We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather McCarthy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I had spent 8 years in the Air Force, after that I fell into a career in group benefits. I spent 16 years in the insurance industry but had never felt fulfilled or fully happy with what I was doing. I was laid off in 2021 and knew I didn’t want to go back into it, it had been a LONG time coming. I had an amazing friend suggest I start my own company. I have ADHD and a learning disability, while the seed was planted I was really afraid to take the plunge and start my own LLC. I kept thinking about what I wanted to do, what was I passionate about and what made me feel good when I was doing it. I have helped friends and family organize and move for years, some one made a joke about you love doing that why not go for it? Hezzy Helps was born. Having ADHD I can struggle to be organized but I was always able to use my hyper-fixation to help those who asked. I love to be able to help people and I knew that people hired Organizers but I never really knew the extent to how desperately some people really need my help. I bring empathy and compassion to every client no matter how big or how small the task. Unlike in a corporate setting I am free to really be myself and share my personal struggles with my clients so they know I understand how simple tasks to some, can pile up and become overwhelming to others. I have always worked hard at any position I have had but with this I truly can put my heart into this and be my truest self. I’m in such an intimate environment with my clients being in their home/personal space. I work to earn trust and let them know I am never judging them and that I am there to help them feel at ease in their home. Having a stranger go through your personal items can obviously be very anxiety inducing, I always try to keep the mood light and make the process easy, so many emotions can come up given the situation and reading someone’s emotions is crucial. I check in when I feel needed, we can take breaks, move onto something else or share memories of the item or person it represents. Its easier to get the emotions out then force someone to keep going and then they shut down or don’t want to work with me again.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The Air Force taught me to be organized and to have a game plan before tackling any mission or in my case now project. Preparing for inspections in basic training, everything had to be in its place and look presentable. Granted this is exaggerated in basic training but that thought process always stuck with me. I have worked everything from extreme hoarding situations to helping someone clear out a single closet. Every client is different because we are all different, I can easily go into someone’s home or office space and organize it how I think it should be. Once I leave though that person is left with how I want things and that will not always work for everyone. my job is to get a feel of what they want, I ask questions, have become really good at taking criticism, and I try to start simply to build momentum and make people see this doesn’t have to be a painful arduous process. We can talk while we work, have a TV on for background noise, listen to music, I’ve had people give me direction and I’m alone working, Every client is so very different. I’m most proud of my clients telling me I’m family now or we develop a friendship. Again, this work is really personal, people confide in me. They may have just lost a loved one or they may just be going through a really hard time in life. I am proud that I am always professional but I am also always empathetic, caring and willing to listen to anything they need to share with me. Being my true caring self and working to get them where they want to be in an art for me and one I always pursue with passion and kindness.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was not diagnosed with ADHD until later in life but it was very obviously present all my life. ADHD can be really hard to live with, you feel things more deeply, your emotions can most definitely get the best of you. I always felt so unhappy in my career in my adult life, I never understood why I just felt like I did not belong and I was so unhappy. I had done well, worked for for some great companies, worked with and for amazing people. I never felt like I fit in fully, like I was an imposter among all these successful people. Obviously when I was laid off panic set in, everything was virtual due to the pandemic the thought of going back to health insurance while this was still loomed made me feel terrible. Having amazing supportive friends be able to listen and guide me on this path was obviously wonderful . However doing this on my own, recognizing I am going to come across challenges that are new but being able to ask for help or say I am not sure lets figure this out together has been life altering. I finally feel like I am living my purpose, my mental health is better than it has ever been. I am confident, strong and have a new found passion about work. Having your own business of course has it’s own set of challenges and is really scary but growing into the woman I have become is something I would not trade for anything in the world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

How we all interact in a corporate setting is obviously a necessity in corporate America. Unlearning that and learning to be real and authentic when working with someone has most definitely been a necessity. I have people cry, flip out and show every emotion you can think of. I have had to learn to see them through it, be present in that moment with them and then steer us back to the task at hand. I cannot really be corporate board room when someone is having a really emotional moment, I have to be there with them and help them. Being able to be so fully present and open to letting them share this with me is not easy. it is so rewarding though when a job is complete and you see all the facets of your work together come to fruition

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hezzyhelps.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hezzy_helps/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083029216052
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-s-mccarthy-368b4b47/

Image Credits
Mia Ortiz Photography