Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Awakening Spaces Podcast - Conscious Construction for a Healthy Home
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dancing Raven: Building a Healthy Vacation Rental in the Sonoran Desert with Ray Clamons | EP58 | 22 oct. 2026 | 00:36:25 | |
What does it look like when Building Biology, building science, and natural building are integrated from the beginning of an ambitious, health-focused project in the American Southwest? In this episode, guest host Zara D’Cotta sits down with Ray Clamons, architectural designer, natural builder, licensed general contractor, certified Passive House consultant, and founder of Natural Building Works in Tucson, Arizona. Zara first met Ray on site at the Dancing Raven project last year and returned for blower door test day, and the conversation they have here is rich with the kind of real-world detail that only comes from someone who has actually built the thing. Dancing Raven is the vision and deeply personal project of Amelie, a French Canadian woman who spent ten years navigating mold illness before deciding to build the healthiest home she could possibly create in the Sonoran Desert. Ray explains how the project team came together around Amélie’s brief and how rammed earth, straw bale, natural plasters, moisture-aware detailing, airtightness and mechanical ventilation were brought together within a climate that moves between extreme dry heat and monsoon-season humidity. Zara and Ray explore the project’s blower-door testing, post-construction monitoring and what the data is beginning to reveal about the performance of the rammed-earth and straw-bale areas. They also discuss VOCs, ventilation, caulking, installation sequencing, and the necessary collaboration between designers, builders, and trades. This is a conversation about pursuing an ambitious healthier-building vision while working through real-world sequencing, material and construction challenges. For anyone building new, working with natural materials, or seeking to understand how Building Biology and building science translate into decisions on site, Dancing Raven offers an exceptional case study. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ZARA Zara D'Cotta is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home. After navigating two cancer diagnoses and years of environmental illness across multiple water-damaged homes, Zara made it her mission to bridge cutting-edge research and real-world building practice. She holds both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, placing her in a small group of building biologists globally qualified to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health, and healthy design principles into mainstream construction. Today, she works with builders, designers, building-product manufacturers and industry organisations across Australia and internationally, delivering professional education, technical consulting, EMF assessments, team capability training and keynote presentations that help integrate healthier materials, low-EMF design and Building Biology principles into mainstream construction. CONNECT WITH GUEST Ray Clamons is an architectural designer, natural builder, licensed general contractor, certified Passive House consultant, sustainable building advisor, and certified permaculture designer, and the founder of Natural Building Works in Tucson, Arizona. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona and has spent over a decade building a design-build company specializing in rammed earth, straw bale, natural plasters, and regenerative water harvesting landscapes. Natural Building Works builds around the belief that every project should be self-sufficient in power, water, and food production, and, where possible, builds volunteer workshops around each project to create community and make natural building more accessible. Ray is also a drummer in the Grateful Dead tribute band Top Dead Center and the creator of some of the most popular rammed earth building videos on YouTube. He is currently available for consulting on healthy natural building projects outside of Tucson. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Soul-Led Architecture: Designing Healthy Homes from the Inside Out with Jo Gillies of Archisoul | EP57 | 15 oct. 2026 | 00:46:17 | |
What would it look like if your architect understood not just how you live, but who you are at your deepest level, and designed your home from that place outward? In this episode, guest host Zara D’Cotta sits down with Jo Gillies, registered architect, director, and founder of Archisoul Architects, for one of the most expansive and genuinely surprising conversations this podcast has had on the intersection of architecture, health, and the human spirit. Jo’s path into this work runs through Guillain-Barré syndrome at twenty-five, a long journey of questioning what we put into our bodies and our buildings, and decades of sacred retreats across Africa and Peru that have shaped a design philosophy unlike anything you will hear from a conventional architect. Together, Zara and Jo explore what sacred intention in architecture actually means in practice, how Jo uses the five love languages and the DISC personality profile to draw out what a client truly needs from their home, and why sacred geometry is inert until you activate it through intention. They also get into Jo’s project in Costa Rica called The Vessyl, a copper dome sound healing space in the jungle where passive house technology was applied to achieve a stable ambient temperature year-round despite the humidity and a nearby volcano, and what early contractor involvement actually looks like when a building team is genuinely working together from the start. Jo also speaks about why she refers building biologists as essential consultants on her projects rather than trying to carry that knowledge herself, and what she tells homeowners who are nervous about asking hard questions when interviewing an architect. This one covers a lot of ground and all of it is worth your time. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ZARA Zara D'Cotta is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home. After navigating two cancer diagnoses and years of environmental illness across multiple water-damaged homes, Zara made it her mission to bridge cutting-edge research and real-world building practice. She holds both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, placing her in a small group of building biologists globally qualified to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health, and healthy design principles into mainstream construction. Today, she works with builders, designers, building-product manufacturers and industry organisations across Australia and internationally, delivering professional education, technical consulting, EMF assessments, team capability training and keynote presentations that help integrate healthier materials, low-EMF design and Building Biology principles into home design & construction. CONNECT WITH GUEST Jo Gillies is a registered architect, director, and founder of Archisoul Architects in Sydney, Australia, with over thirty years of experience designing homes, heritage buildings, commercial spaces, and international wellness projects that go well beyond function. Her philosophy was shaped early by childhood years in the Bahamas and English villages that left her with a deep understanding of how the built environment creates belonging, community, and a sense of soul. She studied architecture at Sydney University, worked across architectural firms, film set design, and high-end furniture layout planning before founding Archisoul in 2012 around a single belief: that purposeful design activates the soul of the people living and working within it. In 2014, Jo delivered a TEDx talk at the Powerhouse Museum on masculine and feminine principles in architecture, and her work has since expanded to draw from sacred geometry, biomorphic design, the five love languages, and decades of personal study through sacred retreats across Africa and Peru. She leads a team of twelve across residential, commercial, and international projects, including The Vessyl in Costa Rica and an ongoing collaboration with the Pyramids of Chi in Ubud, Bali, and brings the lens of building biology and low EMF design into her briefing process and material selection through her participation in Zara’s Healthy Building Materials Mastermind and Low EMF Home Design and Construction course. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Better Buildings Start with People: Building Science and Industry Culture with Mark Wille of The Build Show | EP56 | 08 oct. 2026 | 00:57:11 | |
What does it actually take to shift an entire industry toward building healthier, higher-performing homes, and where does that change actually begin? In this special episode, Zara D'Cotta of The Healthy Home steps in as guest host and sits down with Mark Wille, author, builder, carpenter, and storyteller, and an integral part of the team behind The Build Show, for one of the most wide-ranging and genuinely inspiring conversations this podcast has had on the culture of construction. Mark brings decades of hands-on experience across renovation, rehab, new construction, and green building supply, and a philosophy about people, relationships, and shared knowledge that cuts through every topic they cover. Together, Zara and Mark walk through why vetting your project team is about chemistry as much as credentials, how building science is happening whether builders acknowledge it or not, and why water control is still the most underserved area in residential construction despite everything the industry has learned. They also dig into the Build HD Standard, a living document being developed to take builders meaningfully beyond code in water, air, vapor, thermal, and installation practices, and why it starts long before the first shovel hits the ground. Mark also shares what it was like to host Zara at The Build Show for EMF testing, why that conversation generated more curiosity than expected, and why he believes the next frontier of sharing best practices belongs to the Spanish-speaking trades. This episode closes with Mark's children's book, The ABCs of Construction Tech, and what he hopes a child, or the adult reading alongside them, will walk away believing about what is possible in the built environment. If you are building, renovating, working in the trades, or just trying to understand what good looks like in this industry, this one will stay with you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ZARA Zara D'Cotta is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home. After navigating two cancer diagnoses and years of environmental illness across multiple water-damaged homes, Zara made it her mission to bridge cutting-edge research and real-world building practice. She holds both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, placing her in a small group of building biologists globally qualified to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health, and healthy design principles into mainstream construction. Today, she works with builders, designers, and industry organizations across Australia and beyond through her Healthy Building Materials Mastermind, her Low EMF Home Design and Construction course, and her consulting and speaking work with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in the built environment. CONNECT WITH GUEST Mark Wille is an author, builder, carpenter, and storyteller, and a team member at The Build Show. With decades of hands-on experience across renovation, retrofit, new construction, and green-building supply, Mark brings a deeply relational approach to the industry and a genuine belief that when you know better, you build better. A passionate advocate for Spanish-language building science education and the author of The ABCs of Construction Tech in the You Can Too series, a children's book designed to open young minds to the vocabulary and possibilities of the built environment. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| EMF Is No Longer Fringe: What’s Changing in Healthy Home Building with Guest Host Zara D’Cotta | EP55 | 01 oct. 2026 | 00:11:59 | |
What does it look like when the healthy-home conversation begins moving upstream, from homeowners fighting to be heard to building professionals asking better questions themselves? In this special solo episode, guest host Zara D’Cotta of The Healthy Home introduces herself and reflects on the shifts she has witnessed since being diagnosed with mould illness in 2015. Zara and Ashley have been friends since 2021, connected through shared experiences with environmental illness and their parallel paths through Building Biology. Zara is stepping in to host a series of episodes while Ashley is on maternity leave. She shares what surprised her during recent travels across Australia and the United States, including the topic generating unexpected interest among builders and other industry professionals at Build Show LIVE in San Antonio. Zara also previews the conversations ahead with builders, designers and specialists from Australia, the United States and Canada. If you’re building a healthier home or supporting clients through that process, these episodes will offer practical, industry-facing perspectives that complement everything Ashley has created here. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower you and one-on-one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH ZARA Zara D'Cotta is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home. After navigating two cancer diagnoses and years of environmental illness across multiple water-damaged homes, Zara made it her mission to bridge cutting-edge research and real-world building practice. She holds both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, placing her in a small group of building biologists globally qualified to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health, and healthy design principles into mainstream construction. Today she works with builders, designers, and industry organizations across Australia and beyond through her Healthy Building Materials Mastermind, her Low EMF Home Design and Construction course, and her consulting and speaking work with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in the built environment. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| How I've Prepared My Body and My Home for a New Life | EP54 | 24 sept. 2026 | 00:33:16 | |
What does it actually look like to build a business around helping people create healthier homes while simultaneously growing a human inside your own body? In this special solo episode, Ashley comes to you at 38, almost 39 weeks pregnant, with a life and business update she has been sitting on for months. From the fear that she might never be able to get pregnant, to the moment everything clicked into place the day after a wishing card session with Brownell Landrum, to the nesting spiral that took over her entire home instead of the gut renovation she had originally planned, this episode is personal, warm, and full of the kind of honest reflection that only comes when you are days away from one of the biggest moments of your life. Ashley shares what she believes actually helped her get pregnant so quickly after years of health struggles, including morning sunlight, blocking blue light, cleaning up endocrine disruptors, and something she did not even realize was a practice at the time: talking to her son Stellan like he was already here. She also walks through what she has been doing throughout pregnancy to feel supported, from functional lab work and electrolytes to hypnobirthing, the Pain Free Birth course, and a small but mighty stack of books she wishes she had found sooner. This episode also covers exactly what Awakening Spaces looks like while Ashley is on maternity leave, who is stepping in to support one-on-one clients, who is keeping the Conscious Construction Container alive, and how Zara D'Cotta of The Healthy Home is taking over guest interviews while Ashley is away. If you have been following along or are just tuning in, this one will catch you up on everything and leave you excited for what is coming next. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower you and one-on-one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Why Prefab homes Might Be the Future of Healthy Home Building with Mariana Pickering of B.Public Prefab | EP53 | 17 sept. 2026 | 00:46:53 | |
What if the biggest barrier to building a healthy, high performance home was not the technology or the knowledge but the way the industry still builds one house at a time from scratch? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Mariana Pickering, Chief Brand Officer and Community Director at B.Public Prefab, for a conversation that makes a genuinely compelling case for why prefab is one of the most exciting developments in healthy home building right now. Mariana brings over fifteen years at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and education, a Master's in Design Science from the University of Sydney, a BA in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, an architectural practice in Italy, and years leading Passive House training as CEO of Emu Passive before joining B.Public's leadership team in 2025. Together Ashley and Mariana walk through what prefab actually means in the context of high performance building, why factory-built structural panels change the quality control conversation entirely, what airtightness numbers B.Public is hitting in the field and why that matters for indoor air quality, and why the Passive House standard remains one of the most reliable proxies for a home that will actually perform. They also dig into the materials conversation, what B.Public specifies and why, where healthy materials and high performance building science overlap and where they still have work to do, and why education and community building are just as important as the product itself. This is a forward-looking episode about what becomes possible when you take building science seriously and design a system around it. If you are building new or wondering whether prefab belongs in the healthy home conversation, this one will shift how you think about it. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Mariana Pickering is the Chief Brand Officer and Community Director at B.Public Prefab, where she leads builder education, outreach, and community engagement across a growing network of high-performance industry professionals. With over fifteen years of experience at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and education, Mariana holds a Master's in Design Science from the University of Sydney and a BA in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. She built an architectural practice in Italy before founding Emu Passive, where she became a recognized leader in Passive House training for construction professionals. After exiting Emu Passive in 2024, she joined the inaugural cohort of the Energy Communities AmeriCorps VISTA Program before joining B.Public's leadership team in 2025 to continue building the case for high performance, healthy, and scalable homes. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| How an Autism Diagnosis & CIRS Lead This Attorney To Creating Consciously Healthy Homes with Cristina of Conscious Healthy Home | EP52 | 10 sept. 2026 | 01:07:16 | |
What if your daughter's autism diagnosis was not autism at all, but a mold-induced inflammatory response that could be reversed? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Cristina, founder of Conscious Healthy Home and former corporate attorney, for one of the most powerful origin stories this podcast has ever shared. Cristina's family spent years living in a home with mold compacted inside the HVAC plenum, watching their daughter regress in ways that three years of speech, occupational, and physical therapy could not explain, before a single question from a functional medicine doctor finally cracked the case. When the inflammation was addressed, the behaviors stopped, the diagnosis was removed, and Cristina's entire sense of what mattered began to change. Together Ashley and Cristina walk through the full arc of what it looks like to discover mold in a home, navigate insurance denial, find a remediator fast, move out, move into a rental that also had moisture in the plenum, test forty homes with ERMI before finding one that was safe enough, and then slowly put a family back together on the other side of all of it. They also dig into what Consciously Healthy Home does now, including a real estate agent certification program that helps agents ethically and legally market themselves as healthy home specialists, why no one can promise a mold-free home and what the right language actually looks like, and why the mold space desperately needs people who lead with solutions instead of fear. This one is for anyone who has felt like every door keeps closing and wonders whether they are being redirected rather than defeated. It is also for every parent who trusted their gut when the system told them to stop asking questions. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Cristina Greenfield, J.D. is the founder of Conscious Healthy Home, LLC, a healthy home consulting and homeowner representation firm based near Houston, Texas, serving clients nationwide. A corporate attorney with 15+ years of legal experience, Cristina holds certifications as a Certified Passive House Builder (PHIUS), Building Biology Advocate, and Healthy Materials Advocate from the Parsons School of Design. She also serves as an Advisor on the Air Advisory for the International WELL Building Institute. Her work sits at a rare intersection — combining legal advocacy, building science, and a deep personal mission rooted in her own family's journey through toxic mold exposure. She trains real estate professionals through the CHH Realtor Certification Program and serves as Vice President of Malachi's Message Foundation, a nonprofit supporting families affected by toxic mold. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Non-Toxic Interior Design, Cleanwashing, and How to Furnish a Home That Actually Heals with Kaleigh Concannon of Uniquely You Decor | EP51 | 03 sept. 2026 | 00:45:24 | |
What happens when an interior designer watches her husband get taken down by mold toxicity, CIRS, and Lyme disease and realizes that everything she was putting in their home was making him worse? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Kaleigh Concannon, founder of Uniquely You Decor and one of the only non-toxic interior designers in Denver, for a conversation that is equal parts practical, personal, and genuinely eye-opening. Kaleigh's path into this work runs through Seattle during COVID, a moldy apartment in LA, a Denver home that tested positive for black mold after purchase, a GC who spilled asbestos and got the house condemned, and three and a half years of watching her husband deteriorate before he finally got the right diagnosis. Together Ashley and Kaleigh dig into what non-toxic interior design actually means in practice, why green and sustainable do not automatically mean healthy, how cleanwashing is manipulating well-intentioned consumers every single day, and what the biggest offenders are when it comes to furnishings that are quietly harming the people living with them. They also get into what to do when you cannot afford to start from scratch, why certifications are often more marketing than protection, and why bamboo flooring, recycled polyester, and antimicrobial paint are three examples where the sustainability story and the health story are telling you completely different things. This one is for every homeowner who has ever felt overwhelmed trying to figure out what is actually safe to bring into their home, every designer who has not yet connected their material selections to their clients' health, and every partner who has wondered whether to believe what they cannot see. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Kaleigh Concannon is the founder and principal designer of Uniquely You Decor, a non-toxic interior design firm based in Denver, Colorado serving clients across the country. After watching her husband navigate mold toxicity, CIRS, and Lyme disease over the course of several years, Kaleigh transitioned her twelve-year career in advertising and marketing into interior design with a singular focus: furnishing homes that support human health rather than undermine it. She presented at the SursX conference in 2025 and runs an annual event called Toxic by Design to educate fellow interior designers on the health implications of the materials they specify every day. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| A Consumer Protection Attorney’s Journey To Healthy Home Consultant with Karen Bloom of Natural Haven | EP50 | 27 août 2026 | 00:47:07 | |
What happens when the attorney who spent years suing companies like DuPont for deceiving consumers about toxic products becomes the patient who gets taken down by mold, Lyme, and CIRS? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Karen Bloom, founder of Natural Haven, for one of the most layered and honest conversations this podcast has had on what it actually takes to detox your home, your body, and your life at the same time. Karen's path runs through a traumatic ankle break in Shenandoah that triggered a cascade of mysterious symptoms nobody could diagnose, years of pharmaceuticals that made things worse, a bullseye rash nobody connected to Lyme until it was too late, and mold hiding in her HVAC that took multiple rounds of air testing to finally catch. Together Ashley and Karen dig into the difference between greenwashing and cleanwashing and why even well-intentioned consumers get tricked by both, what certifications actually mean and which ones are nearly meaningless for health purposes, the top offenders in nurseries and fertility-focused homes from EMF-emitting baby monitors to off-gassing furniture adhesives, and why the nervous system piece of healing is not optional and cannot be outsourced to supplements alone. Karen also brings her attorney's skepticism to every product claim she evaluates, and what she shares about how to actually read past the marketing is genuinely invaluable. This episode is for anyone navigating chronic illness, trying to create a healthier home for a baby, or simply exhausted by the impossible task of figuring out what is actually clean versus what just says it is. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Karen Bloom is a consumer protection attorney and the owner of Natural Haven, a healthy home consulting practice creating homes that support families’ health. She provides non-toxic product recommendations, mold guidance, and healthy building and renovation consultations. Karen's path to healthy home consulting work and education was personal. She spent nearly a decade with a debilitating chronic illness stemming from CIRS, Lyme disease, mold toxicity, and all that goes with it. She is deeply passionate about helping people who are struggling with what she once did and formed Natural Haven to help people reduce their toxic exposure in their homes and calm down their nervous systems. Karen draws on her background as a consumer protection attorney where she brought multi-million dollar cases against major corporations, like Dupont, for selling products with harmful chemicals without warning consumers of the harmful chemicals. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Tips for buying a Healthier Home and avoiding red flags with Real Estate Agent Rachel Klein | EP49 | 20 août 2026 | 00:53:00 | |
Most people buying a home are thinking about square footage, school districts, and whether the kitchen has been updated. Almost nobody is thinking about what is behind the walls, under the floors, or in the crawl space until they are sick and the remediation quote arrives. In this episode, Ashley sits down with Rachel Klein, licensed real estate agent and healthy home advisor based in Boulder, Colorado, for a conversation that every homeowner and prospective buyer in America needs to hear. Rachel bought a home, got sick from it, spent months figuring out why, and came out the other side with a completely different approach to how she represents her clients. Rachel walks through what a healthy home-focused real estate process actually looks like from the very first conversation, why she does an environmental walkthrough before her clients ever set foot in a property, what red flags she is flagging in the Colorado market that most agents would never mention, and why the seller's property disclosure is one of the most underused tools available to both buyers and sellers. They also cover dirt crawl spaces, spray foam, whole home humidifiers, swamp coolers, attic fans, flat roofs, and what freeze-thaw cycles in Colorado are doing to older homes that nobody is talking about. This episode is for anyone buying, selling, or even just thinking about their next home. It is also for anyone who has ever felt like they were the only one asking these questions in a room full of people who had no idea what they were talking about. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Rachel Klein is a licensed real estate agent in Colorado and healthy home advisor with the Goodacre Group at milehimodern in Boulder. After purchasing a home that made her seriously ill with mold-related symptoms, Rachel combined her personal recovery journey with her real estate practice to create a process that helps buyers find healthier homes and sellers present their properties with greater transparency. She is building a national network of like-minded agents and educating colleagues on how to advocate for clients with health sensitivities in the real estate process. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Flat Roofs, Envelope Failures, and Why Your Building Inspector Is Not Enough with Erika Bonfanti of Actin Partners | EP48 | 13 août 2026 | 00:51:19 | |
Most homeowners never think about their building envelope until something goes wrong. And by then, the mold is already there, the sheathing is already rotting, and the remediation quote is already six figures. In this episode, Ashley sits down with Erika Bonfanti, structural engineer turned building enclosure specialist and forensic consultant, for one of the most practical and eye-opening conversations this podcast has had on what actually keeps water out of your home and what happens when it does not. Erika breaks down what an envelope consultant actually does, why they are not the same as an architect, and why bringing one in on the front end of a project is one of the most cost-effective decisions a homeowner can make. They go deep on flat roofs specifically, covering why membranes fail, what happens when you put a deck or pavers on top of one, why the seals around every penetration need to be replaced every two to three years, and what the building code actually requires for above-deck insulation in cold climates that almost nobody is following. They also walk through a real project in Santa Fe where all of these issues converged at once and what the solution actually looked like. This episode is for anyone buying, building, or renovating a home with a flat roof, anyone who has ever had a leak they could not locate, and anyone who wants to understand what good looks like before something goes wrong. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Erika Bonfanti is a principal at Acton Partners and a building enclosure specialist and forensic engineer with over fifteen years of experience in condition assessments, leakage investigations, material distress evaluation, and enclosure design on new, existing, and historic structures. She applies her deep knowledge of how and why buildings fail to consulting and design peer review work with the goal of improving the hygrothermal and functional performance of enclosure systems. Erika currently serves as chair of ASHRAE TC 1.12, Moisture Management in Buildings, and is a dedicated board member of Preservation Austin. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Zara Interviews Ashley: Owner's Reps, Oversight, and What It Actually Takes to Build a Healthy Home | EP47 | 06 août 2026 | 00:42:11 | |
What happens when the host becomes the guest? In this special episode of the Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley's dear friend and building biology colleague Zara D'Cotta flips the microphone and interviews Ashley herself, pulling back the curtain on the work Ashley does behind the scenes on every project she touches. From the lawsuit that changed everything in her early career to what owner's rep work actually looks like day to day. Ashley walks through how a project gone wrong became the foundation of everything she does now, why oversight is the single biggest indicator of project success, and what it actually means to advocate for a homeowner in a room full of specialists who all have different opinions. She also gets candid about her own health journey, what finally shifted after years of outsourcing her healing, and why neurofeedback, morning walks, and learning to stop scanning her environment for threats changed things more than any supplement protocol ever did. This one is for every homeowner who has ever felt overwhelmed by decisions, every builder or designer who wants to understand what a healthy project team actually looks like, and every practitioner in this space who has ever wondered how Ashley holds it all together. Spoiler: she is still figuring it out too, and that is exactly what makes this conversation so good. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Zara D'Cotta is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home in Australia. After navigating two cancer diagnoses and years of environmental illness across multiple water-damaged homes, Zara made it her mission to bridge cutting-edge research and real-world building practice. She holds both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, placing her in a small group of building biologists globally qualified to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health, and healthy design principles into mainstream construction. Today she works with builders, designers, and industry organizations across Australia and beyond through her Healthy Building Materials Mastermind, her Low EMF Home Design and Construction course, and her consulting and speaking work with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in the built environment. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Mold Codes, Material Health, EMF Awareness, and Why Australia Is Leading the Way with Zara D'Cotta of The Healthy Home | EP46 | 30 juil. 2026 | 00:33:18 | |
What does it take to go from two cancer diagnoses and years of undiagnosed mold illness to becoming one of the most quietly influential voices in the healthy building industry? In this episode, Ashley sits down with her dear friend and longtime colleague Zara D'Cotta, building biology educator, electromagnetic radiation specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home in Australia, for one of the most personal and wide-ranging conversations this podcast has had. Zara's path into healthy building ran through a breast cancer diagnosis at twenty-nine, a melanoma two years later, and a slow, devastating journey through multiple water-damaged buildings in Sydney before she finally understood what was happening in her body and decided to do something about it at industry scale. Together Ashley and Zara explore what is happening in Australia right now that the US building industry should be paying close attention to, including landmark 2023 National Construction Code changes that officially recognized mold as a hazard to human health and opened the door to lawsuits against builders and designers for mold in walls and roofs. They also talk about what it actually looks like to educate builders on EMF, why so many of the builders Zara works with are now taking electromagnetic radiation seriously enough to carry meters on site, and why the supply chain is finally starting to ask better questions about material health. And because this is the Awakening Spaces podcast, they go there on astrology, human design, and what it means to build a life and a business that is aligned with who you actually are. This one is equal parts building science, lived experience, and soul. If you have ever wondered what the healthy building conversation looks like from the other side of the world, or what it looks like to rebuild yourself from the inside out while also trying to change an industry, this episode is for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Zara D'Cotta is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, and founder of The Healthy Home in Australia. After navigating two cancer diagnoses and years of environmental illness across multiple water-damaged homes, Zara made it her mission to bridge cutting-edge research and real-world building practice. She holds both the BBNC and EMRS certifications, placing her in a small group of building biologists globally qualified to integrate EMF awareness with moisture control, material health, and healthy design principles into mainstream construction. Today she works with builders, designers, and industry organizations across Australia and beyond through her Healthy Building Materials Mastermind, her Low EMF Home Design and Construction course, and her consulting and speaking work with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in the built environment. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| What Residential HVAC gets wrong and Why Planning Ahead Changes Everything with Dylan Hutcheson of Holistically Built | EP45 | 23 juil. 2026 | 00:57:22 | |
What happens when a commercial construction veteran with a five-hundred-million-dollar mixed-use project on his resume gets taken down by mold? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Dylan Hutcheson, healthy home builder and founder of Holistically Built in Atlanta, Georgia, whose path from high-rise construction management to residential healthy home construction runs straight through two years of mystery illness, medical leave, a disability insurance lawsuit, and a slow, humbling rebuild of his health and his career. Dylan brings something rare to the healthy home conversation: deep mechanical systems knowledge earned not just from building but from years of tearing sick buildings apart and figuring out why they failed. Together Ashley and Dylan walk through the mechanical systems conversation this space has been waiting for, from why oversizing an HVAC unit is one of the most common and expensive mistakes in hot humid climates, to what ductboard actually is and why one of Atlanta's top ENT doctors will not see patients who still have it in their homes. They dig into manual J, S, D, and T calculations, why a dehumidifier is sometimes a necessary evil and sometimes misunderstood, how ERVs interact with the rest of your system, and why the IQ Air Perfect 16 filter may be one of the most underrated upgrades available for an existing home. They also talk about planning ahead, collision plans for mechanical and structural coordination, roof geometry, window placement, and all the decisions that cost you almost nothing to think about in design and a fortune to fix in the field. This is a part one, and they are already planning part two around what it actually looks like to build Dylan's own home from scratch. If you are building new, renovating, or just trying to understand why your HVAC system is not doing what you think it is, start here. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Dylan Hutcheson is a licensed general contractor and founder of Holistically Built, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. After a career in large-scale commercial construction with Brasfield and Gorrie, Dylan was sidelined by a serious environmental illness that took years to recover from. That experience led him to environmental consulting, where he spent years conducting indoor air quality investigations and helping homeowners navigate remediation before concluding that the best solution was simply building healthier homes from the start. Today Dylan combines his construction background, environmental consulting experience, and certification as a Building Biology New Build Consultant through the Building Biology Institute to build homes designed to support the health of the people living inside them. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| The Science behind Vapor Barriers, Wallpaper, Paint, and Spray Foam with Emily Mottram | EP44 | 16 juil. 2026 | 01:13:33 | |
What does it actually mean to build a pretty good house, and why is that sometimes a better goal than building a perfect one? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Emily Mottram, licensed architect, building science educator, co-author of the Pretty Good House book, and one of the most thoughtful voices in the residential design space. Emily grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, got into architecture because her drafting teacher told her it was hard, and has spent the last two decades chasing every building science certification she could find, not because she thinks she knows everything, but precisely because she knows she does not. Together they cover an enormous amount of ground: what makes a house healthy when the answer is different for every person and every climate, why spray foam keeps showing up as a band-aid for design problems, what paint is actually doing to your walls and to the ocean, and why the building code is a recipe book that people keep making worse by swapping the wrong ingredients. Emily also shares the story of two back-to-back clients, one with multiple chemical sensitivities and one with a serious mold history, whose needs were almost perfectly opposite, and what that taught her about materials, assumptions, and listening. This is also a conversation about slowness, about pausing before adding more, doing better things instead of doing things better, and why the most important question to ask before reaching for any building product is whether you actually need it at all. If you are designing, building, or renovating and want to think more clearly about what you are putting into your home and why, this episode is required listening. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Emily Mottram is an architect and principal of Mottram & Maines. She developed an interest in building science and sustainable design in college, where she was inspired to design healthy, durable and energy efficient homes that are also comfortable and beautiful. She is a building science educator, co-Author of “Pretty Good House” a host on “The BS & Beer Show” and the creator of a monthly podcast “E3 - Energy and Efficiency with Emily,” focusing on building science, architecture and female entrepreneurship. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Living with CIRs, Healthy Construction, and Healing with Brent Little of Pinehaven Healthy Homes | EP43 | 09 juil. 2026 | 00:41:43 | |
What happens when the person who builds healthy homes for a living becomes the one who desperately needs one? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Brent Little, a thirty-year construction veteran and founder of Pinehaven Healthy Homes in McCall, Idaho, for one of the most honest and human conversations this podcast has ever had. Brent was a high-capacity, driven builder who had been exposed to mold on job sites for decades without incident, until a brand new RV became the straw that broke the camel's back, and both he and his wife found themselves navigating one of the most isolating and misunderstood illnesses of our time. Brent walks through the full arc of what happened, from the early neurological symptoms he thought might be brain cancer, to the emotional dysregulation that had them considering psychiatric intervention for his wife, to the long and expensive road through functional medicine that led nowhere until he found Dr. Eric Dorninger and Lauren Lowenstein of the Biotoxin Lady community. He also talks candidly about what it is like to be a man going through chronic illness in an industry built on toughness, how CIRS has shifted his entire business model toward natural and low-toxicity materials, and why he now sees this experience as something that was given to him rather than something that happened to him. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they were doing everything right and still got knocked flat. It is also for every builder, tradesperson, and contractor who has never connected the dots between the materials they work with every day and the way their body feels. Brent's story is a reminder that the healthy home conversation belongs to everyone, not just the people building from scratch. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.
Brent Little is a custom home builder based in McCall, Idaho and the founder of Pine Haven Healthy Homes. He has been in the trades since he was 18, studied Construction Management at Ohio State University, and has spent his career building in one of the most demanding environments in the country, a mountain ski town with high snow loads and complex site conditions that require serious technical skill to navigate. Two years ago, everything changed. Brent was hit with environmental illness that put him out of commission for over a year. The experience cracked open a whole new understanding of how the homes we build directly affect the health of the people living inside them, and it redirected his passion and his practice toward healthy building. Today Brent brings that hard-won personal experience together with decades of technical expertise to build homes that are as healthy as they are beautiful. Outside of work, he loves the outdoors, was a sponsored backcountry snowmobiler, and is in the process of adopting his eight-year-old son alongside his wife. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Passive House, Healthy Materials, and the Hierarchy of Healthy Building with Trey Farmer of Forge Craft Architecture | EP42 | 02 juil. 2026 | 00:45:33 | |
What does it actually mean to build a healthy home, and where do you start when everything feels equally important? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Trey Farmer, Austin-based architect, passive house advocate, and co-organizer of the Humid Climate Conference, for one of the most grounded and practically useful conversations this podcast has had on the intersection of building performance and human health. Trey brings a rare combination of credentials: passive house certification work, affordable housing and emerging tech projects, natural building experience, and a seat on the advisory board of Malachi's Message, a Texas-based mold awareness nonprofit. He is also just deeply fun to talk to. Together they unpack what passive house certification actually is, why it functions as such a reliable litmus test for the whole project team, and what it means in practice to build a home that controls its air, vapor, and thermal layers before worrying about anything else. Trey shares his hierarchy of healthy building priorities, from water control and airtightness all the way through materials and filtration, and why that sequence matters so much for homeowners trying to figure out where to put their limited time and budget. They also get into the gas versus induction debate, EMF considerations in context, the growing availability of red list free and declare-labeled materials, and why building smaller and better is often the most powerful financial decision a homeowner can make. This one ends with both Ashley and Trey agreeing that the healthy home space is only as strong as its community, and if you have been looking for your people, this episode will feel like coming home. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Meet Trey Farmer, Partner and Principal at Forge Craft Architecture + Design. With nearly two decades of experience in sustainable design and construction, and as the firm’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Trey is passionate about projects that make life better for people and our planet. He is LEED AP Certified as well as a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). In addition to his architectural expertise, he is a certified permaculture designer and teacher. Trey joined the Forge Craft team in 2016, drawn to the firm’s dedication to sustainable design, building science, and the shared conviction that great design can solve big problems and improve lives in a tangible way. Trey currently serves on the Austin Passive House Alliance Board, the National Passive House Alliance Council and Policy Committee, the Humid Climate Conference Steering Committee, and the ULI Austin Resilience & Sustainability Committee. Trey is a Master of Architecture graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, holds a Master’s degree in Ecological Design from San Francisco Institute of Architecture, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Otago. Prior to his architecture and design work, Trey worked as a writer, bartender, job coach, teacher, carpenter, natural builder, community organizer, and orchardist. He enjoys gardening, swimming at Deep Eddy, hiking, and spending quality time with his family in the passive house he designed with his co-parent, Adrienne. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Understanding CIRS, Biotoxin Illness, and the Healthiest Home in America with Dr. Eric Dorninger | EP41 | 25 juin 2026 | 01:14:51 | |
What if the chronic illness your doctors keep missing has been living in your walls the whole time? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Dr. Eric Dorninger, naturopathic doctor, acupuncturist, and CIRS specialist at Roots and Branches in Boulder, Colorado, who has spent over two decades helping patients with complex, mystery illnesses find the underlying causes that conventional medicine keeps overlooking. Dr. D brings something rare to this conversation: he is not just a clinician who treats CIRS. He is a patient who nearly lost everything to it, and his family's six-month remediation, biblical living conditions and all, is one of the most grounding and honest accounts of what this illness actually costs. Together Ashley and Dr. D walk through the full arc of what CIRS is, how it is properly diagnosed using validated biomarkers rather than urinary mycotoxin tests, what the Shoemaker Protocol actually involves and why so many people think they have done it without ever truly doing it, and why clean building plus proper binder is still the irreplaceable one-two punch that nothing else replaces. They also get into the naturopathic therapeutic order, why effort does not equal outcome in chronic illness, and the real cost of CIRS in America when you follow the dollars all the way to memory care. Dr. D also shares what he is building right now, quite literally, the healthiest home in America, a stick frame build redesigned from the ground up with CIRS patients in mind, and what he has learned the hard way about construction loans, lumber quality, builder integrity, and why having an owner's rep on your project is not optional when your health is on the line. If you are navigating chronic illness, trying to understand CIRS, or building a home for a sensitive body, this episode is essential listening. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Dr. Dorninger graduated pre-med from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1997. He then volunteered for Porter Care Hospice, shadowing renowned herbalist Brigette Mars and earned his EMT. This dual exposure of medical perspectives laid the foundation for an integrated approach to diagnosis, treatment and healing. After serving as an EMT , Dr. D completed his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and Masters of Science in Acupuncture at Bastyr in 2003. He then completed a 2 year residency in Boulder. In 2005, Dr. Dorninger founded Roots and Branches Integrative Health Care, a clinic dedicated to “Mystery Illness” where he focuses on elucidating the underlying causes of unrelenting chronic Illness. In addition to private practice, Dr. D is Shoemaker certified doctor, co-founder of CIRSx.com a conference dedicated to eradicating mystery / chronic inflammatory illness. He also teaches functional medicine weekends for Apex Energetics, serves as Director of Research and Development for Blue Sky CBD and the Chief Medical Officer of Medviro, a remediation company dedicated to "medical grade" remediation. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| The One-Touch Garbage Disposal That Won’t Eat Your Hand or Clog Your Pipes with Tim Ketchum of Composer | EP40 | 18 juin 2026 | 00:38:50 | |
What if the appliance you hate most in your kitchen was actually one of the most important tools for your home's health, your food waste habits, and your daily ease? In this episode, Ashley sits down with Tim Ketchum, CEO and co-founder of Composer Appliance, a startup out of San Francisco that is doing what no one else has bothered to do in decades: completely reimagining the garbage disposal. Tim walks us through everything that is wrong with the traditional disposal, from the disgusting rubber gasket to the ear-splitting noise to the pipe-clogging paranoia that keeps most people from using the one they already have, and explains how Composer is solving each of those problems one by one with a thoughtfully engineered, beautifully designed system built around a stainless steel iris, single-touch operation, automatic water injection, and an enzyme-based cleaning mechanism that keeps your pipes healthy without you ever having to think about it. This is a conversation about more than kitchen appliances. Tim and Ashley explore the real story of food waste in America, why composting fails most people in practice, and why the garbage disposal, when designed correctly, might actually be the most accessible, environmentally responsible solution hiding in plain sight. They also go deep on what it actually takes to bring a hardware product to market, including funding, prototyping, market research, intellectual property, and the humbling reality of being a two-person founding team wearing every hat at once. If you have ever stood at your sink wondering what you can put down there, why it smells, or when it is finally time to upgrade, this episode is your answer. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Tim builds and launches hardware products at the intersection of electronics and user experience. He led new product development at Thomas Electronics, bringing advanced technology products from concept to launch. Tim also brings deep experience in IP management and venture investing. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Your Nervous System, EMF Sensitivity & Consciousness, and the Body as Temple with Riun Ashlie | EP39 | 11 juin 2026 | 01:00:44 | |
In this episode of the Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Riun Ashlie, electromagnetic radiation specialist and somatic healing practitioner, for one of the most expansive and soul-nourishing conversations this podcast has ever had. Riun brings decades of personal healing work, a background interning in psychotherapy, and a deeply trauma-informed lens to the world of EMF sensitivity, and what he shares will make you think about your body, your home, and your consciousness in an entirely new way. Together they explore why some people are more sensitive to electromagnetic fields than others, how unresolved birth and early childhood trauma can quite literally displace a person from their own nervous system, and why creating a low-EMF sanctuary is about so much more than meters and mitigation. Riun also walks through the science of brainwave states, what yawning actually does to your consciousness, and why somatic work may be the most important thing a person navigating chronic sensitivity can do. The conversation winds into sacred seed practices, cerebral spinal fluid, the symbolism woven through ancient texts, dream intelligence, and what it means to truly come home to your body. Ashley also shares her own journey from chasing environmental problems to realizing the inner work was the missing piece, and the two find so much beautiful common ground in that. If you have ever felt like your environment was making you sick and wondered how much of that was your nervous system, this one is for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Best email to use to contact Riun: riun.ashlie@protonmail.com Some links/resources we discussed:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Riun Ashlie is an Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist, though that title is just one thread in a much richer tapestry. The fifth born of eight children raised on a farm in rural Alberta, Riun has spent decades weaving together somatic healing, psychotherapy, building biology, and a lifelong study of consciousness into a practice that is as much about the nervous system as it is about the home. His path into EMF work grew organically from his own profound healing journey, one that took him through birth trauma recovery, brainwave research, Reiki mastery, and workshops across continents, all in pursuit of what it truly means to come home to the body. As a friend once shared with him at an ayahuasca retreat in Brazil, the ultimate expression of art is your life. For Riun, that has always been the work. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Building Healthy Homes in Florida's Toughest Climate with Scott Randall | EP38 | 04 juin 2026 | 01:02:38 | |
In this episode of the Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Scott Randall, founder of 7 Pines Design Build in Tampa, Florida, to talk about what it actually takes to build a healthy, high performance home in one of the most demanding climates in the country. Scott came into construction from a background in finance and risk management, and that lens makes for one of the most grounded, practical conversations this podcast has had on new construction. As of this year, 7 Pines made high performance building their standard across every project, and Scott shares exactly what that means in practice. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Scott Randall is the founder of 7 Pines Design Build, a design build firm based in Tampa, Florida specializing in healthy, high performance homes. With a background in finance and risk management, Scott brings a systems-level lens to construction, focusing on the envelope, waterproofing, and mechanical systems that most builders treat as afterthoughts. Since January of this year, 7 Pines has made high performance building their standard, not an upgrade, and currently has Tampa's first spec healthy home under construction. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Why you need an Owners Rep & a Contingency Plan for your build, Solo Episode | EP37 | 28 mai 2026 | 00:38:45 | |
In this solo episode, Ashley Spanovich breaks down what an Owners Rep does and why having an Owners contingency will help you move through your project with less stress. She also dives into some personal wisdom and something she's moving through in the moment in hopes that it will help you expand and move through your project with more ease. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Selecting the Best Air Purifier & the Science of Sunlight with Alex Kessler | EP36 | 21 mai 2026 | 01:11:01 | |
In this episode of Awakening Spaces, Ashley and Alex cover what the 99.97 percent filter rating actually means and why it tells you almost nothing about your room air quality, how to build a Corsi Rosenthal box for 150 dollars that outperforms most commercial air purifiers, what CADR is and why it is the only metric worth looking at, which climates are genuinely the best and worst for mold sensitive people, why Phoenix and Tucson are not the mold recovery paradise most people think, and why the research on sun exposure and cancer is far more complicated and interesting than the sunscreen industry wants you to know. They also talk about microbiome diversity, sprinklers as an overlooked moisture source in dry climates, trusting your body over any practitioner, and what it means to be mutable when everything you have tried stops working. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Alex Kessler is a translational scientist turned indoor air quality researcher, educator, and environmental consultant who brings the same rigor he applied to cancer genomics research to the world of healthy homes. After developing CIRS from toxic mold exposure and having to navigate his own recovery largely without adequate guidance, he built his YouTube channel Healthy Home Guide into a resource with over two million views, sharing practical and budget-friendly protocols for improving indoor air quality that work even for renters and those without ducted HVAC systems. His work has been recognized by John Banta, CIH, who featured it in his book Mold Controlled, and by Dr. Allison Bailes III of Energy Vanguard, who shared his ERV installation guide with his professional audience. Alex serves as an environmental consultant at Flourish Clinic, a leading CIRS clinic, and consults independently as well. He lives in Colorado with his wife Rachel and their dog Rikki. Find him at healthyhomeguide.com and on YouTube at Healthy Home Guide. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| The Alchemy of Mechanical Systems & A Framework You Can Follow with Ashley Murphree | EP35 | 14 mai 2026 | 00:54:33 | |
In this episode of Awakening Spaces, the two Ashleys walk through a full decision framework for thinking about indoor air quality, filtration, ventilation, dehumidification, ductwork sizing, and condensate management. They talk about why mechanicals are almost always an afterthought and why that is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. They also get into Ashley's personal health journey and why healtth is always going to be person-specific no matter how clean your building materials are. This is the mechanical systems conversation the healthy home space has been waiting for. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Ashley Murphree is a mechanical engineer, licensed in california and colorado, and is the founder of Alchemech Engineering - a residential HVAC and plumbing engineering consultancy focused on healthy and off-grid-ready designs through a holistic approach. She is a Certified Passive House Tradesperson and also formerly Co-Founded and operated the design/build general contracting company Good Bones Design Build in Marin County, California. She spent decades investigating and healing her chronic health symptoms through functional medicine, testing, and applying forensics to her life in real time. She once lived and worked in the warehouse district of Oakland, California where her and her partner built their passive-house-inspired shipping container home that they now live in off-grid in the mountains. ((Alchemech pronounced Al-Chem-meck OR could be said as alchemic)) SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Manifest a Healthy Home, Navigate Renovation Chaos, and Retrain Your Brain with Brownell Landrum | EP34 | 07 mai 2026 | 00:57:31 | |
In this episode of Awakening Spaces, Ashley brings Brownell into a conversation specifically designed for people navigating renovation chaos, mold recovery, chronic illness, and the kind of life disruption that can leave your nervous system stuck in survival mode long after the worst is over. They talk through how to make a wish that actually works, what to do when a project is falling apart around you, how to stop accidentally wishing for what you do not want, and why rebuilding trust with your own body might be the most important piece of the healing journey that no one is talking about. If you have ever felt like you were doing everything right and still nothing was going the way you planned, this episode is for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Brownell Landrum is a TEDx speaker and the author of the new book, The Art and Science of Wishing , the Cosmic Wishes children’s book, and the upcoming The Art & Science of Wishing at Work. She is also the author of over a dozen books, both fiction and nonfiction, the host of the upcoming Cosmic Wishes podca st, and the founder of The Cosmic Wish Experiment - a global grassroots effort to elevate collective conscious joy. Did you know that wishing is something everyone does, across all cultures around the world? And that every time you wish, you engage over a dozen different sciences - from neuroscience and psychology to quantum physics? Brownell's research reveals that wishing isn't just birthday candles and shooting stars - it's a universal practice woven throughout every culture and faith tradition, making it one of humanity's most powerful expressions of hope, intention, and survival. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Behind the scenes of an EMF Assessment, Solo Episode | EP33 | 30 avr. 2026 | 00:33:52 | |
In this solo episode of Awakening Spaces, Ashley walks you through exactly what a professional EMF assessment looks like from the moment she pulls up to a property to the moment she hands over her findings. She covers why consumer-grade meters miss huge portions of the frequency spectrum, what parallel neutral current is and why it is one of the most common and fixable sources of elevated magnetic fields in homes, how to interpret a nine-point bed map, and why the bedroom is always the highest priority room in any assessment. Ashley also talks about electro-hypersensitivity, the precautionary principle that guides building biology practice, why there is no longer a control group for EMF health research, and what the process looks like when you are building new versus assessing an existing home. If you have ever wondered what you are actually getting when you hire someone to assess your home for EMFs, or why professional assessments cost what they do, this episode answers all of it. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Feng Shui, Geopathic Stress, and Sacred Land Science with Valentina Cereda | EP32 | 23 avr. 2026 | 00:46:14 | |
In this episode of Awakening Spaces, Ashley and Valentina walk through what classical Feng Shui actually is and how it differs from the watered-down Western version, how a Feng Shui site assessment works in practice, what geopathic stress is and how to know if you might have it, and the practical shifts anyone can make right now in their home. They also talk about the baby monitor that was keeping a two-year-old awake since birth, the client whose bedroom was so affected by geopathic stress that both a dowsing session and an independent bioresonance doctor reached the same conclusion without comparing notes, and why EMF is the issue Valentina finds in virtually every single home she visits. If you have ever felt like something was off in your space but could not put your finger on it, this episode was made for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Valentina Cereda is a Health and Well-being architect, Building Biologist, EMF specialist, Feng Shui consultant, Land Energy Dowser, Sacred Geometrist, vice-chair of the Wellness Architecture and Design Initiative at the Global Wellness Institute, Professor at Marangoni University, teaching interior design for health. As she started her career as an architect, she realized that conventional design and construction practices are degenerative as they work against nature and health. This led her to travel the world to study different sciences and ancient practices that would support her healing design studio Energy & Space to become more conscious, healthy, respectful and connected to the Earth healing energies, to help her clients create spaces where architecture and design become the first medicine. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Toxin-Free, ICF Construction and the Spiritual Side of Healthy Building with Brian Johnson | EP31 | 16 avr. 2026 | 01:06:43 | |
In this episode of Awakening Spaces, Ashley and Brian go deep on insulated concrete form construction, the real difference between foam ICF and wood composite ICCF, where each system fails and how to prevent it, what the VOC and fire performance data actually shows, and how to spec these walls for the healthiest possible outcome. They also workshop live project scenarios, talk through interior finishes, EMF performance of mass wall construction, and the vision behind The Element, Brian's 20-home healthy community development in Arizona. This one is dense, practical, and genuinely one of the best conversations available on this topic anywhere. If you are building new or trying to understand your material options, start here. This conversation wasn’t intended to be the best ICF resource you didn’t know you needed, but it did and I’m not mad about it!! 🙂 Whether you are building new or just trying to understand your options, this episode is for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Brian Johnson is a general contractor, building biologist, and human optimization specialist and the founder of Senergy360. He bridges two worlds that rarely meet: advanced building science and high performance living. Drawing from decades of experience in construction, athletic performance, and environmental health, Brian designs homes as integrated living systems engineered to support circadian rhythm, clean air, pure water, low-toxicity materials, and EMF-conscious design from the foundation up. His mission is straightforward: build homes that actively make people healthier. Through Senergy360, Brian guides homeowners, architects, and contractors in implementing evidence-based strategies across air quality, ventilation, water purification, lighting, and materials selection. He is also the builder behind The Element, a 20-home healthy community development in Arizona, and the founder of the Healthy Building Alliance, a national platform connecting healthy home experts and consumers. Find him at senergy360.com, healthybuildingalliance.org, and element.senergy360.com. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Adjusting your Environment for Fertility and the Sacred Science of Birth with Nikko Kennedy | EP30 | 09 avr. 2026 | 01:05:42 | |
