Life Happens with Barb & Michelle (Michelle Maros & Barb Schmidt)

This week on Barb Knows Best, Barb and Michelle dive into a topic we all face but rarely talk about openly: disrespect and recognizing when enough is enough. 

In this episode, they talk about the subtle signals that can tell us it’s time to reassess or even step away from people or situations that no longer feel respectful or aligned. Through honest conversations, personal stories, and practical advice, they explore how small acts of disrespect—often brushed off as “no big deal”—can, over time, erode our sense of trust and security. Through this episode, they’ll help you identify patterns that may be quietly signaling it’s time to reevaluate, set new boundaries, or even make the choice to walk away.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Anisa Beauty, Factor, and Sunbasket.

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this very special episode, Barb and Michelle celebrate one year of Barb Knows Best, the Podcast! In this time, they reflect on some of the biggest, most impactful lessons they’ve learned since launching the show, and what they hope to pass along to all of the listeners! Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

15 Things That Were “Up” for Us in Our First Year:

1. Give yourself grace and pause to feel the feelings.
2. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Be curious about the unknown. We don’t know what is on the other side of fear and self-doubt.
3. Amazing things can happen when you commit to your dreams.
4. Don’t take things personally. There will always be people committed to misunderstanding you.
5. There is power in shared experiences and shared vulnerability.
6. Learn who you can trust and how to discern who has earned that trust.
7. You are not alone. There are people out there who want to help you. You simply have to ask.
8. Know who YOUR people are. Understand the importance of asking those people for help when you need it. Your people ARE YOUR people.
9. Healthy boundaries are important.
10. Be where your feet are, the present moment is truly where we have our power.
11. There is power in the PAUSE.
12. Every storm runs out of rain. ~ Maya Angelou
13. Happiness is choosing one thought over the other.
14. Life is not a one and done, we are always learning.
15. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Even with all the practices, self-compassion continues to be the hardest one to adapt in our lives.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle tackle the topic of apologies, and how to spot the difference between a real one, and a fake one. They also distinguish between apologizing and making amends and which practice is more powerful in mending relationships. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Here is a quick overview of what IS NOT an apology:

• I am sorry but….
• I apologize if what happened upset you…..
• I regret that happened…..
• I apologize if you….

A real apology doesn’t make excuses. It takes responsibility and makes changes to the behavior.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Making Amends in Addiction Recovery
• Have You Ever Received an Apology that Didn’t Really Feel Like the Person was Sorry
• Drop a Heart if You Have Ever Received a Fake Apology
• The Importance of Responsibility by Michelle Maros

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In this week’s New Year episode, Barb and Michelle unpack a quote that has been simmering in their minds, “Please let go of the habit of comforting people after they have harmed you” by Liana Naima. It’s easy for many of us to go into people pleasing mode to keep the peace in our relationships, but at what cost? Listen to learn their thoughts! Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Give yourself space and allow yourself to sit in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar.

• Remember there is power in the space. You do not always need to be reactive, fix and comfort. Allow yourself that space to determine what is comfortable for you in that situation.

• Remember you are worthy of kind and loving relationships where you don’t have to fix things.

• Have at least one trustworthy person who you can talk to, and who will be unbiased and not judge you. Someone who will just listen.

• Be gentle, loving and caring with yourself while you learning, while you are growing, while you are healing and uncovering what’s underneath.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh  

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In this week’s episode, Barb is fresh off her silent retreat and gives us the insight we all are yearning to hear! Barb discusses her takeaways, thoughts, and feelings on her recent experience as well as talks us through her history with going on retreats.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Retreat – the act of giving up and withdrawing or a time away in a quiet and secluded place where you can relax.

Retreats allow for self-observation of personal feelings, thoughts, and sensations without judgment.

Barb’s Tangible Takeaways from Her Retreat:

1. Commit to notice the dialogue your mind is having with you, but you don’t engage with that dialogue.

a. Do not judge.

b. Do not compare.

c. Do not fix.

2. You can’t place your value and self-worth in the external world. You can’t fix the past. Be present in the moment.

3. Retreats for Barb are a rest of the mind. Be in the trough and allows yourself the space and the ability to feel your feelings. Regaining a sense of self.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Barb’s Ted Talk – Is this seat taken?

Vipassana Retreat

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In a very special episode of Barb Knows Best, Michelle and Barb are joined by dear friend, author of the just-released book, The Sugar Jar, coach, and speaker, Yasmine Cheyenne. This intimate and vulnerable conversation dives into the topics of real self-care, life changes and transitions, and how to maintain a centering practice to connect with yourself, through it all. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes

• Try to follow the 24-hour rule before making any decision to help you establish boundaries and choose yourself. Ask yourself:
• Do I have space for this?
• Do I have time for this?
• Is this in alignment with what I said I want to do this year?
• And is this for me?  
• Give yourself grace because you are going to make choices that are not go the way you intended.
• Healing is a forever process. It’s not a decision. We are all still healing each day.  
• You are the only person who knows what you need.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• The Sugar Jar by Yasmine Cheyenne
• IG Live with Yasmine Cheyenne
• @YasmineCheyenne

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This week on Barb Knows Best, we share practical strategies and heartfelt insights to help you reclaim your peace this season. From setting boundaries and managing expectations to staying grounded when chaos swirls around you, we’ve got you covered. Whether it’s handling that one relative who always tests your patience or learning how to put your own well-being first, this episode is your guide to showing up authentically and embracing the holidays on your terms.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Anisa Beauty, Factor, and Sunbasket.

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

As much as we all try to be kind and compassion, sometimes, people are mean to us. It’s a fact of life that once we learn to accept it, we can cultivate tools to manage it. This week, Barb and Michelle talk about how they handle “mean people”, and simple reminders for when you feel overwhelmed by someone else’s behavior. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast. 

Episode Notes:

Things to consider when people are mean to you:

1. We can’t control how other people behave.
2. We can’t change other people.
3. Don’t take what other people do personally. It has nothing to do with you.

Reasons for understanding why someone is acting in a hurtful way:

1. Hurt people, hurt people. 
2. Envy as the root of their behavior. 
3. Emotional reactivity. 
4. Projection.
5. Lack of awareness.
6. Too focused on their own needs to think of yours.

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After last week’s episode on peace and acceptance, we decided it would be fun to re-release this early episode discussing being okay with being the villain in someone else’s story. It’s a great conversation to follow up from episode 106! Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes: 

• It’s okay to disappoint someone else if you’re standing up for yourself.
• It’s okay to set boundaries in relationships that aren’t supportive, or loving, or in alignment, because you feel called to do so.
• It’s okay to speak your truth, even if you know that the people that are listening might not like it.
• It’s okay to say no.
• It’s okay to stop communicating with someone because they’re not respecting you or your wishes.
• It’s okay to not tolerate those parts of your life that drag you down, make you feel less than, or don’t allow you to live your fullest best life.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

My Favorite Lesson I’ve Learned in 2023 So Far by Michelle Maros

Crossing the Flood, A Commentary on the Oghatarana Sutta

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We hear all the time from listeners that they want to start to incorporate mindfulness practices into their lives, but are unsure where or how to start. In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle dive into how to find your practice, and practice it! They break down the myths and stigmas of what it means to practice mindfulness and help you to better understand how these meaningful tools can be woven into your life.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.  

Episode Notes:

• Consistency is key when finding your practice.
• Take a temperature of yourself and check in with yourself.
• Find your practice and practice it.
• Find your teachings that inspire you and learn from them.
• Find your Community, the people in your life that lift you up and inspire you to the be the best version of you. Be with them.

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Happy New Year! It’s a new year, which means it’s time for a clean slate! In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss their New Year’s ritual of choosing an intention word, how it’s been meaningful for their lives, and how you can choose one, too! 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Setting in an intention word is an internal calling versus an external desire. It’s a practice from the inside out.

Tips for setting your 2023 Intention Word:

Sit in a quiet space and connect with yourself

Silently ask yourself:

• What is my desire 2023?
• What is my intention this year?
• Who am I?
• What do I really want?
• What impact do I want to make in 2023?

Don’t overthink.

See what comes up first for you.

• Listen to the whispers of the heart.
• Allow your mind to imagine and visualize what your life would look like with that intention.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

I Am Here by Pink

Maya Angelou and Oprah Video

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In a follow up from last week’s episode about being present, Barb and Michelle dive into the habits that tend to take us out of the present moment, and what we can start to do today, to bring us where our feet are. Remembering that the present moment is where you have all your power.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Studies show 85% of the things we worry about do not happen, and the 15% of the things that do happen, we handle better than we thought we would. 

Common life instances that keep us from being mindful and in the present:

• Worry and anxiety
• Boredom and restlessness
• Impatience

If you are feeling these feelings, take a moment to pause and see where your feet are.

Remember the good that comes from tapping into the new patterns of being more focused and mindful. 

Some of the benefits that come from being present and focused are:

• Having more productive action.
• Being able to recognize the tiny joys.
• More confidence. 
• More energy. 

 Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

A Wandering Mind Not a Happy Mind

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This week, Barb and Michelle continue their conversation from the week before, discussing the topic of letting go, moving on, and finding peace. It can be challenging for all of us to find closure when we don’t get the apology or validation that we feel we are owed. Luckily, we don’t need the external world to give us permission to be free. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Helpful Steps to Guide You in Your Practice of Acceptance:

1. Know yourself. Ask yourself what it is you want to get out of it. Is it an apology? Is it peace?
2. Know how to pick your battles and where you should be placing your energy.
3. Know when to take an action and what that action is.
4. Know that what’s done is done. Don’t let yourself relive the past over and over.
5. Know that it is all going to be okay.

