Ever since I was a small child I have been sensitive to how spaces make me feel. Walking into my grandmother’s house with it’s sunny wallpaper and smells of cinnamon brought me a feeling of comfort. Rearranging and cleaning out my room as an adolescent gave me the sense of a fresh start. Living in Boston during my college years and driving through different areas and boroughs I could literally feel the energy shift when crossing from one area into another. The sense and feeling of space matters and affects us.
I’m a wife, a mom to two grown young men, a teacher, a nurse, and a holder of sacred space. Over the past 28 years, I have worked as a teacher, a home daycare provider, and I ran a meditation center with my husband for 10 years. I’m currently working per diem as an acute care nurse in the hospital setting. I see myself as a servant to my fellow humans and desire to support and meet people where they are.
Hi, I’m Catherine
My Story
Simply light was born 23 years ago in 2000. At the time of its first iteration, I was teaching at a preschool, working with 3 and 4 year olds. My husband and I were thinking of starting a family and I was looking for a shift in career, something I might be able to do alongside raising a family. For a lenten devotion that year, I had decided to clear 3 items a day from my home. Some items I saved for a yard sale, some I donated, and some were sent to recycling/garbage. What I remember the most was the exhilaration I felt as my space began to feel lighter.
Soon after that we decided to dedicate an entire room in our house as a space for meditation. We took all the furniture out, cleaned, painted, chose specific artwork, and created an altar space and sitting space that resonated with our spiritual practice. Again there was a tangible shift of energy that carried through our home. These energy shifts were happening at the same time that I was considering a career shift. I enjoyed the process of cleaning out so much and felt so fulfilled by it that I wanted to help other people too.
I found out right away that others were having the same feeling and began working with my first clients. It was a fairly steady business, simple in its concept. I would go into people’s homes and help them clear their clutter. As we went through their items, we had 4 sections, keep, give away, garbage, and undecided. Once we got started, my clients would have similar feelings of elation as their space felt refreshed and renewed.
My first son was born at the end of 2002 and soon was attending sessions with me in his baby carrier or hanging at home with his dad at nights or on the weekends. In 2003, our family moved to Atlanta GA where I continued with simply light offering workshops and individual sessions until my second son was born in 2005. At that time we decided to shift gears. Simply light as a business was put on hold and I utilized my BA in education and 7 years experience teaching preschool and I opened a home daycare. Over time life shifted, we moved to Michigan, I started and completed a BSN program, took my nursing boards and became certified as a registered nurse. We then moved back to the Boston area with our school age children and growing family of pets and I began my nursing career. All the while, in all of our different homes the values of simplicity, organization, and intention were ever present in my heart and mind and I enjoyed applying them to our various physical spaces for my family.
When simply light was born back in 2000 the world was different, there was some talk in the mainstream about home organization, time management, etc. but not much. If someone was interested they could find information but it wasn’t all the rage it is today. With the work of Julie Morgenstern, Marie Kondo, and HGTV shows like Fixer Upper, nurturing our space has come more into the collective consciousness.
Then on March 13, 2020 the entire world came to a halt. People found themselves confined to their living spaces. Now school, work, and family life was all occurring within whatever 4 walls one found themselves in on that memorable Friday. And what we are seeing more and more is that people are now working from home. The world is turning at a fast past again but some of the living patterns brought on by the pandemic are lingering. Simply light, the business, started knocking on my heart again. Whispers in my heart and mind…“People need help cultivating their spaces,” “people want to feel peace and ease in their homes but can see through all the steps and things that that are in the way.” “You know how to help.”
And so simply light 1.0 has been pulled off the shelf. Now called “simply light home,” I am approaching the work with more intention and creativity in helping the client to see for themselves what they are wanting to achieve with their physical space. The resources of books, television shows, instagram accounts, and TikToks are plentiful with ideas and idyllic vision. Simply light home is here to help support the work of translating the vision and ideas into cultivating and nurturing personal physical spaces.
With time and technology, I am now able to support my clients virtually as well as in person. Many people see and understand the steps involved but they simply find it challenging to get started. Simply light home is here to help. The three fold approach is set up to meet the client where they are. For some, they need help clearing out their abundance of things, for some it is about working space management organizational strategies, and for some they are desiring to create an intentional sacred space. Some people may want support in all 3 categories while some may just want support with one area at a time. Simply light home is here to meet people where they are.
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