Naty Rico is a disability advocate and educator, and the coordinator of the Disability Cultural Center at the University of Arizona. She talks with us about what ableism is beyond the dictionary definition and how able-bodied people might not be aware of how they are complicit with it, how it's a system of oppression favoring able-bodied/-minded people, the definitions of ableism by Talila TL Lewis and Dustin P. Gibson, being interconnected with other forms of oppression, how removing labels can lead to discrimination/oppression, those with disability are not aiming to be normal, overcoming barriers simply to exist, the learning process, taking the burden off of those with disabilities, the medical model of disability is that a person with a disability is tragic/wrong and needs to be fixed, the social model of disability and how society was not built for those with disability, and people are more disabled by society than by their own impairment, day-to-day life excludes the disabled, seeing disability as just another way of being, the expense and marriage inequality of being disabled, capitalism, insurance coverage (or lack thereof), eugenics, being a culture that takes care of each other, no one is immune to disability, colonialism, cultural and community care, being an individualistic society, protecting our democracy, interpersonal ableism, lack of exposure to people with disabilities, Sound of Metal, Crip Camp, educating ourselves about what we don't understand, having more disabled represented in media, disability as taboo, "feeling sorry" for the disabled, assuming disabled people are in pain, unsolicited advice, misconceptions, religion's role and the moral model of disability (as God's punishment), schools separating disabled children from able-bodied classmates, feeling like an exhibit, stop being "inspired" by disability, being objectified, serving as a lesson/example, low expectations, feel anger instead of pity (about how the disabled are treated), being excluded by society, able-bodied people taking advantage of disabled rights, becoming more aware and wanting more education to stop ableism.

You can find Naty at https://drc.arizona.edu/cultural-center and on LinkedIn @disabold

Episode recorded on 07/16/21

Episode released on 08/18/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Amy Irvine (ep 006 Financial Fears) returns to the pod to talk about how we can avoid some of our financial foolishness by understanding how much our emotions are linked to our finances (whether we have it or not), realizing in the past year how we can scale back if we really need to (hello, lockdown), the psychology around wealth (having fun with it/spending 'til it's gone or hoarding it/worried it will all be lost), the urge to splurge after a period of lack, how diets and budgets are similar (and we don't enjoy being on them), the latte factor, how our upbringing plays into how we feel about money, credit cards in college, that 70% of people who win the lottery end up worse off financially, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: survival, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization and how those all play into how we deal with money, being generous in a wise way when you come into money, how finance is a taught skill and we should be embarrassed to ask for guidance and learn about it, understanding options, rich people's toilet paper, avoiding information, facing the dragon (reading the statements), avoiding the "head in the sand" approach to money, even financial planners have financial planners, rationalizing choices rather than making logical decisions, having a financial planner or accountability buddy to help make better financial decisions, having all the channels, finding the fun in saving money/budgeting/cutting back/increasing your credit score, not using a debit card, credit card points, how credit card usage impacts/improves your credit score, importance of paying credit cards each pay period, diversity of debt, celebrating being debt-free, creating a statement of financial purpose (why do I work?), raising parents, deciding to stay home/be a caregiver or earn/stay in the workforce during your high-earning years, employment gaps and earning less, disability insurance, snowball or avalanche methods of paying off debt, motivation, student loans, teaching children about money, making a plan, feeling that you've let people down, the courage to look at where you're at, take responsibility for it and move forward, what brings you joy, the cost of convenience, making thrifty cool again, finding discounts, and packing your own lunch.

You can find Amy at https://rootedpg.com on Instagram @rootedpg and Twitter @RootedPlanning

Episode recorded on 07/09/21

Episode released on 09/11/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Starting first as an online bookstore throwing great online events in September 2020, and opened their doors to a brick-and-mortar store in the Chicago's historic Fine Arts Building on May 15th of this year,  still doing great online events. Mixing a love of literature and music, Kristin Enola Gilbert and Javier Ramirez followed their hearts and passion to open something truly special store. We talk about the obstacles they faced, including learning tech, Bookshop.org, blood, sweat, tears and cocktails, hosting virtual events during lockdown as an online store, moving to the store ahead of schedule, naysayers on the name, asking for help, hours of paperwork, jumping through arbitrary hoops, running a store while doing other jobs/teaching, loving the Instagrammable space, importance of shopping local and independent, shopping off of Amazon, authors need to link to indie stores and not Amazon, coping skills, give and take, supporting others in your industry, there's enough room for everybody, sharing ideas, broadening the sense of community, diving into your dream, learn as much as you can, do your research, you can't do it all by yourself, and you shouldn't!

How to Support Local Bookstores (buy e- and audiobooks online): https://diversebooks.org/how-to-support-independent-bookstores-right-now/

You can find Kristin and Javier at https://www.exileinbookville.com/ on Twitter @BookvillExiles, Instagram @exileinbookville and Facebook @exileinbookville

Episode recorded on 07/09/21

Episode released on 08/04/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Getting a trophy for everything is a nice gesture, but there's actual value in losing. Yes, really! And if you think you're always going to get an accolade for everything, you are going to be faced with a world of disappointment. Lisa Stephen, PhD, talks with us about developing coping skills, how failing is a part of the process of success, it's essential and there's no potential for growth without it, learning to be self-gratified, an intrinsic level of motivation, growth mindset, having fun (and if you aren't having fun, why are you doing it?), the pressure put on kids, the freedom to be ourselves, allowing space for reflection, quitting, losing is honest, being more politically aware because of losing, the opportunity for redemption, being dumped, moving on, the hard work of getting unstuck, taking a moment, pity parties, learning lessons, taking nothing personally, projecting our competitive nature onto others, Lewis Hamilton, being mini-experts, putting pressure on ourselves, sports fans, little league parents, seeing the team over the individual, community, cut-throat culture, cheating, stealing, being stubborn, looking at the bigger picture, being in connection, collaboration, parking, instinct of competition, taking a step back, we can't all be Michael Jordan, winning at all costs, being a good sport win or lose, remember that you are playing (a game or sport), competing with yourself, growth goals, Peloton, the Hurrah Pass, being honest with yourself, understanding the grand scheme of things, getting out of a funk, learning to let go, everything is temporary, choosing what to think about, reacting from previous experience, picking the scab, choosing your glasses, ruminating, learning to be resilient, happiness, enjoying the process, another door will open, it's emotions that make things complex.

You can find Lisa at https://ignitepeakperformance.com/ on Twitter and Instagram @Ignite_Coach and Facebook @ignitepeakperformance

Episode recorded on 06/25/21

Episode released on 07/28/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

We more or less met our most authentic selves during lockdown, when we couldn't see our hairdresser without risk. Once the world opened up, did you run back to coloring your hair, or did you decide to let your gray stay? We talk with Anne Kreamer who wrote the book on going gray (aptly titled GOING GRAY: HOW TO EMBRACE YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF WITH GRACE AND STYLE), who talks about her experience and the research that went into her book as well as facing our mortality during the pandemic, the problem of too much choice, how less is liberating, living like you're on vacation, decluttering our lives, the beginning is the hardest part, letting go of "letting yourself go", going from 0 to 60 (or 0 to Sex and the City), retaining the grace and essential values we learned during lockdown, area-based style,  iconic women interviewed in the book (Nora Ephron, Emmy Lou Harris, Frances McDormand, Ann Richards), new going-gray icon Claire Saffitz, self-acceptance as a trait to foster, community and Zoom, hair color isn't healthy for us or the environment, clinging to youth, who's having more fun, BOOK REC: Betty Friedan's THE FOUNTAIN OF AGE, those who accept their biological age live longer, headhunters, Depends, external pressures, camouflage, staying competitive in the job market, trade-offs, getting time and money back, empowerment, Oscars, Georgia O'Keefe, who are your role models and why, hair as a provocative thing, identity, chemo, Springsteen, it's not all or nothing, presenting our best selves, being supportive of each other, realizing color isn't age-fooling people, getting time and money back, doing the math.

