There's a difference between a home that's messy and a home that's asking for your attention. One is a moment. The other is a message.

I think about this a lot in the summer, when schedules loosen and everyone's in and out the door ten times a day. Shoes multiply by the entry. Mail stacks up on the counter. Water bottles show up on every surface like they grew there overnight. And if you've caught yourself standing in the middle of it thinking, how did this happen again?, I want you to hear me say something first: nothing is wrong with you.

Your home doesn't get chaotic by accident. It gets chaotic because you're living, moving, growing, out the door and back again. Summer is a high energy season, and in Feng Shui, it connects to the fire element, the season of motion. Of course your home reflects that. It's not failure. It's evidence of a full life that hasn't caught its breath yet.

Here's what I don't want you to do: try to fix the whole house in one weekend. That's usually where the overwhelm wins. Instead, pick one zone, the one spot that pokes at your mood every time you walk past it, and start there. Give it a landing pad for keys and sunglasses and whatever else comes through the door with you. Open a window for a few minutes and let the air actually move. Spend five or ten quiet minutes each night clearing one surface before bed, so tomorrow starts differently than today ended.

And then, maybe the most important step of all: notice what's no longer serving you. The bins that worked all winter. The schedule that made sense a season ago. You don't have to overhaul it today. Awareness alone starts the momentum.

This is the heart of this week's episode of Feng Shui Living, 5 Ways to Regain Control of Your Home This Summer. If your house has felt a little out of your hands lately, it's a short one worth saving for the next time you need it.

And if you'd like to go even deeper, the Aligned at Home Collective meets the first Wednesday evening of every month, one hour, just for you and your home. Come as you are, slippers and all.

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So many of my clients tell me the same things: "I'm not getting as much done." "I'm feeling distracted." "My back hurts." "I don't feel creative." Usually though, It's not them. It's the space.

You need a dedicated workspace, not the dining table, not the coffee table. Your home office is where your professional energy lives. If it's set up wrong, you're fighting against your own environment.
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Your 5-Step Office Assessment
Here's what I want you to do this week:
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1. Is Your Desk in the Command Position? Can you see the door? Is there a solid wall behind you? The command position puts your nervous system at ease and supports your career energy. If you can't move your desk, reach out—there are solutions.
2. What Is Grasping at Your Attention? Do a distraction audit. Look at everything in your line of sight. Is it supporting your work, or is it blocking your focus? Clutter blocks energy flow. Clear what you don't need.
3. Check Your Lighting Natural light boosts mood and energy. Avoid harsh overhead lights—they create fatigue and stress. Add a warm desk lamp. Position yourself so you're not looking directly at the bulb.
4. Add One Living Thing A plant or fresh flowers brings growth energy and renewal. Plus, there's a beautiful ritual in caring for something while you nurture your work.
5. Clear Your Desk at the End of the Day Schedule 10 minutes in your calendar (I put mine in bold red so I can't miss it). Wipe it down, put things away, clear the space. By Friday, you'll feel so much more organized and focused.

While I was recovering on the sofa, I put together some fun things for summer, and I'm so excited to share them with you.
Color Mastery is Back!
I used to offer this monthly, but when my book came out last fall, I had to pause it. Now it's back, and I'm thrilled.
In this free virtual workshop, I simplify all things color. We talk about:

• The foundational principles of color (easy to understand)
• How colors impact your mood, energy, and how you feel in your space
• Design trends and how those colors might affect your body, family, and environment before you bring them in

If you've done Color Mastery before, there are new, updated trends. I'd love to have you join again.
Date: Monday, May 18th at 7 p.m. Eastern
Cost: Free
Important: This is a live session only—not recorded.
Interior Design Basics: Summer School Edition
I normally teach Interior Design Basics in collaboration with Purdue University's Continuing Ed program every fall and spring. But this summer, I'm doing my own version with no homework and no overwhelm.
It's all online in two sessions:

• June 2nd from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Eastern
• June 9th from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Eastern

I've trimmed out the excess and the homework, so there's tons of good content packed into two weeks without the stress.
Cost: Only $69 for this abbreviated version
Sign up: Find both Color Mastery and Interior Design Basics Summer School on my website.
Thank you for being here, even when I'm a little under the weather. I'm so grateful for you.

Hello!
I'm writing this from the other side of a virus that really knocked me out. I spent several days on the sofa, which gave me some time to work on a few things I've been putting off. And I'm so glad I did because I have some exciting announcements for you.
But first—thank you for your patience with me this week. I'm on the tail end of fighting off what's been a rough bug, but I'm back and ready to dive into today's episode, which is one of my favorites: Q&A day.
I always get the best questions from you all. And today, I'm answering four that I think will really help you. So let's get into it.
Question #1: What Feng Shui Rule Do You Actually Break?
Here's something you might be surprised to learn about me: I'm generally a rule follower in life. But when it comes to design and feng shui? I absolutely believe in breaking the rules sometimes.
The rule I break most often is about faux flowers and plants. Traditionally, fake flowers are seen as fake energy—not what we want in our homes. But here's the real world: I work with a lot of clients who travel for business, who travel for fun, who aren't home much. I also work with clients who have cats—and apparently cats love to climb on plants, which means live plants aren't an option.
So what do I recommend? Faux or silk plants. But here's the catch: they can't be those dusty, sad fake flowers your great aunt had sitting on her bathroom counter for twenty years. Today's silk and faux options are beautiful. They're so good you might actually smile when you look at them.
My rule: If you can't bring in the real thing, get silk or faux flowers, but make sure you absolutely love them. If they make you happy and don't remind you of dusty old decorations, then they're good feng shui.
Another option? Bring in artwork instead. A painting or print of flowers, greenery, or plants works beautifully—especially in interior rooms where sunlight is limited and a live plant might struggle.
Question #2: What Do You Do When the Bagua Map Lines Don't Line Up?
This is a great question from Cassidy about the Bagua map. For those new to this, the Bagua is an ancient feng shui tool. We overlay it over your floor plan to understand where different energy centers are located and what you need to work on to reach your goals.
When you apply the Bagua map, it creates a grid (kind of like a tic-tac-toe board) over your home. Sometimes the lines go through rooms in ways that don't make perfect sense. Cassidy wanted to know: when a line cuts through a room, do you focus on one energy center or the other?
Here's the thing: there's no magical line actually dividing your room. Energy from one space gently meshes into the next and flows around. You're not drawing duct tape across your bedroom like in that Full House episode.
What I recommend: Think of one side of the room being in one energy center (gua) and the other side being in another gua. That's completely okay. You can blend them. When you're working on that specific room, combine and focus on the elements, colors, and patterns needed for both energy centers. It flows together naturally.
Question #3: Should My Bed Be in the Command Position or Face a Specific Direction?
This is from Jessica, and it's such an important question because sleep matters.
The command position—also called the power position—is where we place our body to feel a sense of power and ease. You're able to see the entry into the room clearly, and you have a solid wall (and ideally a solid headboard) behind you. This solid wall provides protection, and seeing the door gives you a sense of security.
Now, some schools of feng shui focus more on specific directions. That's a different approach entirely. We do have energy lines running through the earth—naturally running north and south. You don't want one of these lines going through your body while you sleep. It's like a poison arrow, which we've talked about before.
Here's my honest answer: When I work deeply with a client, we discover where these energetic lines might be. I look at the land around you—water, hills, terrain—and I test for energy lines running through your home. This is part of an in-depth consultation.
But if you're not working with me one-on-one, here's what matters most: Put your bed in the command position. This is incredibly important and will help you find better sleep. If you're still struggling after that, reach out for a free 15-minute discovery call.
Don't let all these details overwhelm you. The command position is your priority.
Question #4: What's Your Number One Wealth Tip?
Emily, a new listener, asked this. And I love it.
My number one wealth tip is this: Locate the wealth and abundance energy center of your home and love on it.
Don't worry about arranging coins in a specific way or tying ribbons around things. Just clean it up and care for it.
Here's where to find it: Imagine walking into your home and closing the door behind you. You're facing the interior of your home. Look at the rear of your home. The rear left corner is your wealth and abundance energy center.
Whatever is in that corner, be mindful. Is it cluttered? Is it messy? Is something broken? This is an area you want to address.
Clean it up. Make it tidy and organized. Make sure everything is functioning well. Care for it. Love on it. Bring in some fresh flowers. Clean the windows. Sweep the floors. Do all those basic, simple things you can easily do this weekend.
That's my number one wealth tip. It's not complicated. It's just about paying attention to that space and caring for it.