From a young age, many of us were exposed to messages linking financial success with personal value. Advertisements, media, and even family conversations equate wealth with achievement and social status.
Not surprisingly, this constant reinforcement creates strong associations between money and self-worth.
Although our culture tends to regard money (and fancy job titles, for that matter) as symbols of success, my guest todays argues that money is nothing more than a tool. And if money is just a tool, it certainly doesn't have the power to say much about who we are as people: How worthy we are. How good we are. How important we are.
On today's show: A conversation with podcaster Shari Rash about untangling your self-worth from your net worth, for good.
Here's a preview:
[7:30] Money is just a tool to help you feel the way you want to feel
[11:00] Money conservations might be awkward, but they're essential in bringing to light your unconscious beliefs about finances
[15:00] Exactly how our culture ties money to identity—and why that’s so damaging
[21:00] Rewiring the way you see yourself in relation to money
Resources mentioned:
Breaking Free from the Consumption Hamster Wheel: How Minimalism Can Transform Your Money Mindset (Part 2 of my conversation with Shari)
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Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
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Say hello! [email protected]
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33:30
Unhappy? You're Normal
Cultural messaging and suggests you should be happy all the time. But your "happy chemicals"—dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin—evolved to motivate survival behavior, not make you happy.
In fact, unhappiness is your brain's default state.
On today's show Dr. Loretta Breuning argues that you can manage your happy chemicals when you know how they work in the state of nature, and she's here to show us how.
Here's a preview:
[9:00] Serotonin is about social dominance. Enter comparison and competition
[13:00] Want a dose of oxytocin? Be part of a herd
[15:30] Endorphin is the brain's natural opioid. But you can habituate to it!
[18:00] Just got something you want? That flood of happiness is dopamine's doing, but dopamine runs out
[25:00] We are living in an era of immense abundance. So why aren't we happy?
Resources mentioned:
Why You're Unhappy: Biology Versus Politics
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This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! [email protected].
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32:46
Your Shopping Superpowers
Every purchase you make has an impact on the world. If you aren't careful, your shopping choices contribute to climate change and social injustice. But when you align the contents of your shopping cart with your personal values you slowly but surely shape the market.
Times are uncertain and everyday goods are getting more expensive. Still, we should purchase with intention anyway. On today's show author and sustainability expert Diane Osgood offers a comprehensive roadmap that navigates each of us toward positive and sustainable shopping practices.
Here's a preview:
[4:00] 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. We citizens control the market!
[13:00] 3 easy-peasy shopping principles to guide you when you're feeling overwhelmed
[17:00] Should you listen to the angel on your shoulder, or the devil? Here's what to remember in those moments you want to backtrack
[21:00] *Exactly how* to avoid products made with forced labor or child labor
[28:00] Buying small, local, and diverse has the power to "chip away at systemic inequality". Here's how
Resources mentioned:
Your Shopping Superpower: Follow Your Values and Better Your World One Purchase At A Time
The Chocolate Scorecard
Remake
U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Instagram, Substack + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! [email protected].
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37:06
Introducing The World with Marco Werman
I've been listening to The World with Marco Werman for a global perspective on the news. The World dives deep into global security, climate, migration, and public health—not just the headlines, but the real human stories behind them. Hope you check it out to see why I've been listening!
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2:15
Sneak Peek: Influencers Aren't Friends
Influencer marketing is a case study in how easy it is to sell things to followers who trust their favorite online personalities. But offering that elusive 'personal recommendation' for EVERYthing has normalized both inauthentic endorsing and impulse shopping. It has normalized the buying and selling of your precious attention, too.
Here's a sneak peak of today's episode for subscribers. Listen to the whole episode by becoming a paid supporter! On Apple Podcasts hit the "Try Free" button or, if you listen elsewhere, sign up via Substack. Thanks for considering!
Creating eco-minimalist, non-toxic homes (without the extra work). Although minimalism has experienced a rebirth in recent years, the "less is more" movement has been around for centuries. Yet today's minimalist influencers have resurrected minimalism with a decidedly consumerist spin, as modern minimalism is nearly synonymous with decluttering. While there's a lot of chatter about tidying, it's radio silence and crickets when it comes to sustainability. The result? Aspiring minimalists find themselves on an endless hamster wheel of buying, decluttering, buying more, and purging again. Overemphasizing decluttering and underemphasizing the reasons why we overbuy in the first place is thoroughly inconsistent with slow living as a movement; consumption without intention is terrible for the planet, too. Your host, Stephanie Seferian, is a stay-at-home/podcast-from-home mom and author who believes that minimalism, eco-friendliness, and non-toxic living are intrinsically intertwined. She's here to explore the topics of conscious consumerism, sustainability, and environmentally-friendly parenting practices with like-minded women; she's here, too, to show you how to curate eco-friendly, decluttered homes (without the extra work).
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