Join me on this special episode as I celebrate two incredible milestones: the two-year anniversary of Stress Less Organizing and the one-year anniversary of this podcast!

I'm taking you through my journey of juggling motherhood, teaching, and entrepreneurship, sharing the ups and downs along the way. I'm sharing some thoughts on the importance of integrity and balance in life. Discover what I'm letting go of to ensure I deliver quality content and how I'm planning to prioritize my family during this season. Tune in for honest and inspiring insight that might just resonate with your own life journey.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Pro Organizer Studio

The Business Edit Podcast

FREE RESOURCES

The Decide Guide: A Room by Room Resource to Declutter With Confidence

The Decide Guide: Toy Tidy-Up Edition! The fastest way to know what stays and what goes when it comes to your toys.

Sanity Savers: Megan's Every-Home-Must-Have-THIS List

CONNECT WITH ME

Follow me on Instagram: @megansmithstressless

Like my Stress Less Organizing Facebook Page

Visit My Website | Stan Store

OR email me at: contact@megansmithstressless.com

Mentioned in this episode:

PLAY SPACES THAT WORK: Toy Organization Audio Course

Your home is a powerful tool that serves you and your family every day.

But how do you juggle all of life's demands?

Raise a family, and keep your house under control?

That's what this show is all about. Welcome to the Stress Less podcast.

I'm Megan Smith. Midwest mama who is obsessed with

getting rid of crap and passionate about realistic problem solving.

And I'm here to help you transform your unique spaces by giving you

permission to make intentional decisions that empower you to

confidently stress less and live more. Hey everyone!

Welcome back to another episode of the Stress Less podcast.

I'm sure not many of you noticed, but I did miss the last two

weeks of episodes and I'm going to get to why that is at the end

of this podcast, so make sure you listen to the whole thing.

The beginning of March actually marks two things when it comes to my

business stress less organizing. In March of 2023, I officially

started Stress Less organizing, and in March of 2024,

I launched this podcast. So to celebrate two years of my

business and one year of this podcast, I'm going to dive into

a little bit of how it started and how it's going.

And I'm going to be honest, I'm definitely pulling back the

curtain and I'm feeling a little vulnerable here.

But I think sharing my story is an important part of the entire picture.

Let's get right into it. I actually started stress less

organizing in the early winter of 2017.

This idea came to my mind in the middle of the day, when I was

still a first grade teacher. I googled something along the lines

of organizing services, and I actually found Jen Kilbourne and the

Pro Organizer studio on YouTube. I remember I was working out at any

time fitness during the season after school, and I was binging their

YouTube channel about how to start a professional organizing business.

Like I was obsessed with it, AKA hyper fixating,

but I didn't know I had ADHD yet. So I started an Instagram and I

started sharing what I was organizing in my house and started

to promote organizing services. I had even set up a free Wix

site too, but I didn't have any background in marketing or sales

or business at all. Like I'm a full time elementary

teacher, so I really, truly had no idea what I was doing.

I was just basing everything off of pro organizing studios, free content,

and I was just excited that professional organizing was even a

thing at the time. Then it hit me. At that point, I had a ten month old,

and then I was also a first grade classroom teacher, and I was also a

competitive cheer and dance coach for the high school in our community.

And my husband and I were talking about when we wanted to

have our next child. Clearly, I was trying to do multiple

things like be a mom, a farm wife, a teacher, a coach, and then I

was starting the side hustle. Just because I love organizing

so much and I love helping people so much.

I mean, it didn't take me long to realize

this is probably not something I should be doing right now.

If I want to be good at all the things I'm doing,

it's probably too much. I specifically remember telling

myself, this is not a forever no. It's just a no right now.

I was really loving my coaching position, so I told myself I was

going to just go all in on that. Like all of my focus was on

improving that program and giving it the best I could,

being the best I could for that, and thinking of how I could grow the

cheer and dance program as a whole. Then fast forward to December of

I resigned from the coaching position

and to be completely honest, it was not something I wanted to do.

But in the moment I knew that God was literally telling me I had to do

that and that I had to obey him. It was just, I mean, you guys,

I was bawling as I typed that email that I had decided to resign

because I truly loved that position. I loved everything about it,

and I poured my heart and soul into it for ten years.

So after I resigned, it was kind of crazy.

My kids had never known me not being a coach.

I was coaching before I was married, I was coaching before I was a mom,

and I was coaching the entire time I had three kids.

So then when I let go of a big part of what I focused my energy towards,

I just knew I was going to have to find something to channel

that energy. And I knew immediately that what I

loved about my coaching position, like what made my brain thrive

through that position, was getting results.

I loved the problem solving aspect of coaching.

I loved adjusting our practices and strategically adjusting our

routines that would improve our results the next time we

performed at a competition. Now, I'm not saying it was all

me because the girls on the team had to work hard too.

I had assistant coaches. I was not the only one involved

in the program. I'm not saying that, but with

how my brain and how I operate, I love having a goal,

creating a system, problem solving, strategically, placing skills,

and doing things intentionally and purposely, and then getting

results back that showed like, yes, that was the right thing to do.

Yes, the problem was solved. Our scores would go up almost

every competition. So I knew I was going to have to find

something where I could channel that energy, or where I could create that

system of having something that was mine and that I was in control of.

I mean, hello, I fully know and embrace that I am a control freak.

It's just a part of who I am. It even shows in my classroom too.

It's just very obvious. There is something with me that

is driven by control. I knew I was going to have to find

something that took that energy and turned it into taking something,

making it better, and having results to prove that I could make it better.

And when I realized what I could be doing with this time that was

previously taken up by coaching, I literally laughed at myself.

It took me from December, when I resigned to March of 2023,

to remember that I had started a side hustle.

Once upon a time, it took me that long to remember

stress less organizing. I FaceTimed one of my friends and was

like, oh my gosh, I figured it out. I know what I'm going to do.

So I went straight back to that Pro Organizer Studio YouTube page,

and I instantly paid for their course about how to run a

professional organizing business. I binged it, of course,

and that was the start. In March of 2023, I got the Ein

number. I started the bank account. I did all the things to have a

legit business in South Dakota, and I just kept putting one foot

in front of the other. The first summer was great,

I loved it, I loved having the freedom to work on my own business.

Previous summers had been focused around preparing for our fall cheer

and dance season, so this was the first summer I didn't have that.

I had my own business and I loved helping clients.

I loved having a free schedule. I loved having free time to work

on something that I was passionate about, and it also gave my brain

a break from teaching. I love teaching, but obviously you

can get burned out. That's no secret. And at the time, my kids were

still going to daycare during the summer since I still paid for their

spots if they were there or not. but it was just nice to have

something else to work on. And it actually made going back

to the classroom in the fall a really hard transition.

I worked on scheduling in-person services for all of 2023 with

local people, and on weekends I was willing to travel 90 miles

from my house for clients. I was researching and following

all the marketing things that people tell you to do online.

I tried writing blogs a little bit. I can sit down and write.

I actually really like writing and feel very confident about it, but I

am just so much of a perfectionist. The formatting on the website is

what I would agonize over. It would drive me nuts.

I would spend way too much time trying to make that perfect,

and since I knew it took a lot of time for me to be happy with the

result of blogging, then I just wouldn't do it as often, right?

Like our brains just like to avoid things that don't flow.

In January of 2024, I contacted a girl who I had followed on Instagram

for a while and scheduled a couple business coaching sessions with her.

I just needed to talk out my ideas with somebody who knew

what they were doing. Like someone who was just a few steps

ahead of me within our conversation. She suggested that I start a podcast.

When she suggested that, it honestly clicked for me because I

was like, oh my gosh, I can talk, but my brain goes a million miles an

hour in 17 different directions. But if I had an outline, I can talk.

This made so much sense. There's so many less barriers for me

and how I operate, and how I want to share my message by doing a podcast.

I did purchase a course on how to start a podcast.

I probably could have figured it out for free, but just having the step by

step guide was so nice, especially since I second guess myself so much.

I worked on it from January through February and launched it

this time last year. In April of 2024,

I joined a business coaching program called The Business Edit.

Jade Boyd is the business coach and her program offered a

private podcast, a workbook, weekly hot seat coaching sessions on

zoom with a small group of other service providers, and I had binged

her podcasts as well, and I knew her program would be so helpful for me.

Since then, I have adjusted and pivoted and

eliminated and tweaked some things, tried some different offers,

and even niche down so I could make a side hustle work with our lifestyle.

I worked through the Business Edit workbook throughout the

second summer. I had with stress less organizing

in addition to serving in-person clients, spring cleaning season

and all the way through June, I was the busiest I had ever been

and my quarterly income showed it. I got to a point where I was taking

an assistant with me to every single job, because they were all big jobs.

I loved that I love working with assistants because I like to talk

to people while doing projects. You know, it's body doubling, right?

But then seasons would change in the fall.

We would be in the thick of harvest season and the same

thing in the spring. We would be in the thick of

calving season. And part of being a farm wife that

makes things difficult is you're by yourself a lot of the time, or

responsible for the kids by yourself. And if you aren't available,

you need to find a replacement for yourself in these seasons.

If I need to go do something, I have to find somebody to care for my kids.

As someone with ADHD, we know that task that in that have more steps

are more difficult to accomplish. So when I was trying to schedule

clients, but then I had the added step of

finding someone to care for my kids. On top of that,

it created some hangups for me. As I've mentioned before,

I'm a full time elementary teacher and I'm a farm wife.

We live 30 miles from town, and I'm at a point in my teaching

career where I have figured out how to teach, and I'm not

bringing tons of work home. I've set up the systems within

my classroom and within my school year that I can show up

to school and teach, and I can leave when the day is done.

And I don't need to take things home or stay late.

And don't get me wrong, the days are exhausting and

sometimes very overstimulating, but I've just gotten to a point where

that part is well managed in my classroom, and my teaching style

runs like a well-oiled machine. And my kids are getting older.

Their needs aren't as high. Granted, parenting always has

its overwhelming moments, but I've just gotten to a point

where my kids can keep themselves occupied and I can have little

pockets of time to work on things throughout our days at home,

and to be completely transparent. As of January of this year,

I took on a temporary position in my school district where I'm helping our

transportation department handle student behaviors and bus conducts.

As I said, my duties and responsibilities as

an ESL teacher are well managed, and when I applied for this extra

position, I felt like it would be a good passion project for me.

I'm only helping handle the reports from our K-5 buildings,

and it really feels like a great fit, since I am familiar with grade levels

below my position from my previous teaching experience in addition to my

own kids ages right now and then, I know most of the students who

are beyond my grade level, because they have all spent a

year in the same hallway as me. I've truly been enjoying this

position, but it has also taken up my time

that I was using for my business. I was using my lunch and the

time after my contract, hours 4 to 530 before daycare closes

to do things for my business. Now that I'm using my lunch and my

4 to 530 time frames to help with the transportation department,

that only leaves me pockets of time at home when my kids are in bed,

or on the weekends when they are occupied to work on my business.

Integrity is something that I value deeply, and I talk a lot on this

podcast about how when you are overwhelmed, it's time to figure

out what you can let go of. And I've decided that in order for me

to continue to serve my email list subscribers, my Instagram audience,

and my podcast listeners as best as I possibly can, I need to hit pause on

the podcast content for a moment. I want to be able to produce

quality content that's actually helpful for you.

I didn't want to feel rushed to get content out that wasn't

fully intentional or helpful. Throughout this whole process of

building a business, I have always believed.

I have a message to share, and I feel called to help others and

to contribute for the greater good. So I still want a place where I

can share my thoughts. It's just all coming into

alignment now. I've truly thought about what I want

my business to look like and what I am able to consistently accomplish.

Motherhood is just always a balancing act, and with every season change,

you have to rebalance it right and try to be intentional about what

you want and what's important. And I really don't want time

with my kids to be eaten up by my side business.

So taking into consideration my capacity and my values,

but also what I enjoy and what I feel called to do and what my purpose is,

I'm going to be pivoting my business just a little bit so

that it aligns with my lifestyle, and so that I can stop giving myself

roadblocks or finding excuses. I'm not totally sure how long

this podcast pause will be. My initial thought was through the

end of May, but there might be a few pop up episodes here and there,

so make sure you're subscribed or following the show so you

don't miss any episodes that do come out while the podcast is on

pause for a short time. I'll be showing up on Instagram and

to my email list, so make sure you are subscribed to my email list too.

Of course, all the links for these will be in the show notes.

I'm super excited about where I'm headed and I hope you're

ready to come along with me. Thank you so much for listening

to this episode of the Stress Less podcast.

If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you'd take a

screenshot and share it on Instagram. Tagging me at Megan Smith stress

less. Sharing your takeaways from this

episode on Instagram will help more moms like you discover helpful

episodes and learn how to make motherhood feel more manageable.

Don't forget to check out the show notes for tools and resources

mentioned in today's episode. I'll talk to you soon on the

Stress Less podcast.