← The Rachel Hollis Podcast
The Rachel Hollis Podcast
968 | 10 Purchases That Made My Life Easier
00:48:34
Upgrade to the Ad Free Premium Podcast Experience - https://rachelhollis.supercast.com Get your copy of Rachel's Book Here: Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Millon, Bookshop.org, or wherever books are sold! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices In this lighthearted episode of The Rachel Hollis Podcast, Rachel shares ten purchases that have genuinely made her life easier, ranging from practical tools like a blow-dryer brush, home gym equipment, a work-from-home uniform, and an insulated water tumbler to larger investments such as a Delta Sky Club membership, annual vacations, hormone-supporting supplements, and trauma therapy. Throughout the episode, she emphasizes a common theme: reducing daily friction by removing unnecessary decisions, creating systems that support health and productivity, and investing in things that save tim...
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
A
Ladies. If you're in that phase where your body is just doing new things, sleep's weird, energy's weird, cravings also weird. You are not alone. It's totally normal. Menopause and perimenopause just means your body needs a little support. And sprouts makes that support easier so you can start feeling more like you. Tons of fresh organic produce for fiber, sprouts, protein and creatine to keep your muscles and bones strong and your energy up and supplements that can help you manage mood shifts. So whether it's perimenopause, menopause or any other health journey, it's easier at sprouts. Farmer's Market from corner stores to content creators, businesses are what keep the world moving. But no matter what type of business you're running, staying connected is crucial to success. That's why millions of business owners rely on Spectrum Business for fast, reliable Internet, advanced WI fi, phone, TV and mobile services. Shop packages built for your business budget with tailored connectivity solutions. Plus Spectrum Business even offers 100% US based customer support 24. 7 Visit spectrum.combusiness to learn more Restrictions apply. Services not available in all areas okay for today's episode Going a little lighter, a little funner Based on the fact that Monday's episode was supposed to be 30 minutes and I went for over an hour and I, you know, preached a sermon on other people's opinions and being held back by fear of failure. If you did not listen to Monday's episode and that sounds like something that you need, go back one episode and get in on all that goodness. Because I felt like, I felt like I took you to church on Monday. But for today I was like, let's begin. Bring it in. Let's, let's. It's summer. Like can we keep it a little bit lighter? So I got the idea for this episode, which are 10 purchases that made my life easier. When I thought of the idea, I was like, oh, that's fun, it's light, it's silly. But then what I like so much about my brainstorm for this episode is that the list I came up with is not what I thought I would choose and probably not what you would expect someone to choose in an episode. Around 10 purchases. I thought I was going to be like, buy this shirt or something. And it's not that. It's actually a bit all over the place because I really did try to think of things that have helped make my life easier in the hopes that if you consider them, they might make your life easier too. None of These are ads. Nobody asked me to say these things or this. Just all real things that I feel like have helped my life. And my favorite thing is that there are things on this list that are like 20 bucks and there are things on this list that are thousands and thousands of dollars. So we're going all over the place, guys. Let's, let's see what there is. The number one thing on my list. The first thing that I thought of was when I thought of this episode, one of those blow dryers that are also a brush. Okay, blow dryers that are also a brush. I don't even know what these are exactly called. And I don't even have a brand. Like, I own a dry bar version of it. I own a T3 version of it. I am positive there are cheap versions, but you know those things. I'm not talking about a hot brush that doesn't have air in it. That's something for dry hair. That's also a great tool. But if I have to think of something that makes my life easier, without question, it is one of those blow dryer brushes things. Because my hair is naturally very wavy, which means if I do not dry my hair, it looks like that one time in Friends when Monica went to the Caribbean. If you know, you know, it's big, it's wild, it's very frizzy. You would not believe how frizzy my hair is. It's wild. And the way that I managed it for many, many years was going to get a blowout. I used to go get a blowout all the time. Which is why the first time I got one of these brushes was from drybar, which is a blow dry salon. I also, as a side note, really do not enjoy sitting for beauty treatments. The other day I got this note from like a salon and it was like, come in for your self care. And I thought, oh, funny. Do people think of that as self care? Because I find it so boring. I hate sitting for that much time. I. I absolutely hate it. I love the effects. I'm so grateful for people who make me look prettier, but it's not my favorite thing. And going to get my hair blown out on the regular nightmare. Also super bad for my hair because of the shampoos they were using. Doesn't matter. Getting off topic, my point is I am not good at giving myself a blowout. Holding a blow dryer and holding a round brush at the same time feels like a skill set that I am unable to acquire. I. I'm sure if I committed my Life to it. I could find a way. But I just have never been good at a personal blowout until I met this blow dry brush. I'm still not great. But I will say that it is easily 100 times more possible for me to get a good looking head of hair by using one of those brushes. So I am starting my list. Light and easy to say that if you have seen those brushes, you, if you know what I'm talking about, then you know what I'm talking about. If you've seen one of those and you're like, is that really a thing? Would that really be helpful? 1 million percent yes, 100%. Save so much time, save so much effort. My move, in case you're wondering, I do the blow dry brush, I wash my hair at night, put in some stuff, do the blow dry brush. So it's not perfect, but then I'm going to sleep on dry hair that by morning has sort of flattened properly. That's my move. I don't know what your move is, but if you needed a little nudge in the direction of that hair tool, that is my number one thing for making life easier. Number two, completely different direction. Gym equipment. Okay? This is where we go from a tool that costs $45 to a tool that costs 10 grand. During the pandemic, like all of us, maybe I built out a home gym. A home gym could start by being a yoga mat and some bands. So it does not have to be super intense, crazy equipment. You don't have to go, you know, do your research. Do I want life fitness? Do I want Rogue? Do I want. No, you could start very simply. But having a gym at home I think is one of the biggest changes I ever made in my health and fitness journey. When I was in la, I was in a rental house that did not have room for my gym equipment. So I ended up getting a gym membership again, which has its own perks. Like, I like being around the energy of other people working out. I think it's really cool. You get to be in that environment and you get a bunch of fun little equipment that you wouldn't get otherwise. There's something really cool about that. But if it's what makes my life easier, going out to my garage and getting my workout done. In fact, I would say there's literally no excuse. When it's out in the garage, it could be winter and snowing and like, oh, I can't drive, it's right there. I think that if you are someone who likes a workout and you have considered Building out your own fitness space. I can't recommend it enough. And I really. Let me just, like, add another caveat. Because I watched the women in my family while I was growing up. My aunts, my mom, like so many women in my family would watch late night infomercials, and then they'd go by a Nordic track. You know what I'm talking about. Or all of a sudden you'd show up and like, Aunt Carol would have, like, a rowing machine. And then that rowing machine would just hold her laundry for the next six years until she got rid of it. My family was really famous for buying gym equipment that they would never use. So I am not saying, oh, you should go. If you buy a treadmill, then you'll use a treadmill. Listen to mama. That is not how it works. That is buying yourself something and thinking that the investment is going to be enough to motivate you. That is not how fitness works. Who I think it's for is the people who are actively already doing it. You don't need to be convinced that this is a good idea. But by building out a space within your house, you make it easier to access. And again, it doesn't have to be big equipment. It can start with little things, but you just create a space that's your space for working out. So we're back out in the country now, and we're back with our gym equipment. And there's a piece of gym equipment we don't have. It's like the cable machines. It's the one thing at the gym that we all sort of agree me. Cause the teenagers, we're all like, oh, we wish we had cable equipment. And in looking at different cable equipment, it's very expensive. It's like a significant investment. Let's say it's like five grand. Kez was like, oh, this is crazy. Like, we, you know, we can get these exo. We do different things. We can work around it. I'm like, yeah, it is. But at the same time, we will use this every day or every other day forever. We were talking about the other day. Like there was something. Oh, I was laughing with him about, this is so obnoxious. You guys just go with me. You clicked on a podcast about purchasing things. So just like, hang out with sister friend for a minute. I wanted Gucci loafers for, like, three years. Okay? This is not on my list of things that made my life easier, but they did make my life prettier. I wanted Gucci loafers. I wanted black Gucci loafers for Years. And I did not buy them because they were so expensive. I could not get myself to buy fifteen hundred dollar shoes. I just, it was so nuts to me. And I kept coming back to them. I would see them on people. I was like, oh, that' how cute. I love how this looks. And I kept coming back because I was like, it's a leather loafer. It's the kind of shoe that you could have forever. But I just couldn't do it. Couldn't do it, couldn't do it. But I always think if I can't stop thinking about something, you know, eventually finally I go, I get my leather loafers. I love these shoes. I wear them all the time. And every single time I wear them, it's like a million, I feel like a million bucks. I love these shoes. What's so crazy is that if you look at the thing that you are buying through the lens of how many times you actually use it. Like if you amortize the cost of this thing that you are buying based on usage, my Gucci loafers become less expensive than, than the less expensive shoe that I bought but never actually wore. I actually think this a lot about the more elevated pieces in our closet and the idea that we should invest in these bigger pieces that we have forever. Get less things but have them be higher quality. You end up using that thing way more often, it's way more versatile, and you actually get more bang for your buck. I know that not everyone's trying to get a Gucci loafer, but my point in this gym equipment is that he was like, oh, it just seems so crazy. It's so expensive. And I'm like, yes, but we will use this so much that this thing will be worth more than that thing over there. Like it just to me, it makes total sense. Me being able to walk 20ft from my kitchen and go get a great workout in is some of the best money I have invested in. And to be fair, all of the equipment that I bought back in 2021 is what I am using currently. I have not bought new equipment since 2021 and now I'm going to try and get a cable machine. But other than that, it lasts so ease of use. Even though it's one of the most expensive things on my list here. Gym equipment. All right, number three of the 10 purchases that made my life easier. Work from home wardrobe. A work from home wardrobe. In fact, I'll actually say this in a different way. Work from home uniform. Work from home uniform. So during the winter here in the Hudson Valley, freezing cold. One of the snowiest, coldest winters that this area has had in like a decade. That was really fun. I would actually put on outfits to go to work. Even though I'm in an office in the backyard, nobody's there but me. I would put on outfits because it's fun to wear layers. It's a sweater, it's a cardigan, it's a whole thing. In the summertime, I have the exact same work wardrobe. I am wearing it right now. I will wear it every single day. And I'm gonna tell you this because if you work from home and you are trying to be your most productive self, if you're trying to be your most productive self, I hope you listen to episode 963 of the podcast, which is all about productivity. But back to this if you're trying to be your most productive self, remove decisions. Remove as many decisions as you can from your daily output. My decisions in the morning cannot be about what I am wearing. To go sit in my office by myself and work. Especially now that it is literally 100 degrees. It is 100 degrees today. You think that I am putting on a cute outfit? No one's going to see you think I'm doing hair and makeup, baby. No, no. Work from home. Uniform cannot stress it enough, ladies. If you're in that phase where your body is just doing new things, sleep's weird, energy's weird, cravings also weird. You are not alone. It's totally normal. Menopause and perimenopause just means your body needs a little support and sprouts makes that support easier so you can start feeling more like you. Tons of fresh organic produce for fiber, sprouts, protein and creatine to keep your muscles and bones strong and your energy up and supplements that can help you manage mood shifts. So whether it's perimenopause, menopause or any other health journey, it's easier at Sprouts Farmers Market. Lysol is known for proven disinfection and today it also delivers a clean that smells great, including lavender scent. Lysol Disinfection Wipes All Purpose Cleaner Spray and Power Toilet bowl Cleaner clean and kill 99% of viruses and bacteria. The all purpose cleaner can be used on hard, non porous surfaces in the kitchen and the bathroom. Disinfecting wipes help clean everyday surfaces like remotes, tablets and smartphones. And the Power Toilet bowl cleaner disinfects both the toilet brush and the bowl for two in one disinfection. Don't just Clean, Lysol clean. Here's mine. You guys are going to die or you're not. You're going to be like girl. Same. Number one, a Spanx legging. I am so sad. Can I pull my soapbox over? I am so sad. What is going on with Spanx? Why have you stopped making so many different kinds of leggings for us? If you go on spanx.com or the Amazon Spanx shop, you can get the classic black Spanx legging and you can get the like faux leather thing. Okay. We used to do other colors. We used to do designs. There used to be a camo moment. None of those exist anymore. I can't find them. If you are from Spanx, put me back on your PR list. I don't want your new stuff. I just want leggings. I'm a size small, petite. Thank you. Back to this daily uniform. Black Spanx leggings. I have the same legging, four different pairs. One of those is the old school gray camo. They don't make it anymore. I liked the material on that one. That's the best material. It's a little bit, a little bit more give than the black. I don't know why black was always like that. That held you in, like you offended it. Like you're trying to escape. Okay, so the leggings on point. We got a black Burke. So black Spanx leggings, black Birkenstocks. Rocking it out. Wearing those daily up top. We have. Don't laugh. This is only for people inside of the itty bitty titty committee. I wear a training sports bra. I'm using air quotes for, from Target, from Hanes, from the little girl section. I'm short so I can get away. I, I have a, I have a C cup though. Like I'm not completely flat chested. So you get over. If you're a, a shorty like me, go over to the teen girl section. And I like those because there's no underwire. They're not really trying to support. They're literally just like, can we hold something in? Okay. And I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you're working from home. Why are you wearing a bra? Thank you for asking. Because of my next layer, which is an absolute must have for me. And that is the white tank top undershirt. Also I think Hanes, possibly Fruit of the loom from the little boys section. So it's like that, that undershirt that you would wear under like a button down. I'm wearing that which is as thin as a butterfly wing. All right. And both of my teenage boys are home for the summer. So that's why mom has got to have some kind of bra underneath and why I want that bra to barely hold me in. Really. The bra is light support, full nipple coverage. That's the outfit. Little sports bra, little tank top. Got those leggings burks. Usually barefoot, if I'm being honest. The hair up in a claw clip, that's what she's rocking. I do not put on makeup. I do pencil in a brow because I love myself. I do beautiful skincare and a brow, and we call it good. Every single day. I do my workout. I sweat through everything that I got. Go take a shower, put that outfit on. I don't have to think about it. I don't have to question it. And I think because my natural style, I tend to wear clothes that are way bigger than I am. I like, like blousy clothes. If you see pictures of me, I'm often in, I sort of look like I'm about to go to a skate park. Like, I just wear bigger stuff. There's something about being in like as little clothes as possible that I'm like, I'm not. It's like I'm not going to be hot, but I still feel like, I don't know, I put my uniform on. You don't have to want my uniform. I think you should have one. I would even go so far as to say, if you work outside the home, having a seasonal uniform where you've got a handful of great pieces that you cycle through is the move. Unless you're someone, if you really love getting dressed, if it makes you so happy and you come up with all these fun ideas and outfits, keep doing that. But if you don't care and if it's not a special occasion, if you're just like, even your stay at home parent, like, just figure out something that makes you feel pulled together, that makes you feel good that you do not have to consider. I think that is one of the biggest keys to an easier life. We're not debating what we're wearing in the morning. If it's date night, if I'm going out to a dinner party or an event, I'll spend a ton of time coming up with a cute outfit. Other than that, girl, catch me in my Spanx. Number four on my list of purchases that made my life easier. I stand by this one. Even though I think potentially some people will roll their eyes. And that is the annual pass to The Delta Lounge. The annual pass to the Delta Lounge. I am a Delta girl. I am a Delta girl. I used to be an American girl. I feel like American has really lost its way. We can debate this on another podcast episode. I travel a ton for work, and I travel a ton for pleasure. And I am a Delta girl. Delta is the best experience you can have on an airplane. It's the best food you can have on an airplane. I mean, obviously, you know, I don't know, Oprah's flying private or something. That's not what I'm doing. But I am most of the time going to be flying Delta. And because I spend a lot of time in an airport, I am the queen of how to navigate an airport well, to get through it and to make the experience as good as it can possibly be. Which means the Delta Lounge. The Delta Lounge, Even the small ones are pretty nice. You're always going to be able. If you've never been in an airport lounge, they're not all made the same. Some airport lounges are disgusting, and you would be better off not going in them. But some are really nice. And the Delta Lounge tends to be fantastic. It's. If it's in a bigger city, it's going to be even better. But even in small cities, it'll get the job done. They're going to have WI Fi. They're going to have places for you to sit. They're going to have a buffet. They'll have a bar. There's just, like, all these things that you can go and enjoy. And I use the lounge for a couple of main reasons. Number one, I'm always going to go in there to fill up my water bottle. I can hear some of you rolling your eyes, but I don't always trust the filtered water at the airport. You know how. You know, the, like, the filter thing, it'll be like, there'll be like a green light, a yellow light, and a red light. Based on how the filter is doing and whether or not needs to be replaced, I only want that water if the filter is green. If it's not green, I'm gonna go find myself a lounge or I'm gonna buy a bottle of water. Because I. It's just sketch. I don't want any part of it. I have gotten sick off of water before, and I just. Life's too short. So I'm going to go into the Delta Lounge. I'm going to fill up my water bottle. Usually the buffet will have something that I can eat and stay on plan. So hard Boiled eggs or scrambled eggs. There'll be salad, there'll be fruit. Don't get me wrong, there's all sorts of things that are like toast and bagels and pizza, those tons of food. And people hit the Delta Lounge buffet like it's Sizzler on a Saturday night in 1997. They go so hard, they hit that buffet like they've never had food before, and they'll never have food again. Y', all, the food is not that good, okay? It's fine. It'll get the job done. But I think people, like, I'm in the lounge. I gotta eat everything now. I just want it to, like, give me some good, nutritious things that I can have, help me fill up my water. They also always have a. Like a espresso coffee machine. So I always take my Kinto, which is a. Like a flask that I put coffee in. It keeps coffee hot. I take it into the airport with me, empty. Then I go into the lounge and I make myself an Americano in the Kinto. Get that, Tighten that up, put it in my purse. So then later, two hours into my flight, when I need a burst of caffeine, I can have better coffee than is available available on the airplane. Now let me give you my move. If you are flying, like, you know, Delta 1, if you're flying from New York to LA in first class on Delta, you could buy a used Miata or you could, you know, get that flight. And if you do, you're going to get into that lounge for free. I'm just telling you in case you are not familiar with how airport lounges work. Sometimes your ticket is so expensive that you will have access to the lounge no matter what you go in. You hand them your ticket. They scan it. They're like, welcome, Mr. Smith. Do you need the WI Fi password? But I buy the Delta Pass. There's many different kinds that you can buy. But here's the move. I fly so much, I have so many miles on Delta, I just buy it every single year with my