Exactly Enough Time

I love to learn and share about human flourishing and today on the podcast, I’m talking toys, creativity and the genius of play with my guest Anna Yudina, the Senior Director of Marketing Initiatives for The Toy Association. Anna is amazingly energetic, smart and generous and I know you’ll enjoy our conversation. Listen to learn more about … The Toy Association, its history and role in researching and providing for the needs of manufacturers, retailers and consumers of toys and entertainment. How toys help meet the needs of trending demographics, like kidults and tweens/teens. An interaction I had with my 3 year old granddaughter, Audrey that illustrates the role of imagination in healthy development. The Genius of Play, a robust initiative to promote the benefits of play for all people. I hope you’ll visit The Genius of Play and take advantage of the resources curated there. I know you'll walk away feeling more playful and better prepared to encourage and support playful activities that enhance emotional wellbeing. During our conversation Anna shared about the Emotional Wellness Playbook—but there is so much more, including a YouTube channel and a NEW podcast, Once Upon a Playtime. You can also follow along on Instagram and explore their Pinterest boards. The stated Genius of Play mission is: to provide families with the information and inspiration they need to make play an important part of their child’s day. Through our website and social media channels, parents can find facts, useful tips and expert advice on how toys and play can help kids build confidence, creativity, critical thinking and other skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Plus, you can get ideas on how to keep playtime fun and fresh! 😉 The bottom line: Play is serious business and we’re not doing enough of it, so Anna is here to help—and be sure to stick around to the end to learn of two amazing resources for help with your holiday toy shopping!

I sat down recently with Jon Ogden, one of the founders at Uplift Kids to talk about the impressive and very helpful resource they’ve created to help parents teach their children values. Our children are growing up with access to global influences—for good and evil—and they are witnessing much division and contentious behavior. FREE Two Week Trial HERE A recent Uplift Kids Instagram post read, We’re too often walled off — from nature, from each other, from our inner compass. At Uplift Kids, we believe that one of the best ways to combat disconnection is through fostering connection at home. I know you’ll enjoy our conversation and that you’ll be eager to learn more Uplift Kids. As I’ve poked around the website, I’m super impressed with the variety and quality of lesson materials. Jon and I talked through one of the many lessons that are available to members of Uplift Kids—one on Emotional Well Being, brimming color and easy-to-use ideas and illustrations. You’ll see here in the show notes, a chart of emotions, illustrated for children to understand and relate to. It’s clear that much thought and intention goes into these amazing resources. Click HERE to visit Uplift Kids and learn more! For example, to help kids better manage a range of emotions, you can teach them the acronym, F-E-E-L, where F: is Find the emotion, E: is for Engage with the emotion (name and locate it in your body) the second E: to help you Express the emotion in a healthy way and finally, L: Love the emotion or consider what it is teaching or how it is blessing you. I am so grateful for my faith in Jesus Christ—a sure and solid foundation from which I have taught my children and encouraged qualities like kindness, honesty, forgiveness and charity—but many today are walking away from religious faith, which can leave parents and children feeling untethered. Thank goodness the team at Uplift Kids has created something for these families to turn to as a way to strengthen relationships and to navigate challenging times. You can follow Uplift Kids on Instagram and on Facebook

This week I have the privilege of visiting with my good friend, Shaun Brown who has just authored a children’s book, titled, The Best Ideas Come From God. Shaun writes about real people who have acted on heavenly inspiration to do important and historic things, and her much-needed message to the next generation is God loves you and wants to send his best ideas to help you!I know you’ll enjoy hearing about Shaun’s creative process and that you’ll take encouragement to do the things you feel called to do! Children need to know that God will help them in every part of their life. Learning how to listen for guidance from God is so important for safety and peace. Using examples from the lives of Harriet Tubman, George Washington, and others, this book illustrates how God has always helped his children and teaches children how to recognize when God is helping them. “Ideas come from God. You cannot command the idea to come, it will come when it’s good and ready.” — Albert Einstein I’m all in on helping Shaun promote this book and its important message!In Shaun’s own words: Since I was 14, I have known I would one day write books for children.  As a full-time mother, I read a lot of books to children, but never tried to write.  A few ideas came to mind over the years, and I stored them for the future.Eventually, with my own children grown and starting their families, I found I had time to write.  But where to begin.  I made lists, I prayed, I bought books, and I prayed some more – looking for inspiration.  Finally, into my mind came the title of my first children’s book “The Best Ideas Come from God.”   Once I had the title, I searched for ways to tell a story that would help children realize God does love us and he wants to help us.  I wanted children to know how to recognize when God is sending ideas.   Some of my favorite people in history trusted God to guide them, so I decided telling their stories would be a great way to teach the truths I hoped to share … once I started writing, I found I needed someone to illustrate the book. I learned about the site called Upwork – an online marketplace for illustrators, graphic designers, and other very talented people.  I began reviewing the portfolios of different illustrators and found Sonja, from Serbia.  She was amazing to work with, so fast, and so responsive.  I would send ideas and she would create the image I was envisioning.  It was a treat to work with her and I am so grateful for her talents in helping make the book a reality. I chose to self-publish with Amazon because the only investment was $10 for the ISBN code on the back of the book—plus my time in the writing, layout, and cover design of course!Perhaps one day I will pursue a more traditional path to publishing, but for now I enjoy the process of bringing my books to life myself.  There is incredible satisfaction in holding a book in your hands, that you know you created from beginning to end, with God’s help and the help of people he helped you find along the way. Purchase a copy of The Best Ideas Come From God HERELearn more about Shaun and the community newspaper she founded. Thanks for listening!

A few months back I received an interesting email that resulted in an opportunity to interview Lovre Soric, who is creating an awesome solution set to help us in uniting families across time and miles. Lovre hails from Croatia and works in California. On a trip home he sensed a disconcerting disconnection developing between him and his distant family members. He knew there had to be something better than social media or email to stay connected and to share information and stories with his aging grandparents, mother, father and siblings. So with his degrees in engineering and business he decided to get to work. Today you get to hear his story and perhaps even help him in his efforts to create a super-cool solution. Click on this image or visit https://myroots.io to get started! To learn more and help Lovre, click HERE and visit the Roots Family Newsletter homepage. Enter your email AND then let them know that Stacy sent you, or that you heard about them on Exactly Enough Time. This will result in a three month trial for FREE, so that you can create and personalize a family newsletter experience that works for YOU. I’m going to give this a try with my Hall side. I talk regularly with my sisters, but don’t do a great job staying connected with my brothers AND as the nieces and nephews launch, I definitely want to hear what’s going on in their lives. I’m excited to take this newsletter solution for a test drive and share important feedback. ➡️ IF you have questions, you can email stacy@stacyulian.com OR lovre_soric@berkeley.edu I opened today’s episode with the song, Uniting that was performed by Adessa, Chad Truman and the One Voice Children’s Choir at the 2023 RootsTech conference.

My friend, Jessica Vincent is on the podcast with me today and I’m super excited for YOU because what she has created is quite literally a game changer. Jessica is the founder of Positive Sports Communities and is right now hosting a super cool event, called Travel with Your Team Summit that features trainings from a panel of experts on everything from mental toughness and anger management to better sleep and saving on travel. ⚽️ 🏀 🎾 ⚾️ 🏐 Jessica Vincent from Positive Sports Communities Once you’re registered you’ll meet people like Shawnee Harle, a two-time Olympian with 27 years of elite coaching experience and Nate Daniels a former professional football player, author, coach and entrepreneur. Everyone involved is qualified in a specific area of expertise! All of these phenomenal presentations include transcripts and many feature additional PDF downloads. For a small fee, you will be able to access a VIP pass that gets you extended access, bonus material and live sessions with panel members. In my presentation, I am excited to share what I know will help busy parents manage the overwhelm created by hundreds of photos associated with just one tournament trip or big game! Jessica’s hope overall is that this summit will help parents, players and coaches STAY HEALTHY, experience LESS STRESS and more POSITIVITY and create travel that is FULL OF MEMORIES. REGISTER HERE The Travel with Your Team summit is FREE through June 18th, so you’ll want to click on the button and get registered. During our conversation, Jessica mentioned Krista Miller’s course, Summit in a Box and I opened this episode with Take Me Out to the Ballgame by The Hit Crew.

It’s been just over six months—28 weeks to be exact and I’ve missed YOU—but, I’m back! Today, June 8th, 2023 is Comeback Day. 🎙️ Let’s Do This!Episode 137 is short and sweet and chance to think about how we treat babies and how we feel about baby stories. In May, on International Scrapbook Day (and my birthday) I gathered with friends via Zoom to tell stories. I started with two photos of me taken during the summer of 1966 and pictured below … As I spent time with these photos I thought about me as a baby, about my first steps and the look on my face. I thought about my Mom and the love and encouragement she always offered me. I’m so grateful to her for the bits and pieces of my early life that she saved. She also saved one of the very first stories I wrote and now, considering all the stories I’ve written it is a treasure to me. It too is pictured below … We do not criticize or demand or ever even downplay the efforts of babies—or baby things, like stories. Instead, we champion them. We know they are beginners—that they are just starting out. They are new and unsteady and they need support and encouragement. Which of course is what everyone needs. I am still a podcaster because I’ve decided to make today Comeback Day! And, I’ve decided to come back to offer encouragement. I know that babies and baby things and all the grown ups need encouragement and I’m especially keen to encourage the photographer, memory keeping and storyteller in you. Exactly Enough Time is one more way I want to share ideas and inspiration for living your life and telling your story. IF you’re glad I’m back, click HERE and write a review. Tell me what you have loved about Exactly Enough Time in the past and what you want to hear moving forward. I’d LOVE to hear from you. You could even use the SpeakPipe button here to leave me a voice mail—which I just might play on a future episode.AND don’t forget: Code LISTEN gets you a free month in my Live Your Story membership. At the end of June, we’ll be kicking off our Summer season and you’re invited to watch our New Month Meet-Up! on my YouTube channel. Be sure you are a subscriber, so you’ll be notified. You can also watch my International Scrapbook Day hangout and make a page with me—the replay is already on YouTube! I opened this episode with the song, Let’s Do This by the band, Outskrts

My friend Marla is a memory keeper, podcaster, self-connection coach and overall champion of living with intention and I’m tickled she is on my show today. Marla does many things, but the thing she feels most called to do right now is to teach tools of self care and improvement and she does this in an experience called Camp Connection. Marla helps women put together a first aid kit for life—and I love how each item in this visual kit represents powerful concepts and practices. Listen for how a compass, binoculars, a magnifying glass and a field notebook can help you create the life you want and then show up as your best self to live it!AND, be sure to download your FREE Connection Planner at hunkeedori.com/stacy and you can also save 50% off any class that Marla offers at Hunkeedori.com/courses—just use code STACY at checkout!   To learn more about and from Marla, you can listen to her podcast: Overburdened No More (I’m her guest with her in episode 71) and follow her on Instagram.

Why do you think genealogy and family history are so popular? My guest today is Janine Adams and her answer is that it’s so much FUN, plus it connects us to past history in general and it invites you to play detective! Yes to all of that. Janine is a professional organizer, family historian and podcaster and we’re talking today about how to get started and stay organized when it comes to discovering and documenting family stories! Here are my BIG take aways from our conversation. I can’t wait to hear what you learn …Talk to your oldest living relatives. Ask them anything and press record on your smart phone. Use FamilySearch.org or other online resources to verify the dates and information they share with you. When you find verifying documents, download a copy to your computer. Name these file in a way that YOU can easily find it again. Consider purchasing genealogy software designed for your computer’s operating system, so that you can keep, collect and organize all that you are learning and gathering. Janine uses Reunion, which is designed for use on a Mac. Mine the documents you find for stories—there are MORE stories available than you might think and their lurking in all sorts of documents!The important thing—even if you just dabble in this effort—is to be accurate. After our conversation, Janine wrote a blog post, called Sharing with Confidence.Track and record your sources and then generously share what you find, as often as you can! But don’t just share, share with confidence 🌳❤️ Resources: FamilySearch.orgAncestry.comReunion for Mac You’ll want to learn more about Janine. You can do that on her family history website, Organize Your Family History and on her Peace of Mind Organizing site too. Janine also produces the Getting to Good Enough podcast with friend and life coach, Shannon Wilkinson. Podcast listeners are invited to experience 30 days of my membership, Live Your Story for FREE. Use code LISTEN and let me help you do something with some of your photos—and tell your story!

I can’t wait for YOU to hear how I met Colette Hokanson, because it was a truly memorable moment. Colette is an absolute JOY to know AND, she can help you find and connect to your roots—because she is an expert when it comes to research, records and roots! If the word genealogy just feels overwhelming to you then the next 30 minutes could change your life. Truly.You and me and everyone on this planet wants to know how they belong and it’s people like Colette than can help get you started on an amazing adventure to a more vibrant family tree and a deeper sense of knowing who you really are. What if you learned that your great, great grandfather didn’t want to help build the wall around the church—a decision that ultimately led him to die in prison, leaving his (pregnant with twins) wife at home to raise their family. Trust me, there are stories available to you that are better than any Netflix series and they are your stories. Stories that will create in you and your kids resilience to keep doing your own version of hard. Find, Follow & Connect Colette’s website is Find My Genealogy and you can follow her on Instagram HERE. I would sign up for her newsletter and schedule a FREE consultation. You’ve got nothing to lose and LOTS of family to find! Colette also recommended …A FREE account at FamilySearch.org and the opportunity of using and helping Billion Graves As a podcast listener, you’re invited to experience your first month as a Live Your Story member at no charge. Use the code LISTEN and come and be a part of us.

Today on the podcast I get to tell the story of how I discovered Compendium, the makers of amazing, inspirational books, cards, and products. Far more important than that, I get to share with you the story of how Kobi Yamada—the President and CEO of Compendium—discovered and helped build into Compendium the inspiration that we all need and love. YES.For reals. Kobi Yamada is on my show today!As I listened to Kobi, I was reminded that idea people are super curious. They aren’t afraid of questions—in reality they put questions at the very center of what they do. Kobi clearly works hard, but I didn’t sense that he has a master plan as much as he chooses to live in gratitude with the constant reminder that we need each other. What is clear is that he and his company prioritize people, relationships and authentic connection and out of these values grows a whole lot of FUN and new ideas. “As much as you can blend what it looks like to work and play; That’s going to be a wonderful place to spend your time. ” — Kobi Yamada I’ve always been intrigued with inspiration and ideas and Kobi deals in both—on the daily. One of my take aways is that inspiration is fuel for aspiration. Powerful words create new thoughts and new ways of thinking about the world and our potential in it. Here’s another … practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes progress (so true.) I know you’re going to enjoy listening and learning from my conversation with Kobi. I also believe you will feel encouraged to do something with your ideas. We spend too much energy wondering and worrying about what will happen to the idea when our true opportunity is to simply let our ideas go and watch how they can and do change the world. Please thank Kobi for sharing his wisdom by visiting live-inspired.com and learning more about books he has authored, co-authored or published. What Do You Do With an Idea? She Five “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” — Ever Wonder, Kobi Yamada Additional mentions and resources:Illustrator, Mae BesomIllustrator, Elise Hurst Kobi on Instagram @livethegoodstuff Make sure you’re getting the Live-Inspired Newsletter, so that you won’t miss the release of Noticing and every other new book, gift or greeting card collection. I completely love my quote of the week emails from Kobi and his team!I opened today’s episode with words from How To Get Ideas, by Jack Foster Listeners of Exactly Enough Time can experience the Live Your Story Membership for 30 days at no charge. Use promo code: LISTEN

This month in Live Your Story we are asking, “How can I be more present with time?” Time to truly ponder such a question seems as rare as the quest it proposes and yet if we don’t at least try to better understand where and how we spend time, we fail to fully experience life. I’ll tell you one thing I know for sure: The world with its cacophony of noise isn’t going to help us slow down and be quiet without our choosing those things and I want the ability to do both, frequently. In today’s episode I want to dip my toe into the topic of time and the possibility that we can speed up or slow down our perception of it, that we can—even in a very noisy world—seek moments of quiet reflection and greater sensory awareness to more fully immerse ourselves in present moments. I’m asking whether a “good time” is really the goal, or is it a “mindful time” that would allow us to experience and remember moments with greater enjoyment. Join me for July or the full Summer season in Live Your Story! Use code LISTEN at checkout and you won’t be charged for the first 30 days. Come see what we’re all about. Here are some LINKS to explore:The Fluidity of Time Scientists Uncover How Emotions Alter Time PerceptionGordon Hempton, The Sound TrackerMindful Adventure Travel with RecalThe Quietest Parks in the U.S.

Read Julia’s past columns at The Full Suburban I’ve been reading a column in our local newspaper, The Spokesman Review for over a year now and I LOVE it. The column, The Full Suburban is created weekly by Julia Ditto. Every time I read I think, “I want to learn to write more like Julia!” Her tone is conversational and her words are packed with accessible wisdom and so much wit. Finally I did the thing that might actually help me achieve this goal. I invited her on my podcast. I know. Brilliant! I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation and be able to take away encouragement to pay more attention to what you might consider mundane. Life truly is in the details and the pen is in your hand (shout out to Natasha Bedingfield who opened today’s episode) please don’t leave your life unwritten! Julia mentioned this column as one of her favorites. Here are some others that came up:If mothers were in charge, would wars ever happen?Refocusing on family time in honor of Adam EnglandSelfless cowboy rancher comes with the territory “Finding the funny is better than crying all the time.” — Julia Ditto There is so much more to learn from Julia and her column and I sincerely believe that the more you read what you aspire to write, the more you will be able to. I’m actually doing a follow-up deeper-dive interview with Julia for my membership, Live Your Story. If you’re not yet a member, you can get signed up here. You can read Julia’s bio on her about page!

In episode 130 I am telling you ALL about my new membership, Live Your Story. My word for 2022 is IMAGINE and what I have been imagining has now come to life. My idea now belongs to so many others too—and I’m beside myself with anticipation for what we will build together. I’m inviting you to come build with us. Come help. Be a part of a new community of people who want to intentionally infuse life with more JOY and color. People who need support for the telling of personal stories—people who also want to lend that same support to others. Live Your Story already has my heart and I’m so excited to share it with YOU! Please don’t close the book on the light you have to share. Choose to live and SHARE your story—you are important and worth the effort. I promise! The short story, White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky which is decidedly melancholy, introduces us to characters that in spite of disappointment are real and honest and willing to honor the needs and wants of others and to search for the meaning in sadness because without it we cannot experience JOY. I LOVE the very famous quote … “But how could you live and have no story to tell?” — Fyodor Dostoevsky 🧡 Don’t forget to use code FIRSTFREE when you subscribe one month at a time. This way you can come check things out without spending a dime. I invite you to take Live Your Story for a test drive! And, here’s the link to Julie Beck’s article in The Atlantic: Life Stories. I think you’ll also love learning more about Jonathan Adler, professor of psychology at Olin. His work is fascinating!I opened today’s episode with Andy Grammer singing Masterpiece from his album Magazines or Novels.

It’s your lucky day—not only because it’s March 17th, but because TODAY I’m sharing with you my brand NEW idea. But first, St. Patrick’s Day … 🍀 On our menu tonight …1. Corn Beef & carrots2. Roasted cabbage3. Hasselback potatoes 4. LOTS of other green food! Everything I currently do and have done for years to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day—ALL the fun traditions—were are one point in time an idea. And idea that I read about or heard or found on Pinterest. I LOVE what ideas become.Ideas are powerful. Ideas change the world. Today I’m sharing FIVE things I think we ought to do with a NEW idea:PLAY with it.PROTECT it—but only for a time!Give it PLACE (and space) in your heart and in your life to grow.Make PLANS with it. Ask it LOTS of questions and write down the answers that come.And finally, PUBLISH it. That last one gets us, doesn’t it. Publishing an idea is a practice in vulnerability and so we think and say things like, “It’s not done yet or it’s too early, I need to perfect this idea” and what we can’t understand or don’t fully realize is that no idea fully develops in isolation. Ideas are finished AFTER they are publicly shared. It’s other people that help us progress and eventually perfect our ideas. BIG and little ideas must be put into motion before they can make any waves! They must be exchanged with other idea-holders before they can be fully realized. “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” — George Bernard Shaw To this end, I am sharing my brand NEW idea today! I have created a MEMBERSHIP, called Live Your Story and I want YOU to be a part of it—from the ground up—the very beginning!Whether you are a new or longtime listener, you made your way here today and I’m giving you the chance to come experience a crazy, creative, colorful community of memory makers and storytellers. Click HERE to learn more and then use the code: LISTEN to save $20 on the monthly subscription. Essentially, you’ll get April for FREE! Together we are going to LIVE our stories, by engaging with life and by intentionally inviting the inspiration we need to organize and document the details of life and preserve who we are in beautifully simple and impactful ways. 🍀 And PLEASE click this link to read and copy/paste the amazing essay on the magic of ideas by Elizabeth Gilbert. Seriously …Save it Share it Print itLiz’s idea about ideas is brilliant and true.

I’m in Disneyland this week. I’m here with my favorite Star Wars nerd (my son, Chase). We’ve officially experienced the planet Batuu and helped the Resistance in their rise against The First Order. In other words, we have had an amazingly immersive time—just as I imagined we would. I thought last week—since this was my planned destination—I would talk about this one-of-a-kind place and share a few things I have learned. I am NOT a Disney expert or even really an aficionado. I don’t own a single pair of ears. I couldn’t bring myself to spend the money for a T-shirt, and haven’t been here—in Anaheim, CA—for 8 years. But, I do love coming and I love what Disney stands for. Imagineer, John Hench says it this way … “What’s our success formula? It’s attention to infinite detail, the little things, the minor picky points that others just don’t want to take the time, money or effort to do” Disney is in the details. Nearly twelve years ago, my friend (and former business partner), Kayce and I attended The Disney Institute and for three days, we learned all about the history, vision and leadership behind this “most admired company in the world” and the 50+ years of magic that brings people back again and again. Walt and Mortimer! No, wait … it’s Mickey, ha! Have a listen as I share a few of the behind the scenes I’ve learned, then let me hear from you. What are your best Disney memories?What FUN and fascinating facts do you know?Where are my true Disney Addicts? Talk to me!And, speaking of Disney, cue the pixie dust, because I decided that my 2022 word of the year is IMAGINE. I’m super excited in 2022 to explore and then better practice my personal imagining. And, how serendipitous that I’ve been walking around for two full days (some 36,000 steps) in the still unfolding visionary details of what Walt imagined and began all those years ago. ““Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.”” — Walt Disney It’s easy to imagine details we know will be noticed, but as I draw from Walt’s example and then think about my family, my home and my work, I want to also imagine and pay attention to the kind of details that make a huge difference in less obvious ways … like Disney trash cans! A magical scene. A magical clean! “Give the people everything you can give them. Keep the place as clean as you can!” — Walt Disney

Today I’m sharing my New Year Nine! In a pandemic-stricken world that has wrecked our sense of control, it’s nice to know that we are very much in charge of LOTS of life-extending and life-enhancing factors. Today I’m exploring a list of “control centers” A few years ago I listened frequently to podcasts from Peter Attia—a medical doctor who specializes in longevity. In one particular episode (that I haven’t been able to locate) he shared a list of 8 things humans have control of that directly effect their vitality and longevity. I still have this list in my Notes app. I like the simplicity of his list and the reminder that we make choices every single day that influence our well being. Dr. Attia inspired me to make my own list, that I’ll now be calling my New Year NINE — as I head into 2022—there are nine areas of my life that I have total, empowering and liberating control over. Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish!” — Steve Jobs Think about the things you are “in control” of and then make small efforts—or micro goals—in those areas. I hope that what I share may encourage you to consider your own list along with thoughts about what you can and want to change or improve. My MORNINGWhat I EATHow I MOVEHow I SLEEPHow I REST How I TALK to myself (mindset)How CONNECTED I feel to othersMy Sense of PURPOSEMy EFFORT Thanks for listening. I’d LOVE to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment or a SpeakPipe message and Happy New Year 🥳 NOTE: You can learn more about Peter Attia HERE. The podcast episode from Jon Acuff that I mentioned is HERE. I opened this episode with 22 by Taylor Swift.

I decided I have exactly enough time for a podcast episode this week. AND, it’s great to be back because I had a recent experience that is shaping how I will approach this 2021 holiday season and I can’t wait to share it with you. I’m certain you’ve seen and probably followed a large vehicle bearing an Oversize Load banner before. Imagine if as we moved through our days and interacted with people we could see an indication of what kind of load they were carrying? I was invited this year to participate as an influencer with the Light the World campaign and since this is one of my FAVORITE ways to celebrate December it took about 3 nano seconds for me to accept. You can easily come along on this light-filled journey. Start by printing the calendar below—but don’t limit yourself to these daily suggestions. The whole idea is to be YOU and to intentionally let your light shine so that together we can lessen the collective load. Our recent history has been heavy for sure, but there are things we can do! Click HERE to download If like a sweet friend of mine you are personally carrying an Overside Load—try even brief moments of outward focus—these efforts can be healing. Start small by planning random acts of kindness—just one a day—and then keep track by writing in a journal or building a kindness chain. I cut small strips of paper and keep them on my kitchen window sill. This helps me remember. Yesterday, on my second trip to the grocery story (I forgot garlic and sour cream) I asked Dana the checker what her favorite candy is (M&Ms) and I bought her a bag. She must have said, “Thank you” 5 times! “There is this: Getting up each day and going towards love & kindness & other things that take the hurt away & and if it’s not always easier to go that that, that’s never been enough of a reason for me to stop.” — Kai Skye (Brian Andreas) Near the end of a recent small group class on building emotional resilience, we gathered items to take to three local urgent care locations. We wrote notes (of course) but we also recorded a short video message—linked it to this QR code—and dropped the baskets off. Again, to see the appreciation on (masked) faces of people who have extended themselves in heroic ways during this pandemic is clear evidence that simple recognition is a powerful form of service. My final thoughts today are developing into an analogy about how our individual efforts and influence across time and space (think tiny stars) create patterns or constellations of kindness; in our own lives for sure, but also in far reaching ways—even across a vast sky. Just do the good you can, as often as you can and trust that you are a much needed point in a bigger picture—one that may help others navigate a difficult journey! Image HERE. A Bonner Family Christmas (Amazon affiliate link) To open this episode I played a portion of Let’s Light The World from the A Bonner Family Christmas album. Learn more about The Bonner Family on their Facebook page. ⭐️ #lighttheworld ⭐️Looking for a transcript of this episode? Click here to download.

Today I’m sharing a few changes in my life—new opportunities—that have and will require a shift in priorities. I have actually loved —for a LONG time—the idea of understanding values, creating priorities and using both to improve personal productivity. I often say that this podcast isn’t about productivity, but it is about being present in your life, because you create the time you need to do and share what you LOVE most of all. In a way, Exactly Enough Time is all about prioritizing what matters! Way back in 2007-ish, inspired by Todd Henry, I created a personal 6-word bio:Teaching Awareness and Gratitude, Sprinkled with FUN! It’s interesting how what I wanted to be known for then is still true today. These six words are in fact closely aligned with my top priorities. And now, as I am choosing to take on new teaching roles I’m working to remind myself of principles that have guided me in the past. I’m always curious what people “Google” about different topics. So, I googled “priorities” and I’m sharing here a screen shot of the most popular queries. I like the first one: What are your top 3 priorities in life?That does seem like something you might want to know and stick to doesn’t it? I do hope as I ramble on today with some recent personal experiences and decisions that you might feel inspired to think carefully about how you are investing your …Time & attentionMoney & resourcesEnergy & focus “I can tell by looking at your bank account and your calendar what you care about. Because that’s where you spend your time and your money.” — Dave Ramsey In doing some learning and research (again) I’ve come across some “old” favorites, like Dave Ramsey, Stephen R. Covey and (already mentioned) Todd Henry—clearly you can learn more about these awesome humans, their influential work and philosophies on prioritization and solutions on your own, by their books and all, but … HERE and HERE for Dave RamseyHERE and HERE for Todd Henryand HERE for Stephen R. CoveyI first learned Covey principle at a Franklin Time Management seminar—before Franklin become Franklin Covey. I’ll never forget the process we were all guided through as we determined our top priorities and finally our TOP priority. It was the first time I was introduced to the idea of urgent and important. For this episode I learned more about this idea and its genesis. It is originally the Eisenhower Principle and has now become one of the most popular and powerful time management tools in organizations and business. ⏰ You’ve likely seen this principle set up in a matrix—or quadrant—where you can visually see or list items on your to-do list as important and urgent (do these first), not urgent but important (plan to do these things), urgent but not important (delegate as many of these things as possible) and not urgent and not important (eliminate these things)    “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Because of his exploration and writing on color, I have to share this quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He will always be a favorite of mine!Priorities really do matter. As I outlined my thoughts for today, I realized that mine are clearly represented at the top of my Instagram account …Faith 📖 Family ❤️ Color 🎨 Nature 🌿 Whole Food 🥑 + Chocolate 🍫 & Story 📒These are the things I care most about, strive to focus on and love to share—always!I have TONS to learn—especially as I take on new roles and try new things, but some things don’t change and I like that. I will always LOVE ideas 💡and I will always LOVE sharing ideas. All of this to say that I will continue to produce this podcast, just not weekly. I need right now to let go of a weekly deadline. I so appreciate listeners who will stick around! If you want to know when new episodes are available, you can subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Instagram or sign-up for my newsletter—just go to my homepage and scroll down. LOOK for this green box and enter your email address! As always, I’d LOVE to hear from YOU. Please stay in touch!🎙I opened today’s episode with the song, Yes! by songwriter Tim Myers. The lyrics are here!

One of the main reasons I started a podcast is to share ideas. Sometimes these ideas just happen to also be products and today I have an amazing idea and story-based product to share with you. I am chatting with Drew Vernon, marketing director for Tonies, USA, but this is not a sponsored episode. Drew and I have similar passions for creative play and screen-free storytelling that develops a young person’s imagination. We both love inspiring creativity in kids and adults and of course for me, it’s always about stories and connection. I think you’re really going to enjoy Drew and this conversation which is a chance to learn about a product that should be championed and shared. So, what exactly is this product that promotes ALL of these things? It’s a Toniebox. In simple terms it is a box that even very young children can learn to use which plays audio when you attach a small figure, called a Tonie. There are content Tonies for dozens of beloved characters, from classic literature to Disney movies with more on the way. In fact, Winnie the Pooh was just added! And Tonies is continually partnering with companies—like Go Noodle and with expert personalities—like LeVar Burton—to provide top notch content and an inspiring and elevating listening experience. Even with all of this amazing content, I am still a BIGGER fan of the Creative Tonies (little pointy-eared figures) that work with a FREE app to allow a grandparent (or any other loved one) to send messages and stories to a child. The Creative Tonie also allows kids to create their own content. Drew talks about giving his kids some creative parameters that unleashed 45 minutes of imaginative play—so cool! And, I can just imagine recording my voice sharing a personal, family or family history story in my app and having that instantly made available and enticing to my granddaughter and future grandkids! “Audio stories take children on a journey from consuming to creating. First they create active listeners and then they turn those listeners into authors. ” — Drew Vernon IF you’re a teacher, learn more about Tonies for Teachers and sign up to be in the loop moving forward! 🔴 Marketing from Tonies: Childhood is a sacred, precious time in life. Even long after we’ve grown, the memories we make in childhood have the power to transport us back to a time or place or person to re-experience what we felt in that moment long ago. The stories we fall in love with in the early days and years of our lives transcend simple entertainment, they seed powerful memories and spark nostalgia. They teach us about the world and about each other. They become a part of a narrative we carry with us throughout our lives. Meet the FoundersWe are Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl and we created tonies with one thing in mind: our kids. Childhood should be a magical time full of big adventures and loveable memories. We wanted to create a way for kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, that stimulates their imagination in ways that a screen can’t. We made the Toniebox for kids (and parents) who want to feel good about their entertainment at home and to bring back imagination in its purest form.We built tonies to be an immersive, wondrous experience you can feel good about, but more importantly a community you can be part of now and for many years to come. With quality screen-free audio, we can actually enable our kids as active learners so that they can develop the imagination to become the thought leaders and entrepreneurs who will drive innovation in the future. Click HERE to learn about LeVar Burton’s challenge and contest—AND—be sure to visit tonies.com and take advantage of the promo code toniepodcast to save yourself 15% on any purchases you make!AND, Great news. I also have a Toniebox to give away!To make yourself eligible for a random drawing, please leave a comment below. I’m off to a young women’s camp next week, but I’ll be back to tell you more. Make sure you’re following me on Instagram @stacyjulian for all the details. One more thing: Kind of a side note, but Drew is producing a podcast, titled Childhood with his young daughter, Audrey. It’s pretty special. You might want to listen! ☀️ REMEMBER: I am taking August OFF with my podcast, but I will be back on Thursday, September 2nd. Enjoy this month and use it to have more FUN. Be intentional with your opportunity to play, refresh and reset for fall.