Send us a textMaking decisions that are right and true for ourselves can feel like a sticky, uncomfortable process. What does it actually look like to go through the emotional ups and downs of deciding to live life differently than anyone you know? Today’s guest, Cait Flanders, is here to share her experience. She is normalizing what it looks like to opt-out of traditional expectations and live a creative and intentional life. Cait Flanders is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, THE YEAR OF LESS. Described by Vogue as “a fascinating look into a living experiment that we can all learn from,” it has been translated into 10 languages, and sold more than 190,000 copies. Her new book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, is a field guide to opting out of expectations, changing paths, and leading a more intentional life. Powell’s Books says it, “offers a sturdy and flexible framework to navigate whatever path you are currently on.” In our conversation, Cait shares all about her experiences of opting out, growth and learning through experimentation, and working through the fear of trying something new. Whether you’re on the precipice of making a change or have walked this path many times before, Cait’s insightful stories will broaden your opting-out plans.Tune in to hear more about:Why it’s not so simple to choose differentlyHow to be less precious about your process, even though you don’t know where it will take youWhy a contemplation period before opting out can feel longer than you think it should (and why that’s totally normal!)The squirmy process of actively standing up for yourself and your decisions Navigating relationships as you opt in to the life you wantWhy you don’t need a “big picture” vision for your life to live more intentionallyAnd why you’re never too small (or young, or old, or alone, or whatever) to make big decisions for your own lifeLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textDo you routinely set resolutions for yourself in January, only to completely lose track (and steam) by March? Does it feel like 2021 is FLYING BY and you've been considering waiting until 2022 to finally get down to creating the life you've been wanting for yourself? Do you keep pushing your care off to next week, hoping it will be better, but that time never seems to come? This episode is for you. Join me to dismantle the cycle that keeps your goals in limbo and your care relegated to the very last spot on your to-do list (if it appears there at all). Traditional resolution and goal setting doesn't include mechanisms that account for your humanity and daily needs. We are not taught how to make tandem commitments to ourselves rooted in WHAT WE NEED in order to make good on our promises. Instead, we are urged to push through and work harder -- only to get us stuck in deep bouts of burnout. Today's episode describes a different model for being in relationship with yourself and your desires, so that you are able to stop focusing on things that don't matter and start fueling your self-trust through consistent, inspired action. Tune in to hear more about…What setting resolutions on January has to do with diet cultureHow to stop internalizing your exhaustion as personal failureThe steps to cultivating living, breathing goals that grow with you over the course of the yearWhat self-trust has to do with taking empowered action in your life Love Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textAs a recovering people-pleaser myself, I am so delighted to bring you my conversation with Johanna Bogart. Johannah is an internationally recognized coach for people pleasers, certified in trauma-informed care and by Erickson Coaching International. She studied sociology and comparative sexuality studies at the Ohio State University while managing projects for Amnesty International and Greenpeace. She’s worked as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist at a foster care agency in the Bronx and as an Advocate Counselor in Brooklyn. Her work offers a unique blend of practical tools, spiritual integration, and social justice framework so that you can unhook from everything that has power over you and live as a sovereign being. In today’s episode, Johanna shares all about navigating the world as a (recovering) people pleaser, the tension of both wanting to protect ourselves and wanting to be seen and known, and the power of claiming allegiance to yourself. We jam on about how people pleasing, perfectionism and codependency keep us small and from having our needs met -- even though (and especially) because they are valiant attempts to get our needs met in our relationships. Tune in to hear us explore what belonging to yourself can truly look and feel like and micro steps for becoming aligned with your truth.Tune in to hear us explore:What belonging to yourself can truly look and feel likeNavigating your vulnerability armor and how to stop being a damsel in distressTelling the truth and renegotiating relationship contractsAllowing people to really know you and support youHow you may be in a codependent relationship with yourself (and questions to ask yourself to shift from enabling to empowering)A micro step for becoming aligned with your truthHow to stop being hypersensitive to how other people feel (hint: your feelings are yours, theirs are theirs)Love Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textToday’s conversation with Tunja Morton is close to my heart. As someone who comes from a family of teachers, and after the pandemic year teachers endured and all they’ve made happen, I know intimately how needed Tunja’s work is. Tunja is a life coach for educators, but the core of her work is about deepening self-care for your own well-being and enjoyment of your life. For the past 25 years – Tunja Morton has been an educator. She is a Milken Award-winning National Board Certified Teacher, life coach, author, and advocate for school staff self-care and overall wellbeing. Tunja’s superpower is holding safe spaces for those who are ready to explore and express what they want their lives to look and feel like. She believes in giving yourself permission to live that life without apologizing or attempting to explain it. Tune in to hear more from Tunja about:Self-care practices, which include choosing a guiding word of the year, 4 pillars of “ways of being” and keeping a joy listHer daily practices for living her 2021 word of the year: NourishHow to get started with your own joy list (especially if the thought of one sparks potential for disappointment)Ways in which prioritizing a “culture of care” in the workplace supports everyoneHealing imposter syndromeAnd the clarity and courage she brings to creating the life she lovesLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textDo you believe that being an adult means muscling through, doing hard things, and putting your needs on the back burner? Have you been ignoring your body in the name of scratching just a few more things off of your to-do list? Today's episode is for you. One thing is clear, the concept of "adulting" needs colossal rebrand. Tune in to hear me dispel this myth once and for all and teach you how do show up for what matters to you most in a way that is sustainable and, dare I say, ENJOYABLE. That's right. You can do the damn thing and ENJOY IT. Today's episode will show you how befriending yourself, honoring your personal energy rhythms and cycles, and tending to your perfectionistic expectations will support you in experiencing radically more pleasure and joy on a daily basis. (Yes, even when you are folding your millionth load of laundry or doing your taxes.)Tune into today’s episode to hear more about…Retiring your exhausting habit of muscling through to get things doneHow getting to know yourself better helps you plan for yourself betterRedefining what success means to you (and tending to your wildly perfectionistic expectations!)Honoring the season of life that you are inHow prioritizing pleasure, joy, and celebration is energetically regenerativeLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textFor today's episode I am thrilled to interview writer and grief expert Breeshia Wade. Breeshia helps clients uncover the ways that fear of loss and avoiding the reality of impermanence shape us. She's the author of the Grieving While Black: An Anti-Racist Take on Oppression and Sorrow (North Atlantic Books). In 2018, she deepened her Buddhist practice by receiving Jukai – a lay ordination ceremony predicated upon the formal acceptance of Zen Buddhist precepts. She has served as a lay ordained Zen Buddhist end-of-life caregiver and birth doula by day, and a writer, sex, and grief coach in the evening. In all aspects of her career, she seeks to uncover the ways that we experience grief–in our relationship with ourselves and others, at the beginning and end of life, in the daily experiences of systemic injustice–and how we can use that grief to inform rather than drive us. During this interview, Breeshia speaks about “fear of loss”, an aspect of grief that isn’t readily discussed, and how it informs our lives. This particular type of grief is ever-present and affects our daily decision making, playing a key role in our collective process of living in and dismantling systems of oppression. She is a vibrant voice, bringing lessons learned from death and dying to people who are building a life of meaning. For more goodness, tune in to hear Breeshia share about starting her day by giving herself the best of herself and why we need to be attentive, engaged, and proactive with our grief in order to make larger systemic change.Tune in to hear Breeshia share about:Prioritizing the things that give her joy (especially during pandemic restrictions)Starting her day by giving herself the best of herselfDetermining her own definition of success and letting those external forces be just that. External.How white people’s decision to attend to their own fear of loss is an essential component of social justiceWhy we need to be attentive, engaged, and proactive with our grief in order to make larger systemic changeLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textHave you ever felt as though you carry more than your fair share of the emotional and mental labor in your relationships? Do you find yourself resentful that no one in your household appreciates everything you do on a daily basis? Today's episode has your name alllllll over it. Tune in to hear me sharing my best tips and structure for tending to resentment, sharing responsibilities in a way that feels good for all parties involved, and figuring out how to live in alignment with your personal priorities while honoring the season of life that you are in.These days my life is incredibly full with two children under the age of 5, a puppy, two growing businesses, and everything else that comes along with being a human living through a pandemic. In this special episode I am pulling back the curtain on how I navigate these conversations with my partner in order to reduce resentment (me) and make sure that things are being done around the house (her). Tune into today’s episode to hear more about what anger and resentment really mean about the ecosystem in your home and relationships, my beloved strategy for reducing the strain of emotional and mental labor in order to more equitably divide the labor in our household, and getting super clear about your PRIORITIES so that you know where to put your energy each day.Tune into today’s episode to hear more about…What anger and resentment really mean about the ecosystem in your home and relationshipsMy beloved strategy for reducing the strain of emotional and mental labor in order to more equitably divide the labor in our householdHow weekly and daily meetings can reduce conflict around who is taking care of whatGetting super clear about your PRIORITIES so that you know where to put your energy each dayHonoring the season of life that you’re inLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textIf you’ve ever wondered about how to bring your whole self to your workplace, this conversation is for you. On today’s episode, I interview Liz Wiltsie. Liz supports people to become sustainably human at work by naming their needs, becoming accountable, and practicing generative feedback. Liz reminds us that while we might be infinite, our capacity is finite -- meaning, we only have a certain amount of energy to use each day. She shares more about choices that you can make to guard your capacity, particularly in the workplace. She urges us to ask ourselves the question, "How do you want to feel at the end of the day?" and work backwards to make decisions about how to care for ourselves, what to ask for, and what support we might need over the course of the day. I just adore Liz's work and am so excited to share her with you. Tune in to hear more about the 4 elemental needs in the workplace (and what you can do to get yours met), the 3 aspects of becoming sustainably human at work, and Liz’s back story to creating her new Field Guide.Tune in to hear more about:Beginning to name your needs at workWhat percent capacity is right and good for you specifically (because EVERYTHING takes capacity)Liz’s tool for evaluating skills, desire and capacity to determine the best ways to use your energy at workThe 4 elemental needs in the workplace (and what you can do to get yours met)Ways to approach bringing more generative and supportive conversations into your work day via accountability and feedback loopsThe 3 aspects of becoming sustainably human at work, and Liz’s back story to creating her Field Guide To Becoming Sustainably Human at WorkLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textRecently, I saw a meme that said “Your mind set is a skill set” and I thought, “Yes, and/but…”. There are so many layers to cultivating a supportive and nourishing mindset. In today’s episode I pull back the curtain on the multitude of ways we can practice developing a supportive mindset, how our social and cultural conditioning impacts our self-image, and creating optimal conditions for this work because it requires ENERGY! Tune into today’s episode to hear more about…The foundational physical building blocks of a supportive mindsetWhy it’s so important to validate and affirm yourself when reclaiming your meaning makingWhy a chaotic inner environment (mindset) is a symptom of your burnout and not an indication of your lack of worth / a failing on your partWhy you don’t need to figure out your entire life before you start taking care of yourselfHow to bring compassion and kindness into your mindset shiftsWays to support new fledgling beliefsLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show

Send us a textI am so excited to bring you this conversation with Nina Manolson, M.A. NBC-HWC. Nina is a Body-Peace® coach. She helps women end the war with food and body and finally feel truly at home in their body – as it is. She brings her 30 years experience as a therapist, Body-Trust ® Guide and Psychology of Eating Teacher to helping women create a positive relationship with their food and body. Nina’s work and body-poems – are all in service of helping women get off the diet roller-coaster and into a compassionate, nourishing and powerful way of eating, living & walking through the world. Nina bubbles with strong beliefs about building and trusting our relationship with our bodies, being anti anti-aging, asking for support and centering pleasure.  Tune in to hear us explore…Nina’s brilliant take on agingHow diet culture interrupts our relationship with our bodiesWhy your body isn’t the problem (and doesn’t need fixing)How to add nourishing, joyful activities to your own lifeBringing what Nina calls the “deluxness of life” into our (pandemic) daysAnd yes, you’re allowed to give yourself flowersLove Needy? Pretty please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating & review. Really love Needy? Join the Needy Podcast Inner Circle! Special treats, discounts, quarterly Q&As and more for a one-time or monthly donation of any amount. Exclusively for folks who love the Needy podcast. THANK YOU.Support the show