Spring has officially sprung! It’s hard not to throw yourself into your local plant nursery and empty your wallet to create the garden of your Instagram dreams. But how do you get the best bang for your gardening buck? And what are the easiest plants to care for without, you know, sending them to the compost pile? Lucky for us, Simplified’s creative director Whitney Hawkins happens to create beautiful things not only with her computer, but also with her gorgeous garden! Whit and Emily talk about...
Apr 28, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 62
We love our people, but here’s the thing: conflict is inevitable. That’s because people see and experience the world differently. And that’s okay! In fact, it’s normal! But have you ever noticed the hard conversations you have with your partner can go from 0 to 60 on the emotional rollercoaster, more than any other relationship can? Why is that? And how can we navigate those conversations while respecting our partner’s feelings—and our own? Emily breaks down how to spot when you’re about to spir...
Apr 21, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 61
What do you do when the story you’re living suddenly doesn’t fit anymore? What happens when your story gets rewritten in real time—and you have no backspace button you can push? We’ve all been there in one way or another. So has author Shauna Niequist. Like many of us, Shauna has been in a season of unraveling and reweaving. A few years ago she, her husband Aaron, and their two boys left their hometown of Chicago and moved into an 800-square-foot apartment in Manhattan, where they knew exactly e...
Apr 14, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Do you start your day with a plan, or just kind of wing it? If you’re looking to give your schedule a tactical makeover, may we introduce . . . time blocking! This week, Emily’s telling you all about this productivity secret weapon and how it can give a little structure to even the craziest days. Sometimes getting more done (and a little peace of mind along the way!) is as simple as looking at your To-Do list and figuring out when you can make it happen—and if you can’t, maybe it’s time to give ...
Apr 07, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 59
With everything going on in our homes and our world, peace can seem out of grasp even on the best days. But as artist and poet Morgan Harper Nichols says, “You don’t have to arrive at your picture-perfect life before you can know peace.” Whenever Morgan speaks, we listen—you can see why, right? This week, Emily and Morgan talk about how to quiet your heart and find contentment, no matter where you are (even if it’s somewhere you don’t want to be). Morgan shares how receiving an autism diagnosis ...
Mar 31, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 58
Is it mean to live with boundaries? Do they keep you walled off from other people? Nope! Our guest today Nedra Tawwab says, “Boundaries are expectations and needs that help you feel safe and comfortable in your relationships.” Sounds like they’re pretty essential, huh? Nedra’s a therapist who shares (with her 1.4 million Instagram followers @nedratawwab) how to clearly communicate your needs and expectations so you can create healthy, loving relationships. Today Nedra and Emily talk about ways t...
Mar 24, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Sometimes the person who’s hardest to treat with compassion is . . . you. When you’ve done something you wish you could take back, or didn’t intervene when you should’ve, carrying guilt can feel like a punishment you’re supposed to shoulder. But Emily reminds us if we want to show compassion to others, we *have* to show it to ourselves first. This week, Emily’s sharing a few ways you can start to be more gentle and kind with yourself. Because kindness isn’t weakness—it one of the strongest thing...
Mar 17, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 56
What kind of story are you telling yourself *about* yourself? Does it fit who you are right now, or do you think it’s time to find a new one? We’re asking ourselves some big questions on the podcast today, and Enneagram coach and podcaster Ian Morgan Cron is here to guide us! Ian is an expert in the Enneagram personality assessment (he’s a 4, by the way), and today he and Emily (a Type 2!) share how learning more about themselves through the Enneagram has helped them see why they make the decisi...
Mar 10, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Is it a coincidence that our first podcast birthday (!) falls super close to another favorite day of ours, International Women’s Day? We don’t think so! And we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate both than inviting two of Team Simplified’s leaders on the show: our COO Brittany Werth and Creative Director Whitney Hawkins! Emily, Brittany, and Whit share about the women who inspired them and showed them how to work hard, dream big, and lead families and businesses with creativity and compa...
Mar 03, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 54
When you’re about to hit a big milestone, do you ever get reflective? It’s hard not to, right? Emily’s turning 39 this week, and she’s recapping eight lessons she learned in her 38th year. From discovering she might be a cat lady after all (!) to helping her kids spread their wings in new ways, Emily’s showing us that every year has lessons big and small in store for us, if we take the time to look for them. Thanks to our episode sponsors! BETTERHELP | Affordable, private online therapy — anytim...
