Meet Bridget Stralko | Professional Home Organizer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bridget Stralko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bridget, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I think people have a hard time balancing life in general. Between work, family, taking care of your home, and hobbies, sometimes the lines between what’s important gets blurred. I know that’s true for a lot of my clients, and it’s true for me as well!

I think the trick is to live life with intention; not letting other people or things decide how your day will go. It’s not easy! And one thing that makes it hard to do is having a phone, especially one with access to social media. Balance frequently gets thrown off when you pick up your phone to put something on your grocery shopping list and end up scrolling Instagram reels for an hour. You don’t get that time back. So you have to plan to have a balanced life.

When I first started my business, my daughter was two. I was a single mom so I needed to make sure I was working enough to pay the bills. Work became a huge part of my life. And while I enjoyed helping people get organized, the more I worked, the less time I had for my daughter, for taking care of my own home, and for taking care of myself. It was a stressful way to live.

Now, I create boundaries. Work is important, especially because I know getting organized changes people’s lives. But you can’t pour from an empty cup. I need to make sure I have days off and that I don’t give those days away to other people. My life, and my daughter‘s life with me in it is important too! There has to be a healthy balance between work and home life. It’s important to put time aside to really reflect on what is the real purpose in your life and how much time you should dedicate to it. If you’re not intentional about finding balance, the world will choose for you.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my organizing company 13 years ago. There were not many other organizers in the business at that time in Detroit, so I got a head start getting lots of experience, organizing for people in their homes.

With all that hands-on practice, I got really good at what I do. I am quick, efficient, and have a wealth of knowledge on how to organize large and small spaces. Most clients comment on how fast I am and are often surprised at how much we get done in a 4 hour session. I am able to transform a completely cluttered room from an unusable space to a haven that’s functional and calm.

My business was not an overnight success. It started out with me cleaning people’s homes. Not organizing, but back breaking, on your hands and knees, scrubbing floors, cleaning. I had business cards made, would hand them out to anyone who would take one, and hung flyers all over town. I built my own website and uploaded all of my content from jobs to social media, managing all aspects of my business on my own. While cleaning homes, I would often ask permission to organize a closet or junk drawer, in addition to dusting. Over time, my business transitioned from cleaning jobs to strictly organizing jobs, with a couple random painting jobs in between. Whatever people needed done in their homes, I was up for it. I realized you can’t change if you’re always staying the same.

Of course, I’ve learned lots of valuable lessons along the way. I’ve had clients book several dates in a row, and then cancel them all last minute. I’ve accepted jobs that were in troublesome neighborhoods. One time I worked for a client several days in a row, and then she refused to pay me at the end. Often I’ll be greeted at the door by very flustered clients who may or may not break out in tears, and I realize they’re embarrassed, and ashamed to have me in this very vulnerable space.

I’ve seen it all. Really fancy mansions with secrets hidden behind closet doors. Hoarder homes where I can’t walk in a room. Suburban houses that are very organized, except for that one basement or garage that’s filled with stuff. I would list all the scandalous things I’ve seen over the years, but to be honest, I forget about those things. When someone reaches out to me to get their life organized, I can almost feel the trauma and the hurt. I see all the outside clutter that represents inside chaos. I’m not there to judge. Honestly, it doesn’t really bother me how it looks when I first see it because I know the transformation will happen and life will be better because of it. And once the space is organized, I know my client feels a weight lifted off because I can feel it too… And it wasn’t even my stuff!

Life is like one big to-do list that you never get to the bottom of. You might think you need to wait for the perfect time to get everything done at once, but it’s always better to do a little bit at a time because then it actually gets done. (plus the to do list never gets emptied anyway) And for people who are too overwhelmed to even do little bits at a time, luckily there are people like me who love to help.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I grew up in the middle of Indiana with only a Walmart in town and a Bob Evans down the street. Metro Detroit has so much to do, you could be here for a month and not do it all!

One of my favorite places to visit is the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. I’ve been there more times than I can count. With the limo where JFK was shot, the chair Lincoln was murdered in, and Thomas Edison‘s last breath in a vile, it’s a must see.

In the summer, I love to visit Eastern Market. There’s just something about the hustle and bustle where you can buy fresh vegetables, try some homemade pierogies, and come home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

My daughter and I love to find water. Sometimes we’ll stop by the beach in downtown Walled Lake or take a drive over to Luna Pier for the day. It’s fun to find local restaurants, especially ones that are on the beach!

Our family also loves going on hikes and kayaking at local state parks. While we do enjoy walking around Mayberry or Lakeshore Park, we try to find lesser known paths to explore the beauty of Michigan.

Honestly, I’m not the right person to ask for local cuisine. My husband is the best chef so we don’t eat out often. But there is this incredible authentic Mexican restaurant in Livonia called Maya Cocina that has the best guacamole and alambre al pastor. We love Buddy’s Detroit style pizza, of course. And for dessert, we would probably take her to Ritters (also in Livonia) because they have the best frozen custard or the specialty grocery store, Joe’s Produce, down the street to choose something amazing from the bakery.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I would not be part of this world and would definitely not have the skills to be such an efficient organizer without God’s grace. All glory belongs to Him!

My husband John has been instrumental in supporting me through the highs and lows of being a small business owner. He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.

My daughter, Briella has been a huge supporter of me and my business as well. When she was little, she would come with me to jobs. Now she watches all of my social media videos and gives me advice on how to improve. It’s been an absolute pleasure showing her what women are capable of doing out in the world.

I always loved organizing for myself and other people, but the book that gave me the most encouragement to continue with my own organizing business was The Life-Changing Magic by Marie Kondo. While I don’t believe it’s the only way you can get your life organized, it provides a guidebook with the most thorough tools for changing your life.

Website: https://Unclutterit.com

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1E6hPUHSbo/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@unclutterit?si=j6sFTwZNf7s7uC_E

Other: Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4QPXo20gyZFTZkHvwKYaWc?si=dOT5fqFrQGeJ06eolfg4XQ