Episodes
-
It’s finally time for me to lay out all of the exciting details of the Nine56 capsule collection launch. In this shortie-solo episode, I dig into all of the things: why I decided to create a capsule collection, why I am launching on Kickstarter, what that even means, and how you can be a part of it!
I have always believed in the potential for our products to contribute to a better world. But it wasn’t until a combination of events in my own life changed how I viewed my own purchases, that my eyes were opened to how much greater this potential was than I had ever realized.
The three events that changed my perspective on my purchases were these:
My dad’s cancer diagnosis that lead me to put a much greater emphasis on health and wellness. I learned that our everyday routines and purchases really do play a huge role in our overall health and that my health and my families health were my number one priority.
My marriage and move to small town Wisconsin that taught me I didn’t really need all of the conveniences and amenities that I was used to in the cities. In fact, my lifestyle became more intentional and healthier without them.
My transition to working from home full time that showed me how much power the routines I create and the tools I use affect my mood and my work.
These events, and the lessons I learned from them, made me see that my priorities had been in the wrong place. They completely changed the way I live my life and they also changed how I saw my business. I realized that although the betterment of the clothing industry was important to me, so was the wellness of women who were just like me and had been socialized to value their worth based on their stuff, their busy-ness and their achievements.
I knew that what really set my soul on fire was giving women tools to facilitate wellness and that clothing was, in fact, a very important tool to do just that.
In this episode I share all about how my team and I created the 6-piece capsule that redefines loungewear, why it is so important to us, how you can get your hangs on the collection, and how you can support us by sharing our campaign!
link to kickstarter campaign
please help us spread the message about this campaign!
Ways to share: -
Shannon is a woman who seriously kicks some booty! After co-founding a sustainable clothing brand, she saw a need for an accelerator program for sustainable fashion brands, so she launched Factory45 to do just that. She recently decided to take on the fast fashion scene that clutters IG by integrating more sustainable and ethical fashion onto her account. She is a momprenuer who still makes time to live an ethical and sustainable lifestyle and she shares how others can too! I can not wait to hear from her!
AFFORDING ETHICAL FASHION
I love it when Shannon says that she was a fast fashion bargain bin junkie. I mean, we have all been there right? But it took Shannon learning about how dirty the industry was and really changing her mindset about what she was going to prioritize in her life for her to adjust her shopping habits. Shannon speaks to the power of shopping secondhand. For people who don’t think they can afford to shop responsibly Shannon says, you can afford secondhand. And after all, there is nothing more sustainable than keeping old clothing out of the landfill. Honestly, when you try to shop more responsibly, you find yourself buying less and only investing in pieces that you really love. You might just find that because you are buying less, you can afford those pieces that were made well and will serve you well.
KNOWING IF A BRAND IS ACTUALLY ETHICAL
There is a lot of greenwashing happening right now as brands claim to be sustainable. Shannon says that puts the work on the consumer to do the work and ask the questions. What can help you out is that usually if a brand is ethical, they are going to put that on their website because they are proud of it. If they don’t have any information about supply chain or how the garment was made, that’s a sign that you are going to want to ask more questions. I love it when Shannon reminds us that here is no one perfectly sustainable way to produce clothing! She says, there is no such thing as perfectly sustainable and any brand that tells you they are 100% perfectly sustainable is probably up to something.
MOVING FORWARD
Shannon speaks so much wisdom into the process of living our best lives. She says that the most important thing is to always keep moving forward, because there are not guarantees that you are doing the right thing. Shannon says, you are aways going to be evolving and thats a good thing because it means that you are always going to be learning. You guys, nothing is ever going to be perfect and you could always be doing something better. Shannon reminds us to give ourselves the grace to make mistakes. Shannon says something that helped her was to find an open door and to keep exploring that, not stopping and retreating at the first obstacle. I can definitely relate when Shannon says that it is so easy to let fear and procrastination get in the way of pushing forward. But the key is to always keep moving forward. Shannon says, you won’t know if it’s the absolute right thing. Move forward, try not to question yourself, and things are going to work out because no matter what, that path is going to take you somewhere that you aren’t currently standing. Amen!
Shannon gave me such good perspective and so many things to think about! I know you will feel the same way after listening to this episode.
RESOURCES SHANNON MENTIONED:
True Cost documentary
To Die For, Is Fashion Wearing Out the World by Lucy Siegle
Factory 45
Who Gives A Crap -
Episodes manquant?
-
Jella is an ethical fashion and conscious lifestyle blogger who is passionate about minimalism, sustainability, social justice, and personal growth. She is a former shopaholic who has journeyed into the minimalist lifestyle. She love curating her capsule wardrobe and enjoys meaningful conversations over coffee or Chai Latte.
INVESTING IN EXPEREINCES
I think there is such a stigma out there about young people and where their priorities are. I personally have never related to the don’t-buy-a-house-and-instead-travel-the-world mindset. Mostly because I am a home body and a family gal. But I definitely can relate to wanting to invest in experiences over things. I so love talking to Jella about this because she brings it down to earth for me. Jella says that instead of investing in material goods, she now invests in things like workshops, coffee with a friend, boxing lessons. And I am reminded that you don’t have to donate all of your belongings and buy a one way ticket to another country to be investing in experiences. When you shift your mindset away from material goods, you open up space for connection, friendship and personal growth. Jella says that who she spends her time with, the books she read, and the things she watches have all also changed with this journey towards a more conscious lifestyle.
STEPPING AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
This is something that I have heard so much from people lately, that Instagram is becoming a destructive part of their lives. For Jella, the pressure to be perfect when posting online was too much and she needed to step away. I love it when Jella says that her intentions were good. She wanted to bring value to people who are trying to live more consciously. But she lost her focus and instead Instagram became a place where she was comparing herself to others that were in the sustainable community. Seeing everyone’s highlight reel on social media is tough. Especially when we are comparing our real lives to those highlights. Jella has the best advice when she says, pause before you go on social media to think, what is my intention here? Remind yourself that you are not going to get the whole story online. Jella also says that social media isn’t all bad, it can be an amazing resource to help be inspired and achieve your goals, just remember you aren’t getting everyone’s full reality there.
CELEBRATING THE LITTLE THINGS
Jella says that her secret to creating a lifestyle that she can sustain is giving herself grace in the process. And you guys, this is just so important. Living a conscious lifestyle is hard! Jella described it perfectly when she say, it is simple but it is not easy. Choosing to live with less takes time and it definitely doesn’t happen overnight! I can relate so much when Jella talks about bringing her reusable water bottle with her everywhere she goes. She sees other women also bringing reusable straws and forks. But before Jella compares herself to these women and thinks that she isn’t doing enough, she stops and instead celebrates that she is bringing her water bottle every day and that she can sustain that change in her life. I just wanted to throw my arms around her and give her a big hug because I struggle with this comparison game so much! Jella says, we forget to celebrate the little things because there is a pressure to be perfect. Amen to that!
You will fall in love with Jella and her journey in this episode. It will remind you that it’s okay to not being doing everything perfectly, because you are human! I hope this episode inspires you to love yourself and your own journey!
RESOURCES JELLA MENTIONED:
True Cost Documentary
Fashion Rev (USA)
Fashion Rev (Philippines)
-
Jessie Johnson is a podcaster, chef, and food educator. She is absolutely hilarious as she shares recipes and real life but she also sheds light on the important work of creating sustainable food systems. She is full of knowledge about our food and she shares it on her blog, Life As A Strawberry and her podcast, At The Table. This episode is jam packed with resources for you if you are looking to simplify your eating and support healthy food systems.
GETTING EDUCATED
Jessie is a huge advocate, as a academic who has spent a lot of life as a researcher, she saw a disconnect between the research and the education that consumers had when it came to making sustainable food choices. So like a true activist, Jessie decided to do something about it! In this episode she talks all about how as consumers we can educate ourselves through resources that actually make these issues easy to understand. Jessie says, everyone was talking about food and no one was talking about where it came from. So she now makes information more accessible for people. You guys, this was sticking so many chords for me because I see a lot of those same disconnects in the clothing industry!
AVOIDING OVERWHELM
First of all, Jessie says that taking baby steps is good! Focus on what you are doing right and celebrate the small victories. As with anything, finding success in simplifying your eating comes from being consistent with your choices. If this looks like setting small goals so you can meet them, then do that! Jessie tells us to find options that are manageable for us! And man did I need to hear that! Another huge part of avoiding the overwhelm that comes with trying to improve your current habits is ignoring the bullies out there! Someone is also going to be there so say that you aren’t doing enough and Jessie reminds us that we can eat a cheeseburger and not be terrible people! Amen to that! Jessie speaks so much truth when she says that, we are all products of a food system that has taught us to like certain things, like Oreos and cheese burgers. So we do what we can!
EATING LOCALLY
Jessie says that ‘sustainable’ is such a buzzword and she couldn’t be more right! For Jessie being sustainable with our food choices means, taking what we need from the land without denying future generations to do so also. And she doesn’t sugar coat it when she says that our current food system is very wasteful. But the beautiful part about all of this is that we can all make small changes that together can add up to a big difference. Jessie shares few tips on how to eat locally, even in the winter seasons. First of all she says, be smart about meal planning! I love it that she is also so real and admits that she only succeeds with meal planning about 70% of the time. Can you relate?? She suggests repurpose seasonal stuff to be available during the winter. This can look like making chili and tomato soup out of farmer’s market tomatoes and freezing it to eat in the winter. She also says they eat more bread and cookies in the winter and, come on, who doesn’t love comfort during those cozy winter months?!
