Karin and her son Gaelan How long have you been doing what you do and how did you get to be a Motherhood Stress Doctor?

To answer this question, it is easiest if I tell you a little bit about me and my history:

Having a baby has been both the most exhilarating and difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life. Becoming a mother is difficult in itself, but for me the difficulties were made worse by the fact that neither my nor my husband’s families live close by, so we’ve essentially been left to our own devices to find solutions to both raise our son and have a life.

We looked at the possible options, and essentially tried them all. In the end, I decided to go into business for myself and become an organizing consultant, which would allow me to combine the best of all worlds: I would be my own boss, I would do something I love, and I would be able to combine work and family. Or so I thought…

One day, while my son was napping, I burst into tears, overwhelmed: My business wasn’t growing the way I wanted it to; my son wasn’t getting the attention he needed; my husband was complaining that we didn’t have a couple life anymore; I wasn’t sleeping enough; money was tight; I didn’t have any time for myself. I was a smart woman – with a Ph.D., no less! - and wasn’t able to get a handle on my life!

Suddenly, I asked myself: “Why not apply the methods I apply to my clients to myself? Maybe it will help me.” So I started to ruthlessly examine every minute of my day, every routine, and look how I could optimize my time. I read yet more about organization, time management, children development (the scientific kind, not the fad kind), a lot of women’s magazines for tips, asked everyone about their strategies, etc.

As a result of this work, my practice changed. I found myself working more and more with mothers, and started to look at their whole lives rather than just their papers, schedules and task lists. Over time, the obvious finally became clear to me: I love working with busy mothers and help them find a way to balance the conflicting needs and demands on their time.

Who are your clients exactly?

I work with mothers just like you, who are happy in their different roles, but who struggle to make it all fit in a 24-hour day. Some of them are working, some of them are not. Their children are usually fairly young (infant to 10 years old).

How are you different from other professional organizers?

Most professional organizers work on optimizing your space, your time, sometimes both. I don’t limit my work to those areas, but look at the whole person and their life. I also have a specific approach because of my past: I bring a 7-step process to problem-solving, just as an engineer would, but with empathy, understanding and never a judgment.

Do you work alone, or with a team?

I do work alone, but have a number of resources to assist you whenever necessary. I most often team up with organizers who specialize in organizing space, in particular if you don't live in my area. In my area, I tend to team up  with Kathy Davis, Organizer At Large when helping mothers organize their space in the New York area. She is a mother of twin boys herself, so she knows very well the challenges of keeping a home under control.

What type of personality do you work best with, and what is expected of me?

I work best with mothers who are active, proactive, interested in many things, and who are truly committed to improving their lives and making the changes it entails. If you want a magic pill, I’m not the right person for you!

I expect you to be proactive and to take action on the topics we discuss, but I will also be there every step of the way to support you and guide you in the process, up to the point where you don’t need me anymore.

What exactly is the SuperMom Relief System and how does it work?

The SuperMom Relief System is a 8-step system that touches all the areas in your life that have an impact on your ability to juggle everything you want to do. Here’s what the System gets you to do:

1. See what’s working and what’s not
   
   Believe me, even if you think your life is out of control, some areas are working. Figuring them out will give you immediate confidence, and knowing what doesn’t work will allow us to breeze through the next step without misstep.
   

2. Clear and optimize your space
   
   My experience has shown me that lack of organization is often part of why you don't have enough time. If we clear that out first, then we have a clean slate to work with the rest. I will guide you and assist you in the process, and you will be amazed to already find plenty of time by completing this step.
   

3. Discover what is truly important to you
   
   In the hustle of life, we often go about doing the motion, and forget why we do them. This step will allow you to define, or redefine, what you truly want out of life – and out of this year - and start to align your actions with it.
   

4. Clear and clarify your day
   
   Now that you have optimized your space and defined your priorities, it is time to tackle your schedule and your task list. We will weed out of it everything that doesn’t align with your priorities, define new tasks or activities that align with them, and in general allow you to optimize your day systematically.
   

5. Simplify your life wherever possible
   We will now look at your different routines, habits and delegation (or lack thereof) and wrestle yet more time out of your day. Whether it is getting up in the morning, cooking, running your errands, delegating housework to your children or anything else you do on a regular basis, my bet is that we can make it more efficient, faster and easier.
   

6. Be Ready for Emergencies, Large or Small
   
   This step is about reducing one of our largest sources of stress, conscious or unconscious. In this step, we will look at the most common emergencies that can arise, and plan for them. As a result, you will feel much more confident that you can tackle what life sends your way, and will have a lot more peace of mind.

7. Create time for yourself
   
   Finally, here is the reward for all the hard work we have done before. Now that you have completely cleared the decks, you can start to carve time to do things for yourself. We will look at your desires and your needs, and make it happen. After this, you will truly be a SuperMom, without the stress, because you are doing only what you want and what is necessary, nothing more, nothing less.

How quickly will I see results?

That depends in part on you: How fast are you willing to work? How committed are you to make the changes in your life and environment? This said, most of my clients see a big difference in their lives within a month, and I strive to work in such a way that you see a positive difference after every single session.

How will we work together?

You have five (5) different options to work with me, depending on how much assistance you need from me and your budget:

• Elite Program: Those are for mothers who feel the need for a daily check-in to resurface, and/or to go more in depth into the program. We will talk once a day for 15-25 minutes to help you plan and prioritize for your day; have a weekly one-hour conversation to tackle the steps of the program and the big-picture aspects of your life. You will also have free access to me whenever you need it, either 24/7 by email, or Monday through Saturday from 7:30am until 9pm. 
  

• Mixer Program: This program is for mothers who feel that they can mostly do it on their own, but need support in getting started and need regular check-ins in person. We meet for one 3-hour session each month, and have three (3) phone coaching sessions in-between, each lasting for an hour.
  

• Phone Coaching: If you are part of those people who are very proactive and ready to work on your own, but who need individual guidance to address their needs, we can do all the work on the phone, with four (4) one-hour session a month.
  

• Teleclass: If you almost know what you need to do, and are able to adapt general advice to your individual case, you can take my 8-week teleclass on the SuperMom Relief System. I will teach you every one of the steps of the System, and give you the corresponding worksheets and assignments. You will also be paired with a buddy who will be a sounding board and a cheerleader when you need one. Register for this one here.

• SuperWoman Relief Seminars: If you are generally well organized, and find the time to do most of what you want, but have just one or two areas that you would like to improve on, those seminars are for you. Learn more about them here. 

Now, ask yourself this: Which of these options suits you best? When would you want to start?

How long is the program?

Once again, that depends on you. Some clients progress very quickly through the steps, others need more time to get them done. In most cases, the work is done within two months or so.

What resources can you provide me?

I will provide you with worksheets, assessments, articles, resources, websites, books to read. Also, I have allied myself with a team of outstanding well-being professionals, ranging from massage therapist to intergenerational counselor to feng shui consultant who can assist you where I cannot, if you so choose.

Do people ever ask you to work with them again?

Yes, fairly often. Some feel the need to revisit one of more of the steps; or something has happened that has changed their lives and priorities, and they find that they would like some guidance to adapt to their new situation. Finally, some people feel the need for a regular check up to make sure that everything is fine and to do regular fine-tuning, which I offer in the form of a maintenance program.

I know which program I want. How do I get started?

Great! You’re on your way to a more balanced life, and to looking like a supermom to the outside world. Here is what you do: Give me a call at 646.239.6195 or email me at and let me know which program works best. We’ll set up a day and time to start working together and you’ll receive a welcome packet over email. Please fill out the new client information and return it to me at least 2 days before our first session. This will allow me to get a better sense of what your challenges and goals are, and we’ll be able to save a lot of time during the first session.

If I’m not sure I’m ready to get started, how can I sample your work at low cost and see if it’s right for me?

Take my monthly one-hour seminar called “How to Go From Busy Mom to SuperMom Without the Stress: A Systematic Approach to Making the Most of Your Time”. It is free of charge, will introduce you to the 7 steps and give you the opportunity to experience my style of work.

Another way to sample the SuperMom Relief System is to subscribe to our free newsletter. Every month, you will receive proven tips, resources and powerful techniques from our SuperMom Relief program.

I have a couple of additional questions. Can I call you?

Of course! Feel free to call me at 646.239.6195 at any time. If I cannot answer your call, make sure to leave me a message so that I can call you back.