Gabriella Joustra, Author at Insights

Louise Dunham: The Role of Household Managers | On the House #4

Gabriella Joustra — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 09:40:16 +0000

In this episode of On the House: The Household Management Science Insights Podcast, host Gabriella Joustra talks to Louise Dunham about the role of household managers and the importance of having them.

Meet Louise Dunham

Louise Dunham, the CEO of Placement Solutions, Just Family Payroll Pty. Ltd., and Nurture Training College. Founded in 1988, Placement Solutions provides a place to find and hire professional nannies and household managers. Placement Solutions ensures its clients are supported, respected, and paid legally. In 2017, Louise published a book called The State Of The Nanny, a definitive look at this sector of the childcare industry.

In 2018, Louise won two prestigious awards from the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies, based in the United States, and she was part of the APNA awards committee that presented Barbara Kline of White House Nannies in Washington, DC, the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the episode

Household managers are often hired by busy, high-earning individuals or families who don’t have time to manage their homes on top of their hectic work and personal lives. For example, clients don’t have time to book a plumber and then wait around all day for the plumber to arrive, this is the role of the household manager.

The duties of a household manager are varied, from accepting mail to preparing and cooking healthy meals. However, it is important to note what a household manager isn’t. Household managers aren’t cleaners, nor are they childminders. Louise says that while these jobs are often conflated, part of Placement Solution’s goal is to ensure the legal rights and duties of nannies and household managers.

In the episode, Louise also talks about what kinds of people become household managers, how to get children involved in household management, and some common issues household managers face.

In conclusion

The pandemic has demonstrated how important good home management is to our well-being, and for those of us who don’t have the time to manage our homes, there is assistance out there.

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The post Louise Dunham: The Role of Household Managers | On the House #4 appeared first on Insights.

Angela Esnouf: Where to Start with Decluttering | Room by Room #3

Gabriella Joustra — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 09:24:54 +0000

Do you feel that there’s no empty space in your house? Or is it hard for you to find things due to piles of stuff? Well, this is a sign for you to declutter! Today’s episode will help you find the motivation to organize your home. Angela Esnouf will provide you with a guide to start on your journey and lots of tips to help you on your way.

Meet Angela Esnouf

Angela is the owner of Creating Order from Chaos and The Professional Organiser’s Edge. She knows that getting organized can transform lives and has been helping clients create order from chaos since 2005. She has seen lives and homes transformed and still gets a thrill from helping people and making a living doing what she loves. Now, as the founder and lead educator of The Professional Organiser’s Edge, she gets to help other people experience that same thrill.

As a veteran of the organizing industry in Australia, she trains, mentors, and supports up-and-coming professional organizers. She says it’s a joy to see her colleagues, new and experienced, succeed with integrity and excellence.

Along with over 17 years of experience in the organizing industry, Angela is a Gold Circle member and National Association of Productivity & Organizing Ambassador. She has a Mental Health First Certificate, specialist certificates in chronic disorganization, hoarding, and ADHD, and certificates of study in areas such as Client Management and Learning Modalities & Styles.

In addition to her work as an organizer and mentor, she is also part of Hoarding Home Solutions, a training service specializing in teaching innovative and safe solutions for hoarding disorders.

About the episode

In this episode, Angela spoke about why decluttering is important, “I have seen the extreme end, the misery that a house full of clutter can create. Not only for the person that has collected all this stuff but also for family, and friends. And the fact that they might not feel comfortable inviting people into their homes.”

The first step Angela takes when working with clients is asking them, “What do you want to achieve?”. She also said that people often make the mistake of buying containers before they know what they need. She recommended following the SPACE (Sort, Purge, Assign a home, Containerize, and Equalize) acronym for the best results.

When it comes to decluttering, everyone is different, and there is no ideal frequency or organization system. It’s about creating a strategy that works for you and curating your best items.

In conclusion

Getting started can be the most challenging part of decluttering, and people often make the mistake of dedicating the entire day to decluttering. However, this can be overwhelming, and you might give up if you don’t finish it in time. Instead, Angela recommended setting a timer for 5 minutes and working on one area. This will result in a quick win and will inspire you to keep going!

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La Vergne Lehmann: Waste Management | On the House #3

Gabriella Joustra — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 07:36:43 +0000

Is waste management a constant problem for your household? Or maybe you’re on a journey to zero waste but don’t seem to know where to get started? Worry no more as in this episode, La Vergne Lehmann, self-proclaimed, Garbage Queen, will talk about easy ways to reduce waste at home, and what to do with the waste you have.

Meet La Vergne Lehmann

La Vergne Lehmann is the Waste and Sustainability Coordinator at Yarriambiak Shire Council and self-proclaimed Garbage Queen. She has been operating in the waste and recycling sector for over 10 years, working in regional Victoria with councils, businesses, and the community. She is passionate about minimizing our environmental impact by reducing our waste and developing circular economy approaches to product design and development, production, consumption, and rebirth. She also has experience in natural resource management, community engagement, research, communications and media, and tourism.

La Vergne lives with her family near Dimboola in regional Victoria, Australia, where she enjoys cooking, reading, and collecting art created from recycled products.

About the episode

In the episode, La Vergne explained that she became involved in waste management because everyone must deal with waste. She said that the best way to manage waste is to produce less of it. She gave suggestions like buying food in smaller quantities and sharing it with friends and family.

The next step is to reuse and recycle. For example, in her own home, she has set up a waste sorting station. This makes sorting recyclables from reusables easier, and she can take a box to the local transfer station without having to re-sort.

La Vergne also suggests getting the kids involved in setting up the waste sorting station to teach them the importance of waste management and getting crafty with empty egg cartons or milk bottles.

In conclusion

Learning how to manage your waste will not only help to reduce your impact on the environment but also the impact on your wallet, such as repairing much-loved clothing or borrowing books from the library instead of buying completely new ones.

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The post La Vergne Lehmann: Waste Management | On the House #3 appeared first on Insights.