * Betches: "The Unchic TikTok Debate" — the 2025 Tara Colleen backlash * Know Your Meme: Kinda Chic Trend entry
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat does "kinda chic" mean on social media? It's a caption format used to reframe something ordinary, vulnerable, or non-traditional as a deliberate, aspirational choice — e.g., "kinda chic to live a slower life."
Who started the "kinda chic" trend? The earliest known post traces to Australian body-positivity influencer Maria Begins in April 2026, though the underlying idea — that "chic" can be self-defined rather than culturally dictated — traces back to a 2025 backlash against a TikTok creator's gatekeeping "unchic" list.
Which celebrities have done the "kinda chic" trend? Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon, and Priyanka Chopra have all posted "kinda chic" content on Instagram, helping push the format from a niche body-positivity trend into the mainstream by August 2026.
Is "kinda chic" the same as "quiet luxury"? No, though the two rhyme structurally as aesthetic cycles. Both trends promised freedom from a standard — quiet luxury from visible status performance, "kinda chic" from traditional, exclusionary definitions of chic — and both, in their own way, became new standards.
How can I practice "kinda chic" without posting on social media? The episode outlines two levels: savoring (noticing something already good in your life without needing it witnessed) and guilt-neutralizing (relabeling something you quietly feel bad about as a deliberate choice instead of a failing) — both done privately, without needing external confirmation.
Medium Lady Talks is part of the Medium Lady community — reading as self-care, burnout recovery, and intentional living for millennial women and moms.
DescriptionErin is joined by close friend and returning guest Stephanie Cunningham to talk about the "Simple 75" — a loosened, personalized riff on 75 Hard that the two of them ran together this summer. What starts as a lighthearted comparison of checklists turns into a real conversation about failure as information (not judgment), narrowing down to "the things that always work," and why the absence of a punitive restart changes everything about whether a habit challenge is sustainable. Steph also opens up about stepping away from the challenge entirely during a family crisis, and what made it feel right to pick it back up — on her own terms — afterward. If you've ever wanted permission to do the thing at 20%, or permission to stop doing it at 100%, this one's for you.
Key line: "Hold your goals tightly enough to pursue them, but loosely enough to survive them."
What we talk about* Why Steph set out to do a traditional 75 Hard, and how it became a "Simple 75" / "75 Medium" once Erin joined in * The real rules of 75 Hard, for anyone unfamiliar (two 45-min workouts, one outdoors, a gallon of water, a nutrition plan, no alcohol, progress photos, 10 pages of nonfiction — miss one thing, restart from day one) * Tracking as information, not judgment — and why that reframe is the difference between a failure that teaches you something and a failure that just feels like shame * Steph stepping away from the challenge for three-plus weeks after a family loss, and what it took to come back to it * Narrowing a 10-12 item checklist down to the handful of things that "always work" — and what happens to your creativity and bandwidth when those few things are actually covered * Why the no-punitive-restart structure (vs. traditional 75 Hard) might be the real differentiator, more than intensity * Consistency isn't perfection — it's what you do after you miss * Permission to do the thing at 20%. Permission to stop doing the thing at 100%. * What's next for both of them: Erin's 100 Days of Gratitude and dabbling back into Morning Pages; Steph's "75 Medium" continuing alongside marathon training
Timestamps(estimated from transcript)
- 0:00 — Intro & welcome
- 2:30 — Meet Stephanie Cunningham
- 4:00 — How the Simple 75 started: Steph's original plan, Erin inviting herself in
- 9:00 — The paradox of ambition vs. contentment in the present
- 11:30 — Tracking as information, not judgment
- 14:00 — Steph steps away: family crisis, three weeks off, and coming back
- 18:00 — Failure as data, not a reset button — the commencement-speech story
- 21:00 — Consistency isn't perfection, it's returning
- 24:00 — How Steph knew it was time to restart
- 29:00 — Permission to stop striving vs. permission to start striving
- 33:00 — Narrowing to the things that always work (protein, fiber, movement, phone boundaries, reading)
- 38:00 — Freedom, community, and wisdom as the throughline
- 42:00 — "Hold your goals tightly enough to pursue them, loosely enough to survive them"
- 45:00 — What's next for Steph (75 Medium, marathon training) and Erin (100 Days of Gratitude, Morning Pages)
- 48:00 — Closing thoughts & where to find Steph
Links mentioned* Connect with Steph: @steffskiunfiltered * Previous episodes with Steph: + Episode 23: Medium Lady Talks about Internet Realness + Episode 121: Mindful Content Creation + Episode 87: Cultivating Your Aspirational To-Do List * Related episode: Episode 169 — Tiny Experiments for March: The Tally Project * Coach Bennett on Instagram * The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (Overdrive)
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- More book content on Medium Lady Reads — Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Tags / categoriesburnout recovery, habit tracking, goal setting, 75 hard, self-compassion, consistency, women's wellness, intentional living, friendship, accountability
This month's self-care capsule comes out of a real, lived week — five days of wildfire smoke from the Northern Ontario fires reaching southwestern Ontario, and a crash course in AQI and climate anxiety Erin didn't see coming. She shares a hope-forward book pack, a three-part mental reframe for climate anxiety, and a playful "treehouse mindset" for reducing consumption without falling into restriction or scarcity thinking.
What's covered:
- Living through the wildfire smoke from the Northern Ontario fires (including the community of Collins) and what it revealed about her own, previously unrecognized, climate anxiety
- Why climate fiction wasn't the right read for this particular week, and choosing hope-forward books instead
- The August book pack: Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot series, Ursula K. Le Guin's speculative fiction, and a new nonfiction release
- A three-part mental reframe for climate anxiety: reduce consumption playfully in the next 24 hours, connect outward with community, care inward for your body in the next hour
- The "Treehouse Mindset" play prompt — reframing reduced consumption as an imaginative game rather than restriction
- The 100 Days of Gratitude challenge on Instagram (Day 28) and a call to support wildfire-affected communities
Key framework: "Well-regulated, well-rested, well-fed, well-supported communities are what save the world — not individual hypervigilance."
Books mentioned:
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy — Becky Chambers (Monk & Robot series)
- Ursula K. Le Guin — exploring her wider body of speculative and utopian fiction; specific title to follow once chosen (will share on Instagram)
- Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species — Elizabeth Dunn & Jiaying Zhao
Join in: 100 Days of Gratitude, Instagram @medium.lady
Support: Donate to the Anishinabek Nation 7th Generation Charity — CRA-registered, supporting Anishinabek Nation communities affected by the wildfires.
MLT 180: I Finished a Book, Episode 1After six seasons of letting the productivity ball get bigger than the creativity ball, Erin's shaking up the format — starting with an unscripted, wheel-spun review of Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg, built with a little help from Claude.
What's covered:
- Why Erin's stepping back from "better, faster, stronger" podcasting and testing a looser, funnier format
- The exact AI prompt Erin used to build a 28-question "book club wheel" for spontaneous, unscripted reviews — full transparency on the goal/context prompt structure
- A deep, spoiler-flagged review of Just Watch Me, the story of Dell Danvers, a newly-unemployed 24-hour live streamer spiralling through a week of viral chaos, spicy-pepper stunts, and unprocessed grief
- Why the book's central "twist" (her sister Daisy's fate) reframes the entire story as a book about avoidance and grief, not just internet culture
- The uncomfortable, rarely-said-out-loud truth about wanting to be watched — and what it's like to feel both euphoria and dread from an audience
- A comp-title pairing with Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, and how the two books differ in how much agency their heroines hold onto at rock bottom
Key framework: Erin's 70/30 rule for when AI is worth using — the tool brings structure, you bring discernment. (Full breakdown in Episode 174.)
Books mentioned:
- Just Watch Me — Lior Torenberg
- Margot's Got Money Troubles — Rufi Thorpe
- All Fours - Miranda July
Related listening:
- Episode 142 — Welcome to the Summer of REAL Rest
- Episode 174 — My 70/30 Rule: How I Decide When AI Is Worth It
Episode Summary
Erin is back at the mic with a confession: she's been taking the podcast a little too seriously. In this honest, unpolished episode, she unpacks the ambivalence she's been carrying as a creator — the quiet pressure, the almost-quits, and the moment a listener named Kate said she just wanted more fun and Erin felt relief instead of defensiveness. From a trail walk with her friend Amy to a summer gratitude challenge already seven days in, this episode is an invitation to skip the optimization and notice what actually feels good right now.
In This Episode
- The honest confession: running the podcast like it has a performance review coming
- Why Erin hasn't quit even when she's wanted to — and what that reveals about protected time and identity
- The trail walk conversation with a friend that surfaced the scary thing out loud
- What one listener's feedback unlocked: permission to receive instead of always deliver
- What fun actually looks like this summer — reading outside, the 100 Days of Gratitude Challenge, and noticing when you're in a nothing-burger moment
- The simple question: what would make this more fun right now?
- A new idea Erin's sitting with: why knowing the right way to live doesn't mean you can read your own life
- Why this summer is going to feel a little different around here
Mentioned in This Episode
- Amy C. Willis, sobriety coach —https://www.holandwell.com/
- Medium Lady Talks on Instagram: @medium.lady
- 100 Days of Gratitude Challenge — follow along on Instagram
Connect
If this episode landed for you, DM Erin on Instagram at @medium.lady — she genuinely wants to know what you're doing this summer just because it's fun.
This episode was originally published in June of 2025
In this heartfelt episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin shares a deeply personal talk on reclaiming “soft work” as a vital part of healing. Inspired by a moment with her therapist and delivered originally at the Say It Like You Claimed It event with Jam Gamble, this message is a reminder that you can’t recover from burnout by doing more hard work.
Instead, you need softness.
🪷 Erin breaks down:
- What “soft work” is and why it matters (think: joy, rest, nature, play)
- Why soft work activates the vagus nerve and heals the nervous system
- The limiting beliefs that make rest feel unearned or frivolous
- The science behind why kindness and pleasure help you recover
- How to reprogram your brain to notice joy again
Whether you’re exhausted from doing everything “right” or just need a moment to feel seen, this episode will help you soften into the truth: you are not broken. You’re just overdue for joy.
📚 Mentioned in this episode:
- Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
- Women Who Work Too Much by Tamu Thomas
- Reclaim Yourself by Dr. Thema Bryant
- What It Takes to Heal by Prentis Hemphill
- Fiction from Kennedy Ryan, Tia Williams, Kiley Reid, and Toni Morrison
💬 Ask yourself: What kind of soft work have I been craving?
💬 Let Erin know what “real rest” means to you over on Instagram@medium.lady—and share this episode with the friend who’s doing everything “right” and still wondering why she’s so tired.
This episode is part of our “Summer of Real Rest” series—time to call ourselves in to a true commitment to the soft work of feeling better one step at a time.
🧡 If this episode resonates with you:
- Share it with a friend who needs a little extra encouragement
- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more than you know
- DM me on Instagram@medium.lady or tag your favorite quote from the episode
- Subscribe for more real talk about building a life you love—one medium-effort step at a time
Looking for more support? Access exclusive content and mindful living tools on Patreon.
Join the conversation! Share one need you're naming today and tag @medium.lady on Instagram.
The series starts here!
Don’t forget to subscribe! If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others find the show!
Other Related Episodes (for your enjoyment):
Episode 70: My Life-Changing Perspective on Having the Best Summer EVER
Episode 103: Four Questions to Free Yourself from Summer Stress Part One
Episode 104: Four Questions to Free Yourself from Summer Stress Part Two
Episode 106: Six Things Saving My Summer
Medium Lady Reads Episode 43 - Our Best Recommendations for Your Summer Reading Pile
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Key Words: #softwork #burnoutrecovery #restasresistance #nervoussystemhealing #mediumladytalks #mentalhealthawareness #joyishealing #radicalrest
What do you do when life hands you unexpected free time — not a vacation, not a long weekend, but a recurring, reliable gift of unstructured hours every single week? That's exactly the situation Erin's best friend of over 30 years, Emily Gibson, found herself in when a shift in her employment created free Fridays from now through the end of the year.
Instead of defaulting to scrolling, guilt, or vague intentions, Emily got intentional. She designed the Found Fridays project — a personal framework and Instagram series where every Friday is planned with purpose, organized into meaningful categories including rest and relaxation, house and home, friends and family, and fun and festive. Each Friday has a specific activity. Each activity is chosen on purpose.
In this episode, Erin and Emily explore what it actually takes to move from "I have free time" to "I used that time in a way I'm proud of" — and why most of us fail to bridge that gap, even when the intention is there.
What You'll Hear in This Episode How Emily went from a long weekend of wasted potential to designing a full semester of intentional Fridays * Why she created categories instead of a to-do list — and how that distinction changes everything * The role of accountability, audience, and public sharing in keeping the project alive * What the Found Fridays framework looks like in practice: Notion docs, phone calendar scheduling, partner communication * The "eat the frog" philosophy and why tackling one meaningful thing on a Friday makes the whole weekend feel lighter * Why the project isn't really about Fridays — it's about learning to fall more in love with the life you already have * How to scale the Found Fridays concept to fit your* life, even if you don't have a full free day to work with * The dopamine menu connection: building a list of what actually brings you joy versus what just consumes your time
The Found Fridays Framework: Key TakeawaysFor anyone who finds themselves with unstructured time:
- Make the list first. Before the time arrives, write down everything you want to do, need to do, and have been avoiding — without filtering.
- Break it into categories. Not by task type, but by what you need — rest, accomplishment, connection, creativity. Pick from those buckets.
- Put it in your calendar and tell someone. Scheduling communicates commitment to yourself and to the people in your life.
- The video is not the goal. The thing is the goal. Accountability tools (like sharing publicly) work when they serve the project — not when they become the project.
- It's scalable. You don't need a whole free day. Thursday nights from 7 to 9 can hold a Found Thursday. The principle transfers.
Guest Capsule: What's Framing Emily's Season Right Now Reading: The Assistant to the Villain series (whimsical fantasy, more approachable world-building than epic fantasy) * Watching: Ted Lasso* — "the antithesis to everything happening in the world right now" * Scent: Citrus everything — Satsuma from The Body Shop, goji berry lemon and orange body lotion * Soundtrack: Qveen Herby — "women getting shit done energy," the first thing she listens to every morning * Accounts she loves: Christy Newrutzen (@christi.newrutzen) — "how long does it actually take to do the thing?" | Meredith Shaw, Toronto TV personality and plus-size style icon | and, obviously, Medium Lady
Connect with Erin + Medium Lady* Instagram: @medium.lady * Website: www.mediumladycommunity.com * Screenshot this episode and tag @medium.lady on Instagram — Erin loves hearing from listeners after episodes
About Medium Lady TalksMedium Lady Talks is created and hosted by Erin, a millennial mother building the life that's made for her while fighting burnout, living intentionally, and embracing gratitude — even when she's grumpy. Each episode combines deep conversation, practical tools, and the kind of honesty that helps you maximize self-discovery and minimize self-judgment.
What if the guilt, the overwhelm, and the feeling that you're never quite enough aren't personal failings — but a system you were never meant to question? This week, I'm joined by life coach, author, and mom of four Amber Pecoraro, whose story I think so many of you are going to immediately recognize yourselves in.
Amber is the founder of B'joyed Coaching and the author of Escape the Motherhood Matrix — a guide for high-achieving women to identify the invisible conditioning keeping them stuck and start dismantling it for good. She's a former civilian leader in the US Air Force Government Acquisition, a certified life and leadership coach, and someone who, on paper, had it all together — and privately, was crumbling.
In this episode, we get into the origin of Amber's rock bottom moment (including a 36-week pregnancy, a child with a bone infection, and a delivery room she was left in alone), the physical symptoms that finally forced her to stop pushing through, and the coaching and neuroscience-based practices that changed everything for her. We also dig into the four P's of reprogramming from her book, why guilt isn't a moral failing but a nervous system response, and what it actually looks like to escape a matrix you didn't even know you were in.
In This Episode, We Cover What the Motherhood Matrix actually is — and why "on paper, everything looks great" is often the biggest red flag * Amber's origin story: a pandemic pregnancy, a child's emergency surgery, an allergic reaction that took over her face for eight months, and the moment her body finally said no more * The belief that had been quietly running Amber's life since childhood — and how she finally saw it for what it was * Why guilt isn't a character flaw — it's your nervous system trying to keep you safe (and why that makes it so hard to logic your way out of it) * The difference between knowing what you need and actually integrating it — and why self-awareness alone isn't enough * The four P's of reprogramming from Escape the Motherhood Matrix*: Prime, Prune, Pause, Possibility * Why fawning — over-caretaking everyone but yourself — is a fight-or-flight response, not a personality trait * My own experience with postpartum depression after my third child, and how "create or die" became the beginning of Medium Lady * What it means to "come home to yourself" — and why that's not about becoming someone new
The Medium Lady CapsuleWhat Amber is reading: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay — a book she returns to regularly with clients, and one she calls an enduring invitation to possibility.
What she's listening to: A podcast on book publishing — specifically resources connected to Chandler Bolt's Self-Publishing School, which she used to bring Escape the Motherhood Matrix into the world.
What's embodying this season: Board games with her kids, ages 6 to 13. Less fighting, more laughing. A season of actually being present together — and finding she's starting to enjoy it.
Who she's learning from: Tony Robbins — particularly after her husband enrolled in one of his programs. She's a student of many modalities and encourages listeners to find what actually works for them.
Resources + Links Amber's website: bjoyed.com * Amber on Instagram: @bjoyed.coaching * Amber's book: Escape the Motherhood Matrix* — available wherever books are sold * Amber's quiz: Find out where you are in the Motherhood Matrix — linked at bjoyed.com * Free resource for Medium Lady listeners:Direct Message Amber on Instagram @bjoyed.coaching and she will send you two free resources:1. Quiz: Are you stuck in the Motherhood Matrix? 2. Overstimulated Mom Reset to integrate the 4 P's framework (without adding more to your to-do list)
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
You've heard the list. Go outside. Move your body. Sleep well. Drink water. Seek connection. Find joy. Get offline. You might have it on a sticky note, a vision board, buried in a notes app. And yet here we are — still knowing, still not quite doing, and carrying a very specific flavour of guilt about the gap.
This episode is not a fix. There are no frameworks, no habit trackers, no systems. What Erin does instead is take four of the eight core mental health domains she's distilled from a decade of reading — identity, movement, connection, and creativity — and gets genuinely honest about what's underneath the struggle to access them. Not in a general way. In a specific, personal, true way.
Including: why resistance training became entangled with grief she wasn't ready to walk through. Why the double bind of "invisible AND excellent" makes creative work feel logically impossible. Why connection has a post-interaction audit problem that robs us of the nourishment we just received. And why delight has been so thoroughly turned into content that the real, private, inconvenient kind feels like we're doing it wrong.
Throughout, Erin invites listeners to locate their own version of each domain — because your reasons for avoiding movement are not the same as hers. The path through is not a better general strategy. It's a more honest personal one.
The argument at the centre of this episode: you are not failing at self-care. You are living inside systems that were not designed for your flourishing. And naming that — really naming it — is the first act of your own reckoning.
What's Covered— Why "knowing better but not doing better" is rarely a willpower problem — and what it actually is
— Identity as the foundation beneath every other domain, and what happens when you've lost reliable access to yourself
— The difference between performative delight and the real, private, specific kind that's actually yours
— Movement, grief, and why connecting to your "why" can sometimes make things harder, not easier
— How post-connection anxiety gets in the way of metabolizing the nourishment we just received
— The creativity double bind: invisible AND excellent, private AND public-ready — and why it's a logical impossibility
— The difference between creative work that is produced and creative work that is played with
— Conditioning, cultural compassion, and what's actually missing from the mental health conversation
Mentioned in This Episode— Cecelia Baum Mandryk — whose work on unpacking resistance through the lens of safety gave Erin a new way into her movement avoidance. Find her at ceceliabaummandryk.com and on Instagram at @cecemandryk
— Episode 175 — Four parts of self: the part that wants to be honest, the part that wants to be good, the part that wants to be right, and the part that wants to be liked
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
This is the final episode of the AI for the Rest of Us series — and it didn't go the way Erin planned. Not because the series failed, but because it worked. She went in hoping to create a compassionate, curious space for women to engage with AI. She came out changed, uncertain, and more honest about what that process actually costs.
This episode is less a conclusion and more an unpacking: of the mental loop that comes with having a public opinion on something nobody agrees on, of changing your mind in real time, and of what it means to hold an evolving point of view without collapsing into certainty you don't have.
It's messy. That's kind of the point.
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT
Why the series was harder to make than anything Erin has produced in a long time — and why "just push through it" wasn't the right answer for this season of life.
The mental loop of researching your way to solid ground, getting challenged again almost immediately, and starting over. What that cycle costs when you care about being right, being good, being honest, and being liked — all at the same time.
What Erin actually thinks about the environmental cost of AI (spoiler: it's complicated, nuanced, and the 1-litre-per-query statistic is already outdated). Hank Green explains it better than anyone.
A new study on AI literacy and receptivity — and why becoming more informed about AI led Erin to use it less, not more.
Why directing AI anger at end users instead of industry leaders, politicians, and the people actually making decisions is misdirected — and why treating people differently based on whether they use AI is something Erin has zero tolerance for.
What it looked like to pursue AI literacy publicly while her own opinion was quietly changing. And why that's actually what critical thinking looks like from the inside, even when it doesn't feel like it.
"Your AI literacy will require you to hold an evolving opinion — you can't perform certainty and you also can't collapse into 'I don't know anything.' Hold yourself to a standard that is both messy and evolving."
ONE THING TO TAKE AWAY
You don't have to have a settled position on AI. You just have to stay in the conversation — curious, critical, and willing to let what you learn change how you think. That's harder than it sounds, and it's also the only honest option any of us has right now.
LINKS MENTIONED
Hank Green — How AI uses water (and what that actually means)
The clearest, most honest explainer on AI's environmental footprint Erin has found. Covers water consumption, the corn comparison, and why the conversation is more complicated than the headlines suggest.
Lower AI literacy predicts greater AI receptivity — Journal of Marketing (2025)
The study Erin references on the relationship between AI literacy and AI use. The more you know, the more critical you become. Worth reading — or at least the abstract.
WHAT'S COMING NEXT
Erin is returning to the conversations and topics that feel most like her — mental health, burnout, rest, and the real lives of women navigating all of it. More interviews. More check-ins with real people. Less performing certainty she doesn't have.
If this series resonated with you — even the messy parts, especially the messy parts — she'd love to hear from you.
FIND ERIN
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads."
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
It started with a book club I never made.
Last summer I designed it in excruciating detail — the reading schedule, the prompts, the whole vibe. I felt amazing doing it. And then I never launched it. In this episode I'm using that story as the entry point into something I've been quietly figuring out for a couple of years: my personal bar for when using generative AI is actually worth it.
This isn't a pro-AI episode or an anti-AI episode. It's an honest account of how I went from delighted early adopter, to someone who noticed she was outsourcing her own discernment, to someone who has built what I'm calling a sovereignty muscle — a choosy threshold for when I open the tab and when I don't.
I talk about the dopamine feedback loop that keeps us coming back to these tools even when the follow-through isn't there, the ethics reckoning I had as a reader and lover of human-made art, the environmental cost I started taking seriously, and why I eventually moved from ChatGPT to Claude.
And then I get practical. The 70/30 rule — the tool brings the structure, you bring the discernment — and what that actually looks like whether you're a healthcare leader, a creative, or someone who just really wants to read more but can never seem to make it happen.
No matter where you find yourself — quietly guilty about using AI, scared to start, or just exhausted by the noise — this episode is for you. You don't need the right opinion about AI. You need your own.
Topics covered: generative AI, discernment, the outsourcing trap, the cheating feeling, environmental cost of AI queries, the Anthropic values pivot, the 70/30 rule, and the sovereignty muscle.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Medium Lady Talks — Episode 173Is Guilt Driving the AI Gender Gap?Hi, I'm Erin and this is Medium Lady Talks — the podcast for millennial women who want to live more intentionally, read more books, and stop burning out in the middle of a life they actually love.
What this episode is aboutIf you've ever used an AI tool (or thought about using one) and felt weird about it afterward — not quite wrong, but not quite right — this episode is for you. We spend the whole episode trying to figure out what that feeling actually is. Because I don't think it's guilt. I think it's something more useful. And the difference matters.
We look at what the research says about women and AI adoption, why the gender gap exists (the answer is not what most people assume), and then walk carefully through the emotions that get bundled together under "guilt" — and why naming them separately changes what you do with them.
What you'll hearThe gender gap in AI use is real and documented across 18 international studies — but it isn't being driven by ethics, technophobia, or lack of access. The biggest driver is self-reported knowledge. Women say they don't know enough, and that uncertainty holds them back. There's also a specific research finding that stopped me: women are significantly more likely than men to describe their own AI use as "cheating." We sit with that one for a while.
There are six feelings that tend to get bundled into AI guilt, and they each have a different signal and a different right response: trepidation, cognitive dissonance, identity threat, environmental concern, social anxiety, and actual guilt. Most of them aren't guilt. And the one that might be deserves careful examination — not a spiral.
On the environment: the concern is valid at the systemic level, and the accountability belongs with the companies building and scaling these systems — not with individual users. The pattern of loading collective moral responsibility onto individual women while the systems that created the problem go unexamined? We've seen that one before.
And the concept I'm now completely obsessed with: fierce ambivalence — from researcher Mara Bolis. The ability to hold two truths at once: I can use these tools to empower myself AND demand better from the people building them. That's not confusion. That might be the most coherent position available right now.
Resources mentioned* Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI — Otis, Delecourt, Cranney & Koning, Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 25-023 * The AI Gender Gap Paradox — Mara Bolis, Stanford Social Innovation Review. Where "fierce ambivalence" comes from. A five-minute read I highly recommend. * We Did the Math on AI's Energy Footprint — MIT Technology Review. Individual queries vs. industry-level impact, clearly explained, this read is a little bit longer! * Environmental Impacts of Artificial Intelligence — Wikipedia. Genuinely excellent. A good two-minute orientation to the full picture and lots of links to take you down a rabbit hole.
In Episode 174 we'll get into the "Be Your Own Wife" concept — what a values-based relationship with AI actually looks like in practice.
DM me on Instagram at @medium.lady your reactions and opinions will always be used in consideration of each following episde.
Medium Lady Talks is created, hosted and produced by Erin Vandeven. New episodes drop weekly.
This is the one Erin has been building toward for a while. Episode 172 kicks off a new series "AI for the Rest of Us" and it starts in the tension between fear and curiosity, between wanting to look away and knowing we can't. This is a messy, honest, first-person episode about what AI actually is, why the gender gap in AI adoption matters, and how a concept called the "pessimism aversion trap" might be the thing quietly keeping us stuck.
No tech background required. No conclusions forced. Just a real conversation (always out loud and in process) from someone figuring it out alongside you.
In This Episode
- Why Erin has been sitting on this episode for months and what finally pushed her to hit record
- The Reese Witherspoon moment: what her book club poll revealed about women and AI adoption (and why the backlash was valid but also beside the point)
- The gender gap in AI use: women are using AI at a rate approximately 25% lower than men, and the jobs most likely to be automated are disproportionately held by women
- Karen Hao's "What is AI?" flowchart — a tool for making AI legible before you decide how you feel about it. Spoiler: it is not just ChatGPT.
- Mustafa Suleyman's "pessimism aversion trap" from The Coming Wave, the idea that our fear of dark futures can cause us to look the other way, and why that avoidance might be more dangerous than the thing itself
- How the trap works in both directions: tech optimists use it to wave away risk; everyday people (and moms especially) use it as a protection mechanism to just... keep moving
- Why sovereignty is Erin's word for 2026, and what that has to do with AI
- A trust framework from creator Upasna Gautam: trust = transparency / self-interest — and why Erin is committed to transparency about how she uses AI as a podcaster, leader and mom.
- What Erin is actually using AI for when producing this podcast.
Referenced in This Episode
- Reese Witherspoon — viral Instagram Reel (April 2026) on women and AI adoption
- Karen Hao — investigative journalist, author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI (Penguin Press, 2025); creator of the 2018 "What is AI?" flowchart visualization
- Mustafa Suleyman — co-founder of DeepMind, CEO of Microsoft AI, author of The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future (2023)
- Upasna Gautam — technology and critical thinking creator on Instagram (@uposnagautam); shared Mark Cuban's trust definition: transparency divided by self-interest
- Episode 171 — Erin's vulnerable personal disclosure episode that set the tone for this one
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
After three weeks away, Erin is back....but not because she has it figured out, but because showing up anyway is the whole point.
This episode is an honest check-in: on an OCD flare that was the most significant in years, on the creative paralysis that followed, and on what finally helped her find her way back. She traces the silence back to the AI series she announced in episode 169, which quickly began to feel like spacewalking without a tether, and the stakes felt high, the subject felt vast, and her nervous system did what nervous systems do.
What pulled her through? The Artemis II moon mission and what its crew taught her about suiting up into genuine uncertainty. The musician Raye, whose new album she has had on repeat and whose literary, unafraid lyrics have been helping her see herself clearly at a low moment. And eventually, the decision to just start.
She also makes good on her commitment to the AI series — confirming it is still coming, reframing what it actually is, and naming exactly what she is promising you.
In this episode:
- An honest update on an OCD flare and what creative paralysis actually feels like
- What the Artemis II crew taught her about showing up without knowing what's on the other side
- Raye's new album as music-as-self-care — and why your obsessions are data
- A real commitment to the AI for the Rest of Us series this spring
Episode Takeaway
What have you been returning to this week — a song, a show, a person, an idea — that you keep coming back to without fully understanding why? Sit with that for a minute. What does it tell you about what you actually need right now?
Connect with Erin
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Website: www.mediumladycommunity.com
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads."
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Erin drafted this episode during a false spring — bright light, warm temps, a few days without a winter jacket. Then she sat down to record on a Sunday and it was snowing. Again. Which is exactly why this episode needed to exist.
This is a guided end-of-winter reflection for everyone who has been holding on through the hardest months of the year. It names the specific disorientation of almost-spring, validates the depletion that comes from a full winter of reserves being drawn down, and offers a gentle self check-in before we sprint toward a spring we may not quite be ready for yet.
"The cruelest part of almost-spring is how much it asks of our patience right when we have nothing left to give."
The episode's guiding question: What does it look like to finish the winter well? Not crawl across the finish line. Actually arrive at spring with your identity, your core values, and your sense of self intact.
