APDO runs a mentoring scheme through which established APDO members - who are all successful business owners - offer mentoring calls to other business owners who are looking for accountability and mentoring. You don’t have to be running a professional organising business to use this service as the advice offered applies to any business you want help with.
The fees for the mentoring calls are set by each mentor, so please discuss these with the mentor of your choice.
What is a mentor and what do they do?
- A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor
- Mentors provide guidance, advice, feedback, and support to the mentee, serving variously as role model, teacher, counsellor, advisor, sponsor, advocate, and ally, depending on the specific goals and objectives negotiated with the mentee
Topics that our mentors can help you with:
- Defining your offering
- Business setup and administration
- Creating your website
- Marketing and social media
- Working with complex situations and multiple agencies
- Hoarding behaviours
- Networking and finding clients
- Communicating with clients
- Growing your business
- Confidence
- Motivation
- Goal setting
- Boundaries
- Overcoming challenges
The arrangement between mentor and mentee is private; APDO is simply providing a platform to connect mentees with mentors and will have no knowledge of, or influence on, individual mentor’s fees or methods of work.
Details of the six APDO mentors are listed below so you can contact your chosen mentor(s) to start the conversation.
Sarah Bickers
Sarah has worked as a professional organiser since 2014 and trained as a coach in 2022. She works predominantly with ADHD clients, combining her skills as a professional organiser and ADHD coach. Having ADHD herself, she understands well the challenges, unique qualities and strengths that people with ADHD are living with.
Sarah runs the popular ADHD for Organisers workshop and has trained over 100 APDO members over the past 5 years to help organisers support their ADHD clients. She has mentored other professional organisers for several years, and welcomes organisers who have ADHD/ AuDHD or who work with ADHD clients.
Sarah's style is collaborative, helping both organisers and clients develop a more ADHD-friendly approach, supporting them with challenges at home or work using a combination of practical experience and listening / coaching skills.
Mentoring sessions with her offer organisers an opportunity to talk through specific issues as a one-off session OR ongoing support. Sarah loves nothing better than encouraging and supporting organisers to recognise their unique skills and strengthen their practice with clients.
Amanda Biggs
Professionally Organised
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.professionallyorganised.co.uk/
Phone: 07971 275323
Amanda has been a self-employed business owner since 2003. She runs her own successful professional organising business and takes care of the admin for her husband’s business.
Amanda has a wealth of experience in the business side of business: from setting up as both a sole trader and a limited company, to finding and retaining clients. All the detail that goes alongside it, including accounts, VAT, self-assessment, and marketing are also part of Amanda’s skillset and experience.
Her background in customer service means she is very client focused. Her professional organising business specialises in working with neurodivergent clients. As a mentor Amanda will help you to forge a clear plan for your business and be a guide to overcome any hurdles you face. Her friendly and honest approach will be catered to your specific needs. Sessions can be a one off or ongoing depending on your needs. A free consultation is available to determine what is best for you.
Amanda is the membership director for APDO and highly values being part of a team and the opportunity to share knowledge with other members.
Katherine Blackler
Katherine had 15 years’ experience in the corporate world coordinating projects, people, and processes before setting up SortMySpace Ltd in 2016. During this time, she accrued practical business and administrative knowledge.
As the immediate Past President of APDO, Katherine was instrumental in developing a number of APDO's backend operations as it grew substantially from 160 to 400+ members during her tenure.
Katherine became the first person in the UK to gain the CPO® (Certified Professional Organizer) credentials in 2019 and is also a member of NAPO National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (headquartered in the US). She regularly attends overseas organising conferences to benefit from multicultural influences within, and for, the professional organising industry.
Since late 2024, Katherine has been studying with Coach Approach Training, an ICF-accredited programme with a particular focus for professional organisers and for supporting neurodiverse clients.
Katherine thrives on seeing others step out of their comfort zone and soar to new heights.
Caroline Rogers
Caroline launched Room to Think in 2013 and offers professional organising, coaching and mentoring services. Many of her PO, coaching, and mentoring clients are neurodivergent and/or experiencing significant life depleting challenges.
An experienced member of APDO’s training team, she developed and delivers APDO’s Effective Listening course. As an enthusiastic volunteer, she facilitates APDO’s monthly new members’ welcome zooms and helps organise the East London APDO meetups.
Caroline’s research area of positive psychology informs her whole practice. She authored and published academic research on the association between clutter and wellbeing in 2020 and keeps updated with current research on clutter and hoarding.
Your wellbeing – and your clients’ – will be foremost in a mentoring relationship. Many professional organisers that Caroline has already mentored are now established, flourishing members of APDO who work to their strengths, feel confident, enjoy their clients and make a living.
Caroline is naturally easy going, friendly, and informal. She doesn’t believe there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to be a professional organiser – only a professional, ethical, reflective and individual one. She will help you discover your own ‘right way’ in your own practice