What I Look for in a Healthy Home: Insights from a Holistic Realtor and Practitioner | Ep 14

In this episode of Real Health Transformations, Holly Jean dives into the connection between your home environment and your health. Drawing from her unique expertise as both a holistic realtor and practitioner, Holly explores overlooked environmental factors like pesticides, mold, and EMFs, and how they can silently contribute to chronic illness, fatigue, and more. She also shares her personal and professional experience, offering practical advice on what to look for when buying a home, or assessing your current home, for potential health risks.

This episode marks the beginning of a series on creating a healthy home, where Holly will guide you through how to create a living space that supports both physical and mental well-being. Whether you're frustrated by ongoing symptoms or simply want to improve your home environment, this episode will provide insight, empowerment, and actionable steps to make positive changes.

Key Moments:

• 00:00:28 – Welcome & Introduction: The connection between home environment and health.
• 00:22:42 – Holly’s personal and professional insights as both a realtor and health practitioner.
• 01:16:69 – Explanation of the bucket theory and environmental stressors.
• 05:21:94 – The role of epigenetics and environmental impact on gene expression.
• 08:27:00 – Practical changes you can make to reduce your home’s toxic load.
• 09:22:15 – Key environmental factors to consider when assessing your home (pesticides, EMFs, mold, etc.).
• 19:11:53 – Personal story: Matching homes with individual health needs.
• 32:22:64 – Realistic lifestyle considerations for homesteading and relocation.

Episode Resources:

Oklahoma Center for Wellness Event, Saturday October 12 - Register for this FREE event and visit my booth for some fun giveaways and exclusive offers.

Your Genes Aren't Your Destiny: How Epigenetics Puts You in Control
Episode 10 with Hannah Went of TruDiagnostics

NOTE: Regarding my comment on arsenic and cotton fields - I wasn't off base and my brain didn't fail me! (yay) Arsenic was commonly used in cotton production in the southern U.S. as a pesticide to control pests and as a defoliant before harvesting. This practice persisted for much of the 20th century, leaving residual arsenic in the soil. As a result, when these fields are repurposed, or when residential housing tracks are developed over the land, the residual arsenic raises health concerns. Although arsenic use has declined, its legacy still affects soil and water quality in these regions​(USGS)​(Duke University Press)​(

Your body holds so much wisdom — stop relying on outside voices to dictate your health journey. By tuning into the signals your body is sending you, you can gain clarity and take confident steps toward healing and transformation.

I’ve created a free Body Wisdom Journal to help you do just that. Start tracking your symptoms, uncover patterns, and begin trusting your own inner guide.

Download Your Free Body Wisdom Journal Here

Remember, the answers you seek are already within you. Let’s begin this journey toward true transformation together!

© 2024 Holly Jean Mullen

Transcript

00:00.28
hollyjeanhealth
Hello, welcome back to Real Health Transformations podcast. In today's episode, we are talking about the connection between your home environment and your health and how where you live could be contributing to the symptoms you've been struggling with. Or more importantly, let's talk about how to create a home that supports your wellness journey.

00:22.42
hollyjeanhealth
I have seen firsthand how much environment impacts my wellbeing and also my client's wellbeing. And this is both through my real estate work and as a practitioner. So today on this episode, we're going to explore some overlooked environmental factors that can impact your health. And I'm also going to share some key things to consider when looking for your own healthy home or when assessing your current home for potential health risks. And on this episode, I'm just kind of scratching the surface here. um I'm thinking I'm going to have to not have to, but I think I might turn this into a healthy home series because there were a lot of topics in here that I touch on that I really think deserve their own episode. So let's just call this episode one of the healthy home series.

01:16.69
hollyjeanhealth
All right, let's get into it. Now, really before I get into the specifics, I want to touch on something important, and it's the fact that correlation is not always causation. Just because you notice health issues that seem to align with your home environment, it doesn't mean it's always the cause or even a direct cause at all. um In my work, though, I do often see patterns that suggest a deeper connection, and this is often explained by what's called the bucket list theory. Now, if you imagine your body as a bucket throughout your life, starting as early as development in the womb, different stressors, whether they're emotional, chemical, physical, or environmental, they can start to fill up your bucket.

