Best of Both Worlds Podcast

SHU opens up about her family's experience with COVD-19 and subsequent quarantine. Everyone is currently doing okay as this airs, so her story has a hopeful ending! She shares their story, from getting test results to being on home lockdown over winter break (and beyond). In the Q&A, a listener writes in about home office space, and Laura and Sarah share ideas for finding private areas to work...

In the intro, Laura and Sarah talk about current weekend days with kids. Then guest Simone de Munoz joins Sarah to chat about balancing her own life and work as a nonprofit analyst who also wrote her debut novel coming out next spring! Her novel is a thriller novel called Manflu about a pandemic and a vaccine scientist -- and oddly enough it was started pre-COVID! She was able to finish it during...

It's an annual tradition - Laura and Sarah get together to review 2021 goals! Yes, this year may look different, but there are still lots of interesting things to pursue and think about. While it didn't come as easily as in years past, Laura and Sarah identified goals in the areas of work, family, personal, and relationships. If you're looking for ideas, hearing some of the goals in this episode m...

This year was like no other (understatement!) and so Laura and Sarah take some time to review the lessons learned under the circumstances. They discuss newfound habits, those new baby days, and much more. From red wine and dairy to puzzles and hikes, they delve deep into the things that made 2020 different and what they plan to carry on into the new year. In the Q&A, Laura addresses a listener...

In this episode, Sarah and Laura share their favorite childhood gifts, and then move on to some general tips around gift giving and gift shopping. Learn how Laura keeps her gifts organized with 5 kids to shop for, and how she makes extended family gift giving simple but still lovely. Sarah discusses the challenges of 8 nights of Hanukkah, plus contending with kid and parent birthdays around the ho...

Laura and Sarah open up this episode by talking about some big news -- Laura is moving (though not very far!). She discusses how they made their decision while Sarah shares her family's plans to remain renters indefinitely. Then, Laura welcomes guest Ahlia Kitwana, founder of Little Black Buddha, a new company that helps people through career transitions. Ahlia is also a mom of three and an engine...

The tables are turned, and now Sarah gets to ask Laura some of the same fun (yet revealing) questions, and also adds in some different ones! Laura reveals the inner core of her middle school self, some little known intel on the family pet, her most-eaten meals, her thoughts on the various stages of parenting, and also gets to allocate a theoretical $1M gift. There is an unexpected tangent into sci...

We decided it would be fun to share interviews with each other -- so you can hear some varied content, some of it light and fun and some of it more unexpected! In Part 1 of this series, Laura interviews SHU, and Sarah discusses many things, including what she was like in middle school, early career aspirations, what makes up her perfect vacation, and where she would distribute a (theoretical) $1M...

In this episode, attorney and mother of 3 Colleen Blanco shares her story about her experience with giving birth at 24 weeks and her subsequent NICU journey, including an emergency evacuation of the entire neonatal unit during Hurricane Sandy! She describes the challenges and celebrates the wins. Her story is powerful, and we hope it might help others going through anything similar. To stay slight...

Author Claire Tansey aims to make dinner more joyful and less complicated, and she joins Laura and Sarah to discuss ways to make that a reality, even when young kids & busy lifestyles may complicate the equation. In the intro, Sarah & Laura share the past week of meals their families have enjoyed, and the Q&A focuses on a listener whose parents do not support her dreams of building a m...

How long CAN you take hormones? Are perimenopausal mood swings a real thing, and what causes them? Is there any way to "skip" menopause? Are there any exciting new developments in contraception? Dr. Laura Erdman, a board-certified and actively practicing OBGYN answers these questions and many more in this very informative (but still fun!) episode. In the intro & QA, Sarah and Laura discuss mai...

In this episode, Laura and Sarah chat with their first dentist guest! Dr. Toni-Ann Mayembe is a dentist who also serves in the military reserves, and she also her own podcast as well! She is passionate about bringing more happiness into the lives of working mothers, and she has a strong interest in promoting rest and balance. She discusses her 5 top tips for preparing for the week ahead on Sundays...

It's an All Good Things episode. While no one would have wished for a pandemic, Sarah & Laura are finding that some things are settling out at this point in the new normal. Each came up with things going well right now -- from a 2 hour online meeting that was actually efficient and technical-glitch free, to fall leaves which are beautiful no matter what else is going on. In the Q&A, Laura...

This new season is all about risk/benefit calculation and understanding trends and analyzing data - not exactly quick or easy, especially when we are busy doing other things! Laura and Sarah discuss how they are handling it, and then are joined by an expert guest today on this topic -- Dr Kelly Fradin, a pediatrician who has been working on making the analysis easier and more understandable for th...

Rebecca is a mother to 8 month old Miriam and also the owner of a small business (a yarn shop specializing in hand-dyed varieties, based in Cary NC). Rebecca took both plunges very bravely: leaving the corporate world to open her own business and also choosing to pursue the path of having a baby on her own. Sarah and Rebecca tell a few fun stories, and then Rebecca opens up about what the journey ...

In this Laura & Sarah episode, the first discussion is about foundation habits -- what are the habits that seem to sustain everything else? Sleep definitely . . . and there is quite a tangent on baby sleep in the discussion as well! The discussion then segues to talking about fall favorites, from weather changes to pumpkin flavors and other fun aspects of the season (even Halloween and what th...

Friendship certainly looks different these days . . . but it doesn't mean that connection is any less important! Author, speaker and connection expert Shasta Nelson joins Laura and Sarah to discuss the value of making true friend connections at work, as well as some tips on building these important relationships. In the intro, Laura and Sarah discuss their current friend situations and the Q&A...

Larissa Maloney is a mother of 2, teacher, and now business owner, running Active Kids 2.0 -- a virtual training studio for kids, from toddlers to teens! In this episode, Sarah shares her woes about getting her kids the activity they need (hot September weather in FL doesn't help!). Larissa offers lots of great advice and resources, and shares a fun day-in-the-life. She also offers her own thought...

School is about to start for some and has been in session for a few weeks for others! Laura and Sarah discuss some of the interesting remote education solutions they have seen arise in their areas. Laura then gives a detailed description of how a two-career couple might make things work if childcare is not an available option -- including specifics on a potential schedule. Then, the two delve into...

This year has been rather . . . different than expected (understatement of the century). But, setting and reviewing goals can still be helpful to some. At the same time, it's also okay to have seasons with fewer goals or to reevaluate prior plans! Laura discusses still feeling in the thick of it with Baby #5 while Sarah has spent time thinking about how to modify prior goals to fit 2020 constraint...

Sarah and Laura open with their own stress management strategies, including a book rec. Then, meditation teacher and mother of 5 Josephine Atluri joins in to share her journey into learning about meditation as well as some of her favorite techniques for managing stress and coping with difficult times. She also delves into her own family building experience, including international adoption, IVF, a...

Laura and Sarah open with a brief discussion of Sarah's wardrobe makeover, and then Riche Holmes Grant joins in. In this fun interview, Riche describes her career journey, including how she went from Columbia Law graduate to business owner to professional influencer & Martha Stewart design collaborator! She shares inspiration on how to create a beautiful tablescape and also gives us a glimpse...

Sarah's podcast dedicated to all things planning launched yesterday (let's hope it went well!) and now that Best Laid Plans is here, she takes a moment to talk about this fun new project -- structure, ideas, and more! (Don't worry - this is in addition to BOBW, not a replacement!). Then, Laura and Sarah dive into more listener-submitted Q&A. Topics include home workstations, pandemic-related h...

In this episode Laura and Sarah answer your questions submitted through Instagram, including one that seemed to come up multiple times: what are we planning to do with our kids in the new school year? The topics in this episode range from practical to frivolous so join us as we dive into time blocking, appearance tips for video meetings, kids & chores, and much more. Learn more about your ad c...

In this episode, Sarah interviews Laura on the hottest work-related topic of the moment -- how to work effectively from home! Laura's new ebook The New Corner Office is out today, so in honor of the release we have the answers to 8 of your most burning questions related to working remotely. From Zoom fatigue to finding focus,this episode is chock full of practical tips and tricks!  Learn more abou...