Design a life that really matters. I’m your host, Greg McKeown, author of New York Times bestsellers "Effortless" and "Essentialism" and I’m on mission to help you advocate and negotiate your way to remarkable results without burning out. Come with me on this journey every Tuesday and Thursday as we examine the most essential areas of our lives. Learn more about my books and courses at https://GregMcKeown.com.
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Essentialist Podcasts
If staunch minimalism feels too extreme, but you want to declutter your house to alleviate some stress, this is the podcast for you. Shannon Leyko's style is like having your best friend in your ear, helping you get past those tough mental roadblocks that are keeping you from decluttering the things you don't need. From New York Times bestselling authors to everyday people in the trenches of life, Shannon's guests give practical tips and mindset advice for intentional living and self-improve ...
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Three Rules a short-form podcast by Matt D'Avella where guests share 3 rules that helped them find success or happiness. It's wisdom without the waffle.
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Join us as we discuss a wide range of topics we're definitely not qualified to talk about. Featuring guests, we consider ideas from the banal to the sublime, seeking a deeper understanding of all things. This is What We Don't Know.
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92: Parenting in a World with X-Rated Content with Kristen A. Jenson
1:02:37
1:02:37
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1:02:37Today's episode is a little different from our typical conversation, leaning heavily into intentional living. After all, when we drown out the noise and clutter, we have time to focus on what truly matters - and what could be more important than the healthy and safety of our children and grandchildren? We welcome Kristen A. Jenson, author of the bo…
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91: Things that Feel Illegal to Declutter (But Aren't)
42:37
42:37
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42:37Sometimes we fail to declutter because of a silent pressure that tells us we're breaking an unwritten rule. Today's episode explores different categories of items that feel illegal to declutter, and how to push past the unreasonable fear of letting them go. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring Down Newsletter: …
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90: How Clutter Affects Our Mental Health with Dr. Brittany Pope
59:43
59:43
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59:43What does a licensed therapist have to say about how clutter affects our mental health? You're about to find out! Today's episode with my dear friend and licensed therapist, Dr. Brittany Pope, will help you not only feel inspired to pare down on behalf of your mental health, but will leave you feeling seen, validated, and hopeful as you figure out …
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89: The Key to Staying Motivated to Declutter
47:11
47:11
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47:11Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a pile while decluttering, having lost all motivation? Or have you ever felt like it's impossible to keep the clutter at bay? There's one key factor to stay motivated on ANY journey - including our mission to live with less - and we're going to cover exactly how to harness this motivation in today's epi…
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88: How the Beauty Industry Fuels Overconsumption with Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri
1:08:52
1:08:52
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1:08:52If anyone knows about the underbelly of the beauty industry, it's Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri. Nina's documentary COMPLEXion (available on Prime Video) sheds a light on her personal experience with colorism, which led to a deeper dive into international beauty standards and how companies create new insecurities just to get us to buy more and m…
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365. The Systems Leader with Robert Siegel
1:02:19
1:02:19
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1:02:19In this conversation, I’m joined by Robert E. Siegel, author of The Systems Leader, to unpack the essential mindset shifts leaders must make in a complex, fast-moving environment. We explore the tensions leaders face—like balancing innovation with execution, and strength with empathy—and how the most effective leaders navigate these paradoxes with …
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87: 10 Ways to Make Your Home Easy to Tidy
42:38
42:38
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42:38You've heard it said that we shouldn't focus on having a perfectly tidy home 24/7...rather, we should focus on having a home that's EASY to tidy. What, exactly, does that entail? Well, today you'll learn specific systems and ideals to implement so that your home doesn't feel overwhelming to keep tidy. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down…
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86: Strategies for Getting Your Kids to Declutter
54:17
54:17
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54:17"How do I get my kids to declutter if they're super attached to all their stuff?" "Should I include my kids or do it myself?" "Where should I start?" Today we're diving into a bunch of practical strategies for decluttering kid stuff, covering things like: - Gamifying - Setting physical boundaries - Specific conversations to initiate Plus, I'll shar…
