Do you remember being in your 20s? 

While many of us look back at that decade as a time of freedom and exploration, when you actually think back to how it felt to be 25, you might recollect that it often felt like a struggle. 

At least for me it did. 

I was newly out of college, married, and starting my first teaching job. 

I had limited real world career experience, so I spent hours meticulously overplanning my lessons in an attempt to mask my insecurity.  

I felt a pressure to “prove” that I’d picked the right path, that I’d chosen the right major, that I could do this grown-up-married-with-a-career thing right. 

I worried more about my students liking me than about what I was teaching them. 

I felt lonely in a new city where I had few friends and longed for my college days when friends were right down the hall. 

I worried about the next steps. Should we start a family? Should we buy a house? Should we move closer to our parents?  

I was clueless about my finances and often shopped as therapy. 

This isn’t to say it was a bad time. Not at all. 

Josh and I often look back at those early days fondly, when it was just us, no triplets yet (thank God we didn’t know that was coming! 😂There would’ve been way more anxiety in our 20s!), no home ownership. We spent our (in retrospect) copious amounts of free time entertaining ourselves, watching TV, working out, and wandering around Dayton, Ohio doing whatever seemed interesting. 

It was a beautiful time. 

And it was a struggle. 

Both can exist. 

Which is why I was so honored to be asked to be a guest on Justin Peters’ podcast, “The Struggle is Real.” 

This podcast is aimed at 20-somethings who don’t know what the heck they’re doing, but want to start figuring it out. Each conversation solves a problem that young professionals will face throughout their 20s that wasn’t covered in the classroom.

In other words, this is the podcast on “adulting,” which heck… I could use some help with, even in my 40s! 😂

Justin and I talked about how simplicity can be a cure for the overwhelm facing many young professionals. I shared things I wish I would have known when I was 25, like why buying stuff won’t solve loneliness and why overachieving consistently results in dead ends on the path to self-worth. 

We also discussed why letting go of my teaching supplies was the hardest step in my decluttering journey and how I finally got over my fear of spreadsheets and started using a budget to empower myself financially.

I’ve been on a fair few podcasts, but this was one of my favorites. 

Justin is a detailed interviewer who spent hours researching me before our interview (luckily he didn’t find anything too embarrassing! 😂Thank you, Facebook, for not being around in my college years!) so he was able to ask me some deep questions I’ve never been asked on a podcast before. 

I encourage you… Go outside, take a walk, and listen. 

Even if you’re not in your 20s, I think it will inspire you to “adult” with more meaning, simplicity, and peace of mind.