In this episode of Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley and Nikko walk through the full arc of the conception and birth journey through the lens of quantum biology and circadian science. They talk about why melatonin is so much more than a sleep hormone, how your light environment directly impacts implantation and placental development, what the first trimester is actually asking of you, and how to set up your birth environment whether you are at home or in a hospital to support your body's natural physiology. They also talk about things you will not find in most pregnancy books: calling in the soul of your child, what pregnancy dreams are really telling you, how the 40-day lying-in period is backed by biology, and why the long exhale is the most important skill you can practice before labor begins. If you are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, postpartum, or simply a woman who wants to understand how her environment is shaping her biology, this episode was made for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Nikko is the Director of Research at the Institute of Applied Quantum Biology, and the creator of the bestselling Substack publication Brighter Day, Darker Nights. She is a certified doula and quantum biology practitioner working to integrate awareness of circadian and quantum biology into everyday life so that we can all be healthier and happier. Nikko lives in beautiful Southern Oregon with her husband and their 5 children. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Your Environment is Impacting Your Fat Loss Goals with Amanda Carneiro | EP29 | 02 avr. 2026 | 00:45:31 | |
In this episode of the Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley and Amanda talk about how your morning light routine is either setting up or sabotaging your cortisol and melatonin all day long, why eating outside actually improves the way you metabolize carbohydrates, what a realistic two-meal-a-day approach looks like, and why community might be the most underrated health intervention of all. They also get into EMFs, Faraday bags (and why Ashley has measured enough of them to have strong opinions), how negative self-talk creates a cascade that impacts everything from sleep to social life, and why the whole point of optimizing your health is to actually enjoy your life, not opt out of it. If you have ever felt like health has become another stressor rather than a source of energy and joy, this episode is for you. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Amanda Carneiro is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Master Restorative Wellness Practitioner, and Certified Personal Trainer who helps women lose fat, heal their gut, and balance their hormones so they can feel confident in their bodies and stop struggling for good. Her path into functional nutrition started in Los Angeles, where a personal training career slowly evolved into a deep passion for whole-body health after navigating her own health crisis involving SIBO, Candida, thyroid dysfunction, and years of disordered eating. She has tried all the diets. She knows what it feels like to want to throw in the towel, and she built her entire practice on what actually works on the other side of that. Today Amanda works with women through one-on-one coaching, self-guided fat loss and gut health courses, and her Protein Bakes recipe guide. She is also the founder of Solea, a high protein pancake and waffle mix launching soon. Find her at rawfitnessandnutrition.com and on Instagram at @rawfitnessandnutrition. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Hot Humid Climates, Your Building Envelope, and Building Lessons Learned with Architect Derek Klepac, AIA | EP28 | 26 mars 2026 | 00:49:46 | |
Building a home in a hot, humid climate is one of the most technically demanding challenges in residential construction. In this episode, Ashley sits down with Derek Klepac, licensed architect and certified Passive House consultant based in Dallas, Texas, to talk through what it actually takes to build a home that performs in conditions like these. From envelope modeling tools that predict mold risk inside wall assemblies to the reality of oversized HVAC systems quietly wrecking homes from the inside out, Derek brings a level of rigor and curiosity to residential building that is rare, and genuinely necessary. This conversation covers the building failures Derek sees most often, why the mechanical system needs to be engineered during the design phase rather than figured out during framing, and what homeowners and builders alike can do to ask better questions before it costs them. Derek and Ashley also reflect on a project they worked on together, one where painted brick, blocked weep holes, and a poorly detailed roof assembly added up to a very expensive lesson in why the envelope is always your first line of defense. If you are planning a custom build, evaluating a contractor, or simply trying to understand why your home is not performing the way it should, this episode will give you the clarity and vocabulary to move forward with more confidence. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Instagram | Facebook | Website Derek’s path into architecture began on job sites with his father and grandfather, where he learned that creating space is as much about craftsmanship as vision. That foundation carried him through his studies in Texas and time in Italy, deepening his understanding of timeless design. Now Managing Partner at A. Michael Architecture, Derek blends technical precision with a deep respect for craft, guiding projects with both practicality and intention. His work is rooted in collaboration, care, and a focus on the details that make a house feel like home. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| What to Know Before Anyone Touches Your Roof with Travis Jones | EP27 | 19 mars 2026 | 01:06:19 | |
Most homeowners never think about their roof until something goes wrong. And by then, the damage has already traveled far past the shingles. In this episode, Ashley sits down with Travis, a Dallas-Fort Worth roofing contractor and building diagnostician who went from music pastor to roofing sales to full-on building science evangelist, and has been quietly pioneering a more honest, more thorough approach to home performance along the way. Travis brings a rare level of honesty to the trades, openly sharing what he got wrong in the solar industry and what led him into the world of building science, diagnostics, and the Fortified Roof program. What began as curiosity became a deeper conviction: the roof and attic are central to a home’s durability, comfort, and health, yet often overlooked. In this conversation, Travis and Ashley explore everything from shingle types to the importance of air sealing, why it often matters more than insulation, and what homeowners should expect when buying an existing home, including budgeting for remediation. They also discuss the value of working with contractors who test rather than guess, and close with a more personal reflection on uncertainty, curiosity, and the surprising wisdom of lowering expectations. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Travis Jones is the owner of Smart Roof & Home Performance in Dallas, where he integrates roofing and building science to help homeowners better understand how their homes function. Guided by the questions “why does a home behave the way it does?” and “how can we do this better?”, his work is rooted in curiosity and thoughtful decision-making. His philosophy, “Start with better,” reflects a commitment to doing no harm and only taking on projects that truly serve both the home and its occupants. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Building a Home is a TEAM Sport (Solo Episode) | EP26 | 05 mars 2026 | 00:21:16 | |
In this episode, Ashley shares her biggest takeaways from the Colorado Building Science Symposium, the International Builder Show, and other industry gatherings she’s attended this year. What keeps surfacing again and again? Building and renovating a home is a team sport and when we forget that, projects suffer. Ashley unpacks why leaning entirely on your builder is a setup for misalignment, how vague words like “healthy” can derail your vision, and why early planning around air sealing, insulation, and mechanical systems matters more than most homeowners realize. She also explores a powerful truth: whether you intend to or not, you are practicing building science every time you change your home. This episode is for homeowners who want a healthier, more resilient home and who are ready to take responsibility for defining what health truly means to them. If you’re building, renovating, or even just questioning how your home works, this conversation will help you think more strategically, collaborate more intentionally, and advocate for yourself with clarity. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| “Non-Toxic” Vacation Rentals with Annie Graybill | EP25 | 26 févr. 2026 | 00:53:38 | |
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Annie Graybill, founder of Havenwith, a transparency-first, wellness-forward vacation rental platform designed for people who care deeply about what’s in their air, on their sheets, and in their cookware. If you’ve ever spent hours scrolling Airbnb, zooming into photos, reading reviews for clues about mold or fragrance, or packing your own cookware “just in case,” this conversation is for you. Annie shares her personal health journey, what it was like building her own home in Breckenridge, Colorado, and the deeper mission behind Havenwith. We talk about the subjectivity of the word “healthy,” the realities of building in a cold mountain climate, mold and EMF concerns, and why transparency, not perfection, is the real solution. This episode is for the health-conscious traveler, the sensitive nervous system, the recovering mold warrior, and anyone who wants to reclaim travel as something restorative instead of risky. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Annie Graybill strives to live a less toxic lifestyle and as a family that loves to travel finding a vacation rental that didn't give her a headache from toxins and synthetic fragrance was not easy. So she set out to make it easy. Havenwith connects hosts and guests who all want the same thing – less-toxic, wellness-forward places to stay. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Dehumidification, Crawl Spaces, and Indoor Air Quality with Nikki Kreuger | EP24 | 19 févr. 2026 | 00:57:51 | |
In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Nikki Krueger, one of the most respected voices in indoor air quality, dehumidification, and crawl space science to unpack why moisture is quietly one of the most destructive forces in our homes and our health. Together, they explore how crawl spaces, ventilation strategies, oversized HVAC systems, and misunderstood dehumidifiers contribute to mold, off-gassing, comfort issues, and chronic health challenges. Nikki shares real-world case studies, explains why so many dehumidifiers “fail,” and reveals the critical building science principles homeowners and professionals must understand before trying to fix moisture problems. This conversation is especially important for anyone dealing with mold exposure, environmental illness, or renovating an older home without realizing how one change can ripple through the entire building system. This episode is for homeowners, builders, remodelers, and anyone who wants to understand how to manage moisture intentionally, so your home supports your health instead of undermining it. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Nikki Krueger is the Director of Marketing & Business Development for Therma-Stor’s residential indoor air quality brand - Santa Fe freestanding dehumidifiers and whole house ventilating dehumidifiers. She has been involved in the indoor air quality industry for over 20 years. She is a RESNET certified home energy rater, a member of the ACCA Manual Low Load Homes (LLH) Advisory Committee, sits on the building envelope committee for the Spray Polyurethane Foam Association, has completed the ACCA Residential Design for Quality Installation Certification, and recently served on the 2024 National Green Building Standard update committee. She educates builders, HVAC contractors, architects, engineers, crawl space contractors, and other professionals in the industry on the building science of ventilation and moisture control in buildings. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Circadian Health: Screens, LEDs, Flicker, and EMFs with Tristan Scott | EP23 | 12 févr. 2026 | 01:11:56 | |
In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with electrical engineer, circadian health educator, and Daylight Computer Co. co-founder Tristan Scott for a wide-ranging, deeply grounded conversation about the invisible forces shaping modern health. Together, they explore how light, electromagnetics, and technology design are quietly influencing our nervous systems, hormones, sleep, focus, and sense of connection to the natural world. Tristan brings a rare bridge between engineering, biology, and lived experience, breaking down complex topics like circadian rhythm, artificial lighting, EMFs, screen flicker, and tech addiction in a way that’s both accessible and empowering. They discuss why smartphones may be the single most disruptive environmental exposure of our time, why harmonizers and pendants often miss the mark, and what it actually looks like to design technology that supports human biology instead of exploiting it. This episode is for anyone building or renovating a home, raising children in a digital world, questioning their relationship with technology, or seeking practical ways to restore rhythm, clarity, and nervous system regulation in a modern environment. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Daylight's IG | Tristan’s IG | X | Website Tristan Scott is an Electrical Engineer (M.S.) and current Head of Hardware, Operations & Marketing at Daylight Computer Co. He has deeply researched the connection between electromagnetism and human biology, with a specific interest in how man made electromagnetic fields (EMFs) could be negatively impacting human health. He is now applying that knowledge at Daylight Computer, whose mission as a company is to create technology that is healthier and more synergistic with humanity. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Eradicate Biotoxins From your Home and Body with Lauren Lowenstein | EP22 | 05 févr. 2026 | 00:56:15 | |
In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Lauren Lowenstein, known to many as The Biotoxin Lady, to explore what’s really happening beneath the surface of chronic, unexplained illness. Lauren shares her deeply personal journey through years of neurological decline, misdiagnosis, and family-wide suffering before discovering Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and the environmental biotoxins driving it. Together, they unpack why it’s not “just mold,” but a complex web of biotoxins, including endotoxins and actinobacteria that are often overlooked in both medical and building conversations. This episode bridges science, lived experience, and nervous system wisdom as Lauren opens up about the toll biotoxin illness took on her marriage, her children’s health, and her own sense of self and how healing required both environmental action and deep internal regulation. This is an essential listen for anyone navigating chronic illness, building or renovating a home, or seeking a more holistic lens on health, healing, and resilience. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Lauren Lowenstein, also known as The Biotoxin Lady, is a leading CIRS coach, educator, and advocate. Through her own battle with chronic illness to diagnosis, she’s built one of the largest CIRS communities online, inspiring patients and professionals to see environmental health through a new lens. Today she’s one of the most trusted voices in the CIRS community—simplifying complex science and guiding others from survival to true recovery. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| What Most Home Inspectors Miss with Matt Brading of Texas Edge Inspect | EP21 | 29 janv. 2026 | 00:47:34 | |
In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Texas-based home inspector Matt Brading, known for his viral “It’s Not Supposed to Do That” series, for a grounded, honest conversation about what’s really happening inside our homes and why so many issues go unnoticed until they affect health. Together, they unpack the hidden systems that quietly shape our living environments: moisture movement, pressure imbalances, HVAC design flaws, crawl spaces, sprinklers, and the overlooked maintenance issues that can snowball into serious damage. Matt shares what he notices the moment he walks into a house, why newer homes aren’t automatically healthier, and how homeowners can stay curious rather than fearful when something feels “off.” The episode also explores how to choose a good inspector, what questions to ask, why communication matters more than credentials alone, and the simple signs every homeowner should know, like when water dripping outside your house is actually a warning signal. Ashley and Matt close with a powerful reflection on curiosity, vigilance, and paying attention to small problems before they become big ones, inside our homes and within ourselves. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH MATT Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Website Matt Brading is the owner and lead inspector of Texas Edge Home Inspections, a company he built on passion, precision, and a genuine desire to help people better understand their homes. Since founding Texas Edge in 2017, Matt has performed more than 2,000 inspections across the greater Houston area. He holds a Professional Home Inspector license, is a Certified Master Inspector, and a Licensed Wood Destroying Insect Inspector. From the beginning, Matt’s reputation has been defined by thoroughness and outstanding customer service. His detailed inspection reports and clear communication have set the standard for what clients can expect from Texas Edge. Beyond the field, Matt continues to study advanced building science and modern construction practices, knowledge he passes along to every inspector he trains. His deep commitment to quality education and client care ensures that every inspection performed under the Texas Edge name meets the same high standard he’s become known for. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Why Smart Homes are a DUMB idea (Solo Episode) | EP20 | 22 janv. 2026 | 00:41:55 | |
Electromagnetic fields are often dismissed as a secondary concern in the healthy home conversation, especially when mold feels like the obvious threat. In this episode, Ashley Spanovich invites listeners to look deeper. She explores how invisible electromagnetic fields, particularly radio frequency radiation, quietly shape our nervous systems, mitochondrial health, and ability to truly heal from mold and other chronic stressors. Drawing from her personal health journey and professional training as an electromagnetic radiation specialist, Ashley breaks down what EMFs actually are, why current safety standards are deeply flawed, and how constant digital noise keeps the body locked in survival mode. This episode is both an education and an invitation: to become a skeptic, to ask better questions, and to reclaim your home and body as places of regulation, restoration, and clarity. If you are detoxing from mold, managing chronic symptoms, building or renovating a home, or simply feeling overstimulated and exhausted by modern life, this conversation offers grounding insight and practical next steps. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families build and renovate homes to prevent mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. If you’re looking to build or renovate a new home, Ashley has courses to empower and one on one offerings to guide you through the whole process so you can avoid costly mistakes and enjoy the process again! Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Inside a GOOD Mold Inspection with John Skelly | EP19 | 15 janv. 2026 | 00:44:27 | |
What actually matters when you’re trying to understand mold in your home, and how much of the fear around it is truly warranted? In this episode, Ashley sits down with John Skelly, a Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant with over 20 years of experience, to unpack what most people get wrong about mold inspections, remediation, and healthy homes. Together, they explore the difference between awareness and alarmism, why so many homes don’t need to be “burned down,” and how a calm, holistic, and phased approach can dramatically change both outcomes and nervous systems. John shares what he sees every day inside real homes, from dust reservoirs and poorly managed basements to renovation mistakes hidden behind walls, and explains how homeowners can become empowered advocates rather than overwhelmed patients. This conversation is for anyone navigating mold sensitivity, health challenges, renovations, or simply wanting to understand their home at a deeper, more responsible level. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website John Skelly is a Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC), New York State–licensed Mold Assessor, and USEPA-certified Lead and Asbestos Inspector with over 20 years of experience in the environmental health and indoor air quality industry. He is the owner of HNST Environmental and has completed more than 6,500 mold and environmental inspections, along with hundreds of asbestos surveys, for residential and commercial properties. John specializes in comprehensive mold and indoor air quality assessments, moisture diagnostics, and the development of clear, site-specific remediation protocols. With a background that spans fieldwork, project management, and air duct system remediation, he is especially known for working with environmentally sensitive clients and for offering grounded, non-alarmist guidance rooted in building science and real-world experience. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| My Family's Story and Your Renovation Guide (Solo Episode), | EP18 | 04 déc. 2025 | 00:37:36 | |
This week’s episode is part personal story, part building-science wake-up call. Ashley shares a tender reflection on her dad’s legacy, her family’s roots in small-business grit, and how those early years walking construction sites shaped the work she does today. From there, she unpacks one of the biggest misconceptions she sees in renovation projects: the near-total disregard for what’s happening inside our walls. If you’re planning a renovation, whether you’re adding a small addition or tearing your home back to studs, this episode gives you the foundational lens you need before choosing fixtures, finishes, or appliances. You’ll learn why building envelopes fail, how architects and builders often miss critical details, and what questions every homeowner should be asking to protect the longevity, comfort, and health of their home. CHECK OUT THE CCC send us an email at hello@awakeningspaces.com to learn more about the conscious construction container where you can become the empowered leader of your own project. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.
If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| A Non-Toxic Architect’s Guide to Circadian Living, Materials, and Modern Wellness with Kelly Grace | EP17 | 27 nov. 2025 | 00:48:22 | |
In this episode, Ashley sits down with architect Kelly Grace, known online as The Non-Toxic Architect, to explore what it truly means to design homes that support human biology, emotional well-being, and long-term resilience. Kelly shares how her journey into non-toxic design began through her own family’s health challenges, and how that opened the door to deeper work with circadian biology, grounding, natural materials, and building assemblies that actually breathe. Together they unpack the uncomfortable truth about modern code, the gaps in residential enforcement, and why so many “standard” design decisions quietly undermine the health of the people living inside. From bedroom placement and sunlight exposure, to grounding rooms, sauna design, permeability, mold prevention, and even surprising materials like granite and spray foam, this conversation is a masterclass in building homes that heal. If you’re building, renovating, recovering from environmental illness, or simply curious about how your home shapes your biology, this episode will expand the way you see every wall, window, and beam. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Instagram |Facebook | Youtube | Website Kelly Grace is the Managing Principal at Travis Price Architects based out of Washington D.C. Kelly received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Catholic University of America. After graduating, she went on to work for a construction on Capitol Hill for several years, before landing at Travis Price Architects full-time. Kelly is dedicated to designing healthy, high-performance buildings, using non-toxic products to promote wellness and efficiency. Her firm specializes in holistic modern residential, innovative commercial and institutional architecture. Kelly and her husband Matt live in Davidsonville MD with their three children Atlas Adelyn and Roark twenty chickens and a great pup named Blue SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Healing from Mold, Hashimoto’s, and Your Nervous System with Dr. Emily Kiberd | EP16 | 20 nov. 2025 | 00:45:56 | |
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Dr. Emily Kiberd, chiropractor, functional medicine practitioner, and founder of Thyroid Strong, to explore the deep connection between autoimmune disease, mold exposure, and the environments we live in. Emily shares her personal journey through Hashimoto’s, multiple mold remediations, and what it truly takes to rebuild health and trust after environmental illness. Together, they unpack how to build resilience in the body, why so many women struggle with fatigue and weight loss resistance, and the misunderstood role of strength training in healing. This conversation goes beyond symptom management, it’s about reclaiming safety in your body and your space so you can thrive again. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Website | Instagram | Tiktok | Facebook Dr. Emily Kiberd, chiropractor of 18 years, mama of two, and founder of Thyroid Strong, knows firsthand what it takes to heal from mold. After five mold remediations over the last decade, she discovered that addressing mold exposure was the missing link in putting her Hashimoto’s into remission. Now, she’s on a mission to help women heal their bodies and their homes, because it’s not a matter of if you’ll be exposed to mold, but when. The goal? To build a body so resilient that you can thrive no matter your environment. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Simplifying Christmas Chaos & a Conscious Holiday Home (Solo Episode) | EP15 | 13 nov. 2025 | 00:37:44 | |
This episode invites you to slow down and bring more intention into your home this holiday season. Ashley explores the often-overlooked ways that our modern holiday habits, from twinkling LED lights to endless tech gadgets, can quietly impact our health, our nervous system, and the energetic balance of our space. You’ll learn how to reduce EMF exposure, choose healthier lighting, and align your home with the natural rhythm of winter, a season designed for rest, reflection, and regeneration. Ashley shares simple, practical steps to create a conscious Christmas that nourishes both your body and your spirit. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Find Home Hidden Dangers using Building Biology with Jonathan Farrar | EP14 | 06 nov. 2025 | 01:01:08 | |
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Jonathan from JF Healthy Homes to explore the invisible energies shaping the spaces we live in, EMFs, dirty electricity, geopathic stress, and more. Together, they unpack how modern technology affects the body’s natural rhythms and why true healing begins by re-rooting ourselves in nature. From using an AM radio to detect “dirty” LED lights to discussing ancient wisdom around building placement and biogeometry, this conversation bridges science and spirituality in a refreshingly honest way. Jonathan also opens up about his own healing journey, balancing business, family, and health, while offering grounded encouragement for anyone feeling overwhelmed by toxins or information overload. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Jonathan Farrar is a building biologist and healthy home advocate who runs an environmental consultation company called JF Healthy Homes. He began his journey through many health struggles of his own, the most recent and ultimate one being moving into a house with toxic black mold which made him and his young children and spouse very sick. Through his struggles and strifes, he has found building biology and is on a wrecking path the help other families live better. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| How to Vet a Good Contractor & Building with Natural Materials with Frank Wetenkamp | EP13 | 30 oct. 2025 | 01:09:35 | |
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Frank Wetenkamp, natural builder and co-founder of Living Craft, to explore the marriage between high-performance building science and soulful, regenerative craftsmanship. Together, they dive into the heart of natural plasters, clay, lime, and beyond, unpacking how these ancient materials not only transform the way a home looks and feels but also how it supports our health and nervous system. Frank shares approachable insights on how to make healthier material choices in both new builds and remodels, what it actually takes to plaster over drywall, and why small, simple, intentional homes may be the most sustainable form of luxury. This episode is for anyone dreaming of building or remodeling with consciousness homeowners, designers, and builders who want to reconnect craft with care. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH FRANK Living Craft IG | Living Plasters IG | Facebook | Website Frank is the Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Living Craft. Frank started working as a carpenter while in high school. His passion for building led to a degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Architectural studies. A Natural Building Certificate course at Yestermorrow Design Build School set him up for a move back to residential construction. Now as a Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) he strives to find the right balance between modern techniques, building science, and natural materials. When he isn’t building, Frank likes to spend time outside with his family. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| How to Vet a Mold Inspector and Remediation Company with Kendra Seymour | EP12 | 23 oct. 2025 | 01:06:12 | |
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Kendra Seymour, co-founder of Change the Air Foundation, to unpack the invisible yet widespread crisis of mold and indoor air quality. Kendra shares her family’s personal battle with toxic mold, how it transformed her life’s work, and the step-by-step process every homeowner should understand when it comes to inspection and remediation to the crucial (and often skipped) post-remediation verification (PRV). Together, Ashley and Kendra bring clarity to a confusing industry, highlighting what ethical remediation should look like, how to protect your investment, and what’s being done at the federal level to protect families, especially military families living in unsafe housing. This is a must-listen episode for anyone facing environmental illness, building a new home, or simply wanting to live in a space that truly supports their health. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH GUEST Website | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook Kendra Seymour is a Co-Founder and Vice Chair of Change the Air Foundation and a passionate advocate for improving health by improving indoor air quality. She oversees foundation initiatives, with a special focus on raising awareness, outreach, and fundraising. As a mother of two, Kendra discovered hidden mold and water damage in her home were harming her family’s health. After years of research into mold and indoor toxins, and a lot of hard lessons-learned, she became dedicated to helping others by building awareness in online communities and collaborating with fellow advocates to educate the public around the importance of indoor air quality. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Building For Wildfire Resiliency with Hector and Marcella Abrach of Efficient Build | EP11 | 16 oct. 2025 | 00:56:20 | |
What does it really take to build a fire-resilient, high-performance home in today’s world of rising costs, unpredictable supply chains, and evolving codes? In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Marcela and Hector, engineers, owner-builders, and founders of Efficient Build, to unpack their journey of designing and building their own wildfire-resilient home in the Colorado mountains after being evacuated during the Marshall Fire. They share what they wish they’d known before starting, from the materials they’d choose differently to how to navigate post-COVID construction costs and supply chain chaos. You’ll learn how they balanced fire resistance with healthy home design, what it really costs to build high-performance, and how to stay patient, creative, and resilient through years of hands-on work. If you’re dreaming of building a home that protects your family, honors the land, and reflects your values, this conversation will inspire you to take the next step with both realism and heart. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH EFFICIENT BUILD Spanish IG: https://www.instagram.com/losefficientbuilds/ English IG: https://www.instagram.com/efficient_build/ Hector and Marcella are Custom home builders in the Rocky Mountains (only) of Colorado. We thrive on being efficient in material utilization as well as energy efficiency. We are self funded to avoid the ups and downs of interest rates and not having to deal with banks. We thrive in a customer-free environment. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| Building Healthy, High Performance Homes with Contractor David Aurbeck | EP10 | 09 oct. 2025 | 00:59:34 | |
In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with builder David Aurbeck of PLH Exclusives, whose wife’s battle with mold illness transformed his career into a mission: creating homes that truly support human health. David shares practical wisdom on building mold-resistant homes, protecting lumber on site, and the surprising potential of log homes. He and Ashley also explore he surprising potential of log homes. He and Ashley also explorebuilding from the energy of natural materials to choosing purpose over fear. Whether you’re navigating mold illness, considering a log home, or simply curious about healthy high-performance building, this conversation will leave you both informed and inspired. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH DAVID Instagram | Facebook | Website My name is David Aurbeck (R-Beck), grew up farming in central IL. After getting a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies, moved back to IL and started a family in a small apartment before GCing/building my first home. The Log Home company asked me to be their Rep, which initiated the start of my building/restoration company in 2016. Due to mold sensitivities and trauma with my wife, I am fully invested in the build science world and focus primarily now on enhancing lives through Healthy High-Performance Homes. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||
| EMF and Mold Safe Homes and Living with Cathy Cooke | EP09 | 02 oct. 2025 | 01:01:56 | |
In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley Spanovich talks with building biologist and nutritionist Cathy Cooke about the hidden stressors in our homes and the surprising fixes that can transform health. Cathy shares eye-opening stories, like the time she traced severe dirty electricity to a kitchen gadget! She explains why “harmonizers” and EMF pendants aren’t always what they seem, and why simple steps like unplugging devices or hardwiring your internet often make the biggest difference. They also dive into the emotional side of healthy living how to move from fear and overwhelm to resilience and presence, even while facing mold, EMFs, or environmental illness. If you’ve ever felt unsure where to start, this conversation is both practical and encouraging: a reminder that progress not perfection is the goal. THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
CONNECT WITH ASHLEY Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way. Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind. Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here. CONNECT WITH CATHY Instagram | Youtube | Facebook | Website Cathy Cooke is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition with the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. She is also a Certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant and Certified Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist with the Building Biology Institute as well as a Certified Residential Mold Inspector. She assesses buildings for anything that may be causing health problems, including Indoor Air Quality, mold, chemical off-gassing, ventilation, and EMF exposure. Combining Holistic Nutrition and Building Biology, she addresses both the body and environment to help her clients achieve optimal health. Originally from Kansas City, MO., she currently lives in Boise, ID. She is available for consulting via skype and phone, and will travel as needed for home assessments. You can find more information about her on her website or follow her on Instagram or YouTube. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT | |||