In this second episode of Existennial I explain my strong 👎of giving general life advice. (How-to's like how to layer rugs, keep a baby alive or pair wine with curry are guidance I appreciate.)

I then talk about why I much prefer sharing ideas and sparking stuff for people with STORIES. I quote a Spanish philosopher's thoughts on being a teacher and then recap a smart psychologist's studies on "narrative identity," --> basically whether you're aware or not, we're each stringing snippets of our life together so our existence at least makes a little sense and isn't just some random series of events. Yeah, we go high brow.

After that, I storytell my personal narrative ie. what happened with my [most recent] existential crisis.

I wrap with some strong opinions on cheese, a major warning about The Bachelor Franchise, and a paraphrase of Neil Patrick Harris. 

I hope you find value in this! 

To sign up for my frequent-ish newsletter filled with all sorts of fun meaningful things that I'm hoping to be like an Orange Tic Tac in your inbox—something delightful, refreshing, and peppy, click here: https://taliapollock.substack.com

(That's also how I'll send you a written version of each episode if you sometimes fancy reading a la phone a la toilette.)

https://taliapollock.substack.com

Welcome to Existennial, a podcast where I shoot the shit about how we shape our life's own meaning on this random-ass planet and do so without miserably copy-and-pasting someone else's life or drowning in a pee-infested pool of personal responsibility anxiety. 

It's where we'll investigate intentional living through a smorgasbord of science, spirituality, psychology, philosophy, pop culture, eavesdropping, and thoughts-I-have-in-the-shower. 

I'm Talia Pollock, an author, columnist, and lover of the yoga pose pigeon. I've been questioning the meaning and mocking the absurdity of life since diapers—and I've been writing about it since tampons.

If you're a millennial going through an existential crisis otherwise known as a quarter-life crisis..or a mid-life crisis.. a .33333333 life crisis or just a regular damn Tuesday, I am oh so glad you've landed here. 

To sign up for my frequent-ish newsletter filled with all sorts of fun meaningful things that I'm hoping to be like an Orange TicTac in your inbox—something delightful, refreshing, and peppy, click here: https://taliapollock.substack.com 

(That's also how I'll send you a written version of each episode if you sometimes fancy reading a la phone a la toilette.)

https://taliapollock.substack.com

This episode might come as a shock. Or it may not. Either way it’s here and you’re listening to it so how bout I stop guessing what emotion it might bring and just let it bring it! It has been the journey of all journeys to go on this ride with you. I thank you from the very bottom of my heart for giving me your most precious resource, your time and lending me your hopefully not too waxy ears to speak into all these hours over all these years. 

If you have ideas for what you might want to hear more of as I rethink how I want to continue podcasting in the future, email me at talia@partyinmyplants.com. And on www.taliapollock.com/hello you can also sign up for my newsletter which is the best place to stay up to date with all my things! Of course, if you want the greatest thing to come out of this podcast, my book, stuffed to the brim with all the puns and healthy nuggets you’ve eaten up in this here podcast, my book Party in Your Plants is a thing you can buy wherever books are sold. 

If the past 207 episodes has taught me anything, it’s that my hypothesis about partying in our plants was right on the money. In fact, I said it in episode 1 of the podcast: our greatest health & happiness comes from eating way MORE PLANTS than you do CRAP. 

And The only way to guarantee we’ll ACTUALLY eat the plants is to take the HELL out of HEALTHY, which I think we did mighty well in this year ERA of the PIMP podcast. 

So with that I say eat your plants with a smile, monitor your mental health, love AND BLOW yo’self and i’ll catch you in my new projects so stay in the loop with me at taliapollock.com/hello so I tell you about future projects. LOVE YOU GOODBYE. 

She’s a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, a professional chef, a trained nutrition specialist, a food psychiatrist, the author of This is Your Brain on Food and just overall foodie brainiac. This chat with Dr. Uma Naidoo covered how the state of your mental health often starts with what you ate for dinner. As she says, “Happy gut, happy mood!” We talked about so much mood-boostin’ stuffs including how the gut and the brain are waaaay more closely linked than you thought. (Heard it here first before it goes mainstream!) Now, this is a chat that will have you turning your ahhhh to hahas and will have you revamping your shopping list. Yes, if you’re on a prescription, it won’t hurt to try out these brain food tips and no, I’m definitely not telling you to swap out your meds. As Dr. Uma says: you have to eat anyway, so adding healthy brain food to the plate is kinda a low hanging fruit. Her pun, not mine. Surprisingly! 

Press play to hear: 

• How your gut health is impacting your mental health
• What to eat for depression and anxiety
• The mental health disservices of the American diet
• Why your holiday charcuterie platter might be making you depressed
• A surprising new use for eggs
• How your gut and your brain and more connected than you think
• The not-yet mainstream science about how your dinner choices impact your mental wellbeing
• Spices that’ll spice up your life! 

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS

Where to buy Amazing Grass goodies and save 30% with code: PLANTPARTY30

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube

Nikki Brafman is a human design expert (in fact, she’s MY human design expert!). So much about what I teach is about living in alignment, stepping up to be your best self and living a life that is self loyal. Without human design, I wouldn’t be living my best, fullest and truest life. Or at least I wouldn’t have the verbiage to describe myself. If you read my recent Mindbodygreen article I shared how Human design legitimately changed my life. I am so thrilled to have Nikki to thank for showing me the Human Design ropes. And telling you all about the magical ropes too, in this here chat. >> PS. Get your free Human Design chart here to help you understand this episode better! <<

Press play to hear: 

• What the heck is human design
• Why human design is different from astrology
• The energy types and how they behave
• How human design changed my life
• How it feels to be living in alignment
• Why human design can change how you make decisions
• How to start living a life guided by human design 

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube

Miss Simi Botic is a barre instructor, a health coach, the author of Letting Go Of Leo and the smarty yoga pants wearing brain behind Unmeasured. That last one is basically a ballet-meets-pilates class… but one that focuses on body positivity and self-compassion. (As in diet culture turns of phrase aren’t allowed and body punishing mentalities will be kicked to the curb!) This chat was all about embracing movement that we love in a self-compassionate way that has nothing to do with earning food or shedding calories. This is the podcast episode where we kinda just said it as it is: that there are ways to enjoy your studio or gym or road time because of the joys that come with it. Joys that have nothing to do with weight or body composition! And you know what, just like healthy eating, your workout doesn’t have to suck! For the story on how Simi went from a compulsive exercise obsessed gal to the one who teaches a warm-hug-of-a-body-positive barre class, press play! 

Press play to hear: 

• How Barre guru Simi Botic changed her negative relationship with exercise
• What’s an exercise obsession and how to spot it
• Why society doesn’t understand unhealthy workout behavior
• Signs it’s time to tone it down with your workout routine
• Joys your workout can bring that have nothing to do with body shape or size
• How diet culture shows up at the studio and at the gym
• Why Barre might be your movement of choice
• How Unmeasured is the movement choice that confronts diet culture

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS

Where to get Sunwarrior - my favorite plant-protein powder- for 20% off with code: PARTYINMYPLANTS at checkout

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube

My lady Tricia Huffman a.k.a. The Joyologist a.k.a. affirmation queen a.k.a. the shitty thought police (OK, enough of the a.k.a.s, we get it…) is my latest and greatest guest. The woman is more super than a superfood itself and as such, this lil’ chat was even more invigorating than my post-run heaped-with-greens smoothie. Tricia has a background as a sound engineer, has spent so much of her life on the road and pivoted her whole lifestyle to be one focused on joy, positive affirmations, cultivating career success and happiness, and staunchly askewing the word “should” and all that it represents. Her whole *fig*gin jam is to wake people up to the joys that exist RIGHT NOW in their lives. My friend, don’t let these great days perish like wilted romaine lettuce that you forget at the back of your damn fridge! Listen to find out how to fill your life with joy ASAP. 

Press play to hear:

• Why “should” is no longer allowed in our vocabulary
• How affirmations really work
• Why it’s time to wake up and actually love the life you live
• What’s a joyologist and why you need one
• Why no one can make you feel inferior without your consent
• Don’t wait until you “have it all,” find joy in your life now! 

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS

Where to buy Amazing Grass goodies and save 30% with code: PLANTPARTY30

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube

We’ve heard about making our bank accounts work for us, we’ve heard about making our businesses work for us… but what about our home sweet home? Jamie Gold is a home design marvel and the author of a new book: Wellness By Design, A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Home for Health, Fitness and Happiness and her whole philosophy is that if you wanna get healthy, start with your space. We covered so much in this episode from revamping the kitchen, organizing the damn stacks of papers (I know you got ‘em) on your counter, embracing hacks that are going to make your home more comfortable and really thinking through how we put together the rooms that now have multiple purposes. (Home-office-turned-gym-turned-reading-corner, I’m looking at you!) I know I learned a thousand things about how to make my space work for me so that I can live my best, healthiest, sanest, life. (Even if it includes getting the dorky cushy floor mat) Of course, we brought some planty magic to turn this housewarming party up to 11. 

Press play to hear:

• Why to clear out clutter now
• Useful hacks to make your home more livable
• Kitchen mistakes you’re probably making
• What a functional home looks and feels like
• Why comfort and joy are essential to your interior
• How to make your space work as hard as you do
• Why practicality is just as important as prettiness
• How your home design can and should make your life easier 

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS

Where to get Sunwarrior - my favorite plant-protein powder- for 20% off with code: PARTYINMYPLANTS at checkout

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube

This week on the pod is all about less stuff, more adventure, more freedom and the MOST fun chats with Miranda Anderson. ICYMI, I had a major move last year where Jesse, Tommy and I carted our stuff away from tiny apartments in NYC and into an amazing home in the woods where plants grace my presence the minute I walk out the front door. Behind the scenes on this whole transition was Miranda Anderson, established blogger and author of More Than Enough: How One Family Cultivated A More Abundant Life Through A Year Of Practical Minimalism whose book I listened to on repeat at least three times. In this talk we discussed how your stuff is holding you back from adventure, why practical minimalism is bound to bring fulfillment, why lipstick is freaking awesome and why open mindsets can lead to Puerto Rico or Texas or the woods o’ New York or wherever your heart leads you. I’d say this episode with Miranda left me with more than enough!  

Press play to hear:

• Why less stuff inspires more adventure
• What is practical minimalism and why it might be right for you
• How to stop chasing materialism 
• Why acquiring enough stuff is simply a decision 
• How to live of life jam-packed of freedom and adventure
• Happiness = do more of the stuff you like and less of what you don’t like
• What’s an adventure mindset and why it’ll improve your life

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS!

Where to buy Amazing Grass goodies and save 30% with code: PLANTPARTY30

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Where you can go to suggest a guest (yourself or someone else) for the show!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube

When it comes to the good ol’ socially distanced plant partying, Tara Kemp is the guest of honor. Tara specializes in something so, so important and so, so valuable that I have the utmost respect for this gal. She helps women struggling with eating disorders recover through a plant-based eating philosophy. Having struggled with an eating disorder herself (which btw, she attributes to crippling anxiety that was left untreated) Tara, who is pursuing her phd in psychosocial health, knows a thing or two about exerting control over food, and the mental health roots in disordered eating. Her story is an empowering one. But the empowerment doesn’t stop with this special woman’s journey… we also chatted about deciding how you want to interact with food, movement, and in deciding which information to live by and which info to take with a grain of celery salt. I might as well call this one the Suit Yourself Episode. 

Press play to hear:

• Why the road to recovery looks completely different for everyone
• Why U.S. treatment centres don’t allow vegan diets
• What is orthorexia and how does it overlap with disordered eating
• Learn to interact with food in a way that suits your life
• Why food fads might not always be for you and when to say no
• How plant-based eating can add positivity to your meal times
• Why fear-based eating is causing your extra stress at meal time
• Why your relationship with yourself is impacting your diet

Links related to this episode:

The full show notes with all the deets from this episode!

BUY MY BEST SELLING BOOK, PARTY IN YOUR PLANTS!

Where to buy Amazing Grass goodies and save 30% with code: PLANTPARTY30

Where to buy Four Sigmatic Magic Mushroom Products and save 15% with code: “PARTYINMYPLANTS”

Book me to speak at your college, conference or company!

Where I’d much appreciate you leaving a review for the show in iTunes!!

Where you can go to suggest a guest (yourself or someone else) for the show!

Party in My Plants on Instagram

Party in My Plants on Facebook

Party in My Plants’ Videos on YouTube