Joshua and Ryan discuss the pros and cons of hustle culture, and they answer the following questions: Do some people claim they’re busy to be envied for being in demand? (01:01) What is the difference between “hurry” and “hustle”? (05:46) How do you define “productive”? (06:45) What is the fatal flaw of hustle culture? (08:51) How can we break free of hustle culture? (13:31) How do you appropriately address burnout with yourself or an employer before it reaches the point of no return? (17:07) How do I set appropriate boundaries in my profession? (19:45) After leaving an extraordinarily stressful career, how do I resist the temptation to take on another one for “success” and wealth? (25:53) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about what they’ve learned, how they’ve grown, and in what ways they’ve subtracted since they started The Minimalists eleven years ago, and they answer the following questions: How has your understanding of, and approach toward, minimalism developed over the last eleven years? (00:00) Why does minimalism seem radical? (05:34) How do we address our issue with clinging? (06:44) What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about consumerism? (10:13) What is the “god-shaped hole”? (12:04) Based on your eleven years of experience in minimalism, what advice do you have for those of us starting on our minimalism journey at an older age? (16:38) Is deprivation helpful? (24:03) If you had the power to make everyone a minimalist, would you do it? (28:53) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan speak with Amanda Montell, author of Cultish, about what makes a cult a cult, and they answer the following questions: Who decides whether a cult is a cult? (00:00) Are cults strictly negative? (02:08) Is CrossFit a cult? (04:33) How do otherwise reasonable people fall susceptible to cults? (11:58) What are the characteristics of a cult? (13:55) What is the “thought-terminating cliche”? (15:47) What are the “exit costs” of cults? (21:29) What are some red flags to look for regarding cults? (22:25) Can you explain the US-centric terms being used regarding cults? (32:08) Why does it seem the US is replete with cults? (32:35) How do cults start? (34:30) What is the “cult of consumerism”? (36:43) How do cult members not see how it’s hurting them when it’s so obvious to everyone else? (39:37) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about giving gifts, getting gifts, and sometimes refusing gifts as a minimalist during Christmastime, and they answer the following questions: How do I address the guilt I feel when I don’t get a Christmas gift for someone that expected one? (01:13) Can gift-giving be a love language? (21:49) What are some clutter-free gift ideas? (25:46) What are the three types of fun? (28:02) What is the minimalist approach to Christmas stockings? (32:51) What are some good charities for children? (36:50) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about expired food, expired medications, expired possessions, and expired daily habits, and they answer the following questions: How can we appropriately manage the expiration dates of everything in our lives? (00:00) Is the expiration date listed on food the last day it can be used? (06:57) How do I appropriately let go of perishable items that no longer serve me, especially when there was a degree of expense involved? (13:45) What do you consider clutter? (15:21) What can we do about expired sources of content, such as a blog with dated viewpoints, narratives, and opinions? (17:42) How do we determine when we’ve entered a new season in life and it’s time to let go of hobbies, friendships, and dreams of past seasons? (21:41) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about so-called luxury items—desiring them, purchasing them, clinging to them, understanding them, and letting go of them—and they answer the following questions: How do you define “luxury item”? (01:10) How do we differentiate between luxury, elegance, and trendy? (06:04) As my fiance and I are creating our wedding registry, how do we ensure we don’t fall into the trap of exploiting the kindness of others for luxury items that will just fill the areas we just decluttered? (11:09) What is “expensive pain”? (13:23) What is an “alternative registry”? (15:44) Is crowdsourcing a reasonable way to fund a honeymoon? (17:07) Why do some pursue luxury instead of living within their means? (20:29) What is “low-grade misery”? (36:02) What is the ultimate luxury? (36:49) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about earning a living doing work that matters with career expert, author, and Ramsey personality Ken Coleman, and they answer the following questions: Does one have to have a “purpose” at work? (02:16) What three elements make up one’s purpose? (03:13) Must a purpose be a lofty pursuit? (09:33) What do you recommend as the best options for making money on the road for those of us that want to travel and see the world? (16:00) How do I balance pursuing a purpose with the responsibilities and obligations of being a parent and a spouse? (24:01) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss The Minimalists’ Spontaneous Combustion Rule as it applies to material possessions, relationships, and homes, and they answer the following questions: What is the Spontaneous Combustion Rule? (01:00) How do we determine when it’s appropriate to let go of friendships, and how do we address the aftermath of loneliness when there are no new friendships to fill the void? (04:12) What are the three types of relationships? (07:39) How do we address the overwhelm we feel from others’ stuff when we’re living in an environment that’s not our own? (13:42) How do we know if the desire to move to a new place that may “fit us better” is a genuine feeling and not just escapism? (24:30) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan are joined by Ryan’s wife, Mariah, on the occasion of his 40th birthday, and they talk about the wisdom that accompanies midlife maturity, as well as answer the following questions: When do maturity, wisdom, and knowledge best align? (00:00) What is Ryan’s favorite dinner? (11:50) How have your needs in a romantic partnership changed as you move toward your 40s? (13:05) What is “whataboutism”? (17:15) How has responding instead of reacting helped your relationship? (18:21) Are Ryan and Mariah always in agreement regarding their minimalist practices; and, if not, how do they find compromise with one another? (22:58) How do you find equilibrium in your relationship when an individual is on their minimalist journey but their partner is not? (32:13) What is the “hedonic treadmill”? (46:13) What guests have you had at your tour stops? (47:41) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about inner conflict, self-doubt, and self-hatred with author, speaker, and attorney Mel Robbins, and they answer the following questions: How do I rebuild my relationship with myself? (02:06) What is the most important relationship in our life? (02:59) What moment led to the High Five Habit? (08:42) Why do most mantras not work? (15:22) How did you keep from blaming yourselves and beating yourselves up for the failure of your marriages, and how did you restore your confidence in starting new relationships afterward? (16:54) What does a high five represent? (19:39) Can thinking about yourself negatively actually benefit you positively? (26:06) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about finding something more compelling than material possessions, and they answer the following questions: Why is Salt Lake City one of Joshua’s favorite cities? (00:00) How do I explain to my children the importance of curating their toys in terms they’ll understand? (03:14) How do I let go of a relationship I didn’t end? (09:59) Why am I relentlessly searching for the next thing that will improve my life, and how do I better channel that energy? (17:56) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about trading in our materialistic clinging for transcendent freedom with author, podcaster, and comedian Lisa Lampanelli, and they answer the following questions: How do you define “humor”? (00:00) What is the “United States of Avoidance”? (08:26) When life changes your path, how do you stop clinging to the hope you once had? (14:20) How do we accept the death of a dream? (15:33) What do you mean by “daring to suck”? (17:45) Is it helpful to simply treat our passions as hobbies until they pay the bills? (18:25) How did Lisa get her start in comedy? (20:18) When a loved one has passed, how do I honor their final wishes as executor and appropriately distribute the possessions they clung to when they did not leave specific instructions for doing so? (22:46) How do you stop clinging to the security of a job simply because it pays well? (29:56) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about calm, serenity, and the sound of simplicity with musician Andrew Belle, and they answer the following questions: How do we find serenity in the echoes of our decluttered spaces? (00:00) If you’re living a life that aligns with your values, why would it be necessary to take a vacation from it to find solace and silence? (13:39) Is there any evidence that overconsumption of podcasts or other informative audio is linked to anxiety? (21:08) How do we move closer to access and further from excess? (24:18) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about resisting the incessant tug of consumerism while striving to simplify, and they answer the following questions: How do we overcome our shopping addiction? (00:00) What are the three prime indicators of compulsive buying? (04:00) What is consumerism? (06:45) When does something become an addiction? (09:39) Why do people have shopping addictions? (19:17) When creating a capsule wardrobe and running up against challenges regarding durability, should we buy more clothes at once or purchase clothes more often? (19:35) What is Project 333? (21:33) How do I adjust my shopping habits so they better align with my minimalist practices? (26:01) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about removing the excess to expose the everyday beauty that’s all around us with author, podcaster, and pastor Erwin Raphael McManus, and they answer