In this episode, we let out some more messy thoughts around how we’re still looking for joy amidst these uncertain times. We discuss what practices have been anchoring us lately and bravely admit that we don’t really like carving pumpkins. We answer questions submitted by the Educated Messes community, including book recommendations, the “why” behind Educated Messes, and the hardest things we’ve had to overcome this past year.

Kelsey reflects on her hospitalization, Kyla tells the story of how she took stress leave from work, and we both contemplate how much of life is just luck and timing. We learn the (actual) definition of neural plasticity and Kyla discovers (much to her dismay and/or excitement) that pretty much everything rewires your brain. We cover some helpful journal prompts and explore how expressive journaling can help you sort through your thoughts by decreasing activity in the emotional centre of your brain. We talk about building habits and how going through hard things teaches you about yourself. We also discover how we’re really bad at giving simple answers to questions.