In 1971, Joni Mitchell released Blue, an album teeming with stories of a life shaped by romance, desire, longing, and the default path of sharing life with another person. The ideal might persist to this day, but what happens if the romance we are  told will give life meaning... never shows up? How gorgeous and fulfilling can we make our lives, sans romantic partner? 

Amy Key, the celebrated British essayist and poet, sets out to explore exactly these questions in her memoir, Arrangements in Blue, with Joni's seminal album as its scaffolding. Amy embarks on an intimate, sometimes painfully candid journey to search for all the things a soulmate was supposed to deliver, working out how to live well in this culture that prizes romantic love. 

And she shares her findings with us.

Amy’s wisdom and tenderness guide us from an important shift in ideas about intimacy and solitude to the painful feelings we are often too ashamed to discuss: loneliness, envy, grief, and the sensation of wanting. In this episode, learn about the importance of building a home, how to travel alone, the importance of recognizing your own milestones, and why we should consider expanding the remit of friendship.

Recommended by Caitlin and Ben:

Living Your Best Single Life

Simplify episode - Rebecca Traister and The Power of Being Single

All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister 

Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab

Recommended by Amy: 

Kick the Latch by Katherine Scanlan

Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code arrangement. 

Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [2], Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [3]. You can write us all an email at podcast@blinkist.com [4].

This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist

Amy Key: Romance Isn't Everything

Today, we bring you Simplify's first ever crossover episode with the  #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: Acquired!

For nearly 9 years David Rosenthal—today's guest—and his co-host Ben have been sharing the strategies and history of 200+ of the world's most successful businesses. From Sequoia to Sony, through to TSMC, Amazon, The New York Times, the NBA and Oprah, Acquired's hosts go deep—sometimes 3 hours deep!—into the details of each business's ups and downs. 

In this episode of Simplify, we had the unique chance to tap into David's unique wisdom and expertise and ask: what are the patterns you've seen across these success stories? 

Caitlin and David focus on 3 big lessons from David's gleaned through years of research and immersion. He shares one powerful lesson on customers, one on product, and one that extends out to collaborations. They scrutinize and highlight the insights and attitudes that have helped some of the world's most notable companies thrive. What’s more, with an experience of two hosts and expert interviewers, they reach some everlasting wisdom on quality, connection, and authenticity— applicable both in business and life! 

Check out Blinkist's exclusive collection that offers concise and insightful Blinks, revealing the secrets behind Nike's global triumphs, tailored for listeners of the Acquired podcast. 

Recommended by Caitlin and Ben:

Powers of Two by Joshua Wolf Shank

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

Try Blinkist for free for 14 days by going to [https://www.blinkist.com/simplify\][2], tapping on Try Blinkist at the top right, and entering the code acquired. 

Let us know what you thought of this episode, or just come say hi on Twitter! Find Caitlin at @caitlinschiller https://twitter.com/caitlinschiller [2], Ben at @bsto https://twitter.com/bsto [3]. You can write us all an email at podcast@blinkist.com [4].

This episode of Simplify was produced by Caitlin Schiller, Ben Schuman-Stoler, Maria Levacic & Stéphane Obadia at Blinkist

Acquired's David Rosenthal: 3 Secrets of the World's Most Successful Businesses

Hey guys, it's Ben. Before you listen to this week's interview with Rachel Hills, author of The Sex Myth, please take our **~~exciting~~** survey:

------->  https://goo.gl/dYUjeo
(It's just eight questions and takes literally two minutes to fill out. Email me at podcast(at)blinkist.com if you can do it faster.)

Today we have an interview with Rachel Hills, author of The Sex Myth. We talk about sex, Disney movies and how to not let sex make you anxious — which, in her view, is a major societal problem. 

Hills is a writer and activist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Republic, Buzzfeed, Jezebel, and more. You can check out her work at TheSexMyth(.)com. 

//// Use code sexmyth at Blinkist.com/Friends to get 14 free days of Blinkist. 

//// Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: http://blnk.st/28JBVIY

//// That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook(.)com/niceaux].

Not Having Sex? Author Rachel Hills Explains Why Your Sex Life is Okay

Hey guys, it's Ben. Before you listen to this week's interview with Adam Alter, author of IRRESISTIBLE: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked (Penguin Press; March 7, 2017), please take our exciting survey
-------> goo.gl/dYUjeo
(It's just eight questions and takes literally two minutes to fill out. Email me at podcast(at)blinkist(dot)com if you can do it faster. Big thanks to those of you that already have.)

This episode is an interview with psychology and marketing professor, researcher, writer, speaker, and overall very smart person Adam Alter, author of IRRESISTIBLE: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked (Penguin Press; March 7, 2017). Alter published the bestselling and amazing and terrifying Drunk Tank Pink in 2013 and is currently on tour talking about his brand new book, Irresistible. The reviews are just starting to come out, and those of us lucky enough to get advance copies are all itchy to talk about it.

//// Use code irresistible at Blinkist.com/Friends to get 14 free days of Blinkist.

/// Check out the full transcript on the Blinkist Magazine: http://blnk.st/2mpnWiX Then read Irresistible on Blinkist: http://buff.ly/2mkGnoI

//// Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: blnk.st/28JBVIY

//// That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook(.)com/niceaux].

Candy Crush Your Addiction! Adam Alter On What Makes Everything So Irresistible

In honor of #MindfulMarch, we have two short special editions of the podcast to share. The first one is a Blinkist Primer on mindfulness.

Caitlin and I went through our new Mindfulness and Happiness category  (http://buff.ly/2nech5d) and the “Be More Mindful in 2017” curated reading list (http://buff.ly/2neqmzo) to pluck out the most essential info from top non-fiction books on mindfulness:

1. What do people talk about when they talk about mindfulness?
2. Why are all these people suddenly talking about it?
3. How can I get the benefits others get from it?
4. How do other people practice it? 
5. What do the skeptics say? 
6. Can I hear what Ben would sound like if he was my personal spiritual podcast guru? (Just kidding. Sort of.)

The idea is that after this 20 minutes – or 10 if you listen at 2x speed, you podcast fanatics out there I see you! – you’ll know what everyone’s talking about in the whole mindfulness craze, and you’ll know how to apply it to your own life and understand why everyone keeps talking about it. 

Simple as that.
______

- Books we mentioned: 

Get Some Headspace http://buff.ly/2nH4E9U
Waking Up http://buff.ly/2nH6F6a
The Upside of your Dark Side http://buff.ly/2mUpMFs
Wherever You Go, There You Are http://buff.ly/2nHkAZP
The Mindful Athlete http://buff.ly/2nHiKIC

- That excellent intro and outro music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook.com/niceaux].

- Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: http://blnk.st/28JBVIY

The Blinkist Primer: What Top Non-Fiction Says About Mindfulness And Meditation

In honor of #MindfulMarch, we wanted to bring you two short, special editions of the Blinkist Podcast. Last week, we reviewed the best non-fiction books on mindfulness; today we ask whether mindfulness is the future of work and self care. 

There’s no doubt that mindfulness appeals to a lot of people. Like local woman, internet superhero, and podcast co-host, Caitlin. She and Ben sat down to work through their conflicted feelings about mindfulness, talk about the perks of loud breathing, and discuss a bunch of other relevant stuff, like

- What’s the link between mindfulness and modern stress levels?
- Does practicing mindfulness help heal traumas like PTSD?
- Why are big-time corporations like Google investing in mindfulness?
- Does being mindful really make you more creative and more productive? Will it give you good hair?
- What is snake brain?

Whether you’re a mindfulness skeptic or a true believer, their 20 minute conversation might persuade you to consider the opposing view.

____

Related podcasts: 

The Blinkist Primer: What Top Non-Fiction Says About Mindfulness And Meditation
http://blnk.st/2ocx6kq

Is That Even A Thing? Part 2: The Low-Down on What's Trending in Self-Help
http://blnk.st/2ocOTI7

Rebranding Blinkist: How We Got App Store Features in 9 Countries
http://blnk.st/2ocItZF

Getting Things Done, Then What? The Truth Behind Productivity With David Allen
http://blnk.st/2ocG0hP

Blinkist Podcast Episode 1: Is That Even a Thing?
http://blnk.st/2ocDA2P

David Burkus Debunks Everything You Thought You Knew About Creativity
http://blnk.st/2ocG9ln
____

That excellent intro and outro music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook.com/niceaux].

Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: http://blnk.st/28JBVIY

Is That Even a Thing? Part 3: Do Mindfulness Techniques Really Work Against Stress, PTSD & Burnout?

For this episode, we talked to Daniel Schacter, professor of psychology at Harvard and the author of The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers. 

Our conversation focused on the three “sins of omission” outlined in his book on memory. The big bad memory sins, in order of badness, are: absent-mindedness, transience, blocking. Tune in for Schacter’s insights on how to remember what you have to remember and forget what you need to forget. 

____

Highlights:

"We tend to think of memory as being all about the past...But remembering the past has a lot in common with imagining the future."

"The most dangerous [of the seven sins] is absentmindedness: absentmindedness is the breakdown at the interface of attention and memory."

"The take-home message for everyday life: when you know there's something you want to remember...elaborate on that information. Try to relate it to other things you know."

____

That excellent intro and outro music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook.com/niceaux].

Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: blnk.st/28JBVIY

Forgetful? Harvard Prof Daniel Schacter Explains Why Our Memories Are So Flawed

Sandra Aamodt is a neuroscientist and former lifestyle dieter who wants to shout what she’s learned from the rooftops: according to the leading research in neuroscience, your brain has decided how much it wants you to weigh and will keep pushing you back to that weight *forever*. If you were already skeptical of popular weight loss methods, the ideas in Sandra’s book, Why Diets Make Us Fat, will be empowering. 

For the latest episode of Blinkist Podcast, I spoke to Sandra about the science of weight loss, the health advantages of mindful eating, what it’s like to sail to New Zealand, and why depriving yourself of office doughnuts never works.

You can find her book on Blinkist: http://blnk.st/2qbi13o
----------------------
Highlights:

On the myth of self-control: 
"It's just not true that somebody can simply decide to take control of their physiology and change it through sheer force of will."

On decision fatigue: 
"Most people make 200 to 300 food-related decisions per day."

On weight loss longevity: 
“Your brain will continue to try to push you back to the weight that it prefers forever.”

On food and common sense: 
"The best way to approach food is by relaxing and enjoying it and paying attention to what your body wants from moment to moment, and trusting that people have been maintaining stable weights for hundreds and thousands of years before anybody ever invented that little scale that you use to weigh chicken breasts."

--------------------------

That excellent intro and outro music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook.com/niceaux].

Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: blnk.st/28JBVIY

Weight Loss Not Working? How the Secrets of Neuroscience Will Make You Stop Dieting Forever

After collapsing from burnout and sleep deprivation in 2007, Arianna Huffington threw herself into the latest research on sleep, discovering that the sleepless nights she’d depending on to build her career had had profound negative consequences on her health. What she learned was transformative: these days, Huffington is so dedicated to getting a full night of sleep, she won’t even bring her smartphone into the bedroom, for fear of accidentally stimulating a bout of insomnia. 

We spoke with Huffington about getting onboard the sleep train last year, after she published The Sleep Revolution, an account of her personal experiences with sleep deprivation and a passionate call for others to learn from her mistakes. 

We think it was a pretty great interview. And since the podcast crew is currently working on some super-special, super-secret new stuff that’s totally inspired by Arianna’s super-simple, super-good advice, we wanted to share the episode with you again today. 

We hope you enjoy. But more than that, we hope you get some sleep.

//// Hop on over to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast or give us a review: blnk.st/28JBVIY

//// That excellent music you heard is by Nico Guiang. You can find more of it on SoundCloud [@niceaux] and Facebook [www.facebook(.)com/niceaux].

Sleep Tips: The Secrets of Arianna Huffington’s Strict Bedtime Routine

An immersive sound meditation audiobook from Leo Cosendai. 

 Seven Days of Gong Meditation will guide you through seven sound meditation sessions with immersive sound and an exclusive introduction from Leo Cosendai.

Pre-Order Now

Extract: Seven Days of Sound Meditation, By Leo Cosendai, Read by Leo Cosendai

The Joy of 18
Recollections of what brought people joy when they were 18.
Composed in an Exquisite Corpse style. 
Produced by Sam, with music by Dan, for Ed and Resonance.

The Joy Of 18

Please visit us at blinkist.com/simplify to see our new podcast, Simplify!

Amy Key: Romance Isn't Everything

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