This Unmillennial Life

We may be known these days as unmillennials, but at one time we were "latch-key" kids. And as such, most of us arrived home in the afternoons to man the fort either alone or with our siblings and very likely were met with a daily list of chores our parent or parents left for us. 

So when we find ourselves deep in parenting this new iGen generation and realizing that their idea of clean up is deleting files off their phone to make room for a new game, we gotta ask... is this okay?

In today's episode on Chores, I'm owning up to my own struggle to teach my kids the value of hard work in the home and instilling in them the kind of "your contributions to this family matter" attitude that promotes self-worth and a can-do attitude. While "chores" may seem simply like a means to "get stuff done," they're actually an integral part of teaching kids to grow into self-sustaining, self-assured adults. (And yes, it doesn't hurt for mom or dad to have one less load of laundry to do as well.)

In this show, you'll be introduced to Becky Mansfield of Your Modern Family. Becky's warmth and gentle spirit are infectious and she inspires in me a desire to create a better routine for my children. Throughout the episode we discuss:

• the importance of chores
• how it may actually be worse to "do" for your kids rather than helping them learn how to "do" for themselves
• the difference between an assigned chore and a daily responsibility
• how to start a routine when you - the parent - don't really feel like doing Pinterest-worthy "chore charts"
• plus a bonus discussion about the realization Becky made about how kids do better when they're forced to turn off separate screens and actually watch TV together

I close out the show with a quick follow up discussion on an email I sent to Becky about how all of this should change/shift to accommodate busy school weeks. I also share with listeners the personal update on having to "cancel" Panera Fridays in favor of a new, quicker Friday morning routine.

(And I hope that any of you who have started your OWN routines will tag me on social media and share your routine with me directly. I'm LOVING all the ones you've already told me about! Seriously, it makes my heart sing to see these sweet family memories take shape.) 

As always, you're invited to join the This Unmillennial Life Facebook Group or connect with me via Instagram, Tweet Me @ReganJonesRD, leave me a voicemail or email me regan[at]thisunmillenniallife[dot]com.

If you haven't checked out the new Fan Shop, please do! It's the only place where listeners can order merchandise to show off their "unmillennialness" to friends and family.

And as always, I hope you find this show helpful. If you have a show idea you'd like to hear about, let me know and submit a show idea here! 

Thank you for listening and for subscribing. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review!

Until next time,

~Regan

This week's episode is brought to you by Audible, who is offering a free trial and free audiobook download to This Unmillennial Life listeners who visit audibletrial.com/unmillennial.

This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne, Libsyn, Pandora, Stitcher and Spotify.

You've heard your friends say the Instant Pot changed their lives, but all yours is doing is {at best} cooking rice and {at worst} simply collecting dust. Annemarie Rossi of Real Food Real Deals joins me in this episode to unlock all the best ideas for what to make in an Instant Pot.

As a food blogger with page after page of family-friendly Instant Pot ideas, Annemarie is the perfect guest for today's show. Her recipes are budget-conscious, but always crowd-pleasers. In this episode we discuss:

• Why she resisted buying an Instant Pot originally
• How many times per week she currently uses her Instant Pot
• Why an Instant Pot is much more than just an electric pressure cooker -- including the slow cooker, keep warm, saute and yogurt functions plus more
• The safety aspects of an Instant Pot

We also walk through Annemarie's favorite Instant Pot ideas and recipes, including:

• Steel-cut oats
• Potato Salad
• Beef Stew
• Pork Tenderloin
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Carrot-Ginger Soup
• Cranberry Sauce
• Applesauce
• Homemade Ricotta
• Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Bread

We wrap up our discussion of Instant Pot ideas with a brief discussion of my extra Instant Pot insert and the silicone Instant Pot lids I use to cover the insert and store in the fridge.

Before ending the show today, I'm sharing a brief update and personal discussion on my newly acquired Certified Personal Trainer credentials through The American College of Sports Medicine. I first shared this announcement on Instagram and appreciate all of you who have reached out with words of congrats.

I hope to hear from you if YOU have more Instant Pot ideas we didn't cover in this episode. Leave me a voicemail on the Contact page. Until next week... take care.

~Regan

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit reganjonesrdn.substack.com

As a generation raised during the rise of cableTV, unmillennials may find themselves a little slower to "cut the cord" than their younger millennial counterparts. But the cost-savings and freedom of choice for channels make cord-cutting appealing to many customers, no matter their age.

In today's episode, I interview Luke Buoma of Cord Cutters News and share with listeners the basics anyone needs to consider before cutting the cord, including:

• The estimated cost savings someone can expect when they cut the cord
• Benefits beyond money when you cut the cord, like portability and channel selection
• The shift in mindset to consider before cord-cutting in thinking about programs versus networks
• What type of equipment is required to cut the cord, including antennas for local Live TV and streaming devices
• What sports fans can expect in terms of availability and access to Live TV

I round out this episode with some odds & ends including a follow up about Season 2 of Ozark and a new recommendation for a binge-worthy podcast, Dr. Death. I share listener feedback from both The Intermittent Fasting Episodes and The Chores Episode.

If you've already cut the cord, please tag me on social media and share your experiences! I always love to hear from fellow unmillennials what you think. You can join me and other fans of the show over at the This Unmillennial Life Facebook Group or connect with me via Instagram, Tweet Me @ReganJonesRD, leave me a voicemail or email me regan[at]thisunmillenniallife[dot]com.

If you haven't checked out the new Fan Shop, please do! It's the only place where listeners can order merchandise to show off their "unmillennialness" to friends and family.

And as always, I hope you find this show helpful. If you have a show idea you'd like to hear about, let me know and submit a show idea here! 

Thank you for listening and for subscribing. If you enjoy the show, please leave a 5 star review!

Until next time,

~Regan

This week's episode is brought to you by Audible, who is offering a free trial and free audiobook download to This Unmillennial Life listeners who visit audibletrial.com/unmillennial.

This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne, Libsyn, and Spotify.

Today's episode is one that I will never forget. It features "Lisa" as she details the story of her son's suicide attempts and what her family has been through since the first moment of his hospitalization.

Lisa's is a deeply personal story recounting what the healing process looks like for her son (which she describes as "not being a linear process"), her struggles in the early days not being able to reach out to family and friends for support, the lack of professional support available in the medical community following her son's suicide attempts, why she enrolled her son in a wilderness treatment program and what life is like today as their family continues to work on living life together in light of her son's struggles.

I am forever grateful to both Lisa for sharing this account with me and to the friend of the show who first connected us. ~Regan

We can all help prevent suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. 1-800-273-8255

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit reganjonesrdn.substack.com

If your trips to the gym aren't producing results, is it time to consider hiring a personal trainer? Viewed by some as a luxury item only few can afford, personal trainers can actually be a cost-effective way to ensure you're getting the most from your workouts. Today's show uncovers the reasons why a personal trainer might be a good choice and more importantly, what to look for in a personal trainer.  

In this episode, I'm chatting with my friend and colleague -- Jim White of Jim White Fitness. A nationally-recognized fitness expert and registered dietitian, Jim's been a leader in the fitness industry for years and has a well-established level of expertise in this area. He shares with listeners:

• The range of prices you can expect to pay when hiring a personal trainer
• The importance of finding a credentialed professional
• Which credentials are most reputable in the fitness industry
• Why just "training" isn't where a personal trainer relationship ends and the importance of getting your trainer to write out a long-term plan

To end the show I'm giving a quick update on my own family's cord cutting experience as follow up to last week's Cord Cutting Episode. 

If you've had a good experience with a personal trainer, have cut the cord OR have any feedback from a recent episode, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please tag or message me on social media (Instagram, Twitter or Facebook) or email me at [email protected]. You're also always invited to join the This Unmillennial Life Facebook Group or connect by leaving me a voicemail.

If you haven't checked out the new Fan Shop, please do! It's the only place where listeners can order merchandise to show off their "unmillennialness" to friends and family.

And as always, I hope you find this show helpful. If you have a show idea you'd like to hear about, let me know and submit a show idea here! 

Thank you for listening and for subscribing. If you enjoy the show, please leave a 5 star rating!

Until next time,

~Regan

This week's episode is brought to you by Audible, who is offering a free trial and free audiobook download to This Unmillennial Life listeners who visit audibletrial.com/unmillennial.

This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne, Libsyn, and Spotify. Each full-length show is also now available via ReganJonesRD on Facebook making it easier than ever to share with a friend. 

If you’re spending hours at the gym on the treadmill, attending back-to-back boot camps each week or simply pushing yourself to sweat as much and as often as possible and STILL aren’t seeing the results you’d hoped for, you may need to ask yourself — How Much Cardio Is Too Much?

According to today’s guest, Leslie Ann Quillen — host of the podcast Get To The Point with Leslie Ann and creator of the Fat Loss Lifestyle School, women are overdoing it in the cardio arena while failing to understand the importance of slowing down, stressing less and simply picking up heavy weights. In this episode we discuss:

• How overtraining our bodies through cardio-based exercises can lead to bodies that are stressed out (even if we don’t “feel” stressed out while enjoying the endorphin high)
• The age ranges for building muscle and why it’s important to start ASAP lifting weights to age healthfully
• Why “burning calories” shouldn’t be your goal if you’re looking to change body composition, feel stronger and look more fit
• How calories burned through exercise don’t substantially impact our overall daily caloric needs, especially when compared to NEAT (aka non-exercise activity thermogenesis)
• Why overtraining via cardio may lead to intense food cravings and overeating

We close out our discussion with a helpful preview of Leslie Ann’s recommendation for a more balanced approach to fitness that includes daily activity at the base, weight lifting in the middle and cardio at the tip of a pyramid-based visual for understanding how much cardio women should be doing.

I wrap up the show with a discussion on our decision to {finally} give my oldest son a cell phone, the Cell Phone Contract I’ve made available to listeners for free. I also discuss how applications like Verizon’s Smart Family app have helped me minimize the distractions that 24/7 cell phone access can be for a middle schooler.

Season 3 is off to an exciting start with lots more great episodes to come! If you have a show topic you’d like to share with me, please let me know! Thank you for listening, subscribing, downloading and most importantly, thank you for sharing with a friend. ~Regan

This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne, Libsyn, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Podcasts on Pandora.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit reganjonesrdn.substack.com

He doesn't get invited to birthday parties. She says nobody wanted to sign her yearbook. He reports sitting alone most days at lunch. She can't tell you a single "good" thing that happened at school. Lessons about getting along as a kid used to be learned playing hide-and-seek in a neighbor's backyard or picking up a basketball game on the street corner. But as today's children spend more time indoors and on screens, many experts say it's hurting their development of social skills. As a result, kids find themselves in emotionally tough situations and parents often don't know how to help.

In today's episode, I'm interviewing Nadine Briggs -- accomplished social educator and author of the popular book series "How To Make And Keep Friends." In this episode we discuss:

• how common anxiety and anger are in children and how it relates to their need for control
• why current "social" interactions involving social media don't equate to meaningful social engagement
• how this fact is hurting kids' ability to grow and develop necessary social skills
• why the concept of reciprocity in friendship is a challenge for kids and how they can work to overcome it
• what parents can do to move the conversation to a more productive place by focusing on "positive psychology"

I close out today's show with a brief preview of what I'll be doing with my kids this summer as I take time off from new releases of the podcast and prepare for Season 2. Specifically, I'm discussing the resources -- like printable chore cards -- I found helpful on the Your Modern Family website.

As always, I hope you find this show helpful. If you do, be sure to share it with a friend. If you have a show idea you'd like to hear about, let me know and submit a show idea here! Or connect with me via Instagram, Tweet Me @ReganJonesRD, leave me a voicemail, email me regan[at]thisunmillenniallife[dot]com or join the This Unmillennial Life Facebook Group.

Thank you for listening and for subscribing. If you enjoy the show, please leave a 5 star review! And if you've been listening to the show for a while or are a new listener and have thoughts about what you like/don't like, I'd love for you to share them with me through this very brief LISTENER SURVEY. Thanks for your feedback! 

Until next time,

~Regan

This week's episode is brought to you by Audible, who is offering a free trial and free audiobook download to This Unmillennial Life listeners who visit audibletrial.com/unmillennial.

This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne, Libsyn, and Spotify.

Internal motivation and Healthy Eating -- Is there a connection between the Enneagram and Nutrition? This podcast guest says the answer is YES!

In last week's Season 3 premiere I interviewed YourEnneagramCoach, Beth McCord to discuss the origins of the Enneagram, how the Enneagram is different from other "personality" tests, why motivation is the key to determining your Enneagram type and the importance of not using the Enneagram as a "sword or shield" on yourself or others.

Today, I'm following up that episode Part II of this series -- my interview of Jenna Braddock, a sports dietitian and personal trainer who is currently investigating the connection between Enneagram and nutrition, health and wellness behaviors.

In this episode we discuss:

• How/Why Jenna first became interested in the connection between the Enneagram and Nutrition
• How Enneagram type may affect a person's willingness to try new foods
• How Enneagram type may influence a person's self-assessment of "What's Healthy?"
• How stress may affect differing Enneagram types differently
• How a "challenge" environment for change may or may not be a good fit for different Enneagram types
• The importance of understanding and appreciating that different Enneagram types might respond differently to different dietary interventions -- from macro counting to intuitive eating, etc.

We wrap up by encouraging listeners to participate in Jenna's survey and providing links to where to find Jenna is now offering Enneagram-based nutrition counseling on her website.

