msu alumni magazine feature fall edition 2011
DESCRIPTION
Pooja Gugnani founder of Organizing With You, Inc. in Chicago and MSU Alumni was recently featured under SPartan ProfilesTRANSCRIPT
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aard work and inspiration thathe does to his business. He alsomaintains active interests in thearts, serving on the Los AngelesCounty Museum of Art's Boardof Trustees and pursuing inter-ests in music.
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POOJA GUGNANI:UPCOMING ORGANIZERIN CHICAGOBeing an organizer in Chi-
.:ago can lead to great success,as President Obama has shown.Pooja Gugnani, MPA '03, isalso seeking success by usingller organizational skills to help;>eople avoid clutter in their livesandbusinesses, "I founded Or-ganizing With You, Inc. in 2009mer working for seven years in a:narketing and communications:ole in a non-profit in Michigan,"says Gugnani, who notes therelie now about 4,000 professionalorganizers on the country. "Itis growing fast. People want toavoid clutter and I can help them."Pooja has been featured in Crain'sChicago Business and a numberofblogs. She notes that Oprahllelped promote the field when she
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featured a professional organizeron her television show. "Manypeople make space for thingsthey buy," notes Pooja. "But Itell them, sometimes make spaceby giving something away." Anative of India, Pooja and herfamily moved to the U.S. whenshe was 17. After gtaduating fromthe University of Pittsburgh,she attended MSU. "I loved it,"she recalls. "MSU changed mecompletely. The school spirit wasphenomenal. I fell in love withthe campus and also with thewarmth of the people." She nowhelps the MSU alumni club inChicago organize their annualgala event, the Sparry Ball. Shedonates her services to the event'ssilent auction. She says her clientsinclude both people and business-es. Many of her clients, referredto her by Chicago doctors, sufferfrom ADHD, anxiety, depressionor multiple sclerosis. "This is avery rewarding aspect of my job,"says Pooja. "You are not just mak-ing people feel better, but you areactually contributing to their well-being. Being organized is actuallya parr of your overall health."