This is Not a Back-up Plan

Financial planning can be overwhelming to think about, but is so necessary. In this week's episode, Matilyn interviews Kirsten Cadden (@monetyalks.kirsten) a certified financial planner about some of the basics of financial planning and how to set yourself up for success. Come back next week for part two where Kirsten answers listener questions from Instagram. Follow Matilyn on Twitter: @matilynka...

In this week's episode, Matilyn interviews Mindy Rickard, the Advance Care Planning Team project coordinator for Larimer County, Co, about how to create an advance healthcare directive. Everyone over 18 should have this document to ensure that someone they trust would have the legal power to make medical decisions for them if they were unable to do that for themselves. While creating this document...

Happy New Year! The podcast is back and this week Matilyn is chatting with Becca and Syd of the Good Girls Gone Sad Podcast. Enjoy this conversation about the origins of the Syd and Becca's podcast, how being a good girl shaped their feelings on dating and marriage and how those feelings have changed over time. Find Becca and Syd on Instagram: @GoodGirlsGoneSad , @syd.the.king , @thebeccastephenso...

In this week's episode, Matilyn interviews Madeline Thatcher about the role poetry plays in her life. The two talk about how Madie started writing poetry, how it's helped her learn about herself, and how Madie uses it to connect to her ancestors. They also discuss ways to integrate more creativity into your life, and how the process of writing poetry can be powerful (even if you don't think you ar...

As a kick-off to the December holidays, Aubry Bennion came back to talk about her favorite ways to celebrate! For most of her adult life, Aubry has lived far away from her immediate family which has led to her celebrating in a wide variety of ways. In this episode, Matilyn and Aubry talk about giving yourself permission to enjoy the holidays by doing more of what makes you happy and opting out of...

This summer, Becky Smith bought a bike and it was the best summer of her life. It was the first time she had owned her own bike in about 15 years and the experience helped her connect with her inner child in new ways while bringing joy into her life.  Find Becky on Instagram: @Becky_Smitty Find Becky's podcast, Hey, I Like You, on Instagram: @heyilikeyou_podcast Follow Matilyn on Twitter: @ma...

In 2019, Beth Keeping decided to book a solo trip to Southeast Asia to celebrate herself as a single woman. Now, the singer-songwriter has released a song inspired by her love of traveling and honoring her life just the way it is. In this week's episode, Matilyn chats with Beth about her new song "Plane Tickets." The two discuss why she wrote it, how traveling has become an important part of her l...

This week Matilyn is chatting with Amelia Rose Zimlich of the C'est La Me podcast about her life post-college graduation. The two talk about the pros (more time to read! no homework!) and the cons, as well as how Amelia Rose is setting new goals for herself now that the structure of college is gone.   Find Amelia Rose on the Internet: https://www.cestlamepodcast.com/ Follow Matilyn on Twitter...

Friday night is the new Wednesday morning. Matilyn is back from vacation and this week her guest is Natalee Allen. Natalee and Matilyn chat about how Natalee started sewing and how she has been incorporating this important hobby into her life as an adult. They also discuss different ways to think about hobbies and the importance of considering whether or not you want to monetize a creative skill a...

In this week's episode, Matilyn interviews her friend Annie Foster about how she has been re-imaging her life over the past few years. Annie and Matilyn went to Utah State University together and Annie was one of the first people Matilyn discussed what it would be like to never get married. In this conversation, Annie tells Matilyn about how she is building a fulfilling life, despite things lookin...

The home buying conversation continues! In this episode, Matilyn interviews Timber Kalkbrenner, a mortgage advisor, about starting the home-buying process. If you are thinking you may want to buy a home at some point, this episode will give you the tools to understand how to get started and to ask the necessary questions.  Follow Timber on Instagram: @timber_home Follow Matilyn on Twitter: @m...

This week's episode is the first of two about buying a home. Buying a home is an intimidating process, especially for single women whose decision to buy a home alone often goes against social norms. In this episode, Matilyn shares her experience with home buying and why she decided to become a homeowner. Though it's been a good experience overall, she shares the things that have been hard (or just...

Earlier this summer, Matilyn's friend Ellis move to Helena, Montana to start an exciting new job as the statehouse reporter for Yellowstone Public Radio. however, this meant she would be living a few hours away from her partner and working remotely. In this episode, Matilyn and Ellis chat about her experience-- the things that have been good, the things that have been hard, and what she is doing t...

This week Matilyn is answering listener questions. She talks more about why she started the podcast and how her love of historical fiction shaped her interest in women's issues and influenced her view of the world. Visit Utahwomeninthemoney.org and use the code "Matilyn22" to attend the Women in the Money Conference for free next week! Follow Matilyn on Twitter: @matilynkay Follow this podcast on...

In a world designed for families, cooking for one is tricky. Matilyn and Rebecca Clyde from the Nourish Nutrition Blog chatted this week about how single women can rethink cooking and adjust the practice to better fit their life. Find Rebecca online: https://www.nourishnutritionblog.com/about-rebecca/ Rebecca's links:  Meal Planning for One How to Build a Pantry for One Free Cooking for One e...

In this week's episode, Matilyn chats with Susan Spears, a member of the Utah Women in the Money board, and Alicia Nelson-Bell, an Empowering Financial Wellness Coordinator from the Utah State Extension, about the upcoming Women in the Money conference. This conference will be held virtually and in person on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 and provides education on a wide variety of financial topics from in...

This week's guest is South Salt Lake City Councilmember, Natalie Pinkney. Natalie is entering her third year of service as an at-large city council member for South Salt Lake and is one of the youngest elected officials in the state. In this episode, Natalie shares her journey to her current office and discusses how young adults can be involved with the policy-making process as well as advice for...

In this episode Matilyn and her friend Katerina Elshaug discuss Katerina's experience getting a master's degree in Pastoral Studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Katerina was one of the first six women to graduate from this program and shares her advice on being the only woman in the room. She also shares some of her thoughts for women who want to connect with faith and spirituality but hav...

This week Matilyn is joined by the one and only Madi Murphy of The Bad Broadcast. The topic of the week is simple pleasures and in addition to talking about the things they love, in the spirit of The Bad Broadcast, Madi and Mattie discuss the things that should be a simple pleasure but are not.  Listen to new episodes of The Bad Broadcast every Monday. Find Madi on Instagram: @thebadbroadcast...

This week's episode is a guide for getting out and exploring independently. Matilyn and her guest Ari Rees chat about Ari's evolution as a solo adventurer over the years and discuss suggestions for becoming more comfortable with solo exploring (hint: it's all about research and preparedness.)  Follow Ari on Twitter: @ariwrees Follow Matilyn on Twitter: @matilynkay Follow this podcast on Insta...

Service is a great way to make a difference and can also be a way to invest in your community and make a place feel like home. In episode 13, Matilyn interviews Utah's First Lady Abby Cox about her Show Up initiative. Abby provides advice on how to make a difference in short and long-term ways, and how to use your voice to advocate for change.  Follow Abby on Instagram and Twitter: @abbypalme...

In this week's episode, Matilyn is interviewing Utah author Ashmae Hoiland. Matilyn and Ashmae discuss writing as a process of self-discovery. Ashmae talks about the role writing has played in her life, why you should stop worrying about whether or not you can call yourself a writer, and shares tips for making writing a part of your life.   Follow Ashmae on Instagram and Twitter: @birdsofashm...

Spring is here (at least in theory.) In this episode, Matilyn and her guest Jessica Preece are talking about how to start gardening and food preservation and how the act of physically planting things can help you feel more grounded and connected. Follow Jessica on Twitter: @jrpjrpjrp USU Extension Website: extension.usu.edu Follow Matilyn on Twitter: @matilynkay Follow this podcast on Instagram: @...

Matilyn's thesis is complete, graduation is over, and we are back in your feed! In honor of Matilyn's 26th birthday, episode 10 of This is Not a Back-up Plan is all about celebrating yourself! Matilyn and her guest Aubry Bennion (who practically has an emergency supply of confetti and balloons at all times) discuss ways to celebrate big milestones as well as ordinary, everyday moments. Because no...

Matilyn and her guest Shelby discuss ways to make your clothes work for you so you can think less about what you are wearing and more about what you are doing.  Find Shelby on Twitter: @ShelbyHintze Find Shelby on Instagram: @shelbs25, @shelby.buys Shelby's "What I wear to work" interview: https://thegoldengirlblog.com/what-i-wore-to-work-shelby-hintze-producer-at-nbc-affiliate/ Follow Matily...