Dying To Ask

The 2021 Summer Beach Reads Episode

Read anything good lately? The answer is always yes when you ask independent bookstore owner Tina Ferguson.

Tina started her independent bookstore, Face In A Book, nearly 10 years ago. Nothing prepared Tina and other bookstore owners for the challenges of selling books in a pandemic.

But, books were definitely essential for a lot of us over the last year.

They provided an escape from the realities of pandemic life. They inspired us. They distracted us. And, most of all, they entertained us.

Now, it's the summer of 2021. Vaccination rates are creeping up and a lot of people are craving travel and vacations again.

Have a pen handy as you listen and get great suggestions from Tina on what to pack book-wise.

It's our annual "Summer Beach Reads" show, and this one will keep your attention until "The End."

On this Dying to Ask:

• The trends bookstores are seeing coming out of the pandemic
• Six books Tina says deserve your attention this summer
• Tina's trick to get kids reading more over the summer

 

How To Develop A Morning Routine With Fitz

I'm good at a lot of things. I'm great at one thing: My morning routine.

After doing morning news for more than 20 years, I am an expert in finding ways to streamline getting out the door.

A good morning ritual can be a time saver. It can be a sanity saver. And, it can lessen stress in unusual ways by boosting productivity and raising your self-esteem.

But, here's the reason most morning routines fail: Morning routines don't actually start in the morning. They start at night.

I probably should have thrown in a "spoiler alert" before that one.

In this solo episode, I'm breaking down the ridiculously easy things I do to make getting up hours before the rooster crows possible.

Prepare to be dazzled by the seemingly mundane. But, give it a try, and I'll bet you see results.

In this Dying to Ask:

• Why you should develop a morning routine
• How to figure out what should and should not be in your morning routine
• Why I think most morning routines fail

How To Make Time For Everything With Zibby Owens

Zibby Owens is on her way to becoming one of the most important people in publishing.

The publishing world is starting to view her in the same way it views Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon. And she was named New York City's top "book-fluencer." (Yes, that's a thing.)

Zibby's "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" podcast is a play on the fact that moms need to make time for themselves. Reading is the escape many women turn to for motivation, inspiration and an escape from the stresses of life. And, as a divorced mom of four kids, Zibby practices what she preaches.

In just three years, Zibby's daily, 30-minute podcast has become the show NY Times best-selling authors fight to get on to keep their status. And, it's become the place aspiring authors hope to appear to launch their careers.

She recently published "Moms Don't Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology." The book is a collection of essays from authors who have appeared as guests on her podcast.

On This Dying to Ask:

• How Zibby went from never having listened to a podcast to hosting a top-rated show.
• How Zibby is growing her "Moms Don't Have Time" brand to cover everything from weight loss to grief to sex.
• And learn Zibby's ultimate time hack to create space to pursue your non-family-related passions and goals.

How To Reset Your 'Parent Compass' With Jenn Curtis And Cindy Muchnick

Have you seen "Operation Varsity Blues" on Netflix yet? It's one of the network's most-streamed shows these days and it's full of Sacramento connections.

It's shocked viewers for two reasons.

One, it's still hard to believe Aunt Becky did what she did. Two, it's truly sad to find out how much stress high school kids face trying to get into the college of their dreams.

And, that was pre-pandemic.

Now, kids have spent the last year in isolation spending more time alone and on screens.

Wellbeings.org tracked 1,000 teens last fall. The results are shocking.

Half said their mental health is worse or somewhat worse than it was pre-pandemic. More than 50% said their social life is worse or somewhat worse. And 72% feel coronavirus will put their generation at a disadvantage for a long time.

It means the relationship between parent and teen has never been more important.

The problem is it's now more complicated than ever.

That's why Cynthia Muchnick and Jenn Curtis wrote "The Parent Compass: Navigating your Teen's Wellness & Academic Journey in Today's Competitive World."

Neither Muchnick nor Curtis knew families were taking fake rowing pics to scam their way into prestigious schools. But they did know that something awful was brewing in how families pursued college acceptances overall.

Both have worked as college counselors for years and were troubled by what they were seeing in their offices. Kids who couldn't speak for themselves. Parents who can't stop talking about their kids' college dreams.

Muchnick and Curtis say now is the time to reboot how you parent and see your kid for who they truly are, and more importantly, who they truly want to become. Failing to do so can have disastrous results.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How to be a more effective parent during the teen years.
• What the college process is really like right now.
• And why pandemic parents need to give themselves a timeout and learn how to listen.

 

How To Break An Addiction To 'Doing' With Renee Dineen

Episode 100 of the Dying to Ask podcast begins with a question: How do you want to spend your time post-pandemic?

Many people say the silver lining of quarantine-life has been extra time spent with family. But will we still spend this much together time once lockdowns and masks are a memory?

Maybe it's time to take a self-inventory.

That means taking a critical look at how you're wired and what you really want to be doing, or more importantly, not doing.

Business and life coach Renee Dineen's describes herself as a recovering "doing addict" and workaholic.

She left a seven-figure job in biotech for a shot at doing more meaningful work.

That work turned into research into why so many of us are addicted to our to-do list and endless goals at the expense of our health and personal lives.

