Clutter Coaching & Photography

Clutter Coaching

Imagine walking around your home, and every room you enter uplifts your energy and makes you feel good. Everything your eyes rest on either brings you joy or has true purpose. The energy in your home feels lighter and brighter. Your home and everything in it supports your vision of who you have become and are in the process of becoming. You and your home are in complete alignment!

Clutter clearing is much more than cleaning and organizing. It’s about understanding the energy in your home and how you interact with it. Clutter clearing can be a catalyst for positive transformation and clearing blockages in your life that drag you down and keep you from living the life you envision. My process is a deep one that incorporates guided “inner journeys“ and mindfulness practices that tap into your greater wisdom and help you to discover the emotional roots of your clutter so you can clear it at the very source. Releasing clutter is an opportunity to release the energetic patterns attached to it, making deep transformation possible.

In other words, it’s not just about the stuff. You clear your clutter by understanding what it represents. As you work through clearing the clutter in your home, you will hone your ability to discern what sparks joy and to make decisions and take action. The process generates momentum and can be very empowering!

Decluttering my home and sorting through the entire contents of my parents’ home after they passed away was a transformative journey, and now I’m passionate about empowering others to experience the alchemy of clutter clearing. Working in-person and/or remotely, I focus on the psychology of your clutter at the energetic level and regard clutter clearing as a sacred journey. I offer a variety of coaching modalities, including individual and group options and workshops that make use of whatever technologies you are comfortable with. Together, we will honor who you have been, acknowledge who you have become, and envision who you are in the process of becoming!

Why Work with a Certified Clutter Coach?

Do you have clutter you want to get rid of, but you don’t know how to start? Perhaps you’ve tried to declutter in the past but got stuck. Maybe you are an empty nester, have experienced some kind of loss or transition, are at a crossroads, or have moved into a smaller space, and your possessions reinforce old identities rather than who you have become and your vision of who you want to be.

Are you holding onto stuff you haven’t used in years because you “might” need it in the future – although deep down, you realize the likelihood of that is slim?

The truth is: If you don’t use it, need it, or love it, it’s probably clutter. 

You might even have a feeling that your real life and purpose is buried beneath your clutter, and if only you could get rid of the stuff that has outlived its usefulness, you’ll feel clearer and more focused about moving forward.

If any of this sounds familiar, rest assured that you are not alone! But it can be challenging to do it on your own and stay motivated, which is why it’s beneficial to work with a clutter coach.

If you’re having trouble releasing the clutter in your life, let’s get to the heart of it and understand what your clutter represents. Your stuff speaks volumes about your fears, grief, values, dreams, and regrets and holds answers that may lead to exciting transformations.

Creating spaciousness where there once was clutter makes room for new and wonderful possibilities to come into your life. I can guide you to declutter your home and your life and get rid of the baggage that bogs you down, so you will experience greater spaciousness, clarity, empowerment, and freedom.

During the clutter clearing process, you may encounter some tricky, sentimental types of clutter that could bring you to a standstill, including:

• Inherited/ancestral clutter
• Career clutter
• Artistic clutter
• Identity clutter
• Bereavement clutter
• Empty nest clutter.

I have experience working with all these categories and can help you get through the challenges you may encounter.

I won’t pressure you to get rid of anything you’re not ready to get rid of. I will help you determine how your stuff affects your energy and whether it is holding you back. If you find yourself clinging to things you don’t use or love, I will guide you to explore some deeper questions, until you discover the root cause of the attachment. We can work together to transform your attachment to your stuff and the stories you’ve created about it and create empowering releasing rituals that honor all the relationships that are attached to your stuff.

As your clutter coach, I can help you to:

• Create a structure and plan for your clutter clearing journey
• Know where to begin and what to leave for last so it won’t slow you down
• Find the pace that works best for you
• Go on guided inner journeys to find out what your clutter represents
• Keep going when you get stuck, lose momentum, or feel overwhelmed
• Anchor the meaning and significance placed on an object to something more enduring
• Create releasing ceremonies to let go of sentimental and inherited objects honorably
• Figure out where/how to donate, sell, or get rid of your stuff
• Release clutter in environmentally friendly ways
• Photograph family and personal heirlooms, children’s art work, etc. before releasing them with love and gratitude
• Journal about objects and their significance so you can keep the story but not the stuff
• Integrate mindfulness into the clutter clearing process.

My Clutter Coaching Services

I deliver clutter coaching in a variety of formats, including:

Clutter Clearing Workshops ($25/person)

• Introductory (getting started, tips and strategies)
• Specific aspects of decluttering
  • Specific rooms/areas of the home
  • Specific categories of clutter (supplies, artistic, paper, collections, etc.)
  • Grief and clutter
  • Decluttering with children
  • Clutter clearing for empty nesters
• 8-Week Clutter Clearing Workshop Series ($150/person, large group discounts and library rates available)
  • One 90-minute group session per week
  • Takes you step-by-step through the entire clutter clearing journey
  • Guided "inner journeys" to discover what is at the heart of your clutter and what you want to make space for
  • Life assessment questionnaire, action plans, affirmations, and journal prompts to deepen your decluttering journey
  • Group energy to help propel you through the process
• 8-Week Online Group Clutter Clearing Journey ($175)
  • Private Facebook group for instruction, inspiration, sharing, ongoing support, and accountability
  • One hour of recorded video lessons per week
  • Four live, interactive "office hours"
  • Guided "inner journeys" to discover what is at the heart of your clutter and what you want to make space for
  • Downloadable life assessment questionnaire, action plans, affirmations, and journal prompts to deepen your decluttering journey
  • Group energy to help propel you through the process
  • Feng shui tips
• Private "Ultimate Clutter Coaching Journey" Monthly Package ($325/month)
  • One-on-one coaching via phone, Zoom, FaceTime, and/or email
  • Initial interview, assessment, and action plan
  • Two 45-minute coaching calls per month
  • Email summary of coaching call notes and action items
  • Guided "inner journeys" to discover what is at the heart of your clutter and what you want to make space for
  • Weekly email check-in to share progress, successes, challenges, goals, and insights
  • Access to recorded video lessons from the 8-week course
  • Downloadable life assessment questionnaire, action plans, affirmations, and journal prompts to deepen your decluttering journey
  • Distance Reiki to support your progress
  • Personalized releasing ceremonies to help you let go of sentimental items
  • Feng shui tips
  • Follow-up check-in
• One-on-One, Distant Clutter Coaching ($60 per hour)
• One-on-One, In-Person Clutter Coaching ($80 per hour plus 60 cents/mile from 12871 zip code)

If you are ready and motivated to experience the alchemy of clutter clearing for yourself, let's begin a conversation! 

Clutter Clearing Photography Services

Some of my clients find that photographing sentimental objects makes it easier to release them. Others are interested in professional quality photos of items to sell online. As a professional photographer, it is my joy to provide you with images of personal or family heirlooms, children’s art work, your own art, or other collections you want to remember but don’t want to take up space in your home. We can discuss how to incorporate the images into beautiful photo albums and even personal or family memoirs that tell a compelling story.

Peter Menzel's coffee table book, Material World, made a big impression on me when I discovered it in the late 1990s. The book shows families from countries around the world photographed outside their homes surrounded by all their possessions and holding their most cherished ones. A person's favorite or most meaningful possessions are a window into understanding the person. I love photographing objects that are dear to someone in a way that conveys their significance, using simple backdrops or more artful, natural contexts.