Cait Flanders is a finance blogger, a minimalist, and the co-host of the Budget and Cents podcast. In 2011, she decided to get serious about paying off her 30,000 in debt and began blogging her progress. When she paid off the last of it in 2013, she further experimented with hacking her life by successfully completing a two year shopping ban, got rid of 75% of her belongings to live more simply, and started the podcast Budget and Cents with Carrie Smith. To catch the latest episodes of the Cohesive Home Podcast, make sure to subscribe at cohesivehome.com. Podcast music: Fernweh (Shore) by Zach Winters

Interview Series | Cait Flanders

Melissa and Kate, two laid-back moms, explore the topics you most want to hear about it--family minimalism, adventuring with your kids, balancing family and work, and more--all in the time it takes you to brew your morning coffee. Sometimes ridiculous, always on point, these two best friends put the fun back in parenting and creating your happier, simpler home.

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To connect with Kate or Melissa head to : Kate: @thestreamlinedlife Melissa: wildair.blog Interested in the zero or low-waste lifestyle? Need some fresh inspiration to jumpstart your journey? In episode 58 of the Cohesive Home Podcast, Melissa chats with Lindsey McCoy, co-founder of Plaine Products, a sustainable, vegan, and non-toxic hair and body line. Lindsey shares her drive to start the company and practical ideas for living sustainably. In this episode:  Companies to check-out for your zero-waste lifestyle: https://us.whogivesacrap.org brushwithbamboo.com dentallace.com  Try Plaine Products and get 20% off your order with code “cohesivehome”. Head to plaineproducts.com to shop!     Follow Plain Products on Instagram @Plaineproducts 

58: Plaine Products and the Zero Waste Movement with Lindsey McCoy

Interested in a more peaceful way of parenting and a simpler home experience for your children? In episode 57 of the Cohesive Home Podcast, Kate interviews Simone Davies, the Montessori teacher and blogger behind the popular website The Montessori Notebook, which helps families bring the Montessori Method into their daily life. She's also about to release her new book The Montessori Toddler, a positive parenting guide to raising little people. If you're scratching your head and asking, what's Montessori? You will learn so much from this episode. Even if you're familiar with the method, Simone shares so much wisdom and practical advice for implementing it in your home.     In this episode:  What is the Montessori method? Simone's story and how she got started with it What inspired Simone to write The Montessori Toddler How parents can incorporate Montessori into their home and parenting The benefits of the Montessori method, and how you can get them at home, even if you don't send your kids to one of the schools Simone's own take on living simply and her new interest in wabi-sabi    Where to find Simone: Instagram: @themontessorinotebook Web:  themontessorinotebook.com

57: Parenting Peacefully + the Montessori Method with Simone Davies

In episode 56 of the Cohesive Home Podcast, Kate and Melissa tackle a listener question about living intentionally.   A listener said “How do you all figure out how to live intentionally every day instead of reactively? I know what my values are, but I’m not sure how to be purposeful on a daily basis and actually living them. Listen on as we share our top 5 ways to be intentional in your days:     Know your values  Set your non-negotiables  Organize your days  Be willing to say no  Watch your mindset  Thank you for listening to episode 56! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. Thank you so much to our sponsor, Care/of! Take advantage of this month’s special New Year offer! For 50% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter "cohesivehome50".

56: 5 Tips to Being More Intentional and Less Reactive

Planners, goal setting, and habit shifts with Whitney English in episode 55 of the Cohesive Home Podcast. Whitney English, founder of Day Designer, a business strategist and creator of H.E.A.R.T. Goals, shares her story and wisdom with Kate.   In this episode:  Whitney's story and how her business has changed over the years Comparisons on social media and how to not let it affect you How to keep your New Years Resolutions as well as think differently about them Innovative ways to shift habits and create new ones Why it's important to focus on the journey instead of just the end   To connect with Whitney, you can find her:   @whitneyenglish   whitneyenglish.com

55: Organizing Your Life and Reaching Your  H.E.A.R.T. Goals with Whitney English

Has your family ever been in a total funk where life seems out of sync? In Episode 54 of the Cohesive Home Podcast, Kate and Melissa chat about a concept called soul fever, which happens when life gets overwhelming or something stressful happens. They share how to overcome it with kiddos, as adults, and also as a family. This episode is encouraging and practical and will inspire you to simplify and tighten your family bonds.   Talked about in this episode: * What's soul fever? * Kate's background as a Simplicity Parenting Family Life Coach.  Work with Kate 1 on 1. * How to recognize soul fever in your kiddos and a solution to help them "heal" from it * What does soul fever look like in adults? * How Kate and Melissa deal with their own periodic soul fevers * Can a family unit experience soul fever at the same time? Yes! * Best tips for overcoming overwhelm to connect more as a family. * More about the book  "Simplicity Parenting"     Thank you to our sponsor Audible! We recommend listening to "Simplicity Parenting" on Audible and let us know what you think! Audible, the most inspiring minds, the most compelling stories. The best place to listen. Get started with a 30-day trial when you go to  audible.com/cohesivehome or text [cohesivehome] to 500500 and listen for a change.

Interview Series | Cait Flanders

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