Listening - The Slow Down Podcast: JOMO

Listen to the audio and complete the activities below.

Click here to read the transcript

Liam: Welcome back to The Slow Down Podcast, the show where we explore how to live a more mindful and intentional life. I'm your host, Liam, and today I have a very special guest. Maya Reynolds is a life coach and the author of the best-selling book The Joy of Missing Out. Maya, welcome to the show!

Maya: Thank you for having me, Liam. I'm thrilled to be here.

Liam: Maya, your book talks a lot about the fear of missing out, or FOMO. How does that stop us from living slowly?

Maya: Well, Liam, we live in a society that is constantly connected. Social media shows us everything everyone else is doing. Because of this, we say "yes" to every invitation, every project, and every party, because we are afraid of being left behind. We end up with packed schedules and zero free time.

Liam: That sounds exhausting. How do we break that cycle?

Maya: By practicing JOMO—the Joy of Missing Out. It starts with learning to say "no" without apologizing. For example, last Friday, I was invited to a big networking event. Instead of going, I stayed home, ordered a pizza, and played board games with my kids. I missed the event, but the joy I felt at home was completely worth it.

Liam: I love that. Saying "no" to something means you are saying "yes" to yourself.

Maya: Exactly. Slow living requires you to protect your energy. You can't be everywhere at once, and that is perfectly fine.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Fill in the Blanks

Listen to the audio and type the missing words.

1. Maya's best-selling book is called The of Missing Out.

2. Maya says we say "yes" to everything because we are afraid of being left .

3. According to Maya, we need to learn to say "no" without .

4. Liam concludes that saying "no" to something means saying "yes" to .

Activity 2: Who said what?

Select the correct speaker for each sentence.

1. "Social media shows us everything everyone else is doing."
Select... Maya Liam

2. "How do we break that cycle?"
Select... Maya Liam

3. "I stayed home, ordered a pizza, and played board games."
Select... Maya Liam