Meet Amélie Saint-Jacques

We were lucky to catch up with Amélie Saint-Jacques recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amélie, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Living in a country where the dominant language is English, it’s hard having a clearly foreign name! While my French name makes me stand out, it can also create problems because people are unsure how to pronounce it or may have trouble remembering it. I’ve decided to lean in and made my first name part of my business name: Amelie Organizes. I’m also not as young as some of my colleagues, but hopefully people see the extra experience that comes with my age!

In a more literal sense, there are times on the job when I am actually the only one in the room, and my client has entrusted me with their belongings. In that case, I stay effective by having a plan: what is the task at hand, and how can I best achieve the desired results? It might mean sorting like with like so that my client can make easy decisions about what to keep and what to let go. It might mean sorting everything in a way that makes sense and that is functional for their lifestyle. It will also mean establishing clear guidelines with my client before I start the work. (For example, if I am organizing a pantry, we might decide ahead of time that I will toss anything expired and consolidate open packages of the same food, then sort things by categories such as snacks, pasta, cans, baking supplies, etc.) Again, having a plan, and working for my client with as much care as I would work in my own home are key.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

People often get overwhelmed by the clutter in their home. There is too much stuff, or they can’t find what they need when they need it; they may even feel embarrassed to have anyone over, or be unable to use a room in the way it was intended. These situations have been proven to increase levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. It’s very hard living like this, especially when you don’t even know where to start to fix things! This is where professional organizers come in.

I help people declutter and organize their belongings, and set up systems to prevent things from devolving into chaos again. Sometimes I help clients with small areas, like their pantry or closet, and other times we might work our way through the whole house. I just love seeing how much lighter and happier my clients are at the end of a session! And I get personal satisfaction from creating order where there was chaos. I know how good it feels, because I did my own KonMari tidying festival, and that’s really how I got started helping others – after experiencing the change myself.

I’ve started focusing more on packages of hours, because we can get so much more done than with à la carte sessions! There is a big need for those types of professional organizing projects, and I wish hiring an organizer were as normalized as hiring a hair dresser or interior designer.

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?

I would say that my top three qualities (when it comes to my profession!) are conscientiousness, curiosity, and open-mindedness. Being conscientious obviously helps me in making things decluttered and functional, and it informs my work ethic by doing right by my clients and putting their satisfaction first. Being curious motivates me to pursue continuing education, always taking webinars and reading to learn more about my field of work. Curiosity allows allows me to listen to what my clients want, because even though I might see what appear to be very similar situations in different homes, there is a lot more to it than that. I have to keep in mind how my clients use the space, what their lifestyle and expectations are, before making any recommendations to them. Those similar-at-first homes might end up looking very different when we are done, based on the specific client I am working with! Curiosity also lets me dig deeper to figure solutions to a problem that stumps me. Finally, being open-minded is important because I don’t ever want my clients to feel judged. I have truly seen it all, and my job is to help!

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

It’s important to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses in life. While it can pay off to focus on our weaknesses so that we can improve, I believe that most of the time, that will not have as much of an impact as playing up our strengths. It’s easier to choose a path where our natural assets will be rewarded, right? Organizing, conscientiousness, and problem-solving are skills that come naturally to me. Moreover, I am an introvert, a highly sensitive person (HSP), and I have a very calm energy. I believe that this helps me in being an organizer in that it makes it easier for people to have me in their personal space, helping them sort their belongings without them getting overwhelmed. Now, there are some organizers who would love to be on television, be it on their local news or in a reality show. Could I work on being more comfortable in the spotlight, more energetic, more comfortable ad-libbing? Sure. But it wouldn’t feel authentic, and it is not necessary for my career – I’m happier working one-on-one with clients than being a celebrity!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amelieorganizes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amelieorganizes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliesaintjacquesprofessionalorganizer
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/am%C3%A9lie-saint-jacques-70258b18/