BONUS: Becoming A Romance Writer

BONUS: Becoming A Romance Writer

My friend Nora Dahlia Zelevansky is a journalist, a novelist, a wellness writer, and now she's a romance author! As we celebrate the release of her latest book PICK UP, Nora and I chat about her writing trajectory, the differences between publishing and marketing the romance genre, and why she decided to write this book using a different name.

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Ep 247: The Perfectionist's Guide To Losing Control (a book club meeting with author Katherine Morgan Schafler)

Ep 247: The Perfectionist's Guide To Losing Control (a book club meeting with author Katherine Morgan Schafler)

One of the books that has made the biggest impression on me in the last few years is The Perfectionist's Guide To Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler. I have talked about this book EVERYWHERE and insisted that even people who do not self-identify as "perfectionists" would get something out of it.

So you can imagine that I was thrilled with the Secret Stuff members chose TPGTLC as a book club pick and I was doubly thrilled when author Katherine Morgan Schafler agreed to attend our regular monthly book club meeting to discuss it.

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243: Best Books Lately (with Sophie Hudson)

243: Best Books Lately (with Sophie Hudson)

Sophie Hudson (aka Boo Mama) is the co-host of The Big Boo Cast and she's also the author of seven books, including her latest A Fine Sight To See. She is always so fun to talk to and we had a blast talking about how long we've known each other, where we first met, how we both feel strongly about women in leadership, and, of course, the best books that we've read lately.

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Ep 241: Prepping Teenagers for the Workforce

Lori Zuker Briller co-founded a staffing and recruitment agency almost 20 years ago, and in the last few years she's noticed a concerning trend among the young people who are applying for positions in various industries: a decline in professionalism, a lack of understanding of the job market and job search processes, and an overall deterioration in etiquette.

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Ep 239: Horror for Beginners

It's October! I'm joined on this episode by my friend and co-host of the Currently Reading podcast Meredith Monday Schwartz, to talk about why we read (and love) books in the horror genre and to give you a pile of recommendations for this spooky season.

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Ep 237: How To Look Better In Photos

Ep 237: How To Look Better In Photos

This episode is for anyone who has looked at a photo of themselves and wondered if that's what they really look like. Professional photographer Jess Koehler is my guest today as we talk through all the hangups that keep us from taking, sharing, or displaying photos of ourselves, and how we can overcome them.

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Ep 236: Discovering What Was Always There (a ONE THING conversation with Joy Cho)

Ep 236: Discovering What Was Always There (a ONE THING conversation with Joy Cho)

You might know Joy Cho as the bright, stylish, happy face and founder of Oh Joy!, a lifestyle brand with millions of followers and whose products and designs have appeared in Target, Petco, House Beautiful (to name a few) and in collaborations with Keds, Casetify, Calpak (and more).

But even with a soaring career, Joy experienced a midlife crisis after a hard season in her family and a series of professional setbacks. She tried all the things you're supposed to when you're struggling: therapy, a life coach, but there was really ONE THING that pulled her out of a long funk.

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Ep 234: Best Books of the Summer

Ep 234: Best Books of the Summer

What is the best thing you read this summer? My guest Carmel Phillips and I are sharing the books that made the greatest impression over the last few months, including backlist titles and the buzziest books of the season. (And yes, of course we mention the NYT Best Books of the 21st century list that dropped in July.)

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Ep 233: 10 Ways To Achieve Kitchen Peace

Ep 233: 10 Ways To Achieve Kitchen Peace

The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but it's also the place most likely to collect clutter and be full to the brim of stuff. Professional organizer Tara Bremer of @house.peace shares with us 10 ways that we can achieve peace in the most used room in the house.

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Ep 229: The Big Business of Celebrity Fish Tanks (with Nic Tiemens of Infinity Aquariums)

Ep 229: The Big Business of Celebrity Fish Tanks (with Nic Tiemens of Infinity Aquariums)

One of the strangest things about our life in Hollywood (and there are many, many strange things) is our enormous fish tank. Every time I share a little bit about our fish tank on social media, I get flooded with questions that I mostly can't answer. 

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BONUS: How To Be Fine

BONUS: How To Be Fine

Two podcasters I've listened to for YEARS are tackling a new series this summer on friendship (the topic on everyone's tongue). I was so excited to welcome Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg from the How To Be Fine podcast (formerly By The Book) to the show to talk about their podcasting roots, their relationship as business besties, their experiment of living by the advice of self-help books, and their latest project on friendship.

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Ep 226: Hollywood Horror Story

Ep 226: Hollywood Horror Story

This is a story about growing up feeling like an outsider and finding a book that made you feel less alone. And then growing up to create an adaptation of that book for the screen, in a dream project that took years to complete. This is a story about my friend Jill Killington and her work on the tv adaptation of Stephen King's THE STAND.

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BONUS: 10 Ways To Support A Friend Going Through Crisis or Chronic Hardship

BONUS: 10 Ways To Support A Friend Going Through Crisis or Chronic Hardship

Jessica Patay is the founder of We Are Brave Together, a nonprofit organization that provides respite, community, and resources for mothers caring for children of any age with disabilities, unique needs, or other medical or mental health challenges. She is is passionate about serving caregiving moms and creating authentic communities, and brings 10 tips to the conversation that will help us better support our friends who are caregiving mothers, daughters, partners, and more.

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Ep 224: Best Books of the Year (So Far) with Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith

Ep 224: Best Books of the Year (So Far) with Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith

We're halfway through 2024, which means it's time to take an inventory of the best books we've read in the last six months.

My real life book club joins me for a mid-year look at the literary landscape for the second year in a row. Regular guests Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith are always a delight to have on the show.

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BONUS: Is Everyone Happier Than Me? (a conversation with author Sarah Bragg)

BONUS: Is Everyone Happier Than Me? (a conversation with author Sarah Bragg)

It's a question we've all asked ourselves at some point....Is everyone happier than me?

In this episode, author Sarah Bragg gives us 4 ways to be happier online (since that's such a huge contributing factor to this question).

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