Kim Howard of Howard Homes Chicago helps us turn our attention from the possessions within our homes to the special relationship we have with homes we buy and sell. 

Our guest Kim Howard is a top-producing Chicago real estate agent with Howard Homes Chicago – Keller Williams, that she co-founded with her husband Joe. They focus on both the city of Chicago and select suburbs, and have implemented a mindset of gratitude in their daily practice that helps them spark joy in both their personal and professional lives. 

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:


The moments Kim took risks and stepped into the unknown as she grew closer to realty
How to handle the things that are out of your control as you buy or sell by shifting your attention to your mindset
The critical first steps for home buying  that sets you apart from your competitors
The reality of reality TV  
How to get your financial home in order before you shop for homes
How to stage a home through a lens of joy
How to find and attract your target buyer


Kim's favorite tidying/staging tip:  Keep it open and neutral and highlight the good stuff.  Have a plan.


What sparks joy for Kim: Living in the moment (being present)        

To connect with Kim Howard, visit www.howardhomeschicago.com and on Facebook. 

Gems:

"At the end of the day, the whole thing is unpredictable."

"Who you have on your team matters."

"The unknown is hard, but just being excited for the end goal is huge."

"Buyers want a blank canvas so they can envision themselves there."

"Your property is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it, not necessarily what's inside it."

"Sparking joy, in terms of your personal life, will only lead to better things in the real estate world."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home 

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy Special Guest: Kim Howard.

Ep 83 | Buying or Selling a Home of Joy with Kim Howard

Welcome to Spark Joy, co-hosted by certified KonMari Consultants Kristyn Ivey and Karin Socci. Spark Joy is the podcast dedicated to celebrating the KonMari Method and the transformative power of surrounding yourself with joy; and letting go of the all the rest. 
Made popular by Marie Kondo, author of the bestselling book The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, the KonMari Method is a revolutionary professional organizing technique and way of life. Join us as we explore the world of KonMari and how the method impacts your home, health, wealth, family and well being.
Spark Joy engages thought leaders and innovators in the KonMari universe. We share our experiences as KonMari Consultants, working with clients from all walks of life: families, empty nesting folks downsizing, young people setting up their first homes, and others. Look forward to practical tidy tips that will help you execute your own KonMari journey with ease and joy.
Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.Thanks for tuning in, and we hope your day sparks joy!
NOTE: Spark Joy the podcast is not endorsed by or affiliated with KonMari Media, Inc. The opinions expressed on the show's episodes represent the views of the co-hosts and guests alone, and do not represent the corporate position of KonMari Media, Inc or the KonMari consultant community.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Kids & Family

Self-Improvement

Relationship expert Angela N. Holton joins us to share Conscious Dating strategies that focus on self-love and connection, even in the midst of social distancing and quarantine. 

Angela N. Holton, is an International Dating & Relationship Expert, Speaker, Author and Founder of Love Sanctuary, an online spiritual and personal development site centered on helping women and men create more love in their lives from the inside-out.  She is the Creator of The Conscious Dating Method, a modern and revolutionary approach toward dating and relationships and the author of The Conscious Dating Method Workbook Journal.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Book a custom Virtual Tidying Experience with For the Love of Tidy

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:


How Angela became an international dating coach
Angela's definition of self-love and why it's so important as we date
How to build self-love into our homes, schedules, and routines
The Conscious Dating Method - how to become what we are seek
How letting go is a common theme across both tidying and dating
Tips for navigating dating during quarantine and beyond
Social distance dating ideas
How to make dating a priority when there are other things fighting for our attention
Tips (do's and don'ts) to help you make online dating spark more joy and how to get started


Angela's favorite dating tip: 

Have fun and date with curiosity.

What sparks joy for Angela: 

Waking up and sharing her gifts.

To connect with Angela, you can find her at lovesanctuary.com and on instagram @angelanholton.

You can also pick up Angela's book, The Conscious Dating Method Workbook and Journal.

Gems:

"Relationships begin and end with relationship with self."

"We are naturally wired for connection."

