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

• 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

Have you ever noticed how much harder parenting feels when things are tense between you and your partner? Maybe you start off trying to calm your kids in the back seat… and somehow end up arguing about the volume of the music. Or one of you sets a boundary with your child, the other undermines it, and suddenly you’re in a standoff that feels way bigger than it should.

In this episode, Dr. Cassidy explores how the stress of parenting can shake the foundation of even the strongest relationships, and what you can do to reconnect when the patience runs thin and the reactions run hot.

In this episode you’ll learn how to:

• Recognize why parenting amplifies relational stress
• Use “reserves check-ins” to communicate needs and prevent resentment
• Shift from “me vs. you” to “us vs. the cycle”
• Bring repair, rest, and appreciation back into your partnership

You’ll also hear simple ways to rebuild connection that don’t require date nights, fancy plans, or extra childcare - just small, intentional moments that help you remember you’re on the same team.

Would you love to have this episode written out for you? Check out this substack post!

Interested in learning more about my therapy practice? Click here!

In this conversation, I’m joined by my dear friend and fellow therapist Dr. Tracy Dalgleish to explore the tender, complex space between partnership and extended family...where love, loyalty, and old patterns can collide.

We talk about why these dynamics feel especially charged for so many of us right now, what it means to navigate guilt and control in family systems, and how we can stay connected to our partners (and ourselves) when generational patterns start to resurface.

Dr. Tracy shares insights from her new book You, Your Husband, and His Mother - a compassionate guide to understanding in-law dynamics, communicating as a united front, and finding your footing as a couple when family expectations run high.

We also talk about:

• The cultural shifts that are reshaping how couples and families relate across generations
• Common patterns like guilt-tripping, control, and codependency
• Why boundaries rooted in core needs (not blame) lead to deeper connection
• How aging, identity, and relevance show up in these transitions
• And the hope in becoming the kind of mother-in-law or grandparent we want to be someday

This episode is for anyone standing in that middle place...between the family you came from and the one you’re creating while trying to honor both love and autonomy along the way.

Learn more about Tracy’s work and her book at drtracyd.com.

Connect with Tracy on Instagram @drtracyd.

Connect with me on Instagram @drcassidy and learn more about my private practice at www.drcassidymft.com