Kelly and Carly always try to do something a little different for the shows that end a season and this episode is no different. They asked their listeners if they had any burning personal problems or questions they needed help with and in this show, they work through those questions.  Leigh wants to know if she’s crazy to be going back to Uni.  Jess wants to treat her friends without making them feel uncomfortable.  Emma would like to know how the girls would react to something awful happening in their lives.  Michael wants to know where to find the time to be creative.  Ellen has multiple passions and is keen to know how to effectively pursue them.  Emily needs help getting away from her inbox.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

For most of Kelly’s life, she’s been a dedicated over-committer, completely addicted to watching people’s faces light up when she said ‘Yes’ to them. As with everything, she had to learn the hard way to say No and actually spent a whole year (2012 to be specific) practising it.  Carly, as you’ll know from previous episodes, hates saying No to any work that is on offer, and she has huge FOMO (fear of missing out) too. She would rather than lie than ever tell someone No!  In this episode Kelly shares all the techniques she learnt in her Year of Saying No, and tries to give Carly and few more tools to do the same.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

This episode comes straight out of one of the many amazing discussions that occur in the Straight and Curly Facebook group.   Laura wants to get up early but when her alarm goes off each morning, says she physically can’t get out of bed. She asked the group for advice and there were so many great ideas shared, we had to turn it into a podcast.  Carly books non-refundable exercise classes.  Kelly thinks Laura needs to change the story she is telling herself when the alarm goes off.  And no less than 15 other group members had tips of their own to share.  If you too would like to get up early but struggle with the snooze button every morning, you’re going to love this episode.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .   

Kelly never used to think she was a perfectionist – but in researching for her second book Practical Perfection, discovered she was. Carly used to think she was … but has now decided she’s actually just a really high-functioning human!  So, what even is perfectionism and if you’ve got it, how do you manage it?   If you’re someone who holds themselves to high standards and gets frustrated when you’re not able to achieve those standards, then it’s likely you have perfectionist tendencies. There’s a difference between healthy perfectionism and neurotic perfectionism, however. In this episode the girls distinguish between the two as well as sharing their own experiences with both.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Someone in the Straight and Curly Facebook group wanted to know what paths Carly and Kelly travelled after finishing high school and how they both ended up becoming writers.  As it turns out, their paths were very different and this episode takes listeners (and the girls!) on an interesting trip down memory lane.   Kelly started out working in the sport and recreation industry.  Carly’s first job was as a drama teacher.  How did they both get from those places to where they are today? You’ll have to listen in to find out more  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Kelly and Carly are both incredibly decisive people. Mostly because neither can handle the time-wasting aspect of taking ages to come to a decision. In this episode they share their best tips for taking the agonising out of your decision-making process: Spend your decision allowance on things that matter Use the information you have to make a decision Don’t let base desires lead the way Give yourself a time limit Don't negotiate with yourself over stupid things Stop trying to extract maximum happiness out of every decision Take an outside perspective Practice mindfulness For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Kelly and Carly admit, they’re a bit scared about this episode. Mainly because it involves them talking about things they think are pretty non-negotiable (vaccination, keeping your maiden name when married, organ donation). And they prefer people to not hate them. But, they have faith in the Straight and Curly community to take everything they say in the spirit intended. Along the way, they share their best tips for expressing strong views about things, but without being a total dick about it. Resources mentioned: Elizabeth Kolbert – Why facts don’t change our minds Clementine Ford - Giving up your name after marriage is a choice that's worth questioning For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the  Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Despite their best efforts to show people it’s not the case, some people seem to think Kelly and Carly swan through life without a care in the world. Most likely because neither of them like discussing their problems in the moment – they prefer to talk about the things they’ve fully processed and worked through.  In today’s episode, the first before Straight and Curly takes a break for three weeks, the girls get vulnerable and share about the things that are bothering them right now:  Carly’s worried about the environment and trying to reduce the amount of waste she produces … but finds it hard not to slip into becoming really vigilante about it all.  Kelly’s given up her beloved Flying Solo Editor role and discusses why it’s a really sensible thing to do … but still hurts.  Carly’s very frustrated that having an impeccable diet and working out really hard six days a week for an extended period of time yielded very little change on the scales. She’s worried what this means for her future self.  Kelly’s kids are currently on school holidays and she’s struggling to find the balance between getting all her work done – and giving them a fun school holiday experience.  Carly and Kelly are both frustrated by their propensity for taking on too much!  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Kelly and Carly have both travelled quite extensively within Australia and overseas. In this episode they discuss:  Where they’ve been  Where they’re dying to go   Where they’re dying to go back to  Travel hacks  Money saving tips for travel  How to manage the need for planning with the need for living in the moment when on holiday/travelling  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Kelly asked her blog readers what topics they wanted her to write about. Several of the topics were super-interesting, but weren’t things she could write a full post on. She also wanted to get Carly’s view on a few of them. So Kelly and Carly tackle those questions together in this episode including:  How do you get people to think for themselves?  How do you talk about money ‘well’?  How to deal with the ‘it never rains, but it pours’ woes of being a freelancer.  How to know when to give up on something you’re ‘crap’ at, and when to keep persisting.  How to deal with the nightly news (which seems to be all bad news).  How to deal with imposter syndrome.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making. It is now understood as one of the causes of irrational trade-offs in decision making. Decision fatigue explains why we're able to eat well in the morning, but make poor food choices at night. It explains why we'll put a good amount of thought into an important decision in the morning, but have no dramas making a snap decision about the same thing later in the day. In short, the more decisions we make over the course of a day - the less able we are to make good decisions by the end of that day because every decision we have to make saps our energy in some way. In this episode, Carly and Kelly discuss ways to reduce the amount of decision fatigue in your life to set you up for making better decisions at any time of the day, not just the morning! For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Josie has a conundrum – after spending most of her life striving relentlessly, she’s come to a place where she’s … satisfied. And it’s kind of freaking her out. Josie asked:  Do you think it’s important to have goals in life and to strive, or is it just as valid to meander along?  Do you think strivers can often have a negative undercurrent to their need to achieve? Or is this not that common?  How do you recognise when your goal setting is coming from a negative place?  And, any tips on how I can find motivation again to try and strive for a new goal that’s truly important to me and not about what other people think?  As dedicated strivers themselves, answering the above questions also provided Kelly and Carly with the opportunity for some self-reflection.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

This was a fun episode! One of their listeners asked Kelly and Carly for recommendations on: Books TV Foods to try Places to visit People they find interesting It provided an interesting opportunity for them to show just how different they are! For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook

Listener Saskia asked: “What do you do when you've achieved your goals? How do you deal with the existential dread of "this is the rest of my life"? How do you set new goals after doing the goals that you've strived to reach? What comes after schooling, babies, marriage, house, whatever you've pursued. What's the answer to "now what??”” Whew, big topic! One that resonated quite deeply with those in the Straight and Curly Facebook group. While Kelly regularly experiences existential crises, Carly is far too sensible for those! So this episode is worth a listen for the different ways they come at this tricky subject. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .   

This is a funny episode because neither girls are particularly messy types. That said, Kelly is anally tidy and cannot see the positives of any kind of messiness. So Carly goes in to bat for team ‘Messy’.  While Kelly tried to convert listeners to the idea that ‘outer order contributes to inner calm’, Carly points out the difference between messy and dirty, and shares some research the indicates messy people are more creative.  All in all, it’s an entertaining episode, if only to hear Kelly having a nervous breakdown at something she read in Sarah Wilson’s new book ‘First, we make the beast beautiful’.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Carly is a committed tracker, Kelly hates them because she hates things holding her to account (she feels she should be able to hold herself to account). But there is no denying it, if you have fitness or diet goals, trackers are incredibly useful. So, what are the pros and cons of fitness tracking? And what are some of the girls’ favourite tools in that regard? They share that and more in today’s episode. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Difficult conversations. For the conflict-averse (like Kelly) – they can be terrifying. But they’re also a necessary part of life, and essential for good relationships. Today, Kelly and Carly share their best tips for having effective difficult conversations including: Going into the conversation with a clear objective Avoiding the use of blaming language Mastering your emotions (remaining rational/not taking things personally) Sticking to the issue at hand For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Comparisons are the thief of joy, we all know this. Yet, we don’t seem to be able to stop measuring ourselves and our achievements up against those of others.  Can comparisons ever lead to something good?  Can we cure ourselves of comparisonitis?  Should we aim to crush the competition? Or collaborate with them?  In this week’s show Kelly and Carly share their own experiences with comparisonitis, and how they manage it in their own lives.   For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .  

The irony of this episode is Carly and Kelly are generally credited with being highly focused and disciplined people. The reality is – they’re both easily bored, easily distracted and ridiculously twitchy. Which doesn’t lend itself to being particularly productive. Yet, they both manage to Get Stuff Done in a very efficient and effective manner.  What are their secrets for maintaining focus given neither of them are highly focused people? They share that and more in this episode.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .  

Jason Connell wrote a blog post entitled ‘Why I’ve lost faith in Tony Robbins (and most life coaches)’. The interesting thing about this was, Jason Connell is a life-coach-ish guy himself. Kelly and Carly didn’t agree with everything Jason said in his article, but it did raise some interesting questions:  Who should you listen to when it comes to self-help?  What’s responsible behaviour when you’re writing/producing content in the self-help space? And what’s irresponsible? How can readers discern between information that is genuinely useful, and information that has an agenda behind it. The girls attempt to answer all of these questions and more. Resources Jason Connell: Why I’ve lost faith in Tony Robbins (and most life coaches) Mitchell and Webb video: Women sort yourself out For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Kelly’s friends specially requested this show; it pays homage to fact that she cannot sleep without the noise of a fan whirring in the background, and whoever rooms with Kelly when she goes away with her friends has to also room with her fan. Lucky them! Which brings us to the subject of sleep. What are Kelly and Carly’s best tips for getting to sleep in a timely fashion, and staying asleep? Here’s what they cover: Set up your environment optimally: bedroom should be dark, quiet, cool Exercise every day Develop a good pre-sleep routine Understand how you process caffeine and adjust the timing of your last cup accordingly White noise generators/fans Try Sleep With Me app or the nightlife quiz. Even Coffivity might work.  Get some blue light glasses. Avoid alcohol wherever possible. Drop your core temperature.  Try a body scan or sleep meditation if you’re overthinking it.  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .  

Now that Kelly and Carly have officially been podcasting for a whole year, they thought it was a great opportunity to reflect on some of their favourite episodes.  Kelly loved the shows they did on:  Planning out a week  Putting yourself out there  Finding more time for hobbies  Carly loved:  Overthinking  Dealing with negative feedback  Adult friendships  While both girls loved the two series they did on:  Digital detox  Making sense of diet and exercise  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook . 

Ok, it’s February. Which might seem a little late to be setting New Year’s resolutions. But Carly and Kelly reckon February is the new January.  In this episode they chat about:  The difference between intentions and resolutions  The concept of using a word to guide your year  Being both positive and realistic  Where and when to cut yourself some slack  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .   

Tis the season to be merry! And it’s also the time of year where things do tend to get on top of us all. We’re tired, our kids (if we have any) are tired, there are catch ups galore, tonnes of indulgent food and drink on offer … and let’s not even talk about the fact that we’re expected to attend family and work functions with people we’d prefer not to be around. It’s a recipe for frustration and angst so today’s episode is all about seeing you through December with stress levels under control and a minimal need for elasticised waist bands. Carly and Kelly share their best tips for: Making sensible food choices Maintaining peace Getting in the photo And keeping things simple Resources:  Join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook!

Kelly and Carly cannot believe it – episode 50 already! To celebrate the milestone they told the members of their Straight and Curly Facebook group they could ask them anything … and here are some of the questions the girls tackle in this episode: How did you girls get to know each other and end up collaborating in Straight and Curly? What would you consider to be your biggest failure? How did you deal with the situation? How do you keep up with things when you're sick? Who are your greatest inspirations and why, and who would you love to invite to a dinner party? What advice would you give to your 16 year old self? Where does Carly buy her nails from? Are your personalities now similar to how they were when you were children? Or would people from your childhood hardly believe you're the same person? What are your guilty pleasures? Things that make no rational sense it go against the grain. What is one quality you admire about the other one that you wish you possessed? How did Ant go when Kelly had PND? How do you schedule time for a task that you have no idea how long it will take you? With the school holidays coming up I am interested in ways to still build your business around the kids holiday schedule. What makes you laugh? (Silly, crazy laugh, not internet lol). What brings you joy without seeking it? How do you make decisions/establish priorities when you want to do everything? If you could pick a tendency and personality type for your partner and kids, what would you pick? For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Carly and Kelly have been blogging for 10 and six years respectively and it’s something that’s afforded them both a huge number of personal and professional opportunities. In this episode they share how they came to start their blogs, why they started blogging in the first place, and what cool things blogging has allowed them to do. They also discuss why someone would want to start a blog in 2016 along with what’s easier now compared to when they both started, and what’s harder. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Mia from the Straight and Curly Facebook group asked a question that summed up a topic that seemed to be very front of mind for many fellow group members: I know friendships morph over time and with age and seasons of life, and I know friendships can take many forms, but I'm always curious how other people's adult friendships work. How often do people speak to or see their friends? What constitutes a best friend? Is the idea of a best friend as an adult ridiculous? What do you expect of a friend and how do you know when you measure up as a good friend to others?  This made for a super-interesting conversation as Kelly and Carly chat about their own personal friendship situations + how they navigate the friendships they have with people who have kids versus those who don’t. They also chat about how to end friendships that have run their course. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook.  

Carly asked the Straight and Curly Facebook group what topic they wanted her and Kelly to cover in this episode, and ‘dealing with burnout’ won by a country mile. Which is funny because, at time of recording, Carly and Kelly were teetering on the edge of burnout themselves. In a departure from their usual highly-structured conversation they range far and wide in this ep covering:  How to avoid burnout in the first place The different kinds of burn out (self-inflicted vs that which is out of your control) The difference between burnt out and busy How to remedy burnout once you’ve identified what’s causing it For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

In the Straight and Curly group on Facebook Jade asked: Would love a podcast on goal setting and getting things done etc.  I'm great at making goals, but then come to a month later and realise I haven't actually done anything towards them. This was a weird one for Carly and Kelly to wrap their heads around because they’re both people who set goals, and then just naturally do whatever is needed to achieve those goals. They did, however, come up with the following tips: Be realistic Check your goals are something YOU want to do/achieve Give yourself easy wins along the way Build good habits around your goals so you don't have to rely on motivation Set SMART goals: S - specific, significant, stretching M - measurable, meaningful, motivational A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented T - time-based, time-bound, timely, tangible, trackable For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook.

Carly and Kelly love doing shows that are instigated by a conversation or question in the Straight and Curly group, and this is one of those episodes. Vanessa asked them to share their best tips for planning out a week and they shared the following: Meal planning/ordering the shopping online to be delivered in time for the weekend Kelly’s ‘two-pad system’ Changing the way you think about yourself Schedule rather than make to-do lists Make sure you and your partner are a good team Do home admin on Sundays (or whatever day– just do it at the same time each week) Plan for your life, not other people’s Exercise on Sundays Give your week a theme or focus Use Sunday to plan your week Resources: Kelly’s post on her ‘two-pad system’ for organising her life For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Boy oh boy could Kelly and Carly have talked about this one all day. Turns out, they are very passionate about this topic! In this episode they share: What their hobbies are What they define a ‘hobby’ as Why it’s good to have a hobby (or two) How to find time in your life for them What kind of hobbies are the best Resources Study showing that hobbies improve cognitive function Kelly’s blog post about why it’s ok to pay money to support our hobbies Carly’s Crochet Coach course For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook .

Carly read an article on The Mighty linking certain elements of overthinking to high functioning anxiety and totally identified with it. Kelly read the same article and felt like she was looking in the mirror. So clearly, both girls have a bit of experience with this topic. But is overthinking all bad? Are there things we can do to manage the tendency to ruminate too much and let our imaginations run that little bit too wild? Kelly and Carly cover this and more in today’s episode. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook.

One of the members of the Straight and Curly group on Facebook started a thread sharing the hacks she uses to shorten her daily ‘beauty’ routine – hacks that ensure she’s able to look her best (and thus feel her best) each day, in the minimum amount of time. While Carly and Kelly are conflicted about linking how we look to how we feel – there’s no escaping that the two are interrelated. So they have a frank discussion about that before diving into great tips shared by their Facebook group members on this topic. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook.

This is, weirdly, a show the Straight and Curly group on Facebook has been really clamouring for. Perhaps because it’s one of the rare areas of life that Kelly and Carly are different: Carly is an extreme extrovert and Kelly is an extreme introvert. This episode is a departure from their usually highly structured format as Kelly and Carly discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of these elements of their personalities, how they deal with partners who are at the other end of the scale, and how their respective introversion/extroversion has helped and hindered them over the course of their lives.For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to  www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/straightandcurly/

Kelly and Carly are both naturally confident people. But that doesn’t mean they’ve not had that confidence dented at some stage of their lives. In this episode they talk about where they think their confidence comes from and what they’ve done to nurture it over the years. Then they both share their top five tips for ‘faking’ confidence when it’s not in abundance. Ideas they cover: Do things you rock at Show em’ the old razzle dazzle Back yourself Concentrate on body language Make the person you’re talking to feel like the best human in the world If you know what the thing is that took your confidence away - name it Surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself Get out the instructions and fix something at home Watch Suits Try something you don't think you'll be good at For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/straightandcurly/

Carly’s just come out of a long term writing contract and wants another. Kelly wants to do more speaking. How are they going to achieve these goals? By putting themselves out there. (As opposed to waiting around for people to come knocking on their door.) In this episode the girls discuss the things that hold us back from putting ourselves out there and why being Australian often makes things hard in this respect. They then share about the times that putting themselves out there has paid big dividends and throw out a challenge to listeners to do the same. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/straightandcurly/

Carly’s not the hugest fan of personality tests because she thinks anything that requires people to self-assess needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt. Meanwhile, Kelly loves them (because her personality type LOVES personality tests!). In this episode the girls share a bit about how personality testing even came about, how effective they actually are, and whether they really help with self-awareness. They also run through some of the most popular personality tests on the market and the insights they’ve gained about themselves from those tests. Resources: Kelly’s written a whole blog series about using the Myers-Briggs personality typing to figure out what makes you ‘buzzy’ Study by Dr Kevin Bradley about the effectiveness of personality tests when used for employment purposes Study that tries to determine whether self-awareness has improved since doing a personality test Personality tests we mention: Myers-Briggs Sally Hogshead Fascination Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies DISC Profiling Big Five For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook.

Their first Budget Hacks episode ran quite long and didn't leave any time for the girls to answer some great questions that members of their Straight and Curly group on Facebook asked. So today's episode tackles those questions which include: Do you have any favourite apps for managing finances? How do you set a budget and stick to it? How do you budget effectively when you have an irregular income from running a small business/freelancing? When you get a sudden windfall, should you breathe a sigh of relief and finally treat yourself, or throw it all at your debt as well? Can a minimalist mindset help with budgeting/cutting costs? Resources Kelly manages to butcher this beautiful summation from Liz Gilbert on the difference between Hobby, Career, Job and Vocation so please read it and you'll be able to see what she was trying to get at :) For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook.

Recently Carly and Kelly asked their Straight and Curly group on Facebook if there were any topics they particularly wanted them to cover and 'Budget Hacks and Tips' was something lots of people voted for. Today's episode first shares the concept of spenders vs savers (and Kelly reveals, to Carly's surprise, that she is a spender!) Then the girls then share their 10 best tips for managing finances and staying away from, or at the very least, on top of, debt. Things they cover:  Everything except food and rent is a luxury  If you can’t pay cash for it, you can’t afford it Check your credit card statements diligently every month Decide where you’re going to cut corners Stop automating your payments Consolidate your many small debts into a single one Have your employer split your pay Have a budget Find different friends Sometimes it's easier to make more money than it is to keep trying to cut expenses. Resources Some info on spending and saving The difference between savers and spenders  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com or come join the Straight and Curly group on Facebook. 

Here's the thing: there’s no such thing as 'motivation'. The only difference between people who do things and people who don’t is that the people who do things, do things. That’s it. No one has a special motivation gland they were born with. But ... Carly and Kelly do understand it's more difficult for some people to jump into action than it is for others. So that's what they're discussing into today's show: if you can't rely on motivation to get things done, what CAN you rely on! Things we cover: Routines Habits Managing expectations of yourself better Giving yourself permission to make changes slowly Self-awareness Fall in love with the process over the outcome Pretend you’re in a movie montage Let it go Set a reward Find joy in the completion of tasks Resources James Clear: The myth of passion and motivation Smaggle: How To Stay Motivated When You’re Giving Something Up Kelly Exeter: Permission to make change slowly

Recently a listener asked the girls how they manage to fit it all in. And while there's no magic bullet in this week's episode, Kelly and Carly do explore their top 10 time-management hacks - the things that help their days run more smoothly and allow them to find a good amount of time for both work and play. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

Habits - why do we even need them? As Kelly points out in today's episode, they make life easier, you get to spend less time negotiating with yourself and thinking, and they set you up for success. How do we create good habits? In this episode Carly and Kelly will cover: The importance of knowing yourself and how you respond to expectations Understanding the difference between intention and motivation That it's very hard to break a habit, much easier to simply create a new, good habit that overrides the bad one That you shouldn't attempt to create more than one new habit at a time That there is no set number of days for a new habit to take hold The importance of knowing your triggers for bad habits How to set yourself up for success For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

Why do self-improvement junkies find self-compassion difficult? The guys at bulletproofmusician.com say it really well: "It's a strategy that feels wrong, Perhaps because it sounds vaguely like giving ourselves and easy out for mistakes, and thereby lowering our standards" And it's this tension that Carly and Kelly want to talk about today. Because sometimes, we need to take a break from constant self-improvement and striving, and just be a bit lazy! Especially because, as Carly will share, humans are specifically engineered for laziness. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

You know those rubbish days where you’re running late, the blender sprayed crap all over the ceiling, your kids are being ... kids, your boss isn’t being much better and your soup spilled all through your handbag? We all have days like that - ones where it feels like the world is against us and it’s really difficult to get your head back in right space. If you're having these days more often than not, Carly and Kelly have some thoughts about how you can set up your life to minimise those occurrences. They also share their favourite tips and tricks for pushing the reset button on things to get a bad day back under control. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com. 

This is the third episode of Kelly and Carly’s three-part series attempting to demystify diet and food and today they're talking about creating good food habits - mainly drawing from their own personal experience. In this episode they cover: Not having any non-nourishing food in the house Buying treats one at a time/in small single portion sizes The strategy of convenience/inconvenience Choosing to prioritise health over saving money Having 5 cups of veggies every day Getting comfortable with being hungry Serving yourself on a smaller plate Spending calories wisely Always sitting down to eat Drinking HEAPS of water Making good choices 80% of the time so that you can be more relaxed 20% of the time Loving the show? Don’t forget to subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher so you don’t miss a thing.

This is the second episode of Kelly and Carly’s three-part series attempting to demystify diet and food. In this episode they cover: Labelling food – is it useful to label a food ‘good’ or ‘bad’? The fine line between self-diagnosing food intolerances … and knowing what your body does and doesn’t like How to stop rewarding/consoling yourself with food Moderator vs Abstainer mindsets Whether diets actually work For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

There is so much confusion around food these days. Are carbs in or out now? Is sugar actually evil? Why are egg white omelettes a thing? Carly and Kelly have huge personal interest in this area - Carly from a general health and weight management point of view, Kelly because she's been an athlete, and studied exercise science at University. So they've read everything there is to read about diet and food and in this three part series, they will attempt to simplify things as much as possible. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

Negative feedback can derail a day pretty quickly and really mess with productivity if we don't know how to effectively manage it. In this episode Carly and Kelly talk about some big blow ups they've had online and what they've learned about dealing with the unlovely thoughts of other people after10 years of writing on the internet! For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

Is there anyone on this earth who actually enjoys house cleaning? In this episode Carly and Kelly talk about their house cleaning hacks and how they keep their homes liveable without spending all day with a vacuum in their hands. For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.

This episode Carly and Kelly chat about the life hacks they've tried - and hated. Everything from mindful eating to sleeping naked - what's their take on some of the less than successful changes they've made over the past few months?  For more info on Kelly and Carly, and to see any links or resources mentioned in today’s episode, head over to www.straightandcurly.com.