The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature Style

Shannon Ables
  • 4.7 (881)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The simple sophisticate is someone who prefers quality over quantity, sensible living over mindless consumption, personal style instead of trendy fashions, has an insatiable curiosity for life's endless questions and a desire to live a truly fulfilling life rather than being led around by the nose. Inspired by her lifestyle blog The Simply Luxurious Life, Shannon Ables (the original Simple Sophisticate) shares with listeners tips on how to live a refined life on an everyday income, a life of true contentment. Founded on the principle of the art of living a life of quality over quantity, episodes explore topics ranging from creating an everyday life you love living, strengthening mindfulness practices, preparing seasonally delicious meals, building a capsule wardrobe, traveling the world (Francophiles and Anglophiles tune in as France as well as the Britain are favorite destinations), and living life to the fullest without breaking the bank because living well is really quite simple. *illustration by artist Sarah Löcker exclusively commissioned for the show

  1. 1D AGO

    Un Moment de Méditation: No. 7 — Letting Go vs. Willpower

    Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment7

    7 min

  2. FEB 8

    Un Moment de Méditation: No. 6 — What the Future Can Never Possess

    Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment6

    8 min

  3. FEB 4

    419: The Foundation of Decorating a Home and Transforming It into a Sanctuary

    "My Four Tenets of Good Design are not rules to follow, as much as they are a framework to help you think about design, not just as something pretty to look at but as something that inspires you to be the best version of yourself in the moments when no one is watching." —Nate Berkus, Foundations A feeling of immediate release of any tension, letting the day wash away, and a trust that the comforts and reminders of love and bounty of a beautiful life lived surround you is what a thoughtfully decorated sanctuary gives us each time we cross the threshold.  The truth is a sanctuary can be found anywhere, and in fact doesn't need to be a place, but as we talked about in Monday's Motivational post, can be people or even ineffable things – concepts, ideas where we rest our mind. However, most definitely, our home can be a sanctuary, and today, we're going to explore 7 ways to transform your home into just that.  Because a home isn't always a sanctuary. It may have four walls that keep us warm and shelter us, but the definition of a sanctuary is that it is a reliable place of refuge to rejuvenate ourselves. As defined in Buddha's Brain, a book written by Rick Hanson and the inspiration behind episode #327, a sanctuary is anyone or anything that provides reliable protection, so that you can let down your guard and gather strength and wisdom." So with that definition in mind, when American interior designer Nate Berkus' new book, Foundations, was released this past November, I found a helpful companion resource to help each of us identify what would make our home a sanctuary and where to start the journey of gradually decorating a nest that feels far more than just a home, but most definitely a sanctuary.  The guiding premise of Foundations is Berkus' four tenets of good design: make it personal, embrace history, introduce character, and develop your vision. These will guide us through today's episode/post. Let's begin exploring how to lay the foundation of our decorating journey so that as we progress, adding pieces, making decisions along the way, we have clarity and trust what we choose.

    47 min

  4. FEB 1

    Un Moment de Méditation: No. 5 — Letting go of Comparison

    Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment5

    8 min

  5. JAN 25

    No. 4 Un Moment de Méditation — Less Thinking, Deeper Breathing

    Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment4

    7 min

  6. JAN 21

    418: Neighboring — How to Do It and Why It Will Enhance the Quality of Your Everydays

    "There's a sense of comfort and safety that can come with knowing [our neighbors] — and building a safe and caring community is a valuable way to stay connected to the place you live." —Diana Opong and Janet W. Lee, in their article "How to be a good neighbor" Being a good neighbor is a daily practice in awareness. Both in what and who surrounds us, as well as how our own choices might affect others. Tune in to episode to discover 7 ways to strengthen your neighboring skills and also discover three significant life benefits when we put them to practice. Find the Show Notes for the episode on The SImply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast418

    56 min

  7. JAN 18

    No. 3: Un Moment de Méditation — An Ease in Everyday Life

    Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment3

    7 min

  8. JAN 11

    No. 2: Un Moment de Méditation — How to Heal

    Find the text for this mini-episode on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/moment2

    9 min
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4.7
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The simple sophisticate is someone who prefers quality over quantity, sensible living over mindless consumption, personal style instead of trendy fashions, has an insatiable curiosity for life's endless questions and a desire to live a truly fulfilling life rather than being led around by the nose. Inspired by her lifestyle blog The Simply Luxurious Life, Shannon Ables (the original Simple Sophisticate) shares with listeners tips on how to live a refined life on an everyday income, a life of true contentment. Founded on the principle of the art of living a life of quality over quantity, episodes explore topics ranging from creating an everyday life you love living, strengthening mindfulness practices, preparing seasonally delicious meals, building a capsule wardrobe, traveling the world (Francophiles and Anglophiles tune in as France as well as the Britain are favorite destinations), and living life to the fullest without breaking the bank because living well is really quite simple. *illustration by artist Sarah Löcker exclusively commissioned for the show

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