"How are you learning how to be in a relationship if you're not dating?"

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy Special Guest: Angela Holton.

Encore! Ep 136 | Love in the Time of Corona - Conscious Dating with Angela N. Holton

David Allen, master personal productivity specialist, joins us to explore the intersection between his famous Getting Things Done Method and KonMari. 

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. We should be looking toward a world of no problems, only projects.”

After decades of in-the-field research and practice of his productivity methods, David wrote the international best-seller Getting Things Done. 

Published in over 28 languages, TIME magazine heralded it as “the defining self-help business book of its time.” 

Today, David is considered the leading authority in the fields of organizational and personal productivity. The David Allen Company, run by David and his wife Kathryn, oversees the certification academy and quality standards for Global Partners offering Getting Things Done courses and coaching around the world.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Book a custom Virtual Tidying Experience with For the Love of Tidy

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-David's journey to becoming one of the most important names in increasing productivity

-Learn what the Getting Things Done (GTD) method is all about and how you can use it to increase your productivity and gain more time that spark joy

-Practice with David using the GTD method to something as simple as receiving a wedding invitation

-David has worked from home since the early 1980's and he shares his tips for WFH that sparks joy

-David shares what is meant by "ambient anxiety", an "external brain", and the "two minute rule"

-What are Open Loops and how they impact your productivity

-Find all of David's books and guides here: David Allen on Amazon

-Learn some of David's time honored tips to increase your ability to Get Things Done with joy!

David's favorite productivity tip: 

"Your head is for having ideas and not for holding them. Stop using your head as your office."

What sparks joy for David: 

David's new video series "Two Minute Tips for Turbulent Times" coming soon.

And, walking his little Cavalier Springer Spaniel in the park!

To connect with David, you can find him at GettingThingsDone.com and on Twitter at GTDGuy

Gems:

"If you think about something twice, then you are paying it to much attention."

"You have to decide what the thing means to you to decide what to do with it."

"You need a discreet space to do your work, answer your email and focus. It's best if there is no other activity in that space . And, it should be a place where everyone in the home knows you are "on the job" even if you need to put yellow caution tape around your workspace!"

"What has your attention?"

"Your head is for having ideas, not holding them. Stop using  your head as your office."  

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy Special Guest: David Allen.

Encore! Ep 131 | Getting Things Done with David Allen

Veteran professional organizer and TV host Peter Walsh joins us to uncover the deeper meaning behind our clutter and share tips to help you create comfort and joy at home during these challenging times. 

Peter starred in the popular organization and design series Clean Sweep with Peter Walsh on Discovery’s TLC Network.  The series produced over 120 episodes and has run almost continuously since 2003.

He is the author of six best-selling books on the subject of organizing including How to Organize (Just About) Everything; It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff, and Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?

His new book is Let It Go, Downsizing Your Way to A Richer, Happier Life.

Peter was a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he was dubbed the “Get Your Life Organized Guy” which led to his own series, Extreme Clutter with Peter Walsh on OWN.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:


  How Peter got his start-you’ll never believe what he WASN’T interested in doing in the beginning
  How it all came together for Peter and organizational design became his great passion
  The importance of humor and empathy in working with people who are experiencing guilt and shame over clutter
  Peter’s take on why we accumulate so much-the hope of chasing a dream life through acquiring more and more “stuff”
  How Peter shocks his clients with his plan for discarding 70-80% of their stuff-but they find he was on the money!
  What Peter thinks of Marie Kondo. Peter and Marie on the Rachel Ray Show
  Stories about what often gets edited from reality organizing shows. To go behind the scenes of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo check out:


Ep 67 | Review of Netflix's "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo"

Ep 68 | Behind the Scenes: Netflix's "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo" with Tricia Fidler and Jane Grodem


  Suggestions on how to manage the uncertainty of life during the pandemic
  Peter’s annual challenge on his YouTube channel. Peter Walsh's  31 Days to Get Organized
  How to play Trash Bag Tango!
  Peter’s great ideas for turning family organizing into learning games while we are staying home
  The importance of a schedule and maintaining a sense of routine while social distancing and staying at home
  Peter’s own experience surviving the coronavirus


Favorite organizing tip:

“Retreat into quiet at least 5 minutes a day. Although it may not seem to be a tidying tip, it will help you center yourself and to give you the space to step back into the busy world.

Also, take a media break!”

What is sparking the most joy for Peter:

“We are seeing what is happening in the world could be a massive reset button. Staying connected with those we love and getting back in touch with those people who are most significant in our lives.”

How to get in touch with Peter:

Peter Walsh Design

Peter’s Books

Extreme Clutter with Peter Walsh

Clean Sweep with Peter Walsh

Peter’s very active FaceBook community

Peter's YouTube channel

Gems:

“I’ve discovered over nearly 20 years of doing this that we are all human and all in the same boat. We all go off the rails occasionally!”

“At the end of the day, you are stronger than your stuff.”

“Stuff is associated with happiness. People buy things thinking that they are buying happiness but they are really buying a shadow of happiness. Instead of buying a product, we are buying a promise.”

“What is the vision you have from the life you want? Does the stuff you own help you get what you want from this room?”

“If you don’t respect your space, if you overload it, it’s the same as dishonoring as person, you are dishonoring your space. You will never be happy in that space.”

“Stuff is a distraction. Issues around clutter are about loss and trauma and neglect and abandonment.”

“The issue is really, ‘How do I deal with the fear and the anxiety we are all facing at the moment.’ And, people are looking to organizing as a way of feeling some control.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy Special Guest: Peter Walsh.

Encore! Ep 127 | Taking a Look at Why It's All Too Much with Peter Walsh

Sarit Sela, fellow KonMari Consultant, shares her favorite minimalist inspired buying and shopping strategies that can enhance your KonMari journey and help you maintain a clutter free lifestyle.

Sarit Sela is a minimalist mom, Bronze certified KonMari consultant and visual storyteller. 

She is an Israeli living in Stockholm, Sweden for the last 8 years and is the founder of Minimalist Me, Her mission is to bring a creative, visual world of minimalism, scandinavian design and KonMari to her clients.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-Learning how and why Sarit became a KonMari Consultant


How minimalism has played an important role in Sarit’s personal journey and in her work with clients
What minimalism means to Sarit. It’s not what you may think!
Sarit's method of working with her clients using the KonMari Method and minimalism
How it's not about the number of things you own in any category. It's important to not focus on the number but on the joy and use of the items to YOU
The challenges, and JOYS, of being a mom in our consumerist culture and how to help your children be more focused and mindful
How Sarit has navigated setting up her business in both Sweden and Israel and the differences in both cultures when it comes to tidying
What makes a good KonMari Consultant in Sarit’s view


Sarit's favorite tidying tip: 

"It's important that when you open your wardrobe and feel that it is pretty to look at. It's not about the number of clothes but that you put things around you that spark joy."

What sparks joy for Sarit: 

"Soon, I will be in Tel Aviv to lead a workshop on minimalism. It's going to be one of the biggest events I have done so far."

Sarit’s parting words of wisdom: 

"Many people are concerned with the habits of others in their homes. But I have found that if you change your habits, you will be able to help others."

To connect with Sarit, visit her websits and blog Mimialist Me or follow her on Instagram

Gems:


"You will know exactly what you need and don't need. It must work for you."
"Combining the two things, KonMari and miinimalism, was something that felt unique."
"Who needs five boxes of pasta at any one time?"
"I think there are two things to teach kids. The first is to learn to tidy and the second is to carefully chose the things they want in their lives."
"It's so important for a KonMari Consultant to have compassion."


You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy Special Guest: Sarit Sela.

Encore! Ep 119 | Minimalist Shopping Habits That Spark Joy with Sarit Sela

Welcome to the 2020 Spark Joy highlights show! Make sure you listen all the way through because we share an important announcement towards the end.

This year was a wild one and really unlike no other, so we look forward to highlighting some positive moments of joy for the show and announce and celebrate our giveaway winners. 

Our show wouldn’t be possible without each and every one of you…. our listeners...many whom have been with us from day one. 

YOU spark the most joy! We are so grateful for your thought-provoking questions, inspiring stories of tidying highs and lows, and your dedicated listenership over the past 3 1/2 years.  

Book a custom Virtual Tidying Experience with For the Love of Tidy

Join The Spark Joy Club today!

But first, a Joy Check!

What Sparked Joy this year for Karin:

As hard as this year was, I have been inspired by the perseverance and determination of people everywhere. That has helped me to keep going and has helped me see what I gained and learned this year. Hopefulness!

What Sparked Joy this year for Kristyn:

Leaning on the Spark Joy and For the Love of Tidy communities as we collectively got stuff done during a trying season. 

Joyful Show Highlights 2020


Spark Joy Ep 131 | Getting Things Done with David Allen
Spark Joy Ep 144 | Essentialism with Greg McKeown 
Spark Joy Ep 127 | Taking a Look at Why It's All Too Much with Peter Walsh
Spark Joy Episode 132 | Where Does all the Stuff Go with Secondhand Author Adam Minter


The  3rd Annual Spark Joy Giveaway!

Each of our three winners will receive a special KonMari Prize Bundle that includes:

• A signed copy of Marie Kondo’s tidying sequel, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

• A fifty-dollar gift card to the KonMari Shop on konmari.com

• On behalf of For the Love of Tidy, a 2-hour Virtual Tidying Lesson

And here are our winners!

Vapeters

A Yooper Learning to Let Go!

Spark Joy is the only podcast I listen to weekly - others that I have found around simple living or minimalism either is too much of just a general conversation that I get bored, has too many ads or clearly their agendas are to sell and pitch their guests books etc. 

I love that Kristyn and Karin have guests that have skills and professions that cover a range of topics and I appreciate their style of asking them specific questions about what they do. I live in the Midwest and would love to hear more from people who live in areas with extreme weather and how they deal with their tools, winter equipment and wardrobe etc. Keep up the good work and inspiration!

KerieSue

New Listener & Ready to Let Go!

"I only discovered this podcast recently. I reluctantly subscribed thinking, “Oh, goodie. ANOTHER decluttering podcast.” *eye roll

After the first 5 minutes, I realized, it was SO MUCH MORE than that. The advice offered here by the hosts, combined with the interviews is absolutely priceless! I am hooked and fully intend to “binge-listen” each and every episode as I begin my KonMari journey."

Kimmykannonz

So informative!

Despite having read Marie Kondo's books and watched the Netflix show, I wanted more KonMari content as I completed my Tidying Festival. Kristyn and Karin are so kind, and I love their variety of guests. I have learned a lot from the episodes, and have been able to carry the lessons into my own life.

Congratulations to our winners!



The Spark Joy Podcast is saying goodbye...

After three years, 161 episodes, over 95 hours of KonMari themed tips and over 2.5 million downloads, we’ve decided to end this run of the Spark Joy podcast. 

Your dedication to our mission has been absolutely incredible.  

While new episodes are paused, our mission continues. 

Here are some ways you can continue to listen while you tidy and access our show and community:

• All 161 episodes will remain live and available to you during your tidying event. You can revisit your favorites or start from Episode 0 to binge-listen all of our episodes. 

• The Spark Joy Club will remain active and live! You can request to join by heading over to sparkjoypodcast.com and clicking Join the Club to gain exclusive access to the community, The Tidy Home Joy Journal, monthly live videos, accountability, advice from organizing experts, and inspiration from hundreds of active tidying companions.

• If we have updates about the show in the future we’ll announce them via Spark Joy's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, so make sure to follow us on your favorite platform. You can also join our mailing list or reach out to us directly at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com

Karin and I will continue to serve clients in-person and virtually through The Serene Home and For the Love of Tidy, respectively.

Make sure to connect with us via our individual social media accounts, subscribe to our mailing lists, or reach out to us directly so we can continue to address your burning tidying questions. 

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Ep 83 | Buying or Selling a Home of Joy with Kim Howard

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