Stephanie Marie Seferian's Blog, page 6

Are You Addicted To Your Smartphone?

There’s plenty of distressing research into what smartphones are doing to adult attention spans, focus, and memory. And on child/teen development? Emerging research is even more alarming.

We are change makers, and change making means making difficult decisions, having difficult conversations, and going against the grain. On today’s show: Why we need to (yet again!) rethink our approach to technology and delay the age at which we give our children access to smartphones.

 

Here’s a preview:

[8:30]...

Breath Awareness

Want to feel calmer and happier? You don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars for the newest wellness product or service. In fact, the solution doesn’t cost a cent: simply get in touch with your breathing.

Breath is an amazing and responsive teacher. That’s because if we breathe as we live — take in and let go — we can’t go wrong.

On today’s show: An invitation to meet yourself with author  Jean Hall.

 

Here’s a preview:

[5:00] The breath underpins everything we do in life, and yet we rarely ...

Things We’ve Lost To The Internet

From phone calls to blind dates to punctuation to civil discourse, the internet has changed every aspect of human life. While some losses are insignificant, the rise of the internet has also resulted in larger repercussions, like shorter attention spans, a collective inability to sit in solitude, and the the utter demolition of personal privacy.

On today’s show: A conversation with author and New York Times columnist Pamela Paul about the ways in which the internet has fundamentally changed huma...

Shared Solutions

I received an email last month from two Dutchmen who have been sailing around the world for 8 years in search of climate solutions. They asked to visit my home and chat. I obliged, and I’m so happy I did.

On today’s show: an in-person interview with Floris van Hees and Ivar Smits — also affectionately known as Sailors For Sustainability — about the wisdom they’ve gained from their adventure.

Here’s a preview of 4 pieces of wisdom we are discussing today:

[7:00] Leaving the “golden cage”  is big ...

Cooking With Cast Iron

Before aluminum coated in Teflon, there was cast iron.

Our great-grandparents revered cast iron in the kitchen because it lasts *forever*. And with proper care? It’s naturally non-stick, no PFAS necessary.

These days, cast iron is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, and for many good reasons. On today’s show cast iron historian Kyle Seip answers all our burning questions about how to cook on and care for our beloved cast iron cookware (it’s way easier than you think!).

 

Here’s a preview:

[6:00...

An Attitude Of Gratitude

Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? According to Tony Robbins, trading your expectations for appreciation instantly changes everything. Psychological research agrees: Gratitude has the power to improve every single aspect of your life.

On today’s show: how to truly feel gratitude for your stuff and people.

 

Here’s a preview:

[3:00] Want to be 18% happier? It’s as easy as putting on a new pair of glasses, metaphorically speaking

[10:00] HABITUATION! Our brains are primed to forget why c...

Toxic Fashion

Packaged food items (obviously) have ingredients lists. Our favorite beauty products have ingredients lists. And those cleaning products under the kitchen sink? Yup, they’ve got ingredients lists, too.

Ever wonder why our clothes don’t have ingredients lists? While we’d *like* to think our favorite garments are made of woven fibers and nothing more, the sad truth is there are countless unregulated toxic chemicals in our closet go-tos (and these chemicals are likely harming our health).

On today’...

Optimizing Your Walks

Modern life panders to our innate desire to be sedentary, and never has it been more difficult to resist the alluring convenience of screens.

Yet walking matters. On today’s show author Annabel Abbs-Streets suggests tangible ways to attain the full range of benefits that walking has to offer — physical, emotional, and spiritual — that’s backed by latest research.

 

Here’s a preview:

[7:00] A laundry list of all the physiological benefits of walking for movement (get ready to be blown away)

[11:0...

Produce And Pesticides

While fresh fruits and vegetables are irreplaceable parts of a healthy diet, pesticides aren’t benign. Sadly, many of our favorite produce items carry unhealthy levels of pesticides, and each one comes with its own unique risk profile.

On today’s show: A comprehensive review of the most recent research into pesticides in produce.

Here’s a preview:

[5:00] Not all pesticides are the same, and different pesticides have different risk profiles

[10:00] DDT, bald eagles, Silent Spring, and America’s h...

The Cost Of Climate Change

We know climate change is expensive, but how expensive is it really?

A new analysis finds that beyond its effects on the broader economy, rising temperatures seriously hurt our personal finances. On today’s show: A conversation with Alexandra Grose about what happens when climate change reduces lifetime income and simultaneously raises prices on … well, everything.

 

Resource mentioned:

Climate Change Could Cost Each American Born Today $500,000 (via Consumer Reports)

 

This show is listener-su...