In American culture, we’re often told that bigger is better: start in an apartment, move to a starter home, and eventually land in your forever home. Somewhere in that story is the idea that the suburban dream of more space, quieter streets, and a bigger house will make you happier.

But not every move away from the city sticks.

In this episode, I talk with Alexis Adegoke, who moved her family from New York City to Texas, and then a few years later, with three kids in tow, decided to move back to NYC. I first discovered Alexis through a reel she posted while driving down an expansive Texas highway, explaining the decision her family had made to return to the city.

She says “the more our kids grew, the more we realized how much we were craving what we left behind… the walkability, the rhythm, the movement, the energy, the ‘step outside and the world is right there’ feeling we loved for almost a decade.”

I chatted with Alexis about that decision and what they have learned along the way.

Important Links:

👀 Follow Alexis on IG: @alexiskristiana

💻 Follow Alexis on Substack: The Unsubsurban Mom

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📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

Every winter, we hunker down. January and February become survival season. The light fades early. The air is cold. We spend more time inside our homes than any other stretch of the year.

And then March arrives. The light shifts. The air softens. The mornings feel brighter.

And suddenly… you see everything.

The dust. The grime. The fingerprints on the light switches and doorknobs. The hidden surfaces that didn’t bother you in February now feel impossible to ignore.

In this episode, we talk about:

* A new, flexible Spring Cleaning Bingo Challenge designed to answer the question we all ask this time of year: Where do I start with the cleaning?

* Here’s the approach: No rigid calendar. Just five room categories, with six deeper cleaning tasks in each, for 30 cleaning tasks total.

* Complete one square a day (or more). Get five in a row for BINGO, or finish the whole board by month’s end. Each task takes 5–20 minutes.

* Miss a day? No guilt. Just pick up where you left off. Progress > perfection.

Tidy Takeaway:

January was decluttering. February was survival. March is a hopeful cleaning reset.

👇 Grab the Spring Cleaning Bingo Card HERE

Important Links:

📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, I’m joined by Martin, my personal trainer who’s been quietly working behind the scenes during my past year of physical transformation.

If you’ve ever wondered how I rebuilt my fitness routine without joining a gym, or how I stayed consistent through a full year, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

We discuss how sustainable fitness looks a lot like tidying your home: you don’t need brand-new skills, you just need to layer on routines so that they are actually working for you. Together, we break down how small, realistic shifts, like tracking food and using resistance bands, can create lasting change without burnout.

In this episode, we talk about:

* Why progressive overload doesn’t require a gym (and how simple resistance bands can actually work to achieve the same goals as fancy workout equipment)

* How food tracking became a low-pressure tool instead of an obsession

* The power of realistic plans over perfect plans

* Why routines matter more than motivation, and how to put them on autopilot

* Why accountability changes everything (and how to find the right support)

* Reframing fitness as fuel for a full life—not another thing to “fail” at

Tidy Takeaway:

Sometimes you need to ask for help. That’s a powerful first step towards making progress.

Important Links:

👀 Follow Martin on IG: @theteacherspt

💪 Book a FREE discovery call with Martin: details HERE!

—

📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

I’m starting this episode with a hot take. I recently shared a post on Instagram with 3 hot takes, including one about Disney, and people had thoughts. It got me thinking about why travel feels joyful for some and exhausting for others.

Here’s the core idea: Not all vacations are meant to give us the same thing.

Some trips are about amusement, fast-paced, full, distracting.

Some trips are about a muse, slower, quieter, and inspiring.

Neither is wrong, but different seasons of life can call for different kinds of travel.

In this episode, we talk about:

* The simple framework our family uses to plan trips without burning out:

WHY → WHO → WHEN → WHERE → HOW → WHAT

* We start with WHY, because when the intention is clear, everything else gets easier.

* I walk through how this framework shapes our travel decisions, from family trips across Europe to a largely decision-free February cruise booked by my very thoughtful past self.

* We pack light, in carry-on bags only! These duffel bag backpacks are our favorite, and they set us up with code TIDYDAD to share for a 15% off discount.

Tidy Takeaway:

If travel planning feels overwhelming, it’s usually not the destination, it’s the missing intention. Start with the WHY, and the rest gets lighter.

Important Links:

📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, Tidy Dad talks with Kate Strickler, the creator of the Instagram account Naptime Kitchen, and the author of the book “I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy (Small Habits and Mindset Shifts to Find Contentment and Joy in Life)”.

Together, we explore the mindset shifts needed as we move into February, when the “new year, new you” energy of January often fades and self-doubt creeps in. This conversation focuses on finding the middle ground, breaking free from all-or-nothing thinking, and building sustainable habits that actually stick.

If you’ve ever felt like you “failed” a New Year’s resolution, this episode offers practical reframes and gentle strategies to help you reset without starting over.

In this episode, we talk about:

* Why January should be viewed as a starting line, not a pass/fail test

* The importance of the middle ground—and why progress still counts

* How to rethink “failure” by asking better, more curious questions

* What to do when a goal feels too big or unsustainable

* Why consistency matters more than motivation

* How to identify one small, doable step to get back on track

* Letting go of the all-or-nothing mindset

Tidy Takeaway

Sustainable change isn’t about perfection, it’s about adjusting, learning, and choosing small actions you can repeat.

—

Reel mentioned by @No.Food.Rules, about the “all or nothing” mindset”:

Important Links:

👀 Follow Kate Strickler on IG: @naptimekitchen

🌟 Kate’s book: “I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy (Small Habits & Mindset Shifts to Find Contentment and Joy in Life)

📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, Tidy Dad sits down with Kyshawn Lane, the home maintenance expert behind Weekly Home Check, who’s built a community of almost 2 million followers on Instagram by helping people care for their homes.

Together, they unpack why ignoring maintenance can lead to expensive surprises, and why doing one task a week is often more effective than tackling everything at once. Home maintenance doesn’t have to feel overwhelming and a simple, weekly system can save time, money, and stress. If you’ve ever thought, I should really deal with that… but then didn’t, this episode is for you. You don’t need to be “handy” to feel confident in your space. You need an approachable plan that makes maintenance manageable.

In this episode, we talk about:

* Why home maintenance feels overwhelming and how systems make it manageable

* The cost of ignoring small issues until they become big repairs

* How Kyshawn learned home maintenance as a first-time homeowner

* The power of a 52-week, one-task-a-week maintenance checklist

* How learning your home builds confidence and connection, not just savings

Important Links:

👀 Follow Kyshawn Lane on IG: @weeklyhomecheck

🌟 Sign up for Kyshawn’s FREE 52-Week Home Maintenance Checklist

📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

Cooking isn’t just about food. It’s about confidence, creativity, and learning how to make decisions in real time.

In this episode, Katie Kimball and I get into the real skills beginners need in the kitchen, from knife skills and reading recipes to planning meals, managing grocery budgets, and thinking on your feet. We also talk about why cooking is such a powerful life skill for teens and young adults. Cooking builds independence and problem-solving, and shared meals build confidence, connection, and a sense of belonging.

Wondering how to actually get your teens in the kitchen? Teens Cook Real Food is a comprehensive cooking course designed specifically for teens and young adults.

It’s a self-paced online cooking course, teaching over 70 skills like how to read recipes, knife skills, how to boil water, how to make salads, cook veggies on the stovetop and in the oven, how to incorporate herbs, spices, acid, and sauces, how to cook meat and eggs, how to bake bread, and tips for meal planning, grocery shopping, and sticking to a food budget. And MORE! It includes real-food demos, chef talks and kitchen science via professionally filmed video lessons. It’s massively epic.

They’re also offering a FREE 3-video series for parents, including a 15-minute workshop on the mindset shift needed for parenting teens. You can start there!

If you’ve ever wished your teen could confidently make a meal, this is worth your time.

👀 Follow Katie Kimball on IG: @raisinghealthyfamilies

🌟 Check out Teens Cook Real Food + sign up for the FREE 3-video series for parents

📚 Order my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

In this episode, Tidy Dad reflects on his own journey of adjusting his sleep schedule to wake up early. He outlines his current morning routine that allows for self-care and productivity before the chaos of the day begins. He encourages listeners to find what works for them, rather than trying to replicate his exact routine.

Three key principles that guide his morning routine:

* I give myself the first fruits of the day, before I’m “on.”

* I look for progress I can repeat, not perfection I can’t sustain.

* I rely on a simple sequence of tasks, not an overwhelming set of rules.

He shares specific details about his morning activities, from gentle yoga and cleaning to preparing breakfast and engaging with his children. But this conversation isn’t about waking up earlier. It’s about deciding when YOU get to be a person. You don't need a perfect routine. You need one that fits YOUR season of life. What fuels you?

Follow Tidy Dad on Instagram!

In this engaging conversation, inspired by National Quitters Day, that moment when most people quietly give up on their resolutions, Tidy Dad and Jo Piazza explore the theme of quitting as a form of self-empowerment and personal growth. They discuss the importance of letting go of toxic relationships, the societal pressure to optimize every aspect of life, and the joy of embracing simplicity in wardrobe choices.

Jo shares her insights on the significance of having a nemesis and the courage it takes to quit things that no longer serve us. The conversation encourages listeners to reflect on what they can let go of in the new year to make space for joy and authenticity.

👀 Follow Jo Piazza on IG and Substack: @jopiazzaauthor and Over the Influence

🌟 Check out Jo’s books: The Sicilian Inheritance, Everyone is Lying to You (my favorite fiction read of 2025), and The Parisian Heist (coming in July 2026!)

📚 Want more tips like these? Check out my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Subscribe to The Tidy Times: tidydad.substack.com

📸 Follow along on IG: Tidy Dad

Resolution season often comes with pressure: big goals, rigid rules, and quiet guilt when things don’t go as expected. In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, Tidy Dad sits down with Patty Morrissey, Director of KonMari Club and collaborator with Marie Kondo (yes, that Marie Kondo), to explore a lighter, curiosity-driven approach to starting something new.

I’ve known Patty for years, interviewed her for my book Tidy Up Your Life, and even included this idea in the Routines chapter, because her concept of 30-day experiments completely changed how I approach resolution season and how I start each month. Instead of rigid promises, this framework offers permission to try, notice, and decide, without burnout.

30-day self-care experiments are a way to try out new habits without turning them into lifelong promises. Together, we talk about curiosity over perfection, giving to your life instead of taking away, and how small experiments can quietly reshape routines, self-care, and connection.

If traditional resolutions leave you burned out by mid-January, this episode offers a calmer way forward.

What You’ll Learn

* What a 30-day self-care experiment is

* Why experiments work better than resolutions for habit building

* How curiosity replaces guilt when motivation dips

* How to reflect at the end of 30 days and decide what stays

* Why “giving to your life” creates more lasting change than restriction

Resources:

* Free Monthly Experiment Calendar by Tidy Dad - A simple thought-catcher with a guiding word for each month to make starting feel lighter and more doable

* 30-Day Self-Care Experiments Article from Patty Morrissey

Links:

🌟 Check out Patty on IG: Patty Morrissey

👀 Check out KonMari Club: KonMari Club

📚 Check out my book: Tidy Up Your Life

🗞️ Follow Tidy Dad on Substack: The Tidy Times

📸 Follow Tidy Dad on IG: @Tidy Dad