Reginald D: Welcome to Real Talk with Reginald D. I'm your host, Reginald D.

On today's episode, I have Melinda Grace.

Melinda is a professional home organizer.

Melinda helps you restore your inspiration, renew your mindset, and reclaim your space with Grace.

Welcome to the show, Melinda.

Melinda: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Reginald D: Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. So, Melinda, let's start like this. Can you tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what your childhood was like?

Melinda: Yeah. So I'm a Texas girl and I'm from Houston.

So go Texans. Even though they're not in the playoffs anymore.

Yeah. So I grew up in a rather large home because the homes are pretty big in Texas with a lot of stuff. My parents love to give us toys and all that stuff.

Stuff. And they had a lot of stuff.

Yeah. So. And then I grew up being in the church and, like, loving God and came to be a believer at an early age.

And also my parents love to travel with us. So we had like the 1980s van, and we drove across America. Anywhere we could go. We did.

And I loved that. And I really think that helped shape me today.

Trying to think what else would be interesting. Yeah, you know, I had the normal childhood, played a lot, had friends, went to college,

got the acting bug pretty early, and then that led me to New York and a whole nother adventure.

So, yes,

that's my childhood.

Reginald D: Okay, so Houston. My brother in law, my sister lives in Houston. Oh, yes, Humble.

Melinda: Yes. Yes. I'm in spring, which is about 30, 40 minutes away from humble.

Reginald D: Yeah, yeah.

Melinda: And they always go back and forth, is it humble or humble? Like, every few years there's a new article, and they're like, it's this way.

Reginald D: Yeah, exactly. Because first time I went there, I was saying humble, and they were like, no, humble. I said that. That makes sense. It's not spelled like that.

Melinda: Yes, exactly.

Reginald D: But I love it out there. I really love it out there.

Melinda: Yeah, me too. I spent this last Christmas at home for a month, and it was so nice to be there. It's just. It's just a different energy, different vibe.

Reginald D: Yeah. Yeah, it is hot.

Melinda: Yes, it was hot. I brought all my cute Christmas sweaters and I didn't get to wear one of them. Yeah.

Reginald D: So, Melinda, you describe yourself as a lifelong follower of Christ.

Melinda: Yes.

Reginald D: How did your faith shape the way you see clutter home and your calling? Not just as a physical thing, but a spiritual one?

Melinda: Wow. I love this question so much. You know, I've really been on a journey since I Started my organizing business to have God be a part of it because he's the reason I even have this job and, like, what I'm doing.

And how do you combine faith and organizing? It's kind of a newer territory and just, like, really prayerfully so,

Yes, I grew up as a Christian in the church, like I said, with a lot of things.

And I've had this lifelong journey of really wanting a career that I was passionate about, where I could help people and make a difference in the world.

And so I thought that was acting,

but it turns out it's not. But, you know, God doesn't waste anything. He doesn't waste any part of our stories.

And so I really did a deep dive into who I am,

what makes me me,

my value system.

And I just couldn't get away from faith and. And just how much it's played a role in my life and my morals and my values and how I view the world.

And so I knew when I set up my company that I wanted faith to be a part of it. Even when I'm with a client, if I'm not outwardly, like, sharing my faith or praying with them,

you know, I pray before I go into sessions.

I'm very gentle and kind with my clients and honest and everything about my business.

You know, I try to look at it as if I'm serving the Lord when I'm with my clients and when I'm helping them clutter and doing things like that. But also in my personal life and then with my clients, when I'm working with them,

there are shifts happening, like in their spiritual life,

in their everyday life. And so I thought, there's something else going on here. There's something deeper. And I'm a very deep person, you know, being raised and loving Jesus and reading the Word and praying.

Like, I'm always looking for the deeper me meaning and things, because, you know, I always want God to be a part of it. I'm always praying and, like, seeking his advice and wisdom.

And so I just started to take notice, because when I'm working with someone in their home, I'm working very closely with their items, their life, their rhythms. And so you just start talking and you hear things and you overhear them talking to other people or you overhear this, and you just notice,

like, little shifts happening, like the way they're speaking about themselves or to other people.

They get a new job,

they meet somebody,

and it's just like this beautiful thing. And so I went on this journey to write a book to help My clients, because they're paying me per hour, so I don't always have all the time it takes to explain, like, everything that's going on?

And what do you do if you get stuck releasing something? And, like, how does faith play a part in this?

So I went on a deep dive into a book, and one of the scriptures that God laid on my heart, which I see over and over again,

is Hebrews 12:1, which says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.

So, you know, my whole life I've heard that verse, church camps, pastors preach on it.

And I do believe, you know, that it is the higher things letting go of sin and things like that. And then. But then it dawned on me, like, what if it was.

Is physical too? Like, what if it is our physical items? Like, what if our physical items in our space are holding us back from knowing God more, from knowing our purpose, more,

from just experiencing life and all that God has for us? And so that just made me think, wow, I do see that with my clients. I see that in myself and my journey to how I met my husband.

And when I feel blocked with God and I'm physically letting go of stuff, and then I can sit down in peace and, like, hear his voice again.

So.

So, yeah, so I think it's all interconnected, and my faith throughout my life definitely has led me to that belief and talking about it with you here today and.

Reginald D: Yeah,

yeah, absolutely.

So, Melinda, Yes.

You describe yourself as a lifelong follower of Christ.

How did your faith shape the way you see clutter, home and calling? Not just a physical thing, but a spiritual one.

Melinda: Yes. So I grew up in the church and just came to be a believer when I was little. And so my whole life I felt like I've tried to know him and read the Word and pray a lot and just always looking for the deeper meaning in life and wanting life to be live it to the fullest.

And also been on a lifelong journey to find my calling and help people and use my faith, be a part of it, even if it's a small part. Part, but just, you know, wanting to combine all of that.

And I've had this lifelong journey of pursuing acting and then different careers when I realized that's not going to work out because I need money to live.

And so just went on a journey with praying and searching for my calling because I do believe that we all have A calling and a way to serve people and make the world a better place.

And so when that. I got a life coach and just went on a deep journey of, who am I? Who did God make me to be?

What is my.

What is my value system, my moral compass?

What am I good at? What's my personality? You know, we have all these tools today to know, like, our personality and, like, how we can best help people.

Reginald D: And I think that you froze again.

Melinda: Oh, shoot. Ah.

Reginald D: Just. Just keep. Yeah, we'll go. We'll go for it. We'll be good. We got audio. We're good.

Melinda: Okay,

sure.

That's fine.

Yeah. So,

you know, having that deep faith has been a part of my journey to find a career.

And God 100% led me to organizing.

I hit this moment in my life where it was the perfect storm of needing a new career that paid well,

but also wanting to live out my calling and find my calling. So I worked with a life coach, and like I said, we dug into all that stuff and I made a list, a pros and cons list of all the careers I ever wanted to have and why I didn't like them or why they would work or didn't work.

And I landed on professional organizing because it just combined who God made me to be and everything. And so I started it in 2020 during the pandemic, hung up my shingle on Facebook.

I haven't stopped organizing since. And.

But I notice when I'm with my clients that there is something deeper happening, something more going on under the surface. And so I just started to pray like, lord, you know, how can I combine, like, my faith and organizing and help people even on a deeper level?

So I went on this journey to write a book because clients pay me per hour, so I'm not always able to deep dive because there's usually a lot of clutter we need to get through and make decisions about.

And I'm focused on setting up their space with beautiful systems that work for them. And so I started to write this book. And as I wrote the book, God laid this verse on my heart.

Hebrews 12:1.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.

And I love that verse. It's been a part of my life. And there's many Bible studies and pastors talk about it all the time. And when I was thinking about organizing and faith, I thought, oh,

what if every weight Isn't this higher spiritual concept? I mean, it is, but what if it's also physical stuff, the physical weight that is in our homes with clutter? And I just thought the Lord be like, yes, yes, yes.

And,

you know, there's a lot of scientific research, which we can get into, if you want to, about how physical clutter really does physically, mentally impact our lives. And so I was like, wow, what if we can get rid of this physical weight so that we can have a deeper relationship with God and be closer to him?

And so that's kind of how I went where I'm at with combining, like, faith and my journey with faith, with organizing.

Reginald D: Okay,

that's awesome. So let me ask you this, Melinda. Before you became known for helping people bring peace into their homes,

you walked through burnout and anxiety yourself.

Can you kind of take us back to that season of your life and what was happening and what finally made you realize something hadn't changed?

Melinda: Yes.

So at that time, I was living in Los Angeles, and I was pursuing acting 100%, full force, 120%.

Everything I had was going into it. I was writing scripts. I was doing a solo show. I was auditioning for Hulu shows, Netflix shows,

and had an agent and a manager just pounding the pavement doing all the things.

And it was fun until it wasn't.

And I just started to slowly lose my passion, because when you're running that hard,

you know, there wasn't time for God. There wasn't time for praying. I was just like, hustle, hustle, hustle.

And hustle culture is hard, and it can lead to burnout.

And also,

at the time,

I wasn't paying attention to my finances. I was just pouring it all into my solo show and wardrobe and auditions and videotaping this and videotaping that. And.

And so I ran out of money, just, like, completely ran out, and heard that ding on my phone. You have less than a hundred dollars in your checking account, and, oh, my gosh, my stomach just dropped to the floor.

Like, how did I let this happen? How was I so consumed with this passion of mine that I just forgot about being an adult and adulting?

And also,

I was dating this amazing guy, and he's amazing. He's now my husband. But at the time, we were dating, and I knew I loved him.

And so there's also this pressure of, like, oh, my gosh, I don't want to lose this amazing guy because I messed up. Like, hugely messed up.

So I started to go after different jobs, anything that would pay me, and that I had a skill set for again, without really, like,

taking time to pray through it and ask God for help. And so I took all these jobs, and then I didn't like them, so I'd quit and then I would take another job, and then I didn't like it because it wasn't my calling, and I would quit.

And that also leads to burnout. Because finding a job these days with LinkedIn and SEO,

you know, it's not easy. It's like a full time job finding a job. And I was still trying to hustle and do acting and then keep up with this boyfriend.

And I took the wrong job, let's just say,

for an amazing independent film company.

And I took it basically sight unseen, without realizing that they do horror films. And based on who I am, horror films are not my thing. They are not my thing.

And I needed to market them for this company. And I was like, oh, my God, what did I just do? Why did I do that?

And so I was staying up, like all night working on marketing these films that I didn't believe in at all. And it just created this huge disconnect. And I remember it was a Sunday afternoon and I just completely fell apart.

Just tears,

panic attack, had a hard time breathing.

I didn't know what to do.

I just felt so alone and lost and like I had messed up beyond anything.

And so I just remember calling my boyfriend and being like, I'm so sorry. I really love you so much, but need to go home. I need to drive home to Houston and figure out what's going on.

So I left LA and I hopped in my car and I drove home to Houston.

I didn't listen to anything. Nothing on the radio, no music. And it was just. I just prayed. I just remember, like, asking God for forgiveness and praying that he would help me and just lead me.

So I went home and I was there for a month, a month and a half.

Just. I quit that job. I just prayed, I slept, I recover. I went to a church there and, like, got some counseling. And then I came back and kind of restarted,

like, huge reset. So.

So, yes.

Reginald D: Right.

So, Melinda, you often say clutter keeps people stuck.

From both a scientific and spiritual perspective.

Why is clutter so harmful to our mental health? Faith and sense of peace.

Melinda: Yes.

So in general,

the American household has over 300,000 items in it. And that study was done before the pandemic,

before we all got addicted to buying all this stuff on Amazon.

So I'm sure that number is probably higher today.

So in general, we have just a massive amount of things in our home.

And there was a study done in Los Angeles at UCLA with anthropologists,

and they discovered that we are living in the most materially rich society in global history.

Light years more possessions per average family than any other preceding society.

So any society that came before us, like, we have more stuff than them. So this is a new modern problem that we're living in and living with.

And another study I saw, which I found fascinating,

says that the amount of clutter we have can actually raise our cortisol levels.

So your cortisol levels,

you know, regulate your stress and your hormones and different things like that. And so when that's risen because of clutter in your house,

like, that's not good.

Like, no wonder we can't sit down and focus and pray and read the Bible if we surrounded by clutter, because physically our cortisol levels are high and it tends to impact women the most.

So a quote that I wanted to read from that by a guy named Joseph Ferrari, and he says there's a growing body of evidence that clutter can negatively impact mental well being, particularly among women.

Women who have issues.

Clutter have the signature pattern of cortisol that is associated with people who have chronic fatigue, post traumatic stress disorder, and a higher risk of mortality.

So that's crazy, right? Like, that's our physical stuff in our house, like bombarding us with higher cortisol levels that lead to depression, anxiety,

chronic fatigue.

So, yes. So yes, I'm a huge believer that if we can part with the clutter,

clear our spaces,

lower our cortisol levels, you know, then our bodies can regulate and be peaceful and we can reconnect with ourselves, our family and Jesus.

Reginald D: Yes, and that's interesting you said that and you broke it down that way,

because I tell you, I believe my wife is the same way when it comes to clutter, man. She's not.

Nothing can be.

We can't have clutter. Nothing can be actually out of place.

I can literally go in there and like move the coffee pot a half an inch over to the left and walk away. She never saw me do it. And she'll walk right past the kitchen later on and she'll move that thing right back a half inch to the right.

Melinda: Exactly.

That's exactly. She's amazing. She gets it. I love that.

No, that's. And that's what most organizers teach. And what I teach and with working with my clients is that everything has to have a home. So your wife has done an amazing job of making sure that everything that's in your house is there intentionally,

and it has a home. And you probably feel that when you go somewhere else and it's cluttered and then you come home, you are probably like, wow, my home is so peaceful.

Everything has a place,

you know?

Reginald D: Exactly,

exactly. Because I've been to other people's house, and I came home, like, wow, I'm glad I'm home.

It's like, you know, and I think a lot of it, you know,

I noticed this.

I'm pretty sure what happens. Everybody deals with it at some age or level, whatever. But I noticed growing up, it was like, the older people that had all the stuff, grandparents, my aunts had all this clutter in the house.

And it's probably coming from years of living there, you know, when it's all said and done. But I noticed that growing up, a lot of the older people had a bunch of clutter in their homes.

Melinda: Yes, and I've noticed that, too. It's that generation, you know, their parents lived through the Great Depression where they had nothing.

And so. So I think that they experience a deep tribe of trauma that, like, we don't know.

Most of us don't know. I mean, there are people that experience that today, but most of us don't know what that's like.

And so when they were able to have things, they wanted to keep them because they worked really hard for them. They grew up not having a lot of money and experiencing that, and they passed that mentality onto our parents.

And so our parents,

like, my parents, didn't teach me how to declutter or any of that.

And,

yeah, so I think this is like, a new thing with, like, our generation, your generation. And, like, you know, my goal is to pass it down to our other generation.

You know, my generation, I have a baby at home.

And some of that, too, comes from, like, trusting that God's going to take care of your needs and that he's there and he's going to provide for you. And,

you know, there's a whole nother principle of reciprocity that is in there, too, that when we give stuff away, we get it back, you know, even better than we had before.

I love that concept. I also believe that people hold onto things because of trauma,

and if you don't seek the right kind of help to have therapy and recover from that trauma,

it's easy to find consolation in things and in our homes and just letting that build up. I generally don't work with hoarders because it's such a deeper,

deeper More traumatic experience for them. But yeah, I've definitely noticed that everyone has a different threshold for clutter and what that looks like. So,

you know, when I'm with a client, one on one, I try to be sensitive to where they're at as far as, like, the amount of clutter that impacts them and how much it impacts them.

Reginald D: Right.

So, mother, let me ask you this. What is the most common organizing block you see in people and what is it really about beneath the surface? Is it fear, guilt, exhaustion,

or something deeper?

Melinda: Yes.

Reginald D: So.

Melinda: On a deeper level, I see these hang ups a lot. I see hang ups with memories tied to things and not wanting to let go yet a scarcity mindset and a lack of.

Of trust. Those are kind of the hang ups I see when working with clients. And they don't want to let things go. It's normally because there is a.

A deep memory attached to that.

So I have a method and it's based on an acronym for grace. And so I call it release.

So I think the biggest hang up with organizing that people experience is just not being able to release an item and let it go for one of those reasons. And I try to coach my clients as best as I can through that process.

And in my book, I talk a lot about just praying through the process and asking the Lord to help you release those items, but also realizing that, you know, you're not alone.

Like,

everyone has a hard time releasing something at some point in their lives and because of the memories. And so one way that I can deal and help clients with that is to sometimes we'll take a picture of an item.

So then like, they let the item go, but they have a picture of it. And there's actually like an app you can use where you can upload pictures and like tell the story behind the item.

And a lot of times with my older clients too, you know, they want to pass it on to their children. But as we're learning, like, their children don't want their stuff.

And so just helping them capture that memory some way somehow with a photo or writing the story down, that really helps my clients, like, let go of something and pass it on to someone else.

And I think as Christians,

sometimes it's hard for us to let things go because we want to help people. Right. We don't want to just throw something away because then we feel wasteful. We feel like God gave us that item for a reason and now we used it.

Now we don't need it anymore, so we want it to bless somebody else.

So Another tactic that I find helpful is talking with my clients about, okay, well, where can we donate this to that's meaningful to you? To where you will know that this will help somebody else.

And so we kind of can talk through different places to donate. And also, there's nationwide and worldwide. There's a group called Buy Nothing. It's a Facebook group, and they also have an app, but you can post items for free.

And somebody in your community, it's local, Somebody in your community will say, oh, hey, I'll take that. I'll come pick it up. I'll take it off your hands.

So that's a great way to also help you release items if, like, you're getting stuck is to just know that it's going to help a better cause or it's going to a specific person and helping them in their life.

So, yes, those are the things that I generally see come up.

Reginald D: Okay, so what do you say to someone who feels like they don't know where to start when it comes to decluttering? They already overwhelmed at the beginning.

Melinda: Yes.

So I love this question,

and I love my answer.

So I like to say, start where you're stuck.

So that's kind of like this nebulous idea that sounds really cool. It makes us feel better.

So what I mean by that is,

if you close your eyes and you walk through your space,

is there an area of your home that is stressing you out the most?

Is it your spice drawer in your kitchen? Is it the papers piling up on your desk, desk? Is it your clothes hanging in your closet? Is it your kid's toy bin?

What is it that is stressing you out the most that you don't feel like you can get past?

So I sometimes like to start there, where you're stuck, because then you're gonna find instant relief, and that's gonna motivate you, and you're gonna keep wanting to move forward.

The area I say don't start with would be photos, memorabilia, anything, like, super meaningful to you.

Don't start there, because that's really hard to get through, and you may need a friend to come over.

So. But if the area stressing you out the most is, you know, your closet,

pull those clothes out, go through them,

give some away to charity, sell some on Thredup, you know, make those decisions and get through it, and then you're going to instantly feel better. Your cortisol levels will go down,

you'll get that momentum and. And then you'll keep moving forward. You know, a lot of Organizers have different opinions on, like, where to start. Start left side of the room and work to the right, do this, do that.

But I love to give my clients and myself the biggest amount of relief possible. So start where you're stuck.

Reginald D: That sounds good. That's good. Start where you're stuck. That's a good place to start, right?

Melinda: Yes.

Reginald D: So let's talk about the grace organizing method. It can you walk us through what grace G R A C E stands for and why this approach is so different from traditional decluttering advice?

Melinda: Yes. So my method is grace, G R A C E.

And the G stands for gather.

So you're going to gather your goals for your space. I always love to chat with my clients before we start and hear,

you know, what is their goal for their space.

So make sure you know,

then we're going to gather the supplies we need, post it, notes, sharpies, bags, boxes,

label them, donate trash, recycle, sell, give to a friend, whatever you need to label those boxes to get through the process.

And then whatever space we're working in, we're going to gather all the items, we're going to pull them all out of that space,

and we're going to sort and categorize them.

So you can see exactly how many blue shirts you have, how many black shirts you have. Maybe you don't need 50 black shirts, maybe you just need 10.

So, you know, you can see everything together. That's the gather step. And then the R is released, which we gently talked about here.

So releasing the items themselves. But also in my book, I talk about releasing perfectionism.

Perfectionism is really big among women. We like everything to be perfect,

and it can trip us up sometimes. So even if we have these beautiful, perfect visions of our space in our head, just kind of like letting go of perfectionism so that the process can be enjoyable and then releasing our power to make everything happen on its own.

I love the idea of, like, praying and asking God for help to help you release and go through your items.

So that's the R and then the A is acquire.

So sometimes we need to acquire more functional bins to hold the items that we've chosen. Dickie, better hangers,

better bins for them.

So that's the acquire. And then sometimes you might want to redesign your space. I love design. I love making spaces beautiful. I also think that aesthetic plays a big part in us finding peace and joy in our spaces.

And so if you need to acquire a can of paint to repaint the room or you want to acquire a beautiful Plant to put in there once you're done organizing, just whatever you need to finish the organizing process,

go ahead and acquire it and get it now. And then the C is cultivate, which I love because a lot of the organizing shows that we've seen on Netflix and TV or YouTube, it seems like it happens instantly.

Like, oh,

I snap my fingers, all the clutter is gone, everything looks beautiful and it just happens. But a lot of times it's not that easy and the process takes longer than you would think.

And so I love the word cultivate. It's a gardening term and it means to tend, to grow.

And things don't grow overnight instantly. It takes time for things to grow.

And also when you're gardening, you are tending to it constantly.

And I think that when we put things back, we want to put them back in a way that is organized and find the rhythm and systems that work for us and our families.

And sometimes it takes a minute to cultivate those systems and rhythms.

And then the E in my system is enjoy.

I think a lot of times in our fast paced society, we're like, oh, I organize my space. Okay, next. Now I can do this and I can move on and I can do that.

But I think it's important to stop and take a minute and pat yourself on the back, back, Celebrate that you did this really hard thing of decluttering and getting organized and you know, tell God thank you for the wisdom he gave you to accomplish so much and just enjoy like the beautiful space that you just made for yourselves.

And so that's the grace acronym and the basic steps are pretty much the same as working with any organizer. But I would say as a whole,

there's a lot more grace involved in my system. There's a lot more prayer and just slowing down and like taking the time you need to part with things.

I know sometimes for people, if we hit something and they're not ready to let it go,

there's room for grace to move that item out of the way and deal with it when you feel ready to deal with it, which is sometimes different than other organizer systems.

They're like, get it out, move on. But I come from a home with a lot of things and so I understand that, like, it takes time and you need to process.

I'm a big processor,

so yeah, so there's just a lot more grace and more dental nest and more fun, I feel like, in the way I've set this up. So I hope that is really helpful to your listeners.

You know, I always want to Be of service. So I hope that a more graceful method is helpful to them.

Reginald D: Oh, yes, Absolutely.

No idea.

I love the way you walk us through the process and through the steps. Let me ask you this. Have you ever.

And this just popped in my mind. Yeah, I'm thinking about decluttering in my mind, right?

Melinda: Yes.

Reginald D: And someone goes and gets rid of all the stuff, clutter and opens up all the space.

Have you ever ran into somebody who actually,

when they did it,

then it was freaking out because it was empty and it felt like they need to put something else and replace it with something else?

Melinda: I mean, yes, I do hit that sometimes, but. But I'm not a minimalist. I'm not saying don't have anything in your space.

I'm more. I'm like, homie, like, you can probably see my bookshelves behind me. They're not empty. But everything is curated. Everything is purposefully chosen. Purposefully there.

The clutter is minimized.

But yes, I actually had that happen recently for the first time ever, where the client was like, this is like too empty.

I'm like, oh, but you did so good. You should enjoy that. You have this space and enjoy it. But I think sometimes if you make that change like that drastically,

it is a little jarring, right? Because you've gotten so used to living in that clutter. You've gotten so used to living in like this fight or flight stage and the cortisol levels being raised.

And so I do think sometimes it takes you a minute for the cortisol levels to come down and for you to get to acclimate to this new normal. But I find that once they do, they call me back.

They're like, can you come to another area of my home? Like, I love it. I love what you did in that space. And I feel so much better. Let. Let's tackle another area.

And of course I'm like, yes, let's do it.

Reginald D: Yeah, like I said, it's. It's about what you put in place. If there purposely did it, that's one thing. If. If it just shows up there, it's a whole another thing.

And you end up, you know,

accumulating different things. So what do you say to someone who is wanting to start this journey of decluttering and they feel like.

Basically feel like, I guess, you know, the spiritual drive, emotionally overwhelmed with it and don't really know where to start or how to even, you know, basically how to even start.

Melinda: Yes. So I would start by giving yourself a lot of grace and saying, hey, you know, Good job for recognizing that you want to accomplish something and make a change and then give yourself a little grace.

For feeling overwhelmed. A lot of people feel overwhelmed. I mean, we're inundated with things coming into our lives every day and dealing with. It's not easy. Then I would say just start one step at a time.

You know, go grab my book or call a friend or, you know, go to the library and grab an organizing book if it's not mine. Listen to podcasts, you know, whatever.

But then walk through it. Walk through each step. Like, just do one step at a time. That's what I would say.

And also, I love the idea that you can do anything for 15 minutes. I love that concept.

There's, like, a whole technique. The Pomodoro technique goes way deep. That can go way deep. That's like a whole nother podcast. But anyways. But I love the idea of, like, setting your timer for 15 minutes and just starting.

Just start gathering.

You know, gather your goals. Write them down. Just start there. And then the next day, gather the supplies you need for 15 minutes. Cool. Done. Next day, then gather the items in your space that you're gonna work with.

Just do it for 15 minutes. If doing the whole space freaks you out. You know, I love talking about kitchens. They're, like, one of my favorites. And so it's like, if you can only start with your spices, just start with your spices.

It's okay.

I find that, like, once you start and you get the momentum going,

it really does shift pretty quickly, and then you get excited about it and you want to keep going.

So that's what I would say. Just start one step at a time, 15 minutes at a time.

I usually find that once I've started for 15 minutes, I want to keep going. And that 15 minutes turns into an hour, and I've made all this progress.

And then I would also say if you do that and you get stuck and overwhelmed and you start to not make progress, call a friend.

Just have a friend come over and help you. It's okay. There's no shame. There's no judgment.

Like, we've all been there. I think at this point, everyone knows what clutter is. There's nothing to be ashamed about it. Or you can call me.

I'm happy to travel, you know, Just give me a call.

Reginald D: Okay. So, Melinda, let's talk about your book, Reclaim youm Space with Grace.

Melinda: Yes.

Reginald D: It isn't just about organizing. It's about clarity and connection with faith. Faith. What transformation do you hope readers experience as they Move through the book?

Melinda: Yes. So I've set each chapter up as a week, so you could do it in six weeks. And each chapter is pretty short, so it's an easy read.

And at the end of each chapter,

there are journal questions and prayers and Bible verses and then action steps you can take. So if you get my book, there's a link and you can download a guided journal if you like to write.

And that's how you process if. If you don't journal, don't worry, you don't have to journal. But if you do, I find that makes the process a little deeper.

And so you can do that, so you can walk through it week by week, prayer by prayer,

step by step.

And the first week talks about soul declutter. I love Emily P. Freeman. She's where I learned about the concept of soul decluttering.

And so that's kind of a step that a lot of organizers don't include. But I wanted to include it because I really want your heart to ready to tackle clutter.

Because I know some of it's easy, most of it'll be easy, but some of it's going to bring up things you didn't expect to be there. And I really want our hearts to be ready to.

To deal with that and to release it and to meet with God and to,

you know, my house, my home, my parents home, and my house that I live in now,

they've really helped me get through difficult times. And I really believe that our homes can be sanctuaries where we can meet God.

And so I hope that as your listeners read the book and walk through the process,

my prayer is that the Lord transforms their homes into spaces where they can meet with God and where they can feel like more rest and peace and so that they can live out their calling and serve the world.

Reginald D: Wow,

that is amazing. I really love your whole part and what you're doing because it's amazing that, like, people don't really understand it, that, you know, how clutter can bring on anxiety, take away your peace and,

you know, and just makes you drain, makes you depressed and all that kind of stuff.

So, Melinda, I have what I call rapid fire question.

Melinda: Oh, God. Okay, okay.

Reginald D: Don't get nervous. It's not a right or wrong answer. All right, what's one word that describes what clutter steals from us most?

Melinda: Joy.

Reginald D: Okay. Peace or perfection? What should we aim for?

Melinda: Peace.

Reginald D: Okay. A Bible verse that anchors your work.

Melinda: Oh, Hebrews 12. 1.

Reginald D: Got it. And finish this sentence. A peaceful home begins with.

Melinda: A peaceful home. Begins with change.

Reginald D: Got it. And that's good. That's good. So lastly, Melinda, how can my listeners connect with you or reach out to you on social media?

Melinda: Yes.

So they can find me on Instagram.

My handle is Melinda GraceOrganizing.

And then my website is melindagrace.com M E L I N D A G-R-A C E.com and I do have,

you know, the resources to hire me, but also there's more information about my book and any additional resources. There's a blog and they can sign up for our weekly newsletter that I have through my website or Instagram.

So those are the two main platforms and they can always DM me. If they have a question or want me to clarify something,

I'm happy to answer them.

Reginald D: Okay, there you have it. Melinda Grace. Melinda, thank you so much for taking the time out to come on the show.

Had a great time listening to all the inspirational things you gave us and some steps we can do to change our way of life, which is awesome.

Melinda: Thank you so much for having me. It's wonderful to chat with you.

I love talking about this stuff, and you're so fun and warm and welcoming. So thank you for having me on the show.

Reginald D: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Thanks for listening to Real Talk with Reginald D. If you enjoyed listening to Real Talk with Regina Dan of these, please rate and review on Apple Podcast. See you next time.