IN THIS EPISODE
What We Cover
- Why almost-spring is its own kind of exhaustion — the gap between anticipation and reality
- The 'lights on before you're ready to get up' feeling — and why burned-out women feel this as pressure, not relief
- Winter fatigue as cumulative — how we've been drawing off reserves since November
- Why rushing the thaw — emotionally, physically, mentally — can undo the quiet work of winter
- The grief of letting go of the slower season, even when it was hard
- A five-question guided self check-in (interactive — grab a journal)
- Building reserves for the final stretch without over-scheduling spring
- A full care package: books, albums, a color, and three small practices
THE SELF CHECK-IN
Five Questions for the Thaw
Erin walks through each question on mic — modeling the practice and answering for herself in real time. Grab a journal or your notes app and do this alongside her.
Question 1 What did this winter actually ask of me?
Not what you accomplished or managed. What did the season ask you to carry? What was the central question of your winter?
Erin's answer: The winter asked her to carry her own point of view at the top of the priority list — not putting herself first exactly, but leading with her own thoughts and feelings rather than orienting around everyone else's. Her word of the year: sovereign.
Question 2 Where am I still depleted — and have I been honest with myself about that?
Erin uses the image of a mixing board — every dial at a solid medium, which actually tracks for where she is. Her depletion: staleness. Ready for something new. Scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to whimsy and joy.
Key reframe: You don't have to stare directly into the sun of your vulnerability. You can look just northwest of it — at the things contributing to the drain — and that's enough.
Question 3 What am I rushing toward — and is it something I actually want, or just relief from the dirty snowbank of March?
March is a dirty snowbank. And sometimes we rush toward whatever offers escape from it — a summer dress in a shopping cart, a new creative direction, a reinvention. The almost-spring energy can manufacture urgency that isn't real.
"The sense of urgency is manufactured. I can confront that limiting belief. Am I really out of time?"
Erin's example: She felt the impulse to rush toward creating AI content after one listener expressed interest — then caught herself and let it cook instead.
Question 4 What from this winter do I want to carry forward into spring?
Winter strips us bare and contracts our field of vision — but it also teaches. The whimsy has to live with the struggle. That's actually where whimsy does its best work.
Erin's answer: Carrying her own point of view forward. The ownership of the hard stuff alongside the spring strut and the dangly earrings and the daffodils.
Question 5 What do I need to let go of before spring arrives?
Some things served their purpose in the dark season. They don't have to come with you.
Erin's answer: Comparison. Specifically — the way that deeply owning her own point of view this winter also opened the door to measuring herself against others. The comparison served a purpose. It helped her name the difference. She doesn't need to bring it into spring.
BUILDING RESERVES
How to Finish Winter Well
The goal is not to arrive at spring perfectly rested, perfectly reflected, perfectly ready. That's just not available to most of us. The goal is to arrive as yourself — with enough in the barrel to meet what spring asks of you.
- Return to the micro-rituals from Episode 168 — don't abandon them just because the light is changing
- Protect your sleep after the time change — your body needs 36–48 hours minimum to readjust
- Protect slowness even as the energy around you speeds up — create a container for it
- Resist the urge to over-schedule spring before winter is actually over
- Remember: the calendar filling up is not the same as being ready
- Name one thing you are still protecting in this season — and keep protecting it
THE CARE PACKAGE
Borrow This Until You Find Your Own
Erin has been reluctant to be prescriptive — she wants people to do the metacognitive work of figuring out what they actually need. But she also knows the blank page is its own barrier. So this is a starting kit, not a destination. Doors, not prescriptions.
"Think of these as doors in a room. Walk through, look around, notice what resonates and what doesn't. The noticing is the most important part."
📖 Book Option 1 — The Slow Thaw:
What Happened to the McCrarys by Tracey Lange. This book moves the way the season does — starts cold and tight, and slowly chapter by chapter something loosens. A portal to feelings that January, February, and March stir up. A beautiful quiet character-driven love story that lands at an ending that feels like spring.
📖 Book Option 2 — The Big Feeling:
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman. Funny, voicey, completely devastating, and somehow full of hope. About saying goodbye to your best friend — one of the hardest things adult life can ask of someone. Doesn't flinch from that, but doesn't leave you there either. Both books understand that hope and the hard stuff live together.
Both books are available from your library or on audiobook. Let Erin know which one you chose — find her at @medium.lady on Instagram.
🎵 Album Option 1 — Slowness Made Delicious:
Norah Jones — Come Away With Me. Put this on in the late afternoon. Don't multitask. Let it be in the room with you. There is something about this album that makes slowness feel acceptable and delicious — perfect for the new late-afternoon light the time change brought.
🎵 Album Option 2 — Feel Something Move Through You:
Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Warm and aching. Lands you somewhere really solid, really knowing. Your body probably already knows every word — let it access that knowledge and those memories. Both albums are nostalgic for a reason. Your nervous system needs something familiar right now more than something new.
Bonus mentions: Homewrecker by Sonder, and Rae's new album dropping soon — something to look forward to.
🎨 The Color:
The watery yellow of a new daffodil petal. Not the confident buttery yellow of April or May — the slightly translucent, almost hesitant yellow of a petal just opening. Find it somewhere in your home: a candle, a mug, a piece of art, something in your wardrobe. Let it be a visual cue that the transition is already happening — without you forcing it, without you being ready.
🌱 Practice 1 — One Living Thing:
Bring one living thing into your home. A grocery store bouquet, some tulips or hyacinths, a plant cutting to propagate. Choose one thing. This is the piece of spring you're letting in right now. Not all the growth — just one living thing to nurture.
✨ Practice 2 — One Analog Pleasure You've Been Saving:
A bath ritual, a tea, a book you've been meaning to reread, the journal you got for Christmas and haven't opened, the colored pens, the LEGO set. Stop waiting for things to calm down. Things probably won't calm down until you do the activities. The calm doesn't show up when the chaos ends — it shows up when you start.
🎧 Practice 3 — One Walk Without Headphones:
Raw dog the walk. Notice what's changing outside — the light, the ground, the temperature, the smell, the sounds. Erin heard birds. It made her very happy. This is you checking in with yourself. That's the whole practice in one walk.
Erin's note: She loves when you put Medium Lady Talks in your earbuds. But this is a walk she wants you to take without her.
SERIES CONTEXT
Happy in the Winter — Where This Fits
- Episode 166 — Happy in the Winter (Especially When the World Is on Fire): Can I stay oriented when everything feels like too much?
- Episode 167 — Why Your Burnout Is More Obvious in the Winter: Naming the cumulative weight.
- Episode 168 — The Micro-Rituals Saving Me This Winter: Small acts of resistance and reclaiming attention.
- Episode 170 — Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel: How do we finish the winter well and arrive at spring as ourselves?
The through-line of the series: You don't have to perform okayness. You don't have to rush the thaw. You are allowed to move through hard seasons at the pace they actually require.
THE CLOSING
How the Episode Ends
The light is coming back. That's real, and it matters. Spring is coming whether or not you've processed the winter — and that's okay.
"The winter always ends. And the ice always melts. But it actually rarely happens all at once — and neither do you. You're allowed to arrive at the spring slowly."
CONNECT
Find Medium Lady
-
- Instagram: @medium.lady
-
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to SpotifyInstagram: @mediumladyreads
If this episode resonated, screenshot it and tag @medium.lady so Erin can connect with you.
In this high‑energy solo episode, Erin introduces a brand‑new self‑reflection framework she’s calling The Tally Project. Inspired by the book Tiny Experiments by Anne‑Laure Le Cunff (and the creators who inspire her), Erin shares how a simple tally system can create visible proof that you’re showing up for the life you want—without pressure, streaks, perfectionism, or rigid goals.
She walks you through her four tallies for March: movement, reading, growth, and phone boundaries. Each one is intentionally designed to be binary, gentle, and achievable. This episode offers a transparent look at Erin’s emotional landscape at the tail end of winter, the desire for quiet momentum, and the need for small pockets of self‑trust to carry us into spring.
If you’ve been feeling stuck, scattered, reactive, or pulled off‑center by the winter months, this episode will help you reset with kindness—and maybe even join Erin in your own March Tally.
WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE
• Why the concept of a “tally” can be more effective than traditional goals
• How Erin builds identity‑aligned habits through measurable evidence
• The inspiration behind the Monthly Tally from Tiny Experiments
• What Erin is tracking in March and why each tally matters
• Honest reflections on burnout, doom‑scrolling, winter emotions, and self‑trust
• A gentle invitation to create your own March Tally (or observe and try later)
ERIN’S MARCH TALLY
Movement: Move intentionally for more than 24 minutes, 15 days this month
Mind: Read nonfiction and capture one thought about it, 12 days
Growth: Read two thought‑provoking pieces about AI
Phone Boundaries: Stay off Instagram before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m., 15 days
CONNECT WITH ERIN
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: vandeven.erin@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
If you join the March Tally, tag or message Erin—she’d love to cheer you on.
How do you move through winter without numbing out, gritting your teeth, or waiting for spring to fix you?
In this episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin shares the small but powerful micro-rituals helping her stay present, intentional, and connected to herself during one of the heaviest seasons she’s had in years.
This isn’t about productivity hacks.
It’s not about aesthetic morning routines.
And it’s definitely not about toxic positivity.
It’s about participation.
If winter often feels narrowing — emotionally, mentally, culturally — this episode explores how small, deliberate practices can widen your thinking, reduce decision fatigue, and help you reclaim your point of view in a season that tempts many of us toward passive consumption and burnout.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:* Why micro-rituals can be more powerful than big resolutions * How reducing decision fatigue supports mental health in winter * The difference between consuming inspiration and activating it * Why analog living isn’t aesthetic — it’s neurological * How music appreciation can retrain your attention span * The benefits of slow reading and commonplace journaling * What critical thinking actually is (and why it matters now more than ever) * How asking “What do I think?” can protect your identity in overwhelming seasons
The Three Micro-Rituals Erin Shares:1️⃣ Activating Inspiration Instead of Saving ItUsing simple outfit formulas (inspired by creator Laura Owens) to eliminate decision fatigue and translate digital inspiration into real-life embodiment.
The power isn’t in watching someone else get dressed — it’s in getting dressed.
2️⃣ Music Appreciation as Attention TrainingMoving beyond background noise to study instrumentation, arrangement, and emotion in music — and how building a “cinematic winter playlist” creates presence and pleasure without productivity. Inspired again by an amazing creator Owen Cutts !!
3️⃣ Slow Reading + Journaling for Deeper ThinkingPairing fiction and nonfiction, tracking themes, and practicing commonplace journaling to metabolize ideas rather than speed-consume books.
Why This MattersWinter often reveals our overload.
When the world feels heavy and cultural panic is escalating, it becomes easier to outsource our thinking, scroll instead of reflect, and numb instead of participate.
These micro-rituals are small daily acts of resistance:
- Resistance to burnout
- Resistance to passive living
- Resistance to losing your point of view
They are not dramatic.
They are not monetizable.
They are not optimized.
But they are helping Erin feel like herself in one of the hardest winters she’s had in a long time.
And maybe they can help you too.
A Gentle InvitationIf you’re feeling narrow, constricted, or numbed out this winter, ask yourself:
- What do I think?
- What do I want?
- Where is my attention going?
You don’t have to reinvent your life.
You don’t have to survive on autopilot.
Choose one small ritual that shifts you from passive to deliberate.
From outsourcing your mind to inhabiting it.
Winter doesn’t have to take everything from you.
🎧 Listen now and share this episode with someone who needs a life raft this season.
If this resonated, screenshot the episode and tag @medium.lady on Instagram so we can talk about it.
You’re doing such a good job.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Winter doesn’t create burnout.
It reveals it.
In this episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin explores why so many women quietly admit their exhaustion during the cold months — not because winter breaks them, but because winter strips away the distractions that helped them outrun what they’ve been carrying all along.
Drawing on personal reflection, cultural observation, and insights from All We Want Is Everything by Soraya Chemaly, this episode unpacks:
- Why women are socialized to absorb emotional fallout and smooth discomfort
- How invisible emotional labor accumulates quietly across seasons
- Why reduced light, stimulation, and dopamine in winter make burnout undeniable
- The seductive pull of despair and doomscrolling
- Why “collapse” in January isn’t the same as rest
- And how to redistribute your load instead of reinventing yourself
This is not an episode about hustling your way out of exhaustion.
It’s about recognizing when winter is revealing a structural mismatch between what you carry and what you are resourced for — and responding gently but honestly.
If you’ve felt bone tired.
Soul tired.
Existentially tired.
This episode will help you see your burnout not as weakness — but as information.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode* Why winter reduces capacity and exposes overload * Emotional labor and the cultural conditioning of women * How smoothing and anticipating needs compounds exhaustion * The rise of “analog wellness” as nervous system relief * The 1% rule for sustainable adjustment * Practical ways to drop invisible tasks * Why spring doesn’t fix structural mismatch — redistribution does
A Gentle InvitationName what you’re carrying.
Drop one invisible task.
Replace one scroll with one analog act.
Aim for 1% more steadiness.
Winter is not attacking you.
It may just be asking you to notice.
If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s been quietly holding too much.
And as always — you are not weak for feeling this.
You are overloaded.
And overload can be adjusted.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads."
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
- Website: www.mediumladycommunity.com
Winter can be heavy — physically, emotionally, politically, spiritually.
And for many of us, January in particular can feel destabilizing, tender, and overwhelming.
In this opening episode of Season 6, Erin shares honestly about where she’s been this winter: a painful injury, heightened fear and grief, and the emotional toll of witnessing human suffering in the world. She names what it feels like to be sad, scared, and grieving — while still feeling like herself.
This episode introduces the guiding idea for the season: happiness is not forced optimism or denial — it’s orientation. It’s about where we allow our attention to return, even when things are not fine.
Rather than chasing positivity, Erin invites listeners into a gentle, non-judgmental practice: choosing a word for the winter — not as a goal or personality test, but as a lens to widen perspective and soften the edges of a difficult season.
This episode is for anyone who:
- feels emotionally porous or overwhelmed this winter
- is tired of performative positivity
- wants language for being distressed without being lost
- is looking for steadiness, beauty, and connection in small, human ways
You don’t need to feel happy all the time.
You don’t need to fix the winter.
You’re allowed to move through it — one day at a time — with a little more capacity than yesterday.
Mentioned in this episode:
- The concept of orientation vs. optimism
- Seasonal emotional patterns and January destabilization
- Choosing a word for the winter (Erin’s word: cinematic)
- Happiness as a North Star, not a destination
Listener Invitation:
Choose a word for your winter.
Let it guide what you notice (light, movement, connection, meaning) without judgment or pressure to share.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: vandeven.erin@gmail.com
- Website: www.mediumladycommunity.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
What if you didn’t end the year with a big goal — but with clarity?
In this quiet bonus episode closing out Season 5 of Medium Lady Talks, Erin shares a personal year-in-review reflection inspired by Laura Tremaine’s 10 Questions for the End of the Year. Rather than offering resolutions or strategies, this episode explores what happens when we stop waiting for permission, external validation, or the “right time” to move forward.
Erin reflects on her word for 2026 and what it means to live from inner authority instead of urgency. She unpacks three gentle but powerful realizations from the past year: why rescuing isn’t leadership, why depth matters more than speed, and why self-trust can be more radical than having a plan.
This episode is for anyone ending the year without a bold intention — and feeling oddly okay about it.
If you’re craving permission to slow down, listen inward, and trust yourself before chasing the next strategy, this conversation is for you.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode* What Erin chose as her word for 2026 — and what it actually means for her year ahead. * The hidden cost of being the rescuer at work, in family life, and in relationships * Choosing depth and rest without abandoning ambition * Letting go of urgency, perfectionism, and incomplete projects without self-judgment * Why self-trust can be more grounding than goal-setting * A compassionate reframe for listeners who feel unsure about what’s next
Notable Quotes“I realized I’ve been waiting for something that doesn’t exist — permission, legitimacy, or other people catching up.”
“Rescuing isn’t leadership. Rising up without abandoning myself is.”
“I didn’t end this year with a strategy. I ended it with self-trust — and that feels more radical.”
“You’re not behind. You might just be listening to yourself on a new level.”
Who This Episode Is For* Burnt-out women and millennial mothers navigating ambition and rest * Listeners who feel pressure to set goals but crave something quieter * Anyone tired of hustle culture and performative self-improvement * Leaders, caregivers, and creatives who are ready to stop waiting for permission
Mentioned in This Episode Laura Tremaine’s 10 Questions for the End of the Year reflection practice * The Summer of Real Rest* theme and its lasting impact * The idea of “negotiating the timeline, not the result”
What to Do NextIf something resonated:
- Sit with a word that stood out to you
- Notice where you’re done rushing or rescuing
- Ask yourself where you might trust yourself a little sooner
There’s no homework here — just space.
Connect with ErinFollow along on Instagram for more reflections, bookish content, and gentle encouragement: @medium.lady
If this episode spoke to you, screenshot it and share it — and tag Erin so you can continue the conversation.
What happens when being “strong” stops working?
In this deeply affirming and practical conversation, Erin is joined by Dr. Nikia Smith — practicing anesthesiologist, wellness coach, and founder of She Is Fire Forged — to explore how the Superwoman myth quietly fuels burnout, especially for high-achieving women and women in healthcare.
Together, they unpack how resilience, people-pleasing, and productivity can become liabilities rather than strengths — and why rest is not something to earn, but something to prioritize before everything else.
This episode is for anyone who:
- feels exhausted despite “doing everything right”
- has built a good life but still feels depleted or disconnected
- has been praised for being strong, capable, and reliable — at great personal cost
🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:• The hidden cost of the Superwoman identityDr. Smith explains how being “the strong one” often masks chronic exhaustion, emotional suppression, and self-abandonment — particularly for women of color and women in caregiving professions.
• Burnout doesn’t always look like collapseYou can love your job, love your life, and still be burned out. Burnout often builds slowly — like a simmer — long before it reaches a breaking point.
• Why rest must come before boundariesMany women struggle to set boundaries because they’re already depleted. Dr. Smith shares why beginning with rest builds the capacity and courage needed to sustain boundaries over time.
• The ‘simmer’ metaphor for catching burnout earlyInstead of waiting for total collapse, this episode offers language for identifying irritability, restlessness, resentment, and exhaustion before burnout boils over.
• The difference between sleep and real restSleep matters — but it’s not the whole picture. Emotional rest, creative rest, social rest, and physical rest all play distinct roles in recovery and sustainability.
• How identity work is central to burnout recoveryBurnout often forces the question: Who am I beyond my roles and titles? This episode explores how dismantling inherited expectations opens space for self-trust and agency.
🔄 Reframing Strength, Productivity, and SuccessThis conversation challenges the idea that:
- rest must be earned
- productivity defines worth
- success looks the same for everyone
Instead, Erin and Dr. Smith explore how true sustainability often means:
- adding friction at work
- removing friction at home
- offloading invisible labor
- questioning “shoulds” that drain energy without adding meaning
You’ll also hear honest reflections on:
- outsourcing household labor
- redefining success based on values (not aesthetics)
- letting go of guilt around support, rest, and ease
🌿 Key Takeaways* Burnout is not a personal failure — it’s often the result of social conditioning and moral injury * You don’t need confidence to make changes; courage is enough * Rest creates the capacity needed to move from survival to intention * You are allowed to want a life that feels good, not just one that looks successful * Strength doesn’t mean doing everything alone
🩺 About Today’s Guest: Dr. Nikia SmithDr. Nikia Smith is a practicing anesthesiologist, wellness coach, and founder of She Is Fire Forged, a platform supporting high-achieving women of color through burnout recovery, rest, and self-trust.
Through her coaching and content, she helps women:
- identify hidden burnout
- unlearn the need to earn rest
- build sustainable lives rooted in clarity and softness
Connect with Dr. Smith:
- Instagram & TikTok: @sheisfireforged
- Email: @medium.lady
Explore more episodes of Medium Lady Talks for grounded conversations about rest, burnout recovery, identity, and sustainable living.
And remember:
Rest is not weakness. It’s a right.
On the winter solstice — the darkest day of the year — Erin closes the Phone Free Fall series with a quiet, honest reflection on presence, capacity, and what it means to actually live inside the life you worked so hard to build.
This episode isn’t about advice, challenges, or optimizing your habits. It’s about noticing. About naming the ways we slip out of our own lives — into scrolling, distraction, and emotional distance — not because our lives are bad, but because they are full.
If you’ve felt restless, overstimulated, or disconnected even while living a life you once dreamed of, this episode offers orientation, not pressure. A reminder that real life isn’t something you get to later — it’s already happening, and you’re allowed to be inside it.
🧠 In This Episode, Erin Reflects On:• Why Phone Free Fall was never about quitting your phoneThis series was about noticing how often we leave our lives without realizing it — and gently choosing to come back.
• The paradox of living a “good” life and still wanting to escape itFull lives are often heavy to inhabit. Phones offer distance and numbness, but not true restoration.
• How rest, capacity, and phone use are deeply connectedEven when we rest, our phones can quietly drain the capacity that rest is meant to restore.
• What listeners discovered when screen time went downPride, boredom, boredom with scrolling — and then a strange, honest sense of being lost. Not a failure, but a re-entry.
• Why winter — and the solstice in particular — asks us to stay, not optimizeThis season invites inwardness, stillness, and tolerance for what feels unfinished or unresolved.
• The practice at the heart of Phone Free FallNot discipline. Not restriction. Just noticing when you leave your life — and when you come back.
❄️ A Winter Solstice ReframeThe solstice doesn’t ask us to improve or shine.
It asks us to stay.
Just as the light returns slowly — almost imperceptibly — presence returns minute by minute. With each moment we’re less interrupted. With each moment we choose to be here.
💬 Key Takeaways* You’re not escaping your life because it’s bad — you’re escaping because it’s full * Distance from your phone isn’t the same as restoration, but it can create space for it * Boredom and quiet are not problems; they’re thresholds * Your real life isn’t waiting for you to feel better — it’s already happening * You’re allowed to live inside the life you built, even when it’s imperfect, slow, or overwhelming * Noticing is the practice
🌿 As Phone Free Fall Comes to a CloseAs Erin wraps both Phone Free Fall and Season 5 of Medium Lady Talks, she invites listeners into a winter pause — one that makes room for quiet, reflection, and enoughness.
You don’t need to do this better.
You don’t need more discipline.
You just need to keep noticing.
🎧 What’s Next Episode 165: A conversation with physician and coach Dr. Nikia Smith on rest, boundaries, and care that actually sustains us * Season 6 of Medium Lady Talks* returns in February after a January winter hiatus
🧡 Continue the ConversationIf this episode resonated, Erin would love to hear from you — especially how Phone Free Fall shifted your awareness, not just your screen time.
Follow along on Instagram: @medium.lady
And thank you for choosing to spend your time and attention here — they matter.
You put your phone down.
Your screen time went down.
And instead of feeling calm or proud… you felt bored.
Then scrolling felt boring too.
And suddenly, you felt lost.
If that’s been your experience, this episode is for you.
In this Phone Free Fall conversation, Erin explores why setting phone boundaries can bring up unexpected emotions — and why feeling bored, unsettled, or untethered is not a sign you’re failing. It’s a sign that your nervous system is recalibrating.
This episode connects phone boundaries, emotional rest, and seasonal sensory grounding, helping you understand what’s happening in your body and how to stay supported without reaching for your phone again.
🧠 In This Episode, We Explore:• Why phone boundaries often trigger emotionsYour phone hasn’t just been entertainment — it’s been a tool for emotional regulation. When you reduce screen time, the constant drip of distraction stops, and feelings finally have space to surface.
• Why boredom is a normal (and necessary) phaseBoredom isn’t emptiness. It’s a transition point between overstimulation and genuine interest. Feeling bored or “lost” doesn’t mean you need your phone back — it means your brain is adjusting.
• The emotional gap most digital wellness advice ignoresLower stimulation doesn’t instantly feel better. It often feels unfamiliar, quiet, and disorienting. This episode names that gap so you don’t mistake it for failure.
• What emotional rest actually looks likeEmotional rest isn’t fixing your feelings, journaling perfectly, or staying positive. It’s letting emotions exist without immediately managing, numbing, or distracting from them.
• How to support yourself without scrollingErin shares gentle ways to stay regulated when phone boundaries bring up discomfort — including sensory grounding, seasonal rhythms, and body-based cues that don’t require more effort or discipline.
🍂 Seasonal Support: Staying Grounded Without Your PhoneThis episode invites you to reconnect with sensory joys of the season as a way to support emotional rest, including:
- warmth, light, and texture
- slow, repetitive tasks (cooking, baking, tidying)
- movement and fresh air
- cozy, low-stakes rituals
- noticing what feels comforting instead of productive
Winter already knows how to slow us down — we don’t need to force calm, just notice it.
💬 Key Takeaways* Feeling bored or lost after reducing screen time is normal * Your phone has been regulating your nervous system — replacing it gently matters * Emotional rest begins when we stop interrupting ourselves * You don’t need more discipline — you need more support * Phone Free Fall isn’t about quitting your phone; it’s about rebuilding tolerance for being with yourself
🧡 If This Episode ResonatedIf this episode helped you make sense of how you’re feeling, consider sharing it with someone navigating phone boundaries too. And if you’re in the middle of Phone Free Fall, Erin would love to hear not just your screen time wins — but how it actually feels.
📱 Continue the ConversationFollow Erin on Instagram: @medium.lady
Join the ongoing Phone Free Fall series and explore what real rest looks like — emotionally, mentally, and digitally.
🔗 Related Episodes Your Brain Is Full: Why You Can’t Put Your Phone Down (and It’s Not Your Fault) * Who Knew Quitting Would Be This Hard?* (Phone Free Fall check-in)
If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t stop picking up your phone, especially in December, this is the episode you need. Erin breaks down the real reason you feel overstimulated, resentful, or stuck in the doomscroll — and spoiler: it’s not a lack of willpower. Your brain is just full.
In this Phone Free Fall episode, Erin explores how emotional labour, holiday chaos, mental load, and constant interruptions shape your relationship with your phone — and what to do when putting it down actually makes your anxiety spike.
If you’re craving validation AND practical tools, this one’s for you.
🔎 In This Episode, We Explore:• Why your phone isn’t the problem — your full brain isErin explains why scrolling becomes an “emotional release valve” when life feels overstimulating.
• The hidden forces making December uniquely overwhelmingHoliday interruptions, childcare changes, gift logistics, sensory overload, financial pressure, and emotional labour all combine into a perfect mental-load storm.
• The surprising signs your brain is fullIncluding:
– opening apps automatically
– feeling buzzy or urgent for no reason
– shame about unfinished simple tasks
– multitasking even when you don’t need to
– craving constant noise
– scrolling while physically uncomfortable
– feeling brittle, resentful, or tapped out
• Why phone boundaries often feel worse before they feel betterSilence gets louder, feelings surface, and thoughts crowd in — Erin explains why this is normal and not a sign you're doing anything wrong.
• Compassion-based phone boundaries (especially for December)Small, realistic steps for navigating screen time during an emotionally maximalist month.
✨ Practical Tools Mentioned* Micro-pauses before opening apps * Opal App (iPhone) for screen time blocking * Landline Mode and “move the app” techniques * Slow-drip dopamine: reading, journaling, hobbies, rest * Medium-effort December as an antidote to holiday burnout * Letting your brain empty gently, not urgently
💬 Key Quotes from the Episode“You’re not glued to your phone because you’re weak. You’re glued to your phone because your brain is full.”
“Doomscrolling creates emotional slipperiness — nothing sticks, and that feels like rest.”
“December asks for maximum everything. Of course your brain is over capacity.”
“The person who has a full brain has a full life. You worked hard for this life — don’t treat it like something you need to escape.”
🧡 If Your Brain Is Full Right Now…You’re doing your best.
You’re not behind.
You’re not undisciplined.
You’re not broken.
You’re overstimulated — and this episode will help you name it, understand it, and navigate it with compassion.
📱 Continue the ConversationCome hang out with Erin on Instagram: @medium.lady
Share this episode with someone whose brain is also full — it helps the show grow and supports women who need exactly this kind of honesty and gentleness.
Cutting back your screen time should feel peaceful… right?
Except when you actually try it, quitting your phone feels uncomfortable, emotional, and surprisingly hard.
In Episode 161, part of Phone Free Fall, I’m sharing a deeply honest four-to-six-week check-in on what it’s really like to change your relationship with your phone — including the withdrawal phase no one talks about, the “brain bargaining” that happens in the early weeks, and the surprising shifts that happen when your nervous system stops drinking from the firehose of five-second dopamine hits.
If you’ve ever wondered why scrolling feels rewarding, why boredom feels unbearable, or why your screen time spikes right when you’re trying to quit, this episode unpacks all of that with compassion, context, and real tools.
Together we explore:
✔️ What I actually changed (spoiler: nothing dramatic)
✔️ The gap you have to fill when the phone goes down
✔️ Why the first 2–3 weeks feel so uncomfortable
✔️ The neuroscience of dopamine withdrawal
✔️ How scrolling delivers stimulation, not satisfaction
✔️ Why screen time may rise before it falls
✔️ How creativity starts to re-inflate when input slows down
✔️ The moments of “micro-boredom” that tug you back to your phone
✔️ What I’m paying attention to next — including the emotional load–scrolling boomerang effect
If you’re trying to scroll less and live more, this episode will help you feel less alone in the messy middle — and more confident about what’s actually happening in your brain, your body, and your habits.
🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why your brain negotiates, bargains, and resists when you put your phone away * Why real life feels slow* after constant online stimulation * How to interpret boredom as data instead of failure * How your saved folders reveal what you’re craving in real life * Why the “invisible load” peaks at the same time as screen time * How creativity grows when consumption shrinks * The tiny daily patterns (6am scroll, waiting-in-line scroll, bedtime scroll) worth noticing * How to reset without moralizing or self-judgment
🔎 SEO Keywordsphone addiction, digital detox, reduce screen time, dopamine detox, scrolling addiction, mindful phone use, overstimulation in women, burnout recovery, mental load and phone use, how to stop doomscrolling, motherhood and mental health, creative rest, digital wellbeing, phone-free tips
💬 Reflection Questions for ListenersUse these prompts to explore your own phone-free journey:
- When in your day are you most likely to reach for your phone?
- What emotion usually triggers the scroll — boredom? overwhelm? avoidance?
- What “quick hits” does your brain miss most?
- What real-life activities give you slow-drip dopamine?
- What creative urges are hiding behind your saved folders?
- When you scroll “to rest,” does it actually feel restful afterwards?
- How does your mood shift before, during, and after scrolling?
- What small moment could you reclaim (morning routine, commute, transitions)?
Are you doing Phone Free Fall with me?
Share your check-in over at @medium.lady or send me a DM — I love hearing your stories, questions, and aha moments.
And if today’s episode helped you feel seen, scroll a little less, or breathe a little deeper, make sure you share this episode with a friend you care about, so we can build a big community of people stepping back from this black box of doom.
In this episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin sits down with watercolor artist and author Jaime Townzen for a heartfelt conversation about the shift from caregiving to creativity — and how making art became her most powerful source of rest.
Jaime shares her story of moving through years of intense caregiving, grief, and the emotional load of motherhood, and how a simple watercolor tutorial in 2020 opened the door to calm, grounding, and a renewed sense of self. Together, Erin and Jaime explore what it means to rest creatively, how small creative acts can quiet anxiety, and why giving ourselves 15 minutes with no “deliverable” can change our whole nervous system.
They also dig into the guilt so many women feel when trying to rest, the transition from parenting young kids to supporting aging loved ones, and how to spend less time on your phone by choosing slower, more intentional hobbies.
If you’ve ever said, “I wish I could paint,” or “I wish I had time to write,” this episode will meet you right where you are — and gently nudge you toward the creative practices your future self will thank you for.
Together, Erin and Jaime talk about:
- How making art can regulate your nervous system
- Why creative hobbies matter even if no one ever sees them
- The guilt women feel when trying to rest
- Navigating the shift from raising kids to caring for elders
- Using creativity to spend less time on your phone
- Letting go of perfectionism and embracing “just a piece of paper”
- How small creative rituals can reconnect you to your identity
Key Takeaways* Creative rest doesn’t require talent — it requires time and permission. * Your first step isn’t “becoming an artist.” It’s sitting down. * A 15-minute hobby with no deliverable can completely shift your internal state. * Caring for others doesn’t mean losing yourself. Boundaries create wholeness. * Mindful phone use is tiring — and that’s why it reduces screen time naturally.
🔗 Resources & Mentions Jaime Townzen’s Art & Writing * Absorbed* by Jaime Townzen available wherever you love to buy books and at your public library (my library had a digital copy on Hoopla!) * Sarah Cray Watercolor tutorials
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
What if your phone could stop following you around?
In Episode 159 of Medium Lady Talks, Erin Vandeven sits down with creator and stay-at-home mom Kassadi Gabriel—the mind behind the viral idea of “landline mode.” Together they unpack how simple technology boundaries can restore your patience, creativity, and peace of mind in a culture addicted to constant connection.
They talk about:
- What “landline mode” really is and how to try it yourself
- Why boundaries around your phone help you like yourself more
- How overstimulation and mental load show up in motherhood
- The myth of “consistency” as the new hustle culture
- How curiosity (not perfection) brings hobbies and creativity back to life
This episode is part of Erin’s Phone Free Fall series—a season-long experiment in reclaiming attention, slowing down, and noticing what real rest feels like.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Kassadi Gabriel on TikTok @kassadig
- Kassadi Gabriel on Instagram @kassadigabriel
- Brick affiliate link ($10 off via this link)
- Medium Lady Talks Episode 156 Phone Free Fall
If you’ve been craving fewer notifications and more presence, this conversation will help you find calm in a world that won’t stop pinging.
Keywords: phone boundaries, digital wellness, motherhood, mindful living, overstimulation, rest, burnout, attention span, social media use, phone free fall, Medium Lady Talks
In this episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin sits down with poet, grief coach, and tarot reader Anna Jollymore to explore what it means to slow down, feel deeply, and create from the fire within.
Anna is the author of Words for Becoming, a stunning debut collection that gazes unflinchingly at the shadow side of personal transformation. Together, Erin and Anna unpack how poetry can help us process grief, rest our overworked minds, and reconnect with our inner voice in a world that rewards constant doing.
This conversation continues Erin’s Phone Free Fall series, inviting listeners to put down their phones and pick up something slower, quieter, and infinitely more real — reflection, creativity, and the sacred art of becoming.
Key Topics Discussed* How poetry makes space for emotions we usually rush past * Using writing and creativity as tools for grief and transformation * What happens when we stop numbing uncertainty with our phones * The connection between metaphor, mindfulness, and real rest * How poetry and tarot can ground us in embodied self-awareness * The beauty of sincerity, authenticity, and imperfection in creative work
Guest BioAnna Jollymore (she/they) is a Midwestern-based author, teacher, grief expert, and professional tarot reader. Her debut poetry collection, Words for Becoming, explores the sacred tension between loss and renewal — and the ways grief can shape us into something new. Anna is also a certified Grief Recovery Method coach and facilitator who helps others make meaning through creative and spiritual practice.
📖 Words for Becoming is available now on Bookshop.org and Amazon.
📱 Follow Anna on Instagram at @thepoetannajollymore.
Takeaway for ListenersIf you’ve been feeling burned out, overstimulated, or disconnected from your creative side, this episode invites you back to yourself. Through poetry, journaling, and mindful stillness, you can find small, steady ways to rest — not by escaping your life, but by being more fully present in it.
Resources Mentioned Words for Becoming by Anna Jollymore * The Grief Recovery Method * Phone Free Fall series on Medium Lady Talks * Medium Lady Reads* — the sister podcast for book lovers and mindful readers
Call to ActionIf this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s been craving real rest or a creative spark.
Subscribe to Medium Lady Talks wherever you listen, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.
Join Erin’s community at mediumladycommunity.com
Follow Erin on Instagram: @medium.lady
🎧 Self-care isn’t a vibe. It’s a practice—and it’s time to get real about it.
In this powerful kickoff to the new series on Medium Lady Talks: Summer of Real Rest, Erin unpacks the uncomfortable truth about modern self-care: we’re spending our time, money, and attention in all the wrong places.
If you’ve ever wondered why journaling, green smoothies, or a perfectly lit bath still leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed—you’re not alone. In Episode 142, Erin shares the self-care advice she’d give if she wasn’t worried about hurting your feelings.
✨ You’ll learn:
- The difference between dopamine-driven habits and sustainable self-care
- Why rest that actually restores you won’t go viral—and that’s the point
- How to spot the real cost of your “wellness” routines
- What it means to stop outsourcing your peace and start reclaiming your attention
This isn’t a makeover or a challenge. It’s an invitation to slow down, soften, and ground yourself in practices that build resilience—like bedtime, boundaries, and real journaling.
If you’re ready for a summer that nourishes instead of depletes, you’re in the right place.
🛏️ Stay tuned for upcoming episodes in the Summer of Real Rest series—each one offering mindful, manageable shifts that support your nervous system and reconnect you with yourself.
💬 Let Erin know what “real rest” means to you over on Instagram@medium.lady—and share
What if menopause wasn’t something to endure—but something to liberate? In this powerful and perspective-shifting episode of Medium Lady Talks, I’m joined by Lisa Boate—Certified Menopause Coach, Founder of Liberated Menopause Consulting and Coaching, and host of the Transforming 45 podcast.
This episode is part of our “How to Take Care of Yourself” series—because self-care isn’t all bubble baths and meditation apps. Sometimes, it’s filling your prescription and taking your meds.
Lisa’s midlife journey led her to a stunning realization: she was on the other side of everything she ever wanted. But what happens when that life—once so carefully pursued—starts to feel more like a script written by someone else?
In this conversation, Lisa shares how midlife can be a portal to freedom, power, and profound self-connection. We talk about breaking down long-held myths about menopause, advocating for your health with undertrained doctors, and reimagining what it means to age with agency. Whether you’re preparing for perimenopause, in the thick of it, or supporting someone who is, this episode is for you.
🧠 Topics We Cover: The liberating moment of midlife realization: “I’m on the other side of everything I ever wanted” * Why menopause is more than just a phase—it’s a societal awakening * How we’ve been taught to suffer quietly, and why that needs to change * What a Dr. Ready session looks like—and how to prep for a doctor’s visit * Why post-menopausal women still need to pay attention to their health * Reclaiming your voice and power through personalized rituals (like building the soundtrack of your life!) * The danger of thinking “it’s not that bad” and how internalized suffering affects women’s value * How to build menopause-empowered workplaces * Resources Lisa loves: @trainingwithjoan, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, and Dr. Mary Claire Haver * Why it’s never* too late to improve your quality of life * Lisa’s take on the big question: “Can we just skip menopause?”
🧰 Lisa’s Signature Offering:👩⚕️ Dr. Ready: Your Menopause Prep Session
A guided 1:1 session to map your perimenopause experience and prep for a more empowered conversation with your healthcare provider. Perfect for women who feel dismissed, gaslit, or under-supported in medical spaces.
🔗 Connect with Lisa:* Website: liberatedmenopause.ca * Instagram: @lboate * Podcast: Transforming 45
🧡 If this episode resonates with you:
- Share it with a friend who needs a little extra encouragement
- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more than you know
- DM me on Instagram@medium.lady or tag your favorite quote from the episode
- Subscribe for more real talk about building a life you love—one medium-effort step at a time
Looking for more support? Access exclusive content and mindful living tools on Patreon.
Join the conversation! Share one need you're naming today and tag @medium.lady on Instagram.
The series starts here! Episode 131: Why is Taking Care of Yourself So Hard?
Don’t forget to subscribe! If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others find the show!
Other Related Episodes (for your enjoyment):
Episode 132: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #1 - Say YES to Help
Episode 133: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #2 - Name your Needs
Episode 134: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #3 - Stay Curious
Episode 135: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight #4 - Celebrate Yourself
Medium Lady Reads Episode 39 - Are Celebrity Memoirs Clogging Up Your TBR?
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
In this heartfelt episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin is joined by filmmaker and memory-keeper Kalee Isbell, founder of Isbell Family Films, to explore how photography and family videos can become a vital tool in your self-care toolkit.
What starts as a chat about taking more selfies quickly unfolds into a deeper conversation about postpartum depression, creative healing, and the emotional power of seeing yourself—and your life—through a different lens.
Kalee shares how her journey began with a “One Second a Day” video project during her son’s first year, eventually leading her to discover joy and healing in documenting life’s quiet magic. With warmth and honesty, she reveals how editing home videos during postpartum depression offered her a new perspective that helped shift her mindset from overwhelm to appreciation.
Together, Erin and Kalee unpack:
- Why photos can be part of presence, not separate from it
- The science behind creativity and mental health recovery
- How “prompting vs. perfectionism” can transform family photos
- Tips for guilt-free memory-keeping (hint: outsourcing counts!)
- Why you should take the photo with YOU in it, especially on the good days
- A clever hack for milestone photos that reduces pressure and perfectionism
- The emotional resonance of seeing your past self—and giving her some tenderness
Whether you’re navigating early motherhood, managing digital overwhelm, or looking for a low-lift way to prioritize your well-being, this episode is your gentle nudge to take the selfie, make the memory, and remember that being seen matters.
🎧 Tune in to learn:
- How family filmmaking helped Kalee through postpartum depression
- Why nostalgia can be a self-compassion tool
- Ways to reclaim memory-making without pressure or guilt
- Why your future self will thank you for the pictures you take today
💫 Connect with Kalee Isbell:
- Website
🧡 If this episode resonates with you:
- Share it with a friend who needs a little extra encouragement
- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more than you know
- DM me on Instagram@medium.lady or tag your favorite quote from the episode
- Subscribe for more real talk about building a life you love—one medium-effort step at a time
Looking for more support? Access exclusive content and mindful living tools on Patreon.
Join the conversation! Share one need you're naming today and tag @medium.lady on Instagram.
The series starts here! Episode 131: Why is Taking Care of Yourself So Hard?
Don’t forget to subscribe! If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others find the show!
Other Related Episodes (for your enjoyment):
Episode 132: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #1 - Say YES to Help
Episode 133: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #2 - Name your Needs
Episode 134: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #3 - Stay Curious
Episode 135: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight #4 - Celebrate Yourself
Medium Lady Reads Episode 41 - A Real Dud of a Thriller
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
In Episode 139 of Medium Lady Talks, I’m joined by floral designer and creative entrepreneur Jennifer Lasachuk, owner of The Paisley Rose in Mississauga. Jennifer has been running her floral business for nine years—exactly as long as she’s been a mom—and together we explore how matrescence and entrepreneurship often arrive hand-in-hand. As someone who launched Medium Lady when my youngest was born, I couldn’t relate more to her journey of identity, creativity, and growth.
We dig into what it really takes to thrive as a florist in a female-dominated profession often underestimated by mainstream narratives. Jennifer lovingly debunks the myths of the "bridezilla" and the "sweet florist main character," shining a light on the bold, practical, and deeply artistic work behind event floristry. She shares her grounded approach to dreaming big: believe in your vision, but back it up with logic and skill.
We also talk about what self-care looks like in the midst of personal transitions, including Jennifer's reflections on her separation, motherhood, and finding space for herself outside of the roles she holds for others.
✨ If you're a woman feeling the spark of something new, a creative dream that won’t let go—this episode is for you. As Jen says: “Trust that feeling in your body. You have to share it.”
Topics We Cover:
- The parallel paths of motherhood and entrepreneurship
- What matrescence teaches us about identity, ambition, and becoming
- Busting floral industry myths and reclaiming the florist as a business leader
- The behind-the-scenes truth about running a female-led creative business
- Balancing big dreams with logic, skill, and resilience
- Navigating self-care through personal transformation and separation
- Why trusting your creative instincts matters more than perfection
Links Mentioned:
Follow Jennifer and The Paisley Rose on Instagram: @thepaisleyrose
Learn more about floral design for events and Jennifer's amazing work on her website.
🧡 If this episode resonates with you:
- Share it with a friend who needs a little extra encouragement
- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more than you know
- DM me on Instagram@medium.lady or tag your favorite quote from the episode
- Subscribe for more real talk about building a life you love—one medium-effort step at a time
Looking for more support? Access exclusive content and mindful living tools on Patreon.
Join the conversation! Share one need you're naming today and tag @medium.lady on Instagram.
The series starts here! Episode 131: Why is Taking Care of Yourself So Hard?
Don’t forget to subscribe! If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others find the show!
Other Related Episodes (for your enjoyment):
Episode 132: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #1 - Say YES to Help
Episode 133: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #2 - Name your Needs
Episode 134: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #3 - Stay Curious
Episode 135: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight #4 - Celebrate Yourself
Medium Lady Reads Episode 39 - Are Celebrity Memoirs Clogging Up Your TBR?
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
What if your nervous system didn’t believe it was safe to want something just for you?
In Episode 138 of Medium Lady Talks, Erin is joined by life coach Cecelia Mandryk (@ceceliabmandryk) to continue our series on How to Take Care of Yourself. Together, they explore the difference between dopamine-driven quick fixes and the courageous work of sustained self-care. Cecelia offers powerful tools and reframes that help high-functioning people make their minds a calmer, safer place to be.
Erin and Cecelia talk about:
- Why identifying what YOU want can feel threatening when you've learned to meet everyone else's expectations
- How our culture of outrage keeps us stuck—and how to move from reactivity to empowered action
- A step-by-step walk-through of tending to your nervous system when you're feeling overwhelmed or angry
- The magic of nervous system regulation (even when your brain tells you it won’t work)
- Why the actions you take from empowerment might look the same as outrage-driven ones—but feel completely different
✨ “You can’t choose something better until you know what you’re choosing.” — this quote from Cecelia hit me hard and stayed with me.
You’ll also hear:
- A grounded reminder from Walt Whitman that it’s okay to be a contradiction
- My frustration with the way self-care has been co-opted by consumerism—and how Cecelia helped me reframe that into compassion
- A call to reclaim self-care as simple, nourishing, and deeply powerful
This is a conversation for anyone feeling burned out, stuck in rage or fear, or unsure how to move forward without losing themselves.
🔗 Connect with Cecelia:
- Instagram: @ceceliabmandryk
- Website, mini-course + coaching: ceceliabaummandryk.com
🎧 Listen in, take a deep breath, and remember—you don’t have to fix everything to feel more powerful. You just have to start with you.
Looking for more support? Access exclusive content and mindful living tools on Patreon.
Join the conversation! Share one need you're naming today and tag @medium.lady on Instagram.
The series starts here! Episode 131: Why is Taking Care of Yourself So Hard?
Don’t forget to subscribe! If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others find the show!
Other Related Episodes (for your enjoyment):
Episode 132: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #1 - Say YES to Help
Episode 133: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #2 - Name your Needs
Episode 134: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #3 - Stay Curious
Episode 135: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight #4 - Celebrate Yourself
Episode 136: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight # 5 - Take Your Meds
Episode 137: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #6 - Make Time for Art
Medium Lady Reads Episode 40 - Wonderful Publishers Behind Wonderful Authors
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
In episode 137 of Medium Lady Talks we continue the How to Take Care of Yourself series, I'm joined by surface designer and illustrator Devon Bennett of PencilsnParsley. Together, we explore how making something just for the joy of it — no fancy supplies, no pressure — can be a powerful form of creative self-care.
Devon reminds us that you don't have to be an artist to start creating. You don't even have to look at your finished piece! It's about the process, not the outcome — and it's in that process that you’ll often find clarity, calm, and emotional release.
We cover:
- Devon’s early creative spark with her self-published childhood comic Oh Corncob!
- Why Devon recommends Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon to anyone rediscovering their creativity
- How creating without judgment builds emotional resilience and strengthens self-trust
- Devon’s practice of using art to process anxiety — and how she even brings her drawings to therapy sessions
- The magic of starting with what you have — just set a timer, grab whatever supplies are nearby, and get messy!
- The importance of practicing non-judgment when making art (and why progress is happening, even when you can’t see it)
- One of Devon’s favorite mottos: "The only wasted paint is what's left in the tube."
- How Devon approaches resistance to creativity with compassion, not criticism
- Why Devon's positive affirmation sticker series is all about encouragement and gentle growth
- Final advice on how to make time for creativity even in busy seasons — and the reminder that there are multiple ways to be consistent.
Plus, I share one of my favorite quotes from Gretchen Rubin:
"A thing that can be done anytime is often done at no time."
— a gentle nudge to carve out a little time for creativity today.
✨ Resources & Links Mentioned:
- Find Devon’s work, stickers, and art for sale: PencilsnParsley.com
- Support Devon’s creative journey on Patreon
- Follow Devon’s playful art adventures on YouTube Shorts
- Book rec: Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon
🎨 Whether you’re picking up a pen, a paintbrush, or just letting your imagination wander, this episode will remind you: You’re allowed to make something messy. You’re allowed to create without needing it to be perfect. And in doing so, you’re taking care of yourself.
Looking for more support? Access exclusive content and mindful living tools on Patreon.
Join the conversation! Share one need you're naming today and tag @medium.lady on Instagram.
The series starts here! Episode 131: Why is Taking Care of Yourself So Hard?
Don’t forget to subscribe! If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps others find the show!
Other Related Episodes (for your enjoyment):
Episode 132: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #1 - Say YES to Help
Episode 133: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #2 - Name your Needs
Episode 134: How To Take Care of Yourself Insight #3 - Stay Curious
Episode 135: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight #4 - Celebrate Yourself
Episode 136: How to Take Care of Yourself Insight #5 - Take Your Meds (and Maybe Also Go to Therapy)
Medium Lady Reads Episode 40- Wonderful Publishers Behind Wonderful Authors
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Patreon: www.patreon.com/mediumlady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode features a returning special guest to Medium Lady, my friend Stephanie Cunningham. Stef can be found on instagram @steffski where she role models real-life living, sharing both the highs and the lows of homeschooling, intergenerational living and breaking the “highlight reel” so that her friends and followers feel like they can share in the chaos of this season of life.
Episode Summary
- Stephanie’s guiding principles about what she shares online are about authenticity and serving her own interest first, which is such a refreshing point of view when we see overly curated or highly produced content online
- We discuss how much our attention might be drawn to “online perfection” while we also desire seeing, meeting and building connection with people who are “just like us”
- A really amazing part of our friendship is that we’re both creating content online: Stephanie and I reflect on where we’ve become more mindful about creating content even when it’s hard to resist the pull of “virality” we acknowledge that it’s not good for us and it’s not good for our communities
- Through thoughtful exploration time and time again with my audience I have been teasing apart the nuance of guilt experienced by women. What comes up time and time again are the concerns and worries that women have about their motherhood: am I doing enough of the right things for my children? Am I giving them the childhood they deserve? If we all want to give our kids a magical childhood where does that desire come from? How is it affected by curated motherhood content online?
- Our kids also have their focus drawn to content online and just like us, they have desires to bring that online content into their real lives - this changes the stakes for how we manage their expectations, and ours.
- Part of our desire for our children to have a magical childhood comes from the emerging conversation about how much our parents’ choices affected us, and why we might feel compelled to make sure our kids never have similar experiences. “Cycle Breaking” happens when you’re willing to get off the pendulum and acknowledge that your parents did the best that they could and sometimes they made mistakes and those mistakes affected us.
- The best way I’ve heard this said was listening to advocate and speaker Prasanna Ranganathan when he said his parents were “always careful to protect me while never limiting my opportunities.
- Curating childhood as millennial mothers also includes awareness of screen time and how we help our kids interact with screens
- Our job as parents is not to make sure our kids are happy 100% of the time…. But what about the holidays? The pressure increases to curate a perfect childhood around the holidays and this can be exacerbated by what you see online.
- One KEY question to ask yourself around making memories this holiday season is “What do I want our family/my kids’ takeaway to be from this season?” and maybe, (probably) that will mean going against the mainstream in some way or another
- Stef and I also chat about the days that aren’t “holiday” and the specialness of Ordinary Time - most of our days are these sacred ordinary days and there are plenty of opportunities to bring mindful celebration and gratitude to those “regular old” days.
- You don’t have to do this on you own! Stephanie and her partner Craig make time to plan and work out their intentions together before they get too deep into the season
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 119: 9 Small Things I’m No Longer Feeling Guilty About
Episode 117: Medium Effort Advice - “Help! I’m Doing Too Much and None of it Well!”
Episode 87: Cultivating your Aspirations with guest Stephanie Cunningham
Episode 23: In the Interest of Realness with Stephanie Cunningham
Medium Lady Reads Episode 30- Would You Try a DNF Challenge?
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode features a very special guest who hasn’t been on the pod in a while - my husband Nick! Nick reviews last week’s episode list of the 9 Small Things I’m No longer Feeling Guilty about. We hope you enjoy this episode and you like seeing another side of Medium Lady!
Episode Summary
- Check in: I’ve brought Nick on mic to review the 9 things, and you may (or may not) be surprised what he thinks of these things!
Medium Effort
- Here’s my medium effort list of 9 things I’m no longer feeling guilty about
- Buying and eating candy as a grown up
- Shopping at a budget grocery store
- Not eating enough protein
- Reading a lot
- Watching my shows on the big tv
- Buying stupid stuff on Amazon that I could afford but didn’t use
- Taking vacation days to be alone
- Buying used books and not reading them
- Not monetizing or not monetizing sooner
A Moment of Gratitude:
- I share my gratitude for Nick - don’t worry he didn’t listen to that part of the recording. I feel so lucky to have a partner that is fun, values-driven and open to my many ideas and goals. Yet, he never let’s me take myself too seriously, which is exactly what I need!
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 119: 9 Small Things I’m No Longer Feeling Guilty About
Episode 114: The Difference Between Shame and Guilt with Tami Hackbarth
Episode 117: Medium Effort Advice - “Help! I’m Doing Too Much and None of it Well!”
Episode 74: How to be a Human With a Voice with guest Jam Gamble
Medium Lady Reads Episode 30- Would You Try a DNF Challenge?
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a personalized list of all the little things that I let myself feel guilty about. And through the episode I give myself permission to let these things go, mostly because there's nothing wrong with them! This episode is for you if you feel like you spend too much time trying to navigate guilt when you’re just trying to relax and enjoy yourself.
Episode Summary
- Check in: I’ve just come off an amazing experience hosting a live-in person event conceived by Jam Gamble creator and CEO of the Slay the Mic program and community
- Today’s episode is a riff on some things I’ve been mulling ever since interviewing Tami Hackbarth from Episodes 113 and 114.
- Tami talked all about 100% Guilt Free Self Care, and I’ve personally struggled with going from all the guilt to none of it - this list of small things I’m letting go of is my way of using Medium Effort to get past guilt especially when it comes to the small stuff.
Medium Effort
- Here’s my medium effort list of 9 things I’m no longer feeling guilty about
- Buying and eating candy as a grown up
- Shopping at a budget grocery store
- Not eating enough protein
- Reading a lot
- Watching my shows on the big tv
- Buying stupid stuff on Amazon that I could afford but didn’t use
- Taking vacation days to be alone
- Buying used books and not reading them
- Not monetizing or not monetizing sooner
Mindful Fun
- If you write your own list your follow up task is to look at it with a lighthearted point of view
- Try to laugh especially if you’ve been carrying guilt about small things - you silly goose! Let that stuff go! We’re not going to let ourselves feel bad about feeling bad
A Moment of Gratitude:
- I share my gratitude for my podcasting equipment. My mic, my computer, Riverside, my lighting and camera, so many tools that come together to help make the podcast what a gift! I am in awe of my setup when I remember how long I dreamt of having a podcast and now I have one that is enabled by amazing technology and tools.
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 114: The Difference Between Shame and Guilt with Tami Hackbarth
Episode 117: Medium Effort Advice - “Help! I’m Doing Too Much and None of it Well!”
Episode 74: How to be a Human With a Voice with guest Jam Gamble
Medium Lady Reads Episode 29 - Somewhere Beyond the Sea-Quel
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a new kind of format, we’re doing “Medium Effort Advice”. One listener asked me on instagram: “How do I handle the problem of doing too much? Because I’m going too many things, I end up not doing them well or even to completion. This episode is for you if you too are struggling with all.the.things this fall, and you want a bit of relief!
Episode Summary
- Check in: The weekend did not go as planed but as the month of September closes out, I’ll look back on what I enjoyed about the month, and I look ahead to what I’m anticipating being fun and fulfilling in October
- Today’s listener asks a question (sent on IG) about how to address the problem of doing too many things and not doing any of them well or to completion.
- High effort problem solving: the high effort approach sees this with regret from the past, focused on allll those things that were never finished. This approach tries to solve the problem by putting it on lock in order to achieve a more ideal future state - planners, systems and rules. This approach also sees optimizing your time and maximizing productivity as “self-care”
- Low effort problem solving: This approach sees the problem as very overwhelming but impossible to change. They also regret the past, but even more so they dread the future as this cycle keeps repeating itself. Because this person never says no to new things, they may be getting something out of the problem some kind of positive feedback for taking on more and more.
- Medium Effort problem solving: Instead of the ideal future, the regretful past, or the dreaded future what if we think about our resourceful past? *these 4 ideas are from the Dialectical Orientation Quadrant studied and published by Dr. Haesun Moon (see resources).
- Medium effort notes the limiting belief inherent in the question “I never do things well” or “I never finish things properly. Addressing this limiting belief helps us take action in a way that questions the limiting belief and instead confronts it with evidence from our resourceful past that proves actually, we do many things well, and we have seen lots of opportunities through to completion.
- Mindful Fun: In order to further help solidify your new beliefs about this problem I give the listener an “assignment” to create a project hall of fame for past projects that have gone well, AND instructions to conduct “closing ceremonies” for all of their unfinished business, so they can gain the permission they need to stop pursuing those undone things that are bogging them down.
A Moment of Gratitude:
- Did you know about Banned Book Week? (Sept 22-28) I share my gratitude for Libraries and all they do to maintain accessibility to knowledge and to fight against forces that would limit our agency and autonomy by controlling access information and artistic expression.
Other Resources Mentioned:
Coaching A to Z: The Extraordinary Use of Ordinary Words by Dr. Haesun Moon
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths about Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok
Episode 89: Everyday Manifesting with Diana Alexander Rane
Medium Lady Reads Episode 27 - Escape and Put Your Face in a Book
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is another behind the scenes episode of content creation and podcast production. For my monthly plan this September I decided to focus my awareness on imposter syndrome, and paying attention to where that shows up in my life and how hesitation and self-doubt affect my actions. This episode is for you if you’ve ever heard that tiny , nagging voice ask “Who are you to have the nerve?”
Episode Summary
- Check in: I struggled to find my footing in the month of September due to preconceived notions that everything was “stable”. As a mom I’ve found myself on a learning curve that I didn’t anticipate!
- I’ll share a window into this September’s monthly plan and how thinking more about Imposter Syndrome has even got me thinking about how often self-doubt creeps into podcast creation.
- What are the specifics of Imposter syndrome? Persistent self-doubt, despite previous success and an ongoing fear of being “found out” attributing your success to luck or diminishing your accomplishments. Check, check, check.
- Imposter syndrome is worth paying attention to and being conscious of because it inhibits our desire to try new things and grow. It holds us back! Not only that but this hesitation creeps into our relationship and shapes our interactions with others.
- What stops the cycle? First off: self-awareness. Train your brain to look for imposter syndrome by calling it out and looking for it.
- Other ways you can move past imposter syndrome:
- Reframe your mindset to focus on the evidence of your accomplishments: start by saying “I’m so proud that I ________”
- Let others around you help you gain perspective, not to seek validation and approval but to course correct your self-doubt
- Practice your self-compassion: What if you could come and give you a big hug? Or high five you during the small day to day wins?
- You can capture a more realistic picture of what’s working well using my daily planner strategy
- Accept that your growth will be associated with not getting things right on the first try - this doesn’t mean you have to doubt your entire existence - you might just need time to learn that new thing.
- I share a bit more of my own thoughts about why I’ve been feeling imposter syndrome as a podcaster lately, that goes back even farther to my doubts about “Medium Lady” being the right brand name.
A Moment of Gratitude:
- Are you packing up any summer clothes? What did you experience wearing those clothes this season? What did you enjoy wearing? What will you be excited to see again next year?
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths about Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Medium Lady Reads Episode 27 - Escape and Put Your Face in a Book
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is one of my favourites, part of my “Five things” series for all of our episodes that end with the number 5. This episode is going to give us a way to focus on mindfulness during a chaotic season of family life: the month of September. The goal of the episode is to help you gain a sense of presence that you can continue to return to through the upheaval of a busy season of transitions.
Episode Summary
- Check in: I’ll share what’s going on these last few weeks and why I probably need today’s episode as much as anyone else. TLDR; parenting in September is A LOT y’all.
- The Five thing you can do right now to survive September, are all about remembering a lot of the things i’ve already been able to get good at over the last 5 years: Mindfulness, Presence, Setting Priorities and OinBoundaries, Self-compassion, Rest.
- One of the first things we can do around our survival of September is to set boundaries on our self-talk and how we manage meeting our own internal expectations: How can you talk to yourself in ways that represent a kinder and gentler perspective on your own expectations?
- Use the acronym GRASS to remind yourself of this mindfulness practice:
- G: Ground into the present moment
- R: Remind yourself of what’s in your control (and what isn’t)
- A: Acknowledge what’s working
- S: Say thank you
- S: Sleep and Rest
- Why is Mindfulness the perfect antidote to September? Because often time transitions bring up a host of limiting beliefs that usually make us feel overwhelmed, worried, anxious and frustrated. What mindfulness does is it bring more emotions to the table to keep those emotions company, which allow us to experience more emotional balance.
- You don’t have to do all of the letters in order BUT if you want to achieve Sleep/Rest, you will probably find a smoother path to good quality sleep if you do actually practice the grounding and mindfulness exercises first.
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 113: Playing the Long Game in your Freedom from Domestic Struggles with author and coach Tami Hackbarth
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is part two of my interview with Tami Hackbarth a Life + Work coach, keynote speaker, Author, Podcast Host and Fair Play Facilitator. Tami’s work helps women feel less like crap so they have the energy and bandwidth to create the world they want to live in. In part one of our conversation we talk all about the re-balancing of domestic life as a means to find the time for self care. Make sure you catch up on Part one of our conversation in episode 113!
Episode Summary
- Once we find domestic freedom we’ve finally managed to create time for our own meaningful self care
- In order to access guilt-free self care we have to first assert that taking care of ourselves isn’t bad and doesn’t make us bad people: it makes us human
- Tami shares how she engages couples to begin determining the distribution of domestic labour as a Fair Play Facilitator
- Tami describes Unicorn Space and explains the benefits of finding personhood outside of parenthood, partnership and professional work
- I share my personal story of why starting the podcast was a big part of my own Unicorn Space
- What should you do with your Unicorn Space? It starts with a great question: What do you want to be known for?
- Consider making a Cinderella list of all the things you want, and if that feels too big start with a simple list of the things you like and then share with those in your home!
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 113: Playing the Long Game in your Freedom from Domestic Struggles with author and coach Tami Hackbarth
Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths About Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Resources Mentioned
- Fair Play by Eve Rodsky - find it from your library on Overdrive
- Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky - find it from your library on Overdrive
- We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rogers - find it from your library on Overdrive
Connect with Tami:
- Website: www.tamihackbarth.com
- Instagram: @tamihackbarth
- Free workshop! Reduce the Mental Load - https://www.tamihackbarth.com/reduce-mental-load
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is part one of my interview with Tami Hackbarth a life + work coach, keynote speaker, author, podcast host and Fair Play Facilitator. Tami’s work helps women feel less like crap so they have the energy and bandwidth to create the world they want to live in. In Part 1 of our conversation we talk all about the re-balancing of domestic life as a means to find the time for self care. Tune in next week for Part 2 of the conversation where we talk more about that actual self care and how to make the most of your newfound free time!
Episode Summary
- The shocking question Tami’s boss asked her that started it all: Are you happy? Tami’s then set to work conducting a year long experiment to take care of herself and the results probably won’t surprise you but her commitment definitely will!
- The odds are we run into burnout after leaving our needs unmet - even those needs that we’re not aware of. It can be vulnerable to admit we have needs just like everybody else and it can be very difficult to ask for help to have those needs fulfilled.
- Having those needs met means we have to give up control, especially in our absence
- Tami and Erin compare notes on how it feels to parent our kids based on their gender and the expectations on us to care about their appearance accordingly]
- When we disengage from the scripts about gendered work, we set the stage for freedom for everyone in the household to let go of societal norms and pressures
- You have to start letting go of your attachment to domestic duties, relinquishing them to your kids and partner - otherwise you’ll have to do them.FOREVER.
- The hilarious conversation Tami had with a 4th grader after he told her she was “the laziest grownup he’d ever met”
- Some of this is unappealing - usually because it’s not a quick fix, even though it works!
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths About Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Connect with Tami:
- Website: www.tamihackbarth.com
- Instagram: @tamihackbarth
- Free workshop! Reduce the Mental Load - https://www.tamihackbarth.com/reduce-mental-load
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is all about my daily gratitude habit that I call “Car Gratitude.” This episode is designed to help you consider your own gratitude habits and where you struggle to create time and space to reflect on what you’re grateful for. If you’ve tried to start a gratitude habit before with no success, this episode will give you the keys to lock down this life changing habit for good.
Episode Summary
- This episode was inspired by my recent efforts to be more intentional and integrated when I produce content for the podcast and for instagram
- Most days on Instagram in my stories on @medium.lady I share what I’m grateful for that day, I always film this from my car right before I catch the train to work
- A recent poll on my stories revealed that only 40% of the Medium Lady Community agree that they make time for their own reflection and gratitude habits. 60% of the community admitted they don’t make time for this practice as often as they would like.
- There were countless times I tried to make a gratitude habit stick and it didn’t work: and that’s not a problem, it’s actually very normal and common.
- I’ll share the story of what was behind the very first instance of Car Gratitude that kicked off a two year habit
- What are the benefits of practicing gratitude so consistently! I’ll share everything that has been part of my personal experience.
- You don’t need money or skill to do gratitude well - what do you need? Time and space. And how do you do that? I’ll share my thoughts about overcoming the barrier of time and space to create more room for your emerging gratitude practice.
- You might have developed a gratitude instinct when times are tough - and why you might want to quit that before developing a deeper gratitude practice. I’ll share what you can do instead.
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths About Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is another Monthly Planning episode - consider it self-care for your summer! This episode is aimed at walking you through my free download “How to Start a New Month” which aims to help you consider how to mindfully embrace the month ahead and plan how you want to focus on yourself in the future. Grab your copy of the free download here, and let’s get started!
Episode Summary
- I share why having the house to myself isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
- Sometimes we anticipate our future self that is the “ideal self” and we imagine that ideal self doing everything “perfectly”. When that doesn’t come to pass we can be left feeling kind of icky
- My biggest hangup about the summer is the following limiting belief: “If I don’t optimize my time, the summer will be wasted”
- When we identify limiting beliefs we want to just get rid of them forever, but I’ll share why it’s more helpful to think of this practice as turning down the dial rather than flipping the switch.
- You might have a different limiting belief about the summer - I’ll talk through a few
- How do you tackle a limiting belief once you’ve realized it? I’ll walk you through my personal method to gain perspective and take away some of the belief’s power.
- After we gain some perspective on our limiting beliefs we can take action and start planning for the month of August
- Part one: What is known about August? What are you looking forward to? How do you want to feel?
- Part two: What am I learning? Take a look back on your year, or even the last three month to think about highlights, and the events or feelings you want to carry with you into the new month.
- Part three: Have some fun describing the “vibe” for the month ahead, imagining the sounds, smells, textures associated with the month
- Put all three parts together and come up with a plan: make decisions about how you want to spend your time. What are you going to read? How are you going to play? Where are you going to experiment? How are you going to focus your thoughts?
- You already have everything you need to experiment with this kind of plan, the stakes are low and the return on investment is high. Trust me I’ve been planning like this for almost FIVE years!
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 57: How I Plan My Month - An Example of Thoughtful and Personalized Monthly Planning
Episode 84: September Reflections and October Intentions - A Monthly Planning Guide
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Other Resources mentioned:
Soundtracks by Jon Acuff - on Overdrive!
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a review and critique of the book “The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health is the Missing Key to Living Longer Healthier and Happier” by Kasley Killiam. This episode is designed to share a bit about the book, my major take aways, and a reflection on the key frameworks that might guide you to think differently about your connections. Are you a Butterfly, Firefly, Evergreen or Wallflower? Listen to find out!
Episode Summary
- I’m going to review and apply the concepts from the newly published book The ARt and Science of Connection by Kasley Killiam
- I share my review of the book, what I liked and what didn’t work for me
- Killiam writes “Health connection with other people requires a health connection with yourself. Which includes: knowing yourself, caring for yourself, honoring your needs and bringing that authentic self into interactions with others.”
- “Research has shown that lonely people tend to be hypervigilant in social interactions and more prone to focusing on the negative than the positive: more guarded, they have more self-doubt, they might feel more self-conscious and make more assumptions about their interactions.”
- These realizations from the book have me asking: Are you lonely? (PS It’s totally ok and normal if your answer is yes)
- Interactions as millennials and mothers might be laden with a lot more nuance and context that adds to this hypervigilance and monitoring of our interactions in a way that leads to self-criticism and more loneliness
- Connection (even healthy positive connection!) will always require time and energy, yet time and energy usually feels like a scarce and precious resource for millennials and mothers
- Is social health different for Millennials than other older generations? I think so!
- I’ll share the four connection “personalities” outlined by Killiam: Butterfly, Evergreen, Firefly and Wallflower PLUS I couldn’t help but add a fifth personality of my own!
- How do you know how to improve your relationships? There are 4 options: Strengthen, Rest, Tone and Flex
- Once you gain awareness about the way connection meets your needs and how you want to improve your connections the hardest part is likely going to be taking action - and seeking connection from others to meet those needs - relying on others to respond to those needs: you can do it!
Other Episodes you might like:
Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered: Three Truths About Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok
Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Episode 83: Is your Self-Care Helpful or Harmful - A book review of “Real Self Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness” by Pooja Lakshmin MD.
Introverts and Extroverts with Handsome Face
Other Resources mentioned:
The Art and Science of Connection by Kasley Killiam - on Overdrive!
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a first for the show: Medium Lady Rants? After being influenced by a few videos critiquing BookTok and the Beauty Influencer space it occurred to me that some of the problems in those spaces also exist in the motherhood content space. And I have a lot of thoughts about it! This episode is designed to give you some healthy skepticism about short form content that targets mothers, so you can avoid the shame and blame that can sometimes be triggered after a scroll session.
Episode Summary
- Why do moms seek this kind of content in the first place? And why can it be harmful?
- While we don’t need to call out or “cancel” any particular creator there are themes behind some of the content that is useful to pay attention to
- I’ll talk about why I resisted embracing the “Mom” niche for so long
- The “machine” of social media is not invested in our wellness at all - even if creators are doing their best to create intentional content
- Ultimately, motherhood content on social media feels like it’s serving a need - if we’re aware of what those needs are we can be more mindful as we consume short form content.
- It’s crucial to remember that virality will always come before your mental health - and I’ll explain more about why this is the case.
- What is rage baiting? And how does it work when it comes to short form content for mothers?
- Remember your focus and attention is currency: creators will use your insecurities as the entry point to gain more of that currency as collateral you might find yourself being preyed upon for engagement.
- I routinely reflect on the struggle I’ve experienced as a content creator to dabble with and mess around in some of the spaces that provide a straighter path to growth and virality and the cost of that would be my personal desire to help people and leave my audience better than when they found me.
- Awareness of how this content can leave you in a shame and blame spiral is only good if it compels you to take ACTION - I’ll share my suggestions for how you can bring mindfulness and digital habits to your consumption of short form content (it’s easy I promise)
Other Episodes you might like:
- Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson
- Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson
Other Resources mentioned:
The Opal App
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is part two of my interview with Madeline Farquarson from Knomii. Madeline is a Certified Professional Coach and Co-Founder of Knomii. Her coaching and counseling practice helps self-aware and overwhelmed achievers reclaim their freedom and energy by reconnecting with themselves. As an anxious overthinker herself, she loves helping people trapped in their lives and heads start taking action and making decisions that put all that self-awareness to good use. The second part of our conversation describes safety, needs and how challenging it can be to gain awareness when we’re not able to address those needs. Make sure you head back to listen to Episode 107 for more of the conversation set up and aha moments!
Episode Summary
- How important safety is to explore your emotional experience, and how a coach can hold the keys to that emotional safety
- There’s a lot of highly consumable material out there on mental wellness: “psychological life hacks” and sometimes it can be exhausting to figure out how to put that knowledge to good use for your own relief.
- Madeline describes a new way to think about your needs sharing the Sailboat Metaphor from Scott Barry Kaufman and how that can help us conceive more creatively about what we’re needing to manage our mental wellness
- Madeline also describes using the Needs Wheel as a way of honing in on what might be going on when our psychological needs aren’t being met, but our physical or social safety is secure.
- While we’re often conditioned to suppress our needs or compare them to others, Madeline reminds the audience “Your ability to take care of yourself, doesn’t take away from anyone else.”
- If you’re interested in a hybrid group/1:1 course on Emotions from Madeline and Knomii you can sign up for the fall wait list HERE
- Think about where you’re at in the cycle of awareness, acceptance and action - If you’re stuck in “awareness” think about moving in to the experimenter/observers mindset you can learn more in this YouTube Video
Connect with Madeline and Knomii:
- Website: www.knomii.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/knomii.coach
- TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@knomii.coach
- Free 30-min clarity call: https://savvycal.com/knomii/mediumlady
- Join the waitlist for the Knomii Emotions course launching this fall
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is part one of my interview with Madeline Farquarson from Knomii. Madeline is a Certified Professional Coach and Co-Founder of Knomii. Her coaching and counselling practice helps self-aware and overwhelmed achievers reclaim their freedom and energy by reconnecting with themselves. As an anxious over-thinker herself, she loves helping people trapped in their lives and heads start taking action and making decisions that put all that self-awareness to good use. The first part of our conversation tackles the overlap between therapy and coaching and teaches us a very helpful lesson about the difference between fear, anxiety and overthinking. Make sure you’re following the podcast so you don’t miss part two of the conversation next week!
Episode Summary
- Madeline shares why having a deeper sense of purpose and meaning is something that gets her out of bed in the morning
- Listen for a great description on what coaching is, what coaching isn’t, what therapy is and what therapy isn’t - you’ve always wanted to know!
- An exploration of the gap between therapy and coaching and how to bridge that for yourself and with your wellness team
- Why therapy can feel unproductive at times - even when you’re working really hard!
- Does self-awareness lead to burnout? Madeline and Erin both think so… but you need to reflect back on times when this might have been true for you.
- The difference between core emotions and inhibitor emotions will change the way you think about your anxiety.
- Anxiety is an inhibitor emotion, it’s trying to inhibit your experience of a core emotion that you’ve learned is unsafe to feel
- Overthinking is a defence emotion which tries to protect us from the discomfort and pain of inhibitory emotions or core emotions
- Remember this: “Challenging emotions lead us to feelings of relief when we express them.”
Connect with Madeline and Knomii:
- Website: www.knomii.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/knomii.coach
- TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@knomii.coach
- Free 30-min clarity call: https://savvycal.com/knomii/mediumlady
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is our quarterly “five things list” but instead of five things I’ll share SIX things that are saving my summer. You're going to love today's episode if you find, like I do, that at this point of the season, you're rushing trying to cram as much life as possible into every minute of every day. I don’t know about you but I need permission to slow down! And this kind of list, my favourite foods, apps, clothes and yes even a few mindset tricks, is just the ticket to getting out of those limiting beliefs and feeling the relief that a positive reframe can bring. This episode I’ll share the six things saving my summer, and I even got to share what YOU told me was saving your summer this year as well!
Thoughts and Musings
- Lately I’ve just been feeling as thought I’ve been cramming more and more into the same amount of time
- I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to figure out a way to slow down
- This leads me to consider my limiting believe that “I don’t have enough time” and “I can’t slow down”
- What makes your list of things saving your summer? Anything that you want more of, or the things you think you “should” be doing this summer
- There’s no limit to what makes the list! Don’t edit or censor yourself - whatever ends up on your list is unique and applicable to you.
- Some of my summer fatigue comes from making lots of decisions in every day and some of the things on my list help to minimize over thinking and decision fatigue
The SIX Things
- Amazon bike shorts under my favourite summer dresses
- Treats and meals on auto-pilot - removing as many decisions as possible when it comes to eating and treats
- The Finch Self Care App - here’s my friend code! J16CFE2T4A
- ALL of my Friendships - if you’re my friend, thank you for saving my summer - and if we’re in a group chat you are a real one
- Getting 10K steps a day - it’s annoying but this really works
- A new exercise to reframe my mindset around Limiting Beliefs
When I went to my stories on Instagram to hear from you - listeners! Here’s what you shared:
- A big family road trip adventure
- Confidence to operate the new barbeque
- Living each day like it’s the BEST DAY EVER
- EVA Birkenstocks in every colour
- Lizard time - purposefully going outside to sit in the sun
- Air dried hair
- Backyard pool
- Planning lunch ideas ahead of time to avoid getting in a rut
- Moving my workouts to first thing in the morning and having time to read during the day
Other Episodes referenced
Episode 104 Part Two Four Questions to Free Yourself From Summer Stress
Episode 103: Part One Four Questions to Free Yourself From Summer Stress
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a behind the scenes reflection on the five things I learned from hosting my very first event. Typically all episodes that end on the 5 I do my “five things saving my life” series but this episode is a switch up, 5 things I learned putting together the “Chase the Good” Event which happened live and in person on June 8! The event was incredible and surpassed all of my expectations. This episode I’ll break down a little of what it FELT like to plan, prepare and deliver on a huge (and public) step outside of my comfort zone.
Thoughts and Musings
- In the last year I’ve felt my ideas and curiosity growing about putting together a paid offer
- After speaking on a panel at the Healed Hearts Empowered Voices, hosted by Jam Gamble, and felt awed by the impact of an in person event
- Jam challenged me on Instagram to host an event - and because of this external accountability I felt like I could follow through or I “had” to follow through
- Then people who saw Jam on Instagram started asking me about my ideas for the event: when you speak things out into existence you engage other people in participating in your vision
- “When you speak things out loud, you call other people in, to help you achieve your dreams”
- Once the ball got rolling and people were aware that I was planning the event it started to come up in conversation and that allowed me the opportunity to receive encouragement, and advice and ideas from other people. This became a supportive context where I could do something outside of my comfort zone while feeling encouraged.
- Chasing the Good for me is about gratitude and presence while balancing the experience of being a millennial woman and mother. Understanding that we were heavily conditioned to want a specific kind of life and now coming of age to recognize that we’re not sure what we REALLY want, and what we’ve been taught to believe we want. Chasing the Good is about how to go after MORE of what you truly want, and to filter out what you’ve been conditioned to think you want.
- The event was an incredible success with a great group of women
- I had to do a lot of inner work to prepare myself to step outside of my comfort zone and share a paid offer with my audience
Things I learned
- Picking a date is hard: Eventually I had to realize that there was no perfect date for the audience (especially busy women and mothers) and I had to go with the choices that felt right and easy to me.
- Food is hard to plan for and will eat up your event margins: I ordered 50% more food than I needed! But even though food is hard to plan for it’s absolutely essential to make people feel cared for during the event.
- Events are not for making money - at least not your first event! And even though making money wasn’t the goal for me, I was still curious to see what would happen from hosting a paid event.
- Gift Bags are not a big deal and they make people really happy. Even though I spent way too much time overthinking what to put in the gift bag, they are an essential part of any future events that I might have.
- Hosting your event comes hand in hand with a lot of hard work on your mindset. Thankfully with guidance and coaching from Siobhan France I was able to work on understanding this mindset. I gained trust that my offers will find the people they are for and the people they aren’t for are still served by other kinds of content that I offer. While I’ll still have to work on this for future offers, the barrier to entry is way lower now that I’ve built trust from this first experience.
What will I do with this package of content? WHere can I take it and modify it for other audiences? I’m going to wait and see before I decide but I do want to do SOMETHING with the content. If you have any ideas within you to share content and passion with an audience - You CAN do it, of COURSE you can.
Other Episodes referenced
The Happiness Challenge with Ellen Wong
Episode 74 How to Be a Human with a Voice with Jam Gamble
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! We know that the MLT main feed always enjoys a crossover episode with my sister podcast Medium Lady Reads (affectionately known as MLR). Enjoy this episode with guest host Alesia Galati from @wereadsmut on Instagram!
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Hello, Hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads this is episode 22, “The BIPOC Alphabet Reading Challenge with guest Alesia Galati.”In this episode, Jillian and Erin welcome their first guest host, Alesia Galati! They’re discussing Alesia’s BIPOC Alphabet Reading Challenge.
Jillian and Erin would love it if you shared what diverse authors you’re reading! Be sure to tag them on Instagram, Jillian is @jillianfindinghappy and Erin is @medium.lady, or you can tag the show @mediumladyreads!
In This Episode:
- Jillian welcomes Alesia to the episode. Alesia is the owner and founder of Galati Media, as well as podcast host of two shows, “Successful Podcasting Unlocked” and “Listeners to Leads.” In addition to being a fellow book lover. She is the co-creator behind We Read Smut on Instagram, a bookish account dedicated to those who like their books ranging anywhere from sweet to scorching.
- You can find Alesia on Instagram here, and you can find @WeReadSmut on Instagram here.
- Alesia introduces herself.
- Learn how Alesia was reintroduced into the reading world.
- All three women check-in on how their reading is going.
- It’s time to talk about the BIPOC Alphabet Challenge and you can learn all about it by clicking here.
- Alesia kicks-off the recommendations in this episode - tune in to hear all 26 recommendations from diverse authors.
- The women share what's on their holds list.
Books In This Episode:
- A: Almost Maybes by Anna P.
- A: Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
- B: Bad Guy by Kenya Goree-Bell
- C: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
- D: Drop Dead Gorgeous by Lauren Landish
E: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - F: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- G: Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones
- H: Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
- I: In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström
- J: Just for the Cameras by Viano Oniomoh
- J: Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
- J: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- K: Kwarq by Nikki Clarke
- K: Know My Name by Chanel Miller
- K: The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
- L: Leave the World Behind by Ruman Alaam
- M: Much Ado about Nada by Uzma Jallaludin
- N: Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
- O: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- P: Persepolis by Marjane Strajapi
- Q: Queenie & the Krakens by Aleera Anaya Ceres
- Q: Q&A by Vikas Swarup
- Q: Quicksand by Nella Larsen
- R: Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
- S: ShadowLands Omega by Elizabeth Stephens
- T: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
- V: V - Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
- V: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- V: Venco by Cherie Dimaline
- W: We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
- X: Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon
- X: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- X: XOXO by Axie Oh
- Y: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
- Z: Prize Money by Celeste Castro
- Z: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González
- Z: Zora Books Her Happily Ever After by Taj McCoy
Hello, hi!
Welcome back to Medium Lady Talks! In this episode, I continues my deep dive into how to free yourself from summer stress with the final two of the four essential questions. Building on last year's insightful Episode 70, "My Life-Changing Hack for Having the Best Summer Ever," and the first part of this series in Episode 103, Erin provides practical advice to help listeners avoid becoming overwhelmed by summer's demands.
Episode Highlights:
1. Name your Top Three Summer Experiences: Erin shares her top three personal summer experiences that she aims to enjoy. Emphasizing the importance of individual joy over imposed expectations, she encourages listeners to identify and prioritize their own key experiences for a fulfilling summer.
- How will you Find Rest this Summer?: Rest isn't just about sleep. Erin explores various forms of rest to recharge during the busy summer months.
Erin's discussion revolves around the empowering quote, "In between stimulus and response there is a space. Within that space lies your ability to choose, and in that choice, you find your freedom." She encourages listeners to embrace freedom over perfectionism and make mindful choices to enhance their summer experience.
Erin invites everyone to join her in-person workshop, "Chase the Good," on June 8th in Burlington, Ontario. This event will provide tools and strategies to help participants recognize and amplify the good in their lives. Tickets are available via the link!
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi!
Welcome back to another exciting episode of the podcast! Today, I'm revisiting the topic of summer stress, building on the success of last year's popular Episode 70, "My Life-Changing Hack for Having the Best Summer Ever." In Episode 103, I'll kick off the first of a two-part series dedicated to answering four crucial questions designed to help you avoid feeling reactive and overwhelmed by summer's endless tasks. So grab a cup of tea and your journal and get ready to say good bye to your summer stress.
In today's episode, we focus on the first two questions:
1. What are you excited for this summer?
2. What has you feeling exhausted this summer?
By addressing these questions, you can proactively manage your summer plans and emotions, ensuring a more relaxed and enjoyable season. This episode emphasizes the concept of choosing freedom over perfectionism when planning your summer activities.
Don't forget to stay tuned for Episode 104, airing on May 29th, where we'll tackle the remaining two questions:
3. What are the top three experiences you'd like to have this summer?
4. How will you rest this summer?
If you're local to Ontario, Canada I would love it if you join me at the Chase the Good workshop on June 8th, in Burlington Ontario. Tickets are still available! eThis in-person event is the perfect opportunity to connect, reflect, and embrace the best of what summer, motherhood and our every day lives have to offer.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
[Repost] This episode originally aired in May of 2023.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features four KEY questions to ask yourself in order to "hack" your "best summer ever" (those quotation marks are important context I promise). I'm going to walk through those four questions and share my own answers so you have a sense of what's on my mind as I shift my perspective from being overwhelmed by Summer before it even starts, to feeling ready and excited to welcome the season.
Inspiration for this Episode:
- Episode 313 of The Lazy Genius Podcast with Kendra Adachi “ Ten Questions to Plan your Summer”
- How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
Other Episodes referenced:
Medium Lady Reads Playlist
Episode 50 Medium Effort Mindful Fun and My Origin Story
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You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Being subscribed is the best way to make sure you don't miss when new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Welcome to Episode 102 of Medium Lady Talks where we're unpacking a thought-provoking question: "Can you change what you want?" This episode is all about mindset, self-discovery, and the pursuit of happiness. And I'll talk all about what you can expect if you join my event, Chase the Good, on June 8th in Burlington Ontario.
Exploring Different Perspectives
Inspired by a quote from Oprah and my own personal "aha moment" in therapy, I'll explore different perspectives on this question. Some might firmly believe that their wants are fixed, while others acknowledge the fluidity of desires and the power to shape them consciously.
In the "No" Camp
In the "no" camp, we consider how societal norms and past expectations can influence what we think we're allowed to want. We unpack the pressure to conform to certain ideals and the discomfort that can arise from challenging those norms.
In the "Maybe" Camp
For those in the "maybe" camp, we discuss the possibility of evolving desires in response to changing circumstances or external influences. We reflect on the importance of exploring new interests and reevaluating our values as we grow.
In the "Yes" Camp
And for those who confidently say "yes" to changing what they want, we celebrate the freedom and agency that comes with embracing this mindset. We encourage listeners to explore their desires authentically and pursue what brings them joy and fulfillment.
Chase the Good Medium Lady Community Event
Resources and links mentioned in this episode include the Chase the Good event happening on June 8th from 12:30 to 4 pm in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. This transformative event offers a space for self-discovery, connection, and personal growth. Get your tickets today and join us for an afternoon of insightful discussions, empowering exercises, and meaningful connections.
Remember, it's okay to question what you want and to embrace the journey of self-discovery. See you at Chase the Good!
And if you can't join us on June 8th join my Gratitude Coaching Waitlist: If you're ready to build the place in the world made for you and develop the skills to experience authentic joy and gratitude, sign up for our gratitude coaching waitlist. This is a new service I’m offering, and will be a low/no cost option while we grow and learn from each other.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello hi! In Episode 101 of Medium Lady Talks, we explore a timely question, "Do You Have Something to Say?" with visibility expert Megan Hamilton from Ubu Skills. We delve into three distinct responses: "No," "Maybe," and "Yes," uncovering valuable insights for each listener who finds themselves answering the question.
For those who answer "No," Megan emphasizes the importance of evaluating the safety of using our voices and overcoming uncertainties about our opinions. She offers practical advice on how to identify and articulate what we want to express.
For the "Maybe" responders, Megan highlights the significance of recognizing the conditions and barriers we impose on speaking out. She stresses the importance of considering the audience and setting boundaries, which can help diminish sensitivity to others' reactions.
For the confident "Yes" responders, Megan provides guidance on choosing where to share our voices. She emphasizes the individual journey of discovering one's comfort zone and gradually expanding it by stepping out of familiarity.
Furthermore, Erin and Megan reflect on their positionality as het-cis white women, acknowledging the privilege it entails and the responsibility to amplify marginalized voices. They underscore the importance of using their platforms to create space for voices that have historically been silenced.
Join us as we navigate the complexities of finding, nurturing, and amplifying our voices in a diverse and dynamic world.
Connect with Megan
- Website https://www.ubuskills.com/
- Megan's Instagram: @ubuskills
Key topics:
1) Evaluating Safety: Overcoming uncertainties and identifying what we want to express.
2) Setting Boundaries: Developing resilience to others' reactions and choosing the right audience.
3) Expanding Comfort Zones: Gradually stepping out of familiarity to amplify our voices.
4) Acknowledging Privilege: Reflecting on positionality and using platforms to amplify marginalized voices.
Don't miss out on Megan's invaluable insights and reflections, and be sure to follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn for more inspiration.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! In this milestone 100th episode, I sit down with Pamela Chriton, a photographer and owner of Ten West Photography Studio, to explore the central question: Can you make a big career change?
Pam's journey from teacher to successful entrepreneur offers valuable insights into navigating the uncertainties of career transitions. As we chat, Pam reflects on her evolution from the structured world of teaching to the dynamic realm of photography, sharing candidly about the challenges, doubts, and triumphs she encountered along the way.
Our conversation touches on the societal pressures to follow a predetermined path and the fear of stepping outside the norm. Pam's experience reminds us that while change can be daunting, it also holds the potential for profound growth and fulfillment.
Reflecting on her diverse teaching experiences, Pam emphasizes the importance of defining success on one's own terms and remaining open to new possibilities. She encourages listeners to embrace uncertainty, take calculated risks, and trust in their ability to navigate change.
As we explore Pam's journey, we uncover the essence of resilience, adaptability, and the pursuit of passion. Her story serves as a beacon of hope for anyone contemplating a career change, offering practical wisdom and encouragement to those embarking on their own transformative journeys.
So, whether you're feeling stuck in your current path or yearning for something more, Pam's insights remind us that it's never too late to pursue our dreams and create the lives we truly desire. Tune in to this inspiring episode and join us on the journey toward personal and professional fulfillment.
Connect with Pam:
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- Instagram @pam_tenwestphotography
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- Website: www.tenwestphotography.ca
Connect with Erin:
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! Welcome back to another episode of Medium Lady Talks, where we dive into all things self-discovery and personal growth. Today, we're tackling a question that's been buzzing around: "Can a personality quiz really make my life easier?" Let's unpack this together!
In this lively discussion, Erin and Tracy Stanger delve into the world of personality quizzes, exploring their potential benefits, limitations, and everything in between. They kick off by addressing the skepticism surrounding personality quizzes, examining common misconceptions and potential drawbacks. From there, they explore the diversity of quizzes available, from Buzzfeed fun to more structured assessments like DiSC, CliftonStrengths, and Four Tendencies. They also discuss the intriguing Enneagram Personality Test. Through personal anecdotes and case studies, they illustrate how self-awareness gained from these quizzes can transform lives and careers. Finally, they offer practical tips for leveraging this newfound self-awareness to enhance decision-making, communication, and overall well-being.
