20 Minutes with Bronwyn – Details, episodes & analysis

Today I am talking with the sensational Shira Gill about her  gorgeous new book, Lifestyled: Your Guide to a More Organized and Intentional Life.

Shira Gill is a globally recognized home organizing expert and bestselling author with a minimalist philosophy. She has inspired thousands of people to clear clutter from their homes and lives, and developed a process and toolkit that anyone can employ, regardless of budget, space, or lifestyle. In addition to LifeStyled, Shira is the author of Minimalista and Organized Living, and has been featured in 100+ print and media outlets including Good Morning America, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Real Simple, and The New York Times. 

For her latest book, Shira interviewed some of the most intentional, organized people on the planet and found there were three KEY themes running through each of their lives. Fascinated, and inspired by what she had learned, she began to apply these same themes in her own life, and watched the subsequent transformation.

Lifestyled gives us access to these themes, along with the systems and habits that will unlock a more intentional life.

Here’s how to find Shira:

Links:

www.shiragill.com 

@shiragill

Newsletter + Community

Books:

Organized Living

Minimalista

LifeStyled

This conversation with Shira was so clarifying, I’ve decided to wind down Season 5  in order to regroup and recharge on the podcast front. I will pick it up again in early 2025. 

So grateful for your time and your presence.

Shine on, my friend. We need your light!B

DR. MARTHA BECK IS ON MY SHOW THIS WEEK!!!!!!

Sorry. I have ZERO chill about this episode.

If it were a Friends episode, it would be called:

The One Where Bronwyn Meets Her Hero and Learns to Stop Being So Anxious.

Or maybe

The One When Dr. Martha Beck Changes All of Our Lives and Cures Our Anxieties.

But, because I am trying to act like a grown up and not a teenage fangirl, the episode is actually called Beyond Anxiety: My Conversation with Dr. Martha Beck.

Every few years, Martha Beck publishes a book that melts my face off with its insight and warmth (ahem The Way of Integrity, The Joy Diet, Steering by Starlight), and I am THRILLED to share that she is about to do it again. 

This time, Dr. Beck is tackling the issue of our modern age with her new book Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose, which will drop January 7, 2025.

This conversation was everything I hoped it would be and has profoundly impacted the way I move through my life. My hope is that it does the same for you.

In case you’ve been living under a rock and you’re not familiar with her work, let me break it down …

Dr. Martha Beck, PhD, is a New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker. She holds THREE Harvard degrees in social science, and Oprah Winfrey has called her “one of the smartest women I know.” Martha is a passionate and engaging teacher, known for her unique combination of science, humor, and spirituality. Her recent book, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, was an instant New York Times Best Seller and an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

Here’s where you can find her on the Interwebs … (and I can personally recommend her online courses. I’m still using the skills I learned from a writing course I took years ago):

Dr. Beck's Website:  https://marthabeck.com

Dr. Beck's upcoming book: Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose

IG: https://www.instagram.com/themarthabeck/

Shine on, my friend. We need your light.

“A.I.” 

Those are two letters that stir up a whole lotta conversation.

Ever since ChatGPT was unveiled, I’ve been one of those people who won’t shut up about generative AI. I’m enthralled with it. I’m terrified of it. I’m curious about it, and I enjoy playing with AI. I hate it and I think it could be the fall of mankind. 

If AI and I had a relationship status, it would be, It’s complicated.

Just imagine my joy when I got the opportunity to talk with the marvelous Rimma Boshernitsan, founder of Dialogue, an interdisciplinary strategic advisory group and think tank that helps leaders and companies find the shortest, clearest path to their most ambitious goals. Rimma recently convened a panel at SXSW called “AI Won’t Give You the Chills: The Future Runs on Intuition” that made me curious to talk with her.

We covered a lot of ground; I learned a ton and I think you will too.

The Gems✨

What is the value of human intuition in the face of AI? [7:33]

How might we elevate our thinking when it comes to AI? How might we elevate the way we ponder AI’s role in our communities and in society? [13:01]

What role does self-awareness play in honing intuition and making informed decisions? [20:46]

What practices can we adopt to develop our intuition and enhance our decision-making skills? [24:34]

Resources Mentioned ✨

• Check out Rimma and panelists in conversation: AI Won’t Give You The Chills
• Discover “The Unthinkable,” by Amanda Ripley
• Learn more about Rimma’s Beauty in Ambiguity program

Follow Dialogue on LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter)  and Youtube, or check out their website!

Rimma can be found on Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter)!

It is well documented that loneliness is more damaging to our longevity than obesity and even cigarette smoking. So why are so many of us lonely, even INSIDE of our friendships? Our marriages? Why are adult friendships so hard to cultivate and develop? How can we more actively create loving, constructive connections, without seeming like weirdo stalkers? All of this and more in today's episode with the amazing Dr. Adam Dorsay.

If you'd met Stephanie Spence 15 years ago, the word "powerhouse" would have come to mind. She was the CEO of Spence Communications, where she published numerous magazines, and as a journalist, she interviewed big names like Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama. But the truth was that "power" was the very thing she lacked. In her new book, Yoga Wisdom, Stephanie tells of her unbelievable journey out of trauma and abuse, and into freedom.

Larry Kamer is a crisis management expert, which means he’s the guy people call when the shit hits the fan. His list of clients is extensive, but just to name a few: Harvard, Stanford, American Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente, and the Catholic Church. Larry is also an adjunct professor in the Professional Communication Program at the University of San Francisco, the Chief Information Security Officer at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Annenberg School of Communication at the USC.  While watching companies, institutions and/or individual people get drawn and quartered in the press can be “fun” to watch from the outside, Larry jumps in and helps these companies, institutions/individuals do the right thing.  Personally? I find those kinds of stories fascinating. How do people manage through it? What happens behind the scenes? What can we learn from them? That’s what today’s episode is all about my friends.

How do you become less afraid of conflict? How might you defend an idea without getting defensive? How do you empower people without giving them so much freedom they get into trouble? How do you stay real and authentic as a leader when the chips are down? What is power? Is it control or is it trust? These are big questions that my guest Joel Peterson will answer in today’s episode. Joel is the Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, as well as the Chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways. He has served on more than three dozen boards over the past 45 years, most notable among them being The Dallas Market Center, Texas Commerce Bank (Dallas), and Asurion. He currently serves on the boards of Franklin Covey and Packsize.

In this episode, I'll offer my candid advice on dealing with big emotions at work.

“Sandwich Generation” is a term that refers to people in their 30s or 40s who find themselves caring not only for their young children, but also their aging parents.  I fell into the sandwich by default—I am the only child of divorced parents, and was the only family member within 2600 miles of my father when his life fell apart. But the moment he moved in with us—into my home office—I learned quickly that the sandwich (and the struggle) was real. It’s not an exaggeration when I say that I wouldn’t have survived those sandwich years with my body, mind, and soul intact had it not been for my guest on this week’s podcast: Ms. Peggy Flynn. Peggy is a writer, caregiver, spiritual director and geriatric care consultant. She brings her 40 years of caregiving and end-of-life experience with 300+ people to what some call the third-third of life or, more poetically, the evening of life. She’s also hilarious, irreverent, and dead honest—exactly the kind of person you need in your corner, mid-sandwich.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of feedback that you are “too much?” What does that mean, anyway? Too what? Too authentic? Too passionate? Too energetic? And what on earth are you supposed to do with that information? Behave with less authenticity? Passion? Energy? But this feedback can be golden if you can identify the reasoning behind it.