Use_your_words_pod

07/07/2022

Some delightful words from Ross Gay from his Book of Delights✨
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15/05/2022

Self care is community service. Don’t let our society try to trick you into thinking otherwise.
Happy Sunday 💜
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11/05/2022

Wednesday’s are for Words We Love ☂️
Mister Rogers had a zen Buddhist perspective on child development & it couldn’t be more inspirational to us. It’s a practice. He knew this. He had bad days, he got angry, he got impatient, he got depressed, but he had the mindfulness to channel those emotions properly as to avoid them interrupting his most precious relationships, specifically with his work related to children. Thank you for all your wise words & way of living, Mister Rogers.
💜

07/05/2022

Last summer, we went to our first concert since the pandemic began. It was…. an interesting experience for many reasons, but the most exciting thing about it for us was that we discovered
They are preventing so much single-use plastic waste & their water is so so good. They have still & sparkling, and both are delicious. Our concert was and it was the least amount of plastic we had ever seen at an event. If water is going to be so expensive at sporting events, concerts, etc, the least the venues could do is use a company that feels worthy of our hard-earned dollars. 🏔🌊🌎💀
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04/05/2022

It’s scary out there sometimes, folks…We can’t forget how necessary it is to find the joy. It’s easy to be angry & miserable; dig a little deeper & look for the light.
Art in all its forms is part of that light for us.
These are some creators who help us get through the dark days💫

02/05/2022

Everyone has their own mental health journey, but we believe no matter where you’re at, a reminder to stay rooted in the present moment is helpful.
It’s not easy, but practicing staying present is often a good place to start when we’re feeling imbalanced for one reason or another.

30/04/2022

♻️Sustainable Saturday♻️
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Buying a waste-free phone case won’t save the planet overnight, but small changes in our daily lives can have a significant impact in the long run. Think about all the new models phone companies come out with…most of us have had an upgrade in the last 12 months or less… And most of those old phones had cases on them, and if all of them were waste-free, our oceans could be without that much plastic.🌏
Thank you for your products & your mission to clean up our pale blue dot 💚♻️🌱🌏
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25/04/2022

Hi friends! We wanted to share an update about UYW. ☂️
As some of you may have noticed, we haven’t shared an episode in several months. We have worked hard & learned a lot but the reality is that planning & recording & editing has gotten increasingly difficult with our different schedules/life happening, so we have decided to take a break from the podcast side of UYW. We are very grateful for all the love & support we have gotten & had so much fun dipping our toes in the podcast world.
We will still be utilizing our instagram to share things we are passionate about, so we hope you’ll follow along & take something positive and/or helpful from what we share. Our intention is to create a community where we can be open & honest about all things human in hopes that we can all learn from each other & continue the healing journey to grow into the best people we can be.
Sending all of you love & light,
Jillian & Maria
☂️✨🪐🌙
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25/04/2022

16/02/2022

Hi people! Maria here. I wanted to share this little story in hopes that it helps someone out there in some small way.
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I was basking in the spring-like Chicago weather today from the home I work in and I was texting with some friends, all of whom work from home. And I was feeling pretty envious of their ability to take a long walk, go for a run, do a mid day yoga. I was wishing I could be home reading and doing yoga while the unseasonably warm rain pattered outside my open window. (Feeling a little sorry for myself no doubt, but it’s been a hard couple years so I allowed myself to feel that for a second and let it go).
Then, the universe being the sneaky magician she is, gave me an unexpected gift. The parents and the older child left the house, I put the baby down and did what I had to do around the house. Then turned the lights off, opened the back door, laid out a yoga mat, and got a quick flow/meditation in; their black lab laying at the open door breathing in the wet breeze next to me. I looked at the clock before I started and again when I was done (the family came home) and I thought it surely had been 20 minutes, but it was just 7 minutes later.
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My point, though long-winded, is that life is hard. Jobs are hard, whether they’re done from your couch or outside your home; relationships are hard, even when they’re happy & healthy; being a human is hard. And I am endlessly astonished at how much my perspective, mood, & body change after taking a minute to stop and breathe and listen, no matter where I am. Then when the frustrations, annoyances, irritability, exhaustion set in, I remember to take the advice of the wise and wonderful Bill Murray, and say to myself: it just doesn’t matter.
Let go and make space for something that serves you.
🦋
Hoping you all get a minute or 7 or an hour or day to yourself to help you stay present & grounded.
Peace & love,
Maria
☂️

01/01/2022

✨Happy 22✨

24/12/2021

Happy Christmas from UYW!
We are sending all of you extra love & light this weekend.
And we’re sending extra extra love to those of you who are alone this holiday; feeling sick due to covid or otherwise; in quarantine due to covid; missing a loved one; battling family dramas; overwhelmed with finances/presents; or any other stresses that come along with holidays.
Breathe in, breathe out. This moment is all there is.
❤️‍🩹🎄✨

25/11/2021

We’re back with a new episode!
We took a little break from the podcast to enjoy the summer and fall and adjust to the changes that seasons bring. Our episode in which we talk about that break and things we’ve learned is up now! We hope you enjoy.
*Link to spotify in bio*
All our love and gratitude,
Jillian & Maria
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07/11/2021

We had a lovely afternoon exploring nature with a trained forest therapy guide that we connected with through a local yoga studio,
Thank you for offering this experience!
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We are endlessly amazed with how much energy we get from being immersed in nature. There’s nothing like spending time with the trees and the breeze to get you grounded and focused. We encourage everyone to spend some time with nature and be patient enough to notice all it has to offer. 🌲🧘‍♀️🐿🌱🪵🐜
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20/10/2021

Wednesday Words of Wisdom from one of our favorites, Fred Rogers.
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Thanks, Mr. Rogers, for reminding us that the work we are doing matters. It gets hard, especially when the full moon hits, and we need all the reminders we can get. Breathe deep, parents and nannies and teachers and caretakers of all kinds.
We see you.
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12/10/2021

It’s a special day at UYW: it’s Jillian’s birthday!!!!!
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Jill has been working on being the best version of herself and has done the hard work of uncovering who she really is. Through traveling, getting sober, reflecting, reading, listening, having the hard conversations with others and with herself, she has been an example of what it looks like when someone gets real about working toward being their best self. It’s very inspiring and wonderful to witness her develop into who she was always meant to be. Cheers to 35, You should be very proud of how far you’ve come. See you this weekend for a Beyoncé dance party til we drop 🦋🌱🧘‍♀️💕🥳🦄

26/09/2021

If you are not happy with the family you’re with, you are allowed to quit. Of course, be professional and respectful, but you are not obligated to stay with a family just because you started with them.
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I quit a job after a week once because I had a feeling in my gut that it wasn’t the right family for me. It was definitely challenging and they didn’t handle it very well, but it led me to a family that I loved and stayed with for three years. Trust yourself.

25/09/2021

And legally!
Nannies are often underpaid, and/or paid under the table. Which May seem like a good idea at first, but if someone is a career nanny (meaning they’re not doing it on the side for some extra quick cash or while in school, etc) they need a living wage and a taxed income. Sometimes families don’t understand this and underestimate what the nanny’s work entails.
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I have heard so many things from parents related to my asking rate. “Well she really isn’t awake that much while you’re here”; “we don’t want you to do any cleaning or extra work”; “we asked our friends and they said they pay their nanny (insert low rate).”
I have come to understand that anyone who says these types of things are not the family for me. But that takes so much work and time to accept. A nanny can feel like we are there to be at the beck and call of the family. And while most of us are happy to help with extra things that come up, we should be compensated fairly so it doesn’t feel like we are being taken advantage of.
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Child care is an undervalued field in our society so we encourage you to be your own advocate and don’t settle for anything less than what you know you deserve. Not only are you keeping their children alive and safe and happy, you are managing their household.
Put some respect on my check! 🙋‍♀️😉👏