The Nativist

Silverevolution

In a world of black and white, gray can be revolutionary, whether you’re accepting life’s nuances or your hair’s natural color. What if we leaned into the gray, instead of fighting or ignoring it? Meg Holmes shares her experience doing just that, by transitioning to her natural hair color and letting her silver shine through. She shares her steps, her thoughts, and her advice, including surprises she’s encountered along the way. We discuss how your beauty is for you to define, and how options empower us all. This episode is more applicable to you than you might think. There are some gold nuggets of wisdom in here, including the dynamic questions Meg suggests asking yourself when contemplating any life decision. 

Beauty on YOUR terms. 

You can connect with Meg on Instagram @megstoho and follow along on her journey. Her account is private, so shoot her a friend request and cross those fingers she accepts. 

Thank you. Love you. Mean it.

You can find me on Facebook or Instagram @the_nativist

Change Your Focus, Change Your Life

What you feed, grows. What you focus on becomes your reality. If you want to change your reality, you must first change your focus.

What you focus on affects your life, your relationships, your environment, and the world. Sound dramatic? I’ll explain why it’s not. I’ll also offer different ways of evaluating how you’re spending your most valuable currency (your focus), and suggest various ways to upgrade this. Some of these may surprise you.

The considerations are complex, but the solutions are simple. Come join me.

 

Find me on Facebook and Instagram @the_nativist

The Power of Sensitivity

Do you feel emotions intensely? Struggle thinking/speaking on the spot? Feel affected by loud sounds/smells/etc? Maybe you know someone who does/is.

I am on a crusade. My cause? To rebrand sensitivity. I aim to spotlight how being sensitive benefits ourselves, others, and the whole wide world. Let's make "You're so sensitive" a compliment, not an insult.

In this episode, I explain what it means to be a highly-sensitive person, and how that’s reflected in our physiology. I reference fascinating studies showing it’s not just nature vs. nature: we were born this way, baby! I share a short quiz to guide you in assessing if you/people you know could qualify as highly sensitive.

I offer new ways of viewing highly-sensitive people, some [all?] of which may be a relief to you, if you’re sensitive.

Love you. Mean it.

Book referenced: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (HIGHLY RECOMMEND everyone read this - not just if you’re sensitive)

Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram @the_nativist

What Does Self Criticism Do for Us?

Do we need self criticism? Does it help us more than harm us? Is it essential to high performance, achievement, and fulfillment? What if we stopped? Would we become complacent? Come with me as we address these questions, and I ask you some more questions that may (will likely, hopefully!) stop you in your tracks and prompt you to think about things (particularly yourself) differently than you ever have before.

Thanks for coming along.

Find me on Facebook and Instagram: @the_nativist

Finding Your Fit[Ness]: Prioritizing Health, Fun, and Body Acceptance

From the minute I met her, I loved Maren Harris Watkins​ - and I’m confident you will too. You know those people who turbo charge your batteries just by proximity? She is one of those. Her titles (mother, group fitness instructor, UpBeat Barre co-founder, former college professor, meme master, fun crusader) inadequately capture her full awesomeness. 

In this episode, we distinguish between body positivity and positive body image and highlight the risk of appearance-based compliments. We offer an alternative to body love, and suggest how to not hate your workout. Maren also shares her brilliant technique for framing body image with her kids. And of course, she humbly tells us what it’s like being a co-founder of a global workout sensation: UpBeat Barre (and why it’s so good for you). 

We keep it fun, but we also keep it real. Because balance. 

Listen via link below or on Spotify | iTunes | Apple Podcasts

www.thenativist.net/podcast 

Follow Maren on Instagram @marenwfitness (worth it just for her meme commentary)

Find upbeat.barre​ on their site: www.upbeatbarre.com or on Instagram @upbeat.barre 

Making Time, Money, and People Count

Want to work smarter not harder? Want to cultivate the life you want? This is your episode. I present to you two shining examples: Jess and Brandon Desfosses. Realtors, DIYers, property investors, house flippers, adoptive parents, birth parents, restaurant owners, social media content creators, community networkers, spouses…their titles are many. How do they manage it all? Listen as we chat about time management, motivation, ambition, productivity, work/life balance, organization, marketing, scarcity mindset, money management, and what they (and I!) think is the key to it all. Laughs, value, and inspiration: check, check, and check. And let’s just say their reach is about to get a lot wider (very pumped for them).

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @idahomerealestate and/or contact Brandon directly: 208-241-6205.

My Eating Disorder Journey

Here it is, another deeply personal episode that’s been a long time coming. Today’s topic is my journey with severe eating disorders. I share which eating disorders (yep, multiple) I experienced and what factors triggered them. I talk about my recovery process (including outpatient treatment in Utah), and where I am with it all currently. I highlight what has helped me, to hopefully help and illuminate an issue affecting so many of us, directly/indirectly. Thank you for listening.

 

Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram: @the_nativist

[How] Does Kindness Fit Into Politics

You know those conversations that leave you feeling connected and inspired? This is one of those.

Dr. Nathan Richardson (no relation), Ph.D., Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Department Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio, joins me to discuss some pretty key topics: the role of kindness and emotions in politics; the power of curiosity in relationships and critical thinking; and the futility of polarization.

We address whether or not being centrist means you lack strong opinions, and if being open minded means you lack bravery or conviction.

Humans first. Labels second. Kindness always.

Find me on Facebook and Instagram @the_nativist

www.thenativist.net

Losing Faith: Leaving the Mormon Church

I share my story on joining - then leaving - the Latter-Day-Saint (Mormon) Church, and how I feel about it now. I offer questions to consider, no matter your personal beliefs.

I hope you listen - and live - with open eyes, open hearts, and open minds.

I love you.

Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram: @the_nativist

www.thenativist.net/podcast

Loss: How to Frame It, and What [Not] to Do and Say

Loss. The bad news? Everyone experiences it. The good news? Everyone experiences it. 

It’s a universal thread, tying is all together. It’s inevitable, though our individual experiences of it aren’t. We all experience loss, albeit it in different ways, to different degrees, at different times, in different ways. 

Loss doesn’t always mean a physical death; sometimes it’s the loss of a job, loss of an identity, loss of a friendship, loss of a lifestyle, loss of a perspective. 

Whether it’s your loss or another’s, it may feel hard to know what to do and say. You may feel compelled to try to “fix it,” or to positively re-frame it so as to expedite healing and eliminate wallowing. 

In this incredibly thoughtful (and hopefully illuminating and helpful) episode, my friend Sydnie Hammon, a graduate student in forensic psychology, returns to share her own experience with loss, and what has (and hasn’t!) helped her. Our candid and personal discussion is steeped in psychology and personal experience. 

We offer concrete, specific guidance on what to say, how to say it, what to do, and how to do it, for when you encounter loss directly and indirectly. We also suggest different ways to frame and perceive loss. 

 

Want to know how to show up better for yourself and others? Then this is exactly the right episode for you. 

Thank you for caring enough to partake. This matters.

Love you.

 

Find Sydnie on Instagram @sydniiieee

Find me on Facebook and Instagram @the_nativist