Bri Books is the podcast that encourages, entertains and enlightens by engaging with the ideas on and off the pages. We serve a community of ambitious, curious people hungry for conversations and books that transform, challenge and inspire us. What are you reading? Shout it out using #bribooks
Welcome to Bri Books! Today I’m sharing the 7 best sunscreens for dark skin. It’s the dog days of summer: when temperatures start to soar around sunrise. I’m somewhat on the sunscreen beat, you could say, thanks to my writing about SPFs at Glamour.com. My stories include a review of Black Girl Sunscreen and ‘11 Women of Color on the Best Sunscreens for Dark Skin.’
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SPF GRAPHICS/ INSTAGRAM POSTS
The Garden in Every Sense and Season
Today’s “Bri Books” is a conversation with ABeautifulNestTV creator Sandria Kendrick, inspired by the book “The Garden in Every Sense and Season” by Tovah Martin. Sandria is the creator behind the “ABeautifulNestTV” platform on YouTube, and on social media. In this episode, Sandria shares her story of homesteading with her family in Georgia, and how her love for the soil runs through her veins. In this episode, we’re discussing our garden struggles, how you can inject green into your life this year.
Show Notes
3:30: Sandria's gardening story, and how she built a small homestead garden for her family + Brionna recommends “The Market Gardener” by Jean-Martin Fortier.
9:00 – How book is divided: Each of the four seasons are represented, with each individual season’s different sensational gifts–sights, sounds, touches, tastes, scents– woven into a story that explores the ever-evolving garden
12:15: How city folks can inject some gardening into their lives: "Bring the green inside!" Overwintering plants (repotting and growing indoors), growing lettuce, succulents and aloe, indoors are great ways to keep the green inside, even after it all falls away outside. Using blooming branches—flowers that grow on a branch-- or cuttings from evergreen or fir trees can invite nature indoors.
16:00: The story behind Sandria's Heirloom Acres Seed Store
19:00 – Fruit and veggie varieites to grow, according to Sandria
You can find Sandria on YouTube, on Heirloom Acres Seed Store, blog, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube. If you’re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're growing by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets.
Welcome to Bri Books! On today’s episode, we’re talking about falling in love with the garden this spring, first-time gardening secrets, and how to get kids excited about gardening. Almost everyday, Carla of @gardenplot.57 treats us to vibrant photos of her cut flower garden, homemade skincare products, and dozens of veggies she’s growing in her backyard garden in Cornwall, England. In this episode, Carla gives tips on how to start (and maintain) a garden in a small space, and shares tips on DIY gardening projects we can do right now to get a jump on the season. Carla and I bonded over the amazing book “Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season” by Erin Benzakein, an amazing resource that’ll inspire you to step up your flower arranging (and flower growing) game. Carla also shares the secret to getting kids interested in gardening and how to lure them away from the XBox and towards the garden box.
Carla’s guide to gardening in a small space:
1. Utilize your patio by planting pots with salad greens, herbs, and dwarf tomatoes.
2. Go high! Make use of vertical space by creating vertical planters. Archways and trellises allow you to grow “up,” and make use of tiny amounts of space for things like beans, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes.
More gardening resources recommended by Carla and Brionna:
Huw Richards YouTube channel and book, “Grow Food for Free”
If you’re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're growing by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets.
How to Get Started in the Garden Feat. Misilla + How to Engage Kids in Gardening
Welcome back to Bri Books! If you’re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're growing by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets.
In today's episode, we're talking about all things organic gardening, and how to grow your own food with Misilla of 'Learn to Grow.'
Whether you're starting your own garden or you haven't given it much thought, after this episode you'll be yearning to get your hands on some seeds. Misilla is the host of 'Learn to Grow,' a channel on YouTube with over 114,000 subscribers. She's a crafty mom of 4 living and working in the Pacific Northwest. Her videos and social posts consist of garden how-to's, growing hacks, healthy living ideas, science experiments, DIY projects, and gardening inspo. Misilla's family has been growing food and farming for generations. She's passionate about inspiring others to grow their own food, and she's passionate about getting kids involved in the garden.
Follow Misilla on Instagram @learntogrow
Garden-Fresh Cooking: How Infuse Healthy Harvest Foods Into Your Daily Diet
Welcome back to Bri Books! Today, we’re talking all things garden-fresh cooking with one of my favorite gardening creators, Sandria Kendrick of ‘A Beautiful Nest TV’ on YouTube and Instagram. Sandria’s content is all about growing confidence in the garden, building strong relationships, growing as a family, and teaching people to love the soil. In this episode, we dig into the cookbook ‘Rodale’s Gaden Fresh Cooking’ by Judith Benn Hurley and how to choose the best crops to grow in your garden. Sandria reveals what she’s learned about herself by getting ‘in the weeds,’ and she shares the recipes she finds herself returning to again and again.
1:40 - All about @abeautifulnestTV and how Sandria infuses love, authenticity and beauty into everything she does.
9:18 - Sandria’s soil story and her family's long lineage of farming and gardening, why Sandria decided to set down roots in the Georgia countryside, and Sandria and her husband planned their garden.
13:45 - Brionna’s grandmother story and how Brionna grew to love gardening, and how grandmothers inspire us to pass on traditions for generations.
16:10 - The crops Sandria didn’t expect to love, the easiest for you to grow, and how Sandria’s cooking style has changed since growing her own food.
26:40 - Sandria on Rodale’s 'Garden-Fresh Cooking' book by Judith Benn Hurley: I’ve been reading Rodale’s Organic Life for a long time, and I really enjoy it. I love that they have so many different topics for you to dig into--food, gardening, lifestyle. Everything's right there for you. It’s a great site. If you’re reading the recipe book, I know that’s amazing.”
27:25 - Sandria’s #BriBooks: “ Lemony Snicket” with her sons, “Better Homes and Gardens,” “Georgia Gardens.”
Find Sandria on YouTube @abeautifulnestTV, on Instagram @abeautifunlest, Facebook @ABeautifulNest, and Twitter @abeautifulnest. Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram.
Welcome to Bri Books! Getting started in the garden can be tough, but there's one thing that'll make your gardening journey more productive: companion planting! In this episode, I'm sharing 6 companion planting hacks you need to know if you want to grow strong.
Companion Planting for Beginners
1:11: What is companion planting? Companion planting is when two or more plants are grown near each other to benefit one or both of the plants. It's a tried-and-tested, ancient way to reduce pests, attract pollinators, and boost growth. I'm sharing a few common examples, although there are dozens.
2:00 - Basil and tomatoes: Basil plants deter moths which lay tomato hornworms, while simultaneously attracting bees (which help improve tomato polination.)
3:00 - Peppers: Peppers are excellent companions to carrots, tomatoes, and onions.
3:30 - Tomatoes: Tomatoes love peppers, bush beans, and basil
5:15 - Dill and flowers: Dill attracts ladybugs, which eat small garden pests like aphids and spider mites, while flowers attract pollinators to help with the job.
6:00 - Sunflowers and pole beans, cucumbers: Sunflowers provide support for climbing plants and shade for crops (like beans and cucumbers!), making it the perfect vertical companion planting garden.
7:00 - Lettuce: Lettuce helps tenderize radishes, and radishes deter cucumber bettles. Grow these two fast-growing crops together for delicious home-grown salads.
Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram.
Welcome to Bri Books! Embarking on the journey of creating your garden is thrilling, but can also be filled with challenges. In this episode, I'm revealing the 10 most beginner-friendly garden fruits and veggies to grow, along with 3 garden-starting basics you need to know.
3 Garden-Starting Basics
1:20 - Don’t try to grow the grocery store! It’s easy to overwhelm yourself when you're beginning your garden journey. Instead, focus on growing the herbs, veggies, and fruits that you enjoy. Grow your garden through the lens of the crops you look forward to eating and cooking with.
2:45 - Keep pollinators top of mind! Growing a mix of flowers, herbs, and veggies helps the overall pollinator ecosystem. When in doubt, throw some flower seeds out!
3:20 - Get to know your land! Monitor and notice the amount of light your garden gets throughout the day, and keep track of soil conditions--what happens to the area during heavy rains? Intense heat? Does it have any shade. cover? You want your garden to be built in a sunny, well-draining area with nutrient-rich soil.
10 Beginner-Friendly Crops
4:15 - Salad greens, kale, and spinach: Starting your garden journey with green leafys is rewarding because they grow relatively quickly (seed to salad in 21-30 days).
5:00 - Cucumbers: Cucumbers can go from seed to salad in about 40-45 days. Cucumbers love cool weather, making them perfect for late spring. Pro tip: Trellis your cucumbers up the stems/ stalks of your sunflower plants!
5:50 - Zuchinni: Zuchinni thrives in the garden. Zuchinni plants grow wide and large, and the leaves arebeautiful and luscious, providing excellent shade for smaller plants. Zuchinni are tastiest when younger, so picking zucchini after about a week of growth helps to encourage more growth.
6:50 - Tomatoes: I recommend growing at least two varieites of tomatoes in your garden: one snacking tomato (sun gold, cherry tomatoes, etc), and one recipe tomato (Moneymaker, Beefsteak, Black Krim, etc.)
7:30 - Beans or Peas: Peas and beans are great beginner-friendly and kid-friendly crops in the garden. Kids love to watch the pods form! They thrive during spring and summer, and well into fall.
8:40 - Peppers: For beginners, growing peppers is a great idea. Focus on compact peppers like thai chili peppers, shishito peppers, and gochu peppers. These grow in compact bushes and keep producing until the end of season.
9:30 - Potatoes: The more you ignore potatoes, the more they love you. Potatoes grow well in solitude--once you plant them, leave them alone until the potato plant dies back, signaling that it’s time to harvest the tubers underground. For first-time gardeners, growing potatoes in a milk crate or felt container is easiest.
10:35 - Herbs: Focus on growing the herbs you like to eat at home (like basil, rosemary, mint, lemon balm). Herbs are a great great starting point if you’re beginning your gardening journey and you're endeavoring to include more flavor in your daily meals.
11:15 - Flowers: Flowers are a necessary (and often overlooked) part of the garden. Flowers like marigonlds, zinnia, calendula, cosmos, and nastirtium are beginner-friendly, thanks to their low-maintenance nature and ability to attract pollinators.
12:00 - Strawberries: Strawberries grow very well in containers, making them perfect for any and all gardens. Whether it’s in a hanging pot, a raised bed, or a felt container, strawberries are low-maintenance and high-yield.
12:30 - Radishes: Radishes can be sown as soon as early spring breaks through. They go from seed to salad in about 21-30 days, a fastgrowing and nutrient-dense crop that helps kick off the season.
Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram.
Welcome to Bri Books, and Happy Earth Week! Today, I'm sharing the tips first-time gardeners need to know: how to start a vegetable garden, raised bed garden, herb garden, or kitchen garden without breaking the bank. These easy gardening tips and gardening hacks that'll make your life easier. Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram.
Follow theBriGarden on Instagram, listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and show me your garden by using #bribooks on Instagram.
Welcome back to Bri Books. In this episode, I’m sharing my garden starter hacks, including a gardening method I created myself! This method has taken my gardening and succession planting to the next level when it comes to growing my own food. I call this my "theBriGarden Breakfast Gardening Method." I created and coined it myself for @theBriGarden. It revolves around repurposing food waste to create a food bounty. Who would've thought breakfast is so ripe for gardening!?
Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets. If you’re new to the show, leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're sipping by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets.
8 Garden-Starting Hacks to Get You Growing in 2024
Want to see the garden in action? Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets for first-time growers. Leave a review of Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, and listen to Bri Books on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud! Please tell me what you're growing by using #bribooks on Instagram, and subscribe to the Bri Books newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter. Follow @theBriGarden on Instagram for garden tours, growing hacks, and gardening secrets.
Welcome to Bri Books! Today, we’re dissecting 5 ingenious wedding trends of 2024 that you’re bound to see everywhere. Listen to the most recent episode, “Top 5 Bridal Trends of 2024: Part One” for even more inspiration. This episode is about wedding industry-wide trends, and what you can expect in 2024. Whether you’re the guest, the host, or one of the intended, these wedding trends will get your juices flowing. We did all the things for the bride last time, so now let’s take it to everyone else. Here are a few quick trends that are taking over the wedding industry.
Micro-weddings: This trend has been years in the making (predated the pandemic), and it’s only going stronger in 2024. Some folks pack out cathedrals, others love a chic, curated courthouse affair. Micro-weddings often look like elopement or private civil ceremonies, followed by modest dinners. Micro-weddings are growing not just as a result of rising prices of weddings, but as a throwback to more intimate nuptial affairs.
Long cakes: Viva la long cake! In the early January NYT article, "These Wedding Cakes Are Going to Great Lengths", the wedding cake of Rachel Karten (founder of Link in Bio) was featured—a massive, multi-color, multi-foot long slab of deliciousness.
Daytrip weddings: I personally love this concept. If you’re in a particularly scenic state or country, consider a daytrip wedding, especially if it’s a day-long or one night overnight affair. If you're getting married in a small ceremony or privately, consider doing a daytrip to a gorgeous farm, setting, etc. to exchange vows.
Intimate dinner party weddings and afterparties: After the altar is the afterparty! More and more, couples are opting for a debaucherous, energy-fueled afterparty to keep the vibes going. Renting out a chic hotel bar or even a restaurant can deliver the after party vibes. Bonus points if there’s a kitschy element like takeout food, nostalgic small bites, etc. feel free to be lo-fi and grungy. I think an intimate dinner party can bring an air of casualness to wedding festivities. It’s also easier to get around and see all of your friends/ do the general socializing at a dinner party vs a more formal seated dinner.
Off-season travel: Paging Portugal! You may see more off-season and left-of-center wedding destinations crop up in your invites. Portugal is well known, also consider Chile, parts of Mexico (San Miguel de Allende), Ecuador, Portugal, Costa Rica, Belize, and other less-traveled destinations.
Welcome to Bri Books and happy Valentine’s Day. In honor of the day of love (self love, familial love, etc), I want to bring a quick beauty-focused episode about my favorite skincare, makeup and beauty picks to help you practice the art of self-love 24/7. I’ll jump right in.
Lush Valentine’s Day Collection. Once again, as always, Lush has pulled out the stops when it comes to Valentine's Day. I think Lush is the perfect 'To me, from me' gift. Love can be friendship and laughter and wild nights and quiet mornings. Lush is all about celebrating all the loves in your life and finding ways to celebrate them. The brand has several V-Day specific gifts, but I want to talk about my favorites: The Flower Bombshell, Love Letter Bath Bomb, Sex Bomb Bath Bomb gift set, and the Strawberry Heart soap. If you want something luxe feeling and special, Lush is the way. The flower bombshell gives the most romantic rose scented soak ever. Flower petals float atop shimmering pink waters, and rose absolute and lemon oil create a cheerful, rose scent that'll sweep you off your feet. It's a truly dcadent bathing experience, and the best part is, you can save half of it for another day.
Bakeup Makeup Beauty Palettes for Valentine’s Day inspired color. For the color fanatics, the gotta-catch-em-all types, this one's for you. Save $20 and get all four Palm Palettes (pastels, primaries, neons and neutrals)! Each Palm Palette features eight buttery, buildable shades that can be mixed and matched for endless looks. From Monday morning to Saturday night, any occasion and every emotion. This kit will truly unleash your creativity. Curated by Jo Baker from the most loved neutral palettes of the last 20 years, Desert Road Trip contains eight everyday, essential neutrals. The bold Micro Palm Palette primaries represent foundational colors, empowering you to express your primary emotions.
Nakery Beauty Skin Repair Double Retinol and Collagen Face and Body Treatment. Super, concentrated yet gentle, 2 fast-acting retinols unite to firm & reduce wrinkles from head to toe. A revolutionary innovation in anti-aging! Encapsulated retinol targets fine lines + wrinkles over time while fast-acting retinoids, boosted with collagen peptides, instantly penetrate the skin for skin repair and immediate wrinkle-fighting action Counteracts skin aging + UV damage and improves cell renewal process Controlled, constant release delivery system allows for no redness, no irritations, no flakiness, no dry-feeling or down time between uses Multi-tasking: face + body, gentle enough for daily use.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Micro Serum and Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Facial Oil. I love this serum and the luxurious, soothing facial oil. The serum phase delivers skin-quenching actives whilst the oil phase has rich soothing properties. Enriched with a unique Red Algae, clinically proven* to deliver 3x more hydration than Hyaluronic Acid, and antioxidant Rose Centifolia extract, to support and strengthen the skin’s barrier. Plumps, firms, and smooths fine lines and wrinkles. The exceptionally lightweight facial oil formula is infused with precious English Rose Oleo Extract and a blend of hydrating marine actives. This anti-aging oil helps to soften the look of lines and wrinkles and leaves the skin looking more youthful. Nourishing oils of Sweet Almond, Jojoba, and Coconut provide a lightweight base easily absorbed by the skin for a radiant and dewy fresh complexion.
Be Delicious DKNY Orchard Street. This is an excellently romantic fragrance, inspired by the energy of the Lower East Side. Floral, fruity, lady apple and jasmine scents combine with cedar wood to create an unforgettably luxe fragrance.
Real Techniques Pastel Pop Collection. The Real Techniques Pastel Pop Plumped Up Base Set features 3 dense face brushes and a makeup spatula to conceal, cover, and brighten for your dreamiest complexion yet. The makeup brush kit includes the 098 Small Conceal Brush, 099 Expert Edge Brush, 100 Soft Accent Brush, and a Makeup Spatula. These makeup brushes work best with liquid and cream foundation, concealer, highlighter, and blush for a bright, skin-like finish. The makeup spatula helps you spread foundation and color correctors into a thin layer for an even finish.
Shani Darden Moisture Plumping Serum. A silky, non-sticky serum powered by snow mushroom and glycerin to effectively attract, retain & replenish moisture for instant and continuous plumping hydration. Unlike other serums that hydrate only temporarily, our high-performance formula floods skin in long-lasting hydration. A breakthrough blend of visibly plumping pentavitin, water-binding snow mushroom and glycerin, moisture-replenishing panthenol, seamlessly melts into skin to reveal plump and bouncy, dewy skin. Snow Mushroom & Glycerin provide instant moisture and long-term hydration.
Baebody Gummy Collagen Vitamins. These 60 citrus-flavored gummies provide you with the building blocks of your body. Perfect for strong bones, skin, muscles, ligaments and more. Can be supplemented with collagen moisturizer, collagen cleanser, and collagen teas for your inner and outer beauty
Beia Beauty Lavender Lust candle and Intimacy Serum. For anytime moisture, wherever you need it most, Body & Intimacy Serum was formulated for all-purpose pleasure—anywhere. Made with sustainably sourced ingredients—like squalane, coconut oil, and green tea—this luxurious serum naturally rejuvenates your skin and body to enhance your everyday skincare routine and intimate moments alike. Featuring sleek glass packaging with eco-conscious, refillable packaging, this serum was made for the nightstand—not the back of the drawer.
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