The Minimalists

Joshua and Ryan talk about raising organized children with behavioral and developmental pediatrician Dr. Damon Korb, and they answer the following questions:

What are executive functions? (01:34)

What is behavioral pediatrics? (02:18)

What do you mean by “organized children”? (02:47)

How has the pandemic affected children’s health? (03:24)

How do we set appropriate boundaries with our children? (04:58)

How do we help our children adopt minimalist practices that stick at an early age so they don’t lose them and suffer the consequences in adulthood? (05:38)

How can we be minimalist parents? (06:50)

How can we teach our children to be problem-solvers? (09:51)

How can we help our children deal with boredom? (10:35)

What advice do you have for first-time parents? (14:43)

How do you balance setting boundaries with a child while still allowing them room to explore and learn about who they are? (19:16)

How do we appropriately handle our expectations regarding our children? (21:54)

What are the “5 H’s” regarding kids? (27:30)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about success, failure, fulfillment, and satisfaction—and how incessantly chasing those things can lead to foolness rather than fullness—and they answer the following questions:

What does success mean to you? (03:06)

What are your beliefs regarding spirituality? (07:38)

How do value judgments affect success? (13:08)

What is nihilism? (14:39)

How do I overcome my addiction to procrastination so I can focus on doing meaningful work? (17:00)

What are the two kinds of ‘haves’? (19:53)

What is the “thing you can’t not do”? (20:21) 

What is the best way to address distractions? (29:25)

What do you mean by “the costs we must pay”? (32:08)

How do you rebuild yourself and restructure your idea of success after a failure? (36:09) 

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about love, relationships, sex, and parenting with blogger, podcaster, and Registered Dietitian Becca Shern, and they answer the following questions:

What is our language problem? (02:11)

What is the difference between loving someone and being in love with someone? (03:45)

What does commitment mean to you? (05:30)

What is your definition of “love”? (09:55)

How do you view unconditional love? (13:25)

How do you recognize when it’s time to end a relationship? (16:11)

What are the three components of a relationship? (24:16)

Why is compatibility the most difficult component of most relationships? (26:38)

Do you ever passionately disagree about important decisions that affect the entire family, and, if so, how do you handle compromise and conflict resolution? (31:44)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about habit change, letting go of stuff, and the creative process that went into making their new film, Less Is Now, with filmmaker Matt D’Avella, and they answer the following questions:

How long have you been working on Less Is Now? (01:50)

How did the Less Is Now project start? (05:51)

How did the Less Is Now project evolve? (07:49)

How did you settle on a budget for Less Is Now? (10:16)

How do you curate the absolute essential tools for your work when it seems to require an overwhelming amount of items? (12:29)

How can constraints help creativity? (22:09)

Will a college degree provide a significant advantage for me in the entertainment industry? (23:36)

Is it dangerous to try too many things? (33:27)

How is there creation in destruction? (35:30)

What advice do you have for someone that’s just starting out that wants to have a successful film career like you? (38:05)

What is the Slow Growth Academy? (53:36)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss finding peace within and without with writer Leo Babauta, and they answer the following questions:

How can you be a minimalist with a large family? (03:34)

How did you start on your minimalist journey? (05:39)

Who inspired you to adopt minimalism? (09:06)

How do you convert other family members to minimalism to ensure peace when you’re living in close quarters? (11:32)

How important is it to recognize what you’ve accomplished? (12:46)

Is leading by example the best approach to helping others adopt minimalist practices? (15:50)

How do you recognize when you’re taking decluttering too far? (20:00)

Is there a danger in living to minimize? (22:05)

What does it mean to “question the ‘must’”? (28:52)

What is spartanism? (29:40)

What is Metta meditation? (32:00)

How do we shift between decluttering and simplifying to live a life of purpose? (35:04)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss their evolution as The Minimalists over the last decade, and they answer the following questions:

Does it feel like ten years since you started The Minimalists? (03:44)

What did you believe about minimalism that you no longer do? (04:52)

How have we been lied to as a society? (07:41)

How is the word ‘hope’ problematic? (09:03)

Is there an issue with forming habits? (10:21)

What is the difference between the ‘how’ and the ‘why’? (12:33)

How might ‘help’ be a bad thing? (15:41)

How could balance be equated with mediocrity? (16:20)

How are solutions an issue? (18:21)

How have you adjusted your lifestyle as your popularity grows? (27:36)

How has your perspective of popularity changed? (27:36)

What’s one thing that is still challenging? (27:36)

Of what projects are you most proud? (30:18)

How can advice and truth be in conflict? (34:49)

What’s the biggest difference between you both now and ten years ago? (38:02)

What’s the problem with comparison? (39:13)

How are attachment and love incompatible? (40:39)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Rebecca Shern talk about what it really means to eat in a balanced way, how to improve our immune systems, and why our overall health is related to our gut health with author and VEEP Nutrition CEO Joel Greene, and they answer the following questions:

Why are the most common-sense health practices not obvious? (01:35)

What is the immune system, and why is it so important? (02:57) (03:25)

What is making us more susceptible to COVID-19? (05:10)

How crucial is it to control inflammation? (08:43)

How important is gut biome diversity? (10:30)

What is the apple-peel protocol? (13:01)

What is HMO? (13:52)

How does immunity begin in the gut? (14:58)

What is the order of operation to rebuild a healthy gut? (16:54)

Can meat heal a compromised gut? (23:23)

Can fasting help improve gut health? (26:23)

How important is a balanced diet? (28:13)

What are the best foods for ideal gut health? (28:44)

What is Joel Greene’s Chipotle hack? (30:10)

What is ‘eating in threes’? (31:55)

What is a pre-load meal? (33:49)

Do vitamins and supplements actually improve our immune system? (34:36)

Are probiotics supplements helpful? (35:08)

What is SIBO? (35:40)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the 2020 election, our current political divide, and how we can find unity even when we disagree with returning guests T.K. Coleman, Kim Iversen, and Jamie Kilstein, and they answer the following questions:

If your values aren’t aligned with either of the major party candidates, is voting for a third-party candidate really a wasted vote? (06:36)

How do we incentivize the system to improve? (11:33)

Is it okay to minimize politics in my life and ignore the social media posts, the news, and the debates that feel very toxic, or is it my responsibility as a citizen to be well-informed and confident in my political opinions? (16:22)

Is it our duty to vote? (21:42)

Is moralizing politics the crux of the problem? (24:42)

Are these candidates really the best we have to offer? (28:42)

What is Unity2020? (30:26)

Should I vote even if I don’t fully understand the issues? (35:14)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about sex and porn addiction—how to recognize it, how to break it—and, conversely, even the possible positive attributes of porn with director, media personality, and adult film star Lisa Ann, and they answer the following questions:

Is porn addiction a recognized addiction? (03:40)

How do we better restrict our children’s access to porn? (06:40)

Do we overmoralize porn? (09:20)

Is porn addiction just a matter of self control? (11:00)

Why is Gen Z statistically having the least sex of any generation? (11:40)

What are the pros and cons of porn? (13:49)

Are there age limits for adult film stars? (20:20)

Can a minimalist approach to viewing porn enhance a relationship? (21:15)

How does libido play into relationships? (21:50)

How important is communication in a sexual relationship? (25:39)

What are your thoughts on the difference between guilt and shame being a primary trigger to lead someone to become addicted to porn? (30:01)

How does age affect porn addiction? (43:48)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about repairing and strengthening relationships during difficult times with comedian Josh Wolf, and they answer the following questions:

Is it possible that the global pandemic actually helped save some relationships? (01:20)

What are some good habits to adopt to save a relationship? (06:36)

What is ‘Object A’? (09:59)

How much is enough? (10:37)

What does it feel like to be satisfied? (13:13)

What is the difference between pleasure and joy? (15:32)

What is the ‘price of admission’? (19:50)

Has social media given us a false sense of self-importance? (22:35)

What is the difference between a recipe and a template? (24:05)

Is restricting a partner’s choices a reasonable solution to their staunch resistance to change? (24:45)

What is the value of stretching our comfort zone? (34:00)

How will I know when I’ve found ‘the one’? (36:02)

Do we set unrealistic expectations regarding relationships? (39:52)

Why do we often start relationships in an attempt to fix ourselves? (45:01)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast

Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support