Hey everyone, my name is Austin and welcome back
to another episode of the unfiltered faith podcast
If the his is your first time tuning in I'm so
glad you're here. And if you've been here before
welcome back Today I'm Joe Wayne by a very special
guest founder of the Fullerton professional organizing
and coaching and I'm gonna let her introduce
herself and then we're gonna get it started Hi,
my name is Carrie and I started Fullerton professional
organizing as a business. I do go into people's
homes, but I also have a podcast and what I deal
with is. We talk about decluttering our faith.
We talk about decluttering our home and we talk
about decluttering our business on the podcast.
But those are really all the things that I also
deal with when I help people organize. We don't
always dive into the faith, but it's always part
of me. So when we need to, there have been times
I've had clients ask. You know what? I'm feeling
a little overwhelmed. Can we pray? And I will
pray with them. And then I have others that we
don't talk about faith at all. But yet I know
that I bring God with me, even if we don't talk
about it. How did the Holiton's professional
organizing and coaching come to life? Well, I
really believe it's a God story because Just
a little background. I used to be a teacher.
I only taught in Christian school and then parochial
schools opened up and I was teaching four -year
-olds at the time and at that time where I live
the four -year -olds couldn't go for free unless
they Were Spanish speaking only so when the parochial
schools opened up four -year -olds could go to
public school no matter whether they spoke English
or not. So the school went from three four year
old teachers down to one. And I happened to be
one that was laid off. Then I wound up working
the outside sales for Sam's club. Now it was
approaching my eighth year. When sands club corporate
wise eliminated the outside sales department.
So for a few years, it was just rumors and I
had been praying Lord, you know, what am I going
to do? I was a teacher, but I did not want to
teach in public school. And as many, when you're
in a situation where your job is going to end
and you just want God's direction. Like I said,
it was rumors for a good while. So I prayed over
all kinds of ideas. Then I had asked my boss.
I said, Hey, it's a rumor. Have you heard anything?
He said, no, I have not yet. It's still just
a rumor. We don't know. So then COVID hit and
boy. I tell you work at Sam's when COVID hits
and the lines are all the way around the building
and you did outside sales. You didn't actually
work in the store and now you're working in the
store. That was something else. So I worked for
the first two years of COVID and that was quite
an experience, but those experiences, once you've
gone through some of the work experiences that
I've gone through, especially COVID, your confidence
level is way up here because you've been through
the hardest stuff you can possibly go through.
Then I started getting asked on Facebook if I
organized for pay because when I was a teacher
every summer, I would post all the things I did
in my home during the summer and it was always
organizing. So people already knew my organizing
skills and I had a 21 year dress up tea party
business. So I had already earned trust from
everyone on Facebook, just from them seeing all
the stuff that I do, but I had never really thought
about starting an organizing business. And so
it sparked an interest in seeing whether I could
do that. A page take a course to see if I could
do it. And actually everything in the course
was everything I had already learned from that
person on YouTube. It was just a repeat of everything
I had already been watching this YouTuber do.
So I did that. And then I started a Facebook
page. That Monday, my boss said, well, the rumors
have come true. I mean, this was on a Saturday
that I started my Facebook page just to see if
it would stick. And on that very Monday, he called
me and my supervisor into the office and said
that the shoe had dropped. and that it indeed
our position was going to be eliminated. We could
either choose to work in the store or take the
package. And I went ahead and took the package
and started my organizing business. I did start
getting clients from friends, you know, at the
very beginning. And that was August 1st. And
I had tell November is when my position was truly
going to end. And that's how it started. That's
how come I knew it was a guide thing. I don't
know. Someone calls and says, Hey, do you do
this for pay? And then you start researching
courses and a Facebook page. And then that very
Monday, my, you know, so to me, I just thought
it was. a miracle to have it happen just within
that same weekend when it had been a couple of
years before COVID that the rumors had started.
I had been praying for a few years, just waiting
for that shoe to drop and not really knowing
which direction to go. And that's how it happened.
And I just was so grateful. It's so interesting
how in all of that, God was Just making sure
that your needs were met and like, it's all in
his hands really. And we need to trust God and
say, God, this is not my will, but yours. Just
take it over. So you also have a podcast all
it's in professional organizing and coaching
your slogan is it cluttering your faith and decluttering
your home and Did it cluttering your business
and you go into each one of those three and explain
further? What those yes in decluttering our faith,
of course my belief in God and trust in God is
definitely a factor. But with some, it could
be just someone that, you know, their spouse
passed away and now they have to let go a lot
of their spouse's belongings or their child's
belongings. And having someone come alongside
them, that's not gonna just come in there and
push them to get rid of everything. Oh, you don't
need it. They're no longer here. Let's just get
rid of everything. But someone that can come
alongside them and let them cry, let them process
it slowly. Not that I don't work fast, but I
don't push them to work quickly. Sometimes it
can be a divorce that they've gotten over. Sometimes.
Now, this is where I use my mom as an example.
Um, my mom had a lot of insecurities growing
up. She didn't feel like she fit in at all. There
was no peer group that she fit into. So her insecurities,
everything that makes her valuable or is her.
And sometimes when we put our identity, our things,
our value in our things. Instead of we hold on
to a lot of unnecessary things or we buy a lot
of expensive unnecessary things because it's
medicating something in us, some insecurity,
some place that's hurt that we're trying to medicate.
And that's where I see the decluttering your
faith aspect of my business and my podcast, because
there is a lot that people use things to make
them feel important, make them feel pretty, make
them feel like they're valuable when people are
valuable just for the fact that God created them.
And that's where the faith part comes in, you
know, and there's a lot of bitterness. There's
a lot of things that So any hurt that anyone
has been through can cause them or it can even
go back as far as my grandparents going through
the depression and having to be forced to hang
on to even those little plastic things that avocados
come in so they can reuse it to scrub pots and
pans. Because during the depression, you have
to use and reuse and recycle everything. Therefore,
there's a lot of fear in letting go because what
if you will need it? Those what ifs are out of
fear. I've had clients say, I need to have a
lot and I'm talking a lot of tea and coffee because
if the whole world comes to an end, I need my
tea and coffee. There's a lot of fear behind
holding on to things also. So there's, you know,
the fact that your identity is tied up into things
and then there's the fear of what if. So that's
really where that part came from. And then the
decluttering our home and our business just falls
under that. What is getting in the way of where
we want our house to look at aesthetically? Are
we spending a lot of times looking for our car
keys or right now because we had a renovation
done, we can't find a remote to our TV. You know,
how much time, in our case we had this time,
we have a good excuse for not being able to find
our remote because our whole entire house was
out on our patio until the renovation. And then
it was on the other side of the house until the
other half of the house was renovated. So we
can't find the remote, but a lot of times it's
normal life. You know, your kids can't find their
shoes in the morning before school and you can't
find your car keys because you misplaced them.
Having a place for everything has a way of helping
us find the things that get lost very easily.
It's kind of like a toothbrush. What do we do?
We don't typically lose our toothbrush, right?
Because it always has a place. And it's always
an arm length, right? You brush your teeth unless
you put it on the other side of the bathroom.
But usually it's right there by the sink. You
brush your teeth and you put it back. Or you
might, you know, some may leave it right there
on the countertop, but at least it's there. You
can find it. Well, it's the same concept. You
know, having a place for your keys so you can
find them every morning. What would achieving
a sense of organized bliss mean to you personally
or professionally? Well, I have some ADHD. Everything.
You don't typically procrastinate because you
will forget. Always writing things down so you
won't forget. Always and sometimes as someone
with ADHD, there's time blindness. Time can go
by really, really fast and then cause you to
be late to something that you need to be on time
with as well. So always scheduling and a little
buffer time between appointments so that you
can make it to your appointments on time. So
for me, organization had to be intentional. I
was a teacher. So no one wants to go into a classroom
and meet the teacher and the teacher can't even
be on time or on task. Right. So to be professional,
everything has to be organized and intentional.
You know, there might be some careers and some
businesses that You don't have to be as intentional
on, but there are others where professionalism
is everything. And when you have ADHD, it's even
more important because it's not that you're not
intelligent. It's just that you're mine. Here's
what happens with ADHD. This is what I would
love. people to understand. They say ADHD is
not being able to focus, but it really isn't
that. What it is, it's as if someone's speaking
to you in English. Let's say, you know, three
languages. Okay. You know them, right? You know,
three languages. So it's not that you're not
smart. You know, three languages, but if three
people are talking to you in those different
languages. One person's talking to you in English,
one's talking to you in Spanish, and one is talking
to you in French at the same time. And you're
trying to pay attention to all three of them.
Even though you know all three languages, that's
what ADHD is like. Your mind is paying attention
to everything around you at the same time. And
that's why it becomes hard. So it's kind of a,
you know, it's the opposite of what most people
think. And another thing, being a Christian,
no, you don't have to receive that. You don't
have to receive that. I didn't know I had ADHD
most of my life. You don't know these things
until they're diagnosed. So sometimes when You
are going through ADHD and you finally get a
diagnosis. You're like, oh, now I get it. Now
I can fix it. Now I can do something about it.
I can write things down. I can be more organized.
I can do things that will help me stay on track.
And that is really the thing about ADHD where
everybody in the Christian community think, oh,
well, let's, let's lay hands on you and heal
it or don't confess it. Don't say it out loud.
You know, I like people to know I have some ADHD
so that they understand when I'm in the middle
of a sentence and I forget what I'm saying, which
a lot of people do do that. But I can be in front
of 200 people and then be in the middle of a
sentence and forget what I'm saying. And that's
kind of embarrassing. So as you can tell, don't
usually have a problem talking. So if I forget
what I'm saying, then I have to explain. Sorry.
A little bit of an ADHD moment, but everybody
wants to. pray over it or you're going to own
it. I think knowing that your ADHD just is such
a relief because you've wondered your whole life
why your thought processes were not like everybody
else's. And I'm not going to use the word normal
and abnormal because That's not it. You just
spend your whole life wondering why your thought
processes aren't like everybody else's. And you
finally get a diagnosis that can be fixed with
organization can also be a superpower. Let's
say you find something that like professional
organizing that you're passionate about. I can
stay focused on that career forever. It's kind
of like that saying when. doesn't seem like work,
but you get paid to do something that you really,
really enjoy. It's not like work at all. Would
you be able to offer some tips or tricks to someone
with ADHD to declutter? What I do with clients
that have ADHD is I tell them, let's not overthink
it. Let's start with the things that you already
know you're ready to get rid of. The things that
you're bored with, the things that you already
know you're ready to get rid of. Start small.
When it came to my kids, the way I taught them
to clean their rooms was kind of the same way
I handled decluttering with clients. First, let's
start with the smallest thing. Let's declutter
anything here that is trash, like a clothes pin.
It's like, you kept this just in case. Do you
really need it? We can throw the clothes pin
away. You're probably never going to use it,
especially since it's been in this drawer broken
and all you had to do is put it back together.
And you never did that. It sat in the drawer.
Start small. Always start small. And sometimes
with ADHD, It depends on how severe ADHD is.
In my case, I can start with a bathroom drawer,
but some people have to start before the bathroom
drawer. They have to start with first on my list
is get up and put my shoes on. Second, I've got
to get dressed. Third, what will I need before
I declutter that drawer? A trash bag. or a donation
box. It just depends on how severe the ADHD is
or where their tasks start. And it can be easy
as, as simple as, okay, let's start with getting
a trash bag. You know, it just depends on the
person, but we start with the easy stuff first,
the stuff that you're not attached to. You never
start with sentimental items. And we just start
small. And then what we do is we figure out what
we want that space to look like. And will all
my makeup fit in that drawer now? We decluttered,
but the makeup still doesn't fit. I still can't
shut the drawer. Well, that means we need to
get rid of just enough so that the drawer closes
or the drawer looks the way you envisioned it.
to look like. Some people have to see all their
items. So what looks organized to one person
may not be to someone with ADHD. Some may be
able to put it in a bin and not see it and label
the bin. Some may have to put it in a clear bin
so that they can still see it, not forget it's
there. So those are, those are a lot of tips.
Some tips that I use to keep myself on task.
If I put something on and I see that it's torn,
that will go into the trash. But if it's something
that just simply doesn't fit me right, or I know
I'm not going to ever wear it again, it might
go right into the donation bin or having a bin
next to your bed. If that's where you tend to
take your shoes off every day, you put your shoes
in a bin under your bed and slide it under your
bed. Or here's another thing that is misunderstood.
Organization doesn't mean your house is magazine
clean all the time and in order all the time.
What organization does is it gives a place for
every single item that you have. so that it's
not overflowing and you can close the drawers.
You have room for everything. So when it is time
for company or family or holiday, you're able
to be like, oh, it'll just take me 15 minutes
to clean up because everything has a place to
go. It doesn't mean your house is in order all
the time, especially if you have kids. But where
do the toys go? Is there a bin in the living
room because your kids tend to play with their
toys in the living room? You can buy a bin with
a lid and right before if someone says, hey,
I'll be there in 15 minutes and they didn't tell
you ahead of time and you only have 15 minutes,
get a laundry basket and pick up everything,
put it in a laundry basket. When your guest leaves,
put things away from the laundry basket. just
one item at a time. But visually, you have a
clean space already. Now all you have to do is
just put it away. So I have ADHD. The difference
between ADHD clean and non ADHD clean. Can you
explain the difference between the two? Let's
see. ADHD clean is when someone and I think this
is where you're headed is where you think, okay.
He says, well, I think I need to take a shower
and wake up before I can go work out. And then
they think. Yeah, but if I go work out, I'm still
going to need another shower and I need workout
clothes. It just goes from one thought to another.
Before you know it, you're exhausted and you
don't go work out because you had to do all these
other tasks where another person would just get
up, put their work up clothes and go work out.
But you've got all these tasks that you have
to complete before you can even go work out and
you're distracted by all the things that you
have to get done before you can, you know. But
what is your take on the same question that you
just asked? So my ADHD clean, it's not going
to be as clean as someone who doesn't have it.
So my organization is. I like to call it controlled
chaos. So it's like, it's in one corner of the
room, but this one corner of the room is a mess.
The rest of the room is completely clean, but
this one corner. Yeah. I had a client. Now she
tends to throw all of her clothes on the floor
in the closet instead of hanging them up. So
I told her, I said, you know what? I can't fix
this habit that you already have unless you work
hard at it and you have to want to fix that and
you can fix it. But here's one change. Put a
laundry basket, cause those can be tall and big
and you can fill those up. Just a basket, the
laundry basket that you take it and put it into
the washing machine. You know that one, not the
dirty camper is what I mean. Instead of. putting
them on the floor, put them in a laundry basket.
When that laundry basket is full, that's one
load of laundry. That way you can pile all you
want, but instead of being on the floor, it's
in a basket. This is what that does. One, it
gives you a signal, the basket is full, that's
one load of laundry. It also keeps you from having
to say, I've got to go do laundry. I have to
pick all of this stuff up and put it in a basket
first before I can even put it in the washing
machine. But this way, if you have a laundry
basket, it's already in the basket. You don't
have to pick up the clothes. You just pick up
the basket and put it in the washing machine.
That is very helpful for people with ADHD. Same
with doing the dishes. Sometimes there's a signal
that we've filled up the sink with dirty dishes
and now we have to take those dishes out of the
sink to fill it with clean soapy water and then
wash the dishes. But if you have a bin on the
countertop, you put all the dirty dishes in the
bin, you don't get all that grime from the dishes
on your countertops. It's in a bin. Then the
sink is empty and you fill it up with soapy water.
Little tweaks that signal your brain and go,
okay, the bin is full of dishes. My sinks not
full of dishes. So I don't have to do the work
before the work. Anything that keeps you from
doing the work before the work makes it easier.
All right, we have about five minutes left. Is
there any last minute? Which what would you like
to say? First of all, I want to say thank you
Austin for having me on it has been a pleasure
meeting you and talking to you and You can find
me on Facebook you can find me on YouTube and
on Spotify and all of those podcasts that Spotify
uses for the podcast and it's Fullerton's professional
organizing. I think that's about it. I think
that's all I have. Awesome. Well, thank you for
coming on the show to do an episode with me and
make sure to check out my episode with her. If
you enjoyed today's podcast, please like, subscribe
and share. For someone else who has ADHD and
who could use some of these tips, until next
time, keep seeking those fresh perspectives and
keep having those unfiltered conversations to
better understand the world around us.