The Practical Minimalists

Today we welcome guest Jen Biswas to our show. Jen is a mama, wife, business owner and friend. Her business, Paisley and Sparrow, empowers at-risk women around the world. When you purchase from her shop you are giving a marginalized woman in India a hopeful future, someone in Ethopia a way to support her family, and a woman recovering from addition a second chance.

More and more, the minimalist community and people in general are interested in conscious consumption, and we loved the opportunity to bring someone on the show who is running a business with with a purpose. Not only that, Jen also shares some real-life struggles like comparison, the stress of new motherhood, and the pressure of being a work-at-home mom that so many of our listeners will relate to. This episode is perfect for you if you are interested in hearing about a place where you can buy fair trade goods, are curious about what life's like behind the scenes for Jen Biswas, or you just want to hear some real talk about motherhood and self discovery. Enjoy!

We have another guest on the show today and it is with joy, honor, and great care that we share her with you. Laura Parrott-Perry is the founder and CEO of Say-It-Survior, a non-profit organization that helps encourage, foster, and facilitate the survivors of sexual abuse in telling and untangling their stories in a safe, compassionate, and loving environment. If you've been listening to our show long enough, you know that to us, Minimalism and life-on-purose living is just as much about letting go of the non-physical and emotional burdens (if not more) than it is the physical ones. This is why we felt compelled to connect with Laura and provide a platform for her to reach out to other survivors and those that know a survivor to convey the power and freedom of letting go of shame and telling your story.

This week we have having our first TPM BONUS episode! Lesley is a semi-retired blogger, mom, wife, and business owner. Today we are speaking with her about everything from motherhood, to what it's like being a full time blogger, to letting go of people pleasing to essential oils. We hope that this episode will feel like you're joining some girlfriends over coffee to talk about everything from what we're binge watching on Netflix to the things we're learning to let go of in order to live our best life.

You will love this bonus episode if you want to get in inside scoop into the world of a successful blogger, want to hear about some uses for essential oils, are interested in an hearing some of Lesley's personal struggles as working mom, or simply want to be a fly on the wall during a fun conversation. We hope you enjoy this BONUS episode!

We are doing our very first interview today and we have a very special guest on the show; Heather's husband Timothy. We wanted to bring him in for two reasons….1) To help you guys get to know us a little better 2) To Talk to someone about being married to a maximalist. We've had a ton of questions from listeners about what to do when you are ready to begin your minimalism journey, but your spouse, partner or family members are not. Eryn and I got to thinking….that's us except we were on the other side of the coin! Our husbands were both closet minimalists and we thought it would be fun to get their perspective on life with a maximalist before we changes our ways! 3) Finally we thought it would be interesting to hear a male perspective on things like minimalism, career, flow and habits. Most of our audience female, but we thought it would spice things up to bring in a make perspective.

In today's episode we'll be getting into the topic Minimalism Perfectionism. It's common to experience growth, joy, and contentment as you unburden your life of all the extra stuff and obligations. But what happens then? Do we "arrive?" If we're not careful Minimalism can just become another thing we're striving for in order to be happier. Additionally, comparison can come in and hinder our progress. Am I "minimalist enough?" Can I even call myself a minimalist? Does my home reflect my values enough to outsiders? These are just some of the questions we discuss in today's episode as we chat about Minimalism Perfectionism, how it's affected us, and how we are learning to find our groove in the process of having #freedomwithless

This episode is perfect for you if you find yourself in the comparison loop on social media, if you find yourself "chasing" minimalism, or you simply want to hear our thoughts and personal struggles on these issues. Enjoy!