An Uncluttered Life

Do you have to give up your passions if they can't pay the bills? Many people opt for security over the unknown very early in the game, giving up on the music, sports, dance, art, invention, or writing that our younger selves wanted to devote our lives to. It's almost as if we refuse to give time and attention to a passion if it cannot also make money. But what happens when you keep that passion in your life for years or decades, never counting on it to make your mortgage payment? There's a different kind of richness that comes from maintaining your interests over a lifetime, and that's the subject of today's show.

Are you an optimist? Do you look at each new experience as something that will turn out well in the end? This week we're sharing our own thoughts on the subject as well as which of us is the optimist and which is the "realist". You'll discover how looking on the bright side of life has brought us more happiness and enabled us to embrace the life of our dreams.

What do you do with your stress and anxiety? We used to mash it down into a little ball that grew less manageable over time. It wasn't until we started daily walking and hiking in our 40s that we realized the mind-body benefit that comes from sweating it out. Today we're talking to a woman who found exercise more than a stress-buster; it actually saved her life. Our guest today, Amy Clover, has battled clinical depression and anxiety all her adult life. After a near suicide and treatment, she turned to exercise to become Strong Inside Out. Besides her work on suicide prevention around the US, Amy teaches people with anxiety and depression how exercise can improve their lives and ease their symptoms. Find out more at StrongInsideOutBootcamp.com.

We judge other people. There, we've admitted it to both you and to ourselves. It is a natural tendency we all fall into, but at the same time we've been on the other side all too often of people feeling completely comfortable sharing their judgements of our choices. In this week's show we share on our ongoing effort to reduce the amount of judgement we let into our lives (hint, it's hard). Plus, we talk about our effort to reduce the amount of judgement we put out into the world (hint, this is even harder). It's a peek into one of our biggest pet peeves and how we are choosing to deal with it.

How do you talk with your partner or loved ones about death? It is a subject that none of us want to consider, but at the same time is far too important not to broach with those who we love. In this episode, we discuss one of the most challenging conversations we've had - sharing with each other how we want to be treated if/when the worst happens. In the process we've discovered how much this conversation has opened our mind and caused us to focus on living each day to the fullest.

For the last several years we have been collecting stories from our adventures around the world together. As we talked about on last week's show we are getting better at saving them for later. From spending 5+ weeks crossing the Atlantic to bribing a border guard there are a wealth of stories to choose from. In today's show we're sharing one of these stories with you. Plus, you'll learn which of us loves to tell stories and who is simply humoring the other after having heard them again and again.

In the moment we always believe we’ll remember the events from our life just as vividly as when they happen. But inevitably, with time we find that the memories fade and the details become less crisp and often impossible to recall. For us, this creates challenges as we try to write about our experiences in the future. We struggle to recall specific feelings we were having or people we met in particular situations. When we bought our house in Spain we knew we wanted to document the process for a future book and so we explored how best to capture all of this to use later. On today's show we're sharing how we are capturing these experiences and how you can use the same techniques in your own life.

We've decided to follow our passion (pun intended) and embark on a completely new project. This episode we give you a behind the scene look into how a tiny idea grew from a conversation on a hike into a completely new endeavor for us. We share why we're writing a romance novel. It's a fun conversation in which we reveal the project we've been working on the last few months and how we are enjoying this adventure into a new type of writing. Listen in as Betsy shares what it was like to write her first sex scene and Warren auditions to be a character in her next book.

Does the idea of "housework harmony" actually exist? That is the question which seems to plague many of the couples we come across. It seem inevitable one person feels that an undue amount of the load falls to them while their partner seems to shirk the entire concept. In today's show we talk about how to achieve more harmony in the relationship and why this imbalance is bigger than simply a disdain for doing laundry. The problem comes down to a fundamental difference between the sexes.

Four years ago today we left on our journey around the world after two years of saving and downsizing. Whew! It was an amazing feeling, followed quickly by our first big challenge of discovering there was a coup attempt happening that very moment in our first destination. Yes, you read that right. A coup d'etat attempt happened on the day we left, in the country we were flying into. Without a home or jobs to return to, we had to quickly decide if we were ready for a life of such uncertainty and change. In today's show we talk about how we felt about ourselves, each other, and our lifestyle back then and compare it to today, with plenty of juicy stories thrown in for good measure. We loved recording this episode, and we think you'll enjoy it, too.

On today's show we share our insights on the subject of soulmates (which we usually call "partners") and whether they just happen or take work to build. You can probably guess our response to that. Then we're joined by our guests, who talk about what it takes to create and sustain a soulmate experience for a lifetime.

There is barely a day that goes by that we do not receive an email or message on our Facebook page asking how to begin creating the life of your dreams. The questions come from all over the world so this is clearly a common issue faced by many. In this episode we share our own experience and steps we took to create the life we wanted from the life we already had. It took many years and dedicated work, but the result was a saved marriage and the opportunity to follow our dream together. We share how we got started in the earliest stages in order to help you, dear listener, follow in our footsteps. It is a fun overview of how we got started on this wild ride along with practical steps to help you in the process.

Have you ever experienced a lag in your sex drive, or that of your partner? Have you found that the frequency or passion in your sex life has waned a bit? In today's conversation we reveal our own personal struggles with a lagging labido and one approach we've used to help rekindle the spark. We're talking about how erotica can provide a fun addition to the bedroom. We're delighted to be joined this week by Rachel Kramer Bussel, a writer focusing on sex, dating, books and pop culture. She's edited over 50 anthologies including Hungry for More, The Big Book of Orgasms, The Big Book of Submission, Fast Girls, Women in Lust and more, and teaches erotic writing workshops online and across the United States. She's currently on book tour. Find out more at rachelkramerbussel.com and follow her @raquelita on Twitter. Programming Note: Today’s guest called in from her vacation in rural Vermont and we had a spectacular conversation. The sound quality is not as good as usual, but the content is invaluable and we know yo

Money is one of the top 5 areas couples fight about the most. We know. We've been there. Whether it stems from different goals, different ways we were raised, or our trust of the other person how we approach our finances is a huge issue for many of us. Today's episode we broach the subject and provide ideas and recommendations for how to talk about money calmly and constructively. We even share our own dirty laundry and the challenges we faced when we first started out. To help us tackle this difficult topic we are delighted to be joined on the show by finance expert and speaker Debbie Whitlock. Debbie teaches women how to create lives of significance beyond the financial success they can create. The co-author of Incredible Life and host of two popular radio programs, Femme Finance and Femmenation, Debbie combines the worlds of personal growth and financial growth to "create the prosperity and good fortune you deserve.” You can listen to Debbie’s radio shows, Femme Finance and Femmenation, every week on KKNW

What makes a happy relationship? In this episode we delve into this complex topic and provide practical ideas that we've used ourselves to create what we feel is a happy partnership.  Plus, we're joined by author Fawn Weaver, who was unsatisfied with the boilerplate answers to happiness of "better communication" and "spend more time together". So, to find out the answer for herself, she traveled to 12 countries on 6 continents in search of happy wives and their secrets. She's here to discuss what she found and what the revealed in the NY Times bestseller, The Happy Wives Club.

In this episode we're challenging the myth that relationships (and sex) get dull the longer you are in them. As two middle-aged people ourselves (holy crap, when did that happen?) we dish on why we've never been more attracted to each other and what we do regularly to keep it fresh. We're joined today by the hysterical and fantastic, Jenna McCarthy. She's back for her second appearance on the podcast. Remember back in episode #46 when she told us to treat our spouses like dogs? Yes, that’s good advice, and if you missed the show, go back and listen to what she means by that. She'll teach us all that relationships certainly don't need to get boring.

One sure-fire way to keep your relationship exciting is to try new things together. It can be as small as checking out a new ethnic restaurant in your city to going to rodeo clown school (Warren's secret desire). One way we challenged ourselves and each other recently was a trip to a naturist beach, a totally nude community near us here in Spain.

How many old-fashioned habits do you have in your relationship – things your parents or grandparents can relate to? Probably not a lot. But today's guest has a story that will make you want to ask your Grandma for dating tips. This modern couple went old-school in just one way and it created a magical relationship.

Imagine if we only had one chance in life to be happy or successful. In our careers. In our choice of friends. Or in love. What a very sad world it would be if we were all doomed to work in jobs we hated or to hang around people we no longer connect with. Worse yet, what if we lost our chance at love after the death of our partner? Today's show is both happy and sad as we talk about second chances in life and love. Our guest knows more than most on the topic and we're pleased to have her back on the show to share big news in her life and how she has moved on from tragic loss to find love again. It's an inspiring story of moving forward, even when you think you can't, and what can result if you just keep on going. For a bit of background, we recommend listening way back to episode #6 when we first met Michelle and heard about her the story of losing her husband.

Do you find yourself saying "I'm too busy" whenever people ask how you are doing? Are you missing out on dates with your partner because life is getting in the way? Are you being intentional in how you approach your relationship? Today's episode delves into what we can do to make our relationship the biggest priority in life. We tackle: The importance of being intentional How to stop the "glorification of busy" Take the first step towards change We also discuss how to improve your sex life and connection with your partner. This is a good one so let's dive in.