April 27, 2025 • 17 mins
Have you ever felt like you're constantly busy but never productive? Like you're stuck in a hamster wheel, running yourself ragged but never getting anywhere? You're not alone.
Mel Schenker, life coach and founder of She's Organised, kicks off the Beyond Organised podcast by sharing her personal journey from chaos to organisation and the surprising lessons learned along the way. As a wife and mother of four young children, Mel opens up about her struggles with household management, time organisation and the relentless pursuit of perfection that eventually led to a breaking point.
What began as a simple desire to get organised transformed into an obsession with perfection, culminating in a moment that changed everything: screaming at her children over wet toilet paper, a reaction that terrified both them and herself. This raw moment of realisation serves as the foundation for the podcast's mission—understanding that organisation is merely a tool, not the end goal.
Beyond Organised promises to explore far more than just tidying techniques. Future episodes will dive into parenting, relationships, work-life balance, faith, purpose, health, self-care, finances and more—all those aspects of life that truly matter beyond the containers and color-coded systems. With planned expert guests and Mel's own insights from years of learning (plus time and money spent on courses, books and mentoring), this podcast aims to help listeners create lives that feel fulfilling and purposeful.
Subscribe to Beyond Organised and join Mel on this journey of discovering that the goal isn't just getting through the day—it's building a life you genuinely love living.
🎧 Loved this episode? Here’s how you can connect!
- Get free resources to help simplify your life: beyondorganised.com/toolkit
- Join the She's Organised Hub. A coaching community and space for women like you to reclaim balance and order in your life. Click here for more details.
- Want more personalised help? Apply here to have Mel go through a FREE 60 minute Organised Life Strategy Session with you. Spots are limited and not everyone will be accepted.
- Have a question? Send it to podcast@beyondorganised.com or submit an audio message at beyondorganised.com/podcast
- Let’s continue the conversation and follow me on Instagram and Threads: @shes.organised
If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a review! It helps more people like you find the show. 💚
Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it.
See you next time!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mel (00:18):
Welcome to Beyond Organised , the podcast that's here to
help you simplify your life andamplify your purpose.
I'm your host, Mel Schenker,life coach, founder of She's
Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and a mom of four
little kids.
If you're feeling overwhelmedjuggling a million things and
just want a little more controlover your everyday life, then
(00:41):
maybe you have just found yournext favorite podcast.
Before we dive into all thetips and tools and strategies, I
want to take a moment with thisepisode to talk a little bit
about me, if that's okay, andabout what you can expect with
Beyond Organised.
So grab your coffee or, ifyou're anything like me, maybe
(01:04):
it's your third for the day andlet's jump right in.
So a little bit about me.
I am someone who, perhaps likeyou, is trying to keep it all
together without losing mysanity.
To be honest, I haven't alwaysbeen disorganised.
In fact, chaos and I have beenbest friends for way too long
(01:29):
and every now and then she rearsher ugly head.
I have worn a lot of hats.
I have worked in leadershiproles in insurance, coaching
teams, starting a business and,of course all too familiar
navigating the roller coaster ofmotherhood, which I'm sure most
(01:50):
of you can relate to.
I know a thing or two aboutjuggling, but I also know a few
things when it comes tooverwhelm and burnout, the late
nights which I still have, bythe way, with a baby who's
waking me every hour at themoment the mental load and the
(02:13):
feeling of running on empty.
I know all too well, but itwasn't always this way.
Let me take you back a bit.
Let me take you back a bit.
I got married in 2013.
I was full of excitement andhope and feeling like an adult
for the first time.
You know that feeling when youfeel like you've got it all
(02:33):
figured out, only to realizeyou're weighing over your head.
Yeah, yep, that was me.
I thought I knew what being anadult looked like, but the
reality hit me like a ton ofbricks.
I didn't know how to run ahousehold.
I was clueless about cookinganything beyond the basics and,
(02:57):
to be honest, even those werequestionable.
The laundry was piling up, thehouse was a constant state of
mess and, even though the billswere paid on time, I had no clue
how to actually manage mymoney, our money, I should say.
I couldn't figure out how tokeep on top of it all.
(03:18):
Yeah, it was a time that I'mglad I'm past.
Have you ever felt like, nomatter how hard you try, you
just cannot seem to keep up,like you're stuck in this
hamster wheel, running yourselfragged but never getting
(03:38):
anywhere?
That was my life, even beforekids, so you can imagine what it
was like once kids were in thepicture.
I know.
ell,.
Well the time management.
I thought I was good at ituntil I realised I was just
constantly exhausted withnothing to show for it.
(04:00):
I convinced myself that if Ijust tried harder, I'd
eventually get it together.
But trying harder only drainedme more and I still couldn't see
the fruit of my labor.
I was constantly busy but neverproductive.
I had no routines, no system,no idea how to balance anything.
(04:22):
Self-care look, when it comesto that, you can forget it.
I'm sure you can relate Likeyou're always running on empty,
telling yourself that you'lltake a break once everything is
done, but everything is justnever done.
So then you're feelingoverwhelmed, exhausted and,
(04:44):
honestly, like you're failing.
But hey, beyond it all, I'malso just a regular person.
I love music.
I would say that I was amusician because I haven't
really done much over the years,but I love my rock music.
(05:04):
I am also a qualified engineer,audio engineer, which I haven't
even really used up until thispodcast, so at least that's not
going to waste.
I'm a bit of a nerd when itcomes to some of the TV shows.
My favorite is Timeless and Ireally wish they had continued
(05:24):
that on, because I just love allthat kind of stuff.
Um, the Office, oh my goodness.
I've watched that way too manytimes.
So any Office fans out therecome here, shout shout and um,
look, any superhero movie or TVshow I'm in.
So I have no idea if you'relike this and maybe I've just
(05:49):
lost a few of you, but this is alittle bit about me.
I also love to paint by numbersand don't get a lot of time to
do that at the moment.
So just doing more of my adultcolouring books and just
anything to help, you know,switch my brain off for a little
bit.
But you know, if you reallywant to like, bribe me, lamb
(06:10):
salad from my favorite localrestaurant would definitely do
the trick.
Or chocolate honestly chocolate, anyway.
So, more than anything, morethan this stuff, I have a real
heart for helping people createa life they actually enjoy
living, not just one that looksgood from the outside, but one
(06:33):
that truly feels good on theinside.
That's why I do what I do,because life isn't just about
getting through the day.
It's about creating a life thatfeels lighter, more joyful and
more aligned with who you are.
You know that feeling whenyou're so desperate for a
(06:55):
solution that you just tryanything.
Yeah, that was me in the earlydays.
I bought every gadget andapplied every life hack I could
find, thinking they'd be theanswer.
I read productivity books,downloaded apps, got new
planners and calendars anythingthat promised to fix my pain.
(07:18):
Have you ever bought somethingconvinced it would change your
life, only for it to end upgathering dust in a cupboard
somewhere, like I've got a wholecupboard full of those.
I thought the problem was that Ijust wasn't trying hard enough.
(07:39):
So I kept pushing myself, butno matter what I did, I was
still overwhelmed.
I was exhausted from runningaround in circles trying to keep
everything together, but I wascrumbling on the inside.
You know how sometimes you feellike you're doing all the
things, you're ticking all theboxes.
(08:01):
Nothing actually feels right,like.
No matter how many tasks youcomplete, the to-do list never
gets any shorter.
Yeah, it's the story of my life.
I thought if I could just findthe right tools, the right
method, the right anything,everything would finally click
(08:24):
into place.
But most of those things didn'tSurprise surprise.
There's just so much out thereand I just got more overwhelmed
in the clutter of information.
So, in a nutshell, I wasdrowning and I couldn't ask for
(08:44):
help.
I didn't want to admit that Iwas failing again.
So I did what I always did Itried to fix it on my own.
I bought more gadgets, triedmore hacks, hoping to finally
get on top of my life, but itstill didn't work.
I thought balance was aboutdoing it all.
So I tried it all, but the moreI tried to balance everything,
(09:08):
the more unbalanced I felt.
I was stuck in a cycle ofburnout and I just couldn't see
a way out.
So a few years ago sorry, a fewyears into my marriage, I
started to learn more about howto organise my life and I will
(09:32):
share that story with youanother time.
And up until a couple of yearsago, I learned so much and had
come such a long way.
In fact, I got to the pointwhere I became so organised,
particularly around the house,that I was aiming for perfection
and didn't even realise it.
I wanted to share this storywith you, if it's okay, because
(09:59):
some of you are uh wanting toget more organised, but some of
you already are organised, butmaybe struggling with
perfectionism.
So, um, yeah, I just want toshare this uh u with you so you
can see where I've come from.
So I'dbeen on this organizing
(10:21):
organising life me.
for quite a number of years atthis point me.
spent all day cleaning and Iwas in the kitchen cleaning and
I heard some water running inthe powder room.
Down the hallway I walked in tosee my second and third
(10:45):
children playing and splashingin the water and wetting the
toilet paper and having the timeof their lives.
But what might've been annoyingrealised some was a moment that
was a breaking point for me, amoment that was a breaking point
(11:09):
for me.
So what did I do?
I snapped.
I didn't just yell, I screamed.
I organised didn't know whereit came from and it scared me.
It scared them more.
The sheer terror in their eyesis, yeah, still shatters me.
I'm not a yeller.
(11:30):
I've never yelled at my husband, my family or my friends, but
that day I did.
I'm not just yelled, I mean theOrganising second it happened, I
broke.
The second it happened, I broke.
(11:56):
I sobbed for an hour afterwards, apologizing over and over
again.
That image of their littlefaces looking up at me in fear
Still something that I'mprocessing and dealing with
today.
Just from that one moment.
But from that moment I realizedI'd taken it all too far.
(12:17):
I'd convinced myself that if Ijust could keep everything
perfect, I would enjoy life more.
But Organised that moment I'dforgotten the very reason why I
wanted an organized life in thefirst place.
Maybe for you it's not yelling,maybe your breaking point is
(12:38):
silence, the moment you shutdown completely, maybe it's
withdrawal, when you stopengaging, stop reacting or stop
caring.
Whatever it is, you know thatmoment, the one where you
realize something has to change.
Organizing is a tool.
(12:58):
It , h organising structureand order in our lives, but it
should never take over to thepoint where it becomes part of
the problem.
When you use it well, itcreates freedom, but when taken
too far, it just creates anotherstress you'd rather not have.
(13:19):
So that's the balance.
I've spent the last couple ofyears learning to navigate and
guest share with you on thisjourney.
So, on a happier note.
What can you expect from BeyondOrganized?
(13:39):
Well, it's mainly me sharing myexperiences, my thoughts and
the strategies that have helpedme in my life.
Yes, I've learned a lot overthe years things that will help
you as well and I've spent thelast 12 years learning, training
, growing, falling down andsometimes reluctantly getting
back up again.
I've bought countless books,courses, resources, everything
(14:03):
to learn, productivity, finances, investing, decluttering home,
organizing, leadership, personaldevelopment.
Honestly, if it could helporganising me improve my life
and yours, I have probablyconsumed it.
I've also spent tens ofthousands of dollars on coaching
(14:24):
and mentoring, just so I can bea better coach for you.
But despite all this, I'm stillwalking this journey.
I'm figuring out all thesethings along the way and as I
learn and no doubt stumble, I'llbe sharing those lessons with
(14:45):
you too, and no doubt stumble,I'll be sharing those lessons
with you too.
But let's be honest do we everstop learning?
I know I probably won't, untilthe day I die, and maybe even
beyond that too.
(15:10):
So over the coming months, Ihave some really cool organising
guests, speakers lined up whocan cover a range of topics to
support you and help you on yourlife journey.
Most of the topics I will bediving into myself, but my
guests that I will be having onwill add an extra level of
expertise to help on the subject.
So, subjects like fitness andpostpartum mental health all the
things that aren't particularlymy forte but would love to be
(15:33):
able to support you on in yourjourney.
Um, some of the stuff that I'llbe covering, um with this
podcast uh, pretty mucheverything that goes beyond the
organizing like organizing is astarting point.
These are all the things thatmatter beyond it.
So things like parenting andrelationships, work-life balance
and productivity, faith andpurpose, health and self-care
(15:59):
that's a really big one thateven I'm still working on.
Money, finances, investing, Imean, you name it We'll be
covering all sorts of things.
At the end of the day, as I said, organizing is just the
beginning.
The real goal is creating alife that feels fulfilling,
(16:20):
aligned and purposeful, onewhere you're not just getting
through the day but actuallyloving the life you're building.
So stay tuned for the nextpodcast, where I'll be diving a
bit further into balance andwhat it actually is, and it's
not what we've been told it is.
(16:41):
But yeah, I'm gonna.
But yeah, I'm going to uncoversome truths about balance that
will hopefully set you free andI can't wait to share it with
you.
Remember, organizing is a toolto live the purposeful life
beyond.
I look forward to seeing younext time.
(17:01):
Bye for now.
Welcome to Beyond Organised , the podcast that's here to
help you simplify your life andamplify your purpose.
I'm your host, Mel Schenker,life coach, founder of She's
Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and a mom of four
little kids.
If you're feeling overwhelmedjuggling a million things and
just want a little more controlover your everyday life, then
(00:41):
maybe you have just found yournext favorite podcast.
Before we dive into all thetips and tools and strategies, I
want to take a moment with thisepisode to talk a little bit
about me, if that's okay, andabout what you can expect with
Beyond Organised.
So grab your coffee or, ifyou're anything like me, maybe
(01:04):
it's your third for the day andlet's jump right in.
So a little bit about me.
I am someone who, perhaps likeyou, is trying to keep it all
together without losing mysanity.
To be honest, I haven't alwaysbeen disorganised.
In fact, chaos and I have beenbest friends for way too long
(01:29):
and every now and then she rearsher ugly head.
I have worn a lot of hats.
I have worked in leadershiproles in insurance, coaching
teams, starting a business and,of course all too familiar
navigating the roller coaster ofmotherhood, which I'm sure most
(01:50):
of you can relate to.
I know a thing or two aboutjuggling, but I also know a few
things when it comes tooverwhelm and burnout, the late
nights which I still have, bythe way, with a baby who's
waking me every hour at themoment the mental load and the
(02:13):
feeling of running on empty.
I know all too well, but itwasn't always this way.
Let me take you back a bit.
Let me take you back a bit.
I got married in 2013.
I was full of excitement andhope and feeling like an adult
for the first time.
You know that feeling when youfeel like you've got it all
(02:33):
figured out, only to realizeyou're weighing over your head.
Yeah, yep, that was me.
I thought I knew what being anadult looked like, but the
reality hit me like a ton ofbricks.
I didn't know how to run ahousehold.
I was clueless about cookinganything beyond the basics and,
(02:57):
to be honest, even those werequestionable.
The laundry was piling up, thehouse was a constant state of
mess and, even though the billswere paid on time, I had no clue
how to actually manage mymoney, our money, I should say.
I couldn't figure out how tokeep on top of it all.
(03:18):
Yeah, it was a time that I'mglad I'm past.
Have you ever felt like, nomatter how hard you try, you
just cannot seem to keep up,like you're stuck in this
hamster wheel, running yourselfragged but never getting
(03:38):
anywhere?
That was my life, even beforekids, so you can imagine what it
was like once kids were in thepicture.
I know.
ell,.
Well the time management.
I thought I was good at ituntil I realised I was just
constantly exhausted withnothing to show for it.
(04:00):
I convinced myself that if Ijust tried harder, I'd
eventually get it together.
But trying harder only drainedme more and I still couldn't see
the fruit of my labor.
I was constantly busy but neverproductive.
I had no routines, no system,no idea how to balance anything.
(04:22):
Self-care look, when it comesto that, you can forget it.
I'm sure you can relate Likeyou're always running on empty,
telling yourself that you'lltake a break once everything is
done, but everything is justnever done.
So then you're feelingoverwhelmed, exhausted and,
(04:44):
honestly, like you're failing.
But hey, beyond it all, I'malso just a regular person.
I love music.
I would say that I was amusician because I haven't
really done much over the years,but I love my rock music.
(05:04):
I am also a qualified engineer,audio engineer, which I haven't
even really used up until thispodcast, so at least that's not
going to waste.
I'm a bit of a nerd when itcomes to some of the TV shows.
My favorite is Timeless and Ireally wish they had continued
(05:24):
that on, because I just love allthat kind of stuff.
Um, the Office, oh my goodness.
I've watched that way too manytimes.
So any Office fans out therecome here, shout shout and um,
look, any superhero movie or TVshow I'm in.
So I have no idea if you'relike this and maybe I've just
(05:49):
lost a few of you, but this is alittle bit about me.
I also love to paint by numbersand don't get a lot of time to
do that at the moment.
So just doing more of my adultcolouring books and just
anything to help, you know,switch my brain off for a little
bit.
But you know, if you reallywant to like, bribe me, lamb
(06:10):
salad from my favorite localrestaurant would definitely do
the trick.
Or chocolate honestly chocolate, anyway.
So, more than anything, morethan this stuff, I have a real
heart for helping people createa life they actually enjoy
living, not just one that looksgood from the outside, but one
(06:33):
that truly feels good on theinside.
That's why I do what I do,because life isn't just about
getting through the day.
It's about creating a life thatfeels lighter, more joyful and
more aligned with who you are.
You know that feeling whenyou're so desperate for a
(06:55):
solution that you just tryanything.
Yeah, that was me in the earlydays.
I bought every gadget andapplied every life hack I could
find, thinking they'd be theanswer.
I read productivity books,downloaded apps, got new
planners and calendars anythingthat promised to fix my pain.
(07:18):
Have you ever bought somethingconvinced it would change your
life, only for it to end upgathering dust in a cupboard
somewhere, like I've got a wholecupboard full of those.
I thought the problem was that Ijust wasn't trying hard enough.
(07:39):
So I kept pushing myself, butno matter what I did, I was
still overwhelmed.
I was exhausted from runningaround in circles trying to keep
everything together, but I wascrumbling on the inside.
You know how sometimes you feellike you're doing all the
things, you're ticking all theboxes.
(08:01):
Nothing actually feels right,like.
No matter how many tasks youcomplete, the to-do list never
gets any shorter.
Yeah, it's the story of my life.
I thought if I could just findthe right tools, the right
method, the right anything,everything would finally click
(08:24):
into place.
But most of those things didn'tSurprise surprise.
There's just so much out thereand I just got more overwhelmed
in the clutter of information.
So, in a nutshell, I wasdrowning and I couldn't ask for
(08:44):
help.
I didn't want to admit that Iwas failing again.
So I did what I always did Itried to fix it on my own.
I bought more gadgets, triedmore hacks, hoping to finally
get on top of my life, but itstill didn't work.
I thought balance was aboutdoing it all.
So I tried it all, but the moreI tried to balance everything,
(09:08):
the more unbalanced I felt.
I was stuck in a cycle ofburnout and I just couldn't see
a way out.
So a few years ago sorry, a fewyears into my marriage, I
started to learn more about howto organise my life and I will
(09:32):
share that story with youanother time.
And up until a couple of yearsago, I learned so much and had
come such a long way.
In fact, I got to the pointwhere I became so organised,
particularly around the house,that I was aiming for perfection
and didn't even realise it.
I wanted to share this storywith you, if it's okay, because
(09:59):
some of you are uh wanting toget more organised, but some of
you already are organised, butmaybe struggling with
perfectionism.
So, um, yeah, I just want toshare this uh u with you so you
can see where I've come from.
So I'dbeen on this organizing
(10:21):
organising life me.
for quite a number of years atthis point me.
spent all day cleaning and Iwas in the kitchen cleaning and
I heard some water running inthe powder room.
Down the hallway I walked in tosee my second and third
(10:45):
children playing and splashingin the water and wetting the
toilet paper and having the timeof their lives.
But what might've been annoyingrealised some was a moment that
was a breaking point for me, amoment that was a breaking point
(11:09):
for me.
So what did I do?
I snapped.
I didn't just yell, I screamed.
I organised didn't know whereit came from and it scared me.
It scared them more.
The sheer terror in their eyesis, yeah, still shatters me.
I'm not a yeller.
(11:30):
I've never yelled at my husband, my family or my friends, but
that day I did.
I'm not just yelled, I mean theOrganising second it happened, I
broke.
The second it happened, I broke.
(11:56):
I sobbed for an hour afterwards, apologizing over and over
again.
That image of their littlefaces looking up at me in fear
Still something that I'mprocessing and dealing with
today.
Just from that one moment.
But from that moment I realizedI'd taken it all too far.
(12:17):
I'd convinced myself that if Ijust could keep everything
perfect, I would enjoy life more.
But Organised that moment I'dforgotten the very reason why I
wanted an organized life in thefirst place.
Maybe for you it's not yelling,maybe your breaking point is
(12:38):
silence, the moment you shutdown completely, maybe it's
withdrawal, when you stopengaging, stop reacting or stop
caring.
Whatever it is, you know thatmoment, the one where you
realize something has to change.
Organizing is a tool.
(12:58):
It , h organising structureand order in our lives, but it
should never take over to thepoint where it becomes part of
the problem.
When you use it well, itcreates freedom, but when taken
too far, it just creates anotherstress you'd rather not have.
(13:19):
So that's the balance.
I've spent the last couple ofyears learning to navigate and
guest share with you on thisjourney.
So, on a happier note.
What can you expect from BeyondOrganized?
(13:39):
Well, it's mainly me sharing myexperiences, my thoughts and
the strategies that have helpedme in my life.
Yes, I've learned a lot overthe years things that will help
you as well and I've spent thelast 12 years learning, training
, growing, falling down andsometimes reluctantly getting
back up again.
I've bought countless books,courses, resources, everything
(14:03):
to learn, productivity, finances, investing, decluttering home,
organizing, leadership, personaldevelopment.
Honestly, if it could helporganising me improve my life
and yours, I have probablyconsumed it.
I've also spent tens ofthousands of dollars on coaching
(14:24):
and mentoring, just so I can bea better coach for you.
But despite all this, I'm stillwalking this journey.
I'm figuring out all thesethings along the way and as I
learn and no doubt stumble, I'llbe sharing those lessons with
(14:45):
you too, and no doubt stumble,I'll be sharing those lessons
with you too.
But let's be honest do we everstop learning?
I know I probably won't, untilthe day I die, and maybe even
beyond that too.
(15:10):
So over the coming months, Ihave some really cool organising
guests, speakers lined up whocan cover a range of topics to
support you and help you on yourlife journey.
Most of the topics I will bediving into myself, but my
guests that I will be having onwill add an extra level of
expertise to help on the subject.
So, subjects like fitness andpostpartum mental health all the
things that aren't particularlymy forte but would love to be
(15:33):
able to support you on in yourjourney.
Um, some of the stuff that I'llbe covering, um with this
podcast uh, pretty mucheverything that goes beyond the
organizing like organizing is astarting point.
These are all the things thatmatter beyond it.
So things like parenting andrelationships, work-life balance
and productivity, faith andpurpose, health and self-care
(15:59):
that's a really big one thateven I'm still working on.
Money, finances, investing, Imean, you name it We'll be
covering all sorts of things.
At the end of the day, as I said, organizing is just the
beginning.
The real goal is creating alife that feels fulfilling,
(16:20):
aligned and purposeful, onewhere you're not just getting
through the day but actuallyloving the life you're building.
So stay tuned for the nextpodcast, where I'll be diving a
bit further into balance andwhat it actually is, and it's
not what we've been told it is.
(16:41):
But yeah, I'm gonna.
But yeah, I'm going to uncoversome truths about balance that
will hopefully set you free andI can't wait to share it with
you.
Remember, organizing is a toolto live the purposeful life
beyond.
I look forward to seeing younext time.
(17:01):
Bye for now.
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