miles. Quick question for parents. When was your child's last eye exam? Myopia, or nearsightedness, is becoming more common in kids. And it's not just about needing stronger glasses. If myopia continues to progress untreated, it may increase the risk of more serious vision complications later in life. The good news? An eye doctor can help identify myopia early and recommend options designed to help manage it over time. One of those options is Essilor Stellist lenses. Stellist Lenses are designed specifically for children and are part of an approach to myopia management that corrects their vision while supporting eye health. As their eyes continue to grow, they look like regular eyeglasses, but their purpose Built for young wearers. Every child's vision is different, which is why starting with a professional eye exam matters. If you have concerns or even just questions, your eye doctor can guide you through what solution is best for your child. Visit essilor.com to learn more about Stellist lenses and to find an Essilor expert eye care professional near you. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. For some people, summer is their favorite season, right? There are grill outs and cookouts and maybe you go to the beach or you take a vacation. For those of us who are parents, it also means the kids are out of school. And while it's awesome and fun, it can also be super overwhelming to juggle all of the things and to not have the childcare that you're used to. And we don't talk about that enough. And when there's any subject in life that we don't talk about enough, it's a really good thing to bring up with your therapist. That's where BetterHelp comes in. Therapy online with the world's largest online therapy platform can help you understand your needs and help you feel confident setting boundaries and knowing how to take better care of yourself this summer so you can take care of everybody else. You just take a quick questionnaire, you identify Your preferences and BetterHelp will match you with your initial therapist to see if they'll work for you. You don't have to say yes to everything this summer. Find support in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off@betterhelp.com Rach that's betterhelp.com Rach Every single year I go in, they're like, oh, you're past is expired. I'm like, buy me a new one. Use my miles. I never notice if the miles are gone. I never. It doesn't affect me at all. But here is the move. I don't know which kind of pass I have, but if you're interested in this, first of all, my God, I can't even believe I didn't say this. You only want to get a pass to the airline you fly most often. I have the Delta lounge pass, but I'm not sure if I can use it if I don't have a Delta ticket. I don't know how that works. I actually think you can only get in. I'm not sure. You should make sure if you fly mostly American, do not buy a Delta lounge. But sometimes they're not even in the same terminal, so you'd be wasting your money. But I fly mostly Delta, so I have them buy it with miles. And here's the thing. I bought the Delta lounge pass because there's a few different kinds of where you can take up to four family members with you into the lounge. Now, I don't know if I have access to that because of my status or I just paid for it with more miles. But that meant Kez has. He's. So he is one bajillion miles. So he has a status where he can always get in the lounge, but I can get in the lounge and then I can take all the kits. So now all six of us are covered. And I did it with miles. If this conversation is about what makes your life easier, that lounge cannot recommend it enough. It also means, honestly, I can get overwhelmed by masses of people. I can get overwhelmed at the airport. I can get anxiety. I like going into the lounge because it's sort of like a break from all of the chaos. It's, like peaceful and chill, and I can go sit in the corner and do some work before my flight is ready to go. So if you've never been in a lounge before. I hadn't, by the way. I had not been in a lounge until I was, like, 38. So don't think it's weird if you've never been in one before. It's worth trying out. It's worth, like, the next time you have a nice ticket somewhere or maybe do your research and see. It just makes the whole experience so much better. All right, number five. Of the 10 purchases that made my life way easier, this one is the one that most of you are going to be like. Well, yeah, obviously. And that is all the things that we use over and over and over, buy them in bulk. And I want to say this because that doesn't actually translate perfectly. When I think of the term buy it in bulk, I think of, like, Costco. Like, you go and you get 150 rolls of toilet paper, you know, 27 pounds of mayonnaise. The things that I am buying aren't always available in bulk. When I say I buy stuff in bulk, I mean that if I'm going to buy face soap, I'm going to buy four face soaps. Now, not everybody has it in their budget to buy more than one thing at a time. I completely get that. So this is more for any of you who do have it in your budget. If you're going to go get a six pack of toilet paper, but you can afford the 20 pack, get the 20 pack. If you've got a spot to hold the extra toilet paper and the budget, it will make your life easier. That is our entire conversation. This is not a conversation about like best bargain or. No, we're just talking about what makes things easier. It will be easier for you to not have to shop as often. Especially for me, because we're out in the country. There is. I love the face soap from Kora Kora Organics. I've used it forever. I've talked about on the show. I've sent it out in the email. I like, I love them. I exclusively use that face soap. But the only place that I can get it, it has to be shipped. There's nowhere near me that I could go pick that up. And if I'm gonna have something shipped to me, I'm gonna have six. I'm gonna have a bunch shipped my way so that I don't have to go and get it again in a month. The other way that you could do this is if you are part of any programs where you can subscribe to things. The kids love Pirate Booty and they love Skinny Pop, those like bags of popcorn. Both of those are on a subscription to my house. I've got it down to a science, like how fast we will go through a bulk selection of Pirate Booty so that it just automatically shows up when it's time again, LaCroix on a subscription. The things that I use over and over, I buy in bulk. And I wanted to mention this. I think most like moms my age or people who are older, we think that way. Right. This one is for those of you who are maybe younger, maybe your recent college grad or maybe you are a new parent. And it's not something that's occurred to you before because you're like, well, I'm not going to use it for a while. Why would I have this thing? Because when it starts to get low, your supplements, anything that you could put in your pantry, that's not going to go bad. It really just does make life simpler when you've got supplies on hand. Number six. 10 purchases that make my life easier. A summer vacation. All right, stick with me. I told you that there would be things on my list that you did not think were going to be here. This is probably one of them. And maybe you're wondering, how on earth does a summer vacation make your life Easier. I will stand on my soapbox and fight for your right to treat yourself all day long. And in that argument, I would say that you are more excited to do your work, to do your life, to do what needs to be done. If you have a carrot at the end of the stream, if you have a light at the end of the tunnel, if you have something to look forward to, it changes the way you approach your everyday life. Now, I did an episode, gosh, probably three months ago, it's episode 944. If you want to go back and listen 944-how- go on vacation. If nobody ever taught you how. And I had the random idea for that episode because I am a big travel girl and I am bougie af and my vacations are amazing. And I had this idea to do an episode that was so weird. I've never seen anyone do an episode like that before. And that episode did so well. People were obsessed with it. People were sending me notes, DMs, emails. Like, people loved that. So if you've not listened, episode 944. But the whole point of it was that I have trained myself to save up for my vacations. I know not everyone will agree with this, but if I can't take a nice vacation, I won't go. You just heard a little bit as I'm like, oh, I'm going through the Delta Lounge. I only fly Delta. I want a nice experience. I love being at home. So I have the gift and the blessing of I love being at home. I don't need to leave home. If I'm gonna leave home, it's gonna be worth it. And the way that it's gonna be worth it is that I am gonna figure out where I want to go, and I'm gonna save my money for it, and I'm gonna make it really spectacular. Every single summer, my kids go to summer camp. And when my kids go to summer camp, I have three weeks where I don't have to be a mom. And in those three weeks where those kids are occupied and they're doing horseback riding and archery and they're jumping on the blob thing into the lake while they do that. Me and Kez, we go to Europe every single year. This year, we're going to Italy. I cannot wait. I'm going to eat my face off in pasta. I'm gonna drink wine. I'm gonna take cooking classes. I'm gonna lay out in the sunshine. We're gonna go hiking. We are gonna live our best lives. The amount of Times that I have not wanted to do my work. I have not wanted to finish editing the book. I have not wanted to record a podcast. I know you don't want to hear that. Sometimes I'm tired and I don't want to record a podcast. But I'm like, yeah, you're doing all this, and then in the month of July, you get to go have the most amazing experience, and you do not have to work for three weeks, y'. All. That is a freaking gift that makes my life easier. You do not have to do a European vacation. You do not have to leave town. But you having something in your life that makes the effort worth it is going to help. I was reading this article today. I love. This is so funny. But if you don't get it, I honestly really recommend. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a newsletter. And in the newsletter, it's called Pump Club. They send it out Monday through Friday. And I read, like, every one of their newsletters. It's like science and data. It's usually about working out. It's like health and fitness and just. But it's always interesting. It's well written, and I enjoy it. I have my coffee, and I will read. It takes me like, five, ten minutes. And one of the recent newsletters was talking about this idea of, like, what are you training for? Like, what's the point of training? Do you even know why you're training? Meaning, like, working out. Arnold Schwarzenegger, you know, it's about working out. And I think that that is also a great sort of analogy for life. Like, why are you working so hard? What are you doing all this for? I. For a very long time, if you read girl, wash your face, you know, one of my goals in life was to own a home in Hawaii, and it was my goal to own this home. By the time I was 40, I think I bought the home in Hawaii. Like, when I was, like, 36, 37, I was blessed enough to get to do it a few years early. Thank you to everyone who bought a copy of Girl, wash your face, because you are why I was able to do that. And I've since sold that home. We're now on the east coast, so it's just way too far for us to travel. But for years and years, every single time we would go to the house in Hawaii, and I would watch my kids run around the backyard. They always would go out in the backyard and play football, and I go watch them in the backyard. And every single time, I heard this voice say the same thing. This is why you work this hard. This. My childhood was filled with so much fear around money, so much fear around scarcity and food insecurity. The idea of taking a vacation, that's just. It's not even. It wasn't even a vacation. Was. You're going to drive all night for three days in a row in a minivan to go visit your uncle who lives in another state. Like, it was not any. It just wasn't a vacation. And whenever I would take the kids to Hawaii, it was always this, like, massive weight off my shoulders of like, oh, yeah, this is what you're working this hard for so these babies can run around in this backyard and play football with each other. You know, all the boys got their shirts off. It's like, sunny. They got their little tans, are running around playing, they're being best friends. They don't know what it's like to live in a place where people are screaming about money and they never will. And that isn't something that everybody has to aim at. But being able to take my family to experiences like that is what keeps me going when work gets hard. Some people are super motivated by, you know, they want one of those bags. What are the bags? A Birkin bag. Everybody, oh, I want a Birkin bag. I want to get a leather appointment, whatever. I'm like, oh, yeah, I love that for you. I could not care less. Could not care less about that at all. Not interested in any capacity. What I work for is experiences. And even if you don't have a family, even if you don't have kids, you deserve the experience. If you feel like you don't have a why behind the work? I can't imagine how hard that work's gonna feel. So I would highly recommend that you give yourself something to aim at. All right? Number seven on my list of purchases that made my life easier. You've heard me say it before. I will say it again. A lash extension. Now, I wanna caveat this. Not everybody wants a lash. Your girl wants a lash. I told you about my work from home uniform. I don't wear makeup most of the time, but I like things that sort of make it look like I put an effort in when I didn't put an effort in. And lash extensions are that thing for me. What is your version of this? Is it a manicure? Is it a pedicure? Is it getting your hair done? Is it, I don't know, a new tattoo? What is something that you can do that you can invest in that makes you feel pulled together? Many Times in the future without having to get pulled together. I think that we all have versions of this and if you don't be on the lookout for yours, but something like that, like, I know people get like microblading on their eyebrows or, you know, they don't feel like they're pulled together if their hair doesn't look good. Whatever your thing is, I think it is worth the effort. If it means that you spend less money in one area so that you can invest more in this one thing, you do it. Lash extensions are mine. What is yours? Number eight on my list of 10 purchases. A water tumbler. What's the word? I don't even know what these are called. I literally wrote Stanley Yeti hydro Flask. I have no affinity to in. I have all of those things in my cabinet. I am not like a one brand kind of girl. I am not sponsored by anybody. I just love the insulated water tumbler with a straw. Now guys, we have been talking about hydration at this point for over 10 years. But just in case anyone needs to be reminded, you are supposed to be drinking your body weight in ounces of water every day. I'll let you off the hook and say, drink half your body weight in ounces of water every single day. But most people are not getting as much water as they need. And it is such an easy remedy. First of all, it's 100 degrees here today. You're going to put a bunch of ice into your insulated water tumbler. If you're like me, you're going to add squeeze a lemon or sliced up cucumber. Talk dirty to me. I love a little spa water moment. Then you're going to fill that up with water. And the straw is essential. There's science behind this. If you have a straw in your drink, you will drink more. But my water, it's got a straw and it is the temperature of the Arctic. Delicious. If it's winter, use whatever you want. But if it's summertime, like right now, I'm trying to make my life easier. I'm trying to be healthier. I want to make it as easy as possible to be as healthy as possible. Get me an icy cold drink. Ready to go. Get my water in all day long at the right temperature with a straw. I, I am telling you, my three Stanley Yeti hydro flask, you use anything. You can find these things at the Goodwill. You can get the off brands on Amazon or Walmart or Target or whatever. Get yourself an insulated water tumbler. See how much water you drink. This is my, you know, flags in the ground. Gotta have it. Making my life easier. Number nine, another one that might surprise you. Hormone supplements. Things, purchases that made my life easier. Hormone supplements. I've done 150 billion episodes on perimenopause and hormones. At this point it would be very easy for you to scroll back and see recent ones, listen to any of them. But I will tell you that there is a handful of supplements I take every day and have taken for five years that have really helped to support hormone fluctuations and mood swings. And I will always caveat this and say that you absolutely need to talk to your doctor before you take anything. Truly this is not just bs. You need to have blood work done and you need to see where your blood work is before you put anything new into your body when it comes to your hormones. But I will tell you that the supplements that have made the biggest difference in my life, number one, Vitex, which is also called Chaste Tree Berry. It is huge. It is. You'll find all of these are available over the counter. Chaste Tree Berry is huge for me. Dim detox D I M Detox is something that really helped with how heavy my periods are. The detox portion is because typically heavy periods happen because your body isn't actually getting rid of all of the lining of your uterus every month. So it sort of builds up and that makes your periods really heavy because it's actually more than just one month that you're getting rid of. So the detox, the dim detox which is like cruciferous vegetables, so things like broccoli and cauliflower. It doesn't taste very good. I'm not like chewing it. But you still. It tastes funky cuz it's just like a bunch of, I don't know, vegetables. But it helps to detox and so I really recommend dim vitamin B complex. Vitamin B is really good for energy for women who are perimenopausal. So that one has been really helpful for me. Iron sounds funny but if you get super tired, if you get super pissy, if you get really lethargic the days after your period, you probably are a bit anemic. If you're perimenopausal and you're having really heavy periods, it is likely that you might need a little iron support. So beyond what you eat, you know, red meat or spinach or beans, things that have really good iron in them, taking an iron supplement with C they found that your body will absorb the iron better if you mix it with vitamin C. So they. There's a supplement that I take that's iron mixed with vitamin C. So that one's been really helpful for me too. But if we're going to talk about things that make my life easier, having some supplements that support my emotional health through supporting my sex hormones, that's definitely a big one. Which brings us to number 10. 10 purchases that made my life easier. This is another one that might make you laugh. Trauma therapy. Trauma therapy. My. Oh my God. I like don't even know all of the things to say about how much trauma therapy has helped me. But most specifically, I went to a retreat a couple of months ago called the Hoffman Process. I've talked to you guys a little bit about this. Hoffman Process is not cheap. I think it's like six grand. But it is a nonprofit and I think it's something like 20% of students who go through Hoffman go on scholarship. So if it's not something that you can afford but something that you're interested in, I would really encourage you to look at their website and see what there is. Hoffman has been around since the 70s and it is week long retreats that are all you do all day from like 7am to 9pm you is trauma therapy. And I won't say a lot about it because I think part of what makes Hoffman special is that students who've gone really protect what the process is because you're not supposed to know. Honestly, I think if you knew, you probably wouldn't go because it's really hard to do a week of intense trauma therapy. But I am so grateful for the gift of that time and I'm so grateful for the tools that I got out of that experience. And there is a lightness in my spirit that was not there before. And part of that is, or maybe most of that is that a big part of that trauma work is somatic. Somatic is when you move things through your body, like physically you're moving your body and getting things out. You might be physically moving your body. It might be vocally, you might be screaming or yelling. It sounds intense because it is intense. But there are so few times in our lives, like I don't even know where most people would get that kind of release, to be able to release all of that trauma that's trapped in your body from a lifetime of hard stuff. If you had a hard childhood or you went through a really bad relationship or whatever, it's so helpful, so freaking helpful. So that was worth every single penny and I highly recommend it to everybody. I say like, if you feel called to do it, do some research, go to their website. You know, they have like the most amazing admissions team who will like talk to you to see if it's the right fit for you. Because it's not right for everybody. Not everybody can handle something that intense. Definitely worth the time if it's something that you feel called to do. In today's episode, I definitely am approaching, you know, an easier life through a bunch of different lenses. Some feel kind of superficial, some feel very deep. But I think it's important to look at ease in your life through the lens of all different modalities, not just the most obvious ones. So I hope something I said today was helpful and I hope you enjoyed it. I will be back soon. I do a new episode every Monday and every Thursday. Please, please, please subscribe if you haven't yet. We're so grateful for your support in this work that we're doing and one of the best things you can do for podcasts that you follow is just subscribe. It's always free, super easy. But yeah, we'll be back soon with more conversation. Until then, as always, I love you and I'm rooting for you. The rachel hollis podcast is produced by me, rachel hollis. It's edited by andrew weller and jack noble. Fuel your fire with Peloton instructors Show up and experience our instructors breathing energy into your fitness. Need new workout buddies? Peloton Teams helps you find your crew and stay accountable with the support system. Don't just train, connect with others, crush the leaderboard and rediscover your momentum with the Cross Training series. Shell V Power Nitro plus fuels every drive with a fuel like no other. It removes up to 100% of performance, robbing deposits to rejuvenate your engine's performance. That means more power when you needed and more performance with every drive. Shell V Power Nitroplus Premium Gasoline More power, more performance Formulation unique to Shell in gasoline Direct injection engine fuel injectors with continuous use of Shell V Power Nitro Plus Premium Gasoline compared to lower octane fuels. Actual effects and benefits may vary.