Grandma Sumana Poem

After all those years

looking after others, 

this old heart has finally learned

to look after itself. 

Each act of kindness 

a stitch in this warm blanket

that now covers me

while I sleep.

 References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• The Truelove by David Whyte
• The Power of Practicing Acceptance by Michelle Maros
• The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns, translated by Matty Weingast

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In this week’s long awaited episode, Barb and Michelle dive into their favorite inspirational reads. Book recommendations are one of the most commonly asked questions, so we are thrilled to share the books that have gotten us through so much in life. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Reading can help you find your mentors and inspirational advisors.

Barb’s first book out of treatment:

• The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

Barb’s first inspirational book:

• Codependent No More by Melody Beattie

To be followed by Michelle’s favorite companion book:

• Journey to the Heart by Melody Beattie

Two books that Barb recommends the most:

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Set Boundaries Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab

The book that Barb recommends if you are going through a difficult time.

• When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön

Michelle’s recommendations to tap into your creativity:

• The Artist Way by Julia Cameron
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• How Reading Can Lead to Inspired Living by Michelle Maros
• Barb & Michelle’s Top 15 Inspirational Books

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This week, Barb and Michelle discuss the hot topic of manifesting, what we think people get wrong about it, and how we can cultivate a practice of creating that works for everyone.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast. 

Episode Notes:

The Mistakes We Make When Manifesting

• Being too forceful and attached to what we are trying to make happen.
• You have to connect, visualize and feel what you want to unfold and then trust the process
• Saying it but not believing it.
• Setting yourself up and going too big.
• Start small and with the subtle so that you can start to see the wins that you are achieving.
• The manipulation of other people.
•  Let go of the specificity of a person and simply focus on the qualities. 
• You can’t force or manipulate people to do things.

Our minds have remarkable power over the body. Visualization helps up strengthen that connection.

Steps to Visualization:

1. Get clear and tap into your desires, wants and beliefs.
2. Be observant of your thoughts and make sure they are in alignment with what you want.
3. Be the energy you want to attract.
4. Let go of the attachment to the outcome, lean back and be present in the moment.
5. Remember to believe even when you are at the final hour.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard
• E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality by Pam Grout
• Oprah Winfrey ESSENCE Festival Speech

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In part two of their conversation, Barb and Michelle disclose the second half of their list of life lessons from Barb! Recording this episode was a favorite for them both, as they loved sharing their personal stories, insights, and takeaways. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

 Episode Notes:

The Top Lessons Michelle Learned from Barb

1. You can’t control anything in the outside world, but you can control your reaction to it.  
2. Never do anything if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired (HALT). Just pause and ask yourself: Are you hungry? Are you Angry? Are you lonely? Are you tired?
3. There is peace in the pause.
4. Be where your feet are.
5. The present moment is where your power is. The present moment is the opportunity to choose. 
6. Don’t be a victim.
7. The relationship you cultivate with yourself is the most important relationship you can have. Be your own best friend. 

Bonus Lesson:  Choose your battles. Your peace is more important that being right 

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In this week’s episode of the podcast, Barb and Michelle discuss an important practice we all could benefit from. Learn what they believe to be the four pillars to cultivating self-compassion, and why it’s so important in our lives at this time.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Self-compassion is an antidote to suffering and. It is a truth that no one gets through life unscathed without suffering.

The Four Pillars of Self-Compassion

1. Awareness – Be aware of what you need in the moment to relieve your own suffering.
2. Be honest with yourself and accept yourself for where you are and understanding where you want to be.
3. Patience – Our lives are our own unique timeline.  
4. Confidence and Trust – Trust you are doing what you need to do and it’s going to be enough.
5. Forgiveness – Forgive yourself, let go and love yourself enough to take the next step forward.  

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

 Dr. Kristen Neff

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle talk about overwhelm, managing the feelings that come with being too booked and busy, and how we can start to remove things from our very full plates. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Overwhelm means an extreme level of stress and emotional and or cognitive intensity to the point of feeling unable to function. The big difference is we can function and stress. We really can't function in overwhelm. And the research shows the nothingness is the only way to really reset after overwhelm.
• Give yourself the grace to rest, recharge, regroup and start again.

Ways to manage the overwhelm:

1.   Remember to carve out some time for silence and stillness. 
2.   Remember to cultivate positive self-talk.
3.   Remember that you don't have to be perfect and have it all together all the time.
4.   Make your tasks manageable.
5.   Set the boundaries that you need to set, and learn to say no when you need to say no.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Atlas of the Heart by Brene’ Brown

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This week, Barb and Michelle are continuing the manipulation series by tackling this tough and common manipulation tactic: Gaslighting. They’re sharing examples from their personal lives on how gaslighting can present itself along with tips to take your power back.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Awareness is the key to recognizing gaslighting
• Gaslighting is a sneaky, disorienting, and gradual form of abuse
• Gaslighters sow doubt and erode your own trust in yourself
• How to take back your power and instill a new sense of confidence in yourself

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Armoire, BetterHelp, ByHeart, Lumen, Mint Mobile, and Sunbasket.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase. 

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this week's special Mother's Day episode, Barb and Michelle dive into their personal mother/daughter relationship, sharing intimate stories, lessons, and insights from their lives. Barb also shares her biggest tips for parenting and raising strong, centered children. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

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In this week’s follow up to episode 100, Barb and Michelle continue their conversation about emotional monitoring, and share their tools and insights on how to manage the impulse to be the fixer in your relationships. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

 Episode Notes:

Here are some of the tools to managing the need to emotional monitoring:

• Become aware of your feelings.
• Honor your emotions.
• Name your feelings and allow them to move through you.
• Don’t allow your feelings to identify who you are.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Michelle’s Instagram Post on Emotional Monitoring
• Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor 

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We all know the pain of a difficult romantic break-up, but there’s nothing that stings like a friendship gone south. In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle share their personal stories of friendship break-ups and even how they overcame a heartbreaking ghosting from a close friend.

Learn the lessons they’ve learned from the ending of a friendship, and a reminder that it doesn’t make us any less worthy of love and support. 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

When a friendship ends: 

1.   Feel your feelings.
2.   Give yourself a timeframe how long you are going to let yourself sit in the feeling. 
3.   Speak your truth if you can.
4.   Don’t try to control the situation. 
5.   Reflect and try to understand what happened. 
6.   Work through the feelings and find acceptance.  

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Michelle’s Blog

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the habit they consider to be the biggest hindrance to happiness and joy: comparison. Learn reminders and simple boundaries you can set with yourself to begin to release the need to compete and compare and find more peace from within. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Reminders to help when we get into comparative thinking

1. Your path is your own.
2. You are where you need to be in this moment.
3. You are good enough and worthy enough to achieve your desires.
4. There is room for everyone to achieve their dreams and one person’s success doesn’t take away from your success.
5. You don’t have to conform to anyone else’s timeline.
6. Trust that life is unfolding for you as it is.

Social media reminders:

• Know your limits and your triggers.
• Feel free to unfollow or mute people you are following any time.
• Have creative affirmations for yourself to counteract those negative thoughts.
• Replace internet time with self-care practices.
• Create boundaries with your social media time.
• Social media is highlight reel.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

5 Reminders to Release Comparison and Competition by Michelle Maros

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others by Rachel Cruze

The One Habit That Robs You of Happiness by Michelle Maros

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss how they have learned to let go of the small stuff, and focus on the things that matter. It’s easy to take the words and actions of other people personally, but luckily, with practice we can learn to let it go. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Helpful Tips to Becoming Unbothered:

1. Recognize that not everything needs an emotional reaction.
2. Don’t make assumptions.
3. Avoid personalizing what other people do.
4. Know your limits.

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In this two-part series, Barb and Michelle open up about their personal experiences with grief and loss. Michelle opens up about the unexpected loss of her dad, and the lessons she learned from her grief, while Barb shares her recent experience of loss and how she is processing it in real-time. 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at ww.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

•   Allow yourself the moment to grieve. Be in your feelings.
•   Don’t put yourself on a timeline to feel your grief. 
•   Don’t be embarrassed by your grief. Let yourself be sad. 
•   Don’t compare yourself to others. Grief is personal.
•   Find people who you can be with without judgment.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast: 

• E.E. Cummings – “I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it.”
• Michelle’s Blog

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle talk about one of their favorite books, Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, and how it’s teaching and insights helped them to release codependent relationships. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Codependency is a dysfunctional relationship dynamic where one person assumes the role of “the giver,” sacrificing their own needs and well-being for the sake of the other, “the taker.’

Red Flags of Codependency:

• Putting the other person’s needs above your own.
• Feeling like you cannot live without a person.
• Relying your happiness on someone or something else.
• People-pleasing to an extreme level.
• Having rigid expectations of what you think will make you happy.
• Losing your sense of boundaries and what you will and will not tolerate.
• Participating in things that go against your best interest.
• Ignoring your intuition or advice of loved ones.
• Feeling stuck, trapped, or unclear how to make a change.
• Loss of your own sense of identity and desire.

Helpful Tips as You Come Out of a Codependent Relationship:

• Begin a daily meditation/mindfulness practice that works for you.
• Establish a strong, centered relationship with yourself.
• Learn how to take care of yourself first.
• Get clear on what you want in your life.
• Cultivate a sense of self-confidence and self-worth to believe you are worthy of your desires. You don’t have to settle.
• Get clear on your boundaries: what you will and will not tolerate.
• Seek professional assistance when necessary.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
• Codependency by Psychology Today
• Breaking This Pattern Changed My Relationships by Michelle Maros

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle talk about the #1 habit they are trying to break in their relationships…and it might surprise you!  Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

 Episode Notes:

• The desire we have to change other human beings is natural.
• A person isn’t going to change unless they truly want to. You can’t love someone out of their mindset or beliefs.
• People will always do what they want to do, what they feel driven to do and what matters to them.       
• Make a realistic decision on where this person or people fit into your life based on who they are and not on who you wish they could be.               
• Have a connection with yourself to know who you are, what you want, and what you value.
• Be able to communicate these values with your loved ones.
• Ask yourself are you okay with this? Are you okay with how a person may feel or think differently than you do about a situation?
• Focus on the things you can control.
• Give people a chance to transform themselves by themselves.
• Use your energy and time and your precious resources to speak up and speak out and do what matters most to you.

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This week, Barb and Michelle seek to define ‘peace’, what it looks like in life, and the misconceptions surrounding its true meaning.  Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Remember:

• True peace stems from the inside.  
• Your time and your energy are precious and irreplaceable; focus on the things that matter most to you. 
• Peace = discernment   
• Inner peace comes from loving and accepting yourself fully.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• What a Peaceful Mind Means to Me by Michelle Maros
• Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life®
• The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle talk about this sneaky habit that drains our energy: writing stories. Our minds are extremely powerful and creative, if unchecked, our minds can go into overdrive writing stories and contemplating possibilities that we simply don't know to be true. We can never know what it’s fully like to walk in someone else’s shoes, so we might as well stop trying to fill in the gaps with our own creative ideas. 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Writing stories is the #1 habit that drains our energy.
• Deepen your awareness of what your mind is feeling and where it is going so that you can redirect the mind from going down a negative path.
• Name it to tame it. 
• Noticing and naming our emotions helps create some distance between the emotion and the intense feelings that accompany it.
• Ask yourself, is this true? Is the story you are writing true?
•  Find a neutral statement to replace the negative.
• Ask yourself, is the story that I’m writing right now empowering me and inspiring me?
• The stories we tell about ourselves matter most.    

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
• Myleik
• Rainer Maria Rilke
• Cheryl Strayed

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This week, Barb and Michelle discuss one of the most important practices we can do for inner peace. Forgiveness is a practice that we often think about extending towards people in our lives who have harmed us, but how often do we extend that same grace to ourselves? In this episode you’ll learn Barb’s practice for self-forgiveness to get you started on your journey.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Self-forgiveness means forgiving ourselves for any thoughts in the past that we wish were different.

Forgiveness can’t be done on command, but you can set the intention to forgive.

Barb’s practice to assist with self-forgiveness

1. I offer myself forgiveness for any harm I may have caused myself or others.
2. I forgive myself for the times I have betrayed myself or others.
3. I forgive myself for the times I have abandoned myself or others.
4. Send love to your heart.
5. I am enough. I am complete. I am loved. I am worthy.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

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In this week's episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the often requested topic of worry. Sharing from personal experience, Barb and Michelle chat about how worry shows up in their lives and how they’ve slowly intended to release the unnecessary nature of it.

We take a deep dive into:

• What is worry?
• Why are we so quick to lean into worry?
• How can we worry less?
• What would life look like with faith over worry?

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

Mentioned in today’s episode:

• Why Worrying Isn’t Worth It

• 85 Percent of What We Worry About Never Happens 

This episode is brought to you by AG1.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase.

This week, Barb and Michelle dive into a sneaky habit many of us fall into, especially as people pleasers. Learn all about emotional monitoring, how to spot it, and simple practices to unlearn this behavior. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Emotional Monitoring – This is the tendency to continually monitor the emotional states of others, while sacrificing attunement to one’s own emotional states.

If you find yourself emotionally monitoring, try to become aware of your emotions throughout the day. Remember you can’t control the emotions of others. Their behavior is not a reflection of who you are. 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Michelle’s Reel on Emotional Monitoring
• Empathy’s Evil Twin by Naomi Torres-Mackie Ed.M.,Ph.D.
• We Can Do Hard Things-The Podcast by Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle



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Grief is a universal human experience—no one escapes it. However, there is a form of grief that begins before the actual loss takes place: anticipatory grief.

This week, Barb and Michelle talk about navigating loss before it happens. Anticipatory grief is when someone is expecting or preparing for an impending loss, such as the death of a loved one, the decline of health, or significant life changes. During their conversation, they share their personal experiences, challenges, and the insights they’ve learned navigating their own grief. They also discuss how to manage the feelings of guilt, fear, anger, sadness, helplessness, and the other difficult emotions that arise from this form of grief.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Grief is a natural, yet challenging, part of life.

• Release yourself from any timeline: stay present, take things one step at a time, and remember it’s okay not to have everything figured out.

• Acceptance is key to grieving—it allows us to acknowledge that life has changed and embrace the uncertainty that comes with it.

• Even in grief, there can be moments of joy, especially when being fully present with a loved one in their final moments.

• As Mary Oliver’s poem The Uses of Sorrow reminds us, even the darkest times can eventually reveal themselves as gifts. Grief isn’t linear, and healing takes time, but with patience, we can discover strength and beauty in our most difficult seasons.

Books on grief:

• It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok by Megan Devine

• I’m Not a Mourning Person: Braving Loss, Grief, and the Big Messy Emotions That Happen When Life Falls Apart by Kris Carr 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Armoire, BetterHelp, ByHeart, and Sunbasket.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this continuation of last week’s episode on healing, Barb and Michelle go deeper into the conversation of how we can start the path to healing, and share personal insights from their own journeys. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

There is no shame in seeking help from an outside source such as therapist or mental professional. 

 Helpful Steps to Start Healing:

•  Skip the why and ask the what. 
• Ask yourself the question WHAT is causing the pain, instead of why you are feeling the pain.
• Understand what is your responsibility to heal from and what is not. Know that you can’t do the healing work for someone else. 
• Identify what it is that you need to heal. 
• Become aware of how you feel in certain people’s presence, or situations that you are in.
• You don’t have to stay in situations where you are being harmed. You deserve better. 
• Start to make one significant change that will start the healing process. 
• Honor yourself in every way possible, in every moment possible.

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle talk about their favorite self-care practice, setting boundaries. In this conversation, they break down what a boundary is, why it’s so helpful for us to set them, and why this practice is truly the ultimate form of self-care.  Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Boundaries allow us to have more compassion. 

Boundaries are not about the other person. They are about self-care and empowering yourself.

How do we set boundaries for ourselves?

• Notice within your life the trigger points that brings complaining. 
• Remove yourself from situations that don’t align with your beliefs. 
• Don’t share private information with people who haven’t earned your trust. 
• Choose to mute or unfollow people that don’t make you feel good about yourself. 

When communicating your boundaries:

• State your needs. Use “I” statements, such as “I need”. Avoid “you” statements and words like never, always, all the time. 
• Be open to listening and engaging with the person you are communicating with. 

Top four tips for setting healthy boundaries:

1. Be clear about what the boundary is. 
2. Keep it simple enough for someone to remember it. 
3. Do not apologize when setting the boundary. It sends mixed messages. 
4. Be consistent when reinforcing your boundaries. 

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab 

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This week, Barb and Michelle are acknowledging a common problem many of us have—being too hard on ourselves. If you’re someone who feels like you’re always the problem and at fault, then this episode is for you. They’re breaking down our inner-critic and discussing new insights on how to start developing a trusting, loving relationship with ourselves.

In this episode, Barb and Michelle discuss:

• Giving yourself grace through the challenges and difficult moments of life
• Letting go of the burden of carrying all the problems and issues going on
• Releasing the need to fix everything, and allowing yourself to make mistakes and be human
• Learning and rewiring our mentality to treat yourself like you would treat a loved one

Quotes mentioned in this episode:

• “When you’re faithful to your practice, your practice will be faithful to you.” - James Finely

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Armoire, BetterHelp, Factor, Lumen, and Sunbasket.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase. 

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle switch it up and answer your questions! We are so grateful to everyone who sent in questions, and we loved answering them! The most hot topic questions are on dealing with narcissists, more on our personal story, and more of our thoughts on managing grief!

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.  

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Barb’s favorite books

• Man ‘s Search For Meaning by Vicktor Frankl
• When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön

Michelle’s favorite book

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life Bookshelf

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This week’s episode of the podcast tackles the much requested topic of battling burnout! We’ve all been through so much over these past few years and it can feel like we are constantly living life on empty. Barb and Michelle discuss practical ways to fill up your cup, add more balance to life, and recharge your batteries. 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Show self-compassion as you become aware of burnout and work towards overcoming it. 

Become aware of the symptoms of burnout:

• Really tired and not motivated
•  Not finding the joys in the simple things
•  Overall feeling of being dissatisfied
•  Not being able to perform your responsibilities

5 Helpful Tips to Overcome Burnout

1. Carve out moments daily for yourself.
2. 1% Rule
3. Make a list of goals, desires, wishes, and dreams.
4. Allow yourself to say no or find compromises where needed.
5. Unplug for peace of mind.
6. Make rest a priority.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Microsoft Research on Burnout

Staff Burnout by Herbert Fruedenberger

What are the Five Stages of Burnout by Integris Health 

Beating Burnout by Michelle Maros 

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

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This week, Barb and Michelle discuss the influx of disrespectful behavior, why we think this is happening, and how we can all start to live from a place of respect and kindness. Plus, Barb and Michelle give out seven helpful responses for dealing with disrespect. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

 7 Things You Can Say When Confronted with Disrespect:

1. It sounds like you didn’t intend to hurt me but this is how I feel. 
2. If you start yelling at me and calling me names, I will leave and disengage from the conversation.
3. I can’t continue this conversation anymore because I am not comfortable with how you are speaking to me. 
4. I’m not okay with put downs or mean comments that are excused as jokes. It isn’t funny.
5. This way of discussing the issue isn’t working for me. 
6. Let’s pause this conversation and come back to it when we have had time to calm down. 
7. That’s not how I see it. I am not going to argue about it anymore. 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

The Psychology of Respect

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This week, Barb and Michelle discuss Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2022: gaslighting! According to Merriam-Webster, searches for gaslighting were up 174% during the course of the year. In this conversation, Barb and Michelle dive into their personal stories of being gaslit, lessons they learned, and how we can start to spot the signs of a gaslighting manipulation early on.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Gaslighting - A psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality or memories, and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability and a dependency on the perpetrator.

Gaslighting is emotional abuse.        

Gaslighting is a personality disorder.            

Gaslighting starts with overly nice and kind behavior.          

Phrases to look out for in Gaslighting:

• I was just joking. You need to learn how to take a joke.
• It’s not a big deal.
• You’re overreacting.
• You are too sensitive.
• You’re the problem.
• I would never do that.
• I would never say something like that.
• That never happened.
• I’m concerned about your memory.
• You’re crazy.
• I can never do anything right be you. You’re not so perfect either.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
• The Gaslight Effect by Dr. Robin Stern
• Gaslighting
• What is Gaslighting?
• 3 Lessons I Learned From Being Gaslit by Michelle Maros

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This week, Barb and Michelle are getting personal in this relatable discussion of losing yourself. Barb shares her story of feeling disconnected with herself after her divorce from a 33-year marriage. Through their personal experiences of feeling lost and distant from themselves, Michelle and Barb give new insights on what coming back to yourself can look like.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Recognizing what losing yourself looks like and remembering who you are
• Instead of focusing on the negatives, show yourself compassion and grace
• Giving yourself permission to prioritize your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing
• Not attaching your worthiness and joy to an external aspect of your life

Also mentioned in this episode:

• James Finley 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, BetterHelp, ByHeart, Factor, Lumen, and Mint Mobile.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase. 

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle host their very first guest, their dear friend Alex Elle! In an open and honest conversation about healing, Barb, Michelle, and Alex discuss their personal journeys, inspiration, and Alex’s new book, How We Heal.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

How do you define healing?

1. Healing is an act of community care and community service. When we heal ourselves we heal each other.
2. Healing is an act of radical self choosing and self advocacy.      

Key Take-A-Ways That You Hope to Pass on To This Generation

• You are worthy without outside permission and external validation.
• Have the courage to go out into the world and be yourself and validate yourself.
• Be the model for your children through your practices.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• How We Heal by Alex Elle
• @Alex
• Hey Girl
• This Morning Walk

GET YOUR LIMITED EDITION BARB KNOWS BEST MERCH TODAY! CLICK HERE!

In this week's episode, Barb shares her deeply personal and ongoing 40-year journey with bulimia—an addiction that she has battled for much of her life. She candidly discusses how she has found freedom, healing, and self-love through her recovery process. By opening up about her experience, we hope to provide a space for those struggling with addiction to feel seen and empowered to take steps toward healing.

Quotes mentioned in this episode:

• "The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust.

In honor of World Mental Health Day, Barb and Michelle, through their charity Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life, are launching an exclusive merchandise line to raise both awareness and funds for the cause. All proceeds from the collection will be matched by them and the Barb Knows Best Podcast with the total going toward expanding innovative programs and creating impactful content to improve mental health. 

Check out the merchandise here!

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Anisa Beauty, Armoire, BetterHelp, and ByHeart.

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle take questions from the listeners about their relationship. They dive into the tricky dynamics of working together as family members, the sources of their biggest disagreements, and what they credit to making their relationship what it is today. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Knowing how you want to feel in a relationship and what you want that relationship to look like is powerful. 

Fostering a healthy mother/daughter relationship isn’t easy.

Helpful tools:

• Therapy 
• Meditation 
• Mindfulness 
• Starting from a place of love. 
• Understanding 

Tips for disagreements:

1. Don’t take things personally.
2. Reflect on the argument. 
3. What caused the fight?
4. What caused the hurt feelings?
5. Where is my part in it?
6. Cultivate humor and levity.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Barb's Sign Quote by Dahlia Diell

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This week, Barb and Michelle are continuing the manipulation series with this manipulation tactic that is disguised as charm and affection—love bombing. Love bombing is when someone is too loving in the beginning of a relationship before they’ve earned your trust. They share their personal stories and insight on this tricky tactic.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Recognizing and dealing with love bombers and manipulative, charming people
• How love bombing can show up in romantic relationships, friendships, and in the workplace
• Taking caution when someone is overly affectionate or charming
• Getting in touch with your feelings and non-negotiables to protect yourself against manipulators

Quotes mentioned in this episode:

• “Vulnerability is about sharing our feelings and our experiences with people who have earned the right to hear them. Being vulnerable and open is mutual and an integral part of the trust-building process. Because sharing appropriately, with boundaries, means sharing with people whom we’ve developed relationships that can bear the weight of our story. The result of this mutually respectful vulnerability is increased connection, trust, and engagement." - Brene Brown, Daring Greatly

• "We’ve got to really share our stories and our hard stuff with people who have, over time, really done those small things that have helped us believe that they’re worth our story." - Brene Brown, Anatomy of Trust 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Armoire, BetterHelp, ByHeart, Lumen, Mint Mobile, and Sunbasket.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase. 

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle get vulnerable again with a discussion on relationships, marriage, and being single in your 30’s. We all feel the societal pressure to tick all the boxes and live up to expectations. In this conversation, we’ll dive into how we both have been letting this pressure go, and how to live life, on your own terms.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

The relationship that we have with ourselves is the most important relationship you will have in life. And it is the foundation of all of the other relationships

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• It’s okay to be single and fulfilled at any age by Michelle Maros

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This week, Barb and Michelle dive into the much-requested topic of aging, what they think about the term “anti-aging”, and how they’ve managed their own feelings about the aging process. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

 Episode Notes:

• We all are constantly aging, it means we are alive.

• Set an intention daily to be comfortable in your own skin. 
• You are more than just your looks and your age. 
• You are a combination of all things. 
• Beauty is not just on the outside, it is also on the inside.

•  Love and accept yourself in this moment by embracing who you are and what you are now. 

Three questions to ask yourself when trying to cultivate positive self-talk:

1. What am I thinking moment to moment? Respond with a positive affirmation when a negative thought comes into the mind. 
2. What am I saying to myself? Name the negative for what it is: a lie.       
3. What is happening in this moment? Pause so that you can have awareness of your feelings.

There are two constants in life:

1. Change is inevitable.
2. You are always worthy.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

How to Real Love and (Completely) Accept Yourself by Michelle Maros

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the topic of belonging, and the basic human instincts we all feel to fit in. Both share personal stories and anecdotes as well as poignant insights on how we all can learn to belong, starting from the inside, out. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast. 

Episode Notes:

Feeling like you don’t belong is painful and it’s lonely. This is a natural feeling and it’s important to have awareness of this feeling. Name it. Don’t be ashamed. 

Barb’s Pain Meditation 

I am aware of this pain

I care about this pain 

May this pain release.

When ending the sitting session

May I be safe

May I be deeply happy

May I be healthy 

May I live with ease 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Brené Brown On True Belonging By Azriel Reshel
• How I Learned to Belong by Michelle Maros 
• The New Psychology of Belonging by Kim Samuel
• The Age of Worry by John Mayer



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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle take listeners through their detailed process of getting unstuck. It’s common for us to feel like we get stuck in ruts, habits, and situations that aren’t in our best interest. Luckily, we can start to move ourselves forward and out in an aligned, peaceful way. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Eight Simple Tools to become unstuck:

1. Take an honest inventory of what you are feeling.
2. Acknowledge the negative thoughts that are fueling how you are feeling.
3. Have curiosity about the core of the negative thoughts. Ask yourself where are these negative thoughts coming from?
4. Learn to modify the negative thoughts. Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you.
5. Come up with a positive replacement to intercept the negative thoughts.
6. Stretch your comfort zone. Even a tiny change can quickly shift the negative feelings of being stuck. 
7. Visualize the life you truly desire and the dreams you have. 
8. Realize your greatness lies in the power to choose your own thoughts.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

5 Gentle Reminders for When You’re Feeling Stuck

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

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This week, Barb and Michelle share how an unfortunate accident led to Barb being forced to slow down physically and mentally. This incident reminded Barb of the importance of being intentional and mindful in thought and action. It can feel impossible to consider moving at a slower pace, the thoughts in the mind are always racing, and the responsibilities are endless. In this episode, they discuss the key to being present in a fast-paced world and how to mindfully interrupt our constant stream of thoughts.

