Welcome to the Power of Authority Spotlight. I'm your host, Michelle Prince, founder and CEO of Performance Publishing Group, making a difference one story at a time. We'll be shining the light on successful founders, entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders that are getting results and making a difference. We'll talk about how they built their businesses, are creating movements and leveraging the power of authority in their own lives. Be sure to stick around to the end of the show and we'll reveal how you can be our next guest. Let's get started. Hey everybody and welcome to the Power of Authority Spotlight where we shine the light on entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, and people that are doing extraordinary things. They're they're following their passion, they're living with purpose, and they're making a difference. And I cannot wait to introduce you to two guests. Today, but first this episode is brought to you by performance publishing. If you've ever thought about writing a book, you can do it. It is not as hard as you think. You just got to get that, all of that out of your head onto paper and we can help go get a free strategy call at performance publishing group. com. That's performance publishing group. com. Well, let me introduce you to my two guests today. First is Jennifer Harris. Jennifer is a mom, designer, entrepreneur, and recovering maximalist with over 20 years of experience designing interiors, products, and graphics. Her passion for problem solving and organization drives her to create personalized solutions that blend functionality with aesthetic appeal. She hopes her story and ideas will inspire others to reclaim the functional design of their personal real estate. And then we also have Courtney Huckabee, who is a mom, therapist, trainer, supervisor, coach, and entrepreneur. She founded and led her professional mental health group practice and has been a therapist for over 18 years, working with families, children, and parents. Her passion in life is helping people grow personally and professionally, though her first love remains her family. Jennifer Courtney, welcome to the show. Hello. for having us. I'm so excited to have you both on because I've had the privilege of getting to see you bring this baby to life, which is your new book, which just came out. Just launched here recently called reframe and reclaim, but tell everyone a little bit more about the book and how it came to be. Yeah. So the origin story of reframe and reclaim really started about three years ago in the fall of 2021, when I started noticing patterns within my own family and how we, our relationship with our belongings. And I noticed these patterns were generational. So from my grandparents to my mom, and. For my family. So my history is I have a lot of sentimentality when it comes to belongings. So both my grandfathers passed away when I was nine years old. My father passed away when I was, was 15. And so for me, this book really started as evaluating my sentimentality around these items and how I put so much emphasis. on these sentimental items around my loved ones who had passed away. So that started me thinking and I reached out to Courtney, who's a mental health professional, and we just started having conversations about why do I do these things or people in general, why they do these things and why they have You know, have the self identity and this emphasis on their belongings. And so we had these conversations and it kind of morphed into, Hey, you want to write a book? Like, I think this could be really helpful for people. So the way the book is formatted is it starts out with me sharing my personal journey and my stories about how I've used certain excuses or how I have not let go of. So I really don't need any more. They're not serving a purpose in my home. Some are even not, some are even negative feelings. You know, I keep the item, but it has a real negative connotation to it. So why am I keeping these items? So this book is really the story of my journey and journey of other clients. We have helped and how we're able to let go of items that aren't serving us in our current life chapter. I think this is huge because so many people, and I can relate, I won't, I'll tell you more of my stories because, but I totally get it, and you don't want to throw away something, especially if somebody's passed away, but what is the psychology behind that? You know, Courtney, why do we do this? Why do we hold on? Well, there, there's so much behind this. And so, you know, it's not a simple, Oh, this is why, you know, and so really we learn a lot about how we do life and about our, our identities, how we connect with others through what we see other people doing. And so, one of the things that Jennifer and I really found is it's. Really generational for her. There was a lot of, well, my mom kept things and my grandfather kept things. And so I just know that you keep things, but we actually go through many different excuses or justifications of why we hold on to things or why we acquire things in the book and it's laid out like that in the chapters. And so there's different justifications and each justification is highlighted by each chapter. Yeah, you mentioned the word generations and I'm curious if there's any connection to my grandmother was and, you know, came in the World War Two kind of the or actually she was in the Great Depression. And I know I remember as a little girl she would even save and reuse paper towels. Long after she had, they had plenty of money, right? But there was, so is that maybe what some of this generational, like they, they, they didn't have anything. So they kept everything. And then the next generation is like, well, if my mom kept it, maybe we should care, kept keep it. And then the green, it just goes on and on and on. Exactly. Yeah. That's definitely a part of that. And I think what's so hard is, you know, we also create habits in our life, you know? So maybe my habit is I collect these things or, you know, I try to find Things that are valuable or keep things that could be worth value. And I keep that habit until it doesn't serve me anymore, or I realize it's not really helpful for me. So we really do try to explore and unpack lots of different psychologies around our identities and our habits and our connections with our things. One of the things I really love about the book is you have a collection of case studies. And you know, to really paint the picture of what, what, what this really looks like. Do you mind sharing a couple of those or some, give us some ideas of what's really going on. So like Jen said, a lot of it starts with her own Like history and, and sharing her story. And then we try to find people who would be willing to let us try some of our ideas with our reclaim process. We have a seven step process that we've identified, we formulated, and we thought this would be really good. And so we asked for volunteers to open up their homes and let us come in and step in and being a counselor, you know, a little bit about. My theory of working with people is not to say, this is how you got to do it. Let me show you. I'm the expert, but really having it client led and what's different about this book and some other books that might be out there is we don't come in and do for the person we actually have them tell us what to do. What they need. And so we go through the seven, seven steps and we ask them the questions along the way and trying to find out what they hope their function of their design of their space. What has, what is one of the challenges that they're facing when it comes to their space, and we actually let them make the decisions as we decide one thing versus another is this a keep, or is this a donate, or is this a give Give to somebody else who might be, um, wanting this or conserve them as well. I would love for you to take us through those seven. And so people can write them down too. So, and I know you've touched on it, but just step, what is number one? Number one is reflect. Okay. We want to make sure that the reflecting on how the space is currently used, what is in their space, how their space feels when they're in their space. We also wanted them to ask, like, what they want their space to be. Okay. As well. So maybe one way and what is, what is the hope that they want at the end? Okay. So reflect, stop, you know, really evaluate basically what you want. What's number two? Well, that leads us into E, which is evaluate. So, okay. Or I, I'm sorry. So you, I said seven step, but it is the acronym. It is reclaim. Yes. Right. So R is reflect E is evaluate, evaluate. And so the evaluate step really is getting to the root of why you were holding on to this item and what it's giving you. And so. For so how it's like Courtney was saying how it's broken up in the book is by the different excuses we tell ourselves. And so someone who keeps something because of sentimental versus someone who's keeping an item because it's, you know, might be worth something someday. Or, you know, I might use it one day because The whole great depression mentality is going to, we're going to ask different questions based on those excuses so that we can really get to the root of the problem. Love that. So ease, evaluate and what's next. So after we do that, we're going to make sure that we clean and clear out the space. So it's really hard to see how the space can be without how everything already is. And that's really just like taking everything out, clearing out the space and seeing it for what it could be and really letting your mind get creative and evaluating what you would like it to be. I like that. Okay. Clean. And also thinking about how you feel when it's clean and empty, because you may look at it and be like, Oh, I didn't know it could feel this way. I really don't want to put all this stuff back into it because I feel good seeing empty. This is so fascinating to me. I really, it is. It's just the connection between the two. So anyway, we'll keep going because I know everyone wants to continue to what they are. What is L? L is layout. And so this is as you, before you put the room back together, really thinking about the things that you reflected on in the evaluate process, or evaluate step, I should say. Is what you want to put back in and how this room needs to function for yourself. So whether it's sketching out like this is where I want furniture to go, or in my pantry, you know I snacks are what I always go to so I need that at eye level so I can grab it quickly and put the heavier items down low. So, you know, thinking about how you the functionality of it for your everyday use laying out to that specification. And then. Will you go into the next Right. And then we go into, next, we go into a, which is so as, yeah. So as we create like a blueprint, you know, it might be a sketch, it might be like, you know, measuring off and putting some, some things to show where things would go. We actually start to assemble and we say what is priority? What is something that, if this is to function and feel as you had imagined. What has to go back in and we start there and we start to assemble and see, okay, how does this feel? Now you see this in the space. Now that you have this in the space, do we need to adjust anything in the, as we're putting it back into the actual physical space? So good. So good. All right. And then our reason to I, so the I in reclaim is inspect, and this is really, important. It's a step that I don't think a lot of people take into consideration and really give it enough value. You want to take a step back, look at the space and say, is this really going to function how I want it to? And it's okay if it doesn't. So if you take a step back and you're like, you know, I really need this item. More eye level, or this item really should go in another room. So I can fit the things I need in this space here. That's where you do that in this step and just take that final gut check to make sure it's going to function how you want. Okay. So smart. Yes. And then the final what's M so M. Is the hardest and the longest step of the process. And this is maintained. So, um, a lot of times we see, we take a few hours, a couple of days, and we create a space and then we live in the space and we use the space. And this is where a lot of times, um, the space no longer is functioning the way we started or intended. So this is really looking at what steps do I need to take? Who do I need to also bring into this? And create expectations for this space so that it does continue to function and feel the way it does right now. Wow. How did you two come up with this? I know you talked in the book and I, and I had a little bit of a, you know, insider view on this, but really how did, how did you come up with that framework? It's really very interesting. It's not just clever, but it's very functional and it makes a ton of sense to me. Yes. Well, it was, it was really looking at, I feel like people, whenever they, this is going to be a generalization, but when people look at design shows or organizational shows, or when they want to go and organize something, they think it's one and done. It's like, I'm going to buy these bins. I'm going to put it in here. It's going to be beautiful. And I never have to touch it again. But like, so. Not like that, right? Our life changes. I mean, if I say like, if I could know which snack my kid is going to have as their favorite, you know, from week to week, that would be a huge help. But if they want something that's two inches wide compared to one inch wide, that's going to vary my space in my pantry. Right. And so being able to be flexible. And understand that you will have to come back to it and make it work for you is a really important step. And I think, you know, about 70 to 80 percent of a system will continue to work, but we need to have the about 20 percent that stays flexible for just changing lifestyles. Very good. So yeah, go ahead. Well, and I was going to mention with that too, is the maintaining is not that this space has to continue to function this way. And that's the coming back to reflecting again, if you know, the kids are in diapers and now the kids aren't in diapers or the kids like this snack and don't like this snack, or I have an office. Now I don't need a home office, or I have this hobby and now I don't have that hobby. We can really come back to you. Coming back to this again, the next year or three years from now, and it's something that is always evolving and a living process is what it really is. So the people that you, who volunteered, you went into their homes, give me an example of what happened as you took them through this seven step process. Let me take that Jen, or do you want to take that? So we, we all, as we were writing this book, some of our friends and family knew about it. And we talked to some other people who might be interested and we just asked, Hey, we're writing a book. Would you be comfortable for us coming in one of our clients out of necessity? She's like, I'm moving. I have this. and I've got to figure out what to do with all this stuff. I haven't seen this stuff in years. I don't want to do this, but I know if you're offering help, I need help. And so we actually started the day and did some you know pre interview, which is in, in the book as well. And how are you feeling, you know, what are your hopes for this time you know what's kept you kept you from not starting this process before whether it's for you and really just getting to know the client where they're at. And reassuring that we're not here to force you to get rid of things or to throw things away. Really, we just want to help you find better function. And this client was telling us she had avoided this space for over six years because she just knew it was going to take too much time and too much effort. And by the end of the day, we finished everything in one day. She had donated more than a car full of things. She, Was so thankful that we went through this. She was excited about her move because she was moving. She felt like she had found things that she didn't know she had lost or misplaced. And she found things that she realized, I don't know why I was keeping this. Like, what was I thinking? So there is a lot of change in six years for this client. And our hope for this book is not to become minimalist. It's just really finding what functions and what feels good for you. I love that because it's not just about functionality. It is also about the feeling part of it. And if it really means something to you, right. It brings you joy and, you know, and not, you know, then, then keep it and find a place for it. But let me give you a scenario and you tell me if, how you would, how you would approach this. So let's just use the moving example again, right? So somebody is moving and they've pulled out all the things, like, let's just say the attic or the storage shed or whatever. And they realize that they have, have all of the pictures and all the memorabilia of somebody who has passed mom, dad, grandma, whoever it is. What do you do with that stuff? It's from this generation. They can't use it. But there's this guilt tied to, but I can't throw it away. It was mom. So I, I have become an expert in this area because this is a lot, right? So for me, I had to really look at what do I value? And it wasn't like, you know, I had to look at it as, as like very almost existential. Like if my house burned down and I lost everything, what do I truly value? What do I want? And what would I be heartbroken if I lost? And so it was really the family photos. And I thought about it though. And I was like, well, all my family photos are stored in boxes and albums, like at the bottom of my entertainment center. And if there was a fire, could I easily go grab those? Could I save those? You know, is it in a place? Where if I truly value it, I can get it. And so for me, I took a step back and I digitized all my really important photos. It did, it was a process and took some time, but I was able to digitize the photos. Any objects that were really sentimental to me, I took photos of, I bought a light box, Courtney was there, we have it on video. We had a weekend of it. Yes. And you know, I just talked through the items and why this is important and why I wanted to keep it. So I was able to take photos of it and then I could easily let it go. And you know, if I'm honest with myself, Am I going to go back and look at some of these sentimental items like my childhood toys? Maybe not. Probably not. But for me, it stored on an external hard drive that I keep in my fireproof and waterproof safe. So I know it's safe and I can go access that whenever I want to. And whenever I want to, you know, revisit those memories. Wow. That is awesome advice. And I have to tell you, selfishly, I asked the question because we are getting ready to move and we cleaned out a storage shed and it has, and my husband's mother has passed his grandmother, his grandfather, and a great uncle that we took care of, you know, up until their last days. And so to have all of this important stuff, That was so important in their lives and yet it's nothing that we access or do anything but that that feeling the guilt that there is a psychological. Right. Well, we can't get rid of it. Right. And so I feel like you just, first of all, kind of released me from this like there is, there is an answer. And in all the years we've lived in this house. They were in a storage unit. Like never once did we go through them. So that is actually great, great, great advice. Digitize the pictures. Take pictures of something. Yes. And I, you know, something else that I dealt with is I have a three car garage. So I have lots of storage space, but if I'm storing something out in, you know, Texas, summers. And if it's 110, 120 degrees, is it going to be preserved? Am I really valuing this item? If I'm storing it in this heated garage, right? Like it's, so it's just, yes. Yes. Right. Right. And I think it's so important. Like there's not. A one answer. And so if you come across, you know, a grandparent's something special or, or, you know, an item that belonged to them, it's okay to say, I'm not ready to let this go now, but are there other things that I feel comfortable with? And so this isn't a one stop. Sometimes it is. I need time, or I need to talk to other family members, or I heard a lot of people say, I just don't want it to be wasted. it. I don't want it to be forgotten. And so finding like an organization that can use those things or an organization that can repurpose it or finding a family member that would have a space inside their home to display or to use one of those family heirlooms. I think that has been a key is like not wanting people and their, and their legacy to be forgotten, but yeah, that's it. We're not really honoring them by keeping all of their things in a storage unit, but that's what we feel like we need to do. But what is going to be more honoring to them? Oh, go ahead, please, Jennifer. I'm just going to say another example, one of our client case studies, it was, you know, there was a curio cabinet where she kept all of these things that were passed down to her from her parents and from her loved ones. But it's kind of that old saying, you know, if you value everything you know you don't value anything and so all of the, the really important pieces were hiding behind other items that were also given. But they just didn't hold the same value. So by being able to edit out those items that had a lower value, we were able to really highlight and accentuate those really joy filled sentimental items that she will see every time she walks in her home. And I heard you say earlier. So once you've determined that, okay, you know, maybe I'm not keeping her, maybe, but that you said there's three really like buckets, if you will, is it the donate? Yeah, there's a giveaway. What was that? What was it? Well, we have, there's always trash, unfortunately. Okay. There's trash, you know, there's donate, there's keep. And then sometimes we have a maybe pile where it's like, I'm not quite sure. And again, going back to the assemble inspect process. It's like, Oh, I do have space for one more item. I could put this in or Oh, I need to take this other item out. So, Yeah. Right. And I think that, you know, I'm actually one of the case studies. I, we all, I, again, this is not just a Jennifer storytelling, you know, we all, you know, I think you too, Michelle have found like a place of how this might help or fit in their lives. But for me, um, I had these dolls that were passed down to me by my grandmother who has also passed and a very important person to me. One of my closest relationships I've had in life. But I was told not to play with these dolls because they were too valuable. So for 30 plus years, they were stored inside my home, not in the Texas heat in my closet, in a box. And they just sat there. So what I did instead is I contacted family and I said, these were grandmothers. Does anybody want these? I want her to be remembered. They were important for her, but I'm not. Appreciating and how she wanted me to. And I, you know, I want somebody to display them, use them. And I was able to gift them to two of my family members so that they could keep those things that were hers and honor her and me feel comfortable with that. I feel like this book is going to release a lot of that guilt. And also a little shame maybe of like, well, why is my house fluttered? And, you know, because like for you both to have gone through and deal with this and me too, you know, I think it's so many people struggle with this, but it's, it's just one of those things. You don't talk about it. It's just like, well, it just goes to the next house and then to the next house and to the next house. So I think you're releasing people from a lot of that. And I think what you're doing is, and no pun intended, but you're really, Helping them to reclaim, you know, their space and what matters to them and what brings them joy and fulfillment and all those things. and it starts with the reframing of how does, how do I value this and is it important to me and do I value it for what reasons and claiming the space, reclaiming the space and the function. Cause sometimes I'm like, I have to keep this because it was, you know, so and sos I, you know, it was gifted to me, I've got a display and it doesn't really fit the function or the aesthetic you want. So working on that mental and emotional piece is really important in our book. Yes. So I know people listening are going to want to, for first of all, they're going to want to get the book and they're also going to want to get in touch with you. So what is some of the best ways that they can do both? Well, they can follow us on Instagram at reframe underscore reclaim, where we show a lot of what we're doing and tips and tricks. We also have our Facebook page at reframe amber sand reclaim. And then our website is reframe dash reclaim, where they can go and pick up our book and there's links to Amazon and. Barnes and Noble and other booksellers that they can get to. Yeah. And I highly recommend those listening. Definitely go get it. It's, it's, it's a great book. It's an easy read. And I think it's something that can make a huge impact in people's lives and homes and yes. And, but he said, I hope ladies, so, so much for being on the show. I just adore both of you and I'm so excited for this journey and this is just the beginning. For what you're going to do to help people. Well, we want to thank you and performance publishing. It has really been a joy and a relief to work with somebody who would guide us through all of the publishing process, because it does feel overwhelming when you haven't written a book before. So I just want to say thank you to all of your team. It's been a really, really wonderful pleasure. Oh, yes. Thanks for helping us tell our story. You are so welcome. All right. Well, I'm going to wrap this up. And so I just want to make sure for those of you who are listening, and if you didn't have a pen earlier, I'm going to have it and you have it now. What are those steps? So again, it's all about, you got to reclaim or reframe and then reclaim, but what are those seven steps that Jennifer and Courtney shared is number one is the R in reclaim is reflect, right? Really taking in What, what do I really want? How, how, what do I envision? All of that has to happen before you can do anything else because then you go to E, which is evaluate. Get to the root of why are you holding on to some things? Why, why, why is it in your home? Is it important to you or does it an obligation? Then we go to C, which is you got to clean and clear out, right? I love that because until you, you can't just move things around. You really have to get rid of it all and then determine what you want back in, which is where the L comes in. How do you want it laid out? How is it going to be functional for you? And that's super, super important to think through in this whole process. Then we move into a, which stands for assemble and really thinking back, you know, what is the priority? What, what has to go back in? What, what doesn't need to go back in? That's all part of the assemble stage. Then we go into inspect, which is, does it function for me? Does it really work the way I want it to in my everyday life? And then finally, the M in reclaim is maintain because And, and, and part of that also goes back to the beginning of reflect because something may work today that may not work six months from now. So you have to maintain it, but then go back, reflect just to make sure, does it still work for you? So I highly recommend again, you, you get this book and go to their website at reframe dash reclaim. com. And I just want to thank you all for listening and we'll see you next time on the power of authority podcast. Bye now. Bye. Thanks so much for listening to the Power of Authority Spotlight. If you are a successful founder, entrepreneur, business owner, or leader that's getting results and making a difference, and you'd like to be on this program, please visit performancepublishinggroup. com forward slash podcast to apply. That's performancepublishinggroup. com forward slash podcast. Also, if you got something out of this video, interview, please share this episode. Just do a quick screenshot with your phone and text it to a friend or post it on the socials. If you know someone that would be a great guest, tag them on social media to let them know about the show and include the hashtag, the power of authority spotlight. I love seeing your posts and guest suggestions. We are regularly putting out new episodes and content, so make sure you don't miss any episodes by subscribing. Your thumbs up ratings and reviews go a long way to help promote the show and mean a lot to me and my team. Wanna know more? Go to our websites performance publishing group.com or michelle prince.com and follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll see you next time.