Many of us have been touched by COVID-19 in deeply personal ways, whether we’ve fought the virus ourselves or suffered the loss of someone we love, a job we value and/or the lifestyle we once enjoyed. This is a cascade of change, for all of us, and it’s going to take time to adjust. 

One big change you may not have expected is actually pretty positive: the pandemic is shifting our values in ways that make life healthier and more meaningful, foster deeper connections, and can even help our pocketbooks and the planet. Let’s take a look at what this means. 

Change is happening everywhere. The pandemic is altering lifestyles, housing and economic realities for millions of Americans. Where we can bounce back, fortunately, we’re doing it. Work from home? Used to it. Zoom calls all day? We’re pros. Elbow bumps in lieu of handshakes? A little awkward, but doable. It might not always be pleasant, but we’re adapting.

In recent years, you have probably started to notice the explosion of products containing CBD and people touting its benefits. There are CBD oils and tinctures, dermal patches, dog and cat foods, beauty products…the list goes on. With all this publicity, it’s natural to wonder what CBD is, whether it’s safe, how to apply/ingest CBD products and how those products interact with your body to produce the reported wellness benefits. The team at CBDistillery™ put together this quick overview for the Silvernest audience.

Over the last 100 years or so, the American economy—and, in many ways, our culture—has been hyper-focused on efficiency and specialization. Interestingly, this focus has changed our lives and relationships too. In a speech given at the 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival, author and CEO Marc Freedman shared how post-industrialized America began to “specialize” experiences by age in a way that previous societies had not, and the trend has only accelerated over the years. This kind of segmentation is efficient for marketers, education, military service and medicine… but we’ve lost something along the way.

During a recent short transition from my last homesharing arrangement to my current one, I stayed at an Airbnb. That’s where I learned about and experienced their "Superhost" classification, and it made me think about what the Silvernest equivalent might look like.

No doubt about it, these are strange days for most of us. COVID-19 is changing daily life very quickly and on a global scale. Naturally, when the rest of the world seems crazy, home is where we feel most comfortable and safe.

If you're homesharing or have roommates, shelter-in-place can be stressful—even for the best of friends and most loving of family members. But the truth is, you and your roommate must rely on each other more than ever right now—you’re in it together, quite literally!

Here are our tips for making this time at home with your roommate(s) as smooth as possible.

Watch Sara Connell interview Silvernest CEO Wendi Burkhardt for the Women Starting Movements Series.

Want to write a great description for your rental listing? Include the size of the home and the space you're offering, take well-lit photos and keep your description welcoming by focusing on the positive! Watch this video for further guidance.

In addition to your legally binding lease, it is important to create a homesharing agreement with your housemate.