the following questions: What exactly is “beauty”? (00:00) Can beauty help us find peace? (05:01) How do we discover and incorporate singular beautiful accents and items throughout our homes while maintaining a simple, minimalist style? (11:55) What is the value of negative space? (14:21) How do we find the beauty inside ourselves, and then be content with it? (18:42) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the folly of the self-help industry’s focus on exhausting positivity—on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness—with author, podcaster, and professor Kate Bowler, and they answer the following questions: What is the “gospel of hustle”? (00:00) What are the signs that positivity has become toxic for us as individuals, and what are the signs that our well-intentioned positive vibes are becoming toxic to others? (06:58) Where did the ‘good vibes only’ orthodoxy originate? (07:21) Why does complaining seem to encourage camaraderie? (10:03) What is the problem with the language of positivity? (10:43) What is “horizon work”? (12:23) What is “choice poor”? (12:38) How do we address those that weaponize perspectives, such as toxic positivity, to bully us into accepting and adopting their way of thinking as our own; for example, when people that disapprove of minimalism call minimalists “privileged”? (17:11) How do you define “elitism”? (21:45) What is “prudential wisdom”? (23:39) Where did the notion come from that being positive is the cure for everything, the path for everyone, the solution to whatever life throws at you—what is wrong with embracing sadness, contemplation, grief, anxiety? (31:35) What is “limited agency”? (33:13) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about how to avoid recluttering our lives with new possessions, burdens, and obligations once we’ve excised our excess, and they answer the following questions: What is “recluttering”? (00:00) How do we address recluttering with loved ones and roommates who seem to see our clean spaces as places to dump their stuff that doesn’t have a home? (07:55) How do we ensure the items we bring back into our homes after decluttering don’t become recluttering? (18:11) How do I figure out my ‘why’ for recluttering? (32:15) What’s problematic about having options? (35:02) How do you define “consumerism”? (35:39) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss our escalating advice epidemic as our society swells with scores of well-meaning people advising other people on what they are supposed to do, and they answer the following questions: What are ‘shoulds’? (00:00) What possesses some people to insist on giving others unsolicited advice? (03:13) How can we provide appropriate advice and/or guidance to loved ones to alter behaviors that are impacting us negatively? (17:46) How do our expectations complicate things? (21:14) How do we critically evaluate all the ‘shoulds’ out there and take what works for each of us? (23:34) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about all the digital clutter on our computers, phones, tablets, and other devices taking up space on our hard drives and in our minds, and they answer the following questions: What are the benefits of not having digital clutter taking up space in your mind? (00:00) What is the Diderot effect? (04:48) What do you define as ‘digital clutter’? (10:41) Where do we start in addressing digital clutter to ensure we stay focused and motivated and not get overwhelmed with all of it? (13:31) As an avid gamer, how do I ensure I don’t let my enthusiasm and passion for gaming turn into clutter with all of the games and consoles available, and how do I ensure it doesn’t consume me to the detriment of my relationships? (21:00) How about a basic overview of how to manage it all: emails, documents, photos? (30:18) How can overwhelm actually help us? (33:17) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the perniciousness of compulsive decluttering (aka obsessive-compulsive spartanism) on the occasion of their 300th episode, and they answer the following questions: What is spartanism? (00:00) Hoarding, spartanism, ad nauseum—must we diagnose everything? (06:06) How do we recognize and respect the challenges of others? (06:59) How could letting go of everything be a bad thing? (11:16) How do we ensure our decluttering doesn’t trigger other compulsive behaviors; for instance, the compulsion to constantly check our phones for notifications when we’re trying to sell what we decluttered? (11:46) What is the “art of noticing”? (17:38) When does minimalism turn into compulsive decluttering or obsessive-compulsive spartanism—what signs do we look for? (19:40) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about “summer simplifying,” and they answer the following questions: Which moniker won in your audience poll—“simpletons” or “minimizers”? (00:00) Where do you start when your entire home needs decluttering? (06:04) What is the most important thing to do to get started? (10:04) How do we get our children to participate in decluttering? (13:27) How do I break my emotional and sentimental attachment to my collection of books, and how do I appropriately curate my collection and recycle the books I don’t keep? (14:07) What is the Enneagram? (22:19) What do we do with items that have a sentimental attachment? (25:51) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the best options for therapy when you’re feeling sad, grieving, depressed, anxious, or overwhelmed with author, podcaster, and psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb, and they answer the following questions: When is the appropriate time to talk to a therapist? (00:00) What is “idiot compassion” compared to “wise compassion”? (02:53) What is self-sabotage, and how can we identify and address its manifestation in us? (04:03) What is the most important phase of change? (05:45) What is the most challenging part of change? (07:09) Why should someone schedule a session with a therapist? (08:48) What key power can therapy give us? (09:49) What do we do when cost is an impediment to mental healthcare? (11:26) What are the downsides of trying to help others change? (14:42) What mantras, self-talk, meditations, et cetera, have helped keep you focused, centered, and positive when addressing significant life challenges? (18:15) In their lives, to whom do most people talk the most? (19:17) How do we give ourselves self-compassion? (22:06) How do we get past childhood traumas and disappointments? (23:42) What is “forced forgiveness”? (25:24) Must we forgive to move on? (26:15) How do we handle pride appropriately? (27:13) Why does there seem to be a stigma against mental health in older generations, and, more specifically, how can we get our parents to talk about their feelings and vulnerabilities? (29:35) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the minimalism rules that have helped simplify their lives, and they answer the following questions: How valuable are rules? (00:00) How important are boundaries? (04:56) Once I only have my essential items, how do I keep them from wearing out quickly? (18:48) How is minimalism not a destination? (19:47) What is our language problem? (20:19) How effective is it to reverse clothes hangers to minimize a wardrobe? (27:17) Is it helpful to restrict the amount of clothes hangers to create an appropriate wardrobe? (28:20) How do you develop and maintain the discipline needed to stick to your minimalism rules or other habits you're trying to establish? (30:26) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about healing our relationships with stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity, and people with podcaster and Director of Entrepreneurial Education for FEE, T.K. Coleman, and they answer the following questions: What gave you the inspiration for Love People, Use Things? (00:00) Do we learn more from those that have been redeemed, or from those that have led “perfect” lives? (08:51) How did the line blur so much between private lives and public lives? (10:31) How do I reconcile with my minimalist values when I must trash items I no longer use that can’t be donated, recycled, or upcycled? (13:48) What is the true cost of things?  (14:43) How do I justify to my minimalist self that it’s okay to have numerous accoutrements for several hobbies that bring me joy? (21:00) What separates minimalism from dogmatism? (23:57) How do I rejuvenate my creativity when I’m overwhelmed by burnout? (36:04) How do we avoid falling into maintenance mode as creatives? (40:31) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss the perils of pursuing fame, clout, and attention in today's insta-world with director Nick Bilton and artist Chris Bailey of HBO’s Fake Famous, and they answer the following questions: Why did Nick make a film about fake fame? (00:00) What constitutes actual fame? (07:01) What impact is social media having on our children? (09:24) How has Chris’s life changed since the film? (13:04) Why do the people who just post photos of themselves in skimpy outfits and pouts get five million followers, yet the people who actually have something meaningful to say get only a handful of followers? (21:27) What is the number one photo opportunity in L.A. for influencers? (26:49) What is an “Instagram vacation”? (27:55) If maintaining social media accounts is part of our daily work, how do we incorporate minimalism to ensure our use is intentional, appropriate, and valuable? (28:38) What value have you gotten from social media? (32:19) Has the experience of the global pandemic actually helped us get away from our glowing screens? (32:57) What is the prime purpose of social media? (35:52) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about gift-getting, gift-giving, and birthday celebrations for adults and kids alike with podcaster and Registered Dietitian Rebecca Shern, and they answer the following questions: What does Joshua want for his birthday? (00:00) Why do we never seem to know what we truly want? (04:06) Instead of spending lots of money and giving expensive gifts, what are some meaningful ways to celebrate birthdays? (06:22) How do you celebrate your child’s birthday? (07:27) What if gift-giving is one of my love languages? (11:14) How do you celebrate your birthday? (14:57) Is gift-giving just a matter of simply asking others what they want? (17:31) How do we appropriately address a loved one who insists on giving us gifts when we’ve asked them countless times not to, and do we tell them that we’ve actually given away most of the gifts they’ve given us? (18:20) How do my spouse and I address the societal expectations of others regarding our choice of participation in traditional gift-giving events, such as birthdays and Christmas? (31:04) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about how minimalism, in more ways than one, is about starting over with less, and they answer the following questions: How do we start over? (00:00) As I’m letting everything go and starting over, how do I explain it to my friends and family who think I am crazy or terminally ill? (05:25) What advice do you have for those of us dealing with the stress and anxiety of being forced to start over professionally after being let go from our jobs? (09:06)  What is absolutely essential? (11:51) What two questions should we ask ourselves when we’re considering a fresh start? (14:43) How important is an emergency fund when you’re starting over? (15:46) Is starting over simply a matter of considering a new direction? (16:23) When you’re starting over from scratch and you realize you can’t do it alone, how do you get over your pride and ask others for help? (17:46) What is the difference between enhancement and dependency? (19:38) Why should we give money rather than loan money? (21:56) When you’re starting over with nothing, how do you live without sentimental stuff in your life? (25:53) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about what we must refine to ensure our spiritual and material lives align with author, podcaster, and fitness expert Ben Greenfield and podcaster and Registered Dietitian Rebecca Shern, and they answer the following questions: What is a “fit soul”? (00:00) What are the dangers of transactional relationships? (08:47) What are the four pillars of the spiritual journey? (13:35) What is the practice of self-examination? (18:02) How do we determine our purpose? (21:38) Is there a link between sex and spirituality? (26:44) How do you explain sex to your children? (29:21) What is “eye gazing”? (33:58) How do you punish and reward your children? (36:12) What is the “God-shaped hole”? (39:59) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about how we all seem to find ourselves having the things we don’t need, and needing the things we don’t have—and how we’re so disconnected from our communities that bartering for those things is nearly impossible—with the founder of HaveNeed, Josh Kline, and they answer the following questions: What is HaveNeed? (00:00) How has the pandemic affected bartering? (04:01) What is your distinction between items that are essential, nonessential, and junk? (06:16) What would the world look like if there was no such thing as money, which has a vice-like grip on the material world; that is, what would the world look like if it ran strictly on barter? (07:02) What is the history of bartering? (07:26) What is the “mutual coincidence of wants”? (08:11) What is “Object A”? (13:44) Bartering has been around forever, but seems to have fallen out of favor in recent times—why? (26:51) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about our want for things, why we want what we want, and how we can free ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires with author and professor Luke Burgis, and they answer the following questions: What is mimetic desire? (00:00) Does it help to identify the origins of our desires? (05:05) Should we strive to be immune from desires? (06:54) What is negative imitation? (08:22) How do we find fulfilling desires? (08:48) Can a relentless desire to be debt-free actually cause adverse unintended consequences? (12:39) What are “borrowed desires”? (16:17) What costs should we consider in the pursuit of our desires? (18:13) What is a “misery tax”? (19:42) How do we recognize and address the influences, especially those online, that promote mindless consumption? (24:08) How is social media addictive? (24:39) What is “hate watching”? (26:33) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about how to take back control of our income and our creative outcomes by making a living on our own as an aspiring creator, small business owner, artist, or entrepreneur with the CEO of Patreon, Jack Conte, and they answer the following questions: Why did Jack start Patreon? (04:40) Where do you find the most practical feedback from your audience? (13:25) How do I best prepare myself to make the jump from working full-time for others to working full-time as a small business owner with as much tranquility as possible? (15:46) What should be my primary focus as a budding entrepreneur? (18:20) How did Jack benefit from his “not be prudent” approach to his professional pursuits? (22:23) When do you know it’s time to turn your side hustle into your full-time business? (26:00) What is the first step I should take to become an online creator? (27:32) What do you mean by “add value”? (28:55) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about our desire for friendship that leads us to accumulate scores of friends, acquaintances, coworkers, partners, lovers, companions, contacts, colleagues, and associates; our realization that relationship clutter is getting in the way of loving, meaningful connections; and they answer the following questions: Is it loving to let go? (00:00) How can I stop feeling pressured to keep up with so many connections? (03:57) I’ve never struggled to declutter my “friends” on social media when they no longer have a meaningful place in my life, but how do I explain their removal when they ask me about it without hurting their feelings? (13:53) What does a truly healthy friendship look like? (20:56) How do we ensure mutual respect in a relationship? (28:46) How do we appropriately apply attention in a relationship? (29:43) How do you define “toxic relationship”? (34:49) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about that empty feeling we all experience from time to time—and the things we do when we attempt to fill the void—with podcaster, writer, and director Jennette McCurdy, and they answer the following questions: Why did Jennette start her podcast? (00:00) What is the disconnect between our higher quality of life in this modern age and our happiness? (04:26) How does society and culture influence disorders? (06:21) Why do others often insist we not give up our “successful” careers? (10:59) What are the three different types of relationships? (14:06) How do we appropriately manage expectations in relationships? (16:09) I think minimalism can help many of my loved ones find meaning in their lives and avoid the void, but I find it difficult to communicate it to them effectively so they see and understand the benefits and find it more attractive than the rat race they’re in—any tips? (20:01) What is the elevator pitch for minimalism? (20:35) How do you address the shame that sometimes accompanies minimalism? (23:50) How is power the opposite of freedom? (24:26) Was Jennette shamed for walking away from her acting career? (25:40) Does confidence come from consistency? (26:58) Filling our voids with stuff isn’t good, but what is good—what should we replace that consumption urge with that is meaningful? (28:37) What is the “suckhole”? (33:33) Why is Jennette’s podcast titled Empty Inside? (36:28) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss identifying how much is enough so we can subtract the excess to get there, and they answer the following questions: What is “enoughism”? (00:00) How is enoughism different from minimalism? (03:04) Given that the key to transformation is understanding our ‘whys,’ why does anyone truly want more, and, conversely, why does anyone truly want less? (12:20) When it comes to a small business, how much record-keeping is enough and what is the ideal way to store it? (24:57) How does renouncing something create an attachment to it? (30:09) How do we learn to recognize the difference between enough and a false sense of security and comfort from unnecessary consumerism? (39:35) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about our constant search for meaning, purpose, and significance; they discuss ways we can rethink spirituality, sex, and death with author Jamie Wheal; and they answer the following questions: What is “meaning”? (01:04) Why do we always seem to look for shortcuts? (03:57) What are heuristics? (05:30) What constitutes a true nihilist? (13:39) Is awareness a curse? (16:55) Once we find meaning in life, do we have a duty to help others find meaning as well? (18:25) What is the difference between being selfish and being self-centered? (20:01) What is the Hedonic treadmill? (25:19) What is the difference between narcissism and nihilism? (27:29) What is rapture ideology? (35:35) How does one find meaning after a close loved one has passed and they are struggling to deal with the passing? (40:43) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss how we’re too often led astray by the status quo and how we can benefit from doing the opposite, and they answer the following questions: What does it mean to be authentic? (00:00) What is so problematic about trends? (04:58) Can we find meaning in suffering? (10:56) Why are opinions so inconsequential? (20:48) When have you benefited from thinking the opposite? (22:21) I’m being advised by my ethics class in college that retirement is detrimental to our growth and development as human beings—do you think that is true? (29:20) What is the best kind of growth? (34:31) Some of the worst advice I’ve received is, “Fake it until you make it”—what is wrong with being a work in progress? (44:30) How is all advice flawed advice? (44:59) Do we improve our lives more by addition or subtraction? (52:00) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss minimizing and letting go of sentimental stuff, and they answer the following questions: How do we tactfully and appropriately address loved ones regarding stuff they’ve given us that we’re giving away—especially those things they consider of significant sentimental value? (08:37) How do we avoid arguments with