Medium Well

Latest Episodes:

54: How to approach sustainability holistically and why regenerative agriculture is the future with Kamea Chayne of Green Dreamer Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

If you are interested in sustainability or if you are simply a human living on this planet, Kamea Chayne, Conscious Creator and Host of Green Dreamer Podcast, dig in deep in today's episode. We talk about sustainability from a holistic standpoint, looking at militarism, banking, and more in addition to living a low waste lifestyle. Kamea is a wealth of information in regards to sustainability, and this conversation was so eye-opening for me! We also dove into the details of how she runs her business and her transitioning business model, which offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective.

In this episode, we discuss:

How Kamea has evolved her brand beyond blogging
What Kamea considers the most pressing issues in sustainability
How militarism plays a role
Is the zero waste movement overhyped?
Banking and what you can do regarding fossil fuels
Kamea's focus on restoration, rewilding, and regeneration
Why it's so important to plant native species
Why we need to address the underlying causes of consumerism
How Kamea evaluates brands and avoids greenwashing
Kamea's revenue streams and challenges with being a "blogger" vs. being a journalist
How Kamea is pivoting to run a platform that is run by community support
How to make a difference with big brands
What gives Kamea hope

Mentioned in this episode:

Kiss the Ground and their Soil Advocacy Training
Cancel Prime movement
Fibershed (sustainable textile education, advocacy, and support for farmers)
Regenerative Organic Alliance (and certification)
NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) by Sean Sherman
Aja Barber

All the deets:

You can find Kamea on Instagram at @kameachayne and her podcast at @greendreamerpodcast
Tag me (@saraweinreb) and Kamea on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode!

Related episodes:

Episode 16: Sustainable business with Lopa van der Mersch of Rasa
Episode 26: Going zero waste personally and in business with Leslie Campbell of Sustain LA
Episode 33: Connecting to mother earth with Deborah Hanekamp of Mama Medicine
Episode 43: Exploring the energies of plants with Erin Lovell Verinder

Solo update and what to expect in season two! Jan 01, 2020

Show notes

Medium Well is back for season two! In this episode, I recap what I've been up to the past two months, what I've been exploring and enjoying, and what I envision for the next season of the podcast.

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your thoughts!

Season break and a request Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Just a short episode to talk about the season break I am taking for a few weeks, and a request for your thoughts and feedback. Thank you for listening to Medium Well!

All the deets:

Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately
Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

52: How convenience culture is impacting our health, our planet, and our loneliness (solo series) Oct 16, 2019

Show notes

I am, by default, a very curious person, which means I question everything and always want to dig deeper. Lately, I've been wondering what the impact of convenience culture has on our lives— our ability to be present and focus inwards, on our planet, on our connection to one another. How does our fast and cheap lifestyle impact our wellbeing? In this episode, I share my thoughts on the topic.

In this episode, I discuss:

How to always take a pause before buying something new or making a decision
How slowing down allows for possibilities, synchronicity, and magic
Why faster sometimes bypasses the point
The impact of shortcuts on people involved in making and selling products
How convenience culture can disconnect you from your intuition

Mentioned in this episode:

My article on The Fullest about convenience culture
Zach Bush on our soil health and the impact of roundup (glyphosate) on our soil
Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately (bottom of my website!)

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

51: Navigating stress and anxiety through slow, intentional living (solo series) Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

Stressed out, worried, and anxious used to be my norm— and now, while I am not exactly stress-free, it's no longer a given. In this episode I talk about how my journey into sustainability and mindful living lead me to intentionalism, living an intentional lifestyle, and the tools and resources I use to slow down and be less stressed. As stress is one of our biggest contributors to disease, it's so important to manage your stress levels. Plus, it just feels better!

In this episode, I discuss:

How ditching fast fashion was the first step in a slower lifestyle
Swapping out things that keep me "busy" for things that support my health and wellbeing
How I now take time off from work and moved away from "hustling"
Why it's important to curate the people, things, experiences, and everything in my life
My favorite tools for stress and anxiety
Why I love morning pages— the form of journaling I do every morning
How I choose easy
Why it's important to feel your feelings

Mentioned in this episode:

Morning pages
Meditation apps: Insight Timer, Headspace, Calm
Kirtan Kriya
Asana project management tool (Hilary talks about this in her episode!)
Rasa herbal coffee alternative— use code MEDIUMWELL for 20% off
My favorite herbal products for anxiety are Anxiety Ally by Wooden Spoon Herbs and HRBLS
My article on Forest Bathing
My article on intentionalism
Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately (bottom of my website!)

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

50: My health journey and advice for others navigating theirs (solo series) Oct 02, 2019

Show notes

Like many of us, I have had a long and winding health journey, consisting of several chronic conditions. In this episode, I share my health story including being diagnosed with chronic migraines at age 13, and my nearly 3-year journey to get a cancer diagnosis. I also share my tips for navigating your own health journey, if you or someone you love is going through it (though I hope that's not the case!).

In this episode, I discuss:

My chronic migraine diagnosis at age 13
How I struggled with chronic pelvic pain
My nearly 3-year journey to receive a cancer diagnosis
What I believe my cancer diagnosis taught me
My advice for navigating your own health journey
The importance of being your own advocate
Trusting your gut in your health journey
How to use downtime for treatments, driving to doctors, and more

Mentioned in this episode:

Heal your headache by Dr. David Buchholz (the migraine elimination diet that radically helped me!)
Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately (bottom of my website!)

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

49: Zero waste is a scam (solo series) Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

Okay, I know this might be a bit controversial. And I am a big advocate for reducing waste, of course. The problem is, I think the way zero waste is presented doesn't present or allow for the complexity of the situation. We are often pigeon-holed into picking the "non-plastic" item in order to keep up with what's presented as best for the planet, but there are so many other considerations at stake. In this episode, I break down my thoughts on the matter.

In this episode, I discuss:

Why I think the zero waste movement is important but also reductionistic
Other things we can do to be eco-friendly
The complexity of the environmental crisis
The different factors I consider when making a purchase
How we produce waste, even if we don't see it
Why I don't believe in the "mason jar" approach to documenting your trash
Why we need a lot of people trying to do their best, not intimidated by the zero-waste movement
How to avoid eco-anxiety

Mentioned in this episode:

Sustainable Sabs' piece on why the mason jar is a myth
Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately (bottom of my website!)

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

48: Sunk costs (solo series) Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

I am a huge fan of avoiding the trap of sunk costs, and so I am excited to share all about this concept in today's episode. Understanding sunk costs really changed my perspective and even my life in some ways.

In this episode, I discuss:

What is a sunk cost?
How to avoid getting trapped in a sunk cost
Examples of common sunk costs
How to shift your mindset in regards to sunk costs
Why understanding sunk costs is another tool for mindfulness and presence

Mentioned in this episode:

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

47: Ethical and sustainable fashion 101 (solo series) Sep 11, 2019

Show notes

Today's episode is all about ethical and sustainable fashion. I discuss my experience with transitioning to ethical fashion and starting an ethical fashion business. I explain how to evaluate which items are ethically and sustainably made, why ethical fashion was a mindset shift and how it helped me live a more intentional life and save money.

In this episode, I discuss:

The difference between sustainable and ethical fashion
My journey with ethical fashion and starting my business
How I saved money by transitioning to only buying ethical fashion
Why ethical fashion is a mindset shift
How to avoid impulse shopping
What story do your clothes (and material items) tell?
Why you should start with what you have
Sustainable materials and how to evaluate them
Why shopping small and local is so important

Mentioned in this episode:

Resources to evaluate ethical brands: Good on you
Articles I have written on ethical fashion: Clothing swaps, how my life changed with ethical fashion, the importance of shopping small, why we need to know where our clothes are made
Learn about sustainable fabrics
Some of my favorite brands: Sotela, Miakoda
Episode 30 with Livia Firth on ethical fashion
Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately (bottom of my website!)
I am hosting Design Thinking 101 virtual webinars for $11! Tickets and details here.

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

46: My existential crisis in sharing my work (solo series) Sep 04, 2019

Show notes

This episode is my reflection on how challenging it is to have "business as usual" when there is seemingly an endless amount of suffering in the world at the moment. Between the Amazon fires, mass shootings, immigration issues… I am struggling to balance my work in "wellness" with the overall challenges in the world. It's hard to feel like my work is making an impact when there are so much huge issues to tackle.

In this episode, I discuss:

How I am having trouble balancing my work with my emotions and the feeling like it's not enough
What wellness is and isn't in my perspective
Why it's important to connect to others
How if you are feeling this way too, you're not alone

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for my new newsletter, Sara… lately (bottom of my website!)
I am hosting Design Thinking 101 virtual webinars for $11! Tickets and details here.
Come say hi and hear me chat about sustainable living at the Coco Bakes popup in LA on 9/7. Tickets + deets here. You can use code SEESARA for a discount!

All the deets:

Find all the previous episodes of Medium Well on my website.
Tag me (@saraweinreb) on Instagram with your favorite takeaways from the episode and how you will use design thinking in your work.

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