Sarit Sela is a minimalist mom, Bronze certified KonMari consultant and visual storyteller.
She is an Israeli living in Stockholm, Sweden for the last 8 years and is the founder of Minimalist Me, Her mission is to bring a creative, visual world of minimalism, scandinavian design and KonMari to her clients.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
-Learning how and why Sarit became a KonMari Consultant

• How minimalism has played an important role in Sarit’s personal journey and in her work with clients

• What minimalism means to Sarit. It’s not what you may think!

• Sarit's method of working with her clients using the KonMari Method and minimalism

• How it's not about the number of things you own in any category. It's important to not focus on the number but on the joy and use of the items to YOU

• The challenges, and JOYS, of being a mom in our consumerist culture and how to help your children be more focused and mindful

• How Sarit has navigated setting up her business in both Sweden and Israel and the differences in both cultures when it comes to tidying

• What makes a good KonMari Consultant in Sarit’s view

Sarit's favorite tidying tip:
"It's important that when you open your wardrobe and feel that it is pretty to look at. It's not about the number of clothes but that you put things around you that spark joy."

What sparks joy for Sarit:
"Soon, I will be in Tel Aviv to lead a workshop on minimalism. It's going to be one of the biggest events I have done so far."

Sarit’s parting words of wisdom:
"Many people are concerned with the habits of others in their homes. But I have found that if you change your habits, you will be able to help others."

To connect with Sarit, visit her websits and blog Mimialist Me or follow her on Instagram

Gems:

• "You will know exactly what you need and don't need. It must work for you."
• "Combining the two things, KonMari and miinimalism, was something that felt unique."
• "Who needs five boxes of pasta at any one time?"
• "I think there are two things to teach kids. The first is to learn to tidy and the second is to carefully chose the things they want in their lives."
• "It's so important for a KonMari Consultant to have compassion."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Sarit Sela.

Sarit Sela is a minimalist mom, Bronze certified KonMari consultant and visual storyteller.
She is an Israeli living in Stockholm, Sweden for the last 8 years and is the founder of Minimalist Me, Her mission is to bring a creative, visual world of minimalism, scandinavian design and KonMari to her clients.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
-Learning how and why Sarit became a KonMari Consultant

• How minimalism has played an important role in Sarit’s personal journey and in her work with clients

• What minimalism means to Sarit. It’s not what you may think!

• Sarit's method of working with her clients using the KonMari Method and minimalism

• How it's not about the number of things you own in any category. It's important to not focus on the number but on the joy and use of the items to YOU

• The challenges, and JOYS, of being a mom in our consumerist culture and how to help your children be more focused and mindful

• How Sarit has navigated setting up her business in both Sweden and Israel and the differences in both cultures when it comes to tidying

• What makes a good KonMari Consultant in Sarit’s view

Sarit's favorite tidying tip:
"It's important that when you open your wardrobe and feel that it is pretty to look at. It's not about the number of clothes but that you put things around you that spark joy."

What sparks joy for Sarit:
"Soon, I will be in Tel Aviv to lead a workshop on minimalism. It's going to be one of the biggest events I have done so far."

Sarit’s parting words of wisdom:
"Many people are concerned with the habits of others in their homes. But I have found that if you change your habits, you will be able to help others."

To connect with Sarit, visit her websits and blog Mimialist Me or follow her on Instagram

Gems:

• "You will know exactly what you need and don't need. It must work for you."
• "Combining the two things, KonMari and miinimalism, was something that felt unique."
• "Who needs five boxes of pasta at any one time?"
• "I think there are two things to teach kids. The first is to learn to tidy and the second is to carefully chose the things they want in their lives."
• "It's so important for a KonMari Consultant to have compassion."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Sarit Sela.

In today’s episode we explore the philosophy of digital minimalism - the belief that less can be more to our relationship with digital tools. This idea stems for Cal Newport’s book “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.”

We’re trading in the question “does it spark joy?” for the question “is this the best way to use technology to support my values?”

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Joy Check

What's sparking joy for Karin: Vernado fan cool NYC fall breeze, windows open!

What's sparking joy for Kristyn: Creative winter months. Collaborating with an artist on a new For the Love of Tidy production

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Spark Joy's previous book review of "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, " Spark Joy Episode 21
• "Deep Work," Cal Newport's previous book that sparked a discussion that led to the release of Digital Minimalism

• The Pros. What we loved about the book:

  • The way it was organized
  • Insights about the Slot Machine Concept
  • The Three Principles of Digital Minimalism
  • Stories shared from his Digital Declutter Survey
  • Cal's views on personal transformation
    • The Cons. Things that didn't spark joy:
    • The thesis style format and technical writing style
    • A large amount of focus on the value of solitude
    • The Digital Minimalism Plan:
    • Set aside a 30-day period during which you will take a break from optionial technologies in your life.
    • During this 30-day period break, explore and rediscover activities and behaviors that you find satisfying and meaningful.
    • At the end of the break, reintroduce optional technologies into your life, starting from a blank slate. For each technology you reintroduce, determine what value it serves in your life and how specifically you will use it so as to maximize this value.
    • Similarities with a capsule wardeobe - Spark Joy episode 39: Closet Joy Part 2
    • Practical tips that Cal recommends leaning on as you work through the three steps of your digital minimalism plan
    • FI (Financial Independence) references: Spark Joy Episode 58
    • Tips on "filling the void" left when you break from your devices
    • How Karin and Kristyn have applied Cal's tips and more to make some big changes when it comes to digital clutter

Gems:

• “Is this the best way to use technology to support my values?”
• "Because of technology I’m a better human being than I ever was before."
• "Minimalists believe that the key to thriving in a high-tech world is to spend much less time using technology."
• "The average user spends 50 minutes per day on Facebook products alone."
• "In my experience, gradually changing your habits one at a time doesn’t work well."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

As the KonMari philosophy has become more and more mainstream, blog posts, magazine articles and videos have come out viewing KonMari through a critical and challenging lens.

These perspectives are sometimes based on misunderstandings or misreadings of Konmari concepts and sometimes these misinterpretations occur as missteps while practicing KonMari.

In this episode, we will discuss our thoughts on these myths and provide some practical tips on how to avoid falling into these missteps.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

Joy Checks!
What is Sparking Joy for Kristyn today: a very cute For the Love of Tidy branded onesie for her niece who is due any day now.

What is Sparking Joy for Karin today: restoring an antique wooden doll bed for her niece’s birthday

• Learn about some common KonMari myths:

1. Konmari equals minimalism/minimalism is KonMari

2. Konmari is a selfish activity, fundamentally concerned only with material possession

3. KonMari encourages to you to throw out everything you own to the point where you are either left with nothing or you need to immediately buy new things

• Learn about some common KonMari missteps:

1. Skipping the step where you envision your ideal lifestyle and living environment

2. Forgetting to honor and acknowledge items for their usefulness especially when you are letting them go

3. Not completing all the categories

4. Thinking about storage and organization before the sorting is completed

5. Being overly concerned with the clutter of other people

• See what Marie Kondo’s home really looks like:
  Correction: It has come to our attention that the original article and photograph listed here was a parody article written for April Fool's Day and NOT a house tour of Marie Kondo's apartment. Photographs of Marie Kondo's home have not been made publicly available. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

• Read about what some critics say about the KonMari Method:
  Why Decluttering Guru Marie Kondo is Wrong
  Why I Absolutely Refuse to KonMari My Life
  Does It Spark Joy is the Wrong Decluttering Question
  The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*

• Review the importance of the vision statement in Spark Joy Episodes:
  Episode 1 KonMari 101
  Episode 5 The KonMari Lifestyle

• Our advice to a listener who asks how to address categories when you have items within a category in hard to get to places. Does not being able to completely sort by category mean you are not doing KonMari correctly?

