Semi-Together

By Gillian Burgess & Melia DickerEducation Self-Improvement

Semi-Together episodes

April 01, 2020 Ep. 34: Sharing Your Gifts for a Better World, with Heather Andersen Shellen
Melia and Gill talk to Heather Andersen Shellen, a longtime friend from California, about creating a custom blend of identities, what “real work” and “paid work” mean to her, and how she is trying to move toward a better world through creativity and intentional action. As a stay-at-home parent, she shares her advice for staying sane during the coronavirus quarantine.
Heather is a writer, musician, activist, baker, and generally delightful person. With humor and honesty, she talks about marrying her middle school sweetheart, experiencing heartbreak and hope during struggles with infertility, and raising children in a household that cares about issues of gender, race, and equity.
Follow Heather: https://medium.com/@hshellen
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
55 min
March 18, 2020 Ep. 33: Turning Setbacks into Comebacks, with Claire Sturzaker
Melia and Gill interview Claire Sturzaker, one of the first friends Gill met when she moved to Barcelona. Claire is a world traveler and creator of the blog Tales of a Backpacker. Claire shares how what seemed like a major setback in her life – getting fired – was actually an opportunity for change, and helped her deal with other obstacles in the future.
They recorded this interview on March 12, and though things have changed quite a bit since then, decided to release it as planned. They discuss how business owners are figuring out how to adapt to COVID-19 and relevant themes like coping with uncertainty, and developing resilience and self-assurance when faced with tough situations.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
Follow Claire: https://talesofabackpacker.com
49 min
March 04, 2020 Minisode: What Depletes and Recharges You
Our busy schedules can drain our energy and leave us feeling tired, cranky, and stressed. If we don’t make time for the activities that rejuvenate us, we start heading toward burnout – and that doesn’t serve us or others around us. Think of yourself like a video game character encountering experiences that power you up or down. Melia and Gill share a few things that deplete and recharge them, as well as seven simple actions to renew your energy.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
14 min
February 19, 2020 Ep. 32: Training Your Brain to Expect the Good
Whether you naturally lean toward optimism or pessimism, you can train your brain to zoom in on the good and expect more of it in life. In this episode, Melia and Gill continue the conversation they started in Ep. 15, Choosing Optimism, with research-backed practices for building an optimistic mindset.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
22 min
February 05, 2020 Ep. 31: What to Do When You Hit 'The Dip'
What do you do when you hit ‘The Dip’ – that drop in motivation you experience once the excitement wears off a new undertaking?
Marketer Seth Godin describes The Dip as “the long slog between starting and mastery." It’s when the honeymoon period ends, and you wonder if it’s worth continuing to put in effort. Now is a good time to talk about The Dip, when the burst of New Year’s energy is starting to fade. Melia and Gill talk about how to know when to quit and when to push through, and strategies for re-energizing around the goals that are most important to you.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
33 min
January 22, 2020 Ep. 30: Balancing Novelty & Familiarity
Melia and Gill discuss the question: What blend of novelty and familiarity brings you the most joy? During the holiday break, when spending time in familiar settings or hosting people who’ve visited before, it’s common to think about how many experiences to repeat and how many new things to try. Each of us is looking for a balance that works for us.
Novel experiences are fun and can do us a lot of good - sparking our desire to learn and explore, keeping our relationships fresh and exciting, even boosting our memory. But there’s also a lot of value in revisiting familiar experiences. Melia and Gill talk about some of the research behind this topic and what some of their own tendencies are, plus share a few tips on how to get the most out of new and repeat experiences.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
34 min
January 08, 2020 Ep. 29: 20 for 2020 Goals
Happy New Year! Melia and Gill are excited to reveal their 20 for 2020 lists of goals. Since 2018, they have been doing this alternative to New Year's resolutions, inspired by the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast. 20 for 2020 can be a mix of one-time tasks, big milestones, or ongoing goals, or a themed list. Melia and Gill share their goals and the reason behind each one, plus five tips to help you stay on track with your own goals.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
1 hr
December 25, 2019 Ep. 28: The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa, with Wendy Shenefelt
Melia and Gill interview Wendy Shenefelt, an educator and nonprofit programs director, about the seven principles of Kwanzaa and the practice of self-reflection. Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of family, community, and culture that takes place from December 26 - January 1. It’s an African-American and pan-African holiday, and people from all backgrounds are welcomed to join in the celebration. Wendy shares how Kwanzaa’s seven principles can inspire reflections on personal values and intentional living – during the holiday and throughout the year.
Melia and Gill finish up the year -- and the decade! -- with the segment "I used to ... but now I," in which they each share three ways in which they've evolved between 2009 and 2019.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether

55 min
December 11, 2019 Ep. 27: Wrapping Up the Year & Revisiting Our Goals
The end of 2019 is a couple of weeks away, and next year we start a new decade! Melia and Gill look back on how they’ve done on their 19 for 2019 goals and what they’ll still be working on in 2020.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
46 min
November 27, 2019 Ep. 26: Practicing Gratitude + More on Self-Compassion
In our last episode, we did a deep dive into why perfectionism is harmful and how we can manage it with self-compassion. But we knew we couldn’t cover the entire topic perfectly in one episode. So we have a follow-up segment on self-compassion before getting into our main topic, practicing gratitude – which is an evidence-based tool for healing perfectionism and boosting happiness. Gratitude helps us feel more positive emotions, improve our health, deal with setbacks, and strengthen relationships. Learn how small gratitude practices can make a big difference in your life.
Find us on the web: https://www.semitogether.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semitogether
Facebook: https://facebook.com/semitogether
Subscribe to our biweekly e-newsletter for episode roundups, tips to steal + extras: https://www.subscribepage.com/semitogether
Become a patron of the podcast and access bonuses and extras: https://www.patreon.com/semitogether
32 min

About Semi-Together

From the publisher's feed

Semi-Together is a podcast by sisters Gillian Burgess and Melia Dicker about having some of your life together all of the time. It’s about working on where you want to get it together, while giving yourself credit for where you’ve got it together. As we try out research-based tips for meaningful living, we share takeaways that you can use, too.