How to Talk to Aging Parents About Decluttering (Without the Family Drama) with Jeannine Bryant (Ep 284)
About the episode
Learn how to approach aging parents about decluttering, navigate sibling emotions, and prepare for estate sales with compassion, clarity, and less clutter this holiday season.
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The holidays often bring family, memories…and stuff. If you’ve ever looked around your parents’ house and thought, “Someday we’ll have to deal with all of this,” this conversation is for you.
In this heartfelt episode, rightsizing expert Jeannine Bryant joins me to talk about how to compassionately approach decluttering with aging loved ones.
Whether you’re helping your parents downsize, sorting through family heirlooms, or simply preparing for future transitions, this episode will help you navigate it all with grace.
Key Takeaways:
1. How to start tender conversations without conflict
2. What to do when siblings have stronger emotional attachments
3. The truth about estate sales and what to expect
4. How to start early, so decluttering feels peaceful instead of pressured
5. The questions to ask around the Thanksgiving table to spark connection, not guilt
About Jeannine Bryant:
Rightsizing expert Jeannine Bryant is the owner and CEO of Changing Spaces SRS, a senior move management company in Lincoln, NE. She has helped provide rightsizing and relocation services to seniors since 2010. During that time, she has been actively involved in the downsizing and moving processes of thousands of older adults.
She has also published two books on the downsizing process called Ready to Rightsize? and Keep the Memories, Not the Stuff, an annual rightsizing calendar planner called A Year of Letting Go, and her latest book on connecting called 101 Ways to Connect with a Senior.
She produces educational materials and resources at her website www.EasyRightsizing.com, where you can find blog articles, downloadable worksheets, videos, podcasts, an online course and more. Her goal is to help older adults and their families through times of transition. And remind all of us that our stuff matters so much less than we think it does.
Her practical tips and wise advice helps her readers gain a new perspective on life, love, memories, and our stuff. She also offers offers thoughtful insights into the grieving process, as well as practical tips and hands-on advice for letting go without the guilt.
Time Stamps:
00:00 – Welcome & Thanksgiving week reflections
02:00 – What “rightsizing” really means (and why it’s different from downsizing)
05:00 – The emotional side of letting go and facing mortality
08:00 – When keepsakes shift from comfort to burden
10:00 – Separating love, memories, and stuff
13:00 – Why your kids don’t want your stuff (and that’s okay)
16:00 – How to talk with siblings who attach emotions to things
18:00 – What to keep, what to display, and what to release
23:00 – Family conversations to have during the holidays
27:00 – How estate sales actually work (and what to expect)
33:00 – The hidden cost of “saving everything”
36:00 – Practical right-sizing tips to start now
39:00 – Donate early, not later — why it matters
41:00 – Clutter-free gifting and experience-based holidays
42:00 – Rapid fire: What clutter-free means to Jeannine
44:00 – Key takeaways + gratitude for our loved ones
Music: Fresh Lift by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
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About Deanna Yates
Based in San Diego, CA, Deanna helps high-achieving moms clear the clutter from their homes and lives.
Through coaching, courses, summits, and her top-ranked Wannabe Clutter Free podcast, she supports modern women in building organized, peaceful homes where they can thrive.
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