S1, E7: Author Helen Chandler-White on Lost & Found and Why We Hold Onto Things

In this month’s book club, our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke, speaks to journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde about her latest book ‘Lost & Found’. They also discuss advice on writing non-fiction, blending memoir with journalism and share top tips for writing, including the Pomodoro technique, and how to balance being an author with a day job too.LOST & FOUNDWhy do we buy and keep the things we do, and how can we live a less cluttered life? Journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde dives deep to explore, explain, and guide us on the path to liberation from the tyranny of “too much.”On New Year’s Eve of 2018, journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde lost everything she owned in a storage unit fire in Croydon, where she had stowed all her possessions after a big break-up. She was left devastated, and forced to re-evaluate her relationship with owning material things.A mix of memoir, self-help and journalism, Lost & Found explores the psychological reasons for why we buy and keep the things we do, and explains how we can liberate ourselves from the tyranny of ‘too much’. Helen interviews people from all walks of life, including behavioural psychologists on the science of nostalgia, a nun on what it’s like to own almost nothing and consumer psychologists on why we spend impulsively, to help us better understand why we’re surrounded by clutter and what we can do to change it.This smart-thinking book explains the sociological quirks of human nature and the fascinating science behind why we buy and hold onto things. By the end of it, your relationship with your belongings will be changed forever.Read here: Lost & FoundBIOGRAPHYHelen Chandler-Wilde is a news and features journalist at Bloomberg and formerly for The Telegraph, where she writes stories about the real people behind the headlines. She covers a range of topics, from celebrity interviews to in-depth stories about housing in the UK.She studied economics and languages at university, before completing a master’s degree in journalism.Follow Helen Chandler-Wilde onInstagramABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which is in the Top 5% most listened to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won ‘Speech of the Year’ at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow Theo Clarke: @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com