101: The feng shui flow, ft. Kimberley Gallagher

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Can You Crystalz? The Podcast. I hope that you're all well. As you know by now, my name is Mart Tweedyedydydydyy. I am your host, and this week I am joined by one of our listeners, but she is also a resident feng shui expert on ITV's This Morning. We've got our little pocket rocket Kimberly Gallagher on the show, all the way from Australia. Kimberly, how are you?

I am rather fabulous. I'm very excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

You're very, very welcome. I'm really excited to get into this conversation. And I remember seeing you on This Morning, and I think you were with Dermot and Alison. And then you messaged me one day, and I was like, why do I recognize her face? And then when I clicked on it, it was like resident feng shui expert on this one. And I was like, oh, there we go. So do you kind of want to introduce yourself to the listeners? Just tell us a little bit about your journey, how feng shui came into your life and how it's impacted you. Take us right back to the start.

Okay. So for me, it all changed in lockdown. I think I, like many of us in lockdown, I decided that I needed to be in control about the information that I was listening to. So I pretty much turned off the TV, turned off the news, and started listening to more podcasts. And I was just so happened to be listening to a podcast whilst I was cleaning about somebody talking about feng shui and how it can be used to attract a partner in your life. And my instant reaction was, what a load of is that? Like, how, how on earth can feng shui help you attract somebody into your life? So I had a bit of time on my hands in lockdown, you know, so I did quite a bit of research and quite a bit of Googling, and I wanted to prove it wrong. I wanted to prove that it was just this thing that was just, you know, this ancient thing that nobody really talks about now. But what I found out was that actually a lot of banks have their own Feng Shui consultants. Hotels do, um, airports do, shopping centers do. And I thought, well, why on earth do they get to do this and me at home have no idea that there's this thing out there that can really change the energy in your home? And I think I was so aware of the stress levels in the home over lockdown And I was a teacher. I was made redundant from my position because it was a land-based college. So obviously the students weren't going to the, you know, to the land, if you like. So my role was being made redundant. I had a product-based business, which, you know, over lockdown was a pretty tough gig to have. And so I thought, you know what, I need my home analysed. I need my home. To be calm. I need this flow of good energy, and I need some bloody help with my business. Like, I just feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. And I'm sure we've all been there. Like, I described it like being in a maze. You go a thousand miles an hour and then bang, something happens. No, not that avenue, the next avenue. And I thought, I'm just ready to try anything. So I had my home Feng Shui'd, and Feng Shui works with intention, just like manifestation. And I was doing all the manifestation stuff. I had the Post-it notes everywhere. I was probably manically manifesting, you know, just like, I will earn, yeah, I will earn this much money. And I have Post-it notes like all over with these numbers on that I just change all the time. And I didn't really know what, you know, where I was going. So I had the intention that I wanted peace and calm in the home, but I also wanted a business that flowed. Yeah, that was just a joy to have. That I worked with beautiful people. I could help people. I wanted to do good, you know, from being a teacher. I think it was in me. I just, I like that feeling of being able to help people. And so I put all the remedies into the home. Some of them are, look completely normal. Some of them a little bit entering into crazy land, but you know, I feng shui'd my whole home without my husband knowing. So he had no idea.

Wow. Honestly, when I'm adding stuff around my home, Johnny's like, what the fuck is that? And he will literally be like, why have you got a cat by the front door, like, waving its arm? And I'm like, it's waving in abundance. You've got to get into the swing of things.

Do you not like it?

He never noticed.

He did not notice. So because my skill, what I do is I work with people in their homes so that nobody knows. It's like this secret little thing that we've got going on, and A month after putting everything in, I had an email from the lady who analyzed my home to say, I'm running the very last certification course, would you, you know, would you like to be part of it? And you know when you get that gut feeling? And I was like, oh God, this is it. Like, this is it. I had no intention of doing this. And then of course I found out how much it was, and it was $10,000, and it was a year course. And I thought, this is ridiculous, I don't have the money to do this. And we were about to go on holiday, and I thought, right, this is a conversation over a piña colada. It's not something to do like as we're packing to go. And so I had the conversation with my husband. So bearing in mind he had no idea that I feng shui'd the house, and now I'm saying I want to do this course and it's going to cost $10,000. And he sort of looked at me and he said, well, I suppose I'm gonna have to do like the supportive husband thing and go, okay, that's fine. But also 'You know, how are you gonna pay me back?' Like, I had to ask him, you know, I don't have those savings as a teacher.

Yeah.

And, and I said, 'I promise I'll pay you back.' And he just sort of laughed and he was like, 'You don't earn that money at the minute.' I was like, 'Somehow I will find a way to pay you back.' And so I started the course. I started helping people with, like, businesses with their Instagram accounts because that's what I'd learned to do with my business, the, the product-based business that sort of paid for my tuition, if you like. He did find out that I Feng Shui'd the house because he went into my daughter's bedroom and I heard this, Kim, I was like, what? And he went, why is there a 28-kilogram weight in Emmy's wardrobe?

A 28-kilo weight? Yeah.

And I think he was actually impressed that I'd managed to get it up out of the garage into her wardrobe. So We use metal in feng shui. This is the maddest one of all. We use metal.

I was going to say, because I was going to ask you to explain the 5 elements as well, so you might as well explain this one. Yeah, because I'm like, why is there a 28-kilo weight?

Funnily enough, my husband has said exactly the same. So, um, metal acts almost like a giant crystal. It's the grounding part of the 5 elements. It's the calming. It absorbs all the negative energy. But the analysis tells us where to put it, because if we put it in an area that has good flow of energy, it's going to absorb that as well. So we need to put it into places that absorbs this sort of negativity, and then we create this beautiful flow around the home of absorbing the bad, bringing in the good, and just making it all flow. So I spent a year learning this whole practice. But one thing I realized was that I found it difficult to understand. And I, I mean, I'm sure you love your lucky cat. I didn't necessarily want a lucky cat, although I did end up getting one because somebody got me one as a Secret Santa. So I was like, well, if someone's bought it for me, I'm going to have to put it up. Um, but I just, I wanted it to be really subtle. And I realized that there are people like me out there that want to create a calm home. They want to have this peaceful life, they want flow in their life, and they don't necessarily want all of this, you know, sort of Chinese artifacts around their home. So that's where my business sort of stemmed from. The Feng Shui Flow was this really simple— taking this quite rigid practice of a 4,000-year-old tradition and putting it into our Modern Day Homes. And I launched my business on my birthday, November last year, and it has been an absolute ride since.

I was going to say, because we were just talking about this, weren't we, prior to hitting record in this episode. And I, I honestly thought you'd been doing this maybe 3, 4 years, and you were like, no, I did the course 3 years ago in 2020 during the lockdown, but I actually only launched my business in November last year.

Yeah.

And then in February you were appointed as the feng shui expert on This Morning.

Yeah.

How crazy, in just 3 months.

I mean, just so crazy. And it was because it was Chinese New Year, so they wanted somebody on that was, um, probably a female on because it was quite male-heavy. So Gok Wan was on, there was, you know, somebody dressed as a lion, a giant rabbit, like all, you know, all the good stuff that, that This Morning has. And so they wanted a female to come on and just explain some stuff in a way that probably people might be able to understand. And that's, you know, that's how it started. And it was probably the most petrifying but amazing thing that I've ever done in my life.

Um, I can't believe that was only February because I literally remember watching that and I thought that was like a year or so ago. I've just lost track of time completely. I know.

So that was February. My products went on, I think, 4 weeks after that, for maybe bit longer for International Women's Day, and then it went back on again. Um, and then we've moved over to Australia, which was absolutely part of my journey because as part of the intention, it was to have a business that was completely remote because I knew that we were coming over here. So I have a business that I work with, you know, this week I've worked with somebody from New Jersey, Belgium, Ireland, and Australia, which is just amazing, all from the comfort of my lounge.

Isn't it amazing that we can do that in this day and age as well? Like, I just love it. Like, people always say to me, like, oh, would you ever move abroad? And I used to say no, but now I'm kind of at the point where, like, you know, if I appointed someone in my office, they could easily sell all of my crystals for me, and I could just replenish them, like, talking to the mines and things like that. But it doesn't actually physically require me to be in-house. So I'm starting to think more like long-term goals, like do I want to stay in the UK permanently, or is this something that I could do virtually? Like, from— probably not from Australia because I couldn't deal with the spiders and the snakes.

But, um, I've not seen any yet, touch wood.

Oh, honestly, I have seen so many in my friends' photos and videos that have moved to Australia, and I was like, yeah, nah, not for me, sorry, I'm not even going to visit. I've just got such a phobia. But, um, but just going back to the 5 elements, because you briefly touched on it then, you mentioned about metal. So the others, there's, there's fire, wood, water, and air, is that right?

Yeah, so we— so they, they all work together. So we have fire that brings this lovely, um, energy, the lovely effervescence. We have the water that brings flow. We have metal that absorbs. We have wood that is like growth and strength. And then we have earth that's grounding. So all of the stuff that we're surrounded with, and it's all the things that are used in Chinese medicine, not by particularly was into Chinese medicine, but it's, it's the same theory. It's like acupuncture for the home. So where you'd have acupuncture and somebody, or like reflexology, where they'd wiggle your little toe and all of a sudden your shoulder feels better, you know, that's the same as like in feng shui where we make these really small changes around the house and, and it just brings that flow, that good energy. And for me, it was the missing part of the manifestation puzzle that And the way I sort of explain it is that I was doing all that I thought I could do. I mean, you're the manifestation, like, expert, but I was doing what I thought I could. Yeah, you know, I'll take that. Thanks very much. And I just thought I was doing everything I could. And the way that feng shui can sometimes come in, it's a bit like having a mobile phone, trying to make a call, but when you're in the middle of the woods and you've got no signal. That your house is covered in this energy that doesn't allow that signal to flow. And we've all been in those homes where you go in and you just think, oh, this is so draining, and you come out and you feel exhausted. Or the other side of it, you know, those houses where everybody in that house is crazy— the, the, you know, the people in it, the animals— like everyone's just going a million miles an hour. And then they hit burnout. And so my job is to just find that beautiful middle balance of the yin and the yang energy and just to create a place that doesn't have that noise in the background. Like, you know when you go on holiday and you have that beautiful time to reflect and think because you haven't got the noise around you? Yeah, you can create that feeling in your home and have that space and that clarity in your home. And that's what I try and do with people.

I love that. And you've got a free download on your website as well, haven't you, that explains like all the feng shui benefits and like simplified as well. And it's, it's like so easy to follow because I downloaded it and I'm like, this is amazing.

Oh, thank you. That's what I try and do. I try and make it really simple. And what we do in feng shui is we divide the home into 9 different areas.

Yeah.

And you may have heard people— yes, I was about to say you might have heard the bagua map.

Look at you.

Um, So this is the Bagua map. It's— I call it a magic grid because it just sort of puts it into, I guess, my language, a bit more simple.

Magic grid. Okay.

And we use the compass, and it has the central area, north, south, east, and west, and southeast, and all of that. And you basically work with your home because each of these areas represents different areas of your life. Yeah. So for example, the central area of your home represents your health. Yeah, so that's your physical health and your mental health and your self-acceptance as well. So when we talk about like the first steps of feng shui, quite often it's about decluttering because you want that energy to be able to move around your home, and the more crap that you have in the way, the harder it is for that energy to flow around your home. So But what I try and do is break it down, because if somebody said to me, right, you need to declutter your whole home, it's so overwhelming and it's such an emotional journey. So start with the central, because, you know, without your health, there's no wealth. So start with that area. And the one thing to not, not do in your central area is burn candles. Now, this normally makes people fall off their chair because it tends to be the place, like in the hallway or something like that, that people burn their candles, because effectively you're burning that health energy in your home.

Okay, I didn't know that, and I'm very concerned now because all I'm thinking is that's exactly where I light candles pretty much every day, even in the summer.

You're not the only one. Honestly, I feel like I'm constantly the bearer of bad news to people. Like, I love candles. I bloody love a candle, but just try not to have it in the central area of your home.

Okay, I'm going to make a note of that. Can I ask a question as well? Because this is something that very confuses me. So I think I read a book, it might forgive me if I'm getting this totally wrong, but I'm sure it was The Happy Home by Patricia Lohan. Could be wrong, trying to squint up there. It's up there on my shelf. And it basically explains about the bagua, but it also explains that if you stand at your front door, that should be where the south is. Whereas someone else has said to me, and since I've done loads of research and you've just said there, you should always use a compass. So is it different between like traditional and Western? Is that kind of where the difference comes in? How does that differ and which one should we be using?

So If I'm totally— so I did my training with Patricia Lohan. Oh, did you learn from her? Yeah, I did. Yeah. So the way I use it is by using a compass. However, to explain that methodology in a book is really hard. So there's lots of different schools of feng shui. Some people take that the entrance is the north, some people take it that the entrance is the south, but I think you know, if you're really going to do this, let's use the compass so that you actually know whether it's north or south and doing it properly. So, but the difficulty is trying to get that down in black and white. So what I do for people, one of the services that I offer is I have a Map My Home, um, analysis where it's, um, you sort of send in your floor plans and I just send you back the an exact map of your home so you know exactly where these areas are in your home. Because I didn't even start off doing that, but the amount of questions that I got from people, especially my very good friends— we went out for dinner once and we all had a compass out. My friend was like, surely it depends on where you're standing and everywhere is north as to where you're looking. I was like, oh dear, we did go to school. Like, it's not like north is north, not just if I'm standing this way and looking that way and looking that way. So I do offer that because I think it's really hard. But there are many different schools of feng shui, which is why it makes it so complicated.

I did think, because obviously every time I've seen a bagua, it's just been on paper and it's just been like, place your front door here at the bottom center. And not everyone's front door faces that way. Like, I know Fran, for example, her old house, it used to have a door that went into the left, but then the rest of the house was— you had to turn right and go straight down the rest of the house. So it differs for everyone, doesn't it? But I also know that I'm currently living in something that's called a shotgun house where the energy literally goes straight from the front door and you can see straight through to the back door and out into the garden. And I remember reading that we should be blocking things of the, the flow of ki— the chi, is it?

Um, yes. Yeah.

So how do we go about that? Is it just a way of like putting, um, you know, like bits of, um, furniture and things in the way so that it blocks the energy and disperses it around the room? What's all that about?

Oh, you're very well read, Mart, I have to say. 10 out of 10 for your homework.

Do my research.

So yeah, so in Feng Shui, the good energy comes through your front door and it leaves— the bad energy leaves out of your back door. So yeah, if you can see the back door from your front door, the theory is that that good energy is just going to go straight out. That's what the shotgun refers to, that nothing is— that good energy is not going to stay in your home. And you want it to stay because that's what's going to bring you the wealth, the happy relationships, the flow of good energy. So there's a few things that you can do. It happens in our new home here as well. You can literally see like straight out the back when you open the door. So there's some really simple things that you can do. You could put in a chandelier, sort of like crystal type light, for example. So as you come through the front door— and that's why a lot of hotels use them, because it dissipates the energy. Like the light just reflects off it, the energy reflects off it. And it's a really simple way. Again, no one would know that that was feng shui, that you had that in there. You could also have a plant. Plants are really good at, again, deflecting the energy. But we like real plants rather than artificial plants because it's got that—

That's fake in the background there. I mean, I wasn't going to say anything, but I've got some real ones on my desk right here. But that one is fake just because I have— we've got a real banana leaf at home and they're not as green as that. They're all brown.

I'm the world's worst. I have no green fingers whatsoever, so I I cannot comment. So a real plant Mart would go in there.

Okay.

Um, or if you have your stairs coming down as well, you could even just hang like a crystal type necklace off the banister, and again, that would sort of deflect it off. And then things in your hallway, it's like this fine balance between clutter and furniture. So we've ended up putting like a sideboard down with some shells on because again, that's sort of the undulation of the, of the shells would just bounce that energy around. So there's some really simple things that you can do. And I think that's the thing, like, so many books— I mean, I was reading a book because I was doing some research because I have a book out with publishers at the minute. And I was doing some research, I was like, well, I need to read what's out there. And even I was confused. And I wanted to sell my house because I was like, wow, we're buggered. Like, literally, we can't keep anything in this house because it doesn't work. Yeah. So there's, there's just so many different ways of looking at things and so many confusing ways of looking at things that my job, I think, in this feng shui world is to explain it in a way that doesn't make you want to sell your home and that you can put things in where no one would know and it's not going to cost you a fortune.

So with that in mind, and obviously taken the bagua into account, are there any specific rooms in a home— like, I'm trying to explain this— that aren't particularly in line with the bagua? But are there specific rooms in a home where particular feng shui is important? So for example, maybe having water running in a bathroom or in a bedroom or something like that. Are there any specific rooms that, that would be important?

Definitely. So once you've almost— once you've sort of— feng shui is like layering. So you've started off and you've gone, okay, the southeast area, that's my wealth area. Okay, so we look at the map, this is where it physically is in the home. But then we also say that the kitchen is also linked to prosperity, and especially the stove, like your— the hob, because this is the fire, this is the almost like the nourishment of the house. So keeping that clean is really important. And I did a post about this on my Instagram last week about cleaning your stove. And two people, no word of a lie, two people messaged me and said that they won the lottery. Not like the millions, but they won on the lottery after cleaning their stove last week.

I'm going to go and buy some Mr. Muscle after this. I've heard as well that to do with the stoves, if you had them traditional ring burners, people used to put a mirror behind them so it looked like they were doubling the amount of rings that they actually had. Yeah. Was that for the same reason?

Yeah, it's like, um, so your stove is bringing in the nourishment to the home, and traditionally, sort of traditionally, nourishment is like harvest. It's— and over the years it's evolved into whatever wealth means to us. So by having that reflection, you're doubling that amount of nourishment that you have coming into the home. So that's why it's really important to keep it clean. So That's the kitchen, for example. Now, the flip side of that, where the energy goes, is your bathrooms and your toilets, because in Feng Shui, they're basically a waste room. So everything that we don't want in the house comes out of those drains there. So making sure that the toilet seat lids are closed, that the doors to the toilets closed, the doors to any ensuites are closed, that you put the plugs down the drains, like all those things to stop that energy escaping. So they're probably the two main rooms that are linked to things. But of course, in the bedroom, there's lots that you can do there for attracting romance, attracting partners, you know, making sure that if you were single and you want— wanting to attract a partner in your life, that the bed is like in the middle of the bedroom so that there would be space for a partner to be able to get in the bed rather than the bed being against the wall, having two lamps on the side of the bed, having two cushions, you know, having room in the wardrobe for that person. And it all comes up like same with manifestation, like have you got room in your life for that person? And then the feng shui is just this like layering of things that you can do with your furniture and the layout of the home that would just maximize the chances of that happening.

I was going to say, because decluttering and reorganization, that is like a manifestation practice, but it is deep-rooted, isn't it, in feng shui? Because it's like we always say, when we declutter, we give thanks to stuff. I'm talking Marie Kondo here. Um, but when we like give thanks to something that doesn't spark joy anymore and we get rid of that, the universe is like, okay, here's something else to fill that void. And I think that kind of plays that same kind of role in feng shui as well, doesn't it?

Yeah, absolutely. Like, your home should bring you happiness and joy. And, you know, if you have a wardrobe full of clothes that make you feel guilty because you don't fit into them, you know, from 10 years ago, that's not going to make you feel very good when you're around it. If you're manifesting a new job in your life, you know, don't have— I remember when I did my bookshelf, I still had folders from when I was teaching. I was like, I don't want to teach anymore. I needed to get rid of them. In our loft, we had— I had lanyards from when I worked at companies you know, 20 years ago. So it's about clearing it, it's about making you feel the best that you can in your space, but then it's also the physical clearing of things so that the energy can flow.

Yeah, I have— I kind of struggle with that as well though, because there's sometimes where I think, oh, I'll just put that in my memory box. Yeah, I don't have a memory box, it tends to be the back of me drawer. Um, but it is literally just like loads of crap, like I love— I don't know, like, had a VIP— like, I had a meet and greet with the Sugababes last year. Random. Um, I've got one next week as well. Um, but I had it amazing. I know. But I had a VIP meet and greet with the Sugababes last year, and I got a lanyard, and I was like, yeah, I can't get rid of that. Then I bought myself a VIP package at Beyoncé, and I got that lanyard, and I was like, I can't get rid of that. So I have all these bloody lanyards, but they are like memories. So how do we kind of differentiate memories between tat because it is technically tat, isn't it? Really?

I mean, it is, but so there's two things. Does it bring you joy? So when you look at it, do you go, oh my God, that was amazing? Does it make the memory any more deeper by having a lanyard than actually of being going to the event? So does having that lanyard make those feelings any stronger? And then the biggest question is would you take it with you if you moved house? That as soon as somebody says about decluttering, would it deserve a place in your new home? And if not, then it's time to rehome. But I tend to do like a two-stage decluttering with people because it is emotional. So I tend to say, look, move it into your garage, or quite often we, I end up having, you know, bin liners full of stuff in the boot of my car. You know, I will take it to the charity shop. Yeah.

Never happens.

Yeah, but it's, it's then you haven't physically got rid of it, and then after a month, if you haven't grabbed it and moved it back into your home, then it's time for it to, to move on. But you know, we still have these memories. We, we, yeah, we don't need stuff to remind us of those great times.

Oh, I'm gonna have to get rid of my Little Mix bum bag, aren't I? Really? I got it and I brought— do you know what it is, right? I've paid an extortion for these tickets. They were like £180 each. And Johnny, my partner, wouldn't pay that much to go and see Little Mix, but I was like, I'm paying it, we are going to go and see them, we are going to be front row, we're going to get all this merch. And I paid the £360 for the two of us, and there was a little girl next to him, and we got a Little Mix bum bag with some like pin badges, I don't know why, and a VIP lanyard. And he said to the little girl, oh, do you want my bum bag? And I was like, yeah, fucking what? I was like, that was £180.

Honestly, I was origin.

And I put mine in the back of my drawer and it's never been out in 3 years.

Yeah, I mean, you probably could have paid the same for a Gucci one. You would have got more. Probably.

It is lovely, but sorry if any members of Little Mix are listening, like, probably going in the bin when I get home.

No, but we all get caught up in it. We, we've all got stuff. And I think I've just gone through it from moving to Australia. Like, we didn't ship anything out here. We have stuff in storage at home, but everything was just in suitcases that we bought over. And I can't tell you how lovely it is to have a wardrobe— like, I only bought stuff with me that I loved wearing. Like, it's amazing how many pairs of jeans, and the same type of jeans, that you can collect over the years. And I bought 2 pairs of jeans with me. All right, I know we're in Australia, but everything in my wardrobe I get so much joy out of wearing. I haven't got any of that stuff that you go, oh, just throw it on because it's old. Like, don't get me wrong, there's times I think, oh, I wish I just had an old t-shirt to throw on, but I wear everything in there and it's probably a quarter of what I had in the UK. And it makes me happy when I see all of the clothes in there.

I really, really need to do that. There's stuff in my wardrobe with tags on, there's stuff that I haven't worn in years. And I think I need to differentiate and have a winter wardrobe and a summer wardrobe as well, because half of my wardrobe is tucked up with really thick jumpers and coats. And it just bulges everything out and crushes everything, and they're all probably in there like, oh, does my head in.

I spoke to somebody the other day and they had this really good tactic for your wardrobe where she would face all the hangers one way, and when she'd worn it, she turned the hanger around, and so she could then see in the last 6 months actually what have I worn and whether it deserves to stay or not. So there you go, you could try that one.

