June 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Let’s face it. Most of us are overwhelmed with stuff. In our super consumer-driven culture, we can become literally overcome with our things. And that overwhelm impacts more than just our living space—it lives rent-free in our peace.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. As our world has evolved
If you want organization in your home, but without the overwhelm that often comes with organizing, this episode is for you! Yes, it is possible to create a calm, clean environment even when your house and life feels chaotic. This conversation is NOT about being “neat” or becoming a minimalist – it’s about honoring your nervous system, your story, and the ways your environment either holds you or is holding you back.
In this episode, Ashley is joined by Megan Flynn – founder of Live Simply Home Organizing – for a conversation that redefines what it really means to clear space in your home and your life.
Megan brings a deeply empathetic and non-judgmental lens to home organizing, drawing from her 17 years of nonprofit leadership and a degree in sociology. She’s helped countless families find peace and balance within their homes by uncovering the emotional and energetic weight clutter can carry.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
✨ The trauma behind the clutter
✨ Why we hold onto things we don’t even like
✨ How to move through shame, perfectionism, and fear when decluttering
✨ What our physical spaces reveal about our nervous systems
✨The sacred act of reclaiming your space – and your story
… and so much more!
Megan shares insights not just as a professional organizer, but as a busy wife, mom of two, and business owner who understands the real-life chaos many of us live in, and how to create calm within it.
This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by their home – and is ready to create a space that feels like an anchor, not a burden!
If you’re in Chicago, Megan’s your girl. But no matter where you live, this episode will inspire you to shift your relationship to your space in a whole new way.
Connect with Megan Flynn:
Instagram @LiveSimplywithMeg
Email info@livesimplywithmeg.com
Website https://www.livesimplywithmeg.com/
Connect with Ashley Logan:
Instagram @ashleydlogan
Website https://ashleydlogan.com/
Have a topic or guest you’d love to see featured on the Unapologetically Yours podcast? Send us an email: podcast@unapologeticallyyours.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This woman shows up at my house, took inventory quickly and was like, now get out.
I did too.
You don't need to be here.
It's all fine.
And within, I don't know how many days it was, I blacked it out, but I do know there wassomething like 75 boxes for the VA on my porch ready for them to pick up and haul away in
(00:22):
a matter of days and I could suddenly breathe again.
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Unapologetically Yours podcast.
I'm your host Ashley Logan and I'm so happy to have you here today.
Unapologetically Yours is a podcast where we go deep on everything from spirituality torelationships and connection to business and belief system because in a world when we've
(00:47):
been taught to play by the rules, it's time to live unapologetically.
Today I have a really, really special guest with you.
This woman came into my life
just over a year ago and made a tremendous impact during a time when things were real,real shitty.
And she brought her superpowers into my home and into our existence.
(01:08):
And I can't wait to introduce you to Megan Flynn, the founder of Live Simply with Meg.
And Meg, tell us a little bit about what you do for people.
Yeah, well, first, thanks for having me on.
This is so cool.
I love your studio and I loved helping you.
So I feel very honored that you asked me to be on the show because there are so manyamazing entrepreneurs out there and the fact that you chose me just means truly so much.
(01:33):
So, one, thank you.
But yes, I am the founder and owner of Live Simply with Meg, which is a home organizingbusiness.
And you don't just like organize, you like slaughter.
Like you like haul shit out of people's houses.
Oh yeah.
It's full transformation.
Yeah.
I mean, I get my stuffs in every day.
(01:54):
I'm changing lives while I'm in homes and yeah, it's full service.
Soup to nuts.
We are getting it out of the house.
We are throwing it away.
We are donating it.
We are using it.
We are buying the product.
We are labeling the product.
And we're just trying to make sense of people's things and honestly reduce stress.
I don't think people realize.
(02:15):
how much a disorganized home creates stress in the home.
my God.
And I feel really honored to be led into a home during maybe a hard time, maybe not even ahard time.
It could just be chaotic because of life.
And I get to come in and make it better.
I'm like a genie.
You know?
And how cool is that?
(02:36):
It is.
It's really awesome.
And like, your work is pretty incredible.
And it's like, it's just the impact.
I'll paint you a little bit of a picture.
Last spring,
My family is in the middle of a divorce and we were in a house that had just so much stuffand the stuff became unmanageable for a lot of reasons.
So this is kind of a two part story.
(02:57):
One being a mother of three really little kids in a dual income household where stuff issort of the
way to the kids' hearts.
So I've got grandparents on both sides bringing shit over every day.
I've got the nanny buying shit.
I didn't even know where some of this stuff was coming from and I couldn't move it in orout of my house fast enough.
(03:18):
I had people with good intentions dropping off uh huge bins full of clothing that Icouldn't sort through enough and then you feel guilty not getting rid of it.
And then with three little kids, they're changing sizes all the time, growing out of toysall the time.
Things are missing parts.
And then I would start the process of like, okay, I'm going to give away this littlewooden school bus that's so cute that has these little wooden figures in it, but I can't
(03:42):
give it away until I find all the figures.
So then I'm like digging through all of the different things and, ah.
So fast forward then to try to figure out what happens to all of that stuff and all ofthat clutter in a divorce process when we're one, dividing things up and then two,
having to get the house ready to sell so that people can see the fucking floors.
(04:05):
Two very different and emotional tasks to accomplish too.
Because you're selling your home that you had your children with and then you're trying todivide toys for your children so they're happy and harmony when things separate.
Totally.
Which is a lot.
So this woman shows up at my house, took inventory quickly and was like, now get out.
(04:28):
I did too.
You don't need to be here.
It's all fine.
And within, I don't know how many days it was, I blacked it out, but I do know there wassomething like 75 boxes for the VA on my porch ready for them to pick up and haul away in
a matter of days and I could suddenly breathe again.
And what was so interesting to me about this time, like one, it was so helpful becausethere was a pod there and like
(04:56):
You took all the toys and divided them up, labeled them like mom, dad, and then they weregone.
And they were just divided.
And we didn't have to think about it.
Didn't have to have weird conversations.
It was just done.
You did intuitively, equitably, all of those things.
But more than that, when I walked around my house afterwards, I felt such an emotion ofgutache because I fell in love with my home again and was leaving it.
(05:20):
You did have a beautiful home.
I loved that house.
But I felt the weight of all this stuff.
And I can imagine that for you, the impact that you're making in people's lives, it's alot more than just having a, know, pencils go here, crayons go here system.
It's really changing the way that people can be in their bodies, be in their homes.
(05:41):
And that's a huge thing.
I'm like getting a little choked up.
No, I know.
Listening to you talk about it gets me choked up because I've seen it.
I've seen clients at the end of the process cry and hug me and then feel like, okay, butnow you're leaving?
like, this feels too important.
Like, we should be friends forever now after this.
Because that relief at the end is so life changing, so profound.
(06:05):
To reclaim their home back, whatever it might be, to have the space that you maybe didn'teven want to enter, and now you're willing to walk in it, it's powerful stuff.
Right?
And that's our home.
That's where we have to go every single night to retire.
And to hate it.
(06:26):
and to not walk into space and to feel emotionally drained and sad from something thatshould be bringing you joy.
That's a really tough spot to be in.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to come home every day and to feelthat, that store of emotions to then walk in it and be like, yes, this was what the
(06:48):
intention of the space was supposed to be.
And here it is.
And well, we're also burdened by stuff.
We are a burden.
Just like a massive consumerism culture.
Totally.
And, know, like helping people take inventory of like what they have and what they don'tneed.
And then you figure out you don't need you don't need three strainers.
(07:09):
You don't need three strainers.
don't.
don't.
And the kids too, right.
So sometimes I'll find four toys that are the same type of toy.
Right.
One to hand me down, which I can appreciate.
Right.
We have
aunts and uncles and neighbors who don't want to waste.
It all comes from good intentions.
People don't want to waste their stuff, so they burn somebody else with it.
(07:31):
And so there's two ways of thinking about it as an organizer.
Okay, that is all well-intentioned, but we can also give these to families who don't havethe means.
You can donate it.
You don't have to give it to another family who has the means because they have the sametoy three times.
Right?
So we can donate it.
Right?
You don't have to carry the burden of what do I do with this item.
(07:53):
You can give it away.
We're also holding onto items that are broken and garbage.
So we can trash, we can recycle.
That's like a whole other session.
Right.
Or we could do with less.
And I'm never here to judge people.
When I do closets, I'm like, listen, I like shoes.
If you like shoes, I'm never going to make you part with your shoes if you're a shoeperson.
(08:17):
Right?
We all have the things that we're passionate about.
But do we have to have that mindset on everything we buy?
Do we need that many toys?
From the Maria Kondo theory of, it filling your cup?
Is it bringing you joy?
Is it serving?
And there is something to that.
I try to be a little less judgmental and more practical.
(08:37):
If you're using it, great.
But just ask yourself the hard question, are you using it?
Do you know you have it?
Do you need it?
Do your kids need it?
Do you already have it?
and let's trim, let's trim the fat a little bit and see what's left and then you might beable to breathe lighter and your space might be reclaimed.
And it's just a snowball effect.
I can't tell you how many times I have a client that will text me and say, I was soinspired by what you did in my pantry that now I'm doing my closet.
(09:04):
my God.
And I'm like, bravo.
You don't need to hire me to come back.
I'm inspiring you.
Great.
Awesome.
Well, first of all, we need to go deep on your content and show some before and aftersbecause like, do we have any from my house?
I did not take any.
I knew it was an emotional time and I really do try to.
I feel people's vibe.
(09:24):
It might have been a little bit awkward to be like, I'm going to take some before andafter.
Can I show us some?
So yeah, I get it now.
It makes sense.
I should have taken some before and after because it was just an absolute.
Um, it's a show of a time.
So what prompted you to want to start this business?
Have you always been organized?
I was.
So it's just a funny thing.
(09:45):
So I totally took a pivot.
I was in a nonprofit.
I did nonprofit for 18 years.
Loved my job.
Make-A-Wish.
The most incredible organization.
That's like my dream job.
my closest friends there.
I had the best mentors there.
Our leadership team was incredible.
I learned so much.
It's really why I was able to create a business, to be honest.
(10:06):
Understanding budgets and finances and staffing and it all, really.
In nonprofit, you're so lean.
And you help nonprofits all the time with their marketing.
So that's what you do.
And we're doing so much on such a little amount of money.
And so you have to get creative.
You have to get savvy.
And I do think starting my own business, you have to be a little gritty.
(10:28):
Totally.
So I had that in the bag with Make-A-Wish.
and loved it.
I started there fresh out of college, stayed there, grew from coordinator to director,loved it.
I did not leave Make-A-Wish disgruntled.
I love the organization.
They do incredible work.
I just was ready for a change.
And I bet from how I know you that you were there for 18 years, you've been married for along time, that you probably felt that seed of knowing for a bit before you've done it.
(11:00):
That's probably what I hate the most is because I think the type A personality in me wishI would have gotten more accomplished maybe at the end, but it was such an emotional
decision to leave there because I was a baby there.
They groomed me, they dieted me, they were mentors to me, they were family.
So it was truly as if I was leaving a family and that was terrifying.
(11:25):
And in my mind, it was, can't go to another nonprofit.
I will never recreate the magic that this organization is.
People aside, the mission, the families, the children, the strength, the beauty of it allwas so incredible.
It was such a privilege serving those families that how could I replicate that anywhereelse and start over?
(11:45):
So it was either make-a-wish, die, or something completely different.
And the one thing that everyone
My entire life told me I should be doing is organizing.
Once it of became a thing, right?
It was never really a thing.
In the 80s, was like junk drawers galore, right?
No one tidied their house, right?
It wasn't an issue.
Well, because they had housewives.
(12:07):
They had housewives.
They also didn't have as much stuff.
Back to the stuffs.
my gosh, There was no Amazon clickbait.
There was no Instagram clickbait.
There wasn't any of that.
And they weren't as over-programmed as we are now.
And so they were out doing things.
in a different way and managing the home.
gosh, that's so true.
Yeah, it was just different.
(12:28):
just want to think about that.
I know.
were out doing, not consuming as much and not over-programmed.
Can we go back to the 80s?
I mean, free room parenting, right?
Latchkey kids, was something to that.
I'd like an 80s summer, please.
I'm sure their kids would too.
I know.
Right?
kind of get that already saying with the devices?
Like we're watching our kids in all the wrong places.
(12:48):
We're not letting them go out and explore, but yet we don't watch them on their tabletsand devices.
80s, was, go.
I think, again, type A.
I'm an organizer.
Come on.
I mean, let's call a spade a spade.
I couldn't leave Make Wish without feeling like I needed to see if it was actuallysomething I wanted to do.
I did it as a kid.
I did it in my own house.
I would clean things all the time.
My mom would call me in college and ask me where things were in our closet all the time.
(13:12):
Megan, where would you find this bowl?
Hey, Meg, I'm looking for this.
And I would know exactly where it was.
Barbie shoes, game board pieces, and little baggies by color.
It was insane.
I loved the order.
As a little girl, nothing happened to me.
I just loved doing my god, I wish that you were my friend when we were little girls,because you would have come to my house and taken all the popsicle sticks that I was using
(13:35):
to make Barbie furniture, and you would have color coded it and organized I would have.
And I did.
And we have a great team.
My childhood friend, remember Joanna and Lacey on the block, I used to want to play houseand I would clean their houses, their parents' houses.
Oh my gosh.
And they would tell my mom, Megan can come over any time because I would tidy up the housebecause that was to me part of housekeeping.
I loved doing it.
(13:56):
And our house wasn't chaotic either by any means.
I didn't have it, so I ran to it.
Our home was in order.
My mom did an amazing job.
She had dinner on the table for us every night.
But it also, she wasn't over the top with it either.
It wasn't like I was emulating and I also wasn't running.
So this was just in you.
This is like your purpose.
So you started the business whilst you're working at Make-A-Wish.
(14:17):
You could have a soft landing.
did.
And that soft landing is they knew.
They knew.
I said, is just something I'm doing for fun on the side.
And it's giving me some extra play money.
know, nonprofit isn't the most lucrative business.
Amen.
So I was like, okay, this will earn me a few extra bucks and I'll just test it and try itand create a website and play around with it.
And people were finding me and asking questions and leaning in and, I'll try that service.
(14:43):
the more I did it, I was like, huh, maybe I can do this.
And I still had that fear of leaving Makewish, leaving that home.
And the pandemic happened.
And after the pandemic, things changed at work because everything changed for people.
The whole world changed.
The whole world changed.
And for me, seeing the side of being accessible to my children, seeing what it meant notcatching that 530 train sprinting to Union Station to make that train to then sprint from
(15:17):
my train station to my house to get my kids to and from, I had no idea what that trust wasdoing to me.
None.
Oh my And like what in it was gone.
Eradicated.
Yeah.
I hate saying that it was a profound time for me because I want to respect that so manypeople lost and struggled during that time.
(15:37):
And that pains me watching what happened to so many people, families, businesses.
But for me personally, that pause allowed me to see what I was missing.
And my level of commitment at Make-A-Wish was deep and I was working long hours and longdays.
(15:58):
And I had...
an unhealthy relationship with Make-A-Wish.
Not by them, but myself.
I'd been there for so long and I think after people were home with their children, workingfrom home, home offices, there was a need for home organizing.
After digging out themselves and their space.
then they're like, okay, we just made a mess of our home now and now we're going back tothe office or back to school and now what?
(16:24):
And now we need help and I'm SOSing.
and we need you, but I was like, well, I have a job.
I can't do both.
And so I had to make a decision.
Am I going to do it or not do it?
Because I'm either all in a make-a-wish and I've got to pull my shit together or I need togo for it and take a risk and try this because I've done it and I like it.
And so obviously you saw what I chose.
(16:45):
Yeah.
And it's been amazing.
Yeah.
You're wildly great at it.
And then the word of mouth thing, when you make an impact on people's home life, it reallymatters.
And I am so curious about like some of the things that you've learned about human beingsand the weight that we carry through the process of being so intimately involved in their
(17:06):
stuff.
Yeah, I don't think I expected to learn as much as I did helping families.
In my mind, I saw organizing as a talent of mine.
I can visually plan.
I can see things.
I understand where things can go logically because that's how my brain works.
And so in my mind, I was going to be doing that all day.
(17:30):
I didn't realize that I was going to be stepping into homes.
I mean, I did, but not to this extent.
Pain up underneath that stress in the home, right?
And different levels of pain.
I mean, yes, some trauma for some families, but also for some families, just overwhelmed,overwhelmed, too busy in the weeds and what that was doing to them.
(17:54):
seeing people who are vulnerable, right?
You can't help but just lean in and then want to help, at least for me.
Like, you're telling me your story, you're being so vulnerable, you're showing me all ofyour private spaces.
I mean, come on, I'm in people's underwear drawers.
You really have a close relationship with your clients and if they let you, and thesepeople are kind enough to let me because they are making that step to do something for
(18:17):
themselves, for their family.
There's a lot of stress out there and I didn't anticipate to feel so emotionally chargedby that.
But it's been driving me and it's been an unexpected joy that I found in this career.
mean, you have such a big heart and like your work with Make-A-Wish and then finding thatlike, oh actually, the impact that you're making, it translates.
(18:41):
does.
that learning was very unexpected.
I didn't realize what an impact I was going to make.
At Make-A-Wish, was impact, impact, impact, changing lives.
I just thought I was going to be doing something that I was good at and that was a hobby.
I didn't translate it to impacting lives or families.
(19:02):
And that sounds so cheesy and corny.
And certainly there are people doing amazing work.
I don't know that organizing is up there on, you know, curing cancer and all theseincredible things that people can do.
But on a very small level, I know when I start a job and then I finish it, I've left thatfamily better and they are grateful.
And I feel really good about that.
Because I'm a mom, I'm a business owner, I work full time, and I feel that stress too.
(19:29):
And so I want someone to help me every once in a while too.
I pretty much serve the Western suburbs.
This is where I live.
This is my backyard.
So I feel like I'm helping a mom out.
I'm helping a family out.
And that feels really good.
And I think the biggest thing that I keep trying to communicate, at least on my socialmedia,
(19:49):
And with my clients, which is why your podcast is so perfect, is you don't have to saysorry.
I can't tell you how many times I have clients that are apologizing to me about the chaos,about the over toys, the stuff that's in their house.
And I just want people to know I'm not judging you and you don't have to apologize.
(20:09):
Maybe there are other organizers that do that.
I don't know.
But I can tell you this.
I would never.
judge a client when I walk into their home.
Well, I think that the thing that's so important is like, one, grateful for the lack ofjudgment and two, want women to not apologize because it's mostly moms.
But what your work is a reflection of is a symptom of a society that is so hard on workingfamilies.
(20:35):
Yes.
Because the schedule, kids and travel sports, managing that schedule.
than your own jobs, dual income households, than trying to take fucking care of yourself.
And it's like, and so when?
So then if like you don't get to the thing that's piled up, you're in survival mode.
And it creates a cycle of just like, okay, I'm gonna like if I can clean off the kitchentable this week and I can see the wood on my table and put fresh flowers there, something
(21:04):
like, Or if it's like, I need to get 40 minutes of fresh air or else I'm gonna.
lose my shit on a kid again.
It's like all of this is a symptom.
It is.
Of something that's broken.
Like what you were saying, like sprinting for the train.
You didn't even realize how much weight.
I don't think that people really understand how much pressure they're under and how muchthe clutter is impacting their minds and energy.
(21:33):
You got it.
Yeah.
That's where it is.
Yeah.
I mean, and I had to do, I spoke to the LinkedIn staff.
a global presentation to their team.
Stop.
Yeah, it was so cool.
was so cool.
I was like, I don't need to show you guys how to stack bins in a pantry.
