Jackie Newhall, working mother of two and the winner of our Balance Makeover contest, was treated to expert advice from a top organizer, nutritionist, life coach and psychologist—plus several stylists! Here, the inside story of her transformation.For Jackie Newhall, life has been on fast-forward for the past five years. Her husband, Eric, was deployed to Iraq shortly after she became pregnant with their first child; he returned to their home in Bethlehem, PA, when the baby was 6 months old. In the four years since, the 25-year-old has had another child, earned a master's degree and found a job she loves. Her day begins at 5:30 a.m. and doesn't end until she finishes the last of her household chores at 10:30 p.m. A branch operations manager with Allied Mortgage Group, Jackie sometimes fields work calls at night and on weekends; she's head chauffeur and planner for 4-year-old Karen and 1-year-old Jack Thomas; and she loses sleep worrying about how to get it all done. "I'm pulled in so many directions that I can never sit still and enjoy myself," she says. Working Mother to the rescue! For one month, Jackie consulted with balance experts, including an organizer, nutritionist, life coach and psychologist—then was whisked to New York City for a style update. Read on to discover with Jackie that balance is a lifelong pursuit, not an overnight transformation—and that small changes can make a big difference.Creating Order from ChaosSince Jackie complained of disarray in her home, we sent a professional organizer to spend the day with her family, observing them in action and offering advice. Ann Bingley Gallops, whose company, The Organized Life, is based in New York City, started with a simple suggestion: Get up 15 minutes earlier every day. "Fifteen minutes can make a huge difference if you really devote yourself to saying, 'How can I make this place look more civilized?'" she says. Jackie opted to get up 30 minutes earlier twice a week—before her Monday and Wednesday morning boot-camp class at the gym. She used the extra time to fold laundry and unload the dishwasher. "It seems like so little," Jackie says. But coming home to clean, folded laundry means she can put it away right after work, so it doesn't pile up. And after dinner, the dirty dishes can go straight into the empty dishwasher. Jackie also needed help cutting the clutter. When touring the house, Ann found six pairs of shoes in the dining room and stacks of toys and papers. Solution: a shelf by the stairs to serve as a way station and keep items tidy while they're waiting for a ride upstairs or downstairs. Ann also suggested putting a bench and a shoe bin by the door in the garage, so the whole family can remove their shoes and store them before entering the house. Jackie's biggest headache, though, was the kitchen, which serves as Command Central and had become a dumping ground for papers, art projects and sippy cups. To reclaim the kitchen, Ann started with smarter storage. She recommended storing "like with like"—so, for instance, spices were separated from baking supplies to prevent Jackie from grabbing baking powder when she needs basil. To make cabinet contents easier to see and reach, Ann recommended stepped shelves and small lazy Susans. Jackie threw away or donated baby food, extra spices, even a spice rack she and Eric had received as a wedding gift but never used. By removing one of three stools at the kitchen island, Ann and Jackie unearthed the door to a seldom-used cabinet, which they transformed into a kids-only container for toys and art supplies. "We told my daughter, 'We made a space for you,' and she was so excited," Jackie says. Finally, they organized the refrigerator door, banishing magnets and moving reminders to a bulletin board they found in the family office. First mission accomplished. "I feel much less stressed and more organized because I'm not frazzled by the disaster area," Jackie says. "The kitchen is a calm room now."Eating RightWith more time in the mornings and a more functional kitchen, Jackie was ready to focus on healthy eating. Nutritionist Jacqueline Baumrind of Wayne, NJ, asked her to keep a food diary for three days, writing down every bite she took and describing what her kids ate. The verdict: Jackie's family was eating much more healthfully than she was. Her diary revealed that she often grabbed quick food on the run—a bagel, a frozen entree, a granola bar, candy—and she ate almost no vegetables and got very little calcium. The kids, on the other hand, were eating whole-wheat waffles and sliced apples for breakfast, and sandwiches, fruit and baby carrots for lunch. Their typical dinner was chicken, potatoes and green beans, but Jackie often felt too busy to eat and would grab cereal later. Jacqueline suggested that Jackie eat more fruits and vegetables during her working hours. One idea: Keep baby carrots and low-fat dip at the office for snacking. And Jacqueline advised that when Jackie does turn to frozen meals for lunch, she should choose those with less fat and sodium and more vegetables. Jackie also started keeping healthy lunch supplies in the fridge at work so she could make sandwiches on the job. "I'm planning more instead of waiting until the last minute and scrambling," she says. "Last week I bought a pound of turkey, a loaf of bread and some mayo with wasabi and took it to the office." Her new and improved lunch plan not only gave her more energy, she says, "but it saved me a boatload of money." Jacqueline gave a few pointers for kids' meals, too: To reduce sodium and preservatives, choose fresh sliced deli meats rather than processed lunch meats. Instead of iceberg lettuce in salads, use greens and veggies that are dark and colorful—signs they're rich in vitamins and minerals. And if the children balk at veggies, sneak some pureed sweet potatoes or carrots into favorites like macaroni and cheese. Meanwhile, Jackie's trying to plan meals ahead so she, Eric and the kids can have more dinners together. Less Stress    As things began to run a little more smoothly at home, Jackie turned her attention to the office. Since joining Allied Mortgage 20 months ago, she's been trusted with additional responsibility but hasn't shaken off more mundane tasks, like answering the office phones. Leaving at 5:00 p.m. every day is tough—she often leaves at 5:30 or 6:00, and sometimes later—and she feels overwhelmed by guilt when she's even a few minutes late picking up her kids at the babysitter's. "I start thinking that they spend more time with the sitter than with me and that I shouldn't be leaving them with a sitter at all," she says. Before long, she's telling herself, I'm a terrible mom. Enter Mai Vu, a life coach and owner of More Please! Life Coaching in Pleasanton, CA. She helped Jackie brainstorm ways to make her work and home life more manageable—and put an end to unproductive guilt.