Against The Grain

In this episode I explain what mental health and mental illness are, factors that cause mental illness, and things you should and should not say to those around you suffering from a mental illness. There is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness so I hope by talking about it and trying to understand it, we can collectively go against the grain and educate ourselves to end this stigma - allowing ourselves or others suffering from mental illness to more likely get the help they need to get better.

In this episode of Against the Grain I explain recycling, it's history, and how the United States is handling recycling. The truths about why recycling is great sounding, but the small amount we recycle and the dilemmas we face with processing recyclables poses a problem. I share my suggestion and challenge you to go against the grain to try to be better and to increase the number of people trying to make a positive environmental impact.

In this episode of Against the Grain I discuss how we became a consumer based society, tracking it back to the Roaring Twenties. Also included is the Stock Market Crash of 1929 showing there are always cycles of a strong economy followed by periods of economic distress. The downtimes being the reason to shift our mindsets from the consumer mindset to the investor mindset so we never need to worry about money, losing our job, or any other stressful circumstances that come from economic turmoil. Can you go Against the Grain and start shifting your mindset to the investor mindset or will you stay with the consumer mindset?

On this episode of Against the Grain I cover what our every day living expenses are and general rules of thumb for how we should be allocating our money. I share my own goals and also provide tips to help potentially reduce your own living expenses. Can you go against the grain and follow the goal you set for yourself or will you stay living a normal paycheck to paycheck type lifestyle?

This episode of Against the Grain brings awareness to other birthing options for mothers, specifically home births. With only 1% to 2% of all births in the United States being home births I share what I enjoyed most about my own home birth and why I personally decided to have a home birth. Knowing your options is empowering, so I encourage the idea to know what options you have before just choosing a hospital birth because that is what the majority of women do.

With nearly 60% of Americans who claim they do not have enough money for a $1,000 unexpected expense, I dive in and talk about our issue with nonessential spending. Where if we cut that out for a month or two months, we would be much more prepared. I explain ways to curb this nonessential spending to help us get out of the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle. Are you going to go against the grain or will you be like the majority of people and not care about nonessential spending?

In this episode I explain what minimalism is and the benefits it can have, potential downsides to minimalism, and explain my own journey with minimalism. I believe minimalism is more of a journey and not a destination, that it can look like many things to different people, but the purpose of it and the reason people do it will remain the same. Do you think you can go against the grain and reduce some of your possessions to live with more intention and freedom from distractions that may weigh us down?

In this episode of Against The Grain I define what financial independence is, as well as explain the broad steps on how you can achieve this yourself. With such a small number of people who seem to achieve financial independence in the United States, do you think is it possible for more people to achieve financial independence? I explain why I personally want it so badly and how I plan on achieving it. Do you think you can change your mindset and go against the grain with the idea of living a more frugal life for more freedom or will you get caught up in the American Dream of material possessions and the standard way we spend and live in our society?

Bringing light to the truths about consumerism, which is one the biggest contributors to our global waste and climate issues. Consumerism leads us to feel like we are constantly missing something because we obtain a new material possession, then we are always on the hunt for more and we should try to break this cycle. Material possessions, do not define us - our character does. Are you able to go against the grain and live a happier, more simple life?

Bringing awareness about debt, credit card debt specifically, and the effects on your financial health including retirement. With half of all adults in America having credit card debt and not enough people being prepared for retirement, this episode encourages listeners to go against the grain by not caring about materialism and what others are doing, as well as making some sacrifices for a few years to prepare yourself for later on in life. Do not show your wealth by buying material possessions. Do not show wealth - have wealth.

Introduction to Against the Grain. On a mission to empower others to think freely and promote going against the grain of what everyone else in our society is doing due to social norms that many of us just blindly follow. Just because everyone else around us has done things a particular way, doesn't necessarily mean that we should too and this podcast is being created with the intention to shed light on that. Upcoming episodes to include topics on becoming debt free, financial freedom, minimalism, zero waste, home births, and so much more.