Meet Our Staff
Meet Katherine Lawrence, Certified Professional Organizer®
Katherine, owner and founder of Space Matters began her organizing business in 2002 and is a proud member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). In 2006 is became the founding president of NAPO-Richmond and currently serves as immediate past president. Her experience as a non-profit administrator and a corporate analyst has helped Katherine develop her problem-solving, time management, and paper organizing abilities. She has honed her organizing skills in the real world — and now shares these talents with her staff and future organizers.
Katherine received her Certified Professional Organizer® (CPO) Certification in April 2007. This was the first year that any professional organizer nationwide could achieve this certification. It is achieved by completing a total of 1,500 hours of paid work experience in the last three years.
Katherine operates according to a simple philosophy — time is the greatest benefit organizing offers you. “After the clutter is swept away, when you no longer search for things, or wonder, ‘what will I do with this?’ — what you are left with is time. Take this time to spend with family, friends or take a personal time out to read, think and explore. The only gift this world offers is time.”
Katherine’s greatest organizing strength is creating the vision for a large-scale organizing company. She enjoys mentoring other professional organizers toward success while paving the way for Space Matters accomplishments nationwide. Since joining the National Association of Professional Organizers in 2002, the number of professional organizers has increased over 100%. Katherine feels there is still much room for progress and growth in this industry.
In January 2007, Katherine was awarded The Golden Circle. This award is only given to those who have been in the business of professional organizing for a minimum of 5 years and a NAPO national member for one year. This is a great honor.
In her own words — “My passion is helping others attain peacefulness and tranquility in their lives and homes. I LOVE helping others learn the skills necessary to become organized and uncluttered. I always strived for order and personal balance in my life. In 1999 I made it a personal mission to scale back and simplify. I researched local charities and donated truckloads. I took a time management course and pursued this diligently. I read organizing books and attended lectures. Once I cleared out, I began to help friends and family members do the same. It made such an impact I decided to turn this mission into a career!”
Meet Mindy Godding, Certified Professional Organizer®
For over eleven years, Mindy has worked to create order and clarity in the world around her. Mindy joined Space Matters as an organizing consultant in 2004. Her success in professional organizing has been built on her ability to help clients and organizers have fun and avoid overwhelm as they work to realize potential and vision in a space. Mindy’s specialties include: project management in large scale jobs, organizer training and public speaking.
Mindy is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. In April 2007, Mindy received her Certification as a Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization (CPO-CD®). She has obtained this certification by participating in a highly structured educational and developmental program. Graduates at this level have completed approximately 120 hours of specialized study, training and direct coaching. Mindy is the only Professional Organizer in Central Virginia to hold this highly acclaimed credential.
When asked about her technique with clients, Mindy describes the importance of patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm. “Every client has different needs. I work closely with my clients to develop custom systems while maintaining a pace that is comfortable for them. I always try to have fun during the organizing process, celebrating even small achievements along the way.” Mindy and her work have been featured in Richmond Magazine, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Style Weekly, Richmond Home Magazine, and CBS-6’s Virginia This Morning.
As Senior Consultant and Residential Services Manager, Mindy continues to strive for excellence in the industry. Recognized as an industry leader, Mindy has been a presenter at the NAPO Annual Conferences in Minneapolis and Reno, and a national teleclass facilitator for the NSGCD. Along with public speaking and group training, she heads Space Matters’ efforts to lend support to new professional organizers. Mindy offers one-on-one mentoring and coaching to organizing professionals across the globe. Mindy is currently Vice-President of the NAPO-Richmond Chapter and serves as the Speaker’s Bureau Coordinator for the NSGCD.
Mindy earned a degree in Communication from James Madison University. After living in North Carolina, Washington D.C. and San Diego, California, she is pleased to make Richmond her home. In her leisure time, Mindy enjoys cooking and reading. She serves her community as a volunteer with Massey Alliance and Caring Canines (with assistance from her labrador retriever, Jake).
Meet Cathy LeHew
“Cathy kept me organized most of my professional life.”
The Honorable Paul D. Fraim, Mayor of Norfolk, Virginia
Cathy LeHew relates to her clients because she admits that she was not always organized. “I shared a room with my sister through college and she drew a line down the middle. According to her, my side always looked like a “pigsty”. I did not become truly organized until I was a paralegal for Norfolk’s Mayor Paul Fraim. At that time, I was working on his political campaigns, volunteering and serving on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Hospital, and raising my daughter, Lauren, as a single parent. To avoid stress, I learned the importance of organization and time management. When I moved to Richmond, I was thrilled to begin a career helping others relieve stress from their busy lives.”
Cathy’s mission is to help her clients create and maintain an organized environment in their home or office so they have more time for family, friends and giving back to their community. Her compassion and energy makes the organizing session enjoyable instead of a chore for her client and her team. She helps her clients get control over their piles of clutter and creates a place and system for everything. “Stress does not come from clutter – it comes from not knowing what to do with clutter. The gratification I receive from working with my clients is the look of sheer relief at the end of our session. You can actually see a difference in their stress level. The fact that your client wants to give you a hug at the end of the day is immensely rewarding.”
Cathy’s specialties include commercial and residential organizing, moving and relocation, paper management, productivity consulting and group training. Cathy is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), the Membership Director of the NAPO-Richmond Chapter, and a Certified Paper Tiger Authorized Consultant (PTAC™) from the Paper Tiger Productivity Institute. She serves her clients in Richmond and Norfolk. Cathy and her work have been featured in Style Weekly and Boomer Life Magazines.
After living in Texas, Rhode Island, Ohio, Oregon, Hawaii, Guam and Maryland, she proudly calls Virginia home. She currently resides in the best kept secret of Richmond, Westover Hills. She spends her leisure time cooking, entertaining friends and neighbors, and walking her beloved beagle, Missy.
Meet Veronica Briggs
Veronica Briggs joined the Space Matters team in 2006 as their Executive Assistant. Veronica manages all the day-to day operations at the Space Matters office including scheduling, answering client’s questions, and marketing. She is in the office from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday to assist you with your scheduling needs. Veronica earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia.