The Sacred Designer Podcast

Designing a Home That Holds Your Life

Your home is more than a group of pretty rooms. It is a system that should support your life, your routines, and the way you feel each day. → Book your free design call here: https://kitchenbathdigest.com/ In this episode of The Sacred Designer Podcast, Alyssa talks with Christie of Crew Collective Design about design that goes deeper than looks. This conversation explores whole-home flow, thoughtful planning, function, emotional ease, and why choices should not be made in isolation. Christie shares how a well-designed home should feel calm, clear, and connected from one space to the next. If you are planning a kitchen, bathroom, or full home project, this episode will help you slow down and think about the bigger picture. A beautiful home is not just about finishes. It is about how each choice supports your daily life now and in the future. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Why homes should be designed as a whole system 09:00 Bathrooms as spaces for renewal and rest 19:00 Why cohesion matters in how a home feels 28:00 The designer’s role as guide, advocate, and translator 37:00 How to begin your next design decision with more clarity 38:00 Where to connect with Christie Learn More About Christie! Website: https://crewcollectivedesign.com/ Instagram: @crewcollectivedesign Facebook: @crewcollectivedesign TikTok: @crewcollectivedesign Want More Sacred Design? → Join our free design community here: https://www.skool.com/the-kbd-design-lounge-free-6417/about Planning a kitchen or bathroom remodel? Explore the Kitchen + Bathroom Plan Package so you can create a clearer, more functional plan before you spend money or move forward with construction. → Book your free design call here: https://kitchenbathdigest.com/ If this episode helped you see your home in a new way, share it with someone who wants to create a space that feels more calm, clear, and supportive. ✨ A beautiful home is not just one that looks good. It is one that helps you feel more at home in your life. #TheSacredDesigner #lifeofinteriordesigner #KitchenBathDigest #SacredDesign

Your Home Might Be Dysregulating Your Nervous System

Your body is your first home. And the spaces around you are shaping your nervous system more than you may realize. In this episode of The Sacred Designer, Alyssa is joined by Brittany, a practitioner in somatic healing, nervous system awareness, and intuitive living, to explore the connection between the body, the home, and the feeling of safety.  This conversation is a grounded invitation to listen more closely to your body and notice how your spaces can either support regulation or quietly contribute to dysregulation. Brittany works at the intersection of somatic healing, nervous system support, intuition, and body-based care. In this conversation, she shares how healing begins with presence, safety, and learning to trust what the body is already communicating. → Book your free design call here: https://kitchenbathdigest.com/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro: the body as your first home 05:00 Signals your body gives when a space or interaction feels off 10:00 What changes when the body starts to soften 15:00 Clutter, kitchen stress, lighting, and energy flow 20:00 Why the body needs acknowledgment before it can relax 25:00 Letting the body tell you what it needs 31:00 Why the kitchen can be a place of creativity, meditation, and nourishment 33:00 Should you work on the body first or the space first? 35:00 Why your home should be an active participant in healing 42:00 Fire round: body cues, safe spaces, grounding textures, and breath 45:00 Final reflections and where to connect with Brittany Watch this on YouTube: Your Home Might Be Dysregulating Your Nervous System [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GISX_PwFKRo] Learn more about Brittany: Website: sacredst.com Email: brittany@sacredst.com Want More Sacred Design? Join our free design community here → https://www.skool.com/the-kbd-design-lounge-free-6417/about Get on the waitlist: https://go.kitchenbathdigest.com/remodel-planning-package If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who is learning to listen to their body, soften their space, and create a home that feels more supportive. ✨ Healing does not begin with perfection. It begins with presence, safety, and learning to trust what your body has been saying all along. #thesacreddesigner #somatichealing #nervoussystemregulation #intentionalhome #sacreddesign #healingspaces #interiordesign #kitchenandbathdesign

Designing Sacred Spaces Through Art, Nature, and Ritual

Art, nature, and ritual can change the way we experience home.  In this episode of The Sacred Designer, Alyssa is joined by Amy Walton, an interior designer and fine artist, to explore how meaningful spaces can support healing, creativity, peace, and connection.  From growing up on a Pennsylvania farm to designing custom homes and creating sacred gathering spaces, Amy shares how nature, intuition, and artistic practice have shaped the way she sees beauty and builds environments that feel deeply alive. Amy Walton is an interior designer, fine artist, and creative guide whose work brings together home design, painting, nature, and ritual. She creates homes and gathering spaces that are grounded in warmth, serenity, texture, and emotional connection, and she also hosts healing and art-based experiences through the sacred spaces she has built on her property. → Book your free design call here: https://kitchenbathdigest.com/ In this episode, Amy explains: ▪ How childhood experiences in nature shaped her design eye ▪ Why art became her healing process ▪ The connection between sacred geometry, rhythm, and meaningful spaces ▪ How drawing homes can become a form of manifestation ▪ Her process for helping clients emotionally experience their home before it is built ▪ Why calm and serenity are essential qualities in a space ▪ How lighting, curves, stone, wood, and texture bring warmth into the home ▪ The story behind her art studio and the “Magic Cottage” ▪ Why people are craving more hands-on beauty, ritual, and creative connection today TIMESTAMPS 0:0 - 5:00 Growing Up on the Farm & Art as Emotional Processing 5:00 - 10:00 Drawing as Manifestation & Building Dream Spaces 10:00 - 15:00 Home as a Vision Board & Client Design Process 15:00 - 20:00 Design Philosophy – Light, Curves & Nature Indoors 20:00 - 25:00 The Magic Cottage & Healing Spaces 25:00 - 30:00 Maine Influences & Community Art Workshops 30:00 - 33:30 Sacred Fire Round & Outro Learn more about Amy Walton: www.amywalton.com https://www.instagram.com/amywaltondesign/ Watch this in youtube: https://youtu.be/vP2FobKkL5E Want More Sacred Design? Join our free design community here → https://www.skool.com/the-kbd-design-lounge-free-6417/about Get on the waitlist: https://go.kitchenbathdigest.com/remodel-planning-package #thesacreddesigner #sacreddesign #intentionalhome #interiordesign #healingspaces #kitchenandbathdesign

Aura Colors Explained: How Your Energy Shapes Your Space with Helen Ye Plehn

Your home is not just a backdrop. It is an energetic environment your nervous system responds to every day. In this episode of The Sacred Designer, I’m joined by Helen Ye Plehn, an aura color teacher, to explore aura colors, the energy you radiate, and how your space can support or drain you depending on what season you are in. We talk about what an aura is in simple terms, how aura colors can shift over time, and why you may suddenly feel drawn to new colors, textures, or designs. This conversation connects energy, identity, and home in a way that feels grounded, gentle, and practical. → Book your free design call here: https://kitchenbathdigest.com/ In this episode, we explore: 1. What aura colors are and what they can reveal about your current state 2. The difference between mood aura, personality aura, and soul aura 3. Why your home and your energy are always in exchange 4. Signs your space may no longer feel supportive, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually 5. How color attraction can signal healing needs or natural resonance 6. One simple environmental shift that can change everything: lighting If you’re interested in energy in the home, nervous system friendly design, intentional living, and creating a home that feels like you, this episode is for you. Learn more about Helen Ye Plehn here: Website: www.helencreatesbeauty.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helencreatesbeauty/ If this episode brought you relief, clarity, or a sense of “I’m not the only one,” share it with another designer who needs to hear it and bring your reflections into the community. 📍 Want More Sacred Design? Join our free design community here → https://www.skool.com/the-kbd-design-lounge-free-6417/about 💌 Get on the waitlist for the Spring Cohort: From Moodboard to Move-In → https://kitchenbathdigest.com/spring-cohort/ ✨ Your home is not just where you live. It’s where you come back to yourself. #thesacreddesigner #intentionalhome #kitchenandbathdesign #sacredspaces

Trust in the Design Process: Sourcing, Pricing & Calm Clients

Behind every calm, beautiful home is a design process most people never see. And at the center of that process is one thing: trust. In this episode of The Sacred Designer, we are joined by Heather McManus award-winning interior designer, author, speaker, and founder of The Designers Collaborative. → Book your free design call here: https://kitchenbathdigest.com/ Heather supports designers with thoughtful to-the-trade furniture sourcing, fair pricing, and community-driven guidance so they don’t have to do this work alone. We talk about the moments that test trust, the reality of sourcing in an internet-driven world, and how designer nervous systems directly impact client nervous systems. Heather shares how one chandelier story changed the way she runs her business, and how that experience led to building a new kind of support system for designers. If you’re a designer who feels rushed, second-guessed, or alone in your pricing and sourcing decisions, this conversation will feel like a deep breath. IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE: * Why trust is everything in the design process * The chandelier story that cost Heather a client and shifted her entire approach * The difference between shopping and true sourcing as a designer * How to protect your pricing, profit, and peace of mind in an internet-first market * Why rushed, event-driven decisions (like “we need a sofa before the wedding”) create long-term regret * How your nervous system as a designer affects your clients’ nervous systems * What “thoughtful to-the-trade sourcing” actually looks like in practice * The role of community and mentorship in creating a sustainable design business This one is especially for you if: * You feel rushed or pressured around sourcing and pricing * You’ve lost a client over something you couldn’t fully explain * You’re tired of battling online pricing and want trusted trade partners * You’re craving community, mentorship, and calmer workdays as a designer Learn more about Heather, The Designers Collaborative, and her support for designers here: * Website: www.thedesignerscollaborative.com [http://www.thedesignerscollaborative.com] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedesignerscollaborative/# [https://www.instagram.com/thedesignerscollaborative/] If this episode brought you relief, clarity, or a sense of “I’m not the only one,” share it with another designer who needs to hear it and bring your reflections into the community. 📍 Want More Sacred Design? Join our free design community here → https://www.skool.com/the-kbd-design-lounge-free-6417/about [https://www.skool.com/the-kbd-design-lounge-free-6417/about] 💌 Get on the waitlist for the Spring Cohort: From Moodboard to Move-In → https://kitchenbathdigest.com/spring-cohort/ [https://kitchenbathdigest.com/spring-cohort/] ✨ Your home is not just where you live. It’s where you come back to yourself. #thesacreddesigner #intentionalhome #kitchenandbathdesign #sacredspaces