Welcome to The New Simple.
In this new era of simple living, we aren’t content to move away and become hermits in some rustic and secluded locale. We want simple, meaningful lives right here at home. For us, simple living is synonymous with intentional living. We’re clearing out the clutter of things that don’t enrich our lives: our jobs, our habits, our relationships, our stuff. We don’t sleep to dream; we’re creating businesses, networks, movements and products that serve. We will change the world by letting go of it.
The Central Belief of Liv Simpl
Just because you are a complex being with many interests, doesn’t mean that life has to be complicated and confusing. You create your own definition of simple living.
About Janelle
The quick and not-so-dirty version:
- I live in Chicago
- I’m a walking contradiction: a master planner with a strong need for uncertainty, a health nut who loves macaroni and cheese, and a creative who takes things way too literally!
- I gave away my car and now live a completely car-less lifestyle.
- I worked on a farm and can grow the best carrots you’ve ever tasted!
- I am a serial life architect. There’s no goal I can’t accomplish.
- I have adopted every diet under the sun, from vegetarian, vegan, raw foodist to pescetarian. Now I just eat what makes me feel best.
- For the past seven years, I have lived a simple lifestyle. I know the secrets, challenges, and pitfalls and I can help you navigate them.
- I have no credit card debt and am currently on a debt beatdown mission to eradicate 45K in student loans in one year.
The longer, but more interesting version:
My introduction to simple living began out of necessity. In 2005, I was a new college graduate and also newly indebted. I had $18,000 in student loans and $5,000 in credit card debt with less than 20K in income. You do the math. The answer was clear: in order to survive, I had to change something. Fast. I didn’t know about minimalism or simple living then, but I knew that I needed to scale down my life immediately.
During this journey, I discovered something: Simple living is about more than possessions and tasks. The core of simplicity is purpose. Trimming the fat and getting to the meat of the matter. On a macro level, I apply this to life. If I’m not living the most truthful and purposeful life I can, I’m not living a simple life. While I continue to live a simple lifestyle and pay off my debts, my connection to simplicity is about more than money now. In short, simple living keeps me honest. Everything I do is in an effort to get straight to the point and find what matters. Two things happen when you do this: you lose a tolerance for fluff and you become a lifestyle architect.
My goal is to build a community here at Liv Simpl. I intend for that community to be a network of architects with a strong desire to change the world by simply being their true selves, who want to build lean, purposeful, genuine lives and help others do the same.
How to Get in Touch
If everything I’ve shared so far sounds like something you want to be a part of, let’s connect. There are a few ways you can find me:
