Simple

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Gathering IRL | 218 Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

Katherine created a mom's group in her small town, where everyone's welcome, they provide fabulous childcare, and it's all about building relationships, not a program. In this chat, she shares the nuts and bolts of how to start something similar wherever you live. And Tsh shares what she's learned from gathering people for events — for things like week-long adventures in London, and in weekend retreats in her small town, like she's doing for the first time ever the weekend this episode drops. In all this, there's a thread: IRL relationships > pixels.

IRL Friends by Tsh
Creating Community From Scratch by Katherine

Links From This Episode:

Katherine on Twitter
Katherine's website
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
Work of the People
Literary London
The Art of Gathering, by Priya Parker
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My Good List | 217 Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Caroline Starr Rose has written six children's books, and her most recent one just came out. Like we do on the show every now and then, she shares with Tsh her Good List: a thing, a habit, a work of art, and a philosophy that's making her life just a little bit sweeter. They also talk about her new book, which is completely up 4th grade Tsh's alley — she was a big fan of the historic figure Caroline writes about.

My Good List by Tsh

Links From This Episode:

Caroline's website
Caroline on Twitter & Instagram
A Race Around the World, by Caroline Starr Rose
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
Snapchat
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
The Four Tendencies, by Gretchen Rubin
Daily Goal Tracker
In the Woods, by Tana French (audiobook)
I See You, by Clare Mackintosh
I Let You Go, by Clare Mackintosh
The Value of Fairness: The Story of Nellie Bly, by Ann Donegan Johnson
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Know the News (& Don't Lose Your Mind) | 216 Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

Sometimes topics are timeless. We're re-sharing an episode from a little over a year ago, when Tsh and her friend Erin Loechner did a four-part deep-dive about knowing the news — this feels pretty relevant right now since so many of us are bombarded with so much constantly-changing news. Since this series focused on the broad idea of how to stay engaged without losing your mind or your soul, this collection of ideas feels oh-so timely right now.

To keep listening to the rest of the series after you're done here, head to the links below.

Links From This Episode:

Erin's blog, Design for Mankind
OtherGoose.com
Erin on Instagram and Twitter
Tsh on Instagram and Twitter
Ep. 211: Knowing the News (2/3)
Ep. 212: Knowing the News (3/3)
Why the News Makes Us Dumb
NPR
Journalism Ethics and Standards on Wikipedia
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Fall Fullness > Frenzy + New-to-You Book Genres | 215 Oct 04, 2019

Show notes

There's benefits to reading different genres of books, even (especially?) when you don't naturally gravitate to one. In this chat, Tsh talks to Christine about what we can learn from genres like sci-fi, historical non-fiction, mysteries, and more. And since Christine is a farmer, it's the busy season for her right now — she shares with Tsh how she's learning to flip the script on busyness this fall, embracing the season's fullness without succumbing to the pressures of fall frenzy.

What I Read in September by Tsh
How To Nourish Your Body and Soul This Fall by Christine

Links From This Episode:

Christine on Instagram
Christine's blog
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
Forbes article on busyness
Evernote app
Todoist app
Finish 2020 Calendar
Family Plan Calendar
10 tips for hosting overnight guests
Make a gratitude list
Ep. 188: Analog Living + Reading Classics
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series
Father Brown mysteries by G. K. Chesterton
Agatha Christie books
11/22/63, by Stephen King
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
Educated, by Tara Westover
Everything Happens For a Reason, by
Man's Search for Meaning, by Victor E. Frankl
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
America: The Last Best Hope, by William Bennett
The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead
Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi
The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
Profit First, by Mike Michalowicz
Burnout, by Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski
Company of One, by Paul Jarvis
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Simple Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Conversations about living well and ignoring the rest — with author, coach, and host Tsh Oxenreider.

Fixer-Upper DIY + Hometown Nostalgia | 214 Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

There are places in our lives that end up staying with us long after we leave them. In this chat, Katherine talks with Tsh about nostalgia — why we have it about certain places, how to embrace it instead of shake it off, and how to use it so we're more at home in the present.

Tsh then talks with Katherine about why she loves that her family has been renovating their fixer-upper entirely themselves, even with all its challenges. It's easy to forget the benefits when she's staring at all the work they still need to do, but when she remembers their why, it makes all the difference.

