Episodes

  • Spoon Theory Part 1

    Spoon Theory Part 1
    Jul 7 2026
    How to Regulate Your Energy Level In this episode we talk about the Spoon Theory. Keeping your spoons organized is easier said than done. The practice of using spoons to keep track or your personal energy economy is not only helpful to people with chronic illness. Its usefulness extends to those who have experienced later in life disruptors. Don't forget to come pack next week to hear the rest of the story. You will learn how to set your daily spoon limit. There were also be some suggestions for applying the spoon theory to travel. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Welcome back to Living the Good Life, everyone. Today we're opening up a conversation about an idea that has entirely reshaped how millions of people talk about health, chronic illness, and daily survival. It's a framework that is so widely adopted that it's evolved into its own cultural identity. And so today we are going to talk about spoon theory. Robert: It's fascinating because if you spend any time in chronic illness circles online, you'll see people calling themselves spoonies. But if you aren't initiated, you're probably asking, why spoons? Why not batteries, dollars, fuel gauges? Theresa: And to understand that, we have to go back to a diner in 2003. The concept was created by an essayist and advocate named Christine Miserandino. I hope I pronounced that right. Christine was living with lupus, an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks your healthy tissues like your joints, your skin, and your organs. She was sitting in a diner with a close friend who looked at her and asked what it actually felt like to have lupus. Not the clinical definition, but what it felt like to live with it day to day. Robert: And that's a notoriously hard thing to articulate. When you look healthy on the outside, people assume your internal battery works exactly like theirs. To demonstrate, Christine looked around the diner, grabbed every spoon she could find from the tables around, and handed them to her friend. She handed her 12 spoons. Theresa: And she told her friend, this is your energy for the day. For a healthy person, energy feels virtually limitless. If you want to go to the store, you just go. But for somebody with a chronic illness, every single action requires a choice. And every choice costs a physical asset. In this case, a spoon. Robert: Christine had her friend walk through a typical day. But right out of the gate, before her friend even got out of bed, Christine took a spoon away. Why? Because her friend had woken up late, or slept poorly, or woke up in pain. Then, getting dressed, that's another spoon. Taking a shower, that's two spoons. Because standing up in hot water causes dizziness. Before her friend had even left the house for work, half of her spoons were gone. Theresa: The epiphany for her friend came at the end of the simulated day. She realized that if she cooked dinner, she wouldn't have enough spoons left to wash the dishes, or drive to see a friend. She had to learn the crushing reality of economic rationing applied to her own muscles, joints, and brain cells. That's the origin of the spoon theory. It wasn't born in a laboratory. It was born out of a desperate need to make an invisible struggle visible to someone who loved her. So now we're going to talk a little about the science behind chronic fatigue and biology. So we'll talk first about energy. Because spoon theory isn't really about spoons, obviously. It's about the invisible cost of living in a body that doesn't behave the way you want it to. Robert: Exactly. For people with chronic conditions, energy isn't just feeling tired. It's metabolic load. It's inflammation. It's neurological processing. It's pain management. It's sensory regulation. It's executive function. Theresa: And the science backs this up. For example, chronic inflammation increases metabolic demand. Pain consumes cognitive resources. Neurodivergent brains use more energy for sensory filtering. Autoimmune disorders cause fatigue through cytokine activity. Depression affects dopamine and motivation pathways. Anxiety keeps the nervous system in a flight, in a fight or flight. Robert: So when someone says, I don't have the spoons, they're saying, my body is already working overtime just to exist. Now let's pivot into the mechanics. While the metaphor uses silverware, the underlying reality is governed by absolute biology. When someone says, I don't have the spoons for that, they aren't being lazy or unmotivated. Their cells are facing a literal energy crisis. Theresa: Exactly. Let's ...
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    18 mins
  • Living The Could Life Workbook Primer

    Living The Could Life Workbook Primer
    Jun 30 2026
    A Bit More About the Living The Could Life Workbook In this episode we address some questions about our guided workbook. The gentle aspect of the book led to a few inquiries about the effectiveness of this 70-dday guide. We wanted to take an episode to dive deeper into the focus of the book and the importance of reading the intro and other parts of the workbook. We talk a bit of acetylcholine, Goldilocks and how relative stress may be. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Welcome back to Living the Good Life, where we talk about real travel for real bodies. The kind of trips you can actually take, not the ones that you used to be able to take. I'm Teresa. Today we're talking about how real change happens in the brain, not through force, not through intensity, not through try harder, but through gentle, meaningful challenge. Inside the brain, there's a chemical called acetylcholine. Think of it as your brain's spotlight operator. When something is new, interesting, or requires your attention, acetylcholine turns the spotlight on and says, hey, this matters. Let's strengthen it. For example, if something is too easy, something you can do on autopilot, your brain doesn't bother requiring anything it thinks. Oh, we already know how to do this. So let's make this real with an example. People often say, I do Wyrtle every day. Isn't that good for my brain? And the answer is, it's fun, but it doesn't create any new connections. So acetylcholine barely moves. No spotlight, no rewiring. And my guess is, it makes fewer connections if you learn a second romance language. What do you think? As opposed to a Germanic language. Robert: I guess the grammar is different. Like German, the joke is they always wait for the end of the sentence. Theresa: Right. We should do that for this podcast. Make you wait. Robert: And yeah, I hear people say learning Greek is very difficult, where they say learning Spanish is a lot easier, but when you start becoming really fluent in Spanish, it's still pretty, pretty challenging, I think. Theresa: And I think other languages, like some of the Asian languages or Chinese, which is, I believe, called a tonal language, where, you know, high, high pitch. I know they use the example ma, like there's several different ways to pronounce ma, and it totally changes the meaning. But anyway, I was just wondering about that. I don't know. So, back to language. Your brain can't solve, learn, you know, a problem, the problem of learning a new language with its old circuitry. Acetylcholine spikes, the spotlight turns on, and your brain says, this is unfamiliar. I, I need to build some new circuits. Robert: Between entertainment and transformation. Theresa: Although I do think there's something good about trying to solve Wordo, even though you know how to play that, or do crossword puzzles, or things like that, at least keeps your mind active. Robert: Yeah, I like Wordo. Theresa: I do too. So, language learning is one example of a neuron builder, as we just said, but there are many other neuron builders, activities that reliably activate acetylcholine and support real change, and they're different for every person. Robert: Here are a few. Learning a new motor skill, such as knitting, tai chi, watercolor, typing with a new layout, learning a new sensory skill, photography, cooking with new spices, music training. Theresa: Oh, and you know all about the music training, right? Robert: I suffered through that long, long ago. Learning a new cognitive skill, a new software tool, a new route, a new planning method, learning a new relational skill, asking for help, setting boundaries, practicing micro-connection. Theresa: And, as I said, for some people, some of these are easy. For others of us, I mean, knitting, I remember when our first son was born, or before, I decided I would make a little afghan for him that was knitted, and it was just simple squares. Well, I had rectangles, squares, parallelograms, nothing was the same size, nothing the same shape, and, you know, but I watched people knit, and they make it look like it's the easiest thing ever. The common thread, though, with all these, they do require new maps, new patterns, and new attention. They wake up the spotlight. Robert: And they're all things you can do gently inside your wheel. Theresa: This is where gentle challenge becomes essential. It's the level where your brain says, this is new enough to matter, but safe. And safe is key. It's safe enough that I can stay open to it. Robert: Especially if you're living in a changed body. Pain,...
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    21 mins
  • Guided Immersion with ToursByLocals

    Guided Immersion with ToursByLocals
    Jun 23 2026
    A Deep Dive Into South Beach In this episode we share our experience with our wonderful guide, Ileana from ToursByLocals. It's an ideal way to learn more about South Beach. We delved into the Art Deco heritage of the town. Next time, we are there, we will be more observant noticing the small details of the Art Deco style. We usually stay in an Art Deco apartment and will look out for more details the next time that we visit South Beach Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Welcome back to Living the Could Life, where we talk about real travel for real bodies. It's the kind of trips you can actually take, not the ones influencers pretend to float through and show their wonderful bodies and new outfits. We're not quite like that. Today, we are heading to South Beach, part of Miami, that's in Florida, but it's not the version you get from a brochure. We're talking about exploring it with tours by locals and why having a local guide can completely change your experience. Robert: And we're not just talking about someone who knows the area. We mean people who live the culture, understand the history, and can point out the tiny details you'd walk right past, especially on an architectural tour, which is one of the most underrated ways to understand this part of Miami. Theresa: And that is so important. I've taken other tours. I was actually on a tour from a cruise ship where the guy just said: “On the left is the ocean,on the right are the mountains.” This advice applies to other tour companies or touring guides as well. Back to South Beach. It's one of the places where you can really get along on your own. You can walk. It's very walkable. You can take the free trolley. You can take a bus. There's Uber and other shared ride services. But to really get a good look at the area, it helps to have a guide or to have done a significant amount of research. So when you go on your own, it's likely you might miss 80% of the local interesting architecture, the local facts about South Beach. A lot of people there, they go just to go swimming, go to the beach, sunbathe, hang out, eat, drink, and party. With the local guide, you get the stories behind all the neon, the Art Deco, the families who've owned and operated restaurants and hotels for years, and the preservation battles behind the Art Deco district. Robert: And let's be honest, South Beach can be overwhelming. Crowds, heat, parking, noise. A local guide cuts through all that. They know the shady spots to stand in, the quiet corners, the clean bathrooms, the places where you can actually hear yourself think. Theresa: And that was definitely good for us, especially for me. When I don't see well, it was nice to know where I can go find a restroom or find a place in the shade. And this is another good reason to hire an independent, private tour guide. So something very important is tours by locals. That's their guides. You're not just getting some random person who watched a YouTube video or an influencer Instagram to tell you about South Beach. Our guide was licensed, experienced, and the guides build their own itineraries. So we took an architectural tour, which was sponsored by Tours by Locals for us, so that we could share it with you. So the first thing to do is head to toursbylocals.com and search South Beach or whichever area you're visiting, because Tours by Locals is in many different cities. In fact, we are planning a trip to Italy and we wanted to check out some castles and it's not easy to get to by bus or transportation. So Tours by Locals was an option for us, although we found in the end, because of our castle itinerary, it was just easier for us who sometimes go off on tangents, not only on this podcast, but when researching and we decided, oh, we should just rent a car for that day, which was frightening, and it still could be frightening, but we're in a rural area, so there's no Ferraris on the highways running you off a cliff or anything like that. So we look for a private guide. Some are very good. For many of them, you can create a custom tour for yourself. But sometimes, you know, we don't want to be with somebody when we argue and complain about the driver and our backseat drivers and things like that. We have a specific object. So in that case, we should reconsider. But we did see some excellent walking tours in the town and this is in Bergamo. They look really interesting and I will say by looking at Tours by Locals, and maybe this is kind of not what they really want you to do, but you can get an idea of highlights of a town, and...
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    21 mins
  • The Boat Company Saves the Tongass

    The Boat Company Saves the Tongass
    Jun 16 2026
    Part 2: The Science Behind the Tongass and Why The Boat Company Wants to Preserve the Forest In this episode we share a deeper dive into the Science of The Tongass National Forest. We have combined several bits of research, interviews and personal experience into two Notebook-generated conversations. The convo not only shows the advantages of sailing with The Boat Company, but also delves into the science that illustrates exactly why The Boat Company continues its committed to preserving this large expanse of inimitable space. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Speaker 2: So, I want you to imagine that you are sitting on this incredibly green, mossy log in absolute silence. Speaker 2: Just totally off the grid. Speaker 2: Exactly. You are miles from cell service and you think, ah, I have completely escaped the global economy. I'm finally out of it. Speaker 1: Yeah, you feel totally isolated from all of that. Speaker 2: Right. But you are actually sitting right on top of a highly aggressive $2.2 billion commodities market. Speaker 1: Oh, wow. That is quite the visual. Speaker 2: Isn't it? So, welcome to our deep dive into the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. Speaker 1: It's an incredible topic and I'm really excited to get into the sources we have today. Speaker 2: Same here. But before we get into the hidden mechanics of what is happening under that moss, I really want you to try and picture the sheer scale of this place. Because, I mean, when I hear the word forest, my brain usually defaults to a nice, manageable state park. Speaker 1: Right. Like maybe some paved trails, a little visitor center. Speaker 2: Yeah, a place you can drive across in an hour, buy a postcard and go home. But the Tongass is over 16 million acres. Speaker 1: Which is, I mean, to put 16 million acres into a frame of reference that the human brain can actually process, you are looking at a landmass that covers roughly 80% of all of Southeast Alaska. Speaker 2: 80%? Speaker 1: Yeah. It is the largest national forest in the United States by a massive margin. But it is not just, you know, a monolithic block of pine trees sitting on a flat plain. The geography is completely splintered. Speaker 2: Splintered is a great way to put it. Speaker 1: Right. Because we are talking about an archipelago of over 1,000 individual islands and they're separated by these incredibly deep, dark saltwater fjords. Speaker 2: It's just wild. Speaker 1: And you have massive ancient glaciers carving their way down mountainsides directly into the ocean. The ocean literally weaves right into the heart of the timber. And crucially, this is a temperate rainforest. Speaker 2: Yeah. And that distinction changes everything about how the ecosystem functions. Because I think people hear the word rainforest and they automatically picture, you know, the Amazon or the Congo Basin. Speaker 1: Right. The tropics, sweltering heat, the jumble vibes. Speaker 2: Exactly. But temperate rainforests operate on entirely different biological rules and they are incredibly scarce. I mean, they make up only about 2.5% of the world's total forest coverage. Speaker 1: It's a tiny fraction. Speaker 2: It really is. And the Tongass happens to be one of the only temperate rainforests left on Earth that still remains largely intact and functioning just as it did thousands of years ago. Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this. Because we have an incredible stack of source material to get through today. Speaker 2: We really do. Tons of ground to cover. Speaker 1: And the goal here is to merge two wildly different realities presented in these sources. The first reality is the boots-on-the-ground, visceral, deeply human experience of actually standing in that untouched wilderness. Speaker 2: The subjective experience of it. Speaker 1: Exactly. We have firsthand accounts, interviews with captains and conservationists, and stories of people trying to navigate a landscape that actively resists human infrastructure. Speaker 2: It does not want us there. Speaker 1: No, it doesn't. And then the second reality is the uncompromising, high-stakes physics of global carbon cycles, climate buffering, and the incredibly intense federal policy battles over whether to log this land or just leave it alone. Speaker 2: Right. And I feel like the connective tissue between those two realities is how you actually get into the forest to see it in the first place. Speaker 1: Because you can't just rent a car. Speaker 2: No. You cannot just rent a car and drive through the Tongass. Yeah. There's almost no road system connecting these islands. The landscape completely forbids it. So to understand this place, you have to...
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    33 mins
  • Deeper Diving Into The Tongass

    Deeper Diving Into The Tongass
    Jun 9 2026
    Part 1: What We Learned Cruising With The Boat Company In this episode we share a deeper dive into the Tongass Naational Forest. We have combined several bits of research, interviews and personal experience into twoNotebook generated conversations. The convo not only shows the advantages of sailing with The Boat Company, but also delves into the science that illustrates exactly why The Boat Company continues its committed to preserving this large expanse of inimitable space. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Speaker 2: So, I want you to imagine that you are sitting on this incredibly green, mossy log in absolute silence. Speaker 2: Just totally off the grid. Speaker 2: Exactly. You are miles from cell service and you think, ah, I have completely escaped the global economy. I'm finally out of it. Speaker 1: Yeah, you feel totally isolated from all of that. Speaker 2: Right. But you are actually sitting right on top of a highly aggressive $2.2 billion commodities market. Speaker 1: Oh, wow. That is quite the visual. Speaker 2: Isn't it? So, welcome to our deep dive into the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska. Speaker 1: It's an incredible topic and I'm really excited to get into the sources we have today. Speaker 2: Same here. But before we get into the hidden mechanics of what is happening under that moss, I really want you to try and picture the sheer scale of this place. Because, I mean, when I hear the word forest, my brain usually defaults to a nice, manageable state park. Speaker 1: Right. Like maybe some paved trails, a little visitor center. Speaker 2: Yeah, a place you can drive across in an hour, buy a postcard and go home. But the Tongass is over 16 million acres. Speaker 1: Which is, I mean, to put 16 million acres into a frame of reference that the human brain can actually process, you are looking at a landmass that covers roughly 80% of all of Southeast Alaska. Speaker 2: 80%? Speaker 1: Yeah. It is the largest national forest in the United States by a massive margin. But it is not just, you know, a monolithic block of pine trees sitting on a flat plain. The geography is completely splintered. Speaker 2: Splintered is a great way to put it. Speaker 1: Right. Because we are talking about an archipelago of over 1,000 individual islands and they're separated by these incredibly deep, dark saltwater fjords. Speaker 2: It's just wild. Speaker 1: And you have massive ancient glaciers carving their way down mountainsides directly into the ocean. The ocean literally weaves right into the heart of the timber. And crucially, this is a temperate rainforest. Speaker 2: Yeah. And that distinction changes everything about how the ecosystem functions. Because I think people hear the word rainforest and they automatically picture, you know, the Amazon or the Congo Basin. Speaker 1: Right. The tropics, sweltering heat, the jumble vibes. Speaker 2: Exactly. But temperate rainforests operate on entirely different biological rules and they are incredibly scarce. I mean, they make up only about 2.5% of the world's total forest coverage. Speaker 1: It's a tiny fraction. Speaker 2: It really is. And the Tongass happens to be one of the only temperate rainforests left on Earth that still remains largely intact and functioning just as it did thousands of years ago. Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this. Because we have an incredible stack of source material to get through today. Speaker 2: We really do. Tons of ground to cover. Speaker 1: And the goal here is to merge two wildly different realities presented in these sources. The first reality is the boots-on-the-ground, visceral, deeply human experience of actually standing in that untouched wilderness. Speaker 2: The subjective experience of it. Speaker 1: Exactly. We have firsthand accounts, interviews with captains and conservationists, and stories of people trying to navigate a landscape that actively resists human infrastructure. Speaker 2: It does not want us there. Speaker 1: No, it doesn't. And then the second reality is the uncompromising, high-stakes physics of global carbon cycles, climate buffering, and the incredibly intense federal policy battles over whether to log this land or just leave it alone. Speaker 2: Right. And I feel like the connective tissue between those two realities is how you actually get into the forest to see it in the first place. Speaker 1: Because you can't just rent a car. Speaker 2: No. You cannot just rent a car and drive through the Tongass. Yeah. There's almost no road system connecting these islands. The landscape completely forbids it. So to understand this place, you have to get on the water. Speaker 1: You have to take a boat...
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    25 mins
  • Alaska Cruising With The Boat Company

    Alaska Cruising With The Boat Company
    Jun 2 2026
    In this episode we share details about a recent cruise to Alaska. The Boat Company is a non-profit cruise line that has been plying the waters in SE Alaska for decades. Is this cruise line appropriate for those of us with body disruptions? Listen to find out. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Some places don't need to be sold, they just need to be shown. Southeast Alaska is one of those places. It's a world of mist, mountains, and water that feels untouched, almost ancient. Robert: And tucked inside that world is the Boat Company, a small non-profit that's been quietly, steadily protecting this landscape for more than 40 years. They don't advertise loudly, they don't chase trends, they simply invite people into a place they love and use travel to help save it. Theresa: Today, we're talking about small ship cruising in Alaska with the Boat Company. Unlike other cruise lines you've heard of, they operate two small vessels, the Leesorone and the Mist Cove, each carrying just 20 to 24 guests. We sailed on Mist Cove. It's intimate, personal, and deeply connected to the land and water around it. Robert: And their mission centers on one of the most extraordinary ecosystems on Earth, the Tongass National Forest. Theresa: And because so many travelers don't realize what the Tongass actually is, and some have never really heard about it, we want to pause here and give it the space it deserves. Welcome to Living the Good Life. I'm Theresa. Robert: And I'm your co-host, Robert. So let's get into it. The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States. Nearly 17 million acres of islands, fjords, mountains, glaciers, and old-growth rainforest. It covers almost 80% of southeast Alaska and forms the U.S. portion of the largest temperate rainforest left on Earth. Theresa: Like Alaska, this is a giant forest. Almost everything in Alaska is much bigger than you expect, or at least it was far bigger than I ever expected. This is the forest of giants like the ancient Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, and Cedar. They have stood for hundreds, sometimes more than a thousand years. It's the old-growth forest at its best. These trees rise like pillars in a green cathedral, draped in moss and rooted in tongue. Robert: Beneath those trees runs water. Cold, clear, life-giving water. 19,000 miles of salmon streams braid through the Tongass. All five species of Pacific salmon spawn here, feeding bears, eagles, wolves, communities, and entire regional economies. Theresa: You can't go to Alaska without trying salmon. Wildlife thrives here in ways that feel almost mythical. Brown and black bears, the rare Alexander Archipelago wolf, Sitka black-tailed deer, and more than 350 species of birds. Offshore, humpbacks and orcas move through nutrient-rich waters tied directly to the forest's tail. Robert: The Tongass is also a global climate powerhouse. It stores more carbon per acre than nearly any forest on Earth. About 20% of all carbon in the entire U.S. national forest system. Protecting it is one of the most effective climate actions available. Theresa: And that is one of the missions of the Boat Company to protect the Tongass. It's also the traditional homeland of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples, whose cultures, food systems, and identities are deeply rooted in this land. Robert: But the Tongass is not invulnerable. Its greatest threat has always been industrial logging, especially old-growth logging. These ancient trees take centuries to grow and seconds to fall. Once they're gone, the ecosystem doesn't simply bounce back. Theresa: And this is where the roadless rule becomes critical. The roadless rule protects more than 9 million acres of the Tongass from new road building and large-scale industrial development. When the rule is in place, these areas remain intact, but many hope for it to be lifted. Those areas then become open to old-growth timber harvest, mining exploration and development, road construction that fragments habitat and damages salmon streams. Robert: Roads may sound harmless, but in the Tongass, they are the first cut. They open remote islands to logging. They increase erosion into salmon streams. They fracture wildlife habitat. And they create long-term ecological scars that take generations to heal. Theresa: Climate change adds another layer of pressure to the Tongass. Warming rivers, shifting precipitation patterns, and stressing of salmon populations. The Tongass is resilient. But even a huge rainforest has its limits. Robert: This is why the Boat Company exists. Not just to show people the Tongass, but to help protect it. To fund research, restoration, and long-term stewardship ...
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    23 mins
  • Choosing Accessible Accommodations

    Choosing Accessible Accommodations
    May 26 2026
    In this episode we share details about choosing accommodations for people with disabilities. You may be surprised to know that ADA only requests that lodging institutions meet minimal standards to comply. Comfort and ADA may be two totally different things. Living The Could Life contains affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but we may earn a small commission if you use them. We may have been hosted on a trip, excursion or other travel-related event. We may have received or experienced a product for review. Any opinion is our own. Transcript Click Here for Transcript : Theresa: I once checked into an ADA compliant hotel room and it was not what I expected. The shower chair was in the closet, the bed was too high, and the rolling shower had a three inch lip. Robert: And that's when you know this trip just got complicated. Theresa: Today we're talking about accessible lodging, what ADA compliance really means, why it can be misleading, and how to choose a place that actually works for your needs. Robert: And we're also talking about something that gets overlooked way too often, comfort and support for caregivers. Theresa: Welcome back to Living the Could Life. Robert: I'm Theresa Robert: and I'm your co-host Robert. Let's get into it. Robert: We've all seen the blue and green sign from the highway. Holiday Inn Express is the king of the consistent stay. But if you're a traveler with a disability, is consistent always a good thing? Theresa: To some, it's a lifesaver. To others, it's a minefield of almost accessible features. Today we're breaking down what it's really like to navigate mid-scale chain hotels, the psychology of why we pick them, and the red flag phrases that should make you run for the hills. Robert: I used to think these hotels were so bland. It's like they copy-pasted the room across 2,000 locations. Everything is always in the same exact spot. Isn't that boring? Theresa: Well, to you, and formerly to me, it was bland. But then, it's a map I have already memorized. When I roll into a Holiday Inn Express, I don't have to solve the puzzle of the room. I already know the bathroom's here. The bed height's predictable. And I can reach the light switch from the bed. Robert: So the lack of surprise is actually the luxury? Theresa: Exactly. In my world, and for many others with body disruptions, a surprise is usually a barrier. That boring layout reduces my cognitive load. I'll take predictable over pretty every day of the week. Robert: Let's talk about the booking process. I called a hotel last week for a friend and asked about the roll-in shower. And the guy at the desk said, it's pretty accessible. What does pretty accessible even mean? Theresa: In hotel speak, that means the door is wide, but good luck getting to the sink. It's a huge red flag. If they use adjectives like pretty, mostly, should be fine, or I think so, it means they haven't had real accessibility. A real accessibility audit. Robert: So if I hear it should be fine, I should probably keep looking? Theresa: I think I would run or ask them to specifically go look at the room. Sometimes even when we check in, they can't tell you. Or at least get a manager on the phone. You might, you want to hear nouns and numbers. The bed's 22 inches high. The shower has a built-in bench. That's the language of a safe stay. Robert: So I'm at the my luggage. Isn't that just standard business? Theresa: Well, we just ran into this recently. And for me, or for others who have a chair with battery life, you have a waiting limit and you can't always control when your flight arrives. You might need to access medical supplies. You can't just dig through those in a crowded lobby. Or what if you have to change something like a colostomy bag or take medications? When a hotel charges you to access a room that you need for your health, they're not just charging for time, they're charging for your disability. Robert: That feels like a disability surcharge. How do you fight that? Theresa: Well, join the loyalty programs. Often basic status even gets you a guaranteed late checkout or a waived early fee. It also lets you put a permanent note in your profile like requires first floor. So the desk sees it before you even arrive. Robert: You can't talk about Holiday Inn Express without the free breakfast. Theresa: Um, it's usually pretty good, but sometimes it could be a challenge. Some of the pancake machines and cereal dispensers are designed for standing adults. They're way too high for a seated guest. Robert: What's the move there? Just skip the pancakes? Theresa: Ah, never skip the pancakes. There's no problem with asking for help. You could ask for a reasonable modification. A staff member can get your cereal and bring tray to a lower table. A good hotel knows that hospitality does not stop at the bedroom door. Robert: What if they're sold out and the accessible room they gave me is actually a disaster? Theresa: This is where the ADA walk comes in. If...
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    18 mins
  • Living the Could Life First Season Recap

    Living the Could Life First Season Recap
    May 19 2026

    About this Episode:

    This episode recaps our first season of episodes. We made it! We will continue sharing information on adjusting to later-in-life changes with an emphasis on continuing to travel after such body disruptions.

    We have several free downloades of helpful information in the previous episodes and have recently published a full workbook to help you change your habits so that you can successfully adapt to the body that you have today.

    You will find that helpful resourse - LIving the Could Life: A 70-day Workbook for living Well After Body Disruptions

    Transcript Click Here for Transcript Theresa: Welcome to Living the Good Life. I'm Theresa. Robert: And I'm Robert. We recently broadcast our 10th episode and are celebrating that milestone this week. Theresa: We created Living the Good Life for those who suddenly found that their body's performance doesn't sync with their mental attitude. In fact, you've come to the right place, and if you've been listening to us since the beginning, thank you so much. Navigating disability, chronic illness, aging, or any kind of life change was not in your plans? Please join us. Robert: In our past episodes, we have talked about the two meanings of could, 70 days to change, and also about how to cruise in Alaska and the Great Lakes. Theresa: We've also added several complimentary downloads to help guide you through your personal journey while dealing with later in life body disruptions. Robert: In addition to all this, we have created a full workbook, Living the Good Life, a 70-day workbook for living well after body disruption, which you will find for sale on amazon.com. Theresa: We'll add that link to the show notes. We will be back next week for the start of our second season. Please join us to learn about accommodations, cruising on an expedition cruise in Alaska with the nonprofit cruise operator, The Boat Company. There is a lot more coming in our second season. See you next week. Thanks for listening to Living the Good Life. (Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Show Notes
    Music
    Music Credits (click to expand)

    Carpe Diem — Kevin MacLeod Licensed under CC BY 4.0 https://incompetech.com

    Ascending the Vale — Kevin MacLeod Licensed under CC BY 4.0 https://incompetech.com

    Bloom — Pixabay Music Licensed under Pixabay Content License https://pixabay.com/music/
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