Resources and Links Mentioned:
- DiSC Assessment
- CliftonStrengths Assessment
- Four Tendencies Framework by Gretchen Rubin
- Enneagram Personality Test
- Tracy Stanger's Website: tracystanger.com/learn-lbb
- Tracy Stanger on Instagram: @tracy.stanger
Conclusion: Ready to uncover your true self? Dive into the world of personality quizzes and embark on a journey of self-discovery. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, there's something for everyone in this exploration of personality types and their impact on our lives. Let's unlock the mysteries of our personalities and embrace the power of self-awareness together!
Connect with Tracy:
- Email: tracy@tracystanger.com
- Instagram: @tracy.stanger
- Website: tracystanger.com/learn-lbb
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome back, listeners! Today I’m solo on mic exploring a question that's inspired by a text chat I had with a friend: "Is your burnout preventable?" If you've ever found yourself plagued with exhaustion, resentful of all the things out of your control, and down the path to truly crippling physiological symptoms, this episode is for you.
Summary:
In this episode, we’ll think critically about burnout, examining it from different angles. I’ll reflect on a recent conversation with a friend and grapple with the question of whether burnout is inevitable or something we can fend off. We’ll dissect burnout from three perspectives: "no," "maybe," and "yes," navigating through the complexities of stress management and self-care.
Remember that burnout isn't a one-size-fits-all experience. It's about tuning into ourselves, understanding our triggers, and embracing the belief that we have the power to steer clear of burnout's stormy seas. Whether you're a firm believer in prevention or still on the fence, know that you're not alone in this journey. Reach out, seek support, and let's navigate through the waves together.
Resources and Links Mentioned:
- Kristin Neff's book: "Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself" - Find more resources at self-compassion.org.
Episodes Referenced:
-
"Gentle Goal Setting for Burnt Out Millennials and Mothers" (Episode 62)
-
"Effort Energy and Connection with Siobhan France" (Episode 49)
-
"How to be a Human with a Voice" (Episode 74)
-
"The Identity Revolution: Why I Plan My Free Time Each Month and You Should Too" (Episode 82)
-
"Is Friendship a Type of Self Care?" (Episode 68)
-
"8 Ways to Make Better Decisions as a Couple" (Episode 60)
-
"Is Your Self-Care Helpful or Harmful?" (Episode 83)
-
"Medium Lady Talks about Parenting on a Bad Day" (Episode 10)
-
"Medium Lady Talks about Lowering the Bar" (Episode 11)
-
"Financial Self-Care with Lianne Hannaway" (Episode 53)
-
"Finding Calm in the Life You Already Have with Cecelia Mandryk" (Episode 90)
-
"Why We Get in the Way of Our Creativity and Self-Care" (Episode 67)
-
"Medium Lady Talks about Doing Less with Tracy Stanger"
-
"Everyday Manifesting" with guest Diana Alexander Rane (Episode 89)
-
"My Life Changing Perspective on Having Your Best Summer Ever" (Episode 70)
Thanks for joining us on this insightful episode! Don't forget to hit subscribe and share the podcast with fellow millennial mothers. Stay tuned for more episodes packed with wisdom, laughter, and heartfelt conversations. Until next time, don’t forget, you’re doing such a good job.
Join my Gratitude Coaching Waitlist: If you're ready to build the place in the world made for you and develop the skills to experience authentic joy and gratitude, sign up for our gratitude coaching waitlist. This is a new service I’m offering, and will be a low/no cost option while we grow and learn from eachother.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 9: S is for Sustainability
Join us for the final installment of our Happiness Challenge as we explore the vital concept of sustainability in fostering long-term happiness and well-being.
In this concluding episode, Erin and Ellen dive deep into the significance of sustainability within the context of happiness. From the broader perspective of environmental conservation to the personal realm of individual decision-making, sustainability plays a pivotal role in shaping our journey towards fulfillment. Discover why sustainability is not just a practical aspect of life but a cornerstone of the Happiness Framework, representing the culmination of our exploration into the nine elements of happiness.
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Level up your Listener experience!
- Reflect on the sustainability of your decisions and actions in daily life. 2. Embrace the concept of sustainability as a guiding principle in your pursuit of happiness. 3. Share your insights and experiences with the Medium Lady Talks community on social media @medium.lady on Instagram
Keywords: Sustainability, Happiness Framework, Well-being, Decision-making, Environmental Conservation.
Key Points Summary: In this final episode, Erin and Ellen delve into the multifaceted concept of sustainability, highlighting its importance in fostering long-term happiness and well-being. From environmental stewardship to personal authenticity, sustainability permeates every aspect of our lives, shaping our choices and guiding our journey towards fulfillment. As we conclude the Happiness Framework Series, remember to prioritize sustainability in your pursuit of happiness, embracing practices that nourish your soul and support your growth.
Thank you for joining us on this transformative journey to chose a happier life! Stay tuned for more insightful conversations, deep dives and interviews on Medium Lady Talks.
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 8: S is for Social Connection
In this episode, Ellen and Erin explore the importance of meaningful social connections in fostering happiness and well-being. Join us as we delve into the pressures of social connections and how to keep it simple and attainable. We’ll talk about our priorities when it comes to social connection, balancing the time we have to make sure it’s meaningful without putting too much pressure on how we show up. You’ll gain insights into how to cultivate and cherish meaningful connections with those who matter most, empowering you to experience greater happiness and fulfillment in your relationships in your family, with your friends and among your community.
Keywords: Social Connection, Authentic Relationships, Meaningful Connections, Well-being
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 7: E is for Emotional Resiliency
It’s Part 7 of our Bonus Series on Happiness with Dr. Ellen Wong. While many areas of the Happiness Framework are concrete, Erin and Ellen talk about why the conversation about emotional resilience is challenging without also getting into burnout. Erin and Ellen explore practical strategies for cultivating an ability to embrace both positive and negative emotional experiences, so you can maintain a reliable foundation for long term happiness over time. Through personal anecdotes and expert insights, we uncover the transformative power of emotional resilience in fostering happiness and fulfillment, offering guidance on how to build emotional elasticity in your own life.
Keywords: Emotional Resilience, Coping Strategies, Inner Peace, Well-being
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 6: N is for Nature
In this episode, Erin and Ellen remind us that nature is right outside our door and only moments away from boosting our happiness. Once we get out of the narrative and perspective that associates the outdoors with exercise or work we can begin explore nature’s profound impact on our mood and well-being. Discover the simple yet powerful ways to integrate nature into your daily life, creating an environment that nurtures happiness and vitality. Through inspiring stories and practical advice, we highlight the transformative potential of immersing oneself in nature, offering a refreshing perspective on finding joy and serenity in the great outdoors.
Keywords: Nature and Happiness, Well-being, Serenity, Environmental Connection
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 5: I is for Inner Peace
Halfway through the Happiness Framework and we stop at the core of our inner lives: the path to inner peace an essential component of a happy and fulfilled life. Erin and Ellen will discuss how we all need to learn how to quiet the inner critic, cultivate courage, and foster self-compassion, laying the foundation for greater confidence and contentment. Through heartfelt anecdotes and practical tips, we explore strategies for harnessing inner peace amidst life's challenges, empowering you to use this pillar of happiness to maximize a sense of stillness no matter how busy your life truly is.
Keywords: Inner Peace, Self-Compassion, Confidence, Tranquility
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 4: P is for Productivity
In this episode, we explore the intersection of productivity and happiness, delving into the nuances between happiness-oriented productivity and the pervasive hustle culture. Ellen shares a great example from her experience travelling in Bhutan. You’ll learn the one quick question that will help align your productivity with personal well-being, so you can put your time and energy towards what truly matters.
Keywords: Productivity and Happiness, Hustle Culture, Self-Care, Sustainable Practices
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 3: P is for Purpose
Join us as we delve into the important significance of purpose in cultivating a life filled with happiness and gratitude. Ellen and Erin share inspiring stories of individuals finding happiness through the alignment of their strengths in the service of others.
Keywords: Purposeful Living, Meaningful Life, Strengths Alignment
Resources from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 2: A is for Authenticity
Discover the power of authenticity to foster happiness and fulfillment. In Part 2 we explore letter “A” for authenticity, a fundamental aspect of the Happiness Framework. Gain valuable insights into overcoming the challenges of aligning your external actions with intrinsic beliefs, with one simple key question that might just change your life.
Keywords: Authentic Living, Intrinsic Beliefs, Millennial Women, Happiness Framework
More from Ellen:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 1: H is for Health
Unlock the secrets to happiness through the pillar of Health" in this mini episode. Erin and Ellen talk about simple practical strategies for enhancing both physical and emotional well-being, tailored to meet the unique challenges faced by individuals managing chronic illness or mental health diagnoses.
Keywords: Happiness and Health, Emotional Well-being, Chronic Illness, Mental Health
Resources:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to this special Happiness Framework Series, hosted by Medium Lady Talks in collaboration with Dr. Ellen Wong
Episode 0: Who is Ellen Wong and How Did She Become the CEO of Happiness?
In this insightful episode, we delve into the background of my friend and collaborator, Dr. Ellen Wong, exploring her remarkable journey to becoming a renowned happiness expert. Discover the origins of the Happiness Framework and join in with us on Instagram as we lead the 21 Days of Happiness challenge from March 13- April 2. This challenge is designed to empower you to start off the spring with everything you need for a season of balanced joy.
Keywords: Ellen Wong, CEO of Happiness, Happiness Framework, 21 Days of Happiness program
Resources:
- Ellen Wong's website for more information about her work and programs.
- Access the comprehensive Happiness guide to get started on the complete framework!
- Connect further with Ellen on Instagram
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi and welcome to another episode of Medium Lady Talks! In Episode 97, we're delving into a topic that's close to the hearts of many burnt-out millennial mothers: the pursuit of genuine enjoyment in life.
- We'll explore three perspectives: "no," "maybe," and "yes," as we navigate the journey towards authenticity and happiness.
- I've announced a new waitlist for 1:1 Gratitude Coaching make sure to sign up for announcements using this link!
Segment 1: Exploring the "No" Perspective
- Some of us prioritize being right over being happy, but what if we challenged that mindset?
- Let's consider whether the belief "that's just the way it is" is serving us or holding us back.
- Choosing happiness over being right can lead to growth and fulfillment in unexpected ways.
Segment 2: Unpacking the "Maybe" Perspective
- For many of us, the idea of enjoying life comes with conditions and complexities.
- Are we willing to go out of our way to help others enjoy life, but hesitant to do the same for ourselves?
- In the episode we explore the temporary nature of seeking goodness and how it impacts our pursuit of happiness.
Segment 3: Embracing the "Yes" Perspective
- It's time to fully embrace the possibility of enjoying life, even if we're unsure where to start.
- Consider practical steps, like practicing gratitude or setting boundaries, to cultivate a more enjoyable life.
- If you find yourself answering YES to the question make sure you join my waitlist for gratitude coaching, designed to provide relief and support in a short period of time.
Other Resources Mentioned:
- Episode 83: Is your Self Care Helpful or Harmful?
- Overcoming Overwhelm by Samantha Brody
- Everything Is Figureout-able by Marie Forleo
- On Our Best Behaviour by Elise Loehnen
- Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky
- Real Self Care by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin
- The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
- Gratitude Coaching: waitlist link
Hello, hi! Welcome to Season 4! We're kicking off this year's podcast season with a recording of the 2024 Winter Whimsy Workshop recorded on January 28th, 2024. This workshop was the finale to the 21 Days of Winter Whimsy prompts which can all be found on IG. The four pillars of Winter Whimsy include:
- Look for Wonderland
- Comfort Food and Drink
- A Winter Soundtrack
- Your Seasonal Sensory Map
In this episode you'll be coached through 5 distinct mindfulness prompts to help you access the things about winter that bring you joy, peace, calm and rest. By the end of the episode you'll be able to balance your resistance of the winter season with a sense of peace and even gratitude for the Winter!
If you're interested in 1:1 gratitude coaching, I will be opening a few slots in the spring for anyone interested in additional time and support to nurture their gratitude practice and to find relief from the overwhelm and burnout of millennial motherhood. You can let me know you're interested at the form here: https://forms.gle/PbtrFTUmJMA7u4dU8
Thank you for joining me for Season 4, it's going to be an exciting season for all of us!
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! I can’t believe we’re wrapping up Season 3 of Medium Lady Talks with another “Five Things” episode. Join me as I reflect on the top five things I'm bringing with me from 2023 into 2024. From leveling up my skincare routine to my beloved reading tracker, I’ll share five meaningful things in my life that I couldn’t possibly leave behind in the last year.
As we wrap up Season 3, thank you for being part of this incredible community. Take a moment to share your reflections and spread the gratitude. I’ll be on a brief hiatus in January, but Season 4 kicks off in February. Share this episode, stay grateful, and see you in the next season!
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome back to Medium Lady Talks! In part two we’re continuing with the second half of 12 powerful questions to help you break free from self-limiting beliefs and pave the way for personal growth in 2024. Reflecting on inspiring interviews from previous episodes, I’ll discuss questions 7-12 that will spark introspection and guide you toward a more intentional and fulfilling life.
PART TWO - Questions 7-12
- Gradual Progress and Realistic Spaces:
- In what small, gradual ways can you move towards a more realistic and purposeful space?
- Sharing Your Story and Facing Sacrifices:
- What beliefs do you hold about sharing your story, and have you
- Radical Acceptance and Self-Celebration:
- How can you practice radical acceptance and take pride in who you are without wishing for life to be different?
- Shifting From Permanent to Experimental Mindset:
- How can you shift from seeing things as permanent decisions to embracing life as an experiment?
- Asking the Right Questions:
- Can you recall a situation where asking the right questions helped you gain clarity or led to positive change?
- Validating Yourself Without Shame:
- How can you validate yourself without relying on shame as a motivator?
🔗 Previous Episodes Mentioned:
Listen to part one here: Episode 94 PART ONE: How to get out of your own way in 2024
- Episode 87: Cultivating Your Aspirational To-Do List
- Join us in exploring the impact of 'shoulds' versus wants with guest Stephanie Cunningham. Listen here.
- Episode 89: Everyday Manifesting
- Discover the power of manifesting and how to overcome resistance with Diana Alexander Rane. Listen here.
- Episode 90: Finding Calm in the Life You Already Have
- High Achiever Coach Cecelia Mandryk shares insights on finding calm amidst life's chaos. Listen here.
- Episode 91: Expression and Identity
- Rediscover your likes and explore expression with Personal Stylist Hanna Donelly. Listen here.
- Episode 92: The Art of Gathering Without Losing Yourself
- Special guest Carrie-Ann Kloda shares insights on maintaining your identity while navigating social gatherings. Listen here.
- Episode 93: Let Good Enough be Good Enough
- Embrace the power of 'good enough' with guest Danielle Hines. Listen here.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Welcome to the first half of episode 94! In this episode, we're exploring the first 6 of 12 powerful questions to help you break free from self-limiting beliefs and pave the way for personal growth in 2024. Reflecting on inspiring interviews from previous episodes, I've crafted questions that will spark introspection and guide you toward a more intentional and fulfilling life.
PART ONE - Questions 1-6
- Reflect on Your Shoulds vs. Wants:
- What 'shoulds' are holding you back, and how can you align your goals with what you truly want?
Taking Small, Intentional Steps:* What small, intentional steps can you take today that align with your bigger aspirations?
Navigating Perfectionism and Growth:* How does perfectionism serve others more than you, and how can you shift to a healthier approach to performance?
Infusing Joy and Calm:* How can you incorporate moments of joy and calm into your routine, especially when trying something new?
Celebrating Wins and Combatting Imposter Syndrome:* What weekly ritual can you create to acknowledge and celebrate your wins, combatting imposter syndrome?
Defining Purpose Amidst Distractions:* How do you define your purpose clearly amidst distractions and external expectations?
🔗 Previous Episodes Mentioned:
- Episode 87: Cultivating Your Aspirational To-Do List
- Join us in exploring the impact of 'shoulds' versus wants with guest Stephanie Cunningham. Listen here.
- Episode 89: Everyday Manifesting
- Discover the power of manifesting and how to overcome resistance with Diana Alexander Rane. Listen here.
- Episode 90: Finding Calm in the Life You Already Have
- High Achiever Coach Cecelia Mandryk shares insights on finding calm amidst life's chaos. Listen here.
- Episode 91: Expression and Identity
- Rediscover your likes and explore expression with Personal Stylist Hanna Donelly. Listen here.
- Episode 92: The Art of Gathering Without Losing Yourself
- Special guest Carrie-Ann Kloda shares insights on maintaining your identity while navigating social gatherings. Listen here.
- Episode 93: Let Good Enough be Good Enough
- Embrace the power of 'good enough' with guest Danielle Hines. Listen here.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello! Seeing as Cozy Christmas Reads has become an annual tradition for Medium Lady Talks I wanted to make sure those of you tuned in to this feed have a chance to enjoy the THIRD annual Cozy Christmas Reads Episode! Happy Holidays and Merry Reading!!!xo Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads this is episode 12, Cozy Christmas Reads 2023; Featuring Ali Oppenlaender and Stephanie Cunningham.This week’s episode is extra special, because not only do you have Erin and Jillian, but you have the other two members of their Buddy Read Group, Ali and Stef. Together they’re going to be discussing their favorite cozy books that would be perfect to read this holiday season.
This episode was recorded in separate locations, but it is just as full of love and fun!
In This Episode:
- All four ladies check in and share how they’re reading is going.
- If you’d like to go back and listen to the previous episodes of Cozy Christmas Reads, you can listen to 2021’s episode here and 2022’s episode here.
- Each woman shares their definition of what a Cozy Christmas Read is to them.
- The women go round-robin through their recommendations. Prepare for 8 new cozy reads!
- Next up are hot takes, listen to the episode to hear what the ladies are sharing their thoughts on.
- Parnassus Books on IG: https://www.instagram.com/parnassusbooks/?hl=en
- Supposedly Fun on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/supposedlyfun, especially his episode reviewing the NYT Top 100 books of 2023: https://youtu.be/84IoxwSjAyo?si=4C7IwUI46L9QTuhC
- Best of Goodreads 2023 List
- To end the show the ladies share their holds list.
Books Mentioned In This Episode:
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
- A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
- One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
- The Princess and The Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
- The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood
- Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
- Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
- Legends & Lattes by Travis Balder
- Beyond the Four Kingdoms Series by Melanie Cellier
- The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett
- Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
- A Family for St. Nick: A Heartwarming Holiday Romance by Barbara Meyers
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
- The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
- Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley
- All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
- A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
- Foster by Claire Keegan
If you enjoyed this episode we would love it if you recommended us to a friend or loved one! Be sure to take a screenshot and share on Instagram stories, and tag both Jillian (@jillianfindinghappy) and Erin (@medium.lady), or the podcast @mediumladyreads, so that they can reshare the love!
Thanks for listening and if you enjoyed what you heard, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Tune in on December 27th for the next episode of the Medium Lady Reads Podcast.
Hello, hi! Today’s episode features an interview with author and writing coach Danielle Hines. Danielle shares all about her experience as a writer and editor and gives incredible advice for “how to get out of your own way,” Danielle shares her personal story with authenticity and vulnerability. If you’ve ever worried about how long your journey to self expression and following your dreams may take, this is the episode for you!
More in the Episode:
- If you have an impulse to tell your story, Danelle says you should follow it! “The impulse to tell your story means there’s someone out there who needs to hear it”
- Hear about how Danielle’s journey as an author began thanks to NaNoWriMo as a way to cope with the end of her marriage.
- Danielle shares that she finished her first novel “by sheer force of will” and we unpack what it feels like to try to race to the finish line of good enough
- How Danielle kept writing even while spending next 10 years rebuilding her life after the release of her first book and the end of her marriage
- Danielle is a firm believer in the outcomes of strong mental health care!
- Part of our interview explores the other fiction writing Danielle has done as a ghost writer, and she generously shares her experience in the publishing industry, the intention and purpose behind ghostwriting versus authored works.
- Even when you slow down the pace of pursuit when it comes to your dreams, Danielle has advice for how to nurture that flame in small ways, especially when it comes to finding community to keep you afloat.
- Never discount the compound effects of small consistent actions!
- You won’t want to miss the compassionate exercise Danielle walks thorough for people who say “I want this….but I can’t”
- Danielle shares the difference between big publishing houses, indie publishing and self-publishing
- Finally, Danielle shares what to do when you recognize that your small step season is ended, and you’re ready to transition to focusing on something bigger
Connect with Danielle
- On Instagram @danielleswriting
- On TikTok @danielleswriting
- Buy The Sweetwood Series here!
- Buy Without Fear of Falling here!
- Subscribe to Danielle’s Substack Little Love Stories
- Danielle’s website: https://writingmiracles.me/
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! This episode continues the Medium Lady Series on “How to get out of your own way” and we’re talking all about hosting holiday gatherings. Carrie-Ann Kloda is a wedding coach and host of The Feminist Wedding Podcast. She helps conscious couples confidently navigate the hidden hurdles of wedding planning, calming the emotional upsets and financial surprises that come with the job, so you can have a relaxed, connected experience that feels fresh, unconventional, joyful, and unequivocally you.
- Carrie-Ann’s journey to become a wedding planner and coach with a Feminist point of view
- Carrie-Ann’s inborn believe in herself and her growth
- You’ll love this Hack Carrie-Ann uses to combat her imposter syndrome
- How to approach holiday gatherings with intention
- How to be curious about your own limiting beliefs about gathering over the holidays
- Carrie-Ann is a master of boundaries but her biggest piece of boundary advice comes from Coco Chanel…
- Why hosting or holding more events might require you to take a “me first” approach
- You deserve to enjoy the holidays - even if it requires a bit of thought upfront to remove friction so you can enjoy yourself seamlessly
Connect with Carrie-Ann:
- Website: www.carrieannkloda.ca/jumpstart DM Carrie Ann on instagram and let her know you heard about the program on Medium Lady Talks, for a special promotional rate
- The Feminist Wedding Podcast link to Spotify
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Other Resources Mentioned:
- The Art of Gathering By Priya Parker or watch one of her Ted Talks here!
- The only cookie recipe you need “World Peace Cookies
Today's episode brings you another insightful conversation on the subject of "How to Get Out of Your Own Way" this time, focusing on personal style and self expression. This episode's guest is Hanna Donnelly, the founder of Hanna Lee Style and a personal stylist. She is a personal stylist helping moms look and feel good without wasiring so much time (and energy).Hanna's journey into the world of styling was sparked by her Grandma's unique style and the power of self-expression through clothing, and further encouraged by her entreprenurial parents and supportive brother.
In this episode, we explore the importance of clothes as a means of self-expression and identity. One key takeaway is Hanna's emphasis on paying attention to your likes over time. By observing your preferences consistently, you can uncover your unique style and confidently decide how you want to present yourself. Hanna also encourages listeners to embrace experimentation, emphasizing that avoiding new styles often stems from a desire to preserve comfort.
If you've ever felt the desire to revamp your wardrobe but found yourself hesitating, this episode is a guide to overcoming self-judgment, boosting self-compassion, and embarking on a joyful exploration of your personal style.
Connect with Hanna:
- Instagram @hannaleestyle
- www.hannaleestyle.com
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Today’s episode continues the MLT interview series “How to Get Out of Your Own Way.” and features Cecelia Baum Mandryk a life coach for high achievers. Cecelia’s mission in life is to help high achievers make their brains a calmer place to be, without radical life changes.
Episode Highlights
- Cecelia's unique journey from geologist to life coach and the pivotal life transitions that guided her path.
- Exploring unhealthy perfectionism among high achievers and practical reflections to identify these patterns.
- Sharing my personal struggles as a high achiever and Cecelia's insights on transitioning from external validation to finding calm within our personal why.
- Tolerating imperfection, embracing the process of trying something new, and normalizing the feelings we often try to avoid.
Connect with Cecelia:
- Instagram @ceceliabmandryk
- Online www.ceceliabmandryk.com
- Cecelia’s group coaching program will be enrolling for January soon, be sure to get on her waitlist!
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Key topics:
- Calm Mindset
- Life Transitions
- High Achievers
- Perfectionism
- Personal Why
- Fixed Mindset
- External Validation
- Trying Something New
- Imperfection Tolerance
- Embracing the Process
- Feelings Acknowledgment
- Cecelia B Mandryk
- Group Coaching Program
- Waitlist Enrollment
- MLT Interview Series
In today’s episode I start the first part of my interview series “How to Get Out of Your own Way.” We kick off with Diana Alexander Rane a manifestation coach. Diana is such a warm and approachable person, we talked all about why you might resist manifestation, how to let it become an easy part of your life, and how to notice and adjust limiting beliefs that might be keep8ing you from stepping into the place in the world that is made for you.
Episode Highlights:
- Diana shares her first experience in high school with manifesting
- How studying health coaching turned into stress management turned into manifestation coaching
- What Diana did when she found herself in a job she hated
- Treating yourself with kindness while you change your mindset to manifest your desires
- Can Manifestation be as easy as it seems?
- What is a limiting belief? Where does it come from? How do we notice them?
- The example of how to shift beliefs using manifesting practices when it comes to making money
- The one key question to get out of your own way and go after what you’ve been dreaming of
- The funny example Diana shared of using Manifestation in her life - it’s not what you might expect!
Recommended Resources:
- Byron Katie: the four liberating questions https://thework.com/2017/10/four-liberating-questions/
- Carolyn Mace https://www.myss.com/start-here/ describest personal truths and universal truths
Connect with Diana:
- Instagram: @diana_alexander_rane https://www.instagram.com/diana_alexander_rane/
- Explore Diana’s podcast The Conscious Mustard https://open.spotify.com/show/3zPrGwuQctZcBFiVaVFV5i?si=6dfca99d18174828
with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, Hi! In this episode, we revisit Erin's "40 for 40" list, which she created when she turned 40 in April. With six months passed, she takes a closer look at the items on her list, reflecting on why she made those choices and whether they still resonate with her. What has she accomplished? What remains? What has changed?
Episode Highlights:
- Revisiting the "40 for 40" List - Erin delves into the story behind her "40 for 40" list and the motivations driving her choices.
- Crossed Off the List - Erin discusses the items she's successfully checked off and the experiences she's gained.
- Kept for the Future - She explores the items she plans to continue working on and why they're still important.
- Adaptations and Insights - Erin shares her evolving perspective on certain list items, emphasizing the value of introspection and self-growth.
References to Previous Episodes:
- MLT Ep 65: "Should You Make a 40 for 40 List? My Birthday Milestone" - In this episode, Erin discussed the concept of creating a "40 for 40" list and shared the experience with her BFFs, Emily and Sarah.
- MLT Ep 74: "How to Be a Human With A Voice with guest Jam Gamble" - Erin and her guest, Jam Gamble, explored the importance of finding your voice and expressing yourself.
- MLT Ep 87: "Cultivating your Aspirations: The Power of the To Do List with Stephanie Cunningham" - In this episode, Stephanie Cunningham joined Erin to discuss the potential of aspirational to-do lists.
- Medium Lady Reads Episode 10: "Crush your Reading Goals with a Killer Holds List" - This podcast episode was dedicated to tips on achieving your reading goals with an efficient holds list.
Recommended Resources:
- Hobart New York - the NYT Article on this Book Village
- "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work" by John Gottman - A resource for building and maintaining strong relationships.
- "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman - A book on understanding love languages and enhancing relationships.
- "We All Want Impossible Things" by Catherine Newman - A book exploring human desires and ambitions.
- Hannah Louise Poston - Erin recommends Hannah Louise Poston, a beauty YouTuber, for her engaging content on YouTube.
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Key Terms
- 40 for 40 list
- Birthday milestone
- Personal growth
- Reflection and introspection
- Aspirational goals
- Accomplishments and goals
- Self-discovery
- Relationship advice
- The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
- The Five Love Languages
- We All Want Impossible Things
- Hannah Louise Poston
- Overcoming obstacles
- Prioritizing aspirations
- Revisiting goals
- Self-growth journey
Hello, hi! In this episode, we are joined by a special guest, Stephanie Cunningham, who's known for living real life and inviting us to come along for the journey on her Instagram (@steffski). Stephanie is a wife, mom, and business owner who brings humor, moderation, and authenticity to her online presence.
Topics Covered:
- What is an Aspirational To-Do List?
We dive into what an aspirational to-do list is and why we find it valuable to have this space to cultivate and curate things that make us feel like we can aspire to something in the future.
- The "To-Do" Dilemma
We explore the challenges and pitfalls associated with labeling this list as a "to-do." While it's not your typical task list, we discuss why the term is often used.
- Joyful Aspirations
Learn how to ensure your aspirational to-do list remains filled with joyous items, and making sure those aren’t conditional to your future happiness.
- Experimentation and Exploration
Discover how an aspirational to-do list can be a place to experiment with what might matter in the future. It's all about exploring possibilities.
- Fear and Regret
We discuss choosing the possibility of fear over the possibility of regret when it comes to these aspirational goals.
- Freedom Within Boundaries
How can your aspirational to-do list help you find freedom within the boundaries of what's possible? We explore how this list can empower you.
Pivotal Moments
Stephanie shares a pivotal moment that set the stage for her confidence and wisdom beyond her years.
Other Episodes with Stef:
- Medium Lady Talks about Internet Realness with Stephanie Cunningham
- Cozy Christmas Reads 2022
Other Resources Mentioned:
We touch on the work of Jonathan Meritt. For more, you can visit his website at Jonathan Meritt or follow him on Instagram @jonathan-merritt
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Key Terms:
- Aspirational to-do list
- Aspiration and goals
- Navigating future aspirations
- Curating your dream list
- Managing future desires
- Fear vs. regret in goal setting
- Living real life with intention
- Experimentation with aspirations
- Joyful goal setting
- Balancing freedom and possibilities
Hello, hi! In Episode 86, we dive into a lively discussion about children and sports, exploring the question: Is it all a bit too much for parents? We'll bring you:
Our Personal Perspectives: Join Nick and Erin as they share their differing views and experiences with rep league baseball, especially after a summer filled with baseball adventures. Spoiler alert: Nick loved it, while Erin's enthusiasm may have dipped a bit.
Growing Up with Sports Influence: We delve into the contrasting childhood experiences Nick and Erin had regarding the influence of sports. This discussion sheds light on how they've come to choose their children's extracurricular activities as parents themselves.
Importance of Perspective: With kids' sports that can be quite demanding in terms of time and coordination, we stress the significance of maintaining a balanced perspective. Remember, it's supposed to be fun for everyone involved!
Finding Balance: We discuss the strategies for achieving a balanced family life while navigating the commitment to rep league sports.
Catch up on previous episodes with Nick:
- Episode 60: Eight ways to make better decisions with your Spouse
- Episode 51: Tired Parents are Tired with Handsome Face
- Episode 42: Video Games, Hot Takes, and Story time with Handsome Face
- Episode 30: Introverts and Extroverts with Handsome Face
- Episode 20: Medium Lady Talks to Handsome Face
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Key Terms:
- Kids and sports
- Parenting and rep league sports
- Balancing family life with sports commitments
- Children's extracurricular activities
- Rep league baseball
- Parenthood perspectives
- Making better decisions as parents
- Finding compromise in family time
- Parenting challenges and solutions
- Family discussions on children's activities
- Kids' sports influence on parents
- Sports in childhood and its impact on parenting
Hello, hi! Fall is here, and it's time to embrace the beauty and magic of this season. In this episode, join me as I share five ways I’m living my favourite life. From decluttering and reorganizing my kitchen to crafting a mindful morning routine, I hope there’s something to inspire you within this episode:
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Kitchen Purge and Reorganization: There’s a special kind of lightness and freedom that comes from decluttering and reorganizing your kitchen space. Find out how I did this with my best friend Sarah, making it a liberating experience.
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Mindful Morning Ritual: I’m way into my go-to breakfast – instant oatmeal, chopped apples, walnuts, and a soothing cup of tea. Learn how this simple, up front decision sets a peaceful tone for the day, promoting mindful presence.
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Parenting Insights: Listening to The Unruffled Podcast with Janet Lansbury is helping me become a more authentic and kind parent to my 4-year-old. It's all about embracing the parenting journey.
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Low-Stakes Decision Randomization: My favourite life includes leaving certain choices, like my next book or nail polish to wear, up to chance. I’m surprised by the spontaneity and joy that randomness can bring.
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Medium Lady Reads: Hosting this podcast aligns with my identity and values, making it a fulfilling endeavor. I hope you’ll Join me and Jillian O’Keefe on our book podcast, where we discuss our favorite reads and literary adventures!
6. BONUS: No More Snooze Button: By quitting the snooze button, I've given my body the time it needs to wake up naturally. This simple change has transformed my mornings, leaving me less anxious and overwhelmed.
Other Episodes Mentioned:
- Episode 83: Is your Self Care Helpful or Harmful?
- Episode 45: Five Things Saving My Fall 2022
Books and Resources Mentioned:
- Real Self Care A Transformative Program for Re-defining Wellness (Cleanses Crystals and Bubble Baths Not Included) by Pooja Lakshmin Md.
- The Cladwell App
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Key Terms
- Fall Season Mindfulness
- Kitchen Decluttering
- Mindful Morning Routine
- Parenting Insights
- Unruffled Podcast
- Low-Stakes Decision Making
- Randomization in Choices
- Medium Lady Reads Podcast
- Quitting the Snooze Button
- Snooze-Free Mornings
- Mindful Fall Practices
- Seasonal Living
- Fall Favorites
- Real Self Care
- Fall Self Care
- Seasonal Transitions
- Kitchen Reorganization
- Mindful Breakfast Routine
- Authentic Parenting
- Fall Season Wellness
- Life Balance in Fall
- Mindful Living
- Snooze-Free Mornings
- Fall Season Transformations
- Self-Care Practices
- Pooja Lakshmin MD
- Embracing Fall Mindfully
- Seasonal Self-Care
- MLT Ep 84 - September to October: Monthly Planning and Mindful Transitions
Access my FREE Downloadable Workbook: "How to Start a New Month with Medium Effort and Mindful Fun."
In this episode, we dive into my monthly planner once more, and explore the art of planning self-care for the upcoming month. We follow these essential steps:
-
What is Known?
- Reflecting on what's certain in the month ahead.
-
What is Unknown?
-
Anticipating the surprises and uncertainties.
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Who Am I and What Do I Like?
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Exploring your own identity and preferences.
By answering these questions, we craft a unique plan to align with the month's energy. For me, these answers led to the following plan:
- Reading: Delving into "Outlive" by Peter Attia, "You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty" by Akwaeke Emezi, "A Song of Snakes and Songbirds" by Suzanne Collins, and "Cassandra in Reverse" by Holly Smale.
- Play: Embodying a new character every day from TV, books, or movies, embracing their style, attitude, or outlook.
- Try: Committing to setting my outfit the night before for 30 days straight.
- Focus: Channeling my thoughts towards getting out of my own way, especially in parenting.
Catch up on other episodes in the September Self-Care Series, including discussions on self-care personas and overcoming resistance to change.
Other Helpful Episodes:
- Episode 83: Is your Self Care Helpful or Harmful?
- Episode 82: The Identity Revolution: Why I plan my free time each month
- Episode 81: September Self-Care Guide: Overcoming Resistance to Change
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads."
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! In today's episode, we dive into the transformative world of self-care by exploring the insights from Dr. Pooja Lakshmin's book "Real Self Care: A Transformative Program for Re-defining Wellness (Cleanses, Crystals, and Bubble Baths Not Included)". This book reminds us that self-care isn't just a method but a fundamental principle that can guide us toward healthier practices.
Take my quick quiz to see which Self Care persona fits you! Quiz Link
The Three Self Care Personas
Dr. Lakshmin introduces us to three distinct self-care personas, each driven by specific emotions and motivations:
- The Escape Persona: This persona seeks self-care as an escape. They may indulge in retreats and isolation from daily responsibilities, finding solace in the care of strangers.
- The Achievement Persona: For this persona, self-care is often tied to achievement. They are driven by a desire to prove themselves, sometimes to the point of isolation, and yearn for meaningful connections amidst their busy lives.
- The Optimizer Persona: This persona focuses on hyper-competence, productivity, organization, and control. They see time management as the ultimate form of self-care.
Understanding Your Self Care Persona
We'll explore the emotions that drive each persona and delve into strategies to choose alternative, healthier self-care practices that align with your persona.
Affirmations for Positive Change
Additionally, we'll provide affirmations tailored to each persona to support positive transformations in your self-care journey.
Resources Mentioned
- Book: "Real Self Care: A Transformative Program for Re-defining Wellness (Cleanses, Crystals, and Bubble Baths Not Included)" by Pooja Lakshmin MD.
- Book: "How to Keep House While Drowning" by KC Davis.
- Podcast: Pooja Lakshmin on Struggle Care.
- Previous Episode: Episode 82: The Identity Revolution: Why I plan my free time each month.
- Self-Compassion Assessment Tool: A resource from Kristin Neff for exploring self-compassion.
- Self Compassion Break: An adapted exercise by Kristin Neff within the episode.
- Book: "Overcoming Overwhelm" by Dr. Samantha Brody.
Key Topics
-
Self Care Personas
- Understanding different approaches to self-care
-
Emotional Drivers
-
Exploring the motivations behind self-care choices
-
Alternative Self-Care Strategies
-
Finding healthier practices for self-care
-
Positive Affirmations
-
Using affirmations for personal growth
-
Recommended Resources
-
Books and podcasts for self-improvement
-
Self-Care Quiz
-
Discover your own self-care persona
Connect with Erin:
- Instagram: @medium.lady
- Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
- Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads."
- Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Hello, hi! In this episode, I delve into the profound impact of planning your free time on self-identity and personal growth. Join me as I share personal insights and experiences from four years of planning my reading, play, self development, and mindset each month.
Benefits of Monthly Free Time Planning:
- Discover how planning your free time can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.
- Learn how it empowers you to set and achieve personal goals.
- Achieve a harmonious balance between work, responsibilities, and leisure.
The Planning Process:
- Access my FREE Downloadable Workbook: "How to Start a New Month with Medium Effort and Mindful Fun."
- Explore the importance of setting realistic goals and bridging the gap between your realistic self and your idealistic self.
Living Out Your Monthly Free Time Plan:
- Gain valuable insights on how to allocate time for various activities, including self-care, hobbies, socializing, and relaxation.
- Embrace the flexibility to adapt your plan to unexpected events and opportunities.
Goal Setting and Tracking:
- Explore the art of setting flexible goals for your free time.
- Delve into the nuances of why tracking your activities may not always be necessary.
Overcoming Challenges:
- Anticipate common challenges associated with free time planning, such as over-scheduling or underestimating the time needed.
- Discover practical tips for effectively addressing these challenges.
Additional Resources Mentioned:
- "Atomic Habits" by James Clear - Find it at your local library here
- “The Dance of Anger” by Harriet Learner - Find it at your local library here
Other Episodes Mentioned (Spotify Links):
- Episode 57: How to Plan a New Month: Guided Journal Practice for a Month of Self Discovery
- Episode 58: How I Plan my Month: An Example of Thoughtful and Personalized Monthly Planning
- Episode 61: Gentle Goal Setting for Burnt-out Millennials and Mothers
- Episode 69: Unlocking the Simple Secrets of Goal Setting with Guest Jillian O’Keefe
Key Topics:
-
The transformative power of planning free time on self-identity.
-
Practical benefits of monthly free time planning.
-
Navigating the planning process with realism and mindfulness.
-
Living out your monthly free time plan and adapting to change.
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Goal setting, tracking, and the wisdom of flexibility.
-
Overcoming common challenges in free time planning.
Connect with Erin:
-
Instagram: @medium.lady
-
Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com
-
Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads."
-
Instagram: @mediumladyreads
Are you feeling the resistance to the fall transition creeping in? I know I am. 1. What is Known About the Month Ahead: We'll assess what's on the horizon for September and set our intentions accordingly.
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What I'm Learning from the Past: Reflecting on the past month helps us gain valuable insights for the future.
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Personal Favorites and Seasonality for the Month Ahead: Paying attention to the things you already love and the signs that cue you to the new season can ground you in the present.
📖 Monthly Plan for September: I'll walk you through my September plan, sharing my reading list, a fun playtime challenge, and a personal growth goal for the month.
Books Referenced:
- "The House Keepers" by Alex Hay
- "The Librarianist" by Patrick deWitt
- "Home Fire" by Kamila Shamsie
- "The Dance of Anger" by Harriet Lerner
Episodes Mentioned (Spotify Links):
- Episode 19: "Medium Lady Talks about September" [Listen here]
- Episode 57: "How to Plan a New Month: Guided Journal Practice for a Month of Self-Discovery" [Listen here]
- Episode 58: "How I Plan my Month: An example of Thoughtful and Personalized monthly Planning" [Listen here]
Don't miss out on the tools and insights you need to tackle the fall season with grace and positivity.
If you want to connect further, I'd love to hear from you on Instagram you can find me @medium.lady !
If you want allll the book content make sure you're also following Medium Lady Reads
Hello, hi! This episode delivers part two of my conversation about women’s health and empowerment with Sarah Rich. Drawing from her background in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family studies, coupled with a minor in psychology, Sarah brings a distinctive perspective that shapes our conversation. Her versatile career journey—from construction to taxes and beauty—has honed her adaptability and nurtured an insatiable curiosity.
Venturing abroad during her dynamic 20s ignited her love for exploration, a passion she now fuels through running, rowing, boxing, and weight lifting. Sarah embraces the roles of a devoted spouse and a mother of three, excelling in both her professional pursuits and her familial bonds.
With over a decade dedicated to fostering student development at a university, Sarah empowers young minds to flourish, though her true calling lies in championing diversity and inclusivity. Her advocacy extends to women, visible minorities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals, enriching lives through her unrelenting commitment.
In this continuation of our candid conversation about menstrual health, join us as we dive even deeper into the topic of women's cycles and the broader spectrum of experiences that come along with it. Host Erin Vandeven and her best friend Sarah explore these matters with openness and a touch of humour – all while engaging in some makeup playtime!
- Breaking the Silence: We address the importance of more open conversations surrounding menstrual health. By doing so, we aim to foster inclusivity, alleviate feelings of isolation, and diminish societal marginalization.
- Banishing Guilt and Shame: We explore the necessity of dispelling guilt associated with hormonal cycle-related symptoms. This includes breaking free from self-judgment and embracing a healthier understanding of the body's natural fluctuations.
- Beyond Menstrual Products: An intriguing question arises – why are there no products tailored to support women throughout their entire hormonal cycle, beyond just menstruation?
- Cycling and Sexuality: Expecting variations in sexual desire and experiences as hormones shift throughout the monthly cycle. We discuss the ebbs and flows of sexuality and how to navigate these changes.
- Talking to Kids About Periods: Sharing age-appropriate and accessible information with children about periods is vital. We explore how this conversation differs from the way we learned about menstruation and the benefits it offers.
- The Menstrual Myth Dilemma: We delve into the harms of menstrual myths, especially when women seek medical help for symptoms or pain. Often, they face gaslighting within the healthcare system, hindering accurate diagnoses.
- Advice for Our Younger Selves: Reflecting on our own experiences, we share the advice we wish we could offer our younger selves about understanding and embracing our periods.
- Sarah's Top Tip: Sarah provides an insightful tip for all listeners who experience a menstrual cycle, offering guidance to put this episode's inspiration into action.
Join Sarah and I as we continue to uncover the unspoken facets of women's health and strive to empower individuals on their unique journeys of self-discovery.
Key Topics:
- Menstrual health
- Women's cycles
- Open dialogue about periods
- Hormonal symptoms
- Dispelling guilt and shame
- Support beyond menstrual phase
- Impact of hormonal cycles on sexuality
- Conversations about periods with children
- Menstrual myths
- Medical diagnoses and menstrual symptoms
- Advice for younger selves about periods
- Women's health and well-being
Connect with Sarah:
- @aseversarah on Instagram
Connect with Host:
- @medium.lady on Instagram
- You can also listen to my NEW podcast Medium Lady Reads, with my co-host Jillian O’Keefe, for all the book exclusive Medium Lady content
Hello, hi! In this episode, I have the pleasure of welcoming Sarah, an exceptional force in my life, not only my BFF but an amazing women's health advocate. Drawing from her background in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family studies, coupled with a minor in psychology, Sarah brings a distinctive perspective that shapes our conversation. Her versatile career journey—from construction to taxes and beauty—has honed her adaptability and nurtured an insatiable curiosity.
Venturing abroad during her dynamic 20s ignited her love for exploration, a passion she now fuels through running, rowing, boxing, and weight lifting. Sarah embraces the roles of a devoted spouse and a mother of three, excelling in both her professional pursuits and her familial bonds.
With over a decade dedicated to fostering student development at a university, Sarah empowers young minds to flourish, though her true calling lies in championing diversity and inclusivity. Her advocacy extends to women, visible minorities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals, enriching lives through her unrelenting commitment.
In the first part of our conversation, we journey through the evolution of our understanding of menstruation. Sarah imparts insights into the various phases of the menstrual cycle, shedding light on the intricate interplay of hormones and its impact on women's well-being and empowerment
As our conversation continues we dismantle some of the myths surrounding the menstrual cycle, focusing on debunking misconceptions about PMS. We navigate the historical taboos and stigmas that have impeded progress and women's rights.
As we wrap up part one of this conversation our focus turns to menstrual health education and empowerment.
Sarah's remarkable journey of quietly embracing life's challenges while empowering others, including myself, to embrace their authentic selves, serves as an inspiring beacon of encouragement.
Join us in this empowering conversation, where we celebrate the essence of womanhood and the resilient spirit that binds us all
Key Topics:
- Evolution of Menstrual Understanding
- Significance of Menstrual Health Beyond Physiology
- Menstrual Myths and PMS Debunking
- Historical Taboos and Women's Rights
- Menstrual Health Education and Empowerment
- Literary Resources: "Enlightenment Now" by Steven Pinker, "Do Less" by Kate Northrup
- "Kate and Mike Show" Episode 143: "Your Period Moon Cyclical Living Questions Answered"
- Diversity, Inclusion, and Advocacy
- Holistic Well-Being and Hormonal Influence
Resources Mentioned:
- "Enlightenment Now" by Steven Pinker
- "Do Less" by Kate Northrup
- Kate and Mike Show: Episode 143 "Your Period Moon Cyclical Living Questions Answered"
Connect with Sarah:
- @aseversarah on Instagram
Connect with Host:
- @medium.lady on Instagram
- You can also listen to Medium Lady Reads for all the book exclusive medium lady content
Audio Credits:
Climb by the Ghost in Your Piano - used via Creative Commons License
Hello hi!
In this captivating continuation of the interview with Brianna Guild, a dedicated speech-language pathologist and literacy coach, we delve deep into the realm of reading and literacy. Brianna, a registered Speech-Language Pathologist in Ontario, shares her insights as a private practice SLP, with a particular passion for supporting literacy development in children and youth.
Explore the power of the Structured Literacy Approach as Brianna reveals how it empowers readers with a strong foundation of structured sounds, vowels, and words, transforming the reading experience.
Discover valuable tips for parents on how to support kids in their reading journey, whether navigating challenges or simply exploring the joy of books.
Delve into the fascinating connection between the human brain and the process of learning how to read. Brianna provides intriguing insights, revealing that the brain wasn't naturally wired for reading, and guides us through the intricate process of developing this essential skill.
Find out more about the transformative impact of audiobooks for those facing literacy challenges or seeking a new way to engage with stories. Brianna highlights how audiobooks can spark a love for literature and broaden literary horizons.
Join us on this enriching episode, where Brianna's expertise and passion shine through as we uncover the wonders of reading and its profound influence on our lives.
If you missed Part One of this conversation, make sure you check out Episode 71: Unlocking Literacy: Speech Language Pathologist Brianna Guild on Building the SLP Literacy Corner
Brianna is always happy to provide virtual speech therapy services to residents of Ontario if anyone is searching for an SLP! You can also find Brianna at SLP Literacy Corner!
SLP Literacy Corner info
- Website: https://www.slpliteracycorner.ca/
- TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Slp-Literacy-Corner
- Instagram: @slp.literacy.corner
- Threads: @slp.literacy.corner
- Facebook: SLP Literacy Corner
Also mentioned:
- Sold a Story podcast: https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
- Ontario Language Curriculum: https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-language
- Structured Literacy Instruction: https://dyslexiaida.org/structured-literacy-effective-instruction-for-students-with-dyslexia-and-related-reading-difficulties/
- Simple View of Reading: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/simple-view-reading
- Scarborough's Reading Rope: https://www.reallygreatreading.com/content/scarboroughs-reading-rope
Medium Lady Reads (my new spinoff podcast) now has it’s own feed! Make sure you follow wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts
Spotify
Apple
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're following the podcast so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! If you’ve ever wondered HOW someone might begin to build the place in the world that’s made for them, today is the episode for you. I interviewed Brianna Guild, a registered Speech-Language Pathologist in Ontario. Brianna works as a private practice SLP, and has been providing services virtually full-time since 2020. She provides a range of speech therapy services, but is especially interested in literacy.
Brianna and I talk all about reading including:
- Her journey to learn how to read as well as my son Henry, and my own reading journey
- How Brianna went from struggling learning how to read to becoming an SLP
- Brianna has set ambitious goals to get closer to the place in the world that’s made for her, starting with SLP Literacy Corner!
Brianna is always happy to provide virtual speech therapy services to residents of Ontario if anyone is searching for an SLP! You can also find Brianna at:
Website: https://www.slpliteracycorner.ca/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Slp-Literacy-Corner
Instagram: @slp.literacy.corner
Facebook: SLP Literacy Corner
Also Mentioned:
Hooked on phonics Jingle! From 1993!
Junie B Jones Series by Barbara Park https://www.goodreads.com/series/40833-junie-b-jones
SLP Literacy Corner on the Teachers Pay Teachers site
Episodes Referenced:
The Books that Turned us Readers: Medium Lady Reads Episode 1
Entrepreneurship, Personal Growth and Controlled Discomfort with Dana Castro Medium Lady Talks Episode 46
Building a Business around You with Dana Castro Medium Lady Talks Episode 47
Medium Lady Reads now has it’s own feed! Make sure you follow wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts
Spotify
Apple
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're following the podcast so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, Hi! In this episode, I interview Julia Washington @popculturemakesmejealous, a writer, producer, and podcast host based in California. Julia hosts two podcasts, "Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous," where she analyzes pop culture through the lens of race and gender, and "Jelly Pops Book Club," where she compares books to their screen adaptations
During the interview, we chat about various pop culture themes, such as representation and systemic oppression in Disney films like "The Little Mermaid". Julia's podcasts encourage using pop culture to explore identity and perspectives rather than using it as a means of escapism. Sometimes, while indulging we come across the “pop culture icks” and have to reconcile enjoying something while thinking critically about it.
I know you’ll be inspired as I am to hear Julia’s insights into the comfort and excitement that pop culture brings and her belief in using it to deepen self-discovery.
~~~
Julia’s three pop culture recommendations for the Medium Lady audience:
Movie: Moonwalker (1988) Michael Jackson’s experimental film about fandom available on YouTube
Television: High Fidelity (Hulu Original) This underrated show (2020) is a television adaptation of the film (2000) adapted from the book (1995) by Nicholas Hornby.
Book: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett an acclaimed novel about two estranged twins who build very different lives for themselves based on their chosen communities.
~~~
Also mentioned
- Still Comfy on YouTube (hosted by Julia and Natalie Katona host of “To all the Men I’ve Tolerated Before”
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s Mr. Yunioshi (a Japanese character played by Mickey Rooney (a white actor)
- Blindspotting on Starz
- Based on a True Story on Peacock and Crave TV
~~~
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
This will be the last episode of Medium Lady Reads shared on the main MLT feed! If you've been enjoying this content please be sure to search and subscribe to Medium Lady Reads wherever you listen to podcasts! Our next episode will release on July 24th!
~~~
Hello! Hi! Welcome to Episode 3 of the Medium Lady Reads Podcast! In today’s episode, Erin and Jillian are going to be discussing their latest three reads and providing some reviews and recommendations for books you’ll be sure to want to add to YOUR summer reading list!
If your TBR (to be read) pile isn’t large enough yet, then this is the episode for you! Listen in and be sure to tag us on Instagram to let us know which books you’ll be reading next!
In This Episode:
- Erin and Jillian check-in to see how each other’s summer reading has been going over the last couple weeks.
- The ladies discuss Goodreads and how they utilize it – be sure to follow them over there, if you use Goodreads. You can follow Jillian here, and Erin here.
- Jillian shares her first latest book: What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. Jillian shares what she loved and didn’t love about the book and a brief synopsis about the book.
- Erin’s first latest book is: Hello Beautiful by Ann Neapolitan. Erin shares why she loved the book and a brief synopsis of the book.
- Jillian’s next book is one of the big books of the summer, the Happy Place by Emily Henry. Jillian adored this book and shares why in this episode.
- Erin’s next book was Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, and was a 5-star read. This book was actually a recommendation from Currently Reading Podcast co-host Kaytee Cobb (@notesonbookmarks on IG).
- Jillian’s final latest book is The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane. After reading this book Jillian openly admits to really liking family dramas.
- Erin’s final latest book is VenCo by Cherie Dimalin. Erin shares her thoughts around the book, a brief synopsis and believes that if you like witches, you’ll enjoy this book.
- Hot Takes! A hot take is an opinion usually formed off the cuff and with little research - sometimes provocative TUNE IN to this episode to hear the hot take topic that Erin and Jillian are discussing this week.
- Finally, Jillian and Erin, as lovers of their public libraries, discuss their holds lists, what’s waiting for them and what has a long list of people before them.
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
- What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Neapolitan
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
- Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
- The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
- VenCo by Cherie Dimalin
If you enjoyed this episode we would love it if you recommended us to a friend or loved one! Be sure to take a screenshot and share on Instagram stories, and tag both Jillian (@jillianfindinghappy) and Erin (@medium.lady) so that they can reshare the love!
Thanks for listening and if you enjoyed what you heard, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Tune in on July 24th for the next episode of the Medium Lady Reads Podcast.
Hello, hi! In this episode I share the five things saving my summer. From indulging in charcuterie plates to embracing personal food choices, I explore the simple joys and conveniences that make a difference in my life. Nostalgic moments in my Instagram archives and old Spotify playlists inspire me. Summer dresses bring comfort and style. I rave about 'The Five Things Cleaning Method' for a clean and organized home. Plus, I share my experience with leakproof underwear!! (omg). Throughout the episode, I encourage mindfulness, inviting you to pause and create your own summer saver lists to help you get through summer connected to yourself with more intention.
Connect with me and the Medium Lady Community on Instagram @medium.lady - I love to hear from listeners in my DMs! If you have ideas for future episodes I’m excited to know what you want to see on the show.
Medium Lady Reads is my other podcast about reading as self care, my love of the public library and thoughts and opinions on book culture having its “moment”, I would be tickled pink if you would give it a follow!
If you like this episode be sure to check out Episode 70 My life changing Perspective on how to have the best summer ever
Now a Spotify Playlist: All the “Five things” Episodes - you can binge previous episodes with personalized lists of how I’m mindfully reflecting on the things that help me feel most like myself
Also Mentioned:
How to Keep House While Drowning - by KC Davis
The Five Things Cleaning Method - more detail from Apartment Therapy
Knix Leakproof Underwear - I love the high-rise version! This link will give you 20$ off your purchase from the Knix website (*I receive a 20$ credit when you use the link)
The MLT theme music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, I'm grateful to use it via creative commons licensing.
Hello! Hi! This is another Bonus episode of the newest podcast for the Medium Lady community- it's Medium Lady Reads! In Episode 2 Erin and Jillian are going to be sharing a love letter to one of their current favorite contemporary authors… TJ Klune.
In this episode, Jilian and Erin discuss TJ Klune’s three most recent contemporary adult novels: The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020), Under the Whispering Door (2021), and his most recent book In the Lives of Puppets, which came out in April of 2023.
When both women read all three books and loved them all, it cemented the love they have for the author, TJ Klune.
In This Episode:
- Erin and Jillian check in to see how each other’s reading has been going over the last few weeks.
- Jillian shares some fun facts about TJ Klune and some of his novels.
- A brief overview of all three novels
- Erin and Jillian each rank the books, and each has a different ranking for all three! Listen to hear who listed what book first.
- It comes as no surprise that TJ Klune, as an author, has quite a few strengths, Jillian and Erin discuss some of those in this episode.
- They also discuss Klune’s weaknesses
- Erin and Jillian introduce a new segment to their show – “Hot Takes” – A hot take is an opinion, usually formed off the cuff with little research, sometimes provocative.
- This episode’s hot take is Goodreads ratings – Trustworthy or Trash?
- Jillian and Erin wrap up with “The Holds List.” Both women have a very strong passion for the public library and so they discuss which books they have waiting for them on hold and which ones they’re most excited foR
Books Mentioned in This Episode:
- The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
- Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune
- In the Lives of Puppets - TJ Klune
- Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
- Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H.
- The Story Teller - Jodi Piccoult - for our buddy read
- Gender Identity for Kids: a book about finding yourself, understanding others, and respecting everybody! - Andy Passchier - something to read together with my kiddos.
If you enjoyed this episode we would love it if you recommended us to a friend or loved one! Be sure to take a screenshot and share it on Instagram stories, and tag both Jillian (@jillianfindinghappy) and Erin (@medium.lady) so that they can reshare the love!
If you’d like to connect with the author discussed in this episode, TJ Klune, you can find him at TJ Klune Books (@TJKluneBooks).
Thanks for listening and if you enjoyed what you heard, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts! The Medium Lady Reads podcast can be found on it's own feed wherever you listen to podcasts
Tune in on July 10th for the next episode of the Medium Lady Reads Podcast - found separately on its own feed, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hello, hi! In this episode of Medium Lady Talks, I have the thrill of interviewing Jam Gamble, @iamjamgamble, CEO and Founder of the Slay The Mic Program. We cover so much in this episode - including the evolution of STM a course taught by Jam where participants not only learn public speaking skills but also embark on a journey of personal growth and self-acceptance. We talk about authenticity required to use our voice online and OFFLINE. Jam describes the profound link between using one's voice and accepting one's identity, emphasizing how communication empowers self-expression and self-acceptance. The episode concludes with Jam sharing the best advice she ever received...and the worst! I know you'll end this episode feeling inspired like I was to embrace your voice and identity as you step into the place in the world that was made for you.
For more information on Slay The Mic visit slayerofthemic.com
Follow Jam @iamjamgamble - she is very quick to follow up on her DMs!
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're following the pod so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features a repeat guest on the pod, Bridget Baker from www.bridgetbakerbranding.com. In this episode Bridget and I talk about fun, play, joy and gratitude and how the small stuff can go a long way to nurture your identity this summer.
Bridget's course "Summer Camp" is a 7 day asynchronous program that you can sign up for now until September of 2023 at bridgetbakerbranding.com/summer-camp
Other Episodes with Bridget
Aspirational Clutter with Bridget Baker
Medium Lady Talks about Minimalism with Bridget Baker
Also mentioned:
Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
Elizabethtown with Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom
Cory Muscara meditation on YouTube
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Of course be sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello and welcome to Medium Lady Reads! This is a podcast about books and reading as self care, and today Medium Lady, Erin Vandeven and her co-host Jillian O’Keefe embark on a new project, the very first Medium Lady spin off podcast, which will be entirely book focused.
In this first episode, Jillian and Erin discuss how this dream host matchup came to be and what you can expect in future episodes.
Erin and Jillian briefly discuss how their reading is currently going, and how they sometimes come up against their own self-imposed reading rules and how they work to push through them.
This week’s theme is "Which books turned you into a reader?"
When it comes to reading, Jillian and Erin don't really believe that there's a right or wrong way to do it. Audiobooks, ebooks, physical, whatever works for you works for them. Regardless of how you intake your books, there were that book or books that sparked the love of reading for you as a child, or even as an adult, as Erin and Jillian will share in this episode.
These are the books that stand out, and bring a sense of joy whenever you think of them!
It’s fun to dive into this topic because you never know what books someone is going to mention – they run the gamut!! You’ll notice that’s even true between the books that Erin and Jillian share in this episode.
Two of the individuals mentioned in this episode were Lis (@everyoneslibrarian) and Hodges Soileau (@hodgessoileauartist).
If you enjoyed this episode we would love if you recommended us to a friend or loved one. Be sure to take a screenshot and share on Instagram stories, and be sure to tag both Jillian (@jillianfindinghappy) and Erin (@medium.lady) so that they can reshare the love!
Thanks for listening and be sure to tune in on June 26th for the next Medium Lady Reads podcast episode.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is a partner to Episode 71, we're still talking about healing and the discomfort of putting yourself ahead of your drive to please others and live in your comfort zone. I share more practical steps, no matter how cringy, to get you started thinking and acting in a way that will help you feel sustainably better than you do today.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Following the podcast will make sure new episodes automatically download when they are released. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is one that makes me a bit nervous as I take a step outside of my comfort zone to talk about something I've become really passionate about: healing, self discovery and burnout recovery. This episode is a pep talk and exploration of the things that get in our way of our own healing and recovery - namely the discomfort of worrying what other people will think of us if we claim space to be ourselves. I hope you love this episode and share it with someone who might need it.
Inspiration for this Episode:
Katie Steckley Creator Club Podcast “Why I love being cringy (and why you should too)”
Other Episodes Referenced
Episode 52 and 53 with Lianne Hannaway
Medium Lady Takes Care Playlist
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, Hi! This is a very dear and special episode to me - I welcome my friend, and Medium Lady contributor, Jillian O'Keefe, to walk through my Gentle goal Setting framework. Jillian and I have a true heart to heart, and you'll hear her open up about some pretty painful experiences throughout and after the pandemic. We'll talk and explore how those things are contributing to her perspective of her business, her goals and her future. I know this episode is meant to find the people who are looking for encouragement and support to unlock the simple secret of goal setting: you're already awesome and your goals need to reflect that.
If you want more of Jillian's awesomeness you can connect with her on Instagram @jillianfindinghappy I know she'll be delighted if you shoot her a DM to say hi!
If you want more about goal setting go check out Episode 62 in the archives where you'll get a more step by step look at my Gentle Goal Setting method.
As for me I'm always thrilled to connect after the show, you can find me on Instagram @medium.lady. If you have a millennial mother in your life please share this episode with them! If. you love the show I hope you'll subscribe so you don't miss any of the new upcoming episodes. Ratings and reviews are the best way to help the show grow and find more like-minded listeners. Thanks for spending time with me today! Don't forget: You're doing a GOOD job.
Music is Climb by the Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is another deep dive into the theme of self care with two friends and co-creators Roz and Erin from @rozanderininthevalley
on Instagram. Roz and Erin are not just building a community on instagram they're doing it together AND as best friends. We dig into how to make friends at this stage of life (they've only been friends since the pandemic go figure!) and why spending time with a friend can help to get to know YOURSELF even better.
For more friendship, along with style, home, food and dates in the Dundas/Hamilton region make sure you check out @rozanderininthevalley, and make sure you tell them Medium Lady sent you ;)
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Please subscribe so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features one of my favourite people on the internet, Maggie Frank Hsu, writer, book coach and editor and my favourite Big Sister Energy account @maggiefrankhsu.
Maggie and I deeeeep dive into the subject of creativity and we stumble on a parallel conversation about self care. Is creativity self-care? Why is it so hard to just get started? What are we hiding from when we indulge in face masks and ice coffee instead of the real things that nurture our identities and sense of well being? I know you'll love Maggie's FRANK (see what I did there) point of view and refreshing perspective.
Maggie hosts a weekly free writing group called Time to Write that I have loved being a part of since she launched earlier this year - if you're interested in Time to Write make sure you connect with Maggie's instagram bio for the link to join! It's welcoming, serene and low barrier entry. All you have to do is make the "time".
We also touch on Maggie's book "Be About Something" that I credit with being a big part of why I started my podcast in the first place. It's another great way to benefit from Maggie's wisdom and coaching - in book form!
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! I love it if you would subscribe so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is part interview part heart to heart with Alex Gustafson, wellness and consistency coach. Alex is licensed physical therapist who made the big decision to pivot out of health care and into her own brand of coaching to focus on relationships and behaviour change while managing expectations around goal setting and personal achievement. Alex takes a strong stance against traditional goal setting as well as the feeling of not being understood when "self care" is thrust upon us - we go on many tangents in this conversation so settle in!
If you're interested in connecting with Alex make sure you give her a follow on Instagram @alexdgustafson.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories every day on Instagram @medium.lady.
Hello, hi! If you're listening to this on the day it drops I'm FORTY!!! Happy Birthday to Me!
I'm honestly delighted to be turning 40, and in true self-reflective style, I have created a "40 for 40" list of goals and experiences that focus on reading, play, learning new things and focusing my thoughts and actions to navigate closer to the place in the world that is made for me. That conversation is shared with my best friends Sarah and Emily who are ALSO turning forty this year. Hear them reflect on some of the items on my list, and share what they would do if this item was on their own list.
The full list isn't published anywhere, but if you're interested I will probably share parts of it on Instagram, make sure you go ahead and follow me there @medium.lady, it's where the fun continues after the pod.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories every day on Instagram @medium.lady.
Hello hi! Today's episode is a deep dive on 7 books from my Winter reading in 2023. I hope you love to read as much as I do, and I sincerely hope you find a great recommendation from this episode!
Love: Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan
Sourced from: Modern Mrs Darcy 9 books that will make you a better friend
Love: Honey and Spice by Bola Babalola
Sourced from: The Good Housekeeping July 2022 Issue - this is a similar but different list
Love: Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Recommended by Medium Lady and Friend Sarah R for my 12 books 12 months 12 friends challenge (see Instagram highlights!)
Like: The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Recommendation source: The Indigo Best books of 2022 (this link to the sci-fi books on that list)
Like: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Recommendation source: The Milwaukee Public Library e-newsletter
Current Hit: I’m glad my mom died by Jennette McCurdy
Recommendation Source: See “current hit” lol
Good reads 5 star review by Tara: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4969110418
Watch Jenette and Drew Barry more https://youtu.be/cIYSPwAwQVI
Must Read from the Back List: One In A Million Boy by Monica Wood
Recommendation Source: Modern Mrs. Darcy Best of 2016
Also mentioned
Link to Medium Lady Reads Playlist
My reading life by Anne Bogell
What should I read next the Podcast
Currently Reading Patreon https://www.patreon.com/CurrentlyReadingPodcast
Follow me on GoodReads! (not too much there)
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this new experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories every day on Instagram @medium.lady.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is a warm and wonderful behind-the-scenes conversation with documentary filmmaker and inspiring content creator Katy-Robin Garton of Sprout Films and @katyrobinbird on Instagram and TikTok. Katy-Robin is a documentary filmmaker passionate about using visual storytelling as a tool to cultivate awareness and change. Though her short form mediums she shares the experience of parenting through adventure, conscious parenting, and an open hearted nature to the personalities and points of view of children.
Katy Robin and I have a heartfelt conversation about so many topics,
I know her vulnerable and honest sharing of her journey as a parent and creative person will be both relatable and inspiring to you!
Also mentioned:
No is a complete sentence - uttered by sweet Teddy!
Unruffled by Janet Lansbury
The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsebary
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this new experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories every day on Instagram @medium.lady.
Hello, hi! This episode features something that is close to my heart: goal setting! If you find goal setting to be cringey I hope you'll hear me out through the episode and I might be able to change your mind to see goal setting as a way to recognize how amazing you are and as a way to support your ongoing growth.
The episode features:
- Guided reflection through the last three years
- Prompts to think about the challenges you've faced
- My own adaptation of the "Origin Story"
- A framework to set an actual goal that includes action, frequency and accountability
Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Also featured in this episode:
Burnout by Amelia and Emily Nagoski (I don't recommend the audio)
Atomic Habits by James Clear (I DEFINITELY recommend the audio!)
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about the weekend! If you're like me and you work a traditional 9-5, you definitely look forward to the weekends. But that's a lot of pressure for two days, and as millennial moms our weekends can sometimes be taken up with all kinds of service to others! These four steps will help you take back some of your weekend for yourself, so that you'll arrive at Monday feeling a little bit more like you.
Also mentioned in today's episode:
Brown Butter Toffee Blondies - from Medium Lady friend Carrie-Ann
Baking and Beginners Mindset with Shani Whisonant
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this new experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories every day on Instagram @medium.lady.
What are you grateful for today?
Hello, hi! It's a favourite series here on the pod today with an episode featuring my husband Nick, who I affectionately call Handsome Face. In this episode we deconstruct our experience making big decisions together: what works for us and the things we hope will help you to make big decisions in your own partnerships. Here's a breakdown of our advice:
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Be Open to your Partners' stance
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Be Honest about your Feelings and Talk A LOT
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Examine the Pros and Cons TOGETHER (this will have different meaning for each partner)
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Consider the Long Term Effects and consider the outcomes of your decision on each other over time
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Talk about it, Talk again, then Talk some more (Take your time)
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Dig Deep (trust your gut and/or do your research)
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Don't take yourself too seriously - the decision isn't more important than your marriage
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Seek Genuine Agreement over one partner conceding or taking defeat to benefit the other partner
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episodes is one of my personal favourites from the Medium Lady Talks archives, How to Take Care while Sick. I'm just making an educated guess, that you or someone in your household has been sick the last few weeks!
I love this episode because I made it while completely embracing how imperfect I felt while recording it. I had a lot of doubts "why am I talking about being sick?" "will this even resonate with anyone?" but it turns out this episode is one I've received the most feedback on to date! I hope you enjoy today's episode if you've never heard it and can think of your own ways to take care while sick.
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Hello, hi! Welcome to Season 2 of Medium Lady Talks!
This week's episode talks about something most of us are familiar with at this point of 2022, getting sick. This episode covers my reflections on being sick in early January and what I've learned about how to take care when feeling the effects of illness.
While this episode specifically covers "cold season" type illness, with symptoms that resolve and improve - I would invite anyone with experience with chronic illness or recurrent illness to connect on Instagram @medium.lady. This episode focuses on my own personal experience and invites you to reflect on yours, its not designed to be prescriptive or all-encompassing. If these tips help you, that's great!
Here are the tips in the episode:
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Sick doesn't equal Sad
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Sick doesn't move in a straight line
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Stay still when you're sick
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You have the time to be sick
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this new experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode all focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my gratitude practice that I share daily on instagram stories @medium.lady.
What are you grateful for today?
Hello, hi! Today's episode aims to help any listeners who find themselves wanting to read more, but stifled by a Reading Rut. I'll share four different kinds of Reading Ruts and I help you with your "next best steps" depending on which rut you find yourself in. I hope today's episode helps all of the Medium Lady readers out there who want an exciting and satisfying reading life!
If you're in a TIME rut try:
New Adult Fiction: Great dialogue and low stakes
- Casey McQuiston
- Bola Babalolu
- Emily Henry
If you're in a rut because your SOURCE for recommendations has gone stale:
Try the library! I love an email newsletter like the Milwaukee Public Library email newsletter
What to do if you're in a TYPE Rut (a.k.a the Genre Rut):
Stay in the genre but reach for diverse authors (Black, Indigenous, Queer, etc). For example if you love Colleen Hoover - reach for Seven Days in June by Tia Williams... or if you love Harry Potter - reach for TJ Klune.
Finally if you're in a FORMAT rut - just try another format or two! Audiobooks, reading on your phone, going back to paper books etc, all great ways to bring novelty back into your reading life.
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Also mentioned:
Medium Lady Reads Playlist
Link to the Winter Whimsy Workshop Invite!
Free printable to plan your month
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Welcome to Medium Lady's Mindful Moment of Monday Gratitude! I hope you enjoy this new experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode all focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories over on Instagram @medium.lady.
What are you grateful for today?
Hello, hi! This episode is a partner to last week's episode, 57. How to Plan a New Month. I'll deconstruct my own reflections and thought process to set myself up with a plan for February:
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Read: I've set up four books, all by black women authors, to enrich my reading life for the month
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Play: I've settled on the theme of "Moody Florals" to infuse my life with texture and colour throughout this winter month
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Try: I'm going to refresh my sock wardrobe, as a way to build a life full of "Tiny Pretty Things"
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Think: I'm going to pay attention to when resentment pops up in my thoughts and take a moment to unpack that experience with self-compassion and love for myself.
This episode is a companion to my Free Printable How to Start a New Month and I'll make a few references to that document during the episode.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! I hope you enjoy this new experiment for 2023 - a weekly BONUS episode all focused on gratitude. This is a more thoughtful and podcast-only extension of my daily gratitude practice that I share on stories over on Instagram @medium.lady.
What are you grateful for today?
Hello, hi! Welcome back to the first episode of Season 3!
We're starting the new season with an episode that I hope will become a cornerstone of the kind of content you can expect from the podcast: thoughtful, intentional and full of opportunity for your own self discovery. This month I will unpack my personal process for deciding on my monthly experiments and I will walk you through the audio version of my new Free Printable - How to Start a New Month (pdf linked here!).
Here's what you can expect:
Part 1: Look forward and anticipate what is known about the new month
Part 2: Look backwards and appreciate and reflect on all you have learned in the last year
Part 3: Uncover your own favourites and your personal definition of seasonality
Decide the Vibe: Hone in on the things that really "feel" right for the month ahead.
Make choices: Put down on paper a few commitments for how you want to spend your free time in the month ahead.
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You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Episode 56 features book recommendations from my reading during Fall and Winter of 2022. I categorize these reviews with three loves, two likes, one bummer and a total wildcard.
This is the last episode of 2022, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for engaging with the Medium Lady Talks podcast and community. Connecting with you has meant the world to me and I will always be grateful for your time and attention. The podcast will take the month of January as hiatus and Season 3 will begin in February of 2023!!
Books reviewed:
This is How it always is by Laurie Frankel
- Vicious by V.E. Schwab
- Girl,Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
- Don’t Overthink it by Anne Bogel
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer
- Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armsfield
Off hand and totally unplanned Reading Resolutions for 2023
- Pass on all books that feature children experiencing vicarious trauma (or direct trauma)
- Track with more consistency, why and how I came upon a book recommendation when I place a hold at the library
- Add more V.E. Schwab to my TBR pile
- Journal more frequently in tandem with non-fiction reading
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop for Season 3. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady any time, I'm sure we'll become fast friends.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
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Other Books mentioned:
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- An Unthinkable Thing by Nicole Lundrigan
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
- The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab
- Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
- The Lazy Genius by Kendra Adachi
- My Reading Life: A Book Journal by Anne Bogel
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
- Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
- The Anomaly by Herve Leger
- Blindness by Jose Saramago
Also mentioned:
- The concept of Good Enough Parenting
- The Currently Reading Podcast
- Book Genuis Writing Camp hosted by author Jayne Allen
- What Should I read Next? With Anne Bogel
- Will Byrnes academic GoodReads review of Cloud Cuckoo Land
- The Reading Soundtrack ™ for Our Wives Under the Sea
Similar to this episode
- Episode 38:Medium Lady Reads Sure-Fire Summer Reading Recommendations
- Episode 22: with author Jayne Allen
- Episode 44: Medium Lady Reviews Books Summer 2022
- Episode 32: Books I read Early Winter 2022
Hello, hi! Today's episode features what has now become an annual Medium Lady holiday tradition: Cozy Christmas Reads! Join me and my bookish friends Jillian @jillianfindinghappy and Stephanie @steffski to talk all about the books that we recommend to readers of all kinds during the holiday period. Assuming you have a bit of time and you have a cozy beverage on hand, we're sure one of these books will suit you just fine! And if not, we mention MANY other books off hand, there should be something for everyone in this episode!
Stephanie’s recommendations
- Things you save in a fire or anything by Katherine Center
- One By One by Ruth Ware
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by She who would not be named
Jillian’s recommendations
- Every Summer After by Carly Fortune
- Always in December by Emily Stone
- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Erin’s Recommendations
- Meet me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
- Pony by RJ Palacio
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
More books mentioned:
- The Grace Year by Kim Legitt
- A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- A Merry little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
- Shipwrecked by Olivia Dade
- Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz
- Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
- Buy Yourself the F**king Lilies by Tara Schuster
Also Mentioned:
- The Reading Soundtrack ™ for Under the Whispering Door
- Good reads One Star Reviews - the best reviews of the worst books
Similar to this episode
- Episode 41 Red Flag Reads
- Episode 26 Cozy Christmas Reads 2021
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features the amazing baker and educator, Shani Whisonant from @beginwithbutter and beginwithbutter.com. While Shani's bio calls herself the "Chief Butter Ambassador" and Baking Super Nerd, our conversation also reveals the beginners mindset that she brings to her baking, her personal development and her business. There were many times during this conversation I was either grinning from ear to ear, or I had tears in my eyes!
Begin with Butter, Shani's goal is to make new bakers and non-bakers into unbelievably proficient bakers, by helping them decode the techniques, equipment and ingredients that advanced home bakers and pros use. Shani share's her origin story and how it all started because she couldn't say no to "the Best Preschool Teacher in the World"!
Also mentioned in this episode:
Shani's baking textbook by Bo Friburg
Shani's favourite book The Alchemist by Paul Cohelo
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Shani’s red wine black forest pound cake
Similar to this episode:
Episode 52 with Lianne Hannaway
Episode 12 Medium Lady Talks about Growth Mindset
Episode 50 Medium Effort, Mindful Fun and My Origin Story
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features part two of my conversation with money educator Lianne Hannaway. Our conversation today will talk all about financial self care and how to stack your hard earned money into caring for your needs and for your loves. We also talk about your time, and how recognizing the value of your time will affect how you spend it.
Lianne is a Chartered Professional Accountant, an experienced financial executive, an investor and the founder of Wealthnuvo @wealthnuvo. Lianne is also the creator and host of the incredible financial podcast, "No Boss of Me." Lianne helps professional women learn to grow and invest their money with confidence so they can be financially savvy, build generational wealth and live the life they love.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop, especially part two of this conversation. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features the intelligent and inspiring money educator Lianne Hannaway. Lianne is a Chartered Professional Accountant, an experienced financial executive, an investor and the founder of Wealthnuvo @wealthnuvo. Lianne is also the creator and host of the incredible financial podcast, "No Boss of Me." Lianne helps professional women learn to grow and invest their money with confidence so they can be financially savvy, build generational wealth and live the life they love.
Our conversation today will talk all about listening to the voice ofd entrepreneurship within you, navigating spaces that are typically designed for cis, white, men to thrive and why women are conditioned to be so darn risk aware. I know you'll be thinking about this episode for a long time just like I am!
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop, especially part two of this conversation. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features recurring guest, Nick, my partner and husband who I also lovingly call Handsome Face. We talk about our three kids (under ten!) and reflect on the ages and stages that they're at and how different they are. We talk a bit about how we're getting to know them and what we struggle with as they all change at lightning speed!
please note that this episode also discusses a bit of our own holiday traditions, including Santa, so if you tend to listen with little kids around, you might want to put this one on your earbuds, or save for another time
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Wherever you're listening make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady and you can find the pink tile on my feed to talk about today's episode.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! It's a super Medium Lady Milestone! Episode 50!
Today's episode is a personal one to me, I will share more about my experience with postpartum depression and how it led me on a path of self discovery. I'll take a deep dive into my personal philosophy of "Medium Effort and Mindful Fun" and where they came from and how the thinking evolved over time.
I hope this episode invites you to think about how medium effort and mindful fun can transform your own life. You are a wonderful, worthy human-being and we all deserve to set the boundaries to live our own lives to their fullest.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady it's a wonderful community of like-minded listeners there!
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episodes is one of my personal favourites from the Medium Lady Talks archives, an interview with my best friend Emily Gibson.
I love this episode for many reasons, the first being that I love Emily! This interview was the first one I did that wasn't with my mom, haha, and introduced me to just how much I enjoyed the interview process and the final result. I hope you enjoy today's episode if you've never heard it and can think of your own ways to lower your personal bar in order to embrace medium effort and mindful fun in your own life.
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Hello, hi! I'm thrilled to introduce you to my BFF Emily, who joins me for today's episode on Lowering the bar. Emily and I break down our thoughts on lowering the bar in a few specific ways: WHAT IT USED TO MEAN: Pre pannini "lowering the bar" meant something a little different than it does to us today, and it means different things for Emily than it means for Erin. LOWERING THE BAR AS SELF_COMPASSION: Erin and Emily discuss lowering the bar as a mental health strategy when they experience depression or anxiety. And lowering the bar as a way to take a step back from what induces overwhelm to re-orient to what is really helping our wellbeing HOW WE'RE LOWING THE BAR TODAY: In an effort to be a bit more practical, Erin and Emily discuss two areas of their respective lives where they are actively choosing to lower the bar.
I hope this episode helps you sort out ways to proactively lower the bar in your own life as a way to experience more grace and less criticism. As always I would love to connect with you on Instagram, I can be found @medium.lady Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, it is used with creative commons license, and my thanks for it availability for use on my podcast.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is part two of my conversation with Dr. Siobhan France from episode 48. Siobhan and I pivot from talking about focus and feelings to the subject of energy, effort and connection. We have a slight tangent to the subject of parenting and how we can be more open to sharing routines without rigidity and using solitude as a pathway to more connection with our loved ones.
I hope you enjoy the second part of this conversation. I continue to reflect on and grow from everything Siobhan has taught me. Wherever you are think of the connections and friendships with others that showed up where you least expected it!
Dr. Siobhan France of emboldensoul.com, is an experienced healthcare provider, and has had a physiotherapy practice for the last 10 years. And while she found herself burning out through hustling for success she yearned for more - which led to her thriving career helping empathetic and highly sensitive entrepreneurs.
If you have feedback about today’s conversation with Siobhan, you can head to Instagram and find the the pink tile in my feed for the latest episode @medium.lady. Siobhan can be found online at emboldensoul.com or on YouTube as Dr. Siobhan France, as well as @drsiobhanfrance on Instagram.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's conversation is with Dr. Siobhan France of emboldensoul.com. Siobhan is an experienced healthcare provider, and has had a physiotherapy practice for the last 10 years. And while she found herself burning out through hustling for success she yearned for more - which led to her thriving career helping empathetic and highly sensitive entrepreneurs. She's going to talk us through mastering ourselves and embodying who you are to build more of the place in the world that is made for you. Listen on if you're ready to stop finding meaning and validation from the feelings from others and turning inward to reconcile what you want with what you have...hint: the gap is much smaller than you think!
If you have feedback about today’s conversation with Siobhan, you can head to Instagram and find the the pink tile in my feed for the latest episode @medium.lady. Siobhan can be found online at emboldensoul.com or on YouTube as Dr. Siobhan France, as well as @drsiobhanfrance on Instagram.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello hi! Today's episode is Part Two of my interview with Dana Castro from @threecrownsbranding and www.threecrownsstudio.com. In this episode we hear more from Dana's wisdom about personal growth while also building a business that embraces the best of who you are.
Dana mentions the community of photographers she has founded, Snap Click Photographers linked here.
Other topics discussed in this episode:
- Honing your emotional radar as an entrepreneur - and how this radar can be just as important as your background and experience.
- How a healthy emotional intelligence about connection and collaboration can dispel the myth of competition: the truth is there’s enough business to go around (especially if you live in a densely populated urban area).
- For entrepreneurs pricing is as personal as it is professional
- Don’t forget the power of using social media to be social - cold calling through their DMs is a totally acceptable way to begin a new connection (I have taken this advice literally since recording this episode!!!)
- If you want to build a business, (or build literally ANYTHING at all in the world) start by doing more of what you’re already good at.
- Never apologize for existing in your body and your skin - that’s better than being confident.
Plus the advice Dana would give her past self, and what she does for fun (now that photography is a business and not a hobby).
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello hi! Are you interested in entrepreneurship and personal development? Then today's episode is sure to be perfect for you. Join me in an interview with photographer and creative director Dana Castro. You can find Dana on Instagram @threecrownsbranding and www.threecrownsbranding.com. Dana is local to the Mississauga GTA area in Ontario Canada for anyone excited to work with her and benefit from her service and expertise.
Dana mentions a campaign that she shot for Rubies Bras a local bespoke bra company which you can see here.
Other topics discussed in this episode:
- Entrepreneurship and the slow transition Dana made out of corporate and the time it took to build her business and point of view
- The benefits of being the only one who can give yourself feedback on your work and performance (and challenges too!) and just how much inner work being an entrepreneur requires (are these my greatest strengths or my greatest weaknesses?)
- What to think about when you’re deeply dissatisfied with your job and you’re re-evaluating your approach to paid work
- Even if you’re not an entrepreneur, what you can do to increase your margin of controlled discomfort (especially if you find yourself in a rut!)
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features the Five Things that are Saving my Life right now - I'll talk through the things that are helping me feel better, engage in self care, and generally bringing me closer to feeling like myself. "Saving my life" lists are inspired by the wonderful Kendra Adachi of the Lazy Genius Podcast - you can hear Kendra's version here.
Journal Prompts for this Episode
- In this season of life, what is one tool that is making a routine or experience a little bit easier
- What is a change that I’ve recently made that is benefiting my self-care (maybe in ways that I didn’t anticipate) and panning out better than I expected
- In this season, what are the things that are helping me take care of my body physically, mentally, spiritually?
- What is currently making me feel inspired and like my dreams for the future are that much more possible?
- What is one activity that after I do it, I always feel more like myself?
Also mentioned in the episode
Do authors benefit from Libraries? John Green answers on Instagram
Canadian Tire Nail Polish Caddy - It's not really for nailpolish....
Julia Child Eggy Pancake - a 24 second demonstration!
Hannah Louise Poston on YouTube
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today’s episode covers a review of some books I read in the Summer of 2022. I’ve included 3 books I loved, 2 books I liked, one book that was a bummer and one book I’m obsessed with! I hope you find at least one book to add to your future reading pile. What did you read this summer? What did you like? What did you dislike? Reflecting on that experience will always bring you closer to your reading sweet spot!
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be an Amazon affiliate, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Booked mentioned in this Episode
Yerba Buena by Nina Lacour
Jameela Green Runis Everything by Zarqa Nawaz
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
An Unthinkable Thing by Nicole Lundrigan
Sister Stardust by Jane Green - and the spotify Reading Soundtrack
Last One Alive by Amber Cowie
Tomorrow and tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Also mentioned in this Episode
Not the same Good Housekeeping article but still a good one on diverse reads
Cozy Christmas Reads with Ali and Jillian
Your Summer Reading Pile with Ali O
Find me on Good Reads
Find me on Spotify
Hello, hi! Are you having a bad day, or perhaps you're in the midst of a few bad days? Today's episode covers my approach to parent myself when I've experienced my own bad days. Self-parenting is an idea that empowers us to care for our inner child as we re-wire our coping strategies to manage stress and discomfort. Here are my tips for self-parenting through a bad day:
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Know yourself
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Know your day
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Lower the Bar
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Practice Bursts of Self-Compassion
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Notice Relief
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Remember all Bad days eventually End
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode features my husband and partner Nick! We go into a deep chat about video games: the games we've played together, what makes video games great for kids and games Nick recommends. Video games they're kind of like books? Kind of?
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
This episode is a repost of Episode 19 that aired on September 9th, 2021.
Hello, hi! Is it just me, or is this September coming in hot with BIG FALL ENERGY? Grab your journal and join me as I walk through a few reflective exercises to align my efforts and fun this September and work to shed some of the ongoing resistance I've been feeling towards the end of summer 2021.
This episode you can expect to hear my musings on the following:
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What IS IT about September that makes it so darn unique?
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What did September mean to you (and to me) growing up?
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What am I resistant to this September?
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What am I excited for this September?
This episode is an example of my monthly practice to design my monthly experiments in a way that makes me live my life with intention and purpose. If that sounds fun to you, I hope you'll join me over on Instagram @medium.lady! Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use with creative commons license.
Hello hi! Today's episode wraps up the 4-part series Medium Lady Reads for the month of July. And I saved the juciest takes for last with these "Red Flag Reads". These are 4 books I read that are 1 star reviews (or less!). I'll break down what I didn't like about these books, I'll talk about what makes them problematic for readers, and I'll even use that as fuel to help pick better books in the future.
This is a new style for me so if you have thoughts and opinions I would love to hear them on Instagram where you can find me @medium.lady, make sure to follow me there for more content.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello, hi! Today's episode is a fun one where I pair books with your summer profile. Are you travelling this summer, or staying home? Do you have a little bit of time to read, or a lot? Are you looking for romance or thriller? This episode will help. you think through the next perfect choice when it comes to answering the question "What should I read next?"
Book recommendations in no particular order:
Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschot
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
One for Sorrow by Helen Fields
Seasonal Work by Laura Lippman
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Have you ever finished a book and felt the empty space it leaves behind in your life? Either the writing, the characters, or the plot line contributes so much to your sense of happiness and satisfaction that when you come to the final chapter you just wonder “how am I supposed to go on?”
I don’t know any book lover who hasn’t experienced this feeling- a general sense of wanting MORE after a book ends. And while book endings are a pretty finite experience (the book is in fact over and no there aren’t any extra chapters you ought have missed) today’s episode covers a few activities I find myself indulging in to prolong the experience a wonderful book can provide.
Books mentioned:
The only books I have re-read!
The Harry Potter Series - particularly the audiobook read by Jim Dale
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Read Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen then listen to Episode 22 my interview with Jayne to prolong your love of the book!
You can find my Reading SoundtracksTM on Spotify (I’m Medium Lady there too!):
The House in the Cerulean Sea soundtrack
The Once and Future Witches soundtrack
You can find the amazing pastry account I mention @pieladybooks. The artist’s name is Steph and her account is nothing but pie and book joy.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello, hi! We're doing a full month of Book Related Episodes for July on MLT! Medium Lady Talks is going to transform to Medium Lady Reads :) Kicking it off is this first episode of sure-fire home run recommendations for your summer reading.
These are the 5 Medium Lady Must reads from all of the books I read in the Spring of 2022:
Set Boundaries Find Peace, by Nedra Glover Tawwab
The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Anxious People by Frederik Bachman
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello hi! Today's episode is a repost from the MLT archives, Episode 4, Medium Lady Talks about Doing Hard Things.
I decided to post this episode again, because I'm once again faced with doing hard things - I'm holding myself accountable to not be complacent or helpless in the face of my current reality. I'm leaning into everything I've learned about how strong and resilient I am to do the next best thing.
I hope you enjoy this episode and think about your own list of hard things you've done, to act as fuel for the next hard things to come. We can do this.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a bit of my own reflections on a road trip, followed by an uplifting and encouraging interview with writing coach and ghost writer Jennifer Locke from jenniferlockewrites.com and @jenniferlockewrites on Instagram (if you want to jump to the interview head to the 20 minute mark!). During our chat we talked about the process of evolving your creative process, how to commit and prioritize book writing (or any creative process) and how to reconnect with self-compassion and discovery along the way.
Jennifer referenced a TON of fascinating things to read, listen to and watch! Here they are*:
Cheryl Strayed Tiny Beautiful Things
Anne Lamott’s beautiful writing advice
The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin - Jennifer is an Upholder - I’m an obliger!
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
We Should All be Millionaires an Audiobook by Rachel Rogers
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price
Hacks on HBO Max - YouTube trailer here!
I’ll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein
*links to amazon affiliate - of which I may earn a very small commission that goes to support the pod.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello, hi! Today I'm joined by two of my favourite people in the whole world, my best friends Sarah and Emily. We decided to each write a few "deep" questions for one another and spend some time in conversation and letting the time pass while getting to know one another better.
I love this medium effort opportunity for friends to spend time together, and I actually can't wait to do it again. Would you try this with your friends? Be sure to connect with me on Instagram @medium.lady, I would love to hear what you thought of this week's episode.
If you want to use the questions we created for today's episode here they are (in no particular order)
- If you could take a time machine to your 18 year old self, what advice would you give yourself?
- Design your dream house
- If you were an app or software program which would you be?
- What popular media/tv/music do you hate and why?
- Describe an outfit that makes you feel like your best self
- You have only one minute for self-care, what do you do?
- If your 20 year old self could see you now what would they be most proud of?
- What area of your life is most affected by imposter syndrome?
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi!
This is the final episode in my three part series on podcasting for beginners and everything I learned after one year of podcasting. The last two episodes, Episode 33 and 34 discuss my pointers for the podcasting process for beginners and 5 things that I’ve learned. Today as the final episode is going to be Five more things I learned after podcasting for a year. And if you’re a regular listener of MLT you’ll know that when my episodes end on the “5” I usually do a series called 5 Things to try right now. So instead of that, we’ll talk about 5 things to try if you consider yourself a “creative” or someone in the active pursuit of a robust creative life.
And if you’re not a person with a podcast or a creative side hustle (or side stroll) I hope you'll keep listening and this episode will help to remove barriers associated with our perception of creativity as a product rather than a fulfilling process.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi!
This second episode is going to be the first five things I learned after one year of podcasting (or being a creator).
Now, I hope you’ll hold tight through this episode even if you're NOT interested in starting your own podcast because I think these ten things (5 things in this episode and 5 things next week) are actually useful ways of thinking about anything that you might spend one year practicing, and being bad at, experimenting and learning about. This episode is very much about the creative journey.
- Help is the only way forward
- Technology is all about perspective
- Let your point of view evolve - but have one nevertheless
- Listen to your own stuff and laugh at your own jokes
- Let your audience surprise you
Some other things in this episode:
- My Blue Snowball Microphone can be found on Amazon
- Audacity software can be downloaded here for PC or Mac
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today I'm looking back on everything I've learned after 1 year of podcasting. This episode will cover my podcasting process and review the following
a) Drafting
b) Recording
c) Editing
d) Posting
e) Promoting!
Also I ask 5 questions you need to ask yourself if you're interested in starting your own podcast!
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode brings us back after a March hiatus to talk about Books!! I read 15 books from January to March of 2022 and I review them all in this episode.
My general framework for reviews includes:
- Probably pass - the books I think you won't miss if you never read them
- Know yourself - the books that have specific characteristics that mean they aren't for everyone
- Medium Lady Must reads - the books I personally think have something to offer every reader and will bring the joy of reading to my listeners
Let me know what you read this winter? Join in on the conversation after the episode on Instagram @medium.lady! I'll see you there :)
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
This episode was edited and produced by Hannah Vandeven Dong.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! We’re going to talk about music today, and playlists specifically, why I love music, and how playlists serve my personal motto of medium effort and mindful fun. Plus I’m going to talk about the Low, High and Medium Effort ways to build a playlist and get enjoyment from them.
*note: I talk A LOT about Spotify in this episode, but this content is not sponsored in anyway. I just love Spotify.
~~~
Playlists mentioned:
What I found in the Winter by Medium Lady
Winter'ish by Medium Lady
Classic Family Flicks by Spotify
Best Instrumental by The Lazy Genius Kendra Adachi
Also mentioned:
secondhandsongs.com
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today I'm joined by my partner Nick, to talk about being introverted and extroverted in our marriage. We talk about when we knew we were extroverted/introverted and how it makes things easier or harder when you're partnered! Listen to hear what's great about being married to an extrovert or introvert and hear which of us would switch to the other type if we could!
Also mentioned in the episode:
Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain
Married to an Introvert - tips for extroverts
What Introverts Married to Extroverts Need to Know - First Things First
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello, hi! I'm excited to welcome back Bridget Baker from @bridgetbakerminimalistmojo to chat with me about aspirational clutter. The new season of Medium Lady Talks felt like a great time to kick off some practical tips and thoughtful reflections on clutter and why we "acquire to aspire."
Bridget and I also discuss:
-
Brene Brown's new book "Atlas of the Heart."
-
Zoodlers and Zoodles (we say this word many times in the episode)
-
Do you have any of these items taking up space in your home?
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
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Hello, hi! Welcome to Season 2 of Medium Lady Talks!
This week's episode talks about something most of us are familiar with at this point of 2022, getting sick. This episode covers my reflections on being sick in early January and what I've learned about how to take care when feeling the effects of illness.
While this episode specifically covers "cold season" type illness, with symptoms that resolve and improve - I would invite anyone with experience with chronic illness or recurrent illness to connect on Instagram @medium.lady. This episode focuses on my own personal experience and invites you to reflect on yours, its not designed to be prescriptive or all-encompassing. If these tips help you, that's great!
Here are the tips in the episode:
-
Sick doesn't equal Sad
-
Sick doesn't move in a straight line
-
Stay still when you're sick
-
You have the time to be sick
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about the books I read this fall/early winter. I'll do a deep dive (or at least a medium dive) on the 17 books I read and give my recommendations to "probably pass", "Medium Lady Must Reads" and the know yourself books in the middle.
Knowing yourself, when it comes to building a robust reading habit, is really key. When you know what you like, and what you don't, you can reach for more books that align with what you like. And when you know what to reach for, you just keep reading!
Books mentioned today, in no particular order:
- Think Again by Adam Grant
- All in by Billie Jean King
- Home Style Cookery by Matty Matheson
- Yearbook by Seth Rogen
- The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
- The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody
- The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams
- Blaze Island by Catherine Bush
- Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
- Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
- Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey
- Matrix by Lauren Groff
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
- The Birch Bark House by Louise Erdrich
- The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
- Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
- Now, Discover Your Strengths by Donald Clifton
- Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
- Big Summer and That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Also in the Episode:l
- The concept of Time Anxiety coined by my podcast idol @laura.tremaine you can hear her talk about that here
- The Currently Reading podcast
- My other book related episodes Episode 1, Episode 8, Episode 18
- The Cozy Christmas Reads Episode 26 with Ali and Jillian
- Episode 22 My Interview with Jayne Allen author of Black Girls Must Die Exhausted
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady.
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Hello, hi! Today on the podcast I’m joined by my reader friends Ali Oppenlaender (from Episode 14) and Jillian O’Keefe to talk about Cozy Christmas reading and our recommendations for your best choices for reading by the Christmas tree with your favourite seasonal drinks.
We hope you feel supported and inspired to plan out your holiday reading, embracing seasonal reading and the general vibe of reading during a winter holiday. Plus we’ll talk about the best ways of getting book recommendations, why we use Goodreads (or not!) to track our reading, and our favourite time of day for reading (spoiler: all times of day).
Ali on Instagram - @alioppenlaender
Jillian on Instagram - @jillianfindinghappy (DM her for the Goodreads friend request!)
As always please connect with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady and let me know what's on your holiday reading pile.
Books recommended, in alphabetical order:
A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
Still Life by Louise Penny
And my number one recommendation any time of year will always be Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Music is Climb by the Ghost in the Piano and used with my gratitude and creative commons license
Hello, hi! As today's episode ends in a "5", I'll be sharing five things for you to try right now, and for this season of life. I love these episodes because I often pull from my own ideas and archives from writing on Instagram, but I also curate a few of my favourite things, or the items really making me happy lately.
- Advent of kindness: especially kindness to strangers! More on my writing about that here. I really find now is the opportunity for us to look for new ways to find connection in our communities, especially when current rhetoric would have us believe we're divided and against one another.
- Ornaments with a sense of humour! I share a bit about a transformative experience when I purchased two ballerina ornaments, and I've never looked back! Ornaments are a small, low cost joy bringer and I definitely recommend you find one that makes you happy for your tree this year.
- Personalized gifts. I can't get enough of gifts that are monnogrammed, use the recipients initials or name, and finally personalized photo gifts! There's nothing quite like a gift that can only be given to you!
- See your home with new eyes: The holidays are a time when we're innundated with options to spend money, time, or effort on transforming our homes. See your home with new eyes that allow you to experience a sense of gratitude around your space and the place you take shelter and rest, or celebrate this time of year with loved ones.
- Really really specific playlists: Building a playlist is a perfect example of "mindful fun". It requires focus, it's sensory and it has a wonderful sense of starting and stopping. Here's a link to my latest Christmas Carol playlist I hope you enjoy!
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
What does it take to be a friend in your late 30s? Is scheduling the answer to everything? Is technology a good thing or a bad thing for your friendship?
What does it take to be a friend as the pandemic comes to a close - do you have enough personal grace to navigate your way back to your relationships after the end of lockdowns or the transition of your friendships from online to real-line?
Can you record an entertaining podcast in a mid-range sedan, from the parking lot of a BBQ joint?
The answer to most of these questions is YES!
I hope you enjoy this chat with two of my oldest friends as we describe the seasons that we’ve experienced throughout our friendship of almost 30 years. We get into our (very) specific friendship as well as the new friends we’ve made as adults and how hard/easy that has been for us. Spoiler alert: some of us made mistakes along the way.
Also mentioned
The Lobster by the Gloaming “possibly the most spectacular instrumental piece of music that has ever existed”- Emily
Taylor Leonhardt “another Taylor” specifically Happy or Whatever, Keep me Around
Change your Life Chicken from the Lazy Genius “I have to hold off and only make this once a week.” - Sarah
Fear the Walking Dead “there’s so many seasons, how much more could you have?” -Erin
Never Have I Ever “partway through I realized I might be attracted to Paxton Hall-Yoshida” -Erin (ps it's ok he's a grownup)
Ted Lasso “This new kind of character on television that’s emerging.” - Sarah
Hello, hi! Today's episode is with my friend Stephanie Cunningham @steffski on Instagram. Steph's internet handle is “Wellness+Realness” and what I love about following her is that’s exactly what you get. She's often posting inspiring and aspirational content, followed by her openness about raising small kids, finding balance, and showing up in the challenge to make the next best decision.
Steph and I also talk about an IGTV live that we did a year ago to talk about goal setting, prioritization and putting things in motion for three months. Spoiler alert - we barely did the things we chose to do! But instead we talk about what we might have done if we could go back in time!
Also mentioned in this episode:
THIS C.S. Lewis quote
My Monthly Experiments - the most recent of which can always be found in my IG highlights @medium.lady
Pamela Pumpkin - Stephanie's now annual reel tradition
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is an exciting one, it's my first interview with an author! I'm interviewing Jayne Allen author of the recently released, must-read novel "Black Girls Must Die Exhausted".
Jayne and I have a wonderful heart to heart unpacking the themes in her book. We talk about the choices she made with her title, the intentionality behind her cast of characters, as well as the approach she takes to boundary setting and creating art. I know you will love this conversation as much as I did.
You can find Jayne on Instagram @jayneallenwrites or join her email list at www.jayneallen.com.
You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode gets into the assumptions we make about our time and how it can be spent! I sit down to chat with my friend Tracy Stanger from tracystanger.com. Tracy is a productivity coach and educator who believes in turning our backs on hustle culture messaging, and reminds her clients that "their work is not their worth".
We talk about a few things that are central to what we both believe about living our lives with purpose and intention: I even ask Tracy, "Can Medium Effort and Doing Less exist in harmony!" you'll want to listen so you can catch her answer! You can follow Tracy to learn more about her and her incredible services @tracy.stanger on Instagram.
I hope you enjoy this episode: please be sure to follow the podcast, join in the Medium Lady Community on Instagram @medium.lady and share this episode with a friend who might need a pep talk to do less!
Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano, I'm grateful for its use with creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is extra special for two reasons - it is my TWENTIETH episode and it is with my partner and husband Nick (who I also affectionately dub "handsome face").
Nick and I chat (well Nick chats, and I giggle) over 4 randomly selected questions, we offer ourselves a bit of advice and we mostly just enjoy each others company. The microphone was just along for the ride.
If you enjoyed this episode please come and hang out with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady. And if you loved this episode don't forget to give it a rating and review. If you know a Medium Lady or Handsome Face in your life who would enjoy this episode go ahead and share it with them!
Other things in this episode:
~ This question about managing marital bliss on Quora
~ Was friends filmed in front of a live studio audience?
~ Corporate speak gets pretty bad...amirite?
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Is it just me, or is this September coming in hot with BIG FALL ENERGY?
Grab your journal and join me as I walk through a few reflective exercises to align my efforts and fun this September and work to shed some of the ongoing resistance I've been feeling towards the end of summer 2021.
This episode you can expect to hear my musings on the following:
-
What IS IT about September that makes it so darn unique?
-
What did September mean to you (and to me) growing up?
-
What am I resistant to this September?
-
What am I excited for this September?
This episode is an example of my monthly practice to design my monthly experiments in a way that makes me live my life with intention and purpose. If that sounds fun to you, I hope you'll join me over on Instagram @medium.lady!
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use with creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about the books I read this summer, and I'll give you advice to Read IT or... Don't! And of course my favourite "Know Yourself" category in the middle.
Knowing yourself, when it comes to building a robust reading habit, is really key. When you know what you like, and what you don't, you can reach for more books that align with what you like. And when you know what to reach for, you just keep reading!
Books mentioned today, in no particular order:
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
- Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
- Now, Discover Your Strengths by Donald Clifton
- Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
- Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
- Big Summer and That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Also mentioned in this episode,
- Episode 12 all about Growth Mindset
- Episode 14 Your Summer Reading Pile with Ali Oppenlaender
- My writing and other musings can be found on Instagram @medium.lady please head over there and shoot me a DM!
- The epic Goodreads review of 11/22/63 by Gatorman in 2011
Music is Climb by Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use by creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's podcast is all about the Skin Care Olympics awarded by me and my dear friend Sarah Rich from @getnormal on Instagram. Sarah and I are very old and dear friends who love nerding out on all things beauty together, and we figured the recent Tokyo Olympics provided us with a great theme to chat about some of our most (and least) loved products.
Before the conversation with Sarah, I also experiment with some less refined, more spontaneous chat about my thoughts regarding the conversation, my friendship with Sarah and the idea of not taking yourself too seriously. I hope you love this episode as much as I do! If you'd prefer the video version, it can be found on my Instagram IGTV page @medium.lady.
PRODUCTS THAT STUCK THE LANDING
Sarah: Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops
Erin: E.L.F Holy Hydration Face Cream
REPEAT MEDALIST
Sarah: Lush Eau Roma Water Toner
Erin: Cerave PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
BEST ALL AROUND ATHLETE
Sarah: Weleda Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream
Erin: Pixi Glow Tonic
DID NOT FINISH
Sarah: Cerave Skin Renewing Cream Serum
Erin: the general category of Face Masks
OBSCURE SPORT
Sarah: Paula’s Choice Tranexamic Acid
Erin: Dieux Forever Eye Masks, Silver Medal to the general category of Oil Cleansers
PERSONAL BEST
Sarah: Northlore Rosehip Seed Facial Serum
Erin: Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser with 2% Salicylic Acid
LAST PLACE
Sarah: The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
Erin: any Chemical Sunscreen
ALSO MENTIONED:
~Charlotte Palermino @charlotteparler on Instagram - skin care influencer
~Dermatologist Dr. Dray on YouTube - real talk about ingredients from a doctor
~Clara Hughes is a multi medalist from Canada who I incorrectly name as a skier - she is infact a Speed Skater and hellur badass.
~Paula Begoun the “Cosmetics Cop” and beauty mogul behind Paula’s Choice skin care and unfortunate moniker
~Sarah and I continue to experiment with sunscreen - Physical sunscreens including Coppertone Pure and Simple Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 and Sun Bum Clear Zinc Oxide Face Cream 50 SPF
~Gwenyth Paltrow’s shenanigans with sunscreen - come on Gwennie tell us you're kidding...
Music is Climb by Ghost in the Piano, as always I'm extremely grateful for it's free use under creative commons licensing.
Hello, hi! This week's podcast episode is all about an experiment I've been doing with a Monthly Wishlist. This has given me lots of thoughts about Medium Effort, Mindful Fun, and shopping!
WHY YOUR WISHLIST IS MEDIUM EFFORT: A wishlist does require a bit of planning and a bit of a break from the "want it/need it/got it" reaction. I'll talk a bit about why the discomfort of the pandemic resulted in me leaning into online shopping as a way to disconnect from discomfort, and the effort of a wish list helped me understand that better.
WHAT GOES ON THE WISH LIST: You get to decide what goes on your own wish list. For me, it's all the items that make me feel like I could change myself, my appearance or my life just a little bit, if only I could buy the "perfect item". But you get to decide what goes on the wish list.
WHEN TO USE THE WISH LIST: For me, I love a monthly cycle, and the fresh start that turning the calendar pages provides. At the beginning of the month I check in with the wish list and make some mindful purchases. And then I go back to putting things on the wish list. Sometimes I forget what's on the wish list, and sometimes, I'm really excited to finally make a purchase and bring it into my life.
What do you think of this idea of a wish list? Would you give it a try? Let's me know your thoughts on Instagram @medium.lady!
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, and I'm grateful for its use through creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode ends with a five so it's back to my series on 5 things to try right now. I hope you'll try one or some, or all of them! If you do please connect with me on Instagram, I'd love to hear your thoughts @medium.lady!
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Ask yourself "WHAT IF IT ALL WORKS OUT, WHAT IF MY HARD WORK PAYS OFF"
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GO DEEP ON YOUR STRENGTHS then put it on the back burner and stop thinking about it so much
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REFRESH YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED WITH HASHTAGS. Here are a few that have contributed to changing my relationship with the algorithm this year: #amplifymelanatedvoices #shelvesofdiversity #diversifyyourbookshelf #disabledandcute #disabledfashion #fatpeopleareaspirational #pinterestbutmakeitfat #indigenousfashion
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REVIEW THE LAST PRODUCT YOU USED UP - Bonus points if you use this as a point of conversation and ask someone to review what they're using!
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EAT VACATION LUNCH: made fresh, eaten outdoors with a cold drink. I'm going to try doing this more often, and even ditch my phone! You can find my meal tips and tricks in my Instagram highlights.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, I'm grateful for its availability for use with creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Are you prepared for summer reading!? Summer reading can feel high effort - you want to read what all the cool kids are reading and be able to talk about the latest summer releases. But what about the back list? What about the library?
Join me as I chat books with my friend Alison Oppenlaender! We'll each recommend a book for your summer reading pile and ALL of our book recommendations are from the backlist. Library users unite!
You're going to want to listen and make some plans for your summer reading in advance. Using MEDIUM EFFORT, figure out what you want to read, and then just focus on reading those books! Don't worry about all the Book Fomo this summer ;)
Our book recommendations include our "reading sweet spot", a book we always recommend, a book that surprised us and the ONE book you should read this summer....
As always please connect with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady and let me know what's on your summer reading pile.
Books recommended, in no particular order:
112263 by Stephen King
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Get a Life Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Music is Climb by the Ghost in the Piano and used with my gratitude and creative commons license
Hello, hi! Today's podcast is an awesome chat with my friend Bridget Baker. Bridget is a brand and website designer, minimalist, lifestyle blogger and RV enthusiast! We had so much to talk about, and I know you're going to enjoy this discussion.
Here's a bit of what we cover!
MINIMALISM and MEDIUM EFFORT: are they from the same family? Or can they hold hands together?
THE APPEAL OF MINIMALISM: Bridget explains why someone like me (a person with a lifestyle that acts as a magnet for stuff) is so attracted to the idea of minimalism.
YOU DESERVE SPACE: Bridget and I talk about the gift of space, whether it's mental, emotional or physical, and why "this next part" at the end of the pandemic, is an important time for you to claim what you need to make a gentle and self-compassionate transition.
Please let me know what you think of the episode and let's connect over on Instagram @medium.lady!
Other things mentioned in this episode:
The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less by Christine Platt
The Body is Not and Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, used with creative commons license.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about growth mindset - with medium effort. On Instagram I set monthly goals that I call my monthly "experiment". I design goals to fall within four categories: read, play, try and think. The last few months I've been "think"ing about growth mindset. This episode is a summary of those thoughts.
NAME YOUR STRENGTHS: The first way to grow, with medium effort, is to take a bit of time, up front to list your strengths with as much detail as possible.
APPLY YOUR STRENGTHS IN A NEW WAY: I talk about a few of my own strengths applied to examples. Growth happens when you use your strength to try something new or to level up your existing strengths. Take a risk, do something awkward, get uncomfortable, but lean into what you're already good at before testing new waters for the sake of growing.
REST: None of us are built to grow 100% of the time, in fact often rest can lead to growth or be the cause of growth. I'll commit to thinking more about this, and am the first to admit I don't have it all figured out!
I touch on a few resources within this episode:
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The Four Tendencies quiz by Gretchen Rubin
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Now, Discover your Strengths by Don Cliffton
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Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
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The Enneagram - online test option available here
If you're interested in connecting, or learning more about my monthly experiments, I can be found on Instagram @medium.lady.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, used with creative commons licensing.
Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about nail polish... can you really pull of a full episode on nail polish? Well I love nail polish so much I'm willing to try.
In this episode I talk about:
LOW EFFORT nail polish - decided you want polish but can't handle any maintenance? I'll give you my recommendation for the "best set it and forget it" options
HIGH EFFORT nail polish - were you a bride in the 2000s like I was? Then this manicure/polish combo is going to sound very familiar to you...
MEDIUM EFFORT nail polish - I'll give my favourite type of nail polish, favourite colours and why. Plus I'll make a very sound recommendation for a specific budget friendly drugstore brand, I know you're going to want to try it.
PLUS a pretty great wife/husband nail polish YouTube account and the IG nail polish craze that has everyone under the influence (including me!)
If you want more thoughts on this episode, or musings about the many ways to love nail polish, please connect with me on Instagram @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Machine - it is used with creative commons licence and I am grateful for their sharing it for use on my podcast.
Hello, hi! It's time for a book review round up! I was so excited to record this podcast that I kept reading "one more book" so I would have enough to share with you.... however this episode now contains 14 books for review! Settle in, you're sure to find something to welcome into your reading life! If you want to see more of my discussion about books I plan to read please join me on Instagram @medium.lady!
When it comes to books this spring I read 7 Fiction, 3 Personal Development and 4 Non-fiction!
I'll rank these 14 books from my least favourite to my most favourite and I do that in three categories:
PROBABLY PASS: Ever read a book, then shared with someone "nah, you could skip it"? These are my bottom three books. They're all either books that didn't deliver on their promises, or books that left me wanting more, either from the story, the writing or the perspective.
KNOW YOURSELF: All books are not written for all people. I'm going to reach for more books that suit me, the better I know myself! The books in this category make up the necessary middle of the pack, they weren't bad, but I'm not going to recommend them to everyone, unless you identify with a particular element or feature of the book.
MEDIUM LADY MUST READS: These are books I liked the most, and also are books that I feel will appeal to the broadest group of readers. These books not only suit me and my reading style but I feel like they have something to offer another reader!
Books discussed in today's episode include: (in no particular order):
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Skin Care by Caroline Hirons
Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi-Jones
Kingdom of Ash and Tower at Dawn by Sarah J Maas
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Vander Kolk
The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole
Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
Delicious by Ruth Reichl
How to Break Up with your Phone by Catherine Price
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Noopiming by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Music is Climb from The Ghost in the Machine and I am grateful for its availability for use on this podcast through creative commons licensing.
Hello, hi! I'm thrilled to introduce you to my BFF Emily, who joins me for today's episode on Lowering the bar. Emily and I break down our thoughts on lowering the bar in a few specific ways:
WHAT IT USED TO MEAN: Pre pannini "lowering the bar" meant something a little different than it does to us today, and it means different things for Emily than it means for Erin.
LOWERING THE BAR AS SELF_COMPASSION: Erin and Emily discuss lowering the bar as a mental health strategy when they experience depression or anxiety. And lowering the bar as a way to take a step back from what induces overwhelm to re-orient to what is really helping our wellbeing
HOW WE'RE LOWING THE BAR TODAY: In an effort to be a bit more practical, Erin and Emily discuss two areas of their respective lives where they are actively choosing to lower the bar.
I hope this episode helps you sort out ways to proactively lower the bar in your own life as a way to experience more grace and less criticism. As always I would love to connect with you on Instagram, I can be found @medium.lady
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, it is used with creative commons license, and my thanks for it availability for use on my podcast.
Hello, hi! Have you ever had a bad day as a parent? Are you in the middle of a bad day right now? Today's episode covers some of my own reflections and process for dealing with a bad day. It doesn't fix anything, and doesn't even turn the day around, but it helps you get to the end with a bit more self-compassion and grace.
KNOW YOURSELF: Think about your bucket, what's going to take things from it? What's going to fill it even a tiny bit? What is going to trigger you today, what is going to give you a small moment of peace? Consider all possibilities.
KNOW YOUR KIDS: Where are your kids on an emotional scale of 1 to meltdown? What might they need to fill their buckets? Where are they going to need the guidance of you, the grownup?
LOWER THE BAR: Imagine your day as a play on a stage. Think of the costumes, props and actors. Find a way to make the scene a bit easier. For me this is usually hot dogs for dinner...
SELF-COMPASSION BURSTS: Repeat after me "It's a bad day, and I'm doing ok." Now partner those words with something active and physical.
NOTICE RELIEF: Partner walk in the door? Baby down for a nap? Coffee hot? Notice with a brief pause. You got a wee bit of relief in your bad day.
BAD DAYS END: Don't forget this. One bad day doesn't mean it's going to be a bad week or bad month. But if you're stuck in one of those know I hear you, and I've had them too.
YOu're doing a good job. If you want to talk more about this episode please connect with me over on Instagram @medium.lady. I can't wait to talk to you soon.
Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano. It is used with creative commons license.
Hello, hi! This episode is a partner to Episode 6 where I introduce my thoughts and ideas about intuition. Today I'll talk about my thoughts on three ways to connect to your intuition
HIGH EFFORT: high effort ways to connect with intuition require repeated habits, a willingness to fail and try again, and often lots of time and patience
LOW EFFORT: low effort ways to connect with intuition are brief and engage our senses to help us distance ourselves from the "hyper reactive" state that means there's too much going on for us to listen to intuition.
MEDIUM EFFORT: this is a practice of journalling. Journalling requires a bit of a prompt or a subject to think about, and can be a very rewarding way of listening to your own voice, and revisiting your voice through the passage of time.
For more of my thoughts on this and so many other topics, please connect with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady!
Music is Climb by The Ghost In the Piano it is used with permission under creative common license.
Welcome to today's episode, all about INTUITION! I share my experience with becoming Zombie Erin at the end of 2020 and what it taught me about myself and about intuition. I also share that intuition became my "word of the year" for 2020, (despite the pitfalls of resolutions) and what I'm figuring out so far.
In addition to this I'll talk about:
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what it means to get space so your intuition can be heard and felt
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how to step away from the demanding control panel of life
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INSTINCT vs INTUITION and which camp I'm in!
If you have thoughts on getting to know your intuition better, I'd love to connect with you over on instagram you can find me @medium.lady!
Music for this episode is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, it is used with creative commons license.
In this episode, Erin talks about five medium effort tips to try right now to have mindful fun. These tips are a collection of useful, actionable advice that have been tried and tested in the @medium.lady monthly assignments on Instagram.
The monthly assignment is a way that Erin decided up front how to spend her free time. These assignments, over time, have created a curated collection of practical tips and tricks that have helped her have mindful fun, every day.
These tips for Spring 2021 are:
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Tell someone about what you're reading
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Try a kindness challenge - ask someone for help
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Drink a large water bottle in one sitting
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Wear something special
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Watch a kid's show
If you try any of these tips, especially the water one, please connect over on Instagram @medium.lady!
Music Track is Climb provided by The Ghost in the Piano and used with creative commons license.
In this episode, Erin talks about the last year of the pandemic and the themes and events that required her to re-consider her inner narrative when it comes to doing hard things.
Back when we thought the quarantine was going to be a couple of weeks, to later on when she went back to work after Maternity Leave, there are a series of events worth looking back on.
This episode wraps up with a final poem, originally posted to Instagram @medium.lady
When you arrive at your place
By Erin Vandeven
This week I laid bare my most complete self, in the stream in the Field of My Real Work.
It has been hard.
It has been painful.
It has peeled back the layers of appearance and perception and imposter syndrome.
What was left is what was always there. But I’m a bit raw. Very tender. Worn from my efforts.
What was left, in the Field, by the stream
revealed to me
that I have what it takes
to step into the place in the world
that is made for me.
But it takes real work.
So now I rest.
~~*~
Welcome to Medium Lady Talks, the podcast extension of my writing and mindfulness experiment on Instagram @medium.lady.
Music Track is Climb provided by The Ghost in the Piano and used with creative commons license.
Medium Lady Talks to her Mama, One Year Into the Pandemic.
Today, I talk to my Mama! We reflect on 5 questions that get us thinking about how much has changed since March of 2020. Mama and I have different experience and different reflections on what the pandemic has been like for us... but ultimately we end up in the same place. Listen and let us know what one year in the pandemic has meant for you.
This conversation originally aired live on Instagram @medium.lady
All questions were written by Laura Tremaine of the 10 Things to Tell You Podcast. You can find all ten questions in her episode 10 Questions to Mark One Year in the Pandemic - Listen here.
Music is Climb by Ghost in the Piano and used with creative commons license.
Hello hi! Welcome to Medium Lady Talks, the podcast extension of my writing and mindfulness experiment on Instagram @medium.lady.
Today I'm going to talk about something I love to play with, makeup, and specifically red lipstick! I'm going to review red lipstick, from a high effort point of view, a low effort point of view and, my favourite, a medium effort point of view.
Products recommended include:
Revlon HD Ultra Vinyl Lip Polish
Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick
Burt's Bees Tinted LIp Balm
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Crayon
Music track is Climb provided by The Ghost in the Piano and used with creative commons license.
Hello hi! Welcome to Medium Lady Talks, the podcast extension of my writing and mindfulness experiment on Instagram @medium.lady.
This podcast is about figuring out the medium effort way to have mindful fun, everyday. I'm glad you're here!
Today I'm going to kick off the podcast by talking about books! Specifically I'll rank the books I read in Winter of 2021.
Music track is Climb provided by The Ghost in the Piano, a used with creative commons license.