Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Amanda Uhle (on hoarding)
Aug 27, 2025
Amanda Uhle, a journalist and the author of 'Destroy This House', shares her unique upbringing marked by her mother's hoarding and her father's motivational business ventures. She discusses navigating the complexities of being a pastor’s kid and how these experiences shaped her identity. Amanda also reflects on the emotional turmoil of her childhood home and her journey of understanding her parents after their deaths. With humor and insight, she explores the profound effects of family dynamics on personal growth and resilience.
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McSweeney's Trading Cards
- Amanda brought a McSweeney's issue and author trading cards to the interview, reflecting her role as publisher and literary community builder.
- The small, playful gifts establish her professional identity beyond the family story in the book.
Flash Wealth, Fast Collapse
- Amanda describes her parents' rise: sudden income from a soap-valve invention led to a 6,800‑sqft mansion and extravagant Asian-American/80s decor.
- That wealth quickly evaporated as ventures failed and spending outpaced reality, fracturing the family's stability.
Hoarding Cuts Across Profiles
- Amanda's mother combined technical competence (IBM engineer) with a compulsion to accumulate, showing hoarding cuts across class and skill.
- Hoarding isn't simply ignorance—it can coexist with intelligence and unusual career choices.
