In today's episode, I sit down with Beate Pilgreen — a professional organizer, sober powerhouse, and all-around life declutterer — to talk about the connection between getting sober and clearing the damn clutter — both emotionally and physically.

Beate shares her journey from growing up in Germany to making a "geographic" move to the U.S., thinking a new zip code could fix her heartbreak (and her drinking). Spoiler: it didn’t. But the story didn’t end there. After years of struggle, a 20-year marriage, and a full life reset, Beate found her way into sobriety — and, unexpectedly, into a whole new career helping other women find freedom through simplicity.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Beate discovered professional organizing after getting sober (and realized it was more emotional work than she expected).
• The link between addiction, clutter, and self-worth — and why sober women often feel stuck in their homes post-recovery.
• Reclaiming your space as a sober woman and redefining comfort and safety.
• Living intentionally, consuming consciously, and learning to say “no thanks” to a bag of random hand-me-downs.
• Beate’s transition from in-home organizing to digital offers and coaching — and her dream of building an army of sober, clutter-free women.

Whether you’re clearing out your closet or cleaning up your past, this episode is a heartfelt, hilarious, and grounding reminder that letting go — of stuff, of stories, of self-doubt — is powerful as hell.

Follow her journey on Instagram @noworganizing

Links: 

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/katevitela/

Explore Kate’s blog: https://thesobercurator.com/category/sober-lifestyle/youve-been-selected/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: [email protected] 

Mentioned in this episode:

Gut Check: A Private Self-Inquiry Course