Forensic Tales

#065 - In April 2001, Susan married the man of her dreams. A man who gave her two beautiful boys, and her perfect little Mormon home. So why would the faithful Susan run away? Her quick-tongued husband possessed all the answers. She had an affair. She had a mental illness, or maybe, just maybe... she was tired of his lies. A fire erupted in February 2012. The murderous flames filled the sky with t...

How to simplify picky eating   It’s the bane of parents’ existences: Picky eating. And while some children are certainly pickier than most, most moms and dads worry whether their kids regularly consume a variety of nutrients – and in the right quantities! – for optimal growth and development. What kids eat matters, and so this week I’m speaking with a certified nutritionist to help us both underst...

#064 - During the 1980’s Los Angeles was the place for glitz, glamour, and terror. A shadow in the night was killing Angelinos with reckless abandon. People feared they would be next. On March 27th, destiny struck an innocent couple. The night stalker performed his evil ritual. The couple lay dead, with the wife missing her two eyes. Her beautiful eyes carved out with a bloody knife and tossed in...

Minimalist tips to manage time   Time: There never seems to be enough of it. And while the internet flows with tips to manage time, minimalists understand that we can gain more time by having less stuff. Today I’m speaking with my friend and fellow podcaster Diane Boden. Diane is the host of the Minimalist Moms Podcast; she also has a new book by the same name. Today Diane and I discuss tangible w...

What’s Really Important When Learning at Home   Many minimalists correctly view their homes as havens. But because critical learning happens within the home during pandemics and always, our living spaces also provide daily opportunities to nurture lasting loves of learning in our children. On today’s show my guests and I explore the ways in which parents can both facilitate and simplify learning a...

#063 - On January 26, 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam rode an Amtrak train to Los Angeles. She dreamt her entire life of visiting LA-LA land. She dreamt of new friends, a happier life, and maybe even love.  Her chance finally arrived. She somehow convinced her protective parents to let her see the iconic city of angels. But, when she arrived in Los Angeles, she found no glamour. Instead, she found her...

Routines and Rituals For Housework Help   Sustainable Minimalism (the book!) is available as an e-book, audiobook, and paperback now, and it dives *far deeper* into the topics we discuss on this podcast. Thank you for supporting my work!   Have 4 walls and a roof? If so, you probably have housework. And if you are fortunate to have a family? You’re likely burdened by household chores every single...

#062 - In May 2006, 52-year old American Micki Kanesaki was reported missing while on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea just off Italy's coast. Lonnie Kocontes, her ex-husband, sweet-talked her into a romantic getaway, to fix their broken relationship. Micki trusted Lonnie, and after a romantic wine-filled evening. Micki just disappeared. Two days later, a vessel performing oceanography resea...

How To Use Cloth Diapers   Cloth diapers have a reputation as the time-consuming and stressful way to diaper a baby. Yet parents who proudly embrace reusables report that the opposite is true: after you learn how to successfully use cloth diapers, the practice provides daily opportunities to connect with your child. Cloth diapering ushers in a unique joy, too. On today’s show I speak with Gaëlle W...

#061 - On October 12th, 2012, 28-year old Ryan Poston, a successful attorney from Kentucky was found dead, shot 6 times in his condo. He’d been shot to death by his girlfriend Shayna Hubers. According to Shayna, she wasn't some sort of cold blooded killer. She said she shot him out of self-defense. It was either kill or be killed.  After a bizarre police interrogation, Shayna was arrested and char...

Intentional Living at Home Intentional living is all the rage right now, as it’s about letting your purpose guide your actions as they relate to your family, your work, your finances, your environmental impact, your spirituality, and more. That said, it’s easy to revert to living on autopilot. It’s too easy, in fact, to be blown off track by snags in the plan. On today’s show I speak with Desirae...

#060 - On the morning of March 12th, 2011, the opening employee to the Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland, walked into a bloodbath. Inside the store, 2 of her coworkers were found bound and gagged. One of employees, 30-year old Jayna Murray had been stabbed over 330 times. Her coworker, Brittany Norwood was somehow able to survive the attack. But in the days following the murder, something abou...

Impactful Eco Friendly Changes   We’ve all been there: The awkward moment when we realize that, when it comes to eco friendly living, we could be doing more. On this week’s bonus episode, I speak with Marie Ève Gaudreau Lamarre. Marie Ève walks us through the moment she realized that she wasn’t eco friendly simply because she recycled; soon after, she knew she could – and therefore must – do more....

8 Minimalist Style Principles   It happens to the best of us: despite our best intentions, we fall for trends. We assume that if a new style looks great on a model it will also look great on us. But wardrobe simplicity is about employing select minimalist style tricks that save money, reduce clothing waste, and empower you to look your best. On today’s show I speak with style coach Kim Hancher. Ki...

#059 - In the early hours of October 6, 2003 Kimberly Long came home and discovered her boyfriend, Oswaldo "Ozzy" Conde's dead body. He'd been bludgeoned to death in the living room. Police questioned Kimberly and a friend she was with the night of the murder, Jeff Dills. Kimberly and Jeff provided conflicting stories about exactly what time she returned home that night. Jeff's story pla...

Difficult Sustainability Conversations   If you are passionate about sustainability, you may often find yourself in the middle of thorny interpersonal interactions. Here are just a few statements I’ve heard over the years in which I’ve tried – but miserably failed! – to bridge the gap between my opinions and the persons’ sitting in front of me: “Environmental policies kill jobs.” “God is omnipoten...

** Sustainable Minimalism (the book based on THIS podcast!) is out now! Get your paperback or e-book copy here.**   Your Minimalist Play Room: Why Basic is Best & Less is More Got kids? If so, you’ve also got toys. If you’re like me, you may also have a play room that’s bursting at the seams with active, plastic toys. Parents want to provide novel play experiences for their children, as no one...

#058 - On August 30th, 2013, 19-year old Bryce Laspisa went missing. In the days and hours leading up to his disappearance, his friends and family noticed unusual changes in his behavior. His Toyota Highlander was found wrecked near Lake Castaic in southern California, with no sign of Bryce anywhere. Investigators searched the area for weeks, looking for any sign of Bryce. It was as if the 19-year...

** Sustainable Minimalism (the book based on THIS podcast!) is out now! Get your paperback or e-book copy here.** Intentional Living and Personal Development   Prioritizing personal development is a staple of an intentional life, yet listeners overwhelmingly report that they have neither the time nor the energy to pursue good habits. The result? We tend to focus on our personal development only wh...

#057 - In 1999, a teenager stumbled into the Hong Kong police department telling police officers she’d been having nightmares of a woman who had been kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. The police followed the girl to the apartment and discovered that the place was entirely decorated in Hello Kitty décor. More disturbing than the décor, was what police officer’s found inside one of those Hello Kitt...

Eco Friendly Living and Gen Z   Meet Murielle from Michigan. Murielle is a Generation Z-er who found herself interested in eco friendly living in high school. Fast forward 5 years: Murielle has dedicated her professional life to solving environmental problems as she strives to change her everyday actions so that they best align with her values. In our conversation today, Murielle imparts some prac...

Healthy Children & The Problems with “Natural” Products   Parabens, formaldehyde, fragrance, and more: In 2021, raising healthy children starts by reducing exposures to common toxins. It continues by giving the side eye to products marketed to babies and kids as “natural”, too. Potentially hazardous chemicals reside in plastic toys, food packaging, personal care products, and even food. But be...

#056 - On September 13th, 2006, the body of a female victim washed ashore in the upscale city of Newport Beach, California. The victim had 52 stab wounds across her entire body. The knife was found still plunged into one of her eyes. Unable to identify the victim through fingerprints, police looked to the serial number found on her breast implants to make the identification. Police quickly zeroed...

Mindful Parenting Tips for Overwhelmed Moms   If parenting under normal circumstances is demanding, parenting during a pandemic is downright exhausting. And if you’re like me, you may have found yourself scouring the internet for parenting tips that make pandemic mothering manageable. But because we have such little (if any!) free time—and because we are downright exhausted—Google’s algorithm fall...

#055 - Over the course of 48 hours in February 2007, decorated U.S. Astronaut and Navy Officer, Lisa Nowak, destroyed the life she spent 43 years meticulously crafting. Lisa Nowak was accused of driving 900-miles cross country from Texas to Florida to confront a woman, who she saw as her rival. She took with her what many would describe as a “kill kit”. Gloves, a BB-gun, rubber tubing, a knife, an...