There is so much goodness in this episode! Whether you have been trying to eat more sustainably or this is the first time you are hearing about it, you’ll definitely learn some helpful tips here :)
THE AMAZING RESOURCES JESSIE REFERENCED:
The Breach documentary
Life As A Strawberry Blog
At the Table Podcast -
Let’s be honest guys, you can do the work and follow the steps and feel good about purging items from your closet, but how long does it actually stay clean for? A huge part of sustaining a closet that you love is not only knowing what to remove but also knowing how to be selective in what you choose back in.
So often we just toss out items that we haven’t worn in a while but we don’t stop to consider WHY we haven’t worn them. We don’t think, why wasn’t this serving me? What kinds of clothing could serve me better? We don’t ask these questions because they are hard. They force us to be honest with ourselves and dig deep.
But don’t worry friends, in this episode I am going to help you ask the right questions so that you can discover what clothing works for you and why so you can get started on building a wardrobe that is perfect for you.
So here we go...
3 things you need to know before you can really, truly clean out your closet:
1. YOUR LIFESTYLE NEEDS
So here’s the thing, we all have such diverse lifestyles. So why are we all listening to the same sources who are telling what we should be wearing? What the trends are? As if the same uniform could serve all of our diverse lifestyle needs? I don’t know either. We all need to take some time to figure out what our own lifestyle needs are before we can create a wardrobe that will fill those needs!
2. WHAT CLOTHING FITS YOU RIGHT NOW
Raise you hand if you have clothing in your closet that does not fit you right now? Guys, why are we doing that? If this is you, please do not think you are alone. As women, sadly, body image is something I think we all struggle with to varying degrees. If you haven’t listened to episode 10 yet with Dacy Gillespie, make sure you do. Dacy says, be in a place of honesty with yourself right now, the worst possible thing is for you to be in a place where you are not happy with your body and none of your clothes fit. Amen sister.
3. YOUR PERSONAL STYLE
You probably already have a Pinterest board labeled Style or something similar where you have pinned clothing that you liked. This is a good place to start when defining your personal style. When you scroll through these images, you will probably find themes. There are probably some main colors that you like as well as silhouettes. It is also important to take a look at the clothing that always seems to be dirty or in the wash aka the clothing you actually wear. Start to think about why you love those pieces and if styles that are on your inspiration boards would serve you the same way.
This episode will help you make some serious closet decisions that you have probably been putting off! If it does, please leave a review on iTunes. Those reviews are so important in helping us grow this podcast. Also you can join our Facebook group for this podcast, Simply, Lived In Insiders, to join the conversation about what you want to hear in upcoming episodes!
RESOURCES I MENTIONED HERE
Jenna Kutcher -
Christine Liu is a YouTuber, photographer, writer and educator! She is constantly sharing resources for sustainable and zero waste living and this episode is no exception. What I love most about Christine is her pure heart and her purpose to help others. You can hear the passion in her voice when she speaks about how we can all change our lifestyles, if only just a little, to change the world.
MAKING TIME
Christine starts off by saying, don’t be intimidated to take on the lifestyle overnight! I agree with her so much that the key to success about taking slow and consistent steps along the way. Christine also points out that living zero waste is usually accompanied by a minimalist lifestyle. Living more minimally means that you are removing all of the busy-ness and clutter from your life to create more time for what’s important. Yes it might take some time to change your habits, but once you do, you might find yourself actually saving time! I love it when Christine talks about being sustainable with yourself. Making small changes that you can stick to will serve you so much more than trying to change everything at once and realizing you aren’t making time for what’s really important to you.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Not everyone in your life is going to value living a responsible lifestyle like you want to. Christine knows this better than anyone. First with her parents and now with her husband, Christine shares the struggle to bringing others along on your sustainability journey. In this episode, she shares great tips on how to lead by example and show others instead of trying to force your lifestyle on them. I learned a lot about how I can make small changes that will work for myself and my husband. And guess what guys? It’s okay to slip up once and a while! We are only human after all, be gracious with yourself.
FINDING YOUR WHY
Something I appreciate so much about Christine is how honest she is about her journey. I resonate so much when she shares about her faith and how it is the driving force behind everything she does. She lives her life to love the Lord and to love others and it has served her so well in leading a life she is proud of. Christine shares about how she found her why and how pivotal that was for her to living out her purpose. I agree so much when Christine tells us that we can make a difference with how we choose to live our lives!
If you are needing some motivation in your sustainability goals, Christine might be just the spark you needed to light that fire! I think you’ll absolutely love this episode!
Link to Christine's book, Sustainable Home on Amazon
In this episode Christine referenced:
Zero Waste Bloggers Network -
In this episode I dig deep into my intention and purpose. And by the end of it, you might just have some tools for getting clear on your own.
I still remember clearly the morning last summer when I was living with my parents. I was in the middle of planning our wedding, renovating the farm, I was long distance with Joe, I was trying to make time for all of my friends, I was a seamstress with a 40 minute commute into the city, I was trying to get my wedding body, I was trying to make healthy meals for my family, I was trying to fix my dad’s cancer, I was trying to spend as much time with him as possible, I was trying to get my business off the ground.
And when it came out that this was all overwhelming me and that I was, in fact, trying to do so many things that I wasn’t feeling pride in doing any of them well, my dad gave me the advice that changed my life.
He said: You have to figure out what your priorities are, and start making your decisions about where you are spending your time based on those priorities. And that made so much sense to me that I couldn’t believe that this was not common human knowledge. To some people, like my dad, it is. But to me, it was not.
Here’s the steps I took to start living according to my priorities:
1. WRITE DOWN MY TOP 5 PRIORITIES
2. DEFINE WHAT LIVING OUT MY PRIORITIES LOOKS LIKE
3. APPLY MY PRIORITIES TO MY DECISION MAKING
Once I defined what my priorities were and started to make choices to get me there, my pace of life slowed way down. I made time to cook healthy meals, be with my family, exercise, read, meditate, create. And I through the hardest year of my life, I began to love my life, and I became proud of how I was living. I fell in love with every single day.
If this sounds like it would be a welcomed change of pace for you too, I created a FREE guide to help you figure out what living according to your priorities looks like in your life. Check it out below! -
Dacy Gillespie is a minimalist personal stylist who encourages mindful consumption. She is a lady who speaks her own truth, bravely and honestly and she is helping other women to do that for themselves so that they can live out their best lives. This is one of my favorite episodes to date and we dive deep into SO many important topics!
DEFINING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE
Defining your style is a process that is ever evolving. Dacy speaks about the importance of taking the time to figure out what works for you. There is a lot of pressure from society to have everything figured out and Dacy says that we are so busy meeting everyone else’s expectations that we don’t take the time to figure out what serves us. Does this sound familiar?? I love when Dacy speaks about how clothing is such a big part of lifestyle. She is so on point when she speaks about our preconceived notions about how we should be regarding our clothing. What we really should be doing is thinking about our clothing in terms of what will work best for our lifestyle and our lifestyle needs. Doesn’t that make more sense?!
ACCEPTING WHERE YOU ARE
One of my favorite things that Dacy says is, be in a place of honesty about where you are right now. This is especially true in terms of body image. Because ladies, we know we have all been there (and maybe still are there). Dacy gets real about acknowledging and accepting that our bodies will change over the course of our lives. Because, hello, we get to do amazing things like give birth to other humans! And I couldn’t agree more when Dacy says that the worst possible thing is to be in a place where you aren’t happy with your body and when none of your clothes fit! Trying to make our bodies fit into our clothes instead of our clothes fit our bodies creates such a negative mindset that keeps us from accomplishing the things we want!
LETTING GO OF GUILT
I was so excited to dig into this topic with Dacy. We have so much guilt associated with our stuff. Dacy has a pretty simple way of dealing with this. She says, get rid of anything that makes you feel bad when you open your closet. If you are not using something then it has no value. By donating that item, you have the chance to give it new life with someone else. Dacy also has some great thoughts when it comes to gift guilt. And I needed to hear this because I definitely hang on to gifts even when I don't use them. Dacy says that in the act of giving the gift, it serves its purpose. What happens beyond that is not as important.
Dacy has an incredible gift of helping others see life through the lens of what will serve them and how to focus on those things to live their best life. I truly hope you love this episode as much as I did!
The amazing resources Dacy referenced:
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
Gretchen Rubin
-
Kelly LaFerriere spends her days exploring ways to be an ethical and sustainable consumer and she shares all of that on her blog, The Good Wear. Kelly is SO passionate about the power of good products and I can’t wait for you to hear what she has to say about changing your mindset about clothing, the push for transparency from clothing labels, and letting go of connivence.
CONNECTING THE SLOW MOVEMENTS
Kelly will remind you of why you got excited about ethical fashion in the first place. And if you haven’t been excited about ethical fashion yet, then Kelly may be just the gal to turn you! Kelly also connects the slow fashion movement to the slow food movement and explains how it is all one thing. Questioning our food and what is in it and where that came from has helped us realize that what goes into our bodies matters. And guess what friends, what we put on our bodies matters too! Kelly speaks about the revival of people being compassionate about the products they use everyday and wanting know more about where they came from. You’ll love how she reaffirms that the intentional time we put into supporting great labels really does benefit us so much long term.
RETHINKING PURCHASES
Here’s a crazy fact for you, today brands release 52 seasons per year when they used to release only 4! Kelly will totally help you realize that consumers really do have the power when it comes to ethical products. She says that there is a push for brands to provide newness because that is what the consumer is expecting. And she is right on! What if we start expecting products with integrity that are high quality and were made well? One of my favorite things about Kelly is how knowledgable she is about spending habits. She says that clothing is not treated as an investment anymore, we used to treat our clothes a lot differently. There is A LOT of noise out there telling us that we need more. But Kelly knows that we can change our mindsets as consumers by making small shifts when we go shopping. We can avoid buying repeat clothing and start considering the cost-per-wear of the clothing we purchase. And that’s just the beginning.
DOING THE RESEARCH
Kelly is all about digging in and doing your research before you shop. And blogs like hers make is so easy to research ethical brands and learn what they are all about before you buy. Kelly shares that you should be able to get thirty wears out of a clothing item, thirty, think about that! Getting that kind of milage out of your clothing takes an educated buying decision! Kelly gets real about how hard this can be. She says, It’s not easy to switch from something that we are used to being so convenient to something that takes a little more time. Kelly has so many great tips around shifting our mindsets towards how we value our time and what we invest in. If you've been avoiding your first ethical purchase because you think it’s too expensive or you don’t know good labels to support, this episode is a must hear.
Kelly is so inspiring in how she jumps right in and lifts up brands that are making true strides in the industry. This is a great listen and I think you will love it! -
Jess Carpenter is the woman behind the blog Jess with Less, a blog filled with compost cocktails and ethical fashion. She shares tips on a Zero Waste Lifestyle and intentional living. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to reducing excess in our lives and I can’t wait to hear all that she has to share.
ETHICAL STYLE
Jess is a lady who walks the walk. She says she is going to do something and then she does it. Her journey towards a more simple lifestyle started when she was trying to pay off her debt. But she found that so much more than her wallet benefited from a simpler lifestyle. She is a master of the second hand market and you guys will love all of the tips she shares about how to save money and save the planet, not only through your wardrobe. However, her wardrobe has changed since she started a life with less waste. Jess had to start listening to what she actually wore and how she felt about her lifestyle, instead of listening to social media which filled her head with things that didn’t fit into her life, sound familiar? She shares how she now balances comfort and style in her clothing without looking like everyone else.
HOW TO EASE INTO A LOWER WASTE LIFESTYLE
Jess says: I loved the idea of creating less trash. But she knew that her whole life wouldn’t be changed at once. She is a wealth of knowledge about reducing waste in places like your kitchen and your bathroom. And once she started practicing these things in her own life, her friends started asking her how they could do it too. Jess gets real in this episode about her fear that her point of view wasn’t valuable but she found that so many people were unaware of the huge impact some easy changes could make. She encourages everyone to put their voice out there, because you are going to help somebody out. She now has a blog jam packed with actionable content to help others carry out a lower-waste lifestyle.
A few of Jess’s tips:
-Replace paper towels and napkins with cloth ones, you can even buy them second hand. This saves money and paper waste :)
-Invest in glass containers, compared to plastic they are better for your health, your wallet and the planet.
-Switch from plastic wrap and sandwich bags to a plastic free alternative like Bee’s Wrap (you can use these 1000 times when a sandwich bag you can only use once)
THE POWER OF PREPARATION
I learned something huge from this episode, the power of preparation! Jess does things like causally carry a fork and a straw in her purse, which can save a bunch of waste. She says that once you make a habit out of it, it’s not even a thought. For Jess, having a fork is as normal as having a wallet in her bag. Talk about sustainability goals! Food waste is another huge topic that Jess takes on by simply slowing down and creating new habits. You will love her tip on how to compost even if you don’t have space for one. She even shares how you can make cocktails from your compost. If you are anything like me, Jess will inspire you to get your booty in gear with those lower-waste switches that you have been thinking about making for a while now. She says that you can slowly branch out. Even though you might feel weird at first, people will start to ask you about it, and want to learn from you. Jess preaches that one person can inspire so many, SO JUST DO IT!
This is one of my favorite episodes so far and I absolutely can not wait for it to hit your ears!
The amazing resources Jess referenced:
Zero Waste Home
The Mind Palace Podcast
Trash is for Tossers -
Samantha Whillock is a camp dweller, photographer, and bloodhound mama who is currently converting a school bus her partner, Jackson McDowell. Together they make up Jack Pine and Thyme, a team that helps small businesses build their brand by allowing folks to tap into their idea tank, and using the skills they have been blessed with. They have recently taken residence at a girls camp where they serve as Media Director and Wilderness Director during the summer and take care of the land during the off season.
MAKING IT HER OWN
Something I love about this episode is how connected everything is. Samantha connects the slow fashion movement to the slow flower movement. I had never even heard of the slow flower movement but Samantha explains how it helped show her the importance of shopping local. When she wanted to apply this same mindset to her clothing, she didn’t get caught up in the rules of how other people had said a capsule wardrobe should be done. She dug in and did the research and then she made it her own. She created her new wardrobe by noticing what clothing she was actually wearing and what she took care of. Then she invested in some great staples that she knew she would take care of. Samantha is so inspiring in the way that she lives her life the best way she can and doesn't let others or society dictate what that life looks like.
TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY
When Samantha and her partner decided that they were going to commit to slowing down their lives, they made a list of goals that they wanted to achieve through slowness. One of her goals was making more. Samantha says that what she truly loves is to be creative. One of my favorite parts of this episode is when Samantha says that a lot of things that she used to dream about can actually happen now because of her partner and their lifestyle. Jackson also inspired her decision to dress with less. She says that he is a guy who knows what he likes and sticks to it. She realized that she had too much and she was spending too much time picking out what she was going to wear. She decided that instead of dressing for anyone else and being someone she wasn’t, that she was going to create a wardrobe that served her well and wear what she liked.
WHEN YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL
My heart was going wild when Samantha shared her struggle of trying and failing to do it all. Because, goodness, have I been there! Samantha talks about juggling being a good girlfriend, a good family member, and a good friend. She says that she was focusing on too many things and not doing a great job on just a couple of things. She finally noticed that she wasn’t enjoying the process of things anymore. I love that Samantha decided to take a look at her priorities and start to focus on things like being a good dog mom and a good daughter, things that were really important to her that she noticed were slipping. Now she has become okay with the work that she is doing and reminds herself that it is enough.
If you are looking for a better you to give those around you, Samantha is your gal! You’ll love how candid and heartfelt her story is and the lessons you can take from it to apply to your own life. -
It seems easy to keep life simple when everything is going well. But it’s when life really hits you in the face, that suddenly everything gets more complicated. This is something that I hear a lot from people. So I wanted to record an episode about some lies we tell ourselves about uncertainty and misfortune that I think make everything a heck of a lot more complicated. Living in a time of pretty extreme uncertainty myself, I created this list as a way to check myself by clearing my perspective and approach obstacles from a place of love instead of fear. So here it is,
THE 5 LIES WE TELL OURSELVES ABOUT UNCERTAINTY AND MISFORTUNE
1. If I am too happy right now and this ends, then I will be devastated. We feel like we will be safer if we function at 50% emotional capacity and not enjoy anything too much because we fear the let down if it doesn’t turn out how we want. But do you what to know what I have realized? The pain is going to hurt anyway. It’s going to hurt a lot. So I have changed my focus entirely to fully enjoy the moments as they are right here!
2. If I can’t do something right now, I will never be able to do it. Here’s the thing friends, you have to put in the work to heal and to grow. Strength comes from doing the things you thought you couldn’t do, but it takes time. Growth and healing take time. I am always trying to get it right the first time. I put such high expectations on myself that I feel crushed when I don’t meet them. I feel like I won’t ever be able to achieve my big goals. But then I remember, just because I can’t do it now, doesn’t mean I won’t ever be able to do it. And that’s why I put in the work that I can every day.
3. Bad and hard are the same thing. So often we associate comfort with good and discomfort with bad. That is just our survival instinct. And being comfortable and finding joy in your routine I think is one of the keys to happiness. But when things get uncomfortable or hard it is easy to feel that life is bad. When I would argue that the past two years of my life have been the hardest and best simultaneously.
4. If I am damaged right now, I will always be damaged. As we go through life, it is easy to blame the way we are or events in our lives on a previous misfortune that happened to us. Instead of living life as a victim of our circumstances, is it really that crazy to live in a place of hope and love?
5. You need to move the mountains that you were just meant to climb. I saw this online somewhere and it spoke to me so much. By focusing on climbing our mountains instead of moving them, we can let go of the frustration and anger when they don’t move and instead find the joy in the climb.
I hope that you find this episode helpful if you are dealing with any uncertainty or misfortune in your life. Or if you have ever caught yourself telling one of these lies. A beautifully simple life is sometimes easier to create than other times, but when we get clear on our perspective and work at it, it’s always possible. -
Alisa Hetrick is a content creator, photographer and travel enthusiast. In 2016 she founded Moon Magazine which is a magazine made for the wild and complicated woman. Their goal is to inspire and inform the wild, layered, spirited, everyday woman.
MINDFUL LIVING FOR THE EVERYWOMAN
Living in the midwest, Alisa saw a need to speak to the women who feel like they are in the middle of it all. I love that she wanted to create something for the average, everyday woman. Alisa is quick to point out that words like average and everyday can have a negative connotation but just because these women might not be chasing careers as actors or editors on either of the coasts, doesn’t mean they aren’t also striving for successful lives. Her magazine is full of content that helps women define what success looks like in their own lives and helps them live more in alignment with their goals.
LETTING GO OF PERFECTION
Something that I love about Alisa is how openly she speaks about her own insecurities. Particularly how the need for perfection kept her from chasing a lot of her dreams. She shares about how she overcame the fear of creating work and sharing it despite that fact that it might not be perfect. And how accepting imperfection has allowed her to gain confidence and own who she is. Alisa gets real about the challenge of shaking perfectionism and the honest truth that most people aren’t paying that close attention to what you are doing anyway! She encourages other women to have the courage and bravery to say I am going to try this and it doesn’t need to be perfect.
MAKING SLOWNESS ATTAINABLE
Alisa believes that living a slower, more sustainable lifestyle doesn’t need to come with limiting rules and enlightened terms. She wants to create a space where people can just explore what living more mindfully could look like without making it intimidating. She strives to speak about minimalism in a way that isn’t so wordy. Something that I loved about our conversation is how Alisa speaks about mindfulness in such a real and relatable way. She says that exploring slow living doesn’t need to be so extreme, amen sister!
If you have been looking for a way to ease into slow living, you will absolutely love this episode! -
Kathryn Sterner is the founder and designer at Winsome Goods, an ethical women's clothing label in Minneapolis, MN. She is a wonderfully innovative designer with a mission of creating timeless and sustainable garments. One of the most unique aspects of Winsome is that all of the clothing is made under one roof. Keeping the whole production process in the same studio was something that was essential to Kathryn when building Winsome. Today she works with her small team to produce versatile garments in their Minneapolis studio and storefront. She continues to focus on serving the people most intimately connected with the production process, the men and women who produce our clothing.
PRIORITIZE THE LIFE YOU WANT
Listening to Kathryn share her story, you will feel like a longtime friend. There is a familiarly about the way she modestly told us about the unfolding of Winsome Goods. She shared about the importance of sustainability in her upbringing and her father who is a climate scientist. You will hear the intimacy in her voice when she talks about her desire to make space for a family and her efforts in working towards a life with less stress. Right now, one of her priorities is to set up her business so that she can have the relaxed, comfortable life that she dreams about. Are you taking steps to make the life you dream about a reality?
MAKE TIME FOR THE LITTLE THINGS
Her passion and intention to contribute to the world in a more sustainable way are two of the reasons that Kathryn left her ‘safe’ job in a windowless office. She spoke a lot about the top-down pressures she felt that encouraged her to take the leap to run Winsome full-time. You will relate to Kathryn’s struggle to make time for herself now that all of her attention is going to growing Winsome. She told about her effort to make time for the little things, like taking walks with her Chihuahua. She strives to continue to make time for herself every day, and honestly shares her struggle to do so. How do you keep going when you don’t reach your wellness goals? We all know how tough it is to take time for yourself. Kathryn is so inspiring to me, because she keeps trying and doesn’t let herself get too discouraged.
BE RESILIENT WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
One thing I loved about Kathryn’s story is her resilience to keep doing what she loves, even on days when everything goes wrong. She spoke about her journey of learning to assume that things are going to go wrong. She now focuses on accepting what she can do and letting go of the things that she can’t do. She shared that there is not one “sustainable” answer. Every method and fabric has draw backs for the environment. But for Kathryn, running an ethical label means making the right decisions day to day with the resources she has.
You will love this episode, not only because of Kathryn’s amazing story, but because it will encourage you to ask the tough question: am I making choices based on my priorities? I hope it also inspires you to be resilient. Because life is going to get tough sometimes, and that’s okay! -
Sarah Leong and her partner, Pat, are the farmers at Squashington Farm, an organic farm in Mount Horeb WI. Squashington has been alive in their hearts since 2013, and became a reality in 2016. Today they continue to grow food for themselves, their friends and family, and community.
Maintaining a clear focus on what’s important:
One of the things I found most inspiring about Sarah’s story is how she always trusts her intuition. She gracefully moves through life, embracing opportunities as they come and accepting set backs as part of her path. She has created a routine with her partner that effortlessly supports their goals. From slow mornings with a good breakfast and coffee to fieldwork, her days are spent intentionally. She credits her mom for providing her with an understanding of the connectedness of the world. Her well-rounded view of health goes far beyond the organic vegetables she grows.
Living and eating with the seasons:
As a farmer, living with the seasons is part of the job description. Sarah’s world exists in the ebb and flow of nature’s timeline. But living more seasonally is something Sarah encourages her community to do as well. She speaks about the benefits of eating locally and preserving food. Living and eating with the seasons encourages more mindful decisions and a slower pace of life. She sets her priorities to get the most out of what each season has to offer. She is a believer in taking the time to make a big mess and preparing food for a whole year. She shares that there is no easy way to do it, it will take a long time but it will be worth it.
Belonging to a community that sustains itself:
Sarah speaks so warmly about the community where she lives and works. She shares that her favorite aspect of running a business is being integrated into the lives of those in the community. Having learned farming on their own, Sarah says that she and Pat have gained so much knowledge from folks in the area. She likens her community to a closed loop system where the members take care of each other and that is what makes them healthy.
You will love this episode because of Sarah's refreshingly connected perspective of nature and community. I hope you leave with a renewed respect for the different seasons in your own life! -
Courtney Carver was one of the first bloggers to tackle the power of simplicity. She has shown readers and followers how important simplicity is to improving our health, building more meaningful relationships and relieving stress in our lives. I first met Courtney at a book signing for her new book Soulful Simplicity and I absolutely fell in love with her story and her message. Today she continues to get real about all of the lies society tells us about success and happiness so that we can show up as our best selves and live the life we deserve.
ALLOWING YOUR STORY TO UNFOLD IN ITS OWN TIME
As someone who is working to share my own journey with others, this was such an important topic for me to talk about. Courtney shares her perspective on allowing things to happen in their own time. And the importance of giving yourself time to process them. An important part of her story was allowing it to unfold on it’s own. If you have a crazy brain like I do, you might be always trying to chase the answers and predict the future. Courtney reminds us that patience is queen when it comes to letting things marinate so they can reveal themselves.
AVOIDING BUSY-NESS
Oh my goodness were my eyes opened when I first heard about the concept of busy-ness. Courtney points out that in today’s society, we wear our busy-ness as a badge of honor and we use it to justify our worth. And ain’t that the truth! Courtney shares how she needed to change the measuring system of how she measured her own worth. She says she could no longer measure who she was by how much she accomplished. Is anyone else guilty of that? Courtney reminds us that we need to give our work breathing room and allow ourselves to be curious so that we can create more intentionally. A tool Courtney uses is morning meditation that helps her move through her day with intention instead of just bouncing from thing to thing. I love when she speaks about focusing on consistency over intensity, because it is the things that we do every day that make up our lives!
TRUSTING YOURSELF ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED
It is just so dang easy to start to compare ourselves. I love when Courtney says: we are desperate to measure ourselves against something. She is right on. How much time do we spend looking at our neighbor or even at our own expectations of who we should be or what we should be doing? Instead of asking the world what will make us happy, Courtney suggests looking inward and asking ourselves. She encourages us resist the temptation to find an easy answer in what our peers are doing and instead take a hard look at what we need to be doing to reach our own goals.
You’ll love this episode for how honest and on point Courtney is when she talks about why she decided to trust herself and stop listening to all of the noise out there. If speaks to your heart even a fraction of how much she has spoken to mine, I promise my friend you’ll start to see places in your own life that you could change for the better! -
Wow, THANK YOU for being here with me!
I am so excited to be sharing my journey towards simplicity and having you here to learn right along side me from kick-booty women who are seriously making waves when it comes to redefining success and health.
In this first episode I am sharing how I stumbled upon the idea of simple living and how the idea grew into something that completely changed my life. I will highlight a couple of the big ah-ha moments I had. And how, slowly but surely I am learning to make more space in my life.
PUSHING PAST FEAR
My simplicity journey started with my dad’s terminal cancer diagnosis. In this episode I talk about choosing to focus on love in the face of fear. It doesn’t need to be a terminal illness that strike fear into our lives. Fear is a driving factor in so many of our everyday decisions. Now when I am feeling overwhelmed by certain emotions or circumstances, I am able to trace that feeling back to a deeper rooted feeling of fear. Once I recognize that, then I have more perspective and am able to address my circumstance from a place of love. Living with less has helped me to create space for more love in my life when I am able to let go of those things, physical and emotional, that are based in fear.
MAKING THE MOST OF WHERE YOU ARE
When I moved away from metropolitan life to small town Wisconsin with my husband, I worried a lot about loosing touch with my health, my style and my life. As a 23 year old, newly married entrepreneur, who barely left her home and was suddenly in a place where she only knew two people, I had some work ahead of me to figure out how I was going to live the life that I wanted. In many ways it was a fresh start for me. A chance to say: Here I am, and I have an opportunity to live the life I want to live. We all have the capacity to make the most out of life’s circumstances but it requires looking at our lives from a place of love which is not always easy.
SHOWING UP AS YOU ARE
These days I can usually be found in my studio or my kitchen surrounded by snacks and a mess. Because despite the stigma associated with minimalism, living a simple isn’t about a pristine home or stark white, bare walls. It’s about getting rid of everything in your life that isn’t serving you, so you can focus on the things that are.
It is easy to get caught up in the lie that there is a right way to live a sustainable lifestyle. This podcast is not going to be a place where we sit and listen to experts telling us the right and wrong ways to live simply and sustainably, leaving you feeling like you can’t eat a burger or like you need to go out and buy hemp sheets. Instead, it is going to be a positive uplifting space that starts conversations. I want you to be able to show up here as yourself with an open heart and an open mind listen to other people who might have a different way of doing things, that really might serve you. I want it to be a place where you can try on things that you like and leave things that you don’t like. Because this is all about creating a life that serves you, and that is going to look different for every single person.
I hope you love this episode and it inspires you to open your mind to what living more simply could look like in your life!
