valerie cady

Fabulous People: Valerie Cady

Valerie Cady is a professional organizer and founder of River Falls-based Winnow & Spruce Organizing. “I help clients decide where to start, what to keep and what to do with everything else. Everyone deserves to have an organized home. It can be life-changing.” Learn about Valerie Cady…

Hometown: Rochester, Michigan

First job: Cleaning dog kennels for a Bouvier breeder.

Favorite ways to spend your free time in WI: Outside in nature; hiking, backpacking, paddleboarding, cross county skiing and snowshoeing. I’m one of the few people who actually loves winter!

Your biggest accomplishment and why: Learning all the technology to pivot to a virtual business during this pandemic. I now work with clients virtually, have online classes for purchase and a fantastic membership where women are getting organized; one room, one month at a time. I decided to have a positive mindset, tap into my network and use the internet to learn what I needed to know.

The biggest obstacle you overcame: Getting divorced five years ago and literally starting over financially. My business was, at that time, only very part-time. I trusted God and had faith in myself. Nowhere to go but forward.

Someone who inspires you and why: My courageous clients each and every day. No one wants to feel overwhelmed, anxious and depressed by their home. It takes a great deal of courage to ask for help, and I’m honored they put their trust in me. I love being the catalyst for their life transformation that starts with getting their home organized and ends with – watch what happens next!

Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Find a mentor who you can work as an assistant and dialogue with as you build your business and brand. Every client, every house, every room and every space is different. The shows and influencers make it look easy, but there is a lot of communication, psychology and hard work behind what we do.

Favorite quote: “Make of yourself a light.” –Mary Oliver

Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: That I lived through a 7.1 earthquake in California when I was in my 20s. The epicenter was five miles from my home. We lost so much, and it took years for me to recover from the trauma of it. As I cleared out my kitchen with a snow shovel, I made a turning point decision to attach myself to people and relationships, not to stuff.

What makes someone fabulous: Their energy and positive attitude. Life can be relentlessly hard at times. Choose to be a “bobber,” those red and white orbs that people fish with, and don’t let anything keep you down.

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