We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristyn Ivey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristyn below.
Kristyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
When I first heard about Marie Kondo and the KonMari Method®, I read her book cover-to-cover and ran to my closet to try this “Does this ‘spark joy?'” thing. I quickly realized the phrase just didn’t click with me. It felt awkward to say out loud. I inherently understood the feeling Marie was trying to convey, but the phrase felt unnatural. But, I did catch myself saying “Oh I LOVE this! This stays…” as I held things that were special. Which is why I named my business “For the Love of Tidy” and continue to encourage my clients to uncover exactly what “spark joy” means to them in their own words.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a virtual pro home organizer and certified KonMari® Master with over six years of experience serving Chicago and beyond. I’m dedicated to teaching busy professionals and creatives how to let go of “stuff” to attract a truly abundant life.
Since becoming certified consultant #12 of over 600+ worldwide, I’ve been Chicago and America’s first black certified KonMari Consultant to reach the master level.
As a former engineer and interior design student, I love to apply both project management and innate creativity to transform homes with order and in style – all the name of radical self care.
I’m a radical self care queen. I love of to lean into tedious, uncomfortable, and often unglamorous tasks designed to help you learn and grow – including tidying up KonMari style.
I love what I do and I do what I love. What I love is helping people move from a place of absorbing information about how to declutter and change their lives to taking ACTION.
My clients come to me when the clutter has them feeling stuck and stressed out. They choose to invest in change rather than more “stuff.” I help them shift their understand of what it means to be “organized,” so can move their time, attention, and energy towards the things that truly matter.
Have you ever had to pivot?
During the pandemic, we all found ourselves spending a lot more time closer to home…and sometimes closer to clutter. I was really concerned about my new and existing clients and community as they navigated this major lifestyle transition while facing so many unknowns. So, I hosted weekly tidy “office hours” on Facebook Live – a safe space for anyone to hang out and ask their burning tidying questions. I also ramped up my availability for virtual tidy sessions for anyone carving out space at home for work, school, and everything in between. Many of my in-home clients shifted to working with me through screens. Now, virtual tidying is not only my primary signature service, but also a sought-after wellness experience for fully remote teams working from home.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I joined TikTok at the beginning of the year. I’d held off for quite some time, despite “firmgentle” nudges from close friends, family, clients, and mentors. After co-hosting a weekly podcast for three years and maintaining a presence on Instagram and other platforms, I was hesitant to add something else to my plate. Plus, I didn’t want to deal with any potential scrutiny or hate that I’d seen well-meaning TikTok creators experience.
I eventually decided to dive in and embrace any kindness that came my way, with the goal of cultivating a positive community.
I was shocked when I received some of the warmest, most generous and thoughtful feedback I’ve ever received for anything I’ve created about tidying up. By consistently posting engaging content daily, my community has grown to over 75K follower friends, all interested in radical self care at home. One of my videos even went viral, receiving over 1 million views. This was an incredible way to introduce my products and services to new people who are feeling stuck when it comes to clutter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fortheloveoftidy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortheloveoftidy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fortheloveoftidy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcrG__Vq9bkdpe5oINicMg
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fortheloveoftidy#/
Image Credits
Photo credit: Martine Severin Photos (images 2-6)