Simply, Lived In Podcast

Wow, I can hardly believe I am saying this but this is the last episode of the Simply, Lived In Podcast, at least for now!  I am so proud of this show and all of our amazing guests and content.  It has truly made such an impact on my life so it is so bittersweet that it’s coming to an end.  There are many reasons about why it’s the right time for me to take a pause this show and I am going to give you the long and short of it in today’s episode!

I’m going to be real with you guys, having a podcast is a lot of work, more work than I ever thought it would be.  And guess what else, it’s also expensive.  I had dreams of growing this show and getting sponsors to help offset the cost of production, maybe I’d even make a little money eventually!

But the intention of the Simply, Lived In Podcast was always for it to be a means to speak to the lifestyle side of my clothing label Nine56 and help me grow in my new found desire for all things simple in life and have y'all learn right along side me.  And it was a huge success in both of these areas.  Seriously, every single guest on this show has taught me something new and helped me dig further into what wellness looks like in my life.

I can’t wait to dive into this episode with you and share my biggest take aways and how I am moving forward!  Don't forget to visit me at www.nine56studio.com to keep up with me on my blog!

PODCASTS I RECOMMEND

Behind the Scenes

Spirit of 608

Slow Your Home

Sam Lodge is the gal behind the nutritional website Be Well and Wander.  Sam is a nutritional therapist, who decided to combine her two passions: empowering women to be in control of their health and getting to travel the world while doing it!  She helps women learn some pretty cool stuff about their bodies and how to become besties with it.  She knows that there is no one-size fits all ticket to perfect health, but she gives women tools to make the best choices for their bodies.  I was absolutely fan girling throughout our whole conversation because, you guys, this is really important stuff to be talking about.  In this episode Sam talks about cycle syncing, listening to your body, and creating sustainable routines.

CYCLE SYNCING

The idea of cycle syncing was first introduced to Sam when she got off of birth control and started having horrible symptoms including acne, weight gain, and body odor.  She was told that there was nothing to be done to combat her symptoms so she joined the conversation that was starting among women in similar situations about using diet and lifestyle to reverse hormonal imbalance.  Sam is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this stuff and I can’t wait for you to hear all of the different tools she provides to help other women so just that!

LISTENING TO YOUR BODY

One of my favorite things that Sam says in this episode is this: Symptoms are like a foreign language that we have not been taught how to speak.  Sam says that her work as a nutritional therapist is to work as an interpreter and give women tools to understand their symptoms and what their bodies are telling them.  Sam explains how learning to listen to your body can bring yourself back into balance and harmony.  I love it when she says, it was really empowering to see that I could take control of my body for myself and that I didn’t need to be on the pill every day.  The sad reality is that the birth control pill covers up symptoms so that women aren’t aware of them.  In this episode Sam talks all about things women can do to stay healthy on the pill and explains how you can actually give your body what it needs and treat your symptoms without it. 

CREATING SUSTAINABLE ROUTINES

I love it when Sam says that one of the first things she tells her clients ins the 80/20 rule : you eat well 80% of the time so you can enjoy 20% of the time (because who wants to live to 100 without cake in their lives?!)  Sam shares, life is meant to be enjoyed.  If you can build healthy habits, you take out the mental effort from being healthy.  I completely agree with Sam that slowly building longterm solutions leads to sustainable change.  You can start with changing up just one thing.  Sam also has the great reminder to focus on the things that make you feel good!  She says, figure out what works for you and from there try to be really intentional about what you want your life to look like.

This episode is jam packed with amazing tools for you to apply to your health.  I hope you feel like this episode is just the beginning of more understanding of our complex and wonderful bodies!

THE RESOURCE THAT STARTED IT ALL FOR SAM:

The Women Code by Alisa Vitti

In this episode, ethical blogger, Ellie Hughes digs into what it really looks like to shop ethically and the judgement and emotions that can come along with it.  Ellie is the lady behind the blog Selflessly Styled, a blog dedicated to making ethical fashion and your personal style meet.  Ellie is a Corgi mother, aspiring minimalist, and style consult who speaks to how you can make ethical fashion fit into your lifestyle.  In this episode Ellie talks about budgeting for ethical pieces, avoiding judgement, diving in! 

BUDGETING FOR ETHICAL PIECES 

It’s true that ethically made pieces cost more than fast fashion pieces.  By nature, ethical pieces cost more to make and thus they just can’t complete with the the financial cost of fast fashion pieces.  But you can start shopping ethically without spending more money on your wardrobe, in fact you might find that once you are mindful about your purchases, you might even be spending less on your clothing overall.  Ellie brings up such a great point when she says, when shopping fast fashion I have realized that people don't really budget for it because everything is so cheap so they are continuing accumulating without realizing it.  Ellie has some great tips for adding to your closet intentionally so that you have clothing that you feel good about and that you will actually wear.

AVOIDING JUDGEMENT 

You’ve heard me say it before….there is no one right way to live a slow and responsible lifestyle.  This is especially true when it comes to shopping ethically.  Ellie says it perfectly when she says, the truth is that we are stepping into an industry that has problems that go back for generations and to fix these problems, it will take a lot of messy hard work that doesn’t always have a clear answer.  I love it when Ellie says that there will be people who disagree with how you are going about the good that you want to do, and that’s just how it is.  It’s so important to remember that we all have the same goal and are on the same team!  The fact that there is not one right way to shop ethically is part of what makes it so challenging and can lead to hard conversations that scare people away.  I love that we were able to start the conversation in this episode! 

DIVING IN 

Ellie has the best advice for women who are thinking about starting an ethical wardrobe: dive on in!  Ellie speaks so much truth when she says, there is no reason that you can’t be an ethical consumer today, your closet could look exactly the same but if your mindset is different and moving forward you want to be aware of the effects of your purchases, that’s it.  How amazing is that?? You don’t have to throw away everything in your closet and start over, in fact please don’t!  It won’t happen over night and that’s okay!  I love that Ellie reminds us that, you don’t need to have a giant budget to do this. 

I love how Ellie peels back the layers on ethical fashion and all of the different ways it can look.  The fact that there is not one right way to shop ethically is part of what makes it so challenging and can lead to hard conversations that scare people away.  I love that we were able to start the conversation in this episode!

Leslie Juvin-Acker has dedicated her life to helping others help themselves by showing them that they have the power to change their thoughts.  Leslie is so educated on the power of our thoughts and she breaks down how we can all make positive changes.  I love Leslie’s story and all of the tools that she provides to  help others improve their well-being.  In this episode Leslie talks about the power of positive thoughts, using your imagination, and starting with what’s physical. 

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHTS

Leslie has an amazing story of how she took control of her life to get her to where she is today.  One of my favorite things that Leslie says in this episode is about her struggle with postpartum depression.  Leslie felt like she had no control or power over the way she felt.  And then she had a life changing realization that she needed to start making choices about her own care.  Leslie says, if I couldn’t control how I felt, then I could control how I thought.  And that’s what she did.  I can relate to this so much in those times when I am feeling completely overwhelmed and out of control about my emotions.  Starting to focus on my thoughts is an amazing tool that really helps me rationalize.  

USING YOUR IMAGINATION

I love when Leslie speaks about the power of our subconscious.  She reminds us that we are all highly imaginative beings and that we need to use that imagination for good.  Leslie suggests that instead of imagining the worst possible scenario all of the time (I am totally guilty of this!), that we should start imagining the best possible scenario.  She says, our subconscious mind has so much power.  If we can start making more loving choices in the present, that will help us to grow later on.  Leslie says that the body can either grow or it can protect itself, it can’t do both at the same time. She says, if we are in stress mode, trying to protect ourself, we are stopping our growth processes.  Leslie is exactly the reminder that I need to focus on having less stress and more love in my life!    

STARTING WITH WHAT’S PHYSICAL

I love how Leslie breaks down how to take control of your wellness.  She says, your body will tell you when you are under stress.  Which is so true!  When we are dealing with stressors emotionally and mentally, it usually takes it’s toll on our physical bodies as well.  When this happens, Leslie suggests starting with what’s physical, which I love so much because I am always talking about the power of our environments and our routines.  Leslie likens this to watching negative programing on TV.  If you don’t like it, you need to change the channel.  Leslie says that it’s easiest to start with what’s physical because it can be the most obvious to make changes here.  We can start taking care of ourselves, sleeping more, eating better, exercising, removing clutter.  And then we can start to address our emotional and mental stressors.

THE AMAZING RESOURCES LESLIE MENTIONS:

The Money Formula by Leslie Juvin-Acker

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

I know there are a lot of experts out there who are amazing to learn from.  But I find myself burning out on how-to podcasts filled with tips and tricks.  I love them, but it’s just too much for me sometimes, I start thinking about everything I have been doing wrong and everything I need to do better. 

So I have been intentional about creating this show to inspire women and start conversations, not act as a rule book with which to measure how well you are living.  

That said, I have had a lot of positive feedback about episodes where I provide concrete tools like downloadable guides and quizzes to help you make some changes if that is what you are looking to do.  So in this shortie solo episode I am going to talk about about figuring out where to start simplifying your life.

You’ve heard me talk about this before, when trying to better yourself in anyway, it is so easy to get overwhelmed.  There is so much information and so many opinions that it can seem impossible to find the right things to do and make all of the right changes, and then, you know, actually sustain them!  Especially when trying to simplify your life, this overwhelm is so destructive and discouraging. 

So I am here to tell you, first of all, that there is no ONE absolutely right way to live a simple and sustainable life.  You need to figure out what this looks like FOR YOU, in your own life.  And this is likely to change throughout the different seasons of your life.  

And second, I am going to help you cut through all of the noise to find what area of your life you should start simplifying.  We all suffer the consequences of having overly full and cluttered lifestyles.  However, the clutter and baggage in some aspects of our lives might be weighing us down more than others.  You might just be feeling generally, tired and overwhelmed and not really even be able pinpoint why.  But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

Here are the four starting spaces in which I have seen dramatic changes when I focused on simplifying them:  My Closet, my Kitchen, my Calendar, and my Mind.  So let’s dive on into each of these spaces and figure out how to identify if they need some simplifying and some ways you can get started doing just that! 

Take this quiz to find out which area of your life you should start focusing on simplifying first!

Lindsay Krage is a mother, skatepark owner, and runs a from scratch school kitchen.  The biggest project in her life right now is building a home focused on more sustainable practices.  Lindsay is a gardener, cook, seamstress, I mean is there anything she can’t do!  Lindsey is major goals for anyone who is trying to slow down and clean up their lifestyle.

MAKING TIME FOR WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU

Lindsay has an amazing list of hobbies.  This lady, bakes, knits, sews, gardens, cooks, (the list goes on)  When I ask her how she makes time for it all, she has an amazing answer.  Lindsay says that she is learning to let some other things go to make time for herself.  She is letting go of the things she feels like she should be doing, like always cleaning and doing chores, do make time for the work that fill her cup up.  By giving herself some grace in the expectations she has on herself, she is able to show up for a more fulfilling life for herself.  And she is able to pass that example along to her kiddos.

CREATING A HEALTHY PLANET

One of my favorite quotes from Lindsay in this episode is when she says, to have a healthy planet, we must first have a healthy life.  Because that is 100% what I believe and what I am always talking about.  For Lindsay, this looks like feeding her family good food, treating their land well, and being a teacher where she can.  I love it that Lindsay wants to raise her kids to be curious and feel like they can question why things are the way they are.  She says that is important for them to have names for things and be able to identify plants and animals around them.  Lindsay says, knowing where your food comes from can be really powerful and it’s important to hold as sacred.

CARRYING GREIF

A connection point that Lindsay and I share is that we both lost our fathers to cancer.  Lindsay speaks so much truth into what it means to be carrying grief.  She says, it is something that is heavy on your heart that might not be obvious to other people.  And that is a really hard thing.  Lindsay says that through losing her father, she has learned to value life.  I love it when she says that valuing like can look different for different people.  For Lindsay it looks like trying a lot of new things and trying to life a full life.  But, like everything else, there is a balance to be found here and I love that we are able to dig into that in this episode.

This episode digs into so many aspects of living simply and sustainably.  We talk about the hard stuff and the good stuff.  Building a life you are proud if is sometimes pretty unglamorous but at the same time is so fulfilling.  Lindsay is such an inspiration to me to keep pursuing my simple dreams.

Megan is a self proclaimed former worry wort, shop-a-holic, borderline hoarder who’s struggled over half her life with eating disorders, anxiety and depression.  She became clear on her goals and what was important to her and started living a life she was passionate about.  She now spends her days experimenting with plant-based recipes, taking yoga classes, and blogging all about her journey.

There are just way to many topics I want to cover in one episode so buckle up everyone because this episode is going to be jam packed with goodness.  

HOLISTIC HEALING 

Megan thought that she had tried everything to help with her depression, anxiety and eating disorders.  She was so burned out from all of the medicines that she was taking that didn’t really work.  That’s when she discovered functional medicine and it changed here whole life.  Megan says, my eyes were opened to a whole new way of life and a new way of treating all of the symptoms I had.  In this episode Megan explains what practicing functional medicine looked like in her life from food to therapy to acupuncture.  It is so fun to learn from Megan what tools she used to figure out where she needed to start making changes in her whole life.  She gives such good examples of how functional medicine helped actually treat her symptoms instead of just cover them up!  

FIGURING OUT WHAT’S NOT WORKING 

I am so inspired by how intentional Megan is and the tools she used to start looking at what wasn’t working in her life.  She says that she was surprised to find that her environment was an area of my life where I was feeling off balance.  Which really struck a chord with me because I am always preaching the importance of our environments and making our spaces work for us.  This doesn’t need to look like stark white walls or bare wood floors!   Megan says that the trick for her was creating a minimal-ish lifestyle.  She says, I have allowed myself to have some balance.  I love it when she reminds us to have so much compassion with ourselves because we are our own worst critics.  Megan says, I have realized that I don’t get anywhere by being hard on myself but I can get so far with having compassion for myself.

STEPPING AWAY FROM TOXIC PEOPLE 

In this episode Megan talks about something that is so important and not talked about enough in the world of simplifying: getting rid of the toxic people in our lives.  If we are living to only have things in our life that serve us, this includes people!  Megan said that she realized that she was in some relationships where she was allowing herself to be used, or was simply friends with someone out of convenience.  She says,  I got tired of being a push-over.  She stopped prioritizing those relationships in her life and those people naturally started to drift away.  I can relate so much when Megan realized that, if I am being treated like this, this is not a relationship that I want to pursue anyway.  Megan reminds us that we can’t change people, so let’s stop wasting our energy trying!

You will love this episode for how honest and wise Megan is and for all of the resources she provides that you can dig into more right here!

THE AMAZING RESOURCES MEGAN REFERENCED:

Wheel Of Life 

Food Choices documentary 

Fed Up documentary

The Broken Brain by Nancy C. Andreasen

The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robins 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**k by Mark Manson

Katina Gad is the founder of Unity Outfitters, a label making eco-friendly, made in the U.S.A., naturally dyed lingerie.  She also just launched her crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter so we thought it would be so fun to do an episode together to talk all about how we got here!  In this episode both of us answer questions from the listeners about creating a routine you love, appreciating the ones that build you up, and getting started with a sustainable wardrobe.

CREATING A ROUTINE YOU LOVE

In the life of an entrepreneur, every single day is so different.  Something that Katina and I both value very highly is creating a daily routine in which we can be productive and creative.  It is so fun to hear what happens behind the scenes of other ethical start-ups.  I love hearing Katina’s routine and how she works daily to build a brand she believes in.  From walking her dog, to taking care of herself, to the crazy work that needs to be done for Unity Outfitters, the most important thing is creating consistency in her routine.  I couldn’t agree more and sticking to my healthy routine is something I continue to work towards!

APPRECIATING THE ONES WHO BUILD YOU UP

One of my favorite questions that we are asked in this episode is: What has been your greatest success/moment of having your own business thus far?  For Katina, a moment was hearing her mom say that she was proud of her.  And I can relate to this so much because my parents have supported me so much throughout this journey.  At the end of the day, it’s the people rallying around you who are making it happen with you.  Those moments in which the full weight of their love and support wash over me honestly bring me to tears.  I love hearing Katina’s similar story. 

GETTING STARTED WITH A SUSTAINABLE WARDROBE

I love sharing about how we can all start taking steps to make our wardrobes more sustainable.  Because it doesn’t need to be a dramatic overhaul!  In this episode I share some of my favorite ways that you can get started shopping more sustainably and I loved the advice that Katina shares.  It is always so fun and beneficial to get together and chat with like minded women to bounce ideas off of each other.  Katina has so much great advice to share and so many resources to offer!  I really enjoy hearing her perspective and I think you will too!

This episode is an honest heart to heart between two gals who are trying to make some big dreams happen sharing their triumphs and struggles along the way.  I hope you love it! 

AMAZING RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: 

Books about Herbs : The Alchemy of Herbs  + The Modern Herbal Dispensatory

Books about Feminism : Feminism Is For Everyone +  Sister Outsider

Books about Simplifying : Chasing Slow + Soulful Simplicity

Kickstarter : Unity Outfitters + Nine56 Capsule + What is Kickstarter

Other cool clothing labels : Elizabeth Suzann + Winsome Goods

It’s finally time for me to lay out all of the exciting details of the Nine56 capsule collection launch.  In this shortie-solo episode, I dig into all of the things: why I decided to create a capsule collection, why I am launching on Kickstarter, what that even means, and how you can be a part of it!

I have always believed in the potential for our products to contribute to a better world.  But it wasn’t until a combination of events in my own life changed how I viewed my own purchases, that my eyes were opened to how much greater this potential was than I had ever realized.

The three events that changed my perspective on my purchases were these:

My dad’s cancer diagnosis that lead me to put a much greater emphasis on health and wellness.  I learned that our everyday routines and purchases really do play a huge role in our overall health and that my health and my families health were my number one priority.

My marriage and move to small town Wisconsin that taught me I didn’t really need all of the conveniences and amenities that I was used to in the cities.  In fact, my lifestyle became more intentional and healthier without them.

My transition to working from home full time that showed me how much power the routines I create and the tools I use affect my mood and my work.  

These events, and the lessons I learned from them, made me see that my priorities had been in the wrong place.  They completely changed the way I live my life and they also changed how I saw my business.  I realized that although the betterment of the clothing industry was important to me, so was the wellness of women who were just like me and had been socialized to value their worth based on their stuff, their busy-ness and their achievements.

I knew that what really set my soul on fire was giving women tools to facilitate wellness and that clothing was, in fact, a very important tool to do just that. 

In this episode I share all about how my team and I created the 6-piece capsule that redefines loungewear, why it is so important to us, how you can get your hangs on the collection, and how you can support us by sharing our campaign! 

Shop our Kickstarter HERE and please help us spread the message about this campaign! 

