153: Why Your House Is Stressing You Out (and What To Do About It)

On today’s episode I’m joined by holistic decluttering expert and host of the top-rated podcast The Maximized Minimalist, Katy Joy Wells.

As a therapist and parent, I know how often our homes can feel like one more place we’re “falling behind.” In this conversation, we explore how clutter impacts our nervous systems, our relationships, and our sense of enoughness. Katy offers a shame-free, deeply human approach that looks at the emotions, beliefs, and habits under the piles.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why clutter isn’t neutral...how visual chaos pulls on our time, energy, and attention
• The difference between clutter and expected mess...and why that distinction can instantly lower your shame
• Katy’s idea of a “good enough home” and how it connects to good enough parenting
• Why traditional decluttering methods (bins, labels, marathon purges, “spark joy”) often backfire for busy, emotionally-connected humans
• How we can model softening, self-compassion, and boundaries with stuff for our kids

My hope is that this episode offers you something Katy and I kept coming back to: hope for a lighter, calmer home that supports presence with the people you love...without having to become a different person or maintain a Pinterest-perfect house.

Connect with Katy

• Listen to Katy’s podcast: The Maximized Minimalist
• Get her book: Making Home Your Happy Place: A Real-Life Guide to Decluttering Without the Overwhelm
• Find her on Instagram: @katyjoywells

If you loved this episode

• Share it with a friend whose home feels “loud” right now
• Support the podcast and leave a rating or review!
• Subscribe to my Substack, A Little Space, Please, where I’ll share written tools and prompts from this conversation

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