Designing Wellness Podcast

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Laura Di Lorenzo, founder of Sunshine Mattress Co.

Sunshine Mattress Co. is an online organic mattress experience that focuses on solving individual needs, concerns, and preferences when it comes to sleep. The collection of products is handcrafted locally in Ontario at a family-run facility that specializes in manufacturing organic mattresses and other textiles. The simplified collection of products is always made using the highest quality, certified organic raw materials that provide a wealth of benefits, longer-lasting comfort, and an enhanced sleep experience. 

Laura opened her first showroom in Toronto in 2020 and has since relocated to Collingwood in April of this year. Her mission is to educate on the importance of high-quality and clean products, that you can feel good about getting into every night. After all - we sleep one-third of our lives!

Laura had the pleasure of serving customers all across Canada, grown partnerships with practitioners and influential people in the space of wellness. Sunshine Mattresses are in an AirB&B in Bancroft, and have received various media recognition through wellness podcasts and blogs

During our conversation with Laura:

• We learned about her mission, what sparked her passion for sleep quality?

• The journey of opening a sustainable business from the beginning to now. 

• What does wellness mean to her?

• How can a conventional mattress affect your sleep?

• What are the symptoms of sleeping on a bad mattress? 

• How do you know that you need to change mattresses?

• Is it better to sleep on a hard or soft mattress?

• How often should a mattress be replaced?

• Why invest in a healthy mattress, why does it matter and what are the benefits? 

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Air purifiers can be effective in reducing levels of certain pollutants in the air, such as dust, pollen, pet dander, and tobacco smoke. However, the effectiveness of an air purifier depends on several factors, including the type of pollutant or particulate you are trying to remove.

If you’re looking for a recommended air purifier, search for HEPA filters. They are highly effective at removing small particles from the air, while others, such as ozone generators, can actually be harmful to human health. It is also important to note that air purifiers are not able to remove all pollutants and may not be able to eliminate odors or chemical fumes. Therefore consider an air purifier with a HEPA filter.

In this epidose, we dived in:

• Is it worth wild investing in an air purifier?
• What are the benefits of a HEPA filter?
• Can my houseplants become the air purifier?

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Ahiney Laryea, Associate Therapist with LifeCycle Counselling and Clinical Learning Facilitator at LifeWorks.

She is a registered social worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) and a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Carleton University and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Windsor. Ahiney has a passion and heart for serving others and demonstrates it by mentoring other women in her community. She also loves long walks, gastronomic experiences during her travels, and journaling memorable moments.

During our conversation with Ahiney:

• We talked about her mission and how she became a social worker

• The different facets of wellness and the components that impact our mental health.

• As a social worker, which room of the home would you begin with? Why? And what are three major elements you would change or implement in the space?

  
  

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In this week’s episode, my special guest is Seungyeon Hong, Civil Engineering and Modelling and Data Specialist at s2e Technologies Inc:

He is an expert in the field of sustainability and net-zero energy. He holds a bachelor's and master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Carleton University, is a LEED Green Associate and was the Graduate Research And Teaching Assistant on the Northern Nomad Net-Zero Tiny House Project in Ottawa.

During our conversation with Seungyeon:

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Tracy Daoud, Montreal-based Interior Designer and owner of Interior Designs by Tracy.

With over 10+ years in the field of interior design and running her own business, Tracy also recently launched an extension of her brand which is a curated collection of home goods - Tryda Collection. She has a diploma in interior design from Lasalle College and a bachelor's degree in business management from John Molson School of Business in Montreal. She is a wife, a mom to young boys, and a passionate luxury residential interior designer who build her business from word of mouth.

During our conversation with Tracy:

• We talked about her mission.

• What inspired her to become an Interior Designer?

• What does it mean to design a space that reflects and tells a story?

• Talk to us about bathroom design

  • Why should someone invest in bathroom design?

  • How to create a serene/spa-like bathroom?

  • How did you tell the client’s story through that project?

  
  

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In this week’s episode, my special guest is Karyn Hughes, RMT and Owner of Kneaded Touch.

Karyn is a proud mother of 3 wonderful kids, has been a Massage Therapist for 22 years, a doula, an IBCLC, and a professor of Massage Therapy at Algonquin College. She opened her first clinic in 2007 and now has 3 in the Ottawa area named after her love of baking - Kneaded Touch.  In her free time, she volunteers with the Girl Guides, supports new RMTs, and loves to dote on her pets. She has found her passion in supporting and empowering women and children through their wellness journeys. 

During our conversation with Karyn:

• We talked about her mission.

• What inspired her to become a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), specialize in pre/postnatal, and open her own practice?

• She specializes in (ie. Prenatal massage, prenatal, infant and child massage, Swedish massage, CranioSacral therapy, and Myofascial Release) - what is her process through each therapy?

• Walk us through how a pregnant woman can benefit from massage therapy throughout her pregnancy and post-partum. Let's say she decides to book multiple sessions with you within the 9 months, tell us your process. Which months would you recommend which therapy and why? 

  
  

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In this week’s episode, my special guest is Tanya Rust, Registered Psychotherapist and Founder of T.RUST Counselling.

Tanya Rust is Registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. She completed her Master of Arts in Counselling and Spirituality at the University of Ottawa. Her goal is to help people feel more at home within themselves. She helps individuals gain insight and clarity so they can extend compassion and kindness toward themselves as they journey through life.

During our conversation with Tanya:

• We talked about her mission.

• What inspired her to become a psychotherapist and start her own practice?

• What modality does she use during a therapy session?

• What makes therapy so important for our mental health and well-being? 

• What can someone actually expect from therapy, compared to the myths or stereotypes? 

• What do you enjoy most about being a therapist?

  
  

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In this week’s episode, my special guest is Maxi Schönteich, Pain expert and founder of Embodied Health.

Maxi is a trauma-informed Osteopath, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Nutritional Therapist, and Health Coach based in Hong Kong. She has extensive postgraduate training in somatic/body-based trauma therapy, chronic pain management, and mind-body medicine.

Maxi is passionate about helping people recover from chronic unexplained illnesses so they can live a fully expressed life and she’s on the show today to share practical applications that will enhance our health & well-being. 

During our conversation with Maxi:

• We talked about her mission.

• How did she start?

• What inspired you to become an Osteopath?

• What inspired additional education to become a Certified Medicine Practitioner and the founder of Embodied Health?

• What do we need to know and understand when it comes to unexplained chronic pain and the nervous system? 

• Can you elaborate on your most recent blog post on “How Mindfulness can help you reduce Pain”?

  
  

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In this week’s episode, my special guest is Pierre-Paul Couronne, Media Specialist at Impact Media

PPC is an expert in all things SEO, Digital Marketing, and Social Media. He has innumerable years of experience in the digital marketing sector and has collaborated with a diverse portfolio of creatives and brands. He was the Founder of World Repair, Co-Founder of The Anxious Empath, and Marketing Consultant and Web Developer of Moi D’abord/Me first.”

During our conversation with PPC:

• We talked about his mission.

• Digital Marketing/Social Media and its impact on our wellbeing

• Social Media and the concept of scrapbooking

• Artificial intelligence, data, and wellness

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In this week’s episode, my special guest is Casey Grey, The Conscious Builder.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Carol Bishay, Occupational Therapist.

Carol is an occupational therapist based out of Ottawa, Canada. She is a bilingual mom to a new baby girl, holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Ottawa, mental health advocate and speaker. Carol has a passion working with children as she focuses on helping optimize for their health through meaningful activities. 

During our conversation with Carol:

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Tasha Medve, Sustainable Lifestyle Blogger of The Purposeful You

With years of experience in Real Estate, Marketing and Broadcasting, Tasha is now a full-time eco influencer. She is a blogger, writer, teacher, sustainable mama to toddle Quinn and the founder of The Purposeful You. Tasha birthed The Purposeful You, an eco-conscious lifestyle blog when she was expecting her sweet baby Quinn. Since then she has been focused on creating content around sustainable living to inspire others to live a holistic lifestyle. Tasha has been featured on The EcoParent, Waste Free Planet, Virgin Radio 107.3, and RedFin.”

During our conversation with Tasha:

• We talked about her mission.
• What inspired you to shift to a sustainable and eco-conscious living lifestyle? How did she start?
• How does conscious living positively impact everyday life?
• How to justify the initial investment of transition into an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle.
• Why should someone start an eco-conscious lifestyle?
• What are 3 practical ways or applications that can be implemented today?

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Kuljit Rakhra, Co-Founder of Takasa Lifestyle Company Inc.

With over 15 years of experience in the financial industry, Kuljit took a huge leap of faith in his personal life and career as he left his banking job in Chicago and moved his family of 4, now 5 back to Vancouver, Canada to step into becoming a social and environmental conscious entrepreneur and the Co-founder and COO of Takasa Lifestyle Company Inc. Takasa is Canada’s first organic and Fair trade Cotton homewares brand. They have been featured in Apartment Therapy, Sustainably Chic, The Marilyn Denis Show, HGTV, Ottawa Citizen, The Eco Hub, Elle Decor, National Post, The Globe and Mail, and BC Living, just to name a few.”

During our conversation with Kuljit:

• We dived into his mission and what inspired the birth of Takasa.
• Why a fair trade and sustainable brand?
• Why should we use fair trade cotton?
• What are the health and financial benefits and how does it positively impact our sleep quality and well-being?
• What can we implement in our home today to enhance their well-being?
• What type of fair trade cotton homeware would you recommend investing in?

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Sloane Elizabeth, Food Freedom Coach.

She is a yoga teacher, speaker, podcaster, and ice cream lover! She has an undergraduate from Vanderbilt University, and currently working on her Masters in Holistic Clinical Nutrition at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Her passion is to help women eat and LIVE with love & intuition. Her goal is to coach women to feel properly nourished, satisfied, and confident in their bodies.

During our conversation with Sloane:

We learned about what inspired her to become a Food Freedom Coach and how she helps women change their relationship with food. We dived in on how to care about our health and wellness without diet and nutritional restrictions and how nutrition plays a role in our well-being.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Dr. Nardine Bekhit, an Ottawa-based Chiropractor.

She holds a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Ottawa and a Ph.D. from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. She’s a mom to the cutest little girl, speaker, educator, family wellness advocate and curly hair influencer!!

She’s on the show today to give us practical applications on how to improve our sleep quality and mental health.

During our conversation with Dr.Bekhit:

• We learned more about her mission.
• What inspired Dr.Bekhit to become a chiropractor
• What does wellness mean to her
• How does our posture impact our sleep quality and our mental health
• Practical skills on how to improve our sleep quality and overall health

In this week’s episode, my special guest is January Donovan, Self Worth Strategist, Founder Of The Woman School and The Wholeness Coaching School.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Ariel Green, host of The Sustainable Brown Girl Podcast:

A podcast that dives into the fundamentals of sustainability from a brown girl’s world/perspective. The podcast features many women of colour who are climate activists, farmers, beekeepers, zero waste shop owners, packaging engineers, and much more. The goal of Sustainable Brown Girl is to share incredible women's stories, support them and inspire other women of colour to make better choices for the health of our planet and the health of our bodies. Ariel is a wife, mama to a precious little girl, community activist, urban gardener and she’s on the show today to talk about sustainability.

During our conversation with Ariel:

We talked about:

• What inspired her to become The Sustainable Brown Girl and host of The Sustainable Brown Girl Podcast?
• What is the common denominator of sustainable living?
• How does it sustainable living impacts our over health and wellbeing?

Have you ever heard of the term hormone disruptors? 

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Emma Rohmann, Environmental Engineer and Green Building Consultant.

During our conversation with Emma:

We talked about:

• Emma’s mission?
• What inspired her to become an expert in the field of Green Building?
• What does a healthy home mean? Why is it important?
• How does it impact our overall health and well-being?
• We also talked about pregnancy and hormone disruptors!
• Emma shares three practical applications that can be implemented today to enhance our well-being and overall health.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Emma Terrell, founder of The Urban Botanist.

Emma holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Carleton University, she’s a speaker, host of the Living Widler, Nature Series on YouTube, an expert in biophilic design and has been featured on BBC News, CTV News, RogersTV and the Ottawa Home & Garden Show.”

During our conversation with Emma:

• We talked about her mission, what inspired her to become The Urban Botanist
• What it means to become closer to nature
• The Living Wilder Youtube Series
• Applications that we can apply today to enhance our well-being and overall health today.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Zara D’Cotta, Building Biology New Build Consultant and Founder at The Healthy Home.

Based out of Northern NSW, Australia, Zara discovered her passion for environmental health after going through cancer.   She is a Building Biology New Build Consultant, having graduated from the Building Biology Institute in the USA, and spent the past three years studying healthy home design and building materials in Australia and the US. Zara is also a keynote speaker, founder of The Healthy Home, and has been featured on The Project, Ten News, Today, Herald Sun, and Medibank’s Be, just to name a few.

During our conversation with Zara:

• We dived into her story and learned about her mission
• What inspired her to transform interiors into healthy homes
• What a healthy home is and how does impact our overall health and well-being
• The top 3 health concerns in new builds
• How to create a healthy environment for you and your family.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Maria Failla, Author of Growing Joy, The Plant Lover’s Guide to Cultivating Happiness and Host of Growing Joy Podcast

She is also the Founder of Bloom & Grow Garden Society, Plant expert, Teacher, Speaker, and Professional Singer! Marie has been featured in The New York Times, Refinery29, The Washington Post, Apartment Therapy and TimeOut New York, just to name a few. She’s on the show today to help us change our perspectives on plants and teach us how greenery can improve our overall well-being.

During our conversation with Maria:

• We dived into her story and what inspired her to create Bloom and Grow Radio (2 million podcast downloads)
• Why a book - why Growing Joy?
• How to cultivate happiness through plants
• How plants impact our overall health and well-being.

Listen on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Audible, or on your podcast platform. 

It's launch day and I'm thrilled to share why we are launching season 3 of the Designing Wellness Podcast!

I'll be sharing the why behind the rebrand and what to expect in future episodes. 

Season 3 coming January 2023.

I’m so excited for this, not only will I have amazing wellness brands, health & certified professionals and field experts, you will also hear my journey into the wellness lifestyle.

In the past few years, our homes have shifted from being simply a lodging to our open concept office, conference room, café, classroom, or workshop, you name it. Society has shifted the way we live, so finding a new rhythm to our day-to-day was a must, and still is. This pivot has stretched us in many ways including our physical, emotional and mental health & well-being.

That’s why Design Talk has become Designing Wellness! Let’s build a sustainable + wellness community so we can learn, help and inspire each other! Join the conversation in the new year - Jan 2023.

Welcome to the Designing Wellness Podcast, a space where we learn to design a lifestyle intertwined by nature, optimal health and wellness right at home. It’s all about bringing the sustainable + wellness community together, so join the conversation!

In each episode we’ll dive into practical wellness applications such as toxic-free living, biophilic design, sustainability, holistic health and wellness. With raw conversation from health, certified professionals and field experts, you’ll leave each episode motivated and ready to design and knit a lifestyle intertwined by nature, optimal health and wellness right at home.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Natasha Rowsell.

Natasha is a super mom of two, loving wife, talented creative, professional dancer, speaker, thought leader, teacher and preacher. She holds a bachelor degree in Theology majoring in Youth Ministries from Master’s College and Seminary and has a passion to serve the next generation of teens.

She’s on the show to talk about the mental health and social benefits of altruism.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Anjali Mangalgiri.

Anjali is a registered architect that has a sustainable approach. She is a creative mom of two, TED Talk speaker, sustainable  leader, real estate developer and Founder and Principal Architect of Grounded, a sustainable architecture and development practice based in Singapore and Goa, India. She holds a bachelor degree in Architecture from The School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, a Master in City Planning from MIT and a Master in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Pippa Lee.

With over 10 years experience in the architecture and construction field, Pippa is a registered wellness architect and the Principal and Founder of Pip+Pencil. She is a creative mom, director at Delos Australia and an advocate for health & wellness and sustainability. Pippa has a strong focus on health-centric design principles and integrating holistic design approaches within the built environment. She holds a Bachelor in Design Studies, a Master Degree in Architecture from University of Adelaide and is WELL AP.

Tune in this episode as Pippa, registered Australian Wellness Architect goes into depth on how you can make significant changes in your home today that will impact your overall health and wellbeing.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Tiffany Leigh.

With over ten years of experience in high end residential, and a Bachelor of Interior Design Degree, Tiffany founder her own interior design studio in 2019, extending her causal, textural and coastal style to her clients. She is the owner of TLD curated, and has been featured in House & Home, domino, HGTV and Style Me Pretty Living.

In this week’s episode, my special guest is Isabelle C.

With years of experience in corporate furniture and design, Isabelle has a strong passion for transforming the end-user’s work experience to enhance their overall health and well-being through proper ergonomics. She is a  Certified Office Ergonomics Evaluator that will help us address common questions such as “what’s the importance of ergonomics? why should I care? how does poor ergonomics impact my well-being what should I do?”.

She will share applications that you will be able to apply right away to enhance your well-being and productivity.

The Canadian Sleep Society states that even on a rare night, the lack of sleep “has a number of immediate consequences including lower alertness, negative mood, reduced motor and visual acuity, longer response times, and impaired attention and memory. Chronic sleep restriction over days and weeks leads to cumulative deficits in alertness, mood and cognitive performance. As well, insufficient sleep can have long-term consequences for health including weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.”

I'm here to provide you top interior design tips and recommendations from health expert Dr. Nardine Bekhit on how to improve your mental health and sleep environment.

Why should you care about indoor pollutants?
Let me tell you. Poor air quality can lead to “Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).” As per the WELL Building Standards, “SBS symptoms include various nonspecific symptoms such as eye, skin and airway irritation, as well as headache and fatigue.” Whether you have asthma or not, it’s crucial that we take care of our health and ensure that our homes have the best indoor air quality as possible.

Here we go! The question “everyone” wonders are, what’s the difference between interior design and interior decorating? First off, I want to say that Interior Decorating is a trade of its own. Decorating and design can sometimes overlap but they are fairly different.

The © 2019 Council for Interior Design Qualification, Inc. expresses the Full Definition of Interior Design as this:

Are you wondering what's the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator? Listen in as I'm interviewing a talented corporate designer / interior decorator. She is giving us insights into her education path and post-education experience.

I was honestly the shyest child in grade school up to high school. I was that kid who had extreme anxiety when the teacher would call my name during attendance. I hated the fact that I had to raise my voice and say, "present". Looking back, there wasn't a doubt that I was an introvert. So what happen? How I did I become an entrepreneur, host my own podcast, speak in videos, and be the "Talking Thomas" at networking events?

Tune in as I share my personal story on how I conquered my fear of public speaking and became the woman, designer and entrepreneur that I am today.

Want to become a creative but wondering what type of jobs are there for interior designers?

When I first started design school I didn’t know all the career possibilities and wondered if I can I make a living being an interior designer? Now that I’m in the industry, I can see that there are so many opportunities within the trade.

Tune in as I reveal the invariable opportunities in the interior design industry.

Welcome to the Designing Wellness Podcast, a space where we learn to design a lifestyle intertwined by nature, optimal health and wellness right at home. It’s all about bringing the sustainable + wellness community together, so join the conversation!

In this episode I talk all about my perspective toward the interior design industry and how we should use the trade and profession to impact lives.

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