Gems:

“There’s no right number of things a person should have.”

“You can keep ALL of the shoes!”

“Time is the most important commodity as opposed to things.”

“You’re saying goodbye in a respectful way and you’re putting a positive message out there.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Today’s episode of Spark Joy is part two of a three part series dedicated to closet joy. We’ll talk to three guests who are revolutionizing the way we view fashion and style. We’re going to learn how to be more with less from one of the minimalism movement’s veterans - Courtney Carver.

Courtney changed her life by simplifying it after a devastating diagnosis in 2006. She’s the founder of bemorewithless.com and minimalist fashion challenge Project 333. Her new book Soulful Simplicity was published by Penguin Random House. Carver shows us the power of simplicity to improve our health, build more meaningful relationships, and relieve stress in our professional and personal lives.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• The documentary about Minimalism that featured Courtney's story

• How a health scare in 2006 led Courtney to explore her wardrobe to reduce stress and improve her overall well-being

• The origins of Courtney's personal challenge, Project 333, that focuses on paring down your wardrobe to 33 items or less for three months

• How Courtney connected her shopping behaviors to dissatisfaction in other areas of her life

• How tucking excess clothing away, out of sight instead of immediately discarding allowed Courtney to experiment with having a capsule wardrobe without evoking unnecessary stress

• How you may already be practicing Project 333 without even knowing it!

• Why you don't have to have exactly 33 pieces to simplify your wardrobe. (hint: there's no magic number!)

• How to handle laundry, occasional wear, and goal clothes when simplifying your closet

• How Project 333, KonMari, and frugality don't promote suffering or deprivation. The methods are meant to be helpful, stressless and value add

• The Be More with Less courses, virtual community, and Tiny Wardrobe Tour

• How dressing with less has helped those in Courtney's community lose weight and recover from depression and anxiety disorders

• Courtney's steps to minimalism for beginners:
  Dress with Less
  Write it Down
  Discard the Duplicates
  Declare a clutter-free zone
  Travel lightly
  Eat Similar Meals
  Have an Emergency Fund

• Why you have to have a good "why" to shape a compelling reason to change

• How Courtney followed Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover to get out of debt in three years and establish an emergency fund

• The importance of creating a clutter free KonMari Power Zone

• The future of Be More with Less

Gems:

• "I didn't know what enough was."

• "Your workout clothes have to workout."

• "I didn't know what I loved."

• "It's just interesting to really notice what you're actually wearing."

• "This isn't a project in suffering."

• "In the history of my life, a smaller size has never gotten me to where I want to be."

• "Choose clothes that fit you today."

• "I wanted one area for the family that would inspire us to declutter other areas."

• "Don't discount the tiny steps, because that's what big change is."

Courtney’s favorite tidying tip: Reset to zero.

What sparks joy for Courtney: Her daughter's golden doodle puppy Stanley.

To connect with Courtney Carver, visit Be More with Less and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

If you’re interested in Courtney’s book “Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More” she's made a free copy of Chapter 1 available for Spark Joy listeners.

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Courtney Carver.

Today’s episode of Spark Joy is Part one of a three part series dedicated to closet joy. We’ll talk to three guests who are revolutionizing the way we view fashion and style.

Dr. Jessica Louie is an entrepreneur, critical care pharmacist, and assistant professor. She is the founder and CEO of Petite Style Script and Find Your Script.

With a broad background of experiences, she centers her focus on sparking joy and inspiring confidence in life.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Jessica became interested in KonMari and then went on to start Petite Style Script

-Along with fashion, Jessica is an advocate for pharmacists with her blog and website at: Find Your Script

-She found that focusing on fashion helped her convey her confidence and her competence in her field.

-Learn how Jessica went through the KonMari process and how the process was key in helping her discover her calling in both fashion and advocacy.

-Jessica’s take on capsule wardrobes and how she has made it work for her.
The work that she does in

-Her focus on using the clothing items you have more effectively and adding in your own personality to the decision making process.

-How Jessica sees the role of KonMari in developing a sense of style that brings you joy!

Gems:

“There were times when I just laughed out loud in my car while listening to Marie Kondo because it resonated so much with me.”

"I wanted to hold myself accountable for my shopping going forward.”

"I wanted other to own clothing that they love and that they invest in quality pieces because it’s really about quality over quantity.”

"This isn’t minimalism, I don’t talk about any definitive number of items to own.”

“I focus on people who are re-building their wardrobes after KonMari or after a major transition.”

Jessica’s favorite tidying tip: “Learning how to fold. It seems very simple but getting your clothes off your hangers and learning how to appreciate and fold them properly really makes a big difference, I think!”

What sparks joy for Jessica: “A canvas painting of New York City that is up on my kitchen wall exactly where I can see it. It brings make great memories of visiting New York and is very inspirational.”

To connect with Jessica visit Petite Style Script

Jessica is on Facebook at Petite Style Script on Facebook

Jessica's Twitter: P Style Script on Twitter

Here is Jessica’s info on Seasonal Capsule Wardrobes: Seasonal Capsule Wardrobes

On Jessica’s blog she offers capsule wardrobe style tips and a free kit for starting your own capsule wardrobe: Capsule Wardrobe Starter Kit

Each season Jessica conducts a virtual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge: Spring Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

And, Jessica is becoming a Certified KonMari Consultant. Yay, Jessica! Jessica’s KonMari Page

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Jessica Louie.

Our guest, Sheena Yap Chan is a blogger, podcaster, consultant, author and speaker whose sole purpose, drive and passion is to help build women’s self confidence from the ground up.

She currently inspires women everyday through her podcast called The Tao of Self Confidence where she interviews various women about their inner journey to self-confidence.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Sheena made the decision to launch her platform, The Tao of Self Confidence

-Some of the amazing stories of women who have overcome great obstacles to achieve their goals shared on Sheen’s podcast The Tao of Self Confidence Podcast

-The common traits of women with high self-confidence.

-How the process of visualization helps grow self-confidence.

-How Sheena’s adventures living on the beach for two years gave her an appreciation for a simpler, more meaningful life.

-How limiting herself to wearing only three colors has made a huge difference in the things Sheena’s focuses on.

Gems:

"I never felt there were enough platforms to celebrate women.”

"They all have a huge purpose. A purpose that is bigger than them.”

"Learning to figure out things along the way. As women, we can do that.”

"Having that mindset of abundance. You’ll attract more things into your life."

"Surrounding yourself with great people…will give you feedback on what you can improve on."

"How do I see myself if I were this confident person?”

Sheena’s favorite tidying tip: “I wear just three colors to make my life a lot easier. It helps me focus on other, more important things.”

What sparks joy for Sheena: My podcast! I love helping women…and if I can help one person, I have done my job. It’s all worth it if someone out there hears it and thinks, “If its possible for one person, its possible for me.”

Parting words of wisdom: Behind every great woman is herself. You are what creates success.

To connect with Sheena Yap Chan visit The Tao of Self Confidence
Facebook at Sheena Y. Chan
Twitter The Tao of SC on Twitter
Sheena's YouTube Channel:The Tao of Self Confidence on YouTube

Also, check out her podcast atThe Tao of Self Confidence Podcast

Sheena is offering free self talk tape for Spark Joy listeners on her website - Building Self Confidence

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Sheena Yap Chan.

Our guest this week is Stephanie Seferian of Mama Minimalist.

Stephanie lives just outside of Boston with her husband and two daughters.
She podcasts and blogs weekly about how the themes of minimalism, sustainability, decluttering, low-waste living and parenting intersect.

Her podcast, The Sustainable Minimalist, features eco-friendly tips and incremental strategies for cutting through clutter as a means to more fully enjoy life's sweetest moments.

Now, we want to hear from you. Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Stephanie decided to pursue a minimalist lifestyle after becoming a busy mom.

-Her Three Dimensions of Minimalism: Aesthetic, Experiential, Sustainable.

-How going down the minimalist path gave her more time to be present for her children.

-How our tendency to buy, declutter, and buy again impacts the environment.

-The challenges of having young children and maintaining a minimalist household.

-How to manage the influx of gifts that come into the home.

-Recycling old cellphones at Best Buy:
Best Buy Recycling Program

-Learn about Cellphones for Soldiers:
Cell Phones for Soldiers

-The struggle of letting go of a beloved wedding dress!
Brides Against Breast Cancer

Gems:
“We are destined to being constant consumers of technology.”

“We had the normal parent thoughts of 'When we have a yard, things will be better. When we have a place for our daughter’s stuff, we will be more relaxed.'"

“There’s no one path to minimalism.”

“It’s about getting out and getting living.”

“We emphasize experiences over stuff in our home.”

What sparks joy for Stephanie:
“The simple and often overlooked moments with my daughters and husband.”

Parting words of wisdom:
“Just take one small step toward simplification. And if it feels right, take another.”

To connect with Stephanie, you can find her at MamaMinimalist.com
@mamaminimalist on Instagram and Twitter

The Sustainable Minimalist on Facebook:

Listen to her podcast:
Sustainable Minimalist Podcast

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Stephanie Seferian.

As the KonMari philosophy has become more and more mainstream, blog posts, magazine articles and videos have come out viewing KonMari through a critical and challenging lens.

These perspectives are sometimes based on misunderstandings or misreadings of Konmari concepts and sometimes these misinterpretations occur as missteps while practicing KonMari.

In this episode, we will discuss our thoughts on these myths and provide some practical tips on how to avoid falling into these missteps.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

Joy Checks!
What is Sparking Joy for Kristyn today: a very cute For the Love of Tidy branded onesie for her niece who is due any day now.

What is Sparking Joy for Karin today: restoring an antique wooden doll bed for her niece’s birthday

• Learn about some common KonMari myths:

1. Konmari equals minimalism/minimalism is KonMari

2. Konmari is a selfish activity, fundamentally concerned only with material possession

3. KonMari encourages to you to throw out everything you own to the point where you are either left with nothing or you need to immediately buy new things

• Learn about some common KonMari missteps:

1. Skipping the step where you envision your ideal lifestyle and living environment

2. Forgetting to honor and acknowledge items for their usefulness especially when you are letting them go

3. Not completing all the categories

4. Thinking about storage and organization before the sorting is completed

5. Being overly concerned with the clutter of other people

• See what Marie Kondo’s home really looks like:
  Correction: It has come to our attention that the original article and photograph listed here was a parody article written for April Fool's Day and NOT a house tour of Marie Kondo's apartment. Photographs of Marie Kondo's home have not been made publicly available. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

• Read about what some critics say about the KonMari Method:
  Why Decluttering Guru Marie Kondo is Wrong
  Why I Absolutely Refuse to KonMari My Life
  Does It Spark Joy is the Wrong Decluttering Question
  The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*

• Review the importance of the vision statement in Spark Joy Episodes:
  Episode 1 KonMari 101
  Episode 5 The KonMari Lifestyle

• Our advice to a listener who asks how to address categories when you have items within a category in hard to get to places. Does not being able to completely sort by category mean you are not doing KonMari correctly?

Gems:

“There’s no right number of things a person should have.”

“You can keep ALL of the shoes!”

“Time is the most important commodity as opposed to things.”

“You’re saying goodbye in a respectful way and you’re putting a positive message out there.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Our guest, Jaye Schlesinger, is an award winning artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who specializes in oil paintings of common objects and abstracts. Her recent solo exhibit “Possessed” caught our attention. It includes 380 individual paintings of all of her possessions inspired by minimalism and simplified living. It sparks joy for Jaye to explore the metaphorical possibilities of painting the mundane.

Jaye gave us a peek into the lifestyle change that inspired her creative process and story.

To connect with Jaye, visit www.jayeschlesinger.com. While you’re there, peruse her portfolio and contact her to purchase high quality reproductions of her artwork in a variety of sizes.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

• How the movie Tiny, The Minimalists Podcast, the documentary Minimalism, and experiencing a flood in her home inspired Jaye to start letting go of her personal possessions

• What Jaye's parameters for joy are, which include usefulness and beauty

• How being led to paint the items that sparked joy kept Jaye accountable during the decluttering process

• How Jaye divided her possessions from her husband's, followed by discussions about the "ours" items

• How Jaye enjoyed the structure this project provided within her studio time. Each painting took 2-3 days to complete and the project extended over two years

• How painting things gave Jaye a chance to meditate and connect to the true meaning behind some of the objects, especially the ones that were deemed sentimental

• Why Jaye continues to return to the still life painting

• How seemingly ordinary objects connect us

• How Jaye's husband reacted to her ruthless minimization

• What Jaye did to help her minimize regret

What sparks joy for Jaye: Jaye's two grandchildren and three custom end tables she's building for her new home

Gems:

• "These things of everyday life connect us. But, they are so overlooked. We take them for granted."

• "Less is more."

• "When you decide to keep a few things, they become stronger in some way."

• "It was always more about being deliberate than being minimal per se."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Jaye Schlesinger.

Lloyd Alter is design editor of TreeHugger, a prominent media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability to the mainstream.
Living in Toronto, Canada; He has been an architect, developer, inventor and prefab promoter.
He contributes to Mother Nature Network at MNN.com, The Guardian, and Azure magazines, and is Adjunct Professor teaching sustainable design at Ryerson University School of Interior Design.

In the course of his work developing small residential units and prefabs, Lloyd became convinced that we just use too much of everything- too much space, too much land, too much food, too much fuel, too much money, and that the key to sustainability is to simply use less. And, the key to happily using less is to design things better.

Recently, Lloyd has been writing on family heirlooms and the changing culture. I found his work while researching solutions for clients who are confronted with managing the possessions of generations while downsizing. His direct approach to working with our elder parents along with his prolific writing on a lifestyle focused on less stuff and better design, was a great fit for us!

To connect with Lloyd, you can visit Treehugger, https://www.treehugger.com, Mother Nature Network, https://www.mnn.com, or follow him Twitter @lloydalter and Lloyd Alter on  Facebook.  

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Learning about the relationship between medicine, science and minimalism. How the fear of germs led to the minimalist movement.

• Hearing about how Lloyd confronted the generational shift in thinking about “things” within his own family.

• Discussing how our mobile lifestyles have changed the quantity and quality of things we acquire.

• Looking at the reality of emotional value vs. financial value.

• Suggestions on how to decide “who gets what” when a previous generation downsizes.

• How Lloyd used Marie Kondo’s concept of Spark Joy when deciding what to keep when downsizing.

• How Lloyd and his family held an Open House, allowing young adults to come in and take things they needed to start their own households as a means of thoughtfully discarding things.

• Discussing how to find the “right new home” for things that you are letting go.

• Learning how Lloyd defines a minimalist lifestyle.

Read Lloyd's article, "On Decluttering, Downsizing and Surviving a Green Renovation", Tree Hugger Magazine, here: https://goo.gl/cnbFvr

What sparks joy for Lloyd:
Lloyd shares his joy at looking out over the lake in his Canadian cabin, sitting at his amazing dining room table and the significant back story the table holds.

Gems:

• "Big Brown furniture: Nobody has room anymore!”

• "That furniture had absorbed the memories of our entire family."

• "You don’t know if you are an architect or a marriage counsellor."

• "Start talking to your older family when they are willing to share the history of things."

• "Do not keep anything that you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”-William Morris.

• "We are moving to multi-family and walkable communities and less stuff.”

• "You just have what you need.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Lloyd Atler.