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

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!

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

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

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Jeff Bezos got even richer during the pandemic because we were so reliant on online shopping, namely shopping with Amazon. It's time to spread that wealth by shopping directly with small online businesses and local stores. Cynthia Nielson is a seller on Amazon, which is necessary for small businesses to compete and find customers. Keep in mind that Amazon isn't like shopping at a retail store where the store buys its merchandise wholesale and basically owns it/can do whatever it wants with it as long as it brings in a profit. Amazon is more of a pass-through where you come to shop at their "store", but end up buying from another merchant. That merchant is likely a small business struggling to survive. No only does Amazon charge fees for merchants to be there, they make the rules, especially when it comes to returns (which costs the merchants dearly). Not only that, just when a merchant is seeing success, Amazon will change the algorithm killing that organic success. Merchants feel forced to buy ads, which Amazon profits from. We take advantage of the lax return policy without realizing how much that costs the merchants, especially if you choose "wrong website description" or "wrong item sent" (instead, choose "no longer need" since "I made a mistake" isn't on offer). Consumers have the power to change this. Think not only about the price you are paying, but the cost of that choice and the value of where you are buying from. Choosing to purchase directly from that merchant helps greatly. Buying locally keeps that money in your community. Use Amazon as your search engine and then buy elsewhere (directly from merchant or a local store...or even another online store). Amazon has a reputation for their allegedly poor treatment of their employees. Think about that when you shop there. Amazon has the power to change that now, and haven't. Because what they are doing is working for them. And we, the consumers, are agreeing to that culture every time we "Buy Now". Amazon continues to buy companies. We are ending up with fewer and fewer choices. We need to stop relying on one corporation for the majority of our shopping. Maybe it's time to choose our conscience over our convenience.

Episode recorded on 04/30/21

Episode released on 06/09/21

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!

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

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

When you start to list your pet peeves, you learn that they are more or less infinite. Real-life friends Gia DeSantis (ep 005 Ageism) and Jasmine Milligan (ep 015 Clutter) return to share their current pet peeves, admit to what they are guilty of (including car theft?) and how the list that was supposed to be limited to 2 each keeps growing and growing to include: littering, what a dick Stephen Miller is (no relation to Sandra), cigarette butts, confronting offenders, DNA, Quibi, Mad Men memories, glottal stops, master bakers, misplaced dollar signs,  Starburst, root canals (and people who freak out about them), lack of personal responsibility, operating without a sense of logic, the chronically late, stealing a car (on accident), tags, waiting for food, Nuh-VAH-duh, Hilaria Baldwin, unsolicited advice, being humble, book rec: THE LISTENING PATH, asking permission, hearing yourself, talking over people, being a know-it-all, book ref: ANNOYING: THE SCIENCE OF WHAT BUGS US, parking, pronunciations, finishing a story, mansplaining, poor city planning, friend collecting, people who don't want to get vaxxed.

You can find Gia on Twitter and Instagram @OMGitsGia and Jasmine on Instagram @upsidetidying and her website https://upsidetidying.com

The books referenced can be found here: https://bookshop.org/lists/a-sassy-little-podcast-tbr

Episode recorded on 04/22/21

Episode released on 06/02/21

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

Inspired to open up the "classic" tool of the 5 love languages to be more inclusive, Anne wrote SPEAKING FROM THE HEART: 18 LANGUAGES FOR MODERN LOVE, illustrated to show what those languages may look like and what they don't. We talk about: Opening up to how we see relationships, especially platonic ones; giving and receiving love more easily and openly; asking yourself if you're holding back; shifting back to communal participation; going beyond the basic 5 languages; Anne's faves (this week); score keeping; being in a relationship with yourself; connecting; the awkwardness or re-establishing contact/socializing; managing expectations; getting back to normal and needing to grieve what was lost; the missing love language; practicing the dance; consent; checking in; telepathy; why assume when you can just ask?

You can find Anne on Twitter and Instagram @theannehodder, on Facebook @EveryoneDeservesSecksEd, and her book is available at https://www.themodernlovelanguages.com/

Episode recorded on 04/16/21

Episode released on 05/26/21

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!

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

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

In 2008, in a cloud forest in Madagascar, Ericka Lutz's husband, Bill, suddenly became ill and passed away hours later in front of her and their 16-year-old daughter. With that sudden loss, her world was upended, PTSD set in and then came people's judgments if she wasn't being the perfect widow. We talk about: How American's are terrible at dealing with loss/grief; how sudden loss reshapes you; loss, isn't something you get over—you live with it and survive it; moving forward with full-frontal grief; survivor's guilt, anger, fear and devastation; being diagnosed with Grave's Disease and how that seemed to tie in to shock/sudden loss; importance of sharing experience; mistake of making saints out of the departed and rewriting history; being irrevocably changed; letting a teenager grieve in her own way and trusting the process; grief is not an event to complete; don't judge someone grieving (you aren't in their shoes); trying not to float off the planet; the expectations of others (being the perfect widow); still being yourself; other people wanting to move on and forget the bad stuff or not respecting the loss/grief as time passes; there's no going back to normal; being gentle with yourself, giving yourself time; grief exists outside of time; give yourself what you need.

You can find Ericka on Twitter @elutz, on Instagram @ericka_lutz and her website https://erickalutz.com

Her novel, THE EDGE OF MAYBE, can be purchased here: https://www.laurelbookstore.com/book/9780982708446

Episode recorded on 04/09/21

Episode released on 05/19/21

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!

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

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Gloria Davis Browning is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, culinary school graduate, educator and advocate of Health at EVERY Size. We talk about how basic nutrition is pretty basic, how the latest food fads of Keto, Paleo and Intermittent Fasting aren't needed to keep ourselves healthy (the key to that is whole, natural foods prepared in a healthy, tasty way), that we shouldn't vilify vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, etc.), especially while eating heavily processed meats. Healthy is about how you feel, getting back to intuitive eating, avoiding the obsessive aspects of many of these diets, which doom one to failure (the one time you eat something off the diet, boom!). Good foods and bad foods don't exist for Gloria. She believes in gradual change for more lasting results, learning nutritional cooking so that you can have healthy meals at any budget, and learning how to make the best choices for you, whether you are at the grocery store, a fast food drive through or at a gas station on a road trip. Pro-tip: Turn that package around and read the labels, and understand a true portion size (check out the book THE PORTION TELLER for help with that), so you aren't taking in more calories (or fat or sodium) than you intended. Do you research regarding eating plans or food fads, and make sure that is linked to evidence from more than one source. Consider the environmental impact of ordering food in (the packaging, the plastics that really don't get recycled, and all that waste!). Understand how food is manufactured to make it more addictive (check out the book SALT, SUGAR, FAT: How the Food Giants Hooked Us for more in that). We also talk Parks and Rec, "toddler sized" sodas, research being bought, being skeptical by nature, lab rats, the French Paradox, giving your body and palate time to adjust to new (healthy) foods, the importance of moving your body, and getting back to instinctual eating.

AN EXTENDED VERSION OF THIS EPISODE IS AVAILABLE TO PATREON AND APPLE PODCAST SUBSCRIBERS. For more information, visit the podcast's Community page.

You can find Gloria at: 
https://www.savorandsoothe.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/savorandsoothe
https://www.instagram.com/savorandsoothe/

Episode recorded on 04/03/21

Episode released on 05/12/21

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 episodes and exclusive content, become a patron on Patreon or a subscriber with Apple Podcasts (coming soon!). 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

Julie Sedivy has a PhD in linguistics and had 5 languages under her belt by the time she was 5. Born in the Czechoslovakia and moving several times through many European countries, her family landed in Canada and slowly, English became the dominant language despite their Czech roots. Keeping a heritage language is difficult, and near impossible in a home where only one parent speaks that second language. We discuss losing language and exposure to heritage roots, the revelation of going back to the heritage country and understanding why you are the way you are, the over-importance of assimilation causing the ceasing of the heritage language, shame of a second language and how those with a second language or speaking English with an accent are perceived as different and sometimes excluded, when parents are told to only speak English to accelerate the child/children's learning, it can cause a language barrier in families, crossover learning, why no one should ever say "why can't they speak English", learning to embrace multilingualism, learning a second language will help you learn more languages, extending your communication repertoire, Canada's multilingual regions, the (false) perception of Spanish taking over the US, English has a pull and seems to become the default language even with those who speak the same heritage language, Dialectal and generational differences with language, honoring language, not always valuing the past, Indigenous languages, consulting with the elders, how things in America are disposable, getting curious about words, playing devil's advocate, Shakespeare and spelling, languages reflect cultures, valuing language, reverence can get in the way of preserving a heritage language, imperfect command of multiple languages, reverence tempered with realism, the French, Montreal and making an effort, swear words, feeling like a tourist, enriching your life with language and culture, commitment to keeping/acquiring a heritage or second language, the internet and podcast can help you learn/maintain a second language, addressing social attitudes, language is loaded for many people, evolutionary bias, under-travelled Americans and who we have different cultures in different states, opening our minds and experiencing other cultures locally.

