Why did I become a CPO-CD®?
You may have never given much thought to the idea of “harmony,” but it can be very important.
Think for just a minute about what it usually sounds like when a group of people sings “Happy Birthday.” Now think about what a barbershop quarter, or a choir, sounds like. There’s one major difference, and it is called “harmony.” It is what happens when different things – in this case voices, but it applies to many other things as well -- are put together in just the right way so that something pleasing comes of it.
A disorganized home is a home without harmony. It is full of things, but they aren’t put together in a way that results in something pleasing. Or perhaps there are simply so many things that it is overwhelming. Instead of harmony, the result is chaos, stress, depression and the feeling of being trapped.
I was raised in a chronically-disorganized home and have immediate family members who are hoarders, so am intimately familiar with what many of the problems that my clients experience. And I can personally relate to how these problems – the lack of domestic harmony -- can negatively impact my clients and the people in their lives. So many times, I have heard people say things like…
“I feel like I want to hide from my neighbors, family and friends.”
“I want to make my life about people, not things.”
“I wish I could invite people over without being embarrassed.”
“Sometimes the clutter makes it hard for me to be motivated to do anything.”
“I know my kids are reluctant to invite friends over because of the mess.”
“I don’t want my stuff to control me any longer.”
Since 1982, I have been helping friends and family members deal with these feelings by helping to organize their homes and offices. Their clean, newly-reorganized homes brought them such joy! It not only affected them but their entire families. Now the children and grandchildren were visiting, and the front door was proudly opened when drop-in guests visited. Nobody tripped on piles of stuff, and the sunshine flowed in through windows that were now thrown open because there was NOTHING to be ashamed of! What amazing pleasure and relief people felt at no longer feeling afraid to open their homes to the world! And I too felt good inside, from helping them to achieve their goals.
In 2002, I retired from the military and decided it was time to launch a new career.... I made the decision to open my own business using these skills, and have NEVER looked back! My passion is to help instill harmony in your home!
What services do I offer?
I am a hands-on organizer, so when you hire Harmony at Home you get me -- Nancy! The level of service I strive to provide is personal, compassionate, and complete!
My approach is to work hand-in-hand with my clients. We will function as a team, communicating and working together to achieve your goals. I need to get to know you, to best understand how I can help. I make better recommendations and decisions that way.
When we are done, the area we organized will be orderly, clean and ready for use. If there are minor home repairs that need to be accomplished, I normally have the tools, and the skills, to complete the job on site.
If there are old documents containing personal information that need to be destroyed, I will personally transport them to an authorized document destruction facility on your behalf. Your privacy is paramount.
If you have household discards for a charitable donation, I can remove them from your home and deliver them for you, or make arrangements for them to be picked up at a time that is convenient for you.
If you have broken appliances or major home repairs that need to be performed, I have reliable service people I can recommend, and will even help you to make the necessary appointments.
And through it all I will keep YOU in mind, so that the calm and harmonious environment we create together works for you, and gives you the chaos-free life you’ve always wanted.
What qualifies me to be a Professional Organizer specializing in Chronic Disorganization and Estate Management?
Formal Education
Associates Degree, Bachelors Degree, and two Masters Degrees (including an MBA)
Personal Experience
- Raised in a chronically-disorganized home with family members who hoard
- Managed numerous offices, where I gained a reputation for solving problems, and contributing to more organized and efficient environments
- Hospice Trained
- Retired Military Officer
- Supported elderly parents who experienced health complications, including dementia and stroke
- Helped my parents down size and relocate to assisted living facilities
- Household goods mover for 3 years, serving 48 states in an 18-wheeler
- Special Education Teacher - Substitute for two years
Professional Education
Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)
Earned the following from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD), whose “mission is to explore, develop, and disseminate to professional organizers and related professionals organizing methods, techniques, approaches, and solutions that will benefit chronically disorganized people”:
Received Level III Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization® credential after 20-month mentored educational program - October 2009
Earned Level II Hoarding Specialist Certificate - November 2010
Earned Level II Attention Deficit Disorder Specialist Certificate - October, 2008
Earned Level II Chronic Disorganization Specialist Certificate - December 2007
Earned Level II Aging Specialist Certificate - February 2013
Earned eleven of eleven Level I Certificates of Study in:
- Basic ADD Issues with the CD Client
- Basic Hoarding Issues with the CD Client
- Basic Mental Health Conditions and Challenges Affecting the CD Client
- Basic Physical Conditions Affecting the CD Client
- Client Administration
- Understanding the Needs of the Aging CD Client
- Learning Styles and Modalities
- Understanding the Needs of the Student CD Client
- Life Transitions
- Interpersonal Intelligence
- Time Management and Productivity
The Coach Approach for Organizers®
Graduated from nine week program - August 2010
Exit Stage Right, LLC®
Attended "Assisting Estate Administrators and Personal Representatives" - August 2010
Professional Development
- "Institute for Challenging Disorganization" (ICD) - 2017 Annual Conference", St. Louis, MO, September 2017, Ambassador, Speakers Bureau, Web Site Team and Conference participant
- "PTSD From the Inside Out" (MH-335) - Co-developed and presented teleclass to "Hear the insight of organizers who have experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as they discuss their personal journeys through safety, remembergrace and mourning, and reconnection", for the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD), February, 2017
- "Institute for Challenging Disorganization" (ICD) - 2016 Annual Conference", Portland OR, September 2016, Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Ambassador, Speakers Bureau, Website Team and conference participant.
- "Institute for Challenging Disorganization" (ICD) - 2013 Annual Conference", Denver CO, September 2013, Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Ambassador, Speakers Bureau, Website Team and conference participant
- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) - 2012 Annual Conference", San Francisco CA, November 2012, ICD Booth Volunteer, conference participant
- "Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2012 Annual Conference", Chicago IL, September 2012, Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Photographer, Ambassador and conference participant
- "National Association of Professional Organizers" (NAPO) - 2012 Annual Conference, Baltimore MD, March 2012, ICD Booth Volunteer and conference participant
- “Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2011 Annual Conference”, Raleigh NC, September, 2011, Volunteer Coordinator, Ambassador and conference participant
- “Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2010 Annual Conference”, Austin TX, September 2010, Ambassador and conference participant
- “National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) - 2010 Annual Conference”, Columbus OH, April 2010, ICD Photographer, ICD Booth Volunteer, and conference participant
- “Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2009 Annual Conference”, Los Angeles CA, September 2009, Official Photographer, Ambassador and conference participant
- “Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2008 Annual Conference”, St. Louis MO, September 2008, Official Photographer, Ambassador and conference participant
- “National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) - 2008 Annual Conference”, Reno NV, April 2008, ICD Photographer and conference participant
- “Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2007 Fall Conference”, Mt. Laurel NJ, September 2007, Official Photographer and conference participant
- “Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) - 2007 Annual Conference”, Minneapolis MN, April 2007, Official Photographer and conference participant
- “National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) - 2007 Annual Conference”, Minneapolis MN, April 2007, conference participant
How long does it take to organize a home?
Usually, when a client calls an organizer, it is the last option. They have tried on their own, and sometimes friends or families have tried to help as well. Some clients have invested a lot of money in ways to get organized, and have more organizing books, systems, videos, tapes and containers than I do ... much of it in the original unopened boxes!
After all this effort, and little or no real success, some have decided to give it one last try. Maybe they visit the National Association of Professional Organizers website (www.napo.net) or the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, Education, Research, Strategies website (www.challengingdisorganization.org.) to get a referral. Or perhaps someone at work has mentioned a positive experience they had with an organizer, or they see something on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Dr. Phil, or in a magazine. And, finally, they decide to hire a professional organizer.
I consider it a privilege and an honor to be invited into your home or office, and asked to help you escape the chaos that challenging disorganization creates. I take this responsibility seriously and will put forth 100% of my effort to ensure your lasting success. And, since virtually all of my business is via word of mouth and the recommendations of satisfied clients, I am confident that I am making a genuine difference.
You choose when to schedule organizing sessions. A home can be organized in 10 hours. This could be done in two 5-hour sessions or a marathon. I’ll make a recommendation and you decide.
Organizing a home could be done in weekly or biweekly sessions over a period of a month(s). The length of time depends on how much energy and resources you’re willing or able to commit.
There is no correct way! The best way is determined through mutual agreement between you and the organizer (that’s me!).
A general idea can be provided during an initial consultation. Contact me today!
For reliable organizing services you need to look no further -- please contact Harmony at Home Organizing today!
Additional information about the field of organizing can be obtained by visiting the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, Education, Research, Strategies (www.challengingdisorganization.org.) or the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net).