Podcast - The Practical Minimalists

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! We wanted to bring him on for a few reasons: 1) To help you guys get to know us a little better 2) To Talk to someone about living with 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 male 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!

Happy 2017!  We are back in action and excited to welcome you to Season 2 of The Practical Minimalists!  As the new year approaches everyone is talking about goals.  People are motivated by their goals for the new year or they are abandoning their goals altogether.  Today we are adding to that conversation and talking about how we've set and worked towards goals in the past, what we're letting go of in in that regard, and what we are doing differently as we move through the journey of intentional living.   This episode is perfect for you if you are motivated to make some changes this year but feel disconnected with traditional goal setting or if you simply want to hear about where our personal paths have taken us in the world of goals setting.

We are now on our Fourth and Final episode of our holiday series, and today we are talking about our Favorite Things. Don’t worry. This is not going to be a 30 minute commercial although we will give big shout outs to some of our favorite artists, creators, and small business owners in our recommendations portion of the show. On this episode favorite things means not only material things but memories, moments, advice and more. Today we’re reflecting back on the life of this podcast in 2016 as well as our own personal journeys.

We are now on our third episode of our holiday series, and today…drumroll please….we are talking about GIFTS. This seems to be a hot button issue for budding minimalist. Even if you wouldn’t call yourself a minimalist, if you are listening to this episode, our bet is that you are looking for ways to have a more intentional or simple holiday season, and gifts can definitely complicate things. Whether you are looking to buy less, get less or spend less, we think you’ll really enjoy this episode as we talk about our journeys, ideas and challenges when it comes to giving and receiving gifts.

This is our second episode in our holiday series and today’s we’re talking about “Hustle and Bustle." Whether it's holiday parties, family get-togethers, or school celebrations, the number of gatherings and obligations available are typically at an all-time high during the holiday season. We discuss ways we can manage, be more intentional about, or even minimize our schedules during the holiday season. So sit back and enjoy as we discuss our challenges around this topic and changes we’ve implemented in our own lives in order to make the holidays more joyful and meaningful.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, there’s an emphasis on tradition; whether it’s a widely accepted tradition like Thanksgiving dinner, Santa Claus, the Festival of Lights or quirkier traditions specific to your family, there’s a lot to wade through during the holiday season. So listen in as we discuss the holiday traditions, how to be more intentional during the season when it comes to either honoring traditions or letting them go, and of course, our personal challenges with traditions during the season.

Be the light you want to see in the world. Shine your light.. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. These are things a lot of us grew up hearing. But what does that look like? How does it relate to minimalism and Unbecoming? If you are someone who struggles with feeling like a nag, wanting to control other people’s actions, or wanting to manipulate outcomes, this episode is for you. Or, if you are someone who feels like your inner light is dim, we think you’ll love this episode. Finally if you are feeling low on joy or peace, and want to hear a message of hope, we hope you’ll listen in and garner some encouragement and light through this episode. Join us as we discuss the topic of light and/or inner alignment, what it means to us, and challenges we’ve faced in our own lives when it come to “being the light.”

Are you someone who tends to push and work for results, experience, outcomes, or even balance but end up feeling tired, drained or unsatisfied?  Do you ever feel like you're trying to force outcomes and then waiting for that feeling of satisfaction, accomplishment or fulfillment to come afterwards?  We get it which is why today we're talking about a revolutionary concept we've used in our own lives.  We call it FLOW and it weaves in perfectly to our conversation on Unbecoming.  Once we strip off our false selves and then surrender to our true selves, we now practice flow.  Not making sense?  That's ok.  Tune in as we discuss this somewhat esoteric topic, some real-life examples of how it's transformed our lives and of course, our challenges along the way.  If you are someone who has trouble letting go, are a control freak, or who simply wants to hear about a more intuitive way of living, this episode is for you.

This week we are diving into part 2 of our Unbecoming Series and the topic is surrender.  Listen in as we discuss what it means to surrender, how practicing surrender has transformed our lives, and the hard things that come along with that practice. We also talk about our own minimalistic values and how they relate to surrender.  If you are someone who finds yourself addicted to your planner, wanting to control outcomes, or who has trouble letting go of the uncontrollable, we think you'll like this one.  

If minimalism is the intentional promotion of everything that matters and the removal of everything else, why is this process so hard sometimes?  We believe it's because sometimes self knowledge and value development is not always clear.  If we don't even know who we are or have a grasp on our personal values, we can get stuck in the minimalism process.  This leads us into our new series, Unbecoming Part 1 on Minimalism and The Self.  This series was inspired by Glennon Doyle Melton's latest book, Love Warrior.  In her book she talks about how, after years of addiction and pretending, she had to "Unbecome" in order to discover her true self.  This process is at the heart of everything we discuss here on the podcast, so this week we are digging deep into the concept of "true self," how to recognize when we are putting up facades, practical ways we can tap into our true selves, and, as always, our personal challenges along the way.  You do not need to have read the book to enjoy the episode, but of course we'd recommend it!  Join us as we get super-vulnerable and walk into a lot of truth-telling.   If you are someone who has struggled to define your personal values, don't know how to tap into what you want in life, has had trouble answering the question "who am I?" or simply wants to hear how we have struggled with theses processes personally, this episode is for you.

Kids today have an abundance of choices when it comes to technology. iPads, phones, Leap Pads, tablets, TV...the list goes on and it can be available to us at any moment. So how can we apply the values and concepts of a minimalist lifestyle to the way our kids use technology? If you are interested in hearing some tips for being more intentional for the way your kiddos consume their technology, check out this episode! We share some of the ways in which we've changed our habits around kids and tech, and of course, the issues we've had and mistakes we've made along the way.

Love it, hate it or have mixed feelings, it looks like social media is sticking around.  In a world where we have lots of decisions to navigate through when it comes to the time we spend on technology and what we consume, social media plays a huge role.  So how does this relate to minimalism?  How can we tap into whether or not social media is causing problems for our thoughts and actions?  If you are curious about any of this, tune is as we discuss social media and the roles it's played in our lives, our experiments with social media detoxes, and our struggles and wins along the way.