Issue #12  //  Dream Makers 💭

"Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours." 

- Les Brown

We’re excited that our season break has opened up the space for us to launch something we’ve been planning for a while: a Semi-Together Patreon page!

It’s our dream to help all of us get it together in order to live more fully, while celebrating the ways we’ve got it together – all with humor and empathy. We’re working toward doing the podcast and related projects (such as publications, products, and programs – ALL the P’s!) full-time, and joining Patreon is a milestone for us. It’s our first step toward earning a living from what we see as our highest contribution to the world.

Patronage has roots in ancient Greece and Rome, where it was a common practice to support artists in creating new work. We hope that you’ll become a patron of Semi-Together and invest in the time it takes to bring you the podcast and e-news. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to those who have already become patrons – we look forward to sending you monthly extras and bonus content!

Watch the intro video on our Patreon page (and blooper reel – because we’re clearly not used to being on camera 😜).  

It’s been a joy to share research on happiness and productivity through the lens of our own experience, acknowledging that we all have some of our lives together, all of the time. We love you for being part of our tribe!

💕

Melia and Gill  

Semi-Together Audience Survey

Another thank-you is in order for those who have taken our five-question survey to let us know what you’d like to hear from us! If you haven’t yet, please do here. Your feedback will help us choose future podcast topics and products to develop. Plus, we love hearing what's resonated with you so we can give you more of it.

🎙 Latest Minisode: Celebrate a Second New Year

The beginning of the school year feels like a fresh start – even if it’s been years since you were in school. In this minisode, we talk about why September is the perfect opportunity to celebrate a “second new year.”

• Listen to the episode and read the show notes 

👉 Steal This Tip: Revisit your goals and priorities.

This September, step back and reevaluate the priorities you set in the new year. What do you want to recommit to? What do you want to let go of? We both recommend the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown for learning a “less, but better” approach to life.

While reading the book, Gill is revisiting her top three priorities – which we talked about way back in Episode 5: Prioritizing What Matters, Part I and Episode 6: Prioritizing What Matters, Part II. Gill’s priorities are about focusing on health, relationships, and good paid and creative work, but she hasn’t been keeping them top of mind and wants to renew her commitment to them.

Visible is memorable – write down your priorities and put them where you’ll see them!

👋 ICYMI

Episode #13: Stop Shoulding🎙

Take a simple but life-changing action that will help you be happier starting today. Eliminate the word “should” from your vocabulary. Instead of using language of criticism, guilt, and shame, use language of possibility, intention, and accountability, like “I could,” “I want to,” or “I’m going to.”

Listen to the episode.

😄 Things We Text Each Other

via @fuckjerry

From Melia: We were looking for a photo to go with our Instagram post about Patreon, and I told Gill I was looking through photos of painters to represent supporting creative artists. She helpfully suggested this one (entitled “Somebody said fire?”):

😍 Stuff We Love Right Now

On the Interwebs  🖥

From Gill: 

• Feeling Good as Hell
  My daily routine now includes listening to all of Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You album and watching her Tiny Desk Concert and VMAs performances back to back. No one told me when I played flute in middle school band that it could be this cool. She is a national treasure, and I want all of us to channel her brand of joy, talent, confidence, and defiance.

From Melia:

• Creative Boss Ladies
  Gill and I love women-led creative projects, and I was over-the-moon excited to read about Jennifer Aniston’s new project with her best friend and producing partner, Kristin Hahn. The Morning Show will costar Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, and I will be subscribing to Apple TV just to binge it.

In Our Ears  🎧

From Melia: 

• Everything is Figureoutable – Really, It Is
  I’m listening to Marie Forleo’s new book Everything is Figureoutable, and it’s fantastic. That attitude is the antidote to pessimism and the pathway to optimism. This week Darren and I applied it to our kids’ elusive sleep, and they have been going to sleep earlier and more easily than they have in THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. We’re still working on the sleeping through the night, but we’ll keep experimenting until we crack the problem.
  
  You can watch or listen to Marie's "Everything is Figureoutable" talk on Oprah's Super Soul Sessions. I highly recommend it as a philosophy that can truly shift the way you live.

On Our Plates & In Our Glasses  🍽 🍹

From Gill: 

• Antipasti in a Bowl 
  I started making this no-cook dinner during a heat wave last summer, and it's great for nights when you can't be bothered to do much. Chop and mix: cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, olives, salami, and provolone (or another semi-soft cheese). Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve with lettuce or bread, or just eat with a spoon.

From Melia: 

• Piña Colada Mule (Cocktail or Mocktail)
  I love me a mule (the charming copper mug, the refreshing ginger beer) and a piña colada (the tropical coconut and pineapple transporting me to the beach). Their marriage is beautiful. I was in heaven when I had one of these at a local bar, and this recipe is so simple that you can easily make it at home.

If you like the Semi-Together podcast, why not share the pod with a friend who would enjoy it?

Until next time! 

Love,

Melia & Gill 😘😘

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