August 5, 2025 • 35 mins
Welcome to Spark & Ignite Your Marketing, the podcast where real conversations meet real strategies. I'm your host, Beverly Cornell, founder and fairy godmother of brand clarity at Wickedly Branded. With over 25 years of experience, I’ve helped hundreds of entrepreneurs awaken their brand magic, attract the right people, and build businesses that light them up.
In this episode, I talk with Certified Professional Organizer and Simplicity Expert Miriam Ortiz y Pino about how clutter can hinder your brand clarity and progress. With over 20 years of experience aiding entrepreneurs in organization and productivity, Miriam shares insights on how structure fosters freedom and why slowing down can actually lead to faster growth. If you want less noise and more focus in your business, this is your invitation to simplify and move forward confidently.
Three Key Marketing Topics Discussed:
- Simplicity as a Visibility Strategy: Miriam explains how decluttering your brand, physically, digitally, and mentally, can lead to clearer messaging and more confident marketing. When your systems are aligned, your voice becomes magnetic. Learn more about how to Simplify Your Marketing here!
- How Busyness Blocks Your Brand: We dive into the sneaky ways overworking and overthinking dilute your marketing presence. Miriam shares how simplifying your decisions and digital space can amplify your visibility and audience connection.
- Intentional Productivity for Consistent Content: Miriam reframes productivity as a marketing superpower, showing how focused action, not scattered effort, leads to sustainable content creation and brand growth. Learn here how AI can help you stay productive and consistent!
Follow Miriam:
Miriam Ortiz y Pino | LinkedIn
More Than Organized | Website
More Than Organized | Instagram
More Than Organized | Facebook
P.S. Take the first step (will only take you 3 minutes) to awaken your brand magic with our personalized Brand Clarity Quiz
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Beverly (00:00):
did you know that clutter can kill your
creativity?
Whether it's physical or digitalor emotional, too much stuff,
real or virtual can hold youback.
And today we're gonna talk abouthow to declutter your business
and mind for more productivity,freedom and success.
I'm your host, Beverly Cornell,founder and fairy godmother of
(00:20):
brand clarity at Wickedlybranded.
With over 25 years ofexperience, I have helped
hundreds of purpose-drivenentrepreneurs awaken their brand
and boldly bring it to life sothat they can magnify their
impact on the world.
Today's guest is someone whodoesn't just clear the clutter,
she changes your entirerelationship with it.
Miriam Ortiz y Pino is asimplicity expert and certified
(00:43):
professional organizer.
Who blends productivity, money,mindset, and systems.
One of my favorite words, by theway, to help entrepreneurs
streamline their space, energy,and business.
She's the founder of More ThanOrganized a NAPO University
instructor and a moneybreakthrough business coach with
over two decades of anentrepreneurial insight.
(01:03):
Welcome to the show.
Miriam (01:05):
Thanks for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
Beverly (01:07):
I'm excited to have you.
So let's start from thebeginning.
We always talk about the sparkthat started it all.
What inspired you to launch morethan Organized back in 2000 I
read in your bio.
Miriam (01:17):
Yeah.
A couple things.
I needed to work for myself.
It became very obvious I was notthat employable.
And yeah, I noticed all thethings that were wrong and
wanted to fix them, and thatdoesn't work great in the
corporate environment.
So I realized I needed to do myown thing.
So I looked at what that mightbe and realized since I was a
little kid, I had been helpingall my friends and family.
(01:40):
Get organized or as I like toput it, get out the door.
So we wouldn't miss the previewsat the movies.
I was always the person waitingby the front door for everyone
to get their act together so wecould go do the thing that would
be fun.
So I had become a systems nerdover the course of my life,
fixing my own time managementwhen I got busier and started
working to, rearranging theoffice supplies at every job I
(02:04):
was ever at.
So it just seemed like the thingto do when I finally decided to
do my own thing.
And luckily it's worked outreally well.
I really enjoy it.
It has given me the opportunityto add in the pieces that are
more specifically onproductivity and money mindset
and how it all connectstogether.
Doesn't have to be all separate.
Beverly (02:24):
I love that.
So why do we need decluttering?
Why do we need simplificationWhy is that so important?
Miriam (02:32):
Because we're living in an age of overwhelm, and one of
the things we can control is ourown physical environment.
And if we control that, we feelbetter.
So we have more energy andinterest in.
Dealing with the other stuffthat's going on, whether it's
personal, business, political,geopolitical, whatever.
(02:53):
But bottom line is we are justinundated with too much stuff.
The average household now hasover 400,000 items in it.
And our brains are actuallytrying to keep track of all of
that.
So if you don't know where yourpliers are, it's because your
brain can't find the file andyou can't find the file because
(03:13):
you are keeping 80% too muchinformation.
It's all connected, right?
We get frustrated by theselittle bits of interruption
every day, and if you streamlineall that and actually simplify
and only have the things youneed to live your best life, do
your best work, you will not beso overwhelmed because all the
(03:33):
extra excess, redundant stuffwon't be in your way.
Beverly (03:36):
This is great.
I have a DHD and if you look atmy tabs right now, it's probably
reason, reasons why I had techissues before we started
recording today.
I overload my computer all thetime and I wanna go back for one
second.
400,000 items in our homes.
That's insane.
I know I have a lot of littlestuff, but that's a lot of
things to remember in quite alot.
Miriam (03:54):
Just try to count all the stuff on your desk.
Yeah, and you're over a hundred.
When I first started, the firststatistic I ever saw was 44,000,
but that was in 2002 or so, andit has only gotten worse.
We were supposed to gopaperless.
We were supposed to have justwhat we need, right when we need
it on demand everything, andyet, what do we do?
We hoard it all because it mightnot be available again, or I'll
(04:17):
use it someday, or someone toldme to get it or someone gave it
to me and I don't like it, but Idon't wanna hurt their feelings.
There's all these excuses of whywe have stuff instead of taking
agency and creating the life weactually want to be living.
Beverly (04:31):
When Marie Kondo came out, it was like, yeah, a
revolution, because it was like,does it bring me joy?
No.
Get rid of it.
I did a lot of that then a lotof organizing.
And minimizing of things, and itwas very freeing to do that.
I feel like as a creative soul,specifically, when you remove
some of the clutter, it allowsus the freedom.
To think Differently about ourchallenges, about how to talk
(04:55):
about our businesses, about,yeah.
What lights us up.
And I as a systems nerd as well,I love processes and systems and
simplification.
And all The working that I dowith my clients is really about
creating systems that work forthem so that they can free their
mind up to do the thing theyactually love to do because most
of us don't get into businessand do marketing.
(05:16):
They do it to do organizing orto do taxes, or to do whatever.
When you can free up your mindto do that it's really
important.
I read something a long timeago.
They talked about how thepresident, who has so many
decisions to make, we weretalking about Obama at the time.
The president has so manydecisions to make.
So he has four or five suits.
That's it.
Yes.
And he doesn't even have todecide.
He has red ties and blue tiesand a white shirt and whatever.
(05:39):
Less decision making less.
Straighten his brain so that hecan make those bigger decisions
that are far more important.
And that's just one aspect ofthe president's life.
Everything else is taken careof.
Like he doesn't have to make anyof those decisions.
So he never gets decisionfatigue on like just life as
opposed to like those big deals.
Yeah.
So more that you can do thatwith like your services, I'm
(06:01):
imagining that allows businessowners like myself to be able to
make those better, biggerdecisions to grow scale and all
of that.
Miriam (06:09):
Yeah.
We make hundreds of thousands ofdecisions a day on stupid stuff.
And it's the paradox of choice.
It's so great and it seems likeso much freedom to be able to
choose amongst all thesepossibilities.
But really it is draining and.
I work with a lot of creativevisionaries and artists, and
they're always like you can'tfence me in.
(06:29):
But it turns out there's moreinnovation and creativity.
When you put a few constraintsaround what you're working with
or how you're working or whenyou're working and it provides
more benefits than it providesimpediments because you are
using your actual creativity,not just avoiding things or
rearranging things so that youcan get to the thing you're
(06:49):
doing and now you're rushed.
Or upset or frustrated.
Yep.
I'm a big believer in justclearing the decks and reverse
engineering everything andtaking it down to its
essentials.
Beverly (07:00):
Simplicity is liberating.
It really is.
Miriam (07:02):
Systems Set you free.
Beverly (07:04):
Yes.
They don't limit you.
They set you free if it's theright system.
I think that's the key.
And why they need somebody tohold their hand to the process
to help them get the rightsystem for them.
Miriam (07:13):
Yes.
No one else's system willnecessarily work for you.
It's understanding the systemand what you're trying to get it
to do.
And.
I find a lot of people,especially like in the world of
planners and calendars and to-dolist project management stuff,
they don't get in the habit ofusing it and then blame the
tool.
So they will then go look foranother tool instead of
(07:35):
realizing it's their processthat's not working, or the fact
that they haven't given itenough time to become a habit.
It's not.
The tool's fault it's yours.
Beverly (07:45):
The thing that I have found with the clients that
we've worked with, so many areoverwhelmed.
They're burnt out, they've doneeverything.
They're posting, they're puttingspaghetti on the wall.
They're doing everything theycan to be visible.
And when we give them someconstraints and some systems
let's talk about the four to sixthings you want to be known for.
And let's start there.
And then, it's gonna besomething that's owning the one
(08:08):
little inch of the world and howdeep you can go, right?
Yeah.
And so that little niche thatyou've created for yourself can
be so incredibly powerful.
And I tell you before.
As a marketer, I wasn't alwaysgood at this because I helped
everybody else and didn't helpmyself, which is common when
you're in business.
You do the thing for everyoneelse, like the cobbler's kids
that have no shoes.
is when I started doing this formyself, I found marketing to be
(08:30):
more fun again for myself, andthat was like liberating for me.
It was truly freeing, and now Ihave more ideas than I know what
to do with myself.
So that has helped me focus andhave clarity in ways is an easy
yes or no decision now, becauseI know if it fits in those four
to six buckets, then that's ayes.
If it doesn't, then it's a hardno.
Miriam (08:49):
And it doesn't actually limit who you work with.
It invites the cream of the cropin and then you get to decide
where you're gonna make anexception.
I almost always work with smallbusiness owners, but every once
in a while I work with someonethat's just downsizing.
Yeah.
Or someone that is aprofessional that's changing
careers or something like, itdoesn't have to be specifically,
(09:10):
but I tend to talk to.
And at and for small businessowners.
But it doesn't mean they're theonly people that come in.
I like variety.
I let other people in too, butthere's something in the message
that's a crossover that appealedto them if they contacted me.
We all have the same issues.
It doesn't look the same.
Beverly (09:28):
Yeah.
Are there other misconceptionsor myths about getting organized
or simplifying that is commonfor people to think?
Miriam (09:35):
Yeah.
One of the most surprising onesis I need containers to get more
organized.
Now instead of 400,000 items,you have 400,001 items and one
of them doesn't fit on theshelf.
'cause you failed to measure,you thought it would solve all
your problems.
'cause it was on TikTok.
Beverly (09:50):
Are you in my house?
Stop it.
Miriam (09:53):
They said the egg holder that would roll the eggs down
into each other would take upless room than an egg carton.
It doesn't.
It's just a matter of really howare you using your things and
then figuring out the bestcontainer for them.
I like to use the example, butit's dating myself now, but in
the nineties and early twothousands, lots of people had CD
(10:14):
racks that had slots for theCDs.
But if you had a double set oryou had a special edition set,
they didn't fit in, so theywould be off to the side in a
weird, random pile.
Or you'd need more slots andyou'd have to move everything
over by one to fit the new onein.
It was a nightmare.
Instead of just have a bookshelfand pretend like it's a library,
there's always more than one wayto contain stuff, and it doesn't
(10:37):
actually have to look like acontainer.
It can be just a designatedarea.
It'll save you tons of money andtons of time and lots of
frustration on the day to day.
Beverly (10:46):
So share a client transformation story.
And how you help them reallyembrace and get the benefits of
the power of simplicity.
Miriam (10:56):
Yeah.
I have one client, I've beenworking with her for many years.
Not that she's that bad, but shehas a complicated life, so it's
been a longer process.
But when she first hired me, shewas afraid to let people into
her house.
And she loved to entertain andshe had acquired a lot of
things.
'cause she's a very interestingand interested person with
several hobbies.
(11:17):
She's the director of a largenonprofit.
She has a full social life, etcetera.
And things had gotten away fromher.
So when I first came in, it waslike, okay, let's just clear out
the guest room.
She had a guest coming.
Let's make sure that's.
Presentable and we did all thatand she couldn't believe I fit
all the stuff she wanted to keepafter that first round in the
(11:37):
space she had.
cause it had been all over theplace.
But she didn't really wanna getrid of much.
But as we went around the houseand did each area, she found
little bits of more time and ofmore space.
And by the time we got to likethe third or fourth room, I
can't actually remember now,which order we did two of the
rooms.
She was willing to let go of alot more.
She was seeing how having lessmade it easier to access the
(12:00):
things in the other rooms.
She realized she didn't have toleave it out'cause it was easier
to put it away.
Now.
All those little bits add upnow.
I think it's been like eightyears I've been working with
her.
She has decided to retire.
She's traveling more.
She's entertaining.
She is clearing the decks.
She's dealing with familyestates and family history
stuff.
She's getting back to her craftprojects and every time I go
(12:23):
she's let's get rid of more.
Let's get rid of more.
It sometimes feels overwhelmingand daunting, but it's
incremental progress forexponential results and her
entire life and her outlook onthe rest of her life has
completely changed.
Beverly (12:36):
That's amazing.
So powerful.
I sometimes will just do adrawer'cause I have 10 minutes,
I'm waiting for something, I'lljust do a drawer.
And I feel so empowered afterthat one drawer that I want to
continue.
But with my A DH adhd, I havethis oh, I'm gonna get organized
and I get everything outta thecloset and then I'm like.
Miriam (12:53):
No one drawer at a time.
One drawer, one cabinet, oneshelf, one pile at a time.
Beverly (13:00):
That seems so easy in theory, right?
But when I'm in the closet and Ihave all these clothes, right?
That feels a littleoverwhelming.
Miriam (13:09):
It's not one closet, it's one shelf of your closet.
It's one section betweenbrackets.
It's it's really a little bit ata time.
And I think what trips people upand gets them back overwhelmed
is they're trying to do too muchand they don't know what to do
with the maybes.
Yes.
So instead of.
Continuing.
They give up or they getfrustrated or they leave it out
(13:31):
and they're like, I'll know in aminute, whatever.
But really the maybes need to bejust set aside as its own
category.
And it could be left in thecloset just to one side, so that
you are using your favorites,your yeses and the nos are out
of the way.
And now, three months later.
You're going to get a shirt andyou have all these maybes that
(13:51):
you haven't even looked at andyou realize, oh, I need that one
shirt.
I'm so glad I kept it.
And you move it into the yesesor you go, I don't need any of
these.
I'm removing them.
It's a reevaluation of themaybes and there's a category
called, I don't know where itbelongs.
So it's, yes, I need to keep it.
I just don't know where it'sgonna live yet.
(14:13):
And so you keep it in thatcategory.
Like you can use a bin, abasket, a box, or you can carry
it around with you as you gothrough your house of the, I
need more information to figurethe decision on this piece out
and then all of a sudden, threedrawers later, you'll find the
matching belt to that dress, oryou'll find the piece of that
(14:33):
furniture that you need toreattach or like all those
little bits that we left out toremind ourselves to take care of
something that we didn't do.
Beverly (14:41):
Yeah.
So how does this relate to work?
Miriam (14:42):
Oh, it's the same thing.
The digital realm is just likethe physical realm.
So you've got a file on yourdesktop or in your Dropbox or
Google Drive or whatever, but itIs it attached to anything else?
We now rely so much on search,and search is so diluted because
everything you do has the word.
For me it's simplicity.
(15:03):
Organizing productivity.
I can't find anything unless Isubcategorize it myself.
So I'm a big fan of stillsetting up some files and
folders in your computer life,but also just.
Open every file and glance atit.
And do I still need this?
Is this still relevant?
This article I downloaded aboutmortgage rates in 2007.
Is it still relevant today?
(15:24):
No.
Yeah, because we had threemortgage crisis since then.
But you know what?
What's still relevant?
And it's about weeding out, buthaving that process of how you
use things, what's the workflowfor the kinds of information?
And the number one thing aroundwork is you can't find the stuff
you saved for that thing.
So there's no system and there'sthe redundancy of your lists.
(15:47):
You have an idea, you don't knowwhere to put it.
