There's nothing more frustrating than when you go to speak in a meeting and it sounds like you're about to cry. This annoying vocal trembling can affect people regardless of the size of the crowd they're speaking to, as it's related to nervousness. Several professional speakers and coaches have learned how to control that nervous vocal fry with a few tricks that may help you get through your next presentation.The seemingly unfamiliar noise our throats make when nervous can add to the feelings of anxiety. Now, you're not just worried about speaking in front of a few people; you're also wondering if they think your voice sounds weird or if they're concerned about your emotional state. Maybe they think you've been crying or are about to start. Either way, you notice the strange, shaky sound making every word you say vibrate uncomfortably, and all you can think about is making it stop. Stressed man wipes forehead while reading documents.Photo credit: CanvaUsually, when this happens, your pulse quickens, you start to sweat, and your face starts to feel hot. It seems your body is acting out in a pretty extreme way, and you're not sure why. So, what is the deal? Why doesn't this happen to everyone, and how can you make it stop? Well, while many are naturally good speakers, others become effective speakers because they've learned how to master their nerves so they sound confident even when they're not. Why does my voice shake when I speak publicly?Extra TV co-host Mona Kosar Abdi explains, "Number one tell-tale sign that you're nervous is a shaky voice. That happens when you're so tense that the muscles around your vocal chords tighten." Woman lost in thought at a café.Photo credit: Canva The technical phrase for this muscle tightening is "voice change anxiety symptoms," and, according to the Anxiety Centre, "Voice changes anxiety symptoms can precede, accompany, or follow an episode of nervousness, anxiety, fear, and elevated stress, or occur ‘out of the blue’ and for no apparent reason. Voice change anxiety symptoms can range in severity from slight to moderate to severe. Voice changes can also come in waves, where it’s strong one moment and eases off the next." Sweating Season 12 GIF Giphy How to stop your voice from shakingAs for how to get the muscles around your voice box to chill out so you can get through a simple conversation or meeting, Abdi says the trick is to relax those muscles. She shares that right before you're supposed to speak, you should hold one finger in front of your lips like you're telling someone to be quiet, take a deep breath, and, when exhaling, make a "ghost noise.""I know it looks crazy, but do it like five to ten minutes before you have to speak, and what it does is it helps loosen up the muscles and also helps you control your airflow," the TV host says. She adds, "Slow down. When we are nervous, we tend to let out a million words a second, which leads to stumbling and being out of breath. Slow down. This allows you to enunciate your words and also get in deep breaths." @mokoab Replying to @SaSa ♬ original sound - Mona Kosar Abdi A leadership and resilience coach who goes by Cass on social media shares that one way to avoid nervousness. A shaky voice before meetings is often a sign of avoiding last-minute meeting prep. Cass suggests going outside to take deep breaths before speaking, and then combine it with hyping yourself up. This means reminding yourself that you know what you're talking about and deserve to be in the spaces you're taking up. She also points out that last-minute reviewing of material adds to the anxiety and nerves, so stepping away aids in calming your nervous system before speaking. @thrivewithcass Does your voice get shaky before you go to speak up at work? Save this video and do these 2 things #womeninleadership #thrivewomen #womeninbusiness #burnoutprevention #highachievingwomen #womenincorporate #publicspeakingtips ♬ original sound - Leadership & Resilience Coach Another tip for ending the shaky voice while speaking is to project your voice from your diaphragm. When nervous, you tend to take quick, shallow breaths. Slowing your breathing and using it to speak from your diaphragm will not only help make that shaky, nervous voice stop, but it will also make you sound more confident. One way to know you're using your diaphragm to speak is to take a breath with your hand on your belly. If you're breathing from your diaphragm, your belly just below your ribcage should move. As you begin speaking, you should feel the same area contract.Several public speaking coaches mentioned this as one of the best ways to sound more confident while knocking the nerves out of your voice. Taking deep breaths, slowing down your speech, and speaking with your diaphragm have been the most repeated tips by professionals. So, if you get nervous while talking in front of others, give these tricks a try and see how they work for you.

Since the tiny home craze of the early 2000s, people have been fascinated by living in highly limited spaces. Now the trend has moved to even smaller abodes, with people sharing their "micro apartments" in high-cost-of-living areas, which are often no larger than an average-sized room. Adrian Penny, for example, lives in what many would refer to as a "shoebox." His apartment in downtown Ottawa, Canada, is a mere 110 square feet, the equivalent of a 10' x 11' room. That's considered a fairly small bedroom in an average home, and yet that amount of space includes a bathroom and a kitchen in addition to living, working, and sleeping space. But how? See on Instagram Over the past four years, Penny has customized his apartment to make the most optimal use of the space. We're not talking about buying IKEA organization cubicles, but rather custom-built furniture and storage solutions he designed himself that make living in a shoebox actually seem doable. Does it feel spacious? Of course not. But livable and even somewhat comfortable? Surprisingly, yes. The YouTube channel Exploring Alternatives, which showcases out-of-the-ordinary living situations, took a tour of Penny's pad as he explained how he makes it work. - YouTube www.youtube.com Penny shares that when he got the apartment, it was advertised as 95 square feet, but his measurements revealed it to be closer to 110. "I call it a studio, but there's two rooms with no door in between, so I don't know if that counts," he says. Umm, I'm pretty sure an apartment that measures the size of a small room is a studio regardless of the exact layout. Penny got the apartment because he didn't want roommates and was starting a business, so he needed to keep his expenses low. His rent is $700 Canadian, equivalent to approximately $500 U.S. dollars, and includes all utilities and a parking spot. Considering the fact that some people he knows pay $2,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, it's a pretty good deal. Saving money in rent means more money for other things. Giphy The space includes an entry hall/kitchen/closet area and a living/working/sleeping/bathroom area, divided by a step and a curtain he can pull. The kitchen has a two burner induction stove and a microwave oven. Penny didn't just custom-build the desk, bed, and closet to all work together; he actually cut down and milled the wood for the desk himself. He works doing video editing, and with his ergonomic chair, he says it's quite a comfortable workspace. He does get tired of working in the apartment sometimes, but then he just goes out and works at a coffee shop or the library for a while. His custom-made spring-loaded Murphy bed pulls down on top of the desk—easily with one hand, without having to move anything out of the way—and pushes back up to be out of the way during the day. He says he had tried a loft bed on stilts, but that got old very quickly, so he designed the Murphy bed to be a quick and easy transformation—and he only has to climb up two steps to get into it.The storage solutions he's come up with are impressive, but there is one big "elephant in the room," which is that the toilet room has no door. Since it's just him living there and there's not really much room for guests, it's not that big of a deal, he says, but he's thinking of figuring out a door solution. A bathroom door might be a good idea. Giphy "For some people, this would definitely be extreme," Penny admits. "But for me, the way I've laid it out, it just works fine." The location is key, he says, as there's so much to do in the area. He says he's not a minimalist by nature, but he basically lives like one by necessity. "I still have lots of gear that I need for work, and I like to have hobbies—I don't just meditate all day—so I try to fit as much in here as possible without having clutter." That took a while, though. When he first moved in, he had too much stuff and it was hard to move around. Dialing it down to the essentials helped, and though he doesn't have much entertainment space, there is a communal space outside that he uses to get together with friends in the summer. People are loving Penny's ingenuity:"For a single person, who is resourceful and capable of living in a tiny space.....this is clever and really a smart idea to save money.....and still have a home in the city!""He should go into business engineering and designing unusual spaces.""Most tiny home videos are not as well designed or organized as well as this. Adrian needs to get into redesigning tiny homes and apartments. Anyone in a cramped space would hire him aster watching this video. Truly a brilliant and thoughtful design.""Brilliant , love it . Especially that you have 4 windows. Couldn’t live in a place without that much natural light.""This is the most ingenious use of space I have ever seen. Adrian has thought outside the box to develop the most clever use of very limited space and still have what is a very livable apt. His solutions are genius that go well beyond what we have seen in most tiny living spaces. Kudos to Adrian.""At first I was like 'what a shoe box.' But as he explained the functionality of stuff I thought: 'Do I need more than this? Probably not...' brilliant design."Kudos to Adrian Penny for making the most of a truly tiny space. You can follow him on YouTube and Instagram, and see more interesting living spaces on the Exploring Alternatives YouTube channel. - YouTube www.youtube.com

It's become pretty cheesy to utter things like, "There's magic everywhere," (especially if you creepily whisper it.) However, if you happen to be lucky enough to visit magician Justin Flom's home, it's literally true. Every single square foot of his home seems to be magical, which is pretty fortunate for his young kids. Truly, their dad's imagination knows no bounds.A few months back, Upworthy's Heather Wake covered the "wildest house tour" ever, wherein we see Flom's fever dream of a home in a video presented by his wife. Wake describes "the toilet paper wall in the bathroom (cause why not?), a 'cozy' loft made of netting above the stairs for the kids, and a 'Dr. Pepper passageway' that leads to a hidden door in the wallpaper that opens to their Blockbuster-fied movie room."The house has become a recent viral sensation again, as Flom's sister has now made her own personal video from her point of view. She seems especially dazzled by the disco room, the hidden door INSIDE the foam pit, and yes, the glow-in-the-dark room. In pushing the boundaries of whimsy, Flom recently shared a new clip on TikTok where we see him pouring what looks like oxidized phosphorous into a painting tray. When applied to the wall, the green, glowing paint makes it look as if he's created his very own Aurora Borealis within the walls of his home. In a voiceover, Flom shares, "This room glows in the dark and you can leave your shadow on the wall."We then see Flom's daughters helping create the, ahem, magic. He continues, "The glow-on-paint goes on clear and I give my daughters special flashlights so they can draw on the wall…with light." @justinflom Their shadows stay on the wall! ?? As if that wasn't cool enough, he says, "It's done, and I'm showing you right now, the glow room, hidden behind our tunnel of doors." We then see five different doors being opened, including a red door, what looks like a Cookie Monster door, a brick wall door, and a final door that resembles the spiral of a safe. Once inside, he says to the girls, "Doesn't look like anything, right? The wall looks normal, doesn't it? But wait. Ready?"They nod. "On the count of three, we're gonna turn out the lights and this room is gonna glow. You ready for it? Three. Two. One…!" Flom turns out the lights, and, as promised, the walls glow in a bright Oz-like green. What happens next is like scenes from a Pixar film or perhaps Wicked: When they press their bodies against the green wall, they make a shadow that remains as though it has been painted on by the finest artist. Then, on top of their OWN shadows, they can create whatever they'd like using plain old lights as their brushes.Once one gets over the absolute awe of it all, it's hard not to wonder…how was this possible? We turn to the comment section, which first showers Flom with compliments. One person writes, "I want to do this with my adult money." Another, "The childhood I wished I'd had." A gif of the Northern Lights Giphy, Yatri design Just a tiny scroll down, and a TikToker seems to have found the paint. "Is it the Risk Reactor glow paint?" Though they note it's expensive ($400), many agree it's worth it. Someone asks, "How do they get the shadow off the wall?" Another responds, "You cover the area, shine a light, and the bit that's covered doesn't glow."Luckily, there is a cute, wacky video on YouTube that gives us an actual step-by-step on making your own glow wall, should you want one. YouTuber UV Black Lights uses what he calls a "blinds thing" type surface and illustrates that first you want to "clean the surface" really well. Then, using "glow in the dark phosphorescent paint," he shares, "All you have to do is just paint." - YouTube www.youtube.com For this tutorial, he demonstrates that he's using the Wildfire paint brand and recommends two or three coats over a primer (if one has the patience). We then get a chyron AND a voiceover exclaiming "three hours later," followed by a shot of the surface hung up, "all dried and ready to go."Once the sun goes down (since he's presenting this experiment in his garage), he explains, "So what we're using here is just a little laser. It doesn't need to be black light. All you have to do is have some kind of light source." (Remember, Flom used tiny flashlights.)He then shows off shadow art, similar to Flom's earlier video. Beautiful, majestic, and best of all? Doable!

Nature is healing. After a century of rampant urbanization—deforestation, invasive species, paving paradise and putting up a parking lot—we’re finally coming back to our roots. In Southern California, a mother-daughter design team is leading the way, teaching the public and their clients how to transform ordinary outdoor areas into extraordinary plant sanctuaries. In a viral TikTok video, Donna and Caitlin Whelan demonstrate how they created a lush habitat garden out of an ordinary backyard. It’s captured the hearts of green-thumbed viewers and offers an inside look into the process of eco-friendly landscaping.Trust the processDonna and Caitlin run Whelan Design House, a boutique interior design firm that specializes in high-end projects. Drawing on their combined talents and impeccable taste, this mother-daughter team creates beautiful living spaces with a human-centered approach. Their commitment to healthy environments shines through in their design philosophy. As they state on their website, "Our world is full of synthetic materials, but we believe there are other options. We guide our clients toward sustainable and environmentally respectful choices and away from chemical-laden fabrics and unhealthy materials." Before nature upgrade.@whelandesignhouse/TikTok Which brings us to the viral backyard renovation. This was more than just a design project: it’s a masterclass in the power of family bonds and environmental innovation. The 18-part video begins with a plain, unremarkable yard. “This is how it looked when we started,” they write. “The grass wasn’t providing anything for the local [ecosystem], and it required way too much water to maintain.”America has a “perfect lawn” problem. Dreams of white picket fences and a manicured lawn have driven the country into a “green, monoculture carpet,” and our human-dominated landscape is no longer equipped to support functional ecosystems. Like everything else in life, our front lawns do not exist in a vacuum. Everything, from the trees to the flowers to the grass to the soil, all work harmoniously to create a thriving home for insects, birds, and other wild creatures. But when native species are replaced with alien ones, these exotic plants disrupt the flow of life, wreaking havoc and degrading the natural habitat.So, Donna and Caitlin tore it up. All of it. They removed the neatly cut grass and trees from unknown origins. Ripped up swaths of concrete (“concrete suffocates the soil, preventing the growth of microbes that are essential for healthy soil,” they write). After nature upgrade.@whelandesignhouse/TikTok California’s natural beautyOnce the land was returned to ground zero, Caitlin and Donna got to work, replacing the non-native species with ones that were suited to the environment. “Native plants are adapted to the timing of the seasons, harshness of the weather, and water availability of the particular area they evolved within,” describes Defenders of Wildlife, a premier U.S.-based conservation organization. “They are also typically adapted to surviving local pests and, therefore, do not need chemical pesticides.”So, the dynamic duo began anew, carefully planning and selecting the right plants. They chose drought-tolerant flora that was either native to the area or regionally appropriate, like the wattle-leaf acacia, whose delicate yellow blooms and fern-like leaves added a wonderful splash of splendor to the landscape. Plus, it’s known for its resiliency and minimal water needs—an especially crucial component in Southern California, where droughts are unfortunately quite commonplace. The orange-hued apricot mallow, another star of their garden, brings another pop of color and radiance and attracts butterflies to the space. “The flowers smell like honey,” write the Whelans.Beyond the lush wildlife, the mother-daughter team also drew upon their impressive art experiences to design the garden of their dreams. They installed a lovely wooden bench, shaded beneath a Palo Verde tree. Small tables that look like sculptures dot the yard. Rustic Saltillo tiles, made of gorgeous terracotta, were used to create a mosaic patio floor. Suddenly, everything clicked. The resulting space is nothing short of awe-inspiring: truly one with nature.Comments flooded in, with viewers praising Donna and Caitlin for their work. “You created your own slice of paradise while considering the wildlife and native plant species. I’m in awe,” someone wrote. “Thank you for planting native plants in CA, it’s so helpful. So many people buy houses here and plant non-native plants,” another user replied. Their viral TikTok even motivated some to rethink their own backyards. “My house is also a small older Spanish-style with a big backyard,” writes another. “This just inspired me to take action. Even my patio is just like yours, it’s coming down now lol.”Change is always possibleThere are countless ways to incorporate native vegetation into your life, whether you have sprawling acres or a simple, small plot out front. For those interested in following in the Whelans’ footsteps, here’s what you need to know about starting your own native plant oasis:Take stock. Before planning your beautiful new garden, examine your surroundings and evaluate what makes this particular area special and unique. How much sun does the yard typically get? Does it snow here? What’s the elevation like? Is the soil drainage poor?Research, research, research. This is a great excuse for an excursion and to explore your local surroundings! Find a park near you with native plants or a botanical garden. Really get to know your local ecosystem—every region has its own personality and specific native plants that are meant to thrive there.The fun part: Shopping spree. Find a nursery that specializes in native plants. And be curious! Ask questions, like “Where did this plant come from?” “Do I need to fertilize it?” “What soil and soil pH is best?” To create a native plant garden is to become a steward of the land, and the more information you know, the better.Don’t stress. Caitlin and Donna are professionals. You don’t need to transform your entire backyard overnight. Start small, beginning with just a section of the garden. This will take time. In fact, the Whelans note, “patience is incredibly important. The beauty of [the garden] reached new depths with time and only time.”By choosing native plants and working with nature rather than against it, the Whelans remind us that environmental stewardship is always possible—and can even start in your own backyard. With some careful planning, the correct plants, and an eye for design, anyone can take a step towards contributing to a natural, thriving ecosystem.This article originally appeared in June.

When did working out become so…complicated? Pricey gym memberships, workout systems that take up precious space in the garage, and don't even get me started on finding the "right" running shoe for your feet (if such a thing even exists).Yes, there's far too much confusion surrounding walking and running in terms of fitness. But it doesn't have to be this way. Working out using your own two feet does not need to resemble an excellent Avril Lavigne song.Enter: Japanese Walking. @coacheugeneteo Walking 10,000 steps... But better ? I know I can’t be the only one who looks at my step count at the end of the day and feel like a failure. Some days, I get around 2,000 steps. I still aim for at least 8,000 a day - but sometimes, life just gets in the way. But even if it's only an extra ~3000 steps, this simple 30 minute protocol on my walking pad can make a huge difference. ♬ original sound - Eugene Teo Also known as Interval Walking Training (IWT), it's a straightforward yet highly effective fitness technique that incorporates interval training methods used by professional athletes. So, it's no surprise that once TikTok caught wind of this simple, low-impact, 30-minute workout (and discovered it works!), Japanese Walking went viral.Fitness influencers and news outlets alike heralded Japanese Walking as the real deal: a science-backed, lab-tested alternative to high-intensity sweat sessions that also works better than those flashy, fleeting fitness fads, like the (now debunked) 10,000 steps a day challenge or the "12-3-30" treadmill trend.Ready to find out what all the buzz is about Japanese walking? Let's dive in.The story behind Japanese WalkingIn the early 2000s, a team of researchers at Shinshu University in Nagano, Japan, found themselves grappling with a head-scratching dilemma.Japan's population is consistently ranked as one of the world's oldest. In 2023, it was reported that nearly a third of Japan's population had already hit 65 years old (an estimated 36.23 million people—approximately the population size of Ghana), with one in every 10 people being 80 years or older.In the study conducted at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine, exercise physiologist Hiroshi Nose and his collaborator Shizue Masuki led a research group on a quest. The goal? To make walking an aging person's new best friend. They wanted to discover a highly effective walking routine for middle-aged and older adults that would help improve their physical and cardiometabolic health.Early trials in Japan showed promising results. In Nose and Masuki's landmark 2007 study, they observed the physical fitness and blood pressure of 246 participants between the ages of 44 and 78 for five months. The results confirmed their suspicions: that those who followed the IWT program showed greater improvements in strength, endurance, blood pressure, and aerobic capacity, compared to moderate, steady-paced walking or those in the no walking regimen.via GIPHYIn older adults, these benefits increased even further, with significant increases to thigh muscle strength (up to 17%) and a reduction in systolic blood pressure.What a perfect ending, right?If only."No one completed the program, and they complained that the program was too boring and too difficult," revealed Shizue Masuki.Rather than give up when participants found their fitness program boring, Nose and Masuki's research team turned to a popular training method sworn by in the professional sports world: interval training. This type of training is beloved by runners, cyclists, and others who want to increase their speed, agility, endurance, and/or muscle power. It's efficient (you can achieve more results in less time) and prevents boredom. For example, if you're doing jump squats for a few minutes, then burpees and mountain climbers, or shuttle runs and bicycle crunches, repeatedly, it's pretty challenging to get bored.What makes Japanese Interval Walking so special?There's a certain symmetrical beauty to interval walking training.Rather than maintaining a quick, steady pace, ITW devotees alternate between three-minute bursts of fast, energetic walking and three-minute intervals of slow recovery periods. Alternate between the two speeds for a total of five rounds, or 30 minutes, and that's it! You're done. Two people walking outside. Photo credit: CanvaFor those who want to get technical, during the speedy portion, Nose and Masuki recommend trying to hit 70-85% of your maximum heart rate. Then, during the more relaxed intervals, your heart rate should reduce to 40-50% of your maximum heart rate.If you're unsure about your heart rate, consider investing in a heart rate monitor. This one doesn't need bells and whistles; make sure that it has a stopwatch and the ability to set a target rate with an alarm.Why this actually works—while other walking exercise plans failYour body craves challenge, but it also needs recovery. Japanese interval walking gives you both. During those high-intensity bursts, you're creating what cardiovascular expert Dr. Mir Ali calls "healthy stress" on your heart and muscles."When you increase your intensity of walking or other exercise that raises your heart rate, it's helpful to cardiovascular health and increases aerobic capacity," said Mir Ali, general and bariatric surgeon. "Once you're settled down from that increase, over time, your blood pressure improves."The benefits don't just stop there. Nose and Masuki's studies also show positive effects on sleep, cognitive function, and depression. Imagine being able to sleep better, think more clearly, and feel happier, all from a simple 30-minute walk. That's the power of Japanese Walking. - YouTube www.youtube.com In a world where fitness increasingly feels expensive and complicated, people want something real and accessible. Japanese Walking connects with so many people because it works—it's not a fad or a viral moment. Interval walking training was developed in a lab to scientifically strengthen the bones and bodies of Japan's growing elderly population, and by doing so, offered a rare gift to the rest of the world: a path to fitness that's not just effective, but also efficient, and. most importantly, sustainable.Oh, and it's accessible! You already possess everything you need to succeed in Walking Interval Training. You, a pair of shoes, and 30 minutes to spare, preferably outdoors.

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The President announces he is invoking the “Home Rule Act” and bringing in National Guard to “Liberate” D.C. from Democrat control.

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