The School of Living Lighter Podcast

When fascia and lymph are stagnant, everything can feel stuck, even your decluttering efforts. Kelly Kennedy, known as the Lymph Queen, explains how the lymphatic system, fascia, scars, dental work, and emotional stagnation can affect how we feel, from heaviness and puffiness to inflammation, fatigue, and feeling disconnected from ourselves. Kelly shares simple ways to begin moving lymph, and I sh...

P lant medicine isn't about escaping or numbing out from life 's clutter. In this episode, Heather talks with Karen Bush, a functional medicine practitioner and psilocybin micro - dosing integration guide, about how small doses of psilocybin can help bring inner clutter into our awareness so we can let it go and live in alignment with who are and who we want to become . Karen explains what micro -...

Jodi Cohen, founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, shares her experience of losing her son and how she moved through his belongings. We talk about why clutter can feel so heavy in grief, and how to move forward without pressure. We also explore how scent supports the nervous system. How smell connects to memory and safety, and how essential oils can help create space when everything feels like too much.  ...

Did you know physical clutter can negatively impact your bone health? When you receive an osteoporosis or osteopenia diagnosis, it can be easy to start feeling fragile, unsure, and afraid to move. In this episode, Heather talks with Debi Robinson, Functional Bone Health Expert, about the ample misinformation around bone health and the myth that there's not much we can do about it. They explore how...

Excess body weight can be just as heavy mentally and emotionally, as physical clutter. My friend Nagina Abdullah   got tired of the diet rollercoaster. So s he started adding spices, a shift that helped her lose 40 pounds, reduce sugar cravings, and turn eating into something that finally felt natural , creative and fun . In this episode, I talk with Nagina, the founder of Masala Body, about which...

When you look around your home and think, How did I let it get this bad? shame can take over fast. In this episode, Heather talks with Dawn Norton, The EFT Coach, about why clutter can feel so personal, how old beliefs and harsh self-talk keep us stuck, and how EFT tapping can help release the emotional charge around the things we can't seem to let go of. This is a conversation about self-acceptan...

Celebrity chef James Barry has a habit of opening people's pantries . W hat he finds is almost always the same; it's overstocked shelves, duplicate items, and food choices that don't match how people actually want to feel. In this conversation, he shares how kitchen and food clutter affect y our health and human potential, and how simplifying what comes in your home can be the change that massivel...

In this episode, I explore the concept of limbic friction, the internal resistance that makes decluttering feel heavy, even when you know exactly the steps to take to make your home lighter.  I talk about why this happens, the question that keeps most people stuck, and one of my favorite tools to help move forward with a lot more clarity , honesty and less self-induced pressure. This isn't about f...

Jennifer Joy Jimenez walked into dance class, opened an envelope, and got graded on her body, and that C started years of inner clutter she didn't even know she was carrying. In this conversation, my friend Jennifer, creator of TranscenDance, opens up about healing body shame, rewriting painful memories, and the science behind why just three minutes of movement can completely transform your nervou...

Ever wonder what a former Oncology Pharmacist, now a Functional Medicine practitioner, has to say about stress and clutter? In this episode, I sit down with Dipa Chauhan to explore simple foundational shifts that support real healing, and a  lighter life and home.   Connect with Dipa Chauhan: Website: https://thelivingproofinstitute.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/becomeproof Instagram: ht...

Ever wonder what plant intelligence can teach us about clutter, overwhelm, and blocked flow—both in the body and in the home? In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Payeur, founder of Nature Provides, to explore how plants  sense, respond, and regulate in real time. Through her work with plant stem cell remedies, education, and storytelling, Jennifer helps people understand how plants support d...

I go to my grocery store once a week. My husband, Randy, also makes a weekly grocery run. There are four of us - and food is where a significant portion of our money goes. Do we eat everything we buy? We're getting much better.   When I shop, one of my teenagers always comes with me. I have them read ingredient labels out loud because the print is tiny - and honestly, because it tells us a lot. If...

Clutter isn't just something you see. It's something your body processes . Your cells are always responding to your environment. Including your home. In this episode, Heather Aardema sits down with Dr. Monisha Bhanote, a five-time board-certified physician and author of The Anatomy of Well-Being , to explore how physical clutter, mental overload, and chronic stress show up at the cellular level. Y...

Most people struggle with decluttering because they focus on the stuff. But what keeps them stuck is the thinking behind it.   In this solo episode, How Better Decisions Create Less Clutter , Heather Aardema shares a deceptively simple question that transformed the way she declutters, decides, and lives:   What were three of my best decisions this year?   What began as an inability to throw away o...

Most people struggle with decluttering because they think the problem is the stuff. But the real weight usually comes from the thinking behind it.   In this solo episode, The Freedom Shift That Makes Decluttering Easier , Heather Aardema shares a small moment that revealed a much bigger pattern.   When she was offered a piano she didn't need and didn't have space for, her first instinct was to say...

Most people start decluttering by looking at their stuff. But the real clutter usually starts inside. In this episode, Heather and intuitive healer Helen Armstrong explore how unprocessed emotions, inherited patterns, and absorbed energy create the heaviness people feel in their homes and in their bodies. You'll hear why certain spaces feel overwhelming, why letting go feels harder than it "should...

Most people try to tackle pain in one category and clutter in another. But the body doesn't sort things that neatly.   In this episode, Heather Aardema and wellness engineer Jane Hogan break down how an overloaded nervous system can create both physical pain and the kind of clutter that feels impossible to touch. When your system is bracing or carrying more than it can process, it doesn't just sha...

What if your home isn't just where you live… but who you're becoming?   In this episode, holistic interior designer Bailey Konieczka joins Heather Aardema to talk about creating a home that supports your next evolution - your values, your habits, and the person you're growing into.   If you want a space that feels easier to live in and easier to show up in, this conversation will point you in the...

How the Chakra System Can Guide Your Decluttering Decisions with DeAnne Gauya | Heather Aardema   What if the heaviness you're feeling isn't coming from your home… but from your own energy system?   In this conversation, Heather Aardema sits down with chakra expert DeAnne Gauya to explore how blocked energy centers, emotional clutter, and misaligned daily habits slowly chip away at vitality — and...

How Nature Helps You Declutter with Deb Matlock | Heather Aardema   What if the natural world is quietly showing you how to let go?   In this powerful conversation, environmental educator and spiritual life coach Deb Matlock invites us to reconnect with the wild places - inside and around us - and discover how that relationship can make decluttering feel more intuitive, grounded, and meaningful.  ...

Relationships and Clutter: How to Create Healthy Boundaries | with Heather Aardema Relationships can feel heavy at times, so let's empower ourselves. In this episode, we explore practical tools to help alleviate mind clutter and navigate relationships with curiosity, boundaries, and self-awareness.   What You'll Learn: Why relationships are defined by the thoughts we choose to have How "operating...

Body Clutter: How to Create a Healing Home | with Heather Aardema Is your home helping or hurting your health? In this episode, we explore the concept of "body clutter" and why creating a toxin-free, healing home environment is a powerful form of self-care.   What You'll Learn: Why dryer sheets and candles might be impacting your health Small changes to reduce toxins in your home Tips to create a...

The Joy of Missing Out: Decluttering Excess for a Lighter Life | with Heather Aardema   Do you ever feel like your dreams are buried under all your stuff? The average home has over 300,000 items—most of which are never used. Let's explore why we accumulate so much and how embracing the "Joy of Missing Out" (JOMO) can help you live a lighter, freer life.   In my latest podcast, I reveal… The surpri...

Decluttering for Self-Discovery: What's Your Next Chapter? | with Heather Aardema   What will you do with your one wild and precious life?    I love this question posed by late poet Mary Oliver. In this video, I share how clutter—both physical and mental—can hold us back from living our most creative, meaningful lives.    In my latest video, I reveal… How to identify and release the mind clutter h...

Decluttering with Ease: Being Kind to Your Nervous System | with Heather Aardema Feeling overwhelmed by decluttering? You're not alone. In this podcast, I'll share how to approach decluttering with kindness for your nervous system. Discover why the category-by-category method might not be the best choice and how a room-by-room approach can make the process more manageable—and even enjoyable!   In...