Best They Make Me Smarter Podcasts (2024)

1
Why Are Publishing Imprints Closing? 17:32

4h ago17:32

17:32

Algonquin Young Readers Will End in September The traditional book publishing world is a bit like the wild west if the cowboys wore pink-framed eyeglasses and could quote Derrida. People are heroes. People are let go. Entire divisions of publishing houses close. And so on. And this continues this week with the changes at Hachette Book Group and its…

1
158 | The Style Skills You Need to Save Time, Money, and a LOT of Frustration [Client Success Story!] 18:25

2d ago18:25

18:25

Do you feel like you’re wasting time getting ready in the morning, standing in front of a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear? Are you spending too much on clothes that don’t excite you or feel right for you in this season of life? Is it frustrating to go shopping – in-stores or online – and not be able to easily find what you need, let alo…

1
157 | Do Your Style Preferences Feel Like a Mismatch? 5 Tips to Make Them Cohesive 17:52

2d ago17:52

17:52

Do your style preferences feel like a mismatch? I know mine certainly did after I became a mom. I went from having a bold and dramatic personal style to snuggling my sweet boy and wiping spit up off my shirt most days of the week. My taste preferences didn’t feel like they fit in with my new lifestyle. Maybe you’re in a similar season, wishing you …

1
How To Write a Book Description That Gets Readers Tingling All Over 16:47

7d ago16:47

16:47

Our podcast title is “How To Write a Book Description That Gets Readers Tingling All Over” and that just sounds naughty, doesn’t it? And it is a little naughty because this, my friends, is about selling a book, your book, and that requires being a little bit sexy. Sexy is something I, Carrie, am very very bad at. Let’s start by thinking about it th…

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Revolutionizing Podcast Editing with Descript's Arielle Nissinblatt 34:56

5d ago34:56

34:56

"There's no perfect portion of the podcast that you need to get clipped, try something else if it doesn't hit the right demographic." Niall Mackay sits down with Arielle Nissinblatt, Community Marketing Manager at Descript, to discuss the evolution of podcast editing and the growing importance of video content in podcasting. Arielle shares her jour…

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156 | Create the Perfect Blend of Classic and Trendy Pieces in Your Closet With These 4 Questions 16:40

5d ago16:40

16:40

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You want a versatile and cohesive wardrobe that feels like you. You’re intrigued by the idea of a streamlined capsule and having less, but better quality pieces in this phase of life. You’re ready to up-level and invest in items you can wear confidently season after season. But, at the same time, you worry you’ll ge…

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155 | Belt Basics: When to Wear One and Are They an Essential Accessory for Your Wardrobe? 12:54

9d ago12:54

12:54

Happy Independence Day if you’re listening from the USA! I pre-recorded this episode so I could spend the day at a 4th of July parade with my family in the morning and then hopefully taking a dip in our pool, because we are finally in our new home after many long months of (sometimes not so patiently) waiting! Wherever you are joining me in the wor…

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Pinch, there it is; googly eyes on the train, and yes, we are on our 37th career this year 20:07

15d ago20:07

20:07

Dogs are Smarter Than People/Write Better Now Last week, we talked about pinch points both on the podcast and on the blog, and honestly? Nobody seemed super into it, but we’re finishing up this week. This post is going to be a bit more about the first part of act two of a three-act story, focusing on the time from the first pinch point to the midpo…

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154 | How to Hide Your Midsection While Still Looking Sexy and Cute 15:13

12d ago15:13

15:13

One of my FAVORITE romantic comedies is Crazy, Stupid, Love. It’s brilliant. It’s funny. It’s full of unexpected surprises. I highly recommend it. And in that movie, Steve Carell, who plays the main character, describes his wife as the perfect combination of sexy and cute. It’s a superficial, but incredibly sweet compliment all at the same time. An…

1
153 | Dressing for Work in a Way That Makes You Feel Like Yourself 16:55

16d ago16:55

16:55

Question for you… Are you struggling with your workwear? Dress codes have gotten more lax, athleisure is often allowed, and we have more options than ever before. Yet we often find ourselves defaulting to the same go-to outfit uniform or with the challenge of aligning our professional attire with our style preferences. Our friend Narissa is dealing…

1
Pinch Me, Baby, Talking Sexy to Writers 15:22

21d ago15:22

15:22

There are some things in the writing world that don’t make a ton of sense in the world of regular humans. One of those things is pinch points. This podcast episode is going to be the start of a quick series of podcasts and regular posts about pinch points. The regular posts will be at our Substack LIVING HAPPY under the WRITE BETTER NOW publication…

1
Podcaster Vs Youtuber 28:00

20d ago28:00

28:00

"One of the most difficult things about podcasts or making podcasts for YouTube is they're generally not that dynamic." Niall Mackay discusses the age-old debate of podcaster versus YouTuber. As a podcast producer and coach, Niall shares his insights on the pros and cons of both mediums, drawing from his personal experience and industry knowledge. …

1
152 | 7 Light and Airy Summer Trends and Staple Pieces to Help You Stay Stylish in the Heat 13:50

19d ago13:50

13:50

Hey, friend! It’s officially summertime! We just wrapped up a significant heat wave here in the tri-state area, so I have light and airy clothing on my mind. Depending on where you live in the world, it’s very like you do, too. In fact, I’ve talked to several women inside HER Style community recently who are struggling with what to wear on these ho…

1
151 | Is Your Style Too Showy? How to Look Polished Without Making Others Feel Less Than 23:32

23d ago23:32

23:32

Are you scratching your head right now? In the previous episode of HER Style Podcast, I challenged you to be bold and gave you 8 ways to make your outfits more creative, and now, I’m telling you to tone it down. So what gives, right? Well, I’ve been hearing from a number of listeners lately, including our friend Rachel who submitted today’s Q&A Thu…

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Just an Hour a Day Makes You More Bad Ass 17:10

29d ago17:10

17:10

There are a lot of people who advocate spending just an hour a day doing something to become awesome. That hour a day is often learning. You study up about what you want to do, you self learn, you teach yourself to be better by learning all about the thing you're into. So, if you're into writing, you read books about writing and actual books. You s…

1
150 | 8 Ways to Be More Bold and Creative With Your Outfit Styling 21:44

26d ago21:44

21:44

Whether you love having a small, minimalist wardrobe or your closet is bursting at the seams, I think something we all want is the ability to create lots of versatile looks with the pieces we already own. Last week, I talked about putting together preset outfits as a solution to get ready faster and ensure you have the perfect looks for every occas…

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149 | Advice From Menswear Specialist David Elliott on How to Style Your Husband 24:20

1M ago24:20

24:20

Let me start out by saying, I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses. Aside from a brief stint in personal shopping at J.Crew many years ago, where I helped style the occasional man who wandered in looking for assistance, menswear is not my area of expertise. So when I received a question from our friend, Ann, recently about how to style her hu…

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148 | Stop Wasting Time in the Morning and Get Ready Faster with Preset Outfits 19:22

1M ago19:22

19:22

I put out a request to my VIP email community a couple of weeks ago for their help with some market research. I always want to know what you’re struggling with the most and how I can best support you on your style journey. And the results of that project were pretty eye-opening. I heard complaint after complaint that they were wasting way too much …

1
10 Tips for Editing Podcasts with Descript - PodFest Presentation 37:43

1M ago37:43

37:43

Niall Mackay shares his top 10 tips for optimizing your editing workflow with Descript. Having built a business around the powerful software, Niall is a true Descript master. His advice covers everything from using AI tools like Studio Sound and filler word removal, to leveraging templates and editing video. Niall emphasizes the importance of quali…

1
Fighting, Commerce, and Ten-Cent Beer: Welcome to America and How to Frame Stories 20:21

1M ago20:21

20:21

On last week’s podcast and the one a few before that, and in a post, Shaun and I talked a bit about plot structures and narrative structures and how here in the U.S. we think of these usually (not always!) as pretty linear, and pretty much in a three-act framework (think beginning, middle, end) with rising stakes and drama as you go along. This is …

1
147 | The Truth About Going Gray and How Your Hair Impacts Your Best Colors 21:11

1M ago21:11

21:11

I can’t wait for you to hear today’s episode! I received a question from our friend, Alyson, recently about whether going gray will impact the clothing colors that suit her. I hear variations of this question all the time, so I knew we had to address this on the podcast sooner rather than later! Whether you’re contemplating going blonde, brunette, …

1
146 | Confused by Your Personal Color Palette? What to Do When Specialists Label You as a Different Season Every Time 19:44

1M ago19:44

19:44

Are you feeling confused by your personal color palette? This is a problem I hear about far too often. There are quite a few reasons this can happen, which I’ve already spoken about at length in episode #3 of HER Style Podcast, Why Your Color Season Doesn’t Matter and What You Want To Know Instead. But it’s not an issue I see going away anytime soo…

1
To Fight Another Day: With Guests Alex Imas & Mary Stockwell 35:55

1M ago35:55

35:55

When you're facing loss—say, in a board game or during a sporting event or with a declining stock—it can be difficult to remember your true tolerance for risk. You're likely to seek risk more than you normally would. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at a tendency to seek risk in the face of losses when those losses aren't y…

1
Pot Plants Invade Wisconsin and Alternate That Plot Structure 24:37

2M ago24:37

24:37

Last week, maybe a week ago, maybe 82 years ago, who knows, we talked about alternative plot structures. Much of American film and novels is built on what's considered to be the classic three-act structure, which basically goes beginning-middle-end, and there's this rising line of the plot. It ends up looking like a bit of a triangle. As readers, w…

1
145 | 8 Dry Cleaning Alternatives to More Conveniently and Cost-Effectively Care for Dry Clean Only Clothing 16:55

1M ago16:55

16:55

Big news! HER Style Podcast has officially crossed 100,000 downloads! It kind of snuck up on me. But I wanted to take a minute to thank you for listening to the show, sharing it with your friends, and leaving a written review if it’s impacted you in some way. YOU are the reason that I continue to show up every Monday and Thursday with new episodes …

1
144 | Managing Expectations on Your Wardrobe and Yourself 17:32

2M ago17:32

17:32

Every once in a while, I feel the nudge to zoom out a little bit and share something I’m learning or about an experience I’m going through in my personal life. 9 times out of 10, it relates back to your style or how you’re showing up. And today’s episode is no exception, so please don’t tune out. I realized this past week that I’ve been putting som…

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143 | Appropriately Alluring: How To Dress Sexy as a Wife and Mom 15:37

2M ago15:37

15:37

I have a very juicy episode coming your way today! Our friend, Rachel, reached out with a question I know you’ve been wondering about for yourself, especially if you have an Alluring element to your personal style. Rachel wants to know how to dress sexy as a wife and mom without looking inappropriate. I have heard this struggle often from women who…

1
142 | 5 Common Mistakes You Might Be Making With Your Wardrobe (+ How To Fix Them!) 18:46

2M ago18:46

18:46

Alright, friend. You know I love spilling the tea on what to put on your shopping list for the season and how to round out your wardrobe. But today, we need to talk about what to cut out. No, I’m not talking about retiring your worn out skinny jeans or trashing any hidden gems from your high school days. I’m talking about 5 common mistakes you migh…

1
Choiceology's Guide to Better Decisions: With Guests James Korris, Carey Morewedge & Jack Soll 31:28

2M ago31:28

31:28

Over the years, Choiceology has offered a lot of advice for making better decisions. In this special episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we bring you the story of a video game that is surprisingly effective at reducing decision errors, and you'll hear about a practical checklist for improving choices in many different contexts. Solving fictit…

1
No cow cuddles, no brain worms: Do you want to be happy? 24:23

2M ago24:23

24:23

Do you want to be happy? It’s a question philosopher Sebastian Purcell asks his students every year. Do you want to be happy? For Purcell being happy has a lot in common with living a good life, “The Stoic answer to this question, that the good life consists in flourishing (eudaimonia), has seen a resurgent interest that is indicative of a cultural…

1
141 | 4 Rules For Choosing Your Best Necklines 20:51

2M ago20:51

20:51

Hey friend! We’ve got a good one for Q&A Thursday today. Our friend, Alyson, sent in a voice memo recently asking me to walk her through choosing the most flattering necklines. And, as always, I’m going to personalize my answer to the best of my ability so you can confidently pick your perfect tops, too! There are at least 25 different neckline sty…

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140 | Stop Impulse Shopping from Instagram Swipe Up Links Using These 5 Strategies 22:55

2M ago22:55

22:55

As an image consultant, I’m always watching out for trends. Color and style trends, yes. But even more importantly, I’m looking out for common themes, frustrations, and pain points among my clients, podcast listeners, and email community. There’s been a trend happening over the past month or so that I can’t brush under the rug. I’ve had multiple wo…

1
139 | Maternity Wear 101: Revamping Your Wardrobe Pre-Pregnancy Through Postpartum 24:57

2M ago24:57

24:57

Today’s Q&A Thursday episode feels very special, not only because we’re talking about maternity wear just days before Mother’s Day, but because I received two nearly identical questions from two different podcast listeners on this topic! Our friends, Amber and Molly, both reached out to me recently to say they’re both starting to try for baby #1 an…

1
Celestial Bodies, Sexy Knees and Story Structure via Robert McKee 23:17

2M ago23:17

23:17

You can learn a lot about culture by how it looks at what makes a good story and a good story structure. In Western culture right now, we tend to think of stories as three acts (a beginning, middle, and end with the bulk being in the middle), and with a protagonist or hero or main character (whatever you want to call it) who drives the story forwar…

1
138 | Does Your Closet Feel Cobbled Together? Here’s How My Client, Michelle Hadley, Rebuilt Her Wardrobe with an Under $500 Investment! 38:35

2M ago38:35

38:35

Oh friend, I have a treat for you today. My client, Michelle Hadley, is an incredible single mama and social media influencer who went through a season of feeling like she lost a piece of herself. Earlier this year, she reached out to me for help and it was a JOY to not only create a custom Personal Color Palette for her, but for her daughter, Evy,…

1
The Charmer's Playbook: With Guests Wilfred Webster & Daniel Read 34:20

2M ago34:20

34:20

"Don't judge a book by its cover" is an old adage for a good reason. Elegant book cover designs can create a positive impression and make you more likely to judge the writing quality more positively. But these traits—cover art and writing—are separate and distinct features of books. So why do we allow the judgment of one trait to spill over to anot…

1
Strangeness Free-for-all 55:37

2M ago55:37

55:37

It ended up being a bit of a free-for-all as we talked about the strange things people do sometimes. SHOUT OUT TO STUBHY! The snippet of our intro and outro music is only a snippet of this guy’s awesome talent. Many thanks to Kaustubh Pandav. You can check out a bit of his work at the links below. www.luckyboysconfusion.Net or www.Facebook.com/mrms…

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137 | Finding the Perfect Length Shorts To Flatter Your Proportions 20:19

2M ago20:19

20:19

Welcome back to Part II of our summer shorts series! I received 2 listener questions recently around styling shorts for summer. So I decided we’d answer them as Part I and Part II. Last week, in episode 135, we talked about dressing up your shorts for a polished look and today, we’re addressing a question from our friend, Caroline, about how to cho…

1
How Not to be a Butt-Hole in Real Life and on the Page 24:10

3M ago24:10

24:10

So building a sympathetic character on the page is a lot like being a sympathetic character in real life. This sympathetic character is basically the opposite of a butt-hole. There’s this great post on the SocialSelf blog that talks about what makes people likable and what keeps people from being likeable. And writers can learn from this, really. T…

1
136 | My 1 MUST When Shopping Online (It Will Save You SO Many Returns!) 17:12

3M ago17:12

17:12

As an image consultant and style coach, I have the privilege of working with a variety of women. Some absolutely love to shop and others, not so much. No matter which camp you fall into, we all deal with the same struggles when shopping online: receiving purchases in the mail that just don’t fit properly. It can be so frustrating! How are you suppo…

1
135 | Dressing Up Shorts For a Polished Summer Style 18:49

3M ago18:49

18:49

It’s shorts season! Well, almost. But if you’re anything like me and our friend, Cindy, you’re already dreaming up some stylish short outfits for the months ahead. And today, I’m answering a question she sent in about how to dress up this beloved summer staple and make your shorts look a little more polished! Join us as we tackle 8 different ways t…

1
Someone was sleeping outside her tent right next to her and how to make good writing habits 23:23

3M ago23:23

23:23

A lot of writers that I work with have a problem. The problem is that they want to be a writer, but before they come to me? They don’t write. Here’s the thing. For a lot of us, we have to make time to be a writer. That’s just how our brains and process work. There are some writers who manage to get 10 days of alone time and writer time and they pow…

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134 | 5 Tips To Ease Your Way Into Sustainable Shopping with Anita Thomas 40:25

3M ago40:25

40:25

It’s Earth Day, friend! As someone who’s all about buying less, but better, I’m an advocate for ethical fashion and sustainable shopping. But I definitely don’t consider myself to be an expert. And I’ll be honest, sometimes the thought of searching for more sustainable clothing and accessories feels like more trouble than it’s worth. As women, we f…

1
Recipe for Success: With Guests Simon Rogan & Michele Gelfand 34:12

3M ago34:12

34:12

Are rules made to be followed—or meant to be broken? Often, the answer will depend on culture and the context in which people make decisions. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at how carefully people in different contexts follow social norms, rules, and procedures. We'll also see how strict and relaxed cultures affect the qu…

1
Strange Things In the Woods 1:01:49

3M ago1:01:49

1:01:49

We found a topic! It ended up mostly being about poop and creepiness and three-foot tall humanoids. Links we mention: https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-forest-ranger-stories/amandasedlakhevenerBy Carrie Jones and Shaun Farrar

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133 | Revamping Your Wardrobe? Focus On These Items First 23:25

3M ago23:25

23:25

Welcome back to HER Style Podcast! It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another Q&A episode. I can’t believe how well this one lined up. A week ago, I was out of listener questions in the queue. But I had a plan to share what’s on my spring shopping list on Monday’s episode. Well, don’t you know, I received a question from our friend, Heather, …

1
Overcoming Negativity Bias & Toilet Rats 19:01

3M ago19:01

19:01

Being an author or an artist or almost anyone is about navigating. You have to walk a fine line with criticism and praise, discern what's real and what's not, what matters or not, what is noise and what is important. And sometimes? Well, sometimes we only hear and dwell on the one negative thing that someone has said to us or written about us even …

1
132 | What's On My Spring Shopping List ─ and Why! 26:11

3M ago26:11

26:11

Things are about to get crazy, friend. In just 2 weeks, we’re moving out of what’s been our home for the past 15 years. It’s bittersweet and —if you’ve ever moved, then you know— it’s also a little stressful. But we also just kicked off the latest round of my group coaching program, HER Style Collective, last week! And as I was welcoming the member…

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131 | Can You Wear Black In Spring and Summer? 6 Ways To Lighten Up Your Go-To Hue! 15:15

3M ago15:15

15:15

Breaking news… I’ve been wearing short sleeves this week!!! Okay, I probably shouldn’t have led with “breaking news”, but I am very excited that the weather’s been warming up, we’ve had a couple of sunny days, my son’s baseball season is officially underway, and the transition into warmer weather is in full swing! I think it’s time to pack up my wi…

1
Why it is okay to read books you’ve already read and sometimes there’s an alligator in your kitchen 28:25

3M ago28:25

28:25

Here's our main premise this week: it's okay to read books you've already read. Not only is it okay. It's helpful. This is true for both writers and normal humans. Rereading books gives you: New ideas Reminds you of ideas you'd forgotten about Let's you notice new things because you aren't the same you who read that book the last time. DONALD LATUM…

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