Well Aware Podcast

Ecocult is one of the best resources out there for urbanites and cool kids interested in living a more conscious life without sacrificing personal style or fun. I interviewed Alden Wicker, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief, in the latest episode of the WELL / AWARE SHOW, to get a peek inside what her life as an eco-conscious blogger and living, breathing freelance writer (side note: she is also kind of a celebrity in Brooklyn’s underground music scene) is like.

Alden and I share similar values: we both want to live as sustainably and consciously as possible. We both have a hippie dippy background — hers certainly stronger than mine — and are looking to make conscious living modern, accessible and desirable for someone who isn’t willing to sacrifice style for substance. We get it! It’s hard, but we’re here to translate it for you.

Alden’s sustainable apartment renovation – obsessed with her bikes-as-decor in the bedroom.

This episode really touches on two topics, conscious consumption and how to make it as a freelance writer and blogger. It’ll be really helpful for anyone looking to start or grow their blog, and for those who are curious about conscious consumption, especially discerning style mavens who want an affirmation that it’s really not impossible or crunchy hippie dippy. This episodes isn’t as wellness-oriented as previous ones, but trust me, it’s layered with such excellent nuggets of advice and information that you’ll walk away having learned a little something about a conscious lifestyle.

SHOW NOTES

The Notepasser

Citizen’s Mark

Integral Yoga / West Village

Ecocult Shopping Guide

Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and the KonMari Method

Well & Good / Lisa Elaine Held

Coexist

YES Magazine

Ethical Writers Co.

Under the Sound

Reformation

Zady

Ethica

Kaight Shop

Amour Vert

Tempest & Bentley

I am ecstatic to break the silence with some excellent news — UPGRADES. This week I’m so excited to share a podcast with my new equipment! So many of you enjoyed the last podcast, I decided to make a not-so-little investment in some super nerdy tech tools. I never thought I’d be the proud owner of a mixer, a windscreen, a boom arm or a shock absorber… but here I am. I’m thrilled to have the ability to deliver these podcasts more easily, with a better outcome for you, the listener. I think it was worth the wait, and I hope you agree. Thank you all for listening, as always, and please keep the feedback coming! I’d love for you to leave a review on iTunes, tweet me, leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email directly at wellawareco (at) gmail (dot) com. Hearing from you always makes my day.

THIS WEEK’S EPISODE

This week, I’m riffing with Katie Horwitch of WANT, which stands for Women Against Negative Talk. As it exists now, WANT is a web space that provides a toolbox for women dealing with self-doubt and consequently negative talk patterns of any kind, including body image, self image, overall confidence, career-related, intellect-related, literally anything and everything. Katie believes that self-criticism is a place holder for something bigger, and is often reflective of imbalance or uncertainty in our lives — how true and profound. In the show, we dive right into the fascinating dialogue we have with ourselves and how to authentically improve it so it serves you. This episode is would be quite helpful for anyone who has ever struggled with disordered eating / thinking, self-image or is looking for a way to boost overall confidence. After practicing what Katie preaches, I can say that I’ve noticed I feel better, look better, have gotten more confident in all areas of life (particularly at work) and am discovering a self-assuredness I didn’t realize I had in me. I’m finding that I’ve been “chasing” it from the outside instead of looking within, where it’s been all along. WANT as a movement, much like leaning in, it’s all about having a collective, candid conversation and truly owning our struggles, keeping it real and using them to inform how we interact one another and ourselves.

both photos, thanks to Cortnee Loren Brown / Creative Start

It’s worth mentioning that Katie is also an editor at The Chalkboard Magazine, one of my favorite wellness websites, and a spin instructor at Equinox.

SHOW RESOURCES

Women Against Negative Talk

The Chalkboard Magazine, where Katie is the editor of the Fitness + Well-being section.

It’s been a little quiet on WELL / AWARE lately — and for good reason. The podcast has finally launched! I’m very excited to introduce (and try) a new format, as it’s an excellent way to get a more intimate feel for the topics and individuals featured on the blog. At first, the podcast will run bi-weekly. Some months may have more episodes, depending on the theme for that month. If you love it, I’ll make more. Simple as that. If you want to skip right to the podcast – please scroll to the bottom of this post!

THE PODCAST CONTENT

The episodes will feature conversations with individuals who embody the WELL / AWARE ethos: living well, mindfully. They’ll harness one or both of our two pillars: creating energy within ourselves, our WELLNESS, or fostering the energy with which we approach the world, our AWARENESS. So far, episodes dive candidly into body image, entrepreneurialism, meditation, sustainability, conscious consumption, coffee culture, yoga, minimalism and more. Podcasts on WELL / AWARE will also have a visual component, because I personally have always craved more than a thumbnail image when I listen to an episode I love. hope these stories inspire you and provide a venue through which you can explore the dialogue with yourself, both mind and body, and the world around you.

I do ask that you bear with me while I experiment with audio. I’m still new to the editing process, and nailing down a regular recording practice. For that reason, some of the first few episodes may differ in sound slightly, and for that I apologize in advance. I’m learning as I go, so it may take a few shots before I really start to get it right. I plan to keep the format open and dynamic anyway, so you never hear the same episode twice. I’m totally open to your feedback, by the way. Please email me with any thoughts at wellawareco (at) gmail (dot) com.

THIS WEEK’S EPISODE

The first episode is a very special one. I sat down with yogi Alex Sharry of Y7 to talk about her journey to yoga, what it was like once she got there. I was drawn to her initially as a student at Y7…  hearing her guidance for yoga both on the mat and off deeply resonated, so it made sense that her approach to yoga and to life is a fantastic example of living WELL / AWARE. We get real about body image, perfectionism, the emotional body, self doubt and how to embrace change. This is a great episode for anyone who’s interested or practicing yoga or meditation, who has thought of quitting her job for greener pastures or who is looking to make a major life change.

SHOW RESOURCES

Y7 Yoga Studio (who announced the opening of their Flatiron location this week!)

Katonah Yoga