Hey Reader,

I want to tell you about a client I'm working with right now.

Let's call her Kathy.

Kathy is a recent empty nester with a beautiful home, four incredibly successful kids, and a clutter problem she's been carrying for years. She found me through Joshua Becker's community. She knew she wanted less. She just couldn't seem to get there on her own.

Sound familiar?

A few weeks in, I have to say, she is one of the most fun clients I've ever worked with. The breakthroughs are coming fast.

Recently, she pulled everything out of her closet. All of it. Clothing, toiletries, things she forgot she owned. And standing there, surrounded by all of it, she felt something she wasn't expecting.

Regret.

Not about decluttering. About the spending. About how much had come into that house over the years and how little of it she actually needed or even wanted anymore.

That moment? That's the work. Not just the closet. The relationship with stuff.

It's the stuff behind the stuff.

Then something else happened.

Kathy had to clear out some decorations for a remodeling project. Once they were down, she looked around at the flat surfaces and the breathing room, and she told me she wasn't sure she wanted to put any of it back.

I smiled.

Deowning, not just decluttering, is a contagious feeling. Many of my clients find themselves "on a roll" to get rid of anything and everything they can.

But then came the fear for Kathy: "What if I just rebuy things?"

I told her she wasn't going to do that.

Not because I was being polite. Because I believed her. She has a different motivation now. She has her why.

She sees what her home feels like with margin in it. She wants to keep it that way. And I told her I'd hold her accountable every step of the way.

That's what coaching is, really. It's not just the decluttering. It's the accountability. The honest conversation. The moment someone realizes they're not fighting the stuff anymore, they're changing their relationship with it.

If you're an empty nester wondering where to start, or you've started and keep stalling, I wrote something for you.

👉 10 Simple Tips to Help Empty Nesters Declutter and Downsize​

Read it. Then hit reply and tell me where you are in the process. I read them all.

Until next time,

Amy

P.S. The basement and kitchen are next for Kathy. I'll keep you posted. 😊