Sustainable Minimalists

American culture tends to market aging as a slow fade into the background. After all, women are told that getting older comes with a loss of relevance, memory, and attractiveness.

But what if the season of midlife isn’t a crisis?

We aren’t just getting older; in fact, we’re getting louder, bolder, and more authentic. On today’s show podcast host Stacey Hutson dismantles the myth that our best years are behind us by breaking down the the science behind those hormonal shifts while also celebrating the fierce second act that follows.

Here’s a preview:

[7:00] IDGAF Energy: How hormonal shifts can actually fuel a powerful new sense of assertiveness and boundaries

[16:00] Science-backed ways to navigate the intersection of “puberty in reverse” and the relentless mental load of motherhood

[19:00] Mindfulness, cycle syncing, creatine, and other “buffer supporting” practices

[25:00] Musings on why our culture tends to dismiss older women

[28:00] Rejecting the idea that aging equals irrelevance, plus: Thoughts on leaning into the mundane

 

Resources mentioned:

The Next Phase podcast

Explain Cycle Syncing to Me: Your Guide to Aligning Food, Fitness & Energy with Your Hormones (via Apple Podcasts)

How to Eat With Your Cycle to Balance Hormones in Perimenopause (via Apple Podcasts)

Fair Play (via Bookshop.org)

Stacey on Substack

Our Book Club pick for Mon. March 3: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

 

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Behind every clever AI response is a massive, windowless data center humming with heat.

From the water-starved plains of West Texas to the sprawling 'Stargate' megaprojects in Wisconsin, the infrastructure that powers ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude is eating up natural resources and altering the landscapes of countless communities.

And while news headlines are hyper-focused on what AI can do, the real story lies in the uncovering the important resources it's devouring. On today's show we're pulling back the curtain on AI data centers to reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly. We're also outlining action steps if a data center is in your community.

Here's a preview:

[5:00] Data centers simply must stay on 99.999% of the time (and other little-known data center facts)

[10:00] A single AI query emits ten times more carbon into the atmosphere. Plus: Rising electricity prices for everyone!

[21:00] Cognitive offloading? AI offloads *thinking*

[25:00] Your attention is your most valuable currency

[27:00] Not in your backyard! If a data center being planned in your community, stop, drop, and follow these action steps

Resources mentioned:

What We Can Know by Ian McKewan

Community Action Works

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Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

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In a world of minimalist trends and beige-on-beige living rooms, it’s easy to feel as though your home should look like a page from a high-end decor catalog. But when you prioritize perfection over personality, your home may become just another place in which you feel pressure to "keep up".

Let's ditch picture-perfect spaces in favor of lived-in havens. On today's show author Don Suttajit encourages us to curate homes that support our growth, restore our energy, and help us uncover who we truly are.

 

Here's a preview:

[9:00] If we're not careful, advertising will sell us our identities

[14:00] Busy-ness is a capitalist construct!

[18:30] How to set your home up to be less of a stress-inducer and more of a haven

[28:00] Havens aren't about aesthetics. They're about function and feel

 

Resources mentioned:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (via the National Library of Medicine)

Tidy Less, Live More: An Identity-Based Approach to Organizing Your Home and Life

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

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The world has changed so much, but the tenets of timeless parenting haven't changed one bit.

Our culture tends to treat childhood like a race. But the push to meet academic benchmarks at younger and younger ages is counterproductive to how a child's brain naturally develops. And when parents overschedule their children because they're afraid they'll be left behind, they may be robbing them of the downtime they need to thrive.

On today's show world-renowned child psychologists Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Dr. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff dive into how to raise healthy, happy children without burning out -- and without relying on the latest "educational" gadgets.

 

Here's a preview:

[5:15] Smart phones, AI, oh my: The fundamental needs of children haven't changed, even if  technology has

[15:00] How to ignore the very-real temptation to get our kids "ahead"

[19:45] Unrealistic expectations characterize much of the "academic" toys on the market. Here's how to spot them

[25:00] The research is clear: Kids need more downtime. Extracurriculars aren't downtime!

[34:00] Your new parenting mantra: "Reflect, Resist, Recenter"

 
Resources mentioned:

Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less

Trouble in Toyland 2025: A.I. bots and toxics present hidden dangers (via PIRG)

Kathy and Roberta on Instagram

Book clubs are scheduled! 

 

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

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A former Meta executive recently revealed that, when a girl posts a selfie on social media and takes it down, the algorithm then targets her for beauty products.

Enter today's teen and tween skincare craze, where Sephora Kids and "SkinTock" reign supreme. But pushing skincare on young girls is a business that's off of highlighting a child's flaws. Worse, many of the products being marketed to them contain powerful ingredients that may actually harm — not help — developing skin.

On today's show: A minimalist parent's take on multi-step skincare routines for tweens and teens, with the help of clean beauty expert Andrea Dahr.

 

Here's a preview:

[7:00] Children have sensitive skin, and anti-aging products can harm their skin for the long haul

[9:00] What the "clean section" at Sephora means — and what it doesn't

[14:30] The link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and early puberty

[20:00] What should teens and tweens *actually* be putting on their faces on a daily basis?

[34:00] Five tips for parents of teens and tweens who love skincare

 
Resources mentioned:

Episode #528: Heathy Hair

Episode #320: The Obesogens

Switch Natural app

We have an aligned sponsor! Head to Duckfeetusa.com and use code MAMAMINIMALIST FOR $50 off.

 

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

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