French Kissing Life

My niece told me what she thinks millennials get wrong about life, and honestly, I was shocked. Every generation assumes the one before it doesn't get it, and the one after it has completely lost the plot. I decided it was time to actually put that theory to the test.

So my niece and I sat down and graded each other's generations: communication, fashion, work ethic, dating, boredom, privacy, resilience; no category was off limits. We started with a round of would you rather that gave away more about our generations than either of us expected, then moved straight into handing out actual grades, with plenty of rebuttals along the way. Fair warning: millennials may never fully recover from what she has to say about Disney adults.

Topics Covered:

• A would-you-rather round that exposes real generational habits.
• What "funny," "genuine," and "authentic" mean to a Gen Z teenager.
• Millennials sorted into strangely specific categories, from blue collar to Disney adults.
• Report card grades for communication, fashion, work ethic, dating, boredom, privacy, and resilience.
• The generational verdict on dating apps.
• A defense of millennial resilience featuring 9/11, the 2008 crash, and Y2K.
• Gen Z's surprising take on privacy.

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Somewhere along the way, summer stopped being a season and started being a performance. There's pressure to travel, to be outside, to make memories, to say yes to every invitation and somehow have the best summer ever.

Emma Sullivan Ebley joins me for the third installment of our seasonal series on creative rituals to talk about what nature can teach us about doing summer differently. We get into why the season invites joy, play, and savoring instead of constant striving, how creativity helps keep us present, and why something as simple as drawing a tomato or chasing the memory of an ice cream truck might reconnect us with parts of ourselves that got left behind somewhere along the way.

Topics Covered:

• Why summer has "incredible PR" and how that quietly turns a season of rest into a performance.
• What nature's slow, staggered ripening has to teach about pacing instead of chasing the perfect summer.
• The difference between creative fire that energizes and creative fire that burns out.
• How play expands what the nervous system can actually hold, and why that doesn't stop mattering after childhood.
• A simple timed drawing practice for slowing down and really tasting what's in front of us.
• Why giving ourselves permission to play without making anything can feel so uncomfortable, and why that discomfort is normal.
• What the pattern across all three seasons of this series reveals about creativity as a companion, not a project.

Connect with Emma!
Grab the summer workbook (Summer Bounty: A Guided Art Journey for Nourishing Delight) https://emmasullivan.art/shop
Hop on my newsletter: https://emmasullivan.art/newsletter

Website: http://www.emmasullivan.art/
Expressive arts workbooks: https://emmasullivan.art/shop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmasullivanart/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-sullivan-uebele/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Picture handing a kid a phone with a cord attached and watching pure confusion take over: turning it over, unsure which end even goes where, treating it like it just beamed in from another planet. That's not a hypothetical. It's happening in kitchens across the country right now, as parents start reintroducing landlines to kids who have never once seen one.

This month I'm loving that trend, and the surprisingly big movement behind it. It started with a sidewalk conversation outside a Seattle school and has since turned into an actual company, a hundred-family pod in Denver, and a meeting in Alabama that was supposed to draw a dozen people and drew sixty. I get into how it all started, why it's spreading so fast, and what it says about the rest of us too, because by the end, this stops being a story about kids at all.

Topics Covered:

• The Seattle sidewalk conversation that turned into a company building retro landline phones for kids
• The dumb phone movement spreading right alongside it, from a hundred family pod in Denver to 170 communities across the country
• The screen time numbers that make this whole trend impossible to ignore
• Why millennials have nicknamed themselves Generation Mute
• The surprising research on why a phone call feels so much better than expected, and what it actually does in the body
• What handwriting does for the brain that typing never will
• Four small challenges for anyone who wants a little more of this energy in real life

Mentioned in this episode:

Tin Can Phone: https://tincan.kids

https://www.geekwire.com/2025/well-hello-from-landlines-to-dumb-phones-these-startups-are-dialing-up-new-options-for-kids/

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/parents-opt-kids-school-laptops-ask-pen-paper-rcna257158

CDC/NCHS Data Brief No. 513 (screen time, ages 12–17, anxiety/depression stats): https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm

American Heart Association newsroom, on the JAHA study (screen time & cardiometabolic risk): https://newsroom.heart.org/news/excessive-screen-time-among-youth-may-pose-heart-health-risks

U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory (2023), official PDF: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

NPR coverage of the Surgeon General's Advisory (dementia risk, 15–24 age group's 70% drop in in-person time): https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general

Harvard Graduate School of Education / Making Caring Common: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/24/10/what-causing-our-epidemic-loneliness-and-how-can-we-fix-it

Cigna — "Loneliness in America 2025" newsroom: https://newsroom.thecignagroup.com/loneliness-in-america

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Picture this. You're thirty seconds into the talk you've been building toward for months, and your mind goes completely blank. You've forgotten your own story, live, on stage.

That's exactly what happened to today's guest, Ashley Bryant, founder of AB Strategy, where she helps mission-driven brands trade vague messaging for clear communication that builds trust and inspires action. But this conversation isn't about what Ashley writes for her clients. It's about the story she had to tell herself, and the imposter syndrome, endless rewrites, and uncomfortable realities she ran into once the person she was writing for was her.

Her talk, Don't Bitch Out, became more than a title. It became a philosophy for choosing courage over comfort, and we get into what that actually looked like, betting on herself before she felt ready, the identity shifts that come with refusing to play small, and why the most meaningful transformations often begin long before you ever step on a stage.

Topics Covered:

• Why saying yes to a TEDx felt like calling her own bluff.
• The moment her mind went blank in the middle of her own story.
• What it's like writing your own message when you built a career writing everyone else's.
• The identity shift that comes with refusing to shrink yourself down.
• What bravery actually felt like backstage, before, during, and after.
• Why she wrote a full thriller in seven days without meaning to.
• The everyday moments where bitching out shows up long after the stage lights go dark.

Connect with Ashley!
Website: https://www.ashleybryantstrategy.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymbryant
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsashleybryant
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsashleybryant
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thatsashleybryant

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Imagine packing up your entire life, selling your house, bringing your dogs, and moving halfway around the world, only to discover that the biggest transformation had nothing to do with the actual destination.

That is exactly what happened to Jennifer Yates. You may remember her from one of my earliest episodes, and she is back on the mic to give us every scoop on uprooting her life in Michigan and starting over in Barcelona, pee-soaked travel pants and all. From beauty school dropout to punk rock bassist to four-time founder, Jennifer has never been afraid to reinvent herself, and this might be her boldest reinvention yet.

We get into what it really takes to start over, why changing your environment can shift so much more than your address, and the quiet, unexpected things Jennifer noticed once the noise of her old life fell away.

Topics Covered:

• How a casual question in the kitchen turned into selling everything and moving abroad in three and a half months.
• The risky visa path they chose and the two-month wait that tested their nerves.
• What it really takes to fly internationally with two small dogs.
• Becoming Jenny, the new name and the alter ego of a whole new life.
• Choosing to live as immigrants rather than expats, and the humility of learning a language out loud.
• The internal buzzing she did not even know she was carrying until it was suddenly gone.
• Her shifting relationship with the scale, the mirror, and the mental noise that finally went quiet.
• Ways to bring that on-vacation feeling into your everyday life without moving anywhere.

Connect with Jennifer!
Website: https://www.workwithroux.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferayates/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

There's a version of summer where the light makes everything feel more possible, and I'm fully in it right now. Longer days, warm evenings, the whole thing.

But here's what I keep noticing underneath all that brightness. Most of us are still living from the neck up. We think and analyze and push through, and meanwhile, the body is down there quietly trying to get a word in. This episode is about what shifts when you finally listen. I'm joined by Dr. Mary Sanders, a chiropractor and medical intuitive who blends neuroscience with energy medicine to help people reconnect with their bodies and that deeper inner knowing most of us were never taught to trust.

We get into burnout, hormones, intuition, and the surprisingly loud ways your body asks for your attention. Mary also breaks down what chakras actually are in a way that finally makes practical sense. Come curious or come skeptical. I think you'll find yourself somewhere in here either way.

Topics Covered:

• The cystic acne that became Mary's wake up call about living out of alignment.
• Why the body governs the brain, not the other way around.
• The adrenal system as the loudest gland in the body.
• The burnout that nearly cost Mary her marriage and her business.
• How chakras connect to nerve plexuses, glands, and emotions.
• Why trauma and our most addictive habits pull us out of our bodies.
• Box breathing as a small shift with a big payoff.
• Why we are kinder to the checkout person than to ourselves.
• How to catch your intuition before the brain talks you out of it.

Connect with Dr. Mary!
Website: https://www.drmarysanders.com/
Energetic Toolbox: https://www.drmarysanders.com/energetic-toolbox
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.maryesanders
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.maryesanders/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.maryesanders/podcasts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmaryesanders/
Energy Medicine Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ymiP83TP09OsTZI5cNXE3
Free meditation guide: https://www.drmarysanders.com/meditations

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Picture this. March 3rd, 2026, Paris. The Palais Garnier, all gilded ceilings and red velvet and history, and onto the runway walks the first model in a corseted gown made from a French military parachute. The designer who built it had turned 10 years old two days before.

This month, I am completely obsessed with a kid named Max Alexander. He holds the Guinness World Record for youngest runway fashion designer in the world, and his story does something to me that goes way past cute. The part I keep circling back to is how he works. He never starts with sketches. He starts with his hands. And somewhere in watching this 10-year-old eat macarons at the most iconic opera house in the world, I started asking myself why so many of us wait to have the whole thing figured out before we ever touch the fabric.

Topics Covered:

• The 10-year-old who showed a 15-look collection at Paris Fashion Week.
• His very first design, a dress made from ribbons and tape for his big sister.
• Why he starts with his hands instead of sketches.
• Draping versus sketching, and the difference between trusting the material and needing the plan first.
• Making couture from a parachute, a vintage sari, and 28 Free People shopping bags.
• How fine art, not fashion, shaped the way he sees and creates.
• Declaring what you are instead of waiting for permission or validation.
• The question to sit with: what is your mannequin, and what would happen if you just went to it.

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Time is one of the only things we all share equally, and somehow it's also the thing so many of us feel like we're constantly running out of. We say "I don't have time" almost on autopilot. But what if that phrase is hiding something deeper? What if it isn't really about time at all, but about what we value, what we avoid, and maybe what we're afraid to face if things ever got too quiet?

This conversation felt both grounding and quietly confronting in the best way. We're not talking about productivity hacks or perfectly optimized routines; we're talking about something much more human: connection, intention, and the small, often overlooked moments that actually shape our lives. I'm joined by Jennifer Sise, a time and business coach, speaker, podcaster, and author of It's Only a Matter of Time. She's on a mission to help women get more of what they really want out of life and work without sacrificing who and what matters most, and she truly believes that what you want is possible.

Topics Covered:

• Why busy and fulfilled are not the same thing.
• The myth that being busy is a flex.
• What productivity really means, and why it comes down to bearing fruit.
• The 9-minute principle and where the idea started.
• Why you can't find or make time, only set it apart.
• How structure ends up creating the margin you crave.
• The 9 minutes of resistance paired with 9 minutes of something you love.
• What you're actually hungry for when you say you want more time.

Connect with Jennifer!
Website: https://www.jennifersise.com/
Buy Jennifer’s book: https://www.jennifersise.com/Itsonlyamatteroftime
Podcast: https://in9minutes.buzzsprout.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifersise/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "I know what I meant to say, but somehow it just did not land the way I had hoped"? Maybe it was a pitch, a hard conversation, an interview, or just trying to explain your value in a way another person could actually understand.

This episode is all about that space between what we mean and what actually gets received. My guest is Claire Wang, a pricing strategist and author of the upcoming book "The Price of Influence." And before you hear the word pricing and assume this is only for businesspeople or spreadsheet lovers, let me stop you right there, because this one ended up being so much more human than that.

We get into why smart people struggle to communicate their value, the difference between persuasion and influence, and why preparation and curiosity matter so much more than performance. Claire also shares this beautiful idea about influence being something quiet and gradual, almost like stardust settling over time, which is officially one of my favorite metaphors we have ever had on this show.

Topics Covered:

• The space between what we mean and what actually gets received.
• The difference between persuasion as a one-time transaction and influence as something long-term.
• The three reasons we undersell ourselves, confidence, measurement, and communication.
• Measuring your value against the right benchmark instead of the outcome.
• What it means to think like a pricer and see things from the other person's perspective.
• Why curiosity, listening with an open mind, and showing up to serve build real trust.

Connect with Claire!
Website: https://www.claire-wang.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wang/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Memorial Day has come and gone, which officially means summer has entered the group chat. And today, my niece Sarah is back on the mic, which means things get unhinged very quickly.

We go through our highs and lows for the season, from sweet corn and pool days and the smell of a good thunderstorm to chiggers, birds at 5 AM, and the absolute audacity of assless bikini bottoms at the public pool. We also play a little game where Sarah challenges me to decipher Gen Z slang in real time, and it does not go well for me. Apparently, "unspoken rizz" and "let him cook" are phrases people say now, and I'm still emotionally attached to BRB.

This one feels like a summer night with family, where everyone talks over each other and laughs too hard about things that truly don't matter. Which, honestly, might be one of the best parts of the season.

Topics Covered:

• Sweet corn, backyard barbecues, and the food that only feels right in summer
• Why pool swimming is a high, and lake swimming is a hard no
• The case against thong bikini bottoms in public spaces (we rest our case)
• Chiggers, mosquitoes, and a doctor visit that did not help
• Thunderstorms, air conditioning, and the great lawn mowing debate
• Sarah's Gen Z slang quiz and Shauna's complete failure to pass it
• Why "unspoken rizz" is now part of our vocabulary, whether we like it or not

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]