It Was Never Just About the Stuff

Liz and I are both excited and engaged when we meet screen to screen and begin each coaching session. A grounding meditation is needed—slowing us both down and we become present which allows our inner knowing to surface.

Clients need spaciousness and a safe witness for their hearts to soften and come forward. Coaching trusts the client to know their truth.

In a recent session I asked Liz an open question, “What’s important now?” to allow her to slow down and learn what she wanted coaching on.

Liz is a smart, highly regarded professional with incredible EQ and IQ. A stellar teacher. A co-author of a beautifully illustrated children’s educational book and curriculum. Musically talented. Her CPA calls her “a dream client” as Liz’s tax documents are impeccably organized.

So when she answered, in a way I hadn’t experienced, her body electrically charged, Liz emphatically said, “The mail!!”

I asked Liz when she felt this “mail” feeling before.

Immediately, Liz responds: “My bedroom.”

Liz and I talked about her bedroom space a year ago. A room she passed by multiple times a day—each time feeling overwhelmed. The room carried a weight of quiet defeat.

“What’s the feeling you want in this space?” I asked.

She wanted three things: A space that was comfortable, had a touch of flair and made her smile each time she walked by it.

Pausing to allow her imagination to relax. I asked about her vision for her bedroom. She wasn’t looking for fancy or anything Pinterest perfect.

Liz thought about the decorative pillows she had bagged up for years in a closet. Unearthing them lit her up in a way that said, “I am creative. I deserve this. I matter.”

Shortly after our session Val, her professional organizer came in to declutter and organize alongside Liz according to her vision.

Val helped Liz break the bedroom into manageable steps. Val says, it’s like “Eating an elephant one bite at a time.”

Val and Liz partnered to create systems that honored Liz’s brain so she could maintain this room easily and effortlessly.

The pillows were brought in and before and after photos filled my inbox. Which included photos of a trunk full of donations, broken down boxes and a bedroom that was everything Liz had envisioned.

Because no matter how accomplished someone is, roadblocks from old beliefs—and decades of emotional imprinting—need space to be exposed and explored.

To go inside to feel what is and isn’t true. What can be released? Is there something new that can come in.

Liz recognized the stuck feeling of “the mail” was the same stuck feeling in the bedroom. Something clicked. Liz quickly realized she can use her new skills to deconstruct this overwhelming mail problem.

List each step to deal with the dreaded mail just like Val taught her in the bedroom.

Liz begins rattling off the steps needed to deal with her mail everyday.

Get mail - Recycle - Separate what is hers & hubby’s - Drop hubby’s mail at his desk (share ownership to create efficiency) - Scan - Email - Digitally file - Take Action file - Shred.

Val and I received photos of the one foot stack of mail down to one inch and lots of smile emojis. These are her steps along with sharing the accomplishment that will make the mail work actually stick.

Liz knew she wasn’t the only one carrying the emotional weight of the mail. The three of us share that weight. No one person has to do this alone.

When things are hard we all need a larger sphere of support.

Decluttering is hard.

Val always asks Liz, “What did you and Michelle talk about?” Liz can bring her full self safely in our triad. We are a soft place for her vision to land.

And most importantly—

with the right decluttering team, clients are much more likely to build and maintain their clutter-free life.

If being a part of this triad is intriguing, I made something with you in mind. “What if you asked this instead?” A guide for professional organizers who are ready to go a little deeper with their clients.

Download it below - and if it resonates, I’d love to connect.

FREE GUIDE for PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS