113 episodes

Perfection is an illusion sold to us a thousand ways a day. Join best friends, Jessica and Michelle, as they discover the beauty in the messiness of real life and find joy in the every day by embracing simplicity, creativity and a little sparkle.

Pretty Over Perfect Jessica and Michelle

    • Education
    • 4.9 • 34 Ratings

Perfection is an illusion sold to us a thousand ways a day. Join best friends, Jessica and Michelle, as they discover the beauty in the messiness of real life and find joy in the every day by embracing simplicity, creativity and a little sparkle.

    We Are the Fun Facilitators!

    We Are the Fun Facilitators!

    We all need more fun in our lives: fun creates bonds and lowers stress. It can be easy to put on the back burner, but the truth is that fun deserves to be prioritized in our lives. So we’re strategizing for incorporating more fun, and giving out some free (or nearly free) ways to have more fun with your spring break! 

    • 1 hr 10 min
    We Try the Pennebaker Journaling Method for Moving Through Traumatic or Stressful Situations

    We Try the Pennebaker Journaling Method for Moving Through Traumatic or Stressful Situations

    Have you ever heard of the Pennebaker Method? It’s a protocol of using expressive writing to move through traumatic or stressful situations in order to find more peace and hope in their aftermath. It’s completely free and available at anytime to anyone, which is one of the reasons we recommend it - no matter what you’re going through it could help! People who use the method widely report feeling much better in body and mind after the practice. Here we discuss it in detail and share our personal experiences using it to work through our own real life hang ups.

    If you need to remember the protocol for your own use remember the Es: write for at least 15 minutes, on 4 separate days about the Event, your Emotions (at the time and now) and the Effects on your life.

    Though it can be an intense process to write expressively about something painful in our past, we also discuss the science of why it works to face these things head on. When we  bring the situation out of our subconscious through language, we can handle it with our whole mind, which helps our systems regulate and our spirits find peace.

    This episode is based on information from the Huberman Lab Podcast: A Science-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve Mental and Physical Health 

    • 1 hr 10 min
    The Brain State of Grief and How to Move Through Effectively

    The Brain State of Grief and How to Move Through Effectively

    When you are grieving the loss of a loved one, a dream, a job or a home, your brain enters an anticipatory state seeking resolution. This process requires neurological rewiring and is painful and chaotic. But, when we understand what grief is, we are also better able to move through it effectively, finding peace and hope.

    As humans we are united in our fragility, and all of us either have or will experience grief in our lives. Knowing a little bit about what grief is in our brains and bodies can prepare us for our own experiences, and help us love others well in theirs.

    This episode is largely based on information from the Huberman Lab: The Science and Process of Healing from Grief. 

    • 1 hr 10 min
    Reframing: An Accessible Tool for Handling Everyday Situations

    Reframing: An Accessible Tool for Handling Everyday Situations

    Reframing is a powerful tool that allows us to expand our perspective and grow from our instinctual response to stimuli in order to create actions, thoughts and habits more in keeping with who we truly want to be. Our automatic response to a situation or season may not serve us or our futures very well, so we discuss 6 scenarios we are currently practicing reframing in our own lives. We talk about expansive gratitude, romanticizing our season of life, and  being generous with our love. We also answer questions like, "What to do with guilt,” and wonder what it would look like if we lived our daily routines as if we had begged to be here. 

    • 51 min
    Sanctifying Rest

    Sanctifying Rest

    It is increasingly easy in our culture to neglect our need and desire for rest - a break from all our striving to simply be in the moment, whether to enjoy what we are doing, process events and emotions or build relationships. But what the heck even is rest? Why is it so difficult for us to allow ourselves to rest? On this episode, Jessica and Michelle discuss all this, plus ways we can prioritize and sanctify rest, giving our minds and bodies the relief we need and crave. Plus, practical ways we are incorporating intentional rest into our lives this year.

    The book, "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker was mentioned, as well as this podcast episode featuring Jennifer Dukes Lee on Holy Hygge.  Michelle loves this episode of the BEMA podcast about the story behind the story of Creation and the command to rest. 

    • 1 hr 10 min
    Sunshine, Sweat, Sleep, Social, Synergy: 5 Ss of Emotional Well-Being in Every Day Life

    Sunshine, Sweat, Sleep, Social, Synergy: 5 Ss of Emotional Well-Being in Every Day Life

    Michelle is joined by her sister, Georgia, to talk about how they incorporate the 5 Ss of Emotional Well-Being into our lives every day: Sunshine, Sweat, Sleep, Social and Synergy.

    We got these 5 Ss from this episode with Joy Bouchard. And if you want to hear more from Georgia Filler, you can here.  She recommended the Bryant Ferate Podcast which you can find here! 

    • 1 hr 24 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
34 Ratings

34 Ratings

madisondahlin ,

An ode to learning new things!

Jessica and Michelle breathe life back into the sometimes daunting task of attempting self-improvement and learning. I loved listening to their advice and inspiring ideas for making “self care” fun! Each week you’ll find interesting, fun, and applicable tips to help make the mundaneness of daily life more joyful.

BrittPhelps ,

Favorite podcast!

Every episode of this podcast leaves me feeling so inspired! I always have a few new practices and ideas of things to do with my kids (or myself!) that I want to implement in my life! Michelle and Jess are so relatable and I feel like I’m just chatting with my girlfriends!

Brittney101 ,

Easy listen!

Love listening to this podcast! It’s such an easy listen, and I learn something new from each episode! Keep it up ladies I love it!

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