Best of Both Worlds Podcast

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah chat about all things meal planning! They open with takes on recent food trends (protein + fiber, anyone?) and then move to a detailed discussion of their current meal planning practices, struggles, and victories. They cover shopping, non-dinner meals, school lunches and more. In the Q&A, a listener asks for tips getting tiny humans (think toddlers and below!) out the door. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Sarah and Laura share their thoughts on whether they'd ever be up for long-haul travel with kids, and share memories of longer trips in the past. Then, Elisabeth Frost joins Sarah to provide her fascinating perspective on a months-long European adventure she recently completed with her 2 school-aged children, including an entire semester out of 'regular' school and visiting over 10 countries! Find more from Elisabeth at optimisticmusings.com ! Additional resources from Elisabeth: Her website/blog: optimisticmusings.com Patreon Community: patreon.com/LighthouseKeeper Planning summary post we chatted about during the podcast episode: https://optimisticmusings.com/how-to-plan-a-europe-trip/ And this category link contains all the travel posts from the full 110 days in Europe (87 and counting)! https://optimisticmusings.com/category/travel/euro-adventure/ In the Q&A, a listener wonders about how to set household policies on swearing. What do Laura and Sarah do? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it possible that there have been NINE previous back to school episodes? 2017's version may have featured preschoolers (and multiple children not yet born!) -- back to school has definitely been a journey, and the adventure looks different every time! This year, Laura and Sarah have kids ranging from 1st grade to college sophomore. They share notes on re-entry, from anticipated morning schedules to trepidations about new levels. In the Q&A, a listener asks for tips on NOT forgetting about things you'd like to think about in the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the intro, Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of resilience. Then, psychotherapist and resilience expert Amy Morin joins Laura to share all about the top things (13 in her book!) that mentally strong people DON'T do. In the Q&A, a listener asks for ideas to support a friend going through an especially tough time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah chat about their own feelings around Mom Guilt (should it even . . . BE a thing?) and then Sarah interviews psychologist Dr. Jennifer Reid on the topic. Dr. Reid is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the areas of guilt and shame, and her book, Guilt Free: Reclaiming Your Life from Unreasonable Expectations, is out now. In the Q&A, a listener wonders exactly WHEN the moment in parenting occurs when you can sleep until you feel like waking up? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Sarah and Laura chat all things decluttering! Sarah has made home decluttering a goal for many years running, and has learned a lot from a slew of different methods but has struggled to implement these techniques in her home. This year, though, she added some support. She shares her progress and Laura discusses her own prior adventures in organization. They also discuss the merits of various techniques, from Kon-Mari to extreme minimalism and more! In the Q&A, a listener wonders: what's in their everyday bags? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of 15 minute meals, and then Laura interviews Jordyn Koveleski Gorman, a speech language pathologist and founder of Eat Play Say, a resource for parents of babies and toddlers and a treasure trove of practical advice for working mothers. In the Q&A, a listener asks for details on Laura and Sarah's skincare routines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Nolan is a time management expert known for her Bright Method of calendar and life management. Sarah and Laura talk about their own current tactics, and then Kelly joins Sarah to chat all about her methods. Find out more from Kelly at kellynolan.com or @_kellynolan_ on IG See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode is a two topic combo! First up is a discussion of getting out the door, followed by the host's thoughts on getting the most out of time in the car (both spend plenty of time driving!). Then, they discuss hosting, and hope to empower listeners to just Host the Thing, from a causal book club hang to a big dinner fete. In the Q&A, a listener asks thoughts on rewarding kids for good behavior - is it a bribe? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the traditional mid-year review! Sarah and Laura revisit their 2026 goals, and share progress as well as any revisions, since both believe it's certainly okay to leave a goal behind if it's a purposeful choice! Categories included personal (hobbies + beyond), relationships, work, family/home, and fun. In the Q&A a listener wonders whether Laura and Sarah listen to their own episodes! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode opens with Sarah and Laura discussing frozen treats (yum!) and then Sarah interviews Sarah Jedd about all things academic summer. Sarah Jedd is a rhetoric professor with 5 kids (ages 5-college!) who also has an old-school blog called harrytimes.com. In the Q&A, a listener wonders how to get the family to agree on a movie. (Or not!) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of Father's Day, including past memories and current plans. Then, they delve into summer reading, from juicy new releases to non-fiction on trilobites. Book Sarah mentions: The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for tips on helping kids manage summer work - how to prevent overwhelm without having to nag? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah share some of their favorite tactics for productivity, from avoiding distractions to strategic multitasking. Then, they discuss their current use cases for AI. Was this episode, in fact, AI-drafted or generated? (NO!) In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for tips for implementing TOAD time - Laura's acronym for Time Outside After Dinner! How do you beat the inertia especially when kids are young? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today’s episode, Sarah and Laura open by discussing where they think they are in the reproductive phases, and then Sarah interviews Dr. Gillian Goddard, endocrinologist and author of The Hormone Loop — about all things perimenopause in addition to other hormonal issues! Finally, the hosts answer a listener question about music lesson practice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the annual Summer Planning episode! Sarah and Laura open with a decluttering discussion/progress report, and then discuss all things related to the upcoming season, from summer fun lists, to kid-related plans to summer pain points and travel and beyond. In the Q&A, a listener writes in with advice on putting in a pool! Do Sarah and Laura think it will be worth it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah share their progress with date nights this year. Sarah wanted to go more regularly, and Laura had some fun adventurous ideas. Then, both hosts share 5 of their favorite Obscure Facts! Sarah's skew towards health and human biology, whereas Laura may have snuck in some Paleolithic trivia plus some facts that center around time! Finally, a listener writes in asking for advice: she's in a stressful tech job and pregnant with #2. Would it make sense to take a ~2 year break at this juncture, or are the tradeoffs going to be too great? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of their own movement patterns - do they track steps? Then author and NPR podcast host Manoush Zomorodi joins Sarah for a fascinating discussion of how incorporating small movement breaks into the day can have an outsized impact on health and well-being. Her new book is called Body Electric (she’s Laura’s book twin, with the same release date) and is out wherever books are sold! In the Q&A, a listener asks for tips on staying helathy while traveling frequently for work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura and Sarah open today's show with some updates on how they have spent their time lately (lots of travel!) and then Sarah interviews Laura all about her new book, Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance, out TODAY! They chat hot topics from the book, from golden hours to "dreaming big and planning small". And THEN Sarah gives Laura a pop quiz: can she match quotes from her books to the right volume?! In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for advice as an aspiring course creator. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's intro, Laura discussed how she's been fascinated for a long time by families who manage to have both parents work full time while also managing homeschool. Then, Anandi Raman Creath joins her to chat about how she did just that when her kids were in the elementary years (even before COVID made it a more common thing!). In the Q&A, a listener wonders how to handle it when one child needs more attention at a given time (in her case, related to a medical diagnosis). How do you balance the increased needs while ensuring siblings feel well cared for, too? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we tell ourselves stories about our time that are not backed by actual data. In today's episode, Laura delves into several of these, with some interesting ways to combat common time-centered myths -- from the idea that working parents never see their children to current rates of sleep deprivation. In the Q&A, a listener who has just hired a nanny wonders whether to transition out of day care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.