wavePod

Get Wave AI

Mini-Ep 482: Grow Where You’re Planted - Forever35 | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Back to Forever35

Mini-Ep 482: Grow Where You’re Planted

Forever35

Wed Mar 04 2026

Summary

Forever35 — Mini-Ep 482: Grow Where You’re Planted
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu
Date: March 4, 2026

Episode Overview

In this lively and relatable mini-episode, co-hosts Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu field listener questions and reflections on self-care routines, family gatherings, gardening, and skincare, all while sharing humorous and self-aware slices of their own lives. They respond to a wide range of topics, from how to plan a low-stress family reunion, to starting a no-fuss skincare ritual, to the importance of setting boundaries at work. This episode is perfect for listeners seeking approachable, real-life wellness insights—with plenty of laughs and a deep appreciation for the messy realities of adulthood.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life Lately: Play Dates, Lunar New Year & Parent Overwhelm

Doree’s Playdate Recap
- Doree shares a successful, much-anticipated playdate at her house, emphasizing the strategic cleaning ("We kept that door closed because my office and bedroom...were not ready for public consumption." — Doree, 02:28).
- She jokes about managing monthly vs weekly play dates ("Weekly would be a lot, but monthly I can handle." — Doree, 03:30).
Elise’s Weekend: Lunar New Year Festival & High School Reunions
- Elise describes her daughters’ involvement in Mandarin immersion school Lunar New Year performances, the chaos of a sunny, hot event, and a funny parenting fail ("Luna was very crabby. I forgot to feed her...she got herself like a free sandwich from Mitsuha as a result of telling everybody, my mom didn’t feed me." — Elise, 05:53).
- Elise also recounts attending her husband Rob’s nostalgic high school gathering and Luna’s debut with a new soccer team ("I was actually pretty proud of her because...she advocated for herself." — Elise, 08:10).

2. Community Questions & Recommendations

a. Digital Piano Picks (15:44)

Listener recommends the Donner DDP 80E piano for affordability, weighted keys, and aesthetics, supplementing Doree’s previous Roland suggestion.
Elise confirms Roland as a go-to brand in their home.

b. Deck Box & Indoor Gardening Tips (18:12)

A listener asks for flowers, plants, and decorative grasses that thrive in deck boxes, plus recommendations for indoor grow lights and shelving in Connecticut.
Doree and Elise admit gardening isn’t their specialty but offer general tips:
- Shop local nurseries versus big box stores for quality and selection.
- LA local recommendations: Rolling Greens, Sunset Nursery (though not Connecticut-specific).
- Suggest succulents for easy, kid-friendly growing and call for listener suggestions.

c. Organizing a Family Reunion (20:01)

Listener seeks advice for planning a multi-generational, multi-budget Maine reunion.
Elise shares wisdom from her own (very large) family:
- Don’t over-schedule; allow for free time and a mix of group and solo activities.
- Outdoor events like barbeques or picnics bring everyone together, but time apart respects different needs.
- "It seemed to suit people to not just do organized activities together as a family non stop." — Elise, 21:30

3. Listener Follow-Up: Coping With Burnout

(25:21)

Listener previously discussed in episodes 463 and 465 checks in with an update:
- Honest communication at work about burnout led to changes in workload and expectations.
- Built a support network (fitness studio, therapy, reclaiming time around family & boundaries).
- "I've been doing work to separate my own self worth and self identity from my paid work and career...I'm still not sure if this role or company is quote 'forever.' Likely not. But I have found a much more sustainable groove." — Listener (read by Elise, 26:23)
Both hosts cheer her resilience and highlight the importance of boundary modeling at work.

4. Starting a Skincare Routine: Where to Begin?

(27:42)

Listener asks for help starting a nighttime skincare ritual without overwhelm.
Elise’s "Three Pillar" Approach (28:32):
- Cleanse – Wash your face
- Treat – Moisturizer, serums, or actives
- Protect – Always use sunscreen
- “Never, ever, ever forget — sunscreen is kind of the takeaway from every skin person everywhere.” — Elise, 29:45
Doree suggests keeping it minimal, listening to your own skin, and not falling for the industry’s “problem” narratives.
- Enjoy the ritualistic aspects: facial mists, massage, or tools like gua sha and jade rollers, even if results are mostly sensory.
- "Sometimes people, there’s things that you can do in your skincare routine that may not actually do anything for your skin, but it feels nice just to do it for yourself." — Doree, 29:45
Elise’s tip: Repurpose skincare products that don’t work for the face for hands or feet (32:01).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Spring isn’t about starting over. It’s about layering in something new." — Elise, on refresh and self-care (01:00)
"My mom didn’t feed me! My mom hasn’t fed me! I am starving." — Luna (imitated by Elise, 05:53)
"You're modeling and then setting boundaries and being a leader here. It's going to have ripple effects for another generation of leaders in your company." — Elise, 27:11 (on listener burnout update)
"Cleanse, treat, protect...never, ever, ever forget: sunscreen." — Elise, 29:45

Timestamps by Topic

00:00–01:17: Opening, housekeeping, and weekend recap
03:54–10:30: Elise’s Lunar New Year and family updates
15:04–16:50: Digital piano recommendations
18:12–19:40: Gardening and deck box plant advice
20:01–22:54: Organizing family reunions
25:21–27:36: Burnout follow-up & boundary-setting at work
27:42–33:34: Skincare for beginners: pillars, tips, and rituals

Episode Takeaways

Prioritize simplicity and joy—whether in family time, home routines, or skincare.
Don’t be afraid to set clear boundaries at work or at home for your well-being.
Approach self-care as a practice in tuning in, not just adding steps.
Community wisdom is key! The hosts and listeners alike regularly crowdsource advice on everything from gardening to reunions.

For more questions or tips, call/text 781-591-0390 or visit forever35podcast.com.

Loading summary...

Transcript

Ad Voice (0:00)

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states.

Elise Hu (0:21)

This episode is brought to you by Pura. After winter's stillness and closed up windows, Spring invites you to open things up. With pur's spring collection, you can explore scents inspired by place places like a sunlit terrace or blooming gardens. Places that bring to mind open air drifting through familiar rooms. Spring isn't about starting over. It's about layering in something new. And Pura's spring collection is about small sensory shifts that refresh your space and how it feels to be in it. Open the door to spring with Pure Up.

Dory Shafrir (1:04)

Hello, hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

Elise Hu (1:12)

And I'm Elise Hu. And we are just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

Dory Shafrir (1:17)

And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts, and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please remember, we are not experts. We are podcast hosts. We do always encourage you to seek support, first and foremost from a medical and or mental health professional as needed.

Elise Hu (1:35)

That's right. How are you doing? How was your weekend?

Dory Shafrir (1:38)

My weekend was good. We had the play date. The.

Elise Hu (1:40)

The law, the one that you were

Dory Shafrir (1:43)

cleaning for, promised an anticipated play date.

Elise Hu (1:48)

Well, tell us everything. How did it go?

Dory Shafrir (1:50)

It went great. We like really clean the front of the house. The house is kind of like in two parts. There's like the front section, which is like the living room, dining room, and then Henry's bedroom and Henry's playroom and the bathroom and his bathroom and then like a half bath and in the kitchen. And then there's the back of the house, which must have been like added on later. And it's our bedroom and another bathroom and my office. And there's a door between the two sections so you can like block off half the house.

Dory Shafrir (29:45)

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I think that, like, when you think it sounds like you're, you don't have, like, big skin quote unquote problems. And I put that in quotes because I feel like, you know, what is a skin problem? I feel like a lot of it is created by the, you know, skincare beauty industry to make us think that we, like, need to solve things. So I do think that, like, less is more. And I totally agree with Elise that, like, you definitely want to start pretty basic. But I also hear you when you say that, you know, you want something that will be sort of calming, like a ritual at the end of the, of the day. So, you know, sometimes people, there's things that you can, like, do in your skincare routine that may not actually do anything for your skin, but, like, it feels nice to just, like, do it for yourself. And I put a lot of the sort of, like, essences and toners into that category. Look, essence and toner stands come at me. But I, I, I find that those are mostly just sort of like, pleasant, nice things to put on your face. Like, maybe a spritz, like a mist kind of thing is, like, lovely. But do I think it's, like, moving the needle on, like, how my skin looks? Not really, but that might just be me. Um, I do think that vitamin C serums are pretty great, kind of across the board. Some people have sensitivity to them. I talked about this on the podcast because before I got pregnant, vitamin C made me break out, and then whatever hormonal shift happened in pregnancy and afterwards, I can now, like, use vitamin C serums and not break out. So your mileage may vary. But I do think that there are some great vitamin C serums. If you want to kind of start with, like, not expensive, but high quality products. I think Timeless makes some really good, some really good products that have, like, high potency. That and you. But you can also start with, like, a lower potency. But what I'm Saying is like quality products, they have quality products and then yeah, a sunscreen that you really like and a good moisturizer and like kind of see how that works for you.