Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have Vali Heist with me. Hi, Vali.
Vali Heist: Hello!
Toni: How are you?
Vali: I’m awesome. Thank you.
Toni: It’s like a reunion today.
Vali: Yes. It’s so good to see you again.
Toni: Same here. Well, take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Vali: Okay. I am a certified professional organizer. I am the owner of The Clutter Crew in Mohnton, and I’m celebrating my tenth year in business. I am a self-proclaimed crap expert, and that comes from the name of my book, which is called Organize This: Practical Tips, Green Ideas, and Ruminations About Your Crap. Crap means clutter that robs anyone of pleasure. I write a monthly column for the newspaper, for the Reading Eagle, called “Organize This.” It’s in the first Sunday of the month. My background is 24 years in higher education and I’m hoping to just help my clients. I’m sharing short-term, long-term organization ideas to help them live a better life and love their home more.
Toni: Oh, I absolutely love that. Let’s go into the Project. What does inspiration mean to you?
Vali: I would say anyone or anything that inspires people to make their life better or to make the world a better place.
Toni: Okay. So, is it a feeling? Do you know when you’re inspired?
Vali: I think yes. I think if that person or thing prompts me to go forward to find out more…our lives are so busy, if I take the time to actually listen to them on a podcast or go to their TV show or read their book, I’m inspired. It probably has something to do with what I do for a living, because it’s really me down deep. Living an organized life to live more of the life you want to live, whatever that is.
Toni: So really, it moves you forward.
Vali: Absolutely.
Toni: I like the idea that it’s something that catches your attention to make you do something.
Vali: Enough to stop and say, “This is worth listening to.” This could maybe help me with my clients with my life to go forward and say, “How can I make the world a better place or my life a better place?”
Toni: Do you find that sometimes we’re all a little busy that we might miss some serious inspiration that we could benefit from?
Vali: Yeah. That would be easy to do. I try to really filter out the crap and say, “Some of it’s just not worth it. Is this something that I really want to pay attention to? Is it really going to make a difference in my life? If not, no. Then I don’t listen.
Toni: So how do you take that practice, which it sounds like it is a practice, like a purposeful practice, and how do you apply that here in Berks County?
Vali: I volunteer first of all for the Goodwill Runway Show. That’s near and dear to my heart. Always been a Goodwill fan, but being able to volunteer for them because I’m at the Goodwill probably once a week dropping off my clients’ stuff, but then putting it into practice just in my own life and hoping to put it into practice in my work with my clients and helping them to live a better life and a less cluttered life, a less busy life so that they can do what they want to do and go forward and make things happen for themselves.
Toni: When was the last time you were inspired?
Vali: Oh, just recently with this new podcast, The Minimalists. I went to their movie. I went to their film. Downloaded some of their podcasts and really listened to what they had to say, because they’ve been doing this for a number of years, and trying to get the feel for what this movement’s about, and see how it might benefit my clients, how I might be able to take their words forward. I was really inspired by that film.
Toni: Wow. That’s a great example, because you brought it full circle. It’s something that you paid attention to, and it was in a podcast form, and it moved you to action to do something to help you with your own business.
Vali: Absolutely.
Toni: That’s incredible. So, who in Berks County inspires you?
Vali: I would say anyone who works to make Berks County a better place to live.
Toni: Okay. Can you give me an example?
Vali: When I first started my business, people said, “Oh, you know what? No one’s going to pay you to come into their homes and help them organize.” I said, “No. I think Berks County is a great place to do that.” It can be someone like the Mayor. It can be someone like people who inspire art projects. Jane Runyeon. She inspires me. People who make Berks County and Reading a better place to live and are inspired by it and knowing how much it has to offer and can put that into action, because not everybody can. Not everybody has the avenue to do that, but the people who do, I want to be a part of that.
Toni: So is it change? Is it transformative? What is it exactly? Give me an example.
Vali: It’s change. It’s a change of attitude, I think too. Making us think more and stop putting our city down or where we live. You know what? If you don’t like where you live, you probably want to move. If you don’t embrace where you live or try to change where you live or make it a better place, then maybe it’s not the place for you. I love people who are positive and move forward and make anything…changing the street signs, cleaning up the roads, during murals. Anything to make it as you drive across those bridges, “Wow. This is looking great.”
Toni: What’s interesting is based on what you said earlier is that people may be working on creating all that change, but it’s people like you who are inspired to look, notice, talk about it, do something about it. I think that’s the message I’m hearing.
Vali: I’m really inspired by someone that could make me move, who’s very focused. I can be very focused. That’s my job. It’s who I am, because I focus on what I want to focus on, but if something moves me to read a book or anything like that, it’s probably something I want to pay attention to and move forward with, and take to my clients and talk to my clients about, because they want to hear it.
Toni: So you really are paying it forward.
Vali: Absolutely. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Toni: Anyone else you want to give a shout out to as far as who inspires you in Berks County?
Vali: Oh, it’s my clients. Absolutely. I’m humbled when they call me. I’m humbled when they invite me into their home and their messes, and even if they are embarrassed or they’re saying, “You know what, I’m done. It’s no longer something I want to be embarrassed about. I just want to move forward. I want to get my life in order and I want you to help me.” I’m hugely humbled by that.
Toni: Well, you have to be the inspiration queen to get people to move forward like that! So Vali, what would you like your legacy to be?
Vali: Probably that I helped people enjoy their home or enjoy their life, and helped them move forward to make a difference in their own life so that they can either help themselves or help their family or help the world around them be a better place to live.
Toni: So isn’t it cool that you’re walking the talk on the legacy?
Vali: Yes. Yeah. It’s a good feeling.
Toni: Thank you so much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Vali: Thank you so much, Toni.
Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have Vali Heist with me. Hi, Vali.
Vali Heist: Hello!
Toni: How are you?
Vali: I’m awesome. Thank you.
Toni: It’s like a reunion today.
Vali: Yes. It’s so good to see you again.
Toni: Same here. Well, take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Vali: Okay. I am a certified professional organizer. I am the owner of The Clutter Crew in Mohnton, and I’m celebrating my tenth year in business. I am a self-proclaimed crap expert, and that comes from the name of my book, which is called Organize This: Practical Tips, Green Ideas, and Ruminations About Your Crap. Crap means clutter that robs anyone of pleasure. I write a monthly column for the newspaper, for the Reading Eagle, called “Organize This.” It’s in the first Sunday of the month. My background is 24 years in higher education and I’m hoping to just help my clients. I’m sharing short-term, long-term organization ideas to help them live a better life and love their home more.
Toni: Oh, I absolutely love that. Let’s go into the Project. What does inspiration mean to you?
Vali: I would say anyone or anything that inspires people to make their life better or to make the world a better place.
Toni: Okay. So, is it a feeling? Do you know when you’re inspired?
Vali: I think yes. I think if that person or thing prompts me to go forward to find out more…our lives are so busy, if I take the time to actually listen to them on a podcast or go to their TV show or read their book, I’m inspired. It probably has something to do with what I do for a living, because it’s really me down deep. Living an organized life to live more of the life you want to live, whatever that is.
Toni: So really, it moves you forward.
Vali: Absolutely.
Toni: I like the idea that it’s something that catches your attention to make you do something.
Vali: Enough to stop and say, “This is worth listening to.” This could maybe help me with my clients with my life to go forward and say, “How can I make the world a better place or my life a better place?”
Toni: Do you find that sometimes we’re all a little busy that we might miss some serious inspiration that we could benefit from?
Vali: Yeah. That would be easy to do. I try to really filter out the crap and say, “Some of it’s just not worth it. Is this something that I really want to pay attention to? Is it really going to make a difference in my life? If not, no. Then I don’t listen.
Toni: So how do you take that practice, which it sounds like it is a practice, like a purposeful practice, and how do you apply that here in Berks County?
Vali: I volunteer first of all for the Goodwill Runway Show. That’s near and dear to my heart. Always been a Goodwill fan, but being able to volunteer for them because I’m at the Goodwill probably once a week dropping off my clients’ stuff, but then putting it into practice just in my own life and hoping to put it into practice in my work with my clients and helping them to live a better life and a less cluttered life, a less busy life so that they can do what they want to do and go forward and make things happen for themselves.
Toni: When was the last time you were inspired?
Vali: Oh, just recently with this new podcast, The Minimalists. I went to their movie. I went to their film. Downloaded some of their podcasts and really listened to what they had to say, because they’ve been doing this for a number of years, and trying to get the feel for what this movement’s about, and see how it might benefit my clients, how I might be able to take their words forward. I was really inspired by that film.
Toni: Wow. That’s a great example, because you brought it full circle. It’s something that you paid attention to, and it was in a podcast form, and it moved you to action to do something to help you with your own business.
Vali: Absolutely.
Toni: That’s incredible. So, who in Berks County inspires you?
Vali: I would say anyone who works to make Berks County a better place to live.
Toni: Okay. Can you give me an example?
Vali: When I first started my business, people said, “Oh, you know what? No one’s going to pay you to come into their homes and help them organize.” I said, “No. I think Berks County is a great place to do that.” It can be someone like the Mayor. It can be someone like people who inspire art projects. Jane Runyeon. She inspires me. People who make Berks County and Reading a better place to live and are inspired by it and knowing how much it has to offer and can put that into action, because not everybody can. Not everybody has the avenue to do that, but the people who do, I want to be a part of that.
Toni: So is it change? Is it transformative? What is it exactly? Give me an example.
Vali: It’s change. It’s a change of attitude, I think too. Making us think more and stop putting our city down or where we live. You know what? If you don’t like where you live, you probably want to move. If you don’t embrace where you live or try to change where you live or make it a better place, then maybe it’s not the place for you. I love people who are positive and move forward and make anything…changing the street signs, cleaning up the roads, during murals. Anything to make it as you drive across those bridges, “Wow. This is looking great.”
Toni: What’s interesting is based on what you said earlier is that people may be working on creating all that change, but it’s people like you who are inspired to look, notice, talk about it, do something about it. I think that’s the message I’m hearing.
Vali: I’m really inspired by someone that could make me move, who’s very focused. I can be very focused. That’s my job. It’s who I am, because I focus on what I want to focus on, but if something moves me to read a book or anything like that, it’s probably something I want to pay attention to and move forward with, and take to my clients and talk to my clients about, because they want to hear it.
Toni: So you really are paying it forward.
Vali: Absolutely. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Toni: Anyone else you want to give a shout out to as far as who inspires you in Berks County?
Vali: Oh, it’s my clients. Absolutely. I’m humbled when they call me. I’m humbled when they invite me into their home and their messes, and even if they are embarrassed or they’re saying, “You know what, I’m done. It’s no longer something I want to be embarrassed about. I just want to move forward. I want to get my life in order and I want you to help me.” I’m hugely humbled by that.
Toni: Well, you have to be the inspiration queen to get people to move forward like that! So Vali, what would you like your legacy to be?
Vali: Probably that I helped people enjoy their home or enjoy their life, and helped them move forward to make a difference in their own life so that they can either help themselves or help their family or help the world around them be a better place to live.
Toni: So isn’t it cool that you’re walking the talk on the legacy?
Vali: Yes. Yeah. It’s a good feeling.
Toni: Thank you so much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Vali: Thank you so much, Toni.
