Joshua and Ryan talk about how to avoid recluttering our lives with new possessions, burdens, and obligations once we’ve excised our excess, and they answer the following questions: What is “recluttering”? (00:00) How do we address recluttering with loved ones and roommates who seem to see our clean spaces as places to dump their stuff that doesn’t have a home? (07:55) How do we ensure the items we bring back into our homes after decluttering don’t become recluttering? (18:11) How do I figure ou...
Aug 31, 2021•51 min•Ep 303•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss our escalating advice epidemic as our society swells with scores of well-meaning people advising other people on what they are supposed to do, and they answer the following questions: What are ‘shoulds’? (00:00) What possesses some people to insist on giving others unsolicited advice? (03:13) How can we provide appropriate advice and/or guidance to loved ones to alter behaviors that are impacting us negatively? (17:46) How do our expectations complicate things? (21:14) Ho...
Aug 24, 2021•43 min•Ep 302•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about all the digital clutter on our computers, phones, tablets, and other devices taking up space on our hard drives and in our minds, and they answer the following questions: What are the benefits of not having digital clutter taking up space in your mind? (00:00) What is the Diderot effect? (04:48) What do you define as ‘digital clutter’? (10:41) Where do we start in addressing digital clutter to ensure we stay focused and motivated and not get overwhelmed with all of it?...
Aug 17, 2021•45 min•Ep 301•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about the perniciousness of compulsive decluttering (aka obsessive-compulsive spartanism) on the occasion of their 300th episode, and they answer the following questions: What is spartanism? (00:00) Hoarding, spartanism, ad nauseum—must we diagnose everything? (06:06) How do we recognize and respect the challenges of others? (06:59) How could letting go of everything be a bad thing? (11:16) How do we ensure our decluttering doesn’t trigger other compulsive behaviors; for ins...
Aug 10, 2021•37 min•Ep 300•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about “summer simplifying,” and they answer the following questions: Which moniker won in your audience poll—“simpletons” or “minimizers”? (00:00) Where do you start when your entire home needs decluttering? (06:04) What is the most important thing to do to get started? (10:04) How do we get our children to participate in decluttering? (13:27) How do I break my emotional and sentimental attachment to my collection of books, and how do I appropriately curate my collection and...
Aug 03, 2021•43 min•Ep 299•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about the best options for therapy when you’re feeling sad, grieving, depressed, anxious, or overwhelmed with author, podcaster, and psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb , and they answer the following questions: When is the appropriate time to talk to a therapist? (00:00) What is “idiot compassion” compared to “wise compassion”? (02:53) What is self-sabotage, and how can we identify and address its manifestation in us? (04:03) What is the most important phase of change? (05:45) Wh...
Jul 27, 2021•45 min•Ep 298•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about the minimalism rules that have helped simplify their lives, and they answer the following questions: How valuable are rules? (00:00) How important are boundaries? (04:56) Once I only have my essential items, how do I keep them from wearing out quickly? (18:48) How is minimalism not a destination? (19:47) What is our language problem? (20:19) How effective is it to reverse clothes hangers to minimize a wardrobe? (27:17) Is it helpful to restrict the amount of clothes ha...
Jul 20, 2021•47 min•Ep 297•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about healing our relationships with stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity, and people with podcaster and Director of Entrepreneurial Education for FEE, T.K. Coleman , and they answer the following questions: What gave you the inspiration for Love People, Use Things ? (00:00) Do we learn more from those that have been redeemed, or from those that have led “perfect” lives? (08:51) How did the line blur so much between private lives and public lives? (10:31) How do I r...
Jul 13, 2021•52 min•Ep 296•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss the perils of pursuing fame, clout, and attention in today's insta-world with director Nick Bilton and artist Chris Bailey of HBO’s Fake Famous , and they answer the following questions: Why did Nick make a film about fake fame? (00:00) What constitutes actual fame? (07:01) What impact is social media having on our children? (09:24) How has Chris’s life changed since the film? (13:04) Why do the people who just post photos of themselves in skimpy outfits and pouts get fiv...
Jul 06, 2021•46 min•Ep 295•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about gift-getting, gift-giving, and birthday celebrations for adults and kids alike with podcaster and Registered Dietitian Rebecca Shern , and they answer the following questions: What does Joshua want for his birthday? (00:00) Why do we never seem to know what we truly want? (04:06) Instead of spending lots of money and giving expensive gifts, what are some meaningful ways to celebrate birthdays? (06:22) How do you celebrate your child’s birthday? (07:27) What if gift-giv...
Jun 29, 2021•52 min•Ep 294•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about how minimalism, in more ways than one, is about starting over with less, and they answer the following questions: How do we start over? (00:00) As I’m letting everything go and starting over, how do I explain it to my friends and family who think I am crazy or terminally ill? (05:25) What advice do you have for those of us dealing with the stress and anxiety of being forced to start over professionally after being let go from our jobs? (09:06) What is absolutely essent...
Jun 22, 2021•39 min•Ep 293•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about what we must refine to ensure our spiritual and material lives align with author, podcaster, and fitness expert Ben Greenfield and podcaster and Registered Dietitian Rebecca Shern , and they answer the following questions: What is a “fit soul”? (00:00) What are the dangers of transactional relationships? (08:47) What are the four pillars of the spiritual journey? (13:35) What is the practice of self-examination? (18:02) How do we determine our purpose? (21:38) Is there...
Jun 15, 2021•50 min•Ep 292•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about how we all seem to find ourselves having the things we don’t need, and needing the things we don’t have—and how we’re so disconnected from our communities that bartering for those things is nearly impossible—with the founder of HaveNeed, Josh Kline , and they answer the following questions: What is HaveNeed? (00:00) How has the pandemic affected bartering? (04:01) What is your distinction between items that are essential, nonessential, and junk? (06:16) What would the ...
Jun 08, 2021•43 min•Ep 291•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about our want for things, why we want what we want, and how we can free ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires with author and professor Luke Burgis , and they answer the following questions: What is mimetic desire? (00:00) Does it help to identify the origins of our desires? (05:05) Should we strive to be immune from desires? (06:54) What is negative imitation? (08:22) How do we find fulfilling desires? (08:48) Can a relentless desire to be debt-free actually cause ad...
Jun 01, 2021•44 min•Ep 290•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about how to take back control of our income and our creative outcomes by making a living on our own as an aspiring creator, small business owner, artist, or entrepreneur with the CEO of Patreon, Jack Conte , and they answer the following questions: Why did Jack start Patreon? (04:40) Where do you find the most practical feedback from your audience? (13:25) How do I best prepare myself to make the jump from working full-time for others to working full-time as a small busines...
May 25, 2021•46 min•Ep 289•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about our desire for friendship that leads us to accumulate scores of friends, acquaintances, coworkers, partners, lovers, companions, contacts, colleagues, and associates; our realization that relationship clutter is getting in the way of loving, meaningful connections; and they answer the following questions: Is it loving to let go? (00:00) How can I stop feeling pressured to keep up with so many connections? (03:57) I’ve never struggled to declutter my “friends” on social...
May 18, 2021•49 min•Ep 288•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about that empty feeling we all experience from time to time—and the things we do when we attempt to fill the void—with podcaster, writer, and director Jennette McCurdy , and they answer the following questions: Why did Jennette start her podcast? (00:00) What is the disconnect between our higher quality of life in this modern age and our happiness? (04:26) How does society and culture influence disorders? (06:21) Why do others often insist we not give up our “successful” ca...
May 11, 2021•47 min•Ep 287•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss identifying how much is enough so we can subtract the excess to get there, and they answer the following questions: What is “enoughism”? (00:00) How is enoughism different from minimalism? (03:04) Given that the key to transformation is understanding our ‘whys,’ why does anyone truly want more, and, conversely, why does anyone truly want less? (12:20) When it comes to a small business, how much record-keeping is enough and what is the ideal way to store it? (24:57) How do...
May 04, 2021•51 min•Ep 286•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about our constant search for meaning, purpose, and significance; they discuss ways we can rethink spirituality, sex, and death with author Jamie Wheal ; and they answer the following questions: What is “meaning”? (01:04) Why do we always seem to look for shortcuts? (03:57) What are heuristics? (05:30) What constitutes a true nihilist? (13:39) Is awareness a curse? (16:55) Once we find meaning in life, do we have a duty to help others find meaning as well? (18:25) What is th...
Apr 27, 2021•55 min•Ep 285•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss how we’re too often led astray by the status quo and how we can benefit from doing the opposite, and they answer the following questions: What does it mean to be authentic? (00:00) What is so problematic about trends? (04:58) Can we find meaning in suffering? (10:56) Why are opinions so inconsequential? (20:48) When have you benefited from thinking the opposite? (22:21) I’m being advised by my ethics class in college that retirement is detrimental to our growth and develo...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep 284•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss minimizing and letting go of sentimental stuff, and they answer the following questions: How do we tactfully and appropriately address loved ones regarding stuff they’ve given us that we’re giving away—especially those things they consider of significant sentimental value? (08:37) How do we avoid arguments with loved ones regarding possessions? (14:40) Why does our brain try so hard to hold us back from releasing sentimental possessions? (18:03) What do we do with all of ...
Apr 13, 2021•35 min•Ep 283•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss trauma, the ego, and setting boundaries with holistic psychologist Dr. Nicole LePera , and they answer the following questions: Why did Dr. LePera write her latest book? (02:31) How do you start on a path to healing and commit to it when your motivation is almost nil? (04:34) Why is it so difficult to break our patterns? (05:04) How do we reframe failure? (07:38) How important is the caloric intake of the brain? (08:35) How do we recognize if a goal is empowering or disem...
Apr 06, 2021•49 min•Ep 282•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss emergency items, preparing for emergencies, and when it’s appropriate to hold on to certain just-in-case items, and they answer the following questions: How do we prepare for chaos? (04:33) What are the three types of emergencies? (05:49) What do you keep in your car? (08:02) How do we reconcile what we actually need with what we want? (12:12) What is the most important thing in an emergency? (14:36) What essentials should we keep in a first aid kit for both home and trav...
Mar 30, 2021•56 min•Ep 281•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan discuss the relationship between minimalism and environmentalism with author and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. , and they answer the following questions: What is our biggest environmental problem, and is it too late to fix it? (01:38) Since environmentalism is an idea that I cannot back down from, compromise on, or see from both sides, at what point is it dangerous to keep saying there are no ‘shoulds’? (04:33) Why are landfills more prominent in the United States c...
Mar 23, 2021•43 min•Ep 280•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about the problem of busyness and how we can better manage our time, and they answer the following questions: Why can’t we ever seem to get ahead of our to-do lists? (01:43) What lists do you find helpful? (02:13) What is “busyness”? (06:42) How do we gain more discretionary time despite the onslaught of modern obligations and responsibilities? (11:25) Is striving for work-life balance a fruitless endeavor? (13:58) Are there any tools that can help with our overwhelm? (16:06...
Mar 16, 2021•45 min•Ep 279•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about hoarding—the clinical definition, the statistics, the causes, the symptoms, the common types, the risks, the recovery—and they answer the following questions: What is the clinical definition of “hoarding”? (03:00) What is “spartanism”? (03:35) What are the common types of hoarding? (05:43) What is the difference between hoarding and collecting? (09:30) What is the “sunk-cost fallacy”? (11:02) What are the symptoms of hoarding? (21:56) What are the causes of hoarding? (...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep 278•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about alternative living options—communal living, throuples, combined families, long-term singlehood, nomadic living—with the CEO and cofounder of Nourish Balance Thrive , Christopher Kelly , and they answer the following questions: What is ancestral health? (03:20) What has likely caused our overall decline in health? (05:08) Is our current status quo of living arrangements in detrimental conflict with the natural order? (07:28) How do people continue to help the paradigm o...
Mar 02, 2021•56 min•Ep 277•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about unsubscribing and unfollowing anything that doesn’t bring tranquility or increase well-being, and they answer the following questions: How has unsubscribing and unfollowing helped your tranquility? (08:36) Should we attempt to explain ourselves to others when they question our minimalist lifestyle, or simply invite them to ‘unfollow’ us? (12:37) Can minimalism help us bring order back to our chaotic lives? (14:44) How do we determine the appropriate ‘path’? (18:50) We ...
Feb 23, 2021•46 min•Ep 276•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about letting go—letting go of sentimental items, letting go of junk, letting go of anxiety and stress—letting go of anything that harms our well-being or interrupts our peace, and they answer the following questions: How do our things own us? (02:53) Given that I’m under a deadline to move, how can I increase my decluttering pace without becoming overwhelmed and stressed? (08:44) Are there circumstances where a storage unit makes sense? (11:04) When the amount of your belon...
Feb 16, 2021•36 min•Ep 275•Transcript available on Metacast Joshua and Ryan talk about raising organized children with behavioral and developmental pediatrician Dr. Damon Korb , and they answer the following questions: What are executive functions? (01:34) What is behavioral pediatrics? (02:18) What do you mean by “organized children”? (02:47) How has the pandemic affected children’s health? (03:24) How do we set appropriate boundaries with our children? (04:58) How do we help our children adopt minimalist practices that stick at an early age so they don...
Feb 09, 2021•37 min•Ep 274•Transcript available on Metacast 
