A Sassy Little Podcast with Sandra Ann Miller a.k.a. The Happyist

Sanyu Estelle is a Claircognizant ("clear knowing") Soothsayer ("truth teller") that is also known as "The Word Witch" because of her deep love for word origins (etymology) and word culture (philology). These natural inclinations are bolstered by a 15+ year practice of Daoism, as well as a 10+ year relationship with Ifa, the indigenous tradition of the Yoruba people of now-Nigeria.

As a Soothsayer, Sanyu Estelle's gift is truth-telling. With 15 years of card reading experience and 25 years of public speaking experience, her readings are often listened to over many years by her clients. She is a "1st generationish" (long, but great story) US-American of Ugandan and Belizean descent born, bred and buttered in Los Angeles on land traditionally stewarded by the Tongva. 

You can find Sanyu at sanyuestelle.com, on Substack at GetAtTheRoot.substack.com and on Instagram @SanyuEstelle.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Our guest this month is the creator of the wildly popular Substack, How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, where she give wonderful advice for the choices we believe we must face for our faces, necks and other visible parts, and delighting us with stories of her adorably precocious granddaughter, M. If you need more convincing this lady knows what she’s talking about, for 16 years she was the Beauty Editor of O Magazine. Wise, warm and witty, Val is a delight to read, and is even better in person (and for a listen).

You can find Val on Substack at valeriemonroe.substack.com.

To get the full ep, please become a subscriber of A Sassy Little Substack. Details in the footer.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Amanda Lee McCarty is the host of the Clotheshorse podcast, which recently celebrated its 200th episode (that’s no small feat)! After going to art school, they ended up with a career in fashion. With nearly 20 years’ experience in buying, product development, visual merchandising, and merchandise planning, they honed their skills at iconic lifestyle brands such as Urban Outfitters, Modcloth, Nasty Gal, and Wildfang. Along with their fabulous podcast, they’re also an industry consultant, a small business coach and content creator with a weakness for artificial fruit.

Along with Amanda’s work, we talked about how to be happy when you’re doing the Sisyphean act of being an activist/advocate for what fast fashion is doing to the planet (Spoiler Alert: It’s awful!), and pondered why we need an all-over body deodorant when soap still exists.

This August 16th and 17th, Amanda will host the first in-person Clotheshorse Jamboree in Lancaster, PA (get your tickets now!).

You can find Amanda on her website clotheshorsepodcast.com, and on Instagram, Threads and Facebook [@]clotheshorsepodcast.

The full episode is available on A Sassy Little Substack. xo

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

The past few years have been difficult for Amy. Within a year, both her parents and her beloved cat, Colonel Puff Puff, passed away. And, while it wasn't easy, Amy has stayed sober throughout. Listen in as we talk about her travails, how she's coping, and staying strong. The episode is honest, raw, and funny. Just like Amy.

Amy's incredible memoir is MY FAIR JUNKIE: A Memoir About Getting Dirty and Staying Clean. You can get it here or any fine independent bookstore (because we support those, right?). You can find Amy here:

https://www.amydresner.com/

https://www.instagram.com/amydresner/

https://www.facebook.com/amydresnerofficial/

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

A Sassy Little Podcast with Sandra Ann Miller a.k.a. The Happyist will be back on June 7, 2024, and the first Friday of the month after that. 

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Elena Rossini calls social media a "honey pot" for data mining and targeted advertising. In her upcoming documentary, THE REALISTS, the followup to her first feature length doc, THE ILLUSIONISTS, Elena shines a light on the dark side of social media. We talk about how our devises are listening, why we should act like a spy, getting a signal-blocking pouch, bluetooth and grocery shopping, how Zuckerberg covers his cam and mic on his phone, have we given up on privacy, how social media has changed over the years, that Ashton Kutcher ruined Twitter, social media isn't terrible, but it's being used against us in a terrible way...and we aren't pissed off about that enough, the creation of Facebook "reactions" and them giving "angry" the highest score, being 'punished' by the algorithm for not being a regular user, old milk, the importance of 'new', using Tweetdeck and Lists for Twitter, taking control over how we use social media because it has used us for so long, deleting Facebook products (FB, Insta and Whatsapp), going off social media and getting into meditation, staying off devices in front of babies/children, addiction to social media/attention/validation, going viral and TikTok fame, living life through a screen, no one is explaining the algorithm or where this data is going, Face ID, AI, deep fakes, revenge porn, voter apathy, BOOK RECS: AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH and TECHNOPOLY by Neil Postman, the intentional harm of the algorithm, how quickly Facebook can radicalize, cite your source, the amount of time young people are on social media, hacking your home internet to block ads, websites and tracking in your home and on specific devices (NextDNS.io), NO is a complete sentence, being impacted my the internet/social media and how women get the brunt of that, child predators, and that social media is an option and we can opt out.

You can find Elena on Twitter @_elena and on her websites elenarossini.com and therealists.org

Episode recorded on 11/04/21

Episode released on 03/09/22

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. For early access, ad-free episode and exclusive content, become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Sayra Player created Guided By Glow during the pandemic as a guided meditation to connect with our bodies. The app and website launched in May 2021 and has over 80 sessions to get you going and is GOOP approved. While we might be comfortable  talking about sex or our sexuality, we aren't so comfy talking about "alone time" (AKA masturbation). Erotica has always been around (hello, Anaïs Nin) and 50 Shades may have made it more common, it can be helpful to those who may not be comfortable with the porn their partners enjoy. Guided By Glow sessions are about you (not other people). We talk about the importance of getting connected and staying connected with our sexual selves, giving yourself permission, not thinking it's "dirty", "wrong" or "bad", mindfulness, getting to know the voice, creating a playground, not being uptight about sex, moving past shame, allowing yourself to explore, learning to relax and be, maintaining our health (mental, spiritual, physical), slowing down, being in your body, how sex (just the word) is being censored on Facebook and Instagram. Sayra was kind enough to give listeners $20 off the annual subscription. Use the code SASSY to get the discount (good through December 2021). You can try out Guided By Glow for free with trial sessions available on the free app and on their website.

You can find Sayra at https://guidedbyglow.com and on Instagram @guidedbyglow

Episode recorded on 11/09/21

Episode released on 11/24/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. For early access, ad-free episode and exclusive content, become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Nathaniel Hodder-Shipp found breathwork while in treatment, then went on to study with a mentor for 11 years. He's the founder of Breathwork for Recovery and we talk about the transformative nature of breathwork, the explosion of it, how we are all recovering from something, trauma is something we all share, exploitation in the wellness community, ethics, breathwork training, Nathaniel's certification requires 800 hours of training while others will certify with 30 hours, breathing properly, the autonomic nervous system, Amy Dresner and My Fair Junkie, how certain conditions like epilepsy may not be right for breathwork, disclosures, access and resources, The Recovery Circle.

You can find Nathaniel on his websites at https://breathworkforrecovery.com and nathanielhoddershipp.com and on Instagram @breathworkforrecovery and @spiritandceremony

Episode recorded on 10/12/21

Episode released on 11/17/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. For early access, ad-free episode and exclusive content, become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller. Join the conversation at thehappyist.substack.com

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs