Why You Can't Let Go of Your Clutter (And How to Finally Get Rid of It Without the Guilt) with Emily McDermott

New here? Start with our Start Here playlist — five episodes that will change how you think about motherhood.

You know you should declutter. You feel better when you do it. And yet the stuff just keeps piling up — on the counters, in the closets, in that one chair. If you've been carrying guilt about the state of your home, this episode is your permission slip.

JoAnn sits down with Emily McDermott, decluttering coach and host of the Moms Overcoming Overwhelm podcast, to dig into why letting go feels so hard — and why it has almost nothing to do with laziness. From the guilt of getting rid of gifts to the psychology of why Target and Costco are basically designed to fill your home with things you'll never use, this conversation is equal parts validating and genuinely useful.

In this episode:

Why we have so much more stuff than previous generations — and why it just keeps coming

The real reason decluttering gets put off again and again (hint: it's not that you don't care)

How to handle the guilt of getting rid of a gift — especially when the gift-giver asks where it went

Why keeping a gift out of guilt doesn't actually honor the relationship

The photo trick that lets you release a gift without the weight of it

What Costco and Target are actually selling you (it's not the stuff)

The "aspirational self" trap — and why buying for who you wish you were is filling up your home

What to do if you're catching the pattern after the fact, not in the moment

Why holding onto something you feel guilty about buying is costing you more than you think

The one thing to remember when you need permission to let something go

Whether it's the Costco tent you bought because you thought maybe you'd camp, or the gift from your mom that's been sitting in a closet for three years — this episode will help you release the weight of it. You don't have to keep things out of guilt. And you don't have to earn the right to a home that actually feels good to be in.

Find Emily and the Moms Overcoming Overwhelm podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

If you're listening on Spotify, hit the Follow button right now — it's the best way to make sure you never miss an episode and it helps me reach more moms like you.

Remember: the best mom is a happy mom. Take care of you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices