The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature Style

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." ― Confucius Having never experienced a particular event, feeling or sensation, it can be hard to trust that attaining what we have marked as our goal as something other than difficult to achieve. After all, if it were easy, we would have experienced it by now. But what has lacked in the past is the proper recipe. What I mean by the p...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #145 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "The act of responding requires one to look at the circumstance, identify the problem or situation, hear what is happening and reflect . . . What matters is that you stopped and put an effort to think and suspended judgment. It is a conscious act and shows that you are willing to li...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #144 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio Recently a good friend of mine who is learning French as well, and inspires me with her advanced abilities, asked how my learning was progressing. Disappointed even to say it out loud, I stated I haven't been studying regularly. And while that is entirely true, I find myself playing...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #143 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio   "People need to know that they have all the tools within themselves. Self-awareness, which means awareness of their body, awareness of their mental space, awareness of their relationships - not only with each other, but with life and the ecosystem." —Deepak Chopra Feeling happy is...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #142 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "Individuals can take hold of [style] and make it their own. Style is about an individual and fashion is about an industry and [fashion] runs on insecurity." —Stacy London  New York Fashion Week motors on as I tape this week's podcast, and for me, it is holiday and a celebration of...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #141 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio Montreal author Isabelle LaFlèche has been an inspiration to me for many reasons. One of which is her tenacity to let go of what she knew and leap into what she loved. All it took was a nudge from an unexpected stranger to remind her of the creative talent patiently waiting to be re...

"Life circumstances have little to do with happiness because much happiness is under your control — the product of your habits and your outlook on life. Happiness is synthetic — you either create it, or you don't." — Life Altering Awareness The uncertainties in life are vast. But to errantly ignore the ability to master the certainties is a mistake. Each of us is capable of cultivating a life that...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #139 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "When we take the right to rest, when we make rest fulfilling, and when we practice rest through our days and years, we also make our lives richer and more fulfilling." —Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of Rest: Why You Get More Done when You Work Less Charles Darwin partook in regular...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #138 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "Enough is the quality of having everything you need and want but nothing in excess, nothing that burdens you." —Vicki Robin, author of Your Money or Your Life While numerically, there isn't a magic number equated to having enough money due to a myriad of variables, it may seem at f...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #137 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio A work of art gazed upon and appreciated by millions, created by the hands of a talented often ahead-of-their-time individual dedicated hours, perhaps months to their creation. A full and luscious garden, cultivated over years of planning, tending and careful editing and replenishin...

We are not born knowing how to love well. We learn by observing those who raise us, observing the world we are born into and by what we read, view and absorb. The catch is not all of us are watching how to love well. Some of us will have a distorted view, some of us will be limited by what we see while others will observe healthy, kind, thoughtful ways of loving. While there are many wonderful way...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #136 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "It's never too late to learn anything for which you have a potential . . . and the limitless potential of love within each person [is] eager to be recognized, waiting to be developed, yearning to grow . . . If you want to learn to love, then you must start the process of finding ou...

"It is within the boundaries of reflection we are able to become aware of insights that can lead us to understanding."  ― Kat Lahr ~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #135 On the first of January with each new year, twelve months stretch before us full of potential to progress and evolve and to observe the magic that we could never predict. The year 2016 has offered life lessons in abundance. Having...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #134 "A startling paradox that bespeaks how we, as a culture, cripple ourselves in the journey to love — if one wanted to learn about cars, one would 'without question study about automobiles'; if one wanted to become a gourmet cook, one would 'certainly study the art of cooking, perhaps even attend a cooking class.' But when it comes to love, Buscaglia points out...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #133 Maybe you've had a few or many past failed relationships. Perhaps you are currently single or married or in a relationship at the moment, but maybe it just doesn't feel as though you know how to make it stronger, healthier, but there is some part of you that knows it is possible. Even if you aren't in a relationship, you understand that it is a healthy relati...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #132   "There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." —Douglas H. Everett The arrival of a new year always fills me with giddy exuberance. No matter what occurred during the current year, I am very much like a child eagerly determined to will even more amazing, fulfillin...

"As long as one keeps searching, the answers come." —Joan Baez Life in many ways feels as though it is a treasure hunt. However, I have good news. If my experience is any evidence, Joan Baez's quote above certainly rings true. Case in point, stumbling across British philosopher Bertrand Russell's book The Conquest of Happiness.  I happened to have been perusing in my local bookstore, stopping in t...

"Comfort is the root of confidence and not the other way around." —Haley Mlotek in The New York Times Style Magazine Confidence is attractive. Confidence can be deceiving. Confidence is however hard to fake. But the hard truth about confidence is that it is rooted in feeling comfortable with that which you project to be confident about. Depending upon the arena, the one who exudes confidence draws...

NYC stylist Tiffani Rogers returns to the podcast to share her new resource for anyone who travels to, loves visiting and shopping in New York City and wants to know the boutiques and worthwhile shops to visit in order to discover stylish treasures that will last for many seasons to come in their capsule wardrobe. Just released last month, Tiffani has compiled a guide of her hand-picked shops arou...

"We need to replace the Romantic template with a psychologically-mature vision of love we might call Classical, which encourages in us a range of unfamiliar but hopefully effective attitudes: - that it is normal that love and sex may not always belong together - that discussing money early on, upfront in a serious way is not a betrayal of love - that realising that we are rather flawed, and our pa...

Inspired by Sarah Lavoine's new book Chez Moi: Decorating Your Home and Living Like a Parisienne, discover 20 of my favorite tips and ideas for living well in your sanctuary as we talk about decor, dining, style and lifestyle ideas inspired by a Parisienne who lives and decorates with effortless style. This week's Petit Plaisir introduces the newest addition to TSLL brand: the "Live Simply, Live W...

One of the most important skills we can learn and implement into our lives on a regular basis is understanding that in order to have healthy relationships, a content life and a sense of freedom is to learn how to set clear boundaries in order to be able to open ourselves up so that others can truly know who we are and what we can offer to the world.  In today's episode discover the benefits of est...

Letting go of what is no longer serving us is something we have to be consciously reminded of, and one of the most detrimental ways we don't serve ourselves well is the stories we accept as truth that limit our potential. In today's episode discover the importance of letting go of bad service and the benefits that will abound in your life when you do.  In this week's Petit Plaisir, mini apple pies...

Inspired by Julia Child and her determination to publish what we all now know as a masterpiece, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in today's episode discover a clear path to making the goal you desire come to fruition, and it all begins with having a plan.  In this week's Petit Plaisir, a new favorite magazine for anyone who loves to beautiful decor, traveling, cooking and identifies as being e...

Fall is as Lauren DeStefano states, the grand finale, when the world shares the most beautiful and bountiful produce, experiences and offerings. In today's episode discover routines and items to incorporate each year into the much anticipated fall season. This week's Petit Plaisir is a fun romantic comedy that was just released and Shannon thoroughly enjoyed:  Bridget Jones's Baby . Tune in to fin...