Energy Vampires are people who suck the life force outta you! In this episode, Siena - who is a Highly Sensitive empath type of person - shares what she’s found helpful in dealing with Energy Vampires. But first we chat about growing garlic in our home vegetable garden. More show notes at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/energyvampires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was recorded when the world’s attention was on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. So Toast might’ve gotten a little carried away or confused about some stories she related, so just to clarify, the stories of sportsmanship that we discuss did not happen at the 2024 Summer Games. But they did happen. And we’ve included links to more about that in the show notes on our podcast blog. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/positivity-resonance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

This episode is all about getting comfortable being uncomfortable. The topics range from the Sony Walkman, to squirrels eating walnuts in the morning silence, to there being such a thing as very real dangers of too much convenience. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/uncomfortable Links for stuff we mention: Bodyweight fitness programs by Mark Lauren: marklauren.com Michael Easter’s Substack, called Two Percent: www.twopct.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Micro-Connections are small moments of connection with other people. Literally moments, not even minutes. Just a moment of holding the door open for someone, for instance. In this episode, we talk about why micro-connections are so important and powerful, for individuals – especially for people with a history of trauma– and for societies. The book Siena references is What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey. And the...

This episode is a whole discussion about that saying of how the quality of your relationships is the quality of your life. Topics include the attraction of Hallmark movies, how early childhood trauma affects our ability to relate to others, EMDR therapy, and even relationships with the urban animals around your house, and more. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/relationship-quality-is-life https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finally, an episode that’s about cats, by lesbians, or, we can say ‘by childless cat ladies.’ Anyway, more specifically, this episode is about an automatic pet feeder that’s impressed us so much, we wanted to tell you all about it. This is NOT a paid partnership . There are NO affiliate links. Like all our other episode, we just wanted to share, in case it might help you. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/204-automatic-pet-feeder https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad...

No-brainer tips for a better night’s sleep. No-brainer as in nothing to do with meditating, or journaling or thinking. Just 3 super easy, science-based, CBD and cannabis-free things you can do to help improve your nighttime sleep. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/3-no-brainer-sleep-tips https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we attempt an imitation of a baby raccoon, but it kinda ends up sounding probably more like the fungus in The Last Of Us TV show. This episode also includes lots of enthusiastic but also very calm discussion about meeting donkeys for the first time, at Oregon Donkey Sanctuary. oregondonkeys.org It was our first meeting with donkeys of any size. And did you know, there are three? https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/donkeys https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about...

As we’re getting ready to release this episode, we’re also getting ready for a heatwave here in Portland, Oregon. And this brings to mind some of the icy homemade treats we’ve started enjoying this summer. In this episode, we share those recipes. It’s mouth-watering lemon, orange, and matcha flavors, but not all mashed up together. One at a time. You’ll find out when you listen. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/icytreats https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices....

Have you ever heard of the Cup Tasters Competition? It’s a coffee tasting contest and the US winner goes on to a World Coffee Competition. So we only know all this because we were given – as a gift – a virtual class in Chocolate & Coffee Tasting, taught by a winner of the US Cup Tasters Competition. In this episode, we tell you all about it. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/chocolate-and-coffee-tasting https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

This episode is a big ol’ love letter to craft fairs, farmers markets, and other local, community-based gatherings. And, as a part of those, there can be a little awkwardness between the shop-keepers and the shoppers, so we get real and talk about that, too. Show notes are at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/craftfair2 https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where do lesbians go for fun? Good ol’ fashioned wholesome Craft Fairs! OK, not all lesbians, we’re not all like that. But in this episode, we share some tips, thoughts, and reflections after having attended our first craft fair of the spring & summer season. Show notes at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/craftfair Related links: craftywonderland.com instagram.com/feeeeuuhh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are introverts. During the stay at home orders of COVID in 2020 and even in 2021 and 2022, we were fine staying at home with our cat. We were fine avoiding in-person social events even after that because inertia. But we also know it’s really not healthy to live like that. In this episode, we talk about the ironic effort it can sometimes take to do the perfectly normal thing called in-person social interactions.  https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/socialforintroverts...

This is the fifth and final episode in a series on daily life as we recall it during a brighter, more hot pink time in America’s history. In this episode, we riff off a list of ‘80s pop music trends, including MTV, the phenomenon of Michael Jackson, that ‘80s synthesizer sound, saxophone solos, big hair bands, novelty tunes, the rise of rap, and more. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/80slife5 https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Where Did All The Saxophones...

This is the fourth in a series on daily life as we recall it during a brighter time in America’s history…or was it? In this episode, we talk about movies from The '80s. And shockingly, here in 2024, it’s a bit disturbing to look back and see the anti-Asian racism that was up on screen back then, and even more, that we – in Hawaii, populated mainly by Asian-Americans – didn’t even notice it at the time. We discuss this, along with the analog movie-going experience, which included newspaper ink...

This is the third in a series on daily life as we recall it during a brighter, more hot pink time in America's history. If you were a kid in The ‘80s, what did you do for fun? We Gen Xers (roughly those born between 1965 and 1980) were probably the last American generation to experience a “free-range” childhood. That’s not what it was called back then of course. It was just called childhood. Let the kids loose on the streets to figure out for themselves how to stay entertained. Play outside....

This is the second episode in a series on daily life as we remember it during a brighter, more hot pink time in America’s history. We’re talking about The ‘80s. In this episode, we focus on ‘80s fashion, where  everything was big. Big hair, big clothes. I mean really really big, loud, bright, and too much. We know this now. But we didn’t know it then. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/80slife2 https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get in the Delorean because in this episode, we’re going Back To The ‘80s.  This is the first in a series on daily life as we remember it during a brighter, more hot neon time in America’s history. In this episode, we recall the phenomenology and pace of life when your only options are rotary phones that belong to an entire household, music on vinyl, cassette, or terrestrial radio, and eventually CDs, and also the wonder of dual cassette boom boxes. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/80slife1...

Astoria, Oregon, is the site of the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast of North America. In this episode, we share what we learned on our very first visit to Astoria: about Astoria’s origin story and our experience at its Flavel House Museum, which is somewhat haunted, because yes, I felt something, and so have other folks, apparently. Come join us for a quick day trip to one of Oregon’s most famous towns.  Lots more show notes...

In this episode, we share our experiences with meditation: learning about it, practicing it, not practicing it; using it, abusing it, misunderstanding it, and eventually getting to a place of actually understanding it.  We discuss the meditation apps we’ve tried over the years, the things we’ve liked or not liked about various ones, the minimum effective dose of meditation, and of course, what we think is the wrong way to meditate.  show...

This episode is based on a talk called “Working with Insomnia” by clinical psychologist Seth Gillihan. It covers tips for getting into a good groove when it comes to our sleep lives, that are all science-based and down-to-earth and doable. No crazy technology required. Show notes at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/sleepdrives Related episode: How To Get A Better Sleep https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/how-to-get-a-better-sleep originally published on...

Have you ever felt sorta gross and grimy and a shower only helped so much, because the space you were in, itself, somehow felt heavy or gross? Well, if you had authority over that space, because it’s your home, or your room, or your office, you could do what’s called Space Clearing or Energy Clearing. In this episode, we talk about the mindset and methods we’ve used to "clear a space." Related episodes: Do You Have Good Energy Etiquette?...

We all make plans, and sometimes, those plans get completely up-ended by what actually ends up happening, because Life. When things like that pop up, what do you do? What should we do? How should we handle it? In this episode, we discuss the tough emotions and the harried thoughts that come with the very unexpected, and How To Not Be An A**hole To Your Partner when they do. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/how-to-not-be-an-a*****e https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your...

We've been together as a couple for 22 years and counting. In this episode, we share about a time early on in our relationship when we were fighting a lot. And we also share the things that helped us to break out of that pattern, and to move towards growing in mutual understanding and peace. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/relationship-advice-from-a-lesbian-couple https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices