Sustainable Minimalists

In a world of minimalist trends and beige-on-beige living rooms, it’s easy to feel as though your home should look like a page from a high-end decor catalog. But when you prioritize perfection over personality, your home may become just another place in which you feel pressure to "keep up". Let's ditch picture-perfect spaces in favor of lived-in havens. On today's show author Don Suttajit encourages us to curate homes that support our growth, restore our energy, and help us uncover who we truly are.   Here's a preview: [9:00] If we're not careful, advertising will sell us our identities [14:00] Busy-ness is a capitalist construct! [18:30] How to set your home up to be less of a stress-inducer and more of a haven [28:00] Havens aren't about aesthetics. They're about function and feel   Resources mentioned: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (via the National Library of Medicine) Tidy Less, Live More: An Identity-Based Approach to Organizing Your Home and Life 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! [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world has changed so much, but the tenets of timeless parenting haven't changed one bit. Our culture tends to treat childhood like a race. But the push to meet academic benchmarks at younger and younger ages is counterproductive to how a child's brain naturally develops. And when parents overschedule their children because they're afraid they'll be left behind, they may be robbing them of the downtime they need to thrive. On today's show world-renowned child psychologists Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Dr. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff dive into how to raise healthy, happy children without burning out -- and without relying on the latest "educational" gadgets.   Here's a preview: [5:15] Smart phones, AI, oh my: The fundamental needs of children haven't changed, even if  technology has [15:00] How to ignore the very-real temptation to get our kids "ahead" [19:45] Unrealistic expectations characterize much of the "academic" toys on the market. Here's how to spot them [25:00] The research is clear: Kids need more downtime. Extracurriculars aren't downtime! [34:00] Your new parenting mantra: "Reflect, Resist, Recenter"   Resources mentioned: Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less Trouble in Toyland 2025: A.I. bots and toxics present hidden dangers (via PIRG) Kathy and Roberta on Instagram Book clubs are scheduled!    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! [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A former Meta executive recently revealed that, when a girl posts a selfie on social media and takes it down, the algorithm then targets her for beauty products. Enter today's teen and tween skincare craze, where Sephora Kids and "SkinTock" reign supreme. But pushing skincare on young girls is a business that's off of highlighting a child's flaws. Worse, many of the products being marketed to them contain powerful ingredients that may actually harm — not help — developing skin. On today's show: A minimalist parent's take on multi-step skincare routines for tweens and teens, with the help of clean beauty expert Andrea Dahr.   Here's a preview: [7:00] Children have sensitive skin, and anti-aging products can harm their skin for the long haul [9:00] What the "clean section" at Sephora means — and what it doesn't [14:30] The link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and early puberty [20:00] What should teens and tweens *actually* be putting on their faces on a daily basis? [34:00] Five tips for parents of teens and tweens who love skincare   Resources mentioned: Episode #528: Heathy Hair Episode #320: The Obesogens Switch Natural app We have an aligned sponsor! Head to Duckfeetusa.com and use code MAMAMINIMALIST FOR $50 off.   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! [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My husband and I made a fatal error. We gave our pre-teen limited access to a screen at a developmentally vulnerable age. And then we took it back. On today's show: A cautionary tale about what happened when we eased up on our household's screen rules. Here's a preview: [3:00] My household's descent into screendom: How did we get here? [16:00] "The light went out behind her eyes" and other tween behavioral and personality changes [21:00] The four foundational harms of smart phones, according to Jonathan Heidt [28:00] Kids are highly susceptible to both conformist bias and prestige bias. That's why phones are so darn powerful [31:00] If you don't want your child to act like a TikTok influencer, don't give them access to TikTok! [32:00] The presence of screens reduces a child's interest in all other non-screen activities (and other helpful reminders) Resources mentioned: We have an aligned sponsor! Head to Duckfeetusa.com and use code MAMAMINIMALIST FOR $50 off. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness   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! [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While suburbia has long symbolized comfort, safety, and home ownership, its consequences reach far beyond picket fences and cul-de-sacs. From traffic congestion and environmental degradation to economic inequality and declining community life, our reverence for sprawl has reshaped how we live, work, and connect. On today's show author and developer Steve Nygren discusses how this pattern of development took hold, who benefits when we're isolated, and what better alternatives can look like. Here's a preview: [6:30] Calling out the "boundaries that box us in" [14:30] The antidote? Connect with people who have common concerns [22:00] Easy ways to live with community — not sprawl — in mind [32:00] Who benefits when we're isolated, lonely, sedentary, and sad? Resources mentioned: We have an aligned sponsor! Head to Duckfeetusa.com and use code MAMAMINIMALIST FOR $50 off. Start In Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live With Radical Common Sense Last Child in the Woods (by Richard Louv) The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (by Jonathan Haidt) Serenbe 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! [email protected]. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.