Be Easy Life

Three years ago today, we said goodbye to Michael, Kat's first kitty cat soulmate.

In this episode, we talk about the part of loving an animal that none of us really want to think about: eventually, we have to say goodbye.

We share what Michael's final days were like, how she let us know when it was time, and some of the beautiful and almost unbelievable signs that came afterward (including a whole lot of blue balloons 💙).

We also talk about what our grief actually looked like. Being in a pit of despair. An unhinged amount of Christmas movies. Creative projects. Keeping a scratching post up for... a long time. Wearing cat ears to Target. And eventually, opening our home and hearts to two new kittens who now play with some of their big sister Michael's old toys.

Along the way, we share some of the things that helped us move through pet loss, what didn't, and a few thoughts on how to show up for someone else who's grieving an animal they love.

There are some tears in this one, and some parts were hard to get through. But pet loss is an inevitable part of loving our animals, and we think the grief that comes with it deserves to be talked about.

Because they're never "just a pet." They're part of our lives, our homes, our routines, our stories, and our families. And loving them is worth the heartbreak of having to say goodbye.

We love you, Michael 🐈‍⬛

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

Blame is one of those things that almost all of us will experience — whether we're on the receiving end of it, or catching ourselves pointing the finger at someone else.

In this episode, we explore what happens when someone else's story about us starts to feel more believable than our own. Why does criticism stick so easily? How do we know what feedback is worth listening to... and what isn't ours to carry?

We talk about the difference between blame and responsibility, why our brains are wired to take criticism seriously, how boundaries can sometimes become disguised accusations, and why two people can walk away from the same interaction with completely different stories.

We also turn the conversation inward. Because if we're honest, we've all blamed other people at times, too. What happens when we pause long enough to move through our own discomfort instead of projecting it onto someone else?

This conversation is about taking accountability without carrying responsibility for things that were never yours, staying curious instead of spiraling into shame, and learning how to navigate conflict with a little more clarity, compassion, and grace.

Because you don't have to reject every criticism.

And you don't have to absorb every accusation.

There's peace in learning the difference. You get to decide what becomes part of your story.

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

It's been a while since our last Chit Chat, and life has been full.

In this episode, we catch you up on everything that's happened over the last several months, from bringing home our kittens and navigating the adventures of spays, neuters, and kitten onesies, to family vacations, weddings, birthdays, Vegas dance floors, and one very memorable mohawk.

It turned into a fun reminder that so many of the ideas we've talked about over the years don't just stay in the podcast... they show up in our actual lives. Themes like anticipation vs. reality, protecting your energy, celebrating life, being seen, living for yourself, and asking what you actually want all showed up again in real life, sometimes in ways we never could have predicted.  

If you're new around here, this is actually a pretty fun place to start. And if you've been with us for a while, consider it a reunion with a few familiar ideas... and a chance to see where they've taken us.

Referenced episodes

• #44: Chit Chat 4
• #49: Kittens!
• #2: Anticipation vs. Reality
• #9: Kauai
• #52: Protecting Your Energy
• #18: Long-Term Friendships
• #16: Celebrate Your Life
• #39: Wherever You Go, There You Are
• #35: Being Seen
• #51: Doing Stuff
• #26: Living For Yourself
• #53: What Do You Want?

Mentioned in this episode

• Kat's Guidebook
• Dr. Ryan's Guidebook 

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

What is the meaning of life?

Depending on who you ask, you'll get a very different answer.

In this episode, we explore the many places people find meaning throughout their lives: love, friendship, family, creativity, growth, adventure, service, self-expression, and simply being fully alive.

We also discuss a perspective that might feel unsettling at first, but ultimately freeing: what if meaning isn't something we discover, but something we create?

Along the way, we share our own answers, reflect on what gives our own lives meaning, and explore a few questions that might be worth asking yourself:

Who am I really?

What lights me up?

What is truly mine, and what is conditioning?

What am I here to express?

Maybe the meaning of life is love. Maybe it's growth. Maybe it's creation. Maybe it's experience.

Or maybe it's something different for each of us.

The real question is: what makes your life meaningful?

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

It’s easy to end up living a life that looks right on paper.

Following a path that makes sense, that’s been modeled for you, or that you think you’re supposed to want. And sometimes it works… until it doesn’t.

In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to wake up from that default setting and start asking a different question: what do you actually want?

We get into the subtle ways influence shapes our decisions, the feeling of something being just a little off, and those moments where you’re doing everything “right”… but it still doesn’t feel like you.

From there, it becomes about getting honest. Letting go of what you think you should like, reconnecting with your own preferences, and learning how to listen to yourself again.

And then, choosing.

Not just once, but over and over. Making decisions that feel aligned, even if they don’t make sense to anyone else, and building a life that actually feels like yours.

It’s not about getting it perfect. It’s about paying attention, trusting what you feel, and giving yourself permission to choose again.

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

In this episode, we share some of our favorite ways to stay grounded, connected, and tuned-in to your own energy throughout the day.

Not as rulebook to follow or to achieve some kind of perfection. Just as a practice connecting to yourself.

We talk about simple tools that actually help: breath, mantras (like “I know who I am”), setting intentions, using oils, sage or palo santo, and even physically “putting on” your energy field before you walk into a room (shields up!).

We also get into the difference between leaving something because it’s not aligned… and leaving because you’re escaping part of yourself.

These tips and tools can be integrated into a daily practice, and can also be helpful any time you might feel pulled, drained, or influenced by the people and energy around you — whether that’s with family, friends, clients, or just moving through your day.

Because after all, it’s not about closing yourself off to the world — it’s about staying true to who you are, no matter what.

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

We’re not really “do stuff” people.

As introverts and entrepreneurs, we tend to love our routines, our space, and doing… less. But lately, we’ve been reminded that sometimes doing stuff is actually really good for you.

In this episode, we share a few recent moments where we stepped outside our usual rhythm — from a yoga and wellness event where we met new people and discovered things we didn’t even know we were looking for, to an art show that opened up entirely new ways of seeing creativity, to trying new classes and spaces just for the experience of it.

We talk about the pull of comfort and predictability, and why it’s so easy to stay in what we already know (like rewatching the same shows or rereading the same books). And what happens when you choose something new instead, and let yourself experience it for the first time.

There’s something about doing things not to get something, but simply to experience life, to express, to see what unfolds.

Sometimes “doing stuff” looks like going to an event. Sometimes it’s something small, like finally taking care of something around the house. Either way, it’s movement. It’s participation.

And sometimes, it’s exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

People change. We change. And sometimes our resistance to that change becomes the hardest part.

In this episode, we explore what it actually means to accept evolution, not just within ourselves, but in our relationships, our identities, and the lives we’re building over time.

We reflect on moments where life shifted unexpectedly, like moving, growing, or returning to places that no longer felt the same, and the realization that sometimes things didn’t go wrong, they’re just different now.

We talk about outgrowing dynamics, navigating relationships that don’t feel the way they once did, and the grief that can come with that. And the freedom on the other side of letting people, and yourself, change without needing to fix it.

Some people will grow with you. Some won’t. And that doesn’t make anyone wrong.

So the real question is, who are you becoming… and are you letting that be okay?

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

Our home and our lives recently got a whole lot more chaotic.

In this episode, we share the story of how these little beings came into our world and what the last couple months of life with kittens has actually been like. We talk about their personalities and quirks, the ways we’ve had to shift our routines and our environment, and what it means to care for animals as the unique creatures they are.

We also dive into a concept from the book Total Cat Mojo by Jackson Galaxy (link below), which explores the idea of a cat’s “true cat DNA.” Our tiny house cats are much closer to lions and jaguars than we sometimes remember, and understanding that instinct has completely changed the way we think about play, food, environment, and connection.

Along the way, we reflect on what it means to be good stewards for animals, the adjustments that come with welcoming new life into your home, and how something can be both challenging and deeply joyful at the same time.

They may be tiny, but they’ve already shifted our routines, our home, and our hearts in ways we didn’t expect.

Mentioned in this episode:
Total Cat Mojo by Jackson Galaxy — [https://a.co/d/06xBgh3c]
Ziggy & Zara’s Instagram — [instagram.com/kats.catzz]

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life

In this episode, we’re sharing our childfree journey — how our perspectives evolved, the doubts we navigated, the conversations we had (with each other and with ourselves), and how we ultimately chose a life that feels aligned for us.

For a long time, having kids felt less like a decision and more like the default setting. Somewhere along the way, that assumption cracked. What followed were years of questioning, strong opinions, relationship tension, unexpected clarity, and eventually… peace.

We talk about dating while being unsure, what it’s like to feel slightly outside the dominant narrative, what we’ve gained (and what we’ve knowingly let go of), and how we think about legacy, creativity, and partnership.

There are a lot of ways to build a full and meaningful life. This is ours.

We love our quiet life. And we chose it on purpose.

Intro & Outro music gratefully provided by our wonderful pal Captain Luke. Cover photo by the radiant Noelle Johnson.

Support the show

Join our Pod Squad for $5 a month at patreon.com/be_easy
Learn more & connect on Instagram @beeasy.life