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:

-What's Sparking Joy for Karin: The benefits of living a simpler life, gratitude for good health and an appreciation of modern medicine. Keep going, Scientists!

-What's Sparking Joy for Kristyn: The joy of living a W-2 free life, the excitement of pursuing her passion and the good health that has come along with it all.

-Best of 2018 Highlights. Hear clips from our favorite, and most impactful shows, of 2018:

• Ep 39: Closet Joy Part II: Build Your Capsule Wardrobe with Courtney Carver

• Ep 47: Nailing DIY with The Nestrs

• Ep 48: Living Life in the Front Seat with Jessica Butts

• Ep 59: Help for the Chronically Disorganized with Kristi Meyer

-A look forward: We'll be releasing encore episodes each Tuesday in December for you to enjoy during the holidays.

-Spark Joy Podcast Contest Winners!
Spark Joy has been running a contest for a signed copy of Marie Kondo’s “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up”

• Tammy [T_Steinbeck]
• Dustin [Dustin Sherrill]
• Elisabeth [Elisabeth Swim]
• Monica [moniru123]
• Lynn [Hopefilled]

CONGRATULATIONS to all our winners!
If you are one of our lucky winners, you'll be receiving an email soon and your book will be on the way.

-The Spark Joy Podcast Membership Community!
We are launching an exclusive community for Spark Joy Podcast listeners! This will be a way for you to support the podcast as well as gain access to some amazing premium features. We are working out all the details but there will be tiers of support that will allow you to become a more involved part of our community, unlock exclusive content and even access personal coaching. Stay tuned to learn more!

Gems

“We love helping KonMari work for you!”

“It helped me get clear on the differences between minimalism and KonMari.”

“Why do you want to get organized? When I have clients who don’t continue the process it’s sometimes because their “Why” wasn’t big enough.”

“Singular focus around your business and having a point of view. I need to get through one thing at a time.”

“I applied this idea of zeroing-in on just 3 goals in 90 days.”

“Pick out the books that you consider your friends. Now, I’d like for you to pick out the strangers.”

“What a great supplement this podcast is to the KonMari books. I spent time over the summer going through the KonMari process and was feeling great, but, not I feel like I need to revisit some things.”

“I love listening to this show while I am going through my KonMari process…keep calm and KonMari on!”

“Having heard almost every episode of Spark Joy podcast, my life is completely different. I have a better sense of what I need in my life and what is no longer supporting my values and vision for the future.”

“If KonMari were a religion, Spark Joy Podcast would be my morning prayer (wake up and be awesome). Every episode is pure gold, the inspiration I need not only to keep my tidying festival going, but to know I can do something towards my vision: Be Better Every Day."

“If Spark Joy can do what they did and are still doing, I can do MY thing.”

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

Have you ever said to yourself:
I’ll never be organized.
I’ve been this way all my life.
I always struggle to keep things tidy
I’m such a hoarder!
Why can’t I be and stay organized like everybody else?

Our guest, Kristi Meyer of Simple Surroundings Consulting. Kristi is a certified KonMari Consultant and a Certified Professional Organizer based in Charleston, SC. She is also an Institute for Challenging Disorganization Specialist in Chronic Disorganization, Hoarding and ADHD and a longtime member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. For the last ten years, Kristi has been helping her clients achieve dramatic change that forever transforms the way they feel and function in their homes.

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 Kristi's love for teaching organizing skills to her K-8 students branched into a professional organizing and KonMari practice
• The similarities and differences between Kristi's conventional organizing experiences and her KonMari practice and journey
• The "aftershocks" that led Kristi to revisit certain aspects of the KonMari Method
• More information about how to nail the vision of your ideal lifestyle and living environment - Spark Joy Episode 5
• Hoarding experts featured on Spark Joy Episode 3 and Episode 19
• Kristi's definition of chronic disorganization and hoarding disorder and the tell tale signs of each
• How Kristi keeps the basic rules of KonMari intact when working with the chronically disorganized with some adaptations
• How Judith Kolberg's book, Conquering Chronic Disorganization influenced Kristi's practice
• Kristi's Five Unconventional Rules for the Chronically Disorganized:
  • Make it social
  • Overpersonalize
  • Make it emotional
  • Adapt to your individual learning and organizational style
  • Set up a maintenance plan
• Kristi's top resources for those who may be struggling with chronic disorganization or hoarding
  • The Institute for Challenging Disorganization
  • Dorothy The Organizer
  • Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding by Tolin and Frost with accompanying workbooks
  • Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring by Michael Tompkins
  • Children of Hoarders
  • Therapists, professional organizers, or certified KonMari Consultants

Kristi's favorite tidying tip: Simplicity. The less detail the better.
What sparks joy for Kristi: The KonMari Consultant community and her daughter.

To connect with Kristi, visit www.simplesurroundingsconsulting.com . While you’re there take, her free quiz "How Organized Are You, Really?"

Gems:

• "...academic performance could really be correlated to how organized a student was."
• "I wanted to have a really huge impact on their physical space and also their mental space."
• "I started to realize other stuff around me that seemed to really change my outlook and my thoughts about what I wanted for the future."
• "If you find that [clutter] really undermines your quality of life, then that could be considered chronic."
• "Talk out loud. Whatever you're thinking in your head, vocalize it out loud."
• "Find your treasures. Find the things you absolutely love."
• "If you keep [maintenance] very simple simple, it's also going to lead to more relevance to your current self."

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

Special Guest: Kristi Meyer.

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