The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired with Signature Style

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #203 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube Author of The Provençal Mystery series, featuring Antoine Verlaque and Marine Bonnet, M.L. Longworth joins me on today's episode of the podcast to discuss her latest mystery in the series which was just released on April 3rd, The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche . Having li...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #202 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube In today's episode of the podcast, stylist Tiffani Rogers of  Style by Tiffani returns to talk about the trends of the spring season. Be sure to tune as she will share what to invest in, designers to check out as well as how to style a shirtdress and what to do with the t...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #201 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube  "Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart." —Gene Tunney Disspell the myths, push through the pain, discover what you do not know so the wrong information no longer holds you back. The concept of good overall physical health is a tripod: aerobic, strength and...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #200 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube On Tuesday morning at 9:15 Pacific time in the western hemisphere spring will arrive. No weather prediction can change this reality. Even if it continues to snow where you live (the snow in England and France this past weekend have made me feel as a kindred spirit to the...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #199 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube "The best part of being single is that I get to know men and see what I love about them in a way that, when I was 19, I never afforded myself the opportunity. At 19, I would think, 'Oh, I got picked!' and I would just go along with it, happy to be picked by a man, instead...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #198 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube In today's episode of the podcast, author Jenna Birch stops by to talk about her new book  The Love Gap: A Radical Plan to Win in Life and Love   (January 2018).   Whether you are in your twenties or have decades of experience when it comes to love, successes and stumbles...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #197 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube As a young girl I took piano lessons, and I will admit, it was not the greatest joy of my life. A timer would have to be set for me to sit down for even 30 minutes to practice, and even then I would get up from time to time to check and see how much more time I had to pla...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #196 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube "Style is a simple way of saying complicated things." —Jean Cocteau With the collections for Fall 2018 being revealed this month, I am always on a treasure hunt to find unique and worthwhile takes on the classics. At the same time, I am reminded as the trends shift each a...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #195 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube The 43rd time was the charm. At least in the case for currently number one ranked women's tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. Winning her first grand slam title with the Austrialian Open at the end of this past January, Wozniacki, after 43 entries at grand slam events, earn...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #194 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube "When we are happy —when our mindset and mood are positive — we are smarter, more motivated, and thus more successful. Happiness is the center, and success revolves around it."—Shawn Achor, author of  The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology th...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #193 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube "Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be." —Shonda Rhimes In order to feel good in one's skin  (or to feel well in one's skin as the French state it,  bien dans sa peau) , we first must know what skin we are inhabiti...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #192 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube On today's episode of The Simple Sophisticate , author, award-winning journalist, expat living in France and proprietor of the acclaimed cooking school located in France, Susan Hermann Loomis joins me to talk about so many of TSLL readers' passions: France, food, and livi...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #191 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube Quality Leather Totes Hi Shannon - I was going through your capsule wardrobe pieces and I saw the mark and graham brooklyn tote and the cuyana tote listed.  I have been looking for a cognac purse and have seen both of these before (in addition to madewell and everlane).  ...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #190 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube It was the nineties. And Cindy Crawford had a fitness video, yes this one . It was 20 minutes of simple strength exercises, and I memorized the exercises, completing them twice a week on my own. In no time, without the need of the video.  I was in my late pre-teens. Not h...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #189 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube "French women will tell you that when you know who you are, you are able to become more yourself, and then you naturally and easily become more confident. When you know who you are, you are more 'contained' because you are confident, and as a result, you become more myste...

The Simple Sophisticate podcast began its fourth year this past September, and as we did I continue to feel fortunate for listeners' interest and the guests who wish to stop by. This year's topics ranged from contentment to daily routines to being a better partner to everyday life in France and enjoying eating each and every day. Below are the 14 top posts out of the 53 that were part of the 2017...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #188 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "But I love New Year's Day, because I can never get over the generosity of the fact that we all get a BRAND NEW YEAR, totally for FREE — with no dents, or dinks, or mistakes yet. It's the ultimate REFRESH button." — Elizabeth Gilbert With 2018 just two weeks away, I am, as I am with...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #187 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio ~The following episode/post is part of the year-long series Welcoming in the Quality in 2017, One Month at a Time . To view other monthly topics touching on all arenas of our lives from style to money to eating well, click here .  Upon stepping off the plane at Heathrow last month a...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #186 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous...

By default we choose comfort over a better life, but we don't think that is what we're doing. We think we are choosing the better life. Why? We don't know what or how the "better life" will unfold, but we do at least know what is somewhat okay. For example, we may have gathered up the gumption to let go of a partner because the person we were becoming or the life that was evolving was shrinking or...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #184 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio  | YouTube ~ Natural History Museum Ice Rink , London~ The holidays can be glorious and overwhelming at the same time, magnificent and demanding, joy-filled and draining. And since the holidays of Thanksgiving for Americans and a handful of religious and non-religious commemorations...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #183 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio The arrival of the holiday issue of The English Home in my mailbox brought a larger smile to my face than previous years. As I flipped through the pages of recommendations by the editors of special holiday events in which to partake in London and around the city (Liberty London holi...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #182 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio "Paris was always Paris, and the French were . . . well, the French. But because of what happened — j'avais mûri , I had 'ripened,' as they say." —David Lebovitz,  L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home  (released Tuesday November 7, 2017) In today's episode of...

"There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment." —Swami Sivananda Recently I overheard someone describe their weekend as boring, using the descriptor in a negative tone (remember this post on my thoughts about being boring?). Being someone who revels in what outsiders consider boring behavior such as reveling in the responsibilitie...

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #180 ~Subscribe to  The Simple Sophisticate :  iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  iHeartRadio The year 2017 has been dedicated to living a year of quality here on TSLL . While at the core of living simply luxuriously is to focus on quality rather than quantity, I wanted to take time each month this year to focus on one aspect in our lives in which we could amplify the qualit...