Best of Both Worlds Podcast
Love your career? Love your family? Best of Both Worlds is the show for you! Hosts Laura Vanderkam, author of I Know How She Does It and a mom of five, and Sarah Hart-Unger, a practicing physician and mom of three, discuss work/life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Tune in each week for strategies to help you thrive in all spheres of life.
Episodes
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah talk all about REST. They talk about the realities on rest and leisure time as well ways to really enjoy the downtime we do have. Then, they focus on the idea of trading off parenting duties so that (in two-parent homes) BOTH partners can enjoy some much-needed rest and rejuvenation. They discuss common challenges such as variations single parents might consider as well as resistance a partner mi...
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah chat live, answering listener questions about a variety of topics! Topics include:
- all about the podcast itself (the time it takes, division of labor, etc)
- advice for returning to work part time
- dream travel destinations
- thoughts about future child care arrangements
- ways to address loaded questions at work after mat leave return
- where do all the episode / blog po...
In today's episode, Sarah interviews Amy Laski of the Difference Lab., and they discuss the idea of intentional subtraction -- removing things rather than just shuffling priorities or succumbing to "cram-it-all-in syndrome". Sarah and Laura discuss their own thoughts on this concept, and then Amy joins Sarah to provide her in-depth perspective on this idea and how it can be applied in both personal and business settings. She also s...
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with a discussion of how much their own jobs have changed in the last decade. Then, Laura interviews Jessi Hempel, host of the Hello Monday Podcast on navigating work/life issues, and they also discuss how parenting roles and expectations might be different (or not!) in a two-mom or two-dad household.
In the Q&A, Sarah and Laura provide tips for a listener looking for ideas on res...
In their traditional midyear episode, Laura and Sarah share progress (or lack thereof, as it may apply!) on 2024 goals, halfway in. They discuss goals in the domains off work, relationships/family, and personal/self, as well as provide updates on daily habits + long term goals.
In the Q&A, they address a common question as to where they KEEP all of these goals!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's episode, Sarah and Laura tackle some common struggles, starting with BEDTIME. They discuss struggles and strategies in each category, including bathing suit shopping, summer uniforms, kids' summer assignments, screen time dilemmas, and more.
In the Q&A, a listener already thinking about *next* academic year writes in asking about creating a "last minute school request" emergency kit.
See omnystudio.com/listener...
Sarah and Laura open today's episode discussing the ways that they keep their friendships (both near + far-flung) alive. Then, Laura interviews Anna Goldfarb, author of Modern Friendship (released just last week!) -- a practical look at how to make and strengthen friendships as an adult in the current very digital world.
In the Q&A, Laura and Sarah answer respond to a question about how to best respond when close couple ...
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah do a deep analysis of some common myths about working parenthood, from "A stranger will raise your baby!" to "You'll never get any free time every again" to "I can't take on this leadership role, I have (insert # here) kids!" -- and many more.
This episode goes out especially to anyone just beginning their parenting journey and wondering whether to believe the hype, but it's also valuable ...
In today's episode, Sarah and Laura open with a discussion of teen parenting (mostly with Laura's experience so far!) and then Sarah interviews Ellen Galinsky, longtime researcher and author about all things related to teenhood, as inspired by Galinsky's recent book: The Breakthrough Years: A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens.
One thing that sets Galinsky apart is how positive she is about this phase of lif...
Today's episode is all about building career capital and raising your profile without working around the clock. Sarah and Laura discuss their own work hours, and then discuss strategies in 4 categories listed below:
- Building a schedule that prioritizes space for the important
- Minimizing other work and making life sustainable
- Paying into career capital accounts
- Be everyone's favorite to work with!
In t...
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with some recent travel planning talk, and then delve into all things packing! They share thoughts on carry-on vs check, current luggage situations, packing processes, and include a discuss ion on packing cubes and the merits of unpacking at your destination.
Then, they address some listener travel questions. Topics include managing selective eaters on international trips, ski school,...
Today's episode features Kathryn Valentine specializes in Gendered Negotiation, or how to negotiate successfully as a woman. Sarah and Laura chat about their feelings around negotiation, and then Kathryn joins Laura to discuss ways to negotiate successfully --including some strategies specifically for women, who have been shown to face different challenges in negotiation.
In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about ki...
May is a packed month for most families but usually lots of the events are fun and positive ones! Laura and Sarah discuss strategies for enjoying (not just surviving) your May (and often early June, too!). Laura suggests a 3-part framework: don't get overwhelmed, find the right balance and manage your energy. Sarah and Laura chat about these strategies in depth and how they can be employed throughout and even before this full month...
In today's episode, Sarah interviews Laura Mae Martin, Google's productivity expert and author of Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Well-Being, which was released earlier this month. They chat meetings, setting priorities, task & calendar management, family life, and more.
In the Q&A, Laura and Sarah answer a listener wondering how to balance vacations with nuclear family with extended family requests.
In today's episode, Laura and Sarah discuss when they themselves became "financial grownups" and then expert guest Bobbi Rebell joins Laura to share ways we can encourage a mature approach to money matters even from a young age. In the Q&A, a listener wonders how Laura and Sarah keep track of their calendars without relying on a digital system (like Google or Apple Calendar).
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today's episode is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the moments that make up our lives, from the cutest baby phases to big milestones -- all of these things enrich our lives and have the power to turn the fleeting present moment into a deeper and more lasting experience. Laura and Sarah talk about the ways they preserve family (and personal) memories, and discuss the value and role of celebrations and traditions in their own...
Laura and Sarah welcome Cal Newport to Best of Both Worlds to chat all things slow productivity and how Cal's stage of parenting influenced a lot of his current thinking around productivity, pacing, and getting things done.
In the intro, Sarah and Laura discuss their own planning habits going back to childhood, and in the Q&A a listener writes in asking about how Laura and Sarah read blogs - do they browse through individual ur...
Today's episode features a fresh crop of mailbag questions! Topics include:
- split shift childcare
- handling the daily household chores with young kids
- different formats for kid activities
- how has work / productivity changed since COVID
- thoughts on digital calendar frames
- retirement plans?
- dealing with kids that have disparate sleep needs
- how to handle the tension between wanting to stay up with teens and having your own morning...
In today's episode, Laura chats with author Emily P. Freeman about endings, and in particular determining how and when to leave a situation that no longer fits.
Emily's new March 2024 release is How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away, available wherever books are sold.
In the Q&A, Sarah and Laura discuss their experiences in coming back from recent injuries.
See omnystudio.co...
This episode is a departure from the usual topics + format, and is a chance to get to know Laura and Sarah just a little bit better as they share some very random things about themselves that (generally) have not been discussed on the podcast! From physical characteristics (flexibility + left-handedness) to Meyers-Briggs types to ideal superpower and much more - this is a fun conversational chat, recorded live together in Florida.
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