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85: Become an Essentialist with NYT Bestselling Author, Greg McKeown
1:19:37
1:19:37
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1:19:37NYT Bestselling author Greg McKeown is on the show!! (WHAT?!) Buckle up for one of the most special, exciting, and insightful episodes of Paring Down yet as we dive into his two mega-hits, Essentialism and Effortless. In this episode, you'll grasp a deeper understanding of how to identify what's important in your life and what's unnecessary excess …
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364. The Power of Being Shameless, Selfish, and Nosy with Jenny Wood
1:01:40
1:01:40
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1:01:40What if the only thing standing between you and the life you truly want is the courage to begin? In this episode, I speak with Jenny Wood—former Google executive and author of Wild Courage—about what it means to pursue the essential with boldness. Jenny shares how she walked away from a high-powered role to write the book she felt called to create.…
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84: Learning to Ride the Waves of Clutter Tolerance
42:56
42:56
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42:56Sometimes the clutter drives us nuts...and sometimes, we don't have the energy to get worked up about it. Guess what? That's totally normal! Today we're talking through the reasons why your clutter tolerance might ebb and flow, so you'll walk away feeling less pressure to be rigid in your approach to a living a life with less. Paring Down Instagram…
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Vanessa Hill shares 3 rules for better sleep
16:46
16:46
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16:46Today I'm joined by Vanessa Hill, a behavioral scientist, educator, and creator behind the popular YouTube channel Brain Craft. With a background in sleep research and science communication, Vanessa has helped millions better understand the psychology behind rest habits and decision making.Today she's sharing her three rules for better sleep, and I…
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83: Making the Most of Our Space with Khrystyne Jaspers
58:30
58:30
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58:30If your home is small, quirky, or simply not your "dream home" - then this episode is for you! In fact, this episode is for you even if you're inside your ideal home but aren't sure you've maximized the space to meet your needs. Small space designer, Khrystyne Jaspers, has first-hand experience with making the most out of her spaces, including her …
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82: The Sweet Spot Between Beauty & Function with Whitney English
52:14
52:14
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52:14We often think that minimalism looks one way: white, neutral, & bare as possible. The truth is that minimalism simply means choosing only what's truly important and essential to each of us, personally, and letting those things shine. Designer Whitney English is releasing a new book (today!) called "Organize First, Decorate Second," and you'll love …
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Today I'm joined by Nelson Dellis, a 6 time USA memory champion, and one of the most accomplished memory athletes in the world. He's held several memory records, including memorizing the most names in 15 minutes, 235 in total. And memorizing a shuffle deck of cards in just 36 seconds.Which is impressive because I can't remember what I ate for break…
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81: The Art of Making Friends & How it Helps Us Declutter
48:25
48:25
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48:25Does it sometimes feel impossible to make real friends in adulthood? And what does that have to do with paring down our lives? As a military wife, I have to build a new community for our family every three years. And I've found that not only do friendships help us enjoy life, but they're a big reason it's easier to live a life with less. When we kn…
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80: Be Rich in What Matters with Julia Ubbenga
50:05
50:05
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50:05When you slow down and consider your life, do you feel rich in what matters? Today's guest, Julia Ubbenga, found herself asking that question years ago, which has led to her influencing thousands of other women to do the same. In today's episode, we talk about how to free ourselves from comparison, impatience/anger, and exhaustion through the pract…
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79: Decluttering Before You Move (or Mock Move)
43:03
43:03
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43:03There's no motivation to declutter quite like relocating! But where should we start? In this episode I break down why we should declutter before we move, and 10 categories to focus on in order to avoid taking clutter with you to your new home. Even if you're not moving, today's episode is a fun one to get ideas for a "mock move," which is to declut…
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Today I am joined by James Hoffmann. World barista champion, author, entrepreneur, and widely considered the "Godfather of Coffee YouTube". Through his videos, businesses, and bestselling book, the World Atlas of Coffee, James has helped millions of people understand coffee on a deeper level and probably spend a little bit more money on coffee gea…
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78: Addressing the Mental Load of Clutter with Dr. Morgan Cutlip
1:12:05
1:12:05
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1:12:05"What if our partner says they'll do something, but they don't follow through?" "How do we get our partners to care about all the details of home/family management?" These are just two of the questions I ask relationship expert and author Dr. Morgan Cutlip on today's episode of Paring Down. "The mental load" is a big term getting a lot of attention…
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What-if items tend to be the biggest culprits of clutter! We are worried we'll need it some day, so we hold on just in case. In this episode, I walk through 5 helpful ways to combat this battle with "what-if??" so that we can become more discerning about what's worth keeping and what we need to let go. Paring Down Instagram: @paring_down Paring …
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363. Maximal Fitness with Minimum Time with Ben Greenfield (Part 2)
42:13
42:13
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42:13Greg and guest Ben Greenfield continue in this Part 2 conversation about endurance training strategies, focusing on preparing for Ironman triathlons. Ben shares insights on pacing, nutrition, and psychological resilience, offering tips from the trenches for race day success. They explore the challenges of juggling athletic goals with personal life,…
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Today, I'm joined by Andrew Hamilton, a stand up comedian who earned a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Before comedy, Andrew spent 15 years as a drug dealer, a path that ultimately landed him in prison. Now, on the straight and narrow, his turned his past into some hilarious material, both on stage …
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76: Is Celebrity Self-Help Advice Useful? with Jim Oliver
1:01:16
1:01:16
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1:01:16Introducing my brother, Jim Oliver!! We talk about losing our mom 12 years ago, and what that has meant for both of us in terms of living our lives with clear intention - even though that intentionality looks different between the two of us. Jim also shares about his fascinating career as a booking agent for celebrities and major motivational speak…
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362. Maximal Fitness with Minimum Time with Ben Greenfield (Part 1)
40:55
40:55
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40:55Greg chats with Ben Greenfield, a trailblazer in health and human optimization, about unlocking potential and redefining personal limits. We put a magnifying glass onto Ben's journey from novice to Ironman, and discover two key breakthroughs: a time-efficient high-intensity training method and a game-changing nutrition strategy for optimal enduranc…
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Today, I'm joined by Jack Conte, musician, creator, and CEO of Patreon, the platform that's helped thousands of artists and creators build sustainable businesses. From co founding Patreon to leading a band and creating his own content, Jack has spent his career pushing the boundaries of creativity, entrepreneurship, and what it means to make a livi…
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The beautiful part about intentional living is that we get to decide what resonates with us and what doesn't. Not all advice is for everyone, and that's A-okay. In that spirit, there seem to be some generally-accepted viewpoints in the minimalism and decluttering world that I, personally, disagree with. So here are some of my hot takes! From sparki…
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361. The Journal as a Superpower with Derek Sivers
58:26
58:26
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58:26Greg speaks with Derek Sivers, an entrepreneur and thinker, exploring the power of perspective in shaping life's outcomes. They explore the concept of "useful, not true," emphasizing the flexibility and mindset required to break away from limiting narratives. Sivers shares personal insights on journaling as a tool for processing thoughts and decisi…
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Today, I'm joined by Sam Corcos, CEO and co founder of Levels, a company helping people better understand their metabolic health through real time data. Sam takes a counterintuitive approach to both work and life. Rejecting the always busy CEO stereotype, he schedules his days for deep focus, while also being very intentional about his media diet. …
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74: Removing the Chaos from Our Email Accounts & Desktops with Shawn Lemon
1:05:44
1:05:44
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1:05:44Ready for some truly practical help that will change your daily life? Shawn Lemon of The Digital Organizer delivers just that in today's episode as he shares with us practical steps we can take to make our email accounts, desktop, and digital storage less chaotic and far more streamlined. I personally was so motivated after our conversation that I …
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Today, I'm joined by Anaita Sarkar, entrepreneur and co founder of Hero Packaging, a sustainable packaging company, helping businesses reduce plastic waste. Beyond building a wildly successful brand, Anaita shares insights on e-commerce marketing and business growth. Empowering others to launch and scale their own ventures. Her latest book is call…
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