Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

I have two mantras for this time of year: May is cray (because it’s always jam-packed with various events), and March is meh (because we’re tired of winter but it’s not yet spring, at least not here in the Northeast). This week’s episodes are my attempt to bust up some of that ‘meh’ energy. Starting with this hodge podge list of things that are currently giving me life – a garment, a gadget, a boo...

Worry, angst, malaise, the blahs, questioning--these states overtake all of us at some point, often when we’re navigating some kind of transition, or wondering if it’s time to make one. And while these moments can be uncomfortable–particularly because of the uncertainty that they bring with them–they are key, pivotal times in our lives. You know, the kind of thing you want to be present for, and b...

Now that marijuana is legal in many states, it’s no longer a sneaky little secret–but does that mean it’s time to go full Cheech & Chong?? Today I’m interviewing Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter of American etiquette expert Emily Post, copresident of the Emily Post Institute, cohost of the Awesome Etiquette podcast. and author of the book Higher Etiquette: a Guide to the World of Cannabis. I...

Is alcohol good for you or bad for you? Well…it’s both. On one hand, red wine is part of the Mediterranean Diet, widely heralded as one of the healthiest eating styles in the world. On the other, alcohol is a neurotoxin and can be awfully high sugar and carb. Today, I’m sharing three aspects of drinking that, with a little bit of awareness, you can use to minimize the negative effects of drinking....

Continuing on the comfort theme, today I’m replaying an interview with award-winning book coach, Lisa Tener, who shares her super cool guided meditation that helps you tap into your wisest, most creative self and get personalized advice for whatever you’d like some support on. I have a friend who listens to this episode multiple times a week, and each time she gets different guidance from a differ...

Continuing on this week’s theme of comfort (I’m replaying episodes this as I’m dealing with the aftermath of appendicitis) I’m re-sharing this episode from 2021 where I talk about why we feel so badly about money decisions we wished we’d done differently, and share an exercise to help you process some of that angst and get some good money energy flowing again.  This episode sponsored by:  NextEVO...

Hi! So… I ended up having my appendix out just as my podcast episodes were due. Which is why I’m replaying episodes this week–and in honor of what I’m needing in my life right now, they are the episodes that bring me, and hopefully you, the most comfort.  Today’s episode takes a deep dive in to coziness, and why, surprisingly, it is a biological imperative that makes all kinds of wonderful, import...

Today’s thing to stop doing, is blowing off your self-care, whatever that may be–going to bed at a decent time, getting some movement during the day, or calling your friend and having a mutual venting session. I can just hear you thinking, Kate, you say this week is about doing less but it sounds like today you’re telling me to do more.  But really this is about stopping resisting your inspiration...

Today’s thing to do less of is complaining. Complaining is a real slippery slope, because even though it feels constructive–because you’re airing your feelings–it tends to only make things worse because it causes you to really focus on what’s going wrong, and what we pay attention to only gets bigger. Like the tiny little pimple on your nose that you poke at and pick at and it turns in to a big an...

This week is all about things you can stop doing. Because sometimes being a better person isn’t only about the doing, you know? Sometimes it’s about doing less. The first thing you can stop doing is taking things personally. Which just makes whatever has happened about you, when really, everything someone else says or does is about them.  So if you’re not going to take it personally, and make it a...

We all know that sometimes, something happens to hijack your day–and your mood. (It happened to me the day before I wrote this episode; I share the details of how my afternoon got hijacked by a call from my son’s vice principal.). Today I’m sharing a three step approach that spells out ARC, which is apt, because these three steps are like a rainbow bridge that can take you from upset to stable.  T...

Setting up a routine can help keep your mood in a good place, as opposed to waking up and just starting to react to whatever presents itself, which leaves you feeling pulled in a million different directions, frazzled, and probably low mood. In this episode I share the different ways to think about what to put in that daily routine so that you know you’re taking good care of yourself and your resp...

Having your mood in a better place helps you be a better person–but there are so many things that can yank it around. In today’s episode I share 5 quick and remarkably effective ways to boost your mood. (And I share the movies and music I turn to again and again to lift my mood.) This episode sponsored by:  NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to save 20% off your order of $40 or more Ritual’s Essentia...

So far this week we’ve talked about letting go of the things that belong to the person you used to be and how to make space for the person you actually are now. Today’s episode is a bit of a stickier wicket--and that is what to do about things that you don’t use, don’t need, but you feel like you can’t get rid of them because you received them as a gift or they have a very high sentimental value. ...

De-cluttering and creating a more functional, more serene space isn’t a one and done deal. I cleaned out our refrigerator and freezer last week and while I’ve been loving the pristine-ness of those shelves and drawers, one trip to the grocery store and it’s looking kind of jumbled and there are some leftovers that are already starting to get pushed to the way back. No, decluttering is an ongoing t...

This week I’m talking about decluttering–not for the sake of getting that minimalist look, although please, I drool over Instagram posts of clean, spare interiors. With a family of four homebodies who love having a project going, I don’t see our house ever looking that way, nor do I really want it to look that way. But believe me, I get the appeal.  No–this week, I’m talking about decluttering as...

We have an idea that resting means doing nothing.  And it’s true that sometimes rest is passive.  Examples of passive rest include:  Sleeping Napping Getting a massage or other type of treatment, like acupuncture or reiki Watching a show or movie Lazing around and staring at the wall All amazing forms of rest. I recommend them all highly.  But it’s a pretty short list that leaves out a whole other...

Today I'm talking with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a Board-Certified internal medicine physician and work-life integration researcher. She's also the author of the book Sacred Rest. I'm fangirling a little bit because when Dr. Dalton-Smith was interviewed on a local NPR program, a friend of mine sent a link to our group chat and was so excited to tell us that being well-rested isn't just about getti...

This week I’m talking about rest. Not sleep, per se, but giving yourself what you need so that you can feel restored. And today I’m answering a question from a listener named Libby, who writes: “I’m having a hard time relaxing lately. It’s not necessarily that I’m stressed, it’s just that I find that I’m rarely doing nothing. I’m trying to be efficient with my time because there’s always so much t...

When you’re in the midlife realm, t’s really easy to focus on the changes that your hair, face, skin, body are experiencing and label them as negative and feel bummed out.  Some days it’s like, how do I present myself in this new reality? So today I am sharing my go-to, number-one strategy for feeling fabulous–even when I don’t really feel fabulous. This strategy requires very little time, can be...

This week is all about feeling good about how you look, especially when you’re in that midlife spin cycle where you feel like your appearance is changing before your very eyes. Today we're homing in on skincare at midlife--because your skin is literally the face you present to the world as well as an important component of health. And like every other part of you, it deserves your love and attenti...

This week I’m talking about how to have a grown-up glow up. Glow up is what my kids call a makeover. But it’s not this radical transformation that we used to think of as a makeover–it’s more about highlighting your natural beauty and glowing from within because you love the way you look. Today I’m sharing a mantra that can help you glow up as a grown-up, and really, it’s helpful in every other are...

Take my one-question survey! (Thank you!) One of the most common barriers to making a positive change is time.  We tell ourselves things like “I just don’t have time” or “there aren’t enough hours in the day,” and over time, telling yourself that you don’t have enough time to do the things you want and need to do creates a feeling of what behavioral economists call ‘time poverty.’  The paradox is...

Take my one-question survey! (Thank you!) Today I’m sharing two motivation secrets that can help you get going with whatever change you’re trying to make, and then help you keep going. One of them is pleasant, and the other, frankly, is kinda unpleasant. But it’s necessary, and it tends to work pretty well. So let’s break it down.  This episode sponsored by:  NextEVO – Use promo code BETTER to sav...

Take my one-question survey! (Thank you!) I’ve been doing a lot of reading about habits and behavior change for a book project I’m working on and I’ve learned some cool stuff about how to make it easier for yourself to do the things you want to do–especially when those things are new, or at least outside your typical day-to-day experience. And since we’re early in the new year, when the desire to...