Today we’d like to introduce you to Gaby Polycarpo.
Hi Gaby, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Ex-patriate from Brazil (Sao Paulo city), eleven years ago, it amazed me to see how many things people owned here.
As a journalist and PR from the Tourism and Hospitality industry, i Knew i could not comeback to same life i had before, traveling and working on weekends (moved here pregnant and a 4 years old in the other arms!). So, after a lot of hours and conversations with a Life Coach, she helped me see how i could be productive and still have a flexible schedule that would fit my life style at that moment. I created the idea of having a Professional Organizing Company but didint started right away. I felt like i need to offer more than just an hour package for those people.
So, I embarked on a journey to explore people roots and passion and understand how they interact with their own home.
Most of the times, I believe it’s possible to address any challenges people may encounter, presenting simple solutions that seamlessly blend functionality with small changes in their habits and day by day activities. But its really just after knowing what issues are causing that disorder, investigating why that house looks like that everyday, i can create a solution for that specific family. You will never seem me jumping on a pantry or client’s closet before we have a little chat about them. I want to understand their dream goals first, so I can connect all the organization towards that.
Our home is not just a space; it’s a reflection of our lifestyle. My idea is to embrace the balance between functionality and beauty, without any compromises in the design. That living space is where memories are made, and I am here to ensure those memories are made in an organized, harmonious environment that suits a unique way of life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh, its never smooth, right?
I came here accompanying my husband as a executive in a big company in Nashville, so I knew i wouldn’t be able to work in the same industry as i was working, specially traveling and attending events on weekends. I arrived in Nashville pregnant of 7 months and another baby of 4 years old in my arms. My family need me and it was the right decision to dedicate myself to them. The chock of culture and the language was huge. (i didint speak English at that time – do speak Spanish and Portuguese fluently), My mom was supposed to come and help me with the baby after the delivery, but her Visa was not approved and for a moment i saw myself alone, with two young children, trying to motivate a husband in a new position, in a new house, new culture and no friends at all. Never felt so alone.
Instead of be seated in the floor and cry while all that new world was starting to open for me, i took the time to study and prepare myself.
Nothing was more intimate for me than being invited to those neighbors houses and be part of their day by day lives.
Brazilians will invite you to their houses after 5 minutes of conversation, but even with the most friendly people here in the South, it doesn’t work like that lol
So I could see what kind of reality americans were living inside of their own homes. With all that space and so much stuff, moms were all exhausted and trying to manage what seems to be a chaotic version of themselves. So, i was exploring daily routines and challenges, and start to realize that with all my years of experience and knowledge in the Hospitality industry – where is important to enchant your customer -, i could deliver something unique while organizing a home professionally.
Observing the way people live and behave inside of their own homes, was fundamental to craft personalized solutions for them later. Again, our home is not just a space; it’s a reflection of our lifestyle. If yous life looks like chaos, your house will reflect that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So hard to talk about ourselves, right? I think one of the qualities that people see in me and may differ myself from other professional organizers is the fact that I will listen to you first. The moment i meet you, i will seat at the kitchen table (sometimes in the floor) and chat about life, looking deeply into your eyes and genuinely wanting to hear your story and trying to understand what is bothering you and why that is happening. My clients are mostly womens who still carry all the weight of household up to their shoulders. Being a good listener and having an open conversation about their personal struggles while we drink a coffee, will open up more about their problems than just look inside of their closets and drawers.
With technique and good sense, we all can organize a space, but to sustain that in the long journey, we need to dive inside other peoples lives. If i understand what is causing their problems first, I will succeed connecting all the organization towards that dream, respecting the family style and the phase of life they are in that specific moment. Organization is never about the bins. It is about the people.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
While I am not inside of a clients home, you will find me 90% of the time studying psychology, reading about humans behaviors, kids behavior, ADHD cases of study, Montessori techniques, listening to podcasts about happiness, love, sadness, work life balance and all the the innumerous examples from people who succeed in life and their journey.
Jay Shetty – podcast
French Kids eat everything (at the table) – book;
Mario Sergio Cortella – writer and philosopher
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelifehackbygaby.com
- Instagram: @thelifehackbygaby
