Decluttering gets easier when you release fear, obligation, and guilt. Ashley Hines shares a holistic approach to organizing that builds self-trust and helps you create a clutter-free home with intention.

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RESOURCES

Connect with Ashley Hines:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

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Fear. Obligation. Guilt.

If decluttering feels emotionally heavy (even when you want a clutter-free home) you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just stuck in F.O.G.

In this episode, I’m joined by Ashley Hines, founder of Thee Tailored Life, to talk about the emotional side of decluttering and why letting go can feel so complicated.

Ashley introduces her F.O.G. framework (fear, obligation, and guilt) and explains how it quietly shapes our homes, our decisions, and even our sense of identity. We talk about why “should” is such a powerful clutter trigger, why identity-based items are the hardest to release, and what actually changes when you begin trusting yourself again.

This conversation is gentle, validating, and deeply grounding, especially if you’ve ever felt bad for wanting less.

We cover:

If you’re craving a calmer home and more confidence in your decisions, this episode will meet you right where you are.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome + why decluttering feels emotional

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Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’d love to hear how you’re applying the strategies discussed in this episode. Share your stories and tips with us on social media (@wannabeclutterfree). Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes designed to make your busy life a bit easier.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clutter isn’t a personal failure. Decluttering expert Tracy McCubbin shares a compassionate, clutter-free approach to emotional clutter, realistic systems, and organizing for real life, not perfection.

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RESOURCES

Tracy’s Books:

Melanie Summers

Tracy’s chat with Nick Fox

Deanna’s Bundle of Her Best Decluttering Resources

Connect with Tracy McCubbin:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

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Clutter has a way of feeling personal. But according to Tracy McCubbin, it rarely is.

In this honest and grounding conversation, Tracy and Deanna talk about why clutter forms, why it sticks, and how emotional patterns like perfectionism, guilt, and generational habits quietly shape our homes.

You will hear why buying more bins does not solve clutter, how to move away from Pinterest perfect organizing, and how to create practical systems that support real life. Tracy shares what it actually looks like to declutter with kindness instead of pressure and why starting small matters more than doing it all at once.

This episode is for busy women who want a clutter free home without shame, extremes, or unrealistic expectations. It is especially helpful if you have ever felt like your home should be easier to manage or wondered why organizing advice does not seem to stick.

Tracy also shares insights from her books Making Space, Clutter Free and Make Space for Happiness, along with what she is seeing most right now after nearly 20 years as a professional declutterer.

If clutter has been weighing on you, this conversation offers a deep breath, a mindset shift, and a realistic path toward intentional living and a clutter free home.

We cover:

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome + why clutter feels personal

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Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’d love to hear how you’re applying the strategies discussed in this episode. Share your stories and tips with us on social media (@wannabeclutterfree). Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes designed to make your busy life a bit easier.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Getting back into routine after a break can feel overwhelming. This episode shares a gentle, clutter-free re-entry plan with simple, practical steps to reduce stress, rebuild momentum, and ease back into daily life.

Resources Mentioned:

⁠Deanna's Best Decluttering Resources⁠

⁠Wannabe Clutter Free on Instagram⁠

Getting back into real life after a holiday or time off can feel surprisingly hard—especially when clutter, routines, and expectations all come crashing back at once.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why does this feel so much harder than it should?”—this episode is for you.

Today’s conversation is all about a gentle re-entry to your normal life after a long holiday break.

Not snapping back into routine. Not fixing everything at once.

Just easing back into daily life in a way that actually feels supportive.

You’ll learn how to:

This is a realistic, clutter-free approach designed for high-achieving, modern moms who want their homes (and lives) to feel calmer, lighter, and more manageable again.

If you’re craving a smoother transition back to normal life, this episode will help you do it with grace instead of grit.

Timestamps:

00:00: Why re-entry after a break feels harder than expected

03:25: The re-entry reality check and letting go of pressure

10:21: The re-entry rule: clear friction before motivation

14:06: Five simple moves to reduce overwhelm fast

26:09: Why visible wins matter more than big progress

33:10: Reclaiming your personal reset point

37:14: What not to do when easing back into routine

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps me create more content to inspire and motivate you to live with less.

Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reading 100 books this year reshaped how I approach decluttering, burnout, and intentional living. These five standouts changed my energy, mindset, and home, without adding clutter.

Resources Mentioned:

Wannabe Clutter Free on Instagram

Reading used to feel impossible for me, until this year.

In 2025, I read (and listened to) nearly 100 books, and along the way something surprising happened. My mindset around decluttering, burnout, productivity, and intentional living began to shift in ways I didn’t expect.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

My 5 Standout Reads of 2025

Burnout by Emily Nagoski PhD& Amelia Nagoski DMA

Why you can’t organize your way out of burnout and how completing the stress cycle changed everything for me.

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon

A simple (yes, slightly cheesy) story with a powerful reminder: your energy affects everything - your home included.

I Didn’t Do the Thing Today by Madeline Dore

A refreshing take on ambition, rest, and worth, without hustle culture or guilt.

How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis

A shame-free approach to care tasks that gave me permission to stop tying my worth to a clean house.

No New Things by Ashlee Piper

A powerful reframe on consumption, shopping habits, and stopping clutter at the source.

How I Read 100 Books Without Adding Clutter

I listened to all of these books using Libby, a free app connected to my local library. Audiobooks allowed me to “read” while cleaning, driving, or folding laundry and I never had to bring more stuff into my home.

What book has changed how you think about your home or life?

Send me your recommendations because I’m already building my 2026 reading list.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Why I chose books instead of goal-setting to close out 2025

2:15 – How I read nearly 100 books (and why that surprised me most)

4:30 – The types of books that shaped my decluttering mindset this year

7:45 – Burnout and why you can’t organize your way out of stress

11:40 – The Energy Bus and protecting your energy at home

14:50 – I Didn’t Do the Thing Today and releasing productivity guilt

18:10 – How to Keep House While Drowning and shame-free decluttering

22:30 – No New Things and stopping clutter before it starts

26:00 – How Libby helped me read more without adding physical clutter

30:45 – Decluttering books without guilt + my favorite question to ask

33:15 – Final reflections and building a meaningful 2026 reading list

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps me create more content to inspire and motivate you to live with less.

Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Holiday clutter doesn’t mean you’re behind. This calming episode offers permission to rest, a gentle after-Christmas reset, and a supportive path toward decluttering and intentional living in the new year. 

📌 Resources Mentioned:

Episode 288

The days after Christmas can feel louder than we expect. More stuff. More mess. Less energy.

In this calming, guilt-free episode, Deanna offers reassurance for overwhelmed homes and hearts. You’ll hear why the post-holiday mess is normal, why nothing needs to be fixed today, and how to give yourself permission to rest without falling behind.

Deanna shares a personal story about gift guilt, the pressure to create a “perfect” Christmas, and how more stuff often pulls us away from the connection we’re really craving.

You’ll also learn:

• Why temporary mess does not require permanent solutions

• What not to declutter during the holidays

• A low-lift reset for when motivation shows up

• How to quiet your nervous system instead of forcing productivity

• A gentle path forward for decluttering in the new year

And when you’re ready, Deanna invites you to join her January decluttering challenge, where you’ll get a flexible plan, weekly live support, and accountability that feels kind.

You’re not behind. The mess is temporary. And you don’t have to do this alone.

Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

Loved this episode? Share it with a friend or leave a review.

Timestamps:

00:00 – A calm reminder for overwhelmed homes

02:45 – Why the holidays feel loud and heavy

05:15 – Gift guilt and the myth of “more is better”

07:30 – The moment that changed how Deanna sees Christmas

10:05 – The holiday emergency reset: what not to do

12:30 – Why rest matters more than organizing right now

14:55 – A low-lift option if motivation shows up

17:10 – The mess is temporary and you didn’t fail

19:15 – A gentle invitation to the January decluttering challenge

23:05 – Coming back to presence, connection, and breath

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps me create more content to inspire and motivate you to live with less.

Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I decluttered 500 items in four days!

Decluttering doesn’t always look like overflowing junk drawers or packed closets. Sometimes it looks like a home that feels “fine”…but still holds more than you need.

📌 Resources Mentioned:

Get the Declutter 500 Items Challenge course for just $1!

In this episode, Deanna shares a personal experiment that completely surprised her. Using a flipped version of a traditional decluttering challenge, she removed 500 items from her home in just four days without creating mess, stress, or burnout.

You’ll hear why starting big worked better than starting small, how gamifying decluttering changed everything, and why flexibility matters more than perfection when you’re letting things go.

Deanna also walks through exactly where those 500 items came from, what was harder to declutter than expected, and how donating with intention made the process even more meaningful.

If you’ve been craving a clutter-free home that feels lighter, calmer, and easier to maintain, this episode will show you what’s possible, even if you already think you’ve “done the work.”

What you’ll learn:

Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

Loved this episode? Share it with a friend or leave a review.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Decluttering Challenge

06:05 Why traditional decluttering challenges didn’t work for me

11:59 Day-by-Day Decluttering Process

17:48 How I counted items without stress or rules

23:54 What I did with the decluttered items

30:07 What surprised me most about the process

35:56 Why I’m doing this challenge again

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps me create more content to inspire and motivate you to live with less.

Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover how your personal energy shapes the clutter in your home and learn simple, powerful mindset shifts to create a more clutter-free, aligned, and intentional life.

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Resources

Connect with Jena Lorén

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

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Your personal energy is woven into every corner of your home, and today’s conversation with Consciousness Architect Jena Lorén will change the way you see your space forever.

We explore why clutter often has nothing to do with laziness or lack of willpower and everything to do with unseen emotional patterns, old identities, and ego tricks that quietly shape your habits. Jena shares her powerful 3-second mindset reset, her story of purging 80 percent of her belongings, and how to identify the ego archetypes (rebel, realist, illusionist, martyr) that show up in your clutter patterns.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, ashamed, or frustrated by the state of your home, this episode gives you a compassionate and practical path forward. You’ll learn how circulation, alignment, and awareness can transform your space into one that supports your highest self.

We cover:

Time Stamps:

00:00 – The energetic link between your home and your inner world

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Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’d love to hear how you’re applying the strategies discussed in this episode. Share your stories and tips with us on social media (@wannabeclutterfree). Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes designed to make your busy life a bit easier.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want a calmer, cleaner, clutter-free holiday season?

This episode walks you through how to simplify Christmas in a way that feels peaceful, joyful, and actually doable for busy families.

Deanna shares how her family is decorating more slowly this year, how she’s focusing on cozy moments over perfection, and the simple choices that help keep December from spiraling into chaos.

What you’ll learn

Whether your holidays feel too busy, too full, or just too much, this episode will help you create more intention, more breathing room, and more meaning this season.

📌 Resources Mentioned:

⁠Deanna's 19 Best Decluttering Courses for $19⁠

⁠Full show notes:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wannabeclutterfree.com/286

Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

Loved this episode? Share it with a friend or leave a review.

Timestamps:

00:00: Decorating slowly this year + why it feels right

02:15: Letting go of traditions that no longer serve you

04:25: Planning holiday activities earlier for less overwhelm

06:00: What to expect in this clutter-free holiday episode

07:10: The emotional clutter of December and how to release it

09:00: How to talk to family about clutter-free gifts

13:50: The four-gift practice for kids (want, need, wear, read)

15:00: Clutter-free gift ideas that still feel special

20:00: Guilt around giving less + Deanna’s personal story

26:10: Pre-holiday decluttering and prepping for Christmas morning

29:40: The Santa Bag Trick for younger kids

31:00: Weekly challenge: pick one clutter-free shift for this season

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps me create more content to inspire and motivate you to live with less.

Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feeling overwhelmed by decluttering? Gratitude can change everything.

Learn how a gratitude-based mindset helps you let go without guilt, stay present, and create a more intentional, clutter-free home, even during the busy holiday season. Hear one powerful client story, plus three simple gratitude practices you can start using today.

You’ll learn:

📌 Resources Mentioned:

Deanna's 19 Best Decluttering Courses for $19

Full show notes:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠wannabeclutterfree.com/285⁠⁠

Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

Loved this episode? Share it with a friend or leave a review.

Timestamps:

00:00 Navigating a full season and why gratitude matters right now

01:00 How gratitude creates a growth mindset for decluttering

02:30 Seeing what works in your home instead of what’s missing

04:00 Making kinder decisions and letting go without guilt

06:00 Gratitude as a tool for releasing old seasons and stories

08:00 A client transformation: shifting from guilt to gratitude

11:30 How gratitude shifts your energy, your mood, and your home

14:30 Three simple gratitude practices to make decluttering easier

Subscribe & Review:

If you loved this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! Your feedback helps me create more content to inspire and motivate you to live with less.

Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to approach aging parents about decluttering, navigate sibling emotions, and prepare for estate sales with compassion, clarity, and less clutter this holiday season.

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Resources Mentioned:⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Jeannine Bryant

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Deanna Yates, the host of Wannabe Clutter Free on:

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The holidays often bring family, memories… and stuff. If you’ve ever looked around your parents’ house and thought, “Someday we’ll have to deal with all of this,” this conversation is for you.

In this heartfelt episode, rightsizing expert Jeannine Bryant joins me to talk about how to compassionately approach decluttering with aging loved ones.

We cover:

Whether you’re helping your parents downsize, sorting through family heirlooms, or simply preparing for future transitions, this episode will help you navigate it all with grace.

Time Stamps:

00:00 – Welcome & Thanksgiving week reflections

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Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.silvermansound.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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We’d love to hear how you’re applying the strategies discussed in this episode. Share your stories and tips with us on social media (@wannabeclutterfree). Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes designed to make your busy life a bit easier.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices