Meet Joanna
Me - a professional organizer?
Passionate space maker might be a more accurate term. For me this work is more about soul than straight lines. It's about making spaces that support your priorities and who you are.
One could say that I started organizing when I was four years old. I spent hours building farms out of blocks, carefully placing the little plastic trees and horses, cows, chickens and ducks.
Growing up, I rearranged my bedroom every few months, and friends were always getting me to help them with their spaces. During and after college, each relocation meant discovering a new funky place and seeing what kind of magic could be done on a shoestring budget.
When I became a daycare teacher and director, the classrooms got the same treatment. Sometimes I'd even end a days work contentedly straightening up a room or two in the doll houses. After my master's in social work, my therapy office became the new 'canvas'. I loved hearing clients say, "Ahhhhhhhh- I feel better just sitting in here ."
In 1996, I turned my education, life experiences, and my space-making hobby into a business - Breathing Space: Home and Office Organizing. Hurrah! Twelve years later, it continues to be
the ideal mix.
I don't think any degree of disorganization freaks me out, no matter how frustrated the person who has called me is feeling. I know that together we will be able to figure it out.
There's a huge range of reasons why different individuals struggle with clutter. As I see it, my job is to acknowledge the reality and then help work out specific ways to make the physical environment more supportive.
I keep my feelers out for new concepts and solutions. Feng shui often provides a valuable perspective and recently Judith Kolberg's work on ADD Friendly Organizing was extremely helpful.
Joanna - You are ALWAYS gentle, and sometimes even appropriately gentler. That fact has never lessened the necessity of what we're doing nor the reasons for having to do it... Working with you, I have always "come out" the other side not only intact, but feeling better (actually experiencing that change IS possible & occurring, thus increasing my self esteem & confidence). O.S.
I'd like to help YOU discover more time and energy to do what matters most to you. In my opinion that's what organizing's all about!
Joanna Rueter, MSW
Member, National Association of Professional Organizers
P.S. You're invited to visit my photo gallery just for the fun of it. Other joys in my life - family, friends, gardening, travel, reading, and the outdoors.