Chinese lunar new year is coming soon and it is centered around removing the bad and the old, and welcoming the new and the good. This can be applied to us personally but also to our home environment. So, Today I have Feng Shui expert, and wellness realtor El Larson on the show, she’s also a well accredited professional and fit well ambassador, so she’s going to share with us how we can apply feng shui principles to landscape, house layout, materials, artwork, clutter and see how it applies to concepts like rushing, nourishment and stagnant chi…… So it’s a new year, if you are ready to remove some of the bad and junky thoughts, habits and stuff in your life and in your household, you won’t want to miss today’s episode. You can learn more about El Larson at www.heare.la

You are listening to episode # 50 of Blooming! A Healthy Home by Design. And for this episode I have a great guest on the show, Sue Shepard. She’s an author and a licensed practicing marriage and family therapist and I’ve brought her on the show because part of a healthy home is having healthy communication with those inside the home! Her book is amazing and it’s been a huge eye opener for me! It has helped me tweak how I say things to my husband and kids and I can honestly say that I’ve notice a positive difference just by changing up a couple of things! With families working from home these days that can increase stress levels for everyone so having simple strategies that we can use to improve our relationships with those we love most, is definitely a good thing and is also an important component to creating a healthy home environment. Wether you work from home or not, this episode is for everyone because we all can benefit from better communication! So be sure to get comfortable and stay tuned…. Let’s grow! You can find Sue's book HERE. To learn more about Sue or to contact her go to her website: https://www.therapybysue.com/ 

Do you have trouble sleeping at night? or do you suffer from allergies or asthma? Do you want to know a simple way that may help you find relief that ALSO helps the planet? stay tuned because today we have special guests Tim & Cindy Masters. They are the owners of mygreenmattress.com When they realized that Their new baby was suffering from all kinds of sensitivities and allergies, they decided to design and develop a completely certified organic crib mattress for her. Doctors had explained to them that their child’s cup was full and so anything they could do to reduce the amount of toxins in her environment, the more it would help her little immune system to not be on overload. So if you or someone you love is suffering from asthma or allergies, you won’t want to miss this episode! Let’s grow!

Today you are going to learn about the true cost of designing or building a traditional home vs a healthy one! We’ve got healthy and green home expert Andy Pace on the show - he’s the host of the weekly podcast non toxic environments and he blew my mind away because he shared that a healthy home, green home and sustainable home aren’t necessarily the same thing! I think many people use these terms interchangeably and if health really is your top priority, then you're going to want to stay tuned. Andy Pace is a Healthy Home Concierge and Founder of The Green Design Center, a leading resource for homeowners and contractors looking to source products that are healthy and green and receive expert consulting advice on designing and building healthy green homes. Andy is the host of the weekly Non Toxic Environments Podcast. He is a worldwide expert on green and healthy building products and services customers and contractors from around the globe. As founder of the oldest healthy building supply company in the United States, Andrew has become one of the single most helpful and educational experts dealing with the day-to-day concerns of those individuals who suffer from allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities. Let's Grow!

You are listening to episode #45 of Blooming a Healthy home by design. This week we have yoga instructor and health coach, Yasmin Tatim, on the show and today we are going to be talking about clutter. And I have to say that going into this conversation I thought Yasmin was going to simply share with us where to start, or to start small by decluttering one room at a time, or even by organizing a drawer. But Yasmin goes so much deeper than that because she wants to get to the root of clutter. She says that if you don’t take care of the root cause as to why clutter happens in the first place, then you are just going to start accumulating clutter again which not only limits your ability to feel good in your space, but it also has a chaotic effect on your mind. So if you are looking for ways to feel better in your own home environment or work environment, you are going to want to listen in to this insightful conversation with Yasmin. Let’s grow!

This month we had the pleasure of learning more about an agrihood in Warren County, Ohio called Aberlin Springs. Leslie Aberlin, the founder of Pendragon Homes, combined her passion for community development and healthy living to create a place where families can further connect with their food, the planet, and each other. Through discovering the power of real, organically-grown food in healing her own chronic illnesses, she developed her family’s regenerative farm to help others achieve a healthier lifestyle. Her vision behind Aberlin Springs was to create a farm-to-table agrihood community that could connect people with farmers so they could experience the healing power of clean real food for themselves. Little did she know that people would want to live there for many reasons, and providing a safe place for children to play, explore and experience healthy living was one of them

What is placemaking?  According to forward-thinking developer, Brian Grover of Nolen Communities, it's about connecting people and place.  And it's not entirely a new concept, however it has been lost within the residential developments over the last several decades. Nolen Communities is developing a wellness community in No San Diego County called Fox Point Farms that will enrich the experience of the people living there and even the local community at large by integrating access to the land around them. "Fox Point Farms will serve as an innovative example of community-building for others to follow, particularly in an era where traditional high-density housing tends to lack open space, amenities, and overall livability." Learn all about this amazing new residential neighborhood, it will inspire you to think about how your home supports your wellbeing. Neighborhoods like this are popping up all over the country as forward thinking developers see how they can provide more benefits and an enriched experience to the place where we spend so much of our time...... our home. Let's grow!

Interested in learning what a Farm-To-Table neighborhood is?  Forward thinking developers are designing wellness communities all over the country, many that are centered around organic farms, earning them the name of AGRIHOOD.  Brett Coleman with his family set out to visit many of these new neighborhoods and traveled over 7,000 miles in over 7 months visiting over 20 different agrihood communities.  You'll love hearing his story and learning more about this popular way of life that gives residents a chance to connect with the land and live in neighborhood that was designed for healthy living.  Let's grow! 

Today, I’m excited to bring to you a conversation I had recently with Philip Walsh head of marketing at Havelock Wool. Havelock Wool manufactures and sells premium insulation made entirely from sheep's wool. It is healthy, high-performance insulation. Their raw material is sourced in New Zealand and processed in Reno, NV. They believe #naturedoesitbetter and they are on a mission to give consumers a more intelligent option when buying insulation. Why do their customers love their product? well because it’s a new option for homeowners that is safer, warmer, has natural moisture wicking properties as well as the ability to dry out, is non toxic and sustainable! They even have been using this product to insulate RVs. So even though insulation isn’t something we talk about much, it’s so interesting to learn about what is new or trending in the marketplace that is going to be a safer and better option for you when you do decide to remodel or build. So stay tuned! Let’s grow!

Solar Energy Consultant , Van Parseghian here today, he helps people find ways to save energy that not everyone knows about.  Today we are going talk about how we can get started doing that. Van Parseghian is the founder and Senior Energy Consultant at Delta Solar Electric, Inc. in San Diego, CA.  He has been helping Southern CA customers reduce their SDG&E costs through energy efficiency and solar for the past 13 years. Prior to that, he spent 24-years at Hewlett Packard as an engineer and in various technical roles. www.deltasolarelectric.com van@deltasolarelectric.com

In today’s episode we’ll discuss the HOME GYM, how you can set one up, the equipment and space you’ll need and other elements that you might not have thought about that will keep you motivated and ready to work out! With fitness studios closing across the country due to COVID, home gyms are on the rise. How can you create a home gym even if you don’t have an extra bedroom to dedicate to it? On today’s episode you’ll learn how!  Well I’ve got fitness and healthy living expert Ror Alexander on the show today, he’s also an integrated health and fitness coach, and founder of thrive fitness academy. He has a BA in psychology, and has lived and travelled in Asia and India for more than the past 7 years.  So, I”m super excited for you to hear our interview about home gyms. So let’s grow!