Things That Will Help

A murmuration is when a flock of thousands (or sometimes, hundreds of thousands) of birds move together across the sky like a wave, or a cloud of smoke. Buffy explores the surprising mechanics behind these breathtaking displays, where no single bird leads and yet the whole flock moves as one. She talks about the social and physical mechanics of this phenomenon, and what we can learn about connecti...

In this episode, Buffy shares fresh observations and lessons from the workshop of her own life. She reflects on pleasure as a practice, the power of curating our attention, the value of invisible things, and the importance of shifting perspective, from chin-on-the-ground wonder at a ladybug to a wider view of the landscape. Tune in to explore the choices available to us in any moment, the art of w...

Buffy begins this episode with a friend’s story about navigating a challenging work situation. Using the metaphor of an airplane, her friend described the inner shift that allowed her to rise above the turbulence rather than remain caught within it. “Cruising altitude” is the steady height an aircraft maintains for most of a journey, and this episode is a reflection on the places of steadiness ins...

In the wake of Mother’s Day, Buffy reflects on mothers: what we are mothering, how we are mothered, and the creative shapes being a mother can take. She shares about experiencing her first Mother’s Day without her mom and weaves in stories of people in all stages and phases. This episode is a spacious offering for wherever you find yourself in relationship to mothering — whether you are grieving,...

Buffy and TTWH producer/editor Alex meet on the 6th birthday of Things That Will Help to reflect on six years of the podcast. They talk about the creative evolution of the podcast and their own practices, pleasure as a tool of the resistance, the age of AI, and why creativity is needed now more than ever.  🌱 Leave a tip in Venmo: @BuffyTTWH 🌱 Become a supporter of the podcast on Patreon! Patreon...

Labor doesn't have to deplete or harden us. In this episode, Buffy explores the space between arriving and striving, and invites us into the magic and beauty of the process as we aim towards a specific destination - into the magic of holy labor. Buffy invites listeners to notice where the weight of “getting there” has eclipsed the quiet of being here. Where can you loosen your hold? Where can...

When something taps Buffy on the shoulder more than once, she’s learned to listen. Lately, it’s been color. In this episode, she explores color beyond aesthetic. Color is something our bodies subtly register and respond to every day, and she reflects on the emotional and physical impacts of colors. She offers simple, grounded ways to invite more color into your life. 🌱 Leave a tip in Venmo: @Buff...

After a difficult week, Buffy shares a story of moving a bench a few feet so it could catch the sunlight, and what this simple shift can mean in our own lives. In a time when you are likely carrying both collective grief and personal grief, how are you taking care of yourself? This episode is an invitation to remember that even small adjustments can let a little more sunlight in. 🌱 Find the accom...

In this episode, Buffy expands on the concept of mantra (a chant, a syllable, a steadying truth) into mantrika , which translates to “little mothers," or the worlds and phrases that we birth into existence daily. What are the words we repeat, consciously or unconsciously, that shape the architecture of our inner and outer worlds? If language creates reality, then each syllable is a seed. This...

Buffy had a plan for how she would give birth: what she would wear, where she would be, how it would unfold. It was a lovely plan which did not pan out at all. This is an episode about holding our plans and ideas with a loose grip so we don't miss the primal magic that wants to come through. Buffy tells stories of birthing gowns, Charlotte's Web, and more, to illustrate how having a real...

Buffy begins this episode with the story of Holocaust survivor Edith Eva Eger, and the choices Eger made in the face of unimaginable trauma. While trauma and circumstance may be outside of our choice, this conversation explores the agency we have in how we met them. She differentiates between spiritual bypassing and the brave practice of placing our attention on what is true and beautiful, even wh...

In today’s episode of Things That Will Help , Buffy tells a story shaped by chance, luck, and the quiet intelligence of the universe. She share's the story of a dear friend about the unseen forces that moved across time and space, weaving mischief, meaning, surprise, and delight into her life—and into the lives of everyone witnessing this story. In a world marked by intensity and uncertainty,...

Buffy begins with a story about an ordinary moment of tuning into a true crime podcast opened up a wider inquiry: What am I consuming, and why?   How does what you are taking in—media, food, relationships, stories, habits—shape your inner landscape? In this episode, Buffy invites us into the practice of data collection as a way to bring us home to ourselves. This is an episode for anyone curious a...

In this episode, Buffy invites listeners into the power of the small. Consider this: how you complete the small tasks in your life can be a mirror for how you move through the big, life-shaping moments. What happens if you approach the small things with intention, presence, and care? She offers some practical ways to connect with small intentional moments throughout your day, and infuse more meani...

In this episode, Buffy explores themes of holding. What are you holding—right now, in your hands, in your heart, in your attention? She considers the ways we hold things—grief, secrets, memories, hope—and how everything we hold benefits from breath and softness, especially when the storms rolls in. This is an episode about attention, tenderness, and the possibility that in loosening our grip, we m...

In this episode, Buffy talks about the plant rosemary as a guide and teacher. Rosemary, AKA the compass weed, the old man, is the plant of remembrance. Buffy shares what she is learning about this ancient and practical plant: its effects on the body and mind, its symbolic and ceremonial uses, and why this time of year is such a potent moment to invite it in. She talks about how rosemary has been s...

In this episode, Buffy talks about her mom’s final days in hospice care and what has unfolded since. She shares about Vivian’s last moments, and the quiet peace that accompanied the sadness. She explores what it means to live inside the loss of her person, of the new language that grief offers, and how to find the small, steady places of okay-ness in the midst of it all. 🌱 Find the accompanying p...

In this episode Buffy shares three stories of bravery and presence: her daughter braving her first cliff jump with a hundred witnesses; her son choosing courage over conformity; and her mother, in the final stages of life, reflecting on the light she brought to others. These stories weave together into a reminder that a life well lived isn’t about avoiding fear or hardship, but about meeting each...

In this deeply personal and tender episode, Buffy opens her heart and shares the journey of her mom Vivian’s breast cancer—from her diagnosis a decade ago, to the present moment of making the decision to call hospice. Buffy reflects on a conversation with Vivian’s longtime oncologist, on telling her children about the upcoming transition, and on the moving dialogue that unfolded between Otis and V...

In this episode, Buffy introduces the Circle of Willis — a vital loop of arteries that keeps blood flowing to our brains, even when part of the path is blocked. She uses this miraculous piece of human design as a powerful metaphor: when life blocks one path, it often quietly reroutes us to another, sometimes better, direction. This divine circulation redirects us when we’re stuck, keeps us alive,...

This episode is about the rules we inherit—spoken and unspoken, cultural and familial—and how to discern whether they’re truly in service to our lives. So many of our thoughts, standards, and habits are built on default settings we didn’t consciously choose. What would it look like to pause, question, and redefine them? Buffy asks questions like: What expectations are we unconsciously trying to me...

What is occupying your time and energy? Do these things actively contribute to your life? And if not - how do you begin to shift course when the investment runs deep? Using the lens of the sunk cost fallacy, Buffy reflects on how challenging it can be to release something we've poured ourselves into. She posits that staying out of habit, history, or fear of change can block the natural evolut...

At any given moment, we may be experiencing a major beginning or a major ending; in this episode, Buffy explores why marking these moments matter, and how to do that. She reflects on how ritual can help us digest loss, honor change, and find our way forward. What could be possible when you purposefully witness meaningful transitions in your life? Ceremony creates a space to pause, digest meaning,...

In this episode, Buffy explores the quiet power of specificity, and considers how precise, thoughtful feedback can leave a lasting mark. From Mr. Rogers’ letter-writing habits to Oprah's fourth grade teacher, Buffy shares stories that illustrate how specificity deepens connection, affirms identity, and answers our deep human desire to be seen. 🌱 Find the accompanying playlist to this week&ap...

Buffy opens this week’s episode by talking about the part vs. the whole; how, in times of great change, we usually don’t get to understand why something is happening to us. Meaning, and wisdom, arrive slowly and often in small moments. This episode is an invitation to make your life smaller. To eliminate what’s not necessary, reject what doesn’t truly feed and nourish you, so that what is beautifu...