It was during childhood that Lorie Kling Marrero, and those around her, first realized her passion for organizing. In the fourth grade, Marrero saved up her allowance to buy a label-maker. She was only 10 years old when she read her first organizing book. Even her friends at school asked her to help them clean out their desks.

Now as a professional organizer, she and her team help clients organize their time, information and belongings. Yet, even with her talent, Marrero had no idea what she wanted to do with her life when she graduated from high school. "I knew that I wanted to go to a liberal arts college and get a broad overview of different subjects."

With that in mind, she came to Southwestern University. "I majored in sociology, and then started taking communication classes," she says. "I just used my Southwestern experience to explore things I enjoyed." As it turned out, she added a minor in communication and graduated from Southwestern in 1990.

Marrero started her business in 2000 and soon began contributing to the organizing industry as a leader in the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). Marrero has been quoted as an organizing expert in national magazines, and her company has appeared on HGTV. She is the former president of NAPO's Central Texas Organizers group, and she also has been a featured speaker and trainer at five national NAPO conferences.

Marrero’s business, LivingOrder, is based in Austin, Texas, and serves the Austin and San Antonio metro areas. “The liberal arts education prepared me more than I ever thought. It is still surprising to me in my job that I have to know about a variety of things. I never know what little piece of my education will come into play.” Marrero may need to know about philosophy to organize a client’s books, or know about chemistry to organize a laboratory. Marrero enjoys the variety that her work brings. “I work with all different kinds of people. It never ceases to amaze me, the fields of interest that are out there.”

When asked what she loves most about her career, Marrero answered, “I love seeing the stress melt off of my clients’ shoulders. Something that has bothered them deeply is now gone. They are so grateful.”

As an active mother who has moved eleven times and has overseen the building of four homes, Marrero brings tremendous insights into residential organizing, space planning and relocations. Marrero organizes more than her clients’ spaces. “I have made some changes to balance my own life, professionally and personally. I am fortunate enough to have that flexibility. I enjoy spending time with my family; that is time that you don’t get back. I still pick up my children after school most days. I have engineered my schedule around their needs. There was a time that I pushed myself really hard and hired someone to pick up my kids, and that didn’t work for me. I wanted to get back to what I believe in and value. What is interesting is that I got more done and became more successful after I made those changes. I learned, ‘Don’t fight the universe, and it gives you more.’”

Click here to read an article about Marrero found in American Way magazine.