Episode 27
Table of Contents:
In this episode:
Today we are joined by Heather Aardema, National Board-Certified Functional Medicine Coach, and founder of the School of Living Lighter, a weight loss methodology grounded in minimalism, functional medicine, and cognitive behavior. Heather offers DIY courses, monthly memberships, and private coaching for your lightest self yet. We talk about clutter, both internal and external, and how our environment impacts our health. Heather shares insight into creating healing habits and is gifting listeners with access to her upcoming summit Healing Habits: Simple shifts for a health-filled life
Other Resources:
Connect with Heather Aardema
Episode Transcript
Julie Michelson: Welcome back to the inspired living with auto-immunity podcast. I'm your host, Julie Michelson. And today I am so excited to be joined by my friend, Heather Aardema, a national board certified functional medicine coach and the founder of the school of living lighter weight loss methodology, grounded in minimalism, functional medicine and cognitive behavior. We talk about [Page//00:01:00] clutter, both internal and external and how our environment impacts our health. Heather shares insight into creating healing habits and is gifting listeners with access to her upcoming summit healing habits, simple shifts for a health filled life.
[Page//00:01:16] Heather welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited. You're here.
[Page//00:01:19] Heather Aardema: I'm thrilled to be here. I'm excited for our conversation.
[Page//00:01:23] Julie Michelson: I am as well. I always love by starting out with having you share, you know, most of us, at least I didn't, when I was a little girl say I want to be a functional medicine, health coach. So I love sharing journeys because I know that's how we all connect. And while I'm familiar with your incredible story, I would love for listeners to learn it.
[Page//00:01:48] So tell us how you got to be doing what you're doing.
[Page//00:01:51] Heather Aardema: Okay, thank you. And I love this question and I'll try and keep it short. So I I started having some health struggles [Page//00:02:00] and actually I was probably having health struggles and didn't even realize that. For decades, but I remember waking up one morning and I had a horrible, just horrible pain in my right wrist.
[Page//00:02:12] And my husband and I had been skiing the day before. And I thought we live in Colorado. The mountains are steep. Was I holding onto my ski poles too tightly? What in the world happened in a few days later that pain in my right wrist jumped over to my left. And it did go away after about a week, but it was not from holding the ski poles too tightly.
[Page//00:02:35] It was from rheumatoid arthritis. And I, I I went to a rheumatologist and the rheumatologist said, all right, Heather, you know, here's, here's what you need to do. You need to get on these drugs. And I said, whoa, those side effects, I'm pretty sure. Serious. Are there any other courses of action? And she's like, well, if you don't like this drug, we'll do this drug.
[Page//00:02:56] And if you don't like that drug, then we'll do this drug. And she gave me all these [Page//00:03:00] brochures of these drugs that all came with massive side effects. And when I say massive, I'm saying. Well, this one takes off 10 years of your life. Well, this one could impact your liver health. Well, this and I thought, oh my gosh.
[Page//00:03:16] Oh my gosh. And so I said again, is there, is there anything else? Like what about food? And at the time I thought I ate pretty healthy. We made most foods or most meals at home. I wasn't eating wheat at the time, so I already thought like I'm being pretty intentional, but maybe, and my rheumatologist said, no, there's no research.
[Page//00:03:38] There's nothing don't even go there. Don't go to Dr. Google. That's not going to be helpful. And I left her office feeling a lot of different things. But probably like pissed off is the most accurate
[Page//00:03:53] Julie Michelson: Oh,
[Page//00:03:54] Heather Aardema: Yeah. I didn't feel defeated. I felt like she doesn't know and she doesn't want to know [Page//00:04:00] that's how I felt.
[Page//00:04:01] And so I decided I'm like, you know, I did get onto Google and I did look at different types of diets and I realized, wow, if you remove night shades from your diet, that might help with rheumatoid arthritis pain. And so I did a number of different tweaks to my diet. And after about, well, just over a month, I had a month of really bad flares cause my body was detoxing, but I think it was the 31 day mark or the 32 day mark.
[Page//00:04:30] I woke up without any pain and that it was phenomenal. I mean, it was just like, oh my gosh, I'm not in pain. I can do things. I can live life. And. That first year of being intentional about my diet, I may have had two or three more flares, but that's it. So going from almost every single day to months and months without any problems at all, all because I changed my diet, I did not get on any [Page//00:05:00] medication for the rheumatoid.
[Page//00:05:02] None whatsoever. And and in fact, because I got so intentional with my diet, I was able to get off of other drugs that I was on for other things. And so that experience noticing the dramatic transformation in my own. My own house. I I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Julie and I was working in corporate and my job was okay.
[Page//00:05:27] There were moments that were great, but there were many moments that were kind of boring. And I did feel a little bit of guilt. Like, gosh, I should be happy. I, I have the best cube in the row with all the sunlight I get to travel all over the world. And I I just knew I was having conversations that I didn't want to be having.
[Page//00:05:44] I was talking about my clients, products and services when all I wanted to do was to talk about health and wellness and to help others with health and wellness. And so I ended up finding the functional medicine, coaching academy and pivoting, [Page//00:06:00] and the rest is history.
[Page//00:06:03] Julie Michelson: Amazing. I'm always so impressed and inspired. I was so slow to the uptake and when we're not recording, we can, since we do both live in Colorado, almost sounds like you went to my rheumatologist. I love though that right away, you got to, you got angry, you got pissed, right. But that you were like, no, she's wrong.
[Page//00:06:26] This is wrong. Because I was defeated and I totally, and this was years and years ago. But I remember that feeling when you're talking about the side effects of the medications. Because I did, I did that route. I did that route for 11 years and you know, was on 10, 10 prescriptions. But I remember when the, one of the medications I was using, they started running commercials on TV. And my kids [Page//00:07:00] knew I was using that medication. It was an injection so that, you know, they used to love to watch me and get myself the injection and they knew, and at the end of the commercial, they have the disclaimer, right. Of all of the may cosmic, you know, and it, and the last thing on the list make may causes death.
[Page//00:07:18] Heather Aardema: Oh,
[Page//00:07:19] Julie Michelson: And so to hear that from kind of like knowing what my kids were hearing, you know, like I went from like, oh, mom's doing these moms taking quote, unquote, those, those, if you can't see my air quotes, taking care of herself by taking this medication to then them hearing like, oh yeah, the medication could kill you.
[Page//00:07:37] Was, it was a bit. It was just very eyeopening. So you're not kidding. It's not like, you know, oh my class headaches. They can, and I'm not anti prescription. I've said it on the show before. There's a time and a place. But in this case, and in your case, you know, that, that was certainly never was going to cure either one of us or, or [Page//00:08:00] solve our problems.
[Page//00:08:01] So,
[Page//00:08:02] Heather Aardema: And, and you're right. Like it's we, we all are so unique on the inside that the diet changes that I made really, really helped me, but for somebody else, they may need more
[Page//00:08:14] Julie Michelson: Right.
[Page//00:08:15] Heather Aardema: and that's okay.
