Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

This episode invites you to slow down and bring more intention into your home this holiday season. Ashley explores the often-overlooked ways that our modern holiday habits, from twinkling LED lights to endless tech gadgets, can quietly impact our health, our nervous system, and the energetic balance of our space.

You’ll learn how to reduce EMF exposure, choose healthier lighting, and align your home with the natural rhythm of winter, a season designed for rest, reflection, and regeneration. Ashley shares simple, practical steps to create a conscious Christmas that nourishes both your body and your spirit.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Awakening Spaces Blog: EMF Research and Resources
• Episode with Cathy Cook on Dirty Electricity

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

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Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Jonathan from JF Healthy Homes to explore the invisible energies shaping the spaces we live in, EMFs, dirty electricity, geopathic stress, and more. Together, they unpack how modern technology affects the body’s natural rhythms and why true healing begins by re-rooting ourselves in nature.

From using an AM radio to detect “dirty” LED lights to discussing ancient wisdom around building placement and biogeometry, this conversation bridges science and spirituality in a refreshingly honest way. Jonathan also opens up about his own healing journey, balancing business, family, and health, while offering grounded encouragement for anyone feeling overwhelmed by toxins or information overload.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Ashley’s EMF research blog: https://awakeningspaces.com/2025/03/31/emf-research/

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

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Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH GUEST

Website | Instagram | Tiktok

Jonathan Farrar is a building biologist and healthy home advocate who runs an environmental consultation company called JF Healthy Homes. He began his journey through many health struggles of his own, the most recent and ultimate one being moving into a house with toxic black mold which made him and his young children and spouse very sick. Through his struggles and strifes, he has found building biology and is on a wrecking path the help other families live better.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Frank Wetenkamp, natural builder and co-founder of Living Craft, to explore the marriage between high-performance building science and soulful, regenerative craftsmanship.

Together, they dive into the heart of natural plasters, clay, lime, and beyond, unpacking how these ancient materials not only transform the way a home looks and feels but also how it supports our health and nervous system. Frank shares approachable insights on how to make healthier material choices in both new builds and remodels, what it actually takes to plaster over drywall, and why small, simple, intentional homes may be the most sustainable form of luxury.

This episode is for anyone dreaming of building or remodeling with consciousness homeowners, designers, and builders who want to reconnect craft with care.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

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Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH FRANK

Living Craft IG |  Living Plasters IG | Facebook | Website

Frank is the Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Living Craft. Frank started working as a carpenter while in high school. His passion for building led to a degree in Civil Engineering and a minor in Architectural studies. A Natural Building Certificate course at Yestermorrow Design Build School set him up for a move back to residential construction.

Now as a Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) he strives to find the right balance between modern techniques, building science, and natural materials. When he isn’t building, Frank likes to spend time outside with his family.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Kendra Seymour, co-founder of Change the Air Foundation, to unpack the invisible yet widespread crisis of mold and indoor air quality. Kendra shares her family’s personal battle with toxic mold, how it transformed her life’s work, and the step-by-step process every homeowner should understand when it comes to inspection and remediation to the crucial (and often skipped) post-remediation verification (PRV).

Together, Ashley and Kendra bring clarity to a confusing industry, highlighting what ethical remediation should look like, how to protect your investment, and what’s being done at the federal level to protect families, especially military families living in unsafe housing. This is a must-listen episode for anyone facing environmental illness, building a new home, or simply wanting to live in a space that truly supports their health.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

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Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH GUEST

Website | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook

Kendra Seymour is a Co-Founder and Vice Chair of Change the Air Foundation and a passionate advocate for improving health by improving indoor air quality. She oversees foundation initiatives, with a special focus on raising awareness, outreach, and fundraising. As a mother of two, Kendra discovered hidden mold and water damage in her home were harming her family’s health. After years of research into mold and indoor toxins, and a lot of hard lessons-learned, she became dedicated to helping others by building awareness in online communities and collaborating with fellow advocates to educate the public around the importance of indoor air quality.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

What does it really take to build a fire-resilient, high-performance home in today’s world of rising costs, unpredictable supply chains, and evolving codes? In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Marcela and Hector, engineers, owner-builders, and founders of Efficient Build, to unpack their journey of designing and building their own wildfire-resilient home in the Colorado mountains after being evacuated during the Marshall Fire.

They share what they wish they’d known before starting, from the materials they’d choose differently to how to navigate post-COVID construction costs and supply chain chaos. You’ll learn how they balanced fire resistance with healthy home design, what it really costs to build high-performance, and how to stay patient, creative, and resilient through years of hands-on work.

If you’re dreaming of building a home that protects your family, honors the land, and reflects your values, this conversation will inspire you to take the next step with both realism and heart.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website

Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH EFFICIENT BUILD

Youtube 

Spanish IG: https://www.instagram.com/losefficientbuilds/

English IG: https://www.instagram.com/efficient_build/

Hector and Marcella are Custom home builders in the Rocky Mountains (only) of Colorado. We thrive on being efficient in material utilization as well as energy efficiency. We are self funded to avoid the ups and downs of interest rates and not having to deal with banks. We thrive in a customer-free environment.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with builder David Aurbeck of PLH Exclusives, whose wife’s battle with mold illness transformed his career into a mission: creating homes that truly support human health.

David shares practical wisdom on building mold-resistant homes, protecting lumber on site, and the surprising potential of log homes. He and Ashley also explore he surprising potential of log homes. He and Ashley also explorebuilding from the energy of natural materials to choosing purpose over fear.

Whether you’re navigating mold illness, considering a log home, or simply curious about healthy high-performance building, this conversation will leave you both informed and inspired.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Builder survey David mentions in the podcast - https://plhexclusives.com/home-build-survey/Survey1

CONNECT WITH DAVID

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My name is David Aurbeck (R-Beck), grew up farming in central IL. After getting a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies, moved back to IL and started a family in a small apartment before GCing/building my first home.

The Log Home company asked me to be their Rep, which initiated the start of my building/restoration company in 2016. Due to mold sensitivities and trauma with my wife, I am fully invested in the build science world and focus primarily now on enhancing lives through Healthy High-Performance Homes.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

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Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley Spanovich talks with building biologist and nutritionist Cathy Cooke about the hidden stressors in our homes and the surprising fixes that can transform health.

Cathy shares eye-opening stories, like the time she traced severe dirty electricity to a kitchen gadget!  She explains why “harmonizers” and EMF pendants aren’t always what they seem, and why simple steps like unplugging devices or hardwiring your internet often make the biggest difference.

They also dive into the emotional side of healthy living how to move from fear and overwhelm to resilience and presence, even while facing mold, EMFs, or environmental illness.

If you’ve ever felt unsure where to start, this conversation is both practical and encouraging: a reminder that progress not perfection is the goal.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Cathy’s Fly Healthier Course
• Safe and Sound Pro II EMF meter USE CODE AS5 FOR 5% OFF

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website

Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH CATHY

Instagram | Youtube | Facebook | Website

Cathy Cooke is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition with the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. She is also a Certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant and Certified Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist with the Building Biology Institute as well as a Certified Residential Mold Inspector. She assesses buildings for anything that may be causing health problems, including Indoor Air Quality, mold, chemical off-gassing, ventilation, and EMF exposure.

Combining Holistic Nutrition and Building Biology, she addresses both the body and environment to help her clients achieve optimal health. Originally from Kansas City, MO., she currently lives in Boise, ID. She is available for consulting via skype and phone, and will travel as needed for home assessments. You can find more information about her on her website or follow her on Instagram or YouTube.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave us a rating/review! Thank you for listening ✨

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

What really happens when you have biotoxin exposure from things like mold and lyme and how do you recover without making things worse?

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley talks with Dr. Terri Fox, an integrative physician specializing in mold and Lyme, about biofilms, antifungal strategies, and the vital role of nervous system retraining. You’ll learn why opening biofilms too early can backfire, how to protect your good bacteria, and why mold illness is not only treatable but fully recoverable.

Whether you’re just starting to suspect mold or have been navigating chronic symptoms for years, this conversation offers clarity, hope, and practical next steps.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Here's the link for the Mold Quiz: 

ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY BELOW TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF OUR PODCAST, WE ARE GIVING AWAY ONE SPOT INTO OUR CONSCIOUS CONSTRUCTION CONTAINER ($12K IN VALUE!).

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5. BONUS: RE-SHARE TO YOUR STORIES FOR ANOTHER ENTRY (TAG US @AWAKENINGSPACES SO WE KNOW YOU POSTED)!

CONNECT WITH DR. TERRI

Instagram | Facebook | Website | The Medical Detective Podcast

Dr. Terri Fox is a Board-Certified Integrative and Holistic Medicine physician and founder of Boulder Holistic Functional Medicine in Colorado. With over 24 years in practice and more than a decade specializing in mold detoxification, she is a recognized leader in the field of environmentally acquired illness.

A Founding Diplomat of the International Society of Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI) and advisor to the Change the Air Foundation, Dr. Fox has helped thousands recover from mold-related illness through her clinical work and her step-by-step online course designed to guide patients safely back to health.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website

Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project?

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode, Ashley sits down with designer, healer, and author Mahwish Syed to explore the intersection of beauty, mythology, and biology in creating spaces that heal. From her career in New York fashion and interiors to her own cancer journey, Mahwish shares how choosing to dance with illness rather than fear it reshaped her philosophy of design.

They dive into the story of Persephone, the science of neuroaesthetics, the frequency of fabrics and flowers, and simple rituals that make daily life more nourishing. This episode will leave you inspired to design with both your heart and your cells in mind.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Purgatory to Paradise by Mahwish Syed

ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY BELOW TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF OUR PODCAST, WE ARE GIVING AWAY ONE SPOT INTO OUR CONSCIOUS CONSTRUCTION CONTAINER ($12K IN VALUE!).

ENTER TO WIN BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:

1. LISTEN TO ONE EPISODE OF THE AWAKENING SPACES PODCAST
2. SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW THE SHOW ON APPLE PODCAST
3. LEAVE A RATING + REVIEW ON APPLE PODCAST (AN EXTRA POINT IF YOU ALSO SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW ON SPOTIFY!)
4. HEAD TO THIS INSTAGRAM  POST AND TAG ONE PERSON WHO YOU THINK WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE SHOW. THE MORE PEOPLE YOU TAG THE MORE ENTRIES YOU GET.
5. BONUS: RE-SHARE TO YOUR STORIES FOR ANOTHER ENTRY (TAG US @AWAKENINGSPACES SO WE KNOW YOU POSTED)!

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Website

Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH MAHWISH

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube | Facebook | Website

Mahwish Syed is an award-winning fashion and interior designer, celebrated author, cancer survivor, and expert in neuroaesthetics. For over two decades, her work has been featured in publications like The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and Elle Décor, shaping spaces that nurture and heal.

Her book Purgatory to Paradise—a #1 New Release in multiple categories—shares her cancer journey and how design became her sanctuary. Today, she empowers others to create personal paradises, showing that true beauty is immediate and accessible to all.

Send us a text with your questions, thoughts, and/or a love note regarding the podcast episode to help us know what to create more of!

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley speaks with author and building biologist John Banta, whose decades of work in mold remediation have helped countless families reclaim safe, healing homes.

John shares his journey into this field and the experiences that fuel his commitment to helping others. They explore how mold, building flaws, and genetic vulnerabilities can create a “perfect storm” for illness. He also introduces his book, a practical guide with strategies and illustrations for preventing and remediating mold.

This conversation offers both technical insights and grounded hope for anyone navigating environmental illness or questioning the health of their home.

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Books written and co-written by John Banta:

• Mold Controlled by John Banta, CIH
• Prescriptions for A Healthy House by Paula Baker-Laporte, FAIA and John Banta, CIH

ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY BELOW 

TO CELEBRATE THE LAUNCH OF OUR PODCAST, WE ARE GIVING AWAY ONE SPOT INTO OUR CONSCIOUS CONSTRUCTION CONTAINER ($12K IN VALUE!).

ENTER TO WIN BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:

1. LISTEN TO ONE EPISODE OF THE AWAKENING SPACES PODCAST
2. SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW THE SHOW ON APPLE PODCAST
3. LEAVE A RATING + REVIEW ON APPLE PODCAST (AN EXTRA POINT IF YOU ALSO SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW ON SPOTIFY!)
4. HEAD TO THIS INSTAGRAM  POST AND TAG ONE PERSON WHO YOU THINK WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE SHOW. THE MORE PEOPLE YOU TAG THE MORE ENTRIES YOU GET.
5. BONUS: RE-SHARE TO YOUR STORIES FOR ANOTHER ENTRY (TAG US @AWAKENINGSPACES SO WE KNOW YOU POSTED)!

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY

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Ashley helps you renovate and build healthier homes to prevent future health issues from arising from your environment. Whether you’re searching for a new home, assessing concerns with your current one, or embarking on a renovation or new build, Awakening Spaces can guide you every step of the way.

Ashley brings her background in Building Biology and Building Science and years of hands-on experience helping families reduce mold, chemical exposure, and EMFs in their living spaces. Her clients gain homes that are not only functional and beautiful, but truly support their well-being and peace of mind.

Curious about how we can help with your project? Explore our offerings here.

CONNECT WITH JOHN

Website | Facebook | Youtube

John C. Banta is an Indoor Environmental Quality Specialist with a degree in Environmental Health Science and over 35 years of experience. He coauthored Prescriptions for a Healthy House: A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders, and Homeowners with Paula Baker-Laporte and Dr. Erica Elliott, now in its 4th edition and also available as an e-book.

For 27 years, John focused on mold and water damage, conducting investigations, supervising remediation projects across the U.S., and training cr