Paring Down: Realistic minimalism, decluttering, & intentional living

Sometimes I find myself of falling into this trap: I want to be generous...I THINK I'm pretty generous...I definitely care about generosity. But then my days get filled with soccer practices and career work and hobbies and time with family and school events, and suddenly I realize that while nothing I'm doing is bad-- in fact a lot of it is great (family time!)-- my heart to care for others has be...

We are smack in the middle of the holiday season, which for me, means Christmas! The Paring Down Podcast isn't a podcast only for Christians, however Jesus is a big part of my life, so I wanted to really pare down my beliefs surrounding decluttering and minimalism through the lens of what the Bible has to say about it. What better time of year to dive into this than when we're about to celebrate J...

Thanksgiving is behind us, so it's officially time to decorate for Christmas! (Let's be honest, most of us already have.) This is a podcast about decluttering, but it's not a podcast about stringent rules or opinions. All of us will land somewhere a little different when it comes to how much holiday decor we'd like to display. The key is intentionality-- what holds meaning to us? What do we want t...

Today on the show, I'm throwing it back to my days in NYC. Ah, to be 23 and frolicking around the city while sharing a tiny 6-floor walk up! My old NYC roommate, Britt Meyer later moved from NYC to Hong Kong, where she was a princess at Hong Kong Disneyland, then landed in London with her husband and three young daughters. Spending her adulthood in different major cities around the world means tha...

Do you struggle to let go of sentimental items? In this episode, I share my experience with decluttering sentimental items after my mother passed away when I was 24 years old. You'll hear some perspective shifts that helped me not hold onto every little thing that reminded me of her. I dive into letting go of baby items for our kids, deciding what *is* special to keep, and a big question that I've...

It's one thing to live in a small house-- it's another to live out of two suitcases. Madison Embrey joins the show today, telling us about her life as a stunt performer and dancer on tour for the last 10 straight years. She sheds light on how to step outside of excessive fashion or home decor to create a sense of self that isn't grounded in what we own-- and proves that what we *want* is fundament...

I have NOT always been a minimalist...and many purists probably wouldn't consider me one, even now! The point is that I've been on a journey to owning less for *years*. My decluttering story is a bit different than most in that I never had a big "aha" turning point toward living with less. It's been a slow burn that gained traction over a series of life events that revealed to me how clutter was g...

Decluttering our homes to avoid the mess and overwhelm sounds great *in theory* to most of us...but where in the world do we start?? In the debut episode of Paring Down, Shannon chats with professional organizer Matlin Pessarra, who sheds some light on mistakes people make when trying to organize their homes, as well as insider tips for approaches that actually work. Matlin Pessarra Instagram: @ge...

The holidays are upon us! And that means an influx of stuff, traditions, and events. Oftentimes, we end up just wanting to "get through the holidays" because it's all so overwhelming. In this episode, Shannon brings on small-space interior designer Karla Graves to talk about living intentionally with less, and how to prepare our homes, our kids, and our hearts for a less daunting holiday season. F...

The Paring Down Podcast brings you conversations about the physical and mental clutter that drowns out what truly matters to each of us.  If you're looking for motivation to declutter your home—or to simply live with more intention—join Shannon Leyko for interesting, practical conversations about paring down what you own, want, and believe. Find more of Shannon's work: Instagram: @shannonleyko New...