I'm getting so much content out of this episode. I don't know about you lot listening, but oh my God, I'm gonna put so much into practice when I get home. I read as well, you might be able to clarify this, that some colors have an impact on the feng shui of a space as well.

Yeah, is that right? Yeah, color's massive. You know, we know that when we wear color, like you, you put something on, you wear all black, and that can really lower your mood. So we, we again, we use the element colors, and the easiest ones to use are if we talk about fiery colors So reds, yellows, burnt oranges, pinks, those sorts of things in the home. Now, they're great because they can bring that lovely bit of energy, and I call it that effervescence. Like, you want that little bit of buzz in the home, but too much of it can bring, like, stress and anxiety and too much of what we call the yang energy. So that really high energy. And if you then put that into the kitchen, for example, where that is already a fire element area, then that can have that double impact and really bring that sort of stress level where, you know, quite often the kitchen is the place where everybody, you know, talks about the day, they bring home the energy from the day. So just being really aware of the fiery colors around the home, and especially in children's bedrooms, um, we often I don't know, we go through the thing that, like, you have this really calm decor until they're like 2, and then you go, bang, right, there's your, you know, your favorite whatever it is character. Let's have that on your duvet. Have a pillow that has this. Have your favorite poster here. And no wonder the poor things can't sleep. Like, it's the total opposite to what you have in babies' rooms and to what you have in, you know, your bedroom, where we want it nice and calm. So colour can have a massive impact. And yeah, it's just, you know, being aware of the colours. And coming up to Christmas, you know, I've— I've— I'm really wary of this, but I just want to just— people just be careful about the amount of red decorations that they put in the house, because Christmas is a really stressful time, and adding all of that red and all of that stuff and all of that clutter into your home can sometimes make it feel a little bit edgy. So if you had a not so calm Christmas last year, maybe bring in some blues and silvers and those sort of like cooler watery colours and those metallic colours, and that will just bring a bit more grounding into your space.

I was going to say, I think about 15 years ago, one of my friends at the time moved into her own like house. It was her first house, and she got us around to decorate the house and things. And I remember we were painting her bedroom blood red, and I mean blood red. And she was like, oh, it's supposed to bring like passion and sex and fire and feistiness. And I was like, okay, hun, they had such an abusive, like turbulent relationship that lasted maybe 6 to 8 months, I'd say, at tops. And then they ended up splitting up with each other because I think they both cheated on each other in the end. But I was like, I think that red could have contributed to that.

Do you think? Really can. So as I said, I used to teach and I've been helping a few teachers with their classrooms recently, and like red is the fiery colors, you just would not want those in a classroom, never let alone in a bedroom. Um, purple is also another color to avoid in the bedroom because that can bring sexual frustration, so you don't want that in the bedroom as well. Um, but it definitely has an impact. And I think, you know, if you imagine going out and you wearing red head to toe, like, you would feel like you're ready to take on the world. Like, this is something that Beyoncé would wear, but she wouldn't be wearing that all day because she'd just be exhausted, like, the energy to sort of take that on. So yeah, red in bedrooms is something I'd probably avoid.

So you've talked about some simple adjustments that, you know, we can make? And I've got a list as long as me arm right here, obviously. But what else can we do? Like, or what can people do right now that are listening to make their spaces like more optimally feng shui, if that makes sense?

Totally. Do you know the easiest thing? The first thing that I say to people is start opening your back door. That's where the bad energy leaves. So you open that first, and literally— and I'm sure, you know, most of your listeners might not care what their neighbors think— you can shout Leave the house, bad energy! Like, you just get out of here and wave out of your back door. Then you want to close your back door and open the front door because the front is where the good comes in. So do this cycle daily and that will just get that energy flowing. You want to make sure that your windows are kept clean as well because the good energy also comes in through your windows. Really just be mindful of the clutter that you have in your house and just being aware that Surround yourself with things that bring you joy. And just really simple things like that. Don't work in your bedroom, you know. Think of the energy that everything has and put everything away at nighttime, whether that's kids' toys, whether that's your work, you know. I mean, I'm awful. I am always on my phone before I go to bed, you know. It's terrible. And people say, don't have your phone by the side of bed. I do have my phone by the side of my bed. But, you know, just be aware of the things that are bringing you stress. So is your kitchen the stressful place? Just open the window and let the good energy flow.

