The Wit & Delight Podcast

We've been recording The Wit & Delight Podcast for one year and this project has been one of the highlights of the past twelve months for me. Now that we know the podcast space a bit more and can see the content you resonate with most, we are going to press pause and reframe our format.We're coming up with an exciting new way to think about the episodes we bring to you and new ways to showcase our guests. Stay tuned for a completely fresh concept we'll be releasing this spring!In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me at hello@witanddelight.com with any questions, and follow along with everything we're up to at witandelight.com and on Instagram at @witanddelight_.We'll see you back here before you know it!

Today we're talking with Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN of Kids Eat in Color, which provides advice and tools to get your kids eating (and enjoying!) a wider variety of foods, specifically vegetables.In our conversation, we talk about food rules and picky eaters. We dive into all of the ways we impose different kinds of behaviors onto our children, ourselves, and other people in our lives about how we eat, what we eat, and how much we eat. I've been practicing intuitive eating for the past year and it's completely changed the way I listen to my body. I've been looking for ways to help my kids eat from a more intuitive place—to better advocate for when they're full and what they like—and to help them enjoy mealtime a little bit more. My conversation with Jennifer provided so much insight into how to do just that. I hope you find it as helpful as I have!Find Jennifer on Instagram @kids.eat.in.colorFind Kids Eat in Color on AmazonRead more about Jennifer's background, advice she'd give to others, and what a day in her life looks like on Wit & Delight.FREE Resources from Kids Eat in ColorVeggie Exposure Shopping List and Menu TemplateA Guide on How to Help Your Child Try a New FoodAdditional Resources from Kids Eat in ColorReal Easy Weekdays Menu SystemBetterBites: A Therapeutic 4-Week Program for Families with Picky Eaters

Today I'm talking with Christy Laurence, the CEO and founder of Plann, an app that Wit & Delight uses to manage our Instagram accounts every single day. I spend a ton of time on Instagram, and this app has made my life so much easier. It's allowed me time to do more of what matters to me most on Instagram, which is connecting with people.Plann was founded in 2016 and it's a business that grew out of a traumatic personal experience. Christy bootstrapped the business to seven figures in only twelve months. Used by over 1.5M+ brands in over 160+ countries, Plann has ranked in the top 800 grossing apps in the world, has a website visited by millions, and has a loyal customer base.Christy's story is one of perseverance and focus. Today she's sharing how she built her business from the ground up, how she incorporated self-care into her life after an intense health scare, and tips for how to optimize your content on Instagram.You can find Christy on Twitter at @ChristyLaurenc3 and on Instagram at @christyladylaurence. PLANN can be found at www.plannthat.com.

I recently asked our Wit & Delight audience on Instagram what relationship questions they had for my husband Joe and me, and the responses flooded in. In this episode, Joe and I dive into topics surrounding money, therapy, communication and dealing with conflict, and how our relationship changed after having kids.We answer a number of your questions, including:- How can I have faith to try marriage again after a very bad one?- How do you manage money together? - How do you deal with situations that arise from communication mishaps?- Did you ever stop believing in true love at any point (before you met, obviously)?- How do you handle "funks" or feeling disconnected after a second baby? - Have you ever done couples therapy? We get really honest about both the difficulties and highlights of our relationship and offer advice for people in similar situations.As promised in the episode, here are some photos that showcase Joe's doppelgänger, Harrison Ford: one and two.Follow Kate @witanddelight_Follow Joe @hellojoepetersFIND MORE ON THE BLOG- The Most Important Questions You Need to Ask Before Moving in Together- Joe's Advice on Dating, Compromise, Effective Communication, and More- Love, Marriage, and Second Chances

It's 2020, and high time we stop minimizing mental health issues. So why do so many people joke about having seasonal affective disorder? Sometimes universal emotions like sadness are likened to the symptoms of mental illness, which really doesn't help us understand, connect, or seek treatment when we're suffering.It's important to clarify and understand this first: Sadness is a normal human emotion.We experience sadness our entire lives and will continue to for our remaining time on earth. We tend to be sad about something—triggered by an event, a circumstance, a thought. This also means that the state of being sad changes; it comes and goes with time once we've processed the triggering event. But sadness on its own is different than a more serious mental health disorder. Yes, it is a huge bummer when the holiday season ends, but a prolonged state of depression that begins to occur as we march toward the shortest day of the year? That's more serious than sadness alone.Depression—and in the case of this essay, seasonal affective disorder—is not a normal emotional state. It's a mental illness that changes all sorts of important functions like how we think, how we process emotions, how we perceive what is going on around us. The difference between depression and SAD is that the latter usually begins and ends around the same time of year. Find all our resources and more information on www.witanddelight.com

