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Episode 79 | Optimize Your Home for Health and Healing: Design Secrets from Cancer Thriver and Circadian Expert Mahwish Syed

Free Guide – 3 Things You Need to Know About Cancer:  https://www.katiedeming.com/cancer-101/

Is your living space secretly working against your health?

Dr. Katie welcomes Mahwish Syed, an interior designer turned circadian biology expert who discovered the connection between living spaces and healing during her own health journey. By combining her design expertise with scientific research, she helps people create environments that actively support their well-being.
While dedicating countless hours to diet, exercise, and wellness routines, you may overlook how profoundly our indoor environments affect your health. We spend 90% of our lives inside, where everything from artificial lighting to synthetic materials can either support or compromise our body's natural healing abilities.

Key Takeaways:
– Simple techniques to optimize natural and artificial lighting for better sleep
– How to identify and minimize hidden environmental stressors in your home
– Quick fixes to improve air quality and reduce toxic exposure
– Strategic furniture placement for optimal rest and productivity
– Practical solutions for renters to create health-supporting spaces

Chapters:
05:04 – The power of taking agency
07:25 – Beauty's impact on biology
011:39 – Lighting secrets for better health
23:32 – What is biophilic design?
29:35 – Create a healing coffee table

Beyond aesthetic appeal, Mahwish reveals how our surroundings directly influence our hormones, sleep quality, and cellular health. She shares practical, science-backed strategies for transforming any space into one that promotes healing – regardless of budget constraints or living situation.
They explore the powerful ways circadian rhythms affect our cellular health and how intentionally designed spaces can support the body's natural cycles. You'll learn about creating a sanctuary that promotes healing through mindful selection of materials, colors, and textures that resonate with our biology.
Mahwish also shares insights about creating distinct zones within your home that support different biological functions, from energizing morning routines to restful evening wind-downs. The episode concludes with simple yet powerful ways to bring nature's healing elements indoors.

Listen, and understand how to create an environment that works with your body's natural rhythms, rather than against them

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Read the Transcript Below:

[00:00:00] Dr. Katie Deming: What if the space you live in could play a key role in your healing journey? Today is sit down with my wish.

[00:00:06] Dr. Katie Deming: Sayed whose journey from fashion and interior designer to circadian biology expert was inspired by her personal experience with cancer. Well, we shares how our environment. Lighting textures, and even the materials we surround ourselves with affect health and healing with studies showing that we spend over 90 percent of our time indoors.

[00:00:27] Dr. Katie Deming: Well, wish now helps others transform their spaces into healing sanctuaries. You'll learn simple, budget friendly tips to create a beautiful and supportive home. From maximizing natural light to incorporating nature inspired elements, Mawish actionable advice anyone can implement. And stay tuned till the end where Mawish reveals her number one tip for creating a nurturing environment, even in a rental or on a tight budget.

[00:00:52] Dr. Katie Deming: Let's dive in.

[00:01:00] Hello everyone. And welcome back to the Board of Heal podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Katie Deming. And today I am very excited to be speaking with Mawish Syed. Welcome to the

[00:01:15] Dr. Katie Deming: show.

[00:01:15] Mahwish Syed: Thank you so much for having me.

[00:01:18] Dr. Katie Deming: So Mahwish, you have a very interesting combination of expertise and you're a fashion designer, interior designer. circadian biology professional. And I think I'd love to just start out by having you share, how does a fashion designer and interior designer make her way into healing and circadian

[00:01:46] Dr. Katie Deming: biology?

[00:01:47] Mahwish Syed: Thank you so much for that question. Really, it was my cancer journey that opened a doorway into looking at Our environment and what we put against our skin [00:02:00] through a health perspective. And after I was diagnosed, I didn't sit back and just accept it as, you know, bad things happen to good people. I actually started doing research and realized that most cancers are epigenetic, which means that they are the result of your lifestyle and environment.

[00:02:19] Mahwish Syed: So I started really investigating about how I can. You know, change what is around me, including the people I was with. I mean, I audited everything from my pots and pans to the relationships I was in, the clothes that I was wearing, the food that I was eating, and also the decorative materials that we're using.

[00:02:40] Mahwish Syed: And we don't even consider as contributing to our health, right? So that started that and then I got my certification and applied quantum biology because that's of course the natural progression of things. And Oh my God, looking at how light affects our health. [00:03:00] And you know, by the way, when it comes to breast cancer, there's so many studies that show the wrong light at the wrong time to breast cancer.

[00:03:09] Mahwish Syed: So it was really a way for me to. Be proactive and to take, to have agency because, and that is how I ended up writing my book purgatory to paradise because I think we're in a state of purgatory and I definitely know I was when it came to kind of living by default and just doing things, you know, that are prescribed and you think you're doing the right things and you think you're eating the right things and all that stuff.

[00:03:36] Mahwish Syed: And I realized that we have an active role in our health and our illness and And we have, that's a great thing because we have power and we are able to make those changes if we're informed. So that's why I really, really wanted to do a deep dive. And once I discovered this, I couldn't gatekeep. And now I'm [00:04:00] really, really passionate about sharing it with the world.

[00:04:02] Dr. Katie Deming: I love that and I love how you took agency, right? And so you looked at what are the things that you can control, right? And absolutely I'm with you and my listeners will know this, that this is what I talk about all the time is that cancer is really a product of our modern lifestyle. You know, that even people who have genetic predispositions to cancer, not all of them develop it.

[00:04:32] Dr. Katie Deming: It all comes down to the lifestyle and what you're exposed to, you know, from environmental situations to emotions, all of the things. And What I love about, when I heard about you, I was like, Oh, I love this because I am actually a very, very aesthetic person. Like everything just has to be kind of in its place for me to feel calm and grounded.

[00:04:57] Dr. Katie Deming: And so I know that there is this very [00:05:00] important piece of the environment that we're in and not just, you know, we talk a lot about, you know, how do you. Eliminate the things in your life that, you know, maybe contributing to illness or maybe toxic. And basically my whole premise is that we need to reduce the toxicity in our lives and we need to increase the nourishment, the things that were actually designed to receive.

[00:05:25] Dr. Katie Deming: But what I love, what you bring in here is this idea of that the actual space itself can be healing. And then lighting. I'd love to talk about lighting as well, because, you There's just so much there. And I think a lot of people now are kind of afraid. They're like, okay, you know, the blue light and all of that, but just thinking about lighting in a healing way, I think is, is so important.

[00:05:49] Dr. Katie Deming: And circadian biology is, is really foundational to the way that we're designed. So I love that. And I love that you, you know, it's not the natural progression for someone who's [00:06:00] an interior designer to then go get trained in quantum biology. But I love that that was your path because it's such a beautiful combination of the skills that you already have with bringing in something that can just make that so powerful from a healing perspective.

[00:06:16] Dr. Katie Deming: So I want to start actually just by asking you, how does beauty in your physical environment affect our

[00:06:23] Dr. Katie Deming: biology?

[00:06:23] Mahwish Syed: Oh my God, that's such a delicious subject. Because. You know, the, the, there's a study for this, um, the concept of neuro aesthetics is, is really coming out. And we're realizing that, you know, yes, art has a, um, a massive effect and beauty has a massive effect on our physiology, on our mental state. And what happens is.

[00:06:48] Mahwish Syed: You know, when you're going through cancer treatment, this is what I did naturally. So when I was going through cancer treatment, it's kind of counterintuitive. Most people want to disassociate. Most people want to kind of check [00:07:00] out. And I ended up grounding into my body even more using my five senses. As a matter of fact, I just did a workshop at, at the Dubin Breast Center yesterday at Mount Sinai.

[00:07:10] Mahwish Syed: I'm doing an exploring this idea of beauty through the senses and so backtracking a little bit you when you're going through any kind of trauma, you need beauty the most. And when I mean beauty, I don't mean like cosmetic, you know, that word has been hijacked. Really to define it as cellular alignment, Katie, as, as divine cellular alignment, according to Bruce Lipton, this idea that your body really seeks homeostasis at all times.

[00:07:43] Mahwish Syed: And if we can co create with our bodies to create a space that is beautiful using our five senses, well, our six senses, which is the six senses are intuition. So being able to, um, Explore with your inner GPS to be grounded in your [00:08:00] body and to create a beautiful environment that is in harmony with your biology.

[00:08:05] Mahwish Syed: To me, that's a win win. And that's what I love to explore.

[00:08:08] Dr. Katie Deming: And so what are some of the things that people can do to bring beauty into their physical environment when they're healing? To

[00:08:18] Dr. Katie Deming: help their biology.

[00:08:20] Mahwish Syed: So one of the things I constantly talk about is color and color is such an easy way to elevate your mood and increase your vibration. I know you're wearing red and by the way, red is so beautiful. It's an incredible color to energize and to increase appetite. That's why they used it in dining rooms for ages and ages too.

[00:08:41] Mahwish Syed: Um, so looking at color and by the way, I, this is such an easy tip. You don't have to invest and go crazy and paint your walls red. For example, if you really love that zingy red color. What I did when I was going through cancer was I shopped [00:09:00] my closet, I have a collection of scarves. I'm sure you have a scarf or two that someone gave you that you don't wear, whatever it is, bring it out.

[00:09:07] Mahwish Syed: And I would cover my pillow, my cushion on the sofa with the scarves. Just to kind of play around with different colors instead of having to go out and purchase a new pillow. And so I was able to play around with color because if you think about your sofa like a little black dress You put, you know, different accessories and little bling.

[00:09:31] Mahwish Syed: So bring in that color into your space by accessorizing your chair or your sofa or your bed with a pillow that is wrapped by, you know, a beautiful, you know, even a cashmere sweater. Put it on, stick it on there, play with, you know, different textures and different colors. So that's one way where you're able to also use space.

[00:09:53] Mahwish Syed: The sensory feeling of touch and different textures with that color. And back to circadian [00:10:00] biology. Oh my gosh. We could do a whole other podcast just on lighting alone. Cause I'm so passionate about it. Number one, obviously get as much natural daylight. on your skin and on your body as much as possible.

[00:10:15] Mahwish Syed: And most modern windows, Katie, are laminated to block certain spectrum of the UV light. So it's really important to open your window. Even when you're driving in a car, a lot of those windows are laminated. So basically what you want to do is open the window, your car window or your window in your home because sunlight's not polarized.

[00:10:37] Mahwish Syed: So what I would do as a designer, especially in low light or low ceiling spaces, I would paint the ceiling a glossy. Color like high gloss to reflect that light. I would use mirrors perpendicular to the window to create kind of, um, on Vlad system. So it was really all about casting light into the space, like a vampire hunter, [00:11:00] using mirrors to bring it into dark corners.

[00:11:02] Mahwish Syed: So just. Playing around with that natural light and obviously this is this is actually not so obvious. This is noon. So the Placement of your light matters just as much as the type of light So yes, we can talk about blue light and how that's bad for us, but overhead light at night Sends your body a signal that it's high noon.

[00:11:27] Mahwish Syed: Most people don't get that I don't know if you realize this, but you know, if you want to have a blingy chandelier, I'm not against that, but don't let that be your only source of light at night. So if we were to mimic The sun, um, you know, at 7pm or, you know, where it's about 20 degrees off the horizon, you want to also mimic that in your home by having light on the table at eye level, lower to the ground, sconces, whatever, and dim it down, make [00:12:00] it ambient.

[00:12:00] Mahwish Syed: I mean, think about your favorite romantic restaurant where you, you know, spend your anniversary. That's It's not a brightly lit cafeteria. I mean, I'm, I'm assuming that, but it's, it's beautiful. It's, it's. It's romantic because there's firelight. And that's the other thing at night that I love is fire is the only other source of natural infrared light other than the sun.

[00:12:25] Mahwish Syed: So why not bring back, of course, use non paraffin wax candles. and I have a list of that, but really think about creating a mood in your home at night to get your body ready. For rest and relaxation so you can ground into your parasympathetic state, which is why I ended up doing all these things while I was going through cancer treatment.

[00:12:52] Mahwish Syed: Speaking of which, if I couldn't even eat during chemo, I couldn't eat my mom's spicy Pakistani dishes that [00:13:00] she would cook for me and I'm like, Oh my God, this is a travesty. So I would take just even a simple sliced banana, Katie, and put it on my best dishes. Have my best silverware, drink my seltzer out of a wine glass, and set the stage for this beautiful experience even though I was only eating a banana.

[00:13:20] Mahwish Syed: Slicing it, I garnished the banana with violets from my garden, I lit candles, I spread rose petals, and I created this ritual, what I call rituals of reverence. And I think those rituals are how we live our lives, and that's what I call your paradise.

[00:13:39] Dr. Katie Deming: Yeah, I think that this is one of the things of just making the little things feel special. And especially when you're going through a diagnosis or healing and everything feels like it's been taken away, you know, like you you're not, and [00:14:00] this is, I think a big piece is, and I talk about this a lot is, um, It, we don't want to get afraid of everything, right?

[00:14:07] Dr. Katie Deming: But this is one of the things that happens is that when you are diagnosed with cancer, then you're all of a sudden aware of all of the things that are potentially toxic or, you know, problematic. And you don't want to go to restaurants because they're using seed oils and you don't know the quality of the meat or, you know, all of those things.

[00:14:27] Dr. Katie Deming: But I think that this is a, a piece where, you know, when you're unsure and you're starting to pull back from those things that you had previously been doing, this is a way to bring beauty and reverence and ritual into your life. Even when otherwise you would have thought, gosh, this is so limited. Like I'm only, you know, eating and it's not that.

[00:14:51] Dr. Katie Deming: You're choosing to, you know, do these things, so choosing to eat the right foods or whatever, but it can feel restrictive when you first start switching your [00:15:00] lifestyle. And I love this idea of bringing in, you know, just the beauty in the little things that you're doing and ritualizing those activities that we're already doing.

