Each week I discuss how to make your internal and external lives better via energy, to design your best life possible.
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 05, 2016
Tuesday Jan 05, 2016
For the past couple of years I've kicked off the new year with two things on this blog, a list of my resolutions (mainly to hold me accountable) and a podcast with world renowned astrologers to help us navigate the new year. This year I decided to do something different. But don't fret, I have an astrologer scheduled to come on the show in February, for those who like to have a forecast for the year! The reason I wanted to do something different is many people often have similar resolutions. In fact the top three are always related to money, health and happiness. And the content of this podcast changed my life in all three! Making it perfect to nail your resolutions too!
Over the past five years I have made it my mission to get healthy. I've said numerous times on this blog that it did not happen overnight. It's been a stepping stone approach to progress:
- Started hot yoga
- Filed for divorce (yes this made me healthier!)
- Became a vegetarian
- Changed 50% of my diet to organic, and why you should too
- Sold everything to pave my way to financial freedom
- Started easing into eco practices
- Eliminated all processed foods
- Eliminated all soft drinks
- Cut out 50% of sugar intake
- Went 100% organic
- Attained financial freedom
- Combined yoga with weight training
Tuesday Nov 03, 2015
Tuesday Nov 03, 2015
Having a family can be messy, leading you and your family to an unorganized life. But it doesn’t have to be that way and Mridu Parikh is a perfect example of that. After living on her own, in what she calls a fairly organized life, chaos quickly ensued with the addition of a husband and two kids. Without much guidance she took the bull by the horns and decided to make a change before she went insane.
Monday Aug 31, 2015
Monday Aug 31, 2015
I have studied feng shui for over seventeen years, but when Nashville resident, Mallory Shaw of Confetti and Stripes, reached out to me on getting the basics of feng shui down, I knew I had to say yes. What struck me as funny was her initial perception of what feng shui was: an asian aesthetic. Then I wondered, how many others think this? Do others have a misconception of what feng shui is? It was right then and there that I knew we needed to extend our conversation and get down and dirty with feng shui 101. And it turns out, many people had questions!
Todays Design 101 Podcast discusses:
- What exactly is feng shui?
- If you've never done it where do you start?
- How do you employ feng shui when others live in the house?
- Do you have to have wacky trinkets all over the place?
- What if I break a rule and don't know it?
- Holding onto things for what purpose?
- Is there a room you should start with?
- How do I know if I have good feng shui?
Wednesday Jun 17, 2015
Wednesday Jun 17, 2015
Many of us have been there, you know the feeling - the pit in your stomach, the countless 'what ifs' running through your head and the mindless chatter that tells you again and again, why you can't move forward. Fear. I found myself in this very place in 2010. I was faced with a big decision, stay and lose my identity or leave and face the unknown. At the time I was in a marriage that no longer served me. Married to a man in the midst of an affair I had a simple choice to make, stay or leave, but the fear consumed me nearly making me blind. And the fear almost got me from seeing my choice.
In FDR's first inaugural address he stated, "The only thing to fear, is fear itself." Choice words for such a renaissance man. Before doing today's interview I asked many of my own friends what fear meant to them. Two main themes came up for the women, fear of feeling like a fraud, and fear of being judged. On the contrary, most of my male friends feared not being a good provider.
In the book, Lean in, Sheryl Sandberg talks about fear, stating that fear is the root of many barriers that women especially face in 'achieving.' Fear of making wrong choices, not being liked, overeating, being judged and fear of failure. We are consumed in self-doubt and fear. Ellen Bravo suggests that "women are not thinking about having it all, they're worried about losing it all."
Fear can paralyze us. The ego steps in and tells us all the reasons we can't move forward. Oh how much harm will happen if we do.....but then somehow you gain the courage to move through it, to move forward and it's as if the angels drop from heaven and begin to sing. Yes, the only thing to fear, is in fact, fear itself. to continue reading click here.
Sunday May 24, 2015
Sunday May 24, 2015
Today’s guest is Barabara Viteri, CEO and owner of Viteri Style Management. She is one of THE leading advisers in the interior design industry for productivity and business management. Barabara will put it to you straight with unfiltered opinions, and no bull shit. Her specialty is helping boutique business’, mainly design firms, get their companies profitable and organized. Hobby makers need not apply.
Barbara and I first spoke two years ago about the mistakes every designer makes in their business. I think it’s safe to say that whether you’re an interior designer or not, being an entrprenuer presents many challenges. Having the right tools, skills and people in place are the difference between making it or breaking it. For over 20 years this girl from the hood is proof positive that the cream always rises to the top. She has helped hundreds of everyday interior desginers propel their business’ into million dollar boutiques, from the comfort of their homes. She offers up time saving tools, management tips and secrets, to everyday business skills to help streamline your business and boost profitability. Click here to keep reading...
Saturday May 09, 2015
Saturday May 09, 2015
Interior design and feng shui are intrinsic tools to create balance and harmony in your home. When your space feels as good as it looks, your mood is lifted, you feel lighter and grace is easier to achieve. Everything just seems to work, and a slower pace sets in - like taking in a long, deep breath.
I recently spoke with a marketing firm that told me feng shui and interior design were different. That essentially I needed to separate the two and be one or the other. My favorite remark, "start a hobby blog about feng shui. It will attract those who like it." It got me to thinking, are we really that far off? That acquiring sustainable harmony in our lives is only for "those" people? Carol Olmsted recently wrote that one of her feng shui colleagues was featured on their local news station for "odd jobs". As Carol so eloquently stated, "I'm entering my 18th year of Feng Shui and working with a Fortune 100 company on the interior design of 23 floors in their new headquarters, and the media is still calling Feng Shui an odd job?"
I myself have been at this for fifteen years, and today's guest, Angie Cho, has been at this almost twenty years. Feng shui is so much more than weird thinking. However, many people still feel it's metaphysical or transcendental. I recently met with a design colleague, Mallory Shaw, who thought feng shui was asian aesthetic - where people have bamboo flutes, buddha fountains, and Zen decor. I think it's time that we start saying that those who refuse to fully understand it, are the weird ones! After one hour with me, Mallory was not only excited to clean out her junk drawer, she was convinced that this was a way of life - and she's right!
How to improve your feng shui
Today Angie and I discuss:
- Mindset and how to overcome it
- Reframing and learning to say yes
- How to work with your environment rather than against it
- How to make life richer
- How to create big shifts in your life
- How to inform your decisions through feng shui principles
- How to avoid a lack mentaltiy
- And 12 tips from the experts on how to feng shui your wallet
For more info on Anjie visit her website, www.anjiecho.com, and be sure to check out her kick-ass new book, 108 Ways To Create Holistic Spaces.
Wednesday Mar 25, 2015
Wednesday Mar 25, 2015
It was early in the morning and as I went through emails I noticed a designer reached out to me on twitter looking for an upholstery shop. She had just moved to Nashville and was struggling to find the necessary trades she needed for an upcoming job. I had never met her and had no idea who she was but I gave her what she needed, and proceeded to track down more info on this new Nashville designer by checking her out online. After visiting her website I was in love, and decided at that very moment Kim and I were going to be friends.
Who is she you ask?
Kim is the owner of Design Thoughts Interiors, an intentional design practice located in East Nashville. Like me, her design approach is all about the why. As we discuss in the podcast, many designers design for their portfolios and magazine pages, not rooms that need to be lived in. Designing with intention takes great care and more importantly time to learn about the who, what, and why.
To continue reading click here
Tuesday Mar 03, 2015
Tuesday Mar 03, 2015
Holistic MBA is a community built for the holistic practitioner who is looking for more. They offer world class training for holistic entrepreneurs who want to build a profitable business that feeds their soul. Are you a holistic practitioner who is burnt out, frazzled, overwhelmed and exhausted? Well if you said yes, then this podcast is for you!
Holistic MBA was the brain child of Carey Peters. After a huge aha moment in the snowy streets of Chicago, Carey had a pivotal, life changing moment - pay attention to her health or continue down a deadly path of Captain crunch, taco bell and enormous amounts of diet coke.
After attending a school to become a health coach, she decided that would be her day job, while moonlighting as an actor in LA. Problem was, she had no idea how to run a business, or a profitable one at that. After realizing that there was little information out there to help her, with nothing more than sweat, grit and determination, Carey launched Holistic MBA.... to continue reading click here
Monday Feb 16, 2015
Monday Feb 16, 2015
It is often said that a coach can change your entire life in less than a year. They bring to the table a level of expertise and guidance to help navigate murky waters of the unknown. I’ve worked with coaches for the past six years and know first hand the value they bring to my business. Simply put, you don’t know what you don’t know. And a coach can get you there faster.
It takes great understanding to see the value of what a coach does. One of my coaches put it in terms that instantly made sense to me:
Focusing on the cost rather than the investment value will prevent you from growth. I’ve been fortunate to work with many great coaches who have helped me see and experience this over and over again. The very first coach I ever worked with gave me one piece of advice, and that piece of advice cost me $6,000, but the value changed the entire landscape of my business. It was worth all six thousand dollars that I paid her because it gained me four times more business in six short months. And I still use that six thousand dollar nugget of advice to this day. That is the power of value.
In the fall of 2011 I was in the midst of hell. I was surrounded by all sorts of turmoil, ( I go into further detail at the end of the podcast so if you want all the juicy details, tune in!) but despite being in turmoil, I decided to attend a conference that I already paid for to get my head out of the sand. Enter in: Melissa Kitto.
We were having lunch at the same table and as we went around the table giving our elevator speeches of what we do, Melissa explained that she was an Angel Guidance Coach. I had never heard of such a coach and to be honest I had my doubts. Was it possible to use higher guidance as a source for vision and focus? Could she tap into an inner wisdom to help cut out the noise? And if so, could she teach me how to do it even in the midst of turmoil?
Turns out the answer was yes! Join Melissa and I today to find out:
- How to reawaken what you already have
- How to stay centered and connected
- What would you accomplish if you knew you could not fail?
- How to get confirmation and trust your decisions
- Daily rituals to keep you tuned in
- How to get out of your own way
- How to trust the unknown to allow more to unfold
Once you have a greater understanding of what your spiritual thrust in life is, you can accomplish things with greater clarity and quickness. Why waste years figuring it all out, if you can simply cut to the chase and do it now? Listen below to find out how to connect with God, or find it on iTunes at Design 101.
Monday Jan 05, 2015
Monday Jan 05, 2015
Ever had one of those days? Maybe one of those months? How about one of those years that had “murphy’s law” written all over it? Perhaps you had a month or a year that blew you away and you felt incredibly blessed? Chances are it was written in the stars. The planets are symbols that when aligned in certain ways read like an astrological weather report, and as many of you know, just because there is a hurricane outside doesn’t mean you’re bound to the indoors, however, you better be prepared to weather the storm.
Astrology, like Numerology, is not fortune-telling, but both are great indicators to your personal seasons. Astrology let’s you know when it’s summer and when it’s winter – and if you’re launching a new product, getting married, or about to travel, etc. – most of us would prefer summer over winter. In other words, it’s a heavenly farmers almanac that helps you understand the trends and patterns that have occurred before so that you know how to prepare. Certain things tend to happen during certain patterns and it’s through this knowledge an astrologer can determine what to expect.
Our ancestors used astrology for worship, ceremony, and as a way to honor their heritage. Cultures that were close to nature understood the natural rythms of nature, unlike many of todays city dwellers who’s closest contact with nature is walking to their car.
As we approach 2017, we are about to enter into yet another pivitol time – a square of planets that are about to create a great tug of war. Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter and Chiron are about to hold hands in the sky. So what does all this mean? RADICAL transformation.
New Year 2015 Astrology
Join me as I sit down with Josh to discuss:
1) The events of 2008 and how it equals transformational change in upcoming years
2) What to expect in 2015 and how to embrace evolving change that started in the sixties
3) What we have to look forward to and how this effects us personally
5) The economic climate – is it improving?
6) What to prepare for as we approach the 2017 square
7) Sustainability and how it’s now or never to get our heads out of the sand and start giving-back
For more info on Josh or Gates please visit our website: https://gatesinteriordesign.com/new-year-2015-astrology/