Feb 24, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Sometimes you look up from your busy life and realize . . . this is not the story you thought would be yours. And without even realizing it, your spirit slid from “Everything is awesome!” to “I’m just getting by.” That’s what former Miss Kentucky and three-time Amazing Race contestant Mallory Ervin realized one day—and she decided she was going to do something about it. Mallory and Emily talk about Mallory’s brand-new book called “Living Fully,” where Mallory candidly shares about the addiction ...
Feb 17, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Who knows you better than your person? Probably no one! But do they know * everything * about you—and vice versa? Let’s find out! Emily’s husband Bryan is back on the show for a little Valentine’s Day fun. There’s plenty of laughs and a few sweet moments as Emily and Bryan trade some of their favorite stories and memories, game show style. (PS: we’ve got a list of questions they answered on the show notes at emilyley.com/podcast, so you can have some fun getting to know your person, too!) Thanks...
Feb 10, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Raise your hand if your InstantPot or Slow Cooker has already saved your life this year (spoiler alert: ours are up in the air!). When you’re strapped for time or cash, nothing’s better than making a big pot of something in one of these kitchen workhorses. Today, Emily’s sharing four of her All-Time Favorite meals she makes in the Instant Pot and Slow Cooker (with methods for each appliance!). From meals you can make with pantry ingredients you for sure have *right now* to a bright lemon chicken...
Feb 03, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Living with anxiety is . . . well, it’s overwhelming. Yet so many of us do, for so many reasons. Some find relief from anxiety when they talk with a therapist, or when they take medication (something that’s helped Emily, for sure). Sometimes, anxiety is a tool your body’s using to tell you something — that maybe someone has stepped over one of your boundaries, and that’s not okay with you. It could be a boundary of your time, your money, your values, your body. Boundaries affect how we live ever...
Jan 27, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Here’s something that’s hard to admit for so many of us: it can feel like a struggle to care for our bodies in a compassionate way, to listen to what our bodies need and want. So many of us feel ashamed that our bodies don’t look a certain way, or we’re not able to do things that others can. It’s a message that’s been fed to us over and over since we were little girls. But what would our mental space look like if we could break free from those messages and begin to heal? What would it look like ...
Jan 20, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 48
This time of year, so many of us resolve to get better with our finances. And the cornerstone of getting good at your money might not be flashy, but it sure is effective: it’s knowing how much money you have coming in and how much is going out. That’s basically a fancy way of saying “making a budget.” And you know what? Even if you’re not a “numbers” person, you can make a budget — and it doesn’t have to be complicated (side note: Emily didn’t think she was a numbers person either, and surprise,...
Jan 13, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Welcome to 2022, friends! A fresh start feels good, doesn’t it? One of our favorite things to do this time of year to get that “fresh start” feeling inside our homes is to clean out our closets. But if you’ve got a lot on your plate, don’t worry—you don’t have to do it all in a day! Small steps make big progress, and Emily’s here to show you her tried-and-true method of getting rid of closet clutter. It’s a small but simple way to make room for what matters this year. Thank you to our episode sp...
Jan 06, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 46
It’s always nice to take a break, but sometimes it feels even better to ease back into our regular routine. As we close our Simplifying 2022 series, Emily has a few tips to help you transition from holiday mode back into your regular life. From setting the mood you want in your home to building rest in your schedule, being intentional and compassionate about the way you return to your “real life” will not only feel good—it’ll help you get back on track faster and give you a better launchpad to s...
Dec 31, 2021•12 min
The last few years have shown us just how important it is to have rich connections with others—that’s especially true of having strong friendships. Before the pandemic, you might’ve noticed your friendships have changed in shape and number over the year. For a lot of us, these kinds of changes can leave us feeling a little lonely, and even unsure of how to make new friends as an adult. In the third part of our Simplifying 2022 series, Emily is joined by one of her dearest friends, Jane, on the s...
Dec 30, 2021•40 min
Welcome to Day 2 of our Simplifying 2022 series! As you prep for the new year, you may be thinking through new goals or priorities you want to pursue. When we sit down to plan at Team Simplified, we ask ourselves this question: what matters most to me? We’ve found that clarifying what matters most to us—whether it’s caring for family, carving out time to try a new hobby, or growing our business—clears the mental clutter so we can make room to focus on the most important things. Today, Emily’s go...
Dec 29, 2021•13 min
Happy (almost) New Year! Who doesn’t love a fresh start? We sure do, and this week, Emily’s here every single day until the New Year to give you all the tools and tricks to help you plan your best year yet. Here’s the thing: we know you’re coming to this episode today from all kinds of different places. You might be ready to take the new year by storm. If that’s you, then rock on, sister! But if you’re struggling with something—or many somethings—we get it. It can feel hard to feel like a fresh ...
Dec 28, 2021•16 min
Some of the sweetest holiday memories can be made over a friendly gingerbread house decorating competition, or watching A Charlie Brown Christmas together every year. But after you’ve gotten in your favorite traditions, how do you keep the fun going? How do you find things to watch and play that everyone can enjoy without scrolling, scrolling, scrolling on your streaming app, or opening up search tab after search tab, trying to find games to play? Don’t worry—Emily’s got you covered! Emily’s sha...
Dec 23, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 45
We often think of the holiday season as the brightest time of year, filled with love and warmth. And for many, that’s true. But real life doesn’t press pause at the holidays. So many of us are wading through hard things: a relationship on its last legs, a bank account stretched too thin, a problem we a child we don’t know how to solve, an empty chair at the holiday table. This season, many of us find that we’re holding grief and joy in both hands. It can feel like a hard and confusing burden to ...
Dec 16, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Books are a gift that go way beyond getting a good story in the moment. They show us worlds beyond our own, that love and joy and hope exist in the most unlikely places, that people who are different from us are kind and good and experience the same feelings we all do. These are fantastic lessons to learn at any age, but especially for kids. Emily’s sharing her favorite books for kids, from tales she enjoyed on her own to ones that she’s sharing with her children now. From picture books to Harry...
Dec 09, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 43
One of the most heart-warming parts of the holidays is watching all the ways people bring magic to others, and how different families celebrate the season. Emily and her BFF Kristin share where they’re finding holiday magic this year: everything from leaving treats for delivery drivers, watching littles revel in magical moments big and small, giving experiences instead of more stuff, and the traditions that bring us closer to loved ones (even when they go hilariously awry!). So grab yourself a p...
Dec 02, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 42
The holiday season is here, friends! It’s a season of joy and celebration—and also a schedule that’s a bit more full than usual. The end of the year is always a busy time, and it can be hard to carve a break in the middle of it all. To help you avoid burnout and truly enjoy what the season has to offer, Emily’s got four ideas to help you feel like rest is within your grasp. As she says, “I know it can feel impossible to care for yourself in the middle of a busy season. But just remember: you wer...
Nov 25, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Even at the holidays, life doesn’t stop. Amid the joy and celebration and light, we can still feel the weight of a broken relationship, a financial hardship, a diagnosis you’d give anything to take on yourself instead. It’s terribly hard to watch a friend or loved one struggle with a painful experience, but even harder sometimes to know how to give the support they need. This week, Emily’s friend Dean Crowe shares how to hold space for someone who’s hurting. A few years ago, Dean’s friends lost ...
Nov 18, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 40
You’ve made your gift lists and checked them twice—but do you need more ideas for the people in your life? Emily’s here to help! She’s sharing gifts to give to people who span across all kinds of ages and relationships: your significant other, your kids (or nieces and nephews!), your parents, your friends and coworkers. You’ll learn how to pair a few Simplified items to make an impactful gift, discover cool locally-made gifts from small makers around the county, and even favorite gift finds from...
Nov 11, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Happy Holidays, you guys! After months of waiting, the most festive (and busy) time of year is here again. As you ramp up all the fun stuff—the lights, the music, the decorations, the menu and party planning and gift wrapping galore—don’t forget: it’s not your job to do what you think you’re supposed to do to make the holidays merry for everyone. Just do what matters to you and your people, and forget the rest. That’s something Emily learned from her mom, Stephanie, who’s affectionately known as...
Nov 04, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 38
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—for *clothes.* The knits. The chunky scarves. The adorable boots. When the weather turns cool, it’s so fun to get cozy with your wardrobe. But how many times a week do you peek in your closet and think “I have literally nothing to wear”? Actually, you do—you just have too many choices. So let Emily help! This week, Emily’s taking a Simplified approach to your cold-weather closet and giving it a capsule wardrobe makeover, sharing what kinds of pieces to ke...
Oct 28, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 37
