 Oh my gosh, I was out walking and I was talking to my mother on the telephone and all of a sudden one of the Houses in the neighborhood there was smoke coming out the sides of the building and I was like oh my goodness I think that house is on fire It was like the house had ears and smoke is just billowing out of the sides And I walked around the block a couple of times and by the time I finished my walk The fire department had come all the neighbors had come out of their homes Everybody had evacuated the house and the entire house the entire roof was in flames And I sat there saying oh my goodness How did this happen and we were trying to keep our distance because the fire department was getting in there And they were helping people and whatever and we didn't want to be an extra set of feet going in the wrong direction And we were clearly aware everyone had evacuated so the house was good But it was on fire and within a matter of minutes the entire house was just charred now I have no idea how the fire started but all of their precious valuables suddenly became junk And then they had to call a junk removal specialist and come in and wipe away all of the stuff and haul it off to a landfill Okay, and I sat there saying oh my goodness. What of my stuff? Would become junk if I didn't take care of it and then it ended up going to a landfill and many of you have been following my specific journey over the last couple of months as I'm moving and I didn't know that some of my stuff is actually junk so today We're gonna have a really honest Conversation about what is the stuff that we have whether we've inherited it whether we've been hanging on to it for five six Generations it was my mom's it was her mom's it was her mom's it was their moms And then we just we still have it and we don't know how to get rid of it We don't know what to do with it and at what point do you call a junk removal specialist? I know it's a tough conversation So today, we're gonna talk with Jennifer Hanslett and she owns a Junk removal company in Denver, Colorado And she just won an award for working with people because of her skills and her techniques and her cleaning abilities and her Abilities to connect with the customers. Okay. She's got a very specific niche So we're gonna ask her all of our questions today about how junk removal works And if your house doesn't burn down and it's just an organic collection of stuff How do we turn the corner on that and how do we get it out of our lives and remove it so we can start over again? So, please help me welcome Jennifer Hans. How are you today? Hi? I'm doing so good. Thanks for having me I'm super excited to talk with you today Well, I'm really excited to talk to you too because you started out in finance and you learned how to you know Save and invest and all these things and then all of a sudden you switched gears and you started a junk removal company And if I understand correctly you went out and bought a dump truck and you and your mother packed it and then you You started hiring people in your business I've got to hear your progression of how you came in the junk removal business And then we got to unpack what it means and how we get rid of our own stuff Yeah, so good. So yeah, the story is fun one. So way back in 2008 I was working at TIAA. It was a finance company. I had been there for 11 years It was fine. And then if you remember back then in 2008 Everything was crashing. We were gonna go through a recession. The banks were failing and I got laid off So it to me it was one of the happiest days of my life Because I wasn't out to live in a cubicle. I loved helping people. I had clients. That was amazing But yeah, I got laid off and I didn't know what I wanted to do So I decided I was gonna take some time off I had a severance and I was gonna get an employment and so I decided to take time off and in the middle of that I started what did I do? I did Habitat for Humanity Doing a lot of little things and In one day my mom called me and she was like, hey, I think we go see They're going there they were in the hospital and this was for all the teachers So she was like we need to go make sure that they can come home from the hospital And so I know that's a big thing for people if they're in the hospital and they're hiding something There's gonna be a good time that that something needs to to be seen. So we go to the house. Oh My gosh, we couldn't even get in the front door So we went to open the house to the front door could not get in our eyes were like, what is this? We kind of knew something was up because every time we would meet them it would be at a dinner or outside of the house So Yeah, so then we got in and we started to work and we started to clean it out and In the middle of that process. I mean, there's a lot to unpack even in that. It's how I learned to do what I do So it took probably three months Did some things right and we did some things all the way wrong like all the way wrong and So halfway through that process was like, hey, I'm gonna start a business and my mom was like, what? No, you're not and I was like, yeah I'm gonna buy a dump truck like a what and then we went we bought a dump truck and that was the start of What I named clutter trucker because I knew it was gonna be a junker bowl But I knew it wasn't junk. So I was like, what's another name even in the name I didn't want to call it junk because this was certainly not my grandma's junk even though we could call it that so Clutter trucker started it started out super slow as a junk removal company and then along the way Wow, oh wow, I was not about the junk. There was so much going on So much so much emotion so many mental health psychological like how do we do this? and then Another evolution was then we decided after the stuff is removed after their stuff is removed We needed to help clean and so that was just deep cleaning of a stove that hadn't been cleaned in years or a refrigerator or All of that so that's kind of the evolution and then it actually it took another step Probably eight years in I started speaking and training because it was not about the clutter and so that was just I recognized that there's so many people that needed help or Wanted to understand more and so then I knew it was like hey Let's start to really get in and and the more those TV shows came about and the more people started talking about it The more awareness there is and so it's really helping it's helping I won't say necessarily I agree with all the parts of the show sometimes But talking about it is huge because people think they're alone and they're not Well, you mentioned early on that You did all all the things right and all the things wrong And can you tell us some of the things that you did wrong as you are getting started that you maybe were unaware of Or that you didn't know you had to do because I know that there's a lot of Tension when people have to release their stuff and I know that yeah house cleaners and I represent a whole world full of house cleaners We go into side people's homes and sometimes there's this I don't know We don't want to shame them. We don't want