5 Reasons I Love Living in a Small House by Tsh
I Love This Place: Kent, Ohio by Katherine

Links From This Episode:

Katherine on Twitter
Katherine's website
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
Ep. 64: A Year Off the Internet
To Double Down on Being Human by Tsh
Life in the "During" Phase of a Fixer-Upper by Tsh
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For any links and codes from our lovely sponsors, head here
Download the transcript for this episode

You can find new episodes of Simple, completely ad-free, on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com/wondery and use promo code 'WONDERY'.

Friendships as Self-Care | 213 Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

A little over a year ago, Tsh and Haley Stewart had a four-part deep-dive conversation on the idea of social self-care for the greater good; the simple idea that being healthy means we're better citizens, members of our community, neighbors, and family members. In this episode, we're re-sharing the first part of their conversation, one of the most downloaded episodes of this show.

Links From This Episode:

The rest of the series: episodes 122, 123, & 124
Haley's blog, Carrots for Michaelmas
Haley on Instagram and Twitter
Tsh on Instagram and Twitter
Home Fires
My thoughts on making friends & partial solutions
Can We Be Friends? by Rebecca Frech
Fountains of Carrots, episode 79 with Rebecca Frech
The Dunbar number
Become a patron and help make this show happen
Sign up for 5 Quick Things, the weekly email
Kindly leave a review
For any links and codes from our lovely sponsors, head here
Download the transcript for this episode

You can find new episodes of Simple, completely ad-free, on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com/wondery and use promo code 'WONDERY'.

Art Well + Work Well | 212 Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

Crystal talks about why it's so important to make time for whatever it is you love — without the added burden of doing it so that you're a better mom, or wife, or neighbor, or human, or even because the final result is something you can use. Do something just because you love it.

Tsh then shares how she uses the ideas of deep work and shallow work, time-blocking her calendar, and tapping into her peak energy levels to get more done in less time — so I can make time for play, as Crystal says.

My Top 20 Work Tools by Tsh
In Praise of Making Things No One Will Ever See by Crystal

Links From This Episode:

Crystal on Instagram
Crystal's website
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
3 Ways to Calculate Your Peak Energy Time of Day
A Beginner's Guide to Parkinson's Law
Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule
Easily Distracted? Try this: the pomodoro method
Deep Work, by Cal Newport
When, by Daniel Pink
Become a patron and help make this show happen
Sign up for 5 Quick Things, the weekly email
Kindly leave a review
For any links and codes from our lovely sponsors, head here
Download the transcript for this episode

You can find new episodes of Simple, completely ad-free, only on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com/wondery and use promo code 'WONDERY'.

Rhythms + Community | 211 Sep 06, 2019

Show notes

It seems like it'd be easier to connect with neighbors living in her previous urban neighborhood over the farm where Christine now lives and works, but she's found the opposite is true. In this chat, she shares little ways their family has made their farm open to neighbors and friends, and how we can do the same in our homes, whether we're in the suburbs, a small town, or a major metropolis.

Then Tsh shares three daily rituals that have been a life raft for her the past few weeks — they're simple but significant — because life has been nuts and unexpected. These three things have helped her feel like she's getting a passing grade at Adulting 101, even when lives throws curveballs.

My Daily Bookends by Tsh
Finding Community In An Unexpected Place by Christine

Links From This Episode:

Christine on Instagram
Christine's blog
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
Ep. 209: Tech + Family + Creativity
Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
Ep. 78: Summer Hospitality & Entertaining
Summer evenings playlist
How I Use My Bullet Journal by Tsh
Bullet Journal
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For any links and codes from our lovely sponsors, head here
Download the transcript for this episode

Life Lessons + Learning | 210 Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

It's back to school season, but what about those of us who are no longer students? Katherine shares 3 things to help us keep learning more about history, ecology, and contemporary poetry. And Tsh turned 42 this week, so she shares 5 things she's learned about life lately, little shifts in thinking that have made her life better.

My Good List: Birthday Edition by Tsh
A Fall Reading List for the Lifelong Learner by Katherine

Links From This Episode:

Katherine on Twitter
Katherine's website
Tsh on Twitter & Instagram
1619 Project
1619 Project printable
1619 Project curriculum
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Good Bones by Maggie Smith
"Good Bones" poem by Maggie Smith
Sorry For Your Troubles by Pádraig Ó Tauma
On Being with Krista Tippett: Belonging Creates and Undoes Us
Become a patron and help make this show happen
Sign up for 5 Quick Things, the weekly email
Kindly leave a review
For any links and codes from our lovely sponsors, head here
Download the transcript for this episode

You can find new episodes of Simple, completely ad-free, on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com/wondery and use promo code 'WONDERY'.

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