Interview with Kim Tremblay, Professional Organizer and Virtual Coach

Janet Barclay

Janet Barclay

A former professional organizer, I now eliminate stress for my clients by hosting, monitoring, and maintaining their WordPress sites so they don’t have to worry about security, downtime or performance issues. When I’m away from my desk, I enjoy reading, photography, watching movies, and cooking.

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Kim Tremblay

My latest interview features Kim Tremblay of Space For You, a Productivity & Organizing Blog Carnival Superstar Blogger and long-time member of Blogging Organizers. Kim and I have met in person, and you can see a photo of us at a Blogging Organizers Meet-up in my post, Did you miss POC Conference 2015?

Hi, Kim! Thanks for dropping by. What is your specialty?

I specialize in clutter, chronic disorganization, hoarding, trauma and mental health.

Would you like to tell my readers why you decided to start an organizing business?

I was looking into a side business or project and seriously thinking about Life Coaching at the time, which really fit with the work I was doing in mental health. I was a Case Manager working individually with vulnerable women who were dealing with homelessness or housing instability, substance use and extreme poverty, and chronic mental and physical health issues.

I was working with a client who was in crisis due to her landlord needing to come into her apartment. I looked into her rights and gained her trust. Eventually she let me into her apartment, and I helped her to get through this crisis.

I was fascinated and started reading everything I could on this subject. I got the idea of offering a Support Group in 2008 and started up a group which still continues today. I became the “go to” person in the agency I was working in for anyone who had these issues.

How did you come up with your business name?

Space For You just came to me right away and I haven’t looked back. My thoughts about it had to do with women who often have a tiny space with all of their treasured possessions around them.

How do you approach a new organizing project?

I listen to the person to find out what their challenges are, their goals for their space and their life. They are my focus and I help them in whatever area and way that will help them the most. They are my priority.

How did your training and experience prepare you to become an organizer?

I have done training with both ICD and POC and have a number of certificates.

I was so fortunate to gain hands-on experience with the clients I worked with in Mental Health.

While I was still employed, I started working one-on-one with people who had clutter issues in their homes, on weekends and my days off.

I have continued to do this work since then and was able to focus on it more after retiring in December of 2018.

I am currently working with people offering Virtual Professional Organizing and Coaching.

What other services or products do you offer?

I offer one-to-one coaching packages and a few freebies. I’m also working on a free challenge.

What kind of freebies do you offer?

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about running an organizing business?

How quickly this area of business has grown since I started.

What is the biggest challenge you currently face in your business?

I would like more clients and more sign-ups for my email list. It feels busy out there on the internet.

What’s your favorite organizing product? Why?

I like products that help you to organize drawers: junk drawers, sock drawers, etc. We often can use things we find around the house.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Yoga, walking, aqua fit, reading and hanging out with my partner.

What else should we know about you?

I worked in mental health for many years. I also have a big focus on the emotional side of organizing and enjoy helping my clients to uncover what is underneath the clutter and possibly holding them back.

Who’s next?

If you’d like to be interviewed for Your Organizing Business, simply fill out the questionnaire.

 

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8 Comments

  1. Linda Samuels Linda Samuels on November 6, 2023 at 9:27 am

    What an excellent interview! Just last week, I was on a VO Meet-up call with Kim and it was so lovely to see her in person. I’m a big fan of her blog and love how she sensitively writes about the challenges her clients face. What an asset she is to our industry.

    I love this interview series and always enjoy learning more about my colleagues.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on November 6, 2023 at 1:50 pm

      Well, isn’t that coincidental timing! Kim is a wonderful person with so much to offer and I’m glad I got to introduce her to my other readers.

  2. Avatar Seana Turner on November 6, 2023 at 1:57 pm

    A beautiful interview with Kim! I think her caring and kindness come through in her words here. She definitely has the right gifting to help people in extreme situations. I’m not surprised that her business has grown, as there truly is a great need to help!

    Another fun peek behind that curtain of one of my colleague’s businesses.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on November 8, 2023 at 8:45 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it, Seana. Kim truly is a kind and caring person.

  3. Avatar Janet Schiesl on November 7, 2023 at 2:32 pm

    Wonderful interview. It’s also great to know more about my colleagues and learn from their experiences. Thanks for sharing.

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on November 8, 2023 at 8:46 am

      I’m glad you’re enjoying the interview series, Janet.

  4. Julie Bestry Julie Bestry on November 7, 2023 at 8:20 pm

    What a great interview. I know Kim from her blog posts and social media, but not in-person, and this really gave me a sense of her warmth and humanity. What a lovely background of support Kim brings to her organizing career. Janet, thank you for sharing this!

    • Avatar Janet Barclay on November 8, 2023 at 8:49 am

      Wow, that is very high praise! It’s much easier for me to interview someone I know, because I can dig for nuggets that I know are there but that might not come up in the original set of questions.

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