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  • Episode 424 – Raising Kids who get Decluttering with Inner Hub member Kate
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Episode 424 – Raising Kids who get Decluttering with Inner Hub member Kate

Do you ever worry your children are growing up surrounded by too much stuff and wonder how to break the cycle?

What if you could raise kids who actually understand the value of less and feel empowered by decluttering?

How do you support ageing parents through downsizing when you're not physically there to help?

In this episode, Ingrid and Lesley sit down with Inner Hub member Kate to explore how she transformed her relationship with possessions and is now passing those values on to her daughters. Kate reveals the practical systems and mindset shifts that help her busy family of four stay organised while her husband travels frequently for work, and she shares the surprisingly effective ways she's supporting her parents' downsizing journey from a distance.

Kate's story is particularly compelling because she didn't grow up in chaos. Her childhood home was clean and tidy, yet still accumulated far too many things. This contradiction shaped her understanding that clutter isn't always about mess, it's about volume. Through early exposure to donation drives and regular household resets, Kate developed a preference for fewer, more meaningful possessions. Now, she's intentionally creating a different environment for her own children, one where decluttering feels normal, empowering, and even enjoyable.

The conversation explores Kate's decision to join the Inner Hub membership after discovering the podcast. She offers a brilliant analogy, comparing the podcast to an amuse-bouche and the membership to a full, satisfying meal. Kate explains how the checklists, roadmaps, and searchable resources support her daily, weekly, and seasonal organisation routines, making decluttering feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

🎙️ In this episode:

  • Kate shares her "clean but cluttered" childhood and how it shaped her decluttering values
  • The early lessons that taught her to prefer experiences over accumulating possessions
  • How she and her husband built their home together with intentionality from the start
  • Why she chose to invest in Inner Hub membership and what makes it different from free content
  • The specific tools and resources she uses most from the membership
  • Managing a busy household with two daughters while her husband travels frequently
  • Teaching children aged ten and eight to declutter routinely using a donation station
  • Creating systems that make decluttering feel normal and empowering for kids
  • Supporting her parents' intentional downsizing journey from afar
  • Focusing on preserving memories rather than holding onto physical items

🕺More about Kate:

Kate is an Inner Hub member who has successfully broken a generational cycle of accumulation despite growing up in a home that was tidy yet filled with too many possessions. As a mother of two daughters and partner to a frequently traveling husband, she has created practical family systems that make decluttering a natural part of daily life. Kate is also navigating the emotional journey of helping her parents downsize intentionally, proving that supporting loved ones through this process is possible even from a distance.

What's your biggest challenge when it comes to teaching your children about decluttering and living with less?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and don't forget to subscribe and leave a review to help other families discover these valuable conversations about creating calmer, more intentional homes.

Resources

The Inner Hub membership


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Transcript of this podcast episode

Ingrid: In today's podcast, we are chatting with Inner Hub member Kate. When she joined the Hub, she was determined to break a cycle that had shaped her whole life, growing up in a home where her parents kept too many physical things. Since then, decluttering has become a way of teaching her two daughters to build their own decluttering habits early, all while keeping a busy home running, balancing work, volunteering, and a husband who's often away traveling for work.

Along the way, she's found a way to make decluttering genuinely fun for the whole family. And in this episode, we're going to find out how she's doing it all

Ingrid: Hello and welcome listeners. I'm Ingrid.

Lesley: And I am Lesley. Now, if you are here for the very first time today, or you've been listening in for ages, we want to say a huge thank you we have a little favour to ask.

