This week on Sunbound Asks we sat down with Amy Bradbury, lead professional organizer at Sacred Space Organizing, located in St. Louis, Missouri and servicing St. Louis and the surrounding areas. We had an amazing time welcoming Amy to the blog, talking about everything from how seeing her own parents move helped her get in to professional organizing, to the ways she likes to keep her own home and life organized. To learn more about Amy and Sacred Space Organizing, read our conversation below or check out their website here.  

Q: How long have you been a professional organizer?

A: I have been a professional organizer since January of 2021. 

Q: How’d you get into professional organizing?

A: During the pandemic I was in the event industry and unfortunately went from 40 hours a week to 12. During this time my parents, who are in their 50s-60’s, moved and I helped them. I realized after I helped them with multiple (emphasis on multiple) trips that they just had way too much stuff, and a lot of things didn’t really have that much value behind them (not even sentimental value). I started to realize that it was really a thing that people can have too much stuff and that it can be overwhelming. Another example was my husband’s mother who is in her 60’s and has always had way too many things in her house to the point where she sometimes wasn’t able to properly move around. And she would always say “when I’m gone, you guys can deal with this stuff.” Well I had no idea what that meant, and so I felt led to become a professional organizer so that I could help my parents, and my grandparents, with all the stuff that they had stored up over the years. Seeing all this I felt like whether I liked it or not it was going to become my responsibility, so I might as well learn to help. 

Q: What’s your favorite type of project to work on?

A: I definitely enjoy working on a kitchen, especially a pantry. One thing that’s always interesting is that with all the diets and all the ways of life people have these days, from gluten-free to soy-free, you’re always finding families that have different eating styles. I like to come in and help someone be able to gather the things that they can have to eat, and to sort them and to organize them and to make them look nice and appealing, and also easy to get to. When everyone knows whose space is whose, it makes everything more functional. And it’s amazing to be able to help people organize their kitchens, as it can really bring peace of mind being able to organize something so important to your health.  

Q: What’s your favorite memory as a professional organizer?

A: There isn’t one memory. There are memories with all my different clients. But overall my favorite memories are being able to stand back and see the finished products. Whenever we can take something from a disaster to beautiful, I really love that. One memory that stands out was when we were working for a client where a whole bunch of us teamed up at one time and within a 3 day period had tackled a quarter of a basement which had started with no shelving at all. We were able to get in, get shelving, get containers, get everything so nice and labeled and organized. The end result was so visually appealing. Being able to stand back and see the finished product always makes for a really amazing memory.

Q: What’s your most unconventional professional organizing tip or trick?

A: The first thing that comes to mind is to organize the food in the pantry per sensitivity or use. For example, keep the gluten-free food in one location, the soy-free food in another location and so forth. It doesn’t always make sense to go by sensitivities though, and sometimes it can make more sense to use some like a name (such as “Mom’s food” and “Tommy’s food”). Sometimes we’ll go into homes and the child will have health issues and the parent is struggling to figure out a way for them to only take the foods that are appropriate for them. Categorizing the foods specifically for the person allows them to go straight for what is theirs, and they don’t have to think about it. This is nonconventional, but it really works to keep people to their appropriate foods (I even do it in my own household!).

Q: What professional organizing practice do you use most in your own life?

A: Being intentional with putting things away. When it comes to non-organization, a lot of it comes down to delayed decisions that haven’t been made. I try to be mindful that if I see something that’s out of place, that I really think about why it’s out of place. I’ll look at it and touch it again, and make sure that I find the best place for where it needs to go. Making sure things find the right home is key to keeping them organized.

Q: What’s your favorite new professional organizing trend?

A: I would say virtual organizing. We actually have a service we provide where clients can call or facetime and we work with them. They could be in another state or in town, and we can walk them through the process. I’ve really enjoyed doing virtual organizing myself and find it very useful.

Q: What’s one thing you wish more people knew about professional organizing?

A: I wish people would see how the end result will make them feel. When people go into it there’s like a paralysis sometimes, and it’s hard for people to believe that the end result is really going to be worth it, but it always is. Being organized is so important, and having the peace of mind that comes from a clean and a de-cluttered space is so important for mental health and overall wellbeing. There’s a lot of good reasons to be organized.

Q: If you weren’t a professional organizer, what else would you be doing?

A: Counseling. I kind of feel like I’m a counselor already! I love helping people get through a situation that they’re stuck with. Helping them bypass that and understand that where they are is ok, and helping them get through that, is always somethingI’ve really loved. I think it’s something I also bring to professional organizing.

Q: What professional organizing resources would you suggest for our readers?

A: I’m a big fan of JoshBecker and Becoming Minimalist. Everything he does is just so simplified, and I think that’s what organization should be all about. It should be all about simplicity. AlsoMarie Kondo is a great resource, everything she does is very helpful. We base a lot of what we do on her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, soI would definitely also suggest looking into her methods as well. 

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