What you guys need to know as people who are coming into work every day and working yourasses off, it's a tech company and they're working hard and fast, is the correlation
(21:59):
between your clutter and stress in the home.
And there are scientific studies out there.
Actually, a professor in Nepal…
Just down the block, know, in the city, this guy wrote a whole article on what ishappening to our cortisol levels when our home has clutter in it.
But to your point, we don't have time to clean the clutter because of the society that welive in today, keeping up with what we overprogram our children in, keeping up with the
(22:26):
demands of job, this networking event, don't forget your self-care, everything you justpointed out means something has to go to the wayside.
And for some families, especially if you're not coming at it from an organized mindset,like I am not a creative person.
I'm not good at painting or drawing or crafting.
It's just not my strength.
And that's OK.
I painted these.
(22:47):
That's why I all the clutter here.
That's why I go to Etsy.
And that's why I, that's why we're good now.
We're also like recognizing who you are and your strengths and your weaknesses.
But I do think some people are hesitant to pull the trigger on organizing.
because of maybe they say cost and that could be a barrier.
not saying it's not, but honest because they think they, I think they think they should bedoing it.
(23:12):
And I think that's bullshit.
I think it's bullshit that women think that they should be Susie homemaker and have aperfect home.
I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting it though.
If you see one of my reels on Instagram and you have a reaction that feels lighter,because I know when I look at a chaotic picture, a home that has mess everywhere,
(23:35):
Okay, what am I going to do?
What product do they need?
What can we get rid of?
What needs to go?
And then when I'm done, that feeling of, ah, like relief, airy, lightness.
I know my client's going to feel that.
There's nothing wrong with wanting that.
Right.
But it's okay if you can't deliver it.
If you are too busy, it's okay if you are not that person.
(23:57):
So anything could go right.
Why not hire an organizer?
Well, I think that the thing that you were talking about is like, is that the no judgment.
think that so many people, it's like you clean before the clean lady comes.
Totally.
Guilty.
And it's like, no, you're not going to be judged.
And you're really not.
so much better.
And because the system is designed to break us.
Amazon automatic buy.
(24:18):
You buy something, you use it There's more coming in that's going, You're not using it andI'm seeing ton bottles of something.
Can we talk about goodie bags at kid birthday parties?
No more.
For the love of God, just stop them.
They're bad for the environment.
And guilt for throwing it away.
Guilt for throwing it I'm in there.
will create bins for my clients to look through and I say, I think this is trash.
Let's take a look at this.
(24:39):
And it's guilt again.
for feeling bad, for trashing it, because someone put the effort of putting it together.
Oh my gosh.
So there's so much guilt underneath organizing.
There's so much apologizing.
There's so much guilt.
There's so much shame.
the worst part about all that is that it doesn't have to be that way.
There are people who like doing it, who are good at it, who are willing to help reducethat stress for you in your home.
(25:07):
And I'm not even plugging myself here.
organizer.
You'll find the organizer that works for you because I do think it's an intimaterelationship.
I think organizing in general for all of us is good for the business.
I don't care if it's me or someone else.
I really don't because I think there is so much benefit to living a cluttered free home.
(25:27):
I think it reduces stress.
I think it reduces anxiety.
I think it makes you feel at peace in your own home.
I think it's a shame
They'll spend thousands of dollars on a new kitchen, but it's all thrown into cabinetsbecause guess what?
They don't have time.
They don't have time to put it all back.
They had it all off site.
It was in a pod.
Oh my gosh, the kitchen's ready.
They're throwing it in.
They didn't even get a chance to run a vacuum inside those cabinets or sawdust everywhere.
(25:50):
Your hard work of making that money to create a beautiful new kitchen in your space andthat time to put it all back right because you're sowing the weeds.
What a shame.
I know.
Right?
I what a I think too about the guilt.
Okay, so I'm looking at something in my hand that's some dumb toy and I feel bad aboutthrowing it away.
But also, the unknowing part is when that same piece is on my bedside table.
(26:14):
One of my kids has brought it up and left it there and discarded it.
And then I stopped seeing it after a while.
And then another thing gets added there and then I stopped seeing that too.
And that weight of those things pile up.
It's the same guilt.
It's the same shame as just being like really raw and really honest with yourself to belike, this is trash.
This is something I don't need.
(26:35):
And kids clothes coming hand me downs and other things that I was getting at my house allthe time.
I finally had to just be like, I am so grateful for this.
I just can't take this right now.
I am so overwhelmed with stuff.
If I need something, I'm going to go buy it.
Local church, Goodwill, Amvets.
Yes.
They will pick it up.
(26:56):
The 75 boxes, right?
It had to have been at least.
We put it out in front.
How many?
It had to It was a lot.
It was two days' worth.
And then I took trips.
And so did my other organizer.
Yeah.
We both took trips to Goodwill.
Oh my But how great.
How great.
Because someone now is going to buy that Melissa Doug toy that cost $40 for four bucks.
(27:17):
Right?
That's a good thing.
That's a good thing.
And so it's reframing it.
Yeah.
It's a good thing.
It's a good thing getting clutter out of your house to create space for your family tobreathe and do and play and create.
You can't create it if there's something all over the table.
No, it impacts a million things.
So I think that one of the things that we've covered like the shame of too much stuff, howmuch lighter you feel when you do get through it, like even just like in a closet scenario
(27:44):
when you know it's so much easier to pick out what you're going to wear when all thethings are there are things that fit.
and you like.
Yes.
You just had a closet overhaul.
I did.
We didn't talk about that.
Yeah.
It was less of an overhaul.
was just being raw and totally honest with myself.
I took every single thing out of my closet and asked myself before putting it back, am Itaking this with me?
(28:05):
Right.
And a lot of it was clothes that I felt guilty about getting rid of, like, I spent toomuch money on this.
I only wore this once.
Guess what?
I haven't thought about it one fucking time since I packed it up and sent it away.
yourself with the guilt.
Every once in a while, I have a real great piece that I give away that I regret, but notcompared to the massive amounts of stuff.
And so I've started just like changing my buying habits, changing what I'm investing in.
(28:29):
So it's like timeless pieces like this Christy Dawn dress that is like made fromregenerative fabric.
I wear these white pants all the time.
I wore them on NBC5 segment.
Yeah.
You know, it's just capsule pieces.
It's having less.
Even that's going to reduce trust because when you have a million options in your closet,
It's analysis paralysis picking things out.
Totally.
When you have six or seven core pieces, it's easy.
(28:52):
It's easy.
It's easy.
I can speak from my experience being a entrepreneur, mom of three kids, and just theamount of pressure, the amount of things on my plate.
It's a lot.
And so what I'm curious about from your experience, what are maybe, maybe let's think ofthree.
(29:15):
behavior changes people can make when it comes to keeping their homes less cluttered thatcan really make a difference even subconsciously in their stress levels?
That's a great question.
And I know the first one that comes to mind is definitely the one in one out.
(29:35):
So if someone gives your child a new toy, you get rid of a toy.
Oh my God.
One in one out.
And just try it.
Be very cognizant of it.
And if something new comes into your house, are you getting rid of something?
So as small as a mouthwash bottle, do you actually need new mouthwash or is it half full?
(29:58):
Because sometimes we see it, we're like, I need to get that.
And then you sit there with your half full mouthwash and then a full one.
And now you have to space for two.
And then it doesn't fit.
So then you have it sitting on the counter.
Thus the clutter starts.
Because if you have that mindset on how you buy
Take that times every little thing in your house.
And where does it live?
On top of countertops, not in the spot, right?
(30:21):
And so toys, clothing, why are you buying new socks?
Is it because three pairs have holes?
Great, throw the holy socks away and then buy the new pairs of I don't want to get rid ofmy holy socks.
One in, out.
One in, one out.
Because that is going to make you more cognizant about what you're buying.
Do you really need that?
(30:41):
Do you need more?
Right?
And I know people will say, well, I'm going to Costco and I own or I'm doing this.
OK, maybe food is a little bit different, but even then, are you are you getting throughwhat you already bought at the last trip?
Are you out of the applesauces?
And that's why you need to get more at Costco.
Or is your applesauce box full and you're bringing in another box?
(31:02):
Oh my gosh, we got boxes and boxes of Pirate's Booty.
And unless you have one of those houses that we saw on the kitchen walk this year whereit's like, there was a whole room that was like, this is the Costco For overstocking?
Yeah, this is overstocking.
They are ready.
Bunker room is ready.
Bunker ready, all of those things.
Guess what?
I don't have that kind of space.
Hey, and news flash, that stuff goes stale.
(31:23):
So it's waste.
That is waste.
One in, out, from food to beauty products.
to clothing, to toys, all of it.
And it will slowly reduce clutter.
So that one for sure, we were kind of doing more of a downsize, right?
For you, we were getting rid of toys.
But a lot of what I do every day is organize spaces and to create systems for clients.
(31:46):
And that means they have a pantry or they have a closet that has maybe a lot ofaccessories or different things and it's all over the place.
I am a product heavy.
organizers.
That means I believe in buying vessels to contain things.
I think that we need mental triggers to tell us
(32:07):
You are over exceeding what you need right now.
Because when the one in, one out fails you, if you have a bin of batteries and the bin isto the top, you do not need any more batteries.
So find a spot in your home for batteries and only keep batteries there.
Don't keep batteries in 12 drawers, in the basement, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, inthe bedrooms.
(32:30):
You're gonna save money if you zone it and you put it in a bin.
The bin becomes a visual reminder of what you need, what you don't have, and it reducesstress because you know where it's at.
That bin lives in this linen closet.
So therefore, let's say this cabinet for you for work.
Let's say we decided to zone all of your mic equipment and you have a podcast coming upand your stress because you had a crazy day and calls and meetings.
(32:57):
And now you have...
15 seconds to get ready for a podcast.
If you know this house is all your microphones and they're in bins that you can easilypull in and out, you're not gonna stress in that 15 seconds that you have to get ready for
the podcast, because you know exactly where to go, where to find it, and you can pull itin and out.
That reduces stress.
And if you did that tenfold in your home, then you know where everything's at.
(33:20):
And that is time back, that's money back.
And so I do think that infrastructure of
Having a bin to contain something and putting in a spot, it's kind of like a two for one.
Contain and zone.
Even if it's starting small, just try it.
Have one closet you designate for all of your home shit.
3M stickies, light bulbs, extension cords, zip ties, all the crap we need.
(33:43):
Put it all in one space.
And every time you need that, you're gonna go to that spot and you're not gonna stress.
God, but like, I get that system and then the next time I'm overextended so I don't putthe mics back in the bin.
Okay, so here's- How do I get that?
How do I stop doing that?
Number three, you have to do 15 minute organizing.
(34:04):
No more, no less.
Every day.
doesn't even have to be every day.
You just have to spend 15 minutes.
I think what happens is, you know, we look at projects like a class of project andsometimes we do need a big project.
Sometimes we do need an overhaul and we need that.
It's very cathartic.
It's important.
I'm not dissing a big Sunday project.
(34:26):
But very few of us have five to eight hours to dedicate uninterrupted time.
And that's about how long these projects take.
That's probably one thing that shocks my clients the most is the amount of time it takesto actually get up and people stop and really sort through it, edit it, get rid of it and
organize it.
Who's got eight hours?
Nobody.
(34:46):
My eight hours are uninterrupted when I'm in your home.
Who has eight hours uninterrupted in their home?
Work emails, calls.
Distractions, neighbors, kids, you name it, okay?
So 15 minute organizing means try to carve out 15 minutes and accomplish a very smalltask.
So your to-do list this week could be, need to clean this microphone shit show that hasgotten away from me.
(35:10):
So I'm gonna spend 15 minutes on Monday putting all the mics back.
Once a week, just do that.
That's your thing.
It could be one drawer in your house that's pissing you off.
What is the one drawer that you open every time and you go, oh, you slam it back?
I feel like I'm gonna set the goal of like my kitchen table.
We're a big kitchen table family.
Stuff just piles up on it.
Totally.
Always.
You and everybody else.
Trust me, you're not alone.
(35:31):
I am in my unapologetic era.
It is what it is.
But if I could just spend 15 minutes a day just clearing off the surfaces or You don'teven have to be that hard on yourself.
could just be...
It's just a nice thing to like, I'm going to catch up with my sister and I'm going toclear off my table.
That's exactly right.
Like, phone time is so good for organizing.
I think more you're thinking of as a kitchen project.
(35:53):
I need to organize this kitchen.
I need to organize all this." And that's the wrong mindset.
It should just be the papers on the table.
You want to break it down.
You want to make it more granular.
So much how we would in business.
You wouldn't just pitch a big marketing plan for a nonprofit, right?
You have to unpack it.
You have to unpack your organizing because you're not a professional organizer with eighthours of unlimited time.
(36:17):
So you have to unpack what is stressing you out in your home.
And if it's the table,
If it's really piled, I'm going to pull out all the craft materials that are on thistable, because I see a lot of them.
I'm going spend 15 minutes doing that.
I'm going to put it in a bin.
I'm going to put a lid on it.
I'm going to put it in this cabinet.
So just do that.
And then maybe when you have another 15 minutes, three days from now, you can tackle thepapers.
(36:41):
And then three days from that, maybe there's photos that need to be looked at and decidedif you're going to put it in a keepsake bin or toss or artwork from the kids, right, or
school project stuff.
It's more 15 minute unpacking so that projects feel more digestible, easier to tackle,less overwhelming.
It's kind of getting rid of that all or nothing mentality, right?
(37:03):
It's like that Pinterest.
You see something I've done, you see something on Pinterest that looks beautiful.
And when you want to tackle your pantry, you're thinking that.
It's all or nothing attitude.
If I can't do it all perfectly, I'm not even going to do it.
Fuck it.
It doesn't have to be that way.
You can organize for real life.
Just small, small 15 minutes.
(37:23):
Okay.
So I have a fun question for you because this is really good.
Okay.
What are the things that people have in their home that they just don't fucking need?
Stop buying this.
One thing.
It does have to be one thing, but something that comes to mind where it's like, my God,why does everyone have this and no one needs this?
Okay.
I got it.
Everyone has it and everyone should just go home or if they're driving right now,listening while they're working.
(37:49):
When you get home tonight,
go to your basement or your garage and throw away the fucking cords.
The millions and millions of cords.
One, you have no idea what that shit goes to.
Right.
I don't, you don't.
Two, not that I'm promoting over buying, but if you are desperate for a cord, you can findit on Amazon.
(38:10):
Right.
The amount of time it takes to sort all those cords, you will get that back and then someif you bought a $15 cord on Amazon.
for a vacuum.
And chances are your vacuum cord for your Dyson is plugged in right now at the wall.
So those cords are probably from college.
They're probably from a baby noise machine that your kids are now 16.
(38:31):
They're from a hot wheel car or a drone that your kid has broken already.
And it's not even a judgment.
I have them.
I have them too.
I'm there.
Guilty.
And there's guilt and worry.
There's guilt and worry with throwing it away.
But just hit that fuck it button and just toss it.
I love that.
That's such a good need them.
I love that.
(38:51):
I knew you'd have a good answer there because that is so true.
Like I am for sure absolutely carrying old cords from like the baby monitor.
My baby, my youngest just turned five.
Right.
You don't need all those cords.
He does not need monitoring.
can hear him coming.
turbines of cords.
And we're all guilty of it.
I mean, people are like, I don't even know what half that stuff goes to.
(39:12):
And so fun, fun tip.
You can recycle all those cords and electronics.
There's a great place in Baridge.
You don't even have to get out of your car.
It's electronic recycling.
They're open seven to three.
You can drive right on up and pop your trunk and they'll take it all for free.
Okay.
That's amazing.
So I think a lot of people hold onto that stuff too because it's with the devices.
Right.
And they think it's important.
They're worried.
Yeah.
In a not being silly or funny, you know, it's like, well, this cord goes with thiscomputer and I feel like I'm holding onto the computer.
(39:36):
So wipe it, pitch it.
Well, I think that first of all, this has been so great.
And I know that everyone listening is getting so much from it.
And I just want to like take a second and
offer the people listening just a little bit of grace.
You are doing a good job, a really good job.
(39:57):
Great job.
Managing everything.
If things got out of control, it happens.
Totally.
And one, it's nothing to apologize for.
Nothing.
Two, it's a symptom of a society that is not built for us.
Correct.
And maybe we can all change that, but like we are so overextended, so stressed out.
(40:20):
All those things to ask for help in this area is absolutely game-changing becauseenergetically, like even principles of feng shui, like it's energy, it's spiritual, it's
scientific.
It is scientific.
matters.
It matters.
Your dwelling matters.
And to feel that peace and solitude in one space where you can just be is so valuable.
(40:42):
So friends,
who are listening, take a deep breath and just start to be really honest with yourselfabout the things you can get rid of, about the ways that you can ask for help and to also
recognize that you did nothing wrong.
You did nothing wrong to get to this point.
No apologizing.
The first thing I say to all my clients and I really do have the best clients.
(41:06):
These are strong, hardworking women, parents, families doing amazing things in theircommunity.
getting their kids to and from sports and activities and dance lessons and theater.
And it's amazing that we're all somehow doing it with a smile on our face, right?
And so it's okay.
It's okay to ask for help.
(41:28):
It's okay.
And I love that.
I love that you said you are doing a great job because they are.
They are.
They're children.
Their families are beautiful.
I mean, how cute were your kiddos?
I mean, the best.
You are doing a great job, right?
Good for you for asking for help.
It was actually, have a local realtor, Shelly Prakowski, thanks for this, who looked at meand grabbed me by the face and was like, girl, you need some help.
(41:52):
And I was like, okay, okay, tell me.
Yes, we've been, Shelly and I have been friends since kindergarten.
Okay, two things.
Actually, one thing.
Okay.
I ask everyone who comes on the show, what are you doing to show up in the worldunapologetically?
One thing that I do,
that I think all women should do and hopefully they're doing it is once a month I gettogether with my core group of beautiful friends that I met at Make-A-Wish and we
(42:23):
celebrate each other.
We celebrate each other and that means sometimes my husband has to drive all over the damnwestern suburbs taking my kids to and from places and that sucks because you're in the car
from four o'clock until 10 o'clock at night and it's hard but I need that time.
I need that space to be with other women who are leaning in, asking me questions about howwork is going, how they can support me, who are telling me that I'm doing a great job.
(42:50):
I think carving out that time, even though things are busy, I'm never going to apologizefor that.
We always text each other after those nights and say, you know, my cup is filled.
My cup is filled.
And it is, right?
Because we're a group of women that started young in our career together.
at a nonprofit and all have gone different ways, we have each other's backs and it doesn'tmatter what we have going on, we always carve out time once a month for that group.
(43:17):
ah I love that.
I mean, for over 20 years.
I mean, and I won't apologize for carving out that time for that.
And I think we all need that time to get away and decompress and celebrate women.
Yes, it's so nurturing.
And then we have to be in community with one another, with people who make us feel seen,safe, supported.
uplift us where we can brag, where we can cry, we can do all those things.
(43:41):
With no judgment.
With no judgment and without apology.
So I love that.
How can people find you?
So they can find me on Instagram, Facebook, or I have website, LiveSimplyWithMeg.com.
And like I said, they can even follow along.
I share tips all the time.
And if they have questions, they can just post on there and I'm happy to answer.
I'm also happy to come out and do a free consult and assess someone's space.
(44:05):
You know the drill.
I come out.
There's no judgment.
I'm really here for families to reduce that stress, help them get the space back to theway they want it, right?
Reclaim it.
I'm here for them whenever they're ready, right?
Sometimes, you know, it's following along and asking a few questions first until they'recourageous enough to go for it.
And I'm here for that too.
Small or big, right?
(44:26):
I always get that question.
You know, does it have to be a big project?
And I don't know if I'm ready for that.
And I'm super flexible.
Small business.
I live locally.
I don't...
run some big chain, small, big, no product, some product.
I'm here for them, right?
I meet my clients where they're at.
So they can find me at those three spaces and I'd love to help and really just don't feelbad.
(44:48):
Don't feel bad.
you have made a really significant impact in my life at a time when I was not standing onfirm ground.
Even saying I started getting choked up.
It means the most and I know that that's an impact that you've had on many people's lives.
Thank you for that.
And I'm so glad that you're here.
For those of you tuning in, follow along on Meg's journey and we'll be sharing her contactinformation in the show notes.
(45:16):
As for me, smash that follow button, that like button, leave a comment.
All of that matters so much.
If you've got any topics that you'd like to cover, send me an email at hello atunapologeticallyyourspodcast.com.
I am Ashley Logan.
This is Megan Flynn.
And we are unapologetically yours.
This woman shows up at my house, took inventory quickly and was like, now get out.
I did too.
You don't need to be here.
It's all fine.
And within, I don't know how many days it was, I blacked it out, but I do know there wassomething like 75 boxes for the VA on my porch ready for them to pick up and haul away in
(00:22):
a matter of days and I could suddenly breathe again.
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Unapologetically Yours podcast.
I'm your host Ashley Logan and I'm so happy to have you here today.
Unapologetically Yours is a podcast where we go deep on everything from spirituality torelationships and connection to business and belief system because in a world when we've
(00:47):
been taught to play by the rules, it's time to live unapologetically.
Today I have a really, really special guest with you.
This woman came into my life
just over a year ago and made a tremendous impact during a time when things were real,real shitty.
And she brought her superpowers into my home and into our existence.
(01:08):
And I can't wait to introduce you to Megan Flynn, the founder of Live Simply with Meg.
And Meg, tell us a little bit about what you do for people.
Yeah, well, first, thanks for having me on.
This is so cool.
I love your studio and I loved helping you.
So I feel very honored that you asked me to be on the show because there are so manyamazing entrepreneurs out there and the fact that you chose me just means truly so much.
(01:33):
So, one, thank you.
But yes, I am the founder and owner of Live Simply with Meg, which is a home organizingbusiness.
And you don't just like organize, you like slaughter.
Like you like haul shit out of people's houses.
Oh yeah.
It's full transformation.
Yeah.
I mean, I get my stuffs in every day.
(01:54):
I'm changing lives while I'm in homes and yeah, it's full service.
Soup to nuts.
We are getting it out of the house.
We are throwing it away.
We are donating it.
We are using it.
We are buying the product.
We are labeling the product.
And we're just trying to make sense of people's things and honestly reduce stress.
I don't think people realize.
(02:15):
how much a disorganized home creates stress in the home.
my God.
And I feel really honored to be led into a home during maybe a hard time, maybe not even ahard time.
It could just be chaotic because of life.
And I get to come in and make it better.
I'm like a genie.
You know?
And how cool is that?
(02:36):
It is.
It's really awesome.
And like, your work is pretty incredible.
And it's like, it's just the impact.
I'll paint you a little bit of a picture.
Last spring,
My family is in the middle of a divorce and we were in a house that had just so much stuffand the stuff became unmanageable for a lot of reasons.
So this is kind of a two part story.
(02:57):
One being a mother of three really little kids in a dual income household where stuff issort of the
way to the kids' hearts.
So I've got grandparents on both sides bringing shit over every day.
I've got the nanny buying shit.
I didn't even know where some of this stuff was coming from and I couldn't move it in orout of my house fast enough.
(03:18):
I had people with good intentions dropping off uh huge bins full of clothing that Icouldn't sort through enough and then you feel guilty not getting rid of it.
And then with three little kids, they're changing sizes all the time, growing out of toysall the time.
Things are missing parts.
And then I would start the process of like, okay, I'm going to give away this littlewooden school bus that's so cute that has these little wooden figures in it, but I can't
(03:42):
give it away until I find all the figures.
So then I'm like digging through all of the different things and, ah.
So fast forward then to try to figure out what happens to all of that stuff and all ofthat clutter in a divorce process when we're one, dividing things up and then two,
having to get the house ready to sell so that people can see the fucking floors.
(04:05):
Two very different and emotional tasks to accomplish too.
Because you're selling your home that you had your children with and then you're trying todivide toys for your children so they're happy and harmony when things separate.
Totally.
Which is a lot.
So this woman shows up at my house, took inventory quickly and was like, now get out.
(04:28):
I did too.
You don't need to be here.
It's all fine.
And within, I don't know how many days it was, I blacked it out, but I do know there wassomething like 75 boxes for the VA on my porch ready for them to pick up and haul away in
a matter of days and I could suddenly breathe again.
And what was so interesting to me about this time, like one, it was so helpful becausethere was a pod there and like
(04:56):
You took all the toys and divided them up, labeled them like mom, dad, and then they weregone.
And they were just divided.
And we didn't have to think about it.
Didn't have to have weird conversations.
It was just done.
You did intuitively, equitably, all of those things.
But more than that, when I walked around my house afterwards, I felt such an emotion ofgutache because I fell in love with my home again and was leaving it.
(05:20):
You did have a beautiful home.
I loved that house.
But I felt the weight of all this stuff.
And I can imagine that for you, the impact that you're making in people's lives, it's alot more than just having a, know, pencils go here, crayons go here system.
It's really changing the way that people can be in their bodies, be in their homes.
(05:41):
And that's a huge thing.
I'm like getting a little choked up.
No, I know.
Listening to you talk about it gets me choked up because I've seen it.
I've seen clients at the end of the process cry and hug me and then feel like, okay, butnow you're leaving?
like, this feels too important.
Like, we should be friends forever now after this.
Because that relief at the end is so life changing, so profound.
(06:05):
To reclaim their home back, whatever it might be, to have the space that you maybe didn'teven want to enter, and now you're willing to walk in it, it's powerful stuff.
Right?
And that's our home.
That's where we have to go every single night to retire.
And to hate it.
(06:26):
and to not walk into space and to feel emotionally drained and sad from something thatshould be bringing you joy.
That's a really tough spot to be in.
I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to come home every day and to feelthat, that store of emotions to then walk in it and be like, yes, this was what the
(06:48):
intention of the space was supposed to be.
And here it is.
And well, we're also burdened by stuff.
We are a burden.
Just like a massive consumerism culture.
Totally.
And, know, like helping people take inventory of like what they have and what they don'tneed.
And then you figure out you don't need you don't need three strainers.
(07:09):
You don't need three strainers.
don't.
don't.
And the kids too, right.
So sometimes I'll find four toys that are the same type of toy.
Right.
One to hand me down, which I can appreciate.
Right.
We have
aunts and uncles and neighbors who don't want to waste.
It all comes from good intentions.
People don't want to waste their stuff, so they burn somebody else with it.
(07:31):
And so there's two ways of thinking about it as an organizer.
Okay, that is all well-intentioned, but we can also give these to families who don't havethe means.
You can donate it.
You don't have to give it to another family who has the means because they have the sametoy three times.
Right?
So we can donate it.
Right?
You don't have to carry the burden of what do I do with this item.
(07:53):
You can give it away.
We're also holding onto items that are broken and garbage.
So we can trash, we can recycle.
That's like a whole other session.
Right.
Or we could do with less.
And I'm never here to judge people.
When I do closets, I'm like, listen, I like shoes.
If you like shoes, I'm never going to make you part with your shoes if you're a shoeperson.
(08:17):
Right?
We all have the things that we're passionate about.
But do we have to have that mindset on everything we buy?
Do we need that many toys?
From the Maria Kondo theory of, it filling your cup?
Is it bringing you joy?
Is it serving?
And there is something to that.
I try to be a little less judgmental and more practical.
(08:37):
If you're using it, great.
But just ask yourself the hard question, are you using it?
Do you know you have it?
Do you need it?
Do your kids need it?
Do you already have it?
and let's trim, let's trim the fat a little bit and see what's left and then you might beable to breathe lighter and your space might be reclaimed.
And it's just a snowball effect.
I can't tell you how many times I have a client that will text me and say, I was soinspired by what you did in my pantry that now I'm doing my closet.
(09:04):
my God.
And I'm like, bravo.
You don't need to hire me to come back.
I'm inspiring you.
Great.
Awesome.
Well, first of all, we need to go deep on your content and show some before and aftersbecause like, do we have any from my house?
I did not take any.
I knew it was an emotional time and I really do try to.
I feel people's vibe.
(09:24):
It might have been a little bit awkward to be like, I'm going to take some before andafter.
Can I show us some?
So yeah, I get it now.
It makes sense.
I should have taken some before and after because it was just an absolute.
Um, it's a show of a time.
So what prompted you to want to start this business?
Have you always been organized?
I was.
So it's just a funny thing.
(09:45):
So I totally took a pivot.
I was in a nonprofit.
I did nonprofit for 18 years.
Loved my job.
Make-A-Wish.
The most incredible organization.
That's like my dream job.
my closest friends there.
I had the best mentors there.
Our leadership team was incredible.
I learned so much.
It's really why I was able to create a business, to be honest.
(10:06):
Understanding budgets and finances and staffing and it all, really.
In nonprofit, you're so lean.
And you help nonprofits all the time with their marketing.
So that's what you do.
And we're doing so much on such a little amount of money.
And so you have to get creative.
You have to get savvy.
And I do think starting my own business, you have to be a little gritty.
(10:28):
Totally.
So I had that in the bag with Make-A-Wish.
and loved it.
I started there fresh out of college, stayed there, grew from coordinator to director,loved it.
I did not leave Make-A-Wish disgruntled.
I love the organization.
They do incredible work.
I just was ready for a change.
And I bet from how I know you that you were there for 18 years, you've been married for along time, that you probably felt that seed of knowing for a bit before you've done it.
(11:00):
That's probably what I hate the most is because I think the type A personality in me wishI would have gotten more accomplished maybe at the end, but it was such an emotional
decision to leave there because I was a baby there.
They groomed me, they dieted me, they were mentors to me, they were family.
So it was truly as if I was leaving a family and that was terrifying.
(11:25):
And in my mind, it was, can't go to another nonprofit.
I will never recreate the magic that this organization is.
People aside, the mission, the families, the children, the strength, the beauty of it allwas so incredible.
It was such a privilege serving those families that how could I replicate that anywhereelse and start over?
(11:45):
So it was either make-a-wish, die, or something completely different.
And the one thing that everyone
My entire life told me I should be doing is organizing.
Once it of became a thing, right?
It was never really a thing.
In the 80s, was like junk drawers galore, right?
No one tidied their house, right?
It wasn't an issue.
Well, because they had housewives.
(12:07):
They had housewives.
They also didn't have as much stuff.
Back to the stuffs.
my gosh, There was no Amazon clickbait.
There was no Instagram clickbait.
There wasn't any of that.
And they weren't as over-programmed as we are now.
And so they were out doing things.
in a different way and managing the home.
gosh, that's so true.
Yeah, it was just different.
(12:28):
just want to think about that.
I know.
were out doing, not consuming as much and not over-programmed.
Can we go back to the 80s?
I mean, free room parenting, right?
Latchkey kids, was something to that.
I'd like an 80s summer, please.
I'm sure their kids would too.
I know.
Right?
kind of get that already saying with the devices?
Like we're watching our kids in all the wrong places.
(12:48):
We're not letting them go out and explore, but yet we don't watch them on their tabletsand devices.
80s, was, go.
I think, again, type A.
I'm an organizer.
Come on.
I mean, let's call a spade a spade.
I couldn't leave Make Wish without feeling like I needed to see if it was actuallysomething I wanted to do.
I did it as a kid.
I did it in my own house.
I would clean things all the time.
My mom would call me in college and ask me where things were in our closet all the time.
(13:12):
Megan, where would you find this bowl?
Hey, Meg, I'm looking for this.
And I would know exactly where it was.
Barbie shoes, game board pieces, and little baggies by color.
It was insane.
I loved the order.
As a little girl, nothing happened to me.
I just loved doing my god, I wish that you were my friend when we were little girls,because you would have come to my house and taken all the popsicle sticks that I was using
(13:35):
to make Barbie furniture, and you would have color coded it and organized I would have.
And I did.
And we have a great team.
My childhood friend, remember Joanna and Lacey on the block, I used to want to play houseand I would clean their houses, their parents' houses.
Oh my gosh.
And they would tell my mom, Megan can come over any time because I would tidy up the housebecause that was to me part of housekeeping.
I loved doing it.
(13:56):
And our house wasn't chaotic either by any means.
I didn't have it, so I ran to it.
Our home was in order.
My mom did an amazing job.
She had dinner on the table for us every night.
But it also, she wasn't over the top with it either.
It wasn't like I was emulating and I also wasn't running.
So this was just in you.
This is like your purpose.
So you started the business whilst you're working at Make-A-Wish.
(14:17):
You could have a soft landing.
did.
And that soft landing is they knew.
They knew.
I said, is just something I'm doing for fun on the side.
And it's giving me some extra play money.
know, nonprofit isn't the most lucrative business.
Amen.
So I was like, okay, this will earn me a few extra bucks and I'll just test it and try itand create a website and play around with it.
And people were finding me and asking questions and leaning in and, I'll try that service.
(14:43):
the more I did it, I was like, huh, maybe I can do this.
And I still had that fear of leaving Makewish, leaving that home.
And the pandemic happened.
And after the pandemic, things changed at work because everything changed for people.
The whole world changed.
The whole world changed.
And for me, seeing the side of being accessible to my children, seeing what it meant notcatching that 530 train sprinting to Union Station to make that train to then sprint from
(15:17):
my train station to my house to get my kids to and from, I had no idea what that trust wasdoing to me.
None.
Oh my And like what in it was gone.
Eradicated.
Yeah.
I hate saying that it was a profound time for me because I want to respect that so manypeople lost and struggled during that time.
(15:37):
And that pains me watching what happened to so many people, families, businesses.
But for me personally, that pause allowed me to see what I was missing.
And my level of commitment at Make-A-Wish was deep and I was working long hours and longdays.
(15:58):
And I had...
an unhealthy relationship with Make-A-Wish.
Not by them, but myself.
I'd been there for so long and I think after people were home with their children, workingfrom home, home offices, there was a need for home organizing.
After digging out themselves and their space.
then they're like, okay, we just made a mess of our home now and now we're going back tothe office or back to school and now what?
(16:24):
And now we need help and I'm SOSing.
and we need you, but I was like, well, I have a job.
I can't do both.
And so I had to make a decision.
Am I going to do it or not do it?
Because I'm either all in a make-a-wish and I've got to pull my shit together or I need togo for it and take a risk and try this because I've done it and I like it.
And so obviously you saw what I chose.
(16:45):
Yeah.
And it's been amazing.
Yeah.
You're wildly great at it.
And then the word of mouth thing, when you make an impact on people's home life, it reallymatters.
And I am so curious about like some of the things that you've learned about human beingsand the weight that we carry through the process of being so intimately involved in their
(17:06):
stuff.
Yeah, I don't think I expected to learn as much as I did helping families.
In my mind, I saw organizing as a talent of mine.
I can visually plan.
I can see things.
I understand where things can go logically because that's how my brain works.
And so in my mind, I was going to be doing that all day.
(17:30):
I didn't realize that I was going to be stepping into homes.
I mean, I did, but not to this extent.
Pain up underneath that stress in the home, right?
And different levels of pain.
I mean, yes, some trauma for some families, but also for some families, just overwhelmed,overwhelmed, too busy in the weeds and what that was doing to them.
(17:54):
seeing people who are vulnerable, right?
You can't help but just lean in and then want to help, at least for me.
Like, you're telling me your story, you're being so vulnerable, you're showing me all ofyour private spaces.
I mean, come on, I'm in people's underwear drawers.
You really have a close relationship with your clients and if they let you, and thesepeople are kind enough to let me because they are making that step to do something for
(18:17):
themselves, for their family.
There's a lot of stress out there and I didn't anticipate to feel so emotionally chargedby that.
But it's been driving me and it's been an unexpected joy that I found in this career.
mean, you have such a big heart and like your work with Make-A-Wish and then finding thatlike, oh actually, the impact that you're making, it translates.
(18:41):
does.
that learning was very unexpected.
I didn't realize what an impact I was going to make.
At Make-A-Wish, was impact, impact, impact, changing lives.
I just thought I was going to be doing something that I was good at and that was a hobby.
I didn't translate it to impacting lives or families.
(19:02):
And that sounds so cheesy and corny.
And certainly there are people doing amazing work.
I don't know that organizing is up there on, you know, curing cancer and all theseincredible things that people can do.
But on a very small level, I know when I start a job and then I finish it, I've left thatfamily better and they are grateful.
And I feel really good about that.
Because I'm a mom, I'm a business owner, I work full time, and I feel that stress too.
(19:29):
And so I want someone to help me every once in a while too.
I pretty much serve the Western suburbs.
This is where I live.
This is my backyard.
So I feel like I'm helping a mom out.
I'm helping a family out.
And that feels really good.
And I think the biggest thing that I keep trying to communicate, at least on my socialmedia,
(19:49):
And with my clients, which is why your podcast is so perfect, is you don't have to saysorry.
I can't tell you how many times I have clients that are apologizing to me about the chaos,about the over toys, the stuff that's in their house.
And I just want people to know I'm not judging you and you don't have to apologize.
(20:09):
Maybe there are other organizers that do that.
I don't know.
But I can tell you this.
I would never.
judge a client when I walk into their home.
Well, I think that the thing that's so important is like, one, grateful for the lack ofjudgment and two, want women to not apologize because it's mostly moms.
But what your work is a reflection of is a symptom of a society that is so hard on workingfamilies.
(20:35):
Yes.
Because the schedule, kids and travel sports, managing that schedule.
than your own jobs, dual income households, than trying to take fucking care of yourself.
And it's like, and so when?
So then if like you don't get to the thing that's piled up, you're in survival mode.
And it creates a cycle of just like, okay, I'm gonna like if I can clean off the kitchentable this week and I can see the wood on my table and put fresh flowers there, something
(21:04):
like, Or if it's like, I need to get 40 minutes of fresh air or else I'm gonna.
lose my shit on a kid again.
It's like all of this is a symptom.
It is.
Of something that's broken.
Like what you were saying, like sprinting for the train.
You didn't even realize how much weight.
I don't think that people really understand how much pressure they're under and how muchthe clutter is impacting their minds and energy.
(21:33):
You got it.
Yeah.
That's where it is.
Yeah.
I mean, and I had to do, I spoke to the LinkedIn staff.
a global presentation to their team.
Stop.
Yeah, it was so cool.
was so cool.
I was like, I don't need to show you guys how to stack bins in a pantry.
What you guys need to know as people who are coming into work every day and working yourasses off, it's a tech company and they're working hard and fast, is the correlation
(21:59):
between your clutter and stress in the home.
And there are scientific studies out there.
Actually, a professor in Nepal…
Just down the block, know, in the city, this guy wrote a whole article on what ishappening to our cortisol levels when our home has clutter in it.
But to your point, we don't have time to clean the clutter because of the society that welive in today, keeping up with what we overprogram our children in, keeping up with the
(22:26):
demands of job, this networking event, don't forget your self-care, everything you justpointed out means something has to go to the wayside.
And for some families, especially if you're not coming at it from an organized mindset,like I am not a creative person.
I'm not good at painting or drawing or crafting.
It's just not my strength.
And that's OK.
I painted these.
(22:47):
That's why I all the clutter here.
That's why I go to Etsy.
And that's why I, that's why we're good now.
We're also like recognizing who you are and your strengths and your weaknesses.
But I do think some people are hesitant to pull the trigger on organizing.
because of maybe they say cost and that could be a barrier.
not saying it's not, but honest because they think they, I think they think they should bedoing it.
(23:12):
And I think that's bullshit.
I think it's bullshit that women think that they should be Susie homemaker and have aperfect home.
I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting it though.
If you see one of my reels on Instagram and you have a reaction that feels lighter,because I know when I look at a chaotic picture, a home that has mess everywhere,
(23:35):
Okay, what am I going to do?
What product do they need?
What can we get rid of?
What needs to go?
And then when I'm done, that feeling of, ah, like relief, airy, lightness.
I know my client's going to feel that.
There's nothing wrong with wanting that.
Right.
But it's okay if you can't deliver it.
If you are too busy, it's okay if you are not that person.
(23:57):
So anything could go right.
Why not hire an organizer?
Well, I think that the thing that you were talking about is like, is that the no judgment.
think that so many people, it's like you clean before the clean lady comes.
Totally.
Guilty.
And it's like, no, you're not going to be judged.
And you're really not.
so much better.
And because the system is designed to break us.
Amazon automatic buy.
(24:18):
You buy something, you use it There's more coming in that's going, You're not using it andI'm seeing ton bottles of something.
Can we talk about goodie bags at kid birthday parties?
No more.
For the love of God, just stop them.
They're bad for the environment.
And guilt for throwing it away.
Guilt for throwing it I'm in there.
will create bins for my clients to look through and I say, I think this is trash.
Let's take a look at this.
(24:39):
And it's guilt again.
for feeling bad, for trashing it, because someone put the effort of putting it together.
Oh my gosh.
So there's so much guilt underneath organizing.
There's so much apologizing.
There's so much guilt.
There's so much shame.
the worst part about all that is that it doesn't have to be that way.
There are people who like doing it, who are good at it, who are willing to help reducethat stress for you in your home.
(25:07):
And I'm not even plugging myself here.
organizer.
You'll find the organizer that works for you because I do think it's an intimaterelationship.
I think organizing in general for all of us is good for the business.
I don't care if it's me or someone else.
I really don't because I think there is so much benefit to living a cluttered free home.
(25:27):
I think it reduces stress.
I think it reduces anxiety.
I think it makes you feel at peace in your own home.
I think it's a shame
They'll spend thousands of dollars on a new kitchen, but it's all thrown into cabinetsbecause guess what?
They don't have time.
They don't have time to put it all back.
They had it all off site.
It was in a pod.
Oh my gosh, the kitchen's ready.
They're throwing it in.
They didn't even get a chance to run a vacuum inside those cabinets or sawdust everywhere.
(25:50):
Your hard work of making that money to create a beautiful new kitchen in your space andthat time to put it all back right because you're sowing the weeds.
What a shame.
I know.
Right?
I what a I think too about the guilt.
Okay, so I'm looking at something in my hand that's some dumb toy and I feel bad aboutthrowing it away.
But also, the unknowing part is when that same piece is on my bedside table.
(26:14):
One of my kids has brought it up and left it there and discarded it.
And then I stopped seeing it after a while.
And then another thing gets added there and then I stopped seeing that too.
And that weight of those things pile up.
It's the same guilt.
It's the same shame as just being like really raw and really honest with yourself to belike, this is trash.
This is something I don't need.
(26:35):
And kids clothes coming hand me downs and other things that I was getting at my house allthe time.
I finally had to just be like, I am so grateful for this.
I just can't take this right now.
I am so overwhelmed with stuff.
If I need something, I'm going to go buy it.
Local church, Goodwill, Amvets.
Yes.
They will pick it up.
(26:56):
The 75 boxes, right?
It had to have been at least.
We put it out in front.
How many?
It had to It was a lot.
It was two days' worth.
And then I took trips.
And so did my other organizer.
Yeah.
We both took trips to Goodwill.
Oh my But how great.
How great.
Because someone now is going to buy that Melissa Doug toy that cost $40 for four bucks.
(27:17):
Right?
That's a good thing.
That's a good thing.
And so it's reframing it.
Yeah.
It's a good thing.
It's a good thing getting clutter out of your house to create space for your family tobreathe and do and play and create.
You can't create it if there's something all over the table.
No, it impacts a million things.
So I think that one of the things that we've covered like the shame of too much stuff, howmuch lighter you feel when you do get through it, like even just like in a closet scenario
(27:44):
when you know it's so much easier to pick out what you're going to wear when all thethings are there are things that fit.
and you like.
Yes.
You just had a closet overhaul.
I did.
We didn't talk about that.
Yeah.
It was less of an overhaul.
was just being raw and totally honest with myself.
I took every single thing out of my closet and asked myself before putting it back, am Itaking this with me?
(28:05):
Right.
And a lot of it was clothes that I felt guilty about getting rid of, like, I spent toomuch money on this.
I only wore this once.
Guess what?
I haven't thought about it one fucking time since I packed it up and sent it away.
yourself with the guilt.
Every once in a while, I have a real great piece that I give away that I regret, but notcompared to the massive amounts of stuff.
And so I've started just like changing my buying habits, changing what I'm investing in.
(28:29):
So it's like timeless pieces like this Christy Dawn dress that is like made fromregenerative fabric.
I wear these white pants all the time.
I wore them on NBC5 segment.
Yeah.
You know, it's just capsule pieces.
It's having less.
Even that's going to reduce trust because when you have a million options in your closet,
It's analysis paralysis picking things out.
Totally.
When you have six or seven core pieces, it's easy.
(28:52):
It's easy.
It's easy.
I can speak from my experience being a entrepreneur, mom of three kids, and just theamount of pressure, the amount of things on my plate.
It's a lot.
And so what I'm curious about from your experience, what are maybe, maybe let's think ofthree.
(29:15):
behavior changes people can make when it comes to keeping their homes less cluttered thatcan really make a difference even subconsciously in their stress levels?
That's a great question.
And I know the first one that comes to mind is definitely the one in one out.
(29:35):
So if someone gives your child a new toy, you get rid of a toy.
Oh my God.
One in one out.
And just try it.
Be very cognizant of it.
And if something new comes into your house, are you getting rid of something?
So as small as a mouthwash bottle, do you actually need new mouthwash or is it half full?
(29:58):
Because sometimes we see it, we're like, I need to get that.
And then you sit there with your half full mouthwash and then a full one.
And now you have to space for two.
And then it doesn't fit.
So then you have it sitting on the counter.
Thus the clutter starts.
Because if you have that mindset on how you buy
Take that times every little thing in your house.
And where does it live?
On top of countertops, not in the spot, right?
(30:21):
And so toys, clothing, why are you buying new socks?
Is it because three pairs have holes?
Great, throw the holy socks away and then buy the new pairs of I don't want to get rid ofmy holy socks.
One in, out.
One in, one out.
Because that is going to make you more cognizant about what you're buying.
Do you really need that?
(30:41):
Do you need more?
Right?
And I know people will say, well, I'm going to Costco and I own or I'm doing this.
OK, maybe food is a little bit different, but even then, are you are you getting throughwhat you already bought at the last trip?
Are you out of the applesauces?
And that's why you need to get more at Costco.
Or is your applesauce box full and you're bringing in another box?
(31:02):
Oh my gosh, we got boxes and boxes of Pirate's Booty.
And unless you have one of those houses that we saw on the kitchen walk this year whereit's like, there was a whole room that was like, this is the Costco For overstocking?
Yeah, this is overstocking.
They are ready.
Bunker room is ready.
Bunker ready, all of those things.
Guess what?
I don't have that kind of space.
Hey, and news flash, that stuff goes stale.
(31:23):
So it's waste.
That is waste.
One in, out, from food to beauty products.
to clothing, to toys, all of it.
And it will slowly reduce clutter.
So that one for sure, we were kind of doing more of a downsize, right?
For you, we were getting rid of toys.
But a lot of what I do every day is organize spaces and to create systems for clients.
(31:46):
And that means they have a pantry or they have a closet that has maybe a lot ofaccessories or different things and it's all over the place.
I am a product heavy.
organizers.
That means I believe in buying vessels to contain things.
I think that we need mental triggers to tell us
(32:07):
You are over exceeding what you need right now.
Because when the one in, one out fails you, if you have a bin of batteries and the bin isto the top, you do not need any more batteries.
So find a spot in your home for batteries and only keep batteries there.
Don't keep batteries in 12 drawers, in the basement, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, inthe bedrooms.
(32:30):
You're gonna save money if you zone it and you put it in a bin.
The bin becomes a visual reminder of what you need, what you don't have, and it reducesstress because you know where it's at.
That bin lives in this linen closet.
So therefore, let's say this cabinet for you for work.
Let's say we decided to zone all of your mic equipment and you have a podcast coming upand your stress because you had a crazy day and calls and meetings.
(32:57):
And now you have...
15 seconds to get ready for a podcast.
If you know this house is all your microphones and they're in bins that you can easilypull in and out, you're not gonna stress in that 15 seconds that you have to get ready for
the podcast, because you know exactly where to go, where to find it, and you can pull itin and out.
That reduces stress.
And if you did that tenfold in your home, then you know where everything's at.
(33:20):
And that is time back, that's money back.
And so I do think that infrastructure of
Having a bin to contain something and putting in a spot, it's kind of like a two for one.
Contain and zone.
Even if it's starting small, just try it.
Have one closet you designate for all of your home shit.
3M stickies, light bulbs, extension cords, zip ties, all the crap we need.
(33:43):
Put it all in one space.
And every time you need that, you're gonna go to that spot and you're not gonna stress.
God, but like, I get that system and then the next time I'm overextended so I don't putthe mics back in the bin.
Okay, so here's- How do I get that?
How do I stop doing that?
Number three, you have to do 15 minute organizing.
(34:04):
No more, no less.
Every day.
doesn't even have to be every day.
You just have to spend 15 minutes.
I think what happens is, you know, we look at projects like a class of project andsometimes we do need a big project.
Sometimes we do need an overhaul and we need that.
It's very cathartic.
It's important.
I'm not dissing a big Sunday project.
(34:26):
But very few of us have five to eight hours to dedicate uninterrupted time.
And that's about how long these projects take.
That's probably one thing that shocks my clients the most is the amount of time it takesto actually get up and people stop and really sort through it, edit it, get rid of it and
organize it.
Who's got eight hours?
Nobody.
(34:46):
My eight hours are uninterrupted when I'm in your home.
Who has eight hours uninterrupted in their home?
Work emails, calls.
Distractions, neighbors, kids, you name it, okay?
So 15 minute organizing means try to carve out 15 minutes and accomplish a very smalltask.
So your to-do list this week could be, need to clean this microphone shit show that hasgotten away from me.
(35:10):
So I'm gonna spend 15 minutes on Monday putting all the mics back.
Once a week, just do that.
That's your thing.
It could be one drawer in your house that's pissing you off.
What is the one drawer that you open every time and you go, oh, you slam it back?
I feel like I'm gonna set the goal of like my kitchen table.
We're a big kitchen table family.
Stuff just piles up on it.
Totally.
Always.
You and everybody else.
Trust me, you're not alone.
(35:31):
I am in my unapologetic era.
It is what it is.
But if I could just spend 15 minutes a day just clearing off the surfaces or You don'teven have to be that hard on yourself.
could just be...
It's just a nice thing to like, I'm going to catch up with my sister and I'm going toclear off my table.
That's exactly right.
Like, phone time is so good for organizing.
I think more you're thinking of as a kitchen project.
(35:53):
I need to organize this kitchen.
I need to organize all this." And that's the wrong mindset.
It should just be the papers on the table.
You want to break it down.
You want to make it more granular.
So much how we would in business.
You wouldn't just pitch a big marketing plan for a nonprofit, right?
You have to unpack it.
You have to unpack your organizing because you're not a professional organizer with eighthours of unlimited time.
(36:17):
So you have to unpack what is stressing you out in your home.
And if it's the table,
If it's really piled, I'm going to pull out all the craft materials that are on thistable, because I see a lot of them.
I'm going spend 15 minutes doing that.
I'm going to put it in a bin.
I'm going to put a lid on it.
I'm going to put it in this cabinet.
So just do that.
And then maybe when you have another 15 minutes, three days from now, you can tackle thepapers.
(36:41):
And then three days from that, maybe there's photos that need to be looked at and decidedif you're going to put it in a keepsake bin or toss or artwork from the kids, right, or
school project stuff.
It's more 15 minute unpacking so that projects feel more digestible, easier to tackle,less overwhelming.
It's kind of getting rid of that all or nothing mentality, right?
(37:03):
It's like that Pinterest.
You see something I've done, you see something on Pinterest that looks beautiful.
And when you want to tackle your pantry, you're thinking that.
It's all or nothing attitude.
If I can't do it all perfectly, I'm not even going to do it.
Fuck it.
It doesn't have to be that way.
You can organize for real life.
Just small, small 15 minutes.
(37:23):
Okay.
So I have a fun question for you because this is really good.
Okay.
What are the things that people have in their home that they just don't fucking need?
Stop buying this.
One thing.
It does have to be one thing, but something that comes to mind where it's like, my God,why does everyone have this and no one needs this?
Okay.
I got it.
Everyone has it and everyone should just go home or if they're driving right now,listening while they're working.
(37:49):
When you get home tonight,
go to your basement or your garage and throw away the fucking cords.
The millions and millions of cords.
One, you have no idea what that shit goes to.
Right.
I don't, you don't.
Two, not that I'm promoting over buying, but if you are desperate for a cord, you can findit on Amazon.
(38:10):
Right.
The amount of time it takes to sort all those cords, you will get that back and then someif you bought a $15 cord on Amazon.
for a vacuum.
And chances are your vacuum cord for your Dyson is plugged in right now at the wall.
So those cords are probably from college.
They're probably from a baby noise machine that your kids are now 16.
(38:31):
They're from a hot wheel car or a drone that your kid has broken already.
And it's not even a judgment.
I have them.
I have them too.
I'm there.
Guilty.
And there's guilt and worry.
There's guilt and worry with throwing it away.
But just hit that fuck it button and just toss it.
I love that.
That's such a good need them.
I love that.
(38:51):
I knew you'd have a good answer there because that is so true.
Like I am for sure absolutely carrying old cords from like the baby monitor.
My baby, my youngest just turned five.
Right.
You don't need all those cords.
He does not need monitoring.
can hear him coming.
turbines of cords.
And we're all guilty of it.
I mean, people are like, I don't even know what half that stuff goes to.
(39:12):
And so fun, fun tip.
You can recycle all those cords and electronics.
There's a great place in Baridge.
You don't even have to get out of your car.
It's electronic recycling.
They're open seven to three.
You can drive right on up and pop your trunk and they'll take it all for free.
Okay.
That's amazing.
So I think a lot of people hold onto that stuff too because it's with the devices.
Right.
And they think it's important.
They're worried.
Yeah.
In a not being silly or funny, you know, it's like, well, this cord goes with thiscomputer and I feel like I'm holding onto the computer.
(39:36):
So wipe it, pitch it.
Well, I think that first of all, this has been so great.
And I know that everyone listening is getting so much from it.
And I just want to like take a second and
offer the people listening just a little bit of grace.
You are doing a good job, a really good job.
(39:57):
Great job.
Managing everything.
If things got out of control, it happens.
Totally.
And one, it's nothing to apologize for.
Nothing.
Two, it's a symptom of a society that is not built for us.
Correct.
And maybe we can all change that, but like we are so overextended, so stressed out.
(40:20):
All those things to ask for help in this area is absolutely game-changing becauseenergetically, like even principles of feng shui, like it's energy, it's spiritual, it's
scientific.
It is scientific.
matters.
It matters.
Your dwelling matters.
And to feel that peace and solitude in one space where you can just be is so valuable.
(40:42):
So friends,
who are listening, take a deep breath and just start to be really honest with yourselfabout the things you can get rid of, about the ways that you can ask for help and to also
recognize that you did nothing wrong.
You did nothing wrong to get to this point.
No apologizing.
The first thing I say to all my clients and I really do have the best clients.
(41:06):
These are strong, hardworking women, parents, families doing amazing things in theircommunity.
getting their kids to and from sports and activities and dance lessons and theater.
And it's amazing that we're all somehow doing it with a smile on our face, right?
And so it's okay.
It's okay to ask for help.
(41:28):
It's okay.
And I love that.
I love that you said you are doing a great job because they are.
They are.
They're children.
Their families are beautiful.
I mean, how cute were your kiddos?
I mean, the best.
You are doing a great job, right?
Good for you for asking for help.
It was actually, have a local realtor, Shelly Prakowski, thanks for this, who looked at meand grabbed me by the face and was like, girl, you need some help.
(41:52):
And I was like, okay, okay, tell me.
Yes, we've been, Shelly and I have been friends since kindergarten.
Okay, two things.
Actually, one thing.
Okay.
I ask everyone who comes on the show, what are you doing to show up in the worldunapologetically?
One thing that I do,
that I think all women should do and hopefully they're doing it is once a month I gettogether with my core group of beautiful friends that I met at Make-A-Wish and we
(42:23):
celebrate each other.
We celebrate each other and that means sometimes my husband has to drive all over the damnwestern suburbs taking my kids to and from places and that sucks because you're in the car
from four o'clock until 10 o'clock at night and it's hard but I need that time.
I need that space to be with other women who are leaning in, asking me questions about howwork is going, how they can support me, who are telling me that I'm doing a great job.
(42:50):
I think carving out that time, even though things are busy, I'm never going to apologizefor that.
We always text each other after those nights and say, you know, my cup is filled.
My cup is filled.
And it is, right?
Because we're a group of women that started young in our career together.
at a nonprofit and all have gone different ways, we have each other's backs and it doesn'tmatter what we have going on, we always carve out time once a month for that group.
(43:17):
ah I love that.
I mean, for over 20 years.
I mean, and I won't apologize for carving out that time for that.
And I think we all need that time to get away and decompress and celebrate women.
Yes, it's so nurturing.
And then we have to be in community with one another, with people who make us feel seen,safe, supported.
uplift us where we can brag, where we can cry, we can do all those things.
(43:41):
With no judgment.
With no judgment and without apology.
So I love that.
How can people find you?
So they can find me on Instagram, Facebook, or I have website, LiveSimplyWithMeg.com.
And like I said, they can even follow along.
I share tips all the time.
And if they have questions, they can just post on there and I'm happy to answer.
I'm also happy to come out and do a free consult and assess someone's space.
(44:05):
You know the drill.
I come out.
There's no judgment.
I'm really here for families to reduce that stress, help them get the space back to theway they want it, right?
Reclaim it.
I'm here for them whenever they're ready, right?
Sometimes, you know, it's following along and asking a few questions first until they'recourageous enough to go for it.
And I'm here for that too.
Small or big, right?
(44:26):
I always get that question.
You know, does it have to be a big project?
And I don't know if I'm ready for that.
And I'm super flexible.
Small business.
I live locally.
I don't...
run some big chain, small, big, no product, some product.
I'm here for them, right?
I meet my clients where they're at.
So they can find me at those three spaces and I'd love to help and really just don't feelbad.
(44:48):
Don't feel bad.
you have made a really significant impact in my life at a time when I was not standing onfirm ground.
Even saying I started getting choked up.
It means the most and I know that that's an impact that you've had on many people's lives.
Thank you for that.
And I'm so glad that you're here.
For those of you tuning in, follow along on Meg's journey and we'll be sharing her contactinformation in the show notes.
(45:16):
As for me, smash that follow button, that like button, leave a comment.
All of that matters so much.
If you've got any topics that you'd like to cover, send me an email at hello atunapologeticallyyourspodcast.com.
I am Ashley Logan.
This is Megan Flynn.
And we are unapologetically yours.
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