Stand Out

NAPO (National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals)

Whether you are just launching a career in professional organizing and productivity or you’re a seasoned veteran — The Stand Out Podcast Series from the National Association of Organizing & Productivity Professionals (NAPO) will teach you how to make the most of the Organizing and Productivity Industry. Host Clare Kumar interviews business experts and successful professionals in the productivity and organizing world.

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Top 10 Stand Out Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Stand Out episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Stand Out for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Stand Out episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Banishing Your Inner Critic with Denise R. Jacobs

Stand Out

12/09/20 • 34 min

Have you got a voice inside your head, telling you that you’re not right for the job; you don’t have the skills; somebody else would do far better, and that you’re terrible at this? Today we sit with Denise R. Jacobs who tells us why this voice is real and more importantly, why it’s wrong about you. As a speaker, author, and creativity evangelist who speaks at conferences and consults with companies around the world, we open the show by exploring Denise’s professional background. We then chat about the inspirations behind her new book Banish Your Inner Critic. Denise explains that she was in a constant battle with a critical voice in her head, which told her she was a fraud and too inexperienced to write with authority. Stay tuned, and you’ll hear how that all changed for her, and how Denise managed to come to grips with negative self-talk. Deeper into the episode, we discuss the importance of creativity, what true genius is, and how successful companies are often the most creative, irrespective of their line of work. Together, we also discover the value of the inner critic, understand where it comes from, and why it’s impossible to rid it from your mind forever. Throughout the episode, Denise walks us through science-backed exercises designed to ease anxiety and tame your inner critic. These are techniques that you can do on your own, every day, and with ease. Be sure to tune in with us for this insightful and reassuring episode.

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing today’s guest, Denise R. Jacobs.
Hear about Denise’s inspiration for writing Banish Your Inner Critic.
How Denise grappled with self-doubt while writing her first book.
What led Denise to realize that she was capable of more than she gave herself credit for.
When Denise decided that she really wanted to be teaching people.
Denise tells us why creativity is so important.
How creativity can help companies solve problems.
Where the inner critic came from and why it can be useful.
How your inner critic lives in a part of your brain responsible for implicit memory.
Exercises you can do to get in touch with your inner critic and understand it.
Find out how the pandemic should be approached from a mental health point of view.
Denise gives us a practical lesson on how to manage anxiety.
Hear about how you can use something called a ‘swipe file.’
How Denise’s techniques are backed by science.
Why the goal isn’t to completely rid yourself of your inner critic.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Denise Jacobs — https://denisejacobs.com/

Denise Jacobs on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniserjacobs/

Denise Jacobs on Twitter — https://twitter.com/denisejacobs

Brené Brown — https://brenebrown.com/

The Creative Dose — https://thecreativedose.com/

Banish Your Inner Critic on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Banish-Your-Inner-Critic-Self-Doubt/dp/1633534715

Creativity Revolution on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Revolution-Reinvent-Creative-Prosper-ebook/dp/B00D7MQ2PU

Rawk The Web — https://rawktheweb.com/

CSS Detective Guide on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/CSS-Detective-Guide-solving-mysteries/dp/0321683943

Working with People with Brain-Based Conditions and Respecting Neurodiversity with Debbie Stanley

Stand Out

11/25/20 • 42 min

‘Brain-based conditions’ is a catchall phrase that encompasses a broad set of conditions that impact cognition, emotion, socialization, or behavior. Here to shed light on the phenomenon and how organizers can best work with those who might fall within the definition is Debbie Stanley. Debbie has been a self-employed organizational consultant since 1997. She has degrees in journalism, industrial and organizational psychology, and mental health counseling and enjoys translating the eye-glazing rhetoric of her scholarly education into concepts that make sense in everyday life. In this episode, we talk about what brain-based conditions typically are and the importance of reframing people’s struggles. Organizers can get clients to understand how their perceived weaknesses are, in fact, strengths, removing much of the shame and stigma people may be feeling. We talk about what it means to be sensitive and how to create shared spaces where everyone feels their needs are met. There will always be a range of sensitivities and sensory experiences, which is why organizers – who are trained to anticipate needs – can be so helpful. Working with those who have brain-based conditions should not be taken lightly. As organizers, we are not clinical professionals, which is why, as Debbie highlights, it is vital to learn as much as you can to be sensitive and ensure the outcomes

The Tiny Home Revolution with Tricia Sinon Murray

Stand Out

11/04/20 • 30 min

Interior design and space specialist Tricia Sinon Murray is not only an expert on the subject of Tiny Houses, but she also happens to live in a tiny home with her two children. We open our conversation by chatting about why people are moving into tiny homes. As tiny homes require an extreme economy of space, Tricia reflects on the importance of understanding her client’s lifestyle needs when designing their homes

Highlighting Diversity in Small Business

Stand Out

09/16/20 • 66 min

Being an industry leader means tackling current events and embracing inclusivity and diversity within our profession. But it’s difficult to know what this means and what change should look like. To answer these questions, we’ve brought in three movers and shakers for a discussion on diversity. Today's guests Tanisha Porter, Cindy Levitt, and Mackenzie Scott, dive into what diversity means, how different generations see racial issues, what it means to create companies based in allyship, and the importance of listening and learning from others

Becoming More Known, Liked, and Trusted with Mridu Parikh (EP.58)

Stand Out

05/20/20 • 37 min

Mridu Parikh shares a bunch of valuable strategies that she uses to increase her value, credibility, and visibility to make sure that corporations and associations keep on engaging in her services. We talk to Mridu about website curation, consistent content creation, and her routine outward marketing strategies. Mridu shares her advice for dealing with rejection, tailoring pitches, and a whole lot more.

Episode 20: What are You Going to Do about That? Solving Problems and Playing to Your Strengths, with Standolyn Robertson

Stand Out

10/21/18 • 56 min

There is no one way to be a productivity and organization professional. The opportunities and potential niche markets in the field are vast. Standolyn Robertson has found her niche in residential organizing. Funny and engaging, she shares in our 20th podcast episode of Stand Out how education, certification as a CPO®, volunteering and connecting with peers has been invaluable in helping her find her way, and encouraging others to find their unique fit.

Standolyn Robertson is an organizing expert, speaker and writer. She founded her business, Things in Place in the year 2000. She has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Women's Day, USA Today, the Boston Globe, CBS, Boston, NPR, and the Emmy-nominated show, Hoarders.

What You’ll Learn on this Episode:

The value of attending conferences with industry peers
How volunteering on boards and committees opens doors and develops relationships
Why understanding your expenses and not just your gross revenue is so important
The importance of doing the work that inspires you rather than conforming to someone else’s standard of success.
How to get paid for your wisdom, not just your hands-on work
The value of becoming a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO®)
How to manage and exceed client expectations
Using the question, “What are you going to do about that?” to get unstuck from indecision
How to value your own talents and interests and avoid imposter syndrome
Why having employees, sub-contractors, or working on your own doesn’t have to be a one-and-done decision

Episode 19: Unapologetically You – Understanding Yourself and Your Clients, with Jessica Butts

Stand Out

10/07/18 • 61 min

People can be frustrating. You can even frustrate yourself when you try to do things you’re not good at and it comes back to bite you. Knowing and understanding ourselves better and understanding our clients will only enhance our business, and ease up on our frustration levels!

In our 19th episode of Stand Out: Growing Your Organizing and Productivity Business, host Sarah Karakaian talks with guest Jessica Butts about understanding personality types, strengths, weaknesses, and how to use this information to make your business stronger.

Jessica is all about motivating, educating, and inspiring people to live their life in the front seat, using their innate abilities. Jessica was once living a life that was chosen for her instead of a life she had chosen for herself. She was working in corporate human resources, totally uninspired when a life changing event in her marriage finally got her to take control of her life and go back to graduate school and pursue her dreams of becoming a therapist.

She now teaches corporate workshops, conducts keynote speeches around the country, and is the author of two amazing books: Live Your Life from the Front Seat, and Don’t Do Stuff You Suck At.Want to know more about your personality and what makes you tick? You’re invited to use Jessica’s assessment tool here: https://jessicabutts.com/front-seat-life-personality-assessment/

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

How to implement systems, structure, and singular focus into your practice
Getting to the point where your side hustle can be your main thing
Understanding who you are and then being in relationship with people who are different from you
How to get back to the essential person we were before we started believing other people’s stories about us
What it means to be in the driver’s seat, to be the co-pilot, and how to shut up your drunk uncle in the back seat
How the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can help you understand yourself and your clients better
The importance of understanding who your ideal clients are and how to best serve them
How to set up a 90 Day Focus sheet

Why Social Media Is A Non-Negotiable for Organizers with James Lott Jr. (EP.42)

Stand Out

09/25/19 • 42 min

James Lott Jr is a television and radio show host, podcaster, author, actor, life coach and organizer who is here to tell us just how important social media is for anyone who is in the organizing space. Regardless of your personality, it is vital for you to start putting yourself out there and to use these channels to let people know who you are and to introduce and remind them about your product.

Insights into the Mexican Organizing Industry with Nacho Eguiarte (EP.45)

Stand Out

11/06/19 • 29 min

We are joined by a mover and shaker, Nacho Eguiarte, who shares his experiences from the Mexican organizing industry. He gives us some insights into how he has grown his business in this burgeoning market and how anyone in similar circumstances can do the same. He also stresses the importance of continued education, rather than simply relying on what you know.

Why Paper Still Matters

Stand Out

08/10/22 • 35 min

In today’s digital day and age, we have forgotten about the benefits of using paper. We turn to our shiny little screens to take photos, notes, and store records. Joining us today on the Stand Out podcast is long-time NAPO member, Julie Bestry. Julie is a professional organizer who dazzles people with her wonderful blogs. Today, we discuss what she is noticing about the shift in our relationship to paper over the last few years, the Cornell note-taking method, haptics, and the beauty of cursive. We also discuss Julie’s hybrid system when it comes to note-taking, planning, and recording, and look at the importance of finding a system that works for you. Finally, Julie tells us why she is known as the ‘paper doll.’ To hear all this and more, tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

An introduction to today’s guest, Julie Bestry.
What Julie is noticing about how our relationship to paper has shifted over the past few years.
Discussing the Cornell note-taking method.
Julie explains what haptic is.
How writing was a thing of beauty in the past.
The beauty of being able to read and write cursive.
The importance of finding a system that works for you; digital, paper, or hybrid.
Why Julie is called paper doll.
Julie’s passion for words and stationary.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Julie Bestry — https://juliebestry.com/

Julie Bestry on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliebestry/

Julie Bestry on Twitter —https://twitter.com/ProfOrganizer?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Julie’s Blog — https://juliebestry.com/blog-page/

Evernote — https://evernote.com/

Waze — https://www.waze.com/en-GB/live-map/

TripTicks on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Tripticks-British-Literature-Ann-Quin/dp/1564783189

Mint — https://za.mintgroup.net/

Target — https://www.target.com/

The Cornell note-taking method — https://www.umfk.edu/student-success/academic-support/notes/

Remarkable — https://remarkable.com/