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Americans spend about 21 hours per day inside. On the whole, we are also more depressed and anxious than ever before.

Many of us have been trained to seek out commodified services to unwind (I'm looking at you, #selfcare!). But what if a potential solution cost zero dollars and offered zero risk?

On today's show: An invitation to welcome nature back into your life, with 5.5 novel suggestions that are backed by science.



Here's a preview:

[9:00] Walk barefoot! (Around your yard, at least)

[14:00] Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, camping edition

[20:00] We don't have to optimize every second. Here's how to wander like a boss in a wild space

[26:00] Get your hands dirty

[34:00] 2 hours per week outdoors offers a laundry list of benefits, so move your favorite activities outside

Resources mentioned:

Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit (by Lyanda Lynn Haupt)
Why Gardening Is So Good for You (via The New York Times)
Episode #465: Optimizing Your Walks (with Annabel Abbs)
Cornell Lab bird app


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Hyper-capitalism — also called late-stage capitalism — is what happens when material resources, lifestyle activities, and everything in between becomes both commodified and consumable. In hyper-capitalist economies, products get invented that no one needs or wants. Celebrities are revered like gods. Inequity is everywhere, and citizens internalize the idea that their worth is measured by some mysterious combination of career success and amassed material goods.

Many argue that the United States has entered its hyper-capitalistic era, as Americans report that the relentless demands of trying to keep up results in working longer hours, increasing loneliness, and lowered life satisfaction.

On today's show: A conversation with New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Powers about the ways in which Americans are experiencing the effects of hyper-capitalism in real time.



Here's a preview:

[5:00] A laundry list of hyper-capitalism's consequences in 2024

[11:00] Europe doesn't consume way America does. They're not as lonely, either

[15:00] Taking a good, hard look at our disordered American beliefs

[19:00] Implications associated with celebrity worship

[26:00] Pay for what you get? Not in this case! Debunking the privatized healthcare myth

[33:00] Musings on nationwide learned helplessness



This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/

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There's plenty of distressing research into what smartphones are doing to adults' attention spans, focus, and memory. And on child/teen development? Emerging research is even more alarming.

We are change makers, and change making means making difficult decisions, having difficult conversations, and going against the grain. On today's show: Why we need to (yet again!) rethink our approach to technology and delay the age at which we give our children access to smartphones.



Here's a preview:

[8:30] 57% of Americans report being "addicted" to their smartphones. Are you one of them?

[11:30] Smartphone addiction isn't your fault! Here's exactly how social media keeps your attention so they make more $$

[17:30] How to declutter your cell phone like a boss

[26:00] What recent research says with regard to the impacts of smartphones on children's/teens' wellness

[37:00] 5 reasons parents say they're pulled to give their child a smartphone, plus alternative solutions!

[43:00] Individual actions impact the collective. How to make delaying the smartphone a staple in your community




Resources mentioned:

The Smart Phone Compulsion Test
Wait Until 8th
How To Break Up With Your Phone (by Catherine Price)
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (by Jonathan Haidt)
Investigation: How TikTok's Algorithm Figures Out Your Deepest Desires (via The Wall Street Journal)
Have Smart Phones Destroyed A Generation? (via The Atlantic)


This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

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Want to feel calmer and happier? You don't have to shell out hundreds of dollars for the newest wellness product or service. In fact, the solution doesn't cost a cent: simply get in touch with your breathing.

Breath is an amazing and responsive teacher. That's because if we breathe as we live — take in and let go — we can't go wrong.

On today's show: An invitation to meet yourself with author  Jean Hall.



Here's a preview:

[5:00] The breath underpins everything we do in life, and yet we rarely bring awareness to it. Why not?

[10:00] 5 wellness benefits re: paying attention to your breathing patterns

[25:00] Exploring the pause changes everything

[29:00] Flowing with the breath is great practice for learning how to flow with life



Resources mentioned:

Breathe: Simple Breathing Techniques For A Calmer, Happier Life
Jean on Instagram


This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

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From phone calls to blind dates to punctuation to civil discourse, the internet has changed every aspect of human life. While some losses are insignificant, the rise of the internet has also resulted in larger repercussions, like shorter attention spans, a collective inability to sit in solitude, and the the utter demolition of personal privacy.

On today's show: A conversation with author and New York Times columnist Pamela Paul about the ways in which the internet has fundamentally changed human existence.



Here's a preview:

[8:00] Do humans need to experience boredom once in awhile? (Absolutely yes, and here's why)

[14:00] Not-so-thanks to the internet, the past no longer stays in the past

[20:00] The hive mind and queen bees: Does the internet hamper independent thought?

[27:00] Parenting implications associated with the loss of the kitchen landline

[35:00] Ruminating on the disappearance of the phone call



Resource mentioned:

100 Things We've Lost to the Internet


This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

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I received an email last month from two Dutchmen who have been sailing around the world for 8 years in search of climate solutions. They asked to visit my home and chat. I obliged, and I'm so happy I did.

On today's show: an in-person interview with Floris van Hees and Ivar Smits — also affectionately known as Sailors For Sustainability — about the wisdom they've gained from their adventure.

Here's a preview of 4 pieces of wisdom we are discussing today: 

[7:00] Leaving the "golden cage"  is big risk, sure. But there's also big reward

[16:00] America isn't normal!

[22:00] Bad news sells, but there's plenty of good going on in the world because humans are incredibly adaptable

[43:00] When the smoke in the global theater thickens, the exit signs will shine brighter



This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy