Wanna hear how we furnished a 3 bedroom house for $5,000 in 3 weeks, and created a home Poliana and her kids adore? Listen, to hear my secret formula.
Wanna hear how we furnished a 3 bedroom house for $5,000 in 3 weeks, and created a home Poliana and her kids adore? Listen, to hear my secret formula.
Go to awakenyourinterior.com/resources to download my free Listening Closely journal, and start listening closely to your body.
Hi Welcome back to, Listening Closely, I’m Tasha Cleaveland. You heard how I helped Poliana yesterday, right? When we were done she asked me what I did… but I couldn’t really answer. So we hacked my process. Wanna hear what it is?
I know how hard it can be to live in a home that doesn’t feel right. It's not your fault. You were never taught how to create a home that makes you feel alive.
The key is inside you, we just need to unlock it, and this podcast is where you begin.
I’m Tasha Cleaveland, welcome to the Listening Closely podcast.
So how did I help Poliana create a home in a matter of weeks, that she and her family absolutely loves, spending only $5000. I didn’t know how to explain it! But Poliana is a smart lady and she insisted there was a method. So we sat down and wrote out the steps.
The first thing I do is start asking a bunch of questions and ask for photos so I can start to “get them”. Often times they don’t know what they like, but I just keep asking them different things. The less they understand themselves, the longer this can take. It’s kinda like a game of mini-golf. You keep bouncing the ball around until you get closer and closer and finally, CLINK! Hole in one. See this is where the embodied dance comes in! You are already ahead when you know how to navigate.
So we take all that info and create a style map, incorporating their favorite places, and colors, scents, sounds, all kinds of sensory feedback. It’s always fun when I tell them what the style recipe for the space is starting to look like. Its kinda like reading their fortune or tarot cards. They look at me nodding and and smiling.
Shaun loved gradients, in every possible way. Quirky details that had sentimental attachments. The ocean, mother of pearl, geodes, stones and sand.
Dr. K liked aged copper, botanicals, sea glass and natural wood elements. Mermaids, sea animals and old wooden ships. How light glimmers in the water.
Poliana liked straight lines, simple shapes, neutrals plus a hint of barely there colors. Space to spread out, faux fur and fluffy blankets, sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, in sequins and mirrored cabinets, in clear glass.
Marcella loved color, rich, delicious color. Midnight blue cabinet stain, large, long silver pulls, vintage silver pitchers and lush stone countertops. Earthy and grounding, fun and unexpected. And her sparkle, it was always the little cherry on top.
Rarely do we feel so understood as when someone takes the time to listen to what we love. It’s like being truly seen and accepted.
In order to take that information and create something I need to understand their space, what they like doing there, what is and isn’t working, what they long for. It is important to know what your body needs from your space. Where it loves being and where it doesn’t in your home. Figuring out why. Because then you can duplicate the good and change the not so good.
We look at obstacles and habits that get in the way of their goals, so we can find solutions that will work. For me, I grew up in a house that had all horizontal surfaces covered in stuff. If there was a table, it was gonna get filled. So I know my achilles heel is horizontal surfaces. So I eliminate as many as possible. There are no horizontal surfaces without a purpose! Maybe for you its the drop zone at the door where everyone leaves everything. So we find a solution that works for where and what is already happening. We follow what the bodies are doing in the spaces so the solutions flow. But then there is also the stuff that no one likes to talk about. I call them the ghosts. The ghosts of failure, comparison, worthiness and emptiness. The little reminders all over your house that constantly tell you, you aren’t enough. The books that you never got around to reading. The chair that is broken that never got fixed. The sofa pillows that somehow always end up on the floor. The voice in your head that is always reminding you what your friend’s houses look like. Feeling like you should just shut up and be grateful for what you have. Stop dreaming for more. The filling up of your space so you don’t have to feel the overwhelming loneliness inside of you. Yeah. The stuff we don’t talk about. But you know what happens when you share that stuff? Suddenly it doesn’t have the same power over you that it had before. Its like you were in the dark, muddling through, and now, someone turned on a light.
And then, we play with the stuff. See this is the part everyone wants to jump right to. Pinterest boards! Ahhh, but you can’t skip the soul work. Have you ever watched those hoarding shows? You know how they won’t let anything go on the dump truck without the person seeing and saying yes, learning new habits and unlearning locked patterns. They won’t just take a truck and throw it all out because they know it won’t stick. They know there is so much involved in how we live in our spaces and how they make us feel. Ever look at one of those home organizing posts and think “yeah, that will never last”? And then you feel worse afterward. You feel like a failure before you even tried! The impossible perfection shines a blaring spotlight on your imperfection. And that is not ok. Its not gonna get us anywhere if we are comparing our reality to pixel houses. Sure you can clone a Pinterest room, but if it is devoid of your own unique joy, it will still feel empty. If you keep buying without knowing what your body really, really needs, you end up getting 8 different sofas in 10 years and still not finding one that makes you happy (pst, Jenny!).
When you are surrounded with what you love and your body is nurtured in your space, you get to live lit up from the inside. You are awakened to who you truly are, and darling, you are magnificent.
Would you like to live awakened? I offer mini digital courses, a group mentorship, and personalized one on one consulting. Find them all at awakenyourinterior.com
Here's what I noticed yesterday:
Gratitude for my partner and finding the spot: My husband is an amazing chef. He loves it. I… I reheat. The kitchen is not my happy place. So I came home after an exhausting day and on the way he called to tell me he made enchiladas, one was for me. He is pretty awesome like that. I opened the microwave and saw two containers, pulled one out and looked at it, saw corn tortillas (I dont really like them), and my body was like “…no…” thinking the one he made special was vegetarian, for me and my daughter. And the thing is, I always eat what Im given. Its how I was raised. Its only because of this work, I started noticing what my body really liked with food. But then I saw it. The other batch was flour. Soft, fluffy, flour tortillas. How quickly my body flipped from “eh” to total bliss. I put ABBA on the record player and I was in a total dreamland, sitting down at the table, listening to music that lights me up and eating my flour enchiladas, with such gratitude for the man who loves me so deeply and remembered the nuances of what I love.
The song for today is:
“Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker
(Movement focus: feeling the lift in the song)
Soulwork for today:
Start to notice what lights you up and what drags you down. See if you can identify 3 more things for your bliss list, and 2 Achilles heels. Then look around and see where they exist in your home. Just observe and take note.
Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I know how hard it is when it seems like there isn’t any to spare. But you showed up today. You put yourself on the list and I celebrate you. As you move through your day, keep your soul work assignment in mind and before starting bedtime routine, while the kids are brushing their teeth, grab your journal and fill in the prompts. Keep going. You can do this.
Know another mom who needs to put themselves on the list too? Please share the love, because we are stronger together.
Until tomorrow. Lots of love.
Tasha