Do It Today

Special collaboration episode today with the wonderful Aransas Savas and The Uplifters Podcast! Aransas is a wellbeing and leadership coach, and her podcast highlights inspiring women and mindset techniques to create your biggest life. We talk about our weekly "Virtual Friday Therapy Runs," our creative practices and routines, closing open loops and finding deep work blocks, exercises from Do It (or Don't), avoiding overwork and burnout, and much more.

Where to Find Aransas:

Subscribe to The Uplifters Podcast

https://www.theuplifterspodcast.com/

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify
Website: https://www.aransassavas.com/

Show Notes

00:02 Introduction

00:50 Defining an Uplifter

01:36 Introducing The Uplifters Podcast

02:36 The Power of Friendship and Regular Check-ins

07:50 Importance of Self-Care and Relationships

09:45 The Power of Choice and Setting Boundaries

12:03 Being a High-Capacity Person and Managing Overwhelm

13:38 The Role of Acceptance and Trust in Maintaining Flow

24:31 Self-Respect and Setting Boundaries

25:55 Admiration and Journaling

26:20 Planning and Procrastination

26:34 Podcast Growth and Challenges

27:34 Overcoming Hesitation

29:05 Reframing Sponsorship and Taking Action

31:25 The Importance of Sounding Boards

34:54 Planning and Prioritizing Tasks

36:42 Closing Open Loops and Time Management

39:55 Revisiting and Revamping To-Do Lists

43:25 The Power of Community and Activation

Do It Today is created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of three motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Buy Do It (or Don't): A Boundary-Creating Journal

Buy Do It Today: An Encouragement JournalBuy Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

Subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/
Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Kara talks to Caveday cofounder, designer, and entrepreneur Jake Kahana about his day. Big moments include developing a killer morning routine, writing better emails, monotasking, and going into the cave to do your most important work.

More about Jake: jakekahana.com

Subscribe to Jake's Email Refrigerator, a wonderful monthly publication he sends to help readers think about their lives, relationships, and work more deeply.

Resources mentioned:

• Caveday
• Recent New York Times article on Caveday's popularity
• The five sentences email habit
• Inbox When Ready
• Freedom website blocker
• Apple's Focus modes
• Notion

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3A3PKz1

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3vHt5pJ

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QnvDRN

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3vIYYyg

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's daily newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to actor, singer, and writer Samantha Massell, who is starring as researcher Rosalind Franklin in the world premiere of the new musical Double Helix by Madeline Myers. Big moments include the four-year journey of Double Helix, treating creative projects like they're non-negotiable, her script for saying "no," and how plants and word puzzles create the structure of her day.

More about Samantha:

• Visit her website
• Follow Sam on Instagram @smassellsings
• Double Helix tells the story of the race to discover the structure of DNA in the 1950s and follows the brilliant young researcher, Rosalind Franklin, as she contends with adversity, anti-semitism, and love to uncover one of life's great mysteries.
  Buy tickets for Double Helix, running May 30-June 18 at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, New York
• New York Times article: Untangling Rosalind Franklin’s Role in DNA Discovery, 70 Years On
• And Sam uses the app Planta to create her plant schedule!

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of three motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Buy Do It Today: An Encouragement JournalBuy Do It For Yourself: A Motivational JournalPre-order Do It (or Don't): A Boundary-Creating Journal

Subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/
Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Artwork by Tyler Spangler and music by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to speaker and flow state expert Diane Allen about her day. Big moments include how to find your own state of flow, vanquishing your inner critic, setting email power hours, tuning out distractions, and more.

More about Diane: dianeallen.com

Contact Diane at diane [at] dianeallen [dot] com for a free 15-minute flow strategy session!

Mentions in the episode:

• Kara's TED Ideas interview with Diane: "The key to productivity is tapping into your flow state. Here’s how"
• ​​Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Adam Grant's New York Times article, "There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing"

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to journalist and Let's Get Physical author Danielle Friedman about her day. Big moments include conducting rapid-fire interviews, discussing how to write pitches that editors want to read, and three types of story scoops she learned about from our former boss.

More about Danielle: danielle-friedman.com

Twitter: @dfriedmanwrites

Instagram: @daniellefriedmanwrites

Purchase her book Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World

Mentions in the episode:

• Danielle's New York Times story about Pilates (published shortly after we recorded this interview!)
• Danielle's New York Times story about the healing power of strength training
• Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time by Laura Khoudari
• Trint transcription service
• Shoutout to our former Daily Beast boss, Edward Felsenthal, editor-in-chief of TIME @efelsenthal

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke