Dying To Ask

Want to feel less stressed? Try cleaning out your junk drawer.

Decluttering may be the simplest path to destressing.

Research has shown eliminating unneeded or unused things and organizing is good for focus, self esteem and mood.

You can actually lower your cortisol stress hormone by purging areas in your home, especially the places where you spend the most time.

Professional organizer Kim Salisbury is the owner of Home Method Co. She studied psychology in college. And, she says she uses the psychology background every day in her work helping families clear the clutter.

"When you are living in spaces that are calm and organized, it brings your blood pressure down, it brings your anxiety down. It brings your stress level down," says Kim.

Kim says the goal is to make your home feel like a sanctuary and it doesn't have to take a lot of time or money to make it happen.

Do you geek out on all things organization? Check out Kim's blog here. 

• How Kim became a professional organizer.

CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes

Need cash? Maybe you need a side hustle.

Inflation has a lot of people looking for ways to bring in more money.

Getting a raise in the job you have now is likely not an option. But adding a part time job might be.

Small business startups aka "side hustles" tend to boom during very specific times.

Tightening job markets, recessions, and inflation inspire fiscal creativity. But it's not always about the money.

Sometimes people road-test a new career by starting a side hustle.

Sometimes people just want something fun to do in their free time!

But how do you maximize money while limiting the additional work hours?

You need a plan and today's guest has some great advice.

Frank Vella is the CEO of the marketing platform Constant Contact.

Frank says new entrepreneurs often run into the same problem.

"My advice to the small business owner is do what you do well and leverage tools to to get done what you don't have time or don't do well," says Vella.

In other words, be realistic.

• How to find a side hustle.

From big law to big adventure to big-time author. Jaclyn Goldis' new book is called "The Chateau" and the thriller is topping summer beach reads lists.

But Jacyln's personal story has some interesting chapters too. And it starts with quitting a prestigious and lucrative job.

She quit her job in Chicago as an estate planning lawyer right to travel the world. And, she quit that job after seven and a half years, right around the time most attorneys make partner.

The decision was met with a 50/50 reaction from friends and colleagues.

She brought two small backpacks and the hope that she could realize her dream of life as a fiction writer.

It worked. The trip unlocked creativity and fueled her soul in a way her more linear career path was not.

Seven years later, she's settled in Tel Aviv, Israel, lives two blocks from the beach and is living a lifelong dream because she took a chance.

"I had so many fears of how it was going to work and where it was going to end up, and how the writing thing was going to go. And you know, there were a lot of stress in terms of that. But ultimately, I'm so happy I took that risk and I'm really happy where I ended up," Goldis said.

• How Jaclyn knew to trust her gut and quit her lawyer job.

How's that New Year's resolution going for you? Yeah, me too. Maybe we need a summer reset.

It's like a resolution do-over so your future self doesn't have to be irritated by your past self and your current self can lose some anxiety. It's very meta.

80% of New Year's goals or resolutions are a memory by mid-February.

Only one in 10 people will follow through for a solid year on a resolution.

• Why you might be able to blame the weather for tanking your New Year's goals

Need a new podcast to binge? Here's a link to Scamanda, which I mention on the show.

The "Dying to Ask" podcast is marking its 200th episode in a most luxurious way.

We're talking about how simple luxuries can have a big impact on your mood and mindset. Think cheap and easy. This is not a heavy lift.

My colleague and dear friend Edie Lambert joins me as co-host.

Both Edie and I are huge fans of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. Rubin is the best-selling author of The Happiness Project. A few months ago, she published an episode highlighting the value small luxuries have in daily life.

Edie and I loved it and did a deep dive into the little things we do to make a tough day feel a little less horrid. And we each asked our Facebook communities to weigh in too. The result is this episode.

And this is the "Dying to Ask" podcast's 200th episode! This show starts with a quick discussion of how podcasting has changed since our debut and answers a few questions listeners have asked about the success of "Dying to Ask." Thinking about starting a podcast? You're not alone, and the info may give you insight into the podcasting industry before you get started.

Back to luxuries.....

• The big impact of small luxuries.

Go read a book! It's like a summer anthem for parents but the dividends are worth the nagging.

Research continues to prove that summer reading helps kids avoid the brain drain that often occurs during summer break.

Summer reading improves reading skills. Reading fluency is key to academic success in all subjects.

Kids + summer reading = a winning combo.

That said, it's sometimes a tough sell with kids. That's why it's critical to find something that grabs a kid's interest and reflects their individuality.

Tina Ferguson is the owner of Face in a Book bookstore and my co-host on our annual "Summer Beach Reads" show.

In part 2, Tina suggests titles for kids that are rich in inclusivity and imagination. Have a reluctant reader in your home? Tins suggest parents be open to graphic novels, whose popularity has exploded.

"There are things you can do with illustrations along with the vocabulary in the book that really works together to get a beginning reader to really keep going and to really enjoy what they're reading," says Tina.

• How the publishing world is meeting the need for more inclusive books

Tina's picks for kids:

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels/Beth Lincoln

The Sour Grape/Jory John and Pete Oswald

The Agathas/Kathleen Glasgow

When You Trap a Tiger/Tae Keller

Dog Man #11: 20,000 Fleas Under the Sea/Dave Pilkey

Big Tree/Brian Selznick

Where You See Yourself/Claire Forrest

The Windeby Puzzle/Lois Lowry

Judy Moody & Friends: Jessica Finch is in Trouble /Megan McDonald

Once Upon a Book/Grace Lin illustrated by Kate Messner

Read anything good lately? Your answer will be YES after checking out our annual summer beach reads episodes.

We have so many book pics this year that we're breaking it up into two episodes. Part 1 will cover adult titles. Part 2 will cover kid picks from preschool to young adult (YA).

Our literary guide is Tina Ferguson, owner of Face in a Book bookstore.

This summer, Tina says romance is still hot, so to speak — but she's also seeing a trend in "feel good" books.

"I think that feel-good books are trending because we just need some uplifting in our day. And so that's been a really nice thing to see as well. And then I see a lot of like speculative fiction, a little bit of sci-fi coming back, too," Tina said.

Tina's picks:

"When Women Were Dragons"/Kelly Barnhill

"Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club"/J. Ryan Stradal

"Yellowface"/R. F. Kuang

"The Midnight Library"/Matt Haig

"You Could Make This Place Beautiful"/Maggie Smith

"Happy Place"/Emily Henry

"The Covenant of Water"/Abraham Verghese

"The Wager"/David Grann

Finley Donovan Series/Elle Cosimano

"Trust"/Hernan Diaz

• The book trends emerging for the summer of 2023.

How's your energy level these days? Doing a personal energy audit could be the key to preventing burnout.

A personal energy audit is like a home energy audit.

It's an evaluation of when and where energy is strongest and what drains it quickest.

Being honest about your energy level can impact performance, outlook and overall health. Constantly pushing through a low energy level can lead to chronic stress, depression and a sense of unhappiness.

• A 3-step plan to do a personal energy audit

Get an A+ in modern etiquette by following some do's and don't this graduation season.

Diane Gottsman is back on the "Dying to Ask" podcast busting some manners myths for grads, their parents and the friends and family who want to celebrate their achievements.

Diane is a modern etiquette expert and the founder of the Protocol School of Texas. She specializes in working with companies on navigating workplace etiquette. She helps executives and want-to-be execs present themselves in a way where people want to work for them and with them and that in turn is great for career advancement.

She also advises college students on how to handle themselves in business situations. Graduation is the first big test of how one shares their celebrations. And, that might mean grads asking their parents to pull back a little on the celebrating!

You'll find out the difference between an announcement and an invitation and when each should be sent out. When do you give a gift? What should you give?

"People are moving to new apartments. They're going into a new dorm. You may not know what to buy them, so if you send a check, or if you give them a gift card to a store where they can buy a variety of things, they're really going to appreciate it," says Diane.

What about cash? We're covering all things graduation in this episode.

• The difference between an invitation and an announcement

From lawyer to a New York Times bestselling author. Jasmine Guillory found her "happily ever after" writing happily ever afters.

Vogue Magazine calls Jasmine the "queen of the modern-day romance."

Literary fairy godmother Reese Witherspoon's book club has featured her work too. Her book, "The Proposal," was the first romance ever picked for Witherspoon's club.

Jasmine's books feature accomplished Black women navigating romantic complications.

Jasmine is a Stanford Law grad who worked as an attorney for years before giving fiction a try as a hobby.

She found the creative outlet exhilarating and soon was spending lunch breaks, evenings and weekends writing. An online novel writing challenge provided the push to finish her first book.

But she didn't quit her day job. And Jasmine credits that decision for a successful professional pivot.

Eventually, Jasmine secured a multi-book publishing deal and spent five weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Eight books later, Jasmine writes the kind of books that Publisher's Weekly describes like this: "The lush background and Guillory's signature blend of sexy, sweet, and funny keep the pages flying."

Her other hobby? Yoga.

Jasmine has a 2,000-plus-day yoga streak! The practice has a significant impact on her health and creativity. We'll dive into the impact a health streak can have on all aspects of your life.

• How Jasmine knew it was time to quit her day job