To close out the show, I share a very important follow up to The Laser Hair Removal Episode. I had the chance to visit with my guest from that episode, Katy Widrick, recently and she shared with me some not so encouraging long-term results of her hair removal experience.

Thank you again to everyone who helped make Season 2 such a success! Season 3 is off to an exciting start with lots more great episodes to come! Thank you for listening, subscribing, downloading and most importantly, thank you for sharing with a friend. ~Regan

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit reganjonesrdn.substack.com

To kick off Season 3 of the podcast, I interviewed YourEnneagramCoach, Beth McCord. After following Beth on social media and then listening to her as a guest on Annie F. Down's "EnneaSummer" podcast series over the summer myself, I knew I wanted to have her on the show.

As a teacher for over 15 years, Beth is passionate about coming alongside individuals and helping them re-write their story, allowing them to see that lasting change, meaningful relationships, and a life of deep purpose is possible. This passion is what drove her to create her community, a safe place for individuals to explore the Enneagram. Beth's passion is to make the Enneagram accessible for everyone, anywhere so they can experience the transformation they long for.

In this episode, we answer the basic question -- "What is the Enneagram?" Beth characterizes it as a GPS for self-discovery and personal growth and explains how the Enneagram uncovers why you think, feel and behave in particular ways.

Throughout the episode we discuss:

• The origins of the Enneagram
• How the Enneagram is different from other "personality" tests
• Why motivation is the key to determining your Enneagram type
• The importance of not using the Enneagram as a "sword or shield" on yourself or others

We go through the Enneagram types, discussing the core Fear, Desire, Weakness and Longing of each Enneagram number.

• ONE - The Moral Perfectionist
• TWO - The Supportive Advisor
• THREE - The Successful Achiever
• FOUR - The Romantic Individualist
• FIVE - The Investigative Thinker
• SIX - The Loyal Guardian
• SEVEN - The Entertaining Optimist
• EIGHT - The Protective Challenger
• NINE - The Peaceful Mediator

To close out the show, Beth and I discuss the various ways people can come to discover and/or deepen their understanding of their type, including a discussion on whether or not taking a test is the best approach to identifying your Enneagram number.

We also discuss Beth's new book and program -- Becoming Us -- a Gospel-centered approach to marriage transformation based on the Enneagram.

Listeners of the show can find Beth on social media at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and her website, yourenneagramcoach.com.

I wrap the episode up there with a brief tease of next week's episode, which will also tap into the power of the Enneagram. Only next week, I'll be coming at it from a much different angle, talking with a registered dietitian who uses the Enneagram in her practice to help better understand what types of eating patterns and approaches work for individuals based on their Enneagram number.

Thank you again to everyone who helped make Season 2 such a success! I'm looking forward to each and every episode I have lined up for Season 3. Thank you for listening, subscribing, downloading and most importantly, thank you for sharing with a friend. ~Regan

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit reganjonesrdn.substack.com

The life of the unmillennial is clearly filled with some serious topics -- are you saving enough for retirement, have you reached the peak of your career and why do the aches/pains that used to disappear linger these days? Those are all worth topics to feature on the show, but that's absolutely NOT what we're discussing today.

'Cause a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

And I gotta do eyelashes.

If you've ever thought about glamming up your look or simply improving that wand of mascara in your make-up bag, today's show is for you!

On the show you'll learn about:

• My experience with the eyelash boosting serum Latisse. I'll clear up some common misconceptions about Latisse and then you'll hear from Julie on her experience with the popular Rodan+Fields eyelash booster  
• Next, you'll hear from Danielle on her experience with lash extensions and learn more about the pros/cons, time commitment and cost.
• My last guest, Gretchen, will share why Magnetic Eyelashes were the best option for her and share insights about how easy (or hard) the lashes are to actually apply.
• I'll round out the discussion with insights into my absolute favorite mascara (affiliate link), plus provide some helpful tips on choosing just the right tube.

To close out the show, you'll also hear a fun feature entitled "If I had a VCR, I'd record this." Thinking fondly of the days when a VHS tape recording of your favorite show was your best bet for "binge watching," I'm giving a little preview into what I think you should be watching NOW on Netflix!

If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming show, either sharing what YOU are loving on Netflix now OR addressing my favorite question "What Makes You SO Unmillennial," simply send me a voicemail (via the widget one the site) OR, join the This Unmillennial Life Facebook Group to keep the conversation going. I'd love to hear what's on your mind! Lastly, if you enjoyed the show please leave a 5 star rating and review.

Thanks for listening!

Until next time,

~Regan

This episode is sponsored by HealthyAperture.com -- the world's first and only dietitian curated recipe discovery site.