Clutter Free Academy – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp and co-host Tonya Kubo unpack the Ulysses rule—making a decision in a calm moment to protect your tired future self—and apply it to everyday decluttering. If you’ve ever believed your future self will “feel like it later,” this conversation is your gentle wake-up call. Kathi shares real-life “tie yourself to the mast” strategies: put your keys in the lunch bag so you don’t forget it, lay clothes on the bed so they must be put away before sleep, schedule regular donation pickups to create a decluttering deadline, and use grocery pickup, batch cooking, and a small rice cooker to simplify meals and reduce decision fatigue. Tonya adds her own accountability and evening wind-down moves that make mornings smoother for the whole family. Listeners are invited into an easy win: the Junk Drawer Challenge. Post your junk drawer “before” in Clutter Free Academy today and your “after” by Friday. Short, compassionate systems—not willpower—are what keep homes peaceful and clutter-free. Join the community for accountability at kathi.link/CFA.

If your books are managing you (not the other way around), this episode is your 15‑minute reset. Kathi Lipp walks you through a simple, shelf‑by‑shelf plan to create a peaceful, findable home library you’ll actually use—without losing the joy of reading. Listeners will learn:  

• The MEET method to make your library pay you back (Money, Energy, Emotional bandwidth, and Time)  • Kathi’s three zero‑guilt questions to decide what stays and what goes  • Forever Shelf vs Flow Shelf: two simple zones that make your system maintainable  • Why capacity matters (and why you don’t need more shelves)  • How to stop “buying to become” and end guilt stacks  • Practical upkeep: one‑in‑one‑out, return stations, and exit strategies (little libraries, friends, donations)  • Where to house TBR (hint: it’s not your nightstand!)  

Plus, Kathi Lipp shares a favorite Forever Shelf pick and introduces "Jesus Was," a thoughtful, conversation‑starting book she endorsed by her dear friend Susy Flory—perfect for souls that need a gentle reset. Press play and take back your shelves in the next 15 minutes. 

Find this episodes full show notes and resources here.  

Join Kathi as she has a conversation with Lisa Woolery who lost her husband Eric suddenly at age 50. Lisa faced an overwhelming reality: not only was she grieving the love of her life, but she also inherited his extensive collection that filled their 6,700 square foot home. From dozens of guns to barrels of water and MREs, Eric's "beautiful, cluttery" nature had created a different kind of burden for his wife and their two children.  

In this deeply moving episode of Clutter Free Academy, Lisa shares her raw and honest journey of grieving not just her husband, but also dealing with the mountain of possessions he left behind. You'll discover how she navigated the anger, the overwhelm, and ultimately found peace through intentional decluttering.  

Listeners will gain an inside look at someone having to manage a loved one’s clutter after they are gone, learn practical strategies for honoring a loved one's memory without keeping everything, including Lisa's "five box rule" that helped her teenagers choose what mattered most when they downsized. She reveals the difference between sentimental items worth keeping and collections that served their purpose, and how creating a curated space helped her heal and move forward.  

Whether you're dealing with your own loss or simply struggling with a partner's clutter, this episode offers hope, practical wisdom, and permission to choose peace over possessions. 

Find this episode’s full show notes and resources here.  

Can thrifting and staying clutter-free go hand in hand?

Kathi Lipp and our podcast guest today say YES YOU CAN!

Meet Erin Handley: San Francisco Bay Area resident, full-time Pinterest employee, and long-time thrifting enthusiast. Kathi and Erin discuss how thrifting is not acquiring a bunch of items you don’t need. Thrifting gives us a chance to give something a new life or at least a second look. Join them as they dive into three questions to ask before you purchase that thrift store treasure that you have in your cart.

1. Where will it go?
   • Sucker for cool art? Even if it’s cheap or you have to store it long term, say no.
2. What is it for?
   • Need it for a project? Say yes, but is it going to happen in the next 60 days?
3.  What does it improve?
   • Found a vase you love? Okay, but is there a vase you can part with at home?

Erin Handley’s house rule: if one thing comes in, one thing goes out.

Join the free Clutter Free Academy group on Facebook! 

Be sure to sign up here and be notified when the next episode is released.

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: Erin Handley

Erin Handley on the Leading Bold Podcast

Erin Handley on Instagram

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

Kathi's Favorites:

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

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• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

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What is Kathi’s favorite thing in Clutter Free Academy? The 30 Day 1K! What is the 30 Day 1K, you may ask? It is a challenge to eliminate 1000 pieces of clutter over 30 days. If this sounds daunting, listen in as Clutter Free Academy queen Tonya Kubo answers common objections to the 30 Day 1K. 

Do any of these resonate with you?

• There’s no way I have 1000 things in my house to get rid of.
• I have so much clutter that 1000 things won’t even make a dent!
• I don’t have time to declutter 1000 things.
• November is so busy. I can’t possibly tackle this challenge then.

Tonya also shares her secret to making the 30 Day 1K work in her home.

How do you join the challenge? Easy - join the free Clutter Free Academy group in Facebook! In November, group members will receive a printed action plan for the month with simple tasks, weekly live coaching workshops, and the encouragement of nonjudgmental friends. This is going to be a life changing 30 days, and we hope you will join us as we get control of our stuff together!

Be sure to sign up here and be notified when the next episode is released.

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: 

Tonya Kubo

Deanna Day Young

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

Kathi's Favorites:

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

Let's stay connected

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

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Can our spaces be organized and look great at the same time?

Yes, they can! Clutter Free Academy's own Deanna Day Young joins Kathi Lipp today in this continuation of last week's episode. (Haven't listened to Episode 586 Unlocking the Power of Organization: Expert Tips from Deanna Day Young yet? Click here! ) This week is all about the Double-A: accessibility and aesthetics. Meaning it is easy to access but looks pretty sitting. Deanna and Kathi chat and laugh their way through the Three Steps to Organization 101. Kitchen ideas? It's in here. Organizing with things you already have? It's in here. What do do with bathroom towels? It's in here, too.

Listen in as Deanna  and Kathi share the Three Steps to Organization 101 plus so many real-life examples:

1. Decluttering
   • You don't need to buy a new item. Kathi uses books as a pedestal to elevate cherished items!
2. Putting things where they make sense
   • Deanna has drawer pulls for her silverware drawer that looks like silverware!
3.  Labeling
   • Laundry soap can be aesthetically pleasing

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: Deanna Day Young

Deanna Day Young

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

The Clutter-Free Home

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

Kathi's Favorites:

• Cabinet Pulls Spoon Knife Fork Shape Door Handles Hole Center 3" Silver
• Quart Compact Stackable Plastic Storage Drawer
• 18 Gallon Holiday Storage Containers, Durable Latching Lids, Clear Bins, Red Lids/Green Handles

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To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

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Several years ago, Deanna Day Young joined Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy. Deanna felt pretty confident about her organizational skills, but she realized there is always more to learn and thought she could learn some good strategies for organization. However, what she actually realized is that she had previously been trying to organize a bunch of clutter! Since then, Deanna has strengthened her decluttering muscles, and on today’s podcast Kathi asks Deanna to share her best advice for someone who is starting out on their decluttering and organization journey. 

Listen in as Deanna shares:

1. What is the most important thing to do first?
2. Three simple steps to organize any space.
3. When to be creative, and when to keep it simple.

Next week, Deanna and Kathi will return and dive deeper into aesthetics. How can we be organized and still make it look great at the same time? 

Be sure to sign up here and be notified when the next episode is released.

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: Deanna Day Young

Deanna Day Young

Angela Sue Garvey

Proverbs 31 Ministries

Kathi's Favorites:

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

The Clutter-Free Home

Let's stay connected

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to our newsletter now.

 

Welcome to Part 3 of the Abundant Home Conference series! In this segment, Kathi and her guest Amy Betters-Midtvedt talk about having a neurodiverse family and how having a brain that processes differently affects how people declutter. Together they discuss:

• The process of body doubling: helping someone complete a project like decluttering by completing pieces of that project for them while training them to take over the entire process eventually
• Why it's important to decide on systems like organization and decluttering as a team
• Chaotic creativity and why not everything needs to be special all the time

If you missed Part 1 of their conversation, Why Just in Case Is a Trap or Part 2 Fear, Finances, and Finding Peace: Decluttering Your Mind and Home, click the link. Be sure to sign up here and be notified when the next podcast episode drops.

This conversation is a small excerpt from the Abundant Home Conference - a half-day conference held exclusively for members of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free for Life membership community. Are you ready to take the next step in your decluttering journey? The step-by-step plan inside Clutter Free for Life can guide you, and the community you find there will encourage you to keep going. It’s time to change the way you think about your home and your stuff! Click here to learn more and join us today, for only $24.99 per month.

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: Amy Betters-Midtvedt

Amy Betters-Midtvedt website

Amy Betters-Midtvedt on Instagram

Amy Betters-Midtvedt on Facebook

Kathi's Favorites:

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

The Clutter-Free Home

Let's stay connected

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to our newsletter now.

Welcome to Part 2 of the Abundant Home Conference series! In this segment Kathi and her guest Amy Betters-Midtvedt face the fears and hidden perfectionism that often sabotage our decluttering efforts. Together they discuss:

• How can you avoid a scarcity mindset and start to think differently about your stuff?
• How do you combat the feeling that the things you have are not enough?
• How can you challenge the idea that your stuff is protecting you and instead realize that it is limiting you?

If you missed Part 1 of their conversation, you can find it here: Why Just in Case Is a Trap. Be sure to sign up here and be notified when the third part of this three-part conversation releases next week.

This conversation is a small excerpt from the Abundant Home Conference - a half-day conference held exclusively for members of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free for Life membership community. Are you ready to take the next step in your decluttering journey? The step-by-step plan inside Clutter Free for Life can guide you, and the community you find there will encourage you to keep going. It’s time to change the way you think about your home and your stuff! Click here to learn more and join us today, for only $24.99 per month.

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: Amy Betters-Midtvedt

Amy Betters-Midtvedt website

Amy Betters-Midtvedt on Instagram

Amy Betters-Midtvedt on Facebook Harry Styles Zipper Bag - Orange

Kathi's Favorites:

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

The Clutter-Free Home

Let's stay connected

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to our newsletter now.

 

Do any of these sound like you?

• I’m afraid to get rid of things, because what if I need it in the future and don’t have money to replace it?
• My kids’ notes and artwork are all so special and I can’t part with any of it!
• I better buy three of those, that way I’ll always be able to find at least one.

If so, then today’s podcast is for you! In this session Kathi chats with self-proclaimed “pack rat” Amy Betters-Midtvedt about her process of digging out from under all the clutter. They talk about green bananas, earring emergencies, and how worry and sentimentality can trip us up. You don’t want to miss it!

This conversation is a small part of the Abundant Home Conference - a half-day conference held exclusively for members of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free for Life membership community. Are you ready to take the next step in your decluttering journey? The step-by-step plan inside Clutter Free for Life can guide you, and the community you find there will encourage you to keep going. It’s time to change the way you think about your home and your stuff! Click here to learn more and join us today.

Be sure to sign up here and be notified when the second part of this three-part conversation releases next week.

Also, if you haven't listened to Kathi and Amy laugh through episode 547 Why I Don't Eat Green Bananas Anymore, put that one in your queue!

Links Mentioned: Meet Our Guest: Amy Betters-Midtvedt

Amy Betters-Midtvedt website

Amy Betters-Midtvedt on Instagram

Amy Betters-Midtvedt on Facebook

Noonday

Poshmark

GapKids

Kathi's Favorites:

Learn more about Clutter Free for Life

Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

The Clutter-Free Home

Let's stay connected

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to our newsletter now.