We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Hoff a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
On average we spend over 78 years and 30% of our income in a place we call home. Many people live feeling dissatisfied in their four walls. Too much stuff for many, translates to shame, anxiety, chaos and clutter in a space that is meant to uplift and calm souls.
I have a unique philosophy about clutter. In the form of practical and personalized tools so people can gain control of clutter and chaos at home. Most critical are tools that shift your mindset away from physical “things.” Time to stop looking at the mess and do some internal work; finding what really gives your life meaning, accessing values, creating a compelling vision for your clutter-free home. Gently practicing self-forgiveness for failing to get this mess under control. By taking time for loving compassion for self and others the grip on extraneous stuff is more easily released.
Your home is as unique as you are. So much focus has turned outward because of social media. Looking at what others say is the “right” way your home should look. I was a bit of a rebel in my family and I don’t like to be told what to do. I find life is more fulfilling when I am aligned with my truth. Home is a place that reflects my truth. I want to share this with others seeking this alignment in their home and inevitably their life.
For all of us with excess, the journey to this personal truth means new decision making tools, confidence in your unique style, and loving ways to reduce shame and anxiety. The unwanted excess becomes obvious; revealing our most authentic self and a home to match.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love creating home. When I was five I designed homes out of raked leaves. Making walls, rooms and furniture out of leaves. This is where I would play “house.” I had a lawn mowing business and was praised for my cleaning skills as a teen. I have a degree in Landscape management/Horticulture and while in school I started a commercial and residential cleaning business. I loved making a difference in my client’s lives. I also loved seeing how people created and cared for their homes.
After ten years of cleaning, deeply drawn to design, I “unplugged” my vacuum. Loving our local home furnishings store, Room & Board’s design aesthetic I applied and got a job in sales. Over ten years there I transitioned into roles in service, leadership, education and training. Every role deepened my connection to helping people create loved homes. Seeking further clarity of purpose and after ten years I was ready to strike out on my own again.
I immediately discovered life coaching and in 2003 I was trained as a life coach. I started my company Design Within. Using life coaching tools, insights from my cleaning clients, design principles, project management strategies to help clients eliminate excess, design, organize, manage projects to create a loved and functional home.
In 2008 I went to grad school and my thesis, “Recover Your Authentic Self Using Life Coaching and Home as Your Medium.” This became my thesis for my Amazon Best Selling book, “Compassionate Decluttering, How to Soulfully Surrender Your Stuff.”
The emotional, social and physical burden of clutter weighs heavy on so many people. Over the twelve years it took me to publish this book, every person I met said they or someone they knew needed my book. have over three decades living my purpose helping people create spaces they love and are proud of. I am a relentless cheerleader for anyone who wants to reduce excess.
Today, as a life coach with a niche as a Home Coach, my business Home Coach Hoff, LLC I give people forever tools to be the boss of what comes into their home. Helping busy humans access their wisdom, create systems to confidently get rid of excess so they can live in a home they love and are proud of.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three most important qualities to creating a life and home you are proud of are clarity, persistence and resourcefulness.
Clarity. Clarity. Clarity. Why do you want to eliminate this clutter? What will change as a result of getting rid of clutter? How will life be different with a clutter-free home? To believe, to see and feel in your heart and soul your clutter-free home is possible, there is more certainly it will happen!
Persistence! For many, decluttering is on the to-do list but it is the last thing to be crossed off! Life will throw you distractions and curveballs away from tackling what you know needs to be tackled. YOU have to keep steering your attention and time toward decluttering. “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” This quote by Earnie Larsen says it all. A persistent dedication to small changes over time is key to reaching any decluttering goal.
Resourcefulness means accessing your incredible creativity in the form of NOT doing the same thing you have always done to manage your stuff. Let’s face it, what you have been doing to get rid of clutter hasn’t worked. So try something new! Give things away instead of sell. Repaint or repurpose things. Move furniture or accessories around if you can’t buy new stuff. Swap stuff with a friend. Resourcefulness encourages change and change is what is needed to uncover a home you can love!
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is someone who has tried a lot of the “Six-Steps to Decluttering” , has read a ton of books, articles, hired an organizer and followed social media influencers to help them declutter but nothing has worked.
My ideal client is primarily female 45-70, educated, deeply cares for her family, community, the people she works with and consistently puts her needs behind others.
She is flipping tenacious! Determined! She has tried a many ways to get clutter under control, now more than ever feels disenchanted with trends and consumerism and the focusing outward. She wants more out of life, needs her cup filled and wants time to herself. She wants more balance in her life.
She knows that having skills and confidence to get rid of excess for good will give her more confidence and clarity to set limits, shake off the shame and invite loved ones over again is possible but needs help. Together, we can help her become a more conscious consumer, and create a healthy home.
I have private coaching clients, teach classes on values, vision and I am working on an 8-week course to create deep, personal and lasting change in people’s lives and homes. Building sustainable skills to get control of clutter once and forever.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.homecoachhoff.com
- Instagram: @homecoachhoff
Image Credits
Nancy Chakrin
