Our season’s come to a close, but don’t worry – we’ll be back after our hiatus! Thanks so much for tuning in as we shift directions with this new season. If you have a life hack you’d love to hear Shelly discuss on the show, send us a note at lifehacks@trustory.fm . See you next season!
This week on the show, Shelly is joined by Tristan Gandolfi, the director of entrepreneurial education at Seed Spot. This company focuses on helping entrepreneurs who are creating solutions to social problems. Whether you have a great idea and are just trying to figure out how to make it happen or know you want to do something in the social space but aren’t quite sure what just yet, Seed Spot can help. They have a variety of programs, and Shelly and Tristan talk through them. They chat about the...
Whether you work from home, at the office, or from the road, it can be hard focusing on the task at hand. Distractions constantly arise, not to mention habits we just can’t break. All of this can keep us from being as productive as we’d like to be. On this week’s show, Shelly is joined by musician, tech entrepreneur, and inventor Will Henshall. Will is behind focus@will, a tool that can help you find focus and achieve better productivity. Focus@will provides personalized music so you don’t feel ...
Life is busy as it is, but for Highly Sensitive People, or HSPs, even the smallest change can overwhelm. Today, spiritual writer, guide, and certified Reiki practitioner Alissa Boyer joins Shelly Boucher to talk about the toolkit that HSPs can use to survive our busy world. From daily tools like journaling, breathing, meditation, and diet, to finding peace through your pets and helping your HSP children as a parent, the conversation is designed to help HSPs, people with HSPs in their lives, and ...
Dog adoptions rose 30-40% during the pandemic over the last year. A lot of first-time dog owners are trying to figure out how to handle these energetic new members of their families. To help out, Shelly Boucher talks training tips with dog trainer and pet custody mediator Karis Nafte. They talk about dealing with separation anxiety and leash manners. The discuss the idea of “smart” dogs and what that really means for owners. They chat about the challenges of adopting different sized dogs. And th...
On today’s episode, Shelly talks with Dr. Foxy Fit herself, Mallory Fox! Mallory created Dr. Foxy Fit as a way to help people improve mobility, relieve tension, and reduce stress through mindful movement as a way to improve the quality of their lives. Mallory talks through stretching your mind through meditation and her mindful minute texts. She also discusses the power of stretching your body. And she’s not talking about sitting down for 30 minutes to stretch. It’s using whatever moments you ha...
On today’s episode, Shelly talks with the founders of the West Tenth app, Sara Sparhawk and Lyn Johnson. They created West Tenth as a place to find artisans, crafters, artists and other service providers in your area. Of course, if you’re an artisan, crafter, artist, or a service provider, it’s the perfect place to market yourself and what you do. The concept feels like a blend of NextDoor and Etsy. Join Shelly as she learns more from Lyn and Sara about their exciting app! About Sara and Lyn Lyn...
It's been quite a break but Lifehacks is back! This time with a brand new host and a season of great tools and services to make the most of your time and energy!
When my kids were young, I had the good fortune to have multiple friends that were Speech and Language Pathologists. So any time I had a question or concern about my kiddo's language development, I'd turn to them for assistance, reassurance or strategies. I realize not everyone has this dynamic, so in this week's episode I've invited Sharon Soliday, a dear friend of mine (and Speech and Language Pathologist), to join me to discuss all things speech and language. ß
Over the past several weeks, we’ve talked about creating a personal spending plan and some tips about how to save money on one of your largest monthly expenses. But what about imparting some of that financial literacy to your kiddos? As far as Tim Ranzetta is concerned, having those conversations early and often is key to ensuring your kids have a firm financial foundation to avoid costly spending pitfalls and proactively manage their own finances. On this episode, Tim and I discuss all things p...
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with cooking and meal planning. I enjoy cooking and feeding my family healthy meals, but it turns out this is something you have to do every. single. day! I get burnt out easily. AND, as you might have noticed, food is EXPENSIVE and it just seems to be getting more so. For me, it’s overwhelming to manage the logistics as well as the finances of all this eating. My guest today happens to be a master at both meal planning AND shopping on a budget. Her name ...
When you sit down to do your finances, does your heart fill with dread and loathing? Yeah…me too. My guest in this episode is CreativeMoney.biz’s Mindy Crary and she thinks all of this finance stuff is FUN (crazy, right?) and joins me to share her approach to personal finance. Tune in to this episode to hear Mindy’s tips on the best online spending tools, how and where to start cutting back on things you probably won’t miss and ways to prioritize spending plans without going overboard. Mindy tak...
Last month my family and I spent a week in Utah. Several of those days we volunteered at the largest no-kill animal shelter in the country - Best Friends Animal Sanctuary . This experience was a fantastic one for the entire family as you’ll hear on today’s episode. We worked with bunnies, parrots, puppies, cats and horses. You’ll hear which ones were winners and my family’s advice on volunteering at Best Friends (hint: do it!). This episode is a bit different than most so if this is your first t...
How do you feel when you're called upon to give a presentation in front of a group of people? Nervous? Anxious? Terrified? If your public speaking skills leave a little to be desired, whether it's simply increasing your confidence or boosting your communication skills, today's episode is for you! Our topic today is one that’s near and dear to my heart and that’s how to overcome the sheer terror that can sometimes accompany the prospect of speaking in front of a group. After a particularly mortif...
It’s time to start thinking about Father’s Day and all of the amazing men in your life. For some of you that means double, or even triple duty, as you consider your own father or grandfather as well as the father of your precious cherubs. While the default may be to make a special breakfast or dinner for Dad and call it good, this week’s episode offers a thoughtful approach to honoring that special guy in your family’s life. My guest this week is Larry Hagner, host of The Good Dad Project podcas...
It’s almost here. I can feel it. Summer and its glorious sun. As I say ‘good riddance’ to cloudy, damp weather and prepare to relish longer days and a more relaxed schedule for the kids, I dream of a summer garden. The promise contained within a flat of vegetables inspires visions of freshly picked produce on my dinner table. Each year, I try to take a teeny step forward in my gardening skill. I’ve finally reached the point where I can grow cucumbers, tomatoes and snap peas without too much trou...
How much time do you spend thinking about your home appliances? Probably zero until you’re faced with a leaky fridge or dryer that’s no longer drying your clothing. And then it’s a minor emergency because the truth is, we depend on these appliances for modern day living. Did you know your major appliances should last 10 years or more? The key to long happy lives for your appliances is to maintain them. Angie’s List’s Cheryl Reed joins me in today’s episode to share some very simple ways to exten...
A few weeks ago I took to my Facebook page to ask what projects you knew you SHOULD be tackling but you just didn’t know where to start. One neglected project mentioned repeatedly had to do with photos...“organizing all my photos” or “sorting/printing pictures” and “creating yearly memory books for my kids”. And BOY can I relate. So today, I’m calling in an expert. Laurel Sittig is Editorial Manager for Photojojo, a blog and online store for photography gear and cool photo ideas. Laurel walks us...
If a natural disaster struck tomorrow, would you be ready? Odd are, your answer is, "no". We've seen communities all around the world touched by horrific natural disasters, the most recent being the earthquake in Nepal. What if that was your community? Do you even know where to begin? The sad reality is that many of us are NOT prepared. But the good news is that, by listening to today's episode, you're going to get some terrific resources from my guest, Marcie Maynes. Marcie teaches all about fa...
How many hours each week do you spend playing the calendar game over email trying to coordinate a simple phone call or in-person meeting? If your answer, like mine, is "a lot!", then keep reading. This minisode is for YOU. I've been on the hunt for a web-based tool that will essentially schedule my meetings for me. I've finally found it in Calendly. This Google-calendar-based online scheduler provides you with a link to share with others that displays only the times you tell it to, based on some...
Do you ever wish your digital life would just synchronize itself? I mean, it seems conceivable, right? That technology could self-organize to your benefit? You could just sit back and watch it all happen, tweaking now and again. Well, hang on to your mousepads because...wait for it...it can. And that's what we're delving into in this episode. It's a web service called IFTTT (If This, Then That, rhymes with "Gift") that enables you to create 'recipes' linking one platform (channel) to another. So...
If you have a kiddo that’s into sports, you’re going to want to pay close attention today because I have a guest that may very well change the way your family approaches those sports activities. John O’Sullivan has been involved in soccer full time as a player and coach since 1996. He is now an international speaker and national best-selling author of a book called Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes.
Does travel run in your blood? Ever dreamed of taking your kids to another country? If so, then today’s episode is a dose of inspiration for you. In September of 2013 Kathrin Spaccarelli and her husband sold most of their belongings, including their home, and traveled the world for a year with their two sons who were ages 6 and 10 at the time. They visited 25 countries on 5 continents in the experience of a lifetime. Kathrin joins me in today’s episode to share a little bit about their journey, ...
Raise your hand if you purchase those thick summer learning workbooks for your kids. Now keep them raised if you’re successful in getting them to complete their allotted assignments all summer long. If you’re hand is still raised, congratulations, you’re the one super parent on the planet who has accomplished this feat. The rest of you, read and listen on! I have a confession to make. Part of me really hates summer vacation because it’s a long stretch of 10 weeks when my kids are not in school, ...
Do you ever feel the itch to do something just a little out of the ordinary? Something that would have a lasting impact on you, your family and the world? I do. All the time. One thing I’ve been researching seriously over the last few months is volunteering overseas with my family and today’s episode is all about that: having a meaningful volunteer adventure abroad. I’m joined by Dave Santulli, Founder & Executive Director of United Planet, an organization that offers volunteer opportunities...
Do you own your own business? Or have you ever dreamed of starting your own business? If so, today’s episode is for you. According to Jill Salzman, moms make the best entrepreneurs because we know how to make it up as we go. Jill created the mom entrepreneur MeetUp, The Founding Moms. Their mission? Helping moms get down to business. Jill shares what happens at these monthly MeetUps in cities around the world, a few amazing and inspirational stories of successful mom entrepreneurs and why gettin...
How important is your child’s education? Hard to quantify, right? It’s probably safe to say that your knee-jerk response is something along the lines of, “Very!”. At least it is for me. Choosing the right school for your child can be a weighty and complicated decision, no matter their age. Whether you’re deciding where to settle as a family based on the public schools or checking out private or charter school options, there are so many factors that come into play. Where to start may well be the ...
Do you ever feel like your wardrobe could use a serious makeover but don’t know where to start? I work from home, so the motivation simply isn’t there most days to do much other than shower and pull on a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie. The challenge comes when I do need to go to a professional meeting or just want to look put together. I’m at a bit of a loss. I have a few go-to outfits but that’s where it ends. For today’s episode I pull in a fashion big gun to help. Elizabeth Smith founded a c...
If you’re reading these words, you’re probably a parent. If you’re a parent of children that can speak, you’ve probably experienced the topic of today’s episode – and that’s back talk. Rude, snarky comments in response to your authority as a parent. It’s maddening! Luckily for us, we have a parenting expert to help us address this dynamic in our homes. Dr. Becca is a child psychologist and host of the blog, Parenting the Modern Family. Tune in to hear Dr. Becca’s wisdom!...
Waking up to realize that you are a parent…in charge of another human being’s life…is typically a pretty life-altering experience. And while our Facebook feeds show much of the joyful, silly, happy and proud sides of being a parent, what we seldom admit to ourselves, let alone to our social circles is that parenting is hard and not always a lot of fun. My guest today is Jennifer Senior, author of the much acclaimed book All Joy and No Fun, named one of Slate’s Top 10 Books of the Year which I ca...
