Community Highlights: Meet Gail Sullivan of Calm|Space LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gail Sullivan.

Hi Gail, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Like many late-diagnosed ADHD women, I travelled a winding road before finding a career path that felt like a good fit. I went to law school, wrote for a major newspaper, taught spin classes, started an Etsy store and even drove a bike taxi. I became a stay at home parent in 2015 because I wanted the space and time to figure out myself, not to mention how to raise two neurodiverse kids. In learning how to parent, I re-parented myself and connected with the compassionate, creative spirit that led me to unite my interests in design, sustainability, neurodiversity and mindfulness into a business.
Meanwhile, friends noticed how organized I was and asked me to help them out. I loved leveraging the knowledge I had gained from years of unseen, unpaid labor as a stay-at-home-parent to help other families. Once my kids were in pre-school, I started assisting other professional organizers. In 2022, I founded Calm|Space LA, a home organizing business that prioritizes equity, sustainability and human dignity. Since then, I’ve been certified through the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) to organize clients with ADHD, Autism and other brain-based conditions. My goal as an organizer is to meet people where they are and help them create a home environment that supports their unique needs.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m lucky to have supportive partner who has been willing to take on more childcare and chores as my business has grown. Because we are both self-employed, we have the flexibility to step up when the other person is busy. It wouldn’t work without good communication and respect for each other. I’m grateful to have that.

There have definitely been bumps along the way but I choose to see them as learning opportunities. For example, I learned that saying “yes” to every client request leads to burnout. Now I block off weekends for family time and set aside one day a week for business admin and personal errands.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Calm|Space LA?
Calm | Space LA has a stress and judgment-free approach to creating functional, beautiful, organized spaces. I offer a sliding scale as an invitation to build community and address systemic inequality. Clients who can, pay more so that I can offer discounted services to people who would otherwise be priced out. My sliding scale recognizes the value of all who contribute to our community and provides an alternative model to businesses that exist purely to make a profit.

Sustainability is a core value of my business. I don’t just dump client’s unwanted items at Goodwill. They are donated where they are most needed or recycled with minimal impact to the planet. I have an elaborate donation and recycling sorting system in my garage and make regular trips to secondhand art supply stores, clothing upcyclers, animal shelters, organizations that support the unhoused community and more.

I’ve helped all kinds of people get organized, but families with young children and neurodiverse organizing are two of my main areas of expertise. For families, I can design play spaces that support independent play/cleanup, create systems that make meal prep easier, set up a toy rotation, help you manage mountains of art and otherwise improve the flow and function of daily family life.

Recently, I’ve been helping clients who are priced out of the housing market figure out how to adapt their homes to fit growing families.

My approach to all of my clients is informed by my understanding of neurodiversity. We’re all different, even if our difference doesn’t come with a diagnosis. I like to customize organized systems that suit the functional and aesthetic needs of each client’s space, circumstances and uniquely wired brain. I help clients stay on track with appointment reminders and detailed emails after each organizing session to recap our progress and outline next steps.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Let go of “should.” Recognize and own your quirks. Let go of perfection. Live authentically according to your core values. This sounds like more than one lesson but it all boils down to tuning into yourself and not letting social pressures define who you should be or how you live.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://calmspacela.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmspacela/
• Other: https://share.google/T5KwSTeM3B5A8aEr5

Image Credits
Debra Morrison took the photos I’m in. I took the rest.