Did you know that there is a national professional organization for Professional Organizers? If you follow our podcast, you know that KonMari Media Incorporated trains and accredits consultants in the method but there is also NAPO, the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

Amy Tokos is a Certified Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant. She is also the President-elect of NAPO for 2020.

Amy’s background is in engineering and she previously worked making manufacturing processes simpler and more efficient. In 2008, she started her company, Freshly Organized, and began bringing the lean thinking to the homes and offices of her clients.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Learning about the concept of Lean Management and its origins in the Japanese manufacturing community.

• How Amy transitioned from corporate management to home and business organizing.

• Her early organizational influencers and how she became involved with NAPO. National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals

• How Amy incorporates Lean management into her organizing style.

• The book, In Praise of Wasting Time.

• The importance of using technology to support our goals.

• Learn about NAPO and the benefits of the combined wisdom of thousands of organizers.

• How you can use the resources of NAPO to help your own organizing process.

Amy's favorite organizing tip:
“Hold an informal family meeting once a week. It’s a great way to catch up, make plans and to make sure there are no last-minute surprises.”

What sparks joy for Amy
"Today, I have tulips that are blooming in a pot on my dining room table."

Amy's parting words of Wisdom
"Keep in real. Relax, don't worry about living in staged environment."

To connect with Amy, visit her website at Freshly Organized and her Instagram: Freshly Organized.

Gems:

"People are overwhelmed by the stuff in their space and also stuff in their heads and their calendars."

"Lean is just basically minimizing processes and steps to gain efficiency."

"We are missing out on the benefits of just wasting time."

"Some of the things that are designed to simplfy our lives just add more complication."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Amy Tokos.

Our guest, Kay "Ideaignitor" Richardson describes herself as an ordinary girl from South Florida, but her career has been anything but ordinary.

Kay built her first successful businesses in her 20's as an ergonomics consultant and occupational therapist. As a self proclaimed shy person, Kay realized that success was not about just being good about something, she knew she would have to do more than just good, she had to learn to overcome her fears and learn to promote herself with confidence.

She’s the owner of Clients Who Say Yes as a coach and trainer and hosts the Five Minutes to Fearless podcast. She’s also the author of the book, What a Woman’s Gotta Do.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
-How Kay made the transition from an occupational therapist and ergonomics consultant to business marketing and client development coaching.

-The shyness that Kay experienced in her early life.. and how she has been able to overcome it and now is able to speak in front of hundreds of people!

-Real life stories about overcoming fear by reaching back into their past.

-Practical steps to moving past fear in order to becoming more successful in your business.

-How to address our tendency to second-guess ourselves.

-Kay’s ergonomic tips!

• You must a good ergonomic adjustable chair.
• Red light-green light method
• Don’t have your monitor too high
• Always try to be hands free, especially with your phone.

-Kay’s ergonomic chart! Get the great chart Kay spoke about here:
Kay’s Ergonomic Chart

-Listen to Kay’s podcast: Five Minutes to Fearless on Apple

-Read Kay’s book: What a Woman’s Gotta Do

What sparks joy for Kay today:
“Having the opportunity to help individuals with really simple tips to work through their fears so they can tidy up their homes…and their space can be awesome! Working with entrepreneurs who are ready to step into it and not allow fear to interfere with making their way into the world. And my two handsome men!”

Final words of wisdom:
“Wake up and take action!”

You can reach Kay at: Clients Who Say Yes

She's on Instagram at: Ideaignator on Instagram and on FaceBook: Ideas to Income on Facebook

Kay has a special offer, just for Spark Joy listeners! She is providing a free coaching consultation by emailing her with the subject line: Spark Joy Podcast Moving Past the Fear here: Kay’s Coaching Offer

Gems
“The more you grow the more you will come back to (fear.) But if you have an idea about where it comes from the more you will be able to change the story.”

“That bold move to transform everything that’s there and create something new.”

“Are you not feeling good enough or worthy or capable of making this happen?”

“There are things in our pasts that are keeping us from being who we are meant to be.”

“What will make them say “Yes” to you?”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Kay Ideaignator Richardson.

For Sarah, it all started on the road as a world-traveling performer in hit Broadway musicals, where the only constant was her thoughtfully compartmentalized suitcase.

In 2014, Sarah teamed-up with handy hubby, Nick, to create beautiful spaces full-time at Nestrs a professional organizing, design, and handyman company.

Sarah and her husband are Airbnb Superhosts and their work has been featured on the HGTV television series, Beach Flip.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Why enthusiasm is so important for a small business owner working with clients.

• How Sarah went from theatre to professional organizing.

• Learn about the intersection between the work of organizing and work in doing renovations

• When you should do DIY, Do It Yourself, and when it’s between to leave it to the professionals.

• Learn about a great DIY project that will make a huge impact.

• What it was like to do a very cool beach project on BeachFlip, the HGTV show. Here is their episode: Sarah and Nick on BeachFlip

To connect with Sarah, visit Nestrs.com
Follow her on instagram at: @nestrs
and Facebook at: The Nestrs

Sarah's favorite tidying tip: “Think up! There’s a lot of under utilized space up high that you can make use of and maximize your space.”

What sparks joy for Sarah: Sarah and her husband have a new renovation project in Ohio that she is looking forward to diving into!

Final words of wisdom: “Being organized is so important. It saves us time, it saves us money, it keeps our stress and anxiety levels under control. And, it can be fun and creative.”

Gems:

“Is the time spent doing a project enjoyable for you?”

“We were there sometimes until midnight demo’ing a space. And there would be times when I just wanted to cry.”

"When you work together, it's important to have a way to deal with the stress and tension that will inevitably come up."

“We both love transforming spaces and helping people achieve what they want in their homes.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Sarah Karakaian.

Our guest, Alaia Williams takes her clients from stuck, stalled and struggling with overwhelm and helps them get to a place where they can run their business with a greater sense of calm, clarity and confidence. Alaia started her professional life as a professional organizer and this has informed her work as an organizer of business systems.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How Alaia accidentally stumbled upon entrepreneurship when she realized she needed to confront mental clutter that manifested as physical clutter

• How working with her first organizing client taught Alaia how to lead with empathy when organizing both closets and businesses

• Why our shared personal decluttering experience best prepare us to relate and help clients grow

• The impact the recession and feedback from existing clients had on the direction of her business offerings

• The similarities between being attached to your physical clutter versus attachment to your business

• The importance of taking time (even a few minutes) to plan every day

• The five essential systems that every small business needs

• Alaia's podcast -One Organized Business

• Why even if you aren't "born" organized, you can learn how to be organized with practice

• How tiny steps and habit change is the key to lasting change

• How Alaia was introduced to minimalism when studying the quaker culture, which sparked her continuous quest to live more simply across all areas of her life

• The benefits of small space living and outsourcing tasks that don't spark joy

Gems:

• "If we don't take time to plan, we walk through every day with our blinders on."

• "You can spend your entire day marketing and still not make any progress."

• "The business side is not that different from the personal."

• "Yesterday was better than today. Today's better than tomorrow."

• "A small space with good storage is all I need."

• "Anything that doesn't bring you joy that you can delegate...do it."

• "Just make the space around you feel good."

• "Do one tiny thing to move yourself forward."

Alaia's favorite tidying tip: Start where you are and start with something small.

What sparks joy for Alaia: Simplifying things and keeping everything in her life as simple and harmonious as possible; Having joyful work relationships.

Parting words of wisdom: Don't beat yourself up and start where you are right now.

To connect with Alaia Williams visit www.alaiawilliams.com and follow her on Facebook, Instagram (@oneorganizedbusiness) and Twitter (@alaiawilliams). Also, check out her podcast and At the Helm women's conference

Alaia is offering a free guide to Spark Joy listeners: How to Organize Your Home Office for Maximum Productivity

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Alaia Williams.

In this episode, we discuss how we discovered KonMari, how we became KonMari Consultants and what it’s like to have a KonMari consulting business.

Now, we want to hear from you. Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Joy checks!
  Kristyn sold her starter condo and rental property in Virginia and is now completely settled as a Chicagoan. Karin loves Springtime in New York City!

• How Karin and Kristyn tidied their own homes and started down the path of certification

• More examples of KonMari fans becoming KonMari Consultants: Consultants Share the Moment KonMari Changed Their Lives

NOTE: This episode was published on April 17, 2018. Any of the information shared regarding training guidelines and procedues is subject to change as the program evolves.

On August 27, 2019, Spark Joy Podcast received this update from KonMari Media, Inc.:
"Starting this fall, due to Marie's very tight schedule, she is no longer available to take individual photos with each attendee."

• The Steps to becoming a consultant:

-Step 1: Read the Marie Kondo Books

-Step 2: Tidy Your Home
KonMari App

-Step 3: Attend a Seminar

-Step 4: Join the Community

-Step 5: Submit Tidying Reports

-Step 6: Complete the Exam

-Step 7: Apply for Certification

• What it’s like to meet Marie Kondo

• A day in the life of a KonMari Consultant

• The business considerations associated with being a consultant

• Why Clients Hire Consultants

• Tools to help prospective consultants and trainees: The Tidy Mastermind and an open letter to KonMari Consultant Trainees

• On the fence about becoming a consultant? Schedule a Joy Call with Kristyn to discuss your unique situation

Gems:

"Her Mission, which is Organizing the World!"

"All different walks of life can bring things to KonMari."

"The fact that I was very sure that I had chosen the right thing to do totally trumped any fear I had about entrepreneurship."

"Everyone at the seminars is super passionate about tidying and living their best lives."

"It's important for you to believe that you have something to provide that's valuable to people because you are."

"I never know what to expect when that door opens."

"As much as I love KonMari, if I didn't feel I could create a sustainable business around it, I would have have had to let go of the idea."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Our guest today is Meg Brunson.

Meg is a multi-passionate mama living in Phoenix, AZ with her husband and 4 young daughters. She is a serial entrepreneur and a former Facebook employee, striving to provide a better life for her family through entrepreneurship.

She is the founder of EIEIO Marketing, the host of the FamilyPreneur Podcast, and recently helped her 10 year old launch her first business.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

-You'll learn how Meg started her business and her motivation for becoming an entrepreneur.

-Meg's tips for teaching your children critical thinking skills.

-How she and her daughter drilled down to find the perfect value statement that created Story Time with Kiki: Story Time with Kiki

-The importance of the calendar in managing a busy household with kids.

-How Meg and her husband support their girl's passion for learning.

-Meg's strong passion for helping kids set and achieve their goals.

-Using setbacks and challenges as a way to help kids be resourceful and resilient.

-Meg's favorite resources for building a great business:
A CRM platform: Dubsado
A scheduling platform: Acuity Scheduling

-And, hey, we all need a good resource for relaxing!
Winc

To connect with Meg, you can visit her at her website: www.megbrunson.com
Or her marketing website: www.eieiomarketing.com

She's on Twitter: @themegbrunson, Instagram: themegbrunson and Pinterest: themegbrunson

Her facebook is:
Meg Brunson on Facebook

She's the editor at: Phoenix Kids Out and About

And Kiki's website is: Story Time with Kiki

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week's show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

What sparks joy for Meg:
Her kids "those happy moments, their smiles and giggles" The freedom of working from home and being able to spend spontaneous moments with the kids while pursuing her entrepreneurial dreams.

Gems:
"We should be paving additional paths for our children."

"Drill down to the thing you know the best and find the value proposition within that knowledge."

"Turn their questions back on your kids. Get them to explore the question themselves."

"If you are passionate about it, I really believe you can make it happen."

"I'm going to have those good resources. I'm just going to have to build them out myself!"

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Meg Brunson.

During the show, we play some of our favorite clips and talk about the impact they have made on us and how they influenced our work as KonMari consultants.

Creating a podcast that focused on the KonMari Method has been our shared vision since the very end of 2016. We spent the first half of 2017 researching, preparing and putting all the pieces together and finally launched on August 31st.

We are so grateful to all of our guests for their talents, wonderful stories and the amazing tips and tools they shared with us.

Our listeners have been amazing. We have learned so much via your questions, comments and feedback. Thank you for being a part of Spark Joy!

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life.

Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

Before we get to our highlights, we ask, “What have sparked the most joy this year?”

We would love to hear what sparked the most joy for you!
Email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com and share your most joyful moments of 2017.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

We share big news: Spark Joy Podcast has been downloaded over 40,000 times!

Two listeners sent us great questions:
Sara asked about how to apply KonMari principles to the ongoing struggle of paper management in a busy family.
Ep 9 | Tidying by Location is a Fatal Mistake
Spark Joy Episode 9

Kimberly’s question was about how to determine what sparks joy when it comes to seasonal items, in this case, Halloween costumes.
Ep 13 | Does It Spark Joy?
Spark Joy Episode 13

And now, on to our favorite clips!

Ep 2 | Meet Marie Kondo’s First Employee Jenny Ning
Jenny Ning, Marie Kondo’s first employee in the US, shares what it’s like to work for the Queen of Tidy and her journey from KonMari super fan to Bay area home organizer.
To connect with Jenny Ning, you can visit her at www.jennyning.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@jennyorganizes).
Spark Joy Episode 2

Ep 3 | Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer
Dorothy Breininger, author and veteran professional organizer as seen on A&E’s hit show “Hoarders” sorts out the mind-body-home clutter connection and related addictions.
To connect with Dorothy Breininger, you can visit her website, www.dorothytheorganizer.com for free tips, videos, newsletters, organizing resources for your life, home, office, and relationships. Be sure to check out her book “Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff” via her website or Amazon. Also, check her out on the hit show “Hoarders” on A&E.
Spark Joy Episode 3

Ep 6 | Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks
Tess Wicks, personal finance coach and educator, breaks down the journey to financial independence into key actions and makes the connection between our priorities, the things we acquire, and our life vision.
To connect with Tess Wicks visit www.wanderwealthy.com and join the Wander Wealthy community on Facebook and YouTube. Also, check out Tess’ podcast Words and Money.
Spark Joy Episode 6

Ep 7 | Design and the Future of Minimalism with Lloyd Alter
Lloyd Alter, architect and design editor of Tree Hugger magazine, helps us understand our changing relationship with our possessions and how the upcoming generation will view design and functionality.
To connect with Lloyd, you can visit Treehugger, https://www.treehugger.com, Mother Nature Network, https://www.mnn.com, or follow him Twitter @lloydalter and Lloyd Alter on Facebook.
Spark Joy Episode 7

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

Ep 8 | Make Bold Moves with The Traveling Organizer Holly Southerland
Our guest, Holly Southerland is a professional organizer who has been traveling nationwide since 2008 helping families and entrepreneurs get unstuck and find peace in their homes.
To connect with Holly Southerland, visit Waco Home Organizers (www.wacohomeorganizers.com) or email info@wacohomeorganizers.com. You can also follow her on Facebook or Instagram at @holly_southerland
Spark Joy Episode 8

Ep 11 | [Tidy] Like a Mind Reader with Jonathan Pritchard
Jonathan Pritchard, professional mind reader and author, opens his psychological toolkit to help us apply the predictive art of mind reading to reach personal goals across all areas of our life.
To connect with or hire Jonathan, you can visit www.likeamindreader.com. His book Think Like a Mind Reader is available on Amazon (http://amzn.to/2yb9WwC).
Spark Joy Episode 11

Gems

• “We are proud to announce since we launched Spark Joy on August 31st of this year we’ve received over 40,000 downloads!”

• “It starts as just a means to get the house in order, but I don’t think most of us really expect the snowball effect!”

• “The clutter never lies and the truth is often in the clutter.”

• “I remembered resistance I receive from clients around trying something a new way because obviously my way isn’t working.”

• “This idea that we honor the item by showing appreciation for what it meant to us, and making sure the item goes on to it’s next useful life.”

• “I believe that organizing is really just lots and lots of small steps and lots and lots of small decisions.”

• “It’s ok if every rule in the book is not a perfect fit for your life! If you even apply 50% of the method you’ll notice an improvement in your lifestyle, so it’s not an all or nothing deal.”

• “We’ve got an amazing line-up for 2018, more guests who exude joy and embody the KonMari lifestyle that we’ll share them with you each-and-every Tuesday.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy