The Simple Sophisticate - Intelligent Living Paired With Signature Style

As we are in the middle of TSLL's 7th Annual British Week, I wanted to share with you 11 classic contemporary British wardrobe details for achieving effortless style. Each item and outfit shared below is not dependent on trends of the season, of which London is definitely at the forefront when it comes to embracing new and setting new trends. Rather, whether you live or simply visit Britain, whether you are staying in the city of London or stepping out into the countryside, these outfits and items can be relied upon to come together for a dependable style that will enable you to simply enjoy and engage fully with the day's activities. Over the years both here on the blog and the podcast, I have shared seasonal outfit and clothing item inspiration for Britain, but I realized, I haven't ever written a post solely inspired by British sartorial needs. France? Oodles of posts, but not Britain. So today, here is the much-overdue episode/post sharing the dependable wardrobe pieces and details that will guarantee you

"Buddhism is not a belief system. It's not about accepting certain tenets or believing a set of claims or principles. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It's about examining the world clearly and carefully, about testing everything and every idea. Buddhism is about seeing. It's about knowing rather than believing or hoping or wishing. It's also about not being afraid to examine anything and everything, including our own personal agendas . . . The message is always to examine and see for yourself. When you see for yourself what is true—and that's really the only way that you can genuinely know anything—then embrace it. Until then, just suspend judgment and criticism. The point of Buddhism is to just see. That's all . . . An ordinary person is simply one who is not awake in the moment; a buddha is a person who is. That's all." —Steve Hagan, author of Buddhism Plain and Simple: The practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day To be fully human and see the humanity in all others. To have compassion for all senti

  "With the right training, nutrition, lifestyle strategies, and the power of the mind, women in their fifties and beyond can still [accomplish amazing feats] . . . women prove every day that our best years can be ahead of us no matter how old we are now . . . you've accumulated hard-earned wisdom and power over the years. You're higher on the totem pole of life. There are countless opportunities that lie ahead." —Dr. Stacy Sims, phD, International exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist The beautiful gift of stepping into another year of life is that we have the opportunity, but not the promise, to enjoy the application of wisdom learned along the way. As someone who lives with awareness and pays attention to the reality of life, we know that our bodies need to be taken care of properly so that they can take care of us. Knowing how our bodies change as we age is crucial to knowing how to give it the care it needs for optimal quality of living. Which brings me to a reality that Dr. Stacy T. Sims, an ex

“France is Europe’s most diverse, tasty, and exciting country to explore. It’s a cultural bouillabaisse that surprises travelers with its varied, complex flavors.” —Rick Steves The rain in Bretagne/Brittany. The dry hot heat in Provence. The bustle of Paris. The butter in Normandy (and Brittany). I could go on and on about the specialty delights and signature details in each of the many regions of France because as many of you know who have had the special opportunity to spend time on the terra firma of France, France is full of wonder and deliciousness to savor. To have only remained in Paris is to have seen just one gorgeous, yes, indeed magnificent spectacle at the Olympics, so to speak. When we travel beyond the capital, we further deepen our appreciation for a country, as Rick Steves notes above that is diverse, tasty and exciting in ways unique to each region. Having just returned from my seventh trip to France, three of which gave me the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in four different regi

When beginning this journey back in September 2022, I never imagined I would feel comfortable speaking French without thinking too far ahead of myself nor caring if I spoke incorrectly (which is still quite often), but two and a half years later, it has happened! Imperfect French is being spoken and the fundamentals are more confidently understood than ever before. Wahoo! While having attempted to take a French language class here and there over the past two years beginning when I was 20 back in college, I never made it past the 103. It took me three attempts, but finally, I made it all the way to completing FR 204 with the instruction of Washington D.C.'s Alliance de Française. Back in September 2022 I enrolled at the very beginning yet again, and told myself that B1 completion was my goal, so finishing FR 204. As I shared in episode #349, in part four of this series, “On ne comprend jamais tout à fait une langue avant d’en comprendre au moins deux.” And finally, the phrase rings more true than ever. To lear

There is an awareness available to anyone who steps fully into their forties. It often happens a couple of years after turning the big 4 - 0, but it's there, waiting for each of us to realize we are half-way through (if we are so fortunate to live into our 90s) this beautiful gift called life. This awareness prompts courage and discipline as well as motivation to just get about the business of living out the dreams we may have been too timid to try in our earlier years. We begin to see that taking care of our health is more than worth the investment. We begin to know that loving fully is the best thing to do for our life enjoyment even though we also know there will be great pain in the goodbye. That goodbye is a privilege only the brave experience by being wholly vulnerable, kind and truly giving of their true selves and accepting others as theirs. The leaning is a good thing because we see over the handrail of life that we are fortunate to have this vantage point and we are not going to toss aside the wisdo

"Taking back your power means reclaiming responsibility for your life. It means demanding more of yourself because time is ticking, and you've wasted enough of it worrying about things that don't matter. It means being laser focused on the things you can control, and not giving a single second to the things you can't . . . Let Me create a better life. A life that makes me proud. A life that makes me happy. A life where I use my precious energy to enjoy every single moment I will have . . . all it takes is two simple words: Let Me." —Mel Robbins, from her latest book The Let Them Theory Let me. With good reason, the first phrase of Mel Robbins' new book has been becoming commonplace, but as readers read the book, they begin to realize that if we only apply the Let Them theory to our lives, our lives will not change. It is the follow-up phrase, the action phrase that is Let Me that carries the magic that will change our lives should we brave enough to embrace it. Many of the lessons shared throughout the book

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, an annual holiday to celebrate love, those we love in all its different relationship forms, it can be helpful to be reminded that love doesn't have a hierarchy. One type of relationship be it a friendship, a spouse, a parent/child, a pet companion, a universal love for humanity, self-love - isn't more or less important, but merely other avenues of giving and receiving love. Love, when it is true, comes in a variety of forms. Shared in this post back in October about unconditional love, Andy Puddicombe reminds, “The very definition of unconditional love is it is not dependent on anything or anyone. So to experience unconditional love, we don’t necessarily need to be with another person. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy being with another person, but we don’t necessarily need them to experience it.” Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in his book How to Love, "In true love, you attain freedom.” He goes on to teach us that “To love is to recogniz

"The confidence to dare to be simple." —Monty Don To be simple is to knowingly let go of what is not necessary and wisely keep, nourish and invest in what is. Gardens in many ways are a wonderful analogy for living well because they take time to mature into their full potential, and it isn't guaranteed that they will, but if they do, it is because the gardener had the foresight, patience and clarity to know what would be of value to invest in today. Albert Einstein is attributed with saying, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” To know where that line is, because it will be different for each of us, is to know ourselves as well as understand the pressures of the world with keen awareness and insight. Such knowledge takes time and conscious effort to gain. In daring to be simple, we bet on ourselves, care for ourselves and without guarantee, invest in what is harmonious to our ear, letting it become a priority while not be distracted or drained by the rest. On the category page in TSLL's

Maintaining our balance whether we are holding a tree pose in yoga or riding a bicycle requires dynamic engagement. While the tree pose in yoga may look static, nope, it is actually dynamic as various muscles are engaged. Similarly and more visually obvious is riding a bicycle. We must remain in motion, and a motion that is balanced, so again engaging our motions to align with each other if there are multiple, in this case our two legs pedaling, to remain balanced. Balance in life involves a similar concept. We may not always look physically in motion, so for example, choosing time to just be, but we are engaged. We are present and consciously and purposefully engaging in an action or activity that nourishes our balance. In the first episode of the new year, I wanted to focus on this idea of balanced living as inspired by the book The Scandinavian Guide to Happiness: Balanced Living with Fika, Lagos, Hygge, and More by Tim Rayburn, because rather than focusing on adding or improving, why not focus on tweaking

"We can attain almost anything we want—but not instantly. If we're methodical, if we're persistent, and if we take small, deliberate steps, we can arrive there. The going may be slow at first, but the advantage of those actions, compounded over time, can lead to stunning results." —Doris Clark, author of The Long Game: How to Be A Better Long-Term Thinker in a Short Term World Five years. Seven years. A decade. Time is on our side so long as we put in the proper foundation to support the progress that will eventually lead to the outcome we intend. "The whole point of playing the long game is understanding the ridiculous goals are ridiculous right now—not forever . . . it might take five years, or ten, or twenty. But that time will pass away." Just as each season has a purpose to enable Mother Nature's flora and fauna to rest, rejuvenate, grow, shine and celebrate, so too is the journey our own progress must traverse in order to experience the outcomes we seek. Winter finds us resting, assessing, nourishing a

"Some of [our] beliefs, habits and behaviours are acquired by chance, and some we have designed for ourselves. But the beauty of the human mind is that no matter how these beliefs were shaped, they can be changed." —Nicole Vignola, author of Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change Maybe it is the lack of confidence you have in your potential. Maybe it is the negative thoughts that stream through your mind at 2 am in the morning or in the afternoon when you are exhausted after a full first half of the work day has asked you to be on your game every single minute. Maybe it's your doubt that you will ever be able to acquire that habit that will help if only you could incorporate it into your everyday. Whatever default thinking habit you engage in that starts to chip away at the 'good vibes', at the hope, at the positive outlook you have on anything, this is the podcast episode for you to explore. In fact, I want to make it required listening/reading because when you take in the in

"In general, people who have more optimistic expectations about the possibility of forming a connection are more likely to overlook superficial differences, and wait to see if they feel the spark of connection. They tend to have more diverse relationships, while those with fixed assumptions tend to have more limited social circles. Our beliefs about social connection can become self-fulfilling prophecies." —David Robson, author of The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network The quality of our social connections determines not only our enjoyment of our everydays, whether we are at work or in our personal lives, it also affects our health and wellbeing. While this news will likely shock nobody, what might shock us are the ways we unconsciously or unknowingly partake in habits that obstruct the opportunity for healthier, and thus more enjoyable connections with others, of all stripes. Based on cultural conditioning or insecurity within ourselves or what was modeled to us w

In many arenas of life we witness what appears to be an immediate change, but upon looking at the road that prompted the change, the steps were gradual, intentional and focused. Over time, repetition and application, the skills coalesced, and much like finishing a house that has been built from the foundation up, it is complete. But it takes time, knowledge and consistent effort to experience the benefits of that warm house to live everyday life away from the elements. The same thing happens when we choose to understand what true contentment is, and then start learning the skills, applying them. Gradually, ever so slowly we are building up our ability to experience the amazing life benefits that will deepen the quality of our days and lead us to feeling deeply at peace and fulfilled each day. Not because everything is always going to go our way or be full of endless happy moments, but because we are grounded and knowledge of the skills that ensure we navigate well through whatever crosses our path that we hav

"Healthy skin begins the moment you start to take care of yourself." —Anonymous Healthy, natural, as well as radiant skin is something we can include as one of the most statement-making accessories in our exterior presentation. The questions begin though when we don't know what is worth investing in and how much is too much and just unnecessary. Alongside the food we eat, the exercise we regularly partake in and the healthy management of stress in our lives, how we care for our skin regarding the products we use and the practices we take regarding protection and hydration can have a powerful effect on our visage that we present to the world each and everyday for the rest of our lives. And thus how we feel when we go about her daily routine. Over the past few years I have been focused on two goals when it comes to my own skincare regime: ensuring I am investing and purchasing products that deliver on their promises, and only using the products I need for the results I want. In other words a simple approach, b

When we see and acknowledge what is going well, we begin to permanently change what our mind not only looks for but believes is possible. And when we change our mindset, we change the potential of possibilities that cross our path. Which leads me to celebrating. Perhaps hearing that celebrating is a necessary part of the journey of success may come across as frivolous or unnecessary. Or perhaps when you envision celebrating, the thought of a large party of people and dancing and drinking just does not appeal to you, so you aren't someone who thinks celebrating is necessary (first off all, I am with you on that last one - I don't need a big shindig either), but celebrating can appear in many different forms. So long as it is a form that allows you to decompress, rest, and rejuvenate as well as extend gratitude to those who helped you arrive where you are, that is what celebrating is, and today, I would like to share with you how celebrating after each victory, no matter how small or big, is vital to future suc

What I would like to share with you today are 14 foundational pieces that will establish and continue to grow your financial freedom. Whether you work for a boss or work for yourself, I will be sharing how to make your way to financial freedom and also remain financially free once you arrive without being stagnant. In other words, when we are financially free, we now have space, energy and opportunities that we didn't have before. Whether that is creatively because our mind is free to not worry about our finances because we have put into place systems that we trust and know work in our favor, and because we have space mentally, we have more energy to expend on what we love to do instead of what we have to do which leads us to more opportunities crossing our paths because we our present and fully engaged with the moment, bravely being ourselves and dancing with life instead of surviving and just making it through. Before we explore today's list, I will point out that this is not necessarily the typical list of

When we think of the term hero in its typical circumstance, we think of someone saving the day, making everything better, and restoring the peace, security and joy to those or what had momentarily been in peril. Now fashion or our personal style is not a life or death situation, I will acknowledge this upfront, but for the purposes of today's conversation, the hero pieces in our wardrobe are, as defined by The Ethical Brand Directory, "the ultimate item of clothing that completes any wardrobe. Hero pieces can be dressed up, dressed down and just become an ‘essential piece’’ that you can’t live without".  Another definition identifying 'hero' pieces comes from a recent article from the WSJ titled "Think This Looks 'Effortless'? stating "[They are] pieces you can always rely on to deliver a feeling of insouciance." In other words, enable you to relax in your clothing and pay no mind to your clothes or outfit because you know you look fabulous. The beautiful breadth of Hero pieces is that they stretch from cloth

The learning continues, and the French language continues to become clearer and clearer with each word I hear. Granted, it is a slow journey of progress, but indeed progress has been made. As I sat watching both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Jeux Paris, I found myself for the first time actually wishing there were no translations as I found I could understand most of what was being said in French (admittedly, I may have paused and rewound a time or two ;)). To recognize words that previously were absolutely babbel to me in years past found me celebrating seemingly small, but, to me, grand progress. With that said, I am not proficient yet, and I have had frustrations, but I have continued forward and I am grateful I have. Part of the reason I want to share my French language journey with you is to encourage and reassure you that the journey will be long, but the progress will be great, and here is the paradox, only if we both run up against frustrations and keep at it. We can do it! I shared in th

When it comes to finances, to solely focus on the numbers actually can hinder the success and outcomes we seek of not only financial freedom, but deep everyday contentment. Co-host of the established podcast Frugal Friends, Jill Sirianni joins me to not only talk about the founding premise of their show which debuted back in 2018 and now has more than 400 episodes, and also to talk about her and her co-hosts' Jen Smith's new book Buy What You Love Without Going Broke that will be released in January 2025. Overlapping themes of how to live a life of contentment as well as find peace with our money management drew me to inviting Jill on The Simple Sophisticate as listeners will discover, many of the concepts and skills discussed here on TSLL are founding themes of savvy money management - presence, self-knowledge, gratitude, simplicity and more. Learn more about Jill Sirianni and Jen Smith's work: The podcast, Frugal Friends here on their website Preordering their book, How to Buy What You Love Without Going B