When Kristy Edwards started Neatly Balanced in 2020, she wasn’t just launching a home organization business—she was planting the seeds of something deeper: contentment, generosity, and quiet joy.
This week on A Good Pour, we sat down with Kristy to talk about the heart behind her work. It turns out, the bins and labels are just the beginning. What she really loves is helping people clear out what they don’t need so others can have what they do.
It Started with a Mission Trip
Kristy’s story took a sharp turn in 2011, during a mission trip to Honduras. A grieving daughter, she had joined the trip in memory of her father. What she didn’t expect was to be handed a baby by a mother who hoped Kristy would take her child to America for a better life. That moment cracked something open.
She returned to the States deeply changed. “Americans are so spoiled,” she remembers saying. “We live in a land where more is more. But those people, without anything, had so much joy.”
She began organizing homes for the families she was nannying for, clearing out items that were no longer needed and quietly learning how to connect those things to nonprofits across Nashville. In time, Neatly Balanced was born.
The Joy of Letting Go
Today, Kristy and her team organize everything from garages and attics to closets and pantries. But the part she loves most? Helping people part with things for a purpose.
They currently partner with 14 local nonprofits—and when clients hear that their extra winter coat or old DVDs are going to someone who actually needs them, it becomes easier to let go.
“These are things that were discarded by someone else,” Kristy said, “but they’re changing someone else’s life.”
One of their current partners is a local elementary school where more than 70% of students live at or below the poverty line. Donations like backpacks, coats, shoes, and pantry items go directly into the school’s resource trailer.
No Judgment, Just Help
Most clients feel overwhelmed when they first reach out. Many are embarrassed about the state of their home, apologizing for the clutter before Kristy and her team even arrive.
But her message is always the same: “You don’t hire someone to mow your yard because the grass is already short. You hire them because it needs to be cut.”
She gives people permission to stop apologizing and start fresh.
Good Work, Done Quietly
For Kristy, good work means doing your best with what you have, even if your best looks different from one day to the next. She spoke about singing the national anthem this past April, after a long season of health struggles that had taken her voice.
“It wasn’t my best performance,” she said, “but it was my best that day. And that mattered.”
That’s what Neatly Balanced is built on: little acts of service that add up to something meaningful. A closet was cleared. A family helped. A life made just a bit lighter.
You can learn more about Kristy and her team at neatly-balanced.com or on Instagram @neatlybalanced.