Joshua and Ryan talk about why we are addicted to negativity, gossip, and other disempowering emotions and behaviors; what we can do to improve or walk away from negative situations; and they answer the following questions:
How do I tactfully address disrespectful family members? (01:59)
How do I handle welcome and unwelcome teasing from others? (03:56)
How do I manage the offensive behavior of others? (05:12)
How do I stand up for myself with loved ones? (08:40)
How do I address a toxic relationship with a superior at work when using HR is not an option? (13:53)
What is the difference between immoral and illegal? (15:21)
How do I recognize when I’ve reached the breaking point at my job? (15:47)
How do I appropriately address people who constantly judge me and overstep boundaries? (25:04)
How do I establish appropriate boundaries with others? (25:27)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about dealing with toxic people, as well as defining, reassessing, repairing, and letting go of toxic relationships with podcaster and comedian Jamie Kilstein, and they answer the following questions:
What’s your definition of a ‘toxic person’? (06:02)
What’s your definition of ‘relationship’? (07:35)
Is it possible to be toxic to some people but not toxic to others? (13:05)
Can jealousy be helpful? (16:27)
Is there a difference between empathy and compassion? (17:13)
Is it realistic to expect to find a partner that’s on my own frequency? (20:04)
What is the ‘us box’ in relationships? (25:11)
Do my partner and I have to hold the same beliefs to be compatible? (27:57)
Is compromise a necessary component of a productive relationship? (29:13)
How do I deal with toxic people in the workplace? (38:35)
What are the essentials of meaningful work? (42:45)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua talks about hormones—both female and male hormones—and how they change in our 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond; what we can do to optimize our hormones to get the best out of life; how our hormones affect our sleep, stress, mood, energy, and sex drive; and how diet, sleep, sunlight, and exercise affect our hormones with registered dietitian Becca Shern and regenerative medicine expert Adam Lamb, and they answer the following questions:
What are hormones? (02:46)
Do hormones work in conjunction with one another? (04:17)
Is ‘normal’ actually ‘optimal’ or ‘good’? (05:52)
What are some warning signs of hormone imbalance? (10:10)
How do I determine if hormone replacement therapy is right for me? (11:08)
How does stress affect our hormones? (13:09)
Can hormonal birth control negatively affect testosterone levels in females? (16:59)
How do hormones affect sex drive? (20:29)
What’s the link between hormones, anxiety, and depression? (23:09)
Why does testosterone seem to be the silver-bullet hormone for so many people? (23:51)
Can testosterone help with thyroid issues? (24:44)
What’s the best way to determine hormone levels? (27:18)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about creating a healthy lifestyle, managing stress, healing your mind, strengthening your body, and becoming extraordinary with podcaster, journalist, and author Max Lugavere, and they answer the following questions:
How do I best relieve stress? (02:23)
How do I best mitigate chronic pain? (12:46)
Can you expand on your stance that ‘food isn’t entertainment’? (28:19)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss how to find balance, contentment, and tranquility in our new normal with author, podcaster, and health expert Rich Roll, and they answer the following questions:
What are the best methods for envisioning our new normal? (08:47)
How have your health practices evolved as a result of the recent crises? (15:49)
How do you find the strength to keep pushing when it all starts breaking down? (25:36)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss what minimalism will look like after this moment of uncertainty, whether a movement of Neo-Minimalism will form in the wake of the reset, and they answer the following questions:
How do I better control my online purchasing after relying on it so heavily during these recent crises? (16:04)
Given our current crises, what emergency items are reasonable to keep on hand as a minimalist? (22:07)
How has your definition and perspective of the word “essential” changed? (26:43)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan are joined by T.K. Coleman to discuss race in America, racial justice, colorblindness, protests, riots, indifference, systemic oppression, and what we can do to help.
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about why we hold on to material possessions in an attempt to hold on to our memories, what we can do to hold on to our memories without holding on to the stuff, and they answer the following questions:
Should I hold on to sentimental mementos, like a wedding dress, in case my children may want them someday? (05:25)
How do I find the strength to let go of my deceased parent’s belongings? (18:24)
How do I determine what sentimental items are appropriate to keep? (29:55)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss local, national, and international politics; outrage and divisiveness in the current political climate; and the quagmire of disarray and turmoil created by tribalism and partisan politics with journalist and podcaster Kim Iversen, and they answer the following questions:
How can we help our government officials adopt more minimalist practices, especially with respect to budgets? (02:54)
Which political party is most closely aligned with the principles of minimalism? (15:29)
How do we all maintain balance in this heated political climate? (25:25)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan field a flurry of questions from their podcast supporters, including:
What system do you use to organize your personal and professional lives? (01:14)
How do I determine which habits are helping me and which habits are not? (04:52)
How do I ensure I carry forward the lessons I learned from the pandemic regarding appropriate scheduling? (11:04)
How do I tactfully say ‘no’ to bosses and coworkers when I’m not on the clock? (20:50)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua talks about whether reducing our consumption is enough to save the planet, or whether we need to do more than recycle, share stuff, and consume less; the upsides and downsides of capitalism; potential necessary changes to environmental policy; and some misconceptions about human progress with author and MIT scientist and professor Andrew McAfee, and they answer the following questions:
How can we use minimalist practices to help the environment? (05:21)
How do we train ourselves to purchase more intentionally and less impulsively? (23:37)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua Fields Millburn talks about The Minimalists’ “No Junk Rule,” followed by three “Qonversations” with Dan Savage about sex and dating apps during a pandemic; the artist Colleen McCulla about using art to make sense of a post-coronavirus world; and a controversial chat with T.K. Coleman about whether we should give up our freedoms to stay safe.
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua talks about stoicism, what it means to live a good life, and different philosophies for living with author and professor William B. Irvine, and they answer the following questions:
Is stoicism applicable to all cultures? (10:05)
How do I explain the benefits of stoicism to my loved ones? (18:38)
How do I practice stoicism without sacrificing human emotion? (26:20)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about earning a living, being responsible with money, and choosing a new career path during times of financial uncertainty with author, podcaster, and entrepreneur Chris Guillebeau, and they answer the following questions:
How do I break out of the cycle of office jobs? (04:12)
If I’ve grown tired of my current career but I’m overqualified for many other jobs, are there any other options open to me aside from completely starting over? (15:14)
What is the best financial advice you’ve ever received? (23:40)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss the disconnection between designers and users, producers and consumers, and tech elites and the rest of us with author and professor Ramesh Srinivasan, and they answer the following questions:
How do I narrow down what tech is most appropriate for me from the plethora of tech that’s available? (10:21)
How do we deal with the constant intrusion of advertising in our lives that hitchhikes on our tech? (15:47)
What are the ramifications of tech companies selling user information? (25:05)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about what minimalism looks like when it’s taken to its extremes with YouTuber Youheum Son, and they answer the following questions:
Once it seems like you’ve minimized everything, where do you go from there? (05:12)
What foods and utensils are in an extreme minimalist’s kitchen? (10:54)
What is the minimum number of physical items you need to survive? (17:53)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss how to maximize wealth, how to minimize financial stress, and the wisest economic actions to take with the Director of Entrepreneurial Education for the Foundation for Economic Education, T.K. Coleman, and they answer the following questions:
How do I maximize my wealth while minimizing my stress in accumulating it? (01:12)
What are the wisest economic actions to take on a modest income? (12:02)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan expand on how to live—not just survive, but thrive—through these unsettling times. They discuss societal panic, fundamental habit shifts, and the appropriate actions we should take in the midst of a pandemic, and they answer the following questions:
How should we address the societal panic during the pandemic? (06:16)
What things that we’ve taken for granted will now fundamentally change as a result of the pandemic? (16:00)
What actions should we take right now? (29:26)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss the appropriate preparation and response to societal crises with the Director of Entrepreneurial Education for the Foundation for Economic Education, T.K. Coleman, and they answer the following questions:
Are we preparing needlessly for problems that won’t exist? (07:11)
How does the free market respond to a crisis? (09:56)
Why aren’t there sufficient tests for COVID-19? (21:11)
Are there some countries that are handling the pandemic better than the United States? (23:09)
Why does tribalism often take precedence over community? (35:22)
Is government incompetence and overregulation just as harmful to our health as the virus itself? (44:32)
Are some government regulations appropriate and helpful? (47:31)
How can we effectively use incentives instead of regulations? (52:38)
How effective are masks and respirators against the virus? (1:06:42)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss the appropriate preparation and response to societal crises with the Director of Entrepreneurial Education for the Foundation for Economic Education, T.K. Coleman, and they answer the following questions:
How likely is a minimalist to survive in a catastrophe? (23:07)
How do I quarantine for 2-6 weeks as a minimalist? (39:15)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss particularly difficult topics, including trauma, bereavement, traumatic stress, sorrow, and even traumatic death with professor, trauma/grief counselor, and researcher Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, and they answer the following questions:
How do I overcome the trauma of my past to address the challenges of the present? (07:54)
How do I overcome the negative feelings attached to items so I don’t needlessly replace them? (19:10)
Is it helpful to remove mementos of a lost loved one to overcome trauma and grief? (33:20)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about interior design, feng shui, the calmness of clutter-free spaces, and how to have a minimalist home that’s not boring with designer, entrepreneur, and Queer Eye star Bobby Berk, and they answer the following questions:
When I have more space than I have belongings to fill it, how do I appropriately address that empty space? (02:09)
Is there a way to effectively stage a home for sale in a minimalist fashion? (12:08)
How do I make a room feel cozy while maintaining a minimalist aesthetic? (20:26)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss dependency, sobriety, and different types of addiction, including our addiction to stuff, alcohol, food, drugs, cigarettes, money, status, social media, attention, television, breaking news, smartphones, and porn with author and blogger Laura McKowen, and they answer the following questions:
How do I help my mother overcome her addiction to shopping and hoarding that is negatively affecting me? (03:52)
How do I address my addiction to online shopping? (12:35)
Is there a correlation between a minimal life and a sober life? (23:21)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan argue about what’s healthy and what isn’t healthy with author, podcaster, and health expert Dr. Paul Saladino, MD. They also discuss fiber, fruits, vegetables, meat, vitamins, nutrients, cholesterol, fat, ketosis, toxins, and the gut microbiome, and they answer the following questions:
Why is it so difficult to determine what’s healthy? (52:40)
What is inflammation? (52:40)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan get back to basics for spring cleaning and discuss decluttering, organizing, and letting go of excess stuff, and they answer the following questions:
How can I help my parents embrace decluttering? (01:01)
How do I tactfully tell my family I don’t want to inherit their belongings? (10:57)
How can I save mementos and still be clutter-free? (20:48)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support