Why we keep what we keep: New podcast Finders and Keepers explores the emotional complexity of our possessions, decluttering, and keepsakes

The series, hosted by Open Secrets Magazine, examines how attachments to everyday belongings are shaped by memory, identity, and experience

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J., May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- New Jersey-based writer and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel is launching Finders and Keepers, a new podcast that explores the emotional complexity of home décor, decluttering, and the surprising relationships people often have with their belongings.

From a world-traveling teddy bear shared between friends to a bestselling author's deeply personal book collection, treasured Lego builds, and family heirlooms passed down through generations, the series explores how memory, identity, and experience shape what we hold onto and why letting go is often difficult.

Launching today with multiple episodes, Finders and Keepers features conversations with writers, creatives, and everyday people about the meaning behind their most sentimental objects. The show explores the sometimes blurry line between nostalgic fondness and hoarding tendencies, with each guest diving deep into their personal history with their possessions. Across the season, guests share stories that range from deeply sentimental to practical to unexpectedly humorous.

"As a recovering hoarder, I've always been deeply invested in my things, finding value in items most people would throw away. I've learned so much from our guests about just how meaningful any item can be, from an unopened apple juice bottle harkening back to a newborn's medical treatment, to what happens when you're displaced from your home and don't know when you can return," Bussel said.

The podcast builds on Bussel's long-standing work exploring personal storytelling and relationships. A nationally published writer and editor of personal essay literary magazine Open Secrets, she has focused much of her work on culture and the emotional connections people have to their belongings. Finders and Keepers also aligns with broader conversations around minimalism, collecting, and clutter, with research showing 63% of Americans say they have too much stuff.

Upcoming episodes explore topics such as how motherhood and fatherhood shape our approach to saving and discarding items, fashion and gender expression, how to declutter room by room, and the evolving meaning of "stuff" in a digital age. Season 1 guests include Sassy founding editor Jane Pratt on having multiple storage spaces and giving away beloved objects, bestselling author Deesha Philyaw on how she became an avid reader and deciding which books to keep, and bestselling novelist and bookstore owner Emma Straub, author of American Fantasy, on the rise of book swag. Additional guests include essayist Athena Dixon on her extensive Black memorabilia collection, Kari Ferrell (also known as the "Hipster Grifter") on how to "Martha Stewart" a jail cell, Edgar Gomez, author of Alligator Tears, on exploring gender through female-coded clothing, Slate staff writer Aymann Ismail on struggling to say goodbye to his children's toys, Geezer magazine editor Laura LeBleu on the value of print media in a digital world, Emily Mester, author of American Bulk: Essays on Excess, on the enduring allure of shopping, and comedian Sara Schaefer on how to make miniatures, among others.

With themes that intersect with spring cleaning, memory keeping, family connections, and personal identity, Finders and Keepers offers a lens into why letting go can be so difficult and why we hold on in the first place.

The podcast is available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music, with new episodes released weekly.

About Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) is a writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of Open Secrets, a literary magazine that has published essays by more than 200 writers. Rachel is a freelance writer whose work spans books, culture, motherhood, personal finance, feminism, body image, belonging, and belongings, and has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Redbook, Salon, TODAY.com, and numerous other publications. She has edited more than 70 anthologies, authored a short story collection and has been recognized with eight Independent Publisher Book Awards. Rachel is currently working on a nonfiction anthology exploring our attachments to our personal belongings and is the host of Finders and Keepers.

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SOURCE Open Secrets Magazine