[Page//00:08:16] Julie Michelson: yeah, and I was fortunate as well. I hadn't heard of functional medicine. I hadn't heard of coaching, you know, none of those things that I was able to make enough progress with diet change. To then dig in further and learn more and learn more. And I do, I have clients, I work with that diet change.
[Page//00:08:36] If it was just diet change, even when it was dialed in, it wouldn't be enough to move the needle for them enough. And, and so for me, it kind of bought me the. Grace and time to figure out what my other drivers were. And so I know it's obviously our pans, Chris cross. And so, but you. W, which [Page//00:09:00] is what I love about this world.
[Page//00:09:02] You know, then we all kind of find our passion projects and, and you have created the school of living lighter. You are approach is, is to me, fun and amazing and unique. So tell us a little bit about, you know, I know you, you talk about clutter When you say clutter, what do you, what do you mean?
[Page//00:09:30] I'm I am someone that I'm very visual. So I, you say clutter, I see clutter, but tell it, tell us, you know, let's talk a little bit about just your whole approach of lightening.
[Page//00:09:42] Heather Aardema: Okay. Okay. So, so often when we think of clutter, we think of an uncomfortable amount of stuff, like a closet that is bursting or countertops that need to be cleared, but you want to know some of the clutter, like. [Page//00:10:00] Have I continued to go see that rheumatologist that would've been calendar clutter, because she would have been on my calendar and not deserving to be there.
[Page//00:10:09] Right. And so it's how we're filling our days. Are we being intentional? Are the people we're interacting? Are they lifting us up or are they tearing us down? The people that are weighing you down, tearing you down. Those people are clutter in your life. So it's not just the stuff in our life that can be clutter.
[Page//00:10:32] Clutter is Brinkley anything or any thought or any person that is getting in between you and the vision you have for a lighter life. And so I like to think of it that way, because you can have an immaculate. Yeah, you could have so much mental clutter and be so miserable and be so stuck. And so that's why I like to have a more encompassing definition of clutter.
[Page//00:10:59] It's [Page//00:11:00] not just the stuff it's so much more, but that stuff is important and it's something not to just kind of overlook. Because there is research. There's a lot of research that talks to the connections of your physical clutter and your decision-making. And so when we've got clutter, that is absolutely impacting your psychology, it's impacting your physiology.
[Page//00:11:24] And so it's something to, to focus on, but don't just focus on one or the other focus on all the clutter.
[Page//00:11:31] Julie Michelson: And I love that you said that because that's what came up. I got a visual of people in my life either well, both past and present that their, how their homes are immaculate, but they don't. That's the only place focusing on clutter is, you know, that's like, I'm going to control this piece because I'm going to totally ignore this other piece.
[Page//00:11:57] Heather Aardema: Exactly. Sometimes we'll buffer by [Page//00:12:00] cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, organizing, having everything be super perfect because we do not want to face whatever heaviness it is. But usually when we buffer and we try and create distance between us and whatever that thing is, that thing gets bigger and bigger and bigger until we address it.
[Page//00:12:19] And so it's it's yes,
[Page//00:12:21] Julie Michelson: It's the same with her, with her body. I mean, you're saying that, and I'm thinking symptoms, right? Our body, it's such a shift. Those of us that have experienced chronic illness. To, to really get back to a place where we realize that the symptoms are gifts, right? Those are signals from our body. Our body is telling us something and we all tend to normalize disc.
[Page//00:12:47] I held the poles too tight for me, the same thing. We, you know, we all blame color. I was hiking a lot and my pain started in my feet. And so it was like, you know, it had to be, [Page//00:13:00] I need a new hiking boots. I needed orthotics. I needed, you know, and, and we do that. But as, as we ignore, or even if we think we're addressing, if we're not appropriately addressing those signals, they get louder and louder and louder.
[Page//00:13:14] Heather Aardema: Yes. So one of the very loud signals I got. So, not only do I have some autoimmune conditions, which thank goodness, because I have cleaned up my life and gotten rid of the clutter. They don't play a prominent role anymore, but one of the loudest symptoms ever, I suddenly got vertigo and I would have episodes of Verde vertigo.
[Page//00:13:37] I remember it happened numerous times over a three month period. And our air quality was impacted because we had a water heater leak that created toxic mold, toxic mold in the air was clutter in my body impacted me, my boys, my two grade school boys and my husband. Did it seem to have any symptoms, [Page//00:14:00] but yeah, that vertigo with the walls spinning where you can't like, you feel like you're on a, an amusement, a rollercoaster and you can't get off of it.
[Page//00:14:09] It's one of the worst feelings in the world, but yes, like the symptoms will come well, I had been breathing in that toxic air without even realizing it. And my body decided like, okay, Heather, wake up, we need to give you a symptom that's loud enough so that you will realize you need to like. Tear those walls down and remediate so that we can start over and we can start building your own health back up.
[Page//00:14:35] Julie Michelson: And I remember that process. And boy, did you get into action?
[Page//00:14:40] Heather Aardema: Oh yeah.
[Page//00:14:40] Julie Michelson: very inspiring. And it, it, yeah. And so that's, that's, I like that you pointed that out because you weren't. When I say ignoring, it's not that we're actively necessarily ignoring something it's awareness. We don't necessarily have that awareness [Page//00:15:00] of something's going on.
[Page//00:15:01] And then once we realize something's going on, it typically somewhat of a journey to figure out what is going on.
[Page//00:15:08] Heather Aardema: Yes.
[Page//00:15:09] Julie Michelson: Yeah.
[Page//00:15:10] Heather Aardema: Yes. And then when you realize it, there's also a component. Wow. If I'm the only one that's being physically impacted, is this in my head, is this really important? There's like some self-worth that can get woven into that as well. Well, if nobody else is getting sick, is it really worth spending thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to fix this?
[Page//00:15:33] Am I answering? Heck. Yes, we are all worthy. But I've had to have my own like wake up reminders on that. Nothing is more important than our house. Nothing. It's nothing. And we don't need to apologize. We owed that, that, okay. Apologizing. That's another form of flutter and women especially will compulsively apologize.
[Page//00:15:58] And I felt like I needed to apologize [Page//00:16:00] for my family, to my kids. I'm so sorry that I'm impacted by this toxic mold. I'm so sorry. No, that apology was unnecessary instead. Like thank you for being by my side.
[Page//00:16:13] Julie Michelson: Right.
[Page//00:16:14] Heather Aardema: Thank you for being present. Thank you for taking care of this, but yeah, that, that apology can, oh, we will just compulsively do that.
[Page//00:16:23] And it's another form of clutter for sure.
[Page//00:16:26] Julie Michelson: I love that reframing that you talk about. Which leads me to want to ask you. Cause I know it's coming up soon and I'm excited to learn more about it, but knowing you well enough to know what you do, it's maybe not what listeners are going to expect. You have a summit coming up with Dr. Rob Downey healing habits.
[Page//00:16:48] And so I want to talk about. Just saying the word reframing is what map is like, oh, we need to talk about healing habits. Let's talk about that a little bit. Tell us about the summit and, [Page//00:17:00] and, you know, tie it all together for us. I always. Beyond excited when, and yes, you and I both said diet was an important part of our healing healing journey.
[Page//00:17:13] Right. We know that it's a, it's a big piece everybody has to address, but there's so much more to healing. And I get excited when someone doesn't want to just come on and talk about IP and I love AIP and, you know but all of the different food approaches will only get you so far. So.
[Page//00:17:32] Heather Aardema: Yes. Well, thank you. So the summit is called healing habits and here's the thing. A lot of us will have really good intention. But what that gets in the way of those good intentions. So there's a study. And in this study, one out of seven people will be able to change their behavior, change their habits, and live a healthy life.
[Page//00:17:57] The seven people have all been told by their [Page//00:18:00] doctors that they will die if they don't change. So what is it that gets in the way? Why is it that six out of seven people can't change? What's going on. They have all the reason, all the motivation in the world. And so my cohost, Dr. Rob and I, we wanted to dive into that.
[Page//00:18:20] We wanted to understand that we wanted to really peel back the layers of habit change. And then also of course provide what we think are some of the most powerful habits to embrace. Now you can say. Hey, if you've got a good habit and you're doing it, that's the most important habit, right? Like what you will do, but we, more power than that.
[Page//00:18:41] We can empower ourselves if we can understand our psychology better. And so Dr. Rob and I, we interviewed just over 40 individuals in the functional medicine space, as well as the behavior, that behavior. And put together this, this [Page//00:19:00] event that we think is going to be really powerful. There's a lot of information out there.
[Page//00:19:04] A lot of education out there, but we stay stuck. Why is that now? Not everybody there is that one out of seven, you know, people that can change their ways. And I tend to be optimistic, I think, oh my gosh, if we can. Somehow, if we can feed the information, plus that actionable components and help people understand the psychology, a whole new world is opened up, it's opened up.
[Page//00:19:33] And so it's like, what if I had believed that rheumatology. When she said what she said. Right. And so I would, oh my gosh. I don't even want to think about where I would be. And so I, and I did, I'll tell you, I did try and change. I called up this association. I said, I'd like a different one. And they said, no, you already have a relationship with her.
[Page//00:19:51] So you're going to stay with her. And I said, wow, it's not a good relationship. But, and then I decided to funnel my energy into my own healing. And so. [Page//00:20:00] With this summit, we really look at what are the elements of the components that keep us exactly where we are. The status quo, keep us stuck in the, what is it, what's it going to take to move that needle? And that right there is enough of a takeaway for anyone to experience a dramatic change, to experience a transformation. In their life. And why do we want to have good habits? I mean so many different reasons, but when you embrace good habits, healthy habits, healing habits, bad-ass habits. So whatever you want to call these habits, you live in an inspired way.
[Page//00:20:45] You feel free. You get to soar, you're changing for the better. You're finally moving forward. And so that's why we decided to hone in on that topic. We wanted to help others unlock their potential when it came to their health and their [Page//00:21:00] wellness and their well-being.
[Page//00:21:03] Julie Michelson: I'm so excited. I always say I partnered with an amazing physician and I always tell that I'm partnering with her, his patients you know, he he's the one on the house. Right. And so, and that's what you're saying is you're giving you the, yeah, there's a, there's a lot of what out there. And, and the, the numbers are, that's amazing.
[Page//00:21:29] Only one in seven can, can make the change on their own without digging in deeper. That's
[Page//00:21:35] Heather Aardema: And it's not necessary. It's so not necessary. We can do so much better, but the thing is a lot of practitioners especially traditional allopathic practitioners. Aren't trained in behavior change. It's not their fault. They don't know food. They don't know nutrition. They don't know. They don't know those things.
[Page//00:21:56] It's not their fault, but it goes beyond knowing [Page//00:22:00] nutrition. It goes beyond knowing food. It's how do you, how do you create that desire inside for something better? And then how do you create that belief that it's possible because it's possible. It's all possible. I promise. Yeah.
[Page//00:22:16] Julie Michelson: I love that. It's all possible.
[Page//00:22:20] Heather Aardema: Yeah.
[Page//00:22:21] Julie Michelson: Amazing. So, so I, I pretty sure you're going to say everyone who is the summit for as, as far as, and yes, we all need to understand our psychology and can take advantage of upleveling habits, but, but who are you targeting?
[Page//00:22:42] Heather Aardema: Well, here's the thing. If you think your habits are pretty good, this is a great thing to take in and experience to see if you can. Up-level what you're doing. We have the latest. Information, the latest knowledge. [Page//00:23:00] We've got ideas that a lot of our speakers shared that they haven't shared in other places.
[Page//00:23:05] So if you want to up level, definitely this will be worth your time.
[Page//00:23:11] Julie Michelson: Let's say, you know, I've tried a million times. Like I can't, I can't, they're a cane.
[Page//00:23:18] Heather Aardema: that is exactly who this is for. That is exactly. So the up levelers that's like the. You know, taking a couple of interviews and you'll be able to up-level a little bit more and so forth, but it really is for those who feel stuck and it's for those who are, oh, so what I do in my day to day is I am a weight loss coach.
[Page//00:23:37] And when I originally began working with people, it's like, oh, I don't want to do this again. And it feels so hard and so exhausting and we talk about one of the habits is never get on a wagon. You don't want to ride for the rest of your life. And that's, you know, usually the weight comes off and then it comes back on because you, you were on a wagon.
[Page//00:23:59] You didn't want. [Page//00:24:00] Right. And then I fell off the wagon. All right. Let's change off the wagon. Okay. I think that's where the problem is that with you, not with you, with your approach with your system. And so it is absolutely for somebody who's like, wow, I need some kind of inspiration. I don't know what all I know is I don't want to stay where I am, but I feel frozen.
[Page//00:24:21] I feel paralyzed. How the heck do I move forward? We answer that in this summit.
[Page//00:24:28] Julie Michelson: Amazing. And, and I love, I always say actually just read an article yesterday about the approaches that I take with my auto-immune clients. Same approaches. I take with my top level executives who want to make sure that they're going to be able to make an impact forever. Right? So they're my up levelers.
[Page//00:24:51] It's the same approach. We just get to use it for whatever we need it for at the time.
[Page//00:24:59] Heather Aardema: Right. [Page//00:25:00] And just as we are all chemically unique, our approach to move forward in life is going to be unique as well. So what works for one person? So I mentioned when I got really curious about my diet, I removed night shades and that was really helpful, but maybe the next person needs to remove dairy or they need to remove gluten or
[Page//00:25:22] Julie Michelson: you need to be like me and you need to remove all of it.
[Page//00:25:25] Heather Aardema: Yeah. You know, that, that, that can have exactly. And so with change, it's really having the courage to take a close look at what you're making the world mean, tuning into that feeling. Some awkward feelings of being okay with the discomfort and moving forward anyway. And that's what we help people do.
[Page//00:25:49] Julie Michelson: I love that. Be okay with the discomfort you've got to, I, I literally said that yesterday to someone too. I say it a lot. No, that's if you're comfortable, [Page//00:26:00] you are not changing. So change comes. The good stuff comes from the discomfort.
