In this week's episode we're talking about the highs and lows working from home and how we balance our career dreams with raising young children. We've got several great listener questions to cover and we'll share an extra hot Hot Take Debate.

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Our home work spaces:

Elsie - Uses her sunroom as her art studio and moves around to different spaces in her house with her laptop

Emma - Extra bedroom is office, sometimes works from coffee shop or library

Pros and cons of working from home:

Pros - Good way to keep life balanced

Cons - Lots of distractions

How you deal with distractions:

Set timer to get tasks done

Time boxing

Use a reward system

Book Reports:

Elsie: The Prestige by Christopher Priest

Emma: Twisted Love by Anna Huang

HOT TAKE DEBATE Anne: Here's my hot take: we don't need any more movies based on books. They're different mediums! Let books be books and movies be movies. I want to see more movies that were written to be MOVIES and tailored to that medium, written to take advantage of all the cool things you can do onscreen. Same for books: I want more authors to take advantage of the cool things you can do in a book that you CAN'T do onscreen. I've read books that felt like they secretly wanted to be screenplays. Play to the strengths of your medium! No more crossing the streams!

A Joke & A fact with Nova.

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This week, we're talking about mindset shifts that changed our lives. Sometimes, before your life can change, your perspective has to change first. We're also doing a rapid fire hot take debate with a bunch of listener submitted hot takes.

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Mindset Shifts:

1. What's the best that could happen?
2. Why not me?
3. Cheer for yourself like you would others
4. Practice being an optimist
5. We overestimate what we can get done in a day but we underestimate what we can get done in a year
6. Learn to see patterns, possibilities and opportunities

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Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

This week we're talking about the inevitable experience of failure and how to hone the skill of starting over. Setbacks can be crushing, but they only turn permanent if you quit. In this episode, we're sharing our own vulnerable failure stories and the things that have helped us to get back on our feet.

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Mindset shifts:

Sometimes you have to quit

no one owes you anything

BOOK REPORT

Emma: Uprooted By Naomi Novik

Elsie: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

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This week we're sharing winter comforts that reliably get us through our least favorite season of the year.

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Winter Comforts:

Elsie: Books in bed!

Emma: Snow Suit

Elsie: Hot water - tea, coffee, apple cider, hot toddies, hot tubs, and bathes

Emma: Daydream, redecorate, and organize your house

Elsie: Go out with friends. (get out of the house!!)

Emma: Game of fire, cozy life

Guilty Pleasure Treasure:

Elsie: Christopher Nolan movies

Emma: Turkish Delights and Vanilla powder from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Book Report:

Elsie: The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maas

Emma: The Ministry of Time

You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com

Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

This week, we're watching the 1995 classic Empire Records. We're also doing a hot take debate about technological advances, and we're bringing back our segment guilty pleasure treasure.

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Guilty Pleasure Teasure:

Elsie - American Funyuns

Emma - American Oreos

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Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

This week we are discussing core values. We'll share our results from the Values Bridge quiz, as well as our thoughts on how defining core values can improve your life. And in our hot take debate, we're discussing separating art from the artist and rounding it out with whether or not we refrigerate our butter. All the important things that you need to know.

Thank you to this week's sponsor:

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https://thevaluesbridge.com/

You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com

Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

In honor of Emma's 40th birthday, this week we're doing an official midlife crisis episode. Our experiences didn't go exactly like the movies, and we have a lot to discuss. It's going to be fun!

Thank you to this week's sponsor:

Try their products and support our show by going to DrinkLMNT.com/ABeautifulMess

Head to Talkiatry.com/mess and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in network psychiatrist in just a few minutes.

Guilty Pleasure Treasure:

Emma: Cinnamon dragons

Elsie: Watch a period piece while on period

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Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.

We get a lot of questions from people starting on their very first novel. So in this week's episode, we're giving you all the advice that we wish we could time travel back and give ourselves on the day we started our first novels. There's so much writing advice out there, and no matter who you are, it's not all going to work for you. So in this episode, we'll share things to think about and consider as you plot and plan to begin a draft of your very first novel. And the bottom line is, you can do it, and we are here to cheer you on.

Thank you to this week's sponsor:

You can try their products and support our show by going to DrinkLMNT.com/ABeautifulMess

Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com/abm

Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home

Tips for new writers:

Give yourself a writing assignment

Just write your first novel

Immerse don't tell

Read

Get really comfort drafting unpolished

Be a joyful student

Invest a lot of time in ideation

Learn about the business of publishing

Your writing routine matters

Resources:

Show Don't Tell by Sandra Greth

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Write your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell

The Author's Publishing Playbook by Carly Watters

https://www.laurenkaywrites.com/

You can support us by leaving us a couple of 5 star recipe reviews this week at abeautifulmess.com

Have a topic idea for the podcast? Write in to us at podcast@abeautifulmess.com or leave us a voicemail at 417-893-0011.