Meet Trailblazer Jennifer Phelps

I provide side-by-side services to help my clients realize their own amazingness, toss off all the ridiculously “important” things that we hold on to that, really, make us super miserable. I speak about the emotional and practical elements of taking control of one’s space, MC events, write articles and my blog, as well as appearing on TV once a month on KGUN9 (ABC affiliate) Tucson Morning Blend’s “in-house organizing expert” for over six years. Now, I just love helping people shine a light into the dark corners of their life (literally) and showing them it’s really not that scary after all.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Challenges come in all shapes and sizes. Certainly, many come from external sources – the economy, the limitation of your market, the quality of your competition and such. But I think the biggest challenges are internal. No matter how skilled or gifted we are in a certain arena, it’s the internal voice of doubt that holds us back. That is definitely true for me. I try to use the awareness of that in my work with clients because, deeply, we all have some kind of self-limiting conversation just chattering away and muting the more confident, curious and encouraging voices trying to win our attention. Understanding that struggle in myself, I meet with clients without pre-judgment. Whether my client is a powerhouse in the community or not, I know there’s a nasty gremlin in there holding them back from being their best selves. My job is to dig it out, literally and figuratively, so we can see it for what it is and toss it out with the clutter. For me, this is a life-long exercise of personal reinvention that keeps me growing as a person and as a professional.

In my business, I’ve faced all of the usual obstacles. Each time some facet of my business becomes burdensome, it may be because I’ve grown out of it. So, I adjust my services menu or rebrand or reposition myself. Professional organizers have been misperceived as, maybe, judgmental Mary Poppins types, who try to impose some sort of perfection on their clients. Since I choose to embrace the messiness, as well as my bigger personality, it’s been an adventure to embrace my nature and make it my brand. If one’s brand doesn’t fit you comfortably, then we can be out of alignment with ourselves in our business. That’s why I’ve distinguished myself from the sea of organizers out there. I organize, coach, speak and write in a very public way, and it’s working for me.

My motto is “reinvent your space, reinvent yourself,” because that’s how we overcome obstacles, by becoming more of who we really are.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Professional women and entrepreneurs hire me to reinvent their spaces! The live or work in clutter, chaos or just soul-sucking blech. They’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. I help them dig themselves out, find that lost time, lost money and, in the process, find themselves. We create a magnet for wealth and happiness in a space of calm, sanity and success. Thinking about my process, I see that it’s based on something like a three-legged stool. First is the concept of Reinvent Your Space, Reinvent Your Self.” The act of reinvention is both an internal and external process, so by helping a person go through their “stuff” they can exercise the muscle of choosing what serves and supports them while kicking the junk out of their lives. I know this from my own life and embrace it with my clients! Second is the idea that Life Is Messy. Let’s face it, no matter how perfect our space is, Life will dump a messy pile on our doorstep pretty frequently. For me, the goal isn’t to be perfect but to be happy, and that means clearing the junk and giving things a place so that your space really works. So, when life gets messy, rather than being buried under the piles, it takes much less time, effort and stress to get back on track and back to calm and ease. Third is my 4 Tier Signature Process that I use with my clients, looking at Your Story, Your Stuff, Your Space and Your Vision. Your Story is how you got where you are, the lifetime of experiences around stuff and money, for example, major transitions both happy and challenging, the gremlins in our hearts and minds. It sets the context for everything we do and are today. I tell my clients that their stuff tells their story and ask what story their stuff is telling them. We can edit or rewrite our own story by owning it and then taking control of it. Your Stuff is the obvious part, where we really look at everything and determine how it affects you and your story. This is where the tangible editing and reinvention happens. If your space is full of who you used to be, there is literally no room for who you are becoming. So, we make room for your awesomeness! Next is Your Space and whether it feels good to you, regarding both efficiency and aesthetics. This is especially important for the person who has a home office. We cripple our business when our space is cluttered, chaotic or just blechy. So, we change it to reflect your best self. All four of these Tiers need to be executed with your Big Picture in mind, so we always keep in mind Your Vision. You may have inevitable changes on your horizon, like a move, downsizing, moving in with someone or making room for baby. Or you may have dreams and goals that current stressful and cluttered space can’t support. Your home or workspace should be an encouraging partner in everything you want to do. We learn how to dump toxic people from our lives, so we can also learn to dump what’s toxic in our space!

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Finding a mentor, a person who is more experienced or more successful, farther along in their career or who embodies what you want to be as a professional or as an influencer in your community, will give you living, breathing proof that you, too, can do bigger and better things. Sometimes, we think our struggles in business and life are unique to us, but a mentor can offer a broader perspective because they’ve been where you are at some point. If you find a person whose professionalism and integrity impress you and who is generous enough to let you tag along, you have hit the jackpot. Some of my dearest friends are mentors to me!

When it comes to coaches, it can be hard to choose to make the investment in yourself and your business. The fact that these days you can barely turn around without tripping over someone calling themselves a coach has made me cautious and, quite honestly, a bit jaded. Having said that, I feel every business person would benefit from working with a coach for a while. We might be a rock star but, still, we don’t know what we don’t know, right? Choosing the right coach for you is the challenge. I’ve been fortunate to have found coaches who not only “get” what I’m doing now, but they see what I can become, even more clearly than I can. My coaches have reflected me and my business back to me in a way that’s fresh and exciting and inspiring. While I have a vision of where I want to end up, a good coach will show you the path. If you’re smart, you’ll let yourself be dumb and follow their lead.