Show Notes
🧡 READY FOR MORE SUPPORT? JOIN CLUTTER CURE CLUB If you're tired of feeling like you're constantly managing your home, your schedule, your emotions, and everyone else's needs… this is where we go deeper. Inside Clutter Cure Club, you'll get: Monthly decluttering plans Real-life systems that actually work in busy seasons Mindset support and decision-making tools Access to 100+ resources A supportive community that truly gets it ✨ This month's featured resource includes simple reset strategies for overwhelmed seasons—because sometimes the clutter isn't just physical. 👉 Join here: https://www.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub-page837548 Only $19/month — cancel anytime Self-Care That Actually Works (And Why the Bubble Bath Isn't Fixing Burnout) Have you ever done all the "right" self-care things… the candle, the skincare, the journal, the meditation app… …and still felt completely overwhelmed? In this episode, Katy sits down with Diane Boden from the Minimalist Moms Podcast for an honest conversation about what self-care actually looks like in real life. Together, they unpack: why so many women still feel burnt out after "taking care of themselves" how comparison quietly drains us why friendships matter more than we realize the pressure to constantly achieve and how true self-care often has far more to do with subtraction than addition This episode feels like a long coffee chat with two women pulling back the curtain on modern motherhood, overwhelm, identity, and the mental load so many of us carry every day. KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: 1) Minimalism can help—but it won't magically fix burnout Diane shares that simplifying your home absolutely makes life more manageable… but it doesn't automatically solve overwhelm if your schedule, expectations, or emotional load are still overflowing. As she puts it: "Minimalism is a tool… it's not going to make our lives perfect." You can declutter your closets and still feel emotionally exhausted if you're saying yes to too much, constantly comparing yourself, or tying your worth to achievement. 2) Friendship might be one of the most overlooked forms of self-care One of Diane's biggest self-care anchors? Friendship. Not performative friendship. Not "networking." Real human connection. The kind where you can let your guard down and simply be known. Katy and Diane talk honestly about how easy it is—especially in motherhood—to unintentionally isolate yourself. And how meaningful connection often starts with very small moments of vulnerability. 3) Self-care doesn't always look glamorous Sometimes self-care is: going outside reading a nonfiction book taking a digital Sabbath saying no resting without earning it first noticing flowers on a walk sitting quietly with your thoughts Diane shares how stepping away from constant news consumption and social media comparison dramatically improved her mental health. And Katy reflects on how often we're sold the idea that self-care is something we buy… instead of something we practice. 4) Comparison creates problems that didn't exist before This part of the conversation goes deep. Katy and Diane unpack how social media, beauty culture, achievement culture, and even "perfect minimalism" can quietly make us feel like we're never enough. More productive. More organized. More successful. More beautiful. More optimized. And the problem? Once we believe we're lacking… someone is always ready to sell us the solution. 5) Rest is productive—even when nothing gets checked off Diane shares one practice that became incredibly important for her: taking intentional Sabbath-style rest days. Not necessarily doing "nothing." But intentionally unplugging from pressure, content creation, performance, and productivity. As she explains, the world keeps moving even when we step away. And often, that space is exactly what helps us reconnect to ourselves again. READY TO SIMPLIFY EVEN MORE? START HERE: 📚 ORDER MY NE
More from Maximized Minimalist Podcast
Potty training can be stressful! The standoffs, the accidents, the power struggles and more. Andrea Olson, founder of Go Diaper Free, has helped over 100,000 families take the pressure out of it, with fewer diapers and a fraction of the stuff the baby aisle says you need. In this episode she walks us through what actually works, what you can skip entirely, and how to start from wherever you are right now. In this episode: → What elimination communication is, and how it works → Where the "wait until they're ready" advice came from, and what happens when families start earlier → The potty training supplies you actually need, and the ones you can skip → The simplest way to start this week, even if your first try didn't stick → How to share this with your daughter or daughter-in-law without overstepping Find Andrea: 📲 Follow Andrea on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/godiaperfree/ 🩲 Tiny Undies → tinyundies.com 📘 Go Diaper Free, the EC book → godiaperfree.com/thebook 📗 The Tiny Potty Training Book → godiaperfree.com/ptbook 🎧 The Go Diaper Free Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-go-diaper-free-podcast/id663607202 💛 Courses, books, challenges and Q+As → godiaperfree.com/community 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📕 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells
You know that feeling when you're standing in front of a closet full of clothes and somehow still thinking, "I have nothing to wear"? In this episode, we're talking about why a packed closet can make getting dressed way harder and why buying one more "perfect" piece usually doesn't fix it. I'm sharing what my much smaller 90s closet taught me about creativity, why we've been taught how to shop but not how to style, and how constantly consuming other people's version of "cool" can leave you with a wardrobe that doesn't actually feel anything like you. And if your closet feels overwhelming because you're not sure what to keep or why letting go feels so hard, take my free Decluttering Style Quiz! In just two minutes, you'll discover your clutter type and get a customized 3-step action plan to help you move forward. Take the quiz at home.katyjoywells.com/quiz
🍽️ Join Nakita's free live class, How to Prep 9 Family Dinners in 30 Minutes → https://nakita-attard-vassallo.mykajabi.com/a/2148312762/McToTgYz October 19th and 22nd at 11:30am Eastern / 8:30am Pacific. Seats are limited and there's a replay if you can't make it live! What's crazy awesome about this is you'll actually make the meals in your kitchen, right along with her, and walk away with 9 prepped dinners in 30 minutes! (YES, for real!) If you've ever stood in front of the fridge at 5 o'clock with zero idea what you're feeding everyone, this conversation is for you. Nakita Attard-Vassallo makes the case that dinner is not just "one tasks". It's actually a BUNCH! Deciding, planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning which is exactly why weeknights can feel as heavy as they do. In this episode, we walk through every lever you can actually pull here, because a go-to meal rotation, meal planning, meal prepping, batch cooking, and freezer meals are all solving different problems. Nakita breaks down what each one is really for, so you can pick the approach that fits your life instead of forcing yourself into somebody else's Sunday. We also get into her shortcuts, what she keeps on hand so she's never starting from zero, and the easiest possible entry point if you want to start this week. In this episode: → Meal decision fatigue, and why systemizing a recurring decision beats making it again every single day → What each approach actually solves: meal rotation, meal planning, meal prepping, batch cooking, and freezer meals → The weeknight shortcuts Nakita swears by, and the ones that cut the most time → The pantry staples and freezer basics that mean dinner never starts from scratch → The simplest place to start, even if three hours of batch cooking on a Sunday sounds like a hard no 🍽️ Join Nakita's free live class, How to Prep 9 Family Dinners in 30 Minutes → https://nakita-attard-vassallo.mykajabi.com/a/2148312762/McToTgYz October 19th and 22nd at 11:30am Eastern / 8:30am Pacific. Seats are limited and there's a replay if you can't make it live! What's crazy awesome about this is you'll actually make the meals in your kitchen, right along with her, and walk away with 9 prepped dinners in 30 minutes! (YES, for real!) 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📕 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells
If you've ever felt like you need to duplicate yourself just to keep up with all the appointments, meals, laundry, and mental gymnastics of running your home, this conversation is for you. Kelly Hubbell, founder of Sage Haus, wrote down every job it takes to run her household and it came out to more than 20 hours a week (!!!!) In this episode, Kelly breaks down exactly what a house manager is, why this kind of support isn't reserved for wealthy families, and how you can start small with just a few hours per week. It's help that lifts both the mental AND the physical load off your plate. I'm actively exploring this for our family, and after this conversation, I think you might be too. In this episode: → What a house manager actually does (and how it's different from a cleaner or a nanny) → Handing off a task vs. handing off ownership, and why the second is MOST helpful → How a house manager works for families at every income level and life stage → Real costs, and budget-friendly ways to start with just 6–12 hours per week Book a Free Call with Kelly's Team & Learn More → https://bit.ly/homemanagerinfo 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📕 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells
If your closet feels frustrating and you can't figure out why, this episode might be the reason. I was recently quoted in Real Simple Magazine on this exact topic, and the data in your closet right now is the freshest it'll be all year. Seven specific things to look at before fall hits, Let's GO!! 🎯 Take the free Decluttering Style Quiz + get your custom 3-step action plan → home.katyjoywells.com/quiz 📩 Join the Internet's Most Fun Declutter Newsletter: Ready, Set, Simplify → home.katyjoywells.com/simplifynewsletter 🧡 Join Clutter Cure Club: The Only Membership Designed to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free For Good → home.katyjoywells.com/cluttercureclub 📚 Order My Book, Making Home Your Happy Place → home.katyjoywells.com/declutterwithouttheoverwhelm 📲 Follow me On Insta → instagram.com/katyjoywells