I find it difficult to talk about politics on a public platform, but please don’t mistake that as me being unwilling to take a stand at the cost of being uncomfortable. It’s the 57th anniversary of The March on Washington. What is your hope and dream for our generation? 

This week let’s test the post office. The Internet gave me a list of 10 weird things you can mail without a box so let’s see if those things can actually be mailed. Connect on the @TodayByTheWay Instagram to perhaps be a part of the experiment. Also, this week something weird that I forgot I ordered showed up. What’s something you’ve ordered and had forgotten about until it arrived?

Introducing a new segment: Conversations to Level Up Your Friendships. First prompt? Ask your friend if she knows her magic. “The magic” is one small, seemingly lucky thing that seems to happen to you over and over again by no doing of your own. To follow-up, ask what her anti-magic is. What is one small thing that is unlucky that seems to happen to you more often than the average person? Mine is the worst!

I’m only good at like three things. But shopping thoughtfully (that is, mindfully making purchases and being slow to shop fast fashion) is one of those things. Join us as I give my top 10 tips for shopping with heart.

Get ready for all the vice president trivia you never knew you needed. But also get ready for me to tell you how the MVP all VP’s made me the woman I am today.

Why do we have such a hard time resting? I don’t know the answer to that, but I do know that we’re more isolated than ever, more confused than ever, and more uncertain than ever. Is it any wonder that we’re more tired than ever? Also in this episode: hear how our family’s COVID test went. (Results still pending).

Fun fact: my first job involved measuring women for bra fittings. Today we talk about this wildly inaccurate process.

Part 2 of Ask Me Anything!

Part 1 of Ask Me Anything!

Taylor Swift surprised us last Friday by releasing her 8th album Folklore. Spoiler alert: it’s good and I like it and I like that she owns it. Listen to the whole thing. And while you’re at it, give Carley Rae Jepson a listen, too. Then savor them. Like the summer. 

Okay, so you’re thinking about homeschooling. Now what? Today I sat down with my dear friend and seasoned home educator Katie Leipprandt and she laid it all out there for anyone considering this option. That’s not you? This episode is still for you. Katie shares how (cue the High School Musical theme song) we’re all in this together and three of the TBTW Besties, Amber, Hannah, and Doreen, (all who work in schools or used to work in schools) share some encouraging words for all moms.

For the last 48 hours, we've been weighing the pros and cons of returning to homeschool for this upcoming school year. Eavesdrop as Chris and I mull that over together. 

Today is a first: I break format to reflect on what race means (and doesn't mean) to me. As a Thai and Sioux Indian woman, raised in a racist household, disconnected from both my Thai and Sioux heritage, I admit this gives me the privilege of being ambiguously ethnic, where people often forget that I’m not white. We are 47 days post George Floyd’s death and the world should look different. I want to know: what have you been mulling over these last couple of months? How’s your heart?

Despite not knowing how to swim, I do not suffer from aquaphobia (the fear of water). On today’s episode, I share my top five fears and try to dissect the unsolved mystery of why the Unsolved Mysteries theme song has terrified my generation. After a plug for Hank Green’s new book, we discuss celebrity phobias, and the community challenge this week is to enjoy something from your childhood.

Americans consume about 150 million hot dogs while celebrating Independence Day. We need to talk about this and the fact that on this day 10 years ago Chris and I got second place in a vegan hotdog eating contest. After the jump, six TBTW Besties Becca, Madison, Hannah (of the podcast A Day At A Time), Cassie, Randi, & Tabitha share when their “Whoa! I’m the adult now!” moments with us.

I found my old diary from when I was a junior in college and I wrote, “I just fear that one day I’ll wake up and realize that I’m 40 years old and I still haven’t accomplished anything and I still haven’t done anything I’m proud of. If this is my fate or if that becomes my future, I’d rather go to sleep tonight and not wake up at all.” Whoa there, drama queen. Well... I’m 40 now and I’m wondering if I should rise to the challenge of completing the 101 Things To Do list I made when I was

I admit it readily: these days my kids are driving me bonkers! I’m hoping some pool time will keep them out of the house so the house stays clean. I’m raising little swim champions, which I find really funny because not only do I now know how to swim (my dog paddle isn’t too shabby), but I really, really, really dislike most kinds of water.

My senior year of college, with one semester to go, I left to do the Disney College Program where I worked at a McDonald’s inside Disney World. Despite being employed within two layers of corporate filth, my experience was, in a word: magical. I share why I couldn’t wait to Babymoon at Disney and to take our kids there once they hit that perfect window. Biggest tip? Use a Disney planner like my friend Christina Mimms of Pixie Travel (hint: it’s free!). 

Today is Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

I’m exhausted from *all this*. Are you? 

It’s Loving Day! A day that celebrates that on this day in 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage. Brianna May (@BMay01), Audresha Lynn (@AudreshaLynn), Princess James (@AmbitiousSoulsPodcast), Jennifer Delfin (@TheFitAdventuresofJenn), & Elisha “Coco” Graham (@CocoSpeaks) take the time to share what they’d like us to know in this movement toward racial reconciliation. Follow each of them on Instagram and click over to support their work online.

Happy National Best Friday Day, Internet besties! Today I talk about feeling left out, the fantasies of an extrovert, feeling desperately alone, and the prayer that changed everything. 

Today I talk about how the work of Be The Bridge changed my life forever. Writer Jerrell Everett shares her latest blog post titled “On Racism and Beautiful Black Babies”. This week’s first community challenge is to be proactive in the work to become anti-racist and to support the women who are working in this space. Our second challenge is to widen your circle, to elevate black voices, and to ask businesses to do better when it comes to representation. 

Heads up: this episode has nothing to do with any current events or social justice issues, but I do a statement of belief up top about Black Lives Matter. As my friend, you need to know that I'm in full support and that I'm dedicated to educating myself and my children to be anti-racist.  Today we discuss traditional wedding anniversary gifts, including the weirdness I’m in for the next four years. I also tell you how my friends once staged an intervention to tell me how terrible my nose...

I never thought I’d share my real name on the show, but today I explain why no one calls me that and how the name “Indiana” came to be. Today’s episode is brought to you by PrepDish, a healthy meal planning service and my kitchen VIP. Get two weeks for free at PrepDish.com/today.