02:08.78
hollyjeanhealth
And these dressers, they can include things like your like a poor diet, lack of sleep, chronic stress, or exposure to environmental toxins like chemicals and pesticides, mold or air pollution, just to name a few things. So from the very beginning, like starting in the womb in utero, our environment shapes us. Epigenetics shows how early exposures, including those from our parents' environment,

02:38.89
hollyjeanhealth
those can influence how our genes function throughout life. And a mother's health, her stress levels, her toxic load during pregnancy, these are all shared with the developing fetus. For instance, sorry, my cats like are wrestling. um For instance, for an example, if we take mercury from amalgam dental feelings, those are the ones that are called the silver fillings, they look silver in your mouth, that can transfer to the baby. Along with other heavy metals, studies show that mercury can cross the placenta and there's research that confirms that mercury exposure during pregnancy, which often can come from the maternal dental amalgam, so your mom's fillings, that can lead to detectable mercury levels in the fetus and in a newborn.

03:32.29
hollyjeanhealth
and Babies today are born with over 200 chemicals in their cord blood. And so this just highlights the impact of environmental toxins before birth. Okay, stay with me here. So on their own, these factors might not cause immediate harm, most likely no. But as your bucket begins to fill, even a small additional stressor can cause it to start overflowing.

04:01.74
hollyjeanhealth
And that can lead to the development of symptoms or chronic illness. Disease can start to progress or become more present. And we all have different sized buckets. We all have different rates at which we can clear or empty our buckets and different rates in which we fill our buckets too, depending on how we live our lives and our exposures. So our capacity to empty our bucket, which is basically detoxification. That's how our body detoxifies. It can depend on many factors, and this can include genetics or diet, even how much stress you carry. And that's why you can have two people exposed to the same environmental toxins, but they might respond completely differently. One's bucket might overflow quickly,

04:54.39
hollyjeanhealth
um which leading to illness while the others bucket might handle the load just fine without any symptoms. And this is where epigenetics comes in. And unlike traditional genetics, which we think of as like d DNA and the blueprint for our body that we inherit, epigenetics is about how your genes are expressed or how they how they show up, right?

05:21.94
hollyjeanhealth
um This can be influenced by your environment, your lifestyle, the chemicals you're exposed to. So the way your buck is filled can alter how genes can turn on or turn off. And that can impact everything from inflammation to immune function and environmental toxins, again, like chemicals or even chronic emotional stress or a traumatic event.

05:49.18
hollyjeanhealth
that those things should have been shown to affect your long-term health by altering the way your genes express. And one one key way that is done um is through DNA methylation. And if you think of your body's way of like tagging genes to either keep them quiet or allow them to be active, that's what DNA methylation kind of is. It doesn't change your actual DNA, but it does influence which genes are turned on or turned off based on what's happening in your environment. And this process affects many areas of your health, from how your body handles inflammation to how well your immune system functions. And for those of you interested in learning a little bit more about epigenetics in this concept, I recently recorded an episode with Hannah Wendt of True Diagnostics,

06:46.42
hollyjeanhealth
And true diagnostics is an epigenetic testing and research lab where we discuss how our environments or actually they're researching how environments impact genetic expression. And Hannah goes around talking about all those things. She's a molecular biologist. She's the co-founder of true diagnostics and she really is the authority on the subject of epigenetics. She even has a podcast. It's called Everything Epigenetics. So if you want to hear a little bit more about that, I had my epigenetics um DNA lab testing run and it was fascinating. um So go back and check out that episode. It's episode 10. I'll also link it in the show notes.

07:31.78
hollyjeanhealth
but um Let me get back on track here. Studies have shown that these environmental factors, they can affect your gene expression, not just in your immediate body, but across generations. For example, like research on pesticides and herbicides, that has shown that certain chemicals can alter not only your health, but also the health of future generations by affecting this DNA methylation process that we just talked about.

08:02.11
hollyjeanhealth
And that is a key part of epigenetic regulation. So this means that when you're what you're exposed to today might affect not just your own health, but the health of your children and your grandchildren. So cool. So cool. Depending on how you look at it. but There is good news that if we have awareness of these factors, we we also have the power to make changes.

08:27.00
hollyjeanhealth
So whether it's reducing your exposures or supporting your body's detoxification systems or focusing on stress management, there are things that we can do. So the next thing I want to talk about is how I see environmental impacts playing a role in the health of my clients. And I'm going to point out some common themes that I see in my clinical practice and in the research. but please, please, please, please, please don't misinterpret what I'm saying as me saying, do not live in these areas, do not live in these situations or do not live in these conditions because every, every situation, every person, every body is unique, right? I am kind of speaking in general terms and this, and it's really just for awareness. Everything kind of ties back to

09:22.15
hollyjeanhealth
um degrees of determination, meaning what's important to you as well as your individual bucket and how full it is. And this can be called your body burden. You might have heard it referred to as your toxic load. And there's not one right or wrong answer in all situations for all people. So I will start with um spraying the use of pesticides or herbicides As a practitioner, many of my clients come from areas where pesticides, herbicides are commonly used. I'll just say round up. That's probably the most common one, especially if you are living in an area with like an HOA or on a golf course, because whether it's your family home practices using these things,

10:14.29
hollyjeanhealth
your neighbors or your neighborhood or agriculture around you or nearby golf courses. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to a variety of health issues, including thyroid problems, sinus issues, weight gain. One of my sickest clients, she lived in an agriculture area or right near like a field. She wasn't she was in a neighborhood, but it was just near like an agricultural field.

10:43.89
hollyjeanhealth
and they were getting sprayed all the time. Ariel sprayed, they did like the plain spraying and she is so sick and it got to where like she would call the guy before he goes to spray to let them know so she can close her windows and it was majorly majorly impacting her health. So it's something to be aware of for sure. Studies show that long-term exposure to Certain pesticides can increase the risk of um thyroid conditions, like I said, but also skin problems, sinus problems, digestive issues. um I could probably do a whole episode on what um Roundup and herbicides and pesticides do to our microbiome. um Cancer, there's just a lot. So if you are moving to or currently living in

11:43.02
hollyjeanhealth
a rural area. If you listened to my previous episode, you know I can't say the word rural. um If you're living in like the country or near an area where they are spraying crops and fields, that's something to just be aware of. HOA neighborhoods where they maintain the grounds hum AKA, they are frequently spraying to keep weeds away and keep it looking nice. um Golf courses are notorious for this. They have to keep the grass perfect. They are heavy, heavy chemical users. um Like I said, it's just something to be aware of and take into consideration. ah EMF exposures, that's another one. I've worked with clients who live near cell towers or high-tension power lines, chronic pain,

12:34.22
hollyjeanhealth
conditions like fibromyalgia, those can sometimes be linked to EMF exposure. And though this is considered a controversial topic, I will say, um if you do some research online, you'll find some studies that suggest link between EMF exposures and certain health issues, while others don't find any significant evidence. So this is where we put on our common sense hats, right? we're gonna engage some critical thinking here, um I'd rather rely on that than relying on published or peer-reviewed research in some cases because there is always going to be conflicting information and we have to be able to um kind of read between the lines and also understand that oh there's often limited research on topics in the areas where they don't want us to know the answers.

13:33.89
hollyjeanhealth
um But if we think about this, in my opinion, this EMF emf exposure, this is one of those areas where um I would rather just kind of like trust my own research, my own instincts. I am not a scientist. I'm not a researcher. So take my opinion as just that if you want. But if we take, for instance, cell phones.

13:59.08
hollyjeanhealth
We know cell phones emit harmful frequencies called radio frequency, radiation, RF radiation. It's a type of non-ionizing electromagnetic frequency. While this is not the same as what you would get in like an X-ray, which is ionizing radiation, but prolonged exposure is still a concern, especially given the growing amount of um radio frequency um radiation that we are receiving on a day-to-day basis from our phones, from our Wi-Fi, from other wireless technology and devices. And even cell phone manufacturers advise not taking or not talking on your phone to your ear or keeping your cell phone in your pocket or on your body. The Apple iPhone safety menu manual even suggests using a hands-free option like

14:54.71
hollyjeanhealth
use your speakerphone or use wired headphones. And it also advises keeping your phone at least five millimeters away from your body to limit this ah RF exposure. And so if this is advice for something as small as a cell phone, it's reasonable to consider how larger sources of RF, EMF exposures like 5G cell towers or just regular cell towers, how that could impact our health just on the scale.

