Welcome to another enlightening conversation in our Spiritual Spotlight Series, this time featuring Julie Coraccio, an acclaimed decluttering guru and certified life coach.
Julie's insights into decluttering are not just about tidying your home; they're about clearing the way for a life you long for. Through practical yet profound techniques, she guides us towards understanding the significant role clutter plays in our lives and how addressing it can lead to mental clarity and spiritual growth. Julie also connects the act of forgiveness, the practice of gratitude, and the search for passion and purpose to the cleansing process of decluttering.
In the second part of our conversation, Julie breaks down the process of decluttering into manageable, bite-size tasks. As someone who has personally navigated the emotional and spiritual challenges associated with decluttering, her advice is both practical and deeply empathetic. She shares her experience of dealing with family members in this process, and the revelations from her popular podcast Clear Your Clutter Inside and Out.
To top it all, Julie generously offers a free 15-minute consultation to guide you on the decluttering path best suited for you. Whether you're drowning in physical clutter or emotional baggage, this episode promises to guide you towards a cleaner, clearer life.
So get ready to lighten your load and make room for growth.
To work with Julie:
Reawaken Your Brilliance
email: julie@reawakenyourbrilliance.com
We hope you found the episode to be enlightening and insightful. Our goal is to create content that not only entertains but also helps you grow spiritually and connect with your inner self.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to like, subscribe, and write a review. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us and helps us to improve the quality of our content and reach a wider audience.
We believe that by sharing knowledge and insights about spirituality, we can help to inspire positive change and personal growth. So, if you find our podcast to be meaningful and informative, we encourage you to share it with your friends and family.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello everyone, welcome to our Spiritual
Spotlight series.
Today I'm joined by JulieCraccio.
She's an award-winningprofessional declutterer, life
and end of life organizer,author, certified life coach and
host of the popular podcastClaire Cutter.
Claire, your Clutter Inside andOut.
Thank you, julie, so much forcoming on this Spiritual
Spotlight series.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'm so happy you're here.
Thanks for having me.
I'm excited to be here, solet's dive right in.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
You're an award-winning professional life
and end of life organizer.
Can you tell us how the processof organizing spaces relates to
organizing one life and even asoul?
Sure.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
So I would say that clutter is more important than
organizing, and so I wouldprobably substitute the word
clutter for that.
So, in my viewpoint, the inneraffects the outer.
So, for example, if you have amessy desk, that can be
roadblock to promotion.
It can prevent you from writingthat play, creating that piece
(01:03):
of art that you'd like, or anoverstuffed closet is might be
preventing a relationship fromblooming right.
And so, looking at how isclutter affecting your life, and
the more you clear your clutter, the more you can create the
life you desire, that is so true.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
There was a Martha Stewart quote that has stuck
with me for many years, and it'san organized life as an
organized mind, like that hasalways stuck with me and that is
something that I strive toalways be like okay, it's okay,
just take the time to putsomething away, like, or get rid
of it if I don't need it.
Right, you know so declutteringis usually associated with the
(01:41):
physical world our homes, ouroffices or closets, but how does
your work extend into theemotional realm?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Well, definitely with most people, and definitely the
people I work with, there is anemotional component to clutter.
So, for example, oh, I can'tlet that go because I wore that
sweater on the first date I hadwith my husband, right, well,
hopefully we're still with thehusband or partner, but if we
let the sweater go, therelationship's not going to go.
(02:10):
So one thing that people reallyget hung up on is memories, and
so what I like to tell peopleis memories are in your heart
and your head and if you givethe object away, then the memory
is still going to be there or,you know, it can be something
deeper, like if you grew up in achaotic household and you were
to declutter.
That could be very traumatizing, because clutter is the norm
(02:33):
for you, that's your comfortzone and I really encourage
people.
If you can dig deeper, it'sgoing to support you in being
able to clear your physicalclutter, but not also your
physical clutter, your mentalclutter, everything else.
Everything affects.
If you declutter in one area,it's automatically going to
support you in other areas.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So what kind of led you to the journey of becoming a
?
You know you're a certifiedlife coach.
You're also an award-winningprofessional life and
end-of-life organizer.
What led you to that?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
path.
I was had been hired for a job.
I had just moved from LosAngeles to Raleigh, north
Carolina, started a job and Iwas like what have I done?
This place is crazy.
And I was like you know, youjust can't up and quit.
You're new to this place, blah,blah, blah.
And so I was like, well, I'mgoing to.
What can I do?
And I'm like I just don't wantto get another job.
So I was like what skill set doI have?
(03:24):
What can make me money and howcan I make a difference in
people's lives?
And I'm like I'm going to be anorganizer and I never forget I
went do you know what score is?
No, what is that?
Score is a great resource ifyou have anyone that's a
business owner listening.
So it's retirees who can helpwith marketing anything aspect
of a business.
They donate your time to helpyou.
And I went and these old guysare like you want to do what
(03:47):
People?
What?
That's actually a business.
It was really funny andactually in Raleigh, when I was
there, I had quite a feworganizers and so I was like
this is what I want to do.
