Maximized Minimalist Podcast

We spend years helping kids with ADHD succeed in school, but are we actually teaching them how to function independently once parents, teachers, and accommodations aren't there to help?

Michael McLeod is an executive function specialist and the founder of GrowNOW ADHD, and he believes ADHD support needs to go beyond reminders, accommodations, and getting through the next assignment. With more than 20 years working with kids and families, Michael shares how parents and educators can help children build the self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and problem-solving skills they need to manage real-life responsibilities independently.

In this episode: → How executive function gets built through relationships and experiences rather than reminders, accommodations, and worksheet strategies → The four skills kids need to manage real life: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and problem solving → The difference between getting your kid through the next homework assignment and preparing them for the years after school

📩 Check out Michael's Website & Resources: https://www.grownowadhd.com/

🧡 Want personalized 1:1 help in your own home this January? Join the free Inner Circle waitlist to apply a full week before anyone else: →https://www.katyjoywells.com/innercircle-waitlist-682206

Potty training can be stressful! The standoffs, the accidents, the power struggles and more. Andrea Olson, founder of Go Diaper Free, has helped over 100,000 families take the pressure out of it, with fewer diapers and a fraction of the stuff the baby aisle says you need. In this episode she walks us through what actually works, what you can skip entirely, and how to start from wherever you are right now.

In this episode:

→ What elimination communication is, and how it works

→ Where the "wait until they're ready" advice came from, and what happens when families start earlier

→ The potty training supplies you actually need, and the ones you can skip

→ The simplest way to start this week, even if your first try didn't stick

→ How to share this with your daughter or daughter-in-law without overstepping

Find Andrea:

📲 Follow Andrea on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/godiaperfree/

🩲 Tiny Undies → tinyundies.com

📘 Go Diaper Free, the EC book → godiaperfree.com/thebook

📗 The Tiny Potty Training Book → godiaperfree.com/ptbook

🎧 The Go Diaper Free Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-go-diaper-free-podcast/id663607202

💛 Courses, books, challenges and Q+As → godiaperfree.com/community

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📕 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

You know that feeling when you're standing in front of a closet full of clothes and somehow still thinking, "I have nothing to wear"?

In this episode, we're talking about why a packed closet can make getting dressed way harder and why buying one more "perfect" piece usually doesn't fix it.

I'm sharing what my much smaller 90s closet taught me about creativity, why we've been taught how to shop but not how to style, and how constantly consuming other people's version of "cool" can leave you with a wardrobe that doesn't actually feel anything like you.

And if your closet feels overwhelming because you're not sure what to keep or why letting go feels so hard, take my free Decluttering Style Quiz! In just two minutes, you'll discover your clutter type and get a customized 3-step action plan to help you move forward.

Take the quiz at home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

🍽️ Join Nakita's free live class, How to Prep 9 Family Dinners in 30 Minutes → https://nakita-attard-vassallo.mykajabi.com/a/2148312762/McToTgYzOctober 19th and 22nd at 11:30am Eastern / 8:30am Pacific. Seats are limited and there's a replay if you can't make it live! What's crazy awesome about this is you'll actually make the meals in your kitchen, right along with her, and walk away with 9 prepped dinners in 30 minutes! (YES, for real!)

If you've ever stood in front of the fridge at 5 o'clock with zero idea what you're feeding everyone, this conversation is for you.

Nakita Attard-Vassallo makes the case that dinner is not just "one tasks". It's actually a BUNCH! Deciding, planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning which is exactly why weeknights can feel as heavy as they do.

In this episode, we walk through every lever you can actually pull here, because a go-to meal rotation, meal planning, meal prepping, batch cooking, and freezer meals are all solving different problems. Nakita breaks down what each one is really for, so you can pick the approach that fits your life instead of forcing yourself into somebody else's Sunday. We also get into her shortcuts, what she keeps on hand so she's never starting from zero, and the easiest possible entry point if you want to start this week.

In this episode: → Meal decision fatigue, and why systemizing a recurring decision beats making it again every single day → What each approach actually solves: meal rotation, meal planning, meal prepping, batch cooking, and freezer meals → The weeknight shortcuts Nakita swears by, and the ones that cut the most time → The pantry staples and freezer basics that mean dinner never starts from scratch → The simplest place to start, even if three hours of batch cooking on a Sunday sounds like a hard no

🍽️ Join Nakita's free live class, How to Prep 9 Family Dinners in 30 Minutes → https://nakita-attard-vassallo.mykajabi.com/a/2148312762/McToTgYzOctober 19th and 22nd at 11:30am Eastern / 8:30am Pacific. Seats are limited and there's a replay if you can't make it live! What's crazy awesome about this is you'll actually make the meals in your kitchen, right along with her, and walk away with 9 prepped dinners in 30 minutes! (YES, for real!)

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📕 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

If you've ever felt like you need to duplicate yourself just to keep up with all the appointments, meals, laundry, and mental gymnastics of running your home, this conversation is for you.

Kelly Hubbell, founder of Sage Haus, wrote down every job it takes to run her household and it came out to more than 20 hours a week (!!!!)

In this episode, Kelly breaks down exactly what a house manager is, why this kind of support isn't reserved for wealthy families, and how you can start small with just a few hours per week. It's help that lifts both the mental AND the physical load off your plate. I'm actively exploring this for our family, and after this conversation, I think you might be too.

In this episode:

→ What a house manager actually does (and how it's different from a cleaner or a nanny) → Handing off a task vs. handing off ownership, and why the second is MOST helpful → How a house manager works for families at every income level and life stage → Real costs, and budget-friendly ways to start with just 6–12 hours per week

Book a Free Call with Kelly's Team & Learn More → https://clutterfree2021--sage-haus.thrivecart.com/hiring-services-deposit/https://bit.ly/homemanagerinfo

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📕 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

If your closet feels frustrating and you can't figure out why, this episode might be the reason. I was recently quoted in Real Simple Magazine on this exact topic, and the data in your closet right now is the freshest it'll be all year. Seven specific things to look at before fall hits, Let's GO!!

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

The mental load is real. But lately I've been asking myself a question: is all the content online about the mental load - actually helping me - or is it making me *more* resentful?

That question got even louder after I recently broke my toe (OUCH!!) and suddenly couldn't do all the things I normally do around our house.

Today I chat about what I noticed when my family stepped up, the surprising reframe that's helping change the way I'm looking at home responsibilities (and how I talk to my kids about chores), and why I'm being much more careful about the stories I let myself rehearse about the mental load.

If you've been feeling a little too familiar with resentment lately, I hope this one offers a refreshing perspective that I know I certainly needed, too. <3

Reel Inspiration I mentioned: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc6tu7ZBgvC/?stkn=MXdleXpvcXprMWppNg==

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → http://instagram.com/katyjoywells

If you've ever set up a gorgeous organizing system only to watch it fall apart two weeks later, Cas is about to explain exactly why! We get into landing zones, fridge organization, her paper system, command centers, a kitchen setup trick that's all about moving your feet less (trust me on this one), and her famous "crap catcher" bin, which might be the most genius thing I've heard all year! Fair warning: you're going to want to reorganize something the second this episode ends, enjoy!

🎯 Find Your Organizing Style: Free Quiz from Cas → clutterbug.me/what-clutterbug-are-you-test 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

Here's something that *genuinely* surprised me when I started decluttering years ago: only a SMALL percent of what's sitting on most kitchen counters is actually CLUTTER. The rest is something else entirely...which is exactly why clearing it off never seems to stick. In this episode I'll walk you through what's really landing there and exactly what to do with each one, so your counters can finally stay clear for longer than a day! We chat about: 🩺 The medical misdiagnosis that made me realize we do the exact same thing to our homes 🔍 The four main categories that land on all of our counters (and why only one of them is true clutter) 🧺 My favorite habit for the biggest pile, the question I ask every client about their countertop appliances, and where to put the mail so it never reaches your counters Enjoy! 🫧 Aqua Tru Water Purifier → https://home.katyjoywells.com/aquatru (use code MAX for 20% off) // Get 1:1 Support From Me and Finally Declutter Your Home! Join The Waitlist: https://home.katyjoywells.com/innercirclewaitlist 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

Does the thought of decluttering feel exhausting before you've even started? Do we *really* need marathon weekends and big purges to do this "right"? And how do you make actual progress in a season where getting dinner on the table already feels like a lot? I'm answering all of it in today's episode, plus the exact questions and strategies to use so you can keep making progress, even on the days you've got nothing left.

🌬️ AirDoctor Air Purifier → home.katyjoywells.com/airdoctor (use code MAX for $250 off) 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 📚 Order My Best-Selling Book, Making Home Your Happy Place: A Real-Life Guide to Decluttering without the Overwhelm → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

If your closet feels cluttered & frustrating and you can't figure out why, this episode might be the reason.

In this episode:

👗 What a vintage jacket taught me about the power we give to sizing

🪞 The connection between body image and closet clutter that nobody talks about

💬 What happened when a friend refused to buy the next size up

🧠 Why understanding that "it's just a number" never actually fixes the feeling

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

The shift from summer to school is one of the biggest rhythm changes your family goes through all year - let's head into it with more ease!

In this episode: 🧹 The four resets that help bring your home back to baseline before the school year piles on 🚪 How to set up your drop zone (and secondary drop zone) so getting out in the morning stops being the hardest part of your day 📄 The uber-simple paper system to handle the flood of school papers 🛒 Do this before back-to-school shopping (it saves me hundreds $$$ every single year!)

🫧 Aqua Tru Water Purifier → https://home.katyjoywells.com/aquatru (use code MAX for 20% off) 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

There's a window of time where clutter suddenly becomes SO much easier to deal with that the decisions practically make themselves! Most people miss it completely, but after this episode, you'll catch it every single time.

We chat about:

🧠 The brain science behind why you stop seeing your own clutter (and why it's still draining you even when you can't)

📱 My favorite hack for capturing clarity before it fades (this one changed everything for my clients)

📋 Four rules for your "fresh eyes" window that make decluttering feel way more effortless

This one is especially good if you have any trips or vacations planned this summer. Enjoy!

🫧 Aqua Tru Water Purifier → https://home.katyjoywells.com/aquatru (use code MAX for 20% off)

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

There's a kind of tired that sleep alone won't fix. The kind where you wake up already behind, push through the day on caffeine and adrenaline, and collapse at night with your mind still racing. Most of us have come to call this normal life. But what if it isn't?

In this episode, I'm joined by Kerstin Lindquist, host of the StRest podcast, certified health coach, and former QVC host, who is doing some of the most important work right now on stress, sleep, and what it really takes to find rest. We get into the hidden cost of running on empty, why so many of us wear stress like a badge of honor, and how faith and science together can actually move us toward the kind of rest we're craving.

This one is especially good if you've been feeling exhausted but not sure why, or if you've ever wondered what's really getting in the way of the peace you keep chasing. Enjoy!

📲 Follow Kerstin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/kerstin.lindquist/?hl=en

💻 Check our Kerstin's Offerings → https://www.kerstin-lindquist.com/

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

When your child is grown, what do you hope they'll remember about how it felt to be around you? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Cassidy Freitas, licensed marriage and family therapist and author of Mom Needs a Moment, and we get into this question and so much more. How to identify and break the cycles you don't want to pass on, what presence (actually) looks like and what legacy really means when you strip away the pressure of perfection.

📖 Grab Cassidy's book, Mom Needs a Moment → bit.ly/momneedsamomentbook

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

If you've ever stood in your home holding something and thought "I don't know if I should keep this or not," this episode will change that. One question that works as a filter in every room of your home. Once you start using it, you will start making faster progress!

🫧 AirDoctor Air Purifier → home.katyjoywells.com/airdoctor (use code MAX for up to $300 off)

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

Happiness might be the most expensive word in the English language. We chase it, buy things in its name, and rearrange our lives trying to get closer to it. In this episode, I sit down with Erin Port, author of Tiny Tweaks, Happy Life, and we talk about why the big overhaul never works, why happiness guideposts are key, and where to start when you're so depleted you're not even sure what makes you happy anymore.

📖 Grab Erin's book, Tiny Tweaks, Happy Life → bit.ly/4uJXujl

🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz

📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter

🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub

📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm

📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells

🧡 READY FOR MORE SUPPORT? JOIN CLUTTER CURE CLUB

Want support making progress without feeling like you have to overhaul your whole house in a weekend? Inside Clutter Cure Club, you'll get monthly action plans, real-life systems, mindset support, and a community of families simplifying together.

✨ Access 100+ resources designed to help you create an easier-to-manage home in real life.

👉 Join here: https://www.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub-page837548

Only $19/month — cancel anytime

7 Things to Let Go of Right Now for a Lighter, Calmer Summer

Summer is here… and if your house feels like it's still carrying the weight of the school year, you're not imagining it. School papers, sports gear, camp prep, outgrown clothes, car clutter, unrealistic expectations… Maycember has officially done its thing.

In this episode, I'm sharing seven simple things you can release right now for a calmer, easier summer ahead. No giant organizing project. No all-day purge session. Just quick wins that create more breathing room and help you enter summer feeling lighter.

Because the goal isn't a perfect summer. It's a summer you can actually enjoy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: 1) Stop overcomplicating school papers and sentimental clutter

End-of-school-year piles can feel exhausting because the challenge often isn't the volume… it's the decisions.

Do you save it? Photograph it? Turn it into a memory book? Keep everything?

Instead of spiraling into decision fatigue, I want you to choose one simple system and move forward.

Quick ideas:

• Snap photos and decide later
• Let your kids choose a few favorites
• Create a keepsake bin with limits

Momentum matters more than perfect decisions.

2) Summer gear needs a reset before summer begins

Pool bins. Water shoes. Goggles. Beach towels. Sports gear. Sunscreen from 2021. 😅

Summer clutter sneaks up fast.

Before things get busy, spend a few minutes tossing:

• broken toys
• expired sunscreen
• unusable goggles
• towels no one reaches for

One thing I fully believe:

If putting something away takes too many steps, people won't do it.

Simple systems beat pretty systems every time.

3) Pantry clutter creates more mental clutter than you think

Open the pantry. Be brave.

You may find:

• old holiday sprinkles
• stale snacks
• mystery marshmallows
• duplicates hiding behind duplicates

A quick pantry reset creates easier mornings, easier camp prep, and easier snack time.

Bonus tip: Create a grab-and-go summer snack bin for your kids.

Future-you will be grateful.

4) Check summer clothes before shopping

Before buying anything new, take inventory of last year's summer clothes first.

Swimsuits. Sandals. Shorts. Rash guards.

Outgrown clothes create clutter and often lead to unnecessary spending.

This small step can save: ✔ money ✔ closet space ✔ decision fatigue

5) Reset your car before summer chaos hits

Your car has probably quietly become a mobile storage unit.

Permission slips. Socks. Water bottles. Receipts. Snack wrappers. Random mystery objects.

Use car line, camp pickup, or a 10-minute timer to do a fast reset.

It doesn't need to be spotless.

But a cleaner car changes how your day feels.

6) Let go of the giant summer bucket list

One of the biggest shifts I've made over the years is letting go of the pressure to create some giant summer plan.

Instead, I choose:

One life skill goal One fun goal

That's it.

Past family goals have included:

• teaching my boys how to make breakfast
• cooking skills
• learning piano

The point isn't perfection.

The point is creating meaningful moments without burnout.

Think of it like a coffee filter: let the excess stay behind so only the best stuff comes through.

7) Release the pressure to do summer "right"

This one is personal.

For years I thought I had to be the "fun mom" all summer long. Crafts. Activities. Constant entertainment. Endless memories.

And about two weeks in?

I was exhausted.

Now summer looks more like:

• slow mornings
• backyard soccer
• popsicles at 10 a.m.
• cereal for dinner sometimes
• less pressure
• more connection

Because my kids probably won't remember the perfect craft.

They'll remember how it felt to be with me.

And honestly? I'll remember how it felt too.

READY TO DECLUTTER MORE?

📚 ORDER MY NEW BOOK

Making Home Your Happy Place: The Real-Life Guide to Decluttering Without the Overwhelm

👉 Order wherever books are sold

🎯 TAKE THE FREE DECLUTTERING STYLE QUIZ

Discover your personal Decluttering Style and get a clear, realistic starting plan that actually fits your life.

I recently had one listener tell me her husband used his custom plan to finally tackle the garage. Another shared she let go of things she'd held onto for over 20 years.

👉 Take the free quiz

🗞️ Join the Ready, Set, Simplify Newsletter

Over 35,000 women read it weekly for clutter-busting tips, mindset shifts, and simple strategies for creating a calmer home.

👉 https://www.katyjoywells.com/simplify

📲 Come Say Hi on Instagram

Behind-the-scenes simplicity and real-life encouragement.

💛 @katyjoywells

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode encouraged you, I'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to subscribe and leave a review.

Your support helps this show reach more women who are looking for a gentler, more sustainable path to simplifying. 💛

🧡 READY FOR MORE SUPPORT? JOIN CLUTTER CURE CLUB

If you're tired of feeling like you're constantly managing your home, your schedule, your emotions, and everyone else's needs… this is where we go deeper.

Inside Clutter Cure Club, you'll get:

• Monthly decluttering plans
• Real-life systems that actually work in busy seasons
• Mindset support and decision-making tools
• Access to 100+ resources
• A supportive community that truly gets it

✨ This month's featured resource includes simple reset strategies for overwhelmed seasons—because sometimes the clutter isn't just physical.

👉 Join here: https://www.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub-page837548 Only $19/month — cancel anytime

Self-Care That Actually Works (And Why the Bubble Bath Isn't Fixing Burnout)

Have you ever done all the "right" self-care things… the candle, the skincare, the journal, the meditation app…

…and still felt completely overwhelmed?

In this episode, Katy sits down with Diane Boden from the Minimalist Moms Podcast for an honest conversation about what self-care actually looks like in real life.

Together, they unpack:

• why so many women still feel burnt out after "taking care of themselves"
• how comparison quietly drains us
• why friendships matter more than we realize
• the pressure to constantly achieve
• and how true self-care often has far more to do with subtraction than addition

This episode feels like a long coffee chat with two women pulling back the curtain on modern motherhood, overwhelm, identity, and the mental load so many of us carry every day.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: 1) Minimalism can help—but it won't magically fix burnout

Diane shares that simplifying your home absolutely makes life more manageable… but it doesn't automatically solve overwhelm if your schedule, expectations, or emotional load are still overflowing.

As she puts it:

"Minimalism is a tool… it's not going to make our lives perfect."

You can declutter your closets and still feel emotionally exhausted if you're saying yes to too much, constantly comparing yourself, or tying your worth to achievement.

2) Friendship might be one of the most overlooked forms of self-care

One of Diane's biggest self-care anchors? Friendship.

Not performative friendship. Not "networking." Real human connection.

The kind where you can let your guard down and simply be known.

Katy and Diane talk honestly about how easy it is—especially in motherhood—to unintentionally isolate yourself. And how meaningful connection often starts with very small moments of vulnerability.

3) Self-care doesn't always look glamorous

Sometimes self-care is:

• going outside
• reading a nonfiction book
• taking a digital Sabbath
• saying no
• resting without earning it first
• noticing flowers on a walk
• sitting quietly with your thoughts

Diane shares how stepping away from constant news consumption and social media comparison dramatically improved her mental health.

And Katy reflects on how often we're sold the idea that self-care is something we buy… instead of something we practice.

4) Comparison creates problems that didn't exist before

This part of the conversation goes deep.

Katy and Diane unpack how social media, beauty culture, achievement culture, and even "perfect minimalism" can quietly make us feel like we're never enough.

More productive. More organized. More successful. More beautiful. More optimized.

And the problem? Once we believe we're lacking… someone is always ready to sell us the solution.

5) Rest is productive—even when nothing gets checked off

Diane shares one practice that became incredibly important for her: taking intentional Sabbath-style rest days.

Not necessarily doing "nothing." But intentionally unplugging from pressure, content creation, performance, and productivity.

As she explains, the world keeps moving even when we step away.

And often, that space is exactly what helps us reconnect to ourselves again.

READY TO SIMPLIFY EVEN MORE? START HERE:

📚 ORDER MY NEW BOOK

Making Home Your Happy Place: The Real-Life Guide to Decluttering Without the Overwhelm.

👉 Order wherever books are sold

🎯 TAKE THE FREE DECLUTTERING STYLE QUIZ

Discover your personal Decluttering Style and get a clear, realistic starting plan that actually fits your life.

👉 Take the free quiz

🗞️ Join the Ready, Set, Simplify Newsletter Over 35,000 women read it weekly for clutter-busting tips, mindset shifts, and practical encouragement.

👉 https://www.katyjoywells.com/simplify

📲 Come Say Hi on Instagram Behind-the-scenes, real-life simplicity, and lots of laughs.

💛 @katyjoywells

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode encouraged you, would you take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts?

Your support helps this show reach more women who need a gentler, more sustainable path forward. 💛

🧡 READY FOR MORE SUPPORT? JOIN CLUTTER CURE CLUB

If you're ready to stop restarting every few months and finally build a home that stays manageable, this is where we go deeper.

Inside Clutter Cure Club, you'll get:

• Step-by-step decluttering plans
• Real-life strategies that work in busy seasons
• Decision-making tools to help you let go faster
• Access to 70+ resources
• A supportive community that truly gets it

✨ One member favorite: the Decision Card Cheat Sheets These help you stop spiraling over every item and make decisions with more confidence and clarity.

👉 Join here: https://www.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub-page837548 Only $19/month — cancel anytime

The 6 Traits of People Whose Homes Actually Stay Clutter-Free

A lot of us secretly believe that people with calm, simplified homes must have:

• more time
• easier kids
• more supportive partners
• naturally organized brains
• less stressful lives

But after working with thousands of families over the last eight years, Katy noticed something surprising:

The people whose homes truly transform aren't living easier lives.

Some were navigating:

• grief
• illness
• divorce
• job loss
• parenting challenges
• overwhelming seasons

And yet… their homes still changed.

In this episode, Katy breaks down the six specific traits she sees over and over again in people whose homes don't just get decluttered—but stay that way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: 1) They learn to trust themselves

People with lasting progress stop looking outside themselves for permission.

They stop:

• asking everyone else what to keep
• searching for the "perfect" decluttering rule
• trying to follow someone else's version of minimalism

Instead, they learn to trust:

• their season
• their values
• their lifestyle
• their own decisions

Because your home should fit your life—not someone else's Pinterest board.

2) They let go of who they used to be

This is one of the deepest forms of clutter: identity clutter.

The corporate clothes from a career you left. The hobby supplies for hobbies you never really loved. The version of yourself you thought you'd become.

Katy shares how clutter often isn't about the item itself—it's about the identity attached to it.

Real progress happens when you ask: 👉 "Who was I when I kept this?" 👉 "Am I still her?"

3) They get really good at deciding

One of the biggest hidden drains in clutter?

Repeated decisions.

The same sweater gets reconsidered 12 times. The same donate bag gets reopened again and again.

Over time, this trains your brain to believe decluttering is exhausting.

The people whose homes stay clutter-free learn how to:

• decide once
• trust the decision
• move on

And that changes everything.

4) They work in rhythm—not overhauls

The weekend marathon decluttering sessions?

They usually don't last.

The people who experience lasting transformation work differently:

• 15 minutes here
• one drawer there
• one bag out each week

Small, repeatable rhythms beat dramatic overhauls every time.

Because decluttering isn't a one-time event. It's an ongoing relationship with your home.

5) They keep leveling up

At first, most people only tackle surface clutter.

The easy stuff. The obvious stuff.

But over time, people who maintain clutter-free homes start addressing deeper layers like:

• scarcity clutter
• sentimental clutter
• identity clutter
• aspirational clutter

And as they practice, they develop what Katy calls a "sharpened eye."

They notice problems earlier. They make decisions faster. They stop clutter before it snowballs.

6) They keep the gap short

This may be the most important trait of all.

Life still knocks them down.

Hard seasons still happen. Decluttering still pauses sometimes.

But instead of disappearing for years or waiting for life to feel perfect again… they come back sooner.

Maybe it's:

• one drawer
• one shelf
• one bag
• one tiny reset

The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is shortening the gap between stopping and restarting.

YOUR ACTION STEP THIS WEEK

Pick ONE of the six traits from this episode and focus on building it intentionally.

Maybe it's:

• trusting yourself
• making faster decisions
• working in rhythm
• keeping the gap short

You do not need to become a different person overnight.

Small shifts compound.

And over time? Those shifts completely change the way your home feels.

🫧 CLEANER AIR, BETTER SLEEP, LESS STRESS AT HOME

Katy shares one thing that's made a noticeable difference in her own home lately: cleaner air.

After constantly waking up congested and sneezing, her family started using AirDoctor air purifiers—and noticed improvements within days.

They noticed: ✔️ Fewer lingering odors ✔️ Less congestion + allergy symptoms ✔️ Better sleep

AirDoctor's powerful 3-stage filtration system removes particles 100x smaller than standard air purifiers—including:

• dust
• pollen
• mold spores
• pet dander
• bacteria
• viruses
• VOCs
• wildfire smoke

Plus: ✔️ Ultra quiet ✔️ Auto mode adjusts air quality in real time ✔️ Filter replacement reminders = less mental load

👉 Head to https://airdoctorpro.com and use promo code MAX to get up to $300 off

Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee + free 3-year warranty

Ready to Simplify Even More? Start Here:

📚 ORDER MY NEW BOOK

Making Home Your Happy Place: The Real-Life Guide to Decluttering Without the Overwhelm.

👉 Order wherever books are sold

🎯 TAKE THE FREE DECLUTTERING STYLE QUIZ

Discover your personal Decluttering Style and get a clear, realistic starting plan that actually fits your life.

👉 Take the free quiz

🗞️ Join the Ready, Set, Simplify Newsletter Over 35,000 women read it weekly for clutter-busting tips, mindset shifts, and practical encouragement 👉 https://www.katyjoywells.com/simplify

📲 Come Say Hi on Instagram Behind-the-scenes, real-life simplicity, and lots of laughs 💛 @katyjoywells

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode helped you, I'd be so grateful if you'd subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Your support helps this show reach more women who need a gentler, more sustainable path forward. 💛