15:22.66
hollyjeanhealth
And with this knowledge, you can make more informed decisions about whether taking health precautions in these technologies is necessary. What I tell my clients is it's worth considering the distance from cell towers and power lines when choosing a home, especially if you're sensitive to these things. Would I buy a house that has high-tension power lines in the backyard? No, but I've also tested with it.

15:50.81
hollyjeanhealth
EMF device too. I know that is not safe. Testing with an EMF device or hiring an EMF consultant can be an option for sure, especially if you just want to have some peace of mind. um And also you can discover some remediation options because there are options in certain cases and instances for protecting yourselves from these frequencies as well.

16:15.10
hollyjeanhealth
Another thing to consider when assessing EMF exposure is proximity to strip malls and shopping centers. These areas are often saturated with EMF radiation because each business typically has its own Wi-Fi router. That's leading to a significant cumulative effect. And the same concern applies to multifamily living buildings such as apartments and mixed use retail residential spaces. Those are becoming more popular especially as we are getting pushed into these 15-minute cities. um So wherever there's going to be multiple Wi-Fi networks, smart devices, and other wireless systems in a concentrated small area, that is going to greatly increase your EMF exposure as well. So I wouldn't necessarily buy a home that was on the street that backed up to a strip mall.

17:13.96
hollyjeanhealth
and just knowing that we we would be getting more exposure from that shopping center. Another exposure in the home and where we live is mold. Mold is a big one. It's one of the most common culprits I see when clients are dealing with chronic illness or mystery symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, um random pains, extreme sensitivities to food or chemicals or smells.

17:44.28
hollyjeanhealth
um One interesting clue that I've noticed is kidney issues. If someone has had frequent kidney infections or has kidney problems, mold could be a hidden factor. Mold is not only dangerous to the respiratory system, but it can lead to long-term inflammatory responses in the entire body. But our kidneys are are extra sensitive to mold, especially certain types of mycotoxins.

18:12.17
hollyjeanhealth
um the several clients that I have had with um severe to moderate kidney dysfunction, even kidney failure and being in renal failure and having to get um treatment for that, it has been linked back to mold. So just something to know there.

18:41.66
hollyjeanhealth
um I mentioned earlier degrees of determination. I want to kind of go back to this as we're talking about these things because everyone has different priorities for when it comes to their homes. so Some clients are determined to buy new homes thinking that it'll reduce the chance of there being mold in the house. While others want homes that are maybe a couple of years old so that construction materials have had time to off-gas. The truth is,

19:11.53
hollyjeanhealth
like people know home is perfect but also like finding a spouse there's a perfect home match for you so i kind of like think of myself as a ah home matchmaker because i want to know what's important to you if you already have respiratory issues and maybe like past mold exposure and you're recovering from mold toxicity mold might be probably will be the very top of your list of things you want to avoid in your next home while no one wants to move into a home that has mold or um

19:49.68
hollyjeanhealth
especially risks of like high concentrations of mold where it could really affect your health. Nobody wants that, but it's definitely more important important to some people than others. Why I have another client who has a um ah child who's very sensitive and even allergic to certain VOCs like volatile organic chemicals and formaldehyde.

20:15.95
hollyjeanhealth
these are things that are very present in brand new construction because of all the new materials that are in there. So there's high levels of VOC, there's high levels of off-gassing chemicals. So to that person, living in a new home is not an option. They need something that's been around for a couple years. So that stuff has ah has had a chance to off-gas and air out. So that's why I say there's different degrees of determination in in what's important to you based on um your health, your family's health, your priorities. So there's all these different areas of assessment that's going on here. When I'm screening for a healthy home, these are some things that I'm looking for when I'm working with a client, whether it's in real estate or as a health practitioner, there are key things that I'm always screening for in a healthy home. And knowing these exposures, they help me paint

21:13.32
hollyjeanhealth
a full picture of their health history and it also can give me insight into potential risks when we are looking for um things, whether it's root cause because they're they've been sick or whether um they're looking for a home. There's just so many different angles that I'm looking at it ah looking at it from and depending on the person in the situation. But number one is always going to be location, right? Location, location, location. So like I mentioned, proximity to cell towers, but I'm also looking for um registered polluters that might be in the area or superfund sites. Proximity to freeways. If you live close to a major highway or a major freeway,

21:57.06
hollyjeanhealth
that is going to affect air quality, that that is documented research that you're getting more pollution. um Like I mentioned, golf courses, I mentioned agricultural land. um If someone is looking to homestead, we're paying more attention to the land in prior land use and stuff so we can know that history. Because if they're going to be growing food there, we want to know what potentially that land has been exposed to.

22:25.23
hollyjeanhealth
I know there are certain areas in Texas where it used to be cotton fields and they've gotten rid of the cotton fields and they're now just like new home developments and housing tracks. Well, the way they um get rid of cotton fields I think is through arsenic. So it can have higher levels of arsenic in the cotton fields. I might post a link in the show notes to explain that a little bit better because I feel as I'm saying it I feel like I think I'm saying part of this wrong so don't back check me on this I will back check myself and I will put something in the show notes. If you ever had that where you're talking you're like hold on where did I did I dream that? No I didn't I know there is truth in there I just don't remember exactly what it is and I want to make sure I get you the right information. So paying attention to where the land is um

23:18.96
hollyjeanhealth
One study, oh, about the traffic, there was a study, I do remember this, there was a study that found exposure to high levels of like traffic related areas and that air pollution, that could increase your risk of heart disease by up to 20%. And I do have a link for that and I will share it. I didn't just pull it out of my you know what.

23:43.92
hollyjeanhealth
um Okay, also when we're looking at the home, so once we find the location, then I'm looking at the home. I'm looking for obvious signs of mold or water damage or past events that could signal a hidden risk of water damage in mold. um I'm looking at the disclosures. If someone is writing in the disclosure is that, oh yeah, we had a pipe burst back in 08, but we had it remediated.

24:08.63
hollyjeanhealth
I am going to be looking in that area, especially if this is a house, my client's like, oh yeah, i like this is the one. We are definitely checking that area to make sure it was remediated properly and there's not any risk left there. um There are estimates that over 50% of homes in the US have some level of mold, particularly in areas that have experienced water damage, they have poor ventilation, areas of high humidity,

24:36.24
hollyjeanhealth
Um, those are going to be more of the areas, but it can happen anywhere. I know there are a lot of people, um, in the, in the mold community that maybe have the idea that moving to Arizona or Nevada, places where it's like hot and dry, they don't have as high of risk. I assure you it's just as bad there.

24:58.01
hollyjeanhealth
but it could maybe it's not from the high humidity levels outside, but there is still mold that can grow anywhere. And so just because you live in a hot, dry climate doesn't mean that mold is no longer a risk. Mold exposure can lead to so many different health problems. um As we talked about, again, this could be a separate episode and it definitely will. I want to do an episode on um signs to look for. If you've had mold exposure or suspect you might be, I want to talk about proper mold testing and remediation. So those will be to come and I'll definitely share those when I'm done with them. I'm looking at, again, when I'm just looking at like these are my general things that I'm filtering every

25:46.58
hollyjeanhealth
home through and assessing, whether it's a real estate client or practitioner client. We have location, the home itself, water source. I want to know what kind of water, the house house, what kind of water you're drinking in your house, city water, well water, or rural water. They all can have contaminants in water. I mean, all water can have contaminants, but it's also something that's often overlooked. We're not always paying attention to the water because there's a level of trust that, especially for in city water, that it's being cleaned and it's being treated. But the EPA estimates that over 15 million households in the US rely on private wells. Private wells are not regulated by federal standards. Not that federal standards are

26:35.54
hollyjeanhealth
the picture of health, but they're not tested. So if you do have well water, that's something you want to test. The water quality, you want to test it regularly because that can change too. um And then the last thing that is really important when thinking about your home is thinking about the things that make you happy. As a practitioner, during my intake process, I am asking questions. I'm learning about you.

27:05.09
hollyjeanhealth
I'm also listening for sparks of joy and those things that like light you up and make you happy because enjoyment in life plays a significant role in our physical and our mental health. And when I first started in real estate, I was working primarily with relocation clients. We were just coming out of the pandemic era and folks were looking to escape their home states, um, maybe find more affordability.

27:34.64
hollyjeanhealth
Um, more land, more freedom, a fresh start. I get it. Cause we did the same thing with our move when we traded in the beaches of Southern California for the country life out here in Oklahoma. We just needed those wide open spaces, you know, you know, Oh, poor Dixie chicks jumped a shark. They had some great songs. Um,

28:03.03
hollyjeanhealth
Yeah, so I've helped people relocate from the places they relocated to even. So people have moved from one state, relocated to another state and then moved again. Cause I've heard, and I've heard people like moving out of their state to another state and then moving back to the state they moved from cause they weren't unhappy. And this could happen for a lot of reasons, right? Moving is a massive life event. It's expensive. It's emotionally draining. It can be potentially traumatic.

28:44.04
hollyjeanhealth
um It's ranked. Moving is ranked among the top most stressful life events alongside divorce and death. Moving, divorce, death. Traumatic life events. it's It's a powerful enough experience to affect your health Whether that's positively or negatively, right? And this is why I just want to like emphasize this last consideration of joy because you need to make sure you're moving somewhere that supports your happiness or that you live somewhere that supports your happiness. We left California because yeah, there were so many things that we loved, but overall it was emotionally draining. It was mentally draining. Like we were losing,

29:32.08
hollyjeanhealth
the joy in living because of so many restrictions. We were we found o ourselves feeling confined. And so that was one of the reasons we left there. So your happiness has a huge effect on your health. And where you live is such a a big part of that. And whether it's access to outdoor activities, so social connections, or simply just convenience,

30:00.86
hollyjeanhealth
you know, like you want to be 10 minutes from a Jazzercise. I laugh saying that because I, that was actually like an important thing for one of my clients. She's like, I don't want to be more than 30 minutes from Jazzercise. It's funny to me because I'm not a Jazzerciser. I was back in the day when my stepmom was really into it. And that was when the really tight leggings and the Um, butt floss leotards were in. Why was that a look? That was so weird. That was such a weird look. I hope that doesn't come back. You know, now that like things of the nineties are back, like all the nineties fashion, why aren't the young kids wearing butt floss leotards with their leggings? So anyways, these are the factors that we need to consider and they can have a huge impact on your life at the end of the day.

30:55.03
hollyjeanhealth
when where where you live should bring you joy because happiness plays a key role in sustaining your long-term health and wellbeing. So whether you're moving across town or across country, or you're just not feeling fulfilled where you live now, these are things that you need to consider. Happiness factors in. And I've touched on these things, but I wanna just go a little bit deeper on a couple things First, the mental and emotional well-being. If you're living near places, then activities that you enjoy, whether it's parks or gyms or coffee shops or social hubs, that's going to contribute to your overall happiness. Being close to the amenities that support your hobbies and your interests reduce your stress. It's going to create a more joyful living experience. If you enjoy certain social activities, having easy access to them is going to help you feel more connected and fulfilled.

31:53.26
hollyjeanhealth
If you really want to be a homesteader and you're living an hour and a half outside of the the city, how long do you think you're going to maintain happiness if everything you want to do and enjoy is 90 minutes away? It's a consideration, right? um Social connections, staying close to your family, your friends, or social to community. That can be important for maintaining your strong relationships, obviously.

32:22.64
hollyjeanhealth
But when you move away from those things, it can lead to feelings of isolation or loss of social engagement, especially this is when you really have to know yourself. Because when we moved to Oklahoma, we didn't know anybody. We didn't have any friends here. We didn't have any family here. But knowing that we are not um isolated, introverted people, I i felt confident that we'd make that new community and those new connections. And we absolutely have.

32:52.52
hollyjeanhealth
But if you're someone who tends to just be a homebody and kind of a hermit and doesn't really go out and do anything, moving somewhere where you are completely cut off from all your social connections might not be the best choice for you, for your mental and emotional, physical wellbeing, right? We have to have a strong support network.

33:16.14
hollyjeanhealth
um If someone, i I touched on homesteading, but like I want to go back to this. So these realistic lifestyle considerations, because if someone has the idea of homesteading, but realizes all their favorite stuff is so far away, over time, that can get really exhausting. Over time, the isolation from those desired things um can just really make a situation feel very different from your ideal vision that you

33:49.30
hollyjeanhealth
may have initially had. um I'm gonna keep using the word realistic because we just need to be realistic when considering these things. I know it's fun to kind of romanticize um this dream of what we think we would like, but I don't know if that always necessarily plays out. I will just say, I love our home. I love our property. I wanted to homestead and have all the animals and have a garden and do all the things.

34:19.17
hollyjeanhealth
And then I came out here and it's a lot of work. It is a lot of fricking work. It looks very sexy on Instagram and on Pinterest and it is a full time 24 seven job. And that doesn't mesh well with me. I'm also running a business. Like I don't have time to be out in the garden every single day. I like to travel. My nickname is vacation Holly. You know what you can't do if you have a house full of farm animals, leave easily.

34:49.28
hollyjeanhealth
getting someone to watch all your animals and take care of all your farm chores and tend to your garden. Like I said, those are 24 seven, like those are everyday things that you need to be responsible for. And you can only ask your friends and family to help so much, right? um I mean, you could always hire someone to do that, but that gets really expensive too. Just boarding a dog gets expensive. Imagine the cost of having someone come and take care of your entire homestead while you're gone.

35:19.19
hollyjeanhealth
So just hitting this realistic lifestyle consideration thing on the head here. I guess also like kind of in that same boat, same train of thought is um the practicality and convenience of essentials like grocery stores, healthcare, care schools, that can make a difference too. I had one family relocate here from another state They found an amazing house here and they realized they didn't like any of the schools for their kids. Like none of them were the right fit. And so they ended up moving somewhere else within the state, but like two hours away. Again, moving is not easy. It's stressful. It's financially stressful too. It costs a lot. So it's about finding balance. Let's sum it up here. It's, um,

36:14.86
hollyjeanhealth
finding the balance and ensuring your home location supports the life you want to live without sacrificing too much for this idealized version of home setting or um isolation that just may not really match your reality. So I want to wrap things up. I want to wrap up this episode by just remember that your home environment can have ah profound impact on your health and well-being and whether it's exposure to environmental toxins, mold, or just the proximity to the things that bring you joy, each of these factor plays a role in your overall wellness. So by becoming aware of these influences and making intentional choices, you can create a home that nurtures not only your body, but also your mind and your spirit and awareness is just the key. like um I don't want to incite fear by

37:04.19
hollyjeanhealth
talking about mold or yeah EMFs or all these other things, but it's just good to be aware of them. No home environment is perfect. And that's okay. The goal is to understand what potential exposures to consider so you can make empowered decisions. And whether you're in the process of buying a home or you're curious about how your curious your current space might be affecting your health, knowledge is power.

37:30.22
hollyjeanhealth
so If you are interested in learning more about creating a healthy home, just stay tuned for future episodes. Like I said, I do want to make this a series. And if you're in the US, I have a network of like-minded, trusted referral partners like across the country. So even if you're not in Oklahoma or considering a move to Oklahoma, I can help you find someone who can help you find your perfect home.

37:56.65
hollyjeanhealth
so That is it for today's episode. I thank you so much for tuning in and I hope you found it helpful. If you did, please share it with someone you know who might be interested in creating a healthy living environment. I'd appreciate that. And I will close this out in prayer. If that's not your thing, go ahead and I will see you next time. And for the rest of you, if you want to hang out for a quick little prayer, um I just want to say,

38:25.36
hollyjeanhealth
Lord, we thank you for the wisdom and the guidance to care for our bodies and our homes. um I pray that you help us make choices that honor the health that you have blessed us with and lead us to environments that bring peace and joy and restoration. And I just pray that our homes be a refuge where we thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Amen.