Today I sit down with Tara Foley, founder of the first clean beauty retailer, Follain. Tara and I explore the nuances and misconceptions of "clean beauty" and why so many of us find ourselves confused and overwhelmed when it comes to making a better choice for our health.We also dive into what it means to be an entrepreneur and mother, why a business oftentimes feels like having another child, and how our own mothers influenced the paths we both took in our careers.I hope you enjoy this episode with Tara Foley! 

The secret to getting more done every day is to make the moments in between work for you.I had no idea how much time I was wasting until I started taking inventory of what I was actually doing with the minutes and hours in each day. Sometimes I'd hand thirty minutes over to investigating who Harry Styles' new songs were about, and other days I'd organize my books by color to avoid opening the mail that had been sitting on my counter for a week (or more).We have plenty of noble reasons to avoid doing the things we know are most pressing, and these kinds of excuses are the most dangerous because they hide under the mask of productivity.This episode explores how to make the most of the moments in between. 

This year felt like a constant gut punch with resistance around every corner, but you know what? I'm so, so happy that it did. Everything that did change was worth fighting for. I fought for my business, my family, my marriage, my friends, my self-worth. It became clear what wasn't necessary, who to let go, and who to let in. But there was one lesson that changed everything, and I didn't realize what it was until I sat down to write my thoughts about the past year. Here's what 2019 looked like in my world.

We're back and easing into the New Year with this meditation from Dr. Anna Roth. We'll be back full swing next week! Happy New Year! - Kate and Team W&D

Dr. Anna Roth and Kate discuss how to better connect with your future self and why it can be so hard to imagine a future outside your internal limitations.Resources: Tara Brach

Today on The Wit & Delight Podcast, I'm sitting down with Barbara Powell of Speakeasy. Barbara is a professional certified health coach with Speakeasy, which presents a brand new way of looking at how we deal with really bad days. You can essentially drop in at one of Speakeasy's three Minneapolis locations or schedule an appointment online with a licensed professional to talk about whatever is on your mind. The whole idea is that you look at how you're feeling right now in the moment and figure out how you can take actionable steps toward moving past whatever is on your mind.In this conversation, we discuss how Speakeasy helps clients, what it means to be a health coach, and how to know when you should go to therapy versus going to see a health coach. It's an enlightening look at how we can approach the bad days and tough situations that inevitably arise in life.If you have any follow-up questions for Barbara, you can reach out at barbara@speakeasycare.com.

Today on the Wit & Delight Podcast we're talking about creative habits and how to bring creativity into your everyday life. I'm speaking with one of our Wit & Delight contributors, Jill Elliott, who is the founder of The Color Kind. She is also a creative consultant, strategist, writer, and artist curating a life around design and intentional living. Jill has 20+ years of experience in the creative field and was formerly a chief creative officer for a global fashion brand. She is a dear friend of mine and is someone I've come to look up to and admire. I've loved hearing her point of view on how life can unfold and how we can find our way through the act of creative practice.In this conversation, we talk a lot about getting out of our head, getting busy with our hands, and using creativity as an outlet and a way to connect with our inner child and look at what's possible for ourselves, not only as people but also as creative thinkers.RESOURCES: The Color Kind website

This month on Wit & Delight, we're covering ideas surrounding the topic of gratitude. There can be a lot of guilt that comes from not feeling grateful for all that you have. Yet as we begin to move into the holiday season, it's important to remember that the holidays are filled with really complicated emotions and there isn't one right way to navigate tricky situations.In this episode, I am back with holistic psychologist Dr. Anna Roth to explore the best way to prep for the holidays regardless of your family dynamic. We talk about how to approach difficult situations with family members, how to handle manipulative topics in conversations, and how to plan for the outcome you want when going into social situations. --If you are interested in connecting with Dr. Anna Roth, please learn more about her Truth Tellers Program. Dr. Anna is offering an exclusive discount to W&D readers and podcast listeners for the Truth Tellers ProgramFirst month free for the online program using code: W&D$50 off the in person offering using code: W&D1References:Psychological Manipulation