You can find Julie at https://juliesedivy.com

Her new book Memory Speaks: On Losing and Reclaiming Language and Self is available for pre-order now (out on 10/12/21): https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Speaks-Losing-Reclaiming-Language/dp/067498028X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QWJPC7BYBBLH&dchild=1&keywords=memory+speaks+sedivy&qid=1620057095&sprefix=sedivy+mem%2Caps%2C492&sr=8-1

or Order it from Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/11990/9780674980280

Episode recorded on 02/09/21
Episode released on 05/05/21

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. Become a patron on Patreon or subscribe through the new Apple Podcast program (coming in May 2021). 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

In America, home of the Super Big Gulp, living smaller isn't something we think of as a goal. To Laura Fenton, living smaller is a mindset more than the amount of square feet involved. We talk about pairing back to what is essential, how downsizing can be liberating, the cleverness of a studio space, playing an endless game of Tetris, accumulating things just because you have the space, living in a small space keeps you honest, what a smaller life might look like and the rewards of it, taking the pressure off, being in a small space during the pandemic, the joy of making things work, not being beholden to others' expectations, balance of space and comfort, the large size of modern homes, urban density, smaller homes being the more sustainable option (in every way), it's not a sad thing to live in a small space, living well in a small space without deprivations, the homes in her book came sans stylists or props (that's really how they live), the cost of living smaller, a one-time big (expensive) purchase may save money in the long run, the craziness of smaller appliances costing more, seeing the long view, shopping second had for smaller spaces (because older furniture was made at a smaller scale), Apartment Therapy, sharing experiences, looking at life differently, useful/purposeful gifts, the satisfaction of giving items away to someone who'll enjoy them, pretend to move if you need motivation to declutter, changing the energy of your home by decluttering and/or inviting people over, curiosity of small space living, not filling space, living small is a daily practice, ongoing editing, changing one thing can change everything, if your home is feeling small now (after surviving lockdown) give it a purge, it may be the stuff, not the space, looking at the Why, the bunk bed book.

You can find Laura at http://www.laura-fenton.com/  https://twitter.com/lauraafenton  https://www.instagram.com/laura.alice.fenton

You can find her book here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-little-book-of-living-small/9781423652533?aid=11990&listref=a-sassy-little-podcast-tbr

Episode recorded on 03/26/21

Episode released on 04/28/21

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. 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

Writer, wife and mother, Adele Paul remembers the day her life changed when suddenly, after getting a regular virus, her energy was gone.  Listen in as we talk about: waking up tired, setting two alarms vs not owning one, getting sick, being diagnosed (and excited about that), the difference between being tired, exhausted and fatigue, going to bed at 9:30, not getting over it, doctoring, not being a flake (even when you have to cancel plans), budgeting energy, mourning, accepting limits, limits are wonderful, it's not fun to say no, not having a true diagnosis, post-exertional malaise, figuring it out for yourself, low moment/turning point, taking better care of yourself, healing, alternative medicine, placebo effect, cutting out naps, remission and flares, crazy talk, a fog like no other, alternate plans, supporting your immune system, getting vaccinated, being disbelieved, super store shopping, not needing to know, Epstein-Barr, COVID and chronic fatigue symptoms, nobody stands to profit, nutrition, Starbucks, Teeccino, rituals, exercise, recharging, living to tell the tale, the upsides, Australia.

Adele can be reached at https://tuesdaysisters.com/ and https://www.approfessionalwriting.com/

Episode recorded on 03/19/21

Episode released on 04/21/21

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. 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