Think more and do with less.

Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of post-holiday clutter? This episode is for you! Joining me this week is host of the Paring Down podcast, Shannon Leyko. The conversation emphasizes the importance of creating calm spaces, managing holiday chaos, and setting realistic goals for the new year. Shannon also offers advice on handling unwanted gifts and fostering gratitude in children while maintaining a minimalist lifestyle.

In this episode Diane chats with Conni Jespersen, founder of Art in the Find Styling, about creating an intentional wardrobe. Conni shares her journey from middle school history teacher to wardrobe stylist and offers practical tips for maximizing closet wearability, identifying wardrobe gaps, and redefining personal style to fit your lifestyle. They discuss the five key elements of personal style—personality, lifestyle, preferences, environment, and influences—and how to shop more intentionally. Conni also highlights the value of secondhand shopping and finding wardrobe staples to create a polished look on a budget. With her expertise in helping women rediscover their "style DNA," Conni provides inspiration for anyone looking to refresh their closet and embrace everyday fashion.

Joining me today is Brianna Carey, a relationship and intimacy coach with 16 years of experience in sexual health education. The conversation covers strategies for nurturing all forms of intimacy in a relationship, not just sexual, through intentional communication, scheduling intimate time, and understanding hormonal changes. Brianna also discusses the importance of self-care, open dialogue, and setting aside regular time for connection in order to prevent resentment and maintain a healthy relationship.

Joining me for her third appearance on the show is organizing expert, Shira Gill. In today's conversation, we discuss topics from her latest book, 'Lifestyled: Your Guide to a More Organized and Intentional Life'. Shira shares her journey from feeling overwhelmed (despite being an organizing expert) to simplifying different areas of her life through actionable steps. With practical examples from her own life, Shira discusses strategies for creating systems and habits to manage volume and reduce stress. The conversation also touches on how to apply these principles during the holiday season!

The set up of today’s conversation is slightly different than previous episodes. Alissa has been a previous guest on the podcast so we just jumped right into our topic: the struggle of infertility and the emotional process of letting go of baby items. In our conversation, Alissa discusses the mindset shift from holding onto hope to embracing gratitude for what she already has. She also emphasizes the importance of not feeling alone in this journey and encourages listeners to consider decluttering as a positive step forward. Many of you have reached out asking how to declutter those items you just can’t let go of - specifically baby items - and my hope is that this conversation provides some answers for you - even if your only takeaway is more confidently knowing that you aren’t alone.