debra baida, life organizer

…for people navigating their spaces, stuff, time, projects, goals, and life transitions.

I opened my professional organizing business in 2007 after two decades working as a photo editor in New York and San Francisco.
In many ways the transition made a lot of sense. Collaborating with photographers and art directors to edit images for the purpose of publishing impactful stories, translated quite naturally into collaborating with clients who are ready to edit and reclaim their spaces while they create their life stories.  Admittedly, too, I believe the organizing gene has been as prominent in my DNA as is the gene for curly hair.

Connecting with people fuels my days, and I continue to be inspired and humbled by those who invite me into their homes and lives. This work provides me with a meaningful and creative outlet to convey skills and knowledge that empower individuals to bring about changes they crave and are ready to embrace. I’ve become the go to resource for clients, colleagues, and friends seeking best practices for letting go of or rehoming unwanted items and integrating sustainable choices. As a result, my fervent editorial research skills and determination to find answers are now at the service of minimizing personal impact while maximizing diversion from landfill.

My company has been a San Francisco Green Business since 2008 and was the first professional organizing business to receive this certification. In 2018, Liberated Spaces® became the fifth certified Green Business Innovator in California and was named best organizer in San Francisco Magazine’s annual Best of San Francisco issue.

Throughout my pursuits, I maintain a strong commitment to participating in dialogue- and community-deepening endeavors. Most recently, I’ve been a core advisor to the online journal, The Art of the Green New Deal. Prior collaborations included partnering with Ecocity Builders to craft the Ecocity 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge, a five year stint as a project captain for Rebuilding Together San Francisco (RTSF), and three wonderful years as a photography mentor with First Exposures.

My personal journey of adopting a more sustainable lifestyle began shortly after my move to San Francisco in the 90s. Some may say it was the left coast’s air and water, but truly, it happened by accident and out of necessity. Food was the gateway to learning about organic alternatives followed by the quest for safer options to alleviate chemical sensitivities. Along the way, my thinking and behaviors shifted, and with them, my values and priorities.

Liberated spaces is a motivating force in my days and in the collaborations with my clients. Musings and findings pertaining to organizing, sustainable living, and creativity intersect and mingle, eventually finding their way to my blog. These are themes that fill my waking hours, though they’ve yet to infiltrate my sleeping hours.

In other parts of my life I am a photographer who refuses to give up black-and-white film, a sustainable food advocate who loves sharing her latest local find, an avid cook who considers time in the kitchen a form of meditation, and a voracious reader of nonfiction.

Now that I’ve told you all about me, read what my clients have to say.