You can find Anne Kreamer at https://www.annekreamer.com/ and on Twitter and Instagram @AnneKreamer

Book Rec: https://bookshop.org/a/11990/9780743299879

Episode recorded on 06/27/21

Episode released on 07/21/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Jackie Jones is a comedian, motivational thinker, roller-skater and hugger. JJ talks about the importance of being able to self-soothe, being OK with awkward silences, and acknowledging them. We also talk about reading in public; pumping yourself up; learning what works for you; shrinking the spectrum; Jedi mind-tricks, asserting (smiley) dominance; look to where your discomfort comes from; how anyone can learn to do anything; don't compare and despair; being yourself; bombing as a comedian; connecting with your audience/people; when the spotlight is on you, you're the host; you're in charge (in a good way); our subconscious; A Glitch in the Matrix; working on yourself; learning the rules so you can either break or follow them; "Hacks"; eye-rolling; Jackie's YouTube channel; having an attention span; internal dialogue; being in the same boat; choosing unhappiness over uncertainty; "Hoarders"; being unwilling to change; working with a professional; we are the ripple effect; the Ah-ha! moment.

You can find Jackie on Instagram @thatjackiejones and on YouTube https://www.YouTube.com/ThatJackieJones

Episode recorded on 06/18/21

Episode released on 07/14/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Interior designer, Anna Lobell, gives her insight on how to embrace your personal style by creating a space for yourself and an environment that will support and uplift you. The importance of knowing yourself and the courage to express yourself. Avoiding trends (like an all white room with a single cactus). The importance of being comfortable and happy in your space. Understanding compromise and purpose, and letting the space speak to you to tell you what it needs. Not designing for 5-10 years down the road (you and your taste will likely change); design for right now. BS overthinking. Design should be about what makes you happy—do it for you, not for anyone else (or collecting "likes"). The adage "How you do one thing is how you do everything" is pretty true. Declutter, clean or paint if you need a change but are on a budget. As within, so without—if you don't have time to see to your space, you don't have time to see to your inner-space. Spiritual housecleaning is a thing (and it's ancient). Add in things/colors that you love, even if it starts with a pillow. Acceptance of who you are and what you love. Enjoy your home. Allow what's functional. Create a supportive environment. Don't be paralyzed by indecision. Give yourself permission to love what you love. Ask yourself questions: what's your favorite color/texture/scent/flavor. Develop somatic intelligence. Expose yourself to the arts. BOOK REC: THE ART OF LOOKING by Lance Esplund. Allow yourself to really take things in. ApartmentTherapy.com to see examples of a range of styles. Look at other people's styles/design to see what turns you on. Trial and error. Energy flows where attention goes. Go for it and be honest with yourself. Don't be afraid to make yourself happy. Don't let others block your happiness. Famous last words: ...and then I'll be happy.

You can find Anna at https://annalobell.com or on Instagram @theannalog

Book Rec: https://bookshop.org/a/11990/9780465094660

Episode recorded on 06/15/21

Episode released on 07/07/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Writer Locke Hughes talks about her struggle with being on time, her experience with Diana DeLonzor's book, NEVER BE LATE AGAIN: 7 CURES FOR THE PUNCTUALLY CHALLENGED, the irony of being able to be on time for things you are excited about, being late so you don't "waste time" if you're early, the anxiety of waiting, giving up magical thinking and giving yourself more time, confronting the late people in your life, getting enough rest, her book MELATONIN: The Natural Supplement for Better Sleep, and the importance of setting your alarm on Sunday mornings.

Episode recorded on 06/11/21

Episode released on 06/30/21

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! 

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Los Angeles has a homelessness crisis that has been going on for years. While politicians talk about solutions (we're looking at you, Eric Garcetti and Mike Bonin), Heidi Roberts and her husband decided to create one with Haaven Shared Housing. Since it opened in April 2018, they have taken 168 people off the streets (that's about 1 person per week) and have an 80% success rate (meaning people are still housed). Listen in as we talk about the full-frontal experience of living in Venice, CA, how housing isn't the solution to the homelessness crisis; there's more to it: Support. Taking care of people shouldn't be hard. We have the resources but seem to lack the political will to make the necessary change. People are suffering from addiction, untreated mental illness and, what they all have in common is trauma. After hearing from public officials that there was no housing, Heidi and her husband decided to create some. With the purchase of a 4-unit building, they were able to move 28 people in...and learned the hard way that housing wasn't the solution. Peer support and the right staff was the secret sauce.  We discuss how the crisis grew out of Mayor Villaraigosa's plan to revitalize DTLA with Staples Center and LA Live, removing from the city much of its affordable housing, which was never replaced. How big developer donors are rewarded with building contracts for the city's unhoused, instead of purchasing existing structures, leaving people on the streets while they wait for construction to be complete. Haaven can house people for $5,000/per person/per year; the city intends to spend nearly $500,000 per person. City and other organizations won't refer to shared housing because they call it "undignified". They also take issue with Haaven's policy of no drugs and alcohol on the premises (you can use elsewhere, just not on the property), saying that is a violation of personal rights. These misdirected ideologies of what they seem to believe is protecting the rights and choices of the unhoused are also what is keeping them on the streets, unsafe and at risk of violence, health crises and police detainment. Elected officials seem to be more interested in appeasing their donor base rather than serving the citizens, both homed and unhoused. There is a significant rise in crime and violence, including violence toward the unhoused. Encampments are run by gangs and Venice Beach is now known as Methlehem. Shared housing offers peer support, creates communities and families, and helps people succeed in sobriety and mental health stability. And it's a common sense solution that can be implemented quickly and at a reasonable cost to the city. 

You can find Heidi at https://www.haaven.org/

Episode recorded on 06/04/21

Episode released on 06/23/21

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 or a subscriber with Apple Podcasts (coming soon!). Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

With a PhD in Nutrition Science and Policy in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, Rachele Pojednic knows what she's talking about when it comes to the importance of exercise. With what she describes as "a real marketing problem," exercise is too often associated with weight loss, and physical activity is too important to miss because of bad PR. This episode is not meant to be ableist, sizeist or promoting diet culture. Exercise is really a form of self-love and self-care that has benefits beyond the physical, include those to our mental and emotional health. We talk about: Exercise is not a punishment and needs to be disassociated from weight loss. You change the oil in your car and get it a tune up. Exercise is no different. You need to rev that engine. What counts as exercise? Anything that gets you moving and, yes, dancing and gardening counts. Exercise is something just for you. It can be meditative and spiritual. Find your place on the movement spectrum. Making it routine helps. Be patient; don't give up. BOOK REC: BJ Fogg's TINY HABITS: THE SMALL CHANGES THAT CHANGE EVERYTHING. Body awareness. The best exercise is what you love and will keep doing. Excercise for chronic illness, chronic pain and aging. The patience (and humility) required when going from being sedentary to exercising. Newsflash: The 90s are back! (Rollerblading and scrunchies included.) Without stimulus or stress, things are going to change. The truth to, "Move it or lose it!" Finding things (for free) online. Sitting in front of a screen (another reason to get up and move). The power of push-ups. Powerlifting in your 80s. Jane Fonda. Legwarmers. Options for those with disabilities. Adaptive sports. Physical and occupational therapy. Giving yourself grace. Fighting to get insurance codes for exercise. Getting nutrition, exercise, behavior change and self-care taught in medical school (and how Harvard dropped their summer, 3-class course on this...those bastards). Nutrition and exercise are the beginning of medicine, not the last resort. Changing the system. Life and health in rural America. How this is all more complicated than eating better and getting off our asses. 

You can find Rachele on Instagram @rachelepojednic on Facebook @StrongProcess and her website https://rachelepojednic.com

Episode recorded on 06/04/21

Episode released on 06/16/21

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!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs