The Unruffled Podcast

It’s a New Year and today, Tammi and Sondra reflect on 2017, specifically on their respective practices of picking a word for the year. They talk about when they each started the practice, why they do it and how it has shaped their years. They also share their chosen words for 2018 and the intentions behind their choices. It’s time to retire that old, non-effective practice of resolution-setting. They hope that in sharing this practice, you may be inspired to set your own intentions for your New Year’s Evolution, setting you up for success in the coming year.

The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolbox for the week:

Sondra: (1) Free lunar planner from Lunar Abundance; (2) Femmenessence Macalife; (3) Invincible Living by Guru Jagat

Tammi: (1) Art + Notes yearly desk folders; (2) Moleskine Weekly Notebook/Diary Planner; and (3) Apartment Therapy’s January Cure.

In today’s episode, Tammi and Sondra have a long girlfriend chat with Lori Massicot. If you are immersed in the sober Instagram world, then you probably know Lori as @to50andbeyond. Lori is a Cali girl, wellness coach and just an incredible sober, positive light who placed a goal for herself to be in better health by the time she was 50. She’s done that and beyond. They talk about what it’s like to get sober in your 40s and how that can be a catalyst for any and all changes you set out to make. Lori’s enthusiasm for life is contagious. You can see all of her offerings on her gorgeous website, http://lorimassicot.com/.

This week Lori shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) self-care: sleep, exercise, nutrition; (2) her coaching business; and (3) her social media community.

In this episode, Tammi and Sondra bring you an interview with Michelle Pattee. Michelle is a west coast photographer and textile designer who candidly shares her truth about getting sober again after a relapse. They talk about the effort it takes to put recovery as priority, while maintaining roles as mom, wife and creative business owner. It is hard and honest work, and Michelle beautifully describes this life so many of us in recovery are choosing to live. Her work and gorgeous home can be seen at https://www.michellepattee.com/ and  http://www.westcountycalifornia.com/.  

This week Michelle shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) Making My Bed; (2) Coffee + Warm Beverages; and (3) Genuine conversations with people I don’t know very well.

Tammi and Sondra are so happy to talk to Becky Vollmer this week. Becky is a mama, yoga teacher, writer and creator of You Are Not Stuck http://youarenotstuck.com, a site that empowers people to get unstuck and start pursuing the lives of their dreams. The ladies reflect again on Liz Gilbert’s short essay entitled Not This and Becky shares three significant moments (career, sobriety and marriage)  where she felt stuck in her life and and how she found the strength and motivation for change. If you need to find your own A-HA going into the New Year, you will love this episode and Becky’s sharp and profound insight.

This week Becky shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) Find the breath; (2) Befriend your recovery; (3) You can’t fuck this up.

In this episode, Tammi and Sondra talk to the beautiful Melissa Johnson. Melissa has an incredible story of loss, resilience and fierce motherhood that is an absolute testimony to the power of recovery. Listening to her courageous intuition, she began sharing her journey on her website, www.mytruthstartshere.org and through that, she found her life’s work to serve others in recovery, one clean home at a time with her nonprofit, Clean Life, Clean Home www.cleanlifecleanhome.com. Melissa has such a captivating story and a brilliant soul, you may want to grab a tissue, or five, for this one.

This week Melissa shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) Running/Jogging; (2) The Bodytalk System; (3) Writing; and (bonus item!) (4) Essential oils.

In this week’s episode, Tammi and Sondra welcome Sasha Korellis. Sasha is their favorite kind of multi-passionate: animated film producer, teacher, mala-maker, yoga retreat host, sober warrior, feminine tribe gatherer. They talk about getting sober in mid-life and Sasha’s beautiful perspective that women are answering this call at this time in our lives, banding together in warrior-like fashion to create and affect change. They talk about Sasha’s big work as a student of kundalini yoga, her many year-long project as a co-producer of an animated film (still in the works) called La Noria, and all of her mala-making gorgeousness at www.satchamalas.com, where you can also check out her upcoming yoga events. “The universe gives us the ingredients to become who we are and it’s up to us to make something from it.” They hope you get as much beautiful inspiration from this interview as they did.

This week Sasha shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) Kundalini yoga; (2) Music; and (3) Community.

In this episode, Tammi and Sondra talk about the holidays, as in, what they were like before and what they are like now. They reminisce about perfectionism gone bonkers, over-sleeping Santas, the chase of the elusive Martha Stewart moments all blown to exaggerated, boozy proportions, especially as they are compared to the pared down, boundaried holidays of today. If you are in early sobriety and approaching your first sober holiday or you are a sober holiday veteran but still in need of a little more peace, they attempt to cover it all. They hope you leave this episode with tips on how to not just survive the holidays, but perhaps enjoy some moments as well.

The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolbox for the week:

Sondra: (1) Plans for holiday fun; (2) Projects; and (3) Gratitude list practice.

Tammi: (1) A plan; (2) Physical sobriety toolbox; (3) Service.

Today, Tammi and Sondra are honored to have on the show, Ann Dowsett Johnston. If you don’t know, Ann is the bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol and became the poster girl for the modern day alcoholic. The ladies talk about the alcohol industry, and specifically as it’s targeted to women, they talk about how quitting drinking makes sense as a #midlifesolution, the effects drinking had on her as a writer, and how Ann’s gratitude practice has been an essential part of her recovery. As a public speaker on these topics (if this is your first introduction to Ann, watch her TEDx Talk), Ann is generous, smart and well-versed on the real effects alcohol has on women, individually and as a culture. This is such an important interview, you may want to grab a pen and notebook!

This week Ann shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) Daily gratitude list practice; (2) Writing in her journal; and (3) Her female sober tribe.

Over a year ago, Elizabeth Gilbert published a short essay on her Facebook page called Not This. It really resonated with so many, one that Sondra went back to many times since it was originally posted, that she and Tammi decided to do an episode on the many Not This moments in their own lives. As these things go, they both had similar ones around religion and divorce and of course, the biggest they both share are the moments that led to their sobriety. This is an emotional episode and they hope that it inspires you to reflect on your own Not This moments. Perhaps you have some Not This moments that are yet to happen, but that you will see, although scary in the moment, they are almost always opportunities for change and growth.

The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolbox for the week:

Sondra: (1) Staying with discomfort; (2) Dietary changes; (3) Knowing what I DO like and want in my life. Tammi: (1) Dietary shifts; (2) My former book club; and (3) G.O.D. choosing Grace Over Drama.

Today, Tammi and Sondra talk to Katy Strabley. If you are immersed in the recovery-friendly Instagram world, then you know and love Katy as @thekatykhronicles. Katy is all things magical, mystical and woo and has set out on a path to cultivate her inner Divine Feminine, harnessing the Earth’s and Moon’s energy as well to chart her own course in recovery. She shares her creative life freely on Instagram, supports her tribe fiercely and sells kits to guide you in your own Womanifestations on her site, iamdivinebydesign.com. So light your sage, line up your crystals and bring all of your Divine energy, as Katy’s sweet nature is magnetic.

This week Katy shares three items from her Unruffled Toolbox: (1) Nature; (2) The Ananda Meditations with Deepak Chopra; and (3) Editing apps for her Galaxy Note phone - Snapseed, Piclab, Aviary, Pixlr and Word Swag.