Biography
Leslie Josel was an organizer long before there was such a profession. She was four years old when her mother became ill, requiring her to take control early on. “I was raised in a disorganized household and was left to fend for myself most of the time. The structure and order of systems and lists gave me a piece of mind in an otherwise uncertain world.”
By the time she attended Cornell University, Leslie had sensed her calling. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies, then became a human resource professional for various companies. The personnel complaints she heard were less about the individual and more about the inefficiency of their systems. “Working with employees to create customized systems that would work for them was my “ah-ha” moment. Finding what works is like finishing that 1000 piece puzzle. It takes a good deal of patience and a lot of flexibility to keep moving those pieces around until you get it right.”
“My need to stay on top of it – to learn everything I can to organize the chronically disorganized – is very personal.”
Her own puzzle fell into place soon after her son was diagnosed in Kindergarten with ADD and a host of other learning differences. “I was doing so much research to help him manage and organize his world, that other parents started coming to me for help.” Piecing together her human resource skills with efforts to organize her son, she launched Order Out of Chaos in 2004. Originally focusing her practice on the chronically disorganized (those individuals with ADD, Hoarders, etc.); she expanded her business to include relocation services in 2007 after clearing out the homes of three family members after their deaths. She recently retained an experienced realtor to manage this part of the business.
Leslie is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and its New York Chapter (NAPO-NY). She received her Chronically Disorganized Specialist certificate from the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD). Leslie volunteers with The Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (CACLD), is the parent liaison for her son’s SEPTA (Special Education Parent-Teacher Association), and teaches organization and job readiness skills to middle and high schoolers in her district. Leslie speaks throughout Westchester and is currently the Westchester Special Needs Kids columnist for the national on line newspaper, Examiner.com.
She lives in Larchmont with her husband Wayne and their two children, who help her hone her organizing skills every day. In her free time you can find Leslie indulging in her guilty pleasures – frozen yogurt and magazines.
