Never Wear Boring Socks

This week Anna and Maria welcome a very special guest, Alanna Okun. Alanna is a writer, editor, and crafter...in other words, a very appropriate guest for Never Wear Boring Socks. An avid knitter, she even makes her own un-boring socks. Alanna’s work can be found on Racked, Buzzfeed, NPR, Apartment Therapy, The Hairpin, and The Billfold, and she’s appeared on Good Morning America and The Today Show. Our hosts talk to Alanna about crafting, writing, and her recent project that merges the two: her first book, The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater. Alanna also talks about paid creative work vs. creativity for its own sake, why crafting is so welcome in today’s tech-focused world, and her extensive yarn collection.

Anna and Maria discuss happiness this week, which is not quite as straightforward as it seems… They consider typical conceptions of a happy life, what it really means to be happy (and how this can be different in the long- and short-term scheme of things), and some ways we can cultivate happiness in our own lives in realistic ways. They agree that happiness is all about an internal appreciation of your life, and that PMA can help make happiness a more regular occurrence.

Anna and Maria discuss happiness this week, which is not quite as straightforward as it seems… They consider typical conceptions of a happy life, what it really means to be happy (and how this can be different in the long- and short-term scheme of things), and some ways we can cultivate happiness in our own lives in realistic ways. They agree that happiness is all about an internal appreciation of your life, and that PMA can help make happiness a more regular occurrence.

This week, Anna and Maria tackle the topic of body image. First, they discuss their own experiences with body image, and offer some reasons for why it’s such a painful issue for so many people. They also offer some ideas for how we can improve our own relationships to our bodies, as well as move things in the right direction on a larger scale. Our hosts bring in some supporting voices: first from the field of science showing us that health is WAY more than weights and BMIs, then an essay with a really important message, and finally a poetic and inspirational metaphor that makes Maria rather teary.

This week, Anna and Maria tackle the topic of body image. First, they discuss their own experiences with body image, and offer some reasons for why it’s such a painful issue for so many people. They also offer some ideas for how we can improve our own relationships to our bodies, as well as move things in the right direction on a larger scale. Our hosts bring in some supporting voices: first from the field of science showing us that health is WAY more than weights and BMIs, then an essay with a really important message, and finally a poetic and inspirational metaphor that makes Maria rather teary.

This week, Anna and Maria discuss stress. We all experience it… but we each experience stress in different ways and manage it differently. Our co-hosts delve into the causes and types of stress, how stress is different for both young adults and for creative people, and the mind-body connection in regards to stress. They ultimately provide some possible ways to develop a better relationship with stress, and recognizing that managing stress is a question of changing our perspective on time.

This week, Anna and Maria discuss stress. We all experience it… but we each experience stress in different ways and manage it differently. Our co-hosts delve into the causes and types of stress, how stress is different for both young adults and for creative people, and the mind-body connection in regards to stress. They ultimately provide some possible ways to develop a better relationship with stress, and recognizing that managing stress is a question of changing our perspective on time.

This week Anna and Maria talk periods! It’s a topic that doesn’t get discussed enough (which is silly, because periods affect half of the population on a very regular basis). Our co-hosts consider why periods aren’t talked about more, discuss their own experiences with periods, what’s so AMAZING about menstruation, and some cool new period products and organizations. Remember: your period is a cycle that regulates your body and lets you know how you’re doing. Get to know your period!

This week Anna and Maria talk periods! It’s a topic that doesn’t get discussed enough (which is silly, because periods affect half of the population on a very regular basis). Our co-hosts consider why periods aren’t talked about more, discuss their own experiences with periods, what’s so AMAZING about menstruation, and some cool new period products and organizations. Remember: your period is a cycle that regulates your body and lets you know how you’re doing. Get to know your period!

This week, Anna and Maria interview special guest Eva Peterson! Eva is an artist, illustrator, vlogger, world traveler, and a fellow journaler and meditator. We talked to Eva about listening to your intuition and how Eva’s led hers to quit her job and travel, what she’s experienced so far in her travels, drawing, creativity, what it’s like to do a 10-day silent meditation retreat, editing videos, and more!