Facing the Monday Blues? Feeling antsy at the idea of taking a vacation for fear of all that work that will pile up while you are way? This week’s episode is for you. Drawing from what she has learned from re-entering her work routine after maternity leave, host Sharon explores what you can do before, during and after a “break” to making getting back into work as seamless as possible. Learn about how to get yourself (and your team) organized, techniques for limiting your priorities like the kanb...
Jun 12, 2017•41 min
Ever wonder who makes our pretty and original cover art each week? It’s today’s guest, the designer and printer behind the Cincinnati-based studio Cryptogram, Jon Flannery. Jon shares with our Design Yourself community what motivates him in his work as a designer and entrepreneur. You will learn the mix of science and art that integrates in his own creative process and how having creative entrepreneurs for parents influenced him growing up. For anyone curious to get inside the head of a thoughtf...
Jun 05, 2017•46 min
Changing jobs. Moving. Getting married. Having a baby. If you’re preparing for or experiencing a transitional time in your life, this episode is for you. This week’s guest is a high school English teacher, bride-to-be, and host Sharon’s “birthday twin” sister. She’s also one of the most giving and caring people we know. Philly has been a font of ideas for show topics since Design Yourself launched nearly a year ago. One topic that she suggested for a solo show early on was resources for moving t...
May 29, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Host Sharon isn't afraid to admit she loves a good organizing fest. Ever since she was a little girl, she's been famous (erm, sometimes infamous) for her love of taking everything down off the shelves so that she could pick it back up in a new and improved order. So you won't be surprised that when organizing consultant Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up hit stores in 2014, Sharon began playing with these principles in her own life. Today's episode uses the KonMari method a...
May 22, 2017•46 min
This week’s episode is all about the simplest of tools for getting stuff done: The To Do List. This week Sharon geeks out on the best times to tap into this tool, her favorite 4 variations on the To Do List, and 4 tactics to make sure that you leverage this resource to best effect. Here’s the basic theory, one size fit all solutions simply don’t work. But that doesn’t mean you have to begin every solution from scratch. Sharon offers these templates and strategies to arm you with some best practi...
May 15, 2017•42 min
Sharon is back with her first solo show as a mama of three. She shares what she learned by setting a 40 day boundary for extreme rest post the arrival of her new son. No matter your life circumstances, all of us can benefit from finding ways to carve out rest in a way that works for us and our life circumstances. This episode is great for anyone who is feeling ready to take a break, is wondering about the value of stepping back or who is just curious about what Sharon’s been up for the last few ...
May 08, 2017•33 min
Melissa Sanabria is one of those rare people who is both super creative and super organized. She is the designer and blogger behind Pretty Little Rowhouse and she is a consultant with a Big Four accounting firm. She is a natural at dishing out great design solutions and she is just as comfortable directing projects and managing clients engagements. This week we get to hear the story of how she developed these twin skill sets and what she learned along the way. In the process, we hear many great ...
May 01, 2017•51 min
Aimee Rowe returns to the show this week for the second half of her Camino de Santiago discussion with Sharon. In episode 40 Aimee and Sharon share how they prepared to walk this ancient pilgrimage route through Spain. This week they share what the experience of walking was actually like. Hear Aimee and Sharon’s favorite Camino adages, what they loved about the journey, who some of the memorable characters were that they met along the way, and more. Whether you are curious about walking the Cami...
Apr 24, 2017•1 hr 19 min
Aimee Rowe joins us on the show this week for for the first in a two-part series on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route through Spain. Aimee is a doctor, an adventurer, and a long-time friend of Sharon’s. Sharon and Aimee walked this pilgrimage route together nearly 5 years ago and this week they are discussing how they both prepared for this walk, including how they went about making and honoring the commitment to walk, how they were able to carve out 6 weeks from their regular ...
Apr 17, 2017•46 min
Life is too short not to spend your time doing what you really feel called to do. In today’s encore episode Sharon offers up tips and resources for just letting go of the excuses and going for it - whatever it might be for you. Learn 5 simple steps to move from where you are today to where you want to be. Ideas Shared: This week I had fun playing with Adam Kurtz’s new book Pick Me Up: A Pep Talk for Now & Later . It is a fun book-journal-workbook-guide thing with pages of prompts for you to ...
Apr 10, 2017•33 min
This week we meet the husband wife team behind Forty Third Place, the umbrella under which all of the creative projects and collaborations of Jonaki Sanyal and Blake Sloane live. Woodworking, carpentry, photography and design are among their specialities. (Blake just built beautiful custom desks for Sharon’s home office!) Listen to learn the story of how this pair has always prioritized their creative pursuits and how they continue in the work of figuring out what a well-designed life looks like...
Apr 03, 2017•44 min
Meet Clara Muggli-Toyloy, the mom and entrepreneur behind Fuzzy Logic Wool, a brand new company that produces gorgeous, handmade, sustainable clothing and cloth diapers for infants and toddlers. Clara is just starting out with Fuzzy Logic (her Etsy shop launched in late 2016), but she’s not new to the world of working for herself. Early in career, she set up her own landscape design company operating in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hear Clara discuss everything from taking small steps to get her ...
Mar 27, 2017•48 min
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” So says Epictetus. In this encore episode Sharon discusses money, money, money. Learn about the difference between operating from a sufficiency (“there is enough”) vs. a scarcity (“there isn’t enough”) mindset and explore the 5 guiding steps to ensure that money isn’t what holds you back from going after what you really want. Money ultimately only has the value that we give it; learn how to make sure that your values and...
Mar 20, 2017•35 min
Today we meet adventurer-extraordinaire, Aimee Rowe. Learn about how she wended her way from being a humanities major in undergraduate (religious studies with an environmental studies concentration to be specific!) to completing her medical residency today – nearly 15 years later. Aimee’s path is filled with many unusual twists and turns from sailing tall ships on both the Atlantic and Pacific, teaching young students about the wilderness in Maine and water conservation along the Mississippi Riv...
Mar 13, 2017•1 hr 5 min
In today’s Design Yourself, we meet Catherine Orr and Elena Rue, the filmmakers and storytellers behind StoryMineMedia. Learn about how they launched a business that defied industry standards, created a unique perspective on how to tell stories that create impact, and pushed themselves to continue growing and learning along the way. This one is for anyone who has a story to tell. (Elena and Catherine would tell you that’s you. Yes, YOU!) “If we are going to do it, we are going to do it.” – Cathe...
Mar 06, 2017•48 min
In today’s Design Yourself, we meet Ericka Leighton-Spradlin, the artist and entrepreneur behind Continuum, an eclectic bazaar//concept shop in Cincinnati, OH. (This happens to be Sharon’s favorite place to shop!) Learn how Ericka created her vision for the space and then followed her instincts to make her dream a reality. From sourcing trips to Japan, an artist commune in Maine, and balancing the demands of a growing business, Ericka’ story weaves a beautiful mix of the creative spirit and entr...
Feb 27, 2017•47 min
Thanks to those listeners who reached out to suggest that I share some Encore episodes while I am out on maternity leave. There will be a few of these episodes – all suggested by listeners – shared in the months ahead, starting with today’s throwback. In this encore episode of Design Yourself, Sharon discusses the importance of getting started. Career moves, life adventures, and creative projects can only begin from one place – the one you are in. The theme for today is: Stop waiting + start doi...
Feb 20, 2017•29 min
There is nothing like a little life adventure to teach. Sharon seized the opportunity to walk the ancient pilgrimage path through Spain, the Camino de Santiago, back in 2012. She hadn’t intended to be 6 months pregnant when starting this 500 mile walk, but the Camino - like life - doesn’t always follow our plans. Today Sharon shares 5 lessons that have stuck with her since this magical experience that she believes will resonate for pilgrims and non-pilgrims alike. GIVEAWAY To celebrate the launc...
Feb 13, 2017•32 min
Hate the feeling of being caged in? Me too. It may seem counterintuitive, but boundaries are a hugely impactful way to open yourself up to greater possibility. In today’s episode, Sharon discusses boundary setting using her three maternity leaves as examples for how her boundaries around this special time shape-shifted over time. While this episode will likely peak the interest of anyone preparing for their own maternity leave or supporting someone in this process, Sharon promises the 6 lessons ...
Feb 06, 2017•39 min
We all experience transitions on a regular basis. Sometimes they are big - e.g. getting married, starting a new job, grieving a loss, moving to a new place. Sometimes they are little - e.g. commuting across town to work, finishing writing a proposal, integrating a new member on our team. Transitions often seem like something to rush through as quickly as possible on our way to get from the present to where we want to be. Unfortunately life doesn’t usually work this way. We spend the majority of ...
Jan 30, 2017•35 min
You’ve heard Sharon close each podcast with this phrase: There is nothing stopping you. But where did that come from and what exactly does it mean? Learn how this tagline came to be and work through some reflection questions for getting deeper on your own beliefs. Your intentions really can change the world, but first you have to discover what they are. GIVEAWAY We shared this week that we are doing a special giveaway this month for early subscribers to our community. The full details of the giv...
Jan 23, 2017•31 min
One of the many great legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is that real, transformational change is possible when you stand up for what you believe. The first step in being able to emulate this kind of leadership? You have to know what you stand for. Today Sharon draws inspiration from this visionary leader and offers up questions for you to consider as you hone in on what it is that you believe and how you might best drive that forward. IDEAS SHARED Today we celebrate the profound leadership ...
Jan 16, 2017•18 min
What do you want? This question is the core inspiration for setting and moving towards a vision. Sharon believes that the greatest gift we can offer the world is to let our inner lights shine out brightly. To be our own unique selves. Visioning is an amazing resource for stewarding us on this path. Today Sharon shares Point Road Studios’ vision process, the Go Beyond Vision Cycle. Learn about how this process came to be, why visioning isn’t a linear but a cyclical process, and exercises for how ...
Jan 09, 2017•39 min
Happy New Year and welcome to 2017! Today’s show is all about embracing who you are and what you want for the new year. Sharon offers alternatives to setting a New Year’s resolution - because let’s face it, most of us don’t follow through on those anyway! She also shares guidance for how you can focus less on trying to reinvent yourself and more on tapping into what's awesome about you right now - and build from there. Our wish for each listener this year is that you can let go of what’s not nee...
Jan 02, 2017•30 min
Maybe you, like Sharon, love this last week of the year for the quiet inspiration that it inspires in you. Or maybe you are thinking, “what quiet?!?!!” as you wend your way through the transition from 2016 to 2017. Today’s podcast will meet you wherever you may find yourself. In this last episode of our inaugural season, Sharon shares the importance of finding and exploring quiet moments - with a special emphasis on how we can embrace them when they show up naturally and create them on our own w...
Dec 26, 2016•32 min
Can it be that the holidays and end of year are really here? Tis so! If you, like Sharon, are finding yourself not yet fully in the holiday spirit, fear not. Today’s episode is designed to help you find just that. Sharon shares 10 questions to get you reflecting on how you’d like to move through the coming weeks. Explore your own answers and see what Sharon’s personal reflections might spark for you. Wishing that the holidays this year bring you just what you hoped for - and a few fun surprises ...
Dec 19, 2016•36 min
This week we are celebrating the 4th birthday of Point Road Studios with the launch of our new website (www.pointroadstudios.com) and some reflections on key lessons learned in our first 4 years. Come reminisce and learn with Sharon as she reflects on topics like quitting your day job, demanding your worth, taking a stand, and more. Ideas Shared: Celebrating our 4th birthday at Point Road this past week was a real milestone. There is something about 4 years that feels a little like a “graduation...
Dec 12, 2016•37 min
You know what’s not possible? Being perfect. But man does it still have a magnetic force that draws us towards it. In today’s episode Sharon shares some of her favorite resources for countering this pull as she discusses how to embrace imperfection. You’ll learn also about some of the many imperfect things Sharon’s experiencing right now (hint: it involves a lot of home renovations) and get a sneak peak into the launch of the new pointroadstudios.com which goes live at the end of this week. Enjo...
Dec 05, 2016•32 min
This week Sharon shares one of the most helpful pieces of wisdom she’s ever received: “It’s more important to be present than prepared.” Learn how she has come to understand this adage over the years and how she’s added on to it as well. As part of this process, Sharon shares some questions you might consider if you find yourself holding on tightly to a desire to be in control and tips for bringing yourself back to centered awareness. May today’s episode steward you in stepping into your full pr...
Nov 28, 2016•31 min
The Thanksgiving season is upon us! Whether you are hitting the roads to travel to loved ones or embracing the opportunity to stay put, this week is often the start of a frenetic holiday pace. But it doesn’t have to be. In today’s episode, Sharon offers listeners a chance to settle into a spirit of peace and gratitude for the holiday season. Take in the 10 questions she shares to build up your own spirit of gratitude and hear her share how she is answering these prompts herself. Ideas Shared: 10...
Nov 21, 2016•37 min
