Meet Erin Villarreal

We were lucky to catch up with Erin Villarreal recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, thank you so much for joining us today. There are so many topics we could discuss, but perhaps one of the most relevant is empathy because it’s at the core of great leadership and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your empathy?

The conditions that allowed me to develop my empathy started at home. Growing up with ADHD was challenging, and I often felt different from everyone else. But my mom never made me feel “less than.” Instead, she helped me create systems that supported my brain, encouraged me, and taught me to be gentle with myself.Her patience became the blueprint for how I show up for others. Because she met me with understanding, I learned to meet other people with that same compassion. My empathy really grew from being supported in the moments when I struggled the most.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I help people organize their homes by creating systems that actually make sense for the way they live. I’m the founder of Your Home in Bloom, a home organizing business built on the belief that our spaces can either drain us or support us and that support matters.

My relationship with organization started early. Growing up with ADHD, I often felt overwhelmed by my surroundings, but my mom met that overwhelm with patience instead of pressure. She showed me how to create systems that worked with my brain, not against it. That experience shaped how I show up for others today with empathy, care, and zero judgment.

What excites me most about this work is empowering people within their own spaces. I love helping someone realize they’re not “bad” at staying organized, they just haven’t been shown a system that fits them yet. Watching that shift, when a home feels lighter and a person feels more capable, is incredibly meaningful.

Much of my work brings me into homes during moves, burnout, grief, new chapters. I don’t believe in perfection or rigid rules, but in realistic systems that evolve and meet people where they are.

As Your Home in Bloom grows, I’m expanding beyond in-home sessions into educational digital guides, virtual organizing support, and interior styling as a thoughtful extension of the systems I create. My goal is to make support accessible, flexible, and grounded no matter where someone is or what season they’re in.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, three qualities have had the greatest impact on my journey.

The first is learning to be kind to myself. You have to meet yourself where you are, especially when you’re building something from the ground up. If you’re not gentle with yourself early on, self-doubt can spiral quickly. Starting a business brings uncertainty, mistakes, and learning curves, and kindness creates the space to grow instead of shut down. My advice for anyone early in their journey is to practice self-compassion as intentionally as you practice your craft, it’s not a weakness, it’s a stabilizer.

The second is resisting comparison. This is one of the hardest lessons, especially in a world where we constantly see other people’s progress. Comparison really can steal your joy and make you question work you should be proud of. It’s okay to admire someone else’s journey, but it’s important to create healthy boundaries around how much you consume. Focus on your own lane and your own pace. Growth isn’t linear and it doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s to be meaningful.

The third is learning to reach out for support. It’s easy to feel alone, especially in the early stages, but you rarely are. When I began opening myself up to opportunities and conversations, I found people in my community who were willing to share advice, experiences, and encouragement. Building relationships and asking questions doesn’t mean you don’t know what you’re doing, it means you’re invested in learning. My advice is to stay open, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to lean on others along the way.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

pauses:

⸻

There’s a lot of pressure to always be doing more, and it’s easy for me to put too much on my plate. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I try to slow myself down and meet myself where I’m at.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is to give myself permission on days when I’m not feeling great to do what I can and let that be enough. Some days that means getting a lot done. Other days it means one small thing. Both matter.

When things feel like too much, I write everything down and choose one manageable task to focus on. I also pay attention to what I actually need in that moment. Sometimes it is rest. Sometimes it is movement. Sometimes it is asking for help.

You don’t have to push through everything. Slowing down, creating a little support around you, and being honest about your energy goes a long way.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Desiree Hayes

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