Learning how to organize your personal and professional tasks in order to achieve them on a daily basis is only a small set of components to living a fulfilled life. Does your home, however, have the functionality to help you sustain your daily activities, including how you feel about yourself and having others over? Today's guest, Alyssa, describes the importance of having a strategic plan in your home organization by empowering her clients to do the same through her techniques, support mechanisms, and other types of resources to create ownership in this realm. The interplay between organizing our physical space, along with our mental space, have direct correlations to the abilities we have deep inside of ourselves to achieve success, and today's subject proves that having both of them working collaboratively can make a significant impact not only to your well-being, but to your overall success in forming relationships, confidence, and determination as well!

Guest Bio

Alyssa is a neurodivergent home organization strategist who helps people with autism/ADHD take the shame and anxiety out of home organization and build successful systems that work for them so they can stop stressing and truly relax in their space. Using her background in education and psychology, she focuses on recognizing the barriers to success caused by unhelpful emotional patterns and beliefs and helps clients to overcome these by learning methods and systems that allow them to finally have the functional space they really want.

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/alyssasyellowhouse

@alyssasyellowhouse on Instagram

Website: https://ayh.alyssasyellowhouse.com

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Visit Our Business Website: https://www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

Support The Mission Of The Business! Donate Here: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/support

Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

2

determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

3

This is Speaking From The Heart.

4

Joshua: Welcome back to episode

number 94 of Speaking from the Heart.

5

Today we have a guest by the name of

Alyssa, which she has withheld her

6

last name for privacy purposes, which

is perfectly all right on this show,

7

because Alyssa is a neurodivergent home

organization strategist who helps people

8

with autism and ADHD to take the shame

and anxiety out of home organization

9

and build successful systems that work

for them so they can stop stressing

10

and truly relax in their space.

11

Using her background in education and

psychology, she focuses on recognizing

12

the barriers to succeed caused by

unhelpful emotional patterns and

13

beliefs and helps clients to overcome

these by learning methods and systems

14

that allow them to finally have the

functional space they really want.

15

I love this episode as you all can

imagine, because it's right up my alley of

16

being autistic myself, but I think there's

some bigger underpinnings to this overall

17

conversation that we have about organizing

our lives, not just in the things in

18

which we have to do in the day to day,

but the actual space that we go home to.

19

Is it organized?

20

Is it properly arranged so

that it's functional in nature?

21

Now, I grew up in a household sometimes

that was full of a lot of stuff, and my

22

mom has done a great job of purging a

lot of those things out as she's gotten

23

older, but I still have those tendencies

as a kid that have led into my adulthood

24

of sometimes being a little bit more

messier than I really wanted to be.

25

What we actually use as our home

organization system can make such a

26

big difference, and that's why I really

enjoyed my conversation with Alyssa and

27

what she has to share with us today.

28

But with that, let's go to the episode.

29

All right.

30

We're here with Alyssa.

31

Alyssa, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

32

Alyssa: Thanks for having me.

33

That's such a fundamental part

of organizing that people don't

34

really think about, so I'm

thrilled to be able to do it.

35

Joshua: I feel like I am going to get

more organized after talking to you today,

36

and I know for some of my listeners, I

think that they're going to get a lot

37

out of this conversation too, because

part of even what I do in coaching is

38

really re-organizing thoughts and patterns

of ways in which we do things, and I

39

feel like you and I have some common

traits with that today, so I'm really

40

been excited for this conversation, and

really, I want to start off with this.

41

I've already let the audience know

a little bit about your background,

42

but I'm kind of curious, although you

have gone through doing this sort of

43

business now that you have, what actually

led you into wanting to do more of

44

organization, helping people declutter?

45

I mean, I feel like you're in this sort of

advancing realm of different people I've

46

encountered in my life that want to help

others with getting themselves organized,

47

so what made you and led you into that?

48

Alyssa: Yeah, so my background is

actually in elementary education and

49

psychology and the whole organizing

thing really started during the pandemic.

50

Suddenly, I was at home all the time,

and when you're leaving your home for

51

eight hours a day, you have a lot more

license to ignore how cluttered and how

52

chaotic it is, but when you're there all

the time, it's in your face and you have

53

to deal with it, and I was feeling so

down on myself all the time, because I

54

was thinking, "Everyone else can do this.

55

Why am I having such a hard time figuring

out just where to put my stuff?", and

56

then around in that same time, I got

a diagnosis and found out that I have

57

autism and ADHD, and then it clicked

for me and I was thinking, "If I had

58

a student who had something they were

really serious about, they really wanted

59

to do, they were working really hard,

and they were not succeeding, I wouldn't

60

talk to them the way I'm talking to me.

61

I wouldn't tell them they're lazy,

that they're a bad kid, that they

62

should just try harder, that there's

something fundamentally wrong with them.

63

Absolutely not."

64

I would start looking around their

environment and asking myself, "What

65

is here, or what is not here, that's

not setting them up for success?",

66

because they're obviously trying;

they obviously want to do this.

67

Something is not setting them up

to be successful in this thing

68

they're trying to do, so what can

I change about the physical space?

69

What can I change about the way

I'm approaching the situation that

70

could make a difference for them?

71

Once I started doing that for

myself, things started falling

72

into place all over, and it made so

much difference almost immediately.

73

Joshua: I find that really fascinating,

because we were just literally talking

74

about this before we started, about how

we have these late term diagnoses later

75

on in life of, "Oh, we're autistic.

76

Oh, we have ADHD.", and it changes so much

about how we process and differentiate

77

between different types of people,

different types of things, and I think I

78

understand completely what you're talking

about when it comes to this, because even

79

for some people that have gone through the

pandemic and have realized, "My goodness.

80

I might need to shape up or change my

career or change things in my life", I

81

think even one of those things that needed

to be done was having a check even around

82

ourselves, what we physically surround

ourselves with, because it can create a

83

lot of different emotions and different

feelings inside of ourselves, but,

84

Alyssa, I find it interesting too that

you have two degrees like you mentioned.

85

Why did you go to school initially?

86

Were you looking to do something

in a different type of career

87

before you started this?

88

Alyssa: My original plan was to teach

elementary school, specifically in either

89

sort of the special education gifted and

talented kind of area, because those are

90

the students that, through the school

experience, that I worked with really

91

well, when others maybe struggled, and

then, of course, once I got my diagnosis,

92

it became very clear that I work well

with those students because I'm like them.

93

I understand them.

94

I understand where they're coming from,

and sort of the way that education was

95

kind of during the pandemic, and then

I had some health struggles of my own,

96

and it just became very clear that I

was not going to be able to thrive in

97

that environment, and I was also not

going to be able to set my students

98

up to thrive, and I knew I needed

to step back and do something else.

99

Joshua: I think that we

often go in one path.

100

I even said to my listeners in the

past that I wanted to be a lawyer,

101

and I was so dead set in doing that,

but I decided to change my career

102

path after I went through- we all

went through, I should say, the Great

103

Recession of 2008, and I thought, "Okay.

104

Well, maybe doing this, what I want

to do now can make a big difference

105

in what we're trying to achieve",

but you started this business,

106

Alyssa's Yellow House, and I love the

name, and there's an awesome story.

107

I'm not going to share it.

108

I want you to share it because it's

definitely your perspective of what you

109

called this business because I'll give

you my thoughts after you introduce it,

110

because there's a little bit of a tie

in, I feel, to this with me personally,

111

but I'll let you share why you called

your business, Alyssa's Yellow House.

112

Alyssa: When I was very young, my family

lived out in this sort of ruralish area.

113

It was kind of like the outer edge of

a suburb, and we lived on this really

114

long street, and on the way to school,

and on the way home from school,

115

twice a day, we would pass this lovely

yellow Victorian house; had this giant

116

wraparound front porch, huge front

window, they always decorated all

117

the way to the hilt for the holidays.

118

It was beautiful, and in my little

kid brain, now it seems ridiculous,

119

but when you're seven, it seems

absolutely logical that whoever lives

120

here just must not have any problems.

121

Their life must be great, because

obviously, this place is so

122

gorgeous that whoever lives here

must just have it all together.

123

As I grew up, I realized

that's kind of ridiculous.

124

Everyone's going to have problems no

matter where you live, no matter what

125

your home looks like, and the real

thing that matters is the energy that

126

your home has, and how you feel inside

your home, whether it's a house, or an

127

apartment, or whether you share it with

other people, doesn't really matter.

128

What matters is how you feel when

you arrive and when you spend time

129

there, and so, What I want to do with

the business, especially, and also

130

just personally in my own home, is to

cultivate that kind of energy where

131

when you enter your home, everything

seems just a little bit more okay.

132

No matter what happened that day, while

you were gone, everything seems a little

133

bit better because your home is such

a calm, timeless place for you to just

134

be and just relax and I don't think

that home should be stressful, and so

135

that kind of "yellow house energy",

wherever you happen to be located,

136

is something that you can build and

cultivate regardless of whether you

137

actually live in a yellow house or not.

138

Joshua: Wow.

139

You said three things that are on my

mind right now as you were talking

140

about this experience of walking by

and seeing this yellow house, because,

141

first off, the connection I was alluding

to earlier was the fact that the image

142

in my mind growing up was growing up

on a farm which my mom and dad had

143

Alpine Nubian goats, and I always have

this big red barn in my mind and I

144

could I still picture it to this day.

145

They tore it down from where I

originally grew up, which was in

146

the Lancaster County area, and it

was really beautiful in Pennsylvania

147

around that time because there wasn't

as many developed houses as there are

148

today, so I have that image in my mind.

149

I always thought, "Man.

150

I wish I could have that one day again.",

but there's something else that you

151

said that is really pivotal that I think

is really important is that what might

152

be looking good on the outside might

not be as good in the inside, which is

153

what you deal with, which is looking

in the inside, so I'm really curious,

154

because now I want to tie in a little

bit of what you had mentioned earlier

155

about diagnosis and autism and ADHD.

156

Do you feel that you have an insider

advantage of helping people that might

157

not have those sort of issues, or I

shouldn't even call it issues, I should

158

call them neurodivergent opportunities,

or abilities, unlike other people?

159

In other words, Do you see yourself

having a competitive advantage over other

160

people because of having those diagnoses,

especially later in life, because we

161

were talking about that too, that we both

had that happen later on in our lives.

162

Alyssa: I certainly think it

gives me a different perspective.

163

I don't know if I would call it an

advantage, because when you're working

164

with home organization, it's so personal

that, I've had people tell me that they

165

had a home organizer come out to their

home and organize everything and it was

166

so beautiful and then two weeks later

it was a disaster again and they felt

167

terrible and that's just a mismatch

between the person and the organizer, and

168

I don't actually do in home organization.

169

What I try to do is give people the

tools so that they can do it themselves

170

and really understand the organization

process, and I think that that is

171

something that's kind of missing right now

from the home organization conversation

172

is what actually is organizing.

173

How does it work?

174

We use organizing as almost a buzzword,

and we assume that everyone knows what

175

it means, but that's actually not really

as simple and cut and dried as we would

176

like it to be, because what's organized

for you, and what's organized for

177

me, might be very different from each

other, and so the organization process,

178

I feel like I do have some additional

insight because of the way that my brain

179

works, and the way that I see things.

180

Things that seem very obvious to me

often don't to others, and I think that

181

does give me an interesting perspective

that has maybe been missing from the

182

home organization cultural conversation.

183

Joshua: As I approach over a year now

with my own diagnosis of autism at a

184

later stage in life, I often have been

thinking about it as a superpower of

185

sorts, and I think that you have a

perspective of a superpower when you

186

do that, and you touched on something

that I'm kind of curious just to draw

187

some comparisons or contrasts from this.

188

How do you work with people that might

have already had somebody in the house

189

to help them, and it didn't work out?

190

What is one of your first steps

to help somebody if they're

191

trying to get organized again

to empower them to do that?

192

What is usually your technique to

help them get to that next level?

193

Alyssa: I think the first step is to

really identify not just what are the

194

problem areas, but why are those areas

a problem for you, because we like to

195

make these very broad statements that

are not actually that helpful to us, so

196

people will say, "Well, I hate my closet."

197

Okay, but why?

198

Can you tell me more about

why it doesn't work for you?

199

What is in your closet

that you don't like?

200

If the problem is really just that you

have too many clothes that you don't

201

wear or that no longer fit you, that's a

separate problem from I only have one bar

202

in my closet to hang things on and I need

more than that, and I need a different

203

system in my closet to actually be able

to store all of my clothing, or maybe

204

it's, "I don't have a good place for

my shoes, and so I kick them off on the

205

floor of the closet and now they're just

in a big pile", but all of those problems

206

are so much easier to solve than a very

generic, "I hate my closet.", because

207

that doesn't give you anywhere to go.

208

You can't solve, "I hate my

closet", but you can solve, "I

209

don't have good shoe storage".

210

Joshua: I think it's untying that

emotional connection every time we

211

have that thought and being able to

say to ourselves, "We can do this.

212

We can change the thought pattern.

213

We can change the ways in which we're

taking action on it", which I've shared

214

many episodes with my listeners about the

importance of that too, because I think

215

it's really an understanding of creating

that dynamic of what is causing that in

216

the first place, removing that from the

equation, but now being able to take

217

meaningful action to help showcase or even

display what some of that progress can be.

218

Speaking of progress, I noticed that

on your website you have the "All

219

Peach, No Pit" workbook, and I think

there is a couple people that come to

220

mind that I know in my life that could

absolutely use this, and it's really

221

relating to the kitchen, so can you

talk a little bit about the workbook

222

and the premise of it and what it helps

other people do, beause I know that it's

223

available for purchase on your website.

224

Alyssa: Sure, so I decided that I needed

a really good way to package my whole

225

organizing system, and when I say an

organizing system, my goal is not to

226

teach you to organize like I organize.

227

That's not going to help you.

228

That's how I organize.

229

You are going to organize differently,

so my goal is to teach you the

230

skills and the systems that you need

to set up your own organizational

231

system that's going to work for you.

232

When I decided I needed to package

this all up so that I could share it

233

with other people, I then decided I

need to start in the kitchen, because

234

that seems to be one of everyone's

problem areas, and it makes sense.

235

We're only basically in the kitchen

when we're working, and we're in

236

there multiple times a day, working,

basically everywhere else in the house.

237

We're either going there occasionally to

relax, or it's like the office, and we can

238

shut the door on it and walk away when our

work day is over, so it's really important

239

that the kitchen is a place that you feel

good about, because often when we think

240

about homes that we feel functioned well,

which for a lot of people that I talk to

241

they picture their grandparents, and they

always tell me stories about their grandma

242

in the kitchen, and I'm no different.

243

I remember my grandmother in the

kitchen as well, making things and

244

just the family center in her home has

always been her kitchen, and so the

245

story of building this workbook out

was based in that and then was also

246

based heavily in my autism and my ADHD.

247

I need things in small chunks.

248

If you give me a huge project I am

already overwhelmed and often it's not

249

even necessary to have a huge project.

250

We think that if we want big results, we

have to make big change and most of the

251

time, it's really the small changes that

make the day to day difference, so, the

252

workbook is broken up into very short

little sections that you can do in just

253

a few minutes, and it moves you through

sort of what I think of as the three

254

different components of organization.

255

There's the mindset component, which

is: How are you thinking about it?

256

How are you mentally and emotionally

setting yourself up for success?

257

How are you dealing with

the trauma of organizing?

258

When we think of organizing, we think

of nice little colored bins sitting side

259

by side with cute labels, but there is

so much more to organizing than that,

260

because there are all of these cultural

messages that we've been getting from

261

media, from parents, from friends, from

ourselves, about judgments that we should

262

make about us if we aren't effortlessly

good at organizing, and we have to work

263

through all that before we're going to

make any more progress, so the first

264

section of the workbook is, "Let's talk

about the emotional weight of organizing

265

and how we can make it work for us and

how we can get around the difficult

266

parts so that we can be more successful."

267

Part two is the physical

organization of your space.

268

Where does your stuff go and kind of

tying in with what works best for you,

269

which is not necessarily what works

best for someone else, and then the

270

third part is your methods, which is how

you and your physical space interact.

271

How do you actually use the space that

you've created, and what does that

272

conversation between you and your space

look like, and how can you use that to

273

find areas that are really functional

where you can see What have I done super

274

well,, or areas where you can see, This

is a thing that's not really serving me.

275

I can improve this, and also, I now know

how to do that, and I know what that

276

looks like when it works really well.

277

Joshua: Wow, because I have to say this.

278

I had a lady on just the last interview

episode that I had on the podcast,

279

and we were talking about paranormal

activity, or things of that nature in

280

which she's a psychic and has these

medium conversations or energy levels

281

from different spirits that live in

the house, and I feel that this is such

282

a good tie in because it isn't just

about the spirits that surround us.

283

It's really about the things that we

do to prepare ourselves to have that

284

organization conversation for people,

because I often think of the TV show

285

Hoarders, where there's a lot of emotional

attachment with why hoarding happened

286

in the first place, and trying to go

in and immediately say, "This is junk.

287

These are things that are good.

288

You need to keep the things that

are good and get rid of the junk."

289

That could be a very traumatic

episode for somebody that is really

290

attached to those sort of items,

because there is a significance to it,

291

which you've touched on, the mental,

emotional aspects of it and we need

292

to process that in a healthy way.

293

I guess in a way I have this

curiosity question for you.

294

How does your family handle this when you

are getting ready to do some of the same

295

things that you do with your clients?

296

Do you help them, them being your family,

actually go through that process and

297

maybe process some of those things?

298

I mean, I imagine that you have

some of those sort of situations

299

come up where they're like, "No mom.

300

I don't want to do that.

301

No wife.

302

I don't want to do that."

303

Alyssa: It actually works really well,

because the reason that there are so many

304

conflicts, it seems like, in organizing

is because it's so emotionally charged,

305

and when you're using a system that allows

you to process those emotions as you

306

go, it's much less emotionally charged

to then make it work with a partner, or

307

whoever else you happen to live with, and

for me, at least, we have sort of had to

308

work through in my family, "These are the

things that I need that work well for me.

309

What are the things that you need that

work well for you?", and even though

310

they're not often the same things,

they are usually at least complimentary

311

things, so the things that someone

else really struggles with, will

312

be an area that works well for me.

313

Other things are just stuff like I do most

of the cooking in my family, so nobody

314

else is going to try to organize my spice

rack or my pantry because they don't

315

really use them, so since I'm the primary

person who uses those spaces, I have the

316

primary say in how they're organized.

317

My husband puts away the dishes most

of the time, and so the dishes that are

318

not for cooking, he puts them where he

wants them to go, where it makes sense

319

for him to put them away, because I'm

not doing that, so I don't really have

320

the primary say in what we're going to

do in that space, and so finding those

321

sort of areas of common ground, and

then those areas where you can take more

322

ownership, and also everyone else still

feels good about that, is really critical

323

in figuring out how to work together

with the people you live with, and it's

324

so much easier when you have a system of

looking at it that doesn't just set it up

325

as a me versus you, me versus my space,

kind of thing where it's constructive

326

and we all work together to make it

functional and to make it really serve

327

the needs of everybody who lives here.

328

Joshua: I kind of think of the

analogy of I'm driving the car

329

when we're driving down the road.

330

I should have control of the radio

because I want to listen to certain

331

things that keep me awake, will

keep me going, and I don't want

332

anybody else touching the radio.

333

It isn't your turn to drive, so hold on,

so in a way you're kind of saying the same

334

premise in which organize it in a way

that is primary to you, but at the same

335

time, knowing that there's going to be

other people sometimes in the kitchen or

336

even organizing for that matter in life.

337

is being able to have that conversation,

which a great book that I have always

338

referenced on the show is from a

collection of different authors, one of

339

them being Joseph Grenny, called Crucial

Conversations for Mastering Dialogue,

340

and I love it because it talks about

the system of having that difficult

341

conversation, but it isn't about giving

up or conceding on a certain point, but

342

being able to work out the differences,

so I feel that we all have that ability,

343

that energy pattern to be able to

work out those differences as well.

344

Alyssa, I'm really curious as we get

closer to the end of our time here

345

about a successful client that you

had, and maybe they had a completely

346

different situation and maybe other

people that you routinely work with,

347

but they were really difficult; maybe

they were very challenging to work with.

348

Maybe it was some other sort of

circumstance, but I was wondering, without

349

saying their name whatsoever, because

we always protect the confidentiality of

350

other people, especially me being a coach.

351

I'm wondering if you could share

a success story that you had that

352

really sticks with you, even to this

day that you've worked with somebody

353

to help them, whether it's through

organization or through some other means.

354

Alyssa: Yeah, that's a great question.

355

I think one of the most impactful

clients that I ever had for me, and

356

I think also for the client, was

someone who was very insistent that

357

the problem was not organization.

358

The problem was that she

just hated her kitchen.

359

She just didn't want to be in there.

360

It wasn't that it was disorganized,

it wasn't that it was dirty, she

361

just didn't want to be in there.

362

It wasn't until we started

breaking down, "Why is that?",

363

and figuring out various things.

364

One of the biggest things that I found

for this client was; this was also a

365

neurodivergent client, and one of the

things that she had really struggled

366

with, with more conventional organizing,

was what's the first thing they all

367

say, is just "Make it a habit", right,

which works great if you form habits.

368

Joshua: Yes.

369

Alyssa: If you are neurodivergent and you

don't easily form habits in the same way

370

that non-neurodivergent people do, you're

just destined to believe that you are bad

371

at organizing, and so one of the things

that we found was that she felt like she

372

was constantly dropping the ball in a lot

of places, because she wasn't maintaining

373

these unmaintainable habits, and she

was having this narrative running that

374

since she couldn't just effortlessly do

it, that meant that she was bad somehow.

375

Then, she developed an aversion to just

her whole kitchen, and she just didn't

376

even want to go in there, and it was a

long process of re-evaluating: What is

377

the problem, really, and what can we do

about it, and okay, instead of building

378

habits, we're going to change things

to rely on routines, because one of the

379

things that the neurodivergent brain is

super good at is following a routine.

380

If we have a routine, we are golden.

381

We can do that routine all day, every day.

382

We just have to have something that

starts that routine, so, we built out

383

some routines for her so that she felt

like she had more control over the

384

things that she was struggling with.

385

We reorganized some of the physical

components of her kitchen to prompt

386

her to follow those routines, and we

put away some things that were sitting

387

out, and we brought out some things

that are put away so that she would see

388

them and it would remind her, "Oh yeah.

389

I need to start that routine."

390

She went from being someone who

told me that she hated her kitchen.

391

She hated cooking.

392

She got in touch with me and she was

just giggling, and she said, "Oh my gosh.

393

My extended family is

coming in from out of town.

394

I am so excited to cook for them.

395

I'm so excited to have them in for a meal.

396

I know how it works.

397

I already know what I'm going to do.

398

I already know how I'm going to serve

it I know how I'm set up for this.

399

This feels so good, and I am so excited to

have them come in, instead of finding out

400

that they're coming and then immediately

worrying about what am I going to do?

401

I just get to be excited about having them

be here.", and that was so rewarding for

402

me to see that I'm not the only person

who has been impacted by this system

403

of organization in such a strong way.

404

It has that kind of impact for

other people as well, and it

405

was just really a wonderful

experience for her and also for me.

406

Joshua: It puts a smile on my face

to hear that too, because it's almost

407

as if we put that work together with

different people and we see that pay

408

off, so it's not just the things that

we do in our lives that we work with

409

others and we have that fulfillment,

but seeing that happen with somebody

410

else is always a awesome feeling too.

411

Thanks for sharing that, Alyssa.

412

I have one final question for you,

and being that you are neurodivergent

413

just like I am, I really feel that

our audience might have a real deep

414

appreciation for what you have to say

about this question, which is: What

415

would you say to someone that might be

going through this sort of struggle with

416

being autistic, or having ADHD, and they

haven't come to grips yet of what they

417

are in this world, or trying to figure

out what to do to kind of break that

418

routine pattern that they have going on.

419

What would you say to somebody that

had just found out recently that

420

they were diagnosed, maybe even

later in life for that matter, of

421

how they can find their purpose?

422

How can they use that

diagnosis to their advantage?

423

I'm wondering if you have any insights you

could share with my listeners about that.

424

Alyssa: The first thing I would tell them

is that you've probably been trying to use

425

a lot of systems that were not necessarily

built for you, and the only bad system

426

is the system that doesn't work for you.

427

It doesn't have to be the same way

that everybody else is doing it.

428

If you have recently been

diagnosed, nothing has fundamentally

429

changed about who you are.

430

What you have now is a deeper

understanding of how you can structure

431

things to make your life easier,

and better, and more fulfilling, and

432

that's a wonderful opportunity that

I hope everyone gets at some point

433

in their life, whether it's through

diagnosis or through discovering their

434

passion, or whatever it may be, I want

everyone to have the opportunity to

435

live as authentically as possible.

436

Whether that's through organization,

or through a career path, or through

437

a hobby, or whatever it may be, lean

in to the things that make you feel

438

fulfilled, and if it doesn't make you

fulfilled, start looking at how you

439

might be able to, if not completely

get rid of it, then at least reduce

440

the amount of energy that you have to

spend on that, because that's going to

441

free up so much more energy for you to

spend in ways that are more fulfilling.

442

Joshua: Well said, and I just like

applauding you over here because

443

it is such a good answer to what we

can do to help achieve that success

444

because everyone's entitled to it.

445

Everybody has that opportunity.

446

It's just about building those systems

around us and they're not all alike.

447

Alyssa, thanks for sharing what

you've shared with us today.

448

I'm wondering if you could take the last

few moments here and just share with my

449

listeners, how can they reach out to you?

450

How can they engage with you if

they're interested in organization?

451

How can they help with maybe

finding that first step?

452

I'm going to give you the last few moments

to give our listeners that information.

453

Alyssa: My Instagram

is @alyssasyellowhouse.

454

My website is alyssasyellowhouse.com,

and my current, absolute favorite place

455

to be is in my Facebook group, which

is also Alyssa's Yellow House, and

456

it's a very interactive place where

there are people that are sharing kind

457

of their own organizational struggles

and their successes, and it's very

458

collaborative and it just feels like

a really wonderful place where we can

459

all share and learn from each other.

460

My Instagram is very responsive.

461

I love receiving messages on Instagram.

462

Please get in touch with me

if you have any questions.

463

I also answer emails.

464

It's very easy to get a hold of

me and I am more than happy to

465

talk to people about this because

I am very passionate about it.

466

I know how much it's changed my life and

what a positive impact it's had for me,

467

and I want that for everyone else too.

468

Joshua: I can tell even throughout

this last half hour of the excitement

469

and the enthusiasm that you have for

helping others, and even with just a

470

small thing that maybe other people don't

really think about on their day to day

471

about just keeping an organized house

or keeping organized in general, it's

472

really about creating those opportunities

to engage, to help each other, which I

473

love the Facebook group that you have.

474

I think that all those

things are very important.

475

I'll put everything about your business,

and even the Instagram, even the

476

Facebook into the episode notes, so

listeners, you want to go check that

477

out, check out Alyssa, help her out and

definitely engage with her, but Alyssa,

478

for all these things that you do and

being a fellow neurodivergent person

479

in this world, making a difference,

no matter what it is, thanks for

480

sharing your heart with us today.

481

Thanks for being on Speaking From

The Heart, and I really enjoyed our

482

conversation and getting to learn a lot

more about yourself and your business.

483

I really want to thank Alyssa again

for being part of the show, because

484

now I know where to put my stuff.

485

That's right; now I know how to

functionally organize myself so that

486

every time that I have guests over at

my house, or my apartment where I live

487

currently, I don't have to worry so much

anymore about having to find a place

488

for everything, and worry about what

other people might think about my living

489

situation, but you have to understand

that this is not as simple of a subject

490

as it might have led by itself having

this conversation today, and I think even

491

Alyssa had alluded to the fact too, that

this is not an easy change for many people

492

that might be going through these sort

of situations where they don't know where

493

to functionally organize in their life.

494

I have worked with clients that have even

had some difficulty struggling with their

495

organizational systems, and we actually

have to take a step back to talk about

496

what are some strategies, and some coping

mechanisms, in order to overcome some of

497

those pitfalls that we might fall into

when it comes to the space that they

498

live in, let alone the opportunity to

work on some of the tasks that we do in

499

coaching, whether it's in a personal,

professional development setting.

500

I think it's about understanding

how we pivot and how we create

501

those aspirations of greatness in

our own lives that make such a big

502

difference in our organizational style.

503

Okay, I'm already hearing it.

504

"Josh.

505

This is crazy.

506

Yet again in another episode at the

end, you're talking about how something

507

that's completely unrelated functions

into something that is completely

508

related into what you're doing.

509

Why do you keep doing that?"

510

Here's the deal.

511

If you ever want to aspire for

greatness, you have to be organized.

512

It's one of the basic principles, and

sometimes even the basic tenets of

513

many leadership models that you read.

514

Even my own boss at my full time job

would tell you that it's about being

515

organized, being able to understand

where things are at within a certain

516

process or procedure, that will allow

you to keep on working towards that

517

greatness, but if you're not even

organized at work, what makes you think

518

that you're even going to be organized

at home, and home is how you feel.

519

It creates that connotation.

520

It creates that opportunity to create

not only those ways in which we feel

521

really good about ourselves, not only

how we cultivate our energy overall,

522

but how we will live on the day to

day basis, so let's take a step back.

523

What does your house look like right now?

524

In the inside?

525

On the outside?

526

Then let's take a look at you.

527

What's happening in the inside,

and also on the outside?

528

I think that we have to understand that

each part of the kitchen, living room,

529

bedroom, bathroom, and any other ancillary

rooms that you might have in your house

530

or apartment that you live in, each

have its own functional requirements.

531

I think we have to be intentional about

how we utilize those especially when

532

it comes to balance and moderation.

533

For example, if you're spending a lot

of time in the bathroom, I don't think

534

it might be necessarily about how

you're getting ready, or how you're

535

even feeling about one of these things

that you do on a day to day basis.

536

It might be something happening even more.

537

Maybe you've been sick quite a

lot, and that's why you're spending

538

a lot of time in the bathroom.

539

Maybe you're taking more

than enough showers.

540

Maybe you're over obsessing about

your cleanliness, and worrying about

541

what other people might think, but

then let's talk about your bedroom.

542

Are there clothes strewn

all over the floor?

543

Have you made your bed recently?

544

Have you even washed the pillowcases,

the sheets that you sleep on?

545

Anything that has to do with

feeling a little bit better about

546

who you are and your hygiene as

a whole, but oh, the kitchen.

547

What are you putting in the cupboards?

548

Is it expired food?

549

Is it food that's not so good for you?

550

It's always been said that the colors

that you have in your refrigerator

551

make a big difference about the

nutritional requirements that

552

you're putting inside your body,

and then there's the living room.

553

How much time are you spending there?

554

Are you playing video games?

555

Are you watching too much television,

or are you using it to learn new things?

556

We have to create an environment in each

of these different rooms in order for us

557

to feel a little bit better about who we

are and what we want to do, and I think

558

Alyssa would be a prime example of those

sort of people that would be willing to

559

help you no matter what kind of struggles

you might have to create that success.

560

To process some of that initial anger,

that trauma, that organizational

561

structure that you have that might not

even exist in the first place, but more

562

importantly taking the first step in

being able to interact with somebody else.

563

We have to be able to learn to not only

cope with the ways in which we interact

564

with each of these rooms, but we have to

put in practice what we are being taught.

565

Alyssa will only show you if you're

willing to work on it, and that's

566

still one of the biggest premises

of many of the episodes that we've

567

discussed this sort of topic.

568

You can listen to it as much as

you possibly can, but if you're

569

not willing to take the actionable

steps that will help you to create

570

that best value of who you are.

571

If you're not willing to be able to

work on what needs to be addressed.

572

Even if you don't want to take the small

baby steps that need to be taken in

573

order to learn a new habit or new skill,

change will not become a routine for you.

574

You have to live an authentic life

by building the systems in your

575

life that allow you to be able

to function appropriately, and

576

it all starts in where you live.

577

I have lived for many years in my life

not working on those basic baby steps,

578

and that set me back a very long time.

579

I've talked about this on other episodes

in which not only have I struggled

580

with the emotional impacts of it, but

it's affected even my relationships for

581

that matter, being able to have good

friendships with people that I truly

582

care about, which I can only count

on one hand, is very hard in itself.

583

Now that is not to say that quantity

should be over quality, but at the

584

same time, I know that there's been a

lot of people in my life that I could

585

have had over at my apartment or my

house, if I would have started to work

586

on the basic elements of what we have

talked about in today's episode, so what

587

are the problems that you're facing?

588

It's not as simple as just writing them

down, but it's about taking actionable

589

steps that allow you to address those

different opportunities that exist.

590

If you are really worried about

what's happening on the outside

591

of your house more so than what's

happening in the inside of your house,

592

it might be time to start focusing

on those things that are inside.

593

If the plumbing needs to be fixed in

your house so that you have running

594

water, let alone electricity for

that matter, it might be time to

595

hire a qualified specialist to come

over and start fixing those things.

596

It's no different than hiring a coach

to help you with the basic fundamentals

597

of the things that you need to

organize and structure so you can have

598

appropriate opportunities to succeed.

599

This is about building a foundation.

600

If you don't have a healthy foundation,

it will be very tough for you to be able

601

to stand on your own two feet, let alone,

have a place to even sleep, bathe, cook,

602

and coexist in this awesome world, because

you are awesome in itself, and you should

603

not have to live in your own filth, let

alone your own opportunity to be able

604

to excel over those different things

that might have been holding you back.

605

Now, I know that I've been preaching

a lot in these last few minutes, but I

606

know that it's easier said than done,

so I want to speak to those for just a

607

moment that might be still struggling

on figuring out what's the best way to

608

move forward, especially with all this

information that we've presented today.

609

Let's validate the fact that there

are difficult times for many people

610

being able to address some of

these basic issues, and I get it.

611

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which we've

mentioned in many earlier episodes,

612

talks about just having a place to

live, food in our belly and feeling like

613

we're secure in our own belongings, and

I know that it's much easier said than

614

done to be able to do all those things,

especially in this ever changing world,

615

especially with things that we have

as difficult moments in our lives, but

616

it's not to say that that should be your

excuse, because there are many different

617

programs out there, whether you're in

the United States or abroad, that can

618

help you get back on your own two feet.

619

What are the problems that you have?

620

Start listing them out today.

621

Do you not have the things that

you need as the basic necessities,

622

such as canned food, a can opener,

a bowl to put the contents in, let

623

alone a microwave to heat it up, let

alone a stove to possibly cook on?

624

I know that all these things can be

very hard to do, especially if you have

625

limited resources, but you're never alone.

626

If you are looking for resources,

feel free to do a search on the web

627

and find any of those local food

pantries, church organizations, or

628

any other special events being put

on by your local police department

629

or other organizations that might be

helping others that are less fortunate,

630

because it all does start with just

feeling a little bit of extra security.

631

I think that's what Alyssa

is selling to us today.

632

I think that's what we all need to have

a little bit of in our lives, because

633

if we're able to build that system of

feeling like we can exist, especially

634

at our own home, we're not only going to

have the opportunity to grow and learn new

635

basic skills, but we're going to be able

to create new values, new aspirations,

636

new opportunities, whether they are from

the outside or inside, and we're going

637

to be able to help so many different

people change radically what they have

638

inside their hearts, minds, and souls,

because that's what this is all about.

639

It isn't just about what

we have inside and outside.

640

It's about what we have as extra

security, and we want to be able to

641

address those untapped, emotional issues

that might exist because you don't have

642

the heart or confidence to actually

take that first step, and it's okay

643

to ask for help, because, look at me.

644

If somebody like me can address those

sort of problems, and be able to get to

645

the other side, I think that you can too,

and there's no shame in ever asking for

646

help, because we can be able to learn new

tips, tricks, and tools, if we're just

647

willing to open ourselves up to those

unimaginable possibilities, because they

648

are something that can become reality, and

you're worth being part of this reality.

649

Stop living in the way in which you feel

that you can't do anything about it.

650

There are people that are willing

to help you, and they're going to

651

help you no matter what, to help

you get to that next step in that

652

overall journey that you're living in.

653

Thanks for listening to episode

number 94 of Speaking From the

654

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

655

Outro: Thanks for listening.

656

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

657

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

658

Visit us at www.

659

yourspeakingvoice.

660

biz for more information about

potential services that can help you

661

create the best version of yourself.

662

See you next time.