Interstate Senior Services: A Conversation with Catherine Sheeran

I recently sat down with Catherine Sheeran, Director of Senior Services at Interstate Moving | Relocation | Logistics, to discuss her work supporting older adults and senior living communities across the region.

What stands out most about Catherine’s approach is how she turns a complicated process into one that feels organized and personal. Every move she manages blends professional precision with the kind of reassurance families rarely expect from a moving company.

Bringing Order to a Complex Transition

Catherine has guided hundreds of seniors through one of life’s biggest transitions. “Moving is always hard,” she said, “but it’s especially hard when you’ve built a life somewhere.” Her job is to make that process less intimidating by breaking it into clear, manageable stages.

Interstate’s Senior Services program was built around that same idea: a move should feel coordinated, not chaotic. The team provides a full suite of custom moving and concierge services, including decluttering and downsizing support, professional packing and unpacking, donation and estate coordination, temporary storage, and even help with details like transferring utilities, selling vehicles, or reconnecting cable equipment.

Each plan is tailored to the client’s timeline and comfort level. Some families only need help on moving day. Others rely on Catherine’s team for full-service support that handles every detail from sorting to setup. “We design it so no one feels rushed or overwhelmed,” she explained.

That structure is what makes a senior move run smoothly, and it is the foundation that allows Catherine to do what she does best: bring calm and confidence back to a situation that can feel completely out of control.

Helping Residents Regain a Sense of Control

One story Catherine shared perfectly illustrates her approach. A client had broken her arm just before her move, and the family assumed they would have to postpone. Catherine offered another plan.

“We made sure her favorite chair came off the truck first,” she said. “That way she could sit, give directions, and still feel involved.”

By adjusting the logistics around the client’s comfort, the team kept the move on schedule, and more importantly, gave the client her confidence back. “When people can stay engaged, even in small ways, the whole tone of the move changes,” Catherine told me.

Stories like that are common in her work. Sometimes the solution is physical, such as rearranging the order of the move or adding an unpacking session. Other times it is emotional, like helping a family navigate the stress of letting go of sentimental items. Catherine often uses color-coded stickers to help visualize what is staying and what is being donated or gifted. It is a simple system that turns uncertainty into progress.

Understanding the Human Side of Moving

Catherine’s calm demeanor comes from her experience. She knows that most hesitation about moving is not about the boxes or the cost. It is about what people are leaving behind.

She helps residents and their families reframe that change. “I try to help people think about what they’re gaining,” she said. “A new community, less maintenance, more time for family. Once they see that, the fear starts to fade.”

That balance between empathy and structure defines her leadership style. Families know they can rely on her to keep the move on schedule, but they also trust her to handle the emotional side of the process, something that cannot be captured on a checklist.

What She Notices When She Visits a Community

Catherine’s insight extends beyond the residents she serves. She works closely with senior living communities and can tell a lot about a building within minutes of arriving.

“Every community has a personality,” she said. “You can tell by how staff greet residents, how active the common spaces are, and whether the atmosphere feels warm or formal.”

That awareness helps her match her approach to each community’s culture. When she visits a place that feels vibrant, where residents are chatting, staff are smiling, and there is music in the background, she knows it is the right fit for many of her clients. “Senior living should be about living,” she added.

Partnership in Action: The Jubilation Example

Her partnership with Jubilation, a 55-plus active adult community in Fredericksburg, demonstrates how collaboration between a mover and a community can make everyone’s experience better.

Jubilation had struggled with inconsistent mover recommendations before Catherine met them. After visiting the community and meeting their team, she established a communication process that kept staff updated and residents supported from consultation to move-in.

One of her first referrals from Jubilation was Mary, a recently widowed woman who was hesitant about committing to her move. Catherine spent time walking her through what to expect, from downsizing her home near Lake Anna to settling into her new apartment, and that conversation helped her move forward.

Mary moved in early December, just before the holidays. “She was so relieved,” Catherine said. “Once she got there, it really felt like the right decision.” For Jubilation, that kind of follow-through became a model for how the community could partner with trusted service providers to make life easier for new residents.

Why Her Work Matters

Catherine’s process reflects the larger philosophy behind Interstate’s Senior Services: clear communication, personalized planning, and respect for the emotional side of moving.

She does not measure success by sales metrics. She measures it by how comfortable people feel when they walk into their new home for the first time. Whether that means coordinating an estate donation, arranging storage, or simply sitting with a client to answer one last question, she approaches each move as a collaboration, not a transaction.

As she put it near the end of our conversation, “Moving isn’t just about getting things from one place to another. It’s about helping people feel ready to take the next step.”

Learn More

We will be sharing short clips from this interview over the next few weeks on LinkedIn, each highlighting how Catherine supports residents and communities through every stage of relocation.

Read our Jubilation case study here.

Catherine Sheeran

catherine.sheeran@invan.com

703-226-3274