In this episode, we share some thoughts and tactics that we found helpful when paring down and optimizing our personal libraries. For related episodes on decluttering, see: How to Declutter With Your Partner Part 1: Prepare With These Tips https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/declutter-tips How to Declutter With Your Partner Part 2: Get It Done With These 5 Phases https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/declutter-tips-part2 Episode notes: https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/declutter-books Related...

Even our friends who were born and raised in climates like Chicago and New York were gobsmacked by JUST HOW SLIPPERY the ground got during a recent ice storm here in Portland, Oregon. Personally, it was our first experience of any kind of ice storm. In this episode, we share the things we learned because of it, from appropriate footwear to electricity and central heating, or the lack of all three. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/ice-storm https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more...

The previous episode was titled How to Declutter With Your Partner Part 1: Prepare With These Tips. In this episode, we share the 5 basic phases we went through while we were actually sorting through and dealing with all the stuff, the clutter! Hope these ideas are helpful for you. You can see all our show notes at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/declutter-tips-part2 https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/ declutter-tips-part2 https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad...

We’ve been decluttering over the winter break, and thought you might be, too. Here’s some discussion, anecdotes, and tips gleaned from our decluttering projects. We hope they come in handy or at least provide some entertainment for your decluttering efforts. See all the tips and show notes at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/declutter-tips https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/declutter-tips https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Love cats? Go here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

In this episode we swap some memories of childhood Christmases in Hawaii during the '70s and '80s. Then we share ideas for managing extra ribbons, cards, treats, and gifts, and at the end, we include a song about a sometimes snow-capped mountain called Mauna Kea, on The Big Island of Hawaii. Show notes: https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/1970s-1980s-hawaii-christmas-reusing-gifts https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re not mental health pros but we do have some thoughts and feelings about the holiday blues, some of which, we bet, you won’t find in a Google search. At least we haven’t seen it. If you want to jump ahead to the main topic, it starts at about 10 minutes in. Lots and lots more show notes at https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/holiday-blues https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/holiday-blues https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss anxieties specific to the holidays. Anxieties about gift-giving, social events, the pressure to make dreams come true, and more. We also discuss some thoughts, practices, and attitudes that can make for less anxiety and a little more heavenly peace. We discuss specific Holiday Anxieties such as: Feeling like you’re behind in gift-giving Worrying about your budget when it comes to gifts and festivities Creating a card, and ordering them, and sending them out The...

How’s your etiquette when it comes to energy? Do you have good energy etiquette? In this episode, we chat about what Energy Etiquette is, how it relates to good manners, and how it’s not the same as having good intentions. We discuss how Energy Etiquette overlaps with self-awareness, personal development, self-care, and more. And also part of the conversation are quick discussions about empaths and Highly Sensitive People, about Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work with water crystals, water energy, and...

In this episode we discuss our reaction to watching The Silence of The Lambs, the movie from 1991, in 2023. The discussion is mostly about LGBTQ+ rights, and the evolution of social norms. We remember what it was like in The ’90s because we were there, and yes, things have indeed evolved.  The main discussion starts at around 10 minutes in. See show notes at for way more details. https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/silence-of-the-lambs And if you'd like to suggest a topic or question for a...

Conventional wisdom in personal growth circles used to include the adage: “Don’t just survive, thrive!” As if ‘surviving’ was undesirable, and as if the opposite of surviving was thriving. But the actual opposite of surviving is not thriving, it’s dying, it’s croaking and breathing your last. In this episode, were inspired by the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, to engage in some “straight talk” about the pressures surrounding how one SHOULD feel about the holiday, and about gratitude, about...

The world’s gotten pretty tense and anxiety-ridden in recent years, and it isn’t going to let up anytime soon. This affects all of us, even in our personal lives. In this episode, we share the things that have helped us get a better sleep. A good sleep helps us cope, helps us be as strong and as supple as we can be, for ourselves and each other during these difficult times. The main topic starts at about 8:15 Siena and Toast...

In this episode, we share some reflections on how realizing we were gay also led to a richer, deeper, more meaningful life. The main topic starts at around (8:45). Being queer, non-binary, LGBTQ+ definitely has its hardships. But it can also come with priceless positive benefits. Benefits that you can’t buy with money, such as being genuinely more open-minded, compassionate, and perceptive, among other things.  Also in this episode, you can hear Toast’s reactions to seeing the 1973 movie “The...

We’re a couple of Asian Americans who grew up in Hawaii back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. In this episode, we talk about what it was like back then, to realize, slowly over time, that we were gay. The main topic discussion starts at around 10 minutes. (Before that, Siena’s on a mission to educate Toast about classic movies.) We’re a couple of Asian Americans who grew up in Hawaii back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. In this episode, we talk about what it was like back then, to realize, slowly over time, that...

Just because a lesbian couple is married does not mean they really want you to call them “wives.” We can’t totally explain it, we just know it’s true. In this episode, we have fun musing over the reasons for our mutual distaste for the term ‘wife.’ We also share some personal stories about other terms you could use, along with a funny, awkward anecdote from the era before such broad social awareness of the LGBTQ community, that exists now. We start discussing the main topic at around 8:15...

The confusion with pronouns and misgendering has been around a long time. Like, for decades. It’s just that we as a society never talked about it, in public conversation. In this episode, we share some funny stories about being misgendered over the years, and also relate some advice and perspectives about how to broach the issue when meeting new people. Complete show notes for this episode...

CORRECTION: Toast mistakenly associated “Prop 8” with Hawaii in this episode, but it was actually associated with California! More on this, and all the other episode details, on the blog: https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/is-coming-out-still-a-thing • Toast shares how she was raised as an Evangelical Christian & how she came out • Siena shares how she was raised Catholic, attended an all-girls Catholic school, had many gay uncles and aunties in her family & how she came out •...

This episode is some fun inspiration that’s also realistic and takes the pressure off, when it comes to home maintenance and improvement projects. Show notes https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/169-diy-painting-garage In this ep, you’ll hear us refer to a previous episode, and it’s this one: 136 Actually…Maybe You CAN Do It! (From Oct. 2022) https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/136 Find Siena and Toast on Instagram Love Cats? Siena and Toast Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

This ep is the 3rd and final part in a series called" The Top 10 Things We’ve Learned In Our 22-Year Lesbian Relationship." Here are the top-level points we cover in this ep. Scroll down even further for the link to the blog post where we put a bunch of additional show notes. 2. Learn about Attachment Theory and think in terms of your attachment styles 1. Remember and respect that, in large part, you've come together in your relationship to deal with wounds and life lessons BONUS: Health...

This ep is part 2 in a series called" The Top 10 Things We’ve Learned In Our 22-Year Lesbian Relationship." Here are the top-level points we cover in this ep. Scroll down even further for the link to the blog post where we put a bunch of additional show notes. 6. Use a personality assessment tool 5. Sex. Do it. 4. Adventure & novelty are bonding 3. Accept your partner. Love them, not your fantasy of them. Blog post for this episode, with additional show...

As recording for this topic really got going, we realized The Content was getting a bit long. So we turned it into a series. This is part one. Before we get to the countdown, FYI, we mention another ep, and that ep is: #130, released on 9/6/2022, called "Back After A Year’s Hiatus: A Brief Intro to Who We Are & Why We Took a Year Off." With that said...here's the start of the countdown... The Top 10 Things We’ve Learned In Our 22-Year Lesbian Relationship 10. Choose your battles 9. Accept...

We’re often told to cultivate an attitude of acceptance in our lives, while simultaneously being told to push through and make a change. This episode, we delve deeper into exactly what “accepting something” means. Because it can mean more than one thing.  Siena and Toast.com Find Siena and Toast on Instagram Love Cats? Go here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What would you do if a neighbor dumped trash in your recycling bin? Here’s what we did. A discussion about assertiveness when you’re female, Asian American, lesbian, and were born and raised in Hawaii. …can you be assertive and still be likable?  Vanessa Van Edwards on Instagram @vvanedwards – instagram.com/vvanedwards instagram.com/sienaandtoast Blog post for this episode, with show notes: sienaandtoast.com/podcast/164-how-to-be-assertive-and-still-be-likable Siena and Toast Podcast Learn...

Someone once observed how society was shifting its focus, as reflected in the names of popular magazines. First it was "Life" magazine. Then, "People." Then, "Us." And finally, "Self." This episode is a rambling discussion (and sometimes ranting) about various aspects of connection: our connection with groups, with each other, with ourselves. Siena and Toast Show Notes Find Siena and Toast on Instagram Find Siena and Toast on the web www.sienaandtoast.com Learn more about your ad choices....

You’re probably not aware of this, because it’s only through personal referrals, but Siena does private one-to-one consultations with people, using her background in holistic health, coaching, and healing, to help them navigate life challenges. Part of this work usually involves flower essences, a type of holistic energy medicine. But what does this look like? How many flower essences does a client take? For how long? Which ones? The answers vary, because each person is unique, but in this...

This episode is gluten-free. If you love tasting and talk about pastries and doughnuts and bakeries, join us as we share our gluten-free adventures in Portland, Oregon. We talk about Kyra’s Bake Shop, Gluten-Free Gem, New Cascadia Traditional, and Mikiko Mochi Donuts. Show Notes https://sienaandtoast.com/podcast/161-gluten-free-bakeries-in-portland-oregon Find Siena and Toast on Instagram https://instagram.com/sienaandtoast Love cats? We do too! LoveandAboveCatClub.com Find books and oracle...