[00:15:12] Dr. Katie Deming: And the lighting thing, this is one of the things for me personally. So as I started, You know, researching lighting and we talk all the time about being out in the sun. So my listeners are very familiar with this idea of getting out and spending time in the sun. I love that you brought up the whole window thing.

[00:15:29] Dr. Katie Deming: Like I do that in the morning. Um, my windows. Like they'll go up or down. And so in the morning, when the red light, the sun is coming up. If I'm not, if I'm not going to go outside, I'll lower those windows so that then I'm getting the red light, you know, through the open window and. Also, you know, it's actually beautiful is the moonlight, you know, getting the moonlight through an open window is very different than through a closed window.

[00:15:59] Dr. Katie Deming: [00:16:00] And, and so these little things that we can do to be connecting with nature, but what I was going to say is about the. Evening lights. I was in a program because I've just been doing lots of different things to learn about. Okay. What are all the pieces? Um, especially with circadian biology and actually the group that I was in, it was like making everyone afraid of lights.

[00:16:23] Dr. Katie Deming: Like, so, and then I was like, not turning on any light in my house. And then I was like, My house looks beautiful if I can light it with ambient lighting and I don't use overhead. I've never used overhead lights ever anyway. And so I was like, I'm going to use my lighting, but use like. incandescent, the, you know, lowest wattage possible to just so that it's ambient and then using candles to have that feeling because there is something so nice about beautiful, soft lighting that I don't want people to think that you [00:17:00] have to shut all your lights off all the time because some people will tell you that, you know, that during the day we only, you know, use the sunlight.

[00:17:07] Dr. Katie Deming: And then when the sun goes down, it's like, don't use anything. And I think It's okay to live in the world that we're in, but just being aware that we don't want the overheads, you know, on super bright in the evening because basically it's sending the signal to your body, like you said, that it's high noon.

[00:17:25] Dr. Katie Deming: So, um, anyway, I just, I love this whole conversation because for me, I'm very, Much in tune with the aspects of the environment and, and you'd also talked about the tactile, like using your senses and like the touch and the fabrics and all of that is so important. And I love how you can do it without buying new things, because I think that's 1 of the things people think, well, oh, gosh, to decorate, I have to then go out and buy all these new things, but you can do this using what you currently

[00:17:58] Dr. Katie Deming: have.

[00:17:59] Mahwish Syed: [00:18:00] Absolutely. And by the way, I have another tip for your listeners. And I did this yesterday. I carded a lamp over just to demonstrate this, Katie. I, I think you can even take a beautiful scarf and. If you don't want to change out your lampshades, which I love doing all the time. And by the way, seasonally, think about changing your lampshades out.

[00:18:19] Mahwish Syed: A lot of people think that's the one thing, but instead of changing the lamp, you can change the lampshade and I'll go one step further. Take that scarf and drape it over your lampshade. Just make sure the bulb's not hot, but it's really kind of playing around with The idea of color temperature and different lighting that has a certain mood.

[00:18:43] Mahwish Syed: Also, what I think is really important, I'm not an alarmist. There's so many of us who are like, this is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. It's good to audit your space, but beauty as a healing modality. is underestimated [00:19:00] to create an, a beautiful environment and to feel beautiful may sound counterintuitive, especially when, you know, my eyebrows were falling out and my hair was falling out and my face was swollen.

[00:19:11] Mahwish Syed: But I, I love talismanic. I do talismanic fashion and talismanic design, which is basically a talisman is something that has meaning for you. So for example, when I was going through cancer and I did not look like myself. I took out a picture of myself when I was 15. Before boys, before anything, the world was my oyster.

[00:19:36] Mahwish Syed: And I stuck that girl front and center, um, right on my dresser. So as soon as I woke up and before I went to bed, I would look at her. And to remind myself that she was still in there. That I was still that girl. That's the talisman that you can create for yourself. Whether that's a picture of a loved one or a time or a memory of a great vacation that you [00:20:00] had something to constantly be that reminder.

[00:20:04] Mahwish Syed: We need, we, you know, it's like we don't brush our teeth just once a year. We have to brush our teeth many times a day to continue keeping that hygiene. And I think that level of practice. Creating that beauty and meaning for yourself. It should be just like brushing your teeth. It should be a no brainer.

[00:20:22] Mahwish Syed: It's not in the realm of luxury, Katie. A lot of times people think of beauty and gorgeous interiors and all this, and they think, oh, well that's for other people. That's for them. And I'm like, no. Everybody deserves beauty. It's your birthright. You deserve it every single day, just like you get up and you brush your teeth without thinking about it.

[00:20:44] Mahwish Syed: That's how normal we should make it for ourselves to do these rituals, to celebrate. Taking just one rose, one stem, you don't have to have the whole bouquet. Just have that one bud vase at your bedside [00:21:00] table. You know, flowers have frequency. There's a reason why we would give the sick Flowers that why would there is a tradition of having flowers?

[00:21:08] Mahwish Syed: They're ephemeral. They also connect you back to your primal roots and we are I mean quantum biology and the way I express it Katie is to come back to our roots our ancient roots Body wisdom and that is linked to nature. It's linked to the moon it's linked to the Sun and to the seasons and this is why I Really use the analogy and the mythology of Persephone in my book because I believe we are all Persephone we're all cycling between apoptosis and autophagy between life and death between night and day and the We're constantly rebirthing ourselves anew, and I think if we can really step back and recognize that that process is [00:22:00] already happening, let's support that, and let's support that in our home.

[00:22:04] Dr. Katie Deming: Beautiful. And actually, this leads me, that was my next question actually is about, you talk about biophilic design. So can you explain what this is and why it's important for our well being? And you started to touch on it there. So I'd love to have you expand on

[00:22:21] Dr. Katie Deming: that.

[00:22:22] Mahwish Syed: Sure, biophilic design basically means that we are inexorably married to nature. Our biology is married to nature. So design that really celebrates that connection is biophilic. So anything that is, you know, not just plants, but anything that is natural in terms of using textures, like using natural wood in your home would be biophilic.

[00:22:46] Mahwish Syed: Using, um, Stone would be biophilic, getting that light, that natural light is biophilic. So not just, Oh, let's have a house plant. It's, it's really about being intentional with the materials that you [00:23:00] use. And by the way, the number one source of air pollution inside is your area rug, your wall to wall carpeting and your flooring.

[00:23:10] Mahwish Syed: So what is biophilic in terms of your flooring, something that does not off gas VOCs and is not synthetic. Which is definitely not biophilic. So using natural materials like linen, wool, hemp, cotton, those things. Again, we've been using, you know, I was interviewing someone who's the linen expert in North America.

[00:23:35] Mahwish Syed: And, We've been using linen for 36, 000 years. We have been using wool 40, 000 years. I mean, there's a reason why these fibers work, right? And If you look at even electricity in the whole kind of scope of our human existence on this planet, Katie We've only had [00:24:00] electricity, say, the whole existence is 24 hours.

[00:24:04] Mahwish Syed: We've only used paper Electricity in the last 30 seconds of those 24 hours. Electricity is a new technology according to our biology. So stepping back and realizing that the materials that you put against your skin, your skin is your largest organ. It absorbs within 30 seconds those PFAS in your yoga pants.

[00:24:25] Mahwish Syed: So think about and be intentional with that. Using these natural materials because that is biophilic design as well.

[00:24:33] Dr. Katie Deming: Perfect. Yeah. So I, I think that that's really important. I love that you brought up the whole thing about flooring and the carpeting and just, and I think this is the part where it can feel overwhelming. Then people are like, Oh my goodness, there's so many things. So it's like, not that you have to change all of those things out, but over time looking at, okay, how do I incorporate natural materials to have that [00:25:00] connection with things.

[00:25:01] Dr. Katie Deming: That are in our environment naturally anyway. Um, so that's, that's perfect. And also the skin, yes, absolutely. Everything that we put against our skin is absorbed through the skin. And, and you know, I just, you and I talked about this briefly before we got on the call, I had an apparel line for women with breast cancer.

[00:25:21] Dr. Katie Deming: I designed bras for women with sensitive skin from radiation treatments. And I just remember when I was learning about fabrics and all of the things that are in the clothing that we wear, there's a lot there to know and, and really looking for natural fibers and looking for brands that are supportive of being transparent about what, what.

[00:25:45] Dr. Katie Deming: Fabrics are using what treatments they're putting on those fabrics because you can actually have a natural fiber, but then you can have things applied to the fabric that totally change the, you know, how it's going to perform against your skin, which, you know, [00:26:00] most apparel companies are looking at performance, right?

[00:26:02] Dr. Katie Deming: So like, you know, wicking or whatever, but you just have to be really cautious when you're thinking about eliminating and minimizing those toxins.

[00:26:12] Mahwish Syed: I absolutely adore the fact that you did that bra collection. I mean, that really, I wish I knew you, um, when I was going through, um, all of this, I think it's really important to emphasize that here's a really, to not feel that overwhelmed, I often tell my clients, think of what your great grandparents did.

[00:26:33] Mahwish Syed: What did your great grandparents, what did they have on, on their bed? And please don't say bamboo silk, because that just never existed. Um, bamboo silk is hibiscus. It's toxic. It's like, I love these. I hate these, um, greenwash terms. And most people don't realize that bamboo silk is. It's not good for you.

[00:26:56] Mahwish Syed: So. What was, you know, where did you put your sheets [00:27:00] in the linen closet? Why do we call it the linen closet? Because our sheets were made out of linen for hundreds of years and they lasted better. They kept your body cool. They're antimicrobial, antibacterial. They were the real deal. And why not use what your great grandma used?

[00:27:18] Mahwish Syed: Because really those types of things were the better option and they kept better.

[00:27:24] Dr. Katie Deming: ~Yeah. ~So, uh, one question that I have for you is around with your own healing and, you know, creating your space. Obviously you are very intentional about creating a space that felt healing for you. But how, like if someone just, and you mentioned with the like scarves or. Where does someone start? So say someone is, you know, dealing with cancer or an illness and they're in healing and they're like, okay, what [00:28:00] is like one simple thing that I can start with to start to shift my environment and how to think about this, um, this idea of.

[00:28:13] Dr. Katie Deming: You know, aesthetics and and the healing nature of of beauty in their environment.

[00:28:19] Mahwish Syed: I would say if your home is your sacred sanctuary, start with your coffee table as your altar. Everyone's got a coffee table. So, think about your coffee table as your altar. What do you place on that altar? Not candy wrappers and junk mail and, you know, dirty socks. You want to be intentional, so always make sure, just start with that one surface alone.

[00:28:45] Mahwish Syed: Make sure it's clear of clutter, number one. Number two, add those talismanic objects there. objects that have meaning, whether that's a picture frame of a lovely trip or a loved one, whether that is a bud vase with [00:29:00] just one flower, your favorite flower, whatever, sunflower, rose, peony, and you know, a book that has meaning for you, whatever it is, but be intentional about that and create that ritual of cleaning that coffee table.

[00:29:14] Mahwish Syed: And by the way, tablescapes are great ways to, um, celebrate the seasonality. So, you know, think about what's happening outside, bring, you know, that indoors. So you can bring rocks and, and, and branches and, you know, like even fall leaves right now and create a fall, um, tablescape. So constantly be changing that as well, whether it's seasonal or whether it's just according to your mood.

[00:29:43] Mahwish Syed: Like suddenly you feel like, you know, changing the colors, be, you know, um, Be free about it. Don't judge yourself. Just play. And I think we've lost that sense of play. We take things so seriously. Katie, I think, like, everything has [00:30:00] to be perfect. No! Play around. Change it around. If it doesn't work, try something else the next day.

[00:30:07] Mahwish Syed: That's what we gotta get back into. So I would start with your coffee table.

[00:30:10] Dr. Katie Deming: Yeah, I, that's, that's amazing because I think that sometimes it's overwhelming for people. They're like, where do I even start? But if you can start with one little space, and then you transform that and I, and I love this idea of the seasonality, but also. The season of life, right. That you're in. So the people who are listening to my podcast are healing and the talisman, you know, bringing those pieces that have meaning for you right now.

[00:30:39] Dr. Katie Deming: Like, what is your source of strength and inspiration that when you look at this table, you know, It reminds you of what you're doing, because I think that's one of the things that design can do. It can be that anchor to bring us back. Like, Oh, like for you with the photo of you at 15, like she's in there.

[00:30:59] Dr. Katie Deming: I, in [00:31:00] the mirror, when I look in the mirror, maybe I don't see her today, but she's there and having that beautiful reminder. And the other thing that's so. Interesting. My, my kids, you know, are always like, mom's going to rearrange the furniture like every couple months, because that's just like, I can feel when things feel stagnant.

[00:31:18] Dr. Katie Deming: And then I'm like, okay, we're just moving things. I don't know where things are going to go, but I'm always changing up this, the arrangements in my space and not on like any schedule or anything. I'll just be like one day, like, Hey, I feel like this needs to, you know, shift. And I like this idea of playing and I've always actually kind of, um, Poo pooed my design, um, approach because it was so iterative.

[00:31:44] Dr. Katie Deming: I'm not obviously a professional designer, but I love interior design and I love designing my own space, but it's always been very iterative. Like I have to try something and then sit with it for a couple of days and be like, Oh, that's not it. So then, so when I. put a room [00:32:00] together, it could take me months because I'm trying something and then I'm like, I'll pull something in and okay, maybe that doesn't work.

[00:32:06] Dr. Katie Deming: I put it in another room. And I think this is one of the things, giving people permission to play and experiment, and there's no right or wrong. This is all about what feels like vibrant and Healthy for you, and it has nothing to do with what the magazine say or what you're supposed to be doing, you know, all of those like shoulds, I think, come into this aspect of design as

[00:32:29] Dr. Katie Deming: well.

[00:32:29] Mahwish Syed: I love that it takes you a while because that's about flow Katie you're in flow instead of in a stagnant static kind of Our houses are meant to be lived in. They're not magazine perfect. And frankly, one of my biggest pet peeves is like looking at those photos with nobody in them and just empty rooms.

[00:32:51] Mahwish Syed: And I'm like, what are we saying here? Where are the people? Like, this is crazy. I don't understand why we don't show that to people. Beautiful [00:33:00] mess and paradise to me is not perfection. Perfection is actually the farthest point from authenticity. And so let's be authentic. Let's be imperfect. Let's play, let's be messy with our process and allow ourselves to make those changes and to be iterative, to continually flow with, Oh, well, I constantly move things around all the time.

[00:33:26] Mahwish Syed: Sometimes it's, you know, the plant goes here, sometimes it's on the coffee table, sometimes, oh, here's the other one. Have art in your kitchen. Like, most people think kitchen as being functional. I have beautiful art in my kitchen that is against the backsplash. So, that way I'm constantly looking when I'm cutting something, I'm looking at something beautiful.

[00:33:46] Mahwish Syed: Like, just simple little things you can bring from another room that, you know, is hanging out in the guest bedroom, stick it on the counter. Just have these different places of surfaces where, where your eye goes. I often say the coffee table because that's a focal [00:34:00] point, but in your kitchen, your counter is that place where you're always, you know, cutting and doing and prepping food.

[00:34:06] Mahwish Syed: Have something beautiful there too.

[00:34:08] Dr. Katie Deming: That's an I really like that one because the kitchen does feel so utilitarian, but to have. I'd never even thought of doing that, of having beautiful art in the kitchen that you can look at, you know, while you're cutting or, you know, and I think a lot of people when they are healing, they're spending more time in the kitchen, maybe than they had because they're now more aware of the foods that they're making and, and having that space feel beautiful and sacred.

[00:34:38] Dr. Katie Deming: You know, I, I think that that, that's a beautiful, um, recommendation. And I also love the whole livability, like your home, it's, it's. It should feel welcoming and warm. And, and that comes from that imperfection and, and the people that are in it and the animals, I've got like a wild kingdom in my house. I've got two Labradoodles and [00:35:00] two giant, um, ragdoll

[00:35:03] Dr. Katie Deming: cats.

[00:35:03] Mahwish Syed: Oh, you do? like, yes, they're amazing. But they're like lions in my house. They're, and they've got so much hair, but I'm just like, and I. actually hate hair and all that stuff. So I'm like cleaning, but at the same time, I'm like, I love having these animals in my home because it feels like a home. It feels alive.

[00:35:25] Dr. Katie Deming: It feels like there's, there's life in here. Um, from having my animals and my, and my

[00:35:31] Dr. Katie Deming: people.

[00:35:32] Mahwish Syed: I love that. And yes, I have a cat too. And by the way, your pets, from a circadian standpoint, help ground you. Literally. They, they, they are so, so healing. And again, I have leaf litter everywhere. My place is a jungle. I mean, I don't know if you know, um, the movie Angels and Insects. It's all about, um, Darwin and there's a beautiful [00:36:00] conservatory where Patsy Kensett sits.

[00:36:01] Mahwish Syed: And like, they had to paint her, her gown with, um, pheromones. So the, the butterflies and the moths would come to her. Anyway, there's like this great scene. And ever since I've watched this movie, Katie, I've been trying to replicate that, that feeling in my home. So I have plants everywhere and leaf litter and, and yes, there's fur.

[00:36:22] Mahwish Syed: And I also had a lot of like at 1. 5 birds. So it really did feel like a jungle and I love that. Yes, you have to clean up and you have to vacuum and all that stuff and make sure, but I wouldn't change that for the world. Let yourself play because when I was little, I always wanted a cat. I never got a cat.

[00:36:42] Mahwish Syed: I got sisters instead. So now I finally, I finally got that cat and I'm loving life. Love your life. Figure out ways to celebrate these moments. And you know, that's why I titled my book, Purgatory to [00:37:00] Paradise, because I feel like we're in a state of purgatory of waiting to live, waiting to have like, Oh, I'll renovate when I have amassed X amount of budget and then I'll, I'll feel better about my space.

[00:37:13] Mahwish Syed: I'm not going to invest in this rental. I'm not going to paint the wall. I'm not going to put a hole in the wall and hang that art because it's temporary. And pretty soon, 25 years later, which happened to one client, they're like, wait, I've been here for 25 years. I thought I wouldn't decorate because, and I'm like, you've been literally living in the waiting room.

[00:37:32] Mahwish Syed: What is that? So let yourself play, let yourself put that hole in the wall. And if that hole in the wall and the picture doesn't seem right, raise it a little bit. It's okay. It's behind the picture. You won't see the hole. Just let yourself enjoy your life. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:37:49] Dr. Katie Deming: Well, and also that whole aspect of, you know, your house is maybe you don't own your home or, and I've been through this whole process through when I left Western Medicine, I went through [00:38:00] divorce and I had, you know, we had a lovely home on the lake that we had, you know, design and renovated ourselves.

[00:38:05] Dr. Katie Deming: And then I went into this tiny, tiny rental where actually when I first started seeing clients, I was seeing them in my bedroom because it was so small. And then, you know, I didn't, I was like, I knew I would only be there for a couple years. And then I moved into a new rental now. And I just found out that the rental is actually going to be torn down and they're going to put it in duplexes.

[00:38:28] Dr. Katie Deming: They found out like two months after I moved in, I was like, Oh, I would never have moved in if I had known that that was going to happen. And so I know I only have like five more months in this house. But I was still really intentional like I was like, I'm not going to live in this house as if I'm only going to be here for a couple months because it is important how I feel in it every day.

[00:38:53] Dr. Katie Deming: And so just taking like room by room and, and maybe I don't buy, you know, new furniture or whatever I use what I [00:39:00] have, but intentionally really. Making the space what I want it to be, even if I'm only here for a little bit of time. So I love that you brought that up with, uh, you know, someone's home and not wanting to invest or whatever.

[00:39:13] Dr. Katie Deming: It's like, you don't have to spend a lot of money to really get your spaces working for you. And I think it's, it's about. Playing into, you know, what works for you, what feels supportive for you, but not delaying that, you know, and I love that that one climbs like 25 years later, that's what happens, right?

[00:39:34] Dr. Katie Deming: If you're just waiting and you're thinking, I'm not sure, I'm not sure. And then pretty soon, so much time has gone by that you're like, I haven't made this what it could be. So, um, anyway, I just, I, I definitely am living that one right now and realizing that For me anyway, because I'm so aesthetic that it was really important.

[00:39:52] Dr. Katie Deming: It didn't matter how long I was going to be here. I wanted to make sure that my spaces, especially where I sleep and where I work, that it [00:40:00] feels, you know, beautiful. And it feels, um, like a place that I want

[00:40:05] Dr. Katie Deming: to be.

[00:40:05] Mahwish Syed: I love that. And by the way, being aesthetic and being in a rental are not mutually exclusive. You can be really a lover of beauty and really express that. I have so many tips. To customize a space that is a rental that I constantly speak and talk about this. And yes, thank you for sharing that you had your clients in your home.

[00:40:33] Mahwish Syed: I think so many of us, and by the way, that's Roman life. Ancient Romans lived where the clients came to their homes. And that was actually a source of, um, luxury to have the clients come to you and to have a very kind of, um, live work kind of, we're doing that through the pandemic now, but like, you know, that kind of, um, very playful [00:41:00] and fluid kind of life.

[00:41:02] Mahwish Syed: I think it's important to understand that your home is your place. It's to express whatever it is that you want to express. Don't hold yourself back. Don't stay in purgatory.

[00:41:16] Dr. Katie Deming: I love it. I love it. Well, Mawish, it was so nice to have you here and chatting with us. If people would like to find you, you've already talked about your book, Purgatory to Paradise, which I highly recommend. But how can

[00:41:30] Dr. Katie Deming: people find you?

[00:41:31] Mahwish Syed: Go to claimyourparadise. com and it's one stop shopping. I have audit lists and I also have a special gift for your listeners. It's claimyourparadise. com slash podcast. Those are my five essential things that help you create a healing oasis.

[00:41:49] Dr. Katie Deming: Perfect. Well, thank you so much for being

[00:41:51] Dr. Katie Deming: here.

[00:41:52] Mahwish Syed: Likewise. Thanks so much for having me.

Thank you for joining me on Born [00:42:00] to Heal. It's been a privilege to share this time with you, and I hope that today's episode has offered you valuable insights on your journey toward optimal health. Please consider subscribing, sharing this podcast with your friends, and leaving us a review. To learn more about how you can work with me, visit BornToHeal.

com. Please visit katydemming. com. You can find additional resources in the episode show notes linked below, and remember to join us next week as we continue to explore more holistic approaches to healing until then. This is Dr. Katie Deming reminding you that just like me, you were born to heal.

DISCLAIMER:
The Born to Heal Podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for seeking professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual medical histories are unique; therefore, this episode should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease without consulting your healthcare provider.

Meet Dr. Katie Deming,
The Conscious Oncologist

After spending 20 years in conventional medicine as a radiation oncologist and healthcare leader, I’ve learned there’s a better way to heal. Now, I go beyond the confines of conventional and integrative medicine to help my patients detoxify and nourish their full selves, so that they can activate their innate healing abilities.

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