Spark Joy - Episodes Tagged with “Spark Joy”

Ep 126 | Freshly Organized with 2020 NAPO President and Professional Organizer Amy Tokos

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:15:00 -0400

Meet the Amy Tokos, 2020 President of NAPO, the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

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.

Ep 125 | Spring Cleaning Joy with Marcela Barraza of MB Green Cleaning

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0400

Cleaning X Tidying. Cleaning professional Marcela Barraza joins us to explore the intersection between two essential household tasks that pair well to create a space that sparks joy.

Marcela Barraza is the founder and owner of MB Green Cleaning. She is a graduate of the hospitality administration and hotel management program. After working for an airline for more than 10 years, Marcela started in the cleaning industry in 2004 and she was inspired to switch to “green” cleaning after experiencing a series of maladies, including irritated skin and debilitating migraines, that she traced to the harmful chemicals in the cleaning products she used in her home. She then made it her mission to help others safeguard their environment so they can enjoy the comfort and contentment that comes with a clean and healthy home.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

What led to Marcela’s start in the home cleaning business
The idea of Green cleaning and the benefits of going green
Learning why cleaning is such a challenge for most people
How cleaning and organizing differ and why someone who is well organized may not necessarily be good at cleaning and vice versa!
Discovering the cleaning style or schedule that will work best for you
Spring cleaning as a way to welcome the season
Managing cleaning with children. Teaching them good habits and skills
When it makes sense to hire help for your cleaning needs

Marcela's favorite cleaning tip:
“Clean as you go and make sure you have the right tools.”
“Use concentrated products and refillable bottles because they waste less packaging.”

What sparks joy for Marcela
“Being on the Spark Joy Podcast! It’s such a joy to share my passion for green cleaning with others.”

To connect with Marcela, visit her website at MB Green Cleaning. You can find lots of cleaning tips on her blog MB Cleaning Blog and YouTube channel MB Green Cleaning YouTubeand her Instagram:@mbcleaning.

Gems:
"When deciding which products to use, you have to try several to find the ones that work best for you."

"Cleaning is not a super fun thing to do. It's not like anyone wakes up and says, 'Yea, it's cleaning day!'"

"Asking for help is not a bad thing. It can be anything from a cleaning person every week to just a few times a year."

"Get rid of the clutter first and then do the cleaning. No matter how much time we spend cleaning it won't help is there so much stuff."

"If you commit to only one thing, make your bed every day."

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

Special Guest: Marcela Barraza.

Ep 115 | Someday: Aspirational Items and Unfinished Business

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 06:45:00 -0500

Today, we explore the mindset and reasoning behind holding only things because they represent a particular dream, goal, or investment that has been left unfulfilled or incomplete.

We call these items “unfinished business” or “maybe someday items.” Things that represent an ideal, aspiration or a dream that you had about the kind of person you wanted to be.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Learning what unfinished business looks like KonMari category by KonMari Category.
Understanding why and how unfinished business accumulates and why it’s so hard to let it go.
How the unfinished business in the Clothing category can fill your closet with things that need to be mended, tailored or ironed and what to do about it.
We revisit Ep 75 | Exploring the KonMari Book Controversy with Robin Mitchell Cranfield to discuss letting go of unread or unfinished books.
Three additional categories of paper to consider.
How hobbies and aspirational do it yourself projects can cause us to purchase supplies that are often never used or partially used. These items are classic “maybe someday” items that pile up in drawers and closets.
How to use sentimental items so that they are not just hidden in boxes and never appreciated. We encourage you to get creative and either use these items or consider why you are holding onto them.
How donations and discards are unfinished business until they are out of your home. Your tidying is not finished until things are on their way to their next life.
The importance and value of your time when deciding whether to reduce, reuse or recycle items. This can be a stumbling block toward getting things on their way.
A solution! Consider the Five D’s:
- Do
- Diminish
- Delegate
- Defer
- Delete

We all have unfinished business. It’s just a part of life!

Here are Karin’s:
- Deciding about some closet storage upgrades. “I can’t decide!"
- Doing some home maintenance. “There’s always something that needs to be done."
- Recycling used candle jars.
And, Kristyn’s:
- Photography organization project. “I’m committed to get this done in the next decade.”
- Recipe compilation project. “My friends want some of my great family recipes!”

Gems:

"When your KonMari tidying journey is over, you’ll have the time, resources, and energy to pursue these passions. So, it’s important to make sure every second of that time counts by filling it with high value activities edited down to just the things you love and intended to complete in your lifetime."
"Buying craft supplies can become the hobby. Those yarn and fabric stores are so tempting!"
"It’s really ok to decide something is just not for you or maybe what you DID accomplish with a hobby was just the right amount."
"What is the point of keeping those things hidden away and could you make a different plan? What are some of the options?"
"Sometimes your unfinished business and “someday aspirations can literally stand in between you and your goal of a clutter free lifestyle."
"We’re human and it’s ok to make mistakes. We’ve all invested our time, energy, and money on things that didn’t work out for whatever reason. Trial and error is a necessary part of learning, growing and adulting."

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

Encore! Ep 54 | A Productive Digital Clutter Free Life of Yes with Saya Hillman

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Our guest, Saya Hillman, helps us answer the question “why not?” instead of “I can’t?” in order to live a Life of Yes℠.

Today’s guest challenges us all to think beyond fear and embrace a Life of Yes℠.

Saya Hillman started Mac & Cheese Productions℠ in 2004 after she got fired from her last full-time job and had no idea what she wanted to do.

Being fired turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Mac & Cheese Productions℠ is now a lifestyle business that provides creative solutions to common problems through its Life of Yes offerings. At its core, is the belief that the segments which make up our lives shouldn’t be sources of stress, but sources of joy and ease.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Saya's journey from wanting to feel invisible in order to avoid sticking out in a crowd to unapologetically embracing a life of yes
How Saya came up with her memorable business name, Mac & Cheese Productions
How Saya's networking events break the mold and reflect who she is
How sharing each other's vulnerabilities connect her guest "Cheese-Its" together
How you can get further in life by being experience focused instead of results focused
How Saya helps people transform by embracing productivity, public speaking, sales and other things that cause people stress and pain to be filled with ease and joy
How you put the hardest tasks behind us by eating a frog at the beginning of the day
How Saya makes her every day life easier and more productive by staying within her Life of Yes radius
How sharing a spontaneous moment of sharing her vulnerabilities helped Saya relate to her audience during
How the Spark Joy paper clutter episode connects to the path of digitizing our life
A travel hack Saya and her husband use to avoid getting overwhelmed with digital clutter
How Saya manages her "to reads"
How letting go of productivity systems that ultimately don't spark joy will set you free
When it is the right time to go nuclear on your inbox
How Feedly helps let go of subscription guilt
Why Saya decided to go completely paperless when it comes to her business and how she cleans her "digital closet"
How bulk work can help you handle your work and not hate your life
How the simple act of silencing push notifications can help you feel in control when it comes to technology and incoming information
Why improv was the top three adult choices Saya made as an adult that changed her life

Saya's favorite tidying tip: Digitize all of your sentimental items

What sparks joy for Saya: Travel hacking her way to Japan with a $250 first class ticket

To connect with Saya visit www.macncheeseproductions.com . You can also find her on Twitter or Facebook .

Gems:

"What makes you different are not things to be ashamed of, but to hold up to the light."
"I want my business to reflect my personality."
"We set ourselves up for disappointment when we are results focused as opposed to experience focused."
"Do you have a source of stress that is self created?"
"You should set up your life in the way you want it to be lived."
"My way isn't the right way. The right way is what works for you."
"Such magic can happen when you do voice whatever it is that is causing you any type of negativity in your life."
"The perfect time unicorn doesn't exist. You need to do that thing you need to do, and do it now."
"I'm completely paralyzed because I know i have a problem, but it's so overwhelming I'm not going to do anything."
"Are you spending a lot of time spinning your wheels?...and if you are, how can you stop that?"
"Have your default be yes instead of no and why not instead of I can't."

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

Special Guest: Saya Hillman.

Encore! Ep 37 | The True Cost of Clutter

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Spark Joy co-hosts and KonMari Consultants, Karin and Kristyn, talk about 17 obvious and hidden costs associated with living with clutter that is slowly stealing your joy.

In this episode, we attempt to uncover and put a price tag on the hidden costs associated with delaying your KonMari tidying event. Like many common lifestyle challenges (losing weight, getting out of debt, finding a new job) the longer you wait to get started, the more the issue compounds and slowly steals your joy. So it’s time to get real and talk about the physical and emotional costs associated with keeping clutter around.

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: Karin surprises her mom in Kansas City and Kristyn finds joy on the 606 running trail in Chicago.

We breakdown 17 costs associated with clutter:

The cost of storing your clutter outside of your home
The cost of not using everything that you've purchased
The cost of having unutilized space within your home
Clutter Cost Formula
The cost of buying/renting a bigger home to accommodate things that don't spark joy
The cost of the clutter damaging your home over time

Calendar clutter: time and energy
Refer to Ep 30 | Simply B Organized with Laurie Palau

The cost of clutter getting in the way of you finding what you need
The cost of clutter getting in the way of things you truly need to do
Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Refer to Episode 16 | Stress Free Holiday Joy with Amanda Jefferson
The cost of negative thinking or self talk
The cost of ignoring your own reality
The cost of using shopping to cope
Refer to Episode 31 | Shopaholic No More with Dr. April Benson
The cost of linking your self worth to a certain type of collection of things or a particular lifestyle
The cost of clutter that blocks your ability to execute certain physical activities
The cost of clutter that limits your ability to make healthy choices
Refer to Episode 3 Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer
The cost of clutter that limits relationships and your quality of life with your friends and family
The cost of clutter that prevents you from accessing information critical to uncovering the reality of your finances, preventing you from reaching true wealth/abundance
Refer to Episode 6 Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks
The cost of clutter that locks you into consumption patterns that lead you to having no choice in the type of job situation or career choice - even if it’s not ideal
Refer to the the ChooseFI community
The cost of clutter that prevents you from pursuing your life purpose/feeling fulfilled, understanding what true joy means to you

Don't worry, we end this episode on a joyful note! We discuss the many ways decluttering can pay you back to counter some of the clutter costs.

Gems:

"Having a storage locker is like going to visit your past mistakes."

"Your space itself is way more valuable than your stuff."

"Is this space honoring what's being stored within it?"

"Is this space supporting the ideal lifestyle that I desire?"

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

Encore! Ep 25 | KonMari Myths and Missteps

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Come along with your hosts, Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci as we explore some of the most common KonMari myths and missteps in today’s Spark Joy Podcast episode.

As the KonMari philosophy has become more and more mainstream, blog posts, magazine articles and videos have come out viewing KonMari through a critical and challenging lens.

These perspectives are sometimes based on misunderstandings or misreadings of Konmari concepts and sometimes these misinterpretations occur as missteps while practicing KonMari.

In this episode, we will discuss our thoughts on these myths and provide some practical tips on how to avoid falling into these missteps.

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 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 @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

Joy Checks!
What is Sparking Joy for Kristyn today: a very cute For the Love of Tidy branded onesie for her niece who is due any day now.

What is Sparking Joy for Karin today: restoring an antique wooden doll bed for her niece’s birthday

Learn about some common KonMari myths:

Konmari equals minimalism/minimalism is KonMari
Konmari is a selfish activity, fundamentally concerned only with material possession
KonMari encourages to you to throw out everything you own to the point where you are either left with nothing or you need to immediately buy new things

Learn about some common KonMari missteps:

Skipping the step where you envision your ideal lifestyle and living environment
Forgetting to honor and acknowledge items for their usefulness especially when you are letting them go
Not completing all the categories
Thinking about storage and organization before the sorting is completed
Being overly concerned with the clutter of other people

See what Marie Kondo’s home really looks like:
Correction: It has come to our attention that the original article and photograph listed here was a parody article written for April Fool's Day and NOT a house tour of Marie Kondo's apartment. Photographs of Marie Kondo's home have not been made publicly available. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Read about what some critics say about the KonMari Method:
Why Decluttering Guru Marie Kondo is Wrong
Why I Absolutely Refuse to KonMari My Life
Does It Spark Joy is the Wrong Decluttering Question
The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*
Review the importance of the vision statement in Spark Joy Episodes:
Episode 1 KonMari 101
Episode 5 The KonMari Lifestyle
Our advice to a listener who asks how to address categories when you have items within a category in hard to get to places. Does not being able to completely sort by category mean you are not doing KonMari correctly?

Gems:

“There’s no right number of things a person should have.”

“You can keep ALL of the shoes!”

“Time is the most important commodity as opposed to things.”

“You’re saying goodbye in a respectful way and you’re putting a positive message out there.”

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

Ep 65 | Best of 2018: Joyful Show Highlights + Giveaway WINNERS

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Welcome to the 2018 Spark Joy highlights show! Thank you again for listening and we're looking forward to a 2019 that will Spark Joy!

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:

-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

Ep 64 | KonMari Around the World with Gemma Quinn

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 06:30:00 -0500

Australia’s first certified KonMari Consultant and Evaluator shares stories tied to her experience of KonMari around the world.

Our guest, Gemma Quinn, is Australia’s first certified KonMari Consultant, but she also practices worldwide!

She's also a KonMari Consultant Evaluator and works with future consultants during the certification process. Her KonMari approach is informed by over 15 years of experience in business operations and human resources management within the design and creative industries.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Gemma's grandfather sparked a love of thoughtful organization.

-Gemma's introduction to the KonMari Method and how it changed her life.

-Find a book that spoke to Gemma from the Tim Ferris Book Club review here: The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday

-How Gemma helps her clients determine what sparks joy even if it involves a mundane household object

-What a KonMari evaluator does and how she works with KonMari Consultants to ensure that the quality of the Konmari practice is consistent

-Gemma’s international practice as a traveling consultant

-How Gemma conveys the guiding light of the KonMari practice to clients regardless of where they live. (Spoiler alert: she doesn’t believe it really changes from place to place

-Gemma shares home and lifestyle differences around the world including the confusion around baking ingredients and how many blankets should be on the bed

-Read a blog about duvets in Germany! Two Duvets are Better than One! Sleeping the German Way

Gemma's favorite tidying tip:
"Grow your sensitivity to knowing what sparks joy for you. It will change your life. And... use boxes! Try to get to the point that every item in your house has a box."

What Sparks Joy for Gemma:
"People! The engagement of people in my life and work. They bring me so much joy."

Gemma's parting words of wisdom:
"Start by writing out your list of categories and subcategories and just get started with the KonMari Method. We are here to support you!"

You can find Gemma at: Gemma Quinn or on instagram and Facebook at: @gemmaquinn.konmariconsultant

Gems:

“The act of joy checking and thinking about my ideal life allowed me to connect and engage with my belongings far more than I ever had.”

"The risk was minimal because being able to help someone lead a life of joy was a risk worth taking."

“We are there to help them manage that risk and to be a supporting hand guiding them to help them through this so that they know they are not alone.”

"Knowing what will bring you joy does change from culture to culture."

"Engaging with other peoples and other cultures personally brings me a huge amount of joy."

"Some cultures have more difficulty expressing their feelings. So I try to help clients find ways to be truthful, but still will bring them joy."

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

Special Guest: Gemma Quinn.

Ep 63 | Homeopathy at Home with Frank Molignano

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 02:15:00 -0500

Frank Molignao helps us to explore the alternative practice of homeopathy as we explore ways to infuse our KonMari homes with more health and wellness.

Our guest, Frank Molignano, has worked extensively in the mental health field as a homeopath, biofeedback specialist and reiki master. He facilitates a deep connection to well-being, integrating unresolved trauma, and through his practice, supports individuals in moving from contraction to expansion, and from limitation to freedom.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Frank's father inspired him to look into alternative practices as a teen
The difference between homeopathy and home remedy
The Homeopathy credentialing process
How Frank put Homeopathy to the test to heal himself after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease
The history of Homeopathy
How Homeopathy shifts your attention to holistic health management rather than symptoms-centered care
Homeopathy related common myths and misconceptions (common KonMari myths are featured in Spark Joy Episode 25)
Risks associated with Homeopathy
The importance of consulting a professional alternative practitioner
Where conventional treatment vs. Homeopathy may be more or less appropriate
What well known remedies should be in your Homeopathy first aid kit in your home
How to find a Homeopathy practitioner near you via:
What makes you a good candidate for Homeopathic care

What Sparks Joy for Frank: Minimize the amount of sugar in your diet and drink more water

Frank's parting words of wisdom: Homeopathy!

To connect with Frank, head over to The Healing Narrative, and find him on Facebook and Instagram.

Exclusively for our Spark Joy listenters, check out Frank's Cold and Flu Homeopathic Remedy Chart.

Frank is also offering a 25% discount off his initial two hour consultation. Be sure to contact Frank at thehealingnarrative@gmail.com and reference that you heard him on the “Spark Joy” podcast.

Gems:

"For as big as the branches are, so too the roots are deep. If your prune back one of the branches, it's not treating the whole."
"This is about cultivating and reclaiming wellness."
"It's not homeostasis. It's really a more dynamic state of health and wellness."
"I think we all have a moment along our wellness or healing journey when we start to question our results."
"Is there a better alternative?"
"The homeopathic model really honors and respects the body and mind in a way that there is an inherent state of balance that we can all come back to."

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

Special Guest: Frank Molignano.

Ep 62 | Leaving the Past Behind Toward a Goal Focused KonMari Future with Marina Wakil

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 03:00:00 -0500

Marina Wakil hired Karin to help her execute an intense tidying event for her studio apartment in NYC to make room for her to pursue her passion for culinary studies and journalism.

Our guest, Marina Wakil, is a college student at NYU and a recent culinary school graduate. She lives in NYC, by way of Venezuela and Miami, in a modern apartment on the Upper West Side. She’s 20 years old and she’s an aspiring food journalist or maybe a food policy writer. While on vacation last summer, she made a decision to reorganize her entire apartment with a KonMari Consultant to meet her changing goals and her upcoming academic plans.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

The moment Marina reached out to Karin and made the commitment to tidy her NY studio apartment with a KonMari Consultant within a period of three weeks prior to starting at NYU
How Marina found a KonMari Consultant after her mom introduced her to KonMari style organizing
How setting a specific, clear goal date helped Marina stay focused and purpose driven
How walking into to the process with a high level vision of what she wanted helped Marina remain intentional when 1) completing homework assignments 2) donating/selling/consigning things quickly
How Marina remained mindful, even though she was executing her tidying event at a rapid pace
How she creating themes within her closet and her kitchen to align with the things she loves to do
The most difficult category Marina had to tidy
How the KonMari signature folding technique made a lasting impact on Marina

Marina's favorite tidying tip: Everything you fold, fold it into rectangles!; Check in by asking yourself "Why?" to see if the chaos is attributable to your home or inherent to you.
What sparks joy for Marina: Winters in New York

Gems:

"When my apartment is hectic, I'm hectic."
"I really just wanted to come to a place where I was really happy with where I was living and that the environment allowed me to create the way I wanted to and be focused."
"It's so beautiful to honor the things you have by giving them a space and giving them place in your home."
"If it's there, it has a purpose."
"I was taking advantage of the space I was at, as opposed letting it take over me."
"This is an object, but it still kind of has it's own little life of it's own."
"My clutter taught me how many things I'd been emotionally holding onto that I hadn't been ready to let go up until that point."
"My clutter taught me more about myself because it was a reflection of where I was at that time."
"Our spaces are so much a reflection of us and who we are as people at the time in which we are inhabiting them."
"Find what makes you happy and believe in yourself!"

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

Special Guest: Marina Wakil.

Ep 60 | Joyful Interior Design with Laurel Bern Interiors

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Laurel Bern, award winning New York Interior Designer and blogger, shares important and joyful considerations when decorating your home.

After 21 years as the principal designer in her firm Laurel Bern Interiors, she has turned her focus to blogging as a full-time occupation. Her award winning blog, Laurel Home has drawn a large following due to her candid style of writing, useful information and warm community of readers.

In addition to designing and blogging, Laurel has authored four helpful online interior design guides, for professionals and design enthusiasts alike.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
Learn how Laurel got started in the design business.

Hear what Laurel sees as the major change in the design business over the last 20 years.
Laurel shares how the usual approach to designing your home can be a real “minefield.”
Find out more about Laurel’s Design Guides, including her indispensable shopping guide, “Laurel’s Rolodex”- Laurel Bern's Design Guides
Hear about some of the most important considerations when decorating your home.
Discover Laurel’s love of blogging and how her blogging audience has grown over the last six years:
Laurel Bern Interiors Blog
Hear Laurel’s suggestions for how to develop your own eye for a design style that you love and that works for your home.
Find out about the importance of balance in designing your home.

Laurel's favorite tidying tip: Hire a professional! :)

What sparks joy for Laurel: “The art of classical ballet. I even take ballet lessons and absolutely love going to performances.”

To connect with Laurel, reach her directly on her website, Laurel Bern Interiors, where you can subscribe to her blog and check out her design community.. and even send her a question!

Laurel is on Pinterest at Laurel Bern on Pinterest

Gems:
“I get calls from people who have just bought a couch and can’t get it up the stairs.”

“We don’t live in museums.”

"Things like scale, shape, color, proportion… it’s like a puzzle. All these things work together.”

“I had some professional organizers come to my house and it was the best thing I ever did. It’s a completely different skill!”

“I’ve seen some beautiful design ruined by too much clutter.”

"Picking a color shouldn't be the first thing you do. It might even be the last decision you should make."

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

Special Guest: Laurel Bern.

Ep 59 | Five Unconventional Rules for the Chronically Disorganized with Kristi Meyer

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 07:00:00 -0400

Kristi Meyer, KonMari Consultant, shares tips for the chronically disorganized on how to adapt the KonMari Method in a way that results in lasting change.

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.

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.

Ep 58 | KonMari + Financial Freedom with House of FI

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 10:30:00 -0400

Co-hosts of House of FI podcast join us to explore a simpler path to wealth, shifting our awareness and mindfulness from the pursuit of more stuff to the pursuit of financial freedom.

There’s one thing we know for sure. We put our time, energy, and our money towards the things that we value. But what happens when our values are incongruent with our consumption behaviors, placing us in danger of missing out on the freedom associated with living the life of our dreams?

Here to help us explore the intersection between the KonMari Lifestyle and Financial Independence are co-hosts of the House of FI podcast - Wendy and Timika. House of FI helps families who dream of retiring early, but are unsure how to do so AND raise a family, figure out a plan. Their guests share their journey to financial independence, early retirement, and debt freedom.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

The true definition of Financial Independence (FI) or Financial Independence Retirement (FIRE)
What led Wendy and Timika to start down the path to FI
Common myths and misconceptions associated with FI
Timika's marathon KonMari tidying experience with Kristyn and how it relates to her financial journey
The "eels" that attach to us, as mentioned on John Roderick's podcast
The end goal: How do you know when you've reached FI?
How influencers such as Mr. Money Mustache or The Dough Roller have calculated fees associated with actively managed retire accounts
How to the get over the getting started hurdle when it comes to FI
The importance of using a tool like Personal Capital to track and manage your net worth
How the FI community handles healthcare coverage
The importance of taking and celebrating the small steps
Podcast's that House of FI recommended to extend your FI community: Journey to Launch and ChooseFI

Wendy's favorite FI tip: Tracking your fixed and discretionary expenses
Timika's favorite FI tip: Wendy's meal planning tips; Refinance your mortgage to a lower rate when appropriate to free up money for debt pay off; Get a roommate, move from a single family home to a multi to generate rental income, or buy a car that's not brand new. Use travel credit cards to generate reward points.

What sparks joy for Wendy: Launching House of FI!
What sparks joy for Wendy: Launching House of FI!!

To hear more from House of Fi, check out their podcast via houseoffi.com or connect with them on Facebook. After catching up on their latest episodes, leave a review of House of FI on iTunes for a chance to win a copy of Kids Money Habits by Amy Koit.

Gems:

"...essentially, setting yourself up so you're in a position to have choices."
"People are also beginning to think more about how to optimize their lives so they can do more things that bring them joy on a regular basis."
"The idea that you have to be extremely frugal to the point of deprivation is one myth."
"When you add it all up, you see the huge mound of money that's exiting your bank account; just like I saw the huge mound of clothes that my three year old climbed on top of when we put it all in one place and went through it one by one."
"What is it that you're doing this for? What are you going to retire to? What does financial independence look like?"
"It's really being more intentional about our money...the balancing of each financial decision..really sticking to the goal."
"Don't be an island. Make sure that you're connected with other people and a community."

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

Special Guest: House of FI.

Ep 56 | How 60 Hours of Tidying Lessons Changed One Single Mom's Life Forever

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 10:00:00 -0400

Single mom Beth Walker walks through her 60 hour KonMari tidying experience while discussing significant changes in her life and the benefits of working with a KonMari Consultant along the way.

Today's guest, Beth Walker, is a single mother of three boys and a recent "empty nester." She currently works full time as a Technology Consultant, a career she began out of college, took a break from to raise her boys, and has since gone back to. Beth believes in hobbies and passions outside of her job, the most recent being a keyboard player and vocalist in local rock bands playing throughout the suburban area. In addition to music, she has a passion for all things domestic - knitting, crocheting, cooking and baking...and now tidying!

In addition to being a Renaissance woman Beth is one of Kristyn's clients! They've tidied for over 60 hours and are almost to the finish line. We take a deep dive into Beth's journey as she shares the benefits of living clutter free.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Beth's life coach's suggestion to read The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up led her to seek out to find the support of a KonMari Consultant (Kristyn)
Beth's vision of her ideal lifestyle and living environment that grounded her process
How tidying has significantly impacted Beth's life in the following areas:
- Health
- Career
- Finances
- Relationships
- Community
How Beth experienced significant shifts in her ability and confidence to maintain her tidy space
How Beth found the accountability and customized support Kristyn provided to be mission critical to her success
The temporary sacrifices Beth made to ensure tidying remained a priority and to keep her momentum going
Spark Joy Ep 49 | Why Hire a KonMari Consultant

Gems:

"I've been a hopeless organizer and I could never find that one way to keep it up."

"It's so easy to think about what you don't want."

"I thought I was shooting for the moon to be honest but, I can tell you I absolutely live that life right now."

"This isn't just organizing, it's coaching. It's sitting down...goals, values, how do you want to live your life, let's do it."

"Overall, with KonMari, it's allowed me to focus on other goals in my life."

"This is the way my house is and this is the way it's going to be and this is who I am now."

"It definitely spreads from your physical world to your energetic and spiritual world in ways that you almost can't explain."

"It's shown me so me parts of myself I didn't know were there. Or, I wanted to be there."

"It was so much work, but so much fun."

"...You don't realize you are changing as you're doing it. You don't have to change in order to do it."

"I'm not doing [KonMari] because I'm supposed to or I want to. I do it because there is this part inside of me that doesn't want to do it any differently."

"You think you're hiring someone to hold to you accountable to a process in a book. what you're really doing is hiring a coach that helps you change your life."

What sparks joy for Beth: Having the time freedom to focus on goals and other aspects of their life beyond tidying.

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

Special Guest: Beth Walker.

Ep 55 | Digitizing Your Sentimental Items with Bonnie Shay

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 14:00:00 -0400

Our guest, Bonnie Shay, breaks down solutions for organizing, digitizing, and preserving your most sentimental items.

Do you have boxes and boxes of printed photos/movies/slides/memorabilia that you haven't done anything with? Are you overwhelmed with a huge quantity of digital photos and videos you’ve collected on your computer, camera, tablets, and smartphones?

Today we’re dedicating this episode of Spark Joy to one most high anticipated and feared signature KonMari Categories - Sentimental Items.

Bonnie Shay joins us today to talk about managing our digital legacy. Bonnie is the founder and owner of Mariposa Photo Organizing established in 2007. She’s managed a photography business for over 20 years and is a Certified Member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers. She currently curates family photo and video collections that are, shareable, enjoyable, manageable, safe and secure, both now and for generations to come.

NOTE: We should remind our listeners that the Sentimental clutter category is the absolute last category to declutter. It should be handled with care and only after you warm up by addressing Clothing, Books, Paper, and Miscellaneous items in that order.

If you still have some tidying work to do, we suggest heading back to Spark Joy Episode 1: KonMari 101. Also, if you’ve paused your KonMari progress after addressing miscellaneous items - then this is the episode for you.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Bonnie believes she was genetically predisposed to making order out of disorder
How Bonnie's 20+ experience in both general residential organizing and photography triggered her current business of curating family photo and video collections
How Bonnie discovered the Associate for Personal Photo Organizers
The tipping point for sentimental clutter in our home and why quality over quantity is important
Reasons why we delay processing sentimental clutter
How you should get started curating your collection and selecting things that spark joy
How to "pile" your digital clutter and some unexpected places it could be hiding
Marie Kondo approved Sentimental item tips
How to grab your content from antiquated media formats
The two ways you should organize digitized sentimental content
How focusing on your intent helps you shape your digital legacy
How to handle inherited collections or digital files that are "trapped" on antiquated machines/formats
Why you should start locally to find a archival service via APPO Partners APPO Partners or Save Your Photos
A backup related rule of thumb

Bonnie's favorite tidying tip: Set a timer that gives you a sense of urgency and celebrate at the end

What sparks joy for Bonnie: Her dog's morning happy dance :)

Bonnie Shay can be found at www.mariposaphotoorganizing.com . She has a special offer just for Spark Joy listeners. Visit www.maraiposaphotoorganizing.com to sign up for Bonnie’s newsletter and receive the Top 12 ways to curate your photo collection.

You can also connect with Bonnie on Facebook and Twitter

Gems:

"Let's look at the best of the best that tells your story and focus on that."
"Any pile of stuff...represents a pile of decisions left unmade."
"We don't necessarily want the item, but you want to remember the sentimentality of it."

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

Special Guest: Bonnie Shay.

Ep 54 | A Productive Digital Clutter Free Life of Yes with Saya Hillman

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 08:30:00 -0400

Our guest, Saya Hillman, helps us answer the question “why not?” instead of “I can’t?” in order to live a Life of Yes℠.

Today’s guest challenges us all to think beyond fear and embrace a Life of Yes℠.

Saya Hillman started Mac & Cheese Productions℠ in 2004 after she got fired from her last full-time job and had no idea what she wanted to do.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Saya's journey from wanting to feel invisible in order to avoid sticking out in a crowd to unapologetically embracing a life of yes
How Saya came up with her memorable business name, Mac & Cheese Productions
How Saya's networking events break the mold and reflect who she is
How sharing each other's vulnerabilities connect her guest "Cheese-Its" together
How you can get further in life by being experience focused instead of results focused
How Saya helps people transform by embracing productivity, public speaking, sales and other things that cause people stress and pain to be filled with ease and joy
How you put the hardest tasks behind us by eating a frog at the beginning of the day
How Saya makes her every day life easier and more productive by staying within her Life of Yes radius
How sharing a spontaneous moment of sharing her vulnerabilities helped Saya relate to her audience during
How the Spark Joy paper clutter episode connects to the path of digitizing our life
A travel hack Saya and her husband use to avoid getting overwhelmed with digital clutter
How Saya manages her "to reads"
How letting go of productivity systems that ultimately don't spark joy will set you free
When it is the right time to go nuclear on your inbox
How Feedly helps let go of subscription guilt
Why Saya decided to go completely paperless when it comes to her business and how she cleans her "digital closet"
How bulk work can help you handle your work and not hate your life
How the simple act of silencing push notifications can help you feel in control when it comes to technology and incoming information
Why improv was the top three adult choices Saya made as an adult that changed her life

Saya's favorite tidying tip: Digitize all of your sentimental items

What sparks joy for Saya: Travel hacking her way to Japan with a $250 first class ticket

To connect with Saya visit www.macncheeseproductions.com . You can also find her on Twitter or Facebook .

Gems:

"What makes you different are not things to be ashamed of, but to hold up to the light."
"I want my business to reflect my personality."
"We set ourselves up for disappointment when we are results focused as opposed to experience focused."
"Do you have a source of stress that is self created?"
"You should set up your life in the way you want it to be lived."
"My way isn't the right way. The right way is what works for you."
"Such magic can happen when you do voice whatever it is that is causing you any type of negativity in your life."
"The perfect time unicorn doesn't exist. You need to do that thing you need to do, and do it now."
"I'm completely paralyzed because I know i have a problem, but it's so overwhelming I'm not going to do anything."
"Are you spending a lot of time spinning your wheels?...and if you are, how can you stop that?"
"Have your default be yes instead of no and why not instead of I can't."

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

Special Guest: Saya Hillman.

Ep 53 | Spark Joy GIVEAWAY + Anniversary Show

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Win a signed copy of Marie Kondo's tidying sequel "Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up" as we celebrate the one year anniversary of Spark Joy podcast! Giveaway runs September 4 - November 13, 2018.

We’re so happy to celebrate the one year anniversary of Spark Joy! To thank our faithful listeners, we're also launching a special giveaway that will run through November 13, 2018.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Joy Checks: Spark Joy podcast has been downloaded over a quarter million times!
The history of Spark Joy podcast
Our big giveaway 12 lucky Spark Joy listeners have a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Marie Kondo's book Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up!

To enter visit http://www.sparkjoypodcast.com/itunes for instructions on how to leave us a star rating and written review. After you've submitted your review, send an email to contact@sparkjoypodcast.com with your screen name to be eligible to win.

The difference between Marie Kondo's books: The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
Five of our top reviews on iTunes

Contest runs from September 4 - November 13, 2018. Winners will be announced during our Best of 2018 show on November 27, 2018.

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

Ep 52 | Meet the Mom of Four that Built a House of Joy Using YouTube | Cara Brookins

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0400

Bestselling author Cara Brookins isn't afraid to think big. Learn how building a 3,500 square foot house with her four children using YouTube helped her change her life and help others reach their highest potential.

What’s standing between you and your biggest goal? What’s standing in the way of your highest potential and true success?

If you’ve let the barrier of lack of time, energy, motivation, or lack of skill stop from completing your tidying event or achieving any other major goal in life….this episode is for you.

Today’s Spark Joy guest is Cara Brookins. Not only does Cara live in a tidy 3,500 square foot house of joy that’s beautiful and intentionally designed..she built that house with her four children by hand over nine months using YouTube videos as her guide, overcoming many obstacles along the way. Her bestselling book Rise: How a House Built a Family launched her career as a keynote speaker and media personality. She now helps people understand that reaching your highest potential isn’t just about how hard you work, but about adjusting your mindset and strategy to take full advantage of the hours you’re putting in.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

The events that led Cara to come up with the audacious goal to build her own house in 2008 and her children's reaction to this idea
How YouTube tutorials married with Cara's DIY mindset solidified her plan to build her 3,500 square foot, two-story home
How Cara convinced a bank to secure a loan and a local builder to sell her supplies without a contractor license
The initial reaction Cara received from friends and family when they heard about her goal
How Cara balanced the build with a fulltime job as a computer programmer
The challenges that showed up and the family communication that thrived
How anticipating and considering the worst case scenario helped the Brookins family alleviate fear of the unknown
How Cara determined when it was time to call on building professionals during different phases of the build to complement her DIY efforts and ensure her family's safety onsite
The history of the name of Cara's home - Inkwell Manor
For a peek inside the Inkwell Manor, head over to Spark Joy Instagram Spark Joy Instagram
How Cara intentionally only kept things that she loved in her home and separated nostalgia from joy
The impact this entire experience had on Cara's four children
The transition of Cara's story into a feature film
How Cara's experience with domestic violence led her to be the voice for victims, keeping their safety as the primary concern
The National Domestic Violence Hotline 1−800−799−7233
The history of Cara's story going viral and her transition to pubic speaking as an extension of her passion for writing

Cara's favorite tidying tip: (DIY tip) Everyone needs a cordless drill that you keep in the house. (Tidying tip) Anytime you go in a room, leave it better than when you went in.

What sparks joy for Cara: Sharing a message in front of an audience and getting to listen to their stories

To connect with Cara visit www.carabrookins.com . You can also find her on Facebook or Twitter and check out her book, Rise: How a House Built a Family.

Gems:

"Day after day, it felt impossible and there was no evidence that we would succeed."
"I had to show up every day motivated and determined and positive and certain we could complete it because I had to be that person for the kids."
"Any kind of fear of a new circumstance can become absolutely paralyzing."
"If you don't take a step forward, you'll stay there forever."
"...identify what is the worst case scenario of this thing I'm about to try and can I live with that. If the answer is yes than there is absolutely nothing to fear."
"Never hold onto something because it meant something to someone else."
"Failure at something [the children] try isn't attached to their own self worth."
"Look at yourself. Value yourself and your kids."
"Don't wait until it's the right moment, because it never will be...Start doing it now."
"Tidying has to come not just in your home, but in your mind."

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

Special Guest: Cara Brookins.

Ep 51 | Five Minutes to Fearless with Kay "Ideaignator" Richardson

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 09:00:00 -0400

Kay “Ideaignitor” Richardson shares how to gain confidence and overcome shyness no matter what you’re working towards.

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.

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.

Ep 50 | The Future Is Beautiful with Amisha Ghadiali

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Our guest today is Amisha Ghadiali. She is the founder and host of The Future is Beautiful podcast and the author of the book by the same name. She also holds retreats combining yoga, meditation and mindfulness.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
-Hearing about Amisha's work in politics and the creation of the Ballot Box initiative that she founded: Think Act Vote in Dazed

-The amazing story of Amisha’s life changing events that made such a difference in her world view and motivation to make a difference.

-How she has found courage to grow her community and her work as an activist.

-The Framework of how to put your values into action: (?!X)

Think: Vision
Act
Vote: Support

-Watch Amisha’s Ted X Oxbridge talk: Ted X Oxbridge

-Listen to her podcast: The Future is Beautiful podcast on Apple

-Learn about her community: The Future is Beautiful Community

-Take a look at Amisha’s books: The Future is Beautiful Books

-The common theme within the stories of the guests she interviews on her podcast: it’s courage!

-How we can move toward a beautiful future during this time of turmoil.

What sparks joy for Amisha today:
"A re-love of healthy eating! Feeling that I’m really nourishing myself."

Final words of wisdom:
"Don’t let anyone tell you there’s anything you can’t do, the more people I talk to and the more stories I hear, the more I realize that a lot of the limitations that we face are our own, but we really can find our courage and we really can find beauty in the world.”

Amisha has a special offer for our listeners.
She will provide a complementary intuitive therapy consultation by contacting her on her website here: Amisha.co.uk and be sure to mention you heard her on the Spark Joy podcast.

You can find Amisha at The Future is Beautiful and at Amisha.co.uk

She’s also at The Future is beautiful on Instagram: The Future is Beautiful on Instagram and Facebook: The Future is Beautiful on Facebook

Gems

“When we connect to our hearts and minds, and what unites us, our innate goodness and beauty, we find so much possibility, so much opportunity. This is the revolution.”

“I had become very academic, and I had become very hands on, volunteering but I wasn’t making things for myself anymore. I wasn’t doing things that were a pure expression of who I was.”

“It’s been messy along the way. The process of finding courage and the process of using trauma and tragedy to grow and give is not an easy one.”

“Most of us just want a world where we can feel safe where our children can thrive and where we have resources. That’s our common thread.”

“I think that we have to take one bit at a time and to not feel that we have to take it on all at once or that all of it is our responsibility.”

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

Special Guest: Amisha Ghadiali.

Ep 48 | Living Life in the Front Seat with Jessica Butts

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Today’s guest, Jessica Butts, is CEO and Founder of Front Seat Life where she helps people be unapologetically who they are in their life, love and business.

Jessica is a retired psychotherapist, life and business coach, author of two popular books and international speaker and trainer.

She shares her Front Seat Life methodology all around the country in her super sassy and entertaining manner.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
-Learn how the Myers Briggs can teach you about your behavior patterns, both good and not-so-good.

-Hear about her work in her two (so far!) books:

-Learn the three tiers of Jessica’s coaching work:

Who are You?
Where are you Going?
How are you going to Get There?

-Understand the 3-S’s to getting yourself and your life settled around you

System
Structure
Singular Focus

-Find out about the personality types of the Myers Briggs Scale and how you can you use this information to make better choices: Myers Briggs Scale

-Hear about the 4 people in your car and how they influence your behaviors

The Front Seat Driver
The Copilot
The Drunk Uncle
The Baby in the Back Seat

-Jessica shares the importance of journaling. And, you learn more about her journal here:
Be Unapologetically Who You Are: A Journal from Jessica Butts

What sparks joy for Jessica today:
Jessica is excited about going back out into the dating world.
Good luck, Jessica!!

Final words of wisdom:
“Figure out your side of the net.”

Gems
“I was so ridiculously uninspired.”

“Our circumstances change but our personality doesn’t change.”

“There are four people in the car and each one represents a different part of your personality.”

“The first step of any change is awareness.”

“Go travel by yourself!”

“Be unapologetically who you are”

Take Jessica’s quiz here:
Front Seat Life Personality Assessment

You can reach Jessica at: www.jessicabutts.com
On FB at: Front Seat Life
On Instagram at: Front Seat Life

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

Special Guest: Jessica Butts.

Ep 40 | Closet Joy Part III: Buy It Once with Tara Button

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Closet Joy Part 3 of 3. Our guest, Tara Button, helps you curate a mindful life of less throwaway that extends well beyond your closet, ultimately impacting the environment and the global community.

Today’s episode of Spark Joy is part three of a three part series dedicated to closet joy. We’ll talk to three guests who are revolutionizing the way we view fashion and style.

Tara Button, founder of BuyMeOnce, is at the forefront of the global movement to change the way we shop and live forever. In 2013 Tara went from depressed spendthrift to fulfilled entrepreneur, using a technique she calls ‘mindful curation.” Her new book A Life of Less Throwaway, teaches the steps to master this lifestyle change.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How a cooking pot inspired Tara to get out of debt, change her spending habits and champion a buy it once culture and platform
How the "mindful curation" technique featured in Tara's book, A Life Less Throwaway, helps you find out what's meaningful to you
Why we need to notice the preassures of advertising and recognize things are typically not made to last a lifetime, perpetuating the cycle of buy, use once, throwaway
How you can "take stock" of the things in your home to focus on how you accumulated your stuff and how to find things that help you live your life's purpose
How Tara's book helps you get off the trend treadmill and decide what kind of person you want to project to the world
Celebrities that are trending for repeating the same outfit on multiple occasions
How longevity (buying things that last longer) has the biggest impact on the planet (bigger than recycling!)
How looking at your past Amazon purchases can help you confront your consumerism and shopping patterns
How Tara is not a naturally tidy person, but was able to apply decluttering techniques and be more discerning about the things she purchases
How identifying what makes you happy and what gives you purpose helps you understand how to make certain things in your home accessible
The connection between mindful curation and finding your purpose and priorities, while focusing on the things that matter.
How thinking about what you want people to say about you once you're gone helps you understand what you really care about
How researching and writing down colors, styles, fabircs, and brands before you start to shop will help you be more mindful and sustainable when you shop
The system that determines what products land on BuyMeOnce
Mindufully curated closet maintenance tips, including the Guppyfriend Washing Bag
How to properly "do your colors" to get a sense of which ones bring you alive
Examples of items in Tara's home that she's only bought once

Gems:

"The whole world is trying to persuade you to buy mindlessly."
"People don't talk about longevity when it comes to the planet."
"I now don't bring anything into my home that I'm not going to have for a decade or so."
"When it comes to things that are going to make us happy in the long term, it's all about our community and relationships."
"The fashion industry is the second most poluting industry in the world, after the oil industry."
"As humans, we know we need things to survive. Not shopping is not an option."
"Buy things that will make you feel good in the long term."
"Write a list of the things that you don't need in your life and you'll feel a surge of gratitude for everything you have."

Tara’s favorite tidying tip: Start with items that are not emptionally resonant. Start with your pants!

What sparks joy for Tara: Taking a moment out of her day to be creative by writing children's books.

You can find more about Tara by visiting www.buymeonce.com.

Be sure to pick up Tara Button's book, A Life Less Throwaway, and follow her on Instagram (@tara_button) and Twitter (@tarabutton)

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Tara Button.

Ep 38 | Closet Joy Part I: Find Your Style with Jessica Louie

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Closet Joy Part 1 of 3. Our guest, Dr. Jessica Louie, is an entrepreneur, critical care pharmacist, and assistant professor. She is the founder and CEO of Petite Style Script and Find Your Script.

Today’s episode of Spark Joy is Part one of a three part series dedicated to closet joy. We’ll talk to three guests who are revolutionizing the way we view fashion and style.

Dr. Jessica Louie is an entrepreneur, critical care pharmacist, and assistant professor. She is the founder and CEO of Petite Style Script and Find Your Script.

With a broad background of experiences, she centers her focus on sparking joy and inspiring confidence in life.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Jessica became interested in KonMari and then went on to start Petite Style Script

-Along with fashion, Jessica is an advocate for pharmacists with her blog and website at: Find Your Script

-She found that focusing on fashion helped her convey her confidence and her competence in her field.

-Learn how Jessica went through the KonMari process and how the process was key in helping her discover her calling in both fashion and advocacy.

-Jessica’s take on capsule wardrobes and how she has made it work for her.
The work that she does in

-Her focus on using the clothing items you have more effectively and adding in your own personality to the decision making process.

-How Jessica sees the role of KonMari in developing a sense of style that brings you joy!

Gems:

“There were times when I just laughed out loud in my car while listening to Marie Kondo because it resonated so much with me.”

"I wanted to hold myself accountable for my shopping going forward.”

"I wanted other to own clothing that they love and that they invest in quality pieces because it’s really about quality over quantity.”

"This isn’t minimalism, I don’t talk about any definitive number of items to own.”

“I focus on people who are re-building their wardrobes after KonMari or after a major transition.”

Jessica’s favorite tidying tip: “Learning how to fold. It seems very simple but getting your clothes off your hangers and learning how to appreciate and fold them properly really makes a big difference, I think!”

What sparks joy for Jessica: “A canvas painting of New York City that is up on my kitchen wall exactly where I can see it. It brings make great memories of visiting New York and is very inspirational.”

To connect with Jessica visit Petite Style Script

Jessica is on Facebook at Petite Style Script on Facebook

Jessica's Twitter: P Style Script on Twitter

Here is Jessica’s info on Seasonal Capsule Wardrobes: Seasonal Capsule Wardrobes

On Jessica’s blog she offers capsule wardrobe style tips and a free kit for starting your own capsule wardrobe: Capsule Wardrobe Starter Kit

Each season Jessica conducts a virtual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge: Spring Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

And, Jessica is becoming a Certified KonMari Consultant. Yay, Jessica! Jessica’s KonMari Page

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

Special Guest: Jessica Louie.

Ep 37 | The True Cost of Clutter

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 15 May 2018 00:15:00 -0400

Spark Joy co-hosts and KonMari Consultants, Karin and Kristyn, talk about 17 obvious and hidden costs associated with living with clutter that is slowly stealing your joy.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Joy Checks: Karin surprises her mom in Kansas City and Kristyn finds joy on the 606 running trail in Chicago.

We breakdown 17 costs associated with clutter:

The cost of storing your clutter outside of your home
The cost of not using everything that you've purchased
The cost of having unutilized space within your home
Clutter Cost Formula
The cost of buying/renting a bigger home to accommodate things that don't spark joy
The cost of the clutter damaging your home over time

Calendar clutter: time and energy
Refer to Ep 30 | Simply B Organized with Laurie Palau

The cost of clutter getting in the way of you finding what you need
The cost of clutter getting in the way of things you truly need to do
Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Refer to Episode 16 | Stress Free Holiday Joy with Amanda Jefferson
The cost of negative thinking or self talk
The cost of ignoring your own reality
The cost of using shopping to cope
Refer to Episode 31 | Shopaholic No More with Dr. April Benson
The cost of linking your self worth to a certain type of collection of things or a particular lifestyle
The cost of clutter that blocks your ability to execute certain physical activities
The cost of clutter that limits your ability to make healthy choices
Refer to Episode 3 Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer
The cost of clutter that limits relationships and your quality of life with your friends and family
The cost of clutter that prevents you from accessing information critical to uncovering the reality of your finances, preventing you from reaching true wealth/abundance
Refer to Episode 6 Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks
The cost of clutter that locks you into consumption patterns that lead you to having no choice in the type of job situation or career choice - even if it’s not ideal
Refer to the the ChooseFI community
The cost of clutter that prevents you from pursuing your life purpose/feeling fulfilled, understanding what true joy means to you

Don't worry, we end this episode on a joyful note! We discuss the many ways decluttering can pay you back to counter some of the clutter costs.

Gems:

"Having a storage locker is like going to visit your past mistakes."

"Your space itself is way more valuable than your stuff."

"Is this space honoring what's being stored within it?"

"Is this space supporting the ideal lifestyle that I desire?"

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

Ep 36 | The Tao of Self Confidence with Sheena Yap Chan

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Self confidence is one of those things that some people seem to be born with while others struggle and struggle, feeling confident some days and completely defeated the next. It can feel very elusive, but our guest today absolutely that believes self confidence can grow and flourish in all of us.

Our guest, Sheena Yap Chan is a blogger, podcaster, consultant, author and speaker whose sole purpose, drive and passion is to help build women’s self confidence from the ground up.

She currently inspires women everyday through her podcast called The Tao of Self Confidence where she interviews various women about their inner journey to self-confidence.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Sheena made the decision to launch her platform, The Tao of Self Confidence

-Some of the amazing stories of women who have overcome great obstacles to achieve their goals shared on Sheen’s podcast The Tao of Self Confidence Podcast

-The common traits of women with high self-confidence.

-How the process of visualization helps grow self-confidence.

-How Sheena’s adventures living on the beach for two years gave her an appreciation for a simpler, more meaningful life.

-How limiting herself to wearing only three colors has made a huge difference in the things Sheena’s focuses on.

Gems:

"I never felt there were enough platforms to celebrate women.”

"They all have a huge purpose. A purpose that is bigger than them.”

"Learning to figure out things along the way. As women, we can do that.”

"Having that mindset of abundance. You’ll attract more things into your life."

"Surrounding yourself with great people…will give you feedback on what you can improve on."

"How do I see myself if I were this confident person?”

Sheena’s favorite tidying tip: “I wear just three colors to make my life a lot easier. It helps me focus on other, more important things.”

What sparks joy for Sheena: My podcast! I love helping women…and if I can help one person, I have done my job. It’s all worth it if someone out there hears it and thinks, “If its possible for one person, its possible for me.”

Parting words of wisdom: Behind every great woman is herself. You are what creates success.

To connect with Sheena Yap Chan visit The Tao of Self Confidence
Facebook at Sheena Y. Chan
Twitter The Tao of SC on Twitter
Sheena's YouTube Channel:The Tao of Self Confidence on YouTube

Also, check out her podcast atThe Tao of Self Confidence Podcast

Sheena is offering free self talk tape for Spark Joy listeners on her website - Building Self Confidence

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

Special Guest: Sheena Yap Chan.

Ep 35 | How to Launch an Organized Business with Alaia Williams

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Alaia Williams, business systems analyst, shares tips on calming any chaos that exists in your business so you can make more money while focusing on the things you love.

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.

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.

Ep 32 | Transcending Joy: The Global Impact of Clutter with Evan Zislis

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Evan Zislis, professional organizer and social entrepreneur, sparks a clutter free revolution by looking at consumption through a lens of fair trade, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

How does your personal clutter impact the world?

Today’s guest on Spark Joy is Evan Zislis. He is a professional organizer and bestselling author of Clutter Free Revolution. Evan helps people focus on the things that matter most: who we love, what we do, how, and why we live…because everything else is just stuff. Currently, Evan is the founder of Intentional Solutions, a business focused on organization, operational systems, time and task management and more.

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Evan's diverse list of job experience all had a theme of organizational leadership that tied it all together and led him to helping people organize their life
The free services Evan provides to public school teachers and classrooms
How Evan gives back to the community on his terms through 1% For The Planet
How Evan's book Clutter Free Revolution picks up where KonMari drops off
Products and companies that empower local communities through fair trade and socially just practices: The Good Trade ; Pact
The ridiculously simple three step process - simplify, clarify, and inspire - that makes up Evan's organizing philosophy
How Evan builds his client's sense of self efficacy and confidence by focusing on incremental successes while incorporating a bit of tough love
Evan's lid-on-a-box helps accumulators with little to no self control
Why Evan believes, in some cases, your joy is not enough your joy is not enough
The technique that Evan uses to get his daughter to voluntarily clean and honor her room daily, without fail
What monks and mountaineers have in common
Why "The Velveteen Rabbit" is the Zislis family's favorite book
A thank you to Evan's friend Dr. Melva Green (Episode 19) who inspired this interview

Gems:

"Need less."

"Abundance is having a sense of gratitude for having that which is needed when it is needed and not a single item more."

"Was anyone harmed in the making of this item?"

"Things are easy to find and convenient to put away."

"Proximity equals urgency."

"You don't love it, you don't have a place for it, and storing it is an inconvenience for you."

"This sense of joy can be transcended [by] this sense of purpose."

"The things that I need..support the idea of generosity, and compassion, and philanthropy."

What sparks joy for Evan: Working on his new book project "Good Company" that highlights entrepreneurs that support fair trade, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

To connect with Evan Zislis, visit www.clutterfreerevolution.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

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

Special Guest: Evan Zislis.

Ep 31 | Shopaholic No More with Dr. April Benson

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Dr. Benson, a leading expert in compulsive buying disorder, joins us to discuss the connection between clutter, consumption, and addictive shopping behaviors.

No matter how intentional you are with your spark joy decision making, excessive shopping can severely compromise your ability to either finish your KonMari tidying event or maintain a tidy home and lifestyle long term. Therefore, it is important to address any compulsive or addictive behaviors that you may have uncovered around shopping and consumerism.

Our guest, Dr. Benson, is a nationally known psychologist specializing in the study and treatment of compulsive buying disorder. Author of To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop, she offers individual, evidence based coaching and a comprehensive website - www.shopaholicnomore.com - filled with information and effective strategies.

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How the closing of her favorite store led Dr. Benson to explore her own shopping behaviors, which led her to transition from working with people with eating disorders to working with people with shopping disorders
Why compulsive buying is often referred to as the "smiled-upon addiction"
The three cardinal signs someone is suffering from an addiction
The common reasons why we overshop
The primary and secondary consequences of shopping addiction (emotional, financial, physical, etc.)
How to confront a compulsive buying disorder, along with certain questions to ask yourself to determine if you're a shopaholic
Six major shopping magnets and tips to deal with these triggers
Extended tips on avoiding impulsive online shopping
What to do if KonMari tidying triggers compulsive shopping behaviors used to fill an emotional or social void
Take the evaluation: Who Needs Help? 3 Ways to Know, Are you an Overshopper?
Six questions to ask yourself before you make your next purchase: Why am I here? How do I feel? Do I need this? Can I wait? How will I pay for it? Where will I put it?
Take the Values in Action Character Strengths evaluation

Gems:

"Create a pause between the impulse and the action."

"Shopping is a short cut solution to issues related to how someone feels about themselves."

"You can never get enough of what you don't really need."

What sparks joy for Dr. Benson: A collection of passion flowers in her greenhouse, dog-sitting, and a love of learning Russian and the piano.

Parting words of wisdom: Effective help is available. [Compulsive buying disorder] is something you need to be serious about.

To connect with Dr. Benson visit www.shopaholicnomore.com.

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

Special Guest: Dr. April Benson.

Ep 28 | Health and Wellness: Self-Care and Chinese Medicine with Brodie Welch

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0400

Living your KonMari lifestyle includes a focus on health, wellness and self-care. Our guest today is Eastern medicine practitioner, Brodie Welch.

Brodie Welch is a Licensed Acupuncturist, board-certified herbalist, Chinese Medicine expert, holistic health coach, and self-care strategist.

She’s the founder of Life in Balance Acupuncture in Corvallis, Oregon, where she has been treating patients since 2003.

Brodie has helped thousands of clients with a regular body/mind practice and leads self-care boot camp programs helping women put the principles of self-care into practice.

She’s also the creator and host of A Healthy Curiosity: the podcast that explores what it takes to be well in a busy world.

You can find more information about Brodie and her practice at Brodie Welch and follow her on FaceBook @brodiewelchlac

Brodie has provided Spark Joy listeners with a collection of healthy living resources that will definitely spark joy.

You can find:

Right to Take Care of Yourself Manifesto:
Brodie Welch
Calm and Centered Bundle
Free 5-minute breathing meditation: Breathing Break

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

How Brodie decided to pursue her interest in Eastern Medicine.
Check out this article on self-care: This is What Self Care Really Means
How health issues are connected to broader social and environmental concerns.
Brodie’s definition of self-care. It can be difficult and uncomfortable at times, but the results can be amazing.
How to recognize when you are entering the “unbalanced zone” that gives rise to physical symptoms.
How Acupuncture can help and how to find a great Acupuncture practitioner in your area. Check out the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine:
NCCAOM
What happens and what to expect during an acupuncture treatment.

What sparks joy for Brodie:
Watching people transform.

Gems:

"If it’s not connecting us to our own vitality, it’s not self-care.”
"Positive attitude brings positives things in life."
"That issue will keep coming back unless you teach the body to do something differently."
“Have your environment reflect your highest values.”

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

Special Guest: Brodie Welch.

Ep 26 | If It Doesn't Challenge You, It Doesn't Change You with Sarah Williams

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Join us as we speak with Sarah Williams of Tough Girl Challenges about her journey, her work and get her take on how to move toward being the person you want to be.

Sarah is the founder of Tough Girl Challenges, which is an amazing platform for women who are taking on physical challenges and overcoming obstacles.

Sarah started her professional life in finance but found it lacking and wanted to do something more in line with her interest in the sporting life and Tough Girl Challenges was born.

As she built up her platform, she found that her blog, public speaking, coaching and podcast, along with three books, was beginning to grow a community of girls and women who were motivating each other to reach their goals and achieve great things.

She's based in the UK, but reaches women all over the world.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

-You’ll learn how Sarah made the transition from a career in finance to building the Tough Girl Challenges platform.

-Her commitment to showcasing the stories of women who overcome obstacles both physical and mental to achieve their goals.

-Hear about the common experiences of girls and women in setting goals, preparing and implementing a plan to achieve the goal.

-Listen as Sarah shares her story of hiking the Appalachian Trail.

-Her technique for breaking down potential barriers into small, approachable steps.

-Learning the goal-setting strategy of trying different things to find the perfect fit for you.

-Follow the stories of 7 Women, 7 Challenges on Sarah’s podcast:
Tough Girl Podcast

To connect with Sarah, you can visit her at her website:
Tough Girl Challenges

She's on Twitter: @_tough_girl, Instagram: toughgirlchallenges and Pinterest: Tough101

Her facebook is:
Tough Girl Challenges

Her YouTube Channel :
Tough Girl Challenges on YouTube

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 Sarah:
She loves Mondays! She loves the start of new things and the adventure ahead. Sarah is excited about the inspirational stories of women she is able to bring to her audience.

Gems:
"If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”

“People will rise to occasion to help you achieve your goals.”

"She continues to go back, every single week.”

“Nine times out of 10 it’s the mindset of how you chose to look at things.”

“If you want to do something, please just go and do it.”

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

Special Guest: Sarah Williams.

Ep 25 | KonMari Myths and Missteps

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Come along with your hosts, Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci as we explore some of the most common KonMari myths and missteps in today’s Spark Joy Podcast episode.

As the KonMari philosophy has become more and more mainstream, blog posts, magazine articles and videos have come out viewing KonMari through a critical and challenging lens.

These perspectives are sometimes based on misunderstandings or misreadings of Konmari concepts and sometimes these misinterpretations occur as missteps while practicing KonMari.

In this episode, we will discuss our thoughts on these myths and provide some practical tips on how to avoid falling into these missteps.

In this episode, you'll enjoy:

Joy Checks!
What is Sparking Joy for Kristyn today: a very cute For the Love of Tidy branded onesie for her niece who is due any day now.

What is Sparking Joy for Karin today: restoring an antique wooden doll bed for her niece’s birthday

Learn about some common KonMari myths:

Konmari equals minimalism/minimalism is KonMari
Konmari is a selfish activity, fundamentally concerned only with material possession
KonMari encourages to you to throw out everything you own to the point where you are either left with nothing or you need to immediately buy new things

Learn about some common KonMari missteps:

Skipping the step where you envision your ideal lifestyle and living environment
Forgetting to honor and acknowledge items for their usefulness especially when you are letting them go
Not completing all the categories
Thinking about storage and organization before the sorting is completed
Being overly concerned with the clutter of other people

See what Marie Kondo’s home really looks like:
Correction: It has come to our attention that the original article and photograph listed here was a parody article written for April Fool's Day and NOT a house tour of Marie Kondo's apartment. Photographs of Marie Kondo's home have not been made publicly available. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Read about what some critics say about the KonMari Method:
Why Decluttering Guru Marie Kondo is Wrong
Why I Absolutely Refuse to KonMari My Life
Does It Spark Joy is the Wrong Decluttering Question
The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*
Review the importance of the vision statement in Spark Joy Episodes:
Episode 1 KonMari 101
Episode 5 The KonMari Lifestyle
Our advice to a listener who asks how to address categories when you have items within a category in hard to get to places. Does not being able to completely sort by category mean you are not doing KonMari correctly?

Gems:

“There’s no right number of things a person should have.”

“You can keep ALL of the shoes!”

“Time is the most important commodity as opposed to things.”

“You’re saying goodbye in a respectful way and you’re putting a positive message out there.”

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

Ep 19 | Don't Forget to Breathe with Dr. Melva Green

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Dr. Melva Green, author, psychiatrist, and spiritual healer as seen on A&E's hit show “Hoarders” discusses the importance of making breathing room as you declutter mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Dr. Melva Green is best known for her work on the critically acclaimed A&E series Hoarders. She is a psychiatrist and spiritual healer specializing in REAL LIFE living. Dr. Green is the co-author of Breathing Room: Open You Heart by Decluttering Your Home, a wonderful blend of personal stories interwoven into a clear, practical guide on decluttering.

In this episode, Dr. Green discusses the importance of slowing down, taking a breath, and leading with compassion before we jump into the clutter. We also discuss the do's and don'ts associated with identifying and treating someone with a hoarding disorder and associated signs and resources.

To connect with Dr. Green, you can find her at www.drmelvagreen.com as well as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube at @drmelva. Dr. Green is offering our listeners a discounted, signed copy of Breathing Room using the following link: http://bit.ly/2qM2pVB

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

What led Dr. Green to take a leap of faith, close her practice, declutter, and move to Costa Rica
The moments leading up to Dr. Green getting the call to be an expert on A&E's Hoarders
How Dr. Green's book, Breathing Room: Open Your Heart by Decluttering Your Home evolved into a collaborative project with co-author Dr. Lauren Rosenfeld
How Dr. Green's spiritual approach to therapy broadened her client's experience and given client's permission to pursue another path and reduce shame
The role anxiety plays in disorganization
How being kind to yourself can shift the heart space to the self love and tenderness required to start the process
How the SLICE method (Stop & Listen, Intend, Clearing the Energy), a three step process described in Breathing Room, can help you jump start your journey to organization
Signs a loved one's life may be impacted by hoarding
Why common statistics tracking hoarding disorder misrepresent the scope of the public burden due to the "hidden" nature of the problem
How trauma is often at the core of a hoarding crisis
How in over 14 years, only two of Dr. Green's clutter clients were so resistant to change they couldn't be helped
How the support system of family can help hoarders successfully dig out and recover
How Dr. Green listens to her clients and reminds them to stop and breathe to hold a clear space
Dr. Green recommends resources on wwww.hoarders.org , including a scale to help you determine if you meet the clinical criteria for a hoarding disorder

Dr. Green's favorite tidying tip: Breathe...

What sparks the most joy for Dr. Green: Her son starting at Stanford University!

Gems:

"Most of our clutter is unconscious."

"The mess is not IN the way, it's PART OF the way."

"Clutter is the external manifestation of what's going on in our internal space."

"When we stop and breathe we're able to get a sense of what needs to go and what needs to stay."

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

Special Guest: Melva Green.

Encore! Ep 1 | KonMari 101

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Spark Joy co-hosts and KonMari Consultants, Karin and Kristyn, talk KonMari basics.

In this episode, Spark Joy co-hosts take a look at KonMari basics and share their experiences as KonMari Consultants.

The history of the KonMari Method along with basic concepts of KonMari organization are covered.

Marie Kondo developed this organization methodology based on her experience as a professional organizer in Japan. She found that tidying could be completed thoroughly and that relapse could be avoided by following a particular order and focusing on whether an item sparks 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, 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Learning how Marie Kondo created the KonMari Method, as found in her first book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up
Interesting facts about Marie and the beginnings of the KonMari Method
How Marie’s childhood factored into her role as a future organizer:
Marie Kondo Remembers
How the KonMari mission to “organize the world” has expanded into a worldwide the training program to certify KonMari Consultants
Fundamental Concepts of KonMari:
- Tidying by category instead of location
  - Clothing
  - Books
  - Paper
  - Komono (miscellaneous items)
  - Sentimental
- Sparking Joy
- Once and Forever Event
- The Power of the Pile
- The Folding Method
How Konmari can impact other areas of your life such as your health, finances, and maybe even your love life!

Gems:
“You don’t have to get rid of everything that doesn’t make your heart swoon.”

“It’s important to pull everything from everywhere.”

“Transferring love respect and gratitude through the palms of your hands.”

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

Ep 17 | Best of 2017: Joyful Show Highlights

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Karin and Kristyn wind down the year with a look back at some of the shows that made the biggest impact on them and on you, our listeners!

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

Ep 16 | Stress Free Holiday Joy with Amanda Jefferson

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Amanda Jefferson, KonMari Consultant, shows us how to Delegate, Defer, Diminish, and Delete our way to a stress free holiday season.

Our guest, Amanda Jefferson, is a certified KonMari Consultant who serves the western suburbs of Philadelphia. After a successful 20 year career in academia, corporations, and non-profit leadership, Amanda now channels her passion for helping others by creating homes that are peaceful, stress-free and efficient.

In this episode, you'll learn how to navigate the holidays using the 4 Ds. Amanda also shares tips on how to manage paper organization with three simple tools. This episode is less about getting more done and more about having less to do!

To connect with Amanda, visit www.indigoorganizing.com and follow her on Instagram @indigo_organizing.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How a mid-life crisis that Amanda lovingly named a "Creative Renaissance" led Amanda to shift gears to professional organizing
How tackling the "Paper" KonMari category made Amanda want to run and hide
How career threads such as helping people, making operations more efficient, and an interest in positive social psychology and energy/time management tie into her KonMari practice
How to apply the Four Ds to declutter your holiday experience and fill it with joy: Delegate, Defer, Diminish, and Delete
Amanda's Worksheet: Getting from Stress to Joy with the 4Ds
Ways you can spark conversations that change traditions and shift attention to fewer better things and more experiences
The three tools you need to manage all of your paper
Apps that incorporate a scan feature: Google Drive , Evernote , Dropbox
How to make paper management fun by finding office supplies that spark joy
Independent scanner apps: Tiny Scan , Genius Scan , CamScanner

Amanda's favorite tidying tip: Keeping things bite-sized. Set a timer for 1 hour and dive into one category (or subcategory)

What sparks the most joy for Amanda: Making Chatbooks - Photo books for people that don't have time to do photo books

Gems:

"Having a home that runs efficiently is really the difference between sanity and total burn out."

"If your friends think you're crazy, you're doing something right."

Delegate: "Make all of your holiday meals potluck."

Defer: "Send New Years cards instead of holiday cards."

Diminish: "Don't go all out with holiday decor. Buy a simple wreath and set white lights on a timer."

Delete: "Don't exchange gifts as adults. Only exchange gifts for the children."

"There should be a very, very high bar for an actual sheet of paper that stays in your home."

"What is the action associated with this piece of paper?"

"When in doubt, scan."

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

Special Guest: Amanda Jefferson.

Ep 15 | Men KonMari Too with Doug Marshall

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Doug Marshall hesitated to start tidying his closet, but immediately noticed profound changes taking place in his life as he moved through his KonMari tidying event.

Our guest, Doug Marshall, is an entertainment and lifestyle writer, on-camera host, and social media content strategist. He recently had an article published in Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine on how to KonMari your closet and participated in a follow-on TV segment with Fox9 in the Twin Cities.

Doug is a Spark Joy fan who KonMari’d his closet over 10 days in preparation for a big move from New York to Minneapolis. The impact the process had on his life still shines through his spirit and he sparks joy by continuing to share his story via media outlets, blogs and social media.

In this episode, we discuss KonMari from the male perspective, how Doug KonMari'd his closet over ten days and the impact the process had on his life. We talk about ways to get over the initial hurdle of getting started, and some physical and emotional challenges to anticipate. We also discuss how Doug has attracted opportunities to continue to share his closet transformation, which has inspired others to let go.

To connect with Doug, you can find him on Instagram @theworldofdoug or visit him at www.theworldofdoug.com.

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Doug went from saying "I will never do that [KonMari]" to writing a blog article about the impact the tidying process and appearing on Fox 9's The Jason Show
How the KonMari Method helped Doug move from New York to Minneapolis
The highs and lows of executing KonMari in the span of 10 days
How Doug's body reacted to anxiety related to preparing for the decluttering process
How Doug related to Marie Kondo's use of organization to feel safe in a world she had no control over
How by examining his relationship to what stayed made room for Doug's style to be revealed to him
How Doug's shopping habits are way more deliberate post-KonMari
How Doug's husband reacted to his tidying quest
How Doug attracted opportunities that helped him establish his voice
How KonMari serves as a gateway to new beginnings and creative projects

What sparks joy for Doug: "Opportunities like this!"

Gems:

"I'm a big believer that if you put something out into the universe, the universe shows up for you."

"I trust her [Marie Kondo], I can do this."

"There was so much stuff in my closet that wasn't sparking joy, that I couldn't see the stuff that did."

"By the time I got rid of what didn't spark joy, my style revealed itself to me."

"I don't buy anything in a store now if it doesn't spark joy."

"I want to feel clean, free, grounded, and on time."

"Whatever you get rid of will come back to you in a different form."

"My mind is more clear and I'm open and available for more opportunities."

"There is literally nothing in my life right now that does not spark joy."

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

Special Guest: Doug Marshall.

Ep 14 | From Chaos to Calm with Christine O'Brien

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Christine O'Brien's mission is to help mom's create calm and joyful lives.

A Certified Simplicity Parenting Coach and KonMari enthusiast with over a decade of experience, Christine coaches women to create home environments that support harmony and connection.

Christine coaches from the heart, using joy as a guide and her clients find so much peace in having less, doing less, and editing their lives and their homes with intention.

In this episode, Christine will share her unique approach in helping moms find their own path in creating an intention-filled life. Christine transformed her space with the support of her husband and their young, spirited daughter.

You can follow Christine on her website, Creating Calm Coach, on Facebook at Christine O'Brien Coach or on Instagram @creatingcalmcoach. Download her Free Creating Calm Checklist.

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Christine’s private Facebook group community, KonMari Method: Life-changing Magic for anyone working through the KonMari tidying process
Christine’s virtual consulting program, From Chaos to Calm, which consists of group and individual support for making joyful transitions
How Christine combines two powerful schools of thought to inform the way she supports moms to relax into full presence with their children: Simplicity Parenting and the KonMari Method
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
Re-occurring KonMari related pain points that may sound familiar:
1) feeling too overwhelmed to start, 2) getting stuck at some point in the middle of the process, and 3) uncertainty regarding doing KonMari with a family
How to guide a family through the process and how to find the joy click-point when you have growing kids
How speaking to your items can “soften” and facilitate letting them go
How focusing on the positive and the joy can apply to your vision for fitness and diet
Learning about Brene Brown , who says that gratitude creates Joy

Christine’s favorite tidying tip:
“Tune in to your intuition and trust your joy checks.”

What sparks joy for Christine:
Her family and the transformation she has witnessed as a result of this process. She’s joyful about sharing this way of living!

Gems:

“The toys she’s interested in change all the time.”

“As you get more in tune with what brings you joy, more space develops for experiencing joy.”

“Put your oxygen mask on first and make sure you complete your tidying first before you move on to your children.”

“Different personalities come out for display when you do KonMari with a family.”

“What? Talk to my clothes? Say thank you and goodbye?!”

“The process is about connection and not perfection.”

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

Special Guest: Christine O'Brien.

Ep 13 | Does It Spark Joy?

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Karin and Kristyn discuss the fundamental KonMari question: Does it spark joy?

In this episode, we discuss what "spark joy" truly means and how to apply it to your tidying event. We share practical tips on how to build your own personal awareness of joy and how to apply this concept to your decision-making. The term will start to become part of your vocabulary and you’ll see joy everywhere.

But first, we begin by sharing what's sparking joy for us today. We also answer a great question from a Spark Joy listener about how to determine what sparks joy when it comes to seasonal items, in this case, Halloween costumes.

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, or on Twitter at @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Learning the Japanese language origins of the phrase, "spark joy." The Japanese translation is Tokimeku ときめく, which means "to flutter with a little thrill" in the same way that we describe how our hearts can flutter with joyful emotion when something makes us happy or excited
How Marie Kondo demonstrates what sparking joy looks like while interacting with possessions. See videos below:
-- Marie Kondo: Organize the World: Design Your Life to Spark Joy - SXSW 2017
-- Marie Kondo explains Spark Joy
How to avoid getting caught up in how many things you're keeping or discarding instead of focusing on the joy
Being reminded of the importance of vision, as discussed in Episode 5, to keep your thoughts future-focused and in tune with the quality of life you envision for yourself
How to set a high joy bar by developing a criteria for what stays and what goes
How considering the passage of time and your evolution as a person can help you understand whether something is part of your future or just hanging out from the past
Marie Kondo states, “When we really delve into the reasons for why we can't let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.”
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
"If it makes you happy, then the right choice is to keep it confidently, regardless of what anyone else says."
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

Gems:

“The practice is to pay attention to how your body reacts when you’re holding your possessions.”
“You want to be able to live in harmony with your things.”
“Does this item spark joy AND fit into of my vision for the quality of life I’ve envisioned for myself in the future?”
“This is an area I really do want to invest in instead of buying the cheapest things to just make do.”
”Keep your joy bar high!”
“Objects like having a job to do.”
"If it makes you happy, then the right choice is to keep it confidently, regardless of what anyone else says."

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

Ep 12 | One Mom's KonMari Summer

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Diane Arias, wife and mom of three, strides through the highs and lows of her summertime KonMari tidying event, and shares the life-changing impact it had on her family.

Our guest, Diane Arias is a true KonMari mom and one of Kristyn's former clients. After a decade of raising her three girls (one age 14 and two twin thirteen-year-olds), Diane found that her belongings, along with her home, looked run down and unloved...and so her KonMari Summer began. She tidied for up to 2-3 hours at a time across her 3,000 square foot home. The results? A space filled with love and joy that will take her family of five into the next phase of their life.

In this episode, we will show you it is possible for busy moms to get tidy too! Follow Diane through every phase of the KonMari process, as she applies the method in the presence of her growing family. Look forward to tips on how to plan, pace, and reward yourself during your tidying event to avoid hitting a wall.

You can follow the final stages of Diane’s tidying journey by connecting with her on Instagram (@diane_arias_2017).

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

The article that inspired Diane to pick her tidying back up after reading the The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up after working through clothing three years ago
How Diane course corrected her original plan after confronting the sheer number of things in her home
How Diane's vision reflected the part of her that she wanted to reconnect with to be the best model for her daughters
How Diane leaned on her experience training for marathons to push through moments of overwhelm to get to a point where her surroundings were supporting her
How an intentional reward system helped trigger Diane back into gear during moments when she needed extra motivation to finish Komono (miscellaneous items)
The "warning" Diane thinks should come with Marie Kondo's books
How each member of Diane's family reacted to her decluttering and how they supported her in their own way
Diane's advice to busy moms that are ready to dive in
How tidying has helped Diane be more in tune with her husband's values and motivations
How Diane's children taught her the KonMari signature fold after watching YouTube videos!
How Diane's family adjusted to the big changes taking place in the shared spaces and pushed through a few uncomfortable moments

What sparks joy for Diane: "Having headspace...and a true, full presence for my daughters."

Gems:

"This is definitely something I want to do. I just need to have the timing show up for it."
"I had no idea how much stuff I actually owned."
"My own joy for my own life is what was missing."
"I truly feel my home is a reflection of me."
"A home that is full, and vibrant and joyful and truly supporting me and my family."
"I would not be able to put into words what I was wanting for my children...but I've found it through this method."
"You truly have to detangle yourself from someone else's belongings."
"I've plugged myself into every single person's belongings in the house, meanwhile, not really taking care of my own."
"These t-shirts look like someone cares."
"I can be the kind of mom I wanted to be."

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

Special Guest: Diane Arias.

Ep 11 | [Tidy] Like a Mind Reader with Jonathan Pritchard

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

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.

Our guest, Jonathan Pritchard is a mentalist who appeared on America’s Got Talent, entertained US troops stationed overseas, performed on Vegas main stages, cruise ships, and more. He also helps people discover the magic of connecting. He helps companies connect with their employees during networking events and sharpen their marketing skills to be able to grab prospective clients. And now, he's the author of a new book, Think Like a Mind Reader: Improve your business, strengthen your relationships, and solve your problems.

In this episode, we explore applied psychology-based strategies, approaches, and techniques you can use to change your life. Jonathan teaches us how push the limits of our understanding to realize we can do a lot more than we think we can.

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 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Jonathan made a living on stage by making others think he could read minds
How a shy kid used magic to relate to people and make them think he was naturally outgoing
How people are wired to make magic possible and universally accepted
How Jonathan uses the skill of professional people meeting to help businesses highlight their products and connect employees with their teams and customers
A tip that will help you be unforgettable during your next networking event
How post-live show conversations inspired Jonathan's new book: Think Like a Mind Reader: Improve your business, strengthen your relationships, and solve your problems
Why Think Like a Mind Reader is only offered as a printed/hardcopy rather than an e-book
How the book itself can be used as a mind reading trick
Why you should hand write notes instead of type them
Why everybody needs a coach
How the story you're telling yourself about a problem may actually be the problem
How to install new mental models to change your behavior
The one statement Jonathan loves to hear his coaching clients make

What sparks joy for Jonathan: "A quiet night home with my sweetie."

Words of Wisdom "Fail faster."

Gems:

"How would your business be better if you could actually read minds?"

"When the whole world is zigging, I like to zag."

"What action are you going to take that really makes or breaks your success?"

"Most people fail to solve their problems because they don't understand what the actual problem is."

"Even the highest performers still need coaches."

"My life goal is to trade up to more and more interesting problems every year."

"Our environments influence and affect us just as much as we influence and affect our environments."

"Your brain runs on as much energy as the light bulb in your fridge."

"Magic shows walk you up to the limit of your understanding, and then point out into the distance and go 'that's where I live.'"

"Fail fast. The only time you learn is when you're uncomfortable and learning something new."

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

Special Guest: Jonathan Pritchard.

Ep 10 | The Beautiful Struggle with Lanecia Rouse Tinsley

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400

Lanecia Rouse Tinsley of LAR Art Studio shares her passion for expressive and transformative art forms within the art of Wabi Sabi.

Our guest today is Lanecia Rouse Tinsley. She is an abstract expressionistic artist whose work includes photography, painting, teaching, writing, and speaking. She is the owner and creator of LARArt Studio and works out of Studio D at Hardy & Nance Streets Studios.

In addition to her own work as an artist, Lanecia partners with the Holy Family Church in Houston, TX, serving as their Artist-In-Residence, as a Spiritual Director and Consultant for the Arts for Project Curate.

Lanecia has been exploring the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi and the related art forms within her own work and the work of her workshop participants. Lanecia hosts workshops exploring the related art form of Kintsugi and has written about that experience on her blog. Wabi Sabi is an ancient Japanese philosophy that honors the imperfect, the humble, the hand-made and the impermanent. It seeks to embrace the beauty found in the changing of seasons, things, nature and in our own lives.

To connect with Lanecia, you can visit www.larartphotography.com and follow her on Instagram, and Twitter @larartstudio. You can also purchase her work online by visiting www.society6.com/larart

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Learning about the Holy Family Church HTX in Houston, TX
Hearing how Lanecia asked for love to show up while she grieved a painful loss
How the LAR Art Studio was envisioned and grew over the years
How Lanecia discovered the art of Kintsugi:
Essential Information on Kintsugi
How Lanecia teaches the Wabi-Sabi expressive art form during her workshop:
The LAR Art Studio Mended Wabi Sabi Pottery Art Experience
How Lanecia's work with her students has surprised her and informed her work
How Mark Nepo uses poetry to express feelings of being broken open
How the process of breaking pottery into pieces and putting it back together as a new object is a powerful exercise
How the workshop process enabled some participants to make significant life changes
The parallels between the ancient philosophy of Wabi Sabi and the newer KonMari philosophy

What sparks joy for Lanecia: All the precious moments she spends with her husband, Cleve! Working with her camera and exploring photography as well as listening to music.

Her Parting Words of Wisdom: We all have the capacity to create beauty.

Gems:
“Art was big enough hold my tears and also to hold my vision and hopes for what could be.”

“I’m just throwing out into the universe the dreams that I have.”

“In living, life is going to break our hearts.”

“We are all more powerful and capable than we believe.”

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

Special Guest: Lanecia Rouse Tinsley.

Ep 8 | Make Bold Moves with The Traveling Organizer Holly Southerland

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400

Holly Southerland, traveling professional organizer talks taking risks and making bold moves.

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. Her team, Waco Home Organizers, based in Waco Texas, helps individuals and businesses with decluttering and creating organizational systems that fit their personal style. She is passionate about helping people move forward by cutting out the clutter that stands in the way. In this episode, Holly discusses the life of a travelling organizer, what it’s like to pursue an entrepreneurial dream, and some of her best insights into organizing using practical and obtainable systems and methods. Holly also shares her thoughts on being an introverted entrepreneur, the differences in American homes state-to-state, and her thoughts on the connection between clutter and depression.

Holly is offering Spark Joy listeners a Two-Day Declutter Blitz an investment in yourself, your home, your peace, your productivity, and your sanity. https://goo.gl/sLkXNp

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 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How personality type can influence your comfort level in communicated both at work and socially. You can take your own
Myers Briggs Personality Test
Holly's experience working with a variety of homes and the challenges of order regardless of the size
How clutter and depression are related as she discusses in her blog post
The great method of managing all the accumulated paper in your home that she teaches in the Sunday Basket Workshop
How having a mentor and coach made such a huge difference in planning for her new business. Holly's coach: Lisa Woodruff, Organize 365
Helpful hints for dealing with spam mail by visiting DMAchoice.org
The adventures of travelling around the country, organizing homes for all sorts of families
The benefits of organizing in a concentrated blitz

Holly’s favorite tidying tip: “Do it right now!”

What sparks joy for Holly: Her baby nephew

Gems:

"My test for buying a new piece of clothing is: Do I want to wear this everyday?”
“Space is a vacuum. You don’t get organized by getting a bigger space.”
“It’s easy to get overwhelmed by big plans and big ideas, but take action on something small that’s right in front of you.”

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

Special Guest: Holly Southerland.

Ep 7 | Design and the Future of Minimalism with Lloyd Alter

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Lloyd Alter is design editor of TreeHugger, a prominent media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability to the mainstream.
Living in Toronto, Canada; He has been an architect, developer, inventor and prefab promoter.
He contributes to Mother Nature Network at MNN.com, The Guardian, and Azure magazines, and is Adjunct Professor teaching sustainable design at Ryerson University School of Interior Design.

In the course of his work developing small residential units and prefabs, Lloyd became convinced that we just use too much of everything- too much space, too much land, too much food, too much fuel, too much money, and that the key to sustainability is to simply use less. And, the key to happily using less is to design things better.

Recently, Lloyd has been writing on family heirlooms and the changing culture. I found his work while researching solutions for clients who are confronted with managing the possessions of generations while downsizing. His direct approach to working with our elder parents along with his prolific writing on a lifestyle focused on less stuff and better design, was a great fit for us!

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 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Learning about the relationship between medicine, science and minimalism. How the fear of germs led to the minimalist movement.
Hearing about how Lloyd confronted the generational shift in thinking about “things” within his own family.
Discussing how our mobile lifestyles have changed the quantity and quality of things we acquire.
Looking at the reality of emotional value vs. financial value.
Suggestions on how to decide “who gets what” when a previous generation downsizes.
How Lloyd used Marie Kondo’s concept of Spark Joy when deciding what to keep when downsizing.
How Lloyd and his family held an Open House, allowing young adults to come in and take things they needed to start their own households as a means of thoughtfully discarding things.
Discussing how to find the “right new home” for things that you are letting go.
Learning how Lloyd defines a minimalist lifestyle.

Read Lloyd's article, "On Decluttering, Downsizing and Surviving a Green Renovation", Tree Hugger Magazine, here: https://goo.gl/cnbFvr

What sparks joy for Lloyd:
Lloyd shares his joy at looking out over the lake in his Canadian cabin, sitting at his amazing dining room table and the significant back story the table holds.

Gems:

"Big Brown furniture: Nobody has room anymore!”
"That furniture had absorbed the memories of our entire family."
"You don’t know if you are an architect or a marriage counsellor."
"Start talking to your older family when they are willing to share the history of things."
"Do not keep anything that you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”-William Morris.
"We are moving to multi-family and walkable communities and less stuff.”
"You just have what you need.”

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

Special Guest: Lloyd Atler.

Ep 6 | Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0400

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.
Our guest, Tess Wicks, is a personal finance coach and educator. She is the founder of Wander Wealthy, an online community for women in their 20s and 30s to get inspired and achieve their personal development, money, and travel goals. Tess creates video content on her Wander Wealthy Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and is the host of the Words and Money Podcast. Tess wants to empower women to get smart about their money while still being able to spend it on the things that bring them joy. In this episode, Tess discusses her personal finance philosophy and practical tips you can use to achieve financial success one small step at a time. We also explore why talking about money (and clutter at home) is so taboo and how having those uncomfortable conversations upfront with yourself of your partner is the only way to achieve lasting change.

Tess is offering Spark Joy listeners Free Anti-Budget Training. It's a budgeting method for people who hate budgeting. It simplifies financial management down to one simple number to use every day and is available at: www.wanderwealthy.com/AntiBudget

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 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

What improv, kettle bell and playing the violin have to do with personal finances
How having financially responsible parents led Tess to be a cautious spender who avoided debt
How to live outside of your comfort zone while taking calculated risks
How Tess desires to be a minimalist and frugalist in most areas, but leans most towards Essentialism
How prioritizing what is essential to you and deeming the rest "clutter" helps build awareness around spending
How important it is to exercise your "saying no" muscle
The lesson your sunk costs teach you
Feeling financially overwhelmed? Tess suggests:
1) Commit time to sit down and look at your finances
2) Calculate your net worth (everything you own - everything you owe)
3) Set realistic short-term goals you can accomplish in three months
How having multiple bank accounts actually helps you avoid being caught off guard by financial surprises
Why talking about money is so taboo
How to initiate tough conversations about finances
How wealthy women put their money to work for them
How Tess pre-saves for splurges and treats herself, including the five things she won't give up

What sparks joy for Tess: She's finally living and breathing what her brand (Wander Wealthy) is by finding her freedom, taking adventures and enjoying her life while living within her financial means.

Gems:

"I identify places where I need to grow or challenge myself and I dive into it."
"If it brings you joy, make room in your budget to spend on that thing."
"Separating the essential few from the trivial many."
"Net worth = everything you own - everything you owe"
"You don't want to be with someone who can't accept you for your flaws."
"Anyone can achieve financial independence. The hardest part is taking action."
"Commit and take action for one hour to decide to declutter your financial life."

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

Special Guest: Tess Wicks.

Ep 5 | How to Visualize Your Ideal Lifestyle and Living Environment

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0400

Your Vision: defining your ideal lifestyle and living environment, KonMari style.

In this episode, Spark Joy explores how you can clarify your vision of the kind of life you want to lead and why it’s important step, but often overlooked, in the KonMari journey.

We discuss the why and how of identifying the vision of your ideal life and how it can help you complete the KonMari process to greater success. Your life vision will help you clarify why you want to tidy and how your life will look once the tidying is completed.

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Tips for how to begin identifying your vision, making it specific, focused and intentional
Learning how to break down identifying your ideal life into manageable parts:
- What is your ideal day?
- Your ideal moment that would spark joy? Picture yourself doing something delightful.
- Begin with gratitude and appreciation - what is currently working for you in your space and in your life?
- Imagine how you would be living your life today if money, time and obligations were not a constraint?
- Take a holistic look at how you’re doing in each area of your life: Career, Relationships, Hobbies, Spirituality, Health, Finances, Community.
- Check out the The KonMari Wheel of Impact
- List the first five life goals (long- or short- term) that immediately come to mind as they relate to those categories.
- Close your eyes and imagine you’ve reached the end of your tidying journey. Describe in detail how you envision your home to look and how you feel
We share our own visions and visions of some of our clients from all stages of life: single people, families, couples, downsizers and empty nesters
How to create your own Vision statement!
- Get it out of your head and onto another media: diary, Pinterest board, website, blog, Facebook post, anything.
- Establish a new tradition of creating a vision board and display it proudly in your home

Example of Vision Boards and Statements:
A Goal Setting Strategy That Sticks

Gems:
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life”

“I just want things to be different instead of thinking about what that different looks like.”

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

Ep 4 | Find Your Inner Voice with Kelly Covert

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0400

Kelly Covert, inner voice coach, helps us lay down lifelong habits to help us break free from the past.

Our guest this week is inner voice coach, Kelly Covert. She is the host of the popular podcast, "In Her Voice", which explores ways in which women can begin to love themselves fully every single day.

Kelly Covert has a passion for helping women lay down their lifelong habits of perfectionism and chronic overachieving, so they can listen to their inner voices and break free of the past.
Through her coaching, online programs, writing and speaking, she is creating a movement of women that are practicing “worthy now” instead of “worthy if or when”.

Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, The Elephant Journal, YourTango.com, and she has been a featured guest on many podcasts.

In this episode, we talk with Kelly and learn about how coaching has allowed her to exercise her dream of helping women while teaching her so much about herself. She shares how her inner voice work has allowed her to grow as a woman, a partner, a mom and a musician!

To connect with Kelly, you can visit www.kellycovert.com or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @kellycovert

You can also learn more about Symphoria here! Symphoria

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

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Kelly found her voice and decided to help others via individual coaching Inner Voice Coaching and group coaching Inner Voice Group Coaching

-Learn about the Worthy Collective on Facebook:The Worthy Collective

-What to look for in a personal coach to meet your own goals.

-Kelly’s evolution as a podcaster and her new podcasting project, In Her Voice. In Her Voice

-How Kelly has practiced KonMari and how tidying has made a difference in Kelly’s home and family

-Kelly’s tips for balancing life as a mother, as a professional and as a creative person

What sparks joy for Kelly: Coffee! The ability to take a long, hot bath in the morning and working on my new podcast!

Kelly's parting words of wisdom:
“You are worthy right this minute. You do not have to do one thing to earn that. You were put on this earth with beautiful gifts that you need to share. And the only way that you can share is to believe that they are there and that you are good enough. So, get shining because we are waiting for your light to shine brightly!”

Gems:

“Create a space to access accountability.”

“We don’t have to do anything to be worthy. It’s just there.”

“It comes from the action. That is how we embody that joy.”

“It’s about knowing who you really are and being 100% ok with that.”

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

Special Guest: Kelly Covert.

Ep 3 | Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Dorothy Breininger, aka “Dorothy The Organizer,” is known to millions as the fearless-yet-endearing problem solver on A&E’s Emmy-nominated hit TV series “Hoarders.” She is the author of seven books, including Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff. Dorothy is featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, O Magazine, and appears on the Today Show, Dr. Phil, the VIEW, The Doctors, QVC and PBS.

In this episode, Dorothy helps us make the connection between the clutter in our homes and addictions we may have in other areas of our life (food, alcohol, gambling, shopping, etc.). We explore some of the barriers that prevent us from making the choices we know are best for us and how to overcome them. Dorothy also shares her first hand experience working with clients suffering from hoarding and some of the resources available to help those with this condition.

Dorothy is offering Spark Joy listeners:

A Free Guide on “How to Banish Clutter Creatively”
A Free Cancer Concierge ebook that can help you learn how to organize yourself and your life in the face of a cancer diagnosis

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 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Dorothy's three life-changing experiences that helped her manage her own clutter
What Dorothy learned about other culture's relationship with clutter after backpacking across 30 countries
How Dorothy climbed out of $360,000 of inherited debt
How Dorothy's work on Hoarders helped her realize her own addictive behavior around food
Netflix documentaries: Forks Over Knives and What the Health
Why we are looking to stuff to decide where we are going as a society
How food addiction is similar to alcohol or gambling addiction and leads to a perverse sense of self care
How living with an addiction or mental illness impacts our ability to make conscious choices
The three most common barriers we create between us and the problems we face and how to overcome them
Stuff My Face, Face My Stuff is available on Amazon and includes examples of over 30 different types of Twelve Step Programs
Landmark Education
How to apply a questioning method from Byron Katie's process, The Work, can tell you about what your clutter is saying about you
Lessons Dorothy's learned from working with extreme hoarding clients
The power of apologies
How to identify someone who hoards and common indicators
The connection between perfectionism and hoarding
What it was like to spend a night in a hoarder's home
What happens during a hoarder's aftercare and its similarity to a food addiction maintenance plan
Where to turn for hoarding help: Turn to www.dorthytheorganizer.com for tools and resources including a virtual therapy group for hoarders

Dorothy's Favorite Tidying Tip: "Left to right, top to bottom."

"Even if you feel sure you are right, never assume you know what’s best for another in terms of stuff. Simply re-arranging someone else’s stuff or worse yet getting rid of it without permission truly breaks the bonds of trust (especially with children)."

What sparks the most joy for Dorothy: Surprising friends, family, and strangers.

Gems:

“What does your clutter say about you?”
“We all have stuff.”
“I got rid of the stuff so that I could create something bigger for myself.”
“People hoarded stuff in their homes, but I was hoarding sugar and flour on my body.”
“We’re looking to stuff to decide where we are going as a society.”
“We are teetering near 14 million people who hoard.”
“Barrier to facing our stuff: We blame others.”
“Barrier to facing our stuff: We refuse to look at our own mistakes.”
“Barrier to facing our stuff: We isolate instead of reach out for help.”
“Overcome the barrier: Dare to admit we are fully responsible for the things that we own."
“Overcome the barrier: Take a fearless moral inventory of yourself.”
“Overcome the barrier: Be with a group of like-minded people to help you get out of isolation.”
“Apologies created the path to clearing out the clutter in their house.”
“Even if you feel sure you are right, never assume you know what’s best for another in terms of stuff.”

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

Special Guest: Dorothy Breininger.

Ep 2 | Meet Marie Kondo's First Employee Jenny Ning

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 11:30:00 -0400

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.

Our guest, Jenny Ning, was Marie Kondo's first employee in the US, and helped to grow the KonMari brand from mid-2015 to the end of 2016. In this episode, Jenny recalls her instant attraction to the KonMari Method and how confronting her clutter at home combined with some passionate persistence helped her attract a position on KonMari team. Since moving on from working for Marie Kondo in 2016, Jenny is now a practicing home organizer in San Francisco, and continues to introduce people to the life-changing magic of the KonMari Method. Driven by a desire to improve the status quo, Jenny also founded the startup Tummymom that helps connect all parties within the surrogacy community, making the ideal matching process easier.

To connect with Jenny Ning, you can visit her at www.jennyning.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@jennyorganizes).

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

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Why Jenny calls The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up her bible
How the KonMari Method shifted Jenny's attention to what she wanted to do with her life, rather than what she should do with her life
What led Jenny to question if her job sparked joy and how the answer to that question inspired her to quit 5 months later
How being a super fan and strategically inserting herself before the KonMari team helped Jenny land her dream job
What steadily grew the KonMari fan base and the passion behind the followers
How the KonMari team is inspired to make business decisions based on what "sparks joy"
How planning the first US based KonMari consultant seminars inspired Jenny to commit to formal training
Why cluttered living is a challenge in the Bay area, considering notoriously high rent and tight living spaces

Jenny's favorite tidying tip: 1) "Sometime means never." - Marie Kondo. Accept who you are right now. 2) The 20/20 rule: if you can replace something in 20 minutes for $20 or less, then you can give yourself permission to let it go

What sparks joy for Jenny: Her startup, Tummymom (www.tummymom.com).

Gems:

"KonMari helped me step back and reevaluate my life."
"With that question, does it spark joy?, you can't really avoid the answer."
"Jenny Ning: Marie Kondo, I'll quit my job to work for you."
"The KonMari team uses the KonMari Method to make business decisions."
"Examining your relationship to things provides a lot of clarity about life."
"Stop and pay attention to whether the things in your life align with your vision of what you want your life to be."
"Even an average amount of possessions can make a tiny space feel cluttered and chaotic."
"Are you willing to let things go in order to feel better?"
"Sometime means never."
"20/20 rule: if you can replace something in 20 mins for $20 or less, then give yourself permission to let it go."
"Life truly begins only after you have put your house in order."

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

Special Guest: Jenny Ning.

Ep 1 | KonMari 101

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 11:15:00 -0400

Spark Joy co-hosts and KonMari Consultants, Karin and Kristyn, talk KonMari basics.

In this episode, Spark Joy co-hosts take a look at KonMari basics and share their experiences as KonMari Consultants. The history of the KonMari Method along with basic concepts of KonMari organization are covered. Marie Kondo developed this organization methodology based on her experience as a professional organizer in Japan. She found that tidying could be completed thoroughly and that relapse could be avoided by following a particular order and focusing on whether an item sparks 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, 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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

Learning how Marie Kondo created the KonMari Method, as found in her first book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up
Interesting facts about Marie and the beginnings of the KonMari Method
How Marie’s childhood factored into her role as a future organizer:
Marie Kondo Remembers
How the KonMari mission to “organize the world” has expanded into a worldwide the training program to certify KonMari Consultants
Fundamental Concepts of KonMari:
- Tidying by category instead of location
  - Clothing
  - Books
  - Paper
  - Komono (miscellaneous items)
  - Sentimental
- Sparking Joy
- Once and Forever Event
- The Power of the Pile
- The Folding Method
How Konmari can impact other areas of your life such as your health, finances, and maybe even your love life!

Gems:
“You don’t have to get rid of everything that doesn’t make your heart swoon.”

“It’s important to pull everything from everywhere.”

“Transferring love respect and gratitude through the palms of your hands.”

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

Ep 0 | Who Are We and What is KonMari?

Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 11:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Spark Joy! The podcast dedicated to the KonMari Method and the transformative power of surrounding yourself with joy, and letting go of all the rest.

In this inaugural episode, co-hosts and certified KonMari consultants Kristyn Ivey of For the Love of Tidy (www.fortheloveoftidy.com) and Karin Socci of The Serene Home (www.theserenehome.com) introduce themselves and the Spark Joy podcast to the world! Kristyn is based in Chicago, Illinois and Karin serves New York City.

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.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

How Karin developed a passion for creating peaceful and beautiful environments, inspired by generations of organizational enthusiasts in her family
How KonMari helped Kristyn uncover her true passion in life, start a tidying business, and move from Virginia to Chicago
How Karin and Kristyn met and the moment they realized there weren’t any podcasts that were solely dedicated and centered around the KonMari lifestyle
What the KonMari Method is all about and the book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, that sparked the KonMari movement
How the KonMari Method is fully integrated and referenced in pop-culture
Fun facts about Marie Kondo and what it was like to meet the Queen of Tidy
What the Spark Joy podcast is all about, including featured guests, consultants, clients thought leaders and game changers who put KonMari principles and lifestyle into action

Gems:

“The podcast celebrating the KonMari Method and the transformative power of surrounding yourself with joy; and letting go of the all the rest.”
"Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life."

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