Laurent Collective Podcast

Revisit: How to say no to opportunities not meant for you

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We’re ending our rest season with one last replay of a popular episode. In this episode we chat about how to say that difficult word “no.”

Saying no to new opportunities is so hard because we want to be helpful and to help others. However, we can’t say yes to everything. Saying yes to it all leaves us exhausted and unable to help in a positive way.

So how do you determine what opportunities to say no to and how do you say no in a kind way? We discuss this by taking you through some questions to ask of each opportunity and some kind ways to say no.

Revisit: What have we learned from UK culture

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We’re revisiting past podcasts as we take a rest break. We have so many questions about living in the UK in this episode we touch on what we’ve learned from living here.

We’ve lived in the United Kingdom for six years and have experienced and learned so much from the culture here. There are things we have ingrained into our lives now or are at least working on making them part of our lives.

We talk about how time is different here, the importance of holiday time, an appreciation for food and travel accessibility.

Revisit: Are you confused on what to focus on in your business?

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We are revisiting some of our most popular past podcasts and this business podcast on figuring out what to focus on in your business has been a favorite.

These past two years have provided small businesses with ups and downs that have not followed normal trends. When you look back on your numbers to make informed decisions for the future, it’s hard to know what to focus on in the year ahead.

There is one thing that will help bring in some focus for you even if the data isn’t helping you. It’s understanding why you are in business. This will help direct you as you make decisions going forward. We chat about how this has looked in our business and how you can take decisions back to this why and purpose.

Revisit: How we get the kids to help around the house

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We’re revising a past podcast on how we get our kids to help around the house. We’ve had so many questions on this topic and thought it’d a great episode to come back to again.

It can be difficult to get your kids to be on board with helping around the house. You want to help them understand responsibilities but it just seems too hard to get anyone to do anything.

We’ve had some years under our belt and have found a solution that has really worked in our family. The kids understand their responsibilities and we work together as a family team to keep the house functioning.

In this episode, we share these ideas and how you could take them into your family.

Revisit: What it’s like to get rid of almost everything you own

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We revisit this episode of how we got rid of almost everything we owned when we moved to the UK from the states.

In 2016, we moved from the states to London and had to go through every single item in our house. It was hard to look at every item in our house in a new way and make decisions on what to keep and what to sell or give away.

In this episode, we share our experience to help you, whether you’re just trying to declutter your home or whether you’re moving houses. We take you through a set of questions to ask about each item and share how freeing the process can be for you.

Revisit: Fostering creativity in your kids

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We revisit one of our most popular podcast episodes about fostering creativity in your kids.

Does it feel like you are battling technology in your house and you’d just love to see your kids do something creative?

We talk with our eleven-year-old son about what he likes about being creative. He shares the types of things we have in our house that he uses to be creative (clue: it’s nothing fancy). We also have a little chat about why we turn off the technology as parents to enable creativity to begin.

We’re entering a season of rest

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:00:00 +0000

We all need seasons of rest in our life and in our businesses. As we prepare to enter a season of rest, we thought we’d share why we make space for a more restful season.

It’s about being intentional as you look ahead and realizing the areas you may need to pause for a season. A season of rest prepares you for new areas to step into and to come back to your business and life with renewed energy.

How we teach our kids financial literacy

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 07:00:00 +0000

It’s important to teach your children about how to manage finances as it’s part of everyday life once they enter into the adult world. But how to teach them at the different stages of childhood can be confusing.

We discuss a method we use to “pay” our children for work they do in the house. It’s a method of paying them their age in money but then putting percentages into savings and other areas to help them understand some simple finance concepts.

We hope this inspires you to not shy away from talking about money with your children and instead be an active teacher to prepare them for the future.

The uncertain act of making

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Inspired by Katherine May’s book “Enchantment,” we explore how stepping out of your past and into the present of creativity is beautiful. It’s an act of trust, uncertainty and stretching yourself.

We chat about how we’ve had to let go of some of our past creations and step into the scary part of creating again. It’s worth every step into creating as the best part of the uncertain act of making is what you learn in the process.

The idea of the UK walk

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Walking the United Kingdom is part of life here. Walking is important to people whether you live in a city and walking is your main means to get places, or whether you live in the suburbs or countryside, and walking is for pleasure.

We found the idea of walking to be much different when we lived in the states than it is here in the UK. There are systems that make walking in the UK much easier too, including public pathways.

In this episode we chat about the great British walk and how it’s ingrained into the culture.

Family Traditions: How They Strengthen Bonds and Create Memories

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Family traditions provide something for everyone to look forward to but also serve as a time for bonding. Traditions don't have to be too complicated or be to a large scale, instead they can be simple and still be meaningful.

We share some of our family's traditions and how these simple moments have become moments the whole family looks forward to having together. Family traditions provide a unique opportunity to create lasting memories and strengthen family bonds.

Breaking Free from Perfection: Embracing Creativity and Imperfection

Wed, 31 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Perfectionism is a struggle many creatives feel on a regular basis. If you can embrace imperfection in your creativity, it can break you through feeling stuck or getting caught up in a perfection loop.

There are three questions you can ask to help you step out of perfection:

- When do you find yourself getting caught up in perfection?

- What are some practical ideas to help you step past perfection?

- When you think about failing, how does it make you feel? How can you put a positive spin on failing?

By recognizing the problem with perfectionism, embracing creativity, embracing imperfection, and putting it into practice, you can break free from the limitations of perfectionism.

Drawing the Line: The Importance of Setting Boundaries in Your Life

Wed, 24 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Setting boundaries is essential for your well-being and relationships, but it can be hard to establish and maintain healthy boundaries.

First you have to define what boundaries you want to put in place and then figure out how to implement them. Often boundaries need to be set in the areas of our life that are causing stress.

We chat a bit about how to communicate your boundaries, how setting boundaries can be an example to others, and how to pay attention to changing boundaries in different life seasons.

By understanding what boundaries are, setting clear and effective boundaries, and maintaining them the best you can, you can improve your overall well-being.

Navigating Challenges in Your Business

Wed, 17 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

As a business owner, you'll inevitably face tough situations and seasons that can be difficult to navigate. In this episode, we'll discuss strategies for overcoming challenges and thriving in the face of adversity.

It's so important to identify challenges and to acknowledge them. We share how we're navigating some challenges and financial dips in our business and how we're implementing changes.

Running a business is never easy, but challenges and tough times are a normal part of the journey. By identifying challenges, creating a plan of action, and testing new things out, you can navigate these challenges and emerge wiser, and hopefully have a stronger business.

Managing Expectations when Traveling with Kids

Wed, 10 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Traveling with children is just different and it's important to manage expectations.

In this episode, we'll discuss the importance of setting realistic expectations when traveling with kids. There are some challenges when traveling with children but that doesn't mean you can't have fun and really enjoy exploring as a family.

Traveling with kids can be a rewarding and memorable experience. By setting realistic expectations, you can enjoy your holiday in new ways with kids part of the picture.

Building Stamina to Fuel Your Creativity

Wed, 03 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

What do you do when you feel like your creativity has run dry? We chat about the importance of building creative stamina and how it can help fuel your creativity over the long term. We discuss how creative stamina can help you stay motivated and inspired, even when facing creative blocks or setbacks.

We got through a set of questions to ask yourself when you feel like your creative stamina is running out. These questions involve how you feel rested, how to build rest into your routine and how to explore other creative outlets.

This episode will be helpful for anyone wanting to look to sustain their creative energy.

Parenting Imperfectly: Navigating mistakes and making amends with our children

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In this episode, we delve into the topic of making mistakes in parenting (because it will happen all too often.) We discuss the importance of acknowledging our mistakes as parents and making amends with our children when we fall short of our expectations.

We share how we've navigated imperfect parenting from toddlers to teens. We've found it important to be open with our children when we've messed up and it helps them be open to us when they have made mistakes.

It's all about communication and openness as we prep our children to launch into the world.

How to Leverage AI for your small business

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

AI seems to be everywhere right now and you might be wondering how you can start to use it in your small business. We've been testing out some different uses for AI to help increase efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

In this episode, we chat about how we've tried out AI for SEO, Pinterest, creative ideas and for social media. We had some positive test results that made us think about how we'll continue to use AI.

We hope this equips your small business to try some AI tools out for yourself and see what works for your brand and business.

Unfinished Business: Navigating Life Without Closure

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Do you have an area of your life that you never had the closure you hoped for? It's so hard to know how to navigate life without having the closure we desire.

We discuss the benefits of forgiveness and how it can help individuals find closure and move forward. We also chat about some ways we found helpful even if we aren't able to directly communicate our need for closure.

This is a lifelong journey as we all will run up against relationships and we felt it was important to begin to chat about unfinished business and how it can affect our lives and relationships moving forward.

Five things we wish we knew as new parents

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Becoming a new parent is challenging, beautiful and confusing all mixed up together. When we became new parents we learned some things quickly that we wished someone had told us before bringing our baby home.

Each family and each baby is different, but we're sharing what worked well for our family. In the podcast we chat about the five things we wish we knew as new parents.

The five things we wish we knew as new parents are:

1. You'll have little sleep but somehow you figure it out.

2. A schedule for the baby makes a world of difference.

3. It's okay to ask for help.

4. Everyone's child is different.

5. You don't need all the gadgets.

These will make more sense as we explain them in the podcast. We hope they are helpful things to hear as you step into new parenting.

You're doing a great job...you have entered into the beautifully challenging and rewarding world of parenting.

--------

We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions over @laurentcollective on Instagram. You can find past podcast episodes and resources at laurentcollectivelearning.com and shop our products at laurentcollective.com

If you enjoyed this podcast please click the subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes. We'd love for you to leave a review too if your podcast app allows. We appreciate it!

How to document creative ideas

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Do you get creative ideas in weird places? Maybe you think of ideas in the shower, when you're on a walk, in a dream or when you're working out. It's likely that many of those times you want to remember that creative idea.

How do we remember these ideas to be able to come back to them later for inspiration? Whether it's a notebook, emailing yourself or recording a voice note, there are ways to capture the idea.

We chat about how to document creative ideas and how to pull them together for when you're in need of some extra creativity.

--------

If you enjoyed this podcast please click the subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes. We'd love for you to leave a review too if your podcast app allows. We appreciate it!

What about your work wakes you everyday?

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Each day we get to wake up and start the new day with an intention, a reason for us to begin and get out of bed. What is that reason for you?

Whether it's directly related to your work or something to do with your family, it's a bit of a motivating factor to put our feet to the ground, even on the hard days. It could be as simple as knowing you get to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.

It's the idea to give yourself something to wake you up and look forward to, even if it's simple.

--------

If you enjoyed this podcast please click the subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes. We'd love for you to leave a review too if your podcast app allows. We appreciate it!

Our 100th Episode & Doing Something Because You Love It

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

We started the podcast because it was something we loved and wanted to try. It didn't have a really strong goal driving the creation of the podcast, but it was a love of creating and trying something new.

What does it look like for you to do something because you love it?

--------

If you enjoyed this podcast please click the subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes. We'd love for you to leave a review too if your podcast app allows. We appreciate it!

Differences of Renting in the UK vs. US

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Renting in a big city like London can be a really different process than renting elsewhere. We've lived in three different homes since moving here over six years ago and we've learned a lot about the rental process.

We share our experiences and things that would have been helpful for us to know before renting in the UK. If you're moving to the UK and want some UK rental tips, we hope you find the podcast useful.

--------

If you enjoyed this podcast please click the subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes. We'd love for you to leave a review too if your podcast app allows. We appreciate it!

Modeling healthy work/life to our kids

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

What does it look like to show our kids how be healthy in work and life? It's not about balance, because it can never be perfectly balanced. However, we can show them how to be healthy in how much we work and how much we take on in our lives.

Modeling health is not about being perfect, instead it's about showing your kids what works for you and what doesn't. It's about an open conversation and finding others who model it too.

How to handle someone stealing your artwork

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

As an artist and creative, there is nothing more frustrating than finding out that someone has ripped off your artwork. So how do you handle it when you find someone using your art?

We've had this happen to us many times in different forms. We share about how best to handle the situation and point you in the direction of some helpful resources.

Art Money Success by Maria Brophy - https://mariabrophy.com/book

Letting go of always wanting more

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

It's hard to not want more of certain things in life like more to your home, more clothes, or more idyllic holidays. But what does this wanting of more do to our thinking?

We chat about what we have found to be true when we find ourselves focusing on wanting more versus being grateful for what we currently have. It's not about cutting out dreams, it's more about not giving into the idea that more always equals happiness.

Why we don't celebrate Valentine's Day

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

We decided as a couple early in our relationship to not celebrate Valentine's Day. It might seem strange to some why we wouldn't celebrate a holiday set aside for love when we're a couple who have been together for a long time.

So why don't we celebrate this holiday? We go into this in our podcast and why we've made the decision. We also talk about the importance of couples talking about holidays, like Valentine's Day, to understand expectations and take off the pressure surrounding certain holidays.

The importance of continuing to learn new things

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Different seasons of life call for different types of learning curves. But do we ever come to a place when we should stop learning or slow it down?

We talk about what this is looking like for us as we are in our "middle aged" years. Is it important to continue to push ourselves in learning new things? We're finding the answer is yes. We'll chat about why our answer is yes to learning and examples of what we're pushing ourselves into right now.

Financial Awareness for Businesses

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 08:30:00 +0000

Being aware of the finances in your business is so important. It can feel overwhelming of how to step into understanding finances when you start your business, but it is worth the time.

We cover some financial questions to ask yourself as you start the year in your business. This is just the beginning of financial awareness in your business to build onto with more detail.

Financial Awareness PDF

Trusting a gut feeling

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The idea of trusting your gut is either something you understand or something that seems strange to you. Many of us have been told it's just us overthinking things when we have a strong gut feeling.

So how do we know when to trust our gut? We share a story that has gone on for years and how we're learning from it. We give some examples of ways we've trusted our gut feelings both in our personal lives and business.

Simple changes can make a big impact

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 08:00:00 +0000

We often think big changes are the only way to have a big impact in our lives or our businesses. But really, it's the simple small changes that lead to the big impact.

We talk through a simple change we made in the last few weeks that has had a bigger impact than we imagined. It's an example of how simple and small changes can often do more than we expect.

How not to give into the pressure of the new year

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 08:30:00 +0000

It's the new year which means we're bombarded with messages telling us what we need to change in our lives. We're told to change it all as the new year begins.

What if we approached the new year in a different way and didn't give into all that pressure? We could ignore what the advertisements are telling us and instead decide what we'd like to be part of our lives. We chat about our approach to this new year and how to take pressure off new year's resolutions.

What Americans think of UK Christmas Desserts (Sorry Puddings)

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 08:30:00 +0000

British Christmas desserts seem to have one thing in common - dried fruit. So what do we as Americans think of the dried fruit combo in these holiday desserts?

We give some of the common UK Christmas desserts a try from Christmas pudding to minced pies and we give our honest opinion. (Spoiler alert: we may not be fans of some of the options).

Rethinking a successful product in your business

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Do you have a product or service you sell that has been successful in the past? Have you started to think you may need to adjust it?

It's slightly scary to adjust a product that has been selling well but it's important to review it each year or season to see if it is still working for your business and for you. We chat about some ways to look at your successful products and how to make decisions on how you might rethink them.

Resting before making a decision

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Making a decision can be hard if you're feeling a bit exhausted or busy. To make a clear decision, it's important to take some time to rest to look at things with a new view.

We chat about how we approach making decisions by taking time to rest. It's made us be able to approach decisions in a new way and to feel confident in our choices.

Thanksgiving in the UK

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Celebrating Thanksgiving outside of the United States is strange, but also fun. People in the UK are fascinated by the American tradition and ask lots of questions, and want to experience it.

We share how Thanksgiving has looked for us since moving to the United Kingdom. It's taken on all forms of a super full house to multiple Thanksgivings in a weekend.

laurentcollectivelearning.com

Thoughts on being true to yourself

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +0000

We all have our unique interests, ways we like to express ourselves and things that make us light up. Sometimes we feel like we should hide these parts of ourselves.

Our daughter had a recent experience that reminded us of the times we've hid parts of ourselves that make us unique. It was a learning lesson not only for her, but us as well.

We share our thoughts after the experience and how being true to yourself inspires others.

laurentcollectivelearning.com

Our Disney World Trip with some Disney Tips

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Disney World is a super fun trip for families but it can also be overwhelming. Our family recently visited Disney World in Orlando and we had a blast but we also learned a lot.

We bring our kids on for this episode to share everything from their favorite rides, experiences and tips for anyone planning a visit to Disney World. We also share a few tips on how to get reservations at the most popular restaurants.

https://mousewatcher.com/

laurentcollectivelearning.com

The differences of celebrating Halloween in the US & the UK

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Holidays take on different forms in different cultures and Halloween is one we've noticed is celebrated differently in the United Kingdom than in the United States.

Halloween tends to be more community minded and cute in the states versus a bit more dark and scary here in the UK. We share how we celebrated Halloween in the states and the other differences we've observed here in the UK with this holiday.

laurentcollectivelearning.com

What are we focusing on in our business instead of social media?

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Social media was taking up a lot of our business time and we weren't seeing business growth as a result of our time commitment.

So what are we focusing on instead of social media? We chat about the focus areas that are showing growth in our business. Some of those areas are longer term growth strategies but will help our business grow past the vanity metrics of social media.

We give you some ideas of focus areas and how we're still engaging with social media but in a less time consuming way.

laurentcollectivelearning.com

Why do we feel guilty when we rest?

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Resting is essential for our minds, our bodies and the growth of our businesses. So why do we feel guilty when we rest? Why can't we just enjoy the rest and the refreshment we feel afterwards?

We talk about having a recent restful weekend and how the thoughts of guilt kept creeping in. We felt guilty for not doing more work or having plans. We felt guilty that we watched movies with our kids instead of doing more activities.

Rest is needed and we have to step past that guilty feeling into knowing that we must rest for all the other areas of our lives to function well.

laurentcollectivelearning.com

How to choose to participate in October prompt challenges

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 07:30:00 +0000

The month of October is a popular time for prompts of all kinds on social media. The prompts range from organizing your house to creative ideas for drawing each day.

These prompts can be a great way to expand your creativity (or organize your house) but you'll want to figure out what your purpose is for participating. You don't want to feel too much pressure in participating but instead have it be beneficial.

We chat about the types of challenges we've participated in and how it's been helpful to have the right approach to the month of prompts.

laurentcollectivelearning.com

How to celebrate the simple things with your kids

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Celebrating the simple things in life with your kids is not only fun, but it creates family memories. You don't have to spend lots of money or go crazy for each marker moment, but simple celebrations can make a big impression.

In this episode we talk about the ways we celebrate simple moments with our kids and also some ways we've celebrated the bigger moments.

What really is passive income in your business?

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 07:30:00 +0000

You have probably seen all kinds of information and advertising about how to make money while you sleep. But is it true, can you really make money while you sleep?

We talk about our definition of passive income versus what you may have been taught about it. Passive income can help you change your business and how you use your time, but it takes upfront work.

Is passive income right for your business?

Which American High School Traditions Aren't a Thing in the UK?

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We both grew up in the states and experienced prom, the idea of a community cheering for high school sports and our senior year with graduation, open house and senior portraits. Our kids aren't growing up with these as the normal experience now and it's kind of strange for us.

We talk about this in the podcast and how things that are part of the American culture of high school aren't parts of secondary school here in the UK. We don't think it's good or bad, but it's interesting to observe when you're in a different culture.

Trying new things in your business

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Trying new things in your business is scary. You have ideas and you want them to be successful, so putting those ideas into action can cause a lot of fear.

We talk about how we've tried new things in our business throughout the years and how we've learned from when it's gone well and when it's not gone as we hoped.

It's worth stepping past the fear to try new things in your business because you'll learn so much.

Mentioned in Episode:

Printful - https://www.printful.com/a/2651818:6f5d9fc38ca39ee7637fd4ba16acec9e

Free Business Resources - https://laurentcollectivelearning.com/freebusinesstools/

Five Family Friendly Activities to do on Your Visit to London

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

London is a family friendly city to visit as there's so much to do for both kids and adults to enjoy. A bonus is that a majority of the museums are free!

We bring our kids along for this episode to share the five things we love to do in London and a couple of tips that make the experiences fun for the whole family.

Five Children's Books Our Family Loves

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

For fifteen years we've been reading books to our kids and we've compiled our top five books in this episode. All five books are ones not only our kids have loved, but we've also loved as adults.

Whether the book has a message we think is important, the illustrations are beautiful or the story will make you laugh, we think you should have these five books in your house to read together.

Episode Mentioned: How to Foster Reading with Your Kids

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-foster-reading-with-your-kids/id1561946041?i=1000534674420

Book Links: https://laurentcollectivelearning.com/childrensbookswelove/

Five Ways We Run Our Family

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

In this episode of our five things summer series, we share the five ways we run our family. It's not perfect but doing these five things helps our family run a bit more smoothly.

We share about our weekly family meeting, our weekly marriage check in, meal planning, keeping a dry erase board with our schedule and a chart for the kids' family tasks.

Episodes Mentioned:

How We Get The Kids to Help Around The House - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-we-get-the-kids-to-help-around-the-house/id1561946041?i=1000549034898

Working Together as a Couple/Marriage Check In - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/working-together-as-a-couple/id1561946041?i=1000521430991

Five British Treats Our Kids Think Your Kids Will Love

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

When you visit Britain there are some fun treats our family thinks your family will love. You may be able to find some of these in the international section of your grocery store in the states.

Everything from biscuits to Cadbury fingers made the list that our kids think you should try.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOVL1DCJXUFYzbga8P0APrw

Five Art Supplies to Keep in your house to help inspire creativity for your kids

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

You don't need a house filled with expensive art supplies to encourage your kids to be creative. We keep a couple simple supplies in the house to help the kids come up with ideas to create and have fun.

Our kids join us on this episode to share some of their favorite art supplies and how they use them.

Link:

See the supplies we mention in the episode: https://www.amazon.com/shop/laurentcollective/list/2UBEKW1XDFHPP

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOVL1DCJXUFYzbga8P0APrw

What it's like to live in London (our thoughts after 6 years)

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We've lived in London for six years this month. While moving a family of five to a different country had lots of challenges, London ended up feeling like the right place for our family fairly quickly.

Along with our oldest son, we discuss why London fits for our family and a few of the things we still find difficult. Overall, London now feels like home and we share why the city has become the place we call home.

It’s our 20th Anniversary!

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Today, we have been married for 20 years! 20 years ago we couldn’t have imagined the type of life we live today and the ways we have grown together.

We share how we thought our lives would be 20 years ago and how we hope our lives look like in the next 20 years.

How Our Social Media Break Affected Our Business & Personal Life

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We took a month-long break from social media for our business. We were curious to see if it would change the amount of traffic to our Laurent Collective website and if it would change the amount of sales we had in the month.

The social media break was also a time for us to assess how we felt about using the platforms personally. We wondered if we spent too much time on them instead of engaging in our lives.

We came away with some thoughts and a way forward for interacting with social media but in new ways. We share these with you in this episode.

Links:

Laurent Collective Learning

Laurentcollective.com

Helping your kids fall in love with their interests

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We have no control over the things our children become interested in. Their unique interests take hold in different ways and often it’s not always the same interests we hold as parents.

So how do we encourage them in their interests and how do we engage with them in those interests?

We chat about our kids and their vast interests. It’s been a challenge when we had other ideas for what they may be interested in, but we’ve found it so rewarding to engage with their interests as it creates a bond.

The Tools that Help our Business

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Running a business takes a lot of time and we’re always looking for ways to streamline tasks. Over the past 15 plus years of our business, we’ve tried out a ton of business tools to help cut down time on common tasks.

Whether it’s setting up a website, sending out newsletters to scheduling pins, we have found some tools that help us and save us time. We share these with you in the podcast and you can download the free tools page to easily have links to the tools.

Business Tools PDF

Life advice from our 40s to Those in their 20s

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We’re not ashamed to be in our 40s. We’ve learned so much in our lives so far that we have taken into each new stage and age.

In this podcast episode, we share about what we wish we would have taken into our lives in our 20s. In our 20s, we were really focused on our careers and climbing the corporate ladder because it meant more money to spend on more stuff.

Our perspective has changed as we’ve aged and we share these thoughts with those of you in your 20s, or in your 30s too.

Working at home with kids in the summer

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Summer break brings on the challenge of figuring out how to work while your kids are home. After being in business for over 15 years, all of those while having children, we've tried some things out for the summer breaks.

In this episode, we share about how we make a summer schedule for our family and how we've made it work for our family.

Summer Schedule PDF

I'm Bored PDF

The story of stepping into book illustrations

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We had a dream of working on children's book illustrations and we started pursuing this idea. As we worked towards the dream, opportunities began to present themselves. But it didn't happen overnight.

We share how we stepped into illustrating children's books and encourage you in what you may be dreaming.

Links:

Soul Fuel for Young Explorers by Bear Grylls

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-Fuel-Young-Explorers-Grylls

How to Pray A Guide for Young Explorers by Pete Greig

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Pray-Guide-Young-Explorers

Princes Wigglebottom and the Forgotten Christmas

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Wigglebottom-Forgotten-Christmas-Martina

Make Arts That Sells Courses

https://makeartthatsells.com

Thoughts on Raising a Teenager

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Parenting teenagers is difficult, but it’s also filled with so much joy. Trying to understand their emotions and reactions is hard, but if you can find ways to communicate openly, you can get through it.

The teen years open up so much opportunity to discuss and learn about new things together. It’s not all hard, there is so much fun with raising teens too.

Are we going to quit social media?

Wed, 25 May 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Social media is hard to keep up with and it often doesn’t help you see the results you want in your business. Is your social media bringing money to your business?

We’ve been considering quitting social media for our business and focusing on the areas that drive traffic and money to our business. We chat about the thoughts we’re in right now with the decision and how our time might be better used elsewhere.

How We do Staycations

Wed, 18 May 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Staycations are a great way to stay on a budget and spend down time together as a family. They tend to get a bad rap since you’re “staying home” instead of heading someplace else for holiday, but we have found to love them.

We share some of our tips on making a staycation relaxing and true time off from work and the daily grind.

When You’re All Over the Place in Your Business

Wed, 11 May 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Do you feel like you’re trying everything in your business and you’re all over the place with no focus? It’s easy to end a day or a week and realize you’ve just completed tasks, and you don’t feel fulfilled by any of it.

Finding a focus in your business is so important. It directs you and gives you a roadmap to figure out each next step. We chat about the idea of this focus and how it can help you in your business.

Do you know your focus in your business?

We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

EPISODE LINKS:

Roadmap to step out of business overwhelm - https://laurentcollectivelearning.com/step-out-of-business-overwhelm/

Choosing Slow Open Spaces

Wed, 04 May 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Slow evenings, reading a book, knitting, sitting with candles burning, relaxing…how does that sound to you? There’s something about the idea of slowness that draws us in, that leaves us craving it. Yet we often choose the opposite, giving into filling our schedules to the brim.

In this episode we talk about how we’ve been embracing the slowness and settling into it.

How are you embracing slow and open spaces right now?

We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

EPISODE LINKS:

Judy Brown poem “Fire” - www.judysorumbrown.com/blog/breathing-space

Sharing the Household Tasks

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 07:30:00 +0000

It can be super challenging to figure out how to share all the tasks within a household. Everything from cleaning to managing kids’ activities takes someone coordinating and taking the responsibility.

This has been a real challenge in our marriage through the years. We recently found a resource to help us talk through the household tasks and find a positive way forward. We share this resource and how it has worked for us.

How do you share household tasks in your home? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

LINKS:

Fair Play Book & Cards - https://www.fairplaylife.com/

How to End Your Business Well

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Are you preparing to end a part of your business or shut down your business completely? We experienced this with shutting down our photography business.

Closing your business, or a portion of it, can be challenging as you have so many emotions involved in the process. We share some tips and learnings from the difficult time in closing our photography business.

We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Our Teenager Composed a Music Album

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Our son, Zane, composed a LOFI music album called Multiversal Calm. We interview him to ask about the creation of the album.

Zane talks about the time he used to create the album and how the creativity came about for it.

We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

LINKS:

Multiversal Calm Album - https://open.spotify.com/album/50QcB6Srw773MqbsAjutFx?si=-54_nItjSf6pAAFvlONBXA

How We Met

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 07:30:00 +0000

We have been together for 24 years and married for almost 20 years. We have varying stories of how we met and how we began to date.

Each of us share our versions of how we met and laugh a lot at the differences in our stories.

How did you meet your partner? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

The Joys of Living in a Small Space

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Living in a small space has its challenges but we have found a small space also creates a lot of joy.

A small space has helped our family keep an eye on the amount of stuff that enters our home, makes it easier to keep clean and helps us have family time. Even though we live in a small space, it doesn’t prevent us from hosting in our home.

What do you love about the space you live in? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How to Find Your Creative Voice

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Are you confused about your creative voice? It is confusing and we’re told all kinds of mixed messages on how we discover our voice in creativity.

In this episode, we talk about some questions to ask yourself when it comes to your creative voice.

What have you found helpful in discovering your creative voice? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Enjoy £45 off your meal delivery at

https://bit.ly/3qWZh6F

What it means to be brave not safe

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 08:30:00 +0000

What does the word brave mean to you? Do you picture knights and swords?

It’s not always about going into battle, rather it’s about being authentically you and trying new things, even if you fail. It’s about stepping out of comfort zones and discovering more about yourself.

What have you done that you consider brave? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Enjoy £45 off your meal delivery at

https://bit.ly/3qWZh6F

Are you overwhelmed in your business?

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Are you wondering if you have to be constantly overwhelmed in your business? Maybe you’re thinking that’s just part of having a small business.

In this episode, we chat about how to realize you’re overwhelmed and then how to step out of it. We also share a free download you can get to give you steps to step out of the overwhelm of a small business.

What are you finding overwhelming in business right now? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

FREE download “Roadmap to step out of business overwhelm

https://laurentcollectivelearning.com/step-out-of-business-overwhelm/

What We Have Learned from UK Culture

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 08:30:00 +0000

We talk about how time is different here, the importance of holiday time, an appreciation for food and travel accessibility.

What have you learned from other cultures you’ve lived in? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Enjoy £45 off your meal delivery at

https://bit.ly/3qWZh6F

Fostering Creativity with Your Kids

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Does it feel like you are battling technology in your house and you’d just love to see your kids do something creative?

What have you found helpful in fostering creativity in your kids? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

ADVERT: Green Chef

Enjoy £45 off your meal delivery at

https://bit.ly/3qWZh6F

A Time to Settle In & Dig Deep Roots

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 08:30:00 +0000

Are you in a season where you feel like your focus should close by, right where you find yourself? Instead of big moves or huge goals, you feel the need to settle in and dig deep right in your home or community?

It can be a strange feeling when culture tells us to constantly be going bigger, louder and bolder. We find ourselves in this settling in place and digging deep season. We share how it feels and how we’re fighting against the pressure to do the opposite.

Are you finding yourself in a similar season? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

ADVERT: Green Chef

Enjoy £45 off your meal delivery at

https://bit.ly/3qWZh6F

What It’s Like to Get Rid of Almost Everything You Own

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 08:30:00 +0000

What are your experiences with decluttering/moving? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

ADVERT: Valentines Day

Help your kids spread Valentine’s love: https://laurentcollective.com/collections/valentines-day-cards

How to Say No To Opportunities Not Meant for You

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 08:30:00 +0000

What are you learning about saying no? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

ADVERT: Valentines Day

Help your kids spread Valentine’s love: https://laurentcollective.com/collections/valentines-day-cards

How We Get The Kids to Help Around the House

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 08:30:00 +0000

It can be difficult to get your kids to be on board with helping around the house. You want to help them understand responsibilities but it just seems too hard to get anyone to do anything.

In this episode, we share these ideas and how you could take them into your family.

What have you found helpful with your family being a family team for your house? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

ADVERT: Valentines Day

Help your kids spread Valentine’s love: https://laurentcollective.com/collections/valentines-day-cards

Are you confused about what to focus on in your business?

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 09:30:00 +0000

Are you struggling knowing what to focus on this year? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Stepping Slowly into the New year

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 09:30:00 +0000

As a new year begins it can be so tempting to jump in and run after new goals and habits. Most of us are still feeling some type of exhaustion from these past few years and the idea of running into a new year sounds daunting.

We share how we’re approaching this year. Whether you do new year goals, habits or resolutions, you don’t have to hit all of them at once on January 1st. However, you can still make progress one step at time.

How are you starting off this year? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Remember to Stop

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 09:00:00 +0000

As you head into this holiday week, remember to stop and take a deep breath.

This week is not meant to make you exhausted. This week is meant to remember the quiet night that the world was preparing for a joyful morning.

We hope you have a restful end of the year.

How to Build Rest into Your Schedule

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 09:00:00 +0000

As we enter into a new year, it’s important to build rest into your schedule. Even when you think you don’t need it, our bodies need regular rhythms of rest.

We chat about what we’ll be doing in the new year to make sure we’re building in rest into our schedule.

How do you find rest? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Year End Reflection Questions for Your Business

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 09:30:00 +0000

It’s common to want to jump into the new year with a fresh start, but we need to first start with reflecting on the year that has just passed.

In this episode, we chat about some questions to reflect on and think through as the year comes to an end. It’s important to reflect on your business the past year before you start thinking through your goals and hopes for the new year.

What do you find helpful when reflecting on your business for the year? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

It’s not always on your time

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Timing is so hard when you really want something to happen in your life. Waiting and patience aren’t easy to apply to situations when you really want something to happen in your timing.

We’ve just gone through a season of not having major life moments happen in the timing we hoped. We’re sharing some things we’ve learned and are still learning as we have waited and tried our best to be patient.

What have you learned about timing in your life? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

When You Can’t be Home for the Holidays

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

So many of us aren’t able to go home” for the holidays. It’s hard to know what to do during the holiday season because you live far away, work inhibits you from having time off or it’s just too expensive to get back.

We share our experience of being away from family and close friends during the holidays and how we’ve made it less lonely and have invited others into our traditions. It’s made our holidays feel warm and joyful.

What experiences have you had having holidays away from loved ones? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How We’ve Learned to Fight in Our Marriage

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Early in our marriage, Maya used to run and avoid any disagreements we had in our relationship and Patrick would try to get everything worked out right in the moment. Over the years, we learned this did not work for either of our personalities.

It has taken us time to learn how to honor one another's unique ways we need to come to a solution when things get heated. We’re sharing how we have grown in the way we fight and argue now.

What are you learning in how you argue in your relationship? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Slow Business Growth is Okay

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We live in a culture that constantly tells us to do it faster and grow your business big quickly. We can see “overnight” success stories and think something is wrong with us if that hasn’t been our business’ experience.

In this episode, we’re chatting about the idea that it’s okay to have slow, continuous growth in your business instead of growing it super fast.

What are your thoughts on growing your business slowly? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Our Current Favorite Things

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We are sharing our current favorite books, shows and podcasts in this episode. We chat about why they are our current favorites and the differences the two of us have in what we like.

What are some of your favorites right now? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Being the Oldest in the Family

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Are you the oldest in your family or do you have a first child? We sit down with our oldest son to chat through what it’s like to be the oldest sibling in the family.

All three of us are the oldest siblings so it was fun to share thoughts and hear how as parents, we may be a bit harder on the oldest child.

Are you the oldest child? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Just Get Started

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Sometimes it’s hard to take a step into something you’ve been wanting to do for awhile. You

have to take that first step and just get started!

We’re sharing some lessons we’ve learned about getting started in all areas of life. We hope it brings you some motivation to go for it and just start whatever it is on your mind.

We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Finding a Way to Make Christmas Less Crazy with Simple Memories

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

We found Christmas to be such a crazy time and we didn’t like that feel of the season. So we came up with some ways to slow down as a family and create simple memories that focus on our relationships and time together with our Advent calendar.

We share the story of our family’s Advent calendar and how we created a way for you to slow down with your family during the Christmas season.

We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Order Your Advent Calendar

https://laurentcollective.com/collections/christmas-theme-gifts/products/bible-family-activity-advent-calendar

What You Learn from Failing

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000

We all learn so much when we go after something we believe in and we fail at it. We had a dream of having a non-profit and we went for it, but it didn’t succeed like we thought it would. After closing the doors to the non-profit, we have had years to reflect on what we learned from failing.

What have you learned from failing? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How You Can Prep Your Business for Christmas

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The Christmas season is busy for most small business owners which means it can be a stressful time. Over the years, we’ve learned some things to do to prep for the season and we’re sharing them with you today.

Are you prepping for the Christmas season? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Why It’s So Hard to Ask for Help

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Do you find it hard to ask for help? Whether it’s asking for help in your personal life or in your business, it’s just hard to ask for help. We personally struggle with this and recently got to a point that we realized we needed to ask for help. We chat about this and what we are learning in asking for help.

Do you have stories of asking for help? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How Do You Know You Want to be Parents?

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0000

We have been asked many times the question “How did you know you wanted to have kids?” We thought we’d dive into this question and share whether or not we have an answer to this question.

What other questions do you have for us? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How to Foster Reading with Your Kids

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Our whole family loves reading but it has been a process to get everyone on board with a love for books. We share some ideas of how our kids have come to love reading and how we foster this in our family.

What are you reading in your family right now? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

City Life with a Family

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We love living in the city of London as a family. Our family just fits in the city and has adjusted to city life after living in the suburbs. We’re sharing some of the things that look different when you live in the city as a family.

What do you love about where you live? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Stepping into a New Business Category

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Have you thought about stepping into a totally new category in your business? It’s hard to know how and when to make a major shift in your business. We’re sharing about our current process as we step into a new category in our business.

Are you thinking about stepping into a new business category? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

More Cultural Differences Between the UK & US

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We share some more cultural differences between living in the United States and the United Kingdom. We talk about healthcare, walking paths and tea this time.

What else do you want to know about the cultural differences between the UK and US? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

All Questions Allowed with Our Kids, Well Most

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We have a rule in our house that our kids can ask us anything and we will try our best to answer honestly. But we have ran into a couple things that we realized they just didn’t need to know the answer.

How do you answer questions from your children? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How a Butterfly Taught Us about Trusting the Next Step

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Most of the time in our lives, we can only see the next step we need to take. Maya shares a story about following a butterfly on a path and how it reminded her of just trusting in the next step.

How do you trust in taking the next step? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Tools that Actually Help You Grow Your Business

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 09:00:00 +0000

What would happen if your choice of social media (Instagram, TikTock, etc.) went away tomorrow? What are you putting in place in your business to help have various tools to build your business?

We chat about the tools we have found to be important in our business and what actually brings sales and people to our website.

Mentioned in the Episode:

Marketing with Menekse SEO Course

https://marketingwithmenekse.com/the-seo-membership

What tools do you use to build your business? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

19 Years Of Marriage Reflections

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We’re celebrating 19 years of marriage this week! We share how horrible our first day of our honeymoon was but also share what we’ve learned about marriage over these 19 years.

What are you learning about marriage and relationships? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

What Happens at Our Dinner Table

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Come be a guest at our dinner table. We love having conversations with our kids while we have a meal and we have a few ways that we get them to talk beyond just saying their day was “fine.”

What does your table conversation look like? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Joy in Your Creativity

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you get stuck in your creativity and it’s no longer giving you joy to create. If you have a creative business, you can often lose your joy and think you always have to create for your business.

We have run into times when it’s been hard to find joy in our creativity. We’ve developed some ways to add fun back into creating. We share some ways that we have found bring joy back into our creativity.

How do you add joy into your creativity? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Mentioned in the Episode:

Skillshare

https://skl.sh/3pRXb3Z

Creating Friendships in New Places

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Moving to a new place has many challenges but one of the biggest hurdles is making new friends. We experienced this as we moved to a different country away from the close friendships we formed over the years.

We chat about what it has been like to move into a city and try to establish new friendships. It’s scary putting yourself out there to build new friendships and we have found that is the key...sometimes you have to go first.

We hope this chat is encouraging if you find yourself wanting friendships and are struggling to know how to create those and seek them out.

Have you experienced moving to a new place and wanting friendships? We’d love to hear from your stories! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Thinking of quitting your business?

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Has this year been hard for you in your business? Maybe you’ve run up against a difficult time in your business and you just want to quit?

We’ve heard from a lot of creative business owners who are considering shutting down their businesses right now. We want to give you some encouragement and some ideas on how to get through those difficult times in business.

Have you been considering closing your creative business? We’d love to hear from you and encourage you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Introducing Our Kids

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We talk about our children a lot on the podcast and ever since the podcast mics arrived they have been begging for us to interview them.

Our three kids share about what they love to create, how they find living in London and their interests.

Do you have any questions for our kids? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Our Thoughts on Dating in Today’s Connected World

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 12:30:00 +0000

While we’ve been out of the dating world for a long time, we have plenty of friends dating in this age of swipe right, left and constant texting contact.

We laugh as we realize our dating profiles would not match up and how being in constant contact would cause a lot of stress. Join us for a conversation on some of our observations of the dating world today.

Mentioned in the Episode:

The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey to Self Discovery

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Back-You-Enneagram-Self-Discovery/dp/0830846190/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1622106161&sr=8-1

Enneagram Insight - Enneagram Teacher/Classes

https://egraminsight.com/

Are you single and have some thoughts on our dating observations? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How to Determine Income Streams in Your Business

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 09:00:00 +0000

How do you determine what income streams are best for you and your creative business? Diversifying is a really great idea, but it can be hard to understand what will work best for your unique situation.

We chat about the different types of income streams you could offer and some questions to ask yourself as you determine how you want to run your business.

What have you learned recently about income streams in your business? We’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

We got out of $60,000 in debt in 6 months

Wed, 26 May 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Debt holds you back from so much and for us, being $60,000 in debt held us back from being able to give in the ways we desired.

Debt doesn’t have to be part of your story forever, but it does take time and effort to be serious about stepping out of it. We share our story and what worked best for us to come to a place of debt freedom.

Mentioned in the episode:

Financial Peace University

https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace

Dave Ramsey Baby Steps

https://www.ramseysolutions.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps

Do you have a debt free story? We’d love to hear it! Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Fighting Back Against Busy

Wed, 19 May 2021 09:30:00 +0000

Do you feel like life gets too busy and you don’t have any time to build relationships?

When you’re busy you don’t create space for rest and don’t allow lingering time with others. We talk about what we’re finding as our time opens up in new ways and how we find space to grow deeper relationships and for rest.

Mentioned in the episode:

When the World Went Quiet children's book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-World-Went-Quiet-Martina/dp/0996366857

How do you fight against busy in your life? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Working Together as a Couple

Wed, 12 May 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Do you work together with your spouse in a business or has this past year of Covid had you at home with your spouse more?

We’re going to talk about some things we’ve learned over the years of working together and being in the same space a lot. We’ve worked together in business for over 13 years so we have a few things we’ve learned but we are still always learning.

Mentioned in the episode:

Work and Play with Nancy Ray 6 Questions to Ask Your Spouse Every Week

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/6-questions-to-ask-your-spouse-every-week/id1460851854?i=1000453584546

Do you work with your partner? What have you found helpful as you work together and do life together? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Jumping into the Next Step Even When it Doesn’t Make Sense

Wed, 05 May 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We often get asked how we ended up living in London and today we’re going to share part of that story.

As we share our story we’ll discuss how you process jumping into something when it doesn’t make sense.

Are you facing a next step that feels like a huge jump? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Your Priorities and Your Time Part 2

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0000

We continue our discussion on figuring out your priorities and how you spend your time. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 in Episode 5, head back to give it a listen before diving into Part 2.

We explore some concepts that have helped us like block scheduling and figuring out what time of day you work best.

What have you found helpful in your life to figure out your priorities? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Your Priorities and Your Time Part 1

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0000

The idea of finding balance in your life is widely talked about, but is it possible? It seems to us to be more of an unbalanced act as you go in and out of different seasons of life.

Today we’re sharing some thoughts on figuring out your priorities and how you spend your time. We think about your dream life and what essentialism looks like to help you with your yeses and noes.

Mentioned in the episode:

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077875-essentialism

Elegant Excellence Journal - https://elegantexcellencejournal.com/

What have you found helpful in your life to figure out your priorities? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Staying On Your Path

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0000

It’s so easy to see what other people are doing and want to mimic them, but we all have a unique path. So how do you stay on that path and not get side-tracked to what others are doing? We’re going to talk about that today.

Mentioned in the episode:

Staying On Your Path PDF

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077875-essentialism

Do you have a story of when you’ve veered off your path and you’ve learned from it? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Do We Speak The Same Language in the UK & US?

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 21:32:35 +0000

We moved to the UK five years ago and thought we’d understand most things as we speak the same language. But is the language the same?

Do you know the difference between pants and trousers? We learned this and many other differences in some embarrassing ways. We have a good laugh at some of the differences and the cultural adjustments.

Are there words that confuse you between cultures? Come share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Creating Connection Points with Your Kids

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 21:29:44 +0000

If you are a parent, you probably spend a lot of time with your children, but there are ways to make intentional times to build the connections within your family. We certainly don’t have this all figured out but we’ve picked up some ideas along our parenting journey and are sharing with you in this episode.

Mentioned in the episode:

Family Connection Ideas Download

Quiz to find out children’s love languages - https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/child-quiz/

Bluey - https://www.bluey.tv/

We’d love to hear how your family makes time to connect. Share with us on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

How to Make The Big & Little Decisions in Life

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 21:22:13 +0000

Are you overwhelmed about making a big decision or perhaps it’s all the little decisions that are causing stress?

We're facing a big decision so we thought we’d share some steps we’re taking in the process.

Today we’ll share some methods to think through decisions you face. We explore the criteria we’ve created for saying yes or no to the opportunities we’re presented in life.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52578297-the-midnight-library

Come say hello and share with us about what has helped you make decisions. Leave a comment on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.

Hi, We’re The Laurent Collective | Pilot Episode

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 21:01:44 +0000

It’s the beginning of going deeper than surface as we introduce ourselves and share a bit of our story. We’ll introduce our family, share some of our favorites and tell you a bit about our passions in life and business.

Come say hello and introduce yourself on our latest IG post or send us a DM (we read all the comments and messages) @laurentcollective.