Sustainable Minimalists

We've come a long way. But not necessarily in the right direction.

From the the nostalgic days of AOL Instant Messenger to 2026's high-stakes, algorithmic landscape, constant connectivity has fundamentally shifted our attention spans, our peace of mind, and the way we show up for our families.

Worse, the desire to show up online often takes us directly out of real life. It's no surprise, then, that we're feeling the mental and emotional weight of the "scroll".

We don't have to throw our phones in a lake to find the reprieve we desperately need. On today's show author Emily Feldpausch argues that it isn’t about rejecting technology. It’s about reclaiming the intentionality that the algorithms try to take away.

Here's a preview:

[5:00] Reflections on the shift from the early days of AIM and MySpace to the current user experience that often feels designed against us

[8:45] How being always on has eroded our collective sense of peace and altered the dynamics of modern family life

[18:00] How to stop checking in and start being present

[23:00] A candid look at 2026 internet culture, from shopping hauls to harmful beauty standards. Can we still find corners of the web that align with our true values?

[27:00] Emily's personal strategies for maintaining phone boundaries to protect her mental space

 
Resources mentioned:

This episode is sponsored by Fearless Finance. Use code SUSTAINABLE to get $50 off your first meeting.

Technology Is Getting Worse

The Unfollow Effect: Intentional Living in a Digital Age

Book Club

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Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

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In this era of relentless connectivity, taking an exit ramp from our digital lives has never looked more inviting. In fact, emerging science is now confirming what many of us feel: Smartphones are draining our cognitive reserves, shattering our focus, and keeping us in a state of low-level chronic anxiety.

To see if there’s a better way, reporter Courtney Lindwall shelved her iPhone for a $45 Nokia flip phone. Courtney is on the show today to discuss  the "dumb phone" movement, the logistical friction of navigating an app-dependent world, and why research says our brains are so desperate for a break.

Here's a preview:

[7:00] Continuous partial attention, instinctual muscle memory, and other ways in which our smartphones are working against us

[9:00] Gray scale? screen limits? Here's why the tools and tricks don't work for the vast majority of us

[14:00] Thoughts on our emotional attachments to our phones—and the emotional experiences they provide

[22:00] The psychological benefits of embracing a bit more "friction"

[33:00] Our brains are malleable, and we get used to a new normal quite quickly. Lean into that!

Resources mentioned:

How an old-school flip phone changed my life (via Consumer Reports)

This detox may erase 10 years of social media brain damage, researchers say (via The Washington Post)

The Brick phone access blocker device

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a world obsessed with consumption, we may try to buy our way into a sense of belonging. But a true feeling of “home” isn’t found in the latest trends or newest decor. It’s actually built by aligning our spaces with our deepest, core needs.

The link between our environment and our well-being goes far beyond aesthetics. On today’s show, author Leidy Klotz offers research-backed strategies for designing spaces that move beyond what’s “on-trend” and instead meet our core human needs of agency, growth, and connection.
Resources mentioned:

Episode #184: In Defense of Subtraction

In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive (via Bookshop.org)

 

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plastic has infiltrated our wardrobes, our water and even our bloodstreams, where it is quietly disrupting our hormonal health.

That’s the premise of Netflix’s ground-breaking new documentary, “The Plastic Detox”.
On today’s show Dr. Shanna Swan, the renowned environmental epidemiologist from the film, exposes exactly how plastic chemicals are quietly reshaping our health.

Here’s a preview:

[6:00] What’s “Phthalates Syndrome,” and what is this class of chemicals doing to masculinity? What about their evil twins, bisphenols?

[19:00] Stop assuming that products on store shelves are safe! (And other advice for listeners who feel they have too much on their plate to worry about microscopic amounts of chemicals.)

[24:00] “It’s definitely not easy, but it’s also not that hard.” Here’s how Dr. Swan avoids plastic in her own life

[32:00] Hormone disrupting chemicals are in EVERYthing. How to identify which lifestyle swaps actually move the needle and which are just noise

[34:00] Are older items less dangerous?

Resources mentioned:

The Plastic Detox (via Netflix)

Unplasticyourlife.com

Episode #393: Single-Use Poison (via Apple Podcasts, with investigative journalist Matt Simon)

Environmental Working Group consumer guide 

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’ve all seen the images. The stark white rooms, the single designer chair, the perfectly curated capsule wardrobe. We’re told that if we just clear the clutter, we’ll find peace. 

But if we’re not careful, the minimalist aesthetic can become just another thing to buy, another thing to consume. 

On today’s show, Melora Johnson deconstructs the modern minimalist movement so that each of us can move from the clutter-free, beige-everything  minimalist aesthetic to a deeper, more sustainable practice rooted in intentionality.

Here’s a preview: 

[7:30] Feeling that donation high? Here’s why decluttering and donating feels so good in the moment but often fails to stop the cycle of re-accumulation

[11:30] Can authentic minimalism exist in a consumerist culture?

[16:00] Candid thoughts on how and why minimalism has been commercialized

[25:00] How to tell if your minimalism is driving more shopping or actually shrinking your ecological footprint

[28:30] Listen to your whispers! 

Resources mentioned: 

Sustainably Styled by Melora

Melora on Instagram 

Our Book Club pick for Mon. March 2: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

 

This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!

Join our (free!) Facebook community here.

Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists

Say hello! [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.