Ingrid: If you like what you hear, be sure to hit that follow or subscribe button. Share us with your friends or leave us a review. It makes a huge difference to us.

hello Kate. Welcome. I'm so excited to welcome you on the podcast

Kate Casale MacNally: Thank you so much for having me. I've been really looking forward to speaking with you

Ingrid: you, when we did a bit of a shout-out into the Inner Hub membership and said, "We'd love to have more members come onto the podcast to tell us about how it is to be in the Inner Hub," and you were like, "Me, I would love to chat to you." So thank you for so graciously, reaching out to us and stepping forward

Kate Casale MacNally: Absolutely. I, am a total fan girl for the Inner Hub, and, I've listened to every podcast episode, like your biggest fan, but I know that there are a lot of us in that, fan club

Ingrid: Thank you so much. it's always a bit like, oh, we just... Because it's just Lesley and me in our little home offices plodding away, trying to do a lot of good work, and then when you speak to people they're like, "Oh," it's really nice, so thank you for saying that. now you indeed started listening, to the podcast.

you came into the Inner Hub, but let's take a little bit of a couple of steps back because you actually shared with me, when I said, "What would you like to talk about?" You said, "I actually grew up in a home with quite a lot of stuff."

Kate Casale MacNally: Sure. parents, are from a generation where there was a lot of, gonna save this piece of wood because it might be useful at some point. the home that I grew up in was always very clean, and it was very tidy, and it was

of love, and, there was just a lot of stuff.

There were a lot of physical things. And so as I have gotten older, I've realised that, I would prefer to have fewer things. And in talking to a number of my

that, we are folks who would rather have fewer things but have each thing mean a little bit more to us. Yeah

I joke with some friends that, I'm, American, that we feel like here in America, sometime around the late '80s or early '90s, that every woman got a, Southern Living magazine that must have said something about having, you must have an odd number of tchotchkes on every surface.

And all joke about having three, five, seven, miniature penguins on things. And that, I, would much rather have, penguin and have a backstory to the penguin than, have just, copious numbers of things. and that's, my background and, having there be fewer things, but having each thing be more meaningful.

it's funny that when I explain that to my parents, they're like, "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense." And I'm like, "So maybe fewer penguins." So but it's, it's become a bit of a joke with us as they are now starting

go through their things and, do some, as they're thinking about some downsizing, items and issues.

Ingrid: Exactly. Exactly. So your bedroom when you were growing up, like when you were a child and were your teenager, was it also full of things because that's what you saw when growing up? Or were you already then thinking, "Oh, I, like less"? Or how did that, work?

Kate Casale MacNally: it's a good question. I tended to go in the opposite direction that, my, even with many things in our house, my mother was always very good about helping me understand, kind of the inflow and outflow of a home. And we... I remember being a young child, I always gauge how old I was by, where I measured up to her kind of on her body, And, think I was about four or five the first time that I remember, toys that we had gone through and realizing these were not things that I was using anymore, and could we pass them along? And, that I was involved in that process, and then I was

the donation, to, to others.

So I remember bringing them, and it was, someplace where there was, there were sisters, there were nuns. And so I

look on the nun's face when I handed over my first tricycle, that I

but that it was then going to be useful for another person. And I remember

being, very exciting and happy and that altruistic, doing something for somebody else, but then I'm

something out of it. And there was something that was very motivating for me in that. and always, in keeping my room, I was always expected to keep my room, neat and tidy.

Saturday mornings, we would always clean the house. That was, just part of our Saturday morning. and I always had, a tidy space, and then I tried to have, again, the things that I had in my space, even as a kid, be meaningful.

if I would receive gifts, was outflow, too. It was just like, had limited space, and I didn't realize that I was doing this as a child. but it was just, of my, w- what I realize now is reset. I was, I

of resets, a regular basis.

Ingrid: Yeah. I, think it's interesting that how you c- how you're describing your childhood and by donating, but now looking back, you realise that your parents had a lot of stuff. that sounds like, how's that possible? So you were actually really, people- your parents were wonderful in, in teaching you to donate and keeping your room tidy, and your house was clean and, tidy.

So did they just hang on to a lot of things while trying to teach you kind of good habits?

Kate Casale MacNally: I think that, it was a combination of a few things, were often people who were giving my parents things, and so they had, a, a lot of things that were coming into the house. also, my mother was an early childhood teacher, and there were often, projects that were coming home, and teachers would exchange things, and so there were, number of items.

she was very good about trying to share things with others. But,

things just get ahead of you, and you

that, if, 10 folders are coming into the house that, even if donate five of those, then you still have, five folders in the house. you

know, sometimes things just catch up with you.

they just celebrated 50 years of marriage, month. And so when you start looking at, the things that you've accumulated over 50

th- that's a lifetime of things. And then, of

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: before that too.

and, it's, not, a, a knock on them, it's just, the realisation that a lifetime's worth of things, accumulate, and so there Yeah

kind of inflow and outflow at the same time.

Ingrid: Yeah, for sure. And I think you're absolutely right. They are from the, still the, the just in case, the make do and end me- era probably from after the war kind of growing up and then you have to be careful with resources. But then of course that a massive boom of stuff that we saw. So they basically have a double whammy of course.

While we're all trying to go, but because, we are completely different now, like going into the digital age already for the last 10, 15, 20 years and, seeing the, output on the planet and all of the things. So our perspectives are different, so it completely makes sense. okay, that's interesting.

So you were quite tidy as a child. You had fantastic, your fantastic childhood and, teenage years. So you then started to have your own home at some point. So how, did you feel about that? Were you like, "I, want to build this up and put all these things in," or were you merging two households together where maybe with your husband?

How did that go?

Kate Casale MacNally: So it was, it's interesting. I, had a few moves in a few years. Okay

college or, university, I had, kind of the college apartment that I shared with a few other friends. then, I moved, a- across the country back, toward, an area where I'm from originally. And then I had a few moves. I did my first year of law school in one city. I transferred, to, y- another city. So I had a few moves in a few years, where I was just lugging things all over the country. then, eventually I, ended up, back in a major metropolitan city. but during all of those moves, I was, I felt very transient, and so I really, I did not do a lot of decorating or homemaking, of the spaces where I was living because I knew that I was always moving. And ticket stubs would just, get thrown out because, I wasn't thinking about, "Oh, I'm gonna keep this for a scrapbook." so in some ways, it was actually beneficial. during, my, college and law school years, I was very, intensely focused on my studies, and there really was not a heck of a lot of time for,

the, kind of homemaking aspects. of a sudden, I found myself moving from what was e- essentially a law school apartment where, I'd been living by myself. my then fiancé and, now husband and I, we had, intentionally joined households, but, he was also coming from, a, very, nomadic lifestyle at the time, having gone from, his educational years and, a, a clerkship, for a judge in, another city.

And so we were coming together where we had a few pieces of furniture. came with some clothes, but that was really it. Yeah

for quite a, the first time, we really had the opportunity to take a deep breath together and say, "What... How do we want to decorate our space?" "How do we want to, have our..." we didn't say it like this, but, "What is our, feeling about things? What is our

things?"

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: and it's, interesting that we you know, came from similar upbringings where, you know, very clean, very tidy homes, but just with a lot of things, and

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: of us loved that.

And so we, h- in, in conversation realized that we would much rather spend, our disposable income on adventures, on, together as opposed to, a physical item. rather than, accumulate a lot of things and have the things have meaning to us, you know- a vacation together or when we were on holiday, rather than getting an item that would remind us of the vacation, a backpacking adventure or, zip-lining or something like that, taking pictures and then having the memory and the picture be what was

so Yeah.

when we're, looking at pictures together or, even on our phones now, that's

that, has meaning.

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: as we've, into the next, cycle of our lives where we have, a physical place to have physical things, we're still, focusing more on the experiences, the pictures and the memories as opposed Yeah.

stuff

Ingrid: Yeah. it all sounds amazing to me and I can completely, agree with everything. But our listeners must be thinking, "This all sounds really organised and tidy and not a lot of stuff.

Kate Casale MacNally: Yeah.

Ingrid: on earth is she doing in the Inner Hub membership?"

Kate Casale MacNally: Sure.

Ingrid: you joined about a year and a half ago,

Kate Casale MacNally: Yeah

Ingrid: and so what happened?

Kate Casale MacNally: So I, found you, on a fluke. I was, looking... This was, at this point about two and a half years ago, to me to think because I feel like both, I'm very new but also that, you've been part of my life for forever, which I, love. but I found you on a fluke because, I was looking for a new podcast and, frankly, organisation has always been, a hobby of mine, if you will.

something that I've been interested in and, you know, finding better ways to do things. I'm, I have a very busy, of work and volunteer life, and so

sure that everything is staying, ticking along, that, I, think about, spinning plates, making sure that all the plates are spinning.

that only works with organisation. And a lot of the organisation that I was looking for, that I was interested in, about How do you do things? How do you propose to, help other people learn about? And not just in physical items, but also with our technology, different work items. and, I, I'm sure that we'll talk about it in a bit, but, the idea of the resets. how, how to make this not a thing that you do, but a thing that is part of your everyday life. and so for me, I was looking for like that. across the podcast, and I, you know, clicked on the first one from years and years ago, I fell in love with you two. And I, realized that it was like having a cousin or an aunt, was just a little bit smarter than you in this arena, who had tried a number of things and, I, really felt like I was sitting down with you and having a cup of tea, and you were telling me all of the things that you've learned, and I devoured the podcast.

I, listened to every episode that you had, that you had made it to that point. just realized that it was just the right combination for me of the content that I was looking for and, given in a manner that I could really hear and internalize

you know, after, just listening, listening, I joined the first challenge, which I think at the time was a, clean out your closet challenge, and y- I was hooked. And so it was just

things where, it's a bit of a snowball effect, Yeah

I've loved it ever since. and I treated myself, to a, membership, as a little, after Christmas gift to myself, that, kind of new year, new you, and, w- what kind of additional content, could I get and could I learn? And, I- it has just been, the world, opened up. I feel like there are all of these nooks and crannies and crevices, that I still have not explored on the Inner Hub that, I'm loving getting to know, other members and, and really learning, gain- gaining the benefit of your information, over the, the life that you've, that you've made, in... as a, a podcaster and, professional, declutter, expert. So

Ingrid: So what do you think is then the difference between the podcast, listening to the podcast, and now being in the Inner Hub?

Kate Casale MacNally: Ooh.

Ingrid: explain that? Because sometimes it's difficult for us because we're so in it. How do you see that? So what made you take the leap, and how do you feel like, "Oh, okay, now I get it"?

If other people are listening to this, can you explain it to them maybe?

Kate Casale MacNally: So when I'm telling my friends about this, I, I liken it to going to a fancy restaurant where, as you're sitting down, they bring you a, tiny bite of food as, they call it an amuse-bouche, right? To,

Ingrid: Yeah. Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: your palate, wake up your senses, and also give you a little bit of excitement a- about what's to come. And so you take that, and I have had some experiences at, nice restaurants where I feel like you could just bring me 20 more of these bites, and that would be fantastic, and that would be my whole dinner. But in the best of all possible worlds, it just excites you. It gets you, pumped up for what's to come, and you can't wait

for you know, the, the rest of the menu. And

for

me that's the podcast. That, It is, what wakes up your senses, what gets you excited about things. And then, when you're ready, that there's so much more to come in the Inner Hub. And,

the, every- anybody who thinks, "Oh, I'm just gonna listen to the podcast," I get it, I understand, but there is so much more to come.

And if you take the, the leap into the Inner Hub, it is really worth it.

Ingrid: Th- you've described this perfectly to me because as you might, as you probably know, I've got a background in hotel hospitality, so I love, going to restaurants and going out for meals. So I had goosebumps when you told it. That makes complete sense to me. What a great way to explain it. Yeah, we're like a, we're like a five-course meal, aren't we?

Kate Casale MacNally: Truly, Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I love this so much. let's go for a quick break because I would love to know more about kind of your family life and especially, of course, how you're getting your, your daughters, involved in this decluttering as well. So we're gonna be right back.

Ingrid: Hello, listeners. Welcome back. I am chatting with Kate, one of our wonderful Inner Hub members, who literally just said the Inner Hub is like a, a, a five-course meal or a buffet. I'm getting hungry now. I don't know how about you.

But I hope you're still with me, because I would love to know more about how, of course, Kate is now in her current life with her family, how she, how her, home is, how she's teaching her children. I would love to know more. So Kate, can you tell us a bit more about that, please?

Kate Casale MacNally: my husband travels frequently and in odd kind of fits and spurts for, his job. And I am with my 10 and 8-year-old, girls who have, just started school. by the time the podcast comes out it'll be a couple of weeks in, but, the, the day-to-day is quite busy. And while there's of course structure to the days, there's a different after-school activity on different, on each day and, what do they need to bring to school? Some days it's, ve- most days it's, very similar but, oh, you've got this that you're going to. and we need to make sure that we bring the, right shoes for this or the right folder for

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: and making sure that organization is, part of all of that is very, important to me at least because I am, deathly afraid of not having the right thing at the right time. and making sure that everything is ticking along, is, really helpful for me. it's, also, it's not just about my kids. It's, also, for me what I've realised is that feel calmer and I feel that I am then a more present and a better parent, as

volunteer and professional in my community when, I have a, distinct order to things.

If I'm Yeah

had this experience, I feel. If you're flying into a meeting or a rehearsal or a practice, last minute, you've, you can imagine, having bags everywhere. You're not sure if you have the right thing. When you then are sitting down at that meeting, your, head's not in the right space, and it just feels very and frenetic, and that's a

And it has, a, an effect on everybody else that's there with you, right? by having there be the planning and organization on the front end of things, I find that I am a much calmer, more present, more engaged, kind of member of, any community that I am then,

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: know, in one of my, you know, volunteering activities or, part of, my work, part of my family life. Whatever it is, I feel

Ingrid: Mhm.

Kate Casale MacNally: start is, from a place of organization.

Ingrid: Yeah, And I'm sure the, resets that you do at home are key with that, right? Because of course, in the Inner Hub, we have a lot about decluttering and organising all different areas in your home.

Kate Casale MacNally: Yeah

Ingrid: also, we have a, a, a whole roadmap purely about daily resets, weekly resets, seasonal resets, to just being able to get all the things that exactly that you're talking about, to get them all running just that little bit more smoothly.

So there's just that l- less stress when you're kinda going from one thing to the other.

Kate Casale MacNally: Absolutely. I am, any, of my friends, will tell you that I am a girl who loves a checklist. that, I know that some people, having things on their phones and, there's absolutely a way to, Notes app on your phone, for instance, to

but, there's something for me about, a physical, checking things off or, crossing things off when you've done it that just feels very, good to me. one of the things that I adore about the Inner Hub is the, if not 100 different checklists that you have for, everything from, daily reset to, seasonal, things to think about with your house.

different maintenance items, things that you wouldn't think that, this, might have. But, about, what to make sure that you have with your car each season or, things to, think about in, travel bags. It- it's just there are...

a- and, that's just something that I didn't think was even gonna be part of the membership. when I'm talking about kind of the different, areas, now and then I'll stumble upon things, I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is here." But then at the same time, you are, excited about or thinking about, one thing or another, just in, in the search, feature, if you t- type in travel or holiday or vacation, then all of these different, things will come up, and it'll be the podcast episodes where you've talked about that.

It will be the checklists and after a holiday. It will be, parts of the roadmap that have to do with, luggage and travel items. It's just, there's so, so much, but it can be both used for, going through the roadmaps, either, both the day by day, the room by room. then also being able to deep dive into, one area or another that you're particularly interested in. It's, Yeah.

there's so much wraparound care that, you provide, which is just wonderful, I think.

Ingrid: Thank you. Thank you so much. so how do you get your kids on board? Because of course that is a question we often get, "But it's not only me. I am, I'm working on my stuff, but I've got a husband or a partner or a mom living in my house, and I've got kids." You've got a 10 and eight-year-old.

Have you...

Because are you teaching them? Are you getting them involved?

Kate Casale MacNally: Mhm.

Ingrid: were they always quite messy, but you're now trying to get them? Or are you like, "No, we're, just tweaking the system and im- doing little improvements along the way"?

Kate Casale MacNally: Sure.

Ingrid: are the girls finding this all, that mom's now, full into decluttering and organizing?

Kate Casale MacNally: Yeah. I think that, y- anybody who has had children, be it, be them young, be them old, what have you, anybody will remember the amounts of things. That it's everything from the little baby socks to the gigantic, play mats to the, bouncers. There's so much stuff, and don't get me started on birthday parties. But, there are always things, the toys, the games, the items. And for me, realizing that starting early was going to be my best friend. And having... if I was never, somebody that had a lot of the stuff in the rooms, or, and in the playroom, what have you, that, this was just gonna be a lot easier. And as even when they were very little and they didn't understand what we were doing, I was talking to them. And, they al- they always say, engage with your children verbally, make sure that they, that you're, chatting with them so that they're hearing your voice and that they're hearing words. And I would go through, their closet with them or their drawers with them and I'd say, "Oh, grown out of this onesie." And then, I would hand it to them and I'd say, "Let's put it in a bag to go to a friend." And they would put it in a... you hand it to them. And so even just starting that cycle very young, that, that has really helped us. And, in, expectation and excitement for, coming on with you today, I asked my girls last night, I said, your thoughts? What are your feelings?" And I said, "No holds

you know? if this is not something that you love, tell me.

I wanna know about this." And they were very, candid, and they said, "We don't even think about it anymore. It's just something that we do." And that, I, have told them the word that we use is empower, and I say that, "I'm empowering you to make these decisions yourself." That if a shirt is no longer fitting or you realise that something is no longer fit for purpose, that, show me if you'd like, but they know where our donation station is in the house.

They know where to put things. and, sometimes, w- one of my children will just come to me with a handful of, toys that they have and they said, "I don't use these. I'm not, a fan of these anymore." of course, if something is junky, and, can't be used, then, you recycle or, you toss.

But, say, "Okay, let's, thank you so much," and you know where to put them. And by just having this be part of everyday, kind of life, it's, They think about it the same way that they think about, you know, taking a shower.

It's not

has big emotions behind it anymore. It's just

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: do. at the same time, I recognize that there are lots of people who- who have children that are, have, lots of different, ages, lots of different, needs. And so there are, particular, that you can do.

And, you've spoken, and, had other friends on, to speak about, with, children and, children's items, very well. and, of my, favorite podcast episodes are about this, this is something that, is, part of a lot of our lives as parents, as grandparents, as, beloved aunts and uncles, just have children's items, in, in our space. And, th- it's... I- I feel like it's not only about, getting things out of our space, but having the things that are in our space be useful, meaningful, fit for purpose.

and, getting those kids involved in things is, empowering. We've talked about that word. I think

Ingrid: Yeah. Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: where the rubber meets the road as it pertains to children.

Ingrid: Yeah. So the kids a- at the moment are really on board with your, what you're doing and how you want your house to feel like, and that they are happy to, without doing massive clear-outs, they themselves occasionally kinda go, "Oh, this is something I no longer want. I'm just gonna ask, double-check with mom that it's okay for me to put it in the donation station," or, "I know this is the right thing to do."

Kate Casale MacNally: Yeah.

Ingrid: Long may it last, Kate. it, I think... and I think, but I think when you take away that pressure of, "Oh, we need to do a whole clear-out," and make it all stressy and thing, I think that really helps a child to go, "Okay, this is the... This feels good. This is, helpful for me as well." and I think, the, younger you can get them on board, the better it is.

And of course, when they're tiny, you make the decisions for them, but to get them slowly but surely involved can be really, helpful to, to lay the foundations of that decluttering, and organizing, and resetting for later in life when they also have their own apartments and homes to, hopefully have in the future

Kate Casale MacNally: My 10-year-old yesterday was saying just that. She said, she feels like she is, building up good life skills. she actually, she's a, a very, a very verbose and, she's, my old soul child. so she was talking about that, and she, gave voice to the fact that it can sometimes be hard to, say goodbye to, a favourite sweater even if you've grown out of it.

But,

you

Ingrid: Unless

Kate Casale MacNally: it's something that, has a lot of meaning and will then be a kind of a sentimental item, that knowing that it is going to,

Ingrid: somebody

Kate Casale MacNally: else that, you know, just like when w- we were, s- talking at the very beginning, that I had that same feeling of,

Ingrid: oh

Kate Casale MacNally: this is a good thing.

This gives new life." and that, it's, not just something that, say goodbye to forever, and it's, gone, that it's, somewhere in a landfill, that, y- the,

these things back in the hands of other friends, that, we can, we can keep that great feeling still out there in the universe, but it doesn't need to be in our space that is, so valuable.

Ingrid: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. So then going making the, hopefully the circle round a little bit again. In the beg- in all the way in the beginning of our, conversation, you said that your parents are now considering downsizing. are you able to help them with that and maybe share some advice and tips?

Kate Casale MacNally: Yes. and my, where my parents live right now is, halfway across the country from me, and it's not showing up with like bags of things, which is very nice. I appreciate

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: that's a hard thing to, folks who live very close to, family. they're, involved in the process right now, and,

they are, starting to look at things and they realize that, there's a lot that they've held onto and that had meaning at one part in their lives, but,

it's no longer serving them. And

Ingrid: Mhm

Kate Casale MacNally: it, and easier I think to,

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: to, to certain things, to donate it to, that are, meaningful to them in their

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: But, they realize, what, you and Leslie preach so much about, the cycle, that you've gotta get it out of the house. And so

Ingrid: Mhm

Kate Casale MacNally: having this, be something that they're doing with consistency and that they're working

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: really helpful. they've, given themselves a deadline. They've got a, a nice long deadline for, when, their next home is gonna be ready, for them

Ingrid: Ja

Kate Casale MacNally: And every now and then I'll get, text messages with a picture of an item and say, "Is this something that you want?" And I can call balls and strikes.

I can say yes and no to things.

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: then we can make plans for, how to get it to, place. But,

Ingrid: Mhm

Kate Casale MacNally: know, they're really being very thoughtful and intentional, and as an only child, and thus the person who will, eventually be dealing with, whatever is left,

grateful, for their going through this process now. And

Ingrid: Ja

Kate Casale MacNally: bringing up is a lot of conversations and stories about what are the important things, what are the meaningful things, so that I have those stories, and that, I know, that we're doing a lot of recording. my, my, parents have just completed, my mother's memoir, was, we just got, the, the finals, of the book the other day.

Ingrid: Wow

Kate Casale MacNally: able to, know what are the important, items, then we know then, by default what are the unimportant items. and that, what we're, they're realizing in the midst of all of this are, the things that, we really do cherish together are the vacations we've gone on, the things

we, talk about, memories of my childhood, and very few of those memories have a thing attached, it is so frequently the way that we felt, where we

the people that we were with, and that, once you- realise that, at the end of the day, at the, we are thinking about the meaningful things, that at least in my family, it's very little about the item and very

the family and the community that we've had, just with the three of us and then with others too, our, family

call people, that, little has to do with an item. but

Ingrid: Yeah

Kate Casale MacNally: know, for those items that are important and sentimental, just plain useful, there's an asparagus dish that, I want. And sometimes it's that. Sometimes, it is something that, you wouldn't necessarily think, but, maybe, your child or, a niece or a nephew or whomever, that is something that they associate with utility and meaning. and I'm not saying, Post-It Note needs to be, captured and, sent to, to somebody via text. But,

Ingrid: Ja

Kate Casale MacNally: tend to have a sense of, what

Ingrid: Yeah.

Kate Casale MacNally: are those things? What are those items?

please talk about those things with your children or your grandchildren because,

the, those, the meaning that's imbued in that stuff is, important. So

Ingrid: Yeah. You've basically in a s- in a nutshell summed up our Sentimental Item course, Kate, that is, 17 videos. indeed, it's the quality over the quantity, isn't it? And I think what I really read through your, everything that you're sharing is that this, this time that you spent in the Inner Hub, you've built up your decluttering muscle.

You are able to have, put a lot of information that we've shared with you to, to, put that into practice in, everyday life with the resets, but also now helping your parents understanding with the downsizing and the meaningful items of things. And it just, it makes me proud to see that our members are enjoying our information and are taking it the way it helps them in their own lives, but that the lessons that we try to bring across are, going, in, and that's wonderful to see.

And it's just been, it's been so wonderful to have, members all over the world, in our Inner Hub, and to help them get clarity on stuff, and to understand where their parents and grandparents are coming from, and how they can teach their children. Because we know, and you know now, it's never about the stuff, right?

It's about the emotions that sit behind it and what you find important in life. And I think it's wonderful to hear you share that message, with our listeners. And of course, Kate made that leap to go from the podcast into the Inner Hub. And of course, if you're like, "Yeah, this is where I need to go, this is what I need to do," definitely come and check out, the Inner Hub, and, and, chat to Kate,

Kate Casale MacNally: Yes.

Ingrid: I...

Kate Casale MacNally: I, it's really, for anybody that is on the fence or thinking about it, or, just don't know, am I going to be able to use this? is there really anything that I'm not getting from the podcast?" assure you, there's, give yourself, give yourself the amuse-bouche.

Give yourself the taster of, maybe just a month, maybe I'll do a quarter, maybe I'll do three months just to see, just to poke around. I, believe when, the podcast is coming out, we're gonna be in the middle of the September reset

Ingrid: Yep.

Kate Casale MacNally: I, hope that people are, using that exciting time to, get the taste of what things are.

But, know, just like we were talking earlier, an amuse-bouche and the full menu, there is so much more on the Inner Hub. And, if, people are nervous about, "I just don't know where to start, I feel like this is overwhelming," the community that is involved in, the Inner Hub is what I think really makes things special.

o- obviously, you've put the content there, but the community is what really makes it an alive space. it's a

dynamic community and environment. wherever you are in your life and in your decluttering journey, there are people who are there. there, e- even if you're somebody like me who nobody would look in your space and say, "Oh, that's a cluttered space," there is always something to learn.

There are always lessons, to, take on and to, become part of your environment, part of, your own, life. wherever you are on your journey, there are resources, there are people, who are there for you. It is the least judgmental place I have ever been a part of.

Everybody is so incredibly supportive. and I, really, hope to, to see, great new friends, join us. we've got a really good group there that, that you've cultivated, and it's such a wonderful community.

Ingrid: Thank you so much, Kate. It really means a lot to, to, hear that. And, thank you so much for doing this podcast with us and for sharing your story and your journey. It's been an absolute delight. So thank you, listeners. yes, just g- go away with this information and have a think, "Is The Inner Hub a place where I want to hang out too?

what do I want to learn? What do I want to differently?" We have got it here for you. So Kate, we appreciate you. Thank you so much for, recording this podcast. And listeners, we will see you next week

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Episode 422 – Time for a September Reset?

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Episode 421 – Why an Organised Freezer Changes Everything with Kate Hall

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Reset Your Home

Unpack your emotions and your clutter, step by step

Here's the secret when it comes to decluttering. It's never about the stuff. Instead, decluttering is about the emotions that hold us back from letting go of stuff.

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