The Simplified Podcast with Emily Ley

Ever hit a milestone birthday that makes you sit and *think*? This year, Emily's hitting 40, and she's thinking about the wonderful things this new season has to offer: the wisdom of hindsight and experience, the gift of caring for a body that's carried you so far,  the ability to know what fills you up (and when to give a hearty "No, thanks!"), and the abundance of love we've given and received a...

Happy 2023!  As you dive into a fresh new year, Emily's going to help you tackle one of the biggest clutter magnets in your home: your fridge. And here to help is a Simplified sister (and fellow organization nerd) behind the scenes: our Simplified Podcast producer, Amy Kerr! Emily and Amy share tons of tips for keeping your fridge in tip-top shape, like which organizing tools will help your fridge...

In 2023, we have two wishes for you: that balance would come to you with ease, and through all your days, your spirit feels the warmth of joy and abundant life.    In this episode, Emily's going to take you through three routines—one daily, one weekly, and one monthly—that will bring you back to center and feed your spirit. And why does that matter? Because if your spirit is nourished, then sister...

How can you shape your home to nurture your heart in this particular season? What you needed ten years ago probably isn't what you need right now. And today, Jen Robin, founder of the organizational firm Life in Jeneral, is going to help you create a home you love! Jen and Emily talk about the room that gets the most "bang for your organizational buck," how to tame the spaces where clutter tends t...

Do you find yourself saying, I wish someone else would decide what we're having for dinner, or which movie to watch, or what to buy for teacher gifts? Then, friend, you need to try out this concept: "Decide once." Coined by The Lazy Genius herself, Kendra Adachi, "decide once" is going to transform your 2023! It'll take out the stress of decision fatigue and hand you the peace that comes from deci...

Happy Fresh Start season! 🎉 This week, as we get ready for a brand-new year, we're bringing you "Simplifying 2023," a short series to help you gently think about where you are, and where you'd like the new year to take you. Here's where we're starting: sometimes, in order to move forward, we need to look behind us to see what worked, what didn't, and how to make tweaks as we try again. Think of t...

Here we are at yet another holiday—and yet another week we're asking, "What the heck do we make for dinner apart from the Big Day?" Friend, this is what you need this week: no-cook dinners that are easy to assemble. So easy, in fact, that it'll only take you five minutes from fridge the finished. Emily's got some super-easy ideas for you, so hit up your grocery delivery app and bask in all the tim...

Hey, magic maker, we see you right now. We see you making all the lists for presents and parties and everything in between. We see the way you're shepherding the tiny angels in the church Christmas pageant after a busy work day, and praying your mint mocha gives you a boost as you drive around and look at Christmas lights with squealing kids in your backseat. We see you adding more to your plate t...

Sometimes the holidays get awkward because families are weird. And when you get a bunch of quirky people under one roof, stuff 👴🏼 is 👧🏾 going 👵🏾 to 🤷🏻‍♂️ happen. And Emily and Jessa, beloved and hilarious art director for Simplified, are going to talk about that stuff. Emily and Jessa deliver some of the most cringe moments they've ever seen at their holiday gatherings (Jessa's first with...

'Tis the season of giving! But not every gift comes with a bow—the best gifts usually don't. With each passing holiday season, we bet you've seen that the most meaningful gifts are the gifts of time and attention. And that's something we want to teach our kids, too. This week, Emily's giving you three easy ways to teach kids to develop their giving muscles, to look around and see ways they can hel...

"When we lift up a woman, we lift up humanity," says Melinda French Gates. And she's 100% right—because when women are supported, when they're given opportunities to  run their lives and their careers and their families, it makes the entire world flourish . We can definitely see that in the work of our guest this week, Holly Christine Hayes. Holly is the founder and CEO of Sanctuary Project, a non...

Between the food and decorations, the laughter and love, the holidays can feel magical. But let's be real: the holidays don't always look like a Hallmark movie, even if you try. Because beneath the tinsel and elaborate centerpieces, real life is still here. If you're feeling stressed from too much holiday pressure, or miffed by a kid who keeps messing up the holiday photo, or even if you're not su...

The holidays are *a lot.* But what if they didn't have to be? Emily's bringing back one of your favorite guests ever: Nana, AKA her mom, Stephanie! In this episode, Nana gives you permission to make the holidays as simple as you need them to be. Emily and Nana talk through stress-free tips for Thanksgiving, how to ask for help if you're hosting during the holidays, how to take the pressure off you...

There's no doubt about it: life will never be quite the same as it is right now. It's filled with, as writer Zora Neale Hurston said, years that ask questions and years that answer them. But in the midst of all that change and uncertainty, do you know what remains true? Love.  This is a special week on the podcast, because Emily's just released a super special, brand-new book called Sure as the Su...

We know it's a tad early, but we've got to ask: have you started your holiday list yet? 📝 Don't worry, we've done a little bit of the legwork for you! At Simplified, we like to say that behind every small business, there's a heartbeat. Because when you purchase goods or services from a small boutique,  or an Etsy shop, or a Shopify site, that owner can get groceries to feed her kids that night. S...

Let's face it: sometimes we're just *over it,* and that's especially true when it comes to dinner.  When it's Wednesday night and all you want to is lay on the couch and eat a bag of microwave popcorn, just remember the wisdom from our guest today—podcaster and now-cookbook author Jen Hatmaker! Jen's latest book is called Feed These People , and this week, Jen and Emily talked about how to muster...

Ever feel like you're drowning in a sea of emails or Slack notifications at work? Yep, we have too. But how do you get the info you need without sacrificing a good rapport with your team, or feeling like you're missing out on essential things you need to know? And how do you go on vacation without coming back to a quadruple-digit inbox that makes your good vibes instantly vanish? Emily's bringing...

Time to break out the softest throw blankets, the *good* candles, and all the decorative gourds—because today we're getting our homes cozy and comfy for cooler months ahead with Cozy White Cottage's Liz Marie Galvan! Liz Marie's just written a fabulous book called Cozy White Cottage Seasons: 100 Tips to Make Your Home Cozy All Year Long, and this week, she's sharing some of her best (and easiest!)...

When you hear the word "ritual," what do you think of? It can sound like a stuffy word, but it doesn't have to be. A ritual is something you often do that helps you step toward the person you want to be.  A ritual can look like a lot of different things: practices like prayer, meditation, and yoga. Taking a few minutes after work to put on some music, get on the floor, and play with your kids. Sit...

On a chilly fall evening, is there anything cozier than a warm, creamy bowl of soup? (Nope!) To welcome the coziest season of the year, we're delighted to talk with foodie content creator and the Queen of Soup, Bri McKoy! 👩‍🍳 Today Bri dishes on the Instant Pot Lemon Chicken & Potato Soup that's become one of Emily's go-to's, her pumpkin chili that's perfect for Game Day or a Tuesday night, her...

It's one of our favorite weeks of the year: Launch Week! 🎉 As beautiful as our Simplified Planners and products are, we get that you may be wondering: Why use a paper planner in a digital world? We're glad you asked! Emily put on her research cap to find out—and what she discovered will absolutely floor you. Today Emily's sharing four ways that paper planners can help you streamline your life at...

Getting a phone is a huge step for a kid (and their parent!), and there's a lot to figure out: what's the right age to get one? How can we help them use it in a healthy way? Social media, or no? Emily's been asking these questions herself  since her sixth-grader Brady got his first phone a few weeks ago. And to get some advice, she's turned to child and adolescent counselor Sissy Goff! Sissy's a f...

YAY, it's almost fall! 🍂 As the weather turns cooler, it's time to put away the flip-flops and floaties and break out all the pumpkins, all the cozy sweaters, and get your home ready for colder temps ahead. Consider this your "get your life ready for fall" checklist! Emily's dishing out quick and easy tips to get your closets, kitchen, decor, outdoors and more prepped before your schedule gets pa...

Between work and life and making sure we have enough avocados for the week, there are a lot of logistics we have to keep track of. But you know what's pretty easy to automate? Your grocery list. No, really, it's true! Today Emily's sharing her secrets on her favorite tools for automating life in the Ley house. Whether you love to grab a cart and shop in person, or if you prefer clicking Add to Car...

Any shakeup to your routine—whether it's a new school year, a new job, a big promotion, a birth, a death, a surgery, a divorce, whatever—requires you to pour a lot from your well. And you know what that means? To care for yourself, you need to restore your well with some rest and a heaping dose of grace. Today Emily's talking about how to navigate seasons of change, whether you're starting middle...