So you write it on a list andthen two days later you write it
on a different list.
And then four days later youwrite it on yet another list.
And it might be in your notes,it might be in your Evernote, it
might be in your Dropbox.
It might be in your GoogleDrive, it might be in your
planner, it might be in yournotebook.
It might be in the othernotebook or the 47 other ones in
the corner.
cause people love to start a newnotebook for every new thing
(16:09):
they do.
Beverly (16:10):
My husband uses the list everywhere.
And that drives me crazy.
But I only use my notes on myapp for things that I need to
do.
I can put it there and then Ishare it with him, if it's about
the house or whatever, so he cansee this is what I'm thinking
for the weekend or whatever,and, but he has the handwritten
notes of it.
I'm like, it's 2025, babe.
Like you can consolidate allthose into one list and you can
(16:34):
even like market and click itand it crosses it off for you.
It's amazing.
He's just can old school.
He loves a paper list.
Miriam (16:42):
I do too, but there's a reason for it.
And it's not bad.
It's just Does he have all hislists in one place or are they
still all over the place?
Actually writing the act, thephysical act of writing
something down helps your brainremember it.
Because it is appealing to allof your senses.
You are seeing it appear, youare feeling it, appear, you are
(17:03):
smelling the ink or thegraphite.
You are hearing it appear on thepaper, like it actually involves
all five senses.
Whereas typing, you don't reallysmell it.
May or may not feel it.
And.
It may or may not auto correct,so it's not even what you
intended to write.
There's a few problems withkeeping it digitally.
I'm a big fan of taking thenotes by hand and then I
(17:25):
transfer the things to theircorrect places in my digital
realm as needed.
Beverly (17:31):
I have a notebook that I do like to write in,
especially in meetings like whenwe were talked about today and
the question you wanted.
But I do have a projectmanagement system that most
everything lives and exists inthat is like for the stuff that
I just cannot let drop off.
It has to have a due date andaccountability and all those
things, but it is finding thesystem that works for you.
But you have to use it like yousaid.
A lot of these programs do somuch, it's almost a little
(17:52):
overwhelming just in like theideas of how extensive and how
many apps can go into theprogram.
In the process of making thesystem work for us.
And I love that that's somethingyou champion because that is
something that's so important.
You've been in business for 20years.
I've been in business for 13years.
Business changes too.
And the tool needs to change.
What's one part of your businessthat has evolved the most, do
(18:13):
you think?
And what's pushed you to makethose changes?
Miriam (18:16):
Probably social media.
When I started, there was nosocial media.
Yeah, same.
I, that's not entirely true.
There was MySpace.
If you wanna go back in the dayI've been in business since
there were still, bulletinboards and forums.
But that's the thing thatchanges the most.
Every day it changes.
So another point you said aboutyour clients getting overwhelmed
(18:37):
with all the social media stuff.
By the time you learn that youshould be doing something, that
trend is already over.
And so figuring out your voice,your method of communication is
so important.
And, I'm a case study for that.
I spent years chasing the trendsand following what people.
Said, and it never sounded likeme.
It didn't do anything for me andI kept trying to be more
authentic and more me, and ayear ago, I suddenly realized I
(19:00):
can't, if I'm following thetrends and I'm listening to
everybody else, and I stoppedand I started talking.
Straight talk like this.
Yeah.
And it's been amazing.
Everything has started growingafter years of just flatlining.
Beverly (19:13):
This challenge is so real.
Every single entrepreneur I'veever worked with has the same
thing.
Like they're just trying tocheck the boxes and look at what
the competitor's doing andseeing what this trend is, and
they get caught up in all theshoulds that they end up should
all over themselves.
And they don't actually dowhat's good for them.
Or that feels right to them oris actually them and then their
words and their voice and thentheir purpose and their why,
(19:35):
it's all gets muddied.
And then your poor clients don'teven know who you are because
you're so muddy.
That Clarity is so important.
Miriam (19:43):
I'm here to tell you that as a professional
organizer, a certified one atthat.
I would never, ever tell youwhat you should or shouldn't buy
on Amazon this week.
Not once.
All those AI things, it's likethe eight secrets to this, the
six keys to that, the 12 tipsprofessional organizers think
you need, all those things.
(20:04):
It's all AI.
Doesn't sound like anyone.
Beverly (20:06):
No, for sure.
So this season, the bigquestion's all about confidence
and I think when you havesimplicity and you have that
liberation of less overwhelm,what does confidence look like
to an organizer?
And is there a moment where yourealized you were truly showing
up with it?
Miriam (20:20):
Yes and yes.
So for me, it looks likeactually saying this stuff out
loud that I think in my head andhaving people resonate with it.
That was really powerful.
And then this year I went to theNAPO conference, which that's
the National Association ofProductivity and Organizing
Professionals.
For those of you that we'rewondering.
It was the first time I had abunch of newish organizers know
(20:44):
who I was and want to hang outand ask me questions, and I felt
like I was the old guard andthings are changing, but they
were asking for my input andthat's when I knew, I really
know my stuff and I feel goodabout it, and I am ready to give
back.
Beverly (21:01):
Confidence in your words.
And confidence in yourauthority.
'cause you've been around theblock, right?
Yes.
I love that.
So you've built A businessaround streamlining.
How does That show up in yourmarketing?
Miriam (21:13):
Overall I leverage everything.
I write a blog post.
It has to have, 10 other ways Ican use it.
And I use meet Edgar as aposting tool.
So I have these libraries ofstuff that just rotate through
my content.
That allows me to have abaseline and then I can layer in
special events or things thatcome up in the news or whatever.
(21:33):
But yeah, just.
Finally pulling it all togetherand saying, no, all of these
things feed into this category.
Beverly (21:40):
The content buckets.
Yes.
Yeah.
Miriam (21:42):
We literally just did this last week.
I can't remember how many westarted with over the years.
It ballooned a little bit andthis was like, oh, this is a new
category, we cleaned it up.
We are down to, I think it'sseven categories, seven
categories plus the launches.
So each of the launches has itsown category that just gets
turned on and off.
But the rest of it had been like18 or 19 categories and we just
(22:03):
streamlined it down to seven.
Beverly (22:04):
So this is like containers.
Like this is the virtualcontainer of marketing Exactly.
So for us it's a clarity,awakening your brand magic,
that's a content bucket.
For us, it's activating yourbrand and what that looks like.
Confidence in your brand andvisibility and what that looks
like.
So we have these buckets that welive within and it's an
invisible container, but thatcontainer can contain.
(22:25):
Every single blog post that youever write about that particular
thing.
And the way we see this, thatrepurposing, I love the
repurpose.
It's so good.
Is that you can write the blogpost.
From the blog post could be anemail, from the blog post, you
can create 10 social mediaposts.
From the social media post.
You could create a video.
From the video.
You can create, like all thesethings can happen, right?
But at the end of it, thesecontent buckets, these six, you
(22:48):
say seven, I say four to six.
'cause I wanna even keep itsimple there for my clients.
But these four to six contentbuckets can then become chapters
in a book.
They can become these muchbigger pieces of content that
you can leverage.
They could become a majorinfographic.
Like one bucket could become awhite paper.
Like you have so many ways thatyou can then aggregate once you
(23:11):
have a lot.
Even further into the realm.
So we actually, on the podcast,one of our buckets is
confidence.
So this season is all aboutconfidence.
Even on the podcast, we'rebucketing our seasons according
to our content buckets.
So you can get very intentionalabout what you're writing, who
you're writing for, and howyou're writing it, and repurpose
(23:32):
the heck out of it.
And that is streamlining sowell.
That's lovely, Miriam.
I'm so proud of you.
Miriam (23:39):
Yeah.
And technically I have fivetopic buckets.
Beverly (23:43):
Okay.
Miriam (23:44):
And I have tons of content.
Y'all, I've been doing this for25 years, so there's a lot and a
lot of my stuff crosses overbecause I talk about the
connections a lot.
So my five topic buckets areinterspersed with my seven
categories.
And the seven categoriesbasically now correspond to a
day of the week.
This is what I post on Mondays,is this is the bucket I post on
this day.
(24:04):
This is the bucket I post onthat day.
That kind of thing.
Just because I tried just doingthe topics for a while.
And it seemed to confuse people.
They didn't see the connectionsanymore, so I went back to,
Nope, we gotta talk about theconnections and how to do that
and still maintain the topics.
Beverly (24:19):
I love it.
We use a social media matrix,testimonials go here, this goes
here.
Like we do this thing, 80% ismore informational, educational,
20% is more business focused.
Like we have this whole magicformula we use to pull from your
different posts and things likethat.
It can get a little bitformulaic, but once you have
your content and it's you andauthentic, it's easier to put it
(24:41):
in the formula to make it work.
Yeah, it is.
Miriam (24:44):
Yeah, there was a lot of trial and error, how to make
that all come together, butyeah, finally did it.
Beverly (24:48):
We should have met earlier'cause I could have
totally helped you with that.
So what is the hardest thingabout marketing for you?
Miriam (24:54):
Even though I have a niche, it's very hard to define
one when I have so many.
Different content buckets.
Like it makes perfect sense ifyou see my whole roadmap, but
anyone that sees one of my postsdoesn't necessarily know I do
all the other things.
So it's that, how to make itwork together.
Messaging that doesn't lookquite like other organizers.
(25:16):
And so people it's navigatingthe misunderstandings about it
and finding.
But again, using my voice thelast couple years has really
helped with that differentiateme from everybody else.
Beverly (25:27):
Yeah, there's only one Miriam, with your experience and
your particular perspective andyour framework and how you do
things, and you really have tolean on that and push that
forward.
When we help some of ourentrepreneurs, they're so
scattered, right?
And they don't know that there'sa strategy.
And when you have strategy andyou have clarity, and then you
have confidence because you'reclear, you can say the thing
because you're clear.
Yeah.
And that momentum in theprocess, and that all starts
(25:51):
with really understanding yourvoice and who you are and your
purpose and your why.
We have this 90 minute deepdive.
I actually joke, I'm like partmarketing therapist, part brand
clarity, fairy godmother.
'Cause we really do lean intowhat ha, where have you been,
where you are now, where do youwanna go?
What's the challenges?
What is holding you back?
Where are you struggling themost?
Because there's usuallysomething really good about in
those moments.
I've moved 28 times Miriam.
(26:12):
I'm a military wife.
My mom left my dad when I wasreally young, so we've had to
move a lot in my life.
And what it has taught me is thepower of connection.
Like I'm really good atconnecting dots, connecting with
people.
And so when somebody hears that,they're like, oh, like that
makes her uniquely her.
When you start sharing some ofyour personal stories around
what actually has helped.
You evolve as a human.
(26:34):
Sometimes it's sadness,sometimes it's good as success
and all those things, but that'sexactly the person, the guide to
help that person get to there.
And you can create the businessexactly around that.
Yeah.
Leading into your actual voiceand who you are and how you
serve and what you love isincredibly powerful.
Love it.
I have a magic hat.
In my hat.
I have some fun littlequestions.
(26:55):
Woo.
What is the most WTF thing thathas ever happened in your
business?
Miriam (26:58):
Oh, I had someone that I knew well hire me for a six
month package to go throughtheir whole house.
And I got there and on day threeshe was threatening to take me
to court because I had failed totake away one box of glasses off
the counter.
'cause I thought she had put itin my car when we were loading
(27:20):
up my car.
And she's calling me before Imove back home.
And she's you suck, you'reterrible.
And I'm like, hang on.
Over one box of glasses.
Crazy.
Yeah.
What is happening?
And this was someone I knew, soit was even more surprising.
I think it's, that allowed me toreally figure out how to deal
with people's triggers andemotional states and make sure I
left on more of anunderstanding.
(27:41):
So it improved my client'ssessions tremendously, but it
was a very.
WTF moment for me what, where isthis coming from?
I don't understand.
Beverly (27:50):
What fear have you had to overcome to grow your
business?
Miriam (27:54):
To be honest, it was putting myself out there in
social media.
Not that I'm afraid to talk orany of that, but I have had a
couple stalker slash stalkeradjacent situations in my life.
And so being out there, I'm notafraid to talk my truth, but it
also puts me out there in thepublic a lot more.
And luckily that has not come topass.
(28:14):
That was a worry.
That hasn't happened.
In that form, but it gave mepause in the beginning for sure.
Sure.
Beverly (28:20):
What's been the hardest parts about being an
entrepreneur?
Miriam (28:23):
Inconsistent income.
It comes up, it comes down, youmake plans, it's not there.
It comes back like it, it's allfine and it's always been quite
enough to support me, but it'slike sometimes my ideas get
bigger than my bank account, andthen I have to wait for it to
catch up.
Beverly (28:38):
You are not alone.
What core values guide yourbusiness decisions and
interactions with yourcustomers?
Miriam (28:43):
Oh.
Fulfillment for me and myclients.
Joy, because why shouldn't workBe fun.
Yes.
And wisdom and it's'cause I feelwisdom comes from experience and
you have to go through it to getit.
Beverly (28:57):
Okay.
I have a magic wand.
Miriam (28:59):
I.
Mine is a little slow.
It's been in under the airconditioning.
Beverly (29:05):
So the magic wand actually helps us travel through
time.
And when I wave it, we're gonnago back to the Miriam who
graduated from high school.
Okay.
And I would love for you to giveher a piece of advice that you
wish you knew sooner, thatwould've helped you at in your
business.
Miriam (29:19):
You are enough.
Beverly (29:21):
Yes.
What would she say about you nowthat 18-year-old Miriam,
Miriam (29:25):
she'd be like, what took you so long?
Beverly (29:26):
It's interesting to think about it that way.
Miriam (29:28):
Yeah.
Beverly (29:29):
I like it.
So if I wave the one and we goin the future and we look at
like many decades.
I always say this like far inthe future, what do you want to
be your most significant legacyand impact?
If someone were to give youreulogy, what would you want them
to say about your work and howyou've impacted the world?
Miriam (29:44):
I helped people enjoy their lives.
Beverly (29:47):
That's such a good one.
Like I want people to have morejoy and contentment.
So I'm gonna wave us back to thepresent that we are here back in
2025.
For those people who are tuningin today, those small business
owners, the people who arewanting to be an entrepreneur,
what is one tip that you wouldgive them?
They're trying to build moreconfidence in what they do, how
they talk, what their office iswhat their work is like.
(30:10):
Related to organizing andsimplicity for sure.
Miriam, what is one thing theycould try to do to build more
confidence in how they show upand run their business?
Miriam (30:17):
Yeah.
There's a lot of things, but Ithink the most empowering thing
is to actually know yournumbers.
So many people go into thebusiness thing with, I just
wanna help people, or I makedecisions in the moment, or
whatever.
But there's actual strategyinvolved in success and knowing
your numbers.
(30:37):
Not every bank balance down tothe penny, although that's
helpful, but what is your bewell number?
How much do you need to bemaking to enjoy your life?
And then work towards that, not,oh, I have enough.
I think especially women do alot of that.
Oh, I just need a little extra,I'm just contributing a little.
Why not play bigger and get abunch?
Or the other way around, I needa bunch to maintain this
(30:59):
lifestyle that I don't evenlike.
So just get really clear on whatyour be well number is and not.
Just to pay for the weirdself-care stuff that isn't
actually self-care, but justpurchasing
Beverly (31:11):
We're very consumerism society, right?
Just to get more stuff, acquiremore stuff, show up more stuff,
have more stuff.
There's something to be saidabout that for sure.
Miriam (31:19):
If so much more sustainable, if you just have
the stuff that helps you feelgood.
Beverly (31:25):
I'm sure that people who listening feel this
themselves or.
Is struggling with gettingorganized or has had some of
those same struggles?
It means so much to Miriam andmyself if you'd share this
episode with them to help themmaybe find a little nugget that
might get them closer to maybethat be well number or be well
in their business being morejoyful, enjoying their business
(31:46):
more because they have moresimplicity and they are more
organized that would mean a lotto us.
Or leave us a review and tell usthat this mattered to you.
This has helped you in some way,shape, or form.
So before we go though, Miriam,I would love for you to share
where people can learn moreabout you and about your
business and connect with you.
To see more.
Miriam (32:02):
Yeah.
I think the easiest way to do itis morethanorganize.net.
It has links to all my socials.
It has blog posts.
It has free content on there,and it has all the links to all
my various offerings as well.
But that's where you can findout the most about me.
Beverly (32:19):
Wonderful.
I'll make sure to include thatin the show notes as well.
Miriam, this has been a reallyfun conversation.
I really thank you for sharingyour wisdom and your journey and
your magic with us.
I know our listeners are goingto walk away feeling more
inspired and ready to maybesimplify a few things, even if
it's their Google Drive or theirdesk.
I'm looking at my desk right nowgoing, maybe I need to simplify
(32:40):
that.
I'm so grateful for your timeand for the impact that you're
making to help bring more joyinto the world.
I hope today's episode reallylit a fire under you.
My listeners gave you maybe somenew ideas and most of all,
inspired to take that next stepbecause here is the thing.
Your message matters.
Your work matters, and the worldneeds to hear what you have to
say.
Marketing isn't just aboutvisibility.
It's about impact.
(33:00):
It's about connecting with theright people in a way that feels
true to you.
So keep showing up.
Keep sharing your brilliance.
Keep making things simpler andkeep making magic in the world.
And hey, if you ever feel stuck,know that you don't have to do
this alone.
We're here to help you and turnyour sparks into a wildfire.
So until next time, keepsparking and igniting.
did you know that clutter can kill your
creativity?
Whether it's physical or digitalor emotional, too much stuff,
real or virtual can hold youback.
And today we're gonna talk abouthow to declutter your business
and mind for more productivity,freedom and success.
I'm your host, Beverly Cornell,founder and fairy godmother of
(00:20):
brand clarity at Wickedlybranded.
With over 25 years ofexperience, I have helped
hundreds of purpose-drivenentrepreneurs awaken their brand
and boldly bring it to life sothat they can magnify their
impact on the world.
Today's guest is someone whodoesn't just clear the clutter,
she changes your entirerelationship with it.
Miriam Ortiz y Pino is asimplicity expert and certified
(00:43):
professional organizer.
Who blends productivity, money,mindset, and systems.
One of my favorite words, by theway, to help entrepreneurs
streamline their space, energy,and business.
She's the founder of More ThanOrganized a NAPO University
instructor and a moneybreakthrough business coach with
over two decades of anentrepreneurial insight.
(01:03):
Welcome to the show.
Miriam (01:05):
Thanks for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
Beverly (01:07):
I'm excited to have you.
So let's start from thebeginning.
We always talk about the sparkthat started it all.
What inspired you to launch morethan Organized back in 2000 I
read in your bio.
Miriam (01:17):
Yeah.
A couple things.
I needed to work for myself.
It became very obvious I was notthat employable.
And yeah, I noticed all thethings that were wrong and
wanted to fix them, and thatdoesn't work great in the
corporate environment.
So I realized I needed to do myown thing.
So I looked at what that mightbe and realized since I was a
little kid, I had been helpingall my friends and family.
(01:40):
Get organized or as I like toput it, get out the door.
So we wouldn't miss the previewsat the movies.
I was always the person waitingby the front door for everyone
to get their act together so wecould go do the thing that would
be fun.
So I had become a systems nerdover the course of my life,
fixing my own time managementwhen I got busier and started
working to, rearranging theoffice supplies at every job I
(02:04):
was ever at.
So it just seemed like the thingto do when I finally decided to
do my own thing.
And luckily it's worked outreally well.
I really enjoy it.
It has given me the opportunityto add in the pieces that are
more specifically onproductivity and money mindset
and how it all connectstogether.
Doesn't have to be all separate.
Beverly (02:24):
I love that.
So why do we need decluttering?
Why do we need simplificationWhy is that so important?
Miriam (02:32):
Because we're living in an age of overwhelm, and one of
the things we can control is ourown physical environment.
And if we control that, we feelbetter.
So we have more energy andinterest in.
Dealing with the other stuffthat's going on, whether it's
personal, business, political,geopolitical, whatever.
(02:53):
But bottom line is we are justinundated with too much stuff.
The average household now hasover 400,000 items in it.
And our brains are actuallytrying to keep track of all of
that.
So if you don't know where yourpliers are, it's because your
brain can't find the file andyou can't find the file because
(03:13):
you are keeping 80% too muchinformation.
It's all connected, right?
We get frustrated by theselittle bits of interruption
every day, and if you streamlineall that and actually simplify
and only have the things youneed to live your best life, do
your best work, you will not beso overwhelmed because all the
(03:33):
extra excess, redundant stuffwon't be in your way.
Beverly (03:36):
This is great.
I have a DHD and if you look atmy tabs right now, it's probably
reason, reasons why I had techissues before we started
recording today.
I overload my computer all thetime and I wanna go back for one
second.
400,000 items in our homes.
That's insane.
I know I have a lot of littlestuff, but that's a lot of
things to remember in quite alot.
Miriam (03:54):
Just try to count all the stuff on your desk.
Yeah, and you're over a hundred.
When I first started, the firststatistic I ever saw was 44,000,
but that was in 2002 or so, andit has only gotten worse.
We were supposed to gopaperless.
We were supposed to have justwhat we need, right when we need
it on demand everything, andyet, what do we do?
We hoard it all because it mightnot be available again, or I'll
(04:17):
use it someday, or someone toldme to get it or someone gave it
to me and I don't like it, but Idon't wanna hurt their feelings.
There's all these excuses of whywe have stuff instead of taking
agency and creating the life weactually want to be living.
Beverly (04:31):
When Marie Kondo came out, it was like, yeah, a
revolution, because it was like,does it bring me joy?
No.
Get rid of it.
I did a lot of that then a lotof organizing.
And minimizing of things, and itwas very freeing to do that.
I feel like as a creative soul,specifically, when you remove
some of the clutter, it allowsus the freedom.
To think Differently about ourchallenges, about how to talk
(04:55):
about our businesses, about,yeah.
What lights us up.
And I as a systems nerd as well,I love processes and systems and
simplification.
And all The working that I dowith my clients is really about
creating systems that work forthem so that they can free their
mind up to do the thing theyactually love to do because most
of us don't get into businessand do marketing.
(05:16):
They do it to do organizing orto do taxes, or to do whatever.
When you can free up your mindto do that it's really
important.
I read something a long timeago.
They talked about how thepresident, who has so many
decisions to make, we weretalking about Obama at the time.
The president has so manydecisions to make.
So he has four or five suits.
That's it.
Yes.
And he doesn't even have todecide.
He has red ties and blue tiesand a white shirt and whatever.
(05:39):
Less decision making less.
Straighten his brain so that hecan make those bigger decisions
that are far more important.
And that's just one aspect ofthe president's life.
Everything else is taken careof.
Like he doesn't have to make anyof those decisions.
So he never gets decisionfatigue on like just life as
opposed to like those big deals.
Yeah.
So more that you can do thatwith like your services, I'm
(06:01):
imagining that allows businessowners like myself to be able to
make those better, biggerdecisions to grow scale and all
of that.
Miriam (06:09):
Yeah.
We make hundreds of thousands ofdecisions a day on stupid stuff.
And it's the paradox of choice.
It's so great and it seems likeso much freedom to be able to
choose amongst all thesepossibilities.
But really it is draining and.
I work with a lot of creativevisionaries and artists, and
they're always like you can'tfence me in.
(06:29):
But it turns out there's moreinnovation and creativity.
When you put a few constraintsaround what you're working with
or how you're working or whenyou're working and it provides
more benefits than it providesimpediments because you are
using your actual creativity,not just avoiding things or
rearranging things so that youcan get to the thing you're
(06:49):
doing and now you're rushed.
Or upset or frustrated.
Yep.
I'm a big believer in justclearing the decks and reverse
engineering everything andtaking it down to its
essentials.
Beverly (07:00):
Simplicity is liberating.
It really is.
Miriam (07:02):
Systems Set you free.
Beverly (07:04):
Yes.
They don't limit you.
They set you free if it's theright system.
I think that's the key.
And why they need somebody tohold their hand to the process
to help them get the rightsystem for them.
Miriam (07:13):
Yes.
No one else's system willnecessarily work for you.
It's understanding the systemand what you're trying to get it
to do.
And.
I find a lot of people,especially like in the world of
planners and calendars and to-dolist project management stuff,
they don't get in the habit ofusing it and then blame the
tool.
So they will then go look foranother tool instead of
(07:35):
realizing it's their processthat's not working, or the fact
that they haven't given itenough time to become a habit.
It's not.
The tool's fault it's yours.
Beverly (07:45):
The thing that I have found with the clients that
we've worked with, so many areoverwhelmed.
They're burnt out, they've doneeverything.
They're posting, they're puttingspaghetti on the wall.
They're doing everything theycan to be visible.
And when we give them someconstraints and some systems
let's talk about the four to sixthings you want to be known for.
And let's start there.
And then, it's gonna besomething that's owning the one
(08:08):
little inch of the world and howdeep you can go, right?
Yeah.
And so that little niche thatyou've created for yourself can
be so incredibly powerful.
And I tell you before.
As a marketer, I wasn't alwaysgood at this because I helped
everybody else and didn't helpmyself, which is common when
you're in business.
You do the thing for everyoneelse, like the cobbler's kids
that have no shoes.
is when I started doing this formyself, I found marketing to be
(08:30):
more fun again for myself, andthat was like liberating for me.
It was truly freeing, and now Ihave more ideas than I know what
to do with myself.
So that has helped me focus andhave clarity in ways is an easy
yes or no decision now, becauseI know if it fits in those four
to six buckets, then that's ayes.
If it doesn't, then it's a hardno.
Miriam (08:49):
And it doesn't actually limit who you work with.
It invites the cream of the cropin and then you get to decide
where you're gonna make anexception.
I almost always work with smallbusiness owners, but every once
in a while I work with someonethat's just downsizing.
Yeah.
Or someone that is aprofessional that's changing
careers or something like, itdoesn't have to be specifically,
(09:10):
but I tend to talk to.
And at and for small businessowners.
But it doesn't mean they're theonly people that come in.
I like variety.
I let other people in too, butthere's something in the message
that's a crossover that appealedto them if they contacted me.
We all have the same issues.
It doesn't look the same.
Beverly (09:28):
Yeah.
Are there other misconceptionsor myths about getting organized
or simplifying that is commonfor people to think?
Miriam (09:35):
Yeah.
One of the most surprising onesis I need containers to get more
organized.
Now instead of 400,000 items,you have 400,001 items and one
of them doesn't fit on theshelf.
'cause you failed to measure,you thought it would solve all
your problems.
'cause it was on TikTok.
Beverly (09:50):
Are you in my house?
Stop it.
Miriam (09:53):
They said the egg holder that would roll the eggs down
into each other would take upless room than an egg carton.
It doesn't.
It's just a matter of really howare you using your things and
then figuring out the bestcontainer for them.
I like to use the example, butit's dating myself now, but in
the nineties and early twothousands, lots of people had CD
(10:14):
racks that had slots for theCDs.
But if you had a double set oryou had a special edition set,
they didn't fit in, so theywould be off to the side in a
weird, random pile.
Or you'd need more slots andyou'd have to move everything
over by one to fit the new onein.
It was a nightmare.
Instead of just have a bookshelfand pretend like it's a library,
there's always more than one wayto contain stuff, and it doesn't
(10:37):
actually have to look like acontainer.
It can be just a designatedarea.
It'll save you tons of money andtons of time and lots of
frustration on the day to day.
Beverly (10:46):
So share a client transformation story.
And how you help them reallyembrace and get the benefits of
the power of simplicity.
Miriam (10:56):
Yeah.
I have one client, I've beenworking with her for many years.
Not that she's that bad, but shehas a complicated life, so it's
been a longer process.
But when she first hired me, shewas afraid to let people into
her house.
And she loved to entertain andshe had acquired a lot of
things.
'cause she's a very interestingand interested person with
several hobbies.
(11:17):
She's the director of a largenonprofit.
She has a full social life, etcetera.
And things had gotten away fromher.
So when I first came in, it waslike, okay, let's just clear out
the guest room.
She had a guest coming.
Let's make sure that's.
Presentable and we did all thatand she couldn't believe I fit
all the stuff she wanted to keepafter that first round in the
(11:37):
space she had.
cause it had been all over theplace.
But she didn't really wanna getrid of much.
But as we went around the houseand did each area, she found
little bits of more time and ofmore space.
And by the time we got to likethe third or fourth room, I
can't actually remember now,which order we did two of the
rooms.
She was willing to let go of alot more.
She was seeing how having lessmade it easier to access the
(12:00):
things in the other rooms.
She realized she didn't have toleave it out'cause it was easier
to put it away.
Now.
All those little bits add upnow.
I think it's been like eightyears I've been working with
her.
She has decided to retire.
She's traveling more.
She's entertaining.
She is clearing the decks.
She's dealing with familyestates and family history
stuff.
She's getting back to her craftprojects and every time I go
(12:23):
she's let's get rid of more.
Let's get rid of more.
It sometimes feels overwhelmingand daunting, but it's
incremental progress forexponential results and her
entire life and her outlook onthe rest of her life has
completely changed.
Beverly (12:36):
That's amazing.
So powerful.
I sometimes will just do adrawer'cause I have 10 minutes,
I'm waiting for something, I'lljust do a drawer.
And I feel so empowered afterthat one drawer that I want to
continue.
But with my A DH adhd, I havethis oh, I'm gonna get organized
and I get everything outta thecloset and then I'm like.
Miriam (12:53):
No one drawer at a time.
One drawer, one cabinet, oneshelf, one pile at a time.
Beverly (13:00):
That seems so easy in theory, right?
But when I'm in the closet and Ihave all these clothes, right?
That feels a littleoverwhelming.
Miriam (13:09):
It's not one closet, it's one shelf of your closet.
It's one section betweenbrackets.
It's it's really a little bit ata time.
And I think what trips people upand gets them back overwhelmed
is they're trying to do too muchand they don't know what to do
with the maybes.
Yes.
So instead of.
Continuing.
They give up or they getfrustrated or they leave it out
(13:31):
and they're like, I'll know in aminute, whatever.
But really the maybes need to bejust set aside as its own
category.
And it could be left in thecloset just to one side, so that
you are using your favorites,your yeses and the nos are out
of the way.
And now, three months later.
You're going to get a shirt andyou have all these maybes that
(13:51):
you haven't even looked at andyou realize, oh, I need that one
shirt.
I'm so glad I kept it.
And you move it into the yesesor you go, I don't need any of
these.
I'm removing them.
It's a reevaluation of themaybes and there's a category
called, I don't know where itbelongs.
So it's, yes, I need to keep it.
I just don't know where it'sgonna live yet.
(14:13):
And so you keep it in thatcategory.
Like you can use a bin, abasket, a box, or you can carry
it around with you as you gothrough your house of the, I
need more information to figurethe decision on this piece out
and then all of a sudden, threedrawers later, you'll find the
matching belt to that dress, oryou'll find the piece of that
(14:33):
furniture that you need toreattach or like all those
little bits that we left out toremind ourselves to take care of
something that we didn't do.
Beverly (14:41):
Yeah.
So how does this relate to work?
Miriam (14:42):
Oh, it's the same thing.
The digital realm is just likethe physical realm.
So you've got a file on yourdesktop or in your Dropbox or
Google Drive or whatever, but itIs it attached to anything else?
We now rely so much on search,and search is so diluted because
everything you do has the word.
For me it's simplicity.
(15:03):
Organizing productivity.
I can't find anything unless Isubcategorize it myself.
So I'm a big fan of stillsetting up some files and
folders in your computer life,but also just.
Open every file and glance atit.
And do I still need this?
Is this still relevant?
This article I downloaded aboutmortgage rates in 2007.
Is it still relevant today?
(15:24):
No.
Yeah, because we had threemortgage crisis since then.
But you know what?
What's still relevant?
And it's about weeding out, buthaving that process of how you
use things, what's the workflowfor the kinds of information?
And the number one thing aroundwork is you can't find the stuff
you saved for that thing.
So there's no system and there'sthe redundancy of your lists.
(15:47):
You have an idea, you don't knowwhere to put it.
So you write it on a list andthen two days later you write it
on a different list.
And then four days later youwrite it on yet another list.
And it might be in your notes,it might be in your Evernote, it
might be in your Dropbox.
It might be in your GoogleDrive, it might be in your
planner, it might be in yournotebook.
It might be in the othernotebook or the 47 other ones in
the corner.
cause people love to start a newnotebook for every new thing
(16:09):
they do.
Beverly (16:10):
My husband uses the list everywhere.
And that drives me crazy.
But I only use my notes on myapp for things that I need to
do.
I can put it there and then Ishare it with him, if it's about
the house or whatever, so he cansee this is what I'm thinking
for the weekend or whatever,and, but he has the handwritten
notes of it.
I'm like, it's 2025, babe.
Like you can consolidate allthose into one list and you can
(16:34):
even like market and click itand it crosses it off for you.
It's amazing.
He's just can old school.
He loves a paper list.
Miriam (16:42):
I do too, but there's a reason for it.
And it's not bad.
It's just Does he have all hislists in one place or are they
still all over the place?
Actually writing the act, thephysical act of writing
something down helps your brainremember it.
Because it is appealing to allof your senses.
You are seeing it appear, youare feeling it, appear, you are
(17:03):
smelling the ink or thegraphite.
You are hearing it appear on thepaper, like it actually involves
all five senses.
Whereas typing, you don't reallysmell it.
May or may not feel it.
And.
It may or may not auto correct,so it's not even what you
intended to write.
There's a few problems withkeeping it digitally.
I'm a big fan of taking thenotes by hand and then I
(17:25):
transfer the things to theircorrect places in my digital
realm as needed.
Beverly (17:31):
I have a notebook that I do like to write in,
especially in meetings like whenwe were talked about today and
the question you wanted.
But I do have a projectmanagement system that most
everything lives and exists inthat is like for the stuff that
I just cannot let drop off.
It has to have a due date andaccountability and all those
things, but it is finding thesystem that works for you.
But you have to use it like yousaid.
A lot of these programs do somuch, it's almost a little
(17:52):
overwhelming just in like theideas of how extensive and how
many apps can go into theprogram.
In the process of making thesystem work for us.
And I love that that's somethingyou champion because that is
something that's so important.
You've been in business for 20years.
I've been in business for 13years.
Business changes too.
And the tool needs to change.
What's one part of your businessthat has evolved the most, do
(18:13):
you think?
And what's pushed you to makethose changes?
Miriam (18:16):
Probably social media.
When I started, there was nosocial media.
Yeah, same.
I, that's not entirely true.
There was MySpace.
If you wanna go back in the dayI've been in business since
there were still, bulletinboards and forums.
But that's the thing thatchanges the most.
Every day it changes.
So another point you said aboutyour clients getting overwhelmed
(18:37):
with all the social media stuff.
By the time you learn that youshould be doing something, that
trend is already over.
And so figuring out your voice,your method of communication is
so important.
And, I'm a case study for that.
I spent years chasing the trendsand following what people.
Said, and it never sounded likeme.
It didn't do anything for me andI kept trying to be more
authentic and more me, and ayear ago, I suddenly realized I
(19:00):
can't, if I'm following thetrends and I'm listening to
everybody else, and I stoppedand I started talking.
Straight talk like this.
Yeah.
And it's been amazing.
Everything has started growingafter years of just flatlining.
Beverly (19:13):
This challenge is so real.
Every single entrepreneur I'veever worked with has the same
thing.
Like they're just trying tocheck the boxes and look at what
the competitor's doing andseeing what this trend is, and
they get caught up in all theshoulds that they end up should
all over themselves.
And they don't actually dowhat's good for them.
Or that feels right to them oris actually them and then their
words and their voice and thentheir purpose and their why,
(19:35):
it's all gets muddied.
And then your poor clients don'teven know who you are because
you're so muddy.
That Clarity is so important.
Miriam (19:43):
I'm here to tell you that as a professional
organizer, a certified one atthat.
I would never, ever tell youwhat you should or shouldn't buy
on Amazon this week.
Not once.
All those AI things, it's likethe eight secrets to this, the
six keys to that, the 12 tipsprofessional organizers think
you need, all those things.
(20:04):
It's all AI.
Doesn't sound like anyone.
Beverly (20:06):
No, for sure.
So this season, the bigquestion's all about confidence
and I think when you havesimplicity and you have that
liberation of less overwhelm,what does confidence look like
to an organizer?
And is there a moment where yourealized you were truly showing
up with it?
Miriam (20:20):
Yes and yes.
So for me, it looks likeactually saying this stuff out
loud that I think in my head andhaving people resonate with it.
That was really powerful.
And then this year I went to theNAPO conference, which that's
the National Association ofProductivity and Organizing
Professionals.
For those of you that we'rewondering.
It was the first time I had abunch of newish organizers know
(20:44):
who I was and want to hang outand ask me questions, and I felt
like I was the old guard andthings are changing, but they
were asking for my input andthat's when I knew, I really
know my stuff and I feel goodabout it, and I am ready to give
back.
Beverly (21:01):
Confidence in your words.
And confidence in yourauthority.
'cause you've been around theblock, right?
Yes.
I love that.
So you've built A businessaround streamlining.
How does That show up in yourmarketing?
Miriam (21:13):
Overall I leverage everything.
I write a blog post.
It has to have, 10 other ways Ican use it.
And I use meet Edgar as aposting tool.
So I have these libraries ofstuff that just rotate through
my content.
That allows me to have abaseline and then I can layer in
special events or things thatcome up in the news or whatever.
(21:33):
But yeah, just.
Finally pulling it all togetherand saying, no, all of these
things feed into this category.
Beverly (21:40):
The content buckets.
Yes.
Yeah.
Miriam (21:42):
We literally just did this last week.
I can't remember how many westarted with over the years.
It ballooned a little bit andthis was like, oh, this is a new
category, we cleaned it up.
We are down to, I think it'sseven categories, seven
categories plus the launches.
So each of the launches has itsown category that just gets
turned on and off.
But the rest of it had been like18 or 19 categories and we just
(22:03):
streamlined it down to seven.
Beverly (22:04):
So this is like containers.
Like this is the virtualcontainer of marketing Exactly.
So for us it's a clarity,awakening your brand magic,
that's a content bucket.
For us, it's activating yourbrand and what that looks like.
Confidence in your brand andvisibility and what that looks
like.
So we have these buckets that welive within and it's an
invisible container, but thatcontainer can contain.
(22:25):
Every single blog post that youever write about that particular
thing.
And the way we see this, thatrepurposing, I love the
repurpose.
It's so good.
Is that you can write the blogpost.
From the blog post could be anemail, from the blog post, you
can create 10 social mediaposts.
From the social media post.
You could create a video.
From the video.
You can create, like all thesethings can happen, right?
But at the end of it, thesecontent buckets, these six, you
(22:48):
say seven, I say four to six.
'cause I wanna even keep itsimple there for my clients.
But these four to six contentbuckets can then become chapters
in a book.
They can become these muchbigger pieces of content that
you can leverage.
They could become a majorinfographic.
Like one bucket could become awhite paper.
Like you have so many ways thatyou can then aggregate once you
(23:11):
have a lot.
Even further into the realm.
So we actually, on the podcast,one of our buckets is
confidence.
So this season is all aboutconfidence.
Even on the podcast, we'rebucketing our seasons according
to our content buckets.
So you can get very intentionalabout what you're writing, who
you're writing for, and howyou're writing it, and repurpose
(23:32):
the heck out of it.
And that is streamlining sowell.
That's lovely, Miriam.
I'm so proud of you.
Miriam (23:39):
Yeah.
And technically I have fivetopic buckets.
Beverly (23:43):
Okay.
Miriam (23:44):
And I have tons of content.
Y'all, I've been doing this for25 years, so there's a lot and a
lot of my stuff crosses overbecause I talk about the
connections a lot.
So my five topic buckets areinterspersed with my seven
categories.
And the seven categoriesbasically now correspond to a
day of the week.
This is what I post on Mondays,is this is the bucket I post on
this day.
(24:04):
This is the bucket I post onthat day.
That kind of thing.
Just because I tried just doingthe topics for a while.
And it seemed to confuse people.
They didn't see the connectionsanymore, so I went back to,
Nope, we gotta talk about theconnections and how to do that
and still maintain the topics.
Beverly (24:19):
I love it.
We use a social media matrix,testimonials go here, this goes
here.
Like we do this thing, 80% ismore informational, educational,
20% is more business focused.
Like we have this whole magicformula we use to pull from your
different posts and things likethat.
It can get a little bitformulaic, but once you have
your content and it's you andauthentic, it's easier to put it
(24:41):
in the formula to make it work.
Yeah, it is.
Miriam (24:44):
Yeah, there was a lot of trial and error, how to make
that all come together, butyeah, finally did it.
Beverly (24:48):
We should have met earlier'cause I could have
totally helped you with that.
So what is the hardest thingabout marketing for you?
Miriam (24:54):
Even though I have a niche, it's very hard to define
one when I have so many.
Different content buckets.
Like it makes perfect sense ifyou see my whole roadmap, but
anyone that sees one of my postsdoesn't necessarily know I do
all the other things.
So it's that, how to make itwork together.
Messaging that doesn't lookquite like other organizers.
(25:16):
And so people it's navigatingthe misunderstandings about it
and finding.
But again, using my voice thelast couple years has really
helped with that differentiateme from everybody else.
Beverly (25:27):
Yeah, there's only one Miriam, with your experience and
your particular perspective andyour framework and how you do
things, and you really have tolean on that and push that
forward.
When we help some of ourentrepreneurs, they're so
scattered, right?
And they don't know that there'sa strategy.
And when you have strategy andyou have clarity, and then you
have confidence because you'reclear, you can say the thing
because you're clear.
Yeah.
And that momentum in theprocess, and that all starts
(25:51):
with really understanding yourvoice and who you are and your
purpose and your why.
We have this 90 minute deepdive.
I actually joke, I'm like partmarketing therapist, part brand
clarity, fairy godmother.
'Cause we really do lean intowhat ha, where have you been,
where you are now, where do youwanna go?
What's the challenges?
What is holding you back?
Where are you struggling themost?
Because there's usuallysomething really good about in
those moments.
I've moved 28 times Miriam.
(26:12):
I'm a military wife.
My mom left my dad when I wasreally young, so we've had to
move a lot in my life.
And what it has taught me is thepower of connection.
Like I'm really good atconnecting dots, connecting with
people.
And so when somebody hears that,they're like, oh, like that
makes her uniquely her.
When you start sharing some ofyour personal stories around
what actually has helped.
You evolve as a human.
(26:34):
Sometimes it's sadness,sometimes it's good as success
and all those things, but that'sexactly the person, the guide to
help that person get to there.
And you can create the businessexactly around that.
Yeah.
Leading into your actual voiceand who you are and how you
serve and what you love isincredibly powerful.
Love it.
I have a magic hat.
In my hat.
I have some fun littlequestions.
(26:55):
Woo.
What is the most WTF thing thathas ever happened in your
business?
Miriam (26:58):
Oh, I had someone that I knew well hire me for a six
month package to go throughtheir whole house.
And I got there and on day threeshe was threatening to take me
to court because I had failed totake away one box of glasses off
the counter.
'cause I thought she had put itin my car when we were loading
(27:20):
up my car.
And she's calling me before Imove back home.
And she's you suck, you'reterrible.
And I'm like, hang on.
Over one box of glasses.
Crazy.
Yeah.
What is happening?
And this was someone I knew, soit was even more surprising.
I think it's, that allowed me toreally figure out how to deal
with people's triggers andemotional states and make sure I
left on more of anunderstanding.
(27:41):
So it improved my client'ssessions tremendously, but it
was a very.
WTF moment for me what, where isthis coming from?
I don't understand.
Beverly (27:50):
What fear have you had to overcome to grow your
business?
Miriam (27:54):
To be honest, it was putting myself out there in
social media.
Not that I'm afraid to talk orany of that, but I have had a
couple stalker slash stalkeradjacent situations in my life.
And so being out there, I'm notafraid to talk my truth, but it
also puts me out there in thepublic a lot more.
And luckily that has not come topass.
(28:14):
That was a worry.
That hasn't happened.
In that form, but it gave mepause in the beginning for sure.
Sure.
Beverly (28:20):
What's been the hardest parts about being an
entrepreneur?
Miriam (28:23):
Inconsistent income.
It comes up, it comes down, youmake plans, it's not there.
It comes back like it, it's allfine and it's always been quite
enough to support me, but it'slike sometimes my ideas get
bigger than my bank account, andthen I have to wait for it to
catch up.
Beverly (28:38):
You are not alone.
What core values guide yourbusiness decisions and
interactions with yourcustomers?
Miriam (28:43):
Oh.
Fulfillment for me and myclients.
Joy, because why shouldn't workBe fun.
Yes.
And wisdom and it's'cause I feelwisdom comes from experience and
you have to go through it to getit.
Beverly (28:57):
Okay.
I have a magic wand.
Miriam (28:59):
I.
Mine is a little slow.
It's been in under the airconditioning.
Beverly (29:05):
So the magic wand actually helps us travel through
time.
And when I wave it, we're gonnago back to the Miriam who
graduated from high school.
Okay.
And I would love for you to giveher a piece of advice that you
wish you knew sooner, thatwould've helped you at in your
business.
Miriam (29:19):
You are enough.
Beverly (29:21):
Yes.
What would she say about you nowthat 18-year-old Miriam,
Miriam (29:25):
she'd be like, what took you so long?
Beverly (29:26):
It's interesting to think about it that way.
Miriam (29:28):
Yeah.
Beverly (29:29):
I like it.
So if I wave the one and we goin the future and we look at
like many decades.
I always say this like far inthe future, what do you want to
be your most significant legacyand impact?
If someone were to give youreulogy, what would you want them
to say about your work and howyou've impacted the world?
Miriam (29:44):
I helped people enjoy their lives.
Beverly (29:47):
That's such a good one.
Like I want people to have morejoy and contentment.
So I'm gonna wave us back to thepresent that we are here back in
2025.
For those people who are tuningin today, those small business
owners, the people who arewanting to be an entrepreneur,
what is one tip that you wouldgive them?
They're trying to build moreconfidence in what they do, how
they talk, what their office iswhat their work is like.
(30:10):
Related to organizing andsimplicity for sure.
Miriam, what is one thing theycould try to do to build more
confidence in how they show upand run their business?
Miriam (30:17):
Yeah.
There's a lot of things, but Ithink the most empowering thing
is to actually know yournumbers.
So many people go into thebusiness thing with, I just
wanna help people, or I makedecisions in the moment, or
whatever.
But there's actual strategyinvolved in success and knowing
your numbers.
(30:37):
Not every bank balance down tothe penny, although that's
helpful, but what is your bewell number?
How much do you need to bemaking to enjoy your life?
And then work towards that, not,oh, I have enough.
I think especially women do alot of that.
Oh, I just need a little extra,I'm just contributing a little.
Why not play bigger and get abunch?
Or the other way around, I needa bunch to maintain this
(30:59):
lifestyle that I don't evenlike.
So just get really clear on whatyour be well number is and not.
Just to pay for the weirdself-care stuff that isn't
actually self-care, but justpurchasing
Beverly (31:11):
We're very consumerism society, right?
Just to get more stuff, acquiremore stuff, show up more stuff,
have more stuff.
There's something to be saidabout that for sure.
Miriam (31:19):
If so much more sustainable, if you just have
the stuff that helps you feelgood.
Beverly (31:25):
I'm sure that people who listening feel this
themselves or.
Is struggling with gettingorganized or has had some of
those same struggles?
It means so much to Miriam andmyself if you'd share this
episode with them to help themmaybe find a little nugget that
might get them closer to maybethat be well number or be well
in their business being morejoyful, enjoying their business
(31:46):
more because they have moresimplicity and they are more
organized that would mean a lotto us.
Or leave us a review and tell usthat this mattered to you.
This has helped you in some way,shape, or form.
So before we go though, Miriam,I would love for you to share
where people can learn moreabout you and about your
business and connect with you.
To see more.
Miriam (32:02):
Yeah.
I think the easiest way to do itis morethanorganize.net.
It has links to all my socials.
It has blog posts.
It has free content on there,and it has all the links to all
my various offerings as well.
But that's where you can findout the most about me.
Beverly (32:19):
Wonderful.
I'll make sure to include thatin the show notes as well.
Miriam, this has been a reallyfun conversation.
I really thank you for sharingyour wisdom and your journey and
your magic with us.
I know our listeners are goingto walk away feeling more
inspired and ready to maybesimplify a few things, even if
it's their Google Drive or theirdesk.
I'm looking at my desk right nowgoing, maybe I need to simplify
(32:40):
that.
I'm so grateful for your timeand for the impact that you're
making to help bring more joyinto the world.
I hope today's episode reallylit a fire under you.
My listeners gave you maybe somenew ideas and most of all,
inspired to take that next stepbecause here is the thing.
Your message matters.
Your work matters, and the worldneeds to hear what you have to
say.
Marketing isn't just aboutvisibility.
It's about impact.
(33:00):
It's about connecting with theright people in a way that feels
true to you.
So keep showing up.
Keep sharing your brilliance.
Keep making things simpler andkeep making magic in the world.
And hey, if you ever feel stuck,know that you don't have to do
this alone.
We're here to help you and turnyour sparks into a wildfire.
So until next time, keepsparking and igniting.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.