Renee's TED Talk called "Authentic Inaction" has more than half a million views. And, she believes the art of doing nothing every once in awhile can manifest in everything.

In this Dying to Ask:

• How the pandemic revealed how many of us are addicted to "doing"
• The power of knowing your enneagram number and how to use it once you know it
• Three simple ways to simplify your life and free up your time

 

Why Happy Is The New Healthy With Dr. Joan Neehall

Be honest. How happy are you?

Americans are the least happy they've been in almost 50 years, according to a recent University of Chicago poll.

There's a lot to be unhappy about these days between an uncertain economy and a lingering pandemic.

But, being unhappy can lead to being unhealthy.

That's why Dr. Joan Neehall says it's time for a happiness reboot. She's a psychologist, an international happiness expert and the author of "Happy is the New Healthy."

If you read one book this year, make it this one.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How psychologists define happiness
• Simple tweaks to improve your level of happiness almost instantly
• Why remaining unhappy is bad for your health

How To Live A Fully Charged Life With Meaghan Murphy

Can you "positive think" your way to a more enjoyable life? Yes, you can. (See how positive I was?)

Meaghan Murphy is the author of "Your Fully Charged Life." Her new book is a roadmap to flipping the switch on negativity. Meaghan is a positivity pro now. But, she wasn't always so optimistic.

Her nickname was Grumpy as a kid due to her perpetual negativity on everything from going to Disneyland to playing soccer.

A tragic experience as a teenager sent Meaghan down a career path in journalism as a magazine writer.

She's currently the editor-in-chief of "Woman's Day," one of the most popular magazines on newsstands that reaches 18 million readers a month. Previously, she worked at magazines including "YM," "Teen People," "Cosmopolitan" and "Good Housekeeping."

Meaghan says it's not about looking at the bright side. It's about looking at ALL sides.

On this Dying to Ask:

• What it means to live a fully charged life
• The tragic life event that sent Meaghan down her career path
• How Meaghan practiced what she preached when she recently caught COVID-19

What You Should Be Doing Now To Live Happier And Healthier Post-Pandemic

It's time to get ready for life post-pandemic. Seriously, it's going to end. Someday.

And, it's time to start preparing ourselves, both physically and emotionally, for life on the other side.

Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer for WebMD, says transitioning to a maskless world where you can actually hug your friends may not be as easy as you think.

He, and other medical professionals, worry about the mental beating our brains have taken over the last year. And he says we all need to prepare ourselves and our families for some PTSD upon re-entry to "normal."

Whyte has three-step plan of things we can do now to be ready to truly enjoy the freedom of life post-pandemic.

In the last 20 years, Whyte has gained a reputation for being as good a medical storyteller as he is a doctor. He spent 10 years at the Discovery Channel as the chief medical expert and traveled the world seeing how diseases affected people in different countries.

He's also worked in government as the director of Professional Affairs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Now he's at WebMD because he thinks there's nothing wrong with diagnosing yourself as long as you get a second opinion from someone who went to medical school.

On this Dying to Ask:

• Three things to do right now to be ready to live happier and healthier post-pandemic
• The WebMD search that we're looking at seven times more than we used to before social distancing became a thing
• The question he asks patients knowing they've been googling their symptoms
• And who hooked Whyte up with his first TV gig

How To Close The Deal On Love With Holly Parker

How are your relationships doing after a year of living through a pandemic? If you've broken up with a friend or romantic partner, you're not alone.

Maybe it's time to start looking at relationships the way you might look at a house for sale.

Holly Parker is our guest this week. She's one of the top-selling real estate agents in New York City. The "Million Dollar Listing" type of agent. She's sold more than $8 billion of luxury real estate.

Her new book is "Back on the Market: A Realtor's Guide to Love and Life." It's Holly's personal story of emerging from divorce while applying a lot of the concepts she's learned through real estate.

This is the book Carrie Bradshaw would have written if she did open houses.

On this Dying to Ask:

• How the real estate principles of staging and marketing can be applied to your relationships.
• What it's like on shows like "Million Dollar Listing" and why you're likely to see Holly on her own show soon.
• And how to kickstart your hustle as an entrepreneur if you find yourself dragging as the pandemic drags on.

Why This Is The Perfect Time To Make Goals For 2021

I purposely didn't do a "goals" episode in January. I mean, 2020 was hard enough without the pressure of resolutions. But then, I started thinking maybe goal setting is EXACTLY what we need, despite the pandemic.

The utter loss of structure from commutes, distance learning and working from home has left a lot of people struggling to find motivation to think about goal setting. But life coaches and time-management experts say the act of setting goals can ground you in a world that keeps on spinning.

The ultimate goal-setter is back on the podcast this week.

Tim Collom first appeared on "Dying to Ask" at the beginning of 2020 to talk about his 20-year habit of forming 100 goals every year. Many of you have asked: "What happened to that goal guy?"

Many assumed Tim ditched the list given the pandemic.

Nope! He doubled down on the goal list, and wait until you hear what happened next.

On this Dying to Ask:

• Why you need to write down some 2021 goals
• 10 topics to focus your goal setting
• How to know a goal is worth putting on your list
• The goal Tim just crossed off the list that's seriously ruining his sleep