Claim OwnershipBest of Both Worlds Podcast
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Love your career? Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you! Hosts Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and a mom of five, and Sarah Hart-Unger, a practicing physician and mom of three, discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.
381 Episodes
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Today's episode brings you lots of ideas for lightening your own mental load. Sarah and Laura share their own current 'mental load' challenges, and then Laura shares 7 tips that you might consider if you're looking to feel less overwhelmed by the cognitive and emotional effort it takes to manage life. Strategies discussed include writing things down (always!), batching, automation, embracing vertical ownership, encouraging kids to be independent, spending out when it will help your mental peace, and the all-time favorite: care less.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about what the best high-paying AND flexible jobs are. (Interesting question with no straightforward answer!)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of what they wishes parents could be less stressed about (or fixated on, as the case may be!). Then, Sarah interviews Gabrielle Blair, longtime (18 yrs!) blogger at Design Mom and coauthor of The Kids Are All Right, along with her husband. Gabrielle feels strongly that current parents worry too much about some of the wrong things, and offers her valuable perspective as a mom of 6.In the Q&A, a listener writes in about kids' activities - is it true that one has to develop soccer talents as a toddler to play in high school? Do the hosts wish they had pushed their kids more in younger childhood?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1Need a break from politics? In today's episode, Laura and Sarah provide a 'palate cleanser' of sorts in the form of 168 hours of food! It's always interesting to hear what "real people" do in the everyday, and so this episode captures the minute of 1 week of meals from each of them.It's pumpkin season. . . does this popular fall flavor make an appearance? Listen to find out!In the Q&A, Laura and Sarah share their favorite cookbooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you are trying to decide on a planner for 2025, you are in luck! Sarah provides guidelines for choosing a planner for 2025, and Laura shares her current planning systems as well. They discuss various choices/preferences that will dictate options available, some popular brands to consider, and more!In the Q&A, a listener writes in wondering what the highest costs are in raising teens. Please note that most of the things discussed are absolutely optional, but they will give you an idea of what teens may ask for and what you may want to provide!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are you an "outdoorsy" family? Would you like to enjoy nature with kids more than you do right now? In this episode, Laura interviews Sarah McCarty, head of Run Wild My Child, to learn tactics for getting outside together, even if it isn't your family's natural inclination.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about Halloween costumes -- how do you handle it when kids change their minds?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today's episode is an expanded Love of the Week in multiple categories, from personal care to clothing to kids' stuff and household goods, with some of the items fall themed or inspired. Then, Sarah and Laura answer a listener question related to energy management as a toddler parent (doing lots of solo parenting, to boot!). Finally, they share their thoughts on a bonus Q&A on common time derailers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Laura and Sarah open with a brief discussion of the ways their kids have been exposed to service and volunteer work, and then Laura interviews MiaLisa Millares, mom of 3 and executive director of Doing Good Together, a national nonprofit based in Minneapolis that equips families with tools to raise kids who care and contribute. In the Q&A segment, a listener expresses (understandable!!) frustration about not being able to reliably obtain childcare, despite spending a lot of time and energy on the issue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's a mixed bag episode!Sarah and Laura open by sharing a bit about their current routines now that the school year has been in full swing for a few weeks. Then, they discuss all things whining, from the inevitability to tips to help tone it down. Finally, they address a great (and interesting!) question from a listener about the merits of preschool vs daycare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sam Kelly is a therapist turned course creator with a passion for getting kids to NOTICE and contribute to household management. Sarah and Laura discuss their own current statuses in this realm, and then Sam joins Sarah for the interview portion of the episode.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking how to manage teens not wanting to participate in as many family activities, in part because they are busy with school and their own stuff?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To open, Laura and Sarah talk about previous visions for their own career. Then, in the interview portion Erika Ayers Badan shares some fascinating ideas around work and what it takes to build a career that is truly fun and fulfilling -- she and Sarah discuss failure, boss challenges, coming back from maternity leave, and much more.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about career coaches. Are they useful, and if so, how do you find a good one?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today is a fun but also thought-provoking episode -- Sarah and Laura chose "would you rather?" questions to pose to each other, and both the questions and answers provide a lot of interesting fodder for thought and reflection!Would YOU choose to be more attractive or more intelligent (and what did the hosts pick)?Would you rather work the job you have now for a year at double pay, or take a year off with regular pay?. . . and many others.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for a "permission slip" to outsource cleaning even though her current hourly rate is less than that of a service.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the intro, Sarah and Laura discuss memories of college applications. There may or may not have been typewriters involved! Then, Laura welcomes Alice Chen, BrightStory founder and top college admissions counselor to chat about all things college admissions, from building a narrative that makes sense to viewing the process as an opportunity for teens to learn valuable life skills. In the Q&A, Laura and Sarah answer a listener question about paying for college.Find more from Alice and BrightStory here: http://www.brightstory.info/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Happy birthday to the podcast! Laura and Sarah share their memories from the very beginnings of BOBW, and then reminisce and discuss favorite episodes from the past. They share their biggest surprises, favorite guest eps, favorite conversation eps, and then Laura ends with a piece on the "why" behind the podcast -- illustrating how women can love their jobs AND their families, and truly enjoy doing both.In the Q&A, a listener writes in with job dilemma - choose the one with more flexibility or the one that sounds more enticing overall?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah discuss the challenges of long weekends home with young kids! These longs stretches of unstructured time can be really challenging when kids are young (babies / toddlers / preschoolers) and so Laura and Sarah share practical strategies to improve your little-kid weekend outlook.In the Q&A, a listener asks: Having a 3rd kid! Do I need a minivan?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Laura and Sarah celebrate back-to-school season with a discussion of all things school-related! They share their own kids' school stages and transitions, and Laura shares a little bit about what it is like to have a college senior (and driving teen with parking permit!). They discuss lunches, back to school shopping, activities, and more. In the Q&A, they discuss the question of when to (and when not to) plan around kids' activities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with the state of their own digital clutter. Then, Amanda joins Sarah to discuss all things digital decluttering as well as her very simple yet powerful method of brain dumping via Google Sheet.Some notes referenced:Cleaner Kit App for photo cleanupiPhone: swipe notifications --> options --> turn offAmanda's brain dump acronym: 5-step FOCUS Method: Finish It, Outsource It, Cut It, Uncomplicate It, Scooch ItWhere to find Amanda:Indigo Organizing: https://www.indigoorganizing.com/about-amandaHer Podcast: https://www.goodenoughish.comIn the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for advice in helping kids with learning disabilities - what resources and approaches were helpful to navigate these kinds of challenges?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today's episode is all about designing your work week! Sarah was given some leeway to choose her clinical days for next year, sparking a whole discussion about strategies once might use to intentionally craft a weekly work rhythm. Laura and Sarah discuss choices that might be made when choosing a part-time schedule or a hybrid WFH/in-office schedule. Finally, they discuss the Ideal Week exercise and how it can be a valuable tool to help really demonstrate whether theoretical schedules and routines would actually fit together in real life!In the Q&A, a listener writes in wondering if investing in a second home might be worthwhile and whether either Laura or Sarah had considered it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah talk all about REST. They talk about the realities on rest and leisure time as well ways to really enjoy the downtime we do have. Then, they focus on the idea of trading off parenting duties so that (in two-parent homes) BOTH partners can enjoy some much-needed rest and rejuvenation. They discuss common challenges such as variations single parents might consider as well as resistance a partner might have.In the Q&A, a listener and mother of 4 writes in wondering how to think about returning to the workforce at age 29.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah chat live, answering listener questions about a variety of topics! Topics include:- all about the podcast itself (the time it takes, division of labor, etc)- advice for returning to work part time- dream travel destinations- thoughts about future child care arrangements- ways to address loaded questions at work after mat leave return- where do all the episode / blog post / writing ideas come from!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Sarah interviews Amy Laski of the Difference Lab., and they discuss the idea of intentional subtraction -- removing things rather than just shuffling priorities or succumbing to "cram-it-all-in syndrome". Sarah and Laura discuss their own thoughts on this concept, and then Amy joins Sarah to provide her in-depth perspective on this idea and how it can be applied in both personal and business settings. She also shares her career path and her current day-in-the-life with 3 tweens/teens at home.In the Q&A, Laura and Sarah address a listener question on kid 1:1 days. Does it need to be a full day, or do other variations work?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Loved this episode! There are several books you mentioned in the podcast - could you please list them in the notes?
I absolutely love this podcast. It has been so helpful, relatable, and encouraging as I've entered into motherhood while continuing to build my career. Thank you, Laura and Sarah!
Wait, did I write this? This is similar to my life, except with two kids...