The Smart and Simple Matters Podcast
My Smart and Simple Matters podcast explores the slower, simpler side of life: think mindfulness, real connections, and meaningful conversations.
No new episodes since 2019, but it’s still going strong with chats on meditation (hi, Andy Puddicombe), belonging (hey, Cormac Russell), and even death (yep, with Humaira Hamid) … among many other topics.
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.jpg "Smart and Simple Matters: Creating Community, Simplicity, and Good Vibes")
Joel Zaslofsky – your community-animating, convention-challenging show host – wanders through time-tested and quirky strategies on a variety of topics. In general, we’ll explore the slower side of life: think mindfulness, real connections, and meaningful conversations. No new episodes since 2019, but it’s still going strong with chats on meditation (hi, Andy Puddicombe), belonging (hey, Cormac Russell), and even death (yep, with Humaira Hamid) … among many other things.
Most Popular or Influential Episodes by Category
Mindfulness
Simple-Living
“I love that Joel leads with his heart. He cares about people first, which makes everything he does so meaningful in his work and for his community.”
Minimalism
“Joel's generous, selfless, and has a bold desire to see everyone around him thrive.”
Finances
Just Joel
Miscellaneous
Positive Addictions and UNdefining Yourself with Sarah Peck – SASM 033
How to Erase Global Poverty with Tiny Teaspoons of Change (via d’Arcy Lunn) – SASM 064
Rewilding, Sovereignty, and the Heart of Domestication with Daniel Vitalis – SASM 109
Death Literacy, Enoughness, and Why Life Is Long with Humaira Hamid (#CCODD) – SASM 114
Archive (Newest First)
Rewilding, Sovereignty, and the Heart of Domestication with Daniel Vitalis – SASM 109
This episode features Daniel Vitalis on the difference between natural, wild water and processed water, how to see yourself as and act like a sovereign being, and why we're not biologically designed for houses, jobs, or modern institutions.
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From Mindless in a Rocker to Rocking Bonsai Business with Shanna Mann – SASM 108
This episode features Shanna Mann on how to strategically use constraints to pole-vault over your obstacles, how she got left on the side of the road with a traumatic brain injury, and how to grow your own intentionally small bonsai business.
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How to Get a “Plan A” Life with Bravery and Bravado – SASM 107 with Warren Talbot
This episode features Warren Talbot on how to borrow bravery when you're coming up short, how to make conscious decisions to have your “Plan A” life, and how to tell fear, “I hear you … but this is still happening.”
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Social Security vs. social security – SASM 106
This special solo episode features why and when social security is more important than Social Security, the history of Social Security and how the word “social” got attached to it, and why your social capital is literally keeping you alive.
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How to Discuss Identity, Race, and Prejudice with Charlie Gilkey – SASM 105
This episode features Charlie Gilkey on what's required to talk reasonably and openly about self-identity, race, and discrimination, how to say, “What about this?” without discounting others' views, and why Charlie shifted his focus to engage would-be allies more than current allies.
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Simplicity as Your Path Back to Love with Courtney Carver – SASM 104
This episode features Courtney Carver on how she got 2,000 people to almost instantly ask her to come to their city, how she fell in love with forty strangers in one day, and why starting with the mechanics of simplicity is so helpful.
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Practice Dying to Live Better – SASM 103
This special solo episode features how to transcend our hard-wired fear of death and dying, the step-by-step process of how I practice dying, and what finally shattered the emotional walls between my pal Sal and his father.
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How to Escape the Crash/Recover Cycle with Christine Walker – SASM 102
This episode features Join Christine Walker on what to do when your mindfulness muscles are weak, how the “Pentagon of Wellness” works to heal you, and why going fast is addictive in our brains and culture.
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How to Mix Ingredients to Make the Minimalism Documentary with Joshua Fields Millburn – SASM 101
This episode features Joshua Fields Millburn on how you can have more meaning and less stuff with a slight pivot, why a ninety-something great-great grandma took five family generations to a book tour stop, and how to align your short-term actions with your long-term values.
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6 Key Community Conversations and the Questions That Transform Them – SASM 100
This special solo episode features why community becomes a bigger deal the more you don't have it, the 3 qualities of a great question for any community setting, and which of the 6 crucial conversations you need to have in your community.
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Me, Briefly
I bring diverse communities together and (maybe) get you excited about spreadsheets. Let's explore how to live intentionally, embrace our multipotentiality, share our gifts, build authentic relationships, and have tons of gratitude. No prior experience necessary.