In this episode, Barb and Michelle discuss:

• Cultivating acceptance rather than seeking to escape reality 
• Getting out of the rabbit-hole of worrying and fearful thoughts and storytelling
• Viewing the mind as our greatest companion in life, helping us to become our own best friend

Quotes mentioned in this episode:

• “Our mind, with its incessant stream of thoughts, memories, opinions, hopes, and fears is our constant companion from which we cannot escape even in our dreams, so it makes sense to cultivate a worthy travel companion for our journey.” - Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

• “May I meet this moment fully, may I meet it as a friend.” - Sylvia Boorstein

• The moments of our daily life may appear commonplace, but they carry enormous significance. When we look upon every moment as sacred, a new energy flows into our lives.” - Vinoba Bhave

• “I can tell my hand what to do and it obeys, why can’t I do the same with my mind?” - Saint Augustine

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Armoire, BetterHelp, ByHeart, Factor, Lumen, Mint Mobile, and Sunbasket.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase. 

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle tackle how to know when to fight and when to let things go. It can feel so easy to jump into every battle that comes our way, but when we do this, we often feel overwhelmed, overworked, and anxiety ridden. Learn how Barb and Michelle discern where they place their energy. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

A trigger is a stimulus that elicits a reaction. In the context of mental illness, "trigger" is often used to mean something that brings on or worsens symptoms. This often happens to people with a history of trauma or who are recovering from mental illness, self-harm, addiction, and/or eating disorders.

How to disengage from the constant habit of being triggered:

1. Have AWARENESS of what triggers you, and knowing what you value and what matters most to you.
2. Set the BOUNDARIES with people and the boundaries within yourself to keep yourself in check.
3. COMMUNICATE with these people about your boundaries and what matters to you as a means of self-care.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Understanding Mental Healthy Triggers

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In this week's episode of Barb Knows Best, we delve into the often misunderstood world of toxic relationships. What truly defines a toxic relationship? How can we tell the difference between a relationship that’s imperfect and one that’s harmful? With a holiday twist, we’re sharing insights, reminders, and practical steps to help you protect your peace and joy during this busy season.

If you’ve ever found yourself drained by certain people or dreading holiday gatherings because of toxic dynamics, this episode is for you. Join us as we explore how to reclaim your energy, set healthy boundaries, and step into 2025 feeling empowered and grounded.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, Anisa Beauty, BetterHelp and Sunbasket.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the pesky issue of indecision and how they both have worked to overcome it. You’ll hear personal stories and tangible tools to feel more confident and at ease with the decision making process. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• The root of indecision is fear and not trusting yourself.
• Connect with yourself. Be aware and mindful of what’s up for you.
• If you're stuck in an indecision and you don't know what to do
• Sit down and ask yourself: If I did know what to do, what would the answer be?
• Asking other people’s opinions clouds your clarity.
• Be mindful of who you go to for advice.
• Trust in whatever choice you make, it will serve you either as a blessing or as a lesson.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Michelle’s Blog Post on Indecision

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This week, Barb and Michelle continue last week’s conversation on overcoming feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty. Michelle shares personal experiences of losing trust, and they both share mindset shifts and action steps to take if you’re doubting yourself and your intuition.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Moving through difficult feelings
• How to strengthen your discernment muscle and cultivate real trust in yourself
• Remembering to give yourself space to breathe, reflect, and respond; especially when you’re doubting yourself

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Bronnie Ware and The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is brought to you by Mint Mobile, Factor, and Lumen.

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase.

This week on Barb Knows Best, Barb and Michelle explore the topic of rejection and how to navigate life’s unexpected detours. They discuss ways to shift your perspective when faced with rejection—whether in relationships, career opportunities, or personal goals—and how it can actually serve as guidance if we learn to surrender and trust the process. They also share personal stories that have helped them embrace rejection as a form of redirection, guiding them to where they’re truly meant to be on their journeys.

View full show notes of this episode.

In honor of World Mental Health Day, Barb and Michelle, through their charity Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life, are launching an exclusive merchandise line to raise both awareness and funds for the cause. All proceeds from the collection will be matched by them and the Barb Knows Best Podcast with the total going toward expanding innovative programs and creating impactful content to improve mental health. 

Check out the merchandise here: https://www.bonfire.com/store/peaceful-mind-peaceful-life/

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, Anisa Beauty, Armoire, and BetterHelp.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

Armoire makes getting dressed easy. With a clothing rental membership from Armoire, build the perfect wardrobe with brands that are high quality, unique, and recommended just for you. Go to armoire.style/barbknowsbest to get up to 50% off your first month. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle differentiate between happiness and joy, and how we can start to cultivate both, even during difficult times. With so much happening in the world around us, it’s easy to believe that happiness is out of reach. In this episode, Barb and Michelle talk about how to identify what brings us joy and how to release the guilt in doing so. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Happiness comes from within.
• Guilt is a useless emotion.
• Journal what you are thinking.
•  Identify the things that bring us joy.
• We are all deserving of that feeling of joy and happiness.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• John O’Donahue
• Thich Nhat Hanh

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In this week's episode, Barb and Michelle reflect on the devastating California wildfires, highlighting the deep pain and loss so many are experiencing right now. In moments like these, the strength of our communities and the care we offer one another becomes not just important but essential. Nakita Valerie’s words ring especially true: “Shouting ‘self-care’ at people who actually need ‘community care’ is how we fail people.”

They explore the transformative power of community care, especially during difficult times. While self-care has its place, it often overlooks our intrinsic need for connection. We are not meant to navigate life’s challenges in isolation.

Tune in to today’s episode to hear how you can practice community care and be a part of making the world a better place.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Community care is as important as self-care. We thrive when we support one another. It’s the strength of our communities that helps us through tough times.
• Take small steps. You don’t need to fix everything. Small, consistent acts—like offering kindness, support, or a donation—make a big difference.
• Pause the media and take action. Too much news can be overwhelming. Step back from the headlines and focus on how you can actively help your community.
• Ask yourself: What is needed from me? Consider how your unique skills or resources can offer support. Whether through actions, listening, or kindness, showing up matters.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

Register for our in-person Omega retreat, here!

This episode is sponsored by Factor.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50off to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the #1 trait they are working to cultivate this year. Any guesses what it is? Resilience! We know how hard life has been for all of us lately, so tune in to learn their top five tips for cultivating resilience. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Resilience can be learned.

Five tips to help you cultivate your resilience:

1. Shift your perspective.

a. The practice of asking yourself how to see things differently.         

2. Look on the brighter side of the situation.

a. Search for whatever goodness you can find in a bad situation.

b. Visualize what you want to accomplish for yourself. Be specific.

3. Cultivate a deep sense of hope.

4. Have gratitude for the simple joys.

5. Practice self-compassion and self-forgiveness.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck
• Roadmap to Resilience by Donald Meichenbaum

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In part two of this series on regret, Barb and Michelle dive further into the relationship we have with regrets, and give personal life examples of how they reframe regrets. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Ask yourself what you truly regret.

Determine what matters to you most and take action to move towards them.

The Practice of R.A.I.N.

• Recognize – Become aware of the emotion that you are feeling.
• Allow – Don’t resist the emotion. Let yourself be present with the emotion.
• Investigate – Ask yourself where you feel the emotion in your body.
• Nurture – Not identify. Have self-compassion for yourself to understand what is happening in your body.

4 Simple Steps:

1. Take Risks. Don’t be afraid to take the first step
2. Make Authentic Choices
3. Believe that if you don’t know things now, you will know later
4. Be grateful for whatever happens, knowing that it’s a teaching.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown

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This week, Barb and Michelle tackle the difficult topic of disappointment and how they manage it. We know how hard it is to feel rejected and like life doesn't have your back. In this episode, we discuss how to manage disappointment, rejection, and trusting the timing of life. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Reminders to help us reframe our feelings of rejection and disappointment:

• Remember to keep the faith. 
• Remember that rejection isn’t personal. No one has the power to name who you are.
• Remember sometimes we can't see for the full story that is, we are only looking at one small chapter at a time.
• Remember to let life guide you.
• Remember that what’s for you won’t pass you.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

It’s Not Rejection, It’s Redirection by Michelle Maros

GET YOUR LIMITED EDITION BARB KNOWS BEST MERCH TODAY! CLICK HERE!

This week, Barb and Michelle dive into the topic of healing, and what the journey entails, and open up about some misconceptions they’ve experienced about the healing path. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Healing is for ourselves; not the other person.
• Healing is a forever process. We are always in a state of healing from different states or experiences. Allowing this to be true allows us to always be in a state of making ourselves whole again.
• We all experience trauma. Trauma is a challenging emotional consequence that we are living through because of a distressing event.
• Healing can begin when you start to truly look at the root of the trauma you are trying to heal from. Have awareness of where we need to start with healing and what are the traumas.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

How to Heal from Trauma 

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Just as Mary Oliver said, we have one wild and precious life. How much of that life do we spend agonizing over pleasing others, and oftentimes, at the expense of our own happiness and joy?In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle tackle the habit of people pleasing, why so many of us fall into this habit, and how we can start to lovingly change gears. Barb and Michelle will give tips and tools on how you can care for yourself, while caring for the people in your life. 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Be aware of where people pleasing is showing up in your life and your relationships.
• Get in touch with your feelings. 
• Understand your motive. 
• Communicate your needs clearly and kindly.
• Accept the outcome and release the judgment of that person or whatever happens. Accept your truth. 
• 
  

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss how, when, and why to make those big life choices. It can be a challenge to know when to make a shift, but as we know, life is a journey not a destination. Barb and Michelle share personal stories and real-life situations that inspired them to make life changes with confidence and grace. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

The greatest hindrance to change is not being connected to one’s self.

1% Rule – There are 1,440 minutes in a day. Taking 14 minutes, just 1% of your day, to take pause, breath and bring yourself back to the present moment, it can transform the 99% of your day.

Helpful tools when considering change:

1. Find small ways in your life to fortify your bravery that will help you as you look to pivot and make those changes in your life.
2. Set boundaries with the things that you will and will not tolerate.
3. If you are considering a change, but the answer is not clear at the moment, then it’s not time to make the change.

3 Simple Steps When Pivoting In Life:

1. Feel.
2. Make a small, tiny action
3. Check in with yourself.  

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

1 to 60 Rule That Pilots Use to Correct

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle interview a special guest, Nedra Glover Tawwab. Nedra is a licensed therapist and relationship expert, who speaks about her newly released, bestselling book, Drama Free, as well as how we can take the simple steps to start healing, today Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Drama Free by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• The Set Boundaries Workbook by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• Nedra Tawwab Instagram

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This week on Barb Knows Best, Barb and Michelle honor the memory of Melody Beattie, a teacher and guide who profoundly impacted so many. Her wisdom, shared through her books and teachings, is a beacon. In this revisited episode, Barb and Michelle reflect on one of her most influential works, Codependent No More, and discuss how it helped them release codependency and build healthier, more empowering relationships. 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
• Codependency by Psychology Today
• Breaking This Pattern Changed My Relationships by Michelle Maros

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

This episode is sponsored by Factor, TruDiagnostic, & Happy Mammoth.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/factorpodcast to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Discover Happy Mammoth's nature-inspired custom formulas for women's hormone and gut health. Try Hormone Harmony a natural formula intended to reduce hormonal symptoms in women of all ages. Visit happymammoth.com and use code BARBKNOWSBEST for 15% off your entire first order today!

Think about it, what would it be like to know exactly how your lifestyle is impacting your body? TruDiagnostic makes it easy to get started, offering simple, actionable insights that you can use right away. Right now, our listeners can get 20% off their entire order at trudiagnostic.com by using the code BARBKNOWSBEST at checkout. Plus, if you subscribe, you’ll get an additional 20% off the 50% discount.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle continue their conversation from last week on unpacking the uncomfortable moments of the holiday season, and walk us through the common feelings that arise during this time of year. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

 Episode Notes: 

• Nostalgia 
• Grief 
• Disappointment 
• Loneliness 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Managing Feelings During the Holidays by Michelle Maros

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This week on Barb Knows Best, Barb and Michelle explore how to navigate the transition into the new year with compassion and care. Rather than diving headfirst into the hustle of achieving every resolution, they’re encouraging you to embrace slowness, self-care, and reflection during this first month of 2025. Join them as they share their personal experiences and practical tips for letting go of the pressure to start the year perfectly, easing back into routines, and approaching this season with grace and kindness.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Factor.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50off to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

In this final episode diving into Barb’s retreat, Barb and Michelle tap into the biggest takeaways, the why’s to meditation and going on retreat, and how we all can start to implement the benefits Barb experienced, from our own home. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Poems Barb Read in Today’s Episode

• Sangha - Community 
• Grandma Sumana
• Mitta - Friend

Meditation is simply taking some time to sit with yourself, a few minutes every day, sit alone to connect with yourself without distraction.  

Benefits of Meditation 

• You feel more confident. 
• You become more self-aware.
• You have a deeper sense of trust and knowing.
• You start to have the clarity that you seek.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• The First Free Women – Original Poems Inspired by the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast
• 11 Ways Meditation Has Changed My Life by Michelle Maros



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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle continue their conversation about Barb’s silent retreat and her biggest takeaways, including the life-changing revelation she had during an interaction with mud. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Buddhist tradition teaches there are two types of suffering:

1. Suffering that leads to more suffering. This happens when we fuel that suffering with negative thoughts. 
2. Suffering that ends suffering. This occurs when we feel the feelings without letting the mind write stories that are not true. 

From this retreat, Barb was able to recognize the deep sense of impermanence and how living in the present is how she can experience real joy.  She learned how she had not truly been caring for herself, not receiving, just continuing to give without refilling her cup.  

Compassion Meditation (Repeat to yourself)

I care about your suffering.

I care about your pain.

I care about you. 

May you be free from your fears. 

May you be peaceful and live with ease.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

The First Free Women – Original Poems Inspired by the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast

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One of the most common topics we get asked about is how to cultivate confidence. We all want to feel good in our own skin and know that we hold power and meaning in this world. In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss their own journeys to feeling confident, how to “fake it til you make it” and things to remember in the journey to knowing that you’re perfect exactly as you are.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Confidence is knowing you are enough.
• Write down the things you love about yourself and what you are good at. Be grateful for those things.
• The best antidote to self-doubt is taking that one tiny step, because it will move you that little inch forward.
• As promised here the quote that Barb couldn’t quite place…“I never view mistakes as failures. They are simply opportunities to find out what doesn't work.” – Thomas A. Edison
• Visualization as a tool to help you achieve the goals you want from how you want to act or react or goals you want.

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

●       Self-Esteem Book – Joe Rubino

●      @hellotefi

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle continue their conversation from last week, answering listener questions and sharing personal stories and insights. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• How to feel comfortable being alone?
• Have the discernment of when you want to be alone and when you do not.
• Learn to love your own company and how to be fortified in our own company.
• Make a list of the things you like about yourself and the things you like about being alone. Understand the relationship you have with yourself and start being okay being you.
• How to overcome a break-up?
• Don’t deny yourself the feelings that you are having.
•  Don’t talk yourself out of why you broke up in the first place.
• Honor the relationship you had by allowing yourself to grieve the end of the relationship.
• How to stop catastrophizing and overthinking things about life?
• Pause.
• Become aware of what you are thinking.
• Ask yourself, is this thought true?
• Have boundaries with how much you take in about things that give you anxiety and fear about life in general.
• You have to train your mind to bring your mind back to the present. It’s a practice.
• I am trying so hard to be everything to everyone, and what if I can’t?
• The truth is that you can’t do everything and be everything for everyone. It’s not possible.
• Ask yourself what can you do at this moment?
• Make a list of the people you can help and what you can do for them.
• Remember, you can’t take care of others if you don't take care of yourself.
• Know that people appreciate your love and care and support.
• How to stop caring about what other people think of us?
• Other people's opinions are a bi-product of their own experiences.
•  Be your own biggest advocate.
• Be in alignment with yourself and your own truth.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• The Power of Solitude by Michelle Maros
• How to Reframe Loneliness by Michelle Maros
• 3 Tips for Mending Strained Relationships by Michelle Maros
• My #1 Reminder to Help Relieve Anxiety by Michelle Maros

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In this week's all-new episode, Barb and Michelle tackle the tricky and subtle dynamic of settling. They share their personal perspectives on shifting their mindsets from settling to fully owning it.

They share personal struggles with breaking free from self-doubt, elevating standards, and trusting that the right things will come at the right time. Not settling isn’t just about getting what you want, it’s about believing in yourself enough to wait for it.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsure, or afraid to ask for more, this episode is for you.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Let Go of "Good Enough" – Settling for the bare minimum or something that almost fits your needs can lead to resentment. What you welcome into your life should align with your worth—because you deserve it.
• The Power of Reflection – Take time to check in with yourself. Where are you feeling unaligned? What do you truly desire? Quiet moments of reflection help reveal where you may be settling instead of honoring your worth.
• Prioritize Yourself – When you put your peace, joy, and well-being first, making choices that align with your dreams and standards becomes second nature. Self-love isn’t selfish—it’s essential.
• Celebrate Your Growth – Every experience has taught you something valuable. Forgive yourself for the past, embrace the lessons, and trust that you are always evolving toward your best life.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

This episode is sponsored by Factor, Medik8, TruDiagnostic, & Happy Mammoth.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/factorpodcast to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Medik8 is an award-winning, age-defying skincare brand. Medik8 combines medical-grade efficacy with cutting-edge skincare innovation.Visit us.medik8.com to learn more and use code BARB20 for 20% off your first order!

Discover Happy Mammoth's nature-inspired custom formulas for women's hormone and gut health. Try Hormone Harmony a natural formula intended to reduce hormonal symptoms in women of all ages. Visit happymammoth.com and use code BARBKNOWSBEST for 15% off your entire first order today!

Think about it, what would it be like to know exactly how your lifestyle is impacting your body? TruDiagnostic makes it easy to get started, offering simple, actionable insights that you can use right away. Right now, our listeners can get 20% off their entire order at trudiagnostic.com by using the code BARBKNOWSBEST at checkout. Plus, if you subscribe, you’ll get an additional 20% off the 50% discount. Discover your TruAge today!

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle continue their New Year conversation, opening up about their practices for setting aligned intentions at the start of the year, and how they choose their intention words. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Sit with yourself in a quiet space 
• Choose a simple powerful word that aligns best with what your desires and wants are.
• Be confident in your choice. Write your word on your mirror or in your phone so it reminds you each day.
• Let go of any expectations or outcomes.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Mindful Boca: An Evening with Elizabeth Gilbert
• Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life Newsletter

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This week, Barb and Michelle dive into the sensitive and sometimes tricky topic of breakups…friendship breakups! It’s common for us to discuss overcoming heartbreak in romantic relationships, but what can we do to move on and heal from an estranged friendship? Barb and Michelle share vulnerable stories and examples from their lives on lessons learned from friendship breakups, and more! Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Loyalty is a feeling of understanding and grace rather than an action. It’s a person being present in the moment with you.
• Being your own best friend leads to healthy friendships all around you.

Helpful lessons that we have learned from friendships breakups:

1. Friendships do not need to last forever to be meaningful, impactful or loving.
2. Human beings are never stagnant. We are always changing, growing, and evolving. Relationships change as you do.
3. We never really know what other people’s life experiences are like, which means that we can never fully understand why some people act the way that they do.
4. Sometimes the most loving act we can do for someone is give them space and grace.
5. It's okay to set boundaries with people that you love.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Five Lessons I’ve Learned From Ended Friendships by Michelle Maros

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This week, Barb and Michelle open up about personal situations they both have been going through that made them feel overwhelmed and weakened, and how they bounced back to regain their power. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Fear can show itself as uncertainty.
• It’s okay to be uncertain but honor you’re the work you are doing.
• It’s so important to understand your feelings and how fear is showing up in your life.
• There is a difference between needing to take a pause and reflect and and being stagnant, where there is no decision to be made at this moment.
• Life is filled with subtle shifts that can help you feel more powerful.
• The power to do all things, including those that are hard, is within you.
• Sometimes doing the hard thing is the right thing, and could make you feel better.

Helpful tips to get through the uncertainty:

• Make a list of things that you feel are taking up space and keeping you from moving forward.
• Take action even if it’s the smallest of actions to take that step forward out of the chaos.
• Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace.  
• Don’t carry the negative thoughts that say “you can’t” with you.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Opening Up by Michelle Maros
• Barb and Michelle’s Reel

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In this week's episode, Barb and Michelle discuss one of Barb’s oldest, and most life-changing practices: mantra repetition. Learn all about this powerful practice: what it is, how to do it, and how it can change your life. Plus, Barb and Michelle share how using a mantra has impacted both of their lives, personally.  

We take a deep dive into:

• What is a mantra?
• How can you choose which mantra is right for you?
• How can we incorporate this practice into our lives, no matter how busy we are

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is brought to you by Factor. 

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Relationships and how we engage with the people around us can be some of the most challenging lessons and opportunities in life. Lately, we all have felt the strain on interacting with people, and managing the unnecessary stress that difficult conversations can bring. People can be challenging and push our buttons, this happens to all of us.

In this week's episode, Barb and Michelle guide us through ways to identify who those difficult people are and how you can manage your relationships with them and also learn how to tap in if you might be the difficult person yourself. With love of course.

Follow @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

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The holiday season is often seen as a time for joy, family, and celebration. But for many, it can also bring about big, complex emotions—whether it's stress, grief, or the weight of unresolved conflicts. 

This week on Barb Knows Best, my mom and I open up about how we can process these emotions and still find meaning, connection, and peace during the holidays—even when they don’t feel perfect.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, Anisa Beauty, BetterHelp and Sunbasket.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

In this week’s all-new episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the societal pressures that lead to settling, and how we can start to connect with ourselves and honor what we truly want and deserve. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Questions to Ask Yourself:

• Are you doing something that you wish you weren't doing?
•  Are you doing what you need to be doing?
• Are you feeling satisfied and fulfilled?

Remember, trust the timing and path of your life. 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

You Don't Have To Settle by Michelle Maros

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the popular Tiktok trend, Lucky Girl Syndrome. They dive into what it is, what is helpful with it, and how we can incorporate this mindset into our lives in a grounded, meaningful way. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• Lucky Girl Syndrome is the idea that if you believe that things in life will go your way, they will.
• An empath is a person that can take on the emotions and feelings of another person. An empath with take on other persons pain and suffering as their own.
• Be grounded in who you are.
• Being a trauma survivor doesn’t mean you will never be triggered or that it goes away completely. It means that you have gotten to the point where you can live life successfully and fully in a kind, healthy and happy way.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• TikTok's 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' Trend Might Be the Best Thing for Your Mental Health
• What Does It Mean to Be an Empath?

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This week, Barb and Michelle are finally answering listener questions in a long-awaited Q&A episode. They answer many personal, deep-hitting questions on their relationship, their relationships with estranged family, cultivating a healthy relationship with self, and more!

In this episode, they talk about:

• If they’ve always been close
• The best way to deal with family estrangements
• How to stop from people pleasing 
• How to make confident decisions without being afraid of how someone else thinks about you

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

Mentioned in today’s episode:

• Nedra Tawwab

This episode is brought to you by Mint Mobile and AG1.

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

In this new episode, Barb and Michelle discuss five powerful lessons they’ve learned recently that have been hard to accept but powerful to learn from. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

1. Sometimes when people know they have treated you wrong, they will avoid you.
2. Whatever you do in life, you may end up disappointing someone, but you don’t want to disappoint yourself.
3. Let people do what they want to do, so you can see what they would rather do.
4. The only way to win with a manipulator is to not play their game. You have to leave the playground.
5. Sometimes the Universe will remove you from a table where you used to sit, where the host is no longer serving your best interests. Trust the derailments that life is giving you. 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

5 Hard Truths You May Need to Hear Today

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In this week's episode, Barb and Michelle continue their conversation about forgiveness, opening up about what this practice actually looks like in real life. Barb shares personal stories and insights from her recent divorce, and walks us through her steps to aligned forgiveness. 

We take a deep dive into:

• The real goal of forgiveness
• What we should let go of when seeking to forgive
• Tangible steps towards seeking forgiveness

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

Mentioned in today’s episode:

• What We Get Wrong About Forgiveness Part I
• The Game of Life and How to Play It

This episode is brought to you by Factor.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle dive into the topic of loneliness, lessons they learned from being alone, and how we can find strength in solitude. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Loneliness is the state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one's desires for social connection and actual experiences of it. Even some people who are surrounded by others throughout the day—or are in a long-lasting marriage—still experience a deep and pervasive loneliness.

36% of adults in the United States feel lonely frequently or all the time. 

Simple Reminders When You Have Lonely Feelings:

• Find the silver linings in spending time alone. 
• Spending time with just yourself allows you the opportunity to cultivate a deeper relationship with yourself. 
•  Remember to not take your loneliness personally. 
• Release the negative judgements or stories out there related to you being alone. 
• Remember no feeling is final. The feeling of loneliness is not permanent. 

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Psychology Today
• Making Caring Common
• When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron - Chapter 9

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle get personal and vulnerable with lessons they’ve learned so far in 2023 and how they’ve impacted their mindset in life. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

We cannot control anything in the outside world. We cannot control what people think of us. But we can control our own actions and reactions.

Becoming the villain in someone’s story is allowing yourself to accept their feelings for something they believe you did wrong, while knowing that your actions were done with the intention of self-care, not to inflict harm or pain on someone else.              

Helpful Reminders:    

• It's okay to disappoint someone else if you're standing up for yourself.
• It's okay to set boundaries in relationships that aren't supportive, or loving, or in alignment, because you feel called to do so.
• It's okay to speak your truth, even if you know that the people that are listening might not like it.
• It’s okay to say no.
• It's okay to stop communicating with someone because they're not respecting you or your wishes.
• It’s okay to not tolerate those parts of your life that drag you down, make you feel less than, or don't allow you to live your fullest best life.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• My Favorite Lesson I’ve Learned in 2023 So Far by Michelle Maros
• Crossing the Flood, A Commentary on the Oghatarana Sutta

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle discuss the powerful practice of setting intentions, how to choose intention, and the benefits that come when we live life aligned with our intentions. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Intention is information that you can uncover by connecting with yourself and your intuition.

Intention guides us where to place our focus, how to stay present and where your priorities are.

When trying to tap into what you value, ask yourself these questions:   

1. Who am I?
2. What do I really want?
3. What matters to me in life?
4. What impact do I wish to have on this life?

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Why I Want to Stop Being Nice by Michelle Maros

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In this episode, Barb and Michelle dive into the vulnerable topic of body positivity, and how ultimately we can cultivate a feeling of love and acceptance for the bodies we live in. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Body affirmations to help overcome those negative thoughts regarding our body image:

• I love/accept/care myself just as I am.
• I am worthy of love and care just as I am.
• I am more than enough.
• I deserve love, respect and kindness.
• My body is a precious gift.
• I love and trust the wisdom of my body.
• I choose to take excellent care of myself.
• Taking care of myself feels good.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• 2 Experiences that Damaged My Body Image (and How I Bounced Back) by Michelle Maros
• The Past, Present, and Future of Body Image In America by Anna North
• Maintenance Phase Podcast

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This week, Barb and Michelle talk about their personal journeys with self-doubt and how they cultivate confidence, clarity, and inner peace. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

When feeling doubt, pause and don’t ignore it. Feel the feelings of the doubt and to determine your next action. 

Tips to Understanding Self-Doubt:

• Acknowledge your accomplishments.
• Remember the things that you are good at so you can build the confidence you need in the next step of your journey.
• Remember it’s okay to make mistakes and fail.

3 Ways to Change Self-Doubt in 60 Seconds

1. Self-doubt is a sign you are about to grow.
2. Self-doubt is normal. 
3. If you are feeling self-doubt, it’s your deepest desire.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
• Michelle’s blog on Self-doubt

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In this week's episode, Barb and Michelle discuss their personal practices for letting go of regret. They both share their stories and experiences from their lives that led them to feel like they had wasted time, and wished they had made important changes sooner, and how they both are gently releasing these feelings.  

We take a deep dive into:

• How we can start to embody the notion that no time spent is ever wasted
• How we can be more gentle with ourselves for how we’ve spent our past
• How would we feel if we didn’t have the regret and anxiety about spending “too much” time on our “mistakes”

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is brought to you by AG1 and Mint Mobile.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

This week, Michelle shares her favorite life lessons she learned from having Barb as her mom! Learn personal stories, vulnerable shares, and life changing insights. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

The Top Lessons Michelle Learned from Barb

1. You can’t control anything in the outside world, but you can control your reaction to it.  
2. Never do anything if you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired (HALT). Just pause and ask yourself: Are you hungry? Are you Angry? Are you lonely? Are you tired?
3. There is peace in the pause.
4. Be where your feet are.

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This week, Barb and Michelle invite you to revisit a past episode with a timely message of managing difficult times and finding peace amid drama.

Barb and Michelle unpack a quote that has been simmering in their minds, “Please let go of the habit of comforting people after they have harmed you” by Liana Naima. It’s easy for many of us to go into people pleasing mode to keep the peace in our relationships, but at what cost? Listen to learn their thoughts!

Episode Notes:

• Give yourself space and allow yourself to sit in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
• Remember there is power in the space. You do not always need to be reactive, fix and comfort. Allow yourself that space to determine what is comfortable for you in that situation.
• Remember you are worthy of kind and loving relationships where you don’t have to fix things.
• Have at least one trustworthy person who you can talk to, and who will be unbiased and not judge you. Someone who will just listen.
• Be gentle, loving and caring with yourself while you learning, while you are growing, while you are healing and uncovering what’s underneath.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh 

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Factor, Medik8, & Happy Mammoth.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50off to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Medik8 is an award-winning, age-defying skincare brand. Borne from years of clinical and consumer research, Elliot embarked upon a unique mission to deliver one simple customer promise: results without compromise. Medik8 combines medical-grade efficacy with cutting-edge skincare innovation.Visit us.medik8.com to learn more and use code BARB20 for 20% off your first order!

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In this week’s episode, Barb and Michelle take a listener's question of embracing the seasons of the in-between. In this episode, they will share personal stories and unique insights on how we can learn to fully accept life’s present moment. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:       

Tips to redefining the feeling of limbo:

• Be present.
• Have trust in yourself 
• Change your thinking
• Look for tiny joys
• Know yourself
• Reflect daily

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Freedom from the Known by Jiddu Krishnamurti
• Tara Stiles

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In this week’s episode, Barb opens up about her recent experience of attending a 30-day silent retreat. She shares her profound insights, takeaways, and the biggest challenges she faced. If you’ve ever been interested in silent retreats, this episode is for you! Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at  www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• When choosing a retreat: listen to your heart and allow it to guide your decision.  *We do not recommend attempting a 30-day silent retreat for your first retreat. 
• The retreat was based on love and kindness. Allow your heart to feel loving and kind.        
• If the world presents us with something uncomfortable, if you sit long enough, you can become comfortable and then attach to it.          

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

The First Free Women – Original Poems Inspired by the Early Buddhist Nuns

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This week, Barb and Michelle are sharing the highly requested list of Barb’s favorite quotes that have deeply resonated and changed her life. From famous philanthropists you’ve heard of to some amazing teachers that Barb met personally, this is an episode filled with wisdom and inspiration to bless you on your life journey.

In this episode, they talk about:

• Nuggets of wisdom that have encouraged and changed Barb’s life
• Being curious and remaining open to new lessons and perspectives from others
• Giving yourself the grace, compassion, and forgiveness as you navigate through life’s difficulties

Also mentioned in this episode:

• The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

• The Complete Poetry by Maya Angelou

• Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

• Devotions by Mary Oliver

• “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens” - Carl Jung

• “It’s never too late to be what you might have been” - George Eliot

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, BetterHelp, ByHeart, Factor, Lumen, and Mint Mobile.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month. 

ByHeart is an infant nutrition company built from the ground up to deliver real innovation on behalf of babies and parents. Their mission is simple: make the best formula in the world. Redeem your welcome offer at ByHeart.com/Podcast with code BARBKNOWSBEST for a limited time. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. And on the app, it lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs, and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and even stress management. Go to lumen.me/barbknowsbest to get 15% off your purchase. 

Mint Mobile is premium wireless for $15 a month. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation’s largest 5G network. To get this new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/barbknowsbest.

TW: This episode discusses the topics of sexual abuse, addiction, and family dysfunction.

This week, Barb and Michelle discuss the topic of cycle breaking, what it means to become a cycle breaker, and how we can all start to identify toxic family patterns we want to end. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Cycle breaking - the concept of identifying negative, toxic, dysfunctional family patterns that are passed down from generation to generation. Cultivating the awareness about it and making conscientious changes to not pass this on to further generations.

Steps to Becoming a Cycle Breaker:

• Have awareness. Identifying the patterns or traits you would like to change.
• Have an outlet to discuss or understand the dynamics
• Make the decision that you are not going to carry this. Open yourself up to the healing process
• Consciously deciding to make new patterns while understanding you are not perfect.

Helpful Ways to Choose New Patterns:

1. Set boundaries
2. Allow yourself to remove the unhealthy people in your life.
3. Attend therapy or a support group.
4. Show yourself the kindness and support that you needed as a child.
5. Learn healthy coping strategies for managing big emotions and triggers.
6. For parents, don’t play favorites or pitting children against each other.
7. Release unrealistic expectations for yourself and others.
8. Learn to talk about your feelings and your needs without apologizing.

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Dr. Murray Bowen Family Systems Theory
• University of Illinois Counseling Center
• It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
• Co-Dependent No More by Melody Beattie
• Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
• Instagram Reel on Cycle Breaking

If you are anyone you know has been a victim of any kind of sexual assault help is available. https://www.rainn.org/resources

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This week on Barb Knows Best, Barb and Michelle explore a transformative yet challenging concept: giving yourself permission to feel. In a culture that often tells us to “stay positive” or “power through,” fully embracing our emotions can feel unfamiliar—even radical. Yet, it’s one of the most healing and empowering acts we can do for ourselves.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, Anisa Beauty, BetterHelp, Factor, and Sunbasket.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

This week’s episode of the podcast tackles the tricky and oftentimes elusive issue of trust. We all want to be in trusting relationships and also be that person that the people in our lives cna rely on, authentically. Barb and Michelle will walk you through what they believe to be the keys to cultivating trust for yourself and for others.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

Trusting yourself begins with loving yourself.

• Be careful with who you trust.
• Take a pause. Have they earned it?
• How does that person make you feel?

What are some qualities and characteristics of someone who is trustworthy and someone who trusts?

• Clear and honest communication
• Great Listener without judgment and with empathy and care
• Compassion & Understanding
• Reliability
• Actions match words
• Authenticity
• Integrity

References Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

Brené Brown – Anatomy of Trust

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As the year draws to a close, we’re reminded of the beauty in pausing to reflect on the journey we’ve taken—the lessons learned, the challenges overcome, and the gratitude that anchors us. In this week’s episode of Barb Knows Best, we delve into the defining moments of 2024 and share how these experiences have shaped us, prepared us, and inspired us for the year ahead.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by Factor and Sunbasket.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50off to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.

Are you someone who internalizes the actions and words of other people? Do you find yourself taking things very personally? If so, you’re not alone! It’s common to feel sensitive about what other people do, especially in how it relates to us. In this week’s episode, Michelle and Barb dive into how we can start to not take what people do personally, and find freedom in doing so. Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at www.michellemaros.com/podcast.

Episode Notes:

• What is Triggered? -  Triggered means that someone has done something or said something that creates an emotion. This emotion could be rooted in a past trauma. It's a conditional behavioral response.
• Name it to tame it.
• Awareness is the key to life.
• Just Pause
• The Power of Choice

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast:

• Viktor Frankl – “Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”
• Michelle’s Blog

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This week on Barb Knows Best, Barb and Michelle dive into a practice that is transformative for them, especially during life’s toughest moments: gratitude. It’s easy to get caught up in striving for more or waiting for the “next big thing,” but the true magic lies in appreciating the here and now.

Gratitude isn’t just a fleeting feeling, but rather a way of life. It anchors us during hardships, reminding us of the beauty and blessings we often overlook. In this episode, they explore why adopting a grateful spirit is an essential practice, even when life feels challenging, and how it can bring resilience, joy, and a sense of abundance to your life.

View full show notes of this episode.

Follow us @MichelleMaros and @Peaceful_Barb and share your experiences with us @BarbKnowsBestPod or at Michellemaros.com/podcast. 

You can also find us on Substack at Love Notes by Michelle Maros and Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life.

Click here for Barb’s book, The Practice. 

Don’t miss a thing, sign up for our newsletter, here!

This episode is sponsored by AG1, Anisa Beauty, BetterHelp, Factor, and Sunbasket.

AG1 is a comprehensive, all-in-one supplement made up of 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food sourced ingredients. Head over to drinkag1.com/barbknowsbest to get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. 

Anisa Beauty has been leading the way in creating vegan and cruelty-free makeup and skincare brushes that are safe for your skin and the planet. Check out the Pinnacle Foundation Brush as well as several other amazing brushes at anisabeauty.com and get 30% off sitewide with code BARBKNOWSBEST.

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy service—providing professional, afforable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. Go to betterhelp.com/barbknowsbest to get 10% off your first month.

Factor’s fresh, chef-prepared meals take the guesswork out of eating healthy. Every meal uses thoughtfully sourced ingredients with no hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Head over to factormeals.com/barbknowsbest50 to get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off your next month.

Sunbasket offers wholesome, nutritious, and delicious meal kits, delivered to your door. Each week, you can choose from a brand new selection of quick and easy meal kit recipes, with a wide variety of dietary options, plus dozens of snacks, salads, breakfast items, and more. Go to sunbasket.com/barbknowsbest to save $120 across your first 4 deliveries.