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Join KCRA TV morning news anchor Deirdre Fitzpatrick for a podcast that asks her favorite question: how did you do that? Her guests wrote the book, launched the product, won the race, influenced social media or figured out a must-try life hack. Master your mindset while learning how to live bigger and better.
Episodes
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
New year, new you? Why not?
The calendar change is a great time for a habit refresh.
This week I'm sharing three things I'm doing this year to capture the spirit of a fresh start while also reflecting on the people who enriched my 2023.
Ready to kick your year into gear?
Mentioned during this episode:
Get motivated with entrepreneur Jesse Itzler.
Plan your 24 in 24 with happiness expert Gretchen Rubin.
Clear the digital clutter with tech expert Jennifer Jolly.
On this Dying to Ask:
- Why you need to sit down and write some good old-fashioned letters in January
- How to craft a 24 in 24 list
- And the easiest way to clear digital clutter
Other places to listen
CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes
CLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
Overwhelmed this holiday season? Try a brain break.
It's my secret to doing all the things and trying to be in the moment while I'm doing them.
A brain break is the act of giving yourself a mental time out. That mental rest can boost your mood, increase productivity and make life more enjoyable.
In this episode, we'll identify how to spot your noggin needs a break. (It's not as obvious as you think.)
And, we'll go through a 4 step plan to perfect a brain break. It's a great practice to work on over the holidays.
Also in this episode, we'll review this year's top 10 Dying to Ask episodes.
Mentioned in this episode:
Stolen Focus: Why you can't Focus and How Think Deeply Again
Eat Pray Love and get creative with Elizabeth Gilbert
Should you get in on the giant water bottle trend?
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
What do Terry Crews, Dwyane Wade and MMA star Cat Zingano have in common? They're giving away money on bold.org.
The site is a go-to for college students to win scholarship money to pay for school.
Dror Liebenthal is bold.org's founder and CEO. The site's goal is to match people and organizations who want to give away scholarship money with students who need cash for college.
It's often difficult for students to find opportunities. But, Dror found it can be just as difficult to give money away!
Dror says, "Often you were spending as much or more to manage the scholarship as you were awarding in the scholarship itself, and what we allow on our platform is allow anybody in any company to easily create a scholarship in minutes with the confidence that 100% of your tax deductible donations going to go towards deserving scholarship winners."
The site has drawn attention (and cash) from companies, individuals and celebrities.
Worried about paying for college? Listen to this one and make sure to tell us if you or any of your family members win a scholarship!
On this Dying to Ask:
- Find out how bold.org's founder came up with the idea.
- Why it's difficult logistically to give away scholarship money.
- How the algorithm matches students with opportunities
- Learn about some of the more random scholarships on the site
- And see what drives celebrities like Terry Crews and Dwyane Wade to pay it forward through scholarships
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Sick of being sick? A "Hamilton" musical star won't miss his shot when it comes to boosting immunity.
Darnell Abraham is starring in the international touring show as George Washington.
Abraham may play a founding father but he also doubles as a wellness guru when it comes to health. He's sharing the health hacks that keep him on stage night after night.
It starts with the basics.
Eat well, exercise and get sleep.
But there are immunity boosters he swears by including a near-daily drink he doesn't really like but feels has made him healthier.
"Immune health begins in the gut and kombucha, it's packed with probiotics, prebiotics depending on what type of kombucha that you get, and I have actually found it to be really helpful. I drink it like every other day," Abraham said.
He travels with a medicine bag of herbs, teas, and vitamins and he's basically spilling it out so we can make it through the cold and flu season too.
He even has a photo tip to minimize exposure to germs without missing those Instagram moments.
On this Dying to Ask:
- How Abraham made the decision to accept the offer to tour internationally with "Hamilton."
- A performer hack to stop a sore throat quickly
- Two appliances he swears keep his airways clear
- Why he will never use your pen
- The bougie throat lozenge Abraham says is worth every penny
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Sick of work drama? You can diffuse most conflicts with three simple steps.
Richard Birke is the senior vice president of JAMS Institute, a conflict resolution company.
He's a master mediator. Things have to be really bad before he heads into a workplace and usually the goal is to avoid litigation.
But we all deal with conflict in our lives. Maybe it's someone who gets under your skin at work? Maybe it's someone who lets everyone else do all the work. Or, it's someone who knows exactly the wrong thing to say.
Unsettled conflict hurts your mood and impacts both creativity and productivity. The person who suffers the most when you don't deal with drama is you.
Richard has a three-step plan to diffuse conflict. You'll change your mindset and actually get a script of what to say (or not say) to someone annoying you. Think of this as your playbook to reduce drama in your life!
On this Dying to Ask:
- How to shift your mindset when you're in the middle of a conflict
- What you need to know about your communication style to effectively deal with others
- And a 10-second tip to change the tone of an interaction
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Gratitude is an attitude. And, it might be the easiest way to boost your happiness.
This week, we're revisiting the role gratitude plays in our physical and mental health. The holidays are a great time to hit a "reset" and reflect on what's really important in your life.
My colleague Edie Lambert just produced an incredible story on the science of happiness and a new way it's being taught through gratitude at Sacramento State University.
Dr. Meliksah Demir is Sac State's very first "endowed professor in happiness."
He teaches a class called The Psychology of Happiness.
"When you practice gratitude, it has the potential to give you the sense of peace, comfort, which is likely to help you say before bedtime, to breathe easily and then comfortably sleep. Perhaps this could be one reason as to why we are observing those benefits in the sleep domain," says Dr. Demir.
And his students are impressed by what they're learning.
"If you practice gratitude, happiness, you make more money, sleep better, better health. I've been surprised at how many benefits there are," says Amanda Rose.
You can check out Edie's story here.
On this Dying to Ask:
- The impact gratitude makes in mindset
- How to play the "gratitude game" this holiday season
- What you can learn about a person by asking them what they're grateful for
- And what happened when I asked my colleagues to tell me what they're thankful for right now
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Here's a genius move. Immerse yourself in a few more interests and watch yourself grow intellectually.
That's the advice from biographer Walter Isaacson. And he should know as he's often considered the genius biographer.
Isaacson is a bestselling author. He's written biographies about people including Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and Jennifer Doudna.
He's a former editor of Time Magazine and served as the CEO of the Aspen Institute in addition to teaching at Tulane University.
His latest book may be his most controversial due to his subject, Elon Musk.
Isaacson spent two years with Musk with what he describes as unfiltered total access.
He thought the book would primarily focus on electric cars and space travel. Then came the Twitter sale in the middle of his writing project.
Now, Isaacson's Elon Musk is out and he's facing criticism from some in the tech world for taking hit too easy on a controversial leader. Isaacson says his job is to be a storyteller and it's a reader's job to reach conclusions on his subjects.
On this Dying to Ask:
- The unusual deal Walter Isaacson struck with musk before writing the book
- How Isaacson found out Musk had accepted his offer to do the book
- How the Twitter sale impacted his research and book
- Why broadening your interests helps you think bigger
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Move over spring cleaning. Fall organization may have an even bigger impact on mindset, stress levels and happiness.
Kim Salisbury is a personal organizer and the creator of Home Method Co. She says a lot of people get a burst of energy when the cooler weather starts. She recommends using that energy to get your house ready before the holiday season.
Want to thrive instead of survive the holidays? The key is getting the holiday to-do's done now, not later.
"I always say to try to get as much done as you can in October and November before Thanksgiving. Make a list of everything that you need to do before the holidays," advises Salisbury.
The holidays are stressful because of all the extra demands on your time. Those opportunities should be fun. Don't resent them. Just prep for them.
Take our Fall Organization Challenge and give yourself the gift of decompression!
On this Dying to Ask:
- The psychology behind fall organization
- Why your fridge and pantry deserve your time and Clorox wipes
- How an organizing binge will save you money this holiday season
- The gift hack to reduce waste and increase happiness
- How to make a master holiday to-do list that will keep you accountable
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Sophia Ruan Gushee is one of the least toxic people you'll meet. That's probably because she wrote the book on it.
She's the author of "The A to Z of D-Toxing" and the host of the Practical Nontoxic Living podcast.
But Sophia isn't a scientist and didn't study harmful plastics in school.
Becoming a mom for the first time forced her to look at her environment in a whole new way. That led her to question the impact of products she used on her family's health.
The questions turned into answers and, ultimately, major lifestyle changes to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals. Her book reads like an encyclopedia and is like a bible for families trying to reduce toxic exposure.
Along the way, Sophia became the go-to expert in all things toxic. She left her dream job to become a practical, nontoxic lifestyle expert.
In her passion, Sophia found her purpose.
The good news?
Leading a less toxic lifestyle doesn't have to be hard. A few simple swaps can lower your exposure and ultimately let you feel better about harmful toxins that are seemingly everywhere.
Sophia is smart, kind and essentially a non-toxic cheerleader for those of us who would like to do better but really don't need it to feel like a lot of work!
On this Dying to Ask:
- Sophia's unlikely path from finance to nontoxic lifestyle expert
- The role convenience plays in our lifestyle choices
- 3 simple swaps you can make today to live a cleaner lifestyle
- And, how did Sophia decide to go all-in on her new career?
Friday Oct 20, 2023
Friday Oct 20, 2023
Have something you need to do but can't find the motivation? Join the club.
Sometimes it's just hard to get yourself going, even if you're normally a disciplined person.
It's normal and it's really annoying!
This week, we're looking at where motivation comes from and why it's hard to jumpstart sometimes.
And we have a 4 step action plan to fire up your motivation to get more out of life.
On this Dying to Ask:
- Defense of the word "busy"
- The difference between "have to's and want to's"
- Why your "want to's" get put off first
- A 4 step plan to get motivated
Other places to listen
CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes
CLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher