Tampa Bay author’s new book focuses on downsizing for seniors

Michelle Passoff spent much of her career in New York City urging consumers to buy products. Now living in the Tampa Bay area, she helps local clients get rid of their stuff. Author of the 1998 book, “Lighten Up! Free Yourself from Clutter,” Passoff has shed her estate sales business and is writing a new book and launching a podcast, both titled “Decluttering 55+.” She also will begin moderating community sessions on how to downsize everything from your mind to your computer. Here, Passoff shares a preview of some of her forthcoming projects. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your new book about? “I always worked for large consumer product companies telling people what to buy and after doing 15 years of work on personal growth, I came to the conclusion that if you want to be transformed in your life, you have to get rid of all (the) stuff.”

“Decluttering 55+” will include a small, spiral-bound companion book that can easily sit like a tent on your desktop. “You can flip the pages, and each page has an inspiration or motivation,” said Passoff. She expects to finish writing by the end of the year.

Why is downsizing important? “Decluttering is really a navigational tool like a GPS for knowing who you are and where you are going without obstructions in the way.”

At 70, Passoff said she is especially interested in working with retirees or those considering major life changes. “(My new projects are) for the 55-plus crowd. I mostly address the areas of life (that people don’t want to confront). It’s very easy as you approach retirement to sweep those issues under the table, out of your mind or away forever.”

She will encourage clients and workshop attendees to tackle the hard stuff first: the physical and mental obstacles. “If you want less stress in your life, clean your clutter. And if you want more vitality, take a deep dive into the areas that you don’t want to confront.”

Passoff used to tell clients to start with the easy stuff, cleaning out a drawer or a box. But, she said, that sometimes makes it too easy to avoid the big things.

Today, she says, “Go there first. That garage that is gnarled with tools, equipment and camping stuff that you haven’t used in 40 years? Start there. Go for the jugular first.”

What is the podcast about? “We are inviting all kinds of interesting guests to discuss a wide range of topics, particularly those impacting (people) age 55 and older.”

The podcast is expected to debut in May, and, so far, guests in prerecorded sessions have included an executive director of a co-housing development, a 36-year-old woman who works as a funeral director and as a professor of mortuary science, and the head of a foundation who hosts continuing education programs for adults across the country.

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“What you have in retirement are earners, or individuals who are still working; learners, those who want to try new things; volunteers, who want to give back; and explorers, those who want to travel and check things off their bucket lists.”

Which one of those are you? Passoff said she and her husband, Andre Kupfermunz, 80, are earners, learners and explorers, for the most part. After closing their business in 2022, they traveled to Nice, France, for a month, where she studied French at Alliance Française. As soon as they returned to Florida, she began writing her second book and scheduling podcast interviews.

“Andre is working on his memoir. He has five grandchildren and a personal story that is significant on a historical, worldwide basis. And we both have ideas in mind of (places) we’d like to visit that we haven’t.”

You said you also help clients get rid of digital clutter. How would you describe that? “Digital decluttering will be a chapter in my book and it’s about your digital legacy. When you die, what do you want to happen with your online bank accounts, your investments, your subscriptions?” It’s important to leave passwords so your children or estate handlers can access your accounts, Passoff said. “Otherwise, it’s a big headache.” The same goes for photos and videos. “You want to harness all those photos and make sense of them so you can pass those on.”

How is decluttering healthy? “‘Decluttering 55+’ addresses health and fitness. It’s like a relationship reset, getting your financial house and legal papers in order and planning your funeral so that you have vitality and create a legacy, not a mess. (People of) this generation are pioneers in aging and retirement because we are living longer. Anything getting in the way of the healthiest, most expressive and happiest time in your life is clutter.”

Passoff is leading the following programs this spring. For more information, visit her website at decluttering55plus.com.

March 21: Decluttering 55+: Get Your Financial House in Order. 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Eckerd College.

March 27: Decluttering 55+ Roundtable Discussion and Coaching Session. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Sarasota Art Museum.

April 13: Decluttering 55+ Roundtable Discussion and Coaching Session. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Safety Harbor Art and Music Center.