Episode 004 Show Notes: Getting Started with a Capsule Wardrobe

In episode 004, we chat about the very thing that inspired This Capsule Life — capsule wardrobes! I promise it’s not as scary and overwhelming as you might think — let’s dive on in.

What’s a capsule wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing that’s composed of only interchangeable items in order to maximize the number of outfits that can be created. With a capsule wardrobe, you’d ideally have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning an excessive amount of clothing. Who else could use a capsule wardrobe in their life?!

Did you know some sources suggest adults make an average of 35,000 decisions per day? I have always had an overflowing closet — which I am so grateful for! — but now that I’ve grown older, picking an outfit from it just feels like another decision I have to make. And let’s be honest, adulting is hard enough as it is without making getting dressed more complicated!

And according to an infographic from MakeSpace in 2017, clutter effects our mental health. It can raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol, can wreck our diet, can trigger respiratory issues, and can decrease productivity. How much better would you feel without so much clutter overflowing from your closet?

How can you get started with a capsule wardrobe?

There are LOTS of resources out there about building a capsule wardrobe, and lots of different methods.

If you haven’t heard, Marie Kondo’s show is blowing up on Netflix! It’s called Tidying Up and is based off of her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I love her method of auditing your possessions by simply asking yourself if the items spark joy. This is a great first step to reducing and editing your closet down from a scary number of clothes to a more manageable amount.

Then, with your edited closet, there are a variety of ways you can continue narrowing in on your ultimate capsule wardrobe. You can:

• Build a capsule wardrobe by season

• Build a capsule wardrobe around a set collection of colors you LOVE to wear

• Build a capsule wardrobe around a type of wardrobe category — for example, do you live in yoga pants? Or wear a cute tee, distressed jeans, and a blazer more often than anything else?

Build your capsule wardrobe around YOUR lifestyle and what makes you happy.

What should you consider as you’re putting together a capsule wardrobe?

1. Following Marie Kondo’s method, does it spark joy?

2. What are the seasons like where you live?

3. What’s your lifestyle like?

4. How practical are the pieces you want to keep?

5. How many pieces are you aiming to narrow down to? A general guide is to land somewhere around 25-50 pieces.

Start your capsule wardrobe!

Get started with your capsule wardrobe by downloading this free worksheet I built for you that will help guide you in editing your closet, keeping track of what you have, identifying the staples you might need to purchase in the future, and figuring out how everything will go together.

My before and after capsule wardrobe photos

In this first stab at building my capsule wardrobe, I reduced my closet by about half of what was originally in there — there is now actually space between categories of clothing, you guys, it’s crazy! — it’s not stuffed to the brim!

I’m proud of what I accomplished, but as I chat about in the episode, my focus in this first round was to edit, edit, edit, and reduce the number of items in my closet. Ideally, I would like to challenge myself to be around the 50 pieces mark once I am able to truly create my capsule wardrobe. But this is definitely not an overnight process, and I know I’ll continue to refine, edit, and replace pieces with fewer staple pieces that go with more variations of outfits — while still keeping my style, of course. 

Before

After

Buh-bye, clothes!

Join me on this Capsule Life journey!

• Subscribe to the Capsule Life podcast on iTunes

  • Like what you hear? We’d love it if you left a review! It helps us out more than you know!

• This Capsule Life Community

• This Capsule Life on Instagram

• This Capsule Life on Pinterest

Until next time Capsule Lifers — keep finding joy through minimal living.

Episode 003 Show Notes: Ayurveda with Malia Wright

In this seriously ENLIGHTENING episode, I interview Malia Wright, an Ayurvedic Wellness Coach, all about Ayurveda and how we can simply incorporate it into our daily lives. 

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old science. The word Ayurveda literally means the “science of life.” Ayurveda is about tuning into yourself, your environment, the seasons, your mindset, how you eat, and more, in order to find the best balance for you. It’s about tuning into yourself and your life to understand how to balance yourself with the energies in this world — Air, Ether, Water, Fire, & Earth.

In this episode, Malia walks us through her journey from her intense “go, go, go” lifestyle to slowing down and discovering — and now practicing and teaching — Ayurveda.

What are a few misconceptions of Ayurveda?

• While food and digestion are a large part of Ayurveda — because they are a large part of life — Ayurveda is not a diet or part of diet culture. It’s bigger than that!

• Ayurveda can be overwhelming because there are so many tools and “tasks” associated with the practice, but in this episode Malia teaches us how we can simply incorporate it into our daily lives — from drinking warm water with lemon in the morning to meditating to everything in between.

• Ayurvedic body/mind type quizzes can be helpful guides, but keep in mind that we are all — by nature — a combination of all 3 doshas, and that while we may be primarily one dosha, we can experience an imbalance in any of the doshas.

What is abundant wellness?

Abundant wellness is really about giving yourself grace, being adaptable, and understanding — and being OK with the fact — that sometimes things are great and sometimes they just aren’t. The feminine form of healing is a great guide toward abundant wellness in that it’s all about being so in tune with ourselves that we 1) learn how to balance ourselves with the energies in this world and 2) understand we are already whole and have everything we need.

What are the Ayurvedic body & mind types (doshas)?

Vata: Air + Ether

Kapha: Earth + Water

Pitta: Fire + Water

Learn more about the 3 doshas in our free Simple Guide to Ayurveda!

Resources

Connect with Malia

Malia is seriously such a magnetic light in this world, and I can’t thank her enough for taking the time to teach us a bit about Ayurveda and how it can help each and every one of us in our journeys to finding joy through minimal living. You can connect with Malia at the following places:

• Instagram: @maliaewright

• Facebook Community: The Healing House

• Website

This Week’s Challenge!

I’m going to dive on into Malia’s FREE 10-day video guide to Build a Morning Routine — who’s with me?

Download this Simple Guide to Ayurveda

Read More About Ayurveda

Want to read more about Ayurveda? Malia recommends the book “Healthy Happy Sexy: Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women,” written by her teacher Katie Silcox!

Join me on this Capsule Life journey!

• Subscribe to the Capsule Life podcast on iTunes

  • Like what you hear? We’d love it if you left a review! It helps us out more than you know!

• This Capsule Life Community

• This Capsule Life on Instagram

• This Capsule Life on Pinterest

Until next time Capsule Lifers — keep finding joy through minimal living.

Episode 002 Show Notes: What's a Capsule Life?

Why did I start the Capsule Life podcast?

I truly have a wonderful life. I’m married to the best guy around, we’re puppy parents to the cutest bordoodle (that’s border collie-poodle), we live in a super fun city, and we’ve survived adulthood thus far (not an easy feat!). ;) But all that said, I still want more, but not in the way you might think.

I want to be more fulfilled and live out my life’s purpose, but for me that means starting with less. And building a life of less.

I’m on a journey to find joy through minimal living and if this podcast helps keep me committed to this journey and helps just one other person along the way, I’d say mission accomplished.

What is a Capsule Life?

Have you heard of a capsule wardrobe? You know, a small collection of clothes — we’re talking maybe 30 pieces max — that are simple and timeless enough to be put together in a multitude of ways?

THAT was the inspiration for This Capsule Life! I got to thinking about the actual definition of the word “capsule,” which is: consisting of a relatively small set of key items, and felt like it was a great representation of how I want to start living my life.

A Capsule Life is a life well-lived, a life filled with gratitude, connection, moments, and experiences rather than things. In a world where “more is more,” living a Capsule Life celebrates living a life of less.

What are our 4 Life of Less pillars?

On the Capsule Life podcast, each episode will explore 1 of our 4 main Life of Less Pillars: Living a Capsule Life, Living Well, Living Joyfully, and Living Your Dream.

1. Living a Capsule Life: Living a life filled with gratitude, connection, moments, and experiences rather than things. Living a Capsule Life celebrates living a life of less.

2. Living Well: Living Well means putting yourself FIRST. From yoga to meditation to natural solutions to overall wellness, our Living Well pillar gives you tips and tricks to put your self care first so you can lead with the best version of yourself.

3. Living Joyfully: Living Joyfully means living with intention. In the Living Joyfully pillar, we dive into finding our purpose, living with gratitude and faith, and discovering how balance can show up in our lives.

4. Living Your Dream: Living Your Dream means something different to everyone. In this pillar, we’re redefining what it means to ‘have it all,’ and chatting about career aspirations, entrepreneurship, and more.

What can you expect in future episodes?

• In the Living a Capsule Life pillar, we’ll further explore what a Capsule Life is and how it’ll change your life — everything from creating a capsule wardrobe to making a capsule home to prioritizing less screen time, and more.

• In the Living Well pillar, we’ll focus on overall wellness, the benefits of yoga and meditation practices, natural solutions for healthy living, and more.

• In the Living Joyfully pillar, we’ll turn our attention to living with intention, gratitude, and purpose, practicing faith, and seeking the unicorn that is balance.

• In the Living Your Dream pillar, we’ll chat about career aspirations, entrepreneurship, redefining ‘having it all,’ and more.

Get started on your Capsule Living Journey & download your FREE guide to Building a Capsule Life

Following our 4 Life of Less pillars, reflect on why and how YOU want to build your Capsule Life, and prioritize the first few things you want to accomplish in each pillar. Start building your Capsule Life today!

Join me on this Capsule Life journey!

• Subscribe to the Capsule Life podcast on iTunes

  • Like what you hear? We’d love it if you left a review! It helps us out more than you know!

• This Capsule Life Facebook Group

• This Capsule Life on Instagram

• This Capsule Life on Pinterest

Until next time Capsule Lifers — keep finding joy through minimal living.