Dr. Regina F. Lark
Owner at A Clear Path, LLC
Women Empowerment
Education: California State University, Northridge - Ph.D., University of Southern California
Long Beach, CA, USA
Biography
Long before “neurohacking” became a buzzword, Dr. Regina Lark was uncovering how the brain’s executive functions shape household management, organization, and the unequal distribution of labor at home. In 2008, she founded A Clear Path, offering professional support—both practical and psychological—to individuals seeking to eliminate clutter and chaos from their lives. Based in Los Angeles, Dr. Lark is an award-winning Certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Accredited Senior Move Manager, featured in Forbes, USA Today, The New York Times, and other major publications.
Dr. Lark holds a Ph.D. in Women’s History from the University of Southern California, a foundation that deeply informs her latest book, Emotional Labor: Why a Woman’s Work Is Never Done and What to Do About It. In it, she provides a framework for recognizing and addressing the hidden, unpaid work that weighs on women, empowering them to reclaim time and reach their full professional potential.
A sought-after keynote speaker, corporate trainer, and TEDx presenter, Dr. Lark speaks on women’s leadership, emotional labor, productivity, time management, hoarding, and ADHD. She is also the author of Psychic Debris, Crowded Closets: The Relationship Between the Stuff in Your Head and What’s Under Your Bed (3rd ed., 2017).
With humor, expertise, and a passion for helping people create order in both their homes and their lives, Dr. Lark inspires audiences to rethink their relationship with clutter—both physical and emotional.
Passion
Dr. Regina Lark lives for the moment when a woman’s eyes widen with realization—the instant she understands that she has the power to rewrite the narrative of her own life. That light bulb moment is what fuels Lark’s passion for teaching, coaching, and advocating for women to reclaim their time, their space, and their sense of self.
She is deeply committed to helping people recognize the hidden toll of emotional and domestic labor, exposing the gendered inequities that keep women overwhelmed inside the home so they can reclaim their power outside of it. Whether she’s working one-on-one with a client, speaking to an audience, or writing about these issues, Lark finds immense fulfillment in shining a light on the invisible burdens women carry—and, more importantly, helping them put those burdens down.
Some of her most rewarding work is with professional women in male-dominated industries, where the pressure to “do it all” often feels inescapable. She helps them break free from these impossible expectations, showing them how to delegate, redefine success, and demand equity—not just at work, but in every aspect of their lives.
For Lark, this isn’t just a career. It’s a calling. No other work could compare to the profound joy she finds in watching women step into their power, break free from outdated expectations, and create lives that truly belong to them.
Best Story
One of my professional organizing clients, Sylvia, was struggling deeply with executive function. She hired me because she felt completely overwhelmed by the demands of managing her household.
When we sat down together, she confessed that she felt like a failure—as a wife, a mother, and a woman—because she couldn’t keep up with everything. She had internalized the belief that she should have been born knowing how to cook, clean, and maintain order, and her disorganization felt like a personal flaw.
I sat beside her on the floor and said, “Sylvia, being a woman doesn’t make anyone a natural at this. It’s okay that you don’t already know how to do it.”
She exhaled. The relief in her eyes was undeniable. For so long, she had blamed herself for struggling with the tedious, mind-numbing, and repetitive work that society had conditioned her to believe was hers to manage.
That moment crystallized why I do this work. My background as a professional organizer, women’s historian, and expert in the neuroscience of clutter allowed me to recognize exactly what Sylvia was up against: a toxic blend of shame, patriarchal expectations, and executive dysfunction. And because of that, I could look her in the eye and say—with full confidence and evidence behind me—“It’s not your fault. No one should expect you to do all of this perfectly.”
Origin Story
For years, Dr. Regina Lark worked in higher education, directing and managing feminist and women’s studies centers. But when budget cuts at UCLA eliminated her position during the 2008 economic recession, she found herself at a crossroads.
At 50, with no openings in academia, she needed a new path. She had always had a knack for decluttering and organizing and knew she could help people struggling with their spaces—she just had to figure out how to turn that talent into a business.
Lark started networking. A roommate introduced her to professional organizer Katherine Macey, who referred her to the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. That connection opened the door to an entirely new career. Later that year, she founded A Clear Path.
Since then, Lark and her team of “ninja organizers” have helped countless clients navigate the emotional and physical weight of clutter—whether managing possessions left behind by a loved one, downsizing for a move, or simply realizing that decluttering doesn’t have to be a solo burden just because they’re a woman.
Building A Clear Path has been one of Lark’s greatest achievements. What started as a necessity has become a thriving business that transforms lives. She once thought she’d organize until something better came along—but by merging her three passions (teaching, writing, and helping people), she’s found the best of all worlds.
Example talks
Clear Space, Clear Mind The Science of Breaking Free From Clutter
Every day, millions of people face an invisible battle with clutter that goes far deeper than messy closets or overflowing drawers. The weight of physical clutter creates mental fog, drains productivity, and blocks paths to personal and professional growth. Yet traditional organizing advice falls short because it overlooks how our brains actually process and manage our environments.
Regina Lark reveals groundbreaking insights from neuroscience about how your brain’s executive function influences your relationship with space, time, and possessions. Drawing from her expertise in brain science and behavioral psychology, she delivers practical strategies that work with your brain’s natural patterns rather than against them.
Key Takeaways:
1) Understand how brain function influences organization and create systems that truly last.
2) Apply science-backed techniques to overcome accumulation, indecision, and overwhelm.
3) Identify and dismantle the mental barriers that keep you stuck.
4) Cultivate an environment that boosts focus, productivity, and overall well-being.
5) Establish lasting routines that bring clarity to both your physical space and your mind.
A Clear Path Forward & The Psychology of Letting Go
We all know someone who struggles to let go – of objects, of habits, of the past. Behind every cluttered space lies a story, an emotion, or a belief holding us back. The challenge isn’t just about organizing physical stuff – it’s about understanding why we hold on and what it takes to truly let go.
Regina Lark shares powerful insights from decades of helping people navigate their relationship with possessions. Through compelling stories and psychological insights, she reveals how the journey of letting go becomes a catalyst for personal transformation.
Key Takeaways:
1) Understand the emotional attachments that keep us holding onto things we don’t need
2) Recognize how our relationship with stuff reflects deeper life patterns
3) Learn techniques for making confident decisions about what to keep and what to let go
4) Discover how clearing physical space can ignite personal transformation
5) Master compassionate strategies for helping others navigate their letting-go journey
Unseen and Unspoken: The Hidden Costs of Emotional Labor
The demographics of modern households have dramatically shifted—only 10% of American homes now fit the traditional model. Yet the invisible work of running a household continues to fall disproportionately on one person’s shoulders. This unseen burden of planning, organizing, and managing daily life drains energy, impacts careers, and strains relationships.
Regina Lark blends historical insight with neuroscience to reveal why we default to outdated patterns and how to break free. Drawing from decades of research and real-world experience, she provides actionable strategies to create more balanced, sustainable household partnerships.
Key Takeaways:
1) Understand how brain science explains why household management defaults to familiar patterns
2) Master the art of radical delegation to create true partnership at home
3) Learn practical strategies to make invisible work visible and valued
4) Develop techniques to navigate difficult conversations about shared responsibilities
5) Create sustainable systems that benefit both home and career success
Hoarding: An Excavation Beneath the Piles
In May 2013, Compulsive Hoarding was first defined as a mental disorder in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the handbook for mental health professionals. It is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by:
Excessive acquisition and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects;
- That cover the living areas of the home;
- And cause significant distress or impairment
“Help for Hoarding: It Takes a Village” is a workshop designed for professionals and family members affected by people who hoard.
Learning Outcomes and Goals
- Identify when disorganization becomes chronic disorganization, & chronic disorganization becomes hoarding;
- Understand the history and nature of the hoarding disorder;
- Become familiar with the “Do No Harm” model for helping people who hoard;
- Identify the 5 levels of hoarding on the ICD “Clutter-Hoarding Scale;”
- How to create support systems for people who hoard.
In 2008, Lark founded A Clear Path: Professional Organizing and Productivity, a nationally accredited senior move management company. As a Certified Professional Organizer CPO®, Regina is a specialist on issues associated with life transitions, ADHD and procrastination, and senior downsizing.
UPLIFT AND ELEVATE: REIMAGINING THE SISTERHOOD
In the 1960s, Betty Friedan called it “the problem with no name.” Today, we call it “emotional labor.” Women’s bodies and brains are being crushed under its weight, and we think we’re the only ones experiencing the heaviness of it all. Regina makes the case for reimagining our sisterhood and why developing these relationships can be so damn powerful.
“I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE SO MUCH WORK!”
“I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE SO MUCH WORK!”: THE EMOTIONAL LABOR LIFECYCLE What if you had a template that would highlight ALL the labor that goes into developing our relationship to emotional labor? Regina introduces the concept of the “emotional labor lifecycle” to help young couples and established families identify, navigate and delegate work.
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Best Story
One of my professional organizing clients, Sylvia, was struggling deeply with executive function. She hired me because she felt completely overwhelmed by the demands of managing her household.
When we sat down together, she confessed that she felt like a failure—as a wife, a mother, and a woman—because she couldn’t keep up with everything. She had internalized the belief that she should have been born knowing how to cook, clean, and maintain order, and her disorganization felt like a personal flaw.
I sat beside her on the floor and said, “Sylvia, being a woman doesn’t make anyone a natural at this. It’s okay that you don’t already know how to do it.”
She exhaled. The relief in her eyes was undeniable. For so long, she had blamed herself for struggling with the tedious, mind-numbing, and repetitive work that society had conditioned her to believe was hers to manage.
That moment crystallized why I do this work. My background as a professional organizer, women’s historian, and expert in the neuroscience of clutter allowed me to recognize exactly what Sylvia was up against: a toxic blend of shame, patriarchal expectations, and executive dysfunction. And because of that, I could look her in the eye and say—with full confidence and evidence behind me—“It’s not your fault. No one should expect you to do all of this perfectly.”
Origin Story
For years, Dr. Regina Lark worked in higher education, directing and managing feminist and women’s studies centers. But when budget cuts at UCLA eliminated her position during the 2008 economic recession, she found herself at a crossroads.
At 50, with no openings in academia, she needed a new path. She had always had a knack for decluttering and organizing and knew she could help people struggling with their spaces—she just had to figure out how to turn that talent into a business.
Lark started networking. A roommate introduced her to professional organizer Katherine Macey, who referred her to the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. That connection opened the door to an entirely new career. Later that year, she founded A Clear Path.
Since then, Lark and her team of “ninja organizers” have helped countless clients navigate the emotional and physical weight of clutter—whether managing possessions left behind by a loved one, downsizing for a move, or simply realizing that decluttering doesn’t have to be a solo burden just because they’re a woman.
Building A Clear Path has been one of Lark’s greatest achievements. What started as a necessity has become a thriving business that transforms lives. She once thought she’d organize until something better came along—but by merging her three passions (teaching, writing, and helping people), she’s found the best of all worlds.
Example talks
Clear Space, Clear Mind The Science of Breaking Free From Clutter
Every day, millions of people face an invisible battle with clutter that goes far deeper than messy closets or overflowing drawers. The weight of physical clutter creates mental fog, drains productivity, and blocks paths to personal and professional growth. Yet traditional organizing advice falls short because it overlooks how our brains actually process and manage our environments.
Regina Lark reveals groundbreaking insights from neuroscience about how your brain’s executive function influences your relationship with space, time, and possessions. Drawing from her expertise in brain science and behavioral psychology, she delivers practical strategies that work with your brain’s natural patterns rather than against them.
Key Takeaways:
1) Understand how brain function influences organization and create systems that truly last.
2) Apply science-backed techniques to overcome accumulation, indecision, and overwhelm.
3) Identify and dismantle the mental barriers that keep you stuck.
4) Cultivate an environment that boosts focus, productivity, and overall well-being.
5) Establish lasting routines that bring clarity to both your physical space and your mind.
A Clear Path Forward & The Psychology of Letting Go
We all know someone who struggles to let go – of objects, of habits, of the past. Behind every cluttered space lies a story, an emotion, or a belief holding us back. The challenge isn’t just about organizing physical stuff – it’s about understanding why we hold on and what it takes to truly let go.
Regina Lark shares powerful insights from decades of helping people navigate their relationship with possessions. Through compelling stories and psychological insights, she reveals how the journey of letting go becomes a catalyst for personal transformation.
Key Takeaways:
1) Understand the emotional attachments that keep us holding onto things we don’t need
2) Recognize how our relationship with stuff reflects deeper life patterns
3) Learn techniques for making confident decisions about what to keep and what to let go
4) Discover how clearing physical space can ignite personal transformation
5) Master compassionate strategies for helping others navigate their letting-go journey
Unseen and Unspoken: The Hidden Costs of Emotional Labor
The demographics of modern households have dramatically shifted—only 10% of American homes now fit the traditional model. Yet the invisible work of running a household continues to fall disproportionately on one person’s shoulders. This unseen burden of planning, organizing, and managing daily life drains energy, impacts careers, and strains relationships.
Regina Lark blends historical insight with neuroscience to reveal why we default to outdated patterns and how to break free. Drawing from decades of research and real-world experience, she provides actionable strategies to create more balanced, sustainable household partnerships.
Key Takeaways:
1) Understand how brain science explains why household management defaults to familiar patterns
2) Master the art of radical delegation to create true partnership at home
3) Learn practical strategies to make invisible work visible and valued
4) Develop techniques to navigate difficult conversations about shared responsibilities
5) Create sustainable systems that benefit both home and career success
Hoarding: An Excavation Beneath the Piles
In May 2013, Compulsive Hoarding was first defined as a mental disorder in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the handbook for mental health professionals. It is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by:
Excessive acquisition and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects;
- That cover the living areas of the home;
- And cause significant distress or impairment
“Help for Hoarding: It Takes a Village” is a workshop designed for professionals and family members affected by people who hoard.
Learning Outcomes and Goals
- Identify when disorganization becomes chronic disorganization, & chronic disorganization becomes hoarding;
- Understand the history and nature of the hoarding disorder;
- Become familiar with the “Do No Harm” model for helping people who hoard;
- Identify the 5 levels of hoarding on the ICD “Clutter-Hoarding Scale;”
- How to create support systems for people who hoard.
In 2008, Lark founded A Clear Path: Professional Organizing and Productivity, a nationally accredited senior move management company. As a Certified Professional Organizer CPO®, Regina is a specialist on issues associated with life transitions, ADHD and procrastination, and senior downsizing.
UPLIFT AND ELEVATE: REIMAGINING THE SISTERHOOD
In the 1960s, Betty Friedan called it “the problem with no name.” Today, we call it “emotional labor.” Women’s bodies and brains are being crushed under its weight, and we think we’re the only ones experiencing the heaviness of it all. Regina makes the case for reimagining our sisterhood and why developing these relationships can be so damn powerful.
“I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE SO MUCH WORK!”
“I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE SO MUCH WORK!”: THE EMOTIONAL LABOR LIFECYCLE What if you had a template that would highlight ALL the labor that goes into developing our relationship to emotional labor? Regina introduces the concept of the “emotional labor lifecycle” to help young couples and established families identify, navigate and delegate work.