I have to say, creating this podcast has been such an unexpected adventure.

When I emailed you all in July asking if you would listen, I didn’t expect that simple question to send me on a 3+ month journey of creating a podcast this summer. And yet, I’m so glad it did!

I wanted to invite you into real organizing sessions so you could see what actually happens when we look beyond the clutter.

Not the perfectly polished before-and-afters. Not the quick fixes or organizing hacks.

I wanted to explore the real conversations. The emotions. The resilience. The unexpected discoveries. And those little moments when something finally clicks.

And wow, did our guests deliver!

We’ve explored offices, garages, refrigerators, storage spaces, and so much more. But what we’ve actually been exploring is what it means to make space for ourselves, our relationships, and the lives we want to live.

I’m grateful to every guest who trusted us with their story, and to every one of you who has been listening along.

And if you’ve been waiting for the whole season to be available so you can binge it, your moment has arrived!

All of season 1 is ready for you. Listen from the beginning, jump around on the topics that speak to you, or bring me along while you tackle an organizing project of your own.

If you’ve been listening, I would love to hear from you!

Was there a moment that really stuck with you? An episode that made you feel seen? Something you learned that changed the way you think about your own clutter?

Hit reply and tell me! I would love to know what resonated with you, and your feedback will help me shape Season 2.

And speaking of Season 2…want to be a part of it?

I’m looking for people who would be willing to invite me (and our listeners) into their organizing journey for season 2.

You don’t need to have the messiest house, the biggest project, or even know where to start.

You just need to have a space you’re struggling with, a willingness to explore what’s getting in your way, and an openness to sharing your experience with others who might be going through something similar.

And one last little favor…

If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, I would be so grateful if you would leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps other people discover these conversations and supports the continued growth of the show.

Icons for Apple Podcasts, Spottify, YouTube (with links to my podcast on each platform…just like we did with the launch)

Thank you so much for being a part of this adventure. I can’t wait to see what we make space for next!

The post That’s a wrap! Celebrating Season 1 of What Are You Making Space For? appeared first on Star Hansen.

That’s exactly what we’re exploring in this week’s episode of What Are You Making Space For? And I can’t think of a better wrap-up for Season 1!

On this week’s podcast, we meet Chelsey & Eric.

Chelsey has ADHD, strong emotional attachments to her belongings, and a family home filled with generations of memories. Eric is a bit more comfortable letting things go and would love nothing more than to come home to a peaceful, organized space.

And somewhere in the middle of all that is their home office, which has slowly become what they lovingly call their Room of Doom.

How do two people with different needs, different ways of thinking, and different relationships with their belongings create a home that works for BOTH of them?

Together, we explore ADHD, anxiety, sentimental attachments, and some practical strategies for tackling whole-home clutter.

But what I love the most is where the conversation takes us when we start talking about what home really means.

Thank you so much for being a part of this first season. It’s been an incredible experience, and I’m excited to share more about it with you next week.

The post When Clutter Styles Collide: How to Get Organized When You and Your Partner Are Different appeared first on Star Hansen.

Last week, I asked you a question…

What percentage of your stuff would you have to let go of before you would feel good in your space? 

A lot of you answered…thank you so much for taking the time to reach out and share.   

Some of you named percentages, some of you wrote me paragraphs…and a few of you even told me you haven’t been able to sleep in your own bed in years.  

The percentages were all over the place. From 0% all the way up to 98%. But the most common answer, by far, was 

50%

The post What % Would You Have To Let Go Of Before You Would Feel Good In Your Space? appeared first on Star Hansen.

Where do you go to catch your breath?

And the shame ends up taking more energy than the actual action would have.

The post Building A Village: You’re Allowed To Need Support Sometimes appeared first on Star Hansen.

By the time someone calls me, they’ve usually been doing a “clutter marathon” for a long time…decades even.

Running a marathon for decades is a long time (clutter or otherwise).

Focusing on clutter for that long can be stressful, emotional, confusing, and overwhelming. And many people have been running this “marathon” completely on their own for years before they ever ask for support.

So, when someone invites me into their life to help with their clutter, I’m always aware of that. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to help. But I also know I’m not standing at the starting line with them.

They’re already miles into the race.

And even though I know I can’t run that marathon for you, what I can do is support you along the course.

Sometimes that looks like being an aid station…offering encouragement, perspective, and a little bit of relief when the journey feels overwhelming.

Sometimes it’s more like coaching or training. I can help you adjust your stride, rethink your approach, or see patterns that are slowing you down.

Sometimes I jump in beside you for a stretch of the run, helping you move through a difficult part of your home or project that feels impossible to face alone.

But it’s always your race.

And the reason this journey can feel so intense is that clutter is rarely about stuff.

For many people, organizing is a personal evolution. It’s learning how to make decisions, trust yourself, release old stories, and build a life that reflects who you’re becoming.

That kind of transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It happens one step at a time.

So, if you’ve been feeling discouraged about your clutter, or wondering why it’s taking so long to “figure it out,” I want you to remember something important…

You’ve been running this marathon for a long time.

And if you’re still showing up, still trying, and still taking even the smallest step forward…that says a lot about your strength.

No one runs a marathon without support along the course.

And you don’t have to run this one alone either.

The post Clutter Is A Marathon And You Don’t Have To Run It Alone appeared first on Star Hansen.

Why am I talking about organizing when the world feels like it’s on fire?

There’s war, violence, unrest…and it’s in our faces, all the time. It feels strange to talk about closets and clarity when so much feels unstable right now.

What I keep noticing with my clients, as well as myself, is that we’re not just tired and overwhelmed. We’re flooded.

This world has always had chaos. There has always been suffering.

The difference now is access. We don’t just hear about things later. We see them instantly. Repeatedly. And in great detail.

We weren’t designed to process global trauma on a loop.

When we’re exposed to this much intensity nonstop, our nervous system doesn’t just “feel stressed,” it shifts into survival mode.

That alarm center of the brain lights up. Stress hormones increase. And the part of your brain that is responsible for logic, language, and long-term thinking goes offline.

That’s why you might feel scattered or frozen, and not be able to explain why. Why it’s hard to think clearly. Why decisions feel heavier than they “should.” And why so many of us are compulsively scrolling, even when we know it’s not helping.

It’s not weakness or laziness, it’s survival.

When the body senses danger (even digital danger), it prioritizes survival over strategy. And from that state, you can’t “logic” your way back to feeling calm or grounded.

And at the same time, life keeps moving. There are emails to answer. People to care for. Groceries to buy. Work to show up for.

The tension between staying informed and being functional is incredibly tight right now.

You care. Of course, you care. But caring and constantly consuming are not the same thing.

When I teach people how to organize, the first step isn’t buying boxes or throwing things away. It’s setting an intention for your space.

Because if you don’t decide what you’re creating, the clutter will decide for you.

You’ll move things around, react to piles, and feel busy…but you won’t feel clear. And your organizing systems may even feel a bit chaotic.

And right now, the world’s chaos is having the same impact. If we don’t pause and choose how we want to show up, the noise chooses for us.

So, instead of trying to think your way out of overwhelm, come back into connection with your body.

In the trauma-informed world, we call this “bottom-up processing.” It just means body first.

When the mind feels noisy, the body is the doorway back to steadiness.

Before you reach for your phone, turn on the news, or “make a plan”…

Pause. Because when we’re dysregulated, chaos directs us. And if we let the chaos lead, we get more chaos.

I’m not suggesting you ignore what’s happening. I’m asking you to regulate yourself before you engage.

That might look like:

Going for a slow walk and notice colors, light, and sounds
👉Taking three deep breaths
👉Sleeping with your phone outside of your bedroom
👉Shaking out your body
👉Standing barefoot on the grass
👉Eating something sour to snap yourself back into the present
👉Taking a “screen-free” hour

Regulating yourself isn’t avoidance. It’s how you stay capable.

You cannot make grounded decisions about a chaotic world from a nervous system that feels under attack or is stuck in survival mode.

Take one small, intentional step at a time. Fill up, and then engage with the world. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Regulating yourself is the best first step in making a positive impact in your life and this world.

The post How To Stay Grounded When The World Feels Chaotic appeared first on Star Hansen.

As we walked into the room, they felt overwhelmed almost immediately. There was a lot to do, the energy felt heavy, and about 20 minutes in they said: 

“Maybe this is too much. Maybe we should switch to an easier project.”

They were feeling overwhelmed and getting ready to abandon the bedroom project altogether.

So, I asked them to pause.

Not because they needed to push harder or do more. But because the bedroom is one of the most important spaces in the house to approach gently.

The bedroom is where we sleep. Where we let our guard down. Where our nervous system is supposed to feel safe enough to rest.  

And because of that, it can be a surprisingly charged space… 

There can be relationship energy activated here. Or body image issues connected to our clothing may arise. We can experience sleep struggles.  

And often, we’re reading, scrolling, unwinding, or overstimulating ourselves without realizing it.  

So, when people tell me they want to “organize their bedroom,” I often slow them down. 

Because sometimes the goal of organizing isn’t to do a full, deep, color-coded overhaul.  Sometimes the goal is much simpler. 

Sometimes the goal is to protect your peace.

Right now, the world is loud. It’s heavy, fast, and overwhelming.  Many people are carrying way more than they realize, and it shows up most clearly at night.

If your bedroom doesn’t feel peaceful, you don’t need to “Marie Kondo” the entire space.

You just might need to remove one thing. 

Something that doesn’t feel right. One thing that disturbs your sleep. Or something that pulls your focus in a direction you don’t want it to go. 

That could look like: 

• Removing a book you’re not reading from your nightstand 

• Clearing the top of your dresser so your eyes can rest 

• Moving your charging cord to the bathroom so you aren’t tempted to scroll at night 

• Unfollowing someone online who activates comparison or stress in you 

• Unsubscribing from an email that hijacks your nervous system 

• Letting go of something, physical or digital, that no longer belongs in this season of your life 

This counts as organizing. 

This counts as self-care.

Protecting your peace isn’t indulgent. It’s essential.

It’s self-regulation.  Its boundaries. And it’s choosing what (and who) gets access to you.

So today, take one small step.

Ask yourself: 

What’s one thing I can remove to protect my peace?  

That’s it. That’s the work.

The post Protecting Your Peace In The Bedroom appeared first on Star Hansen.

I’m not just an organizing specialist. I’m a chaos specialist. 🌪️

And the chaos I see in homes mirrors the chaos we’re living in now.

We’re living in a moment where it’s incredibly easy to get flooded.

Being flooded is a state where you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically tapped out.

Your system is overwhelmed and can’t process one more input, so it freezes.

You might feel overwhelmed, scattered, helpless, or numb. Not because there’s something wrong with you, but because there’s simply too much coming at you.

We’ve never lived through a time like this. We have constant access to news, crises, heartbreak, and suffering from all over the world.

And that’s on top of working, parenting, caregiving, managing our health, maintaining relationships, and trying to stay afloat in our own lives.

That’s a lot for anyone to hold.

There’s a very narrow tipping point between being functional and being flooded.

On one side, we’re grounded enough to take action, make decisions, and move forward. On the other side, we’re overwhelmed, frozen, and convinced that nothing we do will ever be enough.

Right now, many people are living on the flooded side of the line…while simultaneously judging themselves for not doing more.

That combination is exhausting. But it’s not impossible to escape from.

Please know this…you do not need to solve every problem in the world today.

But what you do need to do is reclaim your attention.

Your focus is one of the most valuable resources you have. And everything around you right now is competing for it. Social media, news outlets, algorithms, streaming platforms…they’re all designed to keep your attention locked outside of yourself.

When your focus is scattered everywhere, you don’t have access to your full power.

Crossing back over the tipping point doesn’t require you to fix everything. It requires coming back into the present moment.

The present moment is where your power and agency live. It’s where clarity comes from. It’s where action becomes possible again.

For me, getting present often looks like taking a walk in nature. Not an exercise walk, but one where I look around and notice birds, trees, and sunlight.

For someone else, it might be a run. Or taking a deep breath and feeling your feet on the floor. Or singing your favorite song at the top of your lungs in the shower. Or putting your phone down and naming five colors you see in your room.

There is no “right” way.

You don’t need to be present all day. You don’t need to meditate for an hour. You don’t need to be perfect.

One minute counts. Five minutes count. Doing it imperfectly counts.

Because when you come back into the present moment (even briefly), you cross back over that tipping point. You move out of survival and back into choice.

And from there, you can take the next right step. Not all the steps…just the next one.

That’s how we regain our footing from chaos.

That’s how we protect our energy. And that’s how we’re able to care for ourselves (and the world), without burning ourselves out.

You don’t need more information. You need more presence.

And you’re allowed to start small.

The post How To Reclaim Your Focus In A Chaotic World appeared first on Star Hansen.

The post Don’t Let Those Returns Steal Your Joy (or Your Money) appeared first on Star Hansen.

Every December, for as long as I can remember, I do a little ritual. ❄️ 

If you want to do this process together, come join us in the Chaos to Calm Organizing Community tonight! We’re doing a special Year-End Reflection Class, where we’ll release what’s no longer serving us and prepare to step into the new year with clarity and ease. 

The post Year-End Decluttering Ritual: How to Start the New Year Clear and Focused appeared first on Star Hansen.