little couch, big questions.: Recent Episodes
Anastasia Joy
a safe place for the heavy hearted feelers & the free spirits, who have always been searching for what it means to feel at home in the world. let’s ask the big questions together.
In this episode, I got to sit down with my friend & colleague Alex to discuss generational differences, the amazing power of our thoughts, and what it means personally to be successful. I love Alex’s perspective on life and the energy that he brings into every day. Being able to spend time around him is always a joy, and I have so much gratitude for the laughter & light that he brings into a room. “Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth."-Roberto Clemente 💛
on the balance of joy & grief, positivity & reality, and carrying on after loss.
hello and welcome back to the little couch! it’s been a few weeks since my last episode because i recently packed up and moved back to Arizona, so I’ve been spending a lot of my time sweating in the blazing hot sun, adjusting to my new old home, and settling in. In today’s episode I got to chat with my long time friend Paige about the loss of our mutual friend, and balancing grief and joy throughout life is we try to make a meaningful impact on the world. The audio in this conversation is unfortunately pretty choppy. I chose to still share the episode, because there’s some great nuggets of insight if you can bare with us. I promise it’ll be worth it. I loved getting to share this conversation with Paige. Her joyful attitude and spirit truly always uplift me and others that get the pleasure of spending time with her. I am in awe of her capacity to understand deep grief and still maintain such a positive outlook on life. If you made it through the choppy audio, I applaud you, and I promise I’ll get Paige back on the show for a more clear episode experience.
in today’s episode, I got to share a super uplifting and hilarious conversation with my friend Josiah. I laughed abundantly, basked in inspiration, and as always, loved his perspective on life. This episode both inspired me and challenged me to re-think the stories I’ve been telling myself. It makes me so incredibly excited for the next season of my life and all of the possibilities it could bring. What story are you telling yourself that you could change? What habit can you incorporate into your routine to work towards being the best version of you?
in this episode, second time champion guest host Kyle & I discuss cultivating friendships, possibly starting a cult, and the desire for community. check out his podcast ‘Your Best Friend Kyle’!
in today’s episode, I sat down with a friend who is half my age, but definitely has double the wisdom in comparison to me at 15 years old. this episode was one of my favorites yet, I am so thankful for Olivia and her insight, honesty, and ability to be vulnerable with her big emotions. I found myself inspired by the way she views life, values important relationships, and has reverence for time and the way that it passes. It’s an honor to have a window into her journey, and I can not wait to see where life takes her beautiful soul. One of my best friends passed away at the age of 15, and I can’t help but wonder how different life would have been for her if we had access to language surrounding mental health and a deeper awareness of the help that exists when we’re in emotional pain. Olivia’s ability to speak openly gives me hope for the generation below my own, paving the way to a more open and honest conversation about mental health.
“If you inherently long for something, become it first. If you want gardens, become the gardener. If you want love, embody love. If you want mental stimulation, change the conversation. If you want peace, exude calmness. If you want to fill your world with artists, begin to paint. If you want to be valued, respect your own time. If you want to live ecstatically, find the ecstasy within yourself. This is how to draw it in, day by day, inch by inch.”
― Victoria Erickson
Book Recommendations:
-The Power of Off by Nancy Colier -Alone Together by Sherry Turkle -Irresistible by Adam Alter
Books on My To-Read List:
-Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke -Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier -Deep Work & Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
A Worthwhile Read: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/09/andrew-sullivan-my-distraction-sickness-and-yours.html
in today’s episode, I got to sit down and have a conversation with a long time instagram friend of mine. he’s a fellow creative, a graphic designer, youtouber, future podcaster, and insightful human learning to balance the many aspects of life with a creative mind in the real world. It was great to get to chat in person, go further in to some of my favorite topics and share a moment of time together despite a few thousand miles of distance between us. this episode was a great example of two people discussing the negative sides of social media, who also never would have met if it weren’t for instagram. So many things in life are simply about balance, having awareness around the way they might affect you personally, and setting those appropriate boundaries to keep yourself emotionally healthy, creative, and thriving. social media is not real life. even the parts of it that look so real. I have my own back and forth struggle with it, and it was awesome to be able to have a real interaction with someone I only knew through a little virtual grid of squares prior to this conversation. we can not press rewind on our lives, so here’s a little reminder to press pause. listen to yourself. the world needs more creativity.
A lovely sit down with my friend Bri as she prepares to take off and head to her chosen home in the sun. We discuss depression and how we met, not feeling like you belong in the place you’re from, letting go of guilt, and choosing to live and build an authentic life you love.
Seasone One •• Episode 3 🌞 on schemes, routines, & sardines.
average amount of protein in a can of sardines: 23grams ❕
average amount of screen time of the average person per day: 5-7 hours ❕
having one of my best friends on the show to talk about dead fish in a can and also life: priceless ❕
in the most recent episode, I got to share a conversation with one of my nearest and dearest friends. ✨ If you’ve ever had the pleasure of spending time with Jeremy, you’ve had the pleasure of knowing true patience, genuine presence, and pure kindness. He’s not only an amazing friend and human, he’s also an incredibly talented musician and creative. He’s adaptable, hilarious, and magnificent to be around. Come join us on the little couch as we talk about all of our crazy schemes, routines, and of course, sardines. 🔆🤠🛋
USE CODE: WILLOWSLATER at Wellbeing brewing checkout to use Willow’s discount! in today’s episode, I shared a wonderful conversation with my long time internet friend Willow about everything that lead her to her journey of sobriety. We met one time in person briefly six years ago, when I was visiting a dear friend who was living in Portland at the time. Her roommate Willow bopped in, blessed me with an air mattress to sleep on, and frolicked out of my life forever. When I met her I was immediately drawn to her energy. We have followed each other on Instagram ever since, and have gotten to see intimate parts of each others lives through the social media lense.
I had recently began a sobriety challenge with a friend when I saw Willow’s post about being over 100 days sober, and I quickly commented about being 26 days sober at the time myself. She agreed to join me for this conversation that I’m so excited to share with you. We laughed a lot, and I thoroughly enjoyed Willow’s perspective and honesty when it comes to her relationship with alcohol.
I want to clarify that we address the service industry and the impact that it had on both of our relationships to alcohol specifically, and though WE had mostly negative experiences, I do know that not every person in the industry has a problem with alcohol, is avoidant, or abuses substances. All humans are unique in their own relationship to anything addictive. I hope our conversation inspires you to re-think your relationship with alcohol, even if it’s just for a few days. It’s so worth it.
a safe place for the heavy hearted feelers & the free spirits, who have always been searching for what it means to feel at home in the world. let’s ask the big questions together.