Turning Setbacks Into Setups with Kathi Burns

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Kathi Burns—San Diego-based professional organizer, image consultant, and founder of OrganizedandEnergized.com—about the massive life and business changes she faced after 9/11. Kathi shares how a sudden and total business disruption led her to start over in a new state, with only $49, and ultimately to a fulfilling new career focused on helping women entrepreneurs clear both physical and digital clutter.

About the Guest:

Kathi Burns is a best-selling author, board certified professional organizer and personal stylist. Kathi is also the host of the Organized and Energized Podcast. Kathi is nationally recognized for her simple organizing and style solutions and featured on Good Morning America as a successful woman owned business. 

Main Topics Covered:

• Sudden career upheaval after 9/11 and the collapse of the hospitality marketing industry
• Making a cross-country move (from Florida to California) after losing nearly everything
• Taking a “year off” to reinvent herself, the impact of sabbaticals, and learning from life experience
• Starting a new business on a shoestring budget (just $49!)
• The evolution of print, marketing, and organizing in a digital world
• How writing a local newspaper column boosted Kathi’s business and developed her expertise
• The challenges of organizing paper and digital clutter for entrepreneurs
• Current work helping women entrepreneurs get “unstuck” and thrive with effective systems

Quote from the Episode:

“You can be broke in Florida, you can be broke in California. When you’re broke, you’re broke. It didn’t really matter. So that was our impetus to move to California, because who cares? We’re already broke.” — Kathi Burns

Timestamps: [00:00:04] Welcomes & Kathi’s location

[00:01:22] The 9/11 tourism shutdown and instant business collapse

[00:06:24] Reflecting on the obsolete print marketing industry

[00:07:36] Moving from Florida to California & starting over

[00:10:48] Purging belongings and the “ridiculous” moving experience

[00:11:57] Launching a business with $49: door hangers and business cards

[00:13:46] TV organizing shows, luck, and the “love offering” that started it all

[00:17:46] Life skills, forgotten talents, and the power of self-inventory

[00:22:14] Writing a weekly newspaper column to establish expertise

[00:24:58] Evolving services: from physical organizing to digital systems for entrepreneurs

[00:27:22] The pain of paper, digital overwhelm & modern organizing tips

[00:29:47] Offers: Google Workspace masterclass and free Inbox Hero Routine download

[00:34:45] Fun questions: coffee, Google Calendar, and lifelong friendships

Connect with the Guest: Website: https://organizedandenergized.com

Special Offer from the Guest:

6 Quick & Simple Steps to Organize Your Life —So You Can Finally Feel in Control ⏰✨

Finally, a stress-free way to take charge of your schedule, priorities, and goals—without the overwhelm.Value $19.95 and for listenres, it is completely FREE!

https://organizedandenergized.com/free-treats/6-steps-for-life/

Note from the show: Guest offers are often limited-time and limited quantity. If you have an issue redeeming the guest offer please reach out to the guest or vendor directly.

Join the conversation on social. Find the Art of Imperfect Adulting on Instagram @theartof_imperfect_adulting YouTube @imperfectadulting and TikTok @imperfectadulting 

Never Miss a Moment of Imperfect Adulting

We invite you to join our email community and let us bring the podcast directly to you! As a subscriber, you'll receive notifications about new episodes, exclusive offers from our amazing guests, and easier access to any of the important links mentioned on the show—no more scrambling to write down websites or remember special codes.

Why subscribe?

• Stay up-to-date without checking your podcast app
• Get guest offers delivered straight to your inbox
• Access all important links in one convenient place
• Catch the highlights even when you don't have time to listen

Are you ready? Join us at https://www.imperfectadulting.com

If you love the show and you'd like to support it directly you can tip the host here https://imperfect-adulting.captivate.fm/support

If you have a story to share and you'd like to be a guest on The Art of Imperfect Adulting, here are the steps for how you can make that happen. Pitch yourself at https://www.imperfectadulting.com/be-a-guest

Here are a few resources that Amy uses to make all this great content. These are affiliate links :-)

For livestreaming and recording ECamm https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=amy69

Podcast hosting and distribution: Captivate FM https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=ntczmwi

Website hosting with Siteground https://www.siteground.com/?referrer_id=9115590

Ai Transcription Tool: Castmagic https://get.castmagic.io/ugrmjjrt8ofj

For Email I recently switched to Beehiiv https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Amy-Stone

before that I used Kit.

Books I like and books written by show guests on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/lists/podcast-guest-authors