Wit & Delight listeners get 15% off any Tonic Site Shop designs (yes, even their new Fall '19 designs) by using the code  WIT&DELIGHTI am so excited to be sharing my conversation with Jen Olmstead, Lead Designer and Creative Director at Tonic Site Shop. Jen is someone who I have come to know and love and who has become a mentor to me. Jen is one half of Tonic and she built the custom Wit & Delight website, which is a completely new experience that was launched in April.In this conversation, Jen and I talk all about how to build a brand online. I've long admired the way Jen puts tangible action behind a lot of the issues that entrepreneurs and business owners have. She really helps people understand the importance of trying out ideas rather than worrying about the precise strategy or having a *perfectly* crafted idea.I hope you enjoy our conversation and get a bit of an understanding of both how we work together and how you can work with Jen and Tonic to get your website up and running in a fraction of the time it would take to build something custom.RESOURCES: Tonic Site Shop's Brand Interview Worksheet15% off Tonic Site Shop's Website Designs by using code: WIT&DELIGHT

October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this week on the Wit & Delight Podcast Dr. Anna Roth and I are discussing our experiences with ADHD.Both Anna and I are diagnosed with ADHD. In today's episode, we're going to talk about our personal experiences, what our diagnosis process was like, how we dealt with the diagnosis, and some of the ways we've reframed our approach to living with ADHD, viewing it instead as a superpower of sorts.You can also listen to our first episode with Dr. Anna Roth here, where we discuss the topic of therapy, and our second episode here, where we discuss the topic of natural beauty.If you'd like more insight about my own experience with ADHD, take a look at my most recent blog post, From Loathing to Loving My Crazy Awesome, Dangerously Fast Brain.-If you are interested in connecting with Dr. Anna Roth, please learn more about her Truth Tellers Program. Dr. Anna is offering an exclusive discount to W&D readers and podcast listeners for the Truth Tellers ProgramFirst month free for the online program using code: W&D$50 off the in person offering using code: W&D1

This week on the Wit & Delight Podcast, we are talking with Ingrid Fetell Lee, the author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. I've read the book twice, and each time it's felt like validation around all of the work that I've done for the past decade plus. Ingrid's groundbreaking work reveals the hidden influence of our surroundings on our emotions and our well-being, which is really the crux of many of the ideas we're exploring on Wit & Delight.This is a really special conversation between the two of us and I hope that you sit back and enjoy hearing all of Ingrid's incredible insights, how she got started in her career, and ways that you can bring a little bit more joy into your own home, office, and life.If you're looking for more on the topic of joy, you can download the Joyspotter's guide here. It's a free resource that share's Ingrid's 12 favorite tips for finding joy in your surroundings.

This week on the Wit & Delight Podcast, we are talking with Chelsea Brink, an immensely talented designer, illustrator, and creative director. Chelsea and I have followed each other on Twitter for a really long time, and the topic that brought us together to talk for this week's episode was the link between creativity and mental illness.Chelsea and I have both gone through different paths of exploring how to accept one's unique brain and to figure out the best way to live with it and work with it. We know that creativity often requires us to go deeper inside ourselves to tap into things that are a bit more taxing—whether emotionally, intellectually, or physically—in order to make our work. Exploring those depths feels like part of the job, so the question we're asking today is this: As creatives, how do we protect our well-being, really understand who we are, and find better ways to work?Chelsea and I dove deep into the ways that we've changed since we were starting out as young designers, and we have some really great tips for all of you who are looking for better ways to work—whether it's adding medication into your life, going to therapy, or just getting a better sense of awareness around your own actions and behavior.

To be honest... I didn't believe self-love was really something that would be possible, or even worse, wouldn't make that much of a difference in my life.I've learned A LOT about the process this year and turns out, I had no idea what it felt like, and little understanding of how different self-love and self-esteem actually were.You can read the essay here: https://witanddelight.com/2019/10/the-undeniable-freedom-of-self-love/

This week, in line with our October theme, we are talking with Dr. Anna Roth about the topic of natural beauty—from embracing our unique talents all the way through to grappling with body image issues.I have had a long, tumultuous history with accepting my body, like most women out there. I have swung all the way from having an eating disorder in college to really feeling like the physical manifestation of being thin and fit was the best attribute about myself. After having children, and having 30 pounds hang on after the second child, I had to confront not only how I saw myself but also how others now viewed me. I had to deal with losing the identity I once felt I had, and with feeling truly invisible at some points, especially as a mother.The truth is, we're all going to get older and our physical manifestations are not always going to be a point of value—they cannot be our entire identity. It's not a matter of fighting against that fact; it's a matter of learning how to accept it. Anna and I are delving into a number of facets surrounding the topic of natural beauty in today's episode, and I'm so excited to share it with you.More about Dr. Anna Roth:Dr. Anna Roth is a Holistic PhD Psychologist and Registered Yoga Teacher passionate about integrative and embodied treatment approaches to mental health. She thrives at identifying root causes and providing strategic intervention that is as multidimensional as the humans she helps. Heartfelt and holistic, Dr. Roth's method folds in the best of psychology, somatics, spirituality, mindfulness, functional medicine, and yoga to bring about deep and lasting healing. Often in therapy, mental health practitioners focus on the neck up—examining what people think, rather than what they feel. Anna advocates for a wider lens, digging into the cues people get from their mind, body, and spirit to reimagine healing from a fresh perspective. She is currently working in private practice in Minneapolis and accepting new clients both in-person and online. To learn more about her modern mental health program for women click here or check out her website for more info.

I'm so excited to have Dr. Anna Roth here with us! As an ongoing guest, she will be providing the perspective of a licensed psychologist on topics ranging from mental health to ADHD, relationships and body image, and so much more. Today we will be discussing what it means to be a holistic therapist, how to find the right therapist, and what to expect as you begin the healing process. More about Dr. Anna Roth:Dr. Anna Roth is a Holistic PhD Psychologist and Registered Yoga Teacher passionate about integrative and embodied treatment approaches to mental health. She thrives at identifying root causes and providing strategic intervention that is as multidimensional as the humans she helps. Heartfelt and holistic, Dr. Roth's method folds in the best of psychology, somatics, spirituality, mindfulness, functional medicine, and yoga to bring about deep and lasting healing. Often in therapy, mental health practitioners focus on the neck up—examining what people think, rather than what they feel. Anna advocates for a wider lens, digging into the cues people get from their mind, body and spirit to reimagine healing from a fresh perspective. She is currently working in private practice in Minneapolis and accepting new clients both in person and on-line. To learn more about her modern mental health program for women click here or check out her website for more info. Resources:Website: https://www.drannaroth.com Insta: @drannaroth Work with Anna:  https://www.drannaroth.com/truth-tellersPromotion:First month free for the online program using code: W&D$50 off the in person offering using code: W&D1

I am facing a problem. I have limited time, limited energy, and a lot of responsibility. Not to mention, a lot of drive to create things that take time, energy, leaps of faith, and relentless focus. There's not much room to be a skeptic when you weigh the cost of waiting on the sidelines for the perfect solution to fall into your lap.The 5 am Club includes a set of activities that are supposedly meant to boost three areas of your internal life: your physical health, your intellectual health, and your emotional health. They suggest starting your day with 20 minutes of vigorous exercise (something that makes you sweat), journaling for 20 minutes, and reading for 20 minutes. I happen to really believe these three key areas of wellness (physical, emotional, mental health) are key in identifying the heart of your internal struggles, finding you “why” and honing in on your life's purpose. The idea of putting dedicated time against doing small actions that maintain and improve the foundation of what I know I need to feel good felt like a good enough reason to give it a try. After all, a little sweat, reading and some quality alone time sounded like heaven. Who was I to judge?!And so, like a moth drawn to the light, I tried to join the club for a week, despite the fear of being judged by no one but myself for being one of those annoying 5 am people.Spoiler, I turned into one. But it was not all butterflies and rainbows and you won't find me sugar coating the pain and discomfort that came with going from night owl to morning person. Here's how I became a morning person after trying the 5 am Club for 7 days. JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

A couple years ago, I wrote the article “It's OK To Not Have Your Shit Together.”  It was written when I started my journey to reframe my thinking around achieving perfection. In many ways, I still subscribe to this mindset, especially as I've come to understand where perfectionism is just about idealization and control. What I've learned over the past couple of years is working towards perfect often gets confused with excellence. Today, I read you the essay that resonated with so many of you, and talk about how I've learned to separate excellence from perfection, and how they're often mistaken for one another but have a very different impact on your ability to continue to evolve and grow with internally driven momentum-- not the approval of others. JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

The whole story behind how my life broke down and a new point of view on productivity emerged. Today I share my tips, tricks, and mindset shifts that helped me move from doing  busy work to doing good work. Shop the Stay on Track Planner here: https://shopwitanddelight.com/stay-on-track-desktop-notepad/JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

What happens when you outgrow who you've been? Today we talk about how discomfort often signals important changes ahead, and how we can change our relationship with the trials and tribulations that come with evolving over time. JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

We've got some great reader Q&A questions today!1. How to embrace your new identity after motherhood2. Dealing with decision paralysis3. Handling pressure in work and life4. Giving yourself grace when making a mistake5. My book recommendations for changing your mindset!!I hope you enjoy today's episode!Books we referenced:Atomic Habits by James ClearFinish by Jon AcuffThe Big Leap by Gay HendricksThe One Thing by Gary KellerLoving What Is by Byron KatieYour Sacred Self by Wayne DyerStart With Why by Simon Sinek

Taking the day off doesn't equal time well-spent. How you choose to spend that time will greatly impact the result of quality time spent giving your brain and body what it needs. We've organized 50 tips and tricks for taking your next mental health day, categorized by five reasons you probably need to take a break:You're disorganized.You need to connect.You need to reset.You need self-care.You're procrastinating. I hope you LOVE this episode!! Are you able to take a legit mental health day from work? If so, I invite you to join us at our Minneapolis studio on Tuesday, August 13th (tomorrow!) for the first of (hopefully) many open studio Mental Health Days.If you are planning on joining us, we do request an RSVP, only so we have a better understanding of how much coffee and water to have on hand.We hope to see you there!If you're looking for tools to help you plan out your week and prioritize the tasks that need completing, check out our new line of planning tools now available at Shop Wit & Delight.Resources:Atomic Habits Power of Habit YNABMorning Pages JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

We as a culture have collectively decided to brand our work ethos. If you aren't #hustling, what are you doing? If your product/service/identity is not selling in your Etsy shop or being liked on Insta, and you aren't committing yourself to all of this 24/7 (pics or it didn't happen), does it count?  At what point did we all agree that busyness is next to godliness? What if we as a culture stop being busy and just start to be?Sometimes we stay busy to avoid confronting who we are without all the doing. So before we break our bad habits and start getting busy with purpose, I want you to ask yourself this: why is who you are and what you do not enough? Are you only as valuable as your last accomplishment? Ask yourself what matters most to you—not what you think makes you more attractive, desirable, or successful in the eyes of your neighbor.It all starts with prioritizing what is important to you, finding ways it already shows up in your life, and being grateful for it. That's how you break free from being a victim of your schedule and become the master of it. This month, we are kicking off a new relationship with our productivity. We won't be defined by our to-do lists, nor will we be managed by the fear of not living up to the expectations of those in our periphery. We will get back to being driven by curiosity and purpose and by the will and desire to make a difference, not the obsession with checking off benchmarks and KPIs. We will explore a different way to work, one that aligns our paychecks, our values, and our skill sets with the path of least resistance. We will get comfortable with the discomfort of the unknown, with pressing pause just when we feel the instinct to go too far, to worry too much, to become enveloped in an obsession with what our jobs say about who we are as a person.We're more than the things we check off in a day; more than what our job title speaks; more than what our social media profiles say about what and who we love.In August, we'll be sharing stories about what happens after the work (or “work”) is done. The time after we tackle our to-do lists. Stories about when to set boundaries, and when to drop them. Essays on why some of us need to be busy. And thought starters on how we can collectively change the larger perception of where we find our value. Sometimes the most #productive thing we can do is absolutely nothing.As myself and our contributors talk about their stories around the hustle, we want to hear your stories of how the hustle culture and gig economy has affected you. What does “busy” personally mean? And what do you do when the work is done? Like “done” done. We hope you are curious and willing to join us as we begin exploring the terrifying idea of being still in a culture that views busyness and the #hustle as a badge of honor.As always, you can sign up to receive monthly tech graphics for your phone and computer screen! Sign up for our newsletter to receive this month's downloadables and have a little Wit & Delight delivered straight to your inbox.

Five ways to establish a new morning ritual that will change your entire day. And none of them include going to the gym before the sun comes up!

Lesson from a recovering perfectionist: Your to-do list shouldn't control your life.For years, I fought the never-ending, uphill battle of checking items off a list that never grew smaller. I stayed up late crossing off tasks, combing through emails, only to wake up with a full inbox, and an unchecked level of anxiety. I took a hard look at my relationship with these lists and realized there had to be a better way– a way to avoid letting that number of tasks I completed define how good or bad my day was.With lots of practice, and determination I've changed my way of thinking from having anxiety over things I HAVE to get done, into looking forward to what I GET to do. This week our line of planning and productivity tools launches on @shopwitanddelight. We toiled, tweaked, and tested these systems to create a suite of products designed to help you find mental clarity, identify what needs to get done by aligning what's important to you with your day-to-day tasks. A place where you can track not only your emotional well-being but the way your values and priorities reflected in the small things you do each day. I hope these tools make life a little more manageable, giving you more room to focus on what matters to you, not what others ask for you to get done in a day. Go forth and plan your future, free guilt, shame or the pressure to hustle your way to the top.Whatever path you take, whatever plan you make, choose the one that doesn't sacrifice what matters most in your life. After all, success is in the eye of the beholder.Available now at www.shopwitanddelight.com#shopwitanddelight #hustleisoverSHOP THE PRODUCTS IN TODAY'S EPISODE: http://bit.ly/2jJ7M5c SIGN UP FOR OUR NO BAD DAYS DOWNLOAD: https://hello.witanddelight.com/nobaddays

It's been more than 30 days since I started the Sleep30® Challenge and I'm happy to report that I'm feeling... better than I did last month, albeit it didn't come without a set of hurdles that needed to be cleared— both physically and emotionally. It brought me face to face with my own relationship with boundaries— and forced me to confront why, in the times I need consistency and self-care the most, so I opt for self-sabotage. Any of this sound familiar? You know what you need, you know what choice you should make, and then you go and make a decision that is the exact opposite of what you've identified as the clear RX for your current mental state. This has been a stubborn cycle for me to break, one that showed up when sitting down to write this very article. There's that little voice in my head who just loves the drama of a nearly missed deadline or the fallout from a sudden change of well-laid plans.This episode covers how to move past mental blocks when it comes to setting rituals for better night sleep. I hope you find something that helps you get more rest and wake up feeling ready to take on the day. 

I've been in a cookbook club for six months now and wow-- has it been a blast! I really think it is even better than eating out with your friends. A cookbook club will introduce you to the wonder that is community cooking, something you either grew up with or didn't know you needed in your life. Instead of sweating over making 4 courses for friends before they arrive or missing out on catching up with them while you finish dinner, you'll find yourself having way more fun than you anticipated learning tricks from watching your friends make a recipe. We will cover:- Ways to structure your cookbook club- Who to invite and how many members to include- How to choose a cookbook- Whether to buy or share the cookbook- Who hosts and who selects the cookbook- How to keep the schedule realistic and manageableJOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

We live in a culture where worrying can be glorified. If you're worrying, you're one step ahead, you're out of your comfort zone, you're making things happen.It was after a health scare that I really learned what all my worrying was doing to my body, but the scariest realization was my body seemed to be stuck in "fight or flight mode."Today I'm breaking down the small ways I'm reprogramming my relationship between my body and brain to heal. Download our No Bad Days Checklist Here: https://hello.witanddelight.com/nobaddaysBooks To Read:Genius Foods by Max LugavereThe Power Source by Lauren RoxburghMicro-Resilience: Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, and EnergyJOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

Today we cover how Wit & Delight came to be, the controversial name the site had before I changed it to Wit & Delight, my creative process, how I select the materials I design with, and how creativity plays a central role in my business.Lastly, I give some advice on how to move past creative roadblocks and putting the fun back in making things. Links Referenced:W&D Skillshare Classes---JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

Sharing your work and life online is scary and no matter how hard we try, none of us are immune to being disliked or subjected to criticism. It can be tempting to shy away from hearing uncomfortable feedback, especially when there are so many hurtful comments on blogs and instagram posts. But what are we missing by not considering which feedback is constructive? I'm talking about how to deal with critics, with helpful tips on getting past feeling victimized by critiques to looking for ways to find resilience and self-esteem through facing hard truths and being willing to without judgement from your critics. JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

If you are working to become better, live healthier, or hoping to change a significant aspect of your life, then chances are you have some kind of set expectation for what your end goal looks like. Goals require focus and a plan for getting from point A to B, and often along the way we have to be our own cheerleader, borrowing phrases like "go big or go home" and "no pain, no gain" as a reminder to keep aiming high, whatever the cost. In this episode we explore why high expectations are important in helping us learn to believe in our ability to go beyond our limiting beliefs and when it might be time to let go of expectations that no longer serve you. 

When I was tested for ADHD at 27 (using continuous performance tasks (CPTs) and a year's worth of analysis from my therapist), before I was walked through my results, I was asked if I'd graduated college. My test scores were off the charts for impulsivity, erratic thought patterns, and the way the executive functioning part of my brain worked. Though I always knew I was a little “different,” I started sobbing because I was relieved that I could point to a specific diagnosis and someone else could see exactly how hard I had to work just to make it through school. Since then I've learned how to not only manage my ADHD but thrive while managing it. In fact, I like to think of it as my secret weapon. In this episode, I'm walking you through all of the ways I've learned to maximize my days through ruthless prioritization, time blocking, and managing distractions. To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here.Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington BearThe One Thing by Gary Keller-----JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

We're living in a world where our attention is for sale and we're consuming information with few limitations and boundaries that place our self-interest top of mind. This episode explores why our brains are having such a hard time keeping us on task in this digital age and what we can do about it. We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_.To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here.Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington BearCal Newport: http://calnewport.com/Finding It Hard to Focus? Maybe It's Not Your Fault by Casey Schwartz -- NYT-----JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

If you lost everything you own, how would you rebuild your life? A house fire completely changed Liz Tornell's life and inspired her business Hello, Liz, which provides a tailored approach to organizing, decluttering, styling, and staging. Our relationship with things is far more complicated than being a minimalist or maximalist. We get into questions around what to do with sentimental objects, the one room in your home you should always *try* to keep organized, and why her work is in many ways, a form of therapy. We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_.To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here.Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington Bear-----JOIN THE COMMUNITYFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_ FIND MORE WIT & DELIGHT CONTENT AT: www.witanddelight.comSTAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: http://bit.ly/2Hw39VH

What can first dates can tell us about the future of a relationship?Let's start at the beginning. Just about everyone loves a good "how they met" story and ours is... well, annoyingly cute.  HOWEVER. While we met in a way that is less traditional in the current dating landscape, we broke ALL the rules on our first date, aired dirty laundry we had both kept hidden from previous relationships, and I think that's what made all the difference. After all, we were married 9 months later (GASP)!We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_.Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington Bear-----JOIN THE COMMUNITY:WIT & DELIGHT SHOW NOTES: http://bit.ly/2FdV7iHFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THINGS WIT & DELIGHT ON OUR EMAIL LIST: Subscribe Today!

Do you remember the first time you asked yourself if you were old? I was in 4th grade. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought— wow, look how much has changed. And in a year, I'll be off to middle school. Where is the time going??By 12 I was already contemplating mortality and the meaning of life, unsure but determined to make my one life count. With each passing year, I would bemoan the past and hang on to the good times, crafting scrapbooks and three-ring binders full of pictures taken of my friends, adding graphics and quotes clipped from my favorite magazines. I was too young for nostalgia yet knew the feeling deeply.Not much has changed. In my twenties, I was desperately aware the expiration date on my carefree lifestyle was coming to a close and was about to really understand what a privilege it was to have that my free meal ticket and college tuition provided by my parents. Real life hit hard, as it is designed to, and my relationship with time soured. Time was a resource that was finite, much like my access to cash at 22, and while I could work my way out the building credit card debt, there was nothing I could do to regain the time slipping through my fingers.Selfishly, this is why I wanted to tackle the topic of Age this month. I spent so much of my 34th year around the sun mentally preparing myself for turning 35, last year feels fuzzy and sadly, a bit unfulfilling if I'm being honest. So much of my dialogue was negative and self-pity. Things will never get easier with the kids. I'm too old to wear that. I'm too fat for this. I'll never look as good as I did before kids. I'm invisible. My opinion doesn't matter.MY ADVICE ON TACKLING YOUR OWN AGEISM IS THIS:Give yourself permission to grow older.Give yourself the freedom of accepting what is real and what isn't.Give yourself time to embrace the change what comes with being a dynamic being in this universe.Give yourself the gift of seeing the world for what it is, for the gift of having the peace of mind gives you more time and space to live fully, connect with others, and do work that is free from ego and the need to feel good about yourself. Because the only person who can give you that… is you.We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_. To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here. Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington Bear-----WIT & DELIGHT SHOW NOTES: http://bit.ly/2FdV7iHFOLLOW WIT & DELIGHT ON INSTAGRAM: @witanddelight_JOIN THE WIT & DELIGHT PODCAST EMAIL LIST: Subscribe Today!

In the era of overnight billionaires like Kylie Jenners and Mark Zuckerbergs, it's hard to not feel like we missed the memo. While we were busy trying to figure out how to apply for health insurance, these kids were building empires. We don't begin our lives on the same starting block, not by a long shot, but that doesn't mean we won't reach the finish line. Accepting we're not racing others helps. What's even more powerful is realizing we're not racing TIME, we're challenging ourselves to change our relationship with work. While our journeys won't look like the stories we read in magazines, it doesn't mean they can't be any less remarkable. Today we walk through the mental road blocks, setting expectations and intentions, and defining success while embarking on a career change.If you've ever worried about what others will think or that you don't deserve a second change, this episode is for YOU. About the podcast: The Wit & Delight Podcast is hosted by founder Kate Arends. Each week we discuss where life and style intersect and how the choices we make (both big and small) can help us find empowerment, self-discovery, and beauty in unexpected places. 

Joe gets real on living inside the Wit & Delight Instagram feed, the decor decisions he loves and hates, and how we've learned to respect our different needs when it comes to living well at home. About the podcast: The Wit & Delight Podcast is hosted by founder Kate Arends. Each week we discuss where life and style intersect and how the choices we make (both big and small) can help us find empowerment, self-discovery, and beauty in unexpected places. We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_. To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here. Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington Bear

Can We Rewrite The Narrative For Growing Older As Women?In this episode we talk about our March theme: aging. Aging is a taboo subject, one that we as women are reminded constantly of the rules from early on. You never ask a woman's age. Magazines, videos, entire industries are directed at women to prevent or reverse the aging process. It's pretty crazy to think our value as women has an expiration date, and my heart aches thinking about all the women who had come before me whose vast wisdom and knowledge wasn't passed on. So, how do we shift the dynamic and change the discussion on aging to be more positive? If we change our relationship with the idea of aging (removing the fear of the inevitable) can we really write our own narratives around how to age well? I started thinking about how my vision of the future would be different, had I not feared growing older. Growing into my skin, finding self-reliance, feeling the freedom of really, genuinely, not caring what anyone from high school thinks of me now, all those things seemed foreign to me way back when I thought 35 was “old.” Rather than fight aging at every turn, I want to do my best to embrace my journeys around the sun, no matter the number.  This month we declare our own rules for anti-aging. It's no longer about preventing age, but reinventing how you age. We celebrate every stage and age of womanhood through truth, humor, and candor.There are too many articles and voices out there telling women they are either “too old” or “too young” to be a value to contribute to society as a whole. If we are all both “too old” or “too young” is there a right age?Whatever your age, you have wisdom and experience to share, and your voice heard.We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_. To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here. Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington Bear

There could not have been a better time to record this episode!! I literally spent Monday sleeping on the sofa in our office, barely able to function. A couple days later, I'm at least able to move through life "normally".... because living with depression requires a new definition of normal. But that's not to say it can't be peaceful or joyful.  This is episode takes a look at what dealing with depression looks like without letting it run your life. I hope you find it helpful in navigating your own journey, whether it is loving someone with depression or fighting for a more peaceful existence with your unique and beautiful brain. We are SO HAPPY that you're here and we LOVE hearing from you! Our email address is hello@witanddelight.com and you can find us on Instagram @witanddelight_. To stay up to date on all things Wit & Delight, please subscribe to this podcast and sign up for our newsletter here. Artwork Photo by 2nd TruthMusic by Podington Bear

There are always two sides to every story, and more often than not, you've only heard my side. But what about the other half? Our new Two Sides to Every Story series will be a conversation that includes another point of view, in this instance my partner Joe's voice. Joe and I sat down to talk about how have evolved as a couple, from when we first met six years ago this month. We sat down to record this the day after we returned from Grand Cayman, which concluded with an epic meltdown not from our kids, but ourselves. So we decided to start with the topic of kids and how our expectations and realities did or didn't line up, where we stand with the change in our intimate relationship, and what true partnership means when you're two parents with demanding careers and hobbies.We love hearing from you! Email us at hello@witanddelight.com, or tweet us @witanddelight.