Welcome to Modern Homemaking, the podcast for those who care deeply about their homes, but sometimes feel overwhelmed by them. If you’re carrying the mental load, managing routines and clutter, navigating expectations, and trying to create calm in the middle of real life, this show is for you.
I’m Christy, from The Common Nest, and for over twenty years I’ve been researching, practicing, and supporting others to create happier, healthier homes through a holistic approach. Homemaking is more than cleaning or decorating. It’s about mindset, emotional wellbeing, routines, boundaries, and the invisible systems shaping your daily life.
Each week, we explore the mindset, motivation, and practical methods that help you overcome overwhelm and create a home you truly love. From decluttering and routines to seasonal living, decorating. Here we are redefining modern homemaking and looking at the whole picture, because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
If you’re ready for home without hustle, calm, clarity, and a space that supports you as much as you support everyone else, you’re in the right place.
Your path to a happier, healthier home begins here. Welcome home!
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116 - Summer Slowdown: How to Unplug, Rest, and Recharge as a Homemaker
Friday, June 12, 2026 • Duration 30:24
Last week my oven broke. And while I was troubleshooting the problem, I had a moment in my kitchen that I haven't stopped thinking about since, because the fix was so simple, and the reminder was so needed.
Sometimes the best thing we can do isn't add more, try harder, or find a better system. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply unplug.
In this episode, I'm sharing that little oven story and what it reminded me about how we're living, especially as we head into summer after a long, full, demanding season of life.
This episode is for you if you:
Are heading into summer feeling tired, maxed out, or completely done
Keep pushing through exhaustion instead of actually resting
Feel guilty slowing down even when your body and mind are begging you to
Want permission to let this summer look and feel a little different
Are ready to stop troubleshooting and just... breathe for a while
We'll explore:
The oven story that started it all, and the simple fix that changed my thinking
Why we weren't designed to run continuously, and what happens when we do
The subtle signs that you might be overdue for a reset
What summer is quietly inviting us into if we're willing to receive it
What unplugging actually looks like in real, everyday home life
Why rest isn't a reward you earn, it's what you need
How this connects to the Holistic Home Method
Whether you're dreaming of a slower summer or just trying to survive the next few weeks, this episode is here to remind you that you don't have to keep running on empty. The most important thing you can do for your home right now might just be to stop, disconnect, and let yourself reset.
Because just like my oven, you tend to work a whole lot better after a real reset.
Let's give ourselves permission to unplug this summer. You deserve it. And honestly? Your home will thank you for it.
115 - How to Build Home Routines That Actually Stick: Routine Trains & Anchor Times
Friday, June 5, 2026 • Duration 30:23
Summer is just around the corner and schedules are shifting, so if your routines are falling off the rails, you are not alone and you are not the problem.
In this episode, we're talking about one of the most common struggles in homemaking: building routines that actually hold up in real life, especially when seasons and schedules shift. I'm sharing a concept from the Plans & Routines Foundation of the Holistic Home Method called Routine Trains and Anchor Times, two simple concepts that take the pressure off your memory and work with the natural rhythm of your day instead of against it.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Built the perfect routine on paper and forgotten it by Tuesday
Felt like your routines fall apart the moment life gets busy or seasons change
Wondered if you just lack the discipline or motivation to be consistent
Found yourself carrying too many open loops and feeling constantly behind
We'll explore:
Why most routines fail, and why it has nothing to do with willpower
What Routine Trains are and how connecting your habits changes everything
How to make your routines flexible enough to survive real life and seasonal shifts
What Anchor Times are and how the transitions already in your day can do the work for you
How to rethink your routines as summer approaches so you're working with the season, not fighting it
Whether you're heading into summer with a blank slate or trying to salvage a routine that's already started to unravel, this episode will give you a fresh, practical way to think about building rhythms that actually support your home and your life.
Let's simplify the way we build routines, reduce the mental load, and create a little more flow, one train car at a time.
114 - The Hidden Clutter Nobody Talks About: Time Clutter and the Overscheduled Life
Friday, May 29, 2026 • Duration 35:37
We talk a lot about clutter in the homemaking world, the piles on the counter, the overflowing closets, the junk drawer that haunts us. But what about the clutter that doesn't show up in your home at all? What about the clutter hiding in your calendar?
In this episode, we're diving into one of the most overlooked forms of clutter I teach inside the Holistic Home Method - time clutter. And I'm sharing a very personal story about a decision our family made a few years ago that gave us back something we didn't even realize we'd lost: margin, presence, and the kind of ordinary days that actually feel like home.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Said yes to something and immediately felt heavier for it
Watched your family move through life at a pace that left everyone depleted
Wondered why your home still feels chaotic even when the physical clutter is under control
Felt the pull of FOMO when you tried to simplify your schedule
Sensed that something needs to go, but felt guilty even considering it
We'll explore:
The three H's of clutter inside the Holistic Home Method (Head, Heart, and Home) and where time clutter fits in
Why time clutter is so hard to recognize, and what makes it different from other kinds of clutter
The story of how our family let go of spring sports, and what happened when we did
How overscheduling shows up in your mind, your emotions, and your home all at once
A simple four-step process for releasing time clutter with intention and without guilt
Why the margin you create might be the most important thing you give your family this season
Whether you're running on empty from a schedule that never seems to slow down, or you're in a quieter season and wondering if you're doing enough, this episode is here to remind you that a full calendar is not the same thing as a full life.
You are allowed to let something go. You are allowed to protect the white space. And sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your home is simply to stop filling it with more.
113 - What Do You Do All Day? The Invisible Work and Mental Load of Homemaking
Friday, May 22, 2026 • Duration 30:46
We talk a lot about why home feels hard. We troubleshoot the systems, we tweak the routines, we reorganize the spaces. But so often, the real reason home feels heavy has nothing to do with any of that, and everything to do with something far less visible.
In this episode, we're talking about the invisible work of home. The mental load. The endless, always-running, never-fully-acknowledged effort that goes into managing a home and family, and why it is so much more than the sum of its tasks.
We're starting with a story you're probably going to recognize: two days spent going through my kids' closets for the seasonal clothing swap. On the surface, it sounds like a simple task. But when you look at everything underneath it, the tracking, the anticipating, the relational awareness, the years of accumulated knowledge, it starts to look a lot more like what it actually is. Real work. Skilled work. Work that deserves to be seen.
This episode is for you if you:
Have ever been asked "what do you do all day?" and didn't know how to answer
Feel exhausted in a way you can't quite explain or justify
Carry most of the mental load in your home and are starting to feel the weight of it
Work outside the home and still somehow manage to hold everything together inside it too
Have dismissed your own exhaustion because the work you do doesn't come with recognition or a paycheck
We'll explore:
What the mental load actually is, and why it's so hard to see, even for the person carrying it
A real-life example broken down layer by layer, so you can start to recognize it in your own life
Why the work of homemaking has genuine value, whether or not anyone acknowledges it
Why sharing or outsourcing the load isn't a nice to have, but rather a necessity
What shifts when you finally stop calling it "just life" and start calling it what it is
Whether you're a full-time homemaker, a working mom, or somewhere in between, this episode is here to remind you that the reason home feels hard is not because you're failing. It's because you're carrying something real. And you deserve a home that supports you.
112 - What Is a Holistic Home? The Five Foundations Every Modern Homemaker Needs to Know
Friday, May 15, 2026 • Duration 28:41
What does it actually mean to create home holistically and why does it matter so much for modern homemakers?
In this episode, we're going back to the foundations. If you've ever felt like you're working hard at home but still feel like something is off, this one is for you.
We're unpacking what holistic homemaking really is, why home has a bigger impact on our wellbeing than most of us realize, and how the Five Foundations of Home, the modern homemaking framework at the heart of everything I teach, can help you move from overwhelmed to genuinely supported.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Felt like you're doing all the things at home, but still feel behind
Tried a new system or routine, only to watch it fall apart within weeks
Sensed that something is off in your home, but couldn't quite put your finger on what
Wondered why surface-level fixes never seem to create lasting change
Wanted a clearer, more connected way to approach your home and homemaking
We'll explore:
Why home contributes to our wellbeing more than we often give it credit for
The five most common challenges modern homemakers face, and why they're all connected
What it actually means to create home holistically, and why it changes everything
An overview of the Five Foundations of Home: Mindset & Motivation, Release & Reset, Plans & Routines, Design & Décor, and Cyclical Living
Why a whole-home approach works when patchwork fixes don't
Whether you're brand new to holistic homemaking or you've been circling this idea for a while, this episode will give you a clear framework for understanding your home and yourself in a whole new way.
Because your home is meant to support you. And when it isn't, that's not a personal failure. It's a signal that something in the system needs attention. Let's figure out what that is together.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
111 - Cycle Syncing for Homemakers: Run Your Home With Your Hormones, Not Against Them
Friday, May 8, 2026 • Duration 28:10
If you've ever had a week where you were completely on top of your home , feeling motivated, capable, and everything is running smoothly. And then the very next week you could barely do the dishes, this episode is for you. Not because something is wrong with you, but because something important has been missing from the conversation about homemaking, and today we're talking about it.
Your energy was never meant to be the same every day. Your body moves in rhythms, in seasons, in cycles. And when we stop fighting that and start working with it, homemaking gets lighter. Not because we're doing less, but because we're finally doing the right things at the right time.
Today we're exploring the connection between your body's natural cycles and the way you run your home, and I'm sharing a simple, compassionate framework called the four inner seasons that can change the way you see yourself as a homemaker.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Felt wildly capable at home one week and completely depleted the next, with no idea why
Pushed yourself to follow a routine that worked last week but feels impossible this week
Wondered if you're just not consistent enough, not disciplined enough, not trying hard enough
Heard of cyclical living but never understood what it actually has to do with your home
We'll explore:
Why most homemaking advice is built on a flawed assumption about your energy
What cyclical living actually is, and why it matters for modern homemakers
The four inner seasons ( winter, spring, summer, and fall ) and what each one asks of you at home
What cyclical homemaking looks like in real, practical terms, phase by phase
Why this is about more than productivity, and how it can shift the way you see yourself
How to begin without overhauling everything or adding one more thing to your plate
Whether you're brand new to the idea of cyclical living or you've been curious about it for a while, this episode is here to remind you that your fluctuating energy is not a flaw. It never was. It's a rhythm. And there is a way of running your home that honors it.
110 - Why Your Home Decor Feels Off Even When It Looks Fine: How to Decorate with Intention
Friday, May 1, 2026 • Duration 29:42
Have you ever finished decorating a room, stepped back, and thought... something still isn't right? You've shopped for it, hunted for pieces, arranged and rearranged until it looked good. And yet something feels off. Not bad. Just not quite what you hoped.
In this episode, we're getting into why that happens, and it has a lot less to do with your decorating skills than you might think.
Years ago, a living room refresh took me way too long to get right, no matter how many times I swapped the rug or rearranged the furniture. And I'm sharing what I finally understood was missing, not just in that room, but in the way most of us approach decorating our homes.
This episode is part of the Design and Decor Foundation of the Holistic Home Method, and today we're starting at the very beginning: the foundational steps that make everything else work.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Decorated a space and still felt like something was missing
Found yourself endlessly tweaking a room without knowing why it isn't clicking
Bought things you loved individually but couldn't get them to work together
Wondered why your home looks fine but doesn't feel like you
Designed a space for how it looks rather than how you actually live in it
We'll explore:
The two traps most of us fall into when decorating our homes
Why following trends and buying without intention leaves us feeling disconnected from our spaces
How decorating for looks instead of function creates daily friction you can feel even when you can't name it
The three things that change everything: vision, intention, and function
What it actually looks like to decorate from the inside out
Why your home can be full of beautiful things and still not feel like yours
Whether you're in the middle of a room refresh, feeling stuck in a space that just won't come together, or simply trying to understand why your home doesn't feel the way you hoped, this episode is here to help you see your home differently.
109 - Why Your Home Routine Keeps Falling Apart (And What to Build Instead)
Friday, April 24, 2026 • Duration 30:38
One of the most common frustrations in modern homemaking is routines that just don’t stick.
You start the week with a plan. Maybe you’ve mapped it out beautifully, created a checklist, and finally feel like this is the routine that will work. And for a day or two, it does.
But then life happens.
And suddenly everything falls apart… leaving you wondering what’s wrong with you, why you can’t keep up, and why everyone else seems to have this figured out.
What if it’s not you? What if the real problem isn’t your discipline… but the design of the routine itself?
In this episode, I'm walking you through why routines really fall apart, and what it looks like to build a home plan that actually fits your real life, not some ideal version of it.
This episode is for you if you've ever:
Felt like you just can’t “stick to” routines no matter how hard you try
Blamed yourself for falling off track or not being consistent
Created plans that look good on paper but don’t work in real life
Felt overwhelmed by trying to manage your home, time, and energy all at once
Wanted a way to create more ease and flow in your home,without rigid rules
We'll explore:
Why most routines fall apart (and why it’s not a willpower problem)
How “ideal life routines” set you up to fail in real life
The impact of your energy, seasons, and nervous system on your routines
The powerful reframe from rigid schedules to supportive routines
Five simple shifts to build routines that actually fit your life
This episode is a gentle but important reminder that your routine is meant to support your life, not the other way around.
Inside the Holistic Home Method we focus on creating plans and routines that align with your real capacity, your real season, and your real home, so you can move from surviving your days… to actually living them.
108 - Why Is Decluttering So Hard? 7 Emotional Blocks Keeping You Stuck
Friday, April 17, 2026 • Duration 38:06
Clutter is one of those things we tend to blame on being busy, disorganized, or just not having enough storage. But what if the real reason your home feels stuck has nothing to do with any of that?
In this episode, we're diving into a concept that completely changed the way I think about clutter and why letting go can feel so hard even when we genuinely want to. We're talking about clutter blocks, seven emotional stories we tell ourselves about our things that keep us from releasing what we no longer use, need, or want.
This framework comes from the work of Tracy McCubbin, a professional organizer and author, and it's one of those ideas I've returned to again and again because it gets to the root of something so many of us experience.
This episode is for you if you have ever:
Tried to declutter but kept stalling out without knowing why
Felt strangely attached to things you know you don't actually need
Held onto items out of guilt, grief, or a sense of obligation
Wondered why the practical tips never seem to stick long term
Sensed that your clutter is about something deeper than just the stuff
We'll explore:
What a clutter block actually is and why naming it changes everything
All seven emotional clutter blocks and what each one reveals about our beliefs
The underlying stories driving each block, from identity and worth to grief, avoidance, and self-permission
Reflection questions to help you identify which blocks might be showing up in your own home
A more compassionate and holistic way to approach letting go
Whether your clutter lives in a closet, a garage, a storage unit, or a pile that's been following you from house to house, this episode is here to help you understand what's really going on beneath the surface.
Because when you can name the story, you can finally start to change it.
107 - Five Emotional Patterns Creating Stress at Home and How to Change Them
Friday, April 10, 2026 • Duration 32:53
In this episode, we’re going a little deeper and exploring some emotional patterns that quietly shape the way our homes feel.
Often, when we are stressed and our homes feel tense, heavy, or disconnected, we assume it’s about the clutter, the routines, or the never-ending to-do lists.
But what if it’s not just what we’re doing, but how we are thinking about and responding to our homes.
Today, we’re looking at five emotional patterns, introduced as “emotional cancers”, that can slowly erode connection, communication, and the overall atmosphere of our homes.
And more importantly, how we can begin to shift them.
This episode is for you if you’ve ever:
Felt tension or disconnection in your home, but couldn’t quite name why
Found yourself feeling frustrated, critical, or overwhelmed in your daily life at home
Compared your home or your capacity to others and felt like you were falling short
Felt stuck in cycles of resentment, miscommunication, or emotional distance
Desired a home that feels calmer, more connected, and more supportive
We’ll explore:
The five emotional patterns that quietly create stress at home (criticizing, complaining, comparing, competing, and contending)
How these patterns show up in everyday homemaking and relationships
Why these behaviors are often signals of deeper overwhelm, unmet needs, or disconnection
The impact these patterns have on the emotional safety and energy of your home
Simple, practical ways to begin replacing these patterns with more supportive and connected ways of relating
Because homemaking is not just about what we clean, organize, or decorate…
It’s about the emotional environment we create through our thoughts, our words, and our responses.
When we begin to shift these patterns, gently and imperfectly, we begin to create homes that feel lighter, safer, and more aligned with the life we truly want to live.
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You're not behind. You're not weak. You're not doing it wrong. You're doing an enormous amount of work that mostly goes unseen and today, we're going to see it.
Whether you’re starting fresh or rebuilding after things have fallen apart, this conversation will help you approach your routines with more compassion, clarity, and intention.
So if your home has been feeling a little heavier than you’d like…this episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and begin again with more awareness, compassion, and intention.
Because small shifts in how we show up can change everything about how home feels.
