Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You

Arielle Nissenblatt shares a travel memory trick for frequent travelers whose trips start to blur together. Pick one new album, musical artist, podcast, or book for each place, then revisit it later and the trip comes back. Use it in downtime like the hotel room while getting ready for a night out, the shower, or the gym.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Guest tipper Josh Rivera says it straight: “Be nice. Nobody wants to help an asshole.” Rivera is currently on Broadway in The Rocky Horror Show, and shares what rude customers can expect: longer waits and an experience that ends up “mid.”

Josh Rivera is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most compelling rising stars. Most recently he captivated audiences in the titular role in Ryan Murphy’s FX limited series “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” a performance that secured him coveted spots on Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch and The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen Talent Lists for 2024. On the big screen, Rivera made his feature debut as Chino in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. He's also seen in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Susanna Fogel’s feature Cat Person, and the indie thriller Inhabitants, which won Best Genre Feature at the 2023 Austin Film Festival. A graduate of Ithaca College, Rivera began his professional journey as part of the original cast of the first national tour of Hamilton.

Follow Josh on Instagram at @joshandresrivera.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Citrus peels can keep a kitchen garbage disposal smelling clean without extra cleaners. Toss lemon or orange peels into the disposal periodically to cut lingering food odors and reduce how often the sink needs a deep clean. If the disposal starts feeling gunked up, a handful of ice cubes can help knock buildup loose.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Cobblestone streets vary from city to city, and the shift can throw off walking patterns fast. Staying safe in old towns can be as simple as slowing down, watching footing, and not assuming the next street feels like the last. Keep an eye on uneven stones and changing textures to avoid a trip while traveling.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Creative collaboration can turn into an endless loop of critique, especially on newer projects and with newer collaborators. A quick “what’s working” email every week or two helps call out the moments where the team “nailed it,” which builds morale and reinforces the behaviors that make projects better. Useful for creative teams, feedback culture, and collaboration habits at the end of a long week.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Dust bunnies under the bed and dresser get out of hand fast, especially when pet hair joins the party. A quick blast of air from a hair dryer pushes the buildup into the open so it can be vacuumed or swept up. This simple cleaning trick helps keep under-furniture dust and hairballs from turning into a full-on nightmare.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Maia Molina-Schaefer shares a practical approach for starting a new job or stepping into a new leadership role without triggering immediate pushback. By focusing on six to eight weeks of flawless execution and small, consistent wins, trust builds before any big proposal lands. The "slow down to speed up" mindset helps change management, relationship building, and stakeholder buy-in happen faster once credibility is established.

Maia Molina-Schaefer has navigated more career pivots than most people attempt in a lifetime. Her journey began in the boxing ring at the U.S. Naval Academy, where she became the first woman to compete in the Brigade Boxing Championship. As a Marine Corps and Army Intelligence Officer and Military Diplomat, she led teams in combat zones across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, managed multi-million-dollar portfolios, and pioneered the first Women, Peace, and Security program with an African military partner. At West Point, she taught French and directed the Corbin Women's Leadership Forum.

Now, as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Amplify Her Foundation, she channels two decades of leadership experience into advancing gender equity. She's also a keynote speaker and a featured Moth storyteller based in New York City.

Editing by Megan Bagala. Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Indecision loves a tiebreaker, and “pick the better story later” is a seductive one—right up until it starts rewarding chaos. This conversation pulls that thread: when a decision is genuinely 50/50, the story filter can reveal values fast, but only inside strict boundaries (safe, legal, and between two actually good options, like stable job vs riskier role). The question isn’t whether the story is good. The question is whether the choice is sound.

This episode is not sponsored by https://earbuds.audio but we're giving them the shoutout anyways!

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Scrolling a phone in bed can quietly stack up problems: later bedtimes, worse sleep, and a neck-and-shoulder position that starts to hurt. A simple fix is to stop the in-bed scroll and use a phone blocker that cuts off games and social apps after a set time. Tools like Jomo can add friction that makes late-night doomscrolling harder to keep doing.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.

Oil stains on granite and other countertops can look permanent, especially after an olive oil bottle sits too long. A thick baking soda paste pulls oil out when it sits under plastic wrap for 24 to 48 hours, then wipes away clean. For stubborn stains, hydrogen peroxide can be used to strengthen the paste while it works.

Music is by Marcus Thorne Bagala. Find us everywhere at https://dailytipspodcast.com.