A Little Bit Easier

Having meaningful friendships is important. For most people it's also very hard to make friends as an adult. In this episode we discuss how to meet people that share your interests, how to get over the weirdness of asking someone out on a friend date, and how to go from an initial connection to actually becoming friends.

Pam and Sarah explore themes of time scarcity, overwhelm, and the importance of aligning actions with personal values. Pam shares her experience of feeling overwhelmed with commitments that she made when she was less busy. They discuss the concept of 'wintering' as a metaphor for coping with difficult times and the importance of embracing life's cyclical nature. The conversation also t...

In this conversation, Pam and Sarah delve into the often overlooked yet crucial topic of boundaries. They discuss the complexity and nuances of setting boundaries with oneself and others, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and personal growth. The conversation highlights practical strategies for establishing and maintaining boundaries, particularly in the context of personal commitments...

Pam and Sarah reflect on their experiences over the past year, share tips for setting intentions for the new year, and discuss the importance of growth and spaciousness. They share their personal keywords for 2025, growth and spaciousness, which leads to a conversation about the need to consciously allocate energy towards what brings joy and fulfillment, while also planting seeds for future opport...

Get your new year planning guide here: https://www.sarahlang.ca/workbook In this conversation, Pam and Sarah discuss the importance of reflecting on the past year and setting intentions for the upcoming year. They introduce a guide designed to facilitate this process, emphasizing the significance of self-awareness, goal setting, and establishing boundaries. The discussion covers how to effectively...

In this conversation, Pam and Sarah delve into the multifaceted concept of visibility, exploring its significance in both personal and professional contexts. They discuss the challenges individuals face in becoming visible, particularly the fears associated with judgment and safety. The conversation emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy, the benefits of visibility, and practical strategies fo...

Learn about the concept of the window of tolerance for stress and how to build a foundation that helps you become more resilient and manage stress more effectively. Takeaways Building a strong foundation of self-care is crucial for managing stress. Setting boundaries is essential for protecting our mental health. Self-awareness is key to recognizing when we are stressed. Nutrition and sleep signif...

We’re back from our summer hiatus that lasted longer than planned because life happens and that's okay. Listen to this conversation to hear us catch up on how our time off was, including discussions about: Being present while traveling with loved ones How quickly (or not) change actually happens Working with low energy seasons Planning around your business’s cycles Pam’s surprising anxiety trigger...

In this episode, Pam and Sarah discuss the idea of letting go of the need for closure and the importance of forgiveness without receiving an apology. They share their personal experiences with closure and how they handle situations where they don't receive the apology they want. They emphasize the importance of accepting reality, practicing self-compassion, and doing the internal work to find...

In this episode, Sarah and Pam discuss self-compassion, which is the key to accelerating any type of personal growth. Expect to learn what self-compassion actually is, steps to build the practice into your daily life, and actionable tools you can use today. Takeaways Self-compassion is essential for personal growth and overcoming challenges. Understanding oneself and the reasons behind one's a...

In this episode, Sarah and Pam discuss why you should get better at apologizing and do it more often. You'll learn why apologizing is especially important when the need to apologize to repair a wrong isn't as apparent, how to apologize effectively, and how sincere apologies actually change memories. Takeaways Apologizing repairs relationships and strengthens connections. Apologizing is a v...

This conversation revolves around personal experiences of job loss and layoffs, and provides tips for dealing with the emotional and practical aspects of a layoff. Sarah and Pam discuss the emotional impact of a layoff, the importance of self-care and self-reflection, and the need to build a strong support network. They also emphasize the significance of financial preparedness and continuous skill...

In this episode, Sarah and Pam discuss gratitude as an antidote to negativity bias and a path to happiness. Learn how gratitude is a habit that you can cultivate through practices such as journaling, mindfulness, and creating rituals. Developing a gratitude practice makes you feel in control of your life and increases satisfaction and happiness. Sharing gratitude with others can even improve perso...

This conversation explores the decline in reading for pleasure and the importance of rebuilding the skill. We discuss the reasons why reading is important, such as the joy and relaxation it brings, the opportunity to learn from stories, and the development of concentration and critical thinking skills. The conversation also highlights the role of reading as a model for children and the need to rev...

In this episode, Pam and Sarah discuss the cognitive biases of negativity bias and confirmation bias. They explain how these biases work together to create a powerful feedback loop, leading to negative thinking and confirmation-seeking behavior. The negativity bias is the tendency to give more weight to negative information, while confirmation bias is the tendency to seek information that confirms...

In this conversation we explore the concept of sunk cost fallacy, which is the tendency to continue investing resources in something even when it's no longer beneficial. Examples include staying in an unfulfilling job or relationship and continuing to pay for unused memberships or subscriptions. Takeaways Sunk cost fallacy is the tendency to continue investing in something even when it's n...

In this episode, we discuss the concept of rest and the seven types of rest identified by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. The seven types of rest are physical rest, mental rest, spiritual rest, emotional rest, sensory rest, social rest, and creative rest. We took the seven types of rest quiz to see where we were deficient. We share our results, ways we're working to address our rest deficits, and of...

In this episode, Pam and Sarah discuss various strategies and habits for improving sleep quality. They share their different perspectives on sleep and their natural sleep schedules. They share their nighttime routines. Sarah's is more traditional with reading, magnesium, and journaling. Pam's is weirder and includes the use of nose strips and mouth tape for better breathing during sleep. T...

In this conversation, Pam and Sarah discuss their journeys into self-employment and the differences between being self-employed and having a traditional job. They explore the themes of stability vs. freedom, income predictability, career growth and development, and work-life balance. They highlight the pros and cons of each and provide insights into how to navigate these aspects of entrepreneurshi...

In this conversation, Pam and Sarah discuss anxiety through the lens of the book 'Unwinding Anxiety' by Dr. Jud Brewer. They share their personal experiences with anxiety and how it affects their lives. They explore the concept of anxiety as a habit and the habit loop that reinforces anxious behaviors. They discuss the physical manifestations of anxiety and the role of self-judgment in per...

As a follow up to the last episode on Permission to Speak by Samara Bay, Pam and Sarah discuss tips for public speaking and using your voice effectively. They emphasize the importance of investigating your stories about speaking so you can change your personal narrative and suggest building confidence by focusing on past successes. Takeaways Change the narrative around speaking and focus on past s...

In this episode, Pam and Sarah discuss the book 'Permission to Speak: How to Change What Power Sounds Like Starting With You' by Samara Bay. They explore topics such as developing confidence in speaking, expanding the definition of public speaking, the influence of pitch and voice perception, accepting and appreciating your voice, managing emotion while speaking, the power dynamics of spea...

Links mentioned: NYT article about cost of subscriptions: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/opinion/subscriptions-netflix-apple-cost.html Box breathing demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uQXDkxEtM In this episode rather than having one large topic to discuss, Pam and Sarah have a free flowing conversation about changes they're working on making in the new year and advice for listeners. A...

Download the New Year Intention Setting Guide at https://www.sarahlang.ca/workbook Watch A Little Bit Easier Episode 10 Embracing, Encouraging, and Celebrating Change for the conversation about quitting things that we mention in this episode. In this conversation, Pam and Sarah discuss the process of reflecting on the past year and planning for the new year. They introduce a workbook that helps in...

In this episode, Sarah and Pam discuss Part 2 of Four Thousand Weeks Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. If you haven't read the book, we highly recommend it but you can listen before you read it. If you have read it, listen then leave us a comment about your big takeaways. Get a full transcript at easiershow.com