Ep 063 - Is Your Home Supporting You - or Stressing You Out?

Welcome to Be a Smarter Homeowner Podcast, where you'll discover strategies to save money, save time, and be better organized in managing your largest financial asset and biggest expense, your home. Your hosts, John Bodrozic and Beth Dodson, who are co-founders of HomeZada, have been supporting homeowners for over 20 years. They are here to share with you their tips and suggestions, as well as interviews with industry experts, with the goal of helping you become a smarter homeowner. Now, here's your hosts, John and Beth.

Have you ever walked into a home and immediately felt comfortable, even though you couldn't explain why? I have. Maybe even perhaps you've had the opposite experience. A room looks beautiful, but something about it just doesn't feel right. I've had that feeling too. What if the way your home is arranged— the flow, the light, the colors, the clutter, and even the position of your furniture— could affect how you feel and function every day? Today we're exploring feng shui, not simply as a decorating style, but as a way of understanding how our homes may be influencing our energy, our well-being, and the way we live. Today I'm joined by Lisa Morton, a designer and certified Feng Shui master teacher who has spent more than 20 years helping people create spaces that not only look beautiful but feel supportive and alive. Lisa is the creator of the Intuitive Home Method, host of the Feng Shui Living podcast, and author of Aligned at Home, a book I've recently read that is lovely. Her work brings together interior design, Feng Shui, and a deep understanding of how our surroundings can affect the way we feel and live. Lisa, thank you so much for being here. I'm excited about this topic.

I'm so excited to be here and chat with you, Beth. Thank you for having me.

Absolutely. Now, I'm excited. I've read the book. I've been through some coursework. I've read a lot of books on Feng Shui, but I realize that not everyone in our audience is aware of what Feng Shui actually is. Can you describe what it is from your perspective and how it can actually change the way we feel in our homes?

Well, first off, it's not Chinese food. I was actually asked that once at a talk I did.

It is not.

It is a— it's an ancient art, over 4,000 years old. And a science of arrangement, of arranging things in our space, in our environment, looking deeply at our home environment to then set it up to support ourselves. We can explore and see if our home is supporting us in stress relief or if it's bringing on more stress relief. We can look at our home and see if we are, you know, being supported to get better sleep or not.

Mm-hmm.

We can look at our office space. To see if it's bringing a sense of clarity and focus or it's just making us feel scattered. And so it's really empowering and it's a really fun, amazing practice that I say changed my life when I started getting into it.

Oh, that's fantastic. So what— why would a home feel like great when you walk into it and maybe not so great Why does it matter with feng shui if you've got this beautifully decorated home and it's probably not resonating with people, even the homeowners?

You know, I was that person. I had designer HGTV photo shoot ready home, right, back in the day before I knew what this was. And I— it was fantastic, but I know now it wasn't supporting me. I was going through a very stressful, difficult time in my life Dealing with anxiety and overwhelm, and I had the wrong colors, the wrong patterns, the wrong imagery. And, you know, I didn't know then what I know now. So it can be beautiful, it can function wonderfully, but if we don't have those right, right things around us supporting our body, then it's just pretty to look at, right?

Mm-hmm.

When we, you know, I think of everything as It's a tool. Every item you bring into your home, whether that's your groceries or that's a new throw pillow for your sofa, right? Everything is influencing the energy of our homes, and it goes in a good way or a not so good way.

Correct. And it's— and if I recall correctly, even feng shui identifies this, even though it works through a mapping system. So we'll get to that in a minute, but The energy can vary depending on who's living in it, and each energy ties to each individual. And is that the way I'm understanding it?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's okay. So there's 2 ways to look at this. Okay, one is there are so many quick, fun, easy tips and fixes out there, right, that you can go home and do, and it's definitely going to improve the energy of your space. That's why I wrote my book, that's why I have my podcast. quick little things you can do, right? It's giving love to your home and it's bringing in things, right, that you— that make you feel good. There's also another side. If you want to go very deep and explore your home and really make some concrete shifts in your life, it's really important to dive deep. So you may live in a single-story home with 2 dogs and you go to an office every day and you do a lot of cooking and you are a plant lover and plants everywhere inside and outside of your house. Your neighbor may live in a 2-story home, right, and have a family and 5 kids and work from home and have completely different goals and plans and things going on in their life. So it's important to understand that while—

Mm-hmm.

There are so many great tips and fun things we can do, if you do really want to go deep, it's important to look at your specific plot of land, your specific home, the layout, what you— how you live in it, right? And even what you like and what your goals are.

Yeah, there's an exercise in your book where you walk people through the doors you come in to your home, and I really love this exercise. And for those of you who haven't read the book, we'll make sure it's in the show notes, but It walks you through simple questions on where your eyes move to, the way you feel about how you're entering your home. And it— I think it also helps you not only align with what works for you and identifying during that phase, you may start identifying more of your goals that you want for your particular home and your life. But also it helps identify how your guests come into your home.

Yeah.

And I love that exercise because it's really simple, really thoughtful. I think it's like 5 or 6 questions, very thoughtful, walks you through it, and it helps take the— what's the word I'm looking for— the complexity of Feng Shui and bring it down into, okay, we're just gonna deal with how does your home make you feel, what are you looking at right now. And then, then there's more to the book. You gotta keep reading the book, just FYI. Doesn't stop at the exercise.

Yeah.

Um, but one of the things that I'm— what I've understood about feng shui is your front door does make a big difference. And It's where people are entering and what have you.

Yes.

Tell us some—

You've got it down.

Really good tips on what we need to be considering as it relates to Feng Shui and our front door.

In Feng Shui, we consider the front door the mouth of chi. This is where energy comes in, new opportunities, new fresh energy coming into our home, and we want that. We want those new opportunities. We want those new friendships, those new job offers, those wonderful things coming towards us, so we wanna keep that fresh, beautiful, right? So I always tell my clients, and I'll share the exercise, is to go outside and go on a walk. Go on a walk, go around the corner, go around the block, come back, and then enter your home through the front door as if you've never been there before. This is your first time in this home, right? Because we all get the blinders on. We walk through our home, we don't even see what's there.

Right.

So I want you to purposely go in, and what is the first thing your eyes go to? I want it to be something really beautiful, right? Really beautiful as you enter. But make sure it's— the rug is fresh, have a pretty wreath on the front door, make sure the hinges aren't squeaky, and then use your front door. So I know myself, a lot of people, we use the garage.

Correct.

It's just so easy to use the garage, but come up with a reason to use the front door. That might be getting your packages from the front door. I tell clients, hang the dog leash in the coat closet so you go on your morning walk with the dog through the front door, or you put your sneakers in the coat closet so you go on your evening walk using the front door. So set up a routine and it will make it a little easier. We want to get that door moving to bring more opportunities and energy in.

Oh, that's a good one. And so for everyone who's listening, Gotta open that door to let the opportunities in. If you're not opening the door, the opportunities are staying outside. So we have to invite them in.

Yes, yes. And I know a lot of this sometimes can sound a little woo or out there, right? But I want everybody to remember it's, it's all very grounded. Like, we know that color affects our nervous system. If we're in a bright red room, our energy is lifted. If we're in a spa, With calming colors, we're really peaceful, you know. Lighting, lighting affects our mood. I know I get cranky in about February. I live in a cold climate, so when there isn't enough light, I get irritable. Furniture arrangement affects how we interact with one another. If you have a sofa all the way across one room and a chair on the other, they're not having an intimate conversation.

Correct.

So when we can remember all this is very grounded and it makes so much sense, It just feels, you know, I, I, um, it can feel a little woo and magical because it, it feels—

Kind of is to me. Right? I think, I think we all own it.

Well, I think, um, we think to get results it has to be really hard and difficult.

Yeah.

And there are so many amazing things we can do that are simple.

Yes. And to your point, even Changing certain furniture or moving it around in the room can play a big role. I remember, and I loved them, I loved them like there was no tomorrow. I had these beautiful, really rich paprika red sofas. They were gigantic, they were beautiful, but I kept picking fights with my husband. So I was like, they gotta go. I'm sorry, they gotta go.

A little too spicy.

They had to go. Exactly. And I was like—

A little too fiery.

I loved them immensely, and I was like, nope, they've gotta go. And so now we have a more neutral color set of sofas, and they work better for us.

Mm-hmm.

Whereas for other people, these big, beautiful, fiery red sofas may be perfect. And I totally understand. It's sometimes the colors, sometimes the furniture layout. I totally understand. So One of the recommendations, if people needed to do something, may not be throwing out everything they own. It may simply be relooking the room layout of the furniture. Mm-hmm.

Definitely. I also say shop your home. I don't want people thinking it has to be a remodel, right? Or a big investment. Sometimes my clients, I'll be like, hey, do you have a blue throw pillow somewhere? And they're like, yes. I have some in the closet, right? Or a candlestick that's whatever. And, and we can easily shop our home for a lot of these things. It doesn't require a big investment, or it's simply rearranging, moving some things from one specific side of the room to the other just to shift how the energy flows throughout the space.

No, that's fantastic. And that also addresses If you're shopping your home, you may also be addressing clutter.

Oh yes.

I mean, you know, because I just learned this recently, like, yes, like, I have— I got a little too many things in my closet. I own it. I own it. I need to— I need to remove this stuff. But if you— if you're shopping your home, It's repurposing, it's reusing, it's bringing a fresh vibe to something that may be sitting somewhere else. And we've talked about this before with— on our blog and various other locations. Oftentimes we have items in our pantries that are for special occasions.

Mm-hmm.

And like platters and bowls and what have you. And then we're a big firm believer in, in why don't you see if some of those can be dual purpose? You can use them in a family room or what have you, and then use them when you need to during that holiday event because it may be changing out.

Mm-hmm.

But this is a great way of also removing the clutter. And I am gonna ask the questions, clutter. does have an impact on our mind.

It does.

And, you know, in feng shui it does too. So yeah, I want you to talk about clutter a little bit more for people out there.

Clutter can be really hard, right? It brings a lot of emotions— depression, anxiety, stress, right? It, it can be a gripping Right, holding on, a fear of, I'm afraid I won't be supported in the future, so I'm gonna hang on to this thing, right? And there's a lot of emotion. I think you have to be very gentle, very kind with yourself. Clutter clearing is important though. We want to remove those things that aren't supporting us. It's taking up space in our home. And I always say, make sure that everything in your home is worthy Of being there, of being in your presence, of being in the presence of your children, your pets, your loved ones, right?

Yeah.

Make sure it's worthy. If it isn't worthy, it's gone. And I'm not a big fan of the landfill. One person's trash is another person's treasure, right? They'll refinish it, repurpose it, donate it. Somebody needs it. But be mindful of the amount of clutter you keep. And also, I find a lot of people who have a lot of clutter, clutter, that's when they get stuck. They have those feelings of being stuck in life. And so to prevent any overwhelm, I always suggest instead of trying to declutter your whole home this weekend— we don't want to do that, let's just reel it in— I want you to choose one thing. I love it. Just one thing that is blocking you, that is standing in your way. And that could be Everything you need to then start releasing and, and release that overwhelm. Sometimes it's that box, that box that's sitting in the corner that has some memories in it, that has, you know, a lot of emotion in it. And we have to remember that even though we may forget about it and not realize we're walking by it every day, it's still affecting our subconscious. And it's still— I always say it's pinging us. So, you know, when your phone constantly dings because you're getting emails or pings, that's what it's doing to your nervous system.

Yeah, no, I think this is beautiful. And I love the phrase that you're using, clutter clearing, versus— I think there's a lot of people that have become numb to decluttering. And so it's, so it's another way of saying, okay, how do we Put that item in a new place, whether it's a home, whether it's somewhere else, whatever the case may be. And I am a firm believer in, um, connecting with your communities because somebody generally would love to have that item that you just are not wanting anymore. It's no longer your treasure, it becomes somebody else's treasure. Right.

You actually talk about that. Do you need 9 coats? Do you need 9 coats, or would you be okay with 8 and donate a coat to someone who doesn't have one? Like, when you can put— wrap your head around that, it's like, gosh, I don't need 9 coats.

Correct. Oh my gosh, that is, um, this just super wonderful. Now, when it comes to feng shui, we also deal with Um, and I think this is so lovely. And I, I did hire a designer to do one of my rooms one time because I was stuck.

Ooh.

I was stuck, and I don't know why I was stuck. I have to re-go back to that, but I couldn't wrap my arms around what to do. And she brought in all these beautiful patterns that I would have never chosen. So I said, get me out of my comfort zone. She did. Some of these things were items, draperies, and what have you that people love. And I go, I gotta tell ya, I almost didn't get it because it's so not who I am, but I'm glad I did. And she brought in, unbeknownst to me until after the fact, the 5 elements.

Hmm.

Into the room. Will you be able to please explain the 5 elements as it relates to Feng Shui and help people understand that that can also move around the energy in a room?

Yes, so the 5-element system is how Feng Shui describes the world: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. And energy flows in one— in a fiery energy, right? And in water, it's very fluid, or if it's very grounding, right? And so we want to bring these 5 elements into our space. And I remember when I was first studying this, and I'm thinking, okay, I have to bring in equal parts of each of these 5 elements into my space. And then I learned, no, no. I mean, it's great, right? We want all 5 elements.

Mm-hmm.

But we need to think about the purpose of the space. Is it a more Quiet, calm, what's happening in the space? Is it a more active space? So, a library, a spa, a reading room, a bedroom needs to be a little more quieter, a little less fire, a little less wood, a lot of watery, a lot of earth, right? But then, a workout space or something that's high energy, if you like to have a kitchen with loud music and all kinds of scents and you're cooking and chopping onions all day long, right, you're gonna want more high energy, right?

Right.

Bring in some fire element, bring in some wood, you know, and, and we want to create the space to support whatever you're doing in that environment. So I always give this analogy of if you went to a casino and it was beige and there was no music, it'd be really boring, right?

Yes.

Right? If you went to a spa and there was rock music going and red on the walls, you would not relax. So we need to set up The environment, to support our bodies, and we can easily do that through the 5 elements. And it's a really fun way to— this is how you can shop your home. I might say, hey, do you have something metallic that you can bring in? A bookend, a picture frame, a candlestick holder, right? Or do you have something with a fluid pattern or a watery design? And so we can have a lot of fun, and it goes much beyond color. Because I have some that are like, I don't like green. That's okay. What about a plant or artwork of trees, of nature?

Yeah, no, this is fabulous. I love this whole concept of feng shui. Is there, um, is there some key tips that you would recommend For key rooms, I know you did some of that, but key rooms in a home, like in a bedroom, it's, it's, we need to sleep. Are there, are there things that you would recommend that most people can use in a bedroom versus, let's say, an office?

The bedroom is so important. I'm always told of sleep struggles, And we know that if we aren't sleeping well, we're not doing well out in the world. Work, with our families, we're not present. We're not, you know, paying attention when we're driving or when we're at the grocery store, we pick up the wrong product, right? We're just not our best. So I focus on your bedroom first. Do what you can. So we really need to make sure that we can get good quality sleep. So of course, look at the colors around you. Are they promoting sleep? Are they putting you in that restful, peaceful state? And then also look at your bed position. We want to put ourselves in what's called the command position, sometimes called the power position.

Okay.

And this is so you have a solid wall behind, and then you can see the door off to a side. So the ancients wanted a tall mountain behind for protection and a valley in front so they could see their enemy coming.

Okay.

Lovely. So we want to mimic this in our, in our environments and in our bodies because this puts our body at ease. So have that solid headboard, solid wall behind you, and then make sure you can see a door off to a side, preferably not directly across from the feet. We do want to avoid that. And then also clean out under your bed. That is a big one. You know, we talked about things being, you know, constantly pinging us subconsciously. So think about what's under your bed. When was the last time you pulled things out and what's under there? I had a client who called me struggling with sleep and I was like, okay, can I peek under your bed? She's like, sure. I have a couple things under there. I have some books that I want to read. And then I have some boxes with some old photographs that I want to put in an album. So we pulled them out. I'm like, interesting. You're sleeping or trying to sleep on top of a to-do list.

Yes.

So think about that. Some people have, oh, those jeans I'm going to fit into someday. They're sleeping on top of that energy. 8 hours, 6, 8 hours. I recommend nothing under your bed. In the really cold, Times of the year I'll keep an extra blanket, but that's not the place for storage. I know it feels easy to just shove things there.

Oh my gosh, this is wild.

But pull it out. You have, you have stuff under your bed, I can tell it.

I do, and it's like, but it's not like, um, but I'm looking at a guest bedroom, I've got stuff underneath that bed, and I'm like, hmm, but I don't have as many guests come over. I was like, well, when they do come over, I might have to move that.

And I have one bed there for, for, you know, it's a couple nights.

Totally. But this is hilarious. But it also makes you think about, uh, we're the first people at HomeZada to always say you need to take a home inventory. Oh, and by the way, you have things in cabinets, drawers, closets, and underneath beds. And people seem to forget about that. They're like, we do? Yeah. And to your point, they probably aren't, uh, connecting the dots On— there's a to-do list, there's these other types of thought patterns going on because of the items underneath their bed. And this is amazing, like absolutely amazing. Now let's take a home office because I know there's a lot of people now that are working from home as well. That's right, yeah. And sometimes it's one person, sometimes it's multiple people, they have Shared space and hopefully a not shared space. And then sometimes kids have to go in there to do work, their homework, at a, at a space where they can get things done. What are some tips we can do in a home office?

Oh gosh, I think back to the days during COVID people would call me and they, they need help and they're struggling with focus and they're sitting at the coffee table trying to work while cartoons are playing and dinner's being made and Mm-hmm. It's important to have a dedicated space, even if that isn't a room, a home office, but even a nook, right? Once you start using this nook, my favorite tip— I've worked from home for 15 years, and so I've got it down. But this is my— and this isn't even a feng shui thing, it's more of a setting up a routine for your body. So when I go into my office every day, I open the door, I might adjust the thermostat. I open the blinds, turn on the lamp, adjust a couple things on my desk, pull out my chair and sit down. So I make a point at the end of the day, I push my chair in, adjust anything, close the blinds, turn off the lights, you know, adjust the temperature and do it in the reverse. It can be so hard to separate work Oh yes. Life. And you, you need to— I'm a big believer in devoting that time to your family. Work will always be there.

Totally.

Yes, once in a while we have to pop back up and answer an email, but I know how easy it is to be like, oh, I'm gonna go answer an email, 2 hours later. So when you can do— start doing this routine, whatever your routine might be, it might just be 3 things: go and turn on some music and open the blinds, right? But whenever you can start doing this routine and then doing it in the reverse, it starts Setting this routine with your body. So now I know I'm walking up the stairs and I instantly start turning into work mode. My brain starts thinking that way. And then when I'm done at the end of the day, it's like, ah, now I get to have fun and relax and I don't have to process and think like I was. So set up a routine. That's a, that's a big one.

Oh, that's good.

Also, the command position in your office can be Huge. We need to feel supported while we're working, so put yourself in that command position. Solid wall behind. If you absolutely can't do that, we have some adjustments we can do with mirrors and things, but we want, if possible, to have yourself in that supported space so you could see the door, solid wall behind. Um, and also something else I've been working— I've noticed has come up a lot Is struggling with focus.

Yes.

I had a client not too long ago, and her boys would, would buy her these little trinkets and things for her office, and, and it was really fun and it was cute, but we had to relocate them off to a side wall. They were on a bookshelf directly in front of her, beyond her computer. So she'd look at her computer and then she's distracted by all these little things. Right?

Yeah.

So think about what's in your field of view, even kind of your peripheral vision. Is it supporting you or is it distracting you? Like, we can have those fun things, but in a specific area where we're not really focusing on calculating numbers.

Yeah, no, that's a beautiful tip because people don't always realize that their point of view could be distracting them from the thing that they are trying to get done.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, it's amazing. I love these tips. I mean, but I think this Feng Shui is so amazing. So I'm super excited about Feng Shui, as you can tell. I think it's just really cool. But for anyone out there that's a skeptic, I mean, how would you help them understand how Feng Shui can benefit their life and their home?

Well, as I explained at the beginning, right, some of these principles are so— so make so much sense, right?

Mm-hmm.

I also say give it 6 weeks. I have all my clients give me 6 weeks, and they can put anything back, they can undo whatever I suggest, they can forget everything I said in 6 weeks. But I know in that 6 weeks they'll understand, and they'll be like— I'll get a phone call, I'm sleeping so much better. Oh my gosh, I love being in my home now. We're actually sitting down to watch movies together, you won't believe it! And I love getting those messages because I know they're feeling better, I know they're happy, and that, that's, that's the best.

That is absolutely the best.

So 6 weeks.

I like seeing that. I like seeing that. 6 weeks, allow it to set in, and then determine if it's not— if it's for you or if it's not. But give it 6 weeks.

And I would say journal. I'm a big fan of journaling. Taking whatever's floating around in your head, putting it on paper. So maybe write down at the beginning of the 6 weeks, you know, I might have my client write down what kind of emotions they're feeling. They're frustrated, they're angry, they can't move forward in this area of their life. And then come back to those in 6 weeks and reevaluate what are you feeling now.

Oh, that's fantastic. So I liked— we've been giving Our viewers and audience a lot of tips, but what I want to close this out with: What do you think someone can do either this coming weekend, this coming week? Just one or two things that could enhance their space.

Okay, this is my absolute favorite.

Okay.

So I use a tool called a bagua. Map. And this is a deep dive into the layout of your home. Helps me understand how energy is flowing. There's also 9 different energy centers of this map and helps me understand how different things are affecting different aspects of your life. Here's the really cool thing. When you lie— when you lay out this floor plan, this map over your floor plan, the centermost area is is a very powerful one, right? So if you can find the centermost area, if you were a bird in the sky looking down, what is the centermost area of your home? And then love on it. So following this map, this special map that I use, that center area connects to all the other energy centers. So by default, you're literally lifting the energy of every space in your home by simply loving on it. loving on the center area. So bring in a fresh bouquet of flowers, a new houseplant, tidy it up, sweep the floors, really just zhuzh it up and make it feel really, really nice.

Yeah.

Replace any spent light bulbs, um, some of those basic things, and then just make it really beautiful and make it just kind of sparkle and feel really joyful. Add a scented candle or something.

Oh, that's lovely. Oh my goodness. And to your point, yeah, because I've seen this Bagua map and it's, it's, uh, like 9 quadrants. Yes. And so that center part, you're correct. Oh my gosh, yes, it will totally spread and you'll start taking a look at other things.

So here's a funny one. You might laugh at this.

Yes.

I also feng shui my car. Oh, and I don't share this very often, but here's the funny thing.

Let's do it.

Think about the centermost area of your car is that center console where all the junk normally goes. Yes. So for anyone listening or watching, I suggest clear it out, clear it out, add a healthy granola bar, a nice pen, a bottle of water, make it nice, refresh that area, and that will radiate out as well.

Oh my goodness, that is a great tip. Oh my gosh, even our car is gonna have feng shui, right?

Yes.

Oh my goodness, Lisa, this has been So amazing. I love this topic. I really appreciate your time in sharing this information with our entire audience. How can they find you?

I'm on social media @PureLivingWithLisaMorton. You can also go to my website purelivingwithlisamorton.com, and there I have links to my podcast, to get your hands on my book. It's also available Amazon or wherever BarnesandNoble.com, wherever you get books.

Oh my gosh, yes, and I highly recommend the book. So I read it, highly recommend it. It's a great way to understand how to grab concepts of Feng Shui in a really bite-sized, logical flow. Yeah, water flow.

Yes.

To understand how it can work for you in your home. And by all means, when you get to it in her book, take the exercise to help you better understand what you're looking for out of your house and your life. Because it really is, as simple as it is, it's really that powerful.

So you can have huge shifts in your life with just small adjustments. I've had people, oh my gosh, Lisa, we're finally pregnant! Oh my gosh, he proposed! I got the job offer! I love those calls, and again, it sounds woo and weird, but it's really just alignment.

Totally, it's lovely, oh my goodness. Thank you so much for being here, and for everyone in this audience, if you feel like this podcast is something that will resonate with somebody else, please share it with them. They can get a firsthand knowledge of Feng Shui from Lisa, they'll learn more about our efforts to make sure that all things home come to you on a regular basis, but thank you so much for being here, Until we see you again, this is Beth signing off from Be a Smarter Homeowner Podcast. Have a wonderful day.

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