Marina shares her journey and insights into considering a non-profit for her family's farm. With over 14 years of entrepreneurial experience, she discusses the pros and cons and the potential impact of starting a non-profit, Lualualei Farms, alongside her existing businesses including the honey company. Through personal stories and practical examples, she explores the opportunities, challenges, and symbiotic relationships between for-profit and non-profit ventures. Join Marina as she opens up about the vision and mission behind her non-profit, including initiatives in regenerative farming, food scarcity solutions, and nutrition education. Listen in to learn about the potential benefits, funding opportunities, and the impact that non-profits can have in local communities. If you've ever considered starting a non-profit, this episode will inspire and encourage you to explore the possibilities.

Mentioned in this episode:

Core Values of Your Calendar

Mentorship with Marina

Marina Tolentino

https://www.marinatolentino.com/

IG: @marinattolentino_

YT: @marinatolentino

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Transcript

Marina [00:00:05]:

On today's episode, I have a dear friend, the one and only Megan. So, fun backstory. I actually met her through weddings when she worked as a wedding planner, as an assistant, and then ended up working in the rental industry. And she was, like, the boss on luxury rentals. But come full circle, we made it through a pandemic world. We're on the other side. And now she has her own business, and it's called function forward lifestyle. And she's also got her own little one.

Marina [00:00:30]:

They've been married for nine years, and they have a one eyed rescue dog, which we love. That's awesome. Welcome to the show, Megan.

Meaghan [00:00:37]:

Thanks, Marina.

Marina [00:00:38]:

Yeah. I'm excited to hear, because we all need some organization in our lives, and I love that you focus on busy moms and busy lifestyles, and truly not just, like, making it pretty and cute, but actual functional to your life. So tell me, like, how did you get here? What made you start the business? How did you get through your career to hear, like, give me the backstory? Yes.

Meaghan [00:00:58]:

Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. I'm just so proud of you. I'm so excited for this new journey that you're on. You've just been. So much has been going on in your life the last few years, and it's just been a blast to watch. So it's really an honor to be here. But, yeah, I guess my story is very similar, I think, to a lot of people's, especially, I honestly think, moms. And it started in 2020.

Meaghan [00:01:24]:

Um, I think human nature is we tend to avoid hard things unless forced to. Um, and I think for me, at least 2020, as hard as that year was, um, a lot of good came out of it and just a lot of forced discomfort that really, um, created the opportunity to reevaluate my own life and our quality of life as a family and our work life balance. And so after being locked in a not very large condo with my son for three months, I realized a couple of things. One, I do really love working, and I love having something that's mine, but two, I could not go back to just the routine that we had prior to that, and I really was motivated to find something that worked for my family instead of my family working for whatever job was making me money at the time. And, you know, realistically, we are a two income household. That's not an option for us in Hawaii. So, um, I decided instead of going back to somebody's office afterwards, I was just going to create something that worked for us um, and, yeah, so organizing is, I guess I could say something I sort of always done. Um, I did it for friends, for fun.

Meaghan [00:02:41]:

Never gave any consideration to making it a business. Um, but just like me being locked in my house, a lot of other people were locked in their homes for a long period of time. And once things kind of started opening up, I just had a lot of friends reaching out, saying, I cannot look at my house another second, please come in and do something with it. And so what started as just kind of a way to get some adult interaction again and make a little money and just get out of my house eventually just transformed into, could this is this job? Do people do this?

Marina [00:03:14]:

Yeah.

Meaghan [00:03:14]:

Can I do this for other people? And, you know, turns out you can. So now we're going on four years, and I don't always love a lot of the business ownership side of things, being honest, but I absolutely love doing what I do. And I'm just so excited every time I get to go into a new house and meet a new family, and I can't believe I still get to keep doing this.

Marina [00:03:39]:

Yeah, no, for sure. So when you were little, were you, like, always super perfect in your room and, like, always organized or you grew into this?

Meaghan [00:03:45]:

You know, I've been thinking about this a lot, actually, especially as I meet so many different people in their journey. And I've come to realize, you know, I think I would have in the past called myself, like, a perfectionist, or I was probably kind of titled as, like, type a growing up because I was very particular about things. But as I've gotten older, and especially now that I'm a mom and a wife and there's other people in my space now, and life has just gotten more chaotic, I've realized that a lot of those traits had less to do with me just loving perfection and more to do with just a need for order, for my own sanity. So it was really more of a. Yeah, just a necessary necessity for my functionality. Um, and then, you know, once I. I just had kind of created systems that worked for me, that got me through my life, that made sure I knew how to find my things or, you know, just where to put stuff or whatever. Um, and then once I had my family and these other humans who like to do things their own way, and none of my systems were working anymore because I had other people messing everything up, it really just kind of forced me to reevaluate the concept of being organized as a household and creating a space that worked for everybody.

Meaghan [00:05:02]:

And, yeah, I'm learning. I'm really not actually type a. I'm not a perfectionist. I don't really need things perfect all the time. I just need to know where my stuff is. I just not feel insane all the time. And to not be the only person in the house who knows where things are and for everyone to kind of know what to do and, yeah, so, yeah, it's. I've always.

Meaghan [00:05:24]:

Yes, I've always been organized, but I'm learning now. It's been out of necessity. And not needing it to be pretty.

Marina [00:05:30]:

And perfect, that's so good. And I think that's just motherhood. And it's in a bottle, right? To say, like, it's never going to be perfect, it's never going to be clean. It's never going to be exactly what you want. But we roll the punches and we make the most.

Meaghan [00:05:41]:

That's not a fun way for. That's not a fun household to be in. You know, I grew up in a house where things had to be pretty in order all the time. And when you're a kid, I'm like, I don't care if things look nice all the time. I just want to feel like I'm comfortable in this house, too. And I don't want my son to be miserable. I want legos and things to be able to be out and crafts to happen and messes to be made. That's fine.

Meaghan [00:06:04]:

But the big difference between that being a source of insanity and it being a source of playtime is the systems that we have in place to just make it manageable, to put back together when we're done. So to always be living in chaos. But I also don't have to make everyone in my house miserable so that I can function. You know, we just talk about, like.

Marina [00:06:24]:

The empowering that organizing is when it comes to relationships. Like, I don't have to be the cranky, like, particular mom all day, but instead, we can teach them how to actually do the things, too, and they know where everything goes. That's huge, you know, instead of being, like, nagging constantly, like, that's not the fun mom and I found, too, you.

Meaghan [00:06:42]:

Know, when the messes happen. And again, I'm not painting an unrealistic picture. Like, I don't love it. It's like I walk into my son's disaster of a room and I'm like, this is great, you know, oh, God. But it doesn't make me want to lose it anymore because I know it's an easy fix, whereas, you know, if you're just living in chaos and clutter, it feels really overwhelming because it's not as simple as just picking it up and putting it away. It's a lot of decisions that have to be made. It's, you know, maybe things aren't put away because you don't know where to put them. And it's this whole ripple effect of, like, I don't know.

Meaghan [00:07:16]:

So then you feel very overwhelmed because you've kind of just resolved to knowing. I guess I just. This is the chaos that I have to live with. And, you know, you're resentful at your family for not picking up, or you're resentful at your husband for not helping. And at the end of the day, you know, nobody really can because what are they supposed to do, too? So, I mean, throughout this conversation, I'll probably say the word systems a million times, but it really comes down to systems and are the difference between having messes that you can pick up and a really stressful, chaotic, resentful household.

Marina [00:07:49]:

Yeah. And I gotta say, kids rooms are probably the number one area where I'll tour someone's house, like, as a potential listing. And the closet doesn't have any system. And it's just shit piled in there, like, literally stacked on top all kinds of ways. And I think it's because we just get overwhelmed because there's so much stuff all the time and the kids don't know where anything goes. So we just default to be like, well, I guess it's how it's going to be.

Meaghan [00:08:10]:

Like, well, and you're just trying to create some, you know, visual. You're just trying to clear some of the visual clutter, right? Because at the end of the day, you're coming home, you're exhausted, especially if you're not. That dads don't take on a lot, too. I don't. I don't like that, you know, concept. I believe that dads are very wonderful, but as women, we carry a lot of the mental load and our brains are melting and we're so overwhelmed, and we have a million lists in our head, and we're signing our kids up for activities and filling out the hundredth form and planning the meals and thinking of the things and preparing for the holidays, and it's just never ending. And so then you walk into a home and it's just filled with chaos and your brain is like, you know, so, yeah, of course, if it's, you know, if you just need a little bit of mental clarity, it makes sense that you're just going to shove things away so at least you can kind of focus a little bit. But, yeah, then you end up with closets and cupboards and, you know, all the.

Meaghan [00:09:01]:

Behind the. Behind all those doors, you know, it's still there.

Marina [00:09:05]:

No, and I think living in Hawaii specifically, I mean, we're challenged because we have less square footage to start with. We don't have basements, we don't have garages for storage. Like, we have to park our cars and garages, or we all park on the street. And it's.

Meaghan [00:09:16]:

I mean, if you have a garage at all, that's not.

Marina [00:09:18]:

You're very blessed to have a garage. Let's just say that. Yeah. And so we're constantly comparing ourselves, too, to mainland culture where they can have all the things and they, like, we go home to for Christmas and stuff and the kids have all the things, but in Hawaii, it's really challenging to keep it. And I was just doing, like, literally a five minute google before this about consumerism and about our american culture. And it was funny because one of the things they mentioned was, like, there's always an it thing, right? There's never, like, you can never just, like, settle and be like the Stanley, is it? So they talked about, like, well, it used to be. What was it? The hydro flask?

Meaghan [00:09:52]:

Yeah.

Marina [00:09:53]:

Hydroflast started and then it's the Stanley, and next it's the owalla. And then before we know it, we have 14 water bottles and we don't know what to do with it. It is. It's just. It's never ending.

Marina [00:10:04]:

Hey, ladies, real quick, if you are looking for a mentor, I just wanted to remind you that I offer mentorship to entrepreneurs. So if you're someone who has a never ending to do list and you're smiling out of control and feel like your business doesn't have a track plan, I want to work with you every single week for a month at a time. It's super simple, but I come from over ten years of experience doing this myself, and now I'm willing to give that information back to people. So I've mentored you real estate agents, I've mentored wedding photographers, I've mentored other business owners, and they've come from a place of overwhelm, mostly. And they really just needed clarity and a couple of action steps to move the needle. And we've seen gigantom leaps and bounds in their business. Like, I can't even tell you. So if you're interested and you want to know what that looks like, I want you to go to marinatolentino.com and there's a calendly link there to do a 15 minutes discovery call with me just to see if we're a good vibe check to make sure we're on the same page.

Marina [00:10:57]:

And I would love to work with you one on one to really boost your business to the next level.

Marina [00:11:01]:

Let's dive back in.

Meaghan [00:11:04]:

Sometimes it's easier, well, and temporarily it's easier to kind of buy yourself out of the issue, the situation that you're in. So you're kind of seeking some sort of a boost so you're overwhelmed by the overall space. So you think, okay, well, I feel good if I at least buy this thing or one of the things I always see in homes is we'll start the decluttering process. And as we go through that, I usually try to start create a collection of their existing organizing products because most people have tons of organizing products from the attempts that they've made. I'll start this pile. And you realize people have spent hundreds of dollars on these products thinking that's going to fix their problem. Or, you know, we're scrolling social media and constantly, constantly being sold crap. Constantly.

Meaghan [00:11:52]:

And it's never been easier to buy stuff as it is right now. I mean, you literally just throw something in your Amazon cart and it's in your house, you know, in a couple of days and we're just buying all these things to solve all of our problems and we're just drowning in crap. Yeah. And, you know, even organizing products, I'll say, like, I love organizing products. There's a lot of products I really love. But as of right now, I don't even really in good conscience market those things on my social media because I don't really believe the product is solving your problem. The product's only going to solve your problem if it's within the correct plan, if we have a good plan for your specific problem in your specific place, and then we can find the right product that solves that problem. But for me to just get on social media and be like, I love this basket, I love this whatever, I love this product.

Meaghan [00:12:37]:

You know, I just think that people get into the same issue they're already in, which is they're going into target being told, you know, sold all these products and these pictures of really nice playrooms and closets and whatever, they're like, okay, I'll buy this basket. It's going to, you know, fix everything and it just doesn't. And it's just adding to their, their clutter. And they're just throwing money at it. And I don't know, I just. I don't want to be a part of what I know so many people are already drowning in. Have you ever been to. I'm sure you have, but have you been to the.

Meaghan [00:13:07]:

Anyone who hasn't been to the dump before, just go to the dump. Do a dump run. You've been before, right?

Marina [00:13:12]:

Yes.

Meaghan [00:13:13]:

Oh, my God. It's horrifying that right there, just like, oh, we have so much stuff. Everyone just has so much stuff.

Marina [00:13:21]:

And that's just the Hawaii context. Imagine, like, the mainland is so bad and just America is, is so bad. But it leads into all these emotional issues too. Like, kids play longer and better with less toys, and we don't think about that. Like, so there's a cost to everything. Pros and cons. But walk me through your process. So you, like, come to someone's house.

Marina [00:13:42]:

How do you help understand the function that's needed?

Meaghan [00:13:45]:

I mean, I will say so. Organizing is not one size fits all. I am very conscientious about trying to create solutions that work for each household. So I'm not going to come in and say, this is how I do it. It's just like the home edit. I'm going to make your books in a rainbow order. I'm going to do it this way. I only use these products.

Meaghan [00:14:06]:

This is what works. That's not realistic. Like, my goal is always longevity. I want to create systems that are going to work for your family for a while. Now, obviously, kids needs change. Stuff in your house changes, things change. But for the most part, a good system can really last you a while, which is little tweaks along the way. So I really take the time to get to know my clients.

Meaghan [00:14:30]:

I ask a lot of questions. I want to know who lives in the house with you. I want to understand their ages, their abilities to contribute. What's your daily routine? What kind of activities do you do? What's kind of working, what's not working. It's really just like a fact finding mission. And that's especially during the decluttering. So I always start with decluttering because there's no point in investing time and money and purchasing product for stuff that doesn't even need it there to be to begin with. So we do decluttering.

Meaghan [00:15:02]:

It's not about forcing you to get rid of things. It's about just going through and really deciding what deserves to live in your home and what is just adding to the chaos and just getting that stuff out finding space. And then through that process, I'm really getting familiar with who you are, what you have, what you guys are into, what your activities are, what kind of systems we're going to need, because I'm getting a good idea of what's in your space. Um, so once we go through that, then my wheels are always turning the whole time, and I'm kind of thinking of, okay, so if somebody, somebody might tell me, like, I'm really overwhelmed by visual clutter. I don't want to see a lot of stuff, like, okay, cool. So we're going to want to minimize the visual clutter, which means let's try and put stuff, you know, either in something where they don't to look at it all the time, or, you know, try and get stuff behind doors as much as possible. But also, you know, they might tell me, but, you know, but I'm very out of sight, out of mind, so. Okay, so maybe you're saying you want to put a bunch of things in baskets, you don't have to look at it.

Meaghan [00:16:06]:

But also let's remember, like, we don't want to forget what's in there. So it's just kind of balancing, you know, the look that they're going for, but also understanding, like, how, let's make sure you're not just shoving things in a pretty basket and never finding it again and then rebuying it 100 times. So, um, and, yeah, and then, like, with kids spaces, like, I don't want to create a system that only mom can keep up with. So we want to create really simplified systems so that, you know, the age of the child within that space can theoretically be a part of maintaining that space. They can easily find things. They can easily put things away. You know, heavy things are down low, so they don't have to get stiff from up high. You know, it's not too over categorized, keeping things general so that when they're cleaning up that big pile, you know, they can easily know where the trucks go and the blocks go and the Legos go.

Meaghan [00:16:57]:

Just kind of keeping it simple so that it's not one person in the household's system, you know. But, yeah, I'm just really big on longevity. I'm not just trying to create pretty spaces. The aesthetic is, the sky is the limit for that based on, you know, your preferences and your budget. But there is just a common sort of functionality that we're aiming for first and foremost. And at the end of the day, organization is. It's not complicated. It's just, do you know where your stuff is, you know, does everything have a home, and can you find it?

Marina [00:17:29]:

Most of us could probably answer no to every of those questions.

Meaghan [00:17:33]:

It happens.

Marina [00:17:33]:

No.

Meaghan [00:17:34]:

And it's. I don't really believe that people are naturally disorganized or messy. I think life happens. Yeah. And I think that our homes are literally just a reflection of the season of life that we're in. So a lot of clients are families. Families. I've recently had just a lot of military clients, and.

Meaghan [00:17:53]:

Oh, my God. As I'm learning more and more about just the nightmare that they go through with their moves and these moving companies, and it's just. It's. It's terrible. I just feel so bad for them. So, you know, just.

Marina [00:18:06]:

It's.

Meaghan [00:18:07]:

Of course, our houses look the way that they do. You know, it's not a reflection on you. This is just. Yeah. It just got tangled in a huge mess. And I'm really good at untangling knots.

Marina [00:18:15]:

Yes, you are. So you have done two of our condos, which.

Meaghan [00:18:18]:

Bless you. I know. I'm wondering if, like, I'm either I'm cursing you or I'm helping. Like, you have a life. Every home of yours, I touch you, then leave within a year.

Marina [00:18:28]:

No, no, no. It's because every space is different. And then I'm like, oh, wait, it doesn't work anymore. Like, I just need a tune up. Right. But the things that we've got are still really warehouse.

Meaghan [00:18:37]:

Even your business. Everything I touch of you, of yours, Marina, you end up partying with.

Marina [00:18:44]:

We still have the honey company. The farm's still good.

Meaghan [00:18:46]:

We're gonna call it upgrading. You upgrade each time.

Marina [00:18:48]:

Yes, yes, an evolution. Um, but there's some, like, key things that have stuck with me every time we've worked together. So one of them is the packaging. Like, that's just the thing that you do. You take everything out of the packaging. So much of the bulk in the cabinets is literally cardboard boxes or plastic or whatever. You just take it out. We free up, like, 50% of the space.

Marina [00:19:07]:

It's crazy to me now. That's, like, instant. When I'm putting something away from the grocery store, I take it out of the packaging, put it in the container.

Meaghan [00:19:13]:

It's not just about making it, like, pretty in a jar, but it does make a huge difference, especially when you're trying to, like, quickly. When, you know, when you're a mom and you're trying to put that grocery list together, you should just be able to open that cabinet door and easily be like, oh, we're low on this. You don't want to rummage through, you know, 14 Costco boxes and be like, oh, shoot, there's only one bag of goldfish left in there. I didn't know so good.

Marina [00:19:32]:

And then the other thing you taught me was the whole backstock idea, which is also a home edit thing, but it's just like, before, I would just, like, pile crap up and then never know where it went. And then you just keep buying more and more and more. Whereas, like, now you can literally pull out a bin and be like, these are all the extras and the backups. And then that's all I have to look at. I don't have to look in 50 places. It's, like, right there, which has been super, super helpful. Is there any other, like, key habits that you use in your lifestyle as you're shopping? Like, how do you like, what's your system like as far as maintenance?

Meaghan [00:20:00]:

I mean, I will say the majority of the systems that I use in life come out of a place of my own laziness and my hatred for cleaning. I love organizing because I'm all. I love solving a problem for the long term. I hate putting my energy into things that don't last. So I love organizing because I will go put all this energy into creating a system that's like. I mean, this. I was just touching up our bathroom the other day and was like, this same system's been in our bathroom for four years. We've done nothing.

Meaghan [00:20:35]:

It has worked for four years.

Marina [00:20:36]:

Amazing.

Meaghan [00:20:37]:

You go through and throw away the old, like, lotion or makeup every once in a while. But other than that, not a single bin has moved or been relabeled. Um, that is what I like to put my energy into. I hate cleaning my house. I hate cleaning. If you have children, there is nothing that feels like less, more of a waste of energy. It's like. It's like raking leaves in a windstorm.

Meaghan [00:20:57]:

You're like, what is the point? So, you know, I find that by being, you know, organized, at least I can pick things up and tidy things up really quickly, and I feel good about it. But, you know, I'm not necessarily vacuuming every day. Yeah, I also. I don't enjoy grocery shopping and meal planning and all of that. Those aren't things I really love doing. So, you know, when it comes to. Because I hate going to the grocery store, I want to make sure I'm going once when I'm going, and I'm not forgetting something. So, you know, our systems are really how can I easily walk through the house and figure out what we're, you know, low on? Make that list and only go once.

Meaghan [00:21:34]:

Um, you know, we have. This seems really obvious, but not everybody uses this. Um, I just have a whiteboard on our fridge and that is just known in our family as that is the brain dump place. So if we are out of something, like, if my husband is low on something, if he does not put it on the whiteboard, I didn't get to the grocery store and it is no longer my responsibility.

Marina [00:21:55]:

Like, hey, guys, I hope you're enjoying.

Marina [00:21:58]:

The podcast, but real quick, if you are someone that's super overwhelmed and you're worrying, how the heck am I supposed to do all this stuff, I want to tell you, I have a really good four week course for you. It's called core values of your calendar. It's super succinct to the point, filled with stories about how I've overcome, overwhelmed myself and the strategies and tools I use today to do all the things that I'm doing today. So I've been there. I've seen it. I mean, I still see it on my feed today. All the influencers who are telling us, do this, sell more, be more, post twelve times a day, right? And it's freaking impossible. And so I want you to go to Marie marinatolentino.com, scroll down and look for the course again.

Marina [00:22:32]:

It's called core values of your calendar. Read it, see if it's right for you. But I would love for you to dive in and literally implement the tools and systems and strategies that I've learned over the years that have paid thousands of dollars in coaching to get this information and give it to you in this course.

Marina [00:22:47]:

Check that out and we'll get right.

Marina [00:22:48]:

Back to the podcast.

Meaghan [00:22:50]:

You know, I guess you're making your own run to target, but, you know, it's just a brain dump because I'm so overwhelmed and I don't really always do that well with all the lists on my phone. And so it's just, it's just, just the middle of our house. It's a place we're passing by all the time. There's a, you know, dry erase marker right there and it's just the, you know, I took a shower and realized I was low on Facebook face wash, and I threw it on the board really quick. So it's just a kind of a catch all. And then I make sense of it, you know, before I go shopping. So just making it easy on myself, that's really what all of these sort of systems come down to, yeah, and.

Marina [00:23:24]:

I think what's great about you, too, is you obviously have knowledge of all the product, whereas, like, I would think of one way to do thing, and then you're like, no, we're going to use a lazy Susan instead. And I'm like, genius. Who would have thought of a lazy Susan?

Meaghan [00:23:36]:

Like, it just, I do a ridiculous amount of research on.

Marina [00:23:44]:

That'S your value, literally.

Meaghan [00:23:45]:

I mean, and, you know, you learn with every, every project. But, you know, I I feel like I'm putting my name on this. So if I'm doing something for somebody, I'm not just going to buy whatever bin on Amazon, you know, if I'm trying something for the first time, I'm going to buy three or four different versions, and I'm going to figure out which brand actually works well and then return the others. So, um, I'm always like, I actually have a measuring tape in my purse at all times. So when I'm in target or whatever, I'm always measuring things. I'm the one. I'm sure most people don't even open these tabs, but whenever I'm purchasing something, I'm opening all of the specs, you know, the specs and the whatever on every product. I'm reading the amazing, you know, reviews, I'm reading the questions people ask.

Meaghan [00:24:27]:

So, yeah, I kind of do a stupid amount of, and not, I just like doing it.

Marina [00:24:32]:

So that's something that people don't understand. They think, oh, she just comes in and organizes. Not knowing that you're spending eight to 10 hours behind the scenes on the.

Meaghan [00:24:40]:

Internet and in the store, you know, our event planning days. You know, I used to make the layouts for, you know, our event layouts, and now I'm literally on my couch at 10:00 p.m. Creating a two scale layout of somebody's child's playroom. And like, okay, does the cube shelf fit here or here?

Marina [00:24:59]:

Half an inch makes a difference. You gotta know.

Meaghan [00:25:01]:

Yeah, it's a lot of behind the scenes.

Marina [00:25:04]:

It matters.

Meaghan [00:25:05]:

You know, and especially in Hawaii, we don't have the wiggle room. So I'm like, I better be sure that that shelf fits at that wall because I have a plan b.

Marina [00:25:13]:

And product isn't cheap either. If every piece is $25, it adds up real quick. So I love that your super does. Yeah.

Meaghan [00:25:19]:

Yeah. And it's, I mean, that's why, like, you know, I love these stores. I love these organizing stores, but they're a business too. And they're really trying to market to everybody, so they're trying to sell everybody on their products being the answer to their, their problems, and it's not true. You know, it's kind of like if you are going to remodel your kitchen, you're not just going to go into Home Depot and start throwing things into a cart. You're going to have a plan for that. But that's not what people do with organizing. And I know it seems silly and dumb probably, but that's why you're getting into the messes that you are, is you're going into it without really a plan, or you're trying to just tackle this one corner.

Meaghan [00:26:01]:

But most times when your house has kind of gone into disarray, you know, you can't really just tackle that one corner because chances are all the stuff in your house is kind of just merged into all the spaces. You kind of got to go around and be like, okay, the extra toothpaste doesn't belong in the. My son's closet. It probably needs to find its way back to the bathroom. But I don't have room in the bathroom closet because my extra shoes are there, and so let's move those wherever. And, you know, your stuff is just kind of all over. Yeah. So you need a game plan and.

Meaghan [00:26:30]:

Yeah, I just. They're very good at their marketing, these.

Marina [00:26:34]:

Companies, and we need you, a third party, to say, you don't need to buy that one. Get the cheaper one instead. Or you don't need it at all. No, it's. Yeah, so I think one of the things that I've hurtled with, too, is, like, you have an old system, and so you're emotionally and, like, attached to it because you've also invested in that old system. But if it no longer works, how do you get people over the hurdle to, like, throw stuff away? Have you ever had, like, issues with that? Or, like, when people are so emotionally stuck to stuff, how do they let go when it doesn't serve them? Yeah.

Meaghan [00:27:05]:

The decluttering process is a journey. I. I really love it. Um, it is not for the faint of heart. Um, it is definitely so. I don't do decluttering solo. I always do decluttering with the client. It just.

Meaghan [00:27:18]:

There's other organizers who will come in and do it for you. I personally don't understand how that works because this is your stuff. Yeah. So it's, it. I go at the speed of the client because, like you said, there's some people, I come in and they're like, burn it all down. Burn the whole house down. I don't care. Throw it all away.

Meaghan [00:27:39]:

Yeah, and that'll go pretty fast. And then there's other people where, you know, there's going to be a story with every item, and there's going to be, we got to, you know, they have to talk themselves through it at the end of the day. Again, I'm not there to make you get rid of things, so I'm kind of there to come in with the game plan and kind of be your accountability partner to help us stay focused on the goals and talk through it. We'll kind of sometimes do things in phases. So I always like to begin with the, like, fast pass. Like, the goal is, let's not get stuck. We don't want to get stuck because you want to keep that momentum going. Otherwise, it's very easy for people to be like, you know what? Whatever, let's quit.

Meaghan [00:28:17]:

Um, so we don't want to sit there and just get caught up on the one little thing. If the little thing is, you know, fine, we'll set it aside. We'll come back later. Let's just go through and just figure out what you easily are unattached to, and let's just start finding space. Let's just start decluttering, getting things out, gaining some. Just visual clarity. I do find that as people, it helps for people to. How do I want to phrase this? So if that's all you've known and you have no idea what it feels like to experience a functioning space.

Meaghan [00:28:53]:

Yeah, it's very hard to think past all you know is what you know. So if you've got these things that kind of sort of work sometimes you've invested money into it, you maybe sort of possibly could use it for whatever or all the things we tell ourselves. It's very hard for me to counter that with the vision I have in my head that I know where we can get it to, but they can't see that, and I get that, so no problem. So we do the best we can with where we're at, get rid of what we can. I'm not there to strong arm you into minimalism, but I also know that it's like a snowball effect, so they just kind of have to start seeing it. I find that once we can get a space functioning and they can see and experience and touch and, you know, live their life in a functioning space, I find that the attachment to stuff starts to lessen and over time, it's like, I'll have clients text me where they're like, I just filled a whole trash bag. It's like, once you have that thing that you can now connect to, then you have that to counter your attachment to your stuff. So now when you're going through that, you know, kind of this next wave of going through your items, you're like, okay, well, I don't like this thing as much as I like the feeling that this space gives me.

Meaghan [00:30:04]:

So I guess I don't care about it as much. That makes sense. Yeah, sometimes it's a slower process for some, but, yeah. Yeah. Decluttering is very. It's very personal. I take it very seriously. I recognize the responsibility that I have coming into, essentially, a stranger's home.

Meaghan [00:30:28]:

They don't. They don't usually know me in the beginning. By the time they've called in a stranger to handle their personal items, you know, they're generally in a place of complete overwhelm. And I don't take that lightly. And, yeah, I'm coming in, and I'm gonna handle all of your stuff. I have seen it all. I know everything, and I treat that with the utmost respect. It is a safe zone.

Meaghan [00:30:52]:

It is a judgment free zone. It is a secret zone. Like, I don't like whatever. Whatever we come across, that doesn't matter. I just see stuff that needs a home. I just see things that need a home and things that need categories. Whatever that category is. You know, it's just.

Meaghan [00:31:12]:

It's just not. I just.

Marina [00:31:14]:

I don't know.

Meaghan [00:31:14]:

It's. I understand the emotional heaviness that can come with that process, and that's a.

Marina [00:31:20]:

Very trusting place to be. And so you do such a great job of giving permission and grace and all the things. So good job. Um, I want to end this with, like, do you have a last piece of advice for someone that's like, I need your help, Megan. But, like, what the heck do I do? Like, what do you want to tell them? Or they're just trying to do it all. They've tried the systems. They're feeling burnt out and just. They want to throw their hands up.

Marina [00:31:39]:

What do you want to tell them?

Meaghan [00:31:40]:

I mean, first, I would say, have grace on yourself. Um, your space, again, like I said before, is not a reflection of you. It's a reflection of whatever the season of life is that you're in. Um, I would say that it feels hard because it's legitimately hard. If you have a house full of stuff that's not just you not being able to clean it up. That is decisions that need to be made. That is a lot of decisions that need to be made. Um, so I think first and foremost, yeah, give yourself grace.

Meaghan [00:32:08]:

And I just want to.

Marina [00:32:11]:

Yeah.

Meaghan [00:32:12]:

Reiterate, it is hard. It is hard. It's not you. It's hard.

Marina [00:32:14]:

It's big.

Meaghan [00:32:15]:

Um, what I do is a skill set. You know, I don't. I just, the way, I don't know how to explain it, but the way that I see it is like, I can see a pile of stuff, and it makes sense in my head what to do with it. And if you don't see things that way, that's okay. It's just not your skillset. So it's nothing against you. There's plenty of things, skill sets that I do not have, and I will gladly bring someone in to help me with that. So I think that's just the main thing is this isn't.

Meaghan [00:32:42]:

And I think women, we can struggle with that. Because you're looking at your house being thinking, why can't I just do this?

Marina [00:32:49]:

Yeah.

Meaghan [00:32:50]:

So I guess there's that. And, yeah, just go easy on yourself and just do a little bit. You know? If you want to get started on your own, a, don't start with anything emotional. Do not start with photos or kids projects or anything like that. Find something that is not as emotionally triggering. Pick a drawer, pick a shelf, pick something small and just get started. And, you know, every time you get an Amazon box in the mail, just set it next to your door or go walk around your house and fill it and just, you know, chip away at it. So just practice the art of letting things leave your home and then be very thoughtful about what comes into your home.

Meaghan [00:33:28]:

So just ask yourself every time you're going to make a purchase, you know, am I prepared to live with this thing for the long term and find a home for it? And alternatively, am I prepared to figure out how to make this thing leave my home after, you know, so just conscientious purchasing.

Marina [00:33:44]:

So good advice. Or, like, what will this replace? So I'm not just adding more. That's a good one. Yeah.

Meaghan [00:33:50]:

Yeah.

Marina [00:33:50]:

Super good. Okay. I end every episode with a rapid fire. I go through this real quick. What is your Starbucks order?

Meaghan [00:33:58]:

So I do an iced oat milk chai because I gave up coffee last year. Mm hmm.

Marina [00:34:04]:

Good. Any kind of milk?

Meaghan [00:34:06]:

Oat milk? Yeah. Oh, milk.

Marina [00:34:07]:

Okay.

Meaghan [00:34:07]:

Yeah.

Marina [00:34:08]:

What do you make for dinner? If it's last minute and you're in a bind?

Meaghan [00:34:10]:

If I have my life together, then I might have some things in the freezer that I've pre prepared, but otherwise it's just takeout or whatever, is easy because life's hard enough. Good.

Marina [00:34:21]:

So meeting pre prepared, as in you've, like, pre cooked meals.

Meaghan [00:34:24]:

Like, sometimes I'll get on like an instant pot kick and I'll make a whole bunch of soups or stews or whatever, and I'll double batch them and freeze them. But that's not all the time.

Marina [00:34:31]:

Okay. I was like, a student there.

Meaghan [00:34:34]:

What's your favorite?

Marina [00:34:35]:

Go to department of target and favorite designer if you have one. I live at Target.

Meaghan [00:34:39]:

Everybody knows me at Target. So I guess organizing bright room has pretty good stuff. But I do, like, I like to wander around into. So not just the organizing, the obviously organizing areas, but wander around to other departments and think outside the box on how some of that stuff could be used untraditionally for organization.

Marina [00:34:59]:

Okay. Do you have a book or a podcast you'd recommend?

Meaghan [00:35:02]:

I don't read as much as I would like to. I listen to so many podcasts. I'm a really big nerd, so I really enjoy, like, podcasts about, like, history or learning or whatever. I really love Sharon McMahon from Sharon says so on Instagram. And she has a great podcast called here's where it gets interesting. So she just has fun history. I don't know. I'm a dork, but it's really good.

Meaghan [00:35:29]:

And then smart list is my guilty pleasure when I want to just listen to something and not use brain cells.

Marina [00:35:35]:

Which, going back to the nerd stuff, I didn't know you took your LSATs. And we're going to be a lawyer.

Meaghan [00:35:40]:

I was a poli sci major and was pre law, so I listened to a lot of government podcasts and, like, I listened to podcasts about, like, supreme court cases. It's really. I'm a lot of fun guys.

Marina [00:35:56]:

All this information to organize your home to the best.

Meaghan [00:35:58]:

I'm a very logical thinker, which is why. I don't know. I don't know. It makes no sense. Yeah. I want to be a thinker.

Marina [00:36:05]:

Yes. Okay.

Meaghan [00:36:07]:

Instagram. Oh, Instagram. I can't learn another thing. I barely can use Instagram, so.

Marina [00:36:11]:

Okay, and then what is your Instagram handle? So they can follow you? Yes.

Meaghan [00:36:15]:

So function forward lifestyle. It's a mouthful. I'm sorry. Someone already took function forward. So function forward lifestyle. And then my website is function forwardlifestyle.com.

Marina [00:36:28]:

Beautiful. And then anything you want to offer to the audience. Do you have an email list to sign up or a way to contact you? To do consult.

Meaghan [00:36:34]:

I mean, if you go to my website, I have a place where you can put in your email for an email list that one day I will do.

Marina [00:36:41]:

Yes, you're getting.

Meaghan [00:36:45]:

Yes, in another time I will have that together. But, but I do. I do complimentary phone, like video phone consultations. So it's really no obligation. I'm always happy to just hop on, chat with you, listen to what you're struggling with, and just let you know, you know, kind of what I do and see if we're a good fit for each other.

Marina [00:37:02]:

Yeah. And I will just vouch that it's addicting. So once you book Megan, you can't go back. You said it really is that feeling that high you get after you experience one space working? Then you're like, oh, we got to do the next thing. Then we got to do the next thing. And then before you know it, we've done the whole house.

Meaghan [00:37:16]:

You don't realize what a prisoner to your home you are until you're getting some control over it. So, yes, we deserve, we spend a lot of money to live in Hawaii, and we deserve, you know, your home doesn't have to be picture perfect all the time, but it doesn't have to suffocate you. And we deserve to feel comfortable in these very large investments that we're making.

Marina [00:37:35]:

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Well, thank you, my dear. I appreciate your time. And you're busy, busy. And I'm excited to get this out so everyone can organize their lives and let go of being be. But you're the best. So thank you so much.

Meaghan [00:37:48]:

Thank you.

Marina [00:37:49]:

Have a good rest of your day.