Hello, hi and welcome to the final episode of Medium Lady Talks for 2024! As we look ahead to 2025, I’m sharing a new and impactful approach to guide your personal growth: choosing a need of the year instead of a word of the year.

In this episode, I explore why focusing on your needs can help you take more intentional and meaningful action to support your emotional and mental well-being. Plus, we’re spinning the “Wheel of Needs” to dive into four powerful areas: Honesty, Purpose, Stability and Hope. I also introduce the importance of joy and contribution as essential needs that recharge our emotional batteries and remind us of our capacity to make an impact.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why "words of the year" often fall short and how needs provide a more actionable focus. - How to identify your own need for 2025—and how to start meeting it. - Ways to bring lightness, fun, and meaning into your year through play and small contributions.

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel equipped and inspired to choose a guiding need for 2025 that aligns with your values and supports your well-being.

 

Other Episodes you might like:

Episode 124: Reclaiming Fun - Dozens of Free Ways to Enjoy Yourself (with Insight From the Medium Kids!) 

Episode 120: 9 Small Things My Husband Never Feels Guilty About with guest Handsome Face

Episode 117: Medium Effort Advice: Help, I’m doing too much, and none of it well!

Medium Lady Reads Episode 33- Cozy Christmas Reads 2024

Connect with Erin:

• Instagram: @medium.lady
• Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com 
• Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
• Instagram: @mediumladyreads

Hello hi!

The holiday season can be magical, but let’s face it—it can also be overwhelming! In this episode, I’m sharing the five (and a half!) things that are helping me feel like myself and move through the busiest time of year as mindfully as possible. From favourite apps and comforting habits to traditions that warm my heart, these small joys are saving my season.

I’ll also share a wildcard favourite that surprised me, plus one thing that’s definitely not saving my season (hint: it involves a certain trendy food). Stick around for an exciting invitation to join the next chapter of the Medium Lady community in 2025.

So grab your cozy drink, take a deep breath, and let’s list out the things that are bringing simple joy and balance this holiday season.

What’s in This Episode?

🌟 The Five Things Saving My Season:

1. Goodreads + My Reading Tracker: Reflecting on 150 books in 2024 and how reading keeps me grounded.
2. The Opal App: Blocking distractions so I can stay present.
3. Our Christmas Tree Ornament Collection: The sentimental story behind our 18-year tradition.
4. My Sherpa Fleece Zip Sweater: A cozy, go-to uniform for busy days.
5. Running and the Santa Run 5K: How returning to running has helped me reconnect with myself.

🎁 Wildcard Favorite: A festive treat (literally or figuratively) that’s bringing unexpected joy.

😅 What’s Not Saving My Season: A lighthearted look at the holiday mishap we all know too well.

💭 Mindful Moment Activity: Take a pause to reflect on what’s saving your season.

📣 Call to Action: Learn more about the exciting Patreon community launching in 2025, inspired by my monthly planning ritual.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

• Goodreads: Track your reading here
• Opal App: Find it here

Connect with Erin:

• Instagram: @medium.lady
• Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com 
• Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
• Instagram: @mediumladyreads ✨ Join the Medium Lady community: Patreon Launching in 2025 Link coming soon!

Episodes you might like:

Episode 120: 9 Small Things My Husband Never Feels Guilty About with guest Handsome Face

Episode 121: Mindful Content Creators and the Quest to Curate a Perfect Childhood with guest Stephanie Cunningham

Episode 124: Reclaiming Fun - Dozens of Free Ways to Enjoy Yourself (with insight from the Medium Kids!)

If you loved this episode, let me know what’s saving your season by tagging me on Instagram or leaving a review. Sharing your favourites makes this community so much brighter!

Happy holidays, friends. Let’s keep moving forward into the new year, with medium effort and mindful fun.

Hello, hi! Today's episodes is one of my personal favourites from the Medium Lady Talks archives, and very relevant given my recent bout with a nasty cold this last week! I'm just making an educated guess that you or someone in your household has been sick the last few weeks!

I love this episode because I made it while completely embracing how imperfect I felt while recording it waaaay back in 2022. I had a lot of doubts "why am I talking about being sick?" "will this even resonate with anyone?" but it turns out this episode is one I still get lots of great feedback on and when I relistened to it myself, I'm grateful for the advice past me shared. I hope you enjoy today's episode if you've never heard it and can think of your own ways to take care while sick.

~~~~~~

Hello, hi! Welcome to Season 2 of Medium Lady Talks! 

This week's episode talks about something most of us are familiar with at this point of 2022, getting sick. This episode covers my reflections on being sick in early January and what I've learned about how to take care when feeling the effects of illness. 

While this episode specifically covers "cold season" type illness, with symptoms that resolve and improve - I would invite anyone with experience with chronic illness or recurrent illness to connect on Instagram @medium.lady. This episode focuses on my own personal experience and invites you to reflect on yours, its not designed to be prescriptive or all-encompassing. If these tips help you, that's great! 

Here are the tips in the episode:

1. Sick doesn't equal Sad

2. Sick doesn't move in a straight line

3. Stay still when you're sick

4. You have the time to be sick

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode features  part two of my conversation with money educator Lianne Hannaway.  Our conversation today will talk all about financial self care and how to stack your hard earned money into caring for your needs and for your loves. We also talk about your time, and how recognizing the value of your time will affect how you spend it.

Lianne is a Chartered Professional Accountant, an experienced financial executive, an investor and the founder of Wealthnuvo @wealthnuvo. Lianne is also the creator and host of the incredible financial podcast, "No Boss of Me."  Lianne helps professional women learn to grow and invest their money with confidence so they can be financially savvy, build generational wealth and live the life they love.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop, especially part two of this conversation. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode features the intelligent and inspiring money educator Lianne Hannaway. Lianne is a Chartered Professional Accountant, an experienced financial executive, an investor and the founder of Wealthnuvo @wealthnuvo. Lianne is also the creator and host of the incredible financial podcast, "No Boss of Me."  Lianne helps professional women learn to grow and invest their money with confidence so they can be financially savvy, build generational wealth and live the life they love.

Our conversation today will talk all about listening to the voice ofd entrepreneurship within you, navigating spaces that are typically designed for cis, white, men to thrive and why women are conditioned to be so darn risk aware. I know you'll be thinking about this episode for a long time just like I am!

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop, especially part two of this conversation. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode features recurring guest, Nick, my partner and husband who I also lovingly call Handsome Face. We talk about our  three kids (under ten!) and reflect on the ages and stages that they're at and how different they are. We talk a bit about how we're getting to know them and what we struggle with as they all change at lightning speed! 

*please note that this episode also discusses a bit of our own holiday traditions, including Santa, so if you tend to listen with little kids around, you might want to put this one on your earbuds, or save for another time*

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Wherever you're listening make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady and you can find the pink tile on my feed to talk about today's episode.

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! It's a super Medium Lady Milestone! Episode 50!

Today's episode is a personal one to me,  I will share more about my experience with postpartum depression and how it led me on a path of self discovery. I'll take a deep dive into my personal philosophy of "Medium Effort and Mindful Fun" and where they came from and how the thinking evolved over time. 

I hope this episode invites you to think about how medium effort and mindful fun can transform your own life. You are a wonderful, worthy human-being and we all deserve to set the boundaries to live our own lives to their fullest.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady it's a wonderful community of like-minded listeners there!

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! Today's episodes is one of my personal favourites from the Medium Lady Talks archives, an interview with my best friend Emily Gibson. 

I love this episode for many reasons, the first being that I love Emily! This interview was the first one I did that wasn't with my mom, haha, and introduced me to just how much I enjoyed the interview process and the final result. I hope you enjoy today's episode if you've never heard it and can think of your own ways to lower your personal bar in order to embrace medium effort and mindful fun in your own life.

~~~~

Hello, hi! I'm thrilled to introduce you to my BFF Emily, who joins me for today's episode on Lowering the bar. Emily and I break down our thoughts on lowering the bar in a few specific ways: WHAT IT USED TO MEAN: Pre pannini "lowering the bar" meant something a little different than it does to us today, and it means different things for Emily than it means for Erin. LOWERING THE BAR AS SELF_COMPASSION: Erin and Emily discuss lowering the bar as a mental health strategy when they experience depression or anxiety. And lowering the bar as a way to take a step back from what induces overwhelm to re-orient to what is really helping our wellbeing HOW WE'RE LOWING THE BAR TODAY: In an effort to be a bit more practical, Erin and Emily discuss two areas of their respective lives where they are actively choosing to lower the bar.   I hope this episode helps you sort out ways to proactively lower the bar in your own life as a way to experience more grace and less criticism. As always I would love to connect with you on Instagram, I can be found @medium.lady   Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, it is used with creative commons license, and my thanks for it availability for use on my podcast.

Hello, hi! Today's episode is part two of my conversation with Dr. Siobhan France from episode 48. Siobhan and I pivot from talking about focus and feelings to the subject of energy, effort and connection. We have a slight tangent to the subject of parenting and how we can be more open to sharing routines without rigidity and using solitude as a pathway to more connection with our loved ones.

I hope you enjoy the second part of this conversation. I continue to reflect on and grow from everything Siobhan has taught me. Wherever you are think of the connections and friendships with others that showed up where you least expected it!

Dr. Siobhan France of emboldensoul.com, is an experienced healthcare provider, and has had a physiotherapy practice for the last 10 years. And while she found herself burning out through hustling for success she yearned for more - which led to her thriving career helping empathetic and highly sensitive entrepreneurs. 

If you have feedback about today’s conversation with Siobhan, you can head to Instagram and find the the pink tile in my feed for the latest episode @medium.lady. Siobhan can be found online at emboldensoul.com or on YouTube as Dr. Siobhan France, as well as @drsiobhanfrance on Instagram.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello,  hi! Today's conversation is with Dr. Siobhan France of emboldensoul.com. Siobhan is an experienced healthcare provider, and has had a physiotherapy practice for the last 10 years. And while she found herself burning out through hustling for success she yearned for more - which led to her thriving career helping empathetic and highly sensitive entrepreneurs. She's going to talk us through mastering ourselves and embodying who you are to build more of the place in the world that is made for you. Listen on if you're ready to stop finding meaning and validation from the feelings from others and turning inward to reconcile what you want with what you have...hint: the gap is much smaller than you think!

If you have feedback about today’s conversation with Siobhan, you can head to Instagram and find the the pink tile in my feed for the latest episode @medium.lady. Siobhan can be found online at emboldensoul.com or on YouTube as Dr. Siobhan France, as well as @drsiobhanfrance on Instagram.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello hi! Today's episode is Part Two of my interview with Dana Castro from @threecrownsbranding and www.threecrownsstudio.com. In this episode we hear more from Dana's wisdom about personal growth while also building a business that embraces the best of who you are.

Dana mentions the community of photographers she has founded, Snap Click Photographers linked here.

Other topics discussed in this episode:

• Honing your emotional radar as an entrepreneur - and how this radar can be just as important as your background and experience. 
• How a healthy emotional intelligence about connection and collaboration can dispel the myth of competition: the truth is there’s enough business to go around (especially if you live in a densely populated urban area).
• For entrepreneurs pricing is as personal as it is professional
• Don’t forget the power of using social media to be social - cold calling through their DMs is a totally acceptable way to begin a new connection (I have taken this advice literally since recording this episode!!!)
• If you want to build a business, (or build literally ANYTHING at all in the world) start by doing more of what you’re already good at.
• Never apologize for existing in your body and your skin - that’s better than being confident.

Plus the advice Dana would give her past self, and what she does for fun (now that photography is a business and not a hobby).

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello hi! Are you interested in entrepreneurship and personal development? Then today's episode is sure to be perfect for you. Join me in an interview with photographer and creative director Dana Castro. You can find Dana on Instagram @threecrownsbranding and www.threecrownsbranding.com. Dana is local to the Mississauga GTA area in Ontario Canada for anyone excited to work with her and benefit from her service and expertise.

Dana mentions a campaign that she shot for Rubies Bras a local bespoke bra company which you can see here.

Other topics discussed in this episode:

• Entrepreneurship and the slow transition Dana made out of corporate and the time it took to build her business and point of view
• The benefits of being the only one who can give yourself feedback on your work and performance (and challenges too!) and just how much inner work being an entrepreneur requires (are these my greatest strengths or my greatest weaknesses?)
• What to think about when you’re deeply dissatisfied with your job and you’re re-evaluating your approach to paid work
• Even if you’re not an entrepreneur, what you can do to increase your margin of controlled discomfort (especially if you find yourself in a rut!)

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode features the Five Things that are Saving my Life right now - I'll talk through the things that are helping me feel better, engage in self care, and generally bringing me closer to feeling like myself. "Saving my life" lists are inspired by the wonderful Kendra Adachi of the Lazy Genius Podcast - you can hear Kendra's version here.

Journal Prompts for this Episode

1. In this season of life, what is one tool that is making a routine or experience a little bit easier
2. What is a change that I’ve recently made that is benefiting my self-care (maybe in ways that I didn’t anticipate) and panning out better than I expected
3. In this season, what are the things that are helping me take care of my body physically, mentally, spiritually?
4. What is currently making me feel inspired and like my dreams for the future are that much more possible?
5. What is one activity that after I do it, I always feel more like myself?

Also mentioned in the episode

Do authors benefit from Libraries? John Green answers on Instagram

Canadian Tire Nail Polish Caddy - It's not really for nailpolish....

Julia Child Eggy Pancake - a 24 second demonstration!

Hannah Louise Poston on YouTube

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today’s episode is more Medium Effort Advice. In this episode our listener asked “Past me seemed to have it all figured out. I look at pictures from 2-3 years ago and I want to get back to that but right now everything feels too hard. What do I do?”  This episode is for you if you feel like you used to be on top of things, but somehow, you’ve gotten off track.

Episode Summary

• Check in:  I’m fighting the end of a cold (sorry for the congestion!) and all of my October anticipation (yay! Events! Friends! Family!) is colliding with that common desire to just cancel everything and stay home.
• Today’s listener asks a question (sent on IG) about how to get back on track, especially when comparing your current self to your past self.
• High effort problem solving: the high effort approach will quickly flex to muscle things back to ‘the way they were’. This approach tries to solve the problem by taking a deficit-minded approach to goal setting. This approach might take on a “self-care project” that will demonstrate achievement or future transformation. While you may get a high from the initial goal setting, eventually these radical goals are hard to sustain and may perpetuate the cycle when you find yourself “off track” again.
• Low effort problem solving: This approach sees the problem as very overwhelming and dreads a future where everything is even worse. They spend so much time catastrophizing the future they become anxious and overwhelmed. Because of this, the low effort personality will avoid their core emotions and escape by performing activities that change the external environment. These activitiies usually keep their hands busy in a way that temporarily helps “shut off” those emotions.   
• Medium Effort problem solving: Instead of the ideal future, the troubled past, or the dreaded future, what if wes set goals based on our resourceful past? *these 4 ideas are from the Dialectical Orientation Quadrant studied and published by Dr. Haesun Moon (see resources).
• Medium effort goal setting addresses what’s happened between that “past you” and the present - reflecting on the passage of time, evaluating the themes of your past and reviewing what you’re proud of and how you’ve tackled challenges. This approach allows you to fill in the gaps between here and there adn acknowledge that there’s many things that influenced change over time. 
• Mindfully setting goals after acknowledging the past enables you to acknowledge present you and use what has gone well in the past to support your future growth and goal achievement.
• Mindful Fun: Build a playlist to ground you in the present season. These songs might include some nostalgic favourites but should be focused on what you’re enjoying right now. Enjoy the playlist whenever you’re engaging in tasks or habits to support your new goals. Let the music you choose today represent your current season of life so future you can remember this time fondly.

A Moment of Gratitude:

• I share my gratitude for my parents both for hosting my youngest two sons for a sleep over but also to acknowledge our evolving relationship and the ways that our relationship has been able to evolve to meet our needs and the season of life we find ourselves in. Mom and Dad, I love you both very much.

 

Other Resources Mentioned:

Coaching A to Z: The Extraordinary Use of Ordinary Words by Dr. Haesun Moon

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

 

Other Episodes you might like:

Episode 117: Medium Effort Advice - “Help! I’m doing too many things and none of them well!”

Episode 83: Is your Self-Care Helpful or Harmful? A Book Review of “Real Self-Care” by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin

Episode 69: Unlocking the Simple Secrets of Goal Setting with guest Jillian O’Keefe

Episode 62: Gentle Goal Setting for Burnt Out Mothers and Millennials

 

Medium Lady Reads Episode 28 - Your TBR is Just a Version of Your Ideal Self

Connect with Erin:

• Instagram: @medium.lady
• Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com 
• Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
• Instagram: @mediumladyreads

Hello, hi! Today’s episode covers a review of some books I read in the Summer of 2022. I’ve included 3 books I loved, 2 books I liked, one book that was a bummer and one book I’m obsessed with! I hope you find at least one book to add to your future reading pile. What did you read this summer? What did you like? What did you dislike? Reflecting on that experience will always bring you closer to your reading sweet spot!

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be an Amazon affiliate, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Booked mentioned in this Episode

Yerba Buena by Nina Lacour

 

Jameela Green Runis Everything by Zarqa Nawaz

 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 

An Unthinkable Thing by Nicole Lundrigan

 

Sister Stardust by Jane Green - and the spotify Reading Soundtrack

 

Last One Alive by Amber Cowie

 

Tomorrow and tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

 

Also mentioned in this Episode

Not the same Good Housekeeping article but still a good one on diverse reads

 

Cozy Christmas Reads with Ali and Jillian

 

Your Summer Reading Pile with Ali O

 

Find me on Good Reads

Find me on Spotify

Hello, hi! Are you having a bad day, or perhaps you're in the midst of a few bad days? Today's episode covers my approach to parent myself when I've experienced my own bad days. Self-parenting is an idea that empowers us to care for our inner child as we re-wire our coping strategies to manage stress and discomfort. Here are my tips for self-parenting through a bad day:

1. Know yourself

2. Know your day

3. Lower the Bar

4. Practice Bursts of Self-Compassion

5. Notice Relief

6. Remember all Bad days eventually End

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode features my husband and partner Nick! We go into a deep chat about video games: the games we've played together, what makes video games great for kids and games Nick recommends. Video games they're kind of like books? Kind of? 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

This episode is a repost of Episode 19 that aired on September 9th, 2021.

 

Hello, hi! Is it just me, or is this September coming in hot with BIG FALL ENERGY? Grab your journal and join me as I walk through a few reflective exercises to align my efforts and fun this September and work to shed some of the ongoing resistance I've been feeling towards the end of summer 2021.

This episode you can expect to hear my musings on the following:

- What IS IT about September that makes it so darn unique?

- What did September mean to you (and to me) growing up?

- What am I resistant to this September?

- What am I excited for this September?

 

This episode is an example of my monthly practice to design my monthly experiments in a way that makes me live my life with intention and purpose. If that sounds fun to you, I hope you'll join me over on Instagram @medium.lady! Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use with creative commons license. 

Hello hi! Today's episode wraps up the 4-part series Medium Lady Reads for the month of July. And I saved the juciest takes for last with these "Red Flag Reads". These are 4 books I read that are 1 star reviews (or less!). I'll break down what I didn't like about these books, I'll talk about what makes them problematic for readers, and I'll even use that as fuel to help pick better books in the future.

This is a new style for me so if you have thoughts and opinions I would love to hear them on Instagram where you can find me @medium.lady, make sure to follow me there for more content.

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode is a fun one where I pair books with your summer profile. Are you travelling this summer, or staying home? Do you have a little bit of time to read, or a lot? Are you looking for romance or thriller? This episode will help. you think through the next perfect choice when it comes to answering the question "What should I read next?"

Book recommendations in no particular order:

Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschot

Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

One for Sorrow by Helen Fields

Seasonal Work by Laura Lippman

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Have you ever finished a book and felt the empty space it leaves behind in your life? Either the writing, the characters, or the plot line contributes so much to your sense of happiness and satisfaction that when you come to the final chapter you just wonder “how am I supposed to go on?”

 

I don’t know any book lover who hasn’t experienced this feeling- a general sense of wanting MORE after a book ends. And while book endings are a pretty finite experience (the book is in fact over and no there aren’t any extra chapters you ought have missed) today’s episode covers a few activities I find myself indulging in to prolong the experience a wonderful book can provide.

 

Books mentioned:

 

The only books I have re-read! 

The Harry Potter Series - particularly the audiobook read by Jim Dale

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Read Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen then listen to Episode 22 my interview with Jayne to prolong your love of the book!

 

You can find my Reading SoundtracksTM on Spotify (I’m Medium Lady there too!):

The House in the Cerulean Sea soundtrack

The Once and Future Witches soundtrack

 

You can find the amazing pastry account I mention @pieladybooks. The artist’s name is Steph and her account is nothing but pie and book joy.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! We're doing a full month of Book Related Episodes for July on MLT! Medium Lady Talks is going to transform to Medium Lady Reads :) Kicking it off is this first episode of sure-fire home run recommendations for your summer reading. 

These are the 5 Medium Lady Must reads from all of the books I read in the Spring of 2022:

Set Boundaries Find Peace, by Nedra Glover Tawwab

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Anxious People by Frederik Bachman

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! Links within this description may be Amazon affiliated, which also gives the podcast a teeny tiny bit of financial help. And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

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Hello hi! Today's episode is a repost from the MLT archives, Episode 4, Medium Lady Talks about Doing Hard Things. 

I decided to post this episode again, because I'm once again faced with doing hard things - I'm holding myself accountable to not be complacent or helpless in the face of my current reality. I'm leaning into everything I've learned about how strong and resilient I am to do the next best thing.

I hope you enjoy this episode and think about your own list of hard things you've done, to act as fuel for the next hard things to come. We can do this.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

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Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a bit of my own reflections on a road trip, followed by an uplifting and encouraging interview with writing coach and ghost writer Jennifer Locke from jenniferlockewrites.com and @jenniferlockewrites on Instagram (if you want to jump to the interview head to the 20 minute mark!). During our chat we talked about the process of evolving your creative process, how to commit and prioritize book writing (or any creative process) and how to reconnect with self-compassion and discovery along the way.

 

Jennifer referenced a TON of fascinating things to read, listen to and watch! Here they are*:

 

Cheryl Strayed Tiny Beautiful Things

 

Anne Lamott’s beautiful writing advice

 

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin - Jennifer is an Upholder - I’m an obliger!

 

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

 

We Should All be Millionaires an Audiobook by Rachel Rogers

 

Laziness Does Not Exist by  Devon Price

 

Hacks on HBO Max - YouTube trailer here!

 

I’ll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein

 

*links to amazon affiliate - of which I may earn a very small commission that goes to support the pod.

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

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Hello, hi! Today’s episode is a new kind of format, we’re doing “Medium Effort Advice”. One listener asked me on instagram: “How do I handle the problem of doing too much? Because I’m going too many things,  I end up not doing them well or even to completion. This episode is for you if you too are struggling with all.the.things this fall, and you want a bit of relief!

 

Episode Summary

• Check in:  The weekend did not go as planed but as the month of September closes out, I’ll look back on what I enjoyed about the month, and I look ahead to what I’m anticipating being fun and fulfilling in October
• Today’s listener asks a question (sent on IG) about how to address the problem of doing too many things and not doing any of them well or to completion.
• High effort problem solving: the high effort approach sees this with regret from the past, focused on allll those things that were never finished. This approach tries to solve the problem by putting it on lock in order to achieve a more ideal future state - planners, systems and rules. This approach also sees optimizing your time and maximizing productivity as “self-care”
• Low effort problem solving: This approach sees the problem as very overwhelming but impossible to change. They also regret the past, but even more so they dread the future as this cycle keeps repeating itself. Because this person never says no to new things, they may be getting something out of the problem some kind of positive feedback for taking on more and more. 
• Medium Effort problem solving: Instead of the ideal future, the regretful past, or the dreaded future what if we think about our resourceful past? *these 4 ideas are from the Dialectical Orientation Quadrant studied and published by Dr. Haesun Moon (see resources).
• Medium effort notes the limiting belief inherent in the question “I never do things well” or “I never finish things properly. Addressing this limiting belief helps us take action in a way that questions the limiting belief and instead confronts it with evidence from our resourceful past that proves actually, we do many things well, and we have seen lots of opportunities through to completion.
• Mindful Fun: In order to further help solidify your new beliefs about this problem I give the listener an “assignment” to create a project hall of fame for past projects that have gone well, AND instructions to conduct “closing ceremonies” for all of their unfinished business, so they can gain the permission they need to stop pursuing those undone things that are bogging them down.

 

A Moment of Gratitude:

• Did you know about Banned Book Week? (Sept 22-28) I share my gratitude for Libraries and all they do to maintain accessibility to knowledge and to fight against forces that would limit our agency and autonomy by controlling access information and artistic expression.

 

Other Resources Mentioned:

Coaching A to Z: The Extraordinary Use of Ordinary Words by Dr. Haesun Moon

 

Other Episodes you might like:

Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths about Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok

Episode 89: Everyday Manifesting with Diana Alexander Rane

Medium Lady Reads Episode 27 - Escape and Put Your Face in a Book

Connect with Erin:

• Instagram: @medium.lady
• Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com 
• Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
• Instagram: @mediumladyreads

 

Hello, hi! Today I'm joined by two of my favourite people in the whole world, my best friends Sarah and Emily. We decided to each write a few "deep" questions for one another and spend some time in conversation and letting the time pass while getting to know one another better. 

I love this medium effort opportunity for friends to spend time together, and I actually can't wait to do it again. Would you try this with your friends? Be sure to connect with me on Instagram @medium.lady, I would love to hear what you thought of this week's episode.

If you want to use the questions we created for today's episode here they are (in no particular order)

• If you could take a time machine to your 18 year old self, what advice would you give yourself?
• Design your dream house
• If you were an app or software program which would you be?
• What popular media/tv/music do you hate and why?
• Describe an outfit that makes you feel like your best self
• You have only one minute for self-care, what do you do?
• If your 20 year old self could see you now what would they be most proud of?
• What area of your life is most affected by imposter syndrome?

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi!

This is the final episode in my three part series on podcasting for beginners and everything  I learned after one year of podcasting. The last two episodes, Episode 33 and 34 discuss my pointers for the podcasting process for beginners and 5 things that I’ve learned. Today as the final episode is going to be Five more things I learned after podcasting for a year. And if you’re a regular listener of MLT you’ll know that when my episodes end on the “5” I usually do a series called 5 Things to try right now. So instead of that, we’ll talk about 5 things to try if you consider yourself a “creative” or someone in the active pursuit of a robust creative life.

And if you’re not a person with a podcast or a creative side hustle (or side stroll) I hope you'll keep listening and this episode will help to remove barriers associated with our perception of creativity as a product rather than a fulfilling process.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi!

This second episode is going to be the first five things I learned after one year of podcasting (or being a creator).

Now, I hope you’ll hold tight through this episode even if you're NOT interested in starting your own podcast because I think these ten things (5 things in this episode and 5 things next week) are actually useful ways of thinking about anything that you might spend one year practicing, and being bad at, experimenting and learning about. This episode is very much about the creative journey.

1. Help is the only way forward
2. Technology is all about perspective
3. Let your point of view evolve - but have one nevertheless
4. Listen to your own stuff and laugh at your own jokes
5. Let your audience surprise you

Some other things in this episode:

• My Blue Snowball Microphone can be found on Amazon
• Audacity software can be downloaded here for PC or Mac

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

 

Hello, hi! Today I'm looking back on everything I've learned after 1 year of podcasting. This episode will cover my podcasting process and review the following

a) Drafting

b) Recording

c) Editing

d) Posting

e) Promoting!

Also I ask 5 questions you need to ask yourself if you're interested in starting your own podcast!

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

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Hello, hi! Today's episode brings us back after a March hiatus to talk about Books!! I read 15 books from January to March of 2022 and I review them all in this episode.

My general framework for reviews includes:

• Probably pass - the books I think you won't miss if you never read them
• Know yourself - the books that have specific characteristics that mean they aren't for everyone
• Medium Lady Must reads - the books I personally think have something to offer every reader and will bring the joy of reading to my listeners

Let me know what you read this winter? Join in on the conversation after the episode on Instagram @medium.lady! I'll see you there :)

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

This episode was edited and produced by Hannah Vandeven Dong.

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! We’re going to talk about music today, and playlists specifically, why I love music, and how playlists serve my personal motto of medium effort and mindful fun. Plus I’m going to talk about the Low, High and Medium Effort ways to build a playlist and get enjoyment from them.

*note: I talk A LOT about Spotify in this episode, but this content is not sponsored in anyway. I just love Spotify.

~~~

Playlists mentioned:

What I found in the Winter by Medium Lady

Winter'ish by Medium Lady

Classic Family Flicks by Spotify

Best Instrumental by The Lazy Genius Kendra Adachi

Also mentioned:

secondhandsongs.com

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! Today I'm joined by my partner Nick, to talk about being introverted and extroverted in our marriage. We talk about when we knew we were extroverted/introverted and how it makes things easier or harder when you're partnered! Listen to hear what's great about being married to an extrovert or introvert and hear which of us would switch to the other type if we could!

Also mentioned in the episode:

Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain

Married to an Introvert - tips for extroverts

What Introverts Married to Extroverts Need to Know - First Things First

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! I'm excited to welcome back Bridget Baker from @bridgetbakerminimalistmojo to chat with me about aspirational clutter. The new season of Medium Lady Talks felt like a great time to kick off some practical tips and thoughtful reflections on clutter and why we "acquire to aspire."

Bridget and I also discuss:

- Brene Brown's new book "Atlas of the Heart."

- Zoodlers and Zoodles (we say this word many times in the episode)

- Do you have any of these items taking up space in your home?

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! Welcome to Season 2 of Medium Lady Talks! 

This week's episode talks about something most of us are familiar with at this point of 2022, getting sick. This episode covers my reflections on being sick in early January and what I've learned about how to take care when feeling the effects of illness. 

 

While this episode specifically covers "cold season" type illness, with symptoms that resolve and improve - I would invite anyone with experience with chronic illness or recurrent illness to connect on Instagram @medium.lady. This episode focuses on my own personal experience and invites you to reflect on yours, its not designed to be prescriptive or all-encompassing. If these tips help you, that's great! 

Here are the tips in the episode:

1. Sick doesn't equal Sad

2. Sick doesn't move in a straight line

3. Stay still when you're sick

4. You have the time to be sick

 

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about the books I read this fall/early winter. I'll do a deep dive (or at least a medium dive) on the 17 books I  read and give my recommendations to "probably pass", "Medium Lady Must Reads" and the know yourself books in the middle. 

Knowing yourself, when it comes to building a robust reading habit, is really key. When you know what you like, and what you don't, you can reach for more books that align with what you like. And when you know what to reach for, you just keep reading!

Books mentioned today, in no particular order:

1. Think Again by Adam Grant
2. All in by Billie Jean King
3. Home Style Cookery by Matty Matheson
4. Yearbook by Seth Rogen
5. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
6. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
7. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
8. The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody
9. The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams
10. Blaze Island by Catherine Bush
11. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
12. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
13. Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey
14. Matrix by Lauren Groff
15. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
16. The Birch Bark House by Louise Erdrich
17. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
18. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
19. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
20. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
21. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Donald Clifton
22. Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
23. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
24. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
25. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
26. Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
27. Big Summer and That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
28. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Also in the Episode:l

• The concept of Time Anxiety coined by my podcast idol @laura.tremaine you can hear her talk about that here
• The Currently Reading podcast
• My other book related episodes Episode 1, Episode 8, Episode 18
• The Cozy Christmas Reads Episode 26 with Ali and Jillian
• Episode 22 My Interview with Jayne Allen author of Black Girls Must Die Exhausted

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady.

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today’s episode is another behind the scenes episode of content creation and podcast   production. For my monthly plan this September I decided to focus my awareness on imposter syndrome, and paying attention to where that shows up in my life and how hesitation and self-doubt affect my actions. This episode is for you if you’ve ever heard that tiny , nagging voice ask “Who are you to have the nerve?” 

 

Episode Summary

 

• Check in:  I struggled to find my footing in the month of September due to preconceived notions that everything was “stable”. As a mom I’ve found myself on a learning curve that I didn’t anticipate!   
• I’ll share a window into this September’s monthly plan and how thinking more about Imposter Syndrome has even got me thinking about how often self-doubt creeps into podcast creation. 
• What are the specifics of Imposter syndrome? Persistent self-doubt, despite previous success and an ongoing fear of being “found out” attributing your success to luck or diminishing your accomplishments. Check, check, check.
• Imposter syndrome is worth paying attention to and being conscious of because it inhibits our desire to try new things and grow. It holds us back! Not only that but this hesitation creeps into our relationship and shapes our interactions with others.
• What stops the cycle? First off: self-awareness. Train your brain to look for imposter syndrome by calling it out and looking for it.
• Other ways you can move past imposter syndrome:
  • Reframe your mindset to focus on the evidence of your accomplishments: start by saying “I’m so proud that I ________”
  •  Let others around you help you gain perspective, not to seek validation and approval but to course correct your self-doubt
  • Practice your  self-compassion: What if you could come and give you a big hug? Or high five you during the small day to day wins?
  • You can capture a more realistic picture of what’s working well using my daily planner strategy
  • Accept that your growth will be associated with not getting things right on the first try - this doesn’t mean you have to doubt your entire existence - you might just need time to learn that new thing.
• I share a bit more of my own thoughts about why I’ve been feeling imposter syndrome as a podcaster lately, that goes back even farther to my doubts about “Medium Lady” being the right brand name.   

A Moment of Gratitude:

• Are you packing up any summer clothes? What did you experience wearing those clothes this season? What did you enjoy wearing? What will you be excited to see again next year?  

 

Other Episodes you might like:

Episode 109: Medium Lady Unfiltered - Three Truths about Motherhood Content on Instagram and TikTok

Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson

Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson

Medium Lady Reads Episode 27 - Escape and Put Your Face in a Book

Connect with Erin:

• Instagram: @medium.lady
• Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com 
• Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
• Instagram: @mediumladyreads

 

Hello, hi! Today on the podcast I’m joined by my reader friends Ali Oppenlaender (from Episode 14) and Jillian O’Keefe to talk about Cozy Christmas reading and our recommendations for your best choices for reading by the Christmas tree with your favourite seasonal drinks.

We hope you feel supported and inspired to plan out your holiday reading, embracing seasonal reading and the general vibe of reading during a winter holiday. Plus we’ll talk about the best ways of getting book recommendations, why we use Goodreads (or not!) to track our reading, and our favourite time of day for reading (spoiler: all times of day).

Ali on Instagram - @alioppenlaender 

Jillian on Instagram - @jillianfindinghappy (DM her for the Goodreads friend request!)

As always please connect with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady and let me know what's on your holiday reading pile. 

Books recommended, in alphabetical order: 

A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Still Life by Louise Penny

And my number one recommendation any time of year will always be Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Music is Climb by the Ghost in the Piano and used with my gratitude and creative commons license

 

Hello, hi! As today's episode ends in a "5", I'll be sharing five things for you to try right now, and for this season of life. I love these episodes because I often pull from  my own ideas and archives from writing on Instagram, but I also curate a few of my favourite things, or the items really making me happy lately.

1. Advent of kindness: especially kindness to strangers! More on my writing about that here. I really find now is the opportunity for us to look for new ways to find connection in our communities, especially when current rhetoric would have us believe we're divided and against one another.
2. Ornaments with a sense of humour! I share a bit about a transformative experience when I purchased two ballerina ornaments, and I've never looked back! Ornaments are a small, low cost joy bringer and I definitely recommend you find one that makes you happy for your tree this year.
3. Personalized gifts. I can't get enough of gifts that are monnogrammed, use the recipients initials or name, and finally personalized photo gifts! There's nothing quite like a gift that can only be given to you!
4. See your home with new eyes: The holidays are a time when we're innundated with options to spend money, time, or effort on transforming our homes. See your home with new eyes that allow you to experience a sense of gratitude around your space and the place you take shelter and rest, or celebrate this time of year with loved ones.
5. Really really specific playlists: Building a playlist is a perfect example of "mindful fun". It requires focus, it's sensory and it has a wonderful sense of starting and stopping. Here's a link to my latest Christmas Carol playlist I hope you enjoy!

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady.

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

What does it take to be a friend in your late 30s? Is scheduling the answer to everything? Is technology a good thing or a bad thing for your friendship?

What does it take to be a friend as the pandemic comes to a close - do you have enough personal grace to navigate your way back to your relationships after the end of lockdowns or the transition of your friendships from online to real-line?

Can you record an entertaining podcast in a mid-range sedan, from the parking lot of a BBQ joint?

The answer to most of these questions is YES!

I hope you enjoy this chat with two of my oldest friends as we describe the seasons that we’ve experienced throughout our friendship of almost 30 years. We get into our (very) specific friendship as well as the new friends we’ve made as adults and how hard/easy that has been for us. Spoiler alert: some of us made mistakes along the way.

 

Also mentioned

The Lobster by the Gloaming “possibly the most spectacular instrumental piece of music that has ever existed”- Emily

Taylor Leonhardt “another Taylor” specifically Happy or Whatever, Keep me Around

Change your Life Chicken from the Lazy Genius “I have to hold off and only make this once a week.” - Sarah

Fear the Walking Dead “there’s so many seasons, how much more could you have?” -Erin

Never Have I Ever “partway through I realized I might be attracted to Paxton Hall-Yoshida” -Erin (ps it's ok he's a grownup)

Ted Lasso “This new kind of character on television that’s emerging.” - Sarah

Hello, hi! Today's episode is with my friend Stephanie Cunningham @steffski on Instagram. Steph's internet handle is “Wellness+Realness” and what I love about following her is that’s exactly what you get. She's often posting inspiring and aspirational content, followed by her openness about raising small kids, finding balance, and showing up in the challenge to make the next best decision.

Steph and I also talk about an IGTV live that we did a year ago to talk about goal setting, prioritization and putting things in motion for three months. Spoiler alert - we barely did the things we chose to do! But instead we talk about what we might have done if we could go back in time!

Also mentioned in this episode:

THIS C.S. Lewis quote

My Monthly Experiments - the most recent of which can always be found in my IG highlights @medium.lady

Pamela Pumpkin - Stephanie's now annual reel tradition

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady

 

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode is an exciting one, it's my first interview with an author! I'm interviewing Jayne Allen author of the recently released, must-read novel "Black Girls Must Die Exhausted". 

Jayne and I have a wonderful heart to heart unpacking the themes in her book. We talk about the choices she made with her title, the intentionality behind her cast of characters, as well as the approach she takes to boundary setting and creating art. I know you will love this conversation as much as I did.

You can find Jayne on Instagram @jayneallenwrites or join her email list at www.jayneallen.com.

You can always help out the podcast by providing a rating or review, and sharing it with another Medium Lady in your life! And with the bi-weekly episode release schedule make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss when the new episodes drop. I love to connect with listeners, you can swing by to say hi on Instagram, @medium.lady.

Music is Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano. I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's episode is extra special for two reasons - it is my TWENTIETH episode and it is with my partner and husband Nick (who I also affectionately dub "handsome face").

Nick and I chat (well Nick chats, and I giggle) over 4 randomly selected questions, we offer ourselves a bit of advice and we mostly just enjoy each others company. The microphone was just along for the ride.

If you enjoyed this episode please come and hang out with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady. And if you loved this episode don't forget to give it a rating and review. If you know a Medium Lady or Handsome Face in your life who would enjoy this episode go ahead and share it with them! 

Other things in this episode:

~ This question about managing marital bliss on Quora

~ Was friends filmed in front of a live studio audience?

~ Corporate speak gets pretty bad...amirite?

Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use via creative commons license.

 

 

 

Hello, hi! Is it just me, or is this September coming in hot with BIG FALL ENERGY? Grab your journal and join me as I walk through a few reflective exercises to align my efforts and fun this September and work to shed some of the ongoing resistance I've been feeling towards the end of summer 2021. This episode you can expect to hear my musings on the following: - What IS IT about September that makes it so darn unique? - What did September mean to you (and to me) growing up? - What am I resistant to this September? - What am I excited for this September? This episode is an example of my monthly practice to design my monthly experiments in a way that makes me live my life with intention and purpose. If that sounds fun to you, I hope you'll join me over on Instagram @medium.lady! Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use with creative commons license. 

Hello, hi! Today's episode is all about the books I read this summer, and I'll give you advice to Read IT or... Don't! And of course my favourite "Know Yourself" category in the middle. 

Knowing yourself, when it comes to building a robust reading habit, is really key. When you know what you like, and what you don't, you can reach for more books that align with what you like. And when you know what to reach for, you just keep reading!

Books mentioned today, in no particular order:

1. Mindset by Carol Dweck
2. The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn
3. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
4. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
5. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
6. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Donald Clifton
7. Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
8. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
9. Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
10. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
11. Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
12. Big Summer and That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
13. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Also mentioned in this episode,

• Episode 12 all about Growth Mindset
• Episode 14 Your Summer Reading Pile with Ali Oppenlaender
• My writing and other musings can be found on Instagram @medium.lady please head over there and shoot me a DM!
• The epic Goodreads review of 11/22/63 by Gatorman in 2011

Music is Climb by Ghost in the Piano and I'm grateful for its use by creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today's podcast is all about the Skin Care Olympics awarded by me and my dear friend Sarah Rich from @getnormal on Instagram. Sarah and I are very old and dear friends who love nerding out on all things beauty together, and we figured the recent Tokyo Olympics provided us with a great theme to chat about some of our most (and least) loved products.

Before the conversation with Sarah, I also experiment with some less refined, more spontaneous chat about my thoughts regarding the conversation, my friendship with Sarah and the idea of not taking yourself too seriously. I hope you love this episode as much as I do! If you'd prefer the video version, it can be found on my Instagram IGTV page @medium.lady.

 

PRODUCTS THAT STUCK THE LANDING

Sarah: Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops

Erin: E.L.F Holy Hydration Face Cream

 

REPEAT MEDALIST 

Sarah: Lush Eau Roma Water Toner

Erin: Cerave PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

 

BEST ALL AROUND ATHLETE

Sarah: Weleda Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream

Erin: Pixi Glow Tonic

 

DID NOT FINISH

Sarah: Cerave Skin Renewing Cream Serum

Erin: the general category of Face Masks

 

OBSCURE SPORT

Sarah: Paula’s Choice Tranexamic Acid 

Erin: Dieux Forever Eye Masks, Silver Medal to the general category of Oil Cleansers

 

PERSONAL BEST

Sarah: Northlore Rosehip Seed Facial Serum

Erin: Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser with 2% Salicylic Acid

 

LAST PLACE

Sarah: The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil

Erin: any Chemical Sunscreen 

ALSO MENTIONED:

~Charlotte Palermino @charlotteparler on Instagram - skin care influencer

~Dermatologist Dr. Dray on YouTube - real talk about ingredients from a doctor

~Clara Hughes is a multi medalist from Canada who I incorrectly name as a skier - she is infact a Speed Skater and hellur badass. 

~Paula Begoun the “Cosmetics Cop” and beauty mogul behind Paula’s Choice skin care and unfortunate moniker

~Sarah and I continue to experiment with sunscreen - Physical sunscreens including Coppertone Pure and Simple Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 and Sun Bum Clear Zinc Oxide Face Cream 50 SPF

~Gwenyth Paltrow’s shenanigans with sunscreen - come on Gwennie tell us you're kidding...

 

Music is Climb by Ghost in the Piano, as always I'm extremely grateful for it's free use under creative commons licensing.

Hello, hi!  This week's podcast episode is all about an experiment I've been doing with a Monthly Wishlist. This has given me lots of thoughts about Medium Effort, Mindful Fun, and shopping! 

WHY YOUR WISHLIST IS MEDIUM EFFORT: A wishlist does require a bit of planning and a bit of a break from the "want it/need it/got it" reaction. I'll talk a bit about why the discomfort of the pandemic resulted in me leaning into online shopping as a way to disconnect from discomfort, and the effort of a wish list helped me understand that better.

WHAT GOES ON THE WISH LIST: You get to decide what goes on your own wish list. For me, it's all the items that make me feel like I could change myself, my appearance or my life just a little bit, if only I could buy the "perfect item". But you get to decide what goes on the wish list. 

WHEN TO USE THE WISH LIST: For me, I love a monthly cycle, and the fresh start that turning the calendar pages provides. At the beginning of the month I check in with the wish list and make some mindful purchases. And then I go back to putting things on the wish list. Sometimes I forget what's on the wish list, and sometimes, I'm really excited to finally make a purchase and bring it into my life.

What do you think of this idea of a wish list? Would you give it a try? Let's me know your thoughts on Instagram @medium.lady!

Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, and I'm grateful for its use through creative commons license.

Hello, hi! Today’s episode is one of my favourites, part of my “Five things” series for all of our episodes that end with the number 5. This episode is going to give us a way to focus on mindfulness during a chaotic season of family life: the month of September. The goal of the episode is to help you gain a sense of presence that you can continue to return to through the upheaval of a busy season of transitions.

 

Episode Summary

• Check in: I’ll share what’s going on these last few weeks and why I probably need today’s episode as much as anyone else. TLDR; parenting in September is A LOT y’all.
• The Five thing you can do right now to survive September, are all about remembering a lot of the things i’ve already been able to get good at over the last 5 years: Mindfulness, Presence, Setting Priorities and OinBoundaries, Self-compassion, Rest.
• One of the first things we can do around our survival of September is to set boundaries on our self-talk and how we manage meeting our own internal expectations: How can you talk to yourself in ways that represent a kinder and gentler perspective on your own expectations?
•  Use the acronym GRASS to remind yourself of this mindfulness practice:
  • G: Ground into the present moment
  • R: Remind yourself of what’s in your control (and what isn’t)
  • A: Acknowledge what’s working
  • S: Say thank you
  • S: Sleep and Rest

• Why is Mindfulness the perfect antidote to September? Because often time transitions bring up a host of limiting beliefs that usually make us feel overwhelmed, worried, anxious and frustrated. What mindfulness does is it bring more emotions to the table to keep those emotions company, which allow us to experience more emotional balance.
• You don’t have to do all of the letters in order BUT if you want to achieve Sleep/Rest, you will probably find a smoother path to good quality sleep if you do actually practice the grounding and mindfulness exercises first.

 

Other Episodes you might like:

Episode 113: Playing the Long Game in your Freedom from Domestic Struggles with author and coach Tami Hackbarth

Episode 107: From Anxiety to Action - How to reclaim your mental headspace with guest and coach Madeline Farquharson

Episode 108: From Self-Neglect to Self-Care - Prioritizing your Needs with guest and coach Madeline Farquarson

Connect with Erin:

• Instagram: @medium.lady
• Email: mediumladytalks@gmail.com 
• Explore more book-related content on "Medium Lady Reads." - link to Spotify
• Instagram: @mediumladyreads

Hello, hi! Today's episode ends with a five so it's back to my series on 5 things to try right now. I hope you'll try one or some, or all of them! If you do please connect with me on Instagram, I'd love to hear your thoughts @medium.lady!

1. Ask yourself "WHAT IF IT ALL WORKS OUT, WHAT IF MY HARD WORK PAYS OFF" 

2. GO DEEP ON YOUR STRENGTHS then put it on the back burner and stop thinking about it so much

3. REFRESH YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED WITH HASHTAGS. Here are a few that have contributed to changing my relationship with the algorithm this year: #amplifymelanatedvoices #shelvesofdiversity #diversifyyourbookshelf #disabledandcute #disabledfashion #fatpeopleareaspirational #pinterestbutmakeitfat #indigenousfashion

4. REVIEW THE LAST PRODUCT YOU USED UP - Bonus points if you use this as a point of conversation and ask someone to review what they're using!

5. EAT VACATION LUNCH: made fresh, eaten outdoors with a cold drink. I'm going to try doing this more often, and even ditch my phone! You can find my meal tips and tricks in my Instagram highlights.

Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, I'm grateful for its availability for use with creative commons license.

 

Hello, hi! Are you prepared for summer reading!? Summer reading can feel high effort - you want to read what all the cool kids are reading and be able to talk about the latest summer releases. But what about the back list? What about the library?

Join me as I chat books with my friend Alison Oppenlaender! We'll each recommend a book for your summer reading pile and ALL of our book recommendations are from the backlist. Library users unite!

You're going to want to listen and make some plans for your summer reading in advance. Using MEDIUM EFFORT, figure out what you want to read, and then just focus on reading those books! Don't worry about all the Book Fomo this summer ;)

Our book recommendations include our "reading sweet spot", a book we always recommend, a book that surprised us and the ONE book you should read this summer....

As always please connect with me over on Instagram, @medium.lady and let me know what's on your summer reading pile. 

Books recommended, in no particular order:

112263 by Stephen King

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Get a Life Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Music is Climb by the Ghost in the Piano and used with my gratitude and creative commons license

Hello, hi! Today's podcast is an awesome chat with my friend Bridget Baker. Bridget is a brand and website designer, minimalist, lifestyle blogger and RV enthusiast! We had so much to talk about, and I know you're going to enjoy this discussion.

Here's a bit of what we cover!

MINIMALISM and MEDIUM EFFORT: are they from the same family? Or can they hold hands together? 

THE APPEAL OF MINIMALISM: Bridget explains why someone like me (a person with a lifestyle that acts as a magnet for stuff) is so attracted to the idea of minimalism.

YOU DESERVE SPACE: Bridget and I talk about the gift of space, whether it's mental, emotional or physical, and why "this next part" at the end of the pandemic, is an important time for you to claim what you need to make a gentle and self-compassionate transition.

Please let me know what you think of the episode and let's connect over on Instagram @medium.lady!

Other things mentioned in this episode:

The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less by Christine Platt

The Body is Not and Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Music is Climb by The Ghost in the Piano, used with creative commons license.