Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Rate.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I never set out to become a Decluttering Coach. In fact, the early years of my decluttering weren’t really about decluttering at all.
I was a single mom coming out of a toxic marriage with a LOT of debt and a paycheck that barely covered living expenses. I needed a simple side hustle, so I started selling some of my things online – back in the days of Craigslist! Before long, it became almost a game to look around my home and figure out what else I could do without and sell. At the time, my mantra for making the hard decluttering decisions was simple: “Money is more important than stuff.” It became such an integral part of my life that my toddler started playing what I called the “Craigslist game.” He would grab a toy and say, “Be right back, Mom – going to sell something!” and then take his toy into another room.
There were a lot of lessons learned during that season of my life, but one of the biggest was that I really didn’t need so much STUFF. Over time, I paid off all that debt, met and married an amazing man, and we began building our beautiful blended life together with our household of five (now six!) kids. As our kids outgrew clothes and toys, I set things aside to sell. But I was no longer living in survival mode, so selling became an occasional thing. Which meant all those decluttered items weren’t actually gone. They were still taking up space in our home, piling up in plastic totes. The pile kept growing as life got busier and busier, until eventually I felt like I was drowning and couldn’t keep up with anything.
Something had to give. Around that breaking point, I stumbled across a video about the true impact of managing so many things in our homes. It struck a chord with me. So much of what was demanding our time felt completely out of our control, but the things in our home were something I could actually change. I realized the cost of keeping all of that stuff was simply no longer worth it. So I dove off the deep end and went on what I now call my “rage purge.” I took three van loads of things from our house straight to the donation center. FREEDOM!
Even though most of those “things to sell” had been shoved into closets and weren’t part of our everyday living space, the impact of actually getting them out of our house was unbelievable. A huge weight I didn’t even realize was there disappeared. Life suddenly felt more manageable. Even my son’s teacher noticed a positive change in his behavior around the same time. That was a jaw-dropping moment for me, seeing just how much our environment can affect us when we finally removed the excess.
That’s when I realized I wanted to help other people, specifically moms, find their way out, too. As a mom, there is always so much to juggle, and decluttering can feel like the last thing worth spending time on. I believe decluttering doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing project. Any progress is still progress. I hear over and over from moms who feel overwhelmed by their stuff but don’t even know where to start. That’s why I started my weekly “5 A Day Friday” email, which simply encourages moms to declutter five specific things. That’s it. Just five. The idea is to make decluttering simple and attainable enough to actually do, so you can build momentum instead of feeling like you have to overhaul your entire house in one weekend. That same philosophy is at the heart of my work: meeting moms where they are and giving them simple, realistic tools and strategies that actually work in real life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, there have definitely been some bumps in the road.
Early on, I spent a lot of time looking at how other people in the decluttering space were helping their clients and trying to make sure I was doing things the “right” way. I thought I needed to follow a certain method or fit myself into a particular mold. The more I tried to do that, the more stressed I became, and honestly, the less authentic it felt.
Eventually, I had to take a step back and ask myself what I uniquely bring to the table. That’s when I started leaning more into my counseling background and approaching decluttering from a coaching perspective. Looking back, I realized I had already been doing that in many ways; the bigger shift was giving myself permission to trust my own approach instead of looking outside myself for validation that I was doing it correctly.
Another struggle has been learning to believe in myself and recognize the value of what I have to offer. I think it’s human nature to take for granted the things that come naturally to us. If something feels easy or obvious to me, it can be hard to remember that it may be genuinely overwhelming or difficult for someone else.
For a long time, I had a hard time with the idea that someone would actually pay me to help them with something that felt so natural to me. I’ve learned that being good at something doesn’t make it less valuable, it actually can be exactly why it’s valuable to someone else.
And, like most people building a business, I’ve also had to learn that progress isn’t always linear. I’ve built this business while balancing six busy kids, work, and all of the other demands of life. There have been plenty of times when I’ve questioned whether I was doing enough or moving fast enough. But ironically, that has reinforced the same philosophy I teach my clients: small progress is still progress and you don’t have to do everything at once. Sometimes you just have to take one step at a time, keep moving forward, and give yourself credit for how far you’ve already come.
We’ve been impressed with Nicole Rate, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Nicole Rate is a decluttering brand focused on helping busy moms simplify their homes and make life feel more manageable.
I specialize in helping moms who want to be more organized or know they need to declutter but feel overwhelmed by where to start. Between work, kids, activities, and everything else that comes with family life, decluttering often falls to the bottom of the list. And when there is time to make it a priority, the thought of tackling an entire house can feel so daunting that it’s easier to say ‘forget it’ and leave it a mess.
A big part of my philosophy is that home organization is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and it’s not about creating a picture-perfect space that doesn’t actually function well in real life. I help people assess where they are in their decluttering journey and understand why decluttering may not have worked for them in the past, so that they can set realistic expectations based on the time, energy, and season of life they’re actually in.
I’m not going to tell you that you need to own a certain number of plates, fold your clothes a particular way, or become a minimalist. I focus on what is functional and makes sense for your home and your current life. What simplified looks like for you isn’t necessarily going to look the same as someone else.
My counseling background also influences the coaching perspective I bring to my work. For me, organizing isn’t just about deciding where things should go; it’s about helping people work through the decisions and mindset that can make it difficult to let things go in the first place. I want people to have a plan that fits their actual lives rather than another system they feel like they have to maintain perfectly.
I offer practical, self-paced resources to help moms take action without feeling overwhelmed. My Decluttering for Real Life Workbook walks you through a simple, realistic plan for getting started at your own pace, while my 5-Day Declutter Kickstart Challenge provides a little structure and accountability for those who need help getting moving. I also have a free weekly 5 A Day Friday email, where subscribers get five specific things to declutter each week.
I’m especially proud that I’ve built my brand around making decluttering feel doable rather than overwhelming. I don’t want people to feel like they need an entire weekend, a dumpster, or a complete personality overhaul to make progress in their homes.
At the heart of my brand is a simple idea: I want to simplify your life by simplifying your home, in whatever way makes sense for you.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Yes! I think the phrase “it takes a village” could also apply to building a business. I’ve been fortunate to have a number of people in my corner throughout this journey, each supporting me in a different way.
A few years ago, I went through Mel Robbins’ coaching program, and that had a big impact on how I approached building this business. At the time, I was trying to grow something of my own while also balancing work and family, so I didn’t have large blocks of uninterrupted time to dedicate to it. The program helped me develop better habits around managing my time and making the most of the small pockets of time I did have. That has continued to be important as I’ve built the business around real life rather than waiting for the “perfect” time to do it.
My sister, Noelle, is a fellow entrepreneur and has been a huge cheerleader for me as I’ve chased this dream. She has a knack for helping me think outside the box and come up with solutions I might not have considered on my own. Having someone who understands both the excitement and the challenges of entrepreneurship, and who will encourage you while also asking the questions that make you think, has been incredibly valuable.
A huge thank you also goes to my friend Jackie, another business owner I met last year. We meet regularly to brainstorm, problem-solve, and challenge each other to grow in our businesses. We talk through everything from big-picture ideas to the little things that can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to figure everything out yourself. We lean on each other, celebrate the wins, and hold each other accountable to keep moving forward.
And I can’t leave out the women who have followed along with me along the way. The feedback and encouragement I receive from subscribers, especially those who reply to my 5 A Day Friday emails and tell me what they’ve tackled, has been incredibly motivating. Those responses remind me that the small, practical things I’m creating really can make a difference in someone’s day. In many ways, they have helped shape the direction of the business just by telling me what resonates and where they are struggling.
I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to build a business completely on your own. Having people who believe in what you’re doing, bring different perspectives to the table, and remind you to keep going when you’re questioning yourself has made a huge difference for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nicolerate.com