And then I really had an ahamoment early on I was working
with a client and she said canwe just talk?
I was like you're the client,we can do whatever you want.
So we ended up I typicallyworking for our blocks, so you
can see a difference and withinwe spent three hours working and
(04:11):
well, excuse me talking, andthen that X hour she was able to
release so much clutter andthat was my aha moment.
Ah, the clutter is moreimportant and if we dig a little
deeper, that's going to supportus and you clear that clutter,
then you can get organized.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I love that.
So our audience is deeplyspiritual and keen on self
discovery.
Can you maybe share sometechniques or practices that
link decluttering with spiritualgrowth?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Well, I think anytime you clear clutter, you're going
to grow spiritually, right,because it's holding you back.
So, when I talk about spiritualclutter, things that I believe
strongly in are forgiveness.
I think that that is a bigplace people get tripped up.
If you don't forgive someone,they might not even know you're
upset with them, right, but youknow that you carry, they're
taking up space in your head.
(05:01):
I think gratitude is reallyimportant.
You can't hold to opposingthoughts, so I can't be jealous
of someone on Instagram and bein gratitude.
So I think anytime, having adaily gratitude practice is
something that's reallyimportant, and also, for me,
part of that is finding yourpassion and your purpose.
What gets you excited each day.
(05:21):
We live in a really differentworld if people were doing what
they loved, but people talkabout the drudgery of every day
and their job, and so I thinkthat that's something that is
very important.
And you know material goods.
If you're trying to lead aspiritual path and I'm not
saying you have to be aminimalist, I'm not a minimalist
.
I love artwork, I have all mymom's paintings up, and so it's
(05:44):
about finding that balance youknow it's having to buy a ton of
clothes to compete, or if it'shaving to have more stuff to
keep up with the neighbors, like, really, look at your stuff.
What is that saying about you?
And how does that hold up whenyou look at your spiritual life
and what you're trying to do?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, that's amazing, and you're right about when you
let something go, you'reopening yourself up for
something else.
Beautiful to come in.
Like you're cleansing thatenergy and I like how you're
putting that, like okay, if youlet this go, you can open
yourself up.
And there's also this emotionalcomponent that you've mentioned
as well.
So you're also an end of lifeorganizer.
(06:24):
I'm sure that you've witnesseda lot of emotional journeys
while doing that.
Can you maybe share an antidotethat stands out as a powerful
testament to the work that youdo?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I would think that well, you want to, specifically
on the end of life, whatever youwant to share, we are open to
hear.
I think people sometimesunderestimate the power of
decluttering and I'm just goingto give a couple examples.
So this is surprising, but thishappened.
Early on, I was working withsomeone and we were in her
(07:01):
closet and we're declutteringand she was able to and I
believe everyone has the answerswithin.
My job is to simply help themhave that come to the surface
and in that moment she was ableto articulate.
I was abused and was able to.
Whatever the act and you knowyou talked about it so
eloquently the energy we shiftthings when we open and change
and release and do all thatstuff.
(07:22):
I've seen decluttering healrelationships.
I had a newlywed couple andthey never ate together because
their dining room table was fullof stuff and I was like I said
that's the let's do this.
And to have someone write andsay, oh my gosh, we're talking
again.
We're sitting down and eatingdinner.
You know I had another clientthat every time her
mother-in-law walked in thehouse she criticized her and
(07:45):
that caused a really, really.
You know that was a badrelationship and we got her
whole house done.
That brought peace.
And then I was like but there'sanother part of this, that my
homework is not just thephysical stuff.
You need to set a boundary withyour mother-in-law it's not
okay and ask for what you want.
You know what I would love tobe able to go to the park and
(08:06):
read for an hour, can you watchthe kids and so seeing it
transform relationships orpeople having those aha moments
or being able to say somethingthat perhaps they've been
holding back on, it's reallypowerful.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I love that and I love the fact that something
like do you feel like sometimespeople are unaware of the amount
of clutter they have in theirhomes?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Absolutely yes.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Like it's interesting , like a newlywed couple like
doesn't have enough, like theremust be, like what do you feel
like is going on?
That there's so much clutterthat they can't see?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Because I think it's for a lot of people, it's out of
mind, out of sight.
So if I just stuff it in thecloset, I don't have to see it
right.
Or if I put it in the basementor the attic or garage, those
are really hot spots.
I don't know what to do withthis.
I like to call the garage theland of indecision.
I don't know what to do withthis, so I'm just going to throw
it in the garage, right, and sothen I've got about 5 million
(09:04):
other things to do.
Decluttering is really low onthe totem pole, and so if we buy
and buy and buy and haven'tcleared, in 20 years you're
going to have a lot of stuff.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
You're so right about the garage being the land of
indecision.
My partner I drive him nutsbecause I put everything in the
garage and he loves a cleangarage.
So he's always like I gotta goclean the garage.
Hey, be grateful, you have himto do it 100,.
I am very, very grateful and Iappreciate the fact that he
(09:35):
allows me the space to put stuffin there and you know what.
But you're right up, though,about decluttering, because I've
made it my own personal kind ofmission.
When I feel things are stagnantor things are too heavy, I know
that I need to do somethingphysical, and what I do is I'll
open up a closet, I'll clean outa drawer, I'll do something
(09:56):
where I'm like like we justcleaned out all of our cabinets,
our kitchen cabinets, and it'samazing how just that shift of
that little bit of action I meanfor me it makes me feel lighter
, Like I don't feel as heavywith everything's energy.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
So when you clear it, change it, you're shifting that
Right.
If you want to change your life, clear your clutter.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Like as you have in your background.
Clutter does not have to ownyou.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yes, it doesn't.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
I love that so many of our people in our community
are interested in manifestingtheir dream lives.
How can the act of declutteringserve as a catalyst for
manifestation?
Speaker 2 (10:35):
If you I like to use the analogy of a straw right, if
you are trying to have yoursmoothie or whatever you're
drinking with your straw and itgets stuck, you know how that
sometimes happens and you can'tget the smoothie.
It's kind of the same way withclutter.
Clutter is that not letting youget what you want?
Because if you're saying I wantto manifest this and you have a
(10:55):
stuff closet, well, how can anew outfit come in?
Or if you want a relationshipand everything hanging around in
your house is of your ex, theuniverse is you're saying hey,
I'm good, I got all this stuff.
If you want to, you want toswitch that.
You have to create the space toallow it to happen.
If everything's stuff, you'resignaling the university hey,
(11:16):
I'm good, universe, I'm good,I'm good to go, no thanks.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
And do you feel like the universe doesn't know if
this is like, if it's negativeor positive, the universe is
neutral?
So it's not going to know ifyou don't want it and, like you
said, if I have 500 pictures ofmy ex-op and I'm not even that
Like if I'm looking at thatpicture every day there's an
energetic component to that.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
But I think people also probably don't realize it's
like that that link, it's likea bubble.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Right, right, and you're not aware of it.
And if you haven't receivedclosure, I mean because you have
to ask why do you?
Why are you looking at thatpicture every day?
You want to create a newrelationship.
What is it that's going on inthe back of your head?
And you might be saying, nope,I want, I'm ready, I want a new
relationship, but maybe deepdown, no, there's something that
has to get clear, there'ssomething that has to get
(12:05):
settled 100%.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
So you're also a certified life coach.
How do you integrate thosecoaching principles into your
decluttering services?
Do you see a transformativeshift in your client's mental
state post decluttering?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Oh, absolutely.
Well, I would say, obviously,everything's individualized.
So what I learned is coachingIf you work with me, it's not
just about the physical stuffand clearing clutter.
We're going to have thatconversation because maybe it
comes up that your homework thisweek is going to be say no to
what you don't want to do.
Right, because when I work withpeople and that's why, and if I
(12:41):
do it online, it's got to bevisual, because I want to get
all those visual cues you mightbe like I'm really happy, but
your body language is sayingabsolutely not right, and so
it's digging a little deeper.
And as we work and we're clear,how are you feeling?
I'm struggling to let this go.
Well, let's stop a moment andtalk about that.
Why is that?
What's going on?
And so I think it's veryimportant when I give homework,
(13:04):
as we look at everything, welook at the whole person, not
just the physical stuff.
And, as I've mentioned, theinner reflects the outer and
vice versa.
And as we clear in one area,we're going to support ourselves
in clearing other, and I don'tthink that people realize the
mental load that clutter causes.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Well, it's almost like I feel like it's
overwhelming when you havesomething that's super packed
with stuff.
It's like how do you help aclient that has this massive
amount to declutter?
What is the first step that yougive to them?
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Well, we start in one area, and so I would say what I
usually tell people is what'sdriving you nuts?
Do you have a deadline?
You mentioned kitchen cabinets.
Are you having your kitchenremodel?
Well, let's declutter beforethey come over to remodel.
If you aren't paying your billsand your mortgage is late, then
maybe we need to start in theoffice.
So ask yourself a couple ofthose questions, and then that
(14:00):
can determine where you start.
And then you say, okay, I'mgoing to start my office.
I'm going to say, okay, thenwe're going to start with the
bookcase.
Right, we're going to breakeverything down into manageable
steps, because you hit onsomething that's really
important.
Most people have a lot ofclutter, overwhelmed.
They're simply paralyzed andcan't move, and so it's like,
okay, then we're going to breakit down into manageable steps.
10 minutes a day equals justover 60 hours in a year.
(14:23):
You can do a lot in 60 hours.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
That's a really good piece of advice.
Like just bite-sized pieces,you know, and maybe not look at
the entire picture.
Maybe just look at.
I like how you just said that.
Look at the bookcase, you know,and then move on to the next
step, and then you're walkingthem through the journey too,
which is amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yes, well, your book case looks quite lovely, so good
job.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Thank you.
I have a sister who is actuallya professional designer and, as
she says, this is my set.
She's like you know.
This one means to go here.
No, no, right.
So I'm not allowed to moveanything.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Oh, I understand that , and now I'm like can?
Speaker 1 (15:09):
we do a refresh?
Can we do a reset?
Speaker 2 (15:12):
That's good.
You should change it up.
We've just been talking aboutthe energy and say, yeah, I had
this interview.
We got to change it up.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I really like.
I kind of like can we switchthe pictures?
These are actually my um, mymom did these, so I love them
and that's they mean a lot to me, but I have more, I can change
them out.
She's like how you said, youlike your mom's artwork, I have
mine up as well and I love that.
Good job, thank you.
So let's talk about challenges.
Um, maybe what is one difficultpart of your job and how do you
(15:40):
navigate the emotional orspiritual huddles that come with
it?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I'll tell you, the most challenging thing for me
has been when family members getinvolved.
Now, I'm not talking about acouple and I'm talking about one
particular thing that's comingto mind is I helped a lovely
neighbor.
Uh, she had to go into assistedliving and the one, the son who
hired me, was great but had agrand kid who just wanted
(16:06):
everything and it caused, I mean, it was just a nightmare and I
was like your grandmother hiredme.
I work for your grandmother andI work for your uncle, and so I
had to lay down some prettystrict boundaries there.
And, you know, someone in thiskid was really spoiled, and I'm,
you know, and what I tell myclients is have them get angry
at me because I can handle it.
(16:28):
And so I think for me the mostchallenging thing is when family
members who are let me rephrasethat when family members who
aren't helpful, get involved andmake the process worse.
You know, especially in thissituation, moving to assisted
living, there's a lot of emotion.
You know, if you live in thishouse, you have to downsize,
there's no choice.
And so to add that to it wasjust, was really frustrating,
(16:51):
and I felt for my client, butI'm like my job is to protect
her, and that's what I did.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
No, that's really good and you're right about when
you make such a significantchange of your independent in
your home to moving intoassisted living, where a lot of
your freedom is not going to bethe same anymore, and that is, I
think, as elderly people andyou probably experienced this a
lot we don't.
We don't acknowledge what thechallenge is of when you lose
(17:17):
your freedom as an elderlyperson is a very it's like one
of the most stressful events insomeone's life and it's like and
I would imagine you deal withthat a lot.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, that's a tough transition.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
And so I would also say to everyone listening you
know whether you hire someone orhave a friend, and because
before I start my businessthey're like you're really
uptight, come help me organize,because I need help and so you
want to make sure that personisn't judgmental.
Probably one of the things thatbreaks my heart the most is
working with someone.
Yeah, I started, but then thisperson judged me and so I've
(17:50):
stopped for years because theydon't think people really
realize how their comments orsize or eye rolling can really
affect someone and stop theirprogress.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
That's a really good point too.
So I know that you have a verypopular podcast Clear your
Clutter Inside and Out.
Can you please tell us a littlebit about that?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Sure.
So we're talking about clutterand I cover all areas holiday,
relationships, health.
We get into it and at the end Ilike to talk about anecdotes
and I give you take action itemsso that you can get started.
That's super important to me.
I want you to leave with thingsthat you can do to change your
life and wherever it's also onvideo and wherever you listen,
(18:29):
you can find it.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
And then is it on, like, like you said, it's on all
like Apple Spotify.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Do you?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
also have a YouTube channel.
Yes, and what's your YouTubechannel?
Speaker 2 (18:41):
It's Reawaken your Brilliance with Julie Caraccio.
My website'sReawakenYourBrilliance and I've
got all the links there.
And I'm going to be putting upsome more material.
Well, by the time this airs,we'll have more material.
I've got COVID, so I'm a littlebehind.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
It's okay, you're alone.
So, as I know that you havesome books, classes and
affirmations to share, whatresources can our audience
explore to deepen their journeywith you?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So I have based on the podcast Clear your Clutter
Inside and Out, where I've 21chapters, the bonuses on energy.
So if you've enjoyed that talk,you might like it.
But it's on physical, mental,emotional and spiritual clutter
and it goes in more depth thangives.
You take action items at theend, and then I have a whole
journal prompt series where,like on holiday, health and as I
(19:27):
mentioned before, you have theanswers within.
So this is going to guide you,to ask you questions and then
come up with a plan to moveforward.
And then I also have a book on21 Days to Jump Start Clearing
your Clutter.
If you're like, hey, I don'tknow where to start, this is a
really good place and theaffirmations nine different ones
that are going to support youin the cluttering, and then
(19:48):
classes as well.
Everything's broken intobite-size steps for the classes.
So if you're like, ok, I can doa lesson once a week or once a
day, then you don't have to.
They're like five, six minutes,maybe a little longer in some
cases, but it's really to giveyou that momentum.
Ok, here's where I'm going tostart and I have my first step.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
That is amazing, and those are all located on your
website.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Mm-hmm.
Reawakenyourbrilliancecom.
They can all that good stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
That's amazing.
So, given your wide range ofexpertise, what else is on the
horizon for you, any upcomingprojects or collaborations that
you're excited about?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
A book on end of life organizing and then a journal
prompt on end of life.
So that is the big thing thatI'm working on, and the other
thing that I get super excitedabout that I've been doing is
doing more public speakingemployee, which thrills me.
That corporations have movedfrom let's organize our desk to
let's declutter our life andlet's talk about bigger issues,
(20:44):
that gets me really excited.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Now for anybody that wants to work with you.
That is also located on yourwebsite.
Absolutely yes.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
And I offer a free 15-minute consultation to see if
we're a good fit and I cansupport you and it doesn't
matter.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
So I know that you said earlier that they have to
go on video so you can do thisremotely.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Oh yeah, I work with people all over the world.
Absolutely that is amazing.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Well, julie, I want to thank you so, so much for
coming to the SpiritualSpotlight Series.
I'm really looking forward toreading some of your upcoming
books and I hope you feel better.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
You're a wonderful interviewer and I really
appreciate this.
Thank you.
Hello everyone, welcome to our Spiritual
Spotlight series.
Today I'm joined by JulieCraccio.
She's an award-winningprofessional declutterer, life
and end of life organizer,author, certified life coach and
host of the popular podcastClaire Cutter.
Claire, your Clutter Inside andOut.
Thank you, julie, so much forcoming on this Spiritual
Spotlight series.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'm so happy you're here.
Thanks for having me.
I'm excited to be here, solet's dive right in.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
You're an award-winning professional life
and end of life organizer.
Can you tell us how the processof organizing spaces relates to
organizing one life and even asoul?
Sure.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
So I would say that clutter is more important than
organizing, and so I wouldprobably substitute the word
clutter for that.
So, in my viewpoint, the inneraffects the outer.
So, for example, if you have amessy desk, that can be
roadblock to promotion.
It can prevent you from writingthat play, creating that piece
(01:03):
of art that you'd like, or anoverstuffed closet is might be
preventing a relationship fromblooming right.
And so, looking at how isclutter affecting your life, and
the more you clear your clutter, the more you can create the
life you desire, that is so true.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
There was a Martha Stewart quote that has stuck
with me for many years, and it'san organized life as an
organized mind, like that hasalways stuck with me and that is
something that I strive toalways be like okay, it's okay,
just take the time to putsomething away, like, or get rid
of it if I don't need it.
Right, you know so declutteringis usually associated with the
(01:41):
physical world our homes, ouroffices or closets, but how does
your work extend into theemotional realm?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Well, definitely with most people, and definitely the
people I work with, there is anemotional component to clutter.
So, for example, oh, I can'tlet that go because I wore that
sweater on the first date I hadwith my husband, right, well,
hopefully we're still with thehusband or partner, but if we
let the sweater go, therelationship's not going to go.
(02:10):
So one thing that people reallyget hung up on is memories, and
so what I like to tell peopleis memories are in your heart
and your head and if you givethe object away, then the memory
is still going to be there or,you know, it can be something
deeper, like if you grew up in achaotic household and you were
to declutter.
That could be very traumatizing, because clutter is the norm
(02:33):
for you, that's your comfortzone and I really encourage
people.
If you can dig deeper, it'sgoing to support you in being
able to clear your physicalclutter, but not also your
physical clutter, your mentalclutter, everything else.
Everything affects.
If you declutter in one area,it's automatically going to
support you in other areas.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So what kind of led you to the journey of becoming a
?
You know you're a certifiedlife coach.
You're also an award-winningprofessional life and
end-of-life organizer.
What led you to that?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
path.
I was had been hired for a job.
I had just moved from LosAngeles to Raleigh, north
Carolina, started a job and Iwas like what have I done?
This place is crazy.
And I was like you know, youjust can't up and quit.
You're new to this place, blah,blah, blah.
And so I was like, well, I'mgoing to.
What can I do?
And I'm like I just don't wantto get another job.
So I was like what skill set doI have?
(03:24):
What can make me money and howcan I make a difference in
people's lives?
And I'm like I'm going to be anorganizer and I never forget I
went do you know what score is?
No, what is that?
Score is a great resource ifyou have anyone that's a
business owner listening.
So it's retirees who can helpwith marketing anything aspect
of a business.
They donate your time to helpyou.
And I went and these old guysare like you want to do what
(03:47):
People?
What?
That's actually a business.
It was really funny andactually in Raleigh, when I was
there, I had quite a feworganizers and so I was like
this is what I want to do.
And then I really had an ahamoment early on I was working
with a client and she said canwe just talk?
I was like you're the client,we can do whatever you want.
So we ended up I typicallyworking for our blocks, so you
can see a difference and withinwe spent three hours working and
(04:11):
well, excuse me talking, andthen that X hour she was able to
release so much clutter andthat was my aha moment.
Ah, the clutter is moreimportant and if we dig a little
deeper, that's going to supportus and you clear that clutter,
then you can get organized.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I love that.
So our audience is deeplyspiritual and keen on self
discovery.
Can you maybe share sometechniques or practices that
link decluttering with spiritualgrowth?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Well, I think anytime you clear clutter, you're going
to grow spiritually, right,because it's holding you back.
So, when I talk about spiritualclutter, things that I believe
strongly in are forgiveness.
I think that that is a bigplace people get tripped up.
If you don't forgive someone,they might not even know you're
upset with them, right, but youknow that you carry, they're
taking up space in your head.
(05:01):
I think gratitude is reallyimportant.
You can't hold to opposingthoughts, so I can't be jealous
of someone on Instagram and bein gratitude.
So I think anytime, having adaily gratitude practice is
something that's reallyimportant, and also, for me,
part of that is finding yourpassion and your purpose.
What gets you excited each day.
(05:21):
We live in a really differentworld if people were doing what
they loved, but people talkabout the drudgery of every day
and their job, and so I thinkthat that's something that is
very important.
And you know material goods.
If you're trying to lead aspiritual path and I'm not
saying you have to be aminimalist, I'm not a minimalist
.
I love artwork, I have all mymom's paintings up, and so it's
(05:44):
about finding that balance youknow it's having to buy a ton of
clothes to compete, or if it'shaving to have more stuff to
keep up with the neighbors, like, really, look at your stuff.
What is that saying about you?
And how does that hold up whenyou look at your spiritual life
and what you're trying to do?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yeah, that's amazing, and you're right about when you
let something go, you'reopening yourself up for
something else.
Beautiful to come in.
Like you're cleansing thatenergy and I like how you're
putting that, like okay, if youlet this go, you can open
yourself up.
And there's also this emotionalcomponent that you've mentioned
as well.
So you're also an end of lifeorganizer.
(06:24):
I'm sure that you've witnesseda lot of emotional journeys
while doing that.
Can you maybe share an antidotethat stands out as a powerful
testament to the work that youdo?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I would think that well, you want to, specifically
on the end of life, whatever youwant to share, we are open to
hear.
I think people sometimesunderestimate the power of
decluttering and I'm just goingto give a couple examples.
So this is surprising, but thishappened.
Early on, I was working withsomeone and we were in her
(07:01):
closet and we're declutteringand she was able to and I
believe everyone has the answerswithin.
My job is to simply help themhave that come to the surface
and in that moment she was ableto articulate.
I was abused and was able to.
Whatever the act and you knowyou talked about it so
eloquently the energy we shiftthings when we open and change
and release and do all thatstuff.
(07:22):
I've seen decluttering healrelationships.
I had a newlywed couple andthey never ate together because
their dining room table was fullof stuff and I was like I said
that's the let's do this.
And to have someone write andsay, oh my gosh, we're talking
again.
We're sitting down and eatingdinner.
You know I had another clientthat every time her
mother-in-law walked in thehouse she criticized her and
(07:45):
that caused a really, really.
You know that was a badrelationship and we got her
whole house done.
That brought peace.
And then I was like but there'sanother part of this, that my
homework is not just thephysical stuff.
You need to set a boundary withyour mother-in-law it's not
okay and ask for what you want.
You know what I would love tobe able to go to the park and
(08:06):
read for an hour, can you watchthe kids and so seeing it
transform relationships orpeople having those aha moments
or being able to say somethingthat perhaps they've been
holding back on, it's reallypowerful.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I love that and I love the fact that something
like do you feel like sometimespeople are unaware of the amount
of clutter they have in theirhomes?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Absolutely yes.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Like it's interesting , like a newlywed couple like
doesn't have enough, like theremust be, like what do you feel
like is going on?
That there's so much clutterthat they can't see?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Because I think it's for a lot of people, it's out of
mind, out of sight.
So if I just stuff it in thecloset, I don't have to see it
right.
Or if I put it in the basementor the attic or garage, those
are really hot spots.
I don't know what to do withthis.
I like to call the garage theland of indecision.
I don't know what to do withthis, so I'm just going to throw
it in the garage, right, and sothen I've got about 5 million
(09:04):
other things to do.
Decluttering is really low onthe totem pole, and so if we buy
and buy and buy and haven'tcleared, in 20 years you're
going to have a lot of stuff.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
You're so right about the garage being the land of
indecision.
My partner I drive him nutsbecause I put everything in the
garage and he loves a cleangarage.
So he's always like I gotta goclean the garage.
Hey, be grateful, you have himto do it 100,.
I am very, very grateful and Iappreciate the fact that he
(09:35):
allows me the space to put stuffin there and you know what.
But you're right up, though,about decluttering, because I've
made it my own personal kind ofmission.
When I feel things are stagnantor things are too heavy, I know
that I need to do somethingphysical, and what I do is I'll
open up a closet, I'll clean outa drawer, I'll do something
(09:56):
where I'm like like we justcleaned out all of our cabinets,
our kitchen cabinets, and it'samazing how just that shift of
that little bit of action I meanfor me it makes me feel lighter
, Like I don't feel as heavywith everything's energy.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
So when you clear it, change it, you're shifting that
Right.
If you want to change your life, clear your clutter.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Like as you have in your background.
Clutter does not have to ownyou.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yes, it doesn't.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
I love that so many of our people in our community
are interested in manifestingtheir dream lives.
How can the act of declutteringserve as a catalyst for
manifestation?
Speaker 2 (10:35):
If you I like to use the analogy of a straw right, if
you are trying to have yoursmoothie or whatever you're
drinking with your straw and itgets stuck, you know how that
sometimes happens and you can'tget the smoothie.
It's kind of the same way withclutter.
Clutter is that not letting youget what you want?
Because if you're saying I wantto manifest this and you have a
(10:55):
stuff closet, well, how can anew outfit come in?
Or if you want a relationshipand everything hanging around in
your house is of your ex, theuniverse is you're saying hey,
I'm good, I got all this stuff.
If you want to, you want toswitch that.
You have to create the space toallow it to happen.
If everything's stuff, you'resignaling the university hey,
(11:16):
I'm good, universe, I'm good,I'm good to go, no thanks.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
And do you feel like the universe doesn't know if
this is like, if it's negativeor positive, the universe is
neutral?
So it's not going to know ifyou don't want it and, like you
said, if I have 500 pictures ofmy ex-op and I'm not even that
Like if I'm looking at thatpicture every day there's an
energetic component to that.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
But I think people also probably don't realize it's
like that that link, it's likea bubble.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Right, right, and you're not aware of it.
And if you haven't receivedclosure, I mean because you have
to ask why do you?
Why are you looking at thatpicture every day?
You want to create a newrelationship.
What is it that's going on inthe back of your head?
And you might be saying, nope,I want, I'm ready, I want a new
relationship, but maybe deepdown, no, there's something that
has to get clear, there'ssomething that has to get
(12:05):
settled 100%.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
So you're also a certified life coach.
How do you integrate thosecoaching principles into your
decluttering services?
Do you see a transformativeshift in your client's mental
state post decluttering?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Oh, absolutely.
Well, I would say, obviously,everything's individualized.
So what I learned is coachingIf you work with me, it's not
just about the physical stuffand clearing clutter.
We're going to have thatconversation because maybe it
comes up that your homework thisweek is going to be say no to
what you don't want to do.
Right, because when I work withpeople and that's why, and if I
(12:41):
do it online, it's got to bevisual, because I want to get
all those visual cues you mightbe like I'm really happy, but
your body language is sayingabsolutely not right, and so
it's digging a little deeper.
And as we work and we're clear,how are you feeling?
I'm struggling to let this go.
Well, let's stop a moment andtalk about that.
Why is that?
What's going on?
And so I think it's veryimportant when I give homework,
(13:04):
as we look at everything, welook at the whole person, not
just the physical stuff.
And, as I've mentioned, theinner reflects the outer and
vice versa.
And as we clear in one area,we're going to support ourselves
in clearing other, and I don'tthink that people realize the
mental load that clutter causes.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Well, it's almost like I feel like it's
overwhelming when you havesomething that's super packed
with stuff.
It's like how do you help aclient that has this massive
amount to declutter?
What is the first step that yougive to them?
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Well, we start in one area, and so I would say what I
usually tell people is what'sdriving you nuts?
Do you have a deadline?
You mentioned kitchen cabinets.
Are you having your kitchenremodel?
Well, let's declutter beforethey come over to remodel.
If you aren't paying your billsand your mortgage is late, then
maybe we need to start in theoffice.
So ask yourself a couple ofthose questions, and then that
(14:00):
can determine where you start.
And then you say, okay, I'mgoing to start my office.
I'm going to say, okay, thenwe're going to start with the
bookcase.
Right, we're going to breakeverything down into manageable
steps, because you hit onsomething that's really
important.
Most people have a lot ofclutter, overwhelmed.
They're simply paralyzed andcan't move, and so it's like,
okay, then we're going to breakit down into manageable steps.
10 minutes a day equals justover 60 hours in a year.
(14:23):
You can do a lot in 60 hours.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
That's a really good piece of advice.
Like just bite-sized pieces,you know, and maybe not look at
the entire picture.
Maybe just look at.
I like how you just said that.
Look at the bookcase, you know,and then move on to the next
step, and then you're walkingthem through the journey too,
which is amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yes, well, your book case looks quite lovely, so good
job.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Thank you.
I have a sister who is actuallya professional designer and, as
she says, this is my set.
She's like you know.
This one means to go here.
No, no, right.
So I'm not allowed to moveanything.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Oh, I understand that , and now I'm like can?
Speaker 1 (15:09):
we do a refresh?
Can we do a reset?
Speaker 2 (15:12):
That's good.
You should change it up.
We've just been talking aboutthe energy and say, yeah, I had
this interview.
We got to change it up.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I really like.
I kind of like can we switchthe pictures?
These are actually my um, mymom did these, so I love them
and that's they mean a lot to me, but I have more, I can change
them out.
She's like how you said, youlike your mom's artwork, I have
mine up as well and I love that.
Good job, thank you.
So let's talk about challenges.
Um, maybe what is one difficultpart of your job and how do you
(15:40):
navigate the emotional orspiritual huddles that come with
it?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I'll tell you, the most challenging thing for me
has been when family members getinvolved.
Now, I'm not talking about acouple and I'm talking about one
particular thing that's comingto mind is I helped a lovely
neighbor.
Uh, she had to go into assistedliving and the one, the son who
hired me, was great but had agrand kid who just wanted
(16:06):
everything and it caused, I mean, it was just a nightmare and I
was like your grandmother hiredme.
I work for your grandmother andI work for your uncle, and so I
had to lay down some prettystrict boundaries there.
And, you know, someone in thiskid was really spoiled, and I'm,
you know, and what I tell myclients is have them get angry
at me because I can handle it.
(16:28):
And so I think for me the mostchallenging thing is when family
members who are let me rephrasethat when family members who
aren't helpful, get involved andmake the process worse.
You know, especially in thissituation, moving to assisted
living, there's a lot of emotion.
You know, if you live in thishouse, you have to downsize,
there's no choice.
And so to add that to it wasjust, was really frustrating,
(16:51):
and I felt for my client, butI'm like my job is to protect
her, and that's what I did.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
No, that's really good and you're right about when
you make such a significantchange of your independent in
your home to moving intoassisted living, where a lot of
your freedom is not going to bethe same anymore, and that is, I
think, as elderly people andyou probably experienced this a
lot we don't.
We don't acknowledge what thechallenge is of when you lose
(17:17):
your freedom as an elderlyperson is a very it's like one
of the most stressful events insomeone's life and it's like and
I would imagine you deal withthat a lot.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yeah, that's a tough transition.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
And so I would also say to everyone listening you
know whether you hire someone orhave a friend, and because
before I start my businessthey're like you're really
uptight, come help me organize,because I need help and so you
want to make sure that personisn't judgmental.
Probably one of the things thatbreaks my heart the most is
working with someone.
Yeah, I started, but then thisperson judged me and so I've
(17:50):
stopped for years because theydon't think people really
realize how their comments orsize or eye rolling can really
affect someone and stop theirprogress.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
That's a really good point too.
So I know that you have a verypopular podcast Clear your
Clutter Inside and Out.
Can you please tell us a littlebit about that?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Sure.
So we're talking about clutterand I cover all areas holiday,
relationships, health.
We get into it and at the end Ilike to talk about anecdotes
and I give you take action itemsso that you can get started.
That's super important to me.
I want you to leave with thingsthat you can do to change your
life and wherever it's also onvideo and wherever you listen,
(18:29):
you can find it.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
And then is it on, like, like you said, it's on all
like Apple Spotify.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Do you?
Speaker 1 (18:35):
also have a YouTube channel.
Yes, and what's your YouTubechannel?
Speaker 2 (18:41):
It's Reawaken your Brilliance with Julie Caraccio.
My website'sReawakenYourBrilliance and I've
got all the links there.
And I'm going to be putting upsome more material.
Well, by the time this airs,we'll have more material.
I've got COVID, so I'm a littlebehind.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
It's okay, you're alone.
So, as I know that you havesome books, classes and
affirmations to share, whatresources can our audience
explore to deepen their journeywith you?
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So I have based on the podcast Clear your Clutter
Inside and Out, where I've 21chapters, the bonuses on energy.
So if you've enjoyed that talk,you might like it.
But it's on physical, mental,emotional and spiritual clutter
and it goes in more depth thangives.
You take action items at theend, and then I have a whole
journal prompt series where,like on holiday, health and as I
(19:27):
mentioned before, you have theanswers within.
So this is going to guide you,to ask you questions and then
come up with a plan to moveforward.
And then I also have a book on21 Days to Jump Start Clearing
your Clutter.
If you're like, hey, I don'tknow where to start, this is a
really good place and theaffirmations nine different ones
that are going to support youin the cluttering, and then
(19:48):
classes as well.
Everything's broken intobite-size steps for the classes.
So if you're like, ok, I can doa lesson once a week or once a
day, then you don't have to.
They're like five, six minutes,maybe a little longer in some
cases, but it's really to giveyou that momentum.
Ok, here's where I'm going tostart and I have my first step.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
That is amazing, and those are all located on your
website.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Mm-hmm.
Reawakenyourbrilliancecom.
They can all that good stuff.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
That's amazing.
So, given your wide range ofexpertise, what else is on the
horizon for you, any upcomingprojects or collaborations that
you're excited about?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
A book on end of life organizing and then a journal
prompt on end of life.
So that is the big thing thatI'm working on, and the other
thing that I get super excitedabout that I've been doing is
doing more public speakingemployee, which thrills me.
That corporations have movedfrom let's organize our desk to
let's declutter our life andlet's talk about bigger issues,
(20:44):
that gets me really excited.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Now for anybody that wants to work with you.
That is also located on yourwebsite.
Absolutely yes.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
And I offer a free 15-minute consultation to see if
we're a good fit and I cansupport you and it doesn't
matter.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
So I know that you said earlier that they have to
go on video so you can do thisremotely.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Oh yeah, I work with people all over the world.
Absolutely that is amazing.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Well, julie, I want to thank you so, so much for
coming to the SpiritualSpotlight Series.
I'm really looking forward toreading some of your upcoming
books and I hope you feel better.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
You're a wonderful interviewer and I really
appreciate this.
Thank you.
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