Fixation: How to Have Stuff Without Breaking the Planet

Written By Sheila Azad

Guest: Sandra Goldmark

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Or below.

This week, we’re examining our relationship with “stuff” — what we own, how we consume and the impact our choices have on both our lives and the environment.

My guest is Sandra Goldmark. Sandra is a designer, teacher, repair entrepreneur and climate activist. She serves as Director of Campus Sustainability and Climate Action at Barnard College, where she is also an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Theatre. She is the founder of Fixup, a series of pop-up repair shops in New York City. In this episode, we discuss her new book, Fixation, and explore how to build a simpler, healthier, and more sustainable relationship with the things we own.

Sandra’s philosophy around “stuff” can be summarized in five steps: “Have good stuff (not too much), mostly reclaimed. Care for it. Pass it on.” A key part of this philosophy is prioritizing reclaimed goods whenever possible. The production and distribution of new products often require resource extraction and generate manufacturing waste, environmental damage and social costs in the form of low and unfair wages. Many of these costs are not reflected in the purchase price. By choosing reclaimed items, we help reduce the environmental and human impact associated with manufacturing new goods.

Sandra also encourages us to buy less and extend the life of what we already own. One way to do this is through maintenance and repair rather than disposal. Yet modern systems often make repair difficult: many products are not designed to be repaired, repair services can be hard to access and replacing items is frequently cheaper than fixing them. These dynamics reinforce a cycle of consumption that benefits short-term profit, but contributes to long-term waste.

In our current linear economy, resources are extracted, manufactured into products and eventually discarded — often after relatively limited use. Economic growth is driven by increasing consumption. Sandra advocates for a shift toward a circular economy, one that reduces waste and maximizes the value of existing resources rather than relying on constant extraction and disposal. Expanding repair systems is one example of how businesses can support this transition by creating new revenue models centered on maintenance and longevity rather than replacement alone.

Sandra explores these ideas in depth in Fixation, offering guidance for both individuals and businesses. At the heart of her work is a broader invitation to value care, maintenance and preservation — not only in relation to our possessions, but also in relation to the planet.

What I appreciate most about Sandra’s perspective is that she does not reject the pleasure or usefulness of material things. Instead, she invites us into a more thoughtful and responsible relationship with them. Her message is both practical and timely, and this conversation offers an important opportunity to reconsider the role “stuff” plays in our lives.

In this episode

  • The importance of looking at our relationship to stuff [01:13]

  • The stuff movement, Marie Kondo, minimalism and recognizing that our system of stuff is not healthy [03:45]

  • Sandra’s stuff philosophy in five steps [06:40]

  • Buying mostly reclaimed stuff and expanding our thinking around buying reclaimed stuff [08:16]

  • The impact of our individual buying choices on the environment[16:08]

  • A takeaway from running pop up repair shops [18:04]

  • The circular economy as a system to address waste [20:08]

  • How our stuff is artificially underpriced [24:02]

  • Valuing care and “maintenance work” [26:00]

  • How we create meaning with our stuff and use it to tell the story of our lives [30:03]

  • A good first step in changing your relationship to stuff [34:26]

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Sheila Azad
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