[Page//00:26:05] Heather Aardema: so often when we think about change, we will create a goal. It was like, well, I want this goal. That's my vision. And I'll ask, I'll ask my clients. I'm like, all right. So what emotions are you willing to feel together? Well, what does it mean? Like what emotions? So that's why I'm willing to feel motivated and excited. Yeah. And I'm really happy and energetic and I'm like, great. Are you willing? Exactly. Are you willing to feel uncomfortable? Are you willing to feel nervous? Maybe a little anxiety. Are you willing? To feel these, because those one of my mentors calls at the river of misery, if you're willing to embrace the river of misery and swim to the other side, you are going to open it up.
[Page//00:26:56] A treasure that you can't even imagine. That's so amazing because [Page//00:27:00] you got through that, you got through the heaviness and you're living lighter. So that's what the summit will do. It will really help shine the light on new ways to embrace habits, healing habits. It will also shine a light on some of what the habits that we think are super cool and new and unique and different.
[Page//00:27:25] And and it will be an uplifting experience and leave viewers feeling so much lighter.
[Page//00:27:35] Julie Michelson: Amazing. I, the art of living lighter, I love it. And for everybody listening, the, the link we are. I'm going to do our best to get this podcast. It hit air before the summit launches and the link for you guys that's Heather's gift to you is going to be in the show notes. So super easy to sign up and, and I love what you said about the, [Page//00:28:00] for the people that even if they just are catching one or two or three times, they're going to be the ones they need to hear.
[Page//00:28:08] We know that that's how that works anyway. And then there are plenty of you out there who I say, you know, clear your schedule and, and dig in. I know Heather, I know we have a lot of connections in common, and I know that there are some amazing resources on this summit and you guys do not want to miss it.
[Page//00:28:27] It's going to be incredible.
[Page//00:28:30] Heather Aardema: you. Thank you. Awesome.
[Page//00:28:32] Julie Michelson: what is one step that other than signing up for the summit, because that's a no brainer you guys need to do it. But let's one thing that listeners can do today to start to move their needle.
[Page//00:28:46] Heather Aardema: Okay. Well, it will depend on what they want, what the focus is and what the goal is. But here's one thing that I feel like lighten in anybody's life. So our. Physical clutter really does it, have I mentioned earlier, it [Page//00:29:00] has an impact on our decision-making. And so roughly there's a in one of the research studies, they, they broke the one group into two, one group worked in a messy office, filling out papers.
[Page//00:29:11] The other group worked in a clean office, filling up the exact same papers upon leaving. They were offered a candy bar or an apple. If you worked at the clean office, you were twice as likely. To choose the apple over the candy bar. So our clutter really does have an impact on those decisions that we make.
[Page//00:29:30] I know for me, if I walk into my home and if there are socks everywhere, because I have a tenant in an 11 year old and they've left their socks out, I will feel my cortisol going through the roof. I will feel that. And then I'll also be like, Ugh, I think I just want to go find some planting chips or something like that. But if I walk in to my home and it's clean and it's calm and it's serene and it's put together, [Page//00:30:00] I want to do something. That's going to build my myself up. Maybe I'll go for a walk. Maybe I'll take a shower. Maybe yes. Maybe I'll eat an apple. And so that physical clutter. Absolutely has an impact on, on our day-to-day life.
[Page//00:30:19] And so if there's one thing you could do go, go to your entranceway right now and just pick up a few things, make that look clean so that when you walk into your house, that's, that's exactly where the energy enters the home. Have that area be a, an uplifting, calm space that, that supports you.
[Page//00:30:40] Julie Michelson: I love that. That's beautiful. And I, for listeners, I just want you to know that Heather's version of a candy bar is a planting chip. Just throwing that out there. And I'm guessing it's cooked in coconut oil, not in bad oil.
[Page//00:30:56] Heather Aardema: Yes. Yes, you're actually right. That is my version of a candy bar. However, [Page//00:31:00] I do want to say I am totally fine at planting shifts, as long as I've got them planned out.
[Page//00:31:05] Julie Michelson: It's not being driven.
[Page//00:31:07] Heather Aardema: Exactly. If I'm trying to numb out from that mass or numb out from being annoyed with my kids, for leaving their socks everywhere, then I'm looking for my answers inside of a planting chef and I can do better.
[Page//00:31:20] Julie Michelson: Yeah. And I, I love the. The tip, you know, don't get overwhelmed to make sure you really listened to what Heather said. She didn't say declutter your entire home today, but it's not what she said. But that is such gold. I know. I literally just, I come in into my home, through my laundry room, right. I come in from the garage and I come through my mud room and I have a, I'm blessed to build this house.
[Page//00:31:50] And so. It's spacious and it's got, you know, they have little built-ins and hooks and things, but it's been [Page//00:32:00] typical trying to be spring in Colorado. So it's 60 it's 20 it's, five below it's 50 it's. And most of us do tend to maybe not Heather. I usually my car becomes like a secondary closet cause we need different layer options, whether the sun.
[Page//00:32:18] Or in, or there's a cloud. And I noticed that my laundry room had kind of experienced the same thing. And this past weekend I was like, that's it? And it wasn't bad. And nobody else, it was an energetic thing. And I cleaned it out. It took me and took a few minutes. It really was just putting a few things really where they belonged and not where they could just be.
[Page//00:32:41] And the difference when I walk in to the home is amazing. So really. Take that to heart, you know, you don't need to spend an hour. You don't need to wear yourself down if you're already fatigued, but just picking up those few things are shifting those few things [Page//00:33:00] around so that you can take that deep breath when you come in and it's your Haven.
[Page//00:33:05] Heather Aardema: Oh, yes.
[Page//00:33:07] Julie Michelson: So amazing before we wrap up uh, Heather tell us where can listeners find you and all of your links will be in the show notes, but if somebody is listening and they're like me, I tend to be like that. Like, no, I want to find her right now.
[Page//00:33:21] Heather Aardema: Sir.
[Page//00:33:22] Julie Michelson: see. What's the best place to find you.
[Page//00:33:25] Heather Aardema: Well, you can go to Instagram and its heatheraardema that's a Dutch last name by the way. A R D E M A or you could go to the website, which is school of living lighter. And that's what we do. We focus on living a lighter life. There are a lot of distractions that come our way and there's a lot of drama.
[Page//00:33:47] And a lot of things that really remove us from life. And so we focus on removing those distractions so that we can live that life we want to live.
[Page//00:33:58] Julie Michelson: So [Page//00:34:00] beautiful, Heather, thank you so much. You've shared some amazing gold with us today
[Page//00:34:05] Heather Aardema: Thank you so much for having me. It's my it's been a pleasure. I knew it would be fun.
[Page//00:34:09] Julie Michelson: Yeah, it's my pleasure. It's been way too long since we've chatted. It's wonderful to see your beautiful smile. I'm sure listeners can hear it, but I get to see it is that for everyone listening, remember, you can get the show notes and transcripts by visiting inspiredliving.show. I hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did.
[Page//00:34:30] I will see you all next week.
