In this episode of the Paring Down podcast, we uncover the surprising science of how enthusiasm can fuel your decluttering journey —and why your excitement matters more than you think. You’ll discover: How mirror neurons influence everyone in your home to get on board with decluttering Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions and how joy leads to even more progress The importance of cultivating harmonious passion so decluttering feels sustainable over time Paring Down Instagra...
Aug 12, 2025•42 min
In this episode of Paring Down , I’m joined by etiquette coach Alison Cheperdak to talk about how to create a home that feels warm, inviting, and deeply welcoming, which includes motivation to declutter (without going overboard!), as well as emotionally intelligent ways to create personal connection. She lets us know: What to do if someone gives you a gift you don’t love (without feeling rude) The one thing you can do that instantly makes guests feel welcome the second they walk through the door...
Aug 05, 2025•49 min
In this jam-packed episode of Paring Down , I walk you through how to declutter three common types of storage units —with actionable, step-by-step tips to make the process easier, lighter, and way less overwhelming. We cover how to declutter: A storage unit filled with items from a deceased loved one A storage unit full of your own things that you want to clear out completely A functional storage unit you still use (like for seasonal items or warehouse inventory) that needs to be decluttered and...
Jul 29, 2025•1 hr
Can you believe THE Gretchen Rubin is on the show?? She's a 7x NYT bestselling author, and one of my professional heroes. Her work dives into human nature and happiness, which boils down to understanding ourselves better in order to discover areas for personal agency. From there, we can create lives we love. So much of her wisdom lends itself perfectly to decluttering our homes and lives, and you'll LOVE her "Secrets of Adulthood" - an apt title for her latest bestselling book. You'll finish thi...
Jul 22, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Here's what went down on our 3-week road trip to Alaska, insight into our new life in Kodiak, and what we've decluttered since we arrived! Isn't it amazing how it feels like so much more arrives in the moving truck than what came out of your last house? Today's episode is more of a personal update than my usual decluttering lessons, but at this point, we feel like old friends and I wanted to fill you in! Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: ...
Jul 15, 2025•50 min
Today's episode is a little different from our typical conversation, leaning heavily into intentional living. After all, when we drown out the noise and clutter, we have time to focus on what truly matters - and what could be more important than the healthy and safety of our children and grandchildren? We welcome Kristen A. Jenson, author of the book Good Pictures, Bad Pictures - a children's book designed to promote conversation with our kids about X-rated content they may be exposed to on the ...
Jul 08, 2025•1 hr
Sometimes we fail to declutter because of a silent pressure that tells us we're breaking an unwritten rule. Today's episode explores different categories of items that feel illegal to declutter, and how to push past the unreasonable fear of letting them go. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express Paring Down Blog Paring Down YouTube MENTIONED THIS EPISODE: Episode 50: The Gui...
Jul 01, 2025•40 min
What does a licensed therapist have to say about how clutter affects our mental health? You're about to find out! Today's episode with my dear friend and licensed therapist, Dr. Brittany Pope, will help you not only feel inspired to pare down on behalf of your mental health, but will leave you feeling seen, validated, and hopeful as you figure out how to move through life amidst our sometimes-helpful, sometimes-stressful belongings. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring...
Jun 24, 2025•57 min
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a pile while decluttering, having lost all motivation? Or have you ever felt like it's impossible to keep the clutter at bay? There's one key factor to stay motivated on ANY journey - including our mission to live with less - and we're going to cover exactly how to harness this motivation in today's episode of paring down. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express Parin...
Jun 17, 2025•44 min
If anyone knows about the underbelly of the beauty industry, it's Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri. Nina's documentary COMPLEXion (available on Prime Video) sheds a light on her personal experience with colorism, which led to a deeper dive into international beauty standards and how companies create new insecurities just to get us to buy more and more stuff. The intersection of the beauty industry and overconsumption can't be ignored. Today's episode allows for nuance - no shaming ourselves or o...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 6 min
You've heard it said that we shouldn't focus on having a perfectly tidy home 24/7...rather, we should focus on having a home that's EASY to tidy. What, exactly, does that entail? Well, today you'll learn specific systems and ideals to implement so that your home doesn't feel overwhelming to keep tidy. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express Paring Down Blog Paring Down YouTube MENTIONED THIS EPISODE: Ep 36:...
Jun 03, 2025•40 min
"How do I get my kids to declutter if they're super attached to all their stuff?" "Should I include my kids or do it myself?" "Where should I start?" Today we're diving into a bunch of practical strategies for decluttering kid stuff, covering things like: - Gamifying - Setting physical boundaries - Specific conversations to initiate Plus, I'll share the research that reveals the benefits of helping our children declutter. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: ...
May 27, 2025•51 min
NYT Bestselling author Greg McKeown is on the show!! (WHAT?!) Buckle up for one of the most special, exciting, and insightful episodes of Paring Down yet as we dive into his two mega-hits, Essentialism and Effortless. In this episode, you'll grasp a deeper understanding of how to identify what's important in your life and what's unnecessary excess (i.e. clutter). But we're not just decluttering our homes and lives, here. Greg takes things a step further to impart wisdom on how to effortlessly ac...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 17 min
Sometimes the clutter drives us nuts...and sometimes, we don't have the energy to get worked up about it. Guess what? That's totally normal! Today we're talking through the reasons why your clutter tolerance might ebb and flow, so you'll walk away feeling less pressure to be rigid in your approach to a living a life with less. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express Paring Down Blog Paring Down YouTube MENTIONED THIS EPISODE: ...
May 13, 2025•40 min
If your home is small, quirky, or simply not your "dream home" - then this episode is for you! In fact, this episode is for you even if you're inside your ideal home but aren't sure you've maximized the space to meet your needs. Small space designer, Khrystyne Jaspers, has first-hand experience with making the most out of her spaces, including her current 1-bedroom apartment in NYC where she and her husband are raising their 2 children. You'll feel inspired, encouraged, and motivated to love whe...
May 06, 2025•57 min
We often think that minimalism looks one way: white, neutral, & bare as possible. The truth is that minimalism simply means choosing only what's truly important and essential to each of us, personally, and letting those things shine. Designer Whitney English is releasing a new book (today!) called "Organize First, Decorate Second," and you'll love this conversation about how to create a home that is comfortable and personalized to reflect YOU - but without the disarray or chaos. Paring Down ...
Apr 29, 2025•50 min
Does it sometimes feel impossible to make real friends in adulthood? And what does that have to do with paring down our lives? As a military wife, I have to build a new community for our family every three years. And I've found that not only do friendships help us enjoy life, but they're a big reason it's easier to live a life with less. When we know we can rely on neighbors and friends to lend us things, come to our rescue when needed, and generally be a support system, then we are less tempted...
Apr 22, 2025•46 min
When you slow down and consider your life, do you feel rich in what matters? Today's guest, Julia Ubbenga, found herself asking that question years ago, which has led to her influencing thousands of other women to do the same. In today's episode, we talk about how to free ourselves from comparison, impatience/anger, and exhaustion through the practice of living with less. Julia's spiritual and parental wisdom shines bright, and you'll walk away with the refreshed knowledge that the promises of t...
Apr 15, 2025•48 min
There's no motivation to declutter quite like relocating! But where should we start? In this episode I break down why we should declutter before we move, and 10 categories to focus on in order to avoid taking clutter with you to your new home. Even if you're not moving, today's episode is a fun one to get ideas for a "mock move," which is to declutter your home *as though* you plan on moving. It's a really helpful lens through which to find some motivation! Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down...
Apr 08, 2025•41 min
"What if our partner says they'll do something, but they don't follow through?" "How do we get our partners to care about all the details of home/family management?" These are just two of the questions I ask relationship expert and author Dr. Morgan Cutlip on today's episode of Paring Down. "The mental load" is a big term getting a lot of attention these days because it's an important component to healthy, happy relationships. Clutter can feel like one big "to-do" list, and if we shoulder the re...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 10 min
What-if items tend to be the biggest culprits of clutter! We are worried we'll need it some day, so we hold on just in case. In this episode, I walk through 5 helpful ways to combat this battle with "what-if??" so that we can become more discerning about what's worth keeping and what we need to let go. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express Paring Down Webiste & Blog Paring Down YouTube MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Kid Schoolwork Memory Box PARING D...
Mar 25, 2025•42 min
Introducing my brother, Jim Oliver!! We talk about losing our mom 12 years ago, and what that has meant for both of us in terms of living our lives with clear intention - even though that intentionality looks different between the two of us. Jim also shares about his fascinating career as a booking agent for celebrities and major motivational speakers, offering us insight to how to make the most of "self-help," along with answering my questions about the potential underbelly of the self-help ind...
Mar 18, 2025•59 min
The beautiful part about intentional living is that we get to decide what resonates with us and what doesn't. Not all advice is for everyone, and that's A-okay. In that spirit, there seem to be some generally-accepted viewpoints in the minimalism and decluttering world that I, personally, disagree with. So here are some of my hot takes! From sparking joy to the 20/20 rule...I have thoughts! Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Webiste & Blog Paring Down YouTube MENTIONED IN THI...
Mar 11, 2025•47 min
Ready for some truly practical help that will change your daily life? Shawn Lemon of The Digital Organizer delivers just that in today's episode as he shares with us practical steps we can take to make our email accounts, desktop, and digital storage less chaotic and far more streamlined. I personally was so motivated after our conversation that I went to town on my own digital spaces as soon as our interview ended, and can say - without being dramatic - that his simple, understandable approach ...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Spring Break is right around the corner, and it's very tempting to buy new wardrobes for vacation or bring home plenty of souvenirs. (Especially if it means avoiding a toddler breakdown in the middle of public.) So let's talk about ways to avoid all that vacation clutter -- both in shopping ahead of time, and while we're there! Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express Paring Down Webiste & Blog Paring Down YouTube RENTAL COMPANIES MENTIONED IN THIS ...
Feb 25, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Defining what is "sacred" is to determine what truly matters and to recognize the beautiful intersection of every living thing. In this realm, Jeff Golden has spent 30 years and won multiple awards for his work regarding the connection (or lack thereof) between money and happiness so that we can better reject the things that are NOT sacred. On the podcast, Jeff shares fascinating studies and statistics that paint a picture of the lies that money and overconsumption tell us, and offers ways we ca...
Feb 18, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Whew, I kind of can't believe I'm pressing publish on this one. I grew up in a high control religious organization, and today I'm sharing my story after a lot of interest came in after I mentioned it in a reel! I know this is.a bit off the subject of decluttering, but it ties in beautifully with the bigger message of intentional living. I hope this episode is not only interesting, but helps shed some light on the importance of being intentional about our beliefs by making them our own. Paring Do...
Feb 11, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Avoiding difficult subjects isn't something I want to do on Paring Down. Yet I want to make sure I approach them with humility, positivity, and an open mind - and I hope that tone comes through on today's episode. I'm so grateful to have Aubrey High from The Reclaimed Home alongside me as we talk through insights she's gained while working with people who are financially insecure - and often recovering from trauma - to responsibly declutter and organize their homes. (Stories shared on this episo...
Feb 04, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Finding a decluttering method that works for you is great, but identifying principles that can apply to any decluttering decision is even more powerful. In this episode, I share 10 principles -- or established truths about life -- that can help guide our processes and decisions as we decide what should stay and what should go in our homes, schedules, and beyond. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Mentioned in this episode: Shannon's Instagram post about decluttering clothing that doesn't fit...
Jan 28, 2025•47 min
This episode has been a long time coming, and I'm so happy it's finally here!!! I know so many of you struggle to help your parents declutter in their senior years of life, or perhaps you're a senior adult yourself and struggling to manage the possessions you've accumulated in life. I'm honored that Jeannine Bryant of Easy Rightsizing joined me to share her 15 years of wisdom on this topic, having helped hundreds of seniors and their families downsize (or "rightsize") their belongings. Jeannine'...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 68
