Finders and Keepers

How to Declutter Books, Clothes, and Everything Else with Decluttering Expert Avery Cundill

What can a recovering hoarder learn from a decluttering expert? Find out as Finders and Keepers host Rachel Kramer Bussel gets tips from Avery Cundill, host of The Declutter Queen podcast. They discuss how Cundill went from being someone with her fair share of clutter to an avid declutterer, why Cundill prefers the term “collectors” to “hoarders,” why clearing out clutter is important, and how to get started decluttering (even if you’re overwhelmed). Cundill also shares her thoughts on how many books are really too many, what to do with clothes you love but haven’t worn in years, why digital clutter is also problematic (and what to do about it), and why Cundill’s recommends tackling one room at a time. If you’ve struggled with clutter or simply feel like your stuff is owning you rather than the other way around, this episode will help you drill down on the questions to ask yourself before starting to purge your possessions. Visit the episode page at Open Secrets Magazine [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/p/decluttering-tips-expert-getting-started] to read a transcript. About our guest: Avery Cundill is the creator and host of The Declutter Queen, a lifestyle brand and podcast focused on helping people simplify their homes, schedules, and digital lives. Through practical, judgment-free strategies and mindset work, she guides audiences to let go of what no longer serves them and create space for what matters most—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Her content blends real-life decluttering systems, habit change, and compassionate coaching to reduce overwhelm and build sustainable organization routines. The Declutter Queen website [https://www.thedeclutterqueen.ca/] Instagram: @thedeclutterqueenpod [https://www.instagram.com/thedeclutterqueenpod/] Finders and Keepers is hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel and is a production of Open Secrets Magazine. Thank you to Sound Off Network and Dan Schroeder for audio production support. If you like the podcast, we’d greatly appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell your friends about it to help us reach new listeners. Want to share your own stuff story, tell us who we should interview next, or share your own most treasured possession? Contact us at findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com [findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com] or leave a voicemail at speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers [http://speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers] For more about our attachments to our belongings, read the personal essays in the Object-ives [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/object-ives] and Stuff-ed [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/stuff-ed] sections of Open Secrets Magazine at opensecretsmagazine.com [http://opensecretsmagazine.com/], where you can also submit your own essays. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The Resurgence of Print Magazines with Geezer Magazine Editor Laura LeBleu

Are print magazines dead? Of course not! While many once-thriving magazines have shuttered or switch to digital only, a new crop of independent print magazines are filling valuable niches. We spoke with Laura LeBleu, editor of Geezer magazine, a new publication aimed at Generation X, to find out how she got the idea for Geezer, why analog is back, and what makes her generation love the feel of turning pages so much. Learn how LeBleu developed a love of magazines, which surprising magazine was her inspiration, the reality of what it takes to launch a print venture, and what she hopes readers take away from Geezer. Special offer: Use code FINDERS15 for 15% off an annual subscription to Geezer. Available to the first 10 subscribers through June 30, 2026. Visit the episode page at Open Secrets Magazine [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/p/print-magazine-popularity-generation-x-geezer] to read a transcript. About our guest: Laura LeBleu’s life has always revolved around storytelling—either as an actor, a writer, or, now, as the founding editor of Geezer, a print magazine for Gen X. Bringing Geezer to life has easily been the most fulfilling creative achievement of her fifty-something years, and she’s thrilled to share this weird, soulful publication with fellow Gen Xers and the world. Geezermagazine.com [https://www.geezermagazine.com/] Geezer Magazine on Substack [https://geezermagazine.substack.com/] Laura LeBleu on Substack [https://dandelioness.substack.com/] Instagram: @geezermagazine [https://www.instagram.com/geezermagazine] Instagram: @laura.lebleu [https://www.instagram.com/laura.lebleu/] Finders and Keepers is hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel and is a production of Open Secrets Magazine. Thank you to Sound Off Network and Dan Schroeder for audio production support. If you like the podcast, we’d greatly appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell your friends about it to help us reach new listeners. Want to share your own stuff story, tell us who we should interview next, or share your own most treasured possession? Contact us at findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com [findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com] or leave a voicemail at speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers [http://speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers] For more about our attachments to our belongings, read the personal essays in the Object-ives [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/object-ives] and Stuff-ed [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/stuff-ed] sections of Open Secrets Magazine at opensecretsmagazine.com [http://opensecretsmagazine.com/], where you can also submit your own essays. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Divorce, Remarriage, and Collecting Lego Sets with Rob Hart

Moving is a process most people dread because it forces us to closely examine what we own and decide what really needs to be packed up, lugged around, then unpacked in a new home. Items we’d been content to let stockpile in a closet become another matter entirely when faced with storing them in boxes upon boxes. In this episode, thriller author Rob Hart discusses how he went about downsizing twice within a few years after his divorce, and then upon remarriage, each time having to get real about what he took with him. As he says, he had to ask himself, “What do I care about carrying with me into this next phase of my life?” Hart discusses the nuances of being a published author faced with a multiplying array of copies of his own books, including foreign editions. How do authors store the work that they’ve invested countless hours into? What do they do with all the extra copies they amass? Hart is also an avid Lego enthusiast, dedicating days at a time to building items like a Lego typewriter, which he likes to display when he’s done, and shares this hobby with his daughter. What’s the draw of building Lego sets, and what’s Hart’s dream Lego purchase? We also discuss Hart’s research process for his Assassins Anonymous series, whose latest title, Three Hitmen and a Baby, was released this week. Click on “Transcript” on the top right to read an auto-generated transcript of this episode. About our guest: Rob Hart is the author of Three Hitmen and a Baby, The Medusa Protocol, Assassins Anonymous, The Paradox Hotel, The Warehouse, the Ash McKenna crime series, and is the co-author of Scott Free with James Patterson. He’s worked as a book publisher, a reporter, a political communications director, and a commissioner for the city of New York. Hart lives in Jersey City. robwhart.com [https://robwhart.com/] Rob Hart [https://substack.com/profile/211028-rob-hart] on Substack Instagram: @robwhart1 [https://www.instagram.com/robwhart1] Three Hitmen and a Baby [https://bookshop.org/a/116429/9798217177134] Finders and Keepers is hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel and is a production of Open Secrets Magazine. Thank you to Sound Off Network and Dan Schroeder for audio production support. If you like the podcast, we’d greatly appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell your friends about it to help us reach new listeners. Want to share your own stuff story, tell us who we should interview next, or share your own most treasured possession? Contact us at findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com [findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com] or leave a voicemail at speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers [http://speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers] For more about our attachments to our belongings, read the personal essays in the Object-ives [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/object-ives] and Stuff-ed [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/stuff-ed] sections of Open Secrets Magazine at opensecretsmagazine.com [http://opensecretsmagazine.com/], where you can also submit your own essays. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Why Writer Athena Dixon Collects Black Memorabilia

Writer Athena Dixon owns hundreds of items of Black memorabilia, ranging from household goods with racist Jim Crow-era artifacts dating back to the early 20th century, such as a 1931 “Colored Entrance Only” sign from Atlanta, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama, to civil rights movement-era mementos. From segregated water fountain signage to household items such as napkins and tchotchkes, her vast collection spans public and private belongings. How and why did Athena amass such a large collection? Which ones does she display in her home? Why is it so important to her to hold onto these items, and what does she hope people will learn from them? Where are these items still being sold, and what do they say about the history of the United States? Visit the episode page at Open Secrets Magazine [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/p/athena-dixon-black-history-artifacts-preserve] to read a transcript. About our guest: Athena Dixon is the author of essay collections The Incredible Shrinking Woman and The Loneliness Files and her work appears in publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Shenandoah, Grub Street, Narratively, and Lit Hub among others. She is a Consulting Editor for Fourth Genre and the Nonfiction/Hybrid Editor for Split/Lip Press. athenadixon.com [http://athenadixon.com/] Instagram: @the_muse_paper [https://www.instagram.com/the_muse_paper] The Loneliness Files [https://bookshop.org/a/116429/9781959030126] Finders and Keepers is hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel and is a production of Open Secrets Magazine. Thank you to Sound Off Network and Dan Schroeder for audio production support. If you like the podcast, we’d greatly appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell your friends about it to help us reach new listeners. Want to share your own stuff story, tell us who we should interview next, or share your own most treasured possession? Contact us at findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com [findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com] or leave a voicemail at speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers [http://speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers] For more about our attachments to our belongings, read the personal essays in the Object-ives [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/object-ives] and Stuff-ed [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/stuff-ed] sections of Open Secrets Magazine at opensecretsmagazine.com [http://opensecretsmagazine.com/], where you can also submit your own essays. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Why We’re Nostalgic for the Toys Our Children Have Outgrown with Aymann Ismail

As they get older, our children naturally outgrow formerly beloved toys and move on to more age-appropriate ones. But what about their parents? For father of two Aymann Ismail, saying goodbye to those toys is a more emotionally fraught process. Having witnessed his kids spending hours with their toys, when he looks at them, he sees their past selves, not just objects that once sat on a toy store shelf. So even though his kids are no longer playing with them, he’s struggled to part with them, a dilemma likely familiar to many parents. How do parents balance the need to make room for new toys with their attachments to memories of their kids’ earliest playtime activities that are entwined with the old toys? Host Rachel Kramer Bussel also talks to Aymann about his collection of street art from his bachelor days, most of which is now tucked away, not fit to hang on the walls of the home he shares with his wife and family. But that art, made by friends and still special to him, isn’t something he’s ready to part with. What do we do with objects that remind us of our past lives but that don’t quite gel with our current ones? How do we honor the meaning of those items when we can’t put them front and center? We explore these questions and more in this nostalgic episode. Visit the episode page at Open Secrets Magazine [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/p/parents-nostalgic-for-childrens-old-toys] to read a transcript. About our guest: Aymann Ismail is a senior writer at Slate, the author of Becoming Baba, and the president of AMEJA. He was formerly the staff video and photo editor at ANIMALNewYork. He grew up in Newark, NJ, received an art degree from Rutgers University, and was arrested by the NYPD for trespassing on the Williamsburg Bridge in 2016. In 2018, he received an ASME Next award. In 2021, his essay The Store That Called the Cops on George Floyd was nominated for a National Magazine Award in Reporting and won a Writers Guild Award. His work has been featured by CNN, The New York Times, NPR, GQ, among others. He still lives in Newark. aymann.com [http://aymann.com/] Instagram: @aymanndotcom [https://www.instagram.com/aymanndotcom] Finders and Keepers is hosted by Rachel Kramer Bussel and is a production of Open Secrets Magazine. Thank you to Sound Off Network and Dan Schroeder for audio production support. If you like the podcast, we’d greatly appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell your friends about it to help us reach new listeners. Want to share your own stuff story, tell us who we should interview next, or share your own most treasured possession? Contact us at findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com [findersandkeeperspod@gmail.com] or leave a voicemail at speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers [http://speakpipe.com/findersandkeepers] For more about our attachments to our belongings, read the personal essays in the Object-ives [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/object-ives] and Stuff-ed [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/s/stuff-ed] sections of Open Secrets Magazine at opensecretsmagazine.com [http://opensecretsmagazine.com/], where you can also submit your own essays. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe [https://opensecretsmagazine.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]