Practical, thoughtful support for the changes in life that show up at home.
Life Shelf guides retirees and their families through the emotional and practical work of right-sizing their homes and lives, before transitions become crises. We are based in Ann Arbor, locally serving Washtenaw County, and available to travel throughout Michigan and the US.
Fiona Nowlin
I was raised on the shores of Lake Superior, and my path to this work has not been a straight line.
I studied psychology at the University of Michigan, then stayed on as a research associate in the School of Education. I helped design studies, gathered and analyzed data, and trained student researchers. That work taught me to listen closely and to take people's answers seriously.
From there I joined an education technology start-up in San Francisco, where I built a customer help center, support systems, and learning experiences for K-12, higher education, and corporate learners. Instructional design and customer success taught me to explain complicated things in plain words and to stay with someone until the solution works for them.
I moved into product management and then change management, working on a workplace ergonomics platform used by more than 30,000 people. I earned my Prosci change management certification, and its central idea still guides me: people change when they understand the reason, want the result, and have steady support.
Alongside my career, I have spent thousands of hours as a caregiver. I cared for a close friend through her final months, and I have supported other families through moves, chronic illness, and the arrival or loss of a family member. In the middle of the paperwork, the belongings, and the grief, I saw how few people are available to help with the practical and the emotional work together.
I have also worked as a nanny and a private chef, which means I know what it is to step into someone's home, learn how it runs, and earn their trust.
That mix is why Life Shelf exists. The logistics and the feelings are never separate, and a room full of things is never just a room. I am also the outside person. I do not carry your family's history or grief, so I can see the situation clearly, lay out the options, and help everyone move toward a plan that works.
I am based in Ann Arbor and available to travel throughout Michigan and the US. Your first conversation carries no charge and no obligation.
- Thousands of hours of caregiving experience
- More than a decade managing enterprise products in corporate life
- Change management certification
- Trained in project management, product management, and grief and trauma-informed practice
- Yoga teacher training certificate
- Fully insured: general and professional liability
This is your story. We just help you organize it.
Our purpose is to help people create organized, safe, and meaningful homes as their lives change, with independence, dignity, and peace of mind, so they can focus on living, not managing.
What we hold to
The values that shape every engagement, from the first conversation to the last box.
- Practical help, with space for the hard parts
- Sorting a room or preparing for a move is rarely just a task. We keep the work moving while respecting the memories, family dynamics, and feelings that can make it difficult.
- Focused on what comes next
- The goal is not simply to organize what you have today. It is to create a home that supports the life you are living now, and the one you want next.
- What you keep matters
- Belongings carry stories, relationships, and family history. We help you decide what stays, what moves forward, and what can be released. Letting go of an object does not mean letting go of its story.
- Help without taking over
- You stay in charge of every decision. Our job is to make those decisions easier to understand, make, and act on, so you finish feeling more capable, not less.
Upon retiring several years ago, my elderly Mother and I sold our homes and moved to Ann Arbor to share a condominium near family. Everything we didn’t know what to do with went “downstairs.” After a friend’s glowing recommendation I reached out to Fiona to help sort, donate and organize our overflowing basement. She agreed to do so and within a few months she had a fan for life. Her solution based problem solving skills, her strong work ethic, her cheerful approach and her kind patience in helping to sort out the treasure from items that needed to go made the whole experience a pleasure. So much so that we moved onto a new project, a book entitled “Treasures” for my nieces and nephews. We photographed personal and family treasures (letters, books, jewelry, artwork, china, furniture and more) and in writing their stories we were able to write a larger story about family. It was a wonderful experience! Thank you Fiona!
We would like to meet you.
Your first conversation carries no charge and no obligation. No pressure, no rush.