loved ones regarding possessions? (14:40)  Why does our brain try so hard to hold us back from releasing sentimental possessions? (18:03) What do we do with all of the things associated with a loved one when we’ve lost them in a particularly tragic, traumatic way? (21:01) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss trauma, the ego, and setting boundaries with holistic psychologist Dr. Nicole LePera, and they answer the following questions: Why did Dr. LePera write her latest book? (02:31) How do you start on a path to healing and commit to it when your motivation is almost nil? (04:34) Why is it so difficult to break our patterns? (05:04) How do we reframe failure? (07:38) How important is the caloric intake of the brain? (08:35) How do we recognize if a goal is empowering or disempowering? (13:09) How do I work with loved ones to adjust our lifestyle preferences so I can attain and maintain mental peace? (13:36) How do you forgive others and yourself and move forward when a loved one passes suddenly and you feel you haven’t had a chance to tell them everything you needed to, and how do you forgive others that you feel treated that person terribly in life and let go of the anger toward them? (18:30) How are forgiveness and acceptance associated? (19:31) How do we let go of anger? (25:37) Are there types of bodywork that address the mind-body connection together, or are there types of psychotherapy that address the mind-body connection in tandem? (30:28) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss emergency items, preparing for emergencies, and when it’s appropriate to hold on to certain just-in-case items, and they answer the following questions: How do we prepare for chaos? (04:33) What are the three types of emergencies? (05:49) What do you keep in your car? (08:02) How do we reconcile what we actually need with what we want? (12:12) What is the most important thing in an emergency? (14:36) What essentials should we keep in a first aid kit for both home and travel? (19:18) What is the difference between an emergency item and a just-in-case item? (25:50) How do you differentiate between just-in-case items and just-for-when items? (31:42) What are “b.s. emergency items”? (36:36) What books, websites, podcasts would you recommend as resources for information regarding emergency preparedness? (43:27) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan discuss the relationship between minimalism and environmentalism with author and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and they answer the following questions: What is our biggest environmental problem, and is it too late to fix it? (01:38) Since environmentalism is an idea that I cannot back down from, compromise on, or see from both sides, at what point is it dangerous to keep saying there are no ‘shoulds’? (04:33) Why are landfills more prominent in the United States compared to Europe? (09:28) How can we make individuals and companies more environmentally conscious? (11:47) What is your opinion regarding the policy of the United States to ‘leap-first, look-later’ regarding environmental chemicals? (23:29) What is the Toxic Substance Control Act? (27:36) What are PFAs? (29:46) Why have we seen such an increase in chronic diseases among children? (30:53) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the problem of busyness and how we can better manage our time, and they answer the following questions: Why can’t we ever seem to get ahead of our to-do lists? (01:43) What lists do you find helpful? (02:13) What is “busyness”? (06:42) How do we gain more discretionary time despite the onslaught of modern obligations and responsibilities? (11:25) Is striving for work-life balance a fruitless endeavor? (13:58) Are there any tools that can help with our overwhelm? (16:06) What is the fear related to busyness? (17:24) What can someone do if they feel they’re too busy to figure out how to become less busy? (25:30) Would you be doing what you’re doing today if you only had six months left to live? (28:28) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about hoarding—the clinical definition, the statistics, the causes, the symptoms, the common types, the risks, the recovery—and they answer the following questions: What is the clinical definition of “hoarding”? (03:00) What is “spartanism”? (03:35) What are the common types of hoarding? (05:43) What is the difference between hoarding and collecting? (09:30) What is the “sunk-cost fallacy”? (11:02) What are the symptoms of hoarding? (21:56) What are the causes of hoarding? (23:30) How is hoarding diagnosed? (27:51) Do children hoard? (29:41) When do obsessions become unhealthy? (31:38) What are the five levels of hoarding? (32:04) Are there affluent hoarders? (43:17) How does one become a hoarder? (45:16) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about alternative living options—communal living, throuples, combined families, long-term singlehood, nomadic living—with the CEO and cofounder of Nourish Balance Thrive, Christopher Kelly, and they answer the following questions: What is ancestral health? (03:20) What has likely caused our overall decline in health? (05:08)  Is our current status quo of living arrangements in detrimental conflict with the natural order? (07:28) How do people continue to help the paradigm of the nuclear family work? (10:40) How do we set appropriate boundaries with roommates and ensure those boundaries are not crossed to prevent theft, property damage, and tense co-living environments? (11:59) What is Christopher’s communal living arrangement? (12:38) Why did Christopher adopt his communal living arrangement? (13:53) How does Christopher manage living with several different families? (15:34) What is ‘helicopter parenting’? (20:53) What is your definition of “commune”? (22:59) What are the pros and cons of unusual living arrangements in cultures that wholly embrace them? (28:36) What does the “WEIRD” acronym represent? (30:56) How do you define “solitude”? (32:40) What is Joshua’s living arrangement? (33:51) What is the ‘sweet spot’ regarding how many people you can live with? (35:25) Who created the monogamous nuclear family? (38:40) At what point does a group become a cult? (48:50) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about unsubscribing and unfollowing anything that doesn’t bring tranquility or increase well-being, and they answer the following questions: How has unsubscribing and unfollowing helped your tranquility? (08:36) Should we attempt to explain ourselves to others when they question our minimalist lifestyle, or simply invite them to ‘unfollow’ us? (12:37) Can minimalism help us bring order back to our chaotic lives? (14:44) How do we determine the appropriate ‘path’? (18:50) We can’t impose tranquility on the world around us, so how do we adjust our internal settings to maintain inner tranquility? (23:10) Why do insults irritate us so intensely? (29:09) How do we adjust relationships that are predicated on conflict? (31:20) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about letting go—letting go of sentimental items, letting go of junk, letting go of anxiety and stress—letting go of anything that harms our well-being or interrupts our peace, and they answer the following questions: How do our things own us? (02:53) Given that I’m under a deadline to move, how can I increase my decluttering pace without becoming overwhelmed and stressed? (08:44) Are there circumstances where a storage unit makes sense? (11:04) When the amount of your belongings is completely overwhelming, how—and where—do you even start? (18:06) Why are we so obsessed with prescriptiveness? (18:54) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about raising organized children with behavioral and developmental pediatrician Dr. Damon Korb, and they answer the following questions: What are executive functions? (01:34) What is behavioral pediatrics? (02:18) What do you mean by “organized children”? (02:47) How has the pandemic affected children’s health? (03:24) How do we set appropriate boundaries with our children? (04:58) How do we help our children adopt minimalist practices that stick at an early age so they don’t lose them and suffer the consequences in adulthood? (05:38) How can we be minimalist parents? (06:50) How can we teach our children to be problem-solvers? (09:51) How can we help our children deal with boredom? (10:35) What advice do you have for first-time parents? (14:43) How do you balance setting boundaries with a child while still allowing them room to explore and learn about who they are? (19:16) How do we appropriately handle our expectations regarding our children? (21:54) What are the “5 H’s” regarding kids? (27:30) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about success, failure, fulfillment, and satisfaction—and how incessantly chasing those things can lead to foolness rather than fullness—and they answer the following questions: What does success mean to you? (03:06) What are your beliefs regarding spirituality? (07:38) How do value judgments affect success? (13:08) What is nihilism? (14:39) How do I overcome my addiction to procrastination so I can focus on doing meaningful work? (17:00) What are the two kinds of ‘haves’? (19:53) What is the “thing you can’t not do”? (20:21)  What is the best way to address distractions? (29:25) What do you mean by “the costs we must pay”? (32:08) How do you rebuild yourself and restructure your idea of success after a failure? (36:09)  Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Joshua and Ryan talk about the mental, emotional, digital, and other clutter that reveals itself after we minimize our stuff, and they answer the following questions: When are how-to’s helpful? (02:23) How do we appropriately curate scanned photos so we’re not trading physical clutter for digital clutter? (13:57) What advice do you have for young people who are embarking on their minimalist journeys so they have solid practices in place to prevent clutter? (25:43) What one piece of advice would you give your younger self? (26:28) How do we appropriately curate our many digital subscriptions and still satisfy ourselves since each service has programs exclusive to its platform? (31:56) Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support