ABOUT ME

Once you learn a little about me, schedule your free consultation so I can learn a little about you!

– Barbara Trapp

Hi! I am a Certified Professional Organizer® and Productivity Coach.

My experience includes over 15 years experience in Human Resources, Training and Development, and Process Improvement. I hold NAPO specialist certificates in Residential Organizing, Life Transitions, and Workplace Productivity and am a Certified DISC & Driving Forces Facilitator, and a Full Focus Planner Certified Pro.

I graduated from FSU with a B.S. in Leisure (yes, you heard/read that right!) and have moved 20 times.

In 2016 I quit a well-paying job in a toxic environment, packed my car and drove around the country for three months, listening to many top business and personal development books. 22 states and 52 books later, I was ready to start my own business.

Today I am the owner of Zen Your Den and Zen Your Biz and offer Nonjudgmental Help to Busy and Overwhelmed People™.

My Life Path to Organizing and Coaching

Early Signs I was Meant to be an Organizer:

Elementary school:

I would clean out my desk during study time. This earned me a seat at the front of the room, facing my third-grade class as punishment. I was so under-appreciated lol!

Teenage years:

Whenever my parents left the house for the afternoon, I’d rearrange the furniture. My first attempts at “staging” were successful and functional enough that the new placement usually stayed (although my mother was often perturbed).

First job:

I spent slower periods reorganizing the work area of a fast-food restaurant while my coworkers took their much-needed breaks. Hint: tiny burgers.

Motherhood:

My then five-year-old daughter would admonish me, “Mommy, you aren’t playing with the Barbies, you’re organizing them!” It was true. I sorted the tiny shoes by color and style, bagged the brushes and combs, made a hanging rod and hung the clothes, and artfully set the plastic table and stacked the remaining kitchenware. Yes, the first house I completely organized was a Barbie house! Pure satisfaction.

Education:

I spent high school preparing for a career as a veterinarian. I took Latin, volunteered at the local animal shelter, and created my own independent Anatomy & Physiology class with my Physics professor (R.I.P. Professor Hackley!).

At the time I was also very involved in music. By my senior year, I was singing in the chorus, mixed ensemble, and girls group. My father took me on a college tour for veterinary programs and our guide showed me study room where a student sat at a corner table with a desk lamp and a tall stack of books. The guide said, “He’s going to be there for seven years.” And just like that, I decided medical school was not for me! I asked my choral director could help me prepare for an audition for FSU’s School of Music. I auditioned and was accepted as a vocalist.

After two years of music classes, I realized that none of the areas of focus (composition, education, therapy, or performance) felt like a match for me. After exploring my interests and options, which included pastry school, I settled on Recreation Management because of the variety of fun careers it could lead to. At the time, the department was called Leisure Services and Studies. I planned events, learned how to organize my notes in reports, and explored the creative side of recreation.

My final college assignment was to create a professional filing system. This was also one of the first projects I completed for the department director during my recreation internship. While the other interns were lifeguarding, I was doing office work. Some of my fellow interns thought I was “brown-nosing,” but really, I was just not good at volleyball! My degree? I have a B.S. in Leisure!

Career:

After my recreation internship at a large island resort, I was hired as an audio-visual technician, not because of my technical experience, but for my organizational skills. My first task? Untangling a huge pile of power and audio cords and then matching them up to various projectors, recorders, and other audio equipment. I crawled under risers, setting up microphones and sound systems. My grateful co-workers unanimously assigned me the task of updating the conference kiosk. Back then this consisted of tiny plastic letters and not a flat screen. Let’s just consider this my early experience in content writing and information mapping!

The next two decades were spent growing a career with a focus on training and technology:

Conference Operations Manager
Technology Trainer
Training and Quality Manager
Communications Manager and Webmaster
Adjunct Professor
Social Media Branding Manager

Entrepreneurship:

In 2016 after a series of my own big life transitions, I started my own professional organizing business, Zen Your Den. I began working with clients in northeast Florida and south Georgia.

Prior to the pandemic, I drove to clients’ homes and helped them do the physical work of clearing out and organizing a pantry or closet, dig through piles of paper, and create filing systems. We sat together while I taught them how to use technology to save time and be more efficient. We created plans and checklists designed to help them reach their goals. I spent at least 30% of my time driving and sessions were at least four hours long.

In addition to client work, I attended numerous in-person networking events. One year I added up my networking time and calculated I had spent the equivalent of six 40-hour weeks in these activities alone! I needed to create a more manageable schedule I could maintain that allowed me to serve more clients, so I set a goal of working at least 30% virtually by the end of 2020.

March 2020 to present:

As did many, I converted my business to 100% virtual work. My 2020 goal was met and exceeded in the first quarter! My clients love it because of the flexibility and convenience of scheduling shorter sessions.

Whether coaching, consulting, or helping clients organize their homes and lives, virtual sessions allow me to work with clients nearly everywhere!

Professional Affiliations

Credentials

Testimonials

Barbara really cares about her clients’ goals…

Barbara really cares about her clients' goals and provides useful advice and helpful guidance. She does not judge your current home state at all and does not push you into making difficult decisions (even if, in my case, you logically know items you're holding onto are items you could let go of).

- Jasmine, Design Consultant, FL

I hear you in my head encouraging me…

I hear you in my head encouraging me to do the most productive things in my current circumstances.

I’m feeling pretty BIG today!

I'm so happy you are making me do the things I hate to do. But I actually look forward to filing and opening my mail now!

I did work out on Friday morning and again today. Thank you for motivating me to take this time for myself, and for helping me be better organized and productive. I am grateful for you!

Because of the guidance I have gotten from you…I’m feeling pretty BIG today! Thanks, many times over for all your help!

- Sue, Household CEO, FL