Ways to help us spread the word (post any of these on your social media accounts) :

"The ethical clothing label, Nine56 Studio, is launching their 6-piece capsule that redefines loungewear on Kickstarter!  Check out their pre-sales campaign and get 30% off all styles HERE!"

"Ladies, let’s be honest, we wear loungewear for everything these days.  And who can blame us, we are looking for comfort and function.  But Meg Rohs from Nine56 Studio thought our loungewear could do a lot better than the synthetic, ath-leisure styles that don’t really take us all of the places we need to go.  Check out her 6-piece capsule the redefines loungewear!  Pre-sales are live now on KICKSTARTER!"

“As a gal who works from home, I often wear my loungewear for workwear but there was nothing out there that fit both of these needs. Can you relate?  That’s why Meg Rohs, of Nine56 Studio, designed the 6-piece capsule collection that re-defines loungewear.  See her pre-sales campaign on Kickstarter HERE."

"Are you ready for lounge-worthy pieces that can be mixed and matched to present you like the girl-boss you are?  Nine56 Studio has created a capsule that redefines loungewear just for you.  You can check out their pre-sales campaign and get 30% all styles HERE!"   

 

 

Shannon is a woman who seriously kicks some booty!  After co-founding a sustainable clothing brand, she saw a need for an accelerator program for sustainable fashion brands, so she launched Factory45 to do just that.  She recently decided to take on the fast fashion scene that clutters IG  by integrating more sustainable and ethical fashion onto her account.  She is a momprenuer who still makes time to live an ethical and sustainable lifestyle and she shares how others can too! I can not wait to hear from her! 

AFFORDING ETHICAL FASHION 

I love it when Shannon says that she was a fast fashion bargain bin junkie.  I mean, we have all been there right?  But it took Shannon learning about how dirty the industry was and really changing her mindset about what she was going to prioritize in her life for her to adjust her shopping habits.  Shannon speaks to the power of shopping secondhand.  For people who don’t think they can afford to shop responsibly Shannon says, you can afford secondhand.  And after all, there is nothing more sustainable than keeping old clothing out of the landfill.  Honestly, when you try to shop more responsibly, you find yourself buying less and only investing in pieces that you really love.  You might just find that because you are buying less, you can afford those pieces that were made well and will serve you well. 

KNOWING IF A BRAND IS ACTUALLY ETHICAL 

There is a lot of greenwashing happening right now as brands claim to be sustainable.  Shannon says that puts the work on the consumer to do the work and ask the questions.  What can help you out is that usually if a brand is ethical, they are going to put that on their website because they are proud of it.  If they don’t have any information about supply chain or how the garment was made, that’s a sign that you are going to want to ask more questions.  I love it when Shannon reminds us that here is no one perfectly sustainable way to produce clothing!  She says, there is no such thing as perfectly sustainable and any brand that tells you they are 100% perfectly sustainable is probably up to something.

MOVING FORWARD

Shannon speaks so much wisdom into the process of living our best lives.  She says that the most important thing is to always keep moving forward, because there are not guarantees that you are doing the right thing.  Shannon says, you are aways going to be evolving and thats a good thing because it means that you are always going to be learning.  You guys, nothing is ever going to be perfect and you could always be doing something better.  Shannon reminds us to give ourselves the grace to make mistakes.  Shannon says something that helped her was to find an open door and to keep exploring that, not stopping and retreating at the first obstacle.   I can definitely relate when Shannon says that it is so easy to let fear and procrastination get in the way of pushing forward.  But the key is to always keep moving forward.  Shannon says, you won’t know if it’s the absolute right thing.  Move forward, try not to question yourself, and things are going to work out because no matter what, that path is going to take you somewhere that you aren’t currently standing. Amen!

Shannon gave me such good perspective and so many things to think about!  I know you will feel the same way after listening to this episode. 

RESOURCES SHANNON MENTIONED:

True Cost documentary 

To Die For, Is Fashion Wearing Out the World by Lucy Siegle 

Factory 45

Who Gives A Crap