to embarrass them We know that there's an emotional connection, but we don't know how to navigate that and so yeah some of the things Maybe you did wrong something that you learned from Yeah So at the time What we did wrong is we did a lot in the house when my grandmother wasn't present So there were parts in that in that that we knew so we tried everything tried to reason We tried to talk her into it. These are all things that I didn't know it was made in love It was done in love, but we were not understanding the extent Of of the situation and so there were times that we would do things when she wasn't there We were probably a little bit too. We had our intentions A little bit too much. We probably could have slowed down a bit so Working with how I did back then and working with now we take it super slow And we have to get 100 buy-in and so if there's ever a point where they're like, nope Yep, then we're not doing it So it was family in the end it ended beautifully and they were able to come home but it was We probably had a little bit too many tears that were needed if we would have just We kind of freaked out so now it's like there's no need to freak out Everything is okay going to be okay. It didn't happen all in overnight We're not going to get rid of it all of overnight I think the biggest thing in we did and how I can use that going forward is letting other people know Their expectation should kind of not be in the equation So this is all about that person and their journey and how can we support? Yeah, it's there's a lot to unpack there too, but it's um When we as other people start to get our expectation or like our desire in there Because we think something's wrong That just stalls it and it's it's not easy. That's not the easiest way to go about it so Well, I I appreciate your honesty and your candidness about that and I'm going to guess That your willingness to help your grandmother came from a place of love um It's probably a common thread and I know lots of families that we work with run into the same thing Where an elder person? Maybe a parent or a grandparent is getting to a place where there are mobility issues And so for safety reasons We want to remove some of the things from their home so that they can either move a walker or they can move a cane Or a stand-up thing or even a wheelchair Move easier through their homes And we don't want any trip hazards and we don't want, you know Them tripping on boxes amazon boxes or something, you know, and so I have a place of love We want to help them out. So like you said our our intentions Although they're very good Sometimes you get get caught up in the in this cycle Tell me what it was That made you want to help your grandmother at that particular time Yeah, I don't know on some of the life I was made for it. I really do So there was everything involved in it. It was the emotional connection And then it was like the the joy of just eating down and dirty which a lot of people They they don't like but to see the before and after like there was a lot in it that I No one else wants to do this. Some people think it's kind of gross or whatever But I was like, oh, this is amazing And how beautiful it is that we can go in there and not judge because that's like the biggest key is the judgment The judgment of like If you work for a company or like you're involved in it, it's gone Like there is no judgment, but that's the number one thing that prevents I think in in the judgment and the embarrassment and the shame that prevents people and they already are like I'm super nervous and they can't make the call But if we can just open that up and just say hey, you are not alone I can tell you that the one of the number one things that people say when they call And we go into a house. It's like I know I know I'm going to be the worst that you've ever seen And it's like it's already just this like mine thing where they've built up and like this is the worst I am the worst. I am so bad. Nobody's going to be able to do this and it's never ever ever ever So I'm glad you brought that up because I I would like to say and this is the cruel version of it But I would like to say you're not that special. Okay yours is not the worst we've ever seen. You're not that special Unfortunately, we've seen lots of stuff But yeah, this is what we do for a living and yeah I want to I want to give a shout out to the house cleaners that we have That are on this call right now and those that are watching on the replay Because oftentimes we do get called to a house and like you said when we arrive There are people that are I need the help. I know I need the help. That's so I'm reaching out Okay, this is like all of the gum that I have and all of the the courage that I have Please when you come to my house don't embarrass me and please don't Make me feel ashamed to live here because when you leave And I'm speaking now on behalf of the of the customer when you leave as a house cleaner You get to go back to your own world. I have to stay here and live in this one And so please treat treat this as my home because this is my safe space whatever I have collected or whatever's here And so yeah, and that may not even be conscious It may not even be so I can just say from my experience that It takes a lot to ask for help So if they're asking and they've already made it that step That's a lot of in their body. That's a lot of shaking. That's a lot of like all of that mental chatter that this is like So just know if you're about to walk if you do walk into a house and you are going to throw an off card Or you don't know what to expect or you didn't know because they didn't say that's also a defense mechanism There's a lot going on internally. So just breathe and be aware because the cues are there So we all have verbal cues. We have energetic cues So it's like they're going to pick up on it anyway And it's okay to be shocked. It's okay. It's okay Um, and then I would just say be yeah, just have so much acknowledgement and compassion and To me, it's not like they are not aware that it's an issue Um the awareness usually there, but it's been how to deal with it. So acknowledgement is always good Honesty is always good. You don't have to play any kind of games. Everybody can feel honesty and they know what it's like So, um, yeah, if you're ever caught off guard and not prepared It's like having a super compassionate honest and acknowledging like wow You you know what this is amazing You asked for help and if you're not the right person or you're not equipped for it or all those other reasons, right? Um, then you're gonna have that discussion in such a tactful and loving way Um, yeah, because it can be a lot if you're not prepared and then you could talk about expectations or In a in a sweet way because I I really have been and helped people Um where they call us after a cleaning company comes and they won't do it And and that's super hard depending upon how it's how it's dealt So sometimes they're shocked and they're shamed and they're like I can't do it This is too, you know, however it comes across Um, it just opens it up for a little bit more emotion when they call us because they're Like man, that was hard. So yeah, I see both sides Well and on on behalf of the house cleaners if you're not equipped for it Don't take the job. Please don't please. Yeah Embarrass and shame the customer, but please just be honest and say I love that you fact the fact that you called me because I recognize that you're in a process of You know working through the stuff that you have here at the house And I love I love that and I support that and there's somebody that I would like to recommend That's probably better equipped They're they've got a different set of skills than what my my company offers So what I really like to do is I'd love to introduce you to my friend Jennifer Hasley Or the local company that's where you are that then is equipped and has the skill set to come in And then take the time that maybe as house cleaners You don't have the same time frame where we're going to be able to work through the emotions and go through each of the individual items Like maybe Jennifer's company does Yeah, and even if it's not about going through items, let's just say it's also like sometimes it just has been Um, completely neglected. Maybe physically maybe depression set in Maybe there's all these other reasons why I just haven't been able to do it It just builds and builds and builds and then finally it's like Okay, now I can ask for help which by the way after 2020 that It used to be magically people were stuck inside their homes. They were Accumulating and it doesn't necessarily even have to be hoarding. It might look like hoarding But it's depression. So there's I don't like labels and I don't like to analyze what it is I just connect with them and hear their story and how did it get the way and are you ready to start? So, yeah, I kind of lost it there for a minute, but I would just say like it might look like hoarding It doesn't even even if you're not sorting It takes time And sometimes in that initial meeting The initial appointment is we really want to set the tone and set aside all of your expectations as As a house cleaner and connect with the person because it's really not about the house That's the biggest thing of this all of the junk removal the the decluttering It's never about the stuff So you kind of got to connect hear their story really take the time and I know that there's so many Beautiful house cleaners where it is about the house because it's just come in and they know how to do it But when you get into a point where it's a little bit more than that That's when you want to connect with like hey the person How are you feeling it's a little more hands on a little bit more touching You know discussion Could be grief There's a lot We did we did one with a woman and and it was like We got to the bottom of the pile and it was like I don't remember maybe 1980 was the it was the newspaper And I we just asked like hey happened in 1980 and that was the year her husband died And that's when it started So Yeah, there's just so we're so complex Never about the stuff The stuff is just no and The the reason the reason for going through this stuff and processing this stuff is sometimes one Domino connects to another domino and when you push a domino, there's a whole effect One of the things that we've seen a lot that require the help of a junk removal specialist For example is where life gets busy and then let's say the washing machine breaks So we don't get the washing machine fixed right away But then the clothes start piling up and then because the clothes are piling up then we say well We'll go to the laundromat So we get some extra buckets or garbage bags or whatever and we put the clothes in those because we're going to go to the Laundromat while we're getting the washer fixed or something and then there maybe there was a Pipe that broke or something and we're going to get it fixed up And we put towels down to stop it up or whatever and there are attempts at fixing it But before we know the floorboards have brought it out. We never got it fixed stuff has piled up It's a domino effect that then it triggers other things And so we go to a home and what we're seeing is we're seeing the end result We're not seeing the domino effect, but if you have a conversation Many times people will say something like well I didn't do this because of this because of this because of this and they can backtrack through the domino the domino Yeah All right. Yeah, and they want to be heard. Yeah Yeah, well and and tell us what the what the link is there Whereas maybe family members we have a family member who is let's say a quarter or they're in that domino cycle At what point do we jump in and say hey, I see that you're in this the cycle and I want to help Without stepping. Yeah, how do we do that? This is my this really is one of my favorite topics. So this is it because Oftentimes there's either agencies or family members or friends or natures or church members all of they They want to help they kind of see it from a distance and they can tell and so it's um Wow, this topic is big because We we can not force or put our Expectations or or any of that on to a person you just can't do it So how do we do it? We do it with love and a whole lot of patience and a whole lot of compassion and a whole lot of letting go of control Because in so many instances with when someone is hoarding something or it's a matter of safety and control and so that needs to be handled lightly delicately because Control is the thing and if now you're in there, it's just If you start to say this is the way it should be done. I can help with this you should do this Why don't you do this anything and even moldy like that will push them back even further? so It's a matter of asking a lot of questions and they have to have their own buy-in. So it's really like hey Uh, how are you doing do you do you and if they don't you have to honor it? You have to honor the answer to the question even if they don't know it or not because in time I'll tell you a story. This is coming and it's fun. So I had a kid he called he was probably like 21 and I think he had seen one of my speaking events And so he said hey my parents are hoarding and I want to help them and I don't know what to do It's all we ever talk about. It's the topic of the discussion Um And we're not getting along. Can I do this? Basically? He was like, how can I force him to do it? And we had a really super cool discussion and I said our would you be okay With your parents hoarding And he was like what no and I was like, okay. Let's like work on that. Are they safe? Yes Um, is there anything like like that was the biggest thing are they safe? Yes, they're safe And so he we played with it a little bit and I I helped him to see where it was his issue all along And so then he was like, oh my gosh. I said can you love them? Can you go hang out with them? Can you can you do all the things the kid would do and not even bring it up? And go into the city that because that he lived out of state And so he went in and saw him and he did that and then he ended up calling me. He was like, oh my gosh It was the best time I ever had with my parents. We didn't talk about it We connected we had a great time and then eventually they came to the decision on their own so yeah, it's um It's a fun one to understand that a lot of the issues we have with it are our own And it comes from place of fear. He was afraid He was afraid that something was going to happen and he was going to get inherited This big house and I'm like, well now you're thinking way ahead into the future How about your parents right now in the present moment? The biggest question you can ever ask anybody is are they safe? and that might you know that might um Some people might have a different answer to that But if they're safe Then you kind of got to say hey you have to leave them Leave them until they have this much of an opening and then you can start to help So if there is this much of an opening. Oh, I want to stop before we talk about the opening We're going to come back and talk about the after a minute I want to say hi to our our fans and followers and everybody that's joined us today I appreciate you guys being here so much. Uh, hi from Brenda. She says hello Katrina Anderson says good afternoon. Good afternoon as well. Uh, jillie bean says hello Happy to catch another episode jillie bean. We are so glad that you're back here. Hello and and welcome Uh, Kathy says cool business and professional development Uh, Katrina Anderson says my company specializes in hoarding and crime scene cleaning. Yay We're all here for the same reasons So I want to thank you guys for joining us and all of you that are also on the replay Um, so if there is this much of an opening where maybe someone admits like hey We are kind of approaching in years. We don't want to leave our kids and grandkids with all of our stuff What is the step for them to take action and either to call you or to Start the process of downsizing and removing some of the stuff that they enjoyed in their lives But maybe they're the future generations will not Yeah, that's good. It's just that it's the first step So it's starting to look and it's it's being open and honest about the situation Right, so it's like, um It's being okay with the answer So if if you're that person it's like are you okay if you say hey Does any of my kids want anything and the answer is no then it's like okay I have to be okay with that So it's just it's it's really being vulnerable open and honest and starting discussion From there, I mean it can start anywhere and it's probably very different for so many different people In terms of what you want to start focusing on but the key is If you're ready and you think that you're um You're ready to start having the discussion then make a list Just like hey who who wants this start having the discussion I think that's even with financial planning a lot of people don't like to talk about death Or really scary things, but you have to talk about it It's totally okay to talk about it and then be okay with the answer too because times have changed change So it's not about stuff One of the things that has changed Um from the beginning of time is the landfills now are really expensive When you take stuff on your own to a landfill, it's really expensive And so the cost of junk removal and uh that kind of stuff has gone up for for some very good reasons And many people I know that we've talked to are like, oh, it's so expensive I don't have the money in the resources. Can you talk to us a little bit about what? Or where the money might come from if we are in the process of I I needed junk removal company And maybe I don't have the resources to hire a company And pay full price so good Yeah, there's so many options because again never want somebody's ready We never want to turn them away because they don't have the money So in your local area, there are usually this is usually for seniors Some places have a lot A few options for people that are younger Uh children Read out to a local agency Um do a little bit of research in a nonprofit Sometimes they have grants when it comes to housing Like housing housing authorities There's so many different variables that it's tough You know, I can't say them all but I would say reach out to To uh nonprofits because sometimes they have money. Um, there are ways to do it yourself Um dumpsters are good. There are so many online Donatable places now that can pick up and you can do it with a calendar So it's like you get on there Website and you pick the date and you set it out by the curb and a donatable place will pick it up. So that's one thing Um, there's just so many It I would just stress if you have friends family church members if you want to ask for their help You should be in a place where you're very Um knowledgeable about your own feelings and you don't Let them come in and do something that you're going to regret Because many many many times people will let that in. Um, it'll kind of be like buyer's remorse, you know, they'll come in Everybody will do what they want and the next day person is set back and they don't trust anyone Because no one was really listening to them. So usually when you want to start um trust should be built Um, and that's being able to tell a friend or a family. Hey You know, I don't care if I have 10 pins I want to keep all 10 pins and that's okay like things like that. So Yeah, there's many different ways it to me. It feels like also when you set the intention So a lot of this is like when you're ready, uh Funny thing happens It'll be the helpful will show up Kind of like when you are when the student is ready the teacher appears Same thing when you're ready and you put some intention and you start making some call My call agency like clutter trucker and say hey, I don't have the money. Well. Hey, guess what? I know three agencies in this area that they have funds. Let's get you hooked up that way But it's it's taking action. So it's not like oh, I'm ready. I'm ready So just start making calls and funny enough things will fall into place and it'll all it'll all work out Well, and I love that you brought that up because it's a lot like doing a google search when you go to google and you type in Hey, I'm looking for red boots. What happens is google will pop up and say did you mean these red boots? Did you mean these red boots? Well, how about these? How about these ones have spurs? How about this and there are things that start popping up and then I don't know if you say the word red boots I don't know why but it's like the next time you go on a website. It doesn't matter what website red boots are Going to pop up and like hey, yeah Well, where did that come from? But it's like we live in an area now. We're like once you connect with the idea of maybe it's time to start Bound sizing then there will be different opportunities. How about this? There will be like, uh, I know that in my neighborhood They have a drive where they say we're we're coming by like you said we're picking up stuff Put it in a sack or a garbage bag or this bag that we provide you and put it up by your mailbox On a certain day call us if you want us to pick up furniture or what have you We've got a list and I will leave them in the links below. They're not there now But I will leave them after the show is over We've got about 10 places around the united states that have trucks that will come by and pick up your donations totally I know that I also want to throw out that as I've been moving I had a lot of things that I thought were really valuable and I don't want to be ugly or anything But I guess no one else thought they were valuable because nobody wanted them so I was like, but this is valuable. This is worth something and I was like Give it away for free, right? So it was the free that finally somebody came and got it But I mean literally I put it at the end of my driveway Took a picture of it at the end of my driveway with my mailbox number and the house in the background so that they could see It's this house and then I would say on nextdoor.com This is free if you wanted it at the end of my drive first come first serve no returns I do not bring this back. You want it? Yeah, it's so good, right? That's a good idea Yeah, that's perfect and a lot of facebook marketplace and all of that is really good It if you're if you're up for it and you can resell it There is there and you have the time There's a lot of there's a lot of options. So there's so so many. It just depends depends on where you're at and who you are One of the things that I noticed about using facebook marketplace because I I haven't used it a lot But I was like, hey, I got nothing to lose, right? I've I'm giving stuff away now. What if I sold it? And so I went to put something on facebook marketplace and what's interesting is when I went to hit the submit button It said, do you want to list it in all these other places and it popped up like 10? buy or sell Marketplaces that were in facebook that were in my geographical location and I was like, whoa, I didn't know about that So I said yes So with one click it listed them on like 10 different sites And I was like, how cool is that then I had this weird creepy feeling in my head Like how will I know if someone responds well someone responded on instant messenger But like the little facebook marketplace thing popped up So it was a different icon and when I clicked on that someone's like, hey, is this still available or whatever So they were the algorithms know like we like like jennifer said things will start popping up Yeah Things will start making themselves available like hey, this person's downsizing her The key to that and like I like to tell people is the key to that is really being super attentive to how this is making me feel so if I I'm gonna If it's gonna stress me out if it's gonna feel like another job is it's gonna prevent this process for moving on Because I have an idea that I need this a much money or that I need to feel good Just be start to watch your thoughts and become aware because sometimes it can really stall and you'll go in that rabbit hole And it just will slow everything down And it also can it can become stressful if that's what your whole intention is trying to Find the perfect home for this thing. It's like, okay Sometimes giving that space giving that whole thing space and will help Flow will help the whole process flow. But if we get bogged down and like You know trying to find trying to sell everything Can be hard sometimes So a question Um, how does somebody who hires you for junk removal? How do they know when they've reached success? Mm-hmm. That's a really good question. Um, so so oftentimes we're doing stuff for agencies and there's actually an inspection they have to do that and so it's like They're either facing an inspection or eviction or something like that and that's pretty self explanatory You we can follow that uniform inspection guide like everything needs to be this big Um, but otherwise I think that it's just they know what's complete They know when a lot of times we work with people To get it to the place where they can have an agency come in So they need just a really big deep clean something maybe had been neglected or it's just they hadn't taken the time Once we come in now they have a home health care or they have Another just regular cleaning company come in so that's a that's that feels like that's complete. It's different for everyone um Yeah, it's different for everyone given the situation and that's like situation is all over the place So assume in this scenario that somebody has a whole Houseful of stuff and they have a storage unit or two and they have an attic in a garage and they've got a scary room and Whatever and maybe there's like a part of the house that kind of looks clean But you go in and you're like well, there's really stuff hiding everywhere Where would you start? We're going to start the process of decluttering Yeah, I usually stay start with the lowest hanging fruit the place you know like you know It's okay to start there get the momentum going So it depends if let's say all of your grandma for stuff is in the storage unit And that's so hard because you emotionally don't even want to open it up I would not start there If you just have a kitchen that has maybe wrappers or like expired food or just stuff that you were like Yeah, I don't know. I just let that get out of hand I start there and that gets the momentum and that builds the trust with whoever you're working with so Those first few sessions are key So if you have all of this and you really are starting to get the nudge like okay Maybe it's time to look at it. You're getting the nudge. You're not being nudge because that's two different things There's one else is saying it has to be done. That's a totally that that then we'll start with whatever's most safe Like whatever is the you know, what is creating the most unsafe place? That's where we would start But if it's you yourself and you're starting to get the feeling like hey, I want to look at this I just say start what's going to make you feel the best and what's the easiest Because it it's really all about that. It's just about um really connecting yourself and Yeah, having so much self compassion because That shame and that judgment it turns inward and that stalls everything and it's It's not always fun to feel or understand that it's it's really an inner game So that's what I've learned along the way and if we as people can just come alongside them Come alongside them and let them feel that somebody else cares that i'm not judging you and yeah, and they can start to feel that with themselves We've got a viewer question and teni rabilia says does a service like this cost per hour or per job? Or do you have to get an estimate? That is an excellent question. Thank you for that That is an excellent question. I love that question. It's a combination of all of it um We do hourly you can do hourly you can do volume of stuff that is removed um The way we like to do it this is the way I mean we we don't A lot of companies out there will bid the whole project. That's not really how we do things um estimates are always preferred um For us we provide that free and so we just have someone come and meet and then we get to see the space We get to see you it's a conversation And then we can talk about how how how do we want to do it? We have somebody want to come in and sort with you and then stage it and then have the truck come by Or do we want to have the truck come by first and get the big things and then we have the issues like Yeah, so many different options combination of both hourly Could be project, but we don't really that um, yeah So do you work it out on somebody's budget like let's say I only have $500 and I say hey What can I get for $500 in in terms of help and removal? Yes, I'm going to move because my plug broke um, but I'm here Okay, um Yes, $500 we will work within the budget. So that's something that we do Oh, please now I'm good. Okay All right, I'm back Thanks, sorry about that Yeah, I like to not have money be the issue So if they're ready and they have a budget then we really want to see, you know, how much can you do Again, do you have family members that could help? I don't ever want to get money as the The determining factor even though it is a factor when they're ready. It's time to Time to get them some help All right, so let's suppose that I'm the person that has collected a whole entire lifetime full of things and I've inherited You know five generations of things and I'm creative And so I think I'm going to use every little piece of whatever that I saved for a different project That I'm going to paint everything and repurpose it and all the things and yet I haven't found the time and so it's kind of accumulated What are some questions that I should either ask myself or I should ask you when I'm starting the decluttering process To determine if I'm actually ready and I'm going to be able to go through the process because I don't want to waste anybody's time Ah, I mean the number one question I usually ask is what is prompting this wire? Why do you want to do this now? Like let's open that up. Is it time? Um, it might be difficult, but having Sorry having that um Would be the thing so what is prompting it at this time is a good one and um, yeah from there So many other different questions that you could ask Um, yeah, it depends on if they're if we're working with an agency or we're working with the person Yeah, so I know for my own personal journey We decided to move and the reason we decided to move right now is because we're young and we have the ability and the energy And we are at that fun age and there's a really fun age And I want to I want to remind people of the fun age that I'm in right now where Many people of my age are just becoming grandparents Their kids have moved away from home. So they're empty nested and they still have parents that are living that are in that elder parent age That then require more attention more care more love Maybe they're going to move in with you and all of a sudden there's this weird window of oh my goodness If I can get my own affairs in order I'm going to be in a better position than to help elder parents be a grandparent and all the things But I find that once that window has passed and I've seen it with a couple of clients and friends and relatives Where they waited maybe 15 years too long and they're still in a five bedroom home And it's like they can't get up the stairs and it's still collecting stuff or the kids left stuff when they moved out And now they're ready to downsize. They don't have the energy They don't have the strength the resources and half their house hasn't been used for years Which means it hasn't been maintained And so right now we are in that age where I'm like, let's do it right now because right now we can And then I I'm downsizing from a huge house just a house that's outside But right now I'm thinking to myself I don't I wouldn't want to downsize from this house 10 years from now. This is a lot of work right now Yeah, it is I think it's knowing that it's going through the experience And I think most people have to do it at some point and it does just take time And then it's also the awareness of like what what How am I moving forward? Am I still accumulating things? Is there still that because that's always a question too? Are you still accumulating things? Because if you are then let's look at that too. So there's a lot of moving parts to it But having the awareness that this is it's something everyone has to do so Yeah, it was like you you know when you know and so you know you know it's time for you to start looking at that and making those decisions now Yeah Are there some challenges that you run into that you would like to alert our listeners and our viewers to That could make your job easier and maybe make it easier for them in terms of processing some of the stuff that they have grown so accustomed to Yeah, I think it goes back the challenges goes back to when somebody else is involved. So if if if if some says in more than that and that's really creating a lot of Conflict then that's something that you'll you're going to want to look at um I would say Some other challenges. I mean the way we work. It's like it's it's having Unrealist expectation maybe too. So sometimes like holding down that expectation and recognizing that it's going to take A long period of time sometimes I think another challenge is waiting till the last moment So what to your point? That's a that's challenging for us And I'm sure anybody else like that if you're cleaning or you have a move out clean and they're like, yeah We need to sell it. It's getting listed tomorrow and we haven't even really thought of it Um, especially if there's other people involved. Yeah, that's that's a big one Like they'll call us and say, hey, I need to be out by the end of the week and it's packed and I have a mover coming so not um Not being prepared. I think Starting way in advance Much more longer than you think because it's going to take longer than you think So getting yourself that time is just going to be super helpful and kind So that you're not putting you and other companies or literature or anybody else under stress I would say start early. That's a big one What what advice would you give to people who have and I'm going to just throw a scenario at you Let's say that they had a house full of valuable things that either they collected or they were using or maybe they inherited Or whatever they got a house full of stuff and then maybe something unfortunate happened there's a leak in the roof and then some of the stuff got damaged and Now it's not valuable anymore And now we have to process that stuff and there still is a leaky roof So now we have a house that's becoming junk and it was once valuable. There's no value in it anymore. You can't sell it Yeah, it literally needs to be removed. What advice would you give us? Yeah, I would say to feel what comes up when that happens because it's more about the feeling than the stuff So, I mean this is when it gets into the work like the the emotional work and the the psychological aspect of it but Yeah, I mean if you get to the point where it is not what you think it is and it makes you sad There's always something deeper underneath it. It's not really about that But what does that resemble and what what what does it symbolize? What emotion what feeling is it bringing up because that's where the gold is Because if you can connect to that and kind of heal that then it's not about the stuff Um, like what does it say if you have this does it say something about yourself? This is all much deeper work Um, but what people should know is that that's really what's going on Um, a lot of people think it is about the the the item that it isn't so Yeah, it can be tough But I would say cry through it That's really what I would tell people that is what I tell people when you when you see it just holding that space and feeling through it Um, that's really what's going on. Is there something else that's being released when you really let go of the stuff? Some other emotion some other memory. It's all it's all part of it Yeah, I appreciate your honesty about this because it is a really tough situation and one that does not come stress free I'm going to say that for all the 32 years that I've been in the cleaning business and all of the homes that we've helped people Be cluttered and processed and clean up their homes There's there's a stress that comes with that and I think to the the flight on the Hudson river When the pilot of 33 years, I forget how many years he'd been flying planes Realizes in this one moment. We're gonna do a crash landing And his only words in a very calm sense was brace for impact Yeah, and I keep thinking that I keep going back to that moment because he knew this is not the norm This is something we've trained for but hope we would never face Here we are in this moment where a decision has to be made immediately Yeah, brace for impact And in a really graceful way he landed that plane on the Hudson river is the first time in history that no one got hurt Right, he did an amazing job. And as I look at that scenario, there are so many times we're headed straight for a crash landing And if we can brace for impact in a really positive sort of way, it's it's not going to be stress-free. Okay? It's not going to be stress-free. I'm in the I'm in the process of moving right now. No one is making us move No one is making us move. Yeah, we're making ourselves move And I I keep thinking as stressful as this is Stop Angela. Don't get all excited. No one is making you do this. Okay, you're making yourself do this and it is stressful But imagine doing it now instead of later. It's going to be better now There's never going to be a better time than right now to do this And if you put it off, it only gets harder and then the emotions and the stress that you're dealing with right now You're gonna Now maybe in 10 years you got medical issues. Maybe you have family issues Maybe there are other things that will complicate that it's never going to be easier than right now No, and that's the key like when you yeah, it's a brace for impact And it's also when you're when you're in the midst of it stay in the present moment So stay in this moment with this thing. So if I'm looking at this thing and it's bringing up a memory of the past Okay, that's fine. Feel the memory of the past, but we're doing it right now. And so all of that it's like accepting the present moment and whether it's stressful whether it's joyful whatever it is That's where it's at. And so and then it'll smooth out the landing will you'll be able to land But you're not accepting of the present moment And you're I mean it just makes it a little bit harder that stress And all of it if you're if you can watch where your mind goes because these minds like to make things up And they'll come up with worst-case scenario and all of the fear and all of that and oh my gosh But it takes a lot of practice and the breath um When I was working with clients breathing was key to Moving when you're when you're in a situation and you're sorting in that it's like can we all can we all breathe? So I had a guy once and he was angry and he should have been angry because the the HOA was making him Get rid of his stuff and this is true. This can happen you know code enforcement all of that and he he was just like Furious and I wouldn't have let a lot of my employees do it, but I was like it's okay to be angry I like let it rip and he just was throwing things and I could just see Like all of that emotion was so warranted and it was suppressed anger for so long That once we just let it go. He knew he had to do it, but it was honoring and acknowledging Hey, he's got this anger. I would be angry too. Can you just be angry and then let's move on with the process As in it made the whole day through so It's never about the stuff. It's all the other stuff that's going on Well, I love the fact that you let him vent because sometimes that Venting is a really great way to process those emotions and I would like to encourage people instead of just um And god bless jennifer for letting him just throw things and and have an adult, you know moment of uh But one of the things I like to do is in the process of decluttering and removing stuff One of the things we like to really encourage is walking every day get out for a really brisk walk because As you get out there and you start and I mean like walk fast walk fast like you're in a hurry to go somewhere When you start walking really fast all of a sudden you start the endorphins and you start cycling through Your blood and your oxygen and everything starts moving again in your body and you start you get up and you start going Which is the opposite from being depressed and I'm not I'm not able to move I'm just paralyzed you you kind of like kick start your own metabolism and you're you know You get going again But what happens is you're working through a lot of that pent up frustration Where now when you get back home, you're kind of like whoa I'm I'm I'm already to go again and that kind of puts you in a mood for what if what if I was to get rid of 10 things today Yeah, and I would just say honoring and acknowledging whatever comes up allow it to be there without judgment Because none of it makes logical sense So if you're doing something and an emotion arises whether it's grief whether it's anger whether it's whatever it is Let it be there and breathe because the breathing will will move it through I was also working with another man and and he had PTSD and we were moving along just fine and then all of a sudden I saw like Okay, I don't know what it is but something hit and and he was like oof He even knew it He was like I have to go to the bathroom and breathe and he did it on his own and it was so sweet And he came out and he just he knew he had done enough work mental health to know That it wasn't something else was happening and it wasn't really he wanted the work to be done Um, but as soon as he connected to to his breath It was a rush of emotion and it doesn't have to make sense This weird weird human being so what we think we're crying about we're probably not even really crying about If we if we don't go our whole lives and breathe any mode and let like Is that ever allowed? You know like you said like how often was this man allowed to actually Express his anger in in um in a safe way So yeah, I would just say when doing any process Connect with your breath breathe and let whatever's coming come up So that usually it's not always so There's a moment and it's a tough moment and that's a moment when a dump truck arrives at my house And I see all of my stuff being loaded up And this might be stuff that I've inherited or stuff that was in a storage unit or my parents or their grandparents or whatever All the things and I see it being loaded up and hauled away How do you recommend somebody deal with that moment where they watch their whole life's collection of stuff being Moved moved along down the road Yeah, breathe Breathe like really deeply connect to what is it bringing up in you? Because whatever it's bringing up in you Really wants to be felt and that's really what it is and that's really what's happening when emotions come up And the biggest easiest way to get through it is with the breath Um and try not to start to analyze it or interpret it here and go into the mind But stay here and have a whole lot of like slowness patience love compassion Um, yeah, I think we all need to be a little bit more gentler with ourselves Tough things big things. These are big things and we as a society. I always say this is my thing This is I say You know People that are hoarding are super sensitive. I've learned that super sensitive. So they're tapped in We have a culture have ingrained in consumerism and buy this and buy this and buy this So, yeah, they're doing they're doing what they're feeling. I mean People hoard money and they're called billionaires like Think of that like we put all this shame and stigma and like not we but people put shame and stigma on this thing, but There's something deeper going on with with that Super sensitive and tapped in so I think we need to be Really super compassionate with ourselves And when that self judgment comes in if you if you are able to tap into it just send it love Because there's something so much bigger going on right now In in in many ways Well, and I want to thank you for sharing your ideas with us and also I want to thank everybody for the comments that are coming in Alex makes a really good point. Alex says do these things before you get injured and are unable to lift Yeah, I can you speak to us for uh, just a second. I know you do a lot of work with seniors And there's a moment in time where like Alex says it's it's going to be more advantageous If you're actually mobile and able to make some of those decisions yourself Yeah, I mean of course of course It's usually something will happen And it will make it a whole lot harder if you procrastinate procrastinate and procrastinate And so one is that if you can't lift or you can't move or if you go into the hospital and you have to have major surgery Um, all of these things may make it out of your control So if control is a thing like you said do it do it when your mind is there and your body is there um Yeah, and it's also a It's okay. There are companies that will come in if you can't lift or or it's gone too long, so I feel like do it when you're able when you get the clean she'll get So if uh, somebody was getting ready now to hire a and i'm going to say a junk removal company Let's suppose that they just have a whole house full or a whole lifetime full of stuff And they're ready to go What do they ask for when they call your company? So there's two distinctions here. So I know that we say i'm a junk We're a junk removal company, but we're really not so we're a hoarding specialist because sometimes If you google junk removal, they're not equipped and they're They're really motivated to go in and get it and and leave if that is the case great Have a have a knowing have a list have everything This is what I know goes and this is what I know stays then ask all of those questions Um, you can just ask what the pricing is what the process is Do the biggest thing is do you feel comfortable? um Yeah, really check in and then if you need a little bit more hands on that's when a regular junk removal company Probably won't be your best if you want someone to help you kind of determine be a little bit slower Junk removals companies aren't Usually priced for them to slow down in your house They're usually priced for curbside pickups garage pickups or just point and say they go which is great But if you need a little bit more work do a little bit more research to find a company that really does specialize in being in the home and and working one on one And what is the term for that if I was going to call that kind of company that would give me a little bit more time and attention And take my feelings into consideration and maybe help me process through some of the individual stuff Uh, yeah, you can do the hoarding Um, and I know there's someone on the on this called too that does hoarding and crime scene or biohazard That sometimes is a little bit different. So I think you can say hoarding specialist If it is to that extent, uh, I don't know if you've ever had but there's probably Some professional organizers that are super good And they can take that project as a whole. There are some Estate sale people that can do that pretty good. Um Yeah, so sometimes and there's some senior move managers some downsizing Uh companies that do that that can be really good But again, you have to you have to make it clear that I might need a little bit more No shame, but hey mine mine might be a little bit more than the Than the other person but I think Estimates are good if they give on-site free estimates You'll be able to connect with the person and trust and feel if they're the right fit And don't be afraid to say no if it doesn't feel good. Say no I love that because at the end of the day The home is the place of refuge that is your safe place And I I want you to feel that you are in a safe place And I want you to feel that you've chosen a safe person to work with Should you decide to declutter or downsize or have some of your stuff removed? So I love the fact that jennifer has joined us today. I cannot believe our time is up I want to say thank you guys so much for joining us jennifer. Please tell our listeners where they can go to find you Yeah, right now you can go to clutter trucker.com. So We're located in colorado and we're expanding there. It is clutter trucker.com would be how you can connect So I really appreciate it. So fun to talk Well, thank you guys so much for joining us today because this is a conversation that many of us are having because of the time in life that we are approaching many of us are wanting to have these conversations with our family members and our parents And so I love the fact that jennifer was willing to join us today So if you have questions that we did not answer today, please leave those in the links below Because we're going to be circling back through here on a regular basis to answer those questions And as always, I really appreciate you guys joining us today We know you have lots of choices for watching youtube and hanging out on podcasts And we love the fact that you hung out with us. So thank you so much We'll see you guys same time same place next week. Take care