Hi, I'm Yael, founder of The Sortout.

Since I was young, I have been saving and sorting through memorabilia. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, meticulously identifying dates for photographs, smoothing out old passed notes and cards, labeling kids’ artwork- this is a happy place for me. The book I remember the most from childhood is The Berenstain Bears and The Messy Room. Its ending in organized and labled boxes were what my dreams were made of!

Unsurprisingly, as an adult I discovered that letting go of things my family no longer needed or wanted, and amplifying and displaying the things we did, gave me very meaningful serotonin boosts. Not because I'm a minimalist. Not because stuff doesn't matter. But because the right stuff, in the right space, changes how you feel in your own home.

A few years ago, some family experienced temporary health crises. Overnight, my brothers and I found ourselves parachuting into their lives, trying to take control of affairs. These were prepared, loving, and well-intentioned people. And still — it was astonishing how many things were difficult to find, access, and laborious to untangle. This is a too common experience for many. The objects with stories only the owner knows. The digital footprint inaccessible.

That experience cracked something open in me. I started The Sortout to help families create something better.