[Page//00:01:16] Heather welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited. You're here.
[Page//00:01:19] Heather Aardema: I'm thrilled to be here. I'm excited for our conversation.
[Page//00:01:23] Julie Michelson: I am as well. I always love by starting out with having you share, you know, most of us, at least I didn't, when I was a little girl say I want to be a functional medicine, health coach. So I love sharing journeys because I know that's how we all connect. And while I'm familiar with your incredible story, I would love for listeners to learn it.
[Page//00:01:48] So tell us how you got to be doing what you're doing.
[Page//00:01:51] Heather Aardema: Okay, thank you. And I love this question and I'll try and keep it short. So I I started having some health struggles [Page//00:02:00] and actually I was probably having health struggles and didn't even realize that. For decades, but I remember waking up one morning and I had a horrible, just horrible pain in my right wrist.
[Page//00:02:12] And my husband and I had been skiing the day before. And I thought we live in Colorado. The mountains are steep. Was I holding onto my ski poles too tightly? What in the world happened in a few days later that pain in my right wrist jumped over to my left. And it did go away after about a week, but it was not from holding the ski poles too tightly.
[Page//00:02:35] It was from rheumatoid arthritis. And I, I I went to a rheumatologist and the rheumatologist said, all right, Heather, you know, here's, here's what you need to do. You need to get on these drugs. And I said, whoa, those side effects, I'm pretty sure. Serious. Are there any other courses of action? And she's like, well, if you don't like this drug, we'll do this drug.
[Page//00:02:56] And if you don't like that drug, then we'll do this drug. And she gave me all these [Page//00:03:00] brochures of these drugs that all came with massive side effects. And when I say massive, I'm saying. Well, this one takes off 10 years of your life. Well, this one could impact your liver health. Well, this and I thought, oh my gosh.
[Page//00:03:16] Oh my gosh. And so I said again, is there, is there anything else? Like what about food? And at the time I thought I ate pretty healthy. We made most foods or most meals at home. I wasn't eating wheat at the time, so I already thought like I'm being pretty intentional, but maybe, and my rheumatologist said, no, there's no research.
[Page//00:03:38] There's nothing don't even go there. Don't go to Dr. Google. That's not going to be helpful. And I left her office feeling a lot of different things. But probably like pissed off is the most accurate
[Page//00:03:53] Julie Michelson: Oh,
[Page//00:03:54] Heather Aardema: Yeah. I didn't feel defeated. I felt like she doesn't know and she doesn't want to know [Page//00:04:00] that's how I felt.
[Page//00:04:01] And so I decided I'm like, you know, I did get onto Google and I did look at different types of diets and I realized, wow, if you remove night shades from your diet, that might help with rheumatoid arthritis pain. And so I did a number of different tweaks to my diet. And after about, well, just over a month, I had a month of really bad flares cause my body was detoxing, but I think it was the 31 day mark or the 32 day mark.
[Page//00:04:30] I woke up without any pain and that it was phenomenal. I mean, it was just like, oh my gosh, I'm not in pain. I can do things. I can live life. And. That first year of being intentional about my diet, I may have had two or three more flares, but that's it. So going from almost every single day to months and months without any problems at all, all because I changed my diet, I did not get on any [Page//00:05:00] medication for the rheumatoid.
[Page//00:05:02] None whatsoever. And and in fact, because I got so intentional with my diet, I was able to get off of other drugs that I was on for other things. And so that experience noticing the dramatic transformation in my own. My own house. I I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Julie and I was working in corporate and my job was okay.
[Page//00:05:27] There were moments that were great, but there were many moments that were kind of boring. And I did feel a little bit of guilt. Like, gosh, I should be happy. I, I have the best cube in the row with all the sunlight I get to travel all over the world. And I I just knew I was having conversations that I didn't want to be having.
[Page//00:05:44] I was talking about my clients, products and services when all I wanted to do was to talk about health and wellness and to help others with health and wellness. And so I ended up finding the functional medicine, coaching academy and pivoting, [Page//00:06:00] and the rest is history.
[Page//00:06:03] Julie Michelson: Amazing. I'm always so impressed and inspired. I was so slow to the uptake and when we're not recording, we can, since we do both live in Colorado, almost sounds like you went to my rheumatologist. I love though that right away, you got to, you got angry, you got pissed, right. But that you were like, no, she's wrong.
[Page//00:06:26] This is wrong. Because I was defeated and I totally, and this was years and years ago. But I remember that feeling when you're talking about the side effects of the medications. Because I did, I did that route. I did that route for 11 years and you know, was on 10, 10 prescriptions. But I remember when the, one of the medications I was using, they started running commercials on TV. And my kids [Page//00:07:00] knew I was using that medication. It was an injection so that, you know, they used to love to watch me and get myself the injection and they knew, and at the end of the commercial, they have the disclaimer, right. Of all of the may cosmic, you know, and it, and the last thing on the list make may causes death.
[Page//00:07:18] Heather Aardema: Oh,
[Page//00:07:19] Julie Michelson: And so to hear that from kind of like knowing what my kids were hearing, you know, like I went from like, oh, mom's doing these moms taking quote, unquote, those, those, if you can't see my air quotes, taking care of herself by taking this medication to then them hearing like, oh yeah, the medication could kill you.
[Page//00:07:37] Was, it was a bit. It was just very eyeopening. So you're not kidding. It's not like, you know, oh my class headaches. They can, and I'm not anti prescription. I've said it on the show before. There's a time and a place. But in this case, and in your case, you know, that, that was certainly never was going to cure either one of us or, or [Page//00:08:00] solve our problems.
[Page//00:08:01] So,
[Page//00:08:02] Heather Aardema: And, and you're right. Like it's we, we all are so unique on the inside that the diet changes that I made really, really helped me, but for somebody else, they may need more
[Page//00:08:14] Julie Michelson: Right.
[Page//00:08:15] Heather Aardema: and that's okay.
[Page//00:08:16] Julie Michelson: yeah, and I was fortunate as well. I hadn't heard of functional medicine. I hadn't heard of coaching, you know, none of those things that I was able to make enough progress with diet change. To then dig in further and learn more and learn more. And I do, I have clients, I work with that diet change.
[Page//00:08:36] If it was just diet change, even when it was dialed in, it wouldn't be enough to move the needle for them enough. And, and so for me, it kind of bought me the. Grace and time to figure out what my other drivers were. And so I know it's obviously our pans, Chris cross. And so, but you. W, which [Page//00:09:00] is what I love about this world.
[Page//00:09:02] You know, then we all kind of find our passion projects and, and you have created the school of living lighter. You are approach is, is to me, fun and amazing and unique. So tell us a little bit about, you know, I know you, you talk about clutter When you say clutter, what do you, what do you mean?
[Page//00:09:30] I'm I am someone that I'm very visual. So I, you say clutter, I see clutter, but tell it, tell us, you know, let's talk a little bit about just your whole approach of lightening.
[Page//00:09:42] Heather Aardema: Okay. Okay. So, so often when we think of clutter, we think of an uncomfortable amount of stuff, like a closet that is bursting or countertops that need to be cleared, but you want to know some of the clutter, like. [Page//00:10:00] Have I continued to go see that rheumatologist that would've been calendar clutter, because she would have been on my calendar and not deserving to be there.
[Page//00:10:09] Right. And so it's how we're filling our days. Are we being intentional? Are the people we're interacting? Are they lifting us up or are they tearing us down? The people that are weighing you down, tearing you down. Those people are clutter in your life. So it's not just the stuff in our life that can be clutter.
[Page//00:10:32] Clutter is Brinkley anything or any thought or any person that is getting in between you and the vision you have for a lighter life. And so I like to think of it that way, because you can have an immaculate. Yeah, you could have so much mental clutter and be so miserable and be so stuck. And so that's why I like to have a more encompassing definition of clutter.
[Page//00:10:59] It's [Page//00:11:00] not just the stuff it's so much more, but that stuff is important and it's something not to just kind of overlook. Because there is research. There's a lot of research that talks to the connections of your physical clutter and your decision-making. And so when we've got clutter, that is absolutely impacting your psychology, it's impacting your physiology.
[Page//00:11:24] And so it's something to, to focus on, but don't just focus on one or the other focus on all the clutter.
[Page//00:11:31] Julie Michelson: And I love that you said that because that's what came up. I got a visual of people in my life either well, both past and present that their, how their homes are immaculate, but they don't. That's the only place focusing on clutter is, you know, that's like, I'm going to control this piece because I'm going to totally ignore this other piece.
[Page//00:11:57] Heather Aardema: Exactly. Sometimes we'll buffer by [Page//00:12:00] cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, organizing, having everything be super perfect because we do not want to face whatever heaviness it is. But usually when we buffer and we try and create distance between us and whatever that thing is, that thing gets bigger and bigger and bigger until we address it.
[Page//00:12:19] And so it's it's yes,
[Page//00:12:21] Julie Michelson: It's the same with her, with her body. I mean, you're saying that, and I'm thinking symptoms, right? Our body, it's such a shift. Those of us that have experienced chronic illness. To, to really get back to a place where we realize that the symptoms are gifts, right? Those are signals from our body. Our body is telling us something and we all tend to normalize disc.
[Page//00:12:47] I held the poles too tight for me, the same thing. We, you know, we all blame color. I was hiking a lot and my pain started in my feet. And so it was like, you know, it had to be, [Page//00:13:00] I need a new hiking boots. I needed orthotics. I needed, you know, and, and we do that. But as, as we ignore, or even if we think we're addressing, if we're not appropriately addressing those signals, they get louder and louder and louder.
[Page//00:13:14] Heather Aardema: Yes. So one of the very loud signals I got. So, not only do I have some autoimmune conditions, which thank goodness, because I have cleaned up my life and gotten rid of the clutter. They don't play a prominent role anymore, but one of the loudest symptoms ever, I suddenly got vertigo and I would have episodes of Verde vertigo.
[Page//00:13:37] I remember it happened numerous times over a three month period. And our air quality was impacted because we had a water heater leak that created toxic mold, toxic mold in the air was clutter in my body impacted me, my boys, my two grade school boys and my husband. Did it seem to have any symptoms, [Page//00:14:00] but yeah, that vertigo with the walls spinning where you can't like, you feel like you're on a, an amusement, a rollercoaster and you can't get off of it.
[Page//00:14:09] It's one of the worst feelings in the world, but yes, like the symptoms will come well, I had been breathing in that toxic air without even realizing it. And my body decided like, okay, Heather, wake up, we need to give you a symptom that's loud enough so that you will realize you need to like. Tear those walls down and remediate so that we can start over and we can start building your own health back up.
[Page//00:14:35] Julie Michelson: And I remember that process. And boy, did you get into action?
[Page//00:14:40] Heather Aardema: Oh yeah.
[Page//00:14:40] Julie Michelson: very inspiring. And it, it, yeah. And so that's, that's, I like that you pointed that out because you weren't. When I say ignoring, it's not that we're actively necessarily ignoring something it's awareness. We don't necessarily have that awareness [Page//00:15:00] of something's going on.
[Page//00:15:01] And then once we realize something's going on, it typically somewhat of a journey to figure out what is going on.
[Page//00:15:08] Heather Aardema: Yes.
[Page//00:15:09] Julie Michelson: Yeah.
[Page//00:15:10] Heather Aardema: Yes. And then when you realize it, there's also a component. Wow. If I'm the only one that's being physically impacted, is this in my head, is this really important? There's like some self-worth that can get woven into that as well. Well, if nobody else is getting sick, is it really worth spending thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to fix this?
[Page//00:15:33] Am I answering? Heck. Yes, we are all worthy. But I've had to have my own like wake up reminders on that. Nothing is more important than our house. Nothing. It's nothing. And we don't need to apologize. We owed that, that, okay. Apologizing. That's another form of flutter and women especially will compulsively apologize.
[Page//00:15:58] And I felt like I needed to apologize [Page//00:16:00] for my family, to my kids. I'm so sorry that I'm impacted by this toxic mold. I'm so sorry. No, that apology was unnecessary instead. Like thank you for being by my side.
[Page//00:16:13] Julie Michelson: Right.
[Page//00:16:14] Heather Aardema: Thank you for being present. Thank you for taking care of this, but yeah, that, that apology can, oh, we will just compulsively do that.
[Page//00:16:23] And it's another form of clutter for sure.
[Page//00:16:26] Julie Michelson: I love that reframing that you talk about. Which leads me to want to ask you. Cause I know it's coming up soon and I'm excited to learn more about it, but knowing you well enough to know what you do, it's maybe not what listeners are going to expect. You have a summit coming up with Dr. Rob Downey healing habits.
[Page//00:16:48] And so I want to talk about. Just saying the word reframing is what map is like, oh, we need to talk about healing habits. Let's talk about that a little bit. Tell us about the summit and, [Page//00:17:00] and, you know, tie it all together for us. I always. Beyond excited when, and yes, you and I both said diet was an important part of our healing healing journey.
[Page//00:17:13] Right. We know that it's a, it's a big piece everybody has to address, but there's so much more to healing. And I get excited when someone doesn't want to just come on and talk about IP and I love AIP and, you know but all of the different food approaches will only get you so far. So.
[Page//00:17:32] Heather Aardema: Yes. Well, thank you. So the summit is called healing habits and here's the thing. A lot of us will have really good intention. But what that gets in the way of those good intentions. So there's a study. And in this study, one out of seven people will be able to change their behavior, change their habits, and live a healthy life.
[Page//00:17:57] The seven people have all been told by their [Page//00:18:00] doctors that they will die if they don't change. So what is it that gets in the way? Why is it that six out of seven people can't change? What's going on. They have all the reason, all the motivation in the world. And so my cohost, Dr. Rob and I, we wanted to dive into that.
[Page//00:18:20] We wanted to understand that we wanted to really peel back the layers of habit change. And then also of course provide what we think are some of the most powerful habits to embrace. Now you can say. Hey, if you've got a good habit and you're doing it, that's the most important habit, right? Like what you will do, but we, more power than that.
[Page//00:18:41] We can empower ourselves if we can understand our psychology better. And so Dr. Rob and I, we interviewed just over 40 individuals in the functional medicine space, as well as the behavior, that behavior. And put together this, this [Page//00:19:00] event that we think is going to be really powerful. There's a lot of information out there.
[Page//00:19:04] A lot of education out there, but we stay stuck. Why is that now? Not everybody there is that one out of seven, you know, people that can change their ways. And I tend to be optimistic, I think, oh my gosh, if we can. Somehow, if we can feed the information, plus that actionable components and help people understand the psychology, a whole new world is opened up, it's opened up.
[Page//00:19:33] And so it's like, what if I had believed that rheumatology. When she said what she said. Right. And so I would, oh my gosh. I don't even want to think about where I would be. And so I, and I did, I'll tell you, I did try and change. I called up this association. I said, I'd like a different one. And they said, no, you already have a relationship with her.
[Page//00:19:51] So you're going to stay with her. And I said, wow, it's not a good relationship. But, and then I decided to funnel my energy into my own healing. And so. [Page//00:20:00] With this summit, we really look at what are the elements of the components that keep us exactly where we are. The status quo, keep us stuck in the, what is it, what's it going to take to move that needle? And that right there is enough of a takeaway for anyone to experience a dramatic change, to experience a transformation. In their life. And why do we want to have good habits? I mean so many different reasons, but when you embrace good habits, healthy habits, healing habits, bad-ass habits. So whatever you want to call these habits, you live in an inspired way.
[Page//00:20:45] You feel free. You get to soar, you're changing for the better. You're finally moving forward. And so that's why we decided to hone in on that topic. We wanted to help others unlock their potential when it came to their health and their [Page//00:21:00] wellness and their well-being.
[Page//00:21:03] Julie Michelson: I'm so excited. I always say I partnered with an amazing physician and I always tell that I'm partnering with her, his patients you know, he he's the one on the house. Right. And so, and that's what you're saying is you're giving you the, yeah, there's a, there's a lot of what out there. And, and the, the numbers are, that's amazing.
[Page//00:21:29] Only one in seven can, can make the change on their own without digging in deeper. That's
[Page//00:21:35] Heather Aardema: And it's not necessary. It's so not necessary. We can do so much better, but the thing is a lot of practitioners especially traditional allopathic practitioners. Aren't trained in behavior change. It's not their fault. They don't know food. They don't know nutrition. They don't know. They don't know those things.
[Page//00:21:56] It's not their fault, but it goes beyond knowing [Page//00:22:00] nutrition. It goes beyond knowing food. It's how do you, how do you create that desire inside for something better? And then how do you create that belief that it's possible because it's possible. It's all possible. I promise. Yeah.
[Page//00:22:16] Julie Michelson: I love that. It's all possible.
[Page//00:22:20] Heather Aardema: Yeah.
[Page//00:22:21] Julie Michelson: Amazing. So, so I, I pretty sure you're going to say everyone who is the summit for as, as far as, and yes, we all need to understand our psychology and can take advantage of upleveling habits, but, but who are you targeting?
[Page//00:22:42] Heather Aardema: Well, here's the thing. If you think your habits are pretty good, this is a great thing to take in and experience to see if you can. Up-level what you're doing. We have the latest. Information, the latest knowledge. [Page//00:23:00] We've got ideas that a lot of our speakers shared that they haven't shared in other places.
[Page//00:23:05] So if you want to up level, definitely this will be worth your time.
[Page//00:23:11] Julie Michelson: Let's say, you know, I've tried a million times. Like I can't, I can't, they're a cane.
[Page//00:23:18] Heather Aardema: that is exactly who this is for. That is exactly. So the up levelers that's like the. You know, taking a couple of interviews and you'll be able to up-level a little bit more and so forth, but it really is for those who feel stuck and it's for those who are, oh, so what I do in my day to day is I am a weight loss coach.
[Page//00:23:37] And when I originally began working with people, it's like, oh, I don't want to do this again. And it feels so hard and so exhausting and we talk about one of the habits is never get on a wagon. You don't want to ride for the rest of your life. And that's, you know, usually the weight comes off and then it comes back on because you, you were on a wagon.
[Page//00:23:59] You didn't want. [Page//00:24:00] Right. And then I fell off the wagon. All right. Let's change off the wagon. Okay. I think that's where the problem is that with you, not with you, with your approach with your system. And so it is absolutely for somebody who's like, wow, I need some kind of inspiration. I don't know what all I know is I don't want to stay where I am, but I feel frozen.
[Page//00:24:21] I feel paralyzed. How the heck do I move forward? We answer that in this summit.
[Page//00:24:28] Julie Michelson: Amazing. And, and I love, I always say actually just read an article yesterday about the approaches that I take with my auto-immune clients. Same approaches. I take with my top level executives who want to make sure that they're going to be able to make an impact forever. Right? So they're my up levelers.
[Page//00:24:51] It's the same approach. We just get to use it for whatever we need it for at the time.
[Page//00:24:59] Heather Aardema: Right. [Page//00:25:00] And just as we are all chemically unique, our approach to move forward in life is going to be unique as well. So what works for one person? So I mentioned when I got really curious about my diet, I removed night shades and that was really helpful, but maybe the next person needs to remove dairy or they need to remove gluten or
[Page//00:25:22] Julie Michelson: you need to be like me and you need to remove all of it.
[Page//00:25:25] Heather Aardema: Yeah. You know, that, that, that can have exactly. And so with change, it's really having the courage to take a close look at what you're making the world mean, tuning into that feeling. Some awkward feelings of being okay with the discomfort and moving forward anyway. And that's what we help people do.
[Page//00:25:49] Julie Michelson: I love that. Be okay with the discomfort you've got to, I, I literally said that yesterday to someone too. I say it a lot. No, that's if you're comfortable, [Page//00:26:00] you are not changing. So change comes. The good stuff comes from the discomfort.
[Page//00:26:05] Heather Aardema: so often when we think about change, we will create a goal. It was like, well, I want this goal. That's my vision. And I'll ask, I'll ask my clients. I'm like, all right. So what emotions are you willing to feel together? Well, what does it mean? Like what emotions? So that's why I'm willing to feel motivated and excited. Yeah. And I'm really happy and energetic and I'm like, great. Are you willing? Exactly. Are you willing to feel uncomfortable? Are you willing to feel nervous? Maybe a little anxiety. Are you willing? To feel these, because those one of my mentors calls at the river of misery, if you're willing to embrace the river of misery and swim to the other side, you are going to open it up.
[Page//00:26:56] A treasure that you can't even imagine. That's so amazing because [Page//00:27:00] you got through that, you got through the heaviness and you're living lighter. So that's what the summit will do. It will really help shine the light on new ways to embrace habits, healing habits. It will also shine a light on some of what the habits that we think are super cool and new and unique and different.
[Page//00:27:25] And and it will be an uplifting experience and leave viewers feeling so much lighter.
[Page//00:27:35] Julie Michelson: Amazing. I, the art of living lighter, I love it. And for everybody listening, the, the link we are. I'm going to do our best to get this podcast. It hit air before the summit launches and the link for you guys that's Heather's gift to you is going to be in the show notes. So super easy to sign up and, and I love what you said about the, [Page//00:28:00] for the people that even if they just are catching one or two or three times, they're going to be the ones they need to hear.
[Page//00:28:08] We know that that's how that works anyway. And then there are plenty of you out there who I say, you know, clear your schedule and, and dig in. I know Heather, I know we have a lot of connections in common, and I know that there are some amazing resources on this summit and you guys do not want to miss it.
[Page//00:28:27] It's going to be incredible.
[Page//00:28:30] Heather Aardema: you. Thank you. Awesome.
[Page//00:28:32] Julie Michelson: what is one step that other than signing up for the summit, because that's a no brainer you guys need to do it. But let's one thing that listeners can do today to start to move their needle.
[Page//00:28:46] Heather Aardema: Okay. Well, it will depend on what they want, what the focus is and what the goal is. But here's one thing that I feel like lighten in anybody's life. So our. Physical clutter really does it, have I mentioned earlier, it [Page//00:29:00] has an impact on our decision-making. And so roughly there's a in one of the research studies, they, they broke the one group into two, one group worked in a messy office, filling out papers.
[Page//00:29:11] The other group worked in a clean office, filling up the exact same papers upon leaving. They were offered a candy bar or an apple. If you worked at the clean office, you were twice as likely. To choose the apple over the candy bar. So our clutter really does have an impact on those decisions that we make.
[Page//00:29:30] I know for me, if I walk into my home and if there are socks everywhere, because I have a tenant in an 11 year old and they've left their socks out, I will feel my cortisol going through the roof. I will feel that. And then I'll also be like, Ugh, I think I just want to go find some planting chips or something like that. But if I walk in to my home and it's clean and it's calm and it's serene and it's put together, [Page//00:30:00] I want to do something. That's going to build my myself up. Maybe I'll go for a walk. Maybe I'll take a shower. Maybe yes. Maybe I'll eat an apple. And so that physical clutter. Absolutely has an impact on, on our day-to-day life.
[Page//00:30:19] And so if there's one thing you could do go, go to your entranceway right now and just pick up a few things, make that look clean so that when you walk into your house, that's, that's exactly where the energy enters the home. Have that area be a, an uplifting, calm space that, that supports you.
[Page//00:30:40] Julie Michelson: I love that. That's beautiful. And I, for listeners, I just want you to know that Heather's version of a candy bar is a planting chip. Just throwing that out there. And I'm guessing it's cooked in coconut oil, not in bad oil.
[Page//00:30:56] Heather Aardema: Yes. Yes, you're actually right. That is my version of a candy bar. However, [Page//00:31:00] I do want to say I am totally fine at planting shifts, as long as I've got them planned out.
[Page//00:31:05] Julie Michelson: It's not being driven.
[Page//00:31:07] Heather Aardema: Exactly. If I'm trying to numb out from that mass or numb out from being annoyed with my kids, for leaving their socks everywhere, then I'm looking for my answers inside of a planting chef and I can do better.
[Page//00:31:20] Julie Michelson: Yeah. And I, I love the. The tip, you know, don't get overwhelmed to make sure you really listened to what Heather said. She didn't say declutter your entire home today, but it's not what she said. But that is such gold. I know. I literally just, I come in into my home, through my laundry room, right. I come in from the garage and I come through my mud room and I have a, I'm blessed to build this house.
[Page//00:31:50] And so. It's spacious and it's got, you know, they have little built-ins and hooks and things, but it's been [Page//00:32:00] typical trying to be spring in Colorado. So it's 60 it's 20 it's, five below it's 50 it's. And most of us do tend to maybe not Heather. I usually my car becomes like a secondary closet cause we need different layer options, whether the sun.
[Page//00:32:18] Or in, or there's a cloud. And I noticed that my laundry room had kind of experienced the same thing. And this past weekend I was like, that's it? And it wasn't bad. And nobody else, it was an energetic thing. And I cleaned it out. It took me and took a few minutes. It really was just putting a few things really where they belonged and not where they could just be.
[Page//00:32:41] And the difference when I walk in to the home is amazing. So really. Take that to heart, you know, you don't need to spend an hour. You don't need to wear yourself down if you're already fatigued, but just picking up those few things are shifting those few things [Page//00:33:00] around so that you can take that deep breath when you come in and it's your Haven.
[Page//00:33:05] Heather Aardema: Oh, yes.
[Page//00:33:07] Julie Michelson: So amazing before we wrap up uh, Heather tell us where can listeners find you and all of your links will be in the show notes, but if somebody is listening and they're like me, I tend to be like that. Like, no, I want to find her right now.
[Page//00:33:21] Heather Aardema: Sir.
[Page//00:33:22] Julie Michelson: see. What's the best place to find you.
[Page//00:33:25] Heather Aardema: Well, you can go to Instagram and its heatheraardema that's a Dutch last name by the way. A R D E M A or you could go to the website, which is school of living lighter. And that's what we do. We focus on living a lighter life. There are a lot of distractions that come our way and there's a lot of drama.
[Page//00:33:47] And a lot of things that really remove us from life. And so we focus on removing those distractions so that we can live that life we want to live.
[Page//00:33:58] Julie Michelson: So [Page//00:34:00] beautiful, Heather, thank you so much. You've shared some amazing gold with us today
[Page//00:34:05] Heather Aardema: Thank you so much for having me. It's my it's been a pleasure. I knew it would be fun.
[Page//00:34:09] Julie Michelson: Yeah, it's my pleasure. It's been way too long since we've chatted. It's wonderful to see your beautiful smile. I'm sure listeners can hear it, but I get to see it is that for everyone listening, remember, you can get the show notes and transcripts by visiting inspiredliving.show. I hope you had a great time and enjoyed this episode as much as I did.
[Page//00:34:30] I will see you all next week.
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Connect with Heather Aardema
Heather Aardema
Health Coach
Heather Aardema is a National Board and Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach.
She is the founder of School of Living Lighter, a weight loss methodology grounded in minimalism, functional medicine and cognitive behavior. By releasing the clutter in their minds, bodies and homes, her clients are actively living lighter as they tackle their clutter, uncomplicate their lives and lose weight for good.
She's been featured on popular wellness and minimalism platforms such as No Sidebar, Minimalism Life, Becoming Minimalist, Optimal Living Daily and Optimal Health Daily. Explore her DIY courses, monthly membership and private coaching for your lightest self yet.
She is the founder of School of Living Lighter, a weight loss methodology grounded in minimalism, functional medicine and cognitive behavior. By releasing the clutter in their minds, bodies and homes, her clients are actively living lighter as they tackle their clutter, uncomplicate their lives and lose weight for good.
She's been featured on popular wellness and minimalism platforms such as No Sidebar, Minimalism Life, Becoming Minimalist, Optimal Living Daily and Optimal Health Daily. Explore her DIY courses, monthly membership and private coaching for your lightest self yet.
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