Preview 06: Designing the Next Chapter
Discover the origins of The Refined Life and why it’s more than a lifestyle—it’s a philosophy of peace, joy, and intentional living. In this episode, I share my journey toward minimalist luxury, homemaking, and faith as the foundation for a well-lived life.
Further Reading:
Transcript
This is a preview of The Refined Life, your guide to mastering the art of minimalist luxury.
So, some may be wondering why is my blog, newsletter and now podcast called The Refined Life. What is The Refined Life all about?
Well, it stems from my own personal journey trying to figure out how to balance everything in life and feel the level of peace and contentment and joy and all of the things that we strive for. I had reached a point in my life where I had to make some decisions about how the next phase of it will go. What did I want it to look like, and how could I actively work towards it? And that's where The Refined Life came from.
So, it's my personal evolution that I'm also researching and documenting and living out and sharing with everyone else. For other women, especially, who are at that same crossroads in their lives where they're wanting something more but not more, as in more busyness, you know, more ambition, more of the things that, frankly, the world tells us are the indicators of a successful life. But instead, we're looking for more peace, more joy, more happiness, more time for rest, more time to engage with loved ones, more of a sense of peace and tranquility in our own homes. These are things that are so fundamentally important and that, I think, are truly the foundation for a well-lived life.
So, The Refined Life comes from that. It mixes minimalist luxury, which is something I've been tracking for years. So, the idea of living with less, but also living with high-quality "less," living with things that you truly enjoy and appreciate and value. It mixes in elements of homemaking. I am rediscovering homemaking in many ways. For those of us who come from a certain generation or who were raised in certain environments, there's a stigma around homemaking. So, now that I'm in this phase of life, I want to truly understand how I can ensure that my home is that place of security. Is that kind of HQ, command center, sanctuary, everything it needs to be so that myself and my family can navigate our lives in a productive way.
And The Refined Life also mixes in elements of my faith. I am a Christian, and as I was developing the principles around The Refined Life, when I was thinking through what I would write about, what I would talk about, elements of Jesus's life really gave me a blueprint. So the idea of rest, the idea of Sabbath, stillness, and, quite frankly, minimalism, you know, it very much came from looking at how he lived his life. And if that's the model for me, then I'm going to try to incorporate those elements. And I see how everything is kind of blending together for me.
So, that is where The Refined Life comes from, and I'm excited to share it with other people and to hear about your own experiences as well.
I am Desiré Greene, and you've been listening to a preview of The Refined Life Podcast, coming in 2026. Let's keep the conversation going. You can leave a comment here or follow me on my socials @hellosukio.