Yeah, I was going to say, because in my, in my house, we never— like, I always say to my partner, we never go to bed when there's washing up in the sink or on the draining board. We always make a point of putting everything away. Everything has its own place. Everything gets put away before we go to bed. Yeah, but something I do on the first of each month, and you probably heard this if you listen to past podcast episodes, the first of each month it's quite a witchy thing, but I get some cinnamon and I blow it, um, from the outside across my threshold into my door because it's supposed to bring in like abundance and wealth and prosperity. But then what I also do straight after is I get just a wet cloth or like some like a cleansing wipe kind of thing, and I'll give the, the front door like basically a rub down Then I've also got some feng shui coins in an envelope underneath my doormat. But I always make sure that that front door is, you know, it looks clean, it looks inviting, because to me that's inviting the, the kind of abundance and prosperity into my home and all that good energy, like you say. And as soon as one of my plants die out the front, I'm like, uh, get rid, I'm replacing it with a new one because it's bringing in that fresh, vibrant energy again. Is that the right way to go about it?

Totally, totally. So your front door is where all that good energy comes in. So if you visualize walking into your front door, are your bins at your entrance? Quite often, like, our bins are.

Yeah.

So you can get, you know, from B&Q the wooden sort of covers, like, put them under there so that you don't see them. Because it, it, it's twofold. It's the energy that's coming in, but it's also how you're feeling when you're coming into your house as well. So if you think from an energy point of view, your bins, any dead plants, any dead leaves, like anything like that that's coming into the house, you don't want that energy. But also like visually how that's going to make you feel like you're already probably coming in going, oh, I've got to take the bins out again. I've got to do the gardening, like all of these things that you've got to do. So if you just have a think about that, and I also think actually coming into winter, Something to be aware of in your garden is any stagnant water, because the flow of water, if it's placed in the right area— so if you think of, you know, Dubai and Las Vegas, those fountains, they're not there by accident. They are there from a hotel point of view to bring in that flow of energy. So stagnant energy is the opposite of that. So whether that's, you know, if you have covers over your garden furniture and puddles collect in there, or in plant pots all those things. You need to get rid of that water as well because that's not doing anything for that lovely flow coming into your house.

That's very interesting. I can think of a few, like, a few things in my garden that do collect energy like that because I've got like a canopy, um, that kind of— I'm always having to like push it up a bit so that water comes out.

Yeah, yeah. And having like bird feeders in your garden as well, like, animals are amazing feng shui. They bring love, and they bring energy, and they just bring like that freedom. So feeding birds in your garden is a really lovely thing, because if you think the force of the bird coming in, it's like that constant circulation of lovely energy.

A lot to think about there. So you work with people as well, don't you, one-to-one? And you were saying like you're doing that virtually and things. So you've also got a feng shui practitioner course, is that correct?

Yes, yes. So I have I'm now teaching people to become Feng Shui consultants, which is an absolute dream because I feel that I'm like paving the way for people to be speaking more and more about Feng Shui. I'm trying to do, you know, the Feng Shui PR and just getting the word out there. So I've just started a lovely course. I have a waiting list for the next course, which will be the beginning of next year. And then I also work with people on a one-to-one basis, which is, uh, feng shui flow analysis, and I do it all completely remotely. And that's where I really analyze what's going on in the home. I find out what the underlying energy is, and I then prescribe you almost the remedies that you can then put into your home to create that beautiful flow of energy.

I love that. And I'll pop all of Kimberly's links in the show notes as well, but Kimberly, just before we leave, do you ever use crystals in terms of feng shui? And if you do, like, what kind of crystals? Because I've got kind of, you know, like selenite, tourmaline, and what else have I got? Quartz by my front door. I've got selenite above it just to kind of get rid of that negative energy.

Yeah.

Do you use crystals in your home, or where do you place them? I know we've got like wealth bowls that we could put crystals in in our wealth corner. Um, how else can we incorporate crystals?

So I was really sad. I had to leave quite a few of my crystals back in the UK when I moved over.

I know, I bet they're crying.

Oh, don't. It literally, it like breaks my heart. I know, I do, I do. I did give them on to people. I'm not sure whether that's good karma or bad karma, but, um, yeah. So I love a selenite and I love a tourmaline. I love the idea of them at the front door to act like sponges. Last Christmas I was telling people to hide them under the dining room table if they have like people around to dinner. That they don't like, that's a good idea, literally sellotape them underneath the table and burn candles around them. Um, I love things like amethyst in terms of, um, my daughter has one in her bedroom, so when she's doing her homework, it's a really nice calming and balancing, um, crystal in her home. So citrine for me is a really powerful crystal. Um, and I have, yeah, I have a beautiful bowl that I'm just slowly adding to my collection Um, but it's definitely part of feng shui. And I think now, especially because of like you and what you do, crystals are becoming part of a decorative item that looks beautiful and that people almost don't have to explain it anymore. You know, I remember having a friend growing up and I was like, oh my God, they're mad, they've got a crystal in their house.

It's a lot more socially acceptable, isn't it?

I know. And you're like, Oh my God, it's like a piece of nature. It's beautiful. And yeah, so it's definitely something that I advise people to put in their homes and just to go with whatever their heart calls for them.

Yeah. So where do you see yourself in 5 years' time? Obviously you mentioned about your book and things like that. When does that come out?

I can't say yet, so—

oh, okay.

No, no, no, it's okay. It's very much in the baby stages of being put together. Um, So there's that, but you know, just putting it out there, I honestly see myself having a TV program. That's what I want to do. I, you know, we've got the decluttering, and I just feel that if we could add on a Feng Shui element to really bring peace and calm to people's lives, I just think it'd just be the most magical way of, you know, my manifestation every day is, you know, show me how to spread the magic feng shui with as many people around the world today as possible. And I just feel that by doing something like that, then more people could just make these really simple changes and have the most beautiful homes to live in.

Do you know what? Like, I have spoke about this so much. I would love a Netflix show where— and I would watch it myself, like, even if it was someone else. Um, but I would love a Netflix show where, like, I travel the world and I, like, go to Australia to see you and talk about feng shui. Then I would go and like do meditation with monks, or then I would come to like the UK and do like, um, what's it called, like a sound bath and stuff like that. And just like travel the world and meet all these different people that have all these different spiritual practices. So if there's anyone from Netflix listening, I'm putting that out there. But I would absolutely love that, and I think it's such a good idea. I would watch that because I watched, um, I don't know if you've watched it, called The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow.

No, I haven't watched that.

Oh, you need to watch that. That's on Netflix. 6, and it's only 6 episodes, but Gwyneth Paltrow basically sends all of her, um, employees to different spiritual practices. So they do ice baths, they do, um, what's got ayahuasca.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So she sends them on and then they all like talk about their spiritual experiences. So a bit like that, but with—

that'd be amazing—

all of our little connections. I would love something like that.

And I think, you know, what's really nice is that people are becoming more and more open to it. You know, if my husband can now be on board with feng shui and metal in the home, like, then anyone can be open to it. And I just think like the language is changing, the sort of social acceptance of it. You know, like you were talking in your previous podcast episodes about the happy place of Fish, like the festival, and you know, even Car Fest, you know, with Virgin, that's definitely on my vision board to go and speak there. You know, all of these people, you know, the fact that Kirsty Gallagher does her moon readings on Virgin Radio every month, like, yeah, how amazing is that? Like, it's just, it's brilliant. And I, I just feel that the next 5 years is, is going to be huge because I feel that people, you know, you don't even have to be, you know, into whatever it is that you believe in. It's just a different way of viewing the world and a different practice that can help you get through the trials and tribulations of life, you know. Rubbish stuff still happens. I can't stop that, you can't stop that, you know, but we have ways that you can deal with it and to just live a more content life. And I feel that if we can share that with as many people around the world, then our job here is done.

It's a funny one, isn't it? Because even like, if I think back 30 years ago to watching the National Lottery on a Saturday night, we used to have Mystic Meg, and she used to be like, you know, trying to predict the lottery numbers, and she was never right, you know what I mean? But Yeah, it was like, it was kind of a, a PTA, but at the same time she was an actual psychic and she used to have columns in newspapers where, yeah, you know, like, and then we had, um, I think it was called Russell, can't remember his surname, but he used to do all the stars, you know, like, yeah, your horoscopes and things. And it used to be the first thing I would do, I would pick up the TV magazine and I wouldn't look at like what the programs were, I would flip right to the back page to see my stars for the week.

Yes.

And I'll be like, oh my God, But people nowadays are hooked on that, don't they? And that they are so, so like more socially acceptable than ever before. 30 years ago we used to see it as a bit of a, you know, it's a gimmick, but now it's, it's becoming part of the norm. And I think people are actually opening their eyes to that and being acceptable of it.

All I was going to say was I think just the language that we're using, like even in terms of the moon, okay, and you know, living— we used to go down to Cornwall and the power of the moon. The moon used to shift the tide in Cornwall at certain times of the year by 8 meters. So if that has the power to move the tide by 8 meters, what on earth is it doing to us? And even if you just ask yourself that question, it just makes you think differently, that just maybe, just maybe, there's something that we can't see that's really impacting us.

Yeah. Absolutely love that. Kimberly, how can people find you?

So I am The Feng Shui Flow pretty much everywhere apart from TikTok because I think I'm too old for that. I tried it a couple of times. So I'm The Feng Shui Flow on Instagram. I have a podcast, The Feng Shui Flow Series 2 will be coming out by the time this is out. And my website is fengshuiflow.com.

Amazing. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing all of your feng shui wisdom with us. Um, what I'll do is I'll pop all of Kimberly's links in the show notes as well so you can all find it. But yeah, thank you so much for coming on the show, Kimberly. I've really enjoyed our chat.

Thank you. I've loved it. My cheeks literally ache from smiling so much.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. And for everyone else, if you've enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to rate, review, or subscribe. I really would appreciate it. And go and follow Kimberly. And I will see you all next Friday for another episode. Have a lovely weekend, everyone. Bye.