Pause, Then Proceed: Build Balance In A High-Velocity Year

In this episode, I explore how to ride the fast Fire Horse energy with a supportive home, clearer choices, and steadier emotions. From decluttering the entry to calming bedrooms and building buffers, I share practical ways to act boldly without burning out.

• clearing the entryway to welcome clean momentum
• calming bedrooms for rest, recovery and burnout prevention
• simple storage for real children and real lives
• focusing on what we can control and limiting input
• clarity, timing and quick decisions without impulse
• buffers, undercommitting and flexibility for shocks
• 'respond, don’t react' and emotional regulation
• drama detox on social media and clear communication
• firm boundaries with kind, direct language
• bold launches with plans, not leaps
• using home remedies to ground and direct energy

If you have any questions that you want me to answer in that one, then just let me know, and I will answer them for you

Lots of love,

Speak soon,

Rachael xx

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Transcript

Welcome And Year Energy Framing

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello, I'm Rachel. You could say I'm a modern-day thing to make consultant here to help you transform your home into a space that truly supports and uplifts you. My passion is showing you how to work with your home to unlock its full potential. I'm here to show you how to tap into the power that your home holds and make this powerful practice simple, accessible, and something everyone can use. Hello and welcome back to the Everyday Ventureway podcast. I'm in a different room today, so if this sounds different, um it's because the acoustics are different. So I'm really sorry if it's um if it sounds different or echoey. So, as we've known for the last couple of weeks, um well I suppose I should start by saying Happy New Year, everybody, and welcome to the Young Fire Horse Year. Um obviously the last few weeks I've talked about things like um how we can prepare for how we can clear

Cutting Through Fear Around Fire Horse

SPEAKER_00 1:04

what we don't want to take into the fire horse year, and now we are in it, now it is here. So what I want to share with you today is you know how are we gonna work with this because there's a lot out there, isn't there, that is um a little bit uh like fear-mongering, I suppose. I didn't want to use that word, but I can't really think of a better one. Um telling us all of the things that could go wrong with this year, and you know, it's a we can't we cannot get away from the fact that energetically this is a very powerful year. We can't get away from the fact that energetically this is a fast-paced year. Um but that is not to say that it is all bad, and there are you know, there are elements of being super exciting. Well, I'm excited about it anyway. Um, but I think there's a lot that we can talk about in terms of it is what it is, and let's make the best of it, right? Is that not the approach that we should have to all things in life? Is that if we cannot change something, how can we make the very best of it that we actually that we can? And this is one of those no, it's not even one of those because it's a great year, like it's a fantastic energy. It's just that there's there seems to be a lot being said about it being terrifying. So let's talk about how we can align with this momentum that is coming this year. Because that's all we're talking about. We're not, you know, that is what we're talking about. We're just talking about there being an energetic kind of fast track and and and getting on board with

Harnessing Momentum With Home Entry

SPEAKER_00 2:42

that. So I've talked about it possibly a hundred times before, but the entry to the home is going to be the most important part of anyone's house, really, this year. Where your energy is coming in is really, really important because we want that energy to come in and not pick up any because it's so powerful and so strong. We don't want it to pick up anything that we don't want more of. So if the entryway to your home is cluttered and the door's difficult to open and there's like obstruction, whether that be weeds in the garden, I mean, I'm not talking about like I mean, I live in the UK, so we're just about to come into spring where it is still quite wet, it's just getting warm. You could weed every day and you would not keep on top of it. I am not talking about the standard, like everyday, reasonably well maintained, but just like life is busy and I'll get to the gardening at the weekend type thing. I am talking about, you know, homes whereby the gate's hanging off its hinges and the weeds are as high as the fence and you know, that kind of level. Um we just want to make sure that that that that the energy that is coming in is is not picking up anything that we don't want any more of, really. We want to

Bedrooms, Rest And Burnout Prevention

SPEAKER_00 3:59

make sure that it is clear and that the energy that is coming in is not, I was gonna use the word tainted, but I don't mean that. I mean it's like it's not absorbed anything negative. So the entryway is super, super important. The other really important place, and the place that I would like everybody and I will also be um focusing on is the bedrooms. Because again, as we know, because we've talked about it before, if you're on my email list, you will have read about it in my emails. One of the biggest um like health, if you want to call it a threat, I mean you could do, but one of the biggest sort of health things that we need to think about this year is burnout and overwhelm because the speed, the speed of the energy, and you know, we're gonna be potentially trying to run life at a million miles an hour, we're gonna potentially be trying to juggle more things than we need to. Um, and it is gonna be so important for us to be able to rest and recuperate. So you could kind of bring in your living room as well, um, if you wanted to, because that's obviously somewhere that hopefully you get to spend some time relaxing. Um, but the main one for me is gonna be the bedroom, and that is all bedrooms. So in my home, it is our bedroom where I sleep and my children's bedrooms where they sleep, because just because we're talking about energy as adults does not mean that our children are not affected by this. In fact, they're probably more affected by this because they pick up on things um much more than we do, and they're much more in tune with um you know energetics and things like that than we are. So, yeah, making sure that those spaces are not too busy, so not too cluttered, not too much stuff. And again, I say this as somebody who, you know, I have I have three children, I have got my seven-year-old who is in his like toy era. I think I mean, I don't know how many robots he has every day. It's I'd like a toy, I want a toy, and he uses his pocket money to buy more toys, and he uses his Christmas and his birthday to buy more toys. So we are he is fully still in his toy era, which I am just keeping hold of for as long as possible because I have an older daughter who is now so far out of the toy era, um, and it makes you realise just how short it is, really. So I have my seven-year-old who's in his toy era, I have my ten-year-old who he is autistic Lady HD, so he has got attachments to everything, so

Real-Life Kids, Stuff And Storage

SPEAKER_00 6:41

it's attached to everything, pieces of paper, like drawings, you name it, he is attached to it. We have got so much stuff in that bedroom. He's also a very, very big Lego fan and is an incredible Lego like artist. He enjoys doing things like stop motions and stuff. So, again, there's just so much stuff. And my daughter, she is 12, and she is fully into craft, so craft of every possible type, from drawing and painting to jewelry making to I mean, gosh, I don't know. Anything, anything. She's so creative. So when I say to you about, you know, we try and be mindful of not having too much stuff and too much chaos in these bedrooms, I'm saying that from a point of I'm living a normal life and I live with real children and we have stuff, and it's just a case of when you walk into that space, and this should be your gauge really for everything in your home because we all have different thresholds, right? Like my threshold for stuff and mess is really, really low for various different reasons, and other people's threshold for stuff and mess is much higher. So, you know, your gauge should always be if you walk into that room or your child or whatever, how does it make you feel? If it makes you feel stressed and chaotic, or you know, you instantly start looking at all the stuff, then yeah, maybe something needs to be done about it. But actually, if you don't feel like that, even if you've got lots of stuff somewhere, then you know, you don't you don't have to try and fit into somebody else's idea of what a home should look like. It's your home. And if you don't feel like it is full diversity, then it's fine. So with my children's bedrooms, I just make sure we've got really, really um easy, sensible storage because I don't want to be in a situation whereby I'm getting stressed at them because it's not neat and tidy, because that's not the relationship I want to have with my children. I don't want them to feel like it is too hard to put things away and therefore not bother because I want to teach them good habits about you know respecting our belongings and all those kind of things. So we've just got really, really simple um storage, and that is, and I don't even know where I picked this up from, but back in my kind of mothering era of having like three-year-olds, I just got I think we went to IKEA and bought four Calax units and put boxes in them, and that was just where we put everything. Everything is in a Calax box, and actually, I still use it now, I still use that system

Control What You Can Control

SPEAKER_00 9:28

now because my children are children, they do not want to be spending hours, you know, segregating things and separating things. They just I want it put away, they don't want to have to work hard, stick it in a box, no problem, and then you know, every now and then we'll go through things and make sure that nothing's broken and stuff. So just make sure that the room that you're working with, whether that be your bedroom or their bedroom, isn't bringing you extra feelings of like busyness, extra feelings of stress. There is a fine balance when it comes to children and their own things and their own space. You know, it has to be, it has to feel right for them as well. We don't want to take over and make them live in these Pinterest worthy bedrooms where it's got no flipping personality, that is not what we're aiming for, and that isn't what they should have to have, you know. That is that's not what we're what we're going for. So the entry entryway being as clear as possible and the bedrooms being as calm, really, as possible. So some of the most important things that we can do this year, or actually the most important things that we can do this year, um, involve us controlling the things that we have control over. We cannot, I mean, it's there's a lot going on. I don't follow the news at all. Um, so I have a very limited knowledge of what is going on in the world, and I do that on purpose, um, because it is a disturbing place to be sometimes, and I know that I, as a very sensitive, highly sensitive person and a massive empath, um what is going on globally will affect me to the point whereby it will change how I get go through each day, and it will, you know, has the potential to take over um me living my version of life as well. So I keep enough of a knowledge of what is going on that I need to, and then other than that, I avoid it at all costs, and that sort of comes down to me making sure that I am just controlling what I can control within my own world, within my own like awareness circle, and I think that's such an important thing, and it's something that again I'm trying to teach my children as they grow up is to try not to be too affected by things that are going on beyond what you can control. Obviously, if you can do something about a situation or do something about something that is affecting you, that is a very different story. But there are many things going on that I have no control over that none of us have any control over. So I just try and distance myself from it as much as possible because I don't want that to bring my like vibrational energy down, uh, because that's a really dangerous place to be for all of us in that kind of personal um like almost like a vortex.

Clarity, Timing And Quick Decisions

SPEAKER_00 12:36

So this year we're looking at acting with clarity. So that's not to say that we shouldn't be making quick decisions, we can make quick decisions. Um, and actually, the timing is almost more important this year. We want to be, you know, making what what's the um what's the phrase? I don't even know what the phrase is, I can't think. Um, but we want to be acting, you know, if your gut is telling you to do something, then act on it. Otherwise, if you sit on it for too long, you might miss the opportunity. And that I can't tell you how many times that's happened to me in the last few months where I've been going, I'm not sure. Okay, I'll do it. And then too late, the opportunity's gone. So this year will bring more of the same. So making sure that you have got some focus as to where you want to be headed this year is going to help you make those sort of snappy decisions from a place of kind of knowing rather than like impulsive, like, well, let's just try for the best and see what happens, kind of energy. So, yeah, we're going at it with clarity, but we also need serious, serious balance this year, and we need to have some balance in all areas of our lives, or we can't overcommit in any anywhere. We have got to create some space. There has to be some space, almost like a buffer. So, and again, you know, some of you might know what I'm talking about. Like, I was talking to my daughter the other day, and she was saying about when we were going to go somewhere, and I said, Okay, we'll work backwards. So, what time do we need to leave? And then we'll go, okay. So, if we're gonna leave at this time, what time do we need to be um in the car and this, that, and the other? And I was like, Well, put yourself a 10-minute buffer in because you never know what's gonna happen. And it's a bit like that, you know, if you've ever done those sort of journey maths like I do all the time, you will know that creating that buffer is so important, and that needs to go into all areas of our life. So, kind of like undercommit, not undercommit, but if you think, how much can I get done today in the day? Take a bit off that and aim for that because there needs to be room to be able to just slow down this year, otherwise we're just gonna end up on this treadmill that we can't keep up with. And you know, so many of us again will know that feeling of kind of trying to keep up with life, and you're then your feet start coming from underneath you, and you can you can almost sense the fact that if you were to drop one singular thing, one singular

Balance, Buffers And Undercommitting

SPEAKER_00 15:13

plate was to stop spinning, the whole lot would come crashing down. So we need to make sure that we have got that space, one less plate, so you haven't got so many to go between whilst they're spinning, is going to be really, really important, as is flexibility, so and adaptability and the ability to kind of go on the spot problem solving, rather than you know, a different um, a different path opening up and going, oh well, this is just the end of everything, and oh, I can't fix this and I can't see a way out. It's the the skill this year is going to be in being able to take a breath and see how you can make a different version work. So rather than seeing, you know, these changes in paths or things that might come as blockade blockades um as like a you know not being able to go any further, we've just got to find a way to get round the boulder. We've got to find a new path, um and just stay kind of adaptable. Now, that's not to say that you shouldn't listen to your gut and your intuition. So if you keep getting if you keep getting um, you know, barriers to something come up, have a think about whether or not you feel like it's the best fit for you, because I feel like there's gonna be a lot of this this year where we're trying to be, we need to be so connected because we're going to be being shown what is right for us and what isn't right for us, and it's gonna come down to us to kind of listen to those messages. So if you keep getting blockages to a path that you're you know working towards and it doesn't feel good for you as well, then you know, have a think about whether or not it is, in fact, the right choice for you at all. Um, and and one of those kind of pathways that we can think about is in our relationships that surround ourselves, whether that be romantic or or friendships, and there can be some fairly big decisions that have to be made. And this year is not the year to be making huge life-changing or potentially life-changing decisions on a whim, because the speed that it that this energy is bringing in is going to be encouraging you to act quickly, and that means that you might not be acting fully consciously. And what we need to do is make sure that decisions that we make are made, you know, having been that are true to us, you know, that are well considered. Um I suppose it's you know, when somebody says, Oh, you're a bit hot-headed or whatever it is, I feel like that's that's generally the theme for the

Adaptability, Intuition And Roadblocks

SPEAKER_00 18:10

year. The year's just potentially a bit hot-headed. There's there is the potential for more disagreements and and more arguments and things. Um so there's that lovely that that lovely saying, isn't there, especially in parenting, which is respond, don't react. And if ever there was a phrase to take us through the year, I think that is the one, which for me, I am a fire personality in Chinese traditional medicine, and um I am a fire personality. I am fiery and I do react to things really, really quickly. I'm a highly, highly emotional person. So for me this year, it is going to be respond, don't react. Holding on to our emotional regulation is going to be really, really important this year. Um, so this is all kind of how do we take this fiery energy and what can we can actually control uh when it comes to navigating through the year. So we've talked about it already. Um, making sure that you prioritize your rest and your sleep is going to be really, really important. Some actual practical grounding techniques, like whether that be like yoga, meditation, if that is your bag or actual grounding, as in feet on the ground, not with shoes on, with bare feet, um, things like that, they're going to be really, really important. And when it comes to kind of your your consciousness, being mindful of being sucked into too much drama. So, social media, I am looking at you here. This is what we all get dragged into. Our uh brains, our human brains are always more responsive and more um interested in and attracted to the negative things, like it's it's that rubber-necking type. Um, that concept, isn't it? Like that's just human nature and we can't do anything about it. But just being really mindful of not becoming too involved in in drama and impulsive sort of um behaviours, it's going to be super, super helpful. And clear communication. So again, we will all have experienced it where to save somebody's feelings or um to not cause an argument or to avoid confrontation, we might be a bit wishy-washy

Respond Don’t React: Emotional Regulation

SPEAKER_00 20:32

with what we're trying to say, and things aren't so clear, and then further down the line because we weren't clear, things get a bit confused. So, again, this year is going to be all about with kindness, but saying what it is that we need to say and communicating what we need to communicate in an effective way, and that's not to say that we should go in there as bulls in china shops, but you know, it is okay to hold boundaries, and actually, boundary holding is going to be a massive, massive part of this year, and it's going to be so so important because of there's going to be no other choice, you know, there's going to be so much coming at us that if we aren't holding our own boundaries, um, it's going to be an easy year to be taken advantage of. So, again, it's going back to that kind of connection with your gut and connection with your own sort of intuition. And on that, you know, intuition, don't let this year scare you. Don't let everything you've heard about this year scare you into not taking action. Because if you are looking to start something new, to launch something, to take on a new project, this the energy of this year is is coming to kind of push you along at high speed behind you. So it's a really great year for like creativity and being visible and starting new things and launching things and being innovative. It's just a case of taking that kind of brave. Old action, but doing it really consciously and doing it with a plan rather than a kind of,

Grounding, Drama Detox And Clear Communication

SPEAKER_00 22:07

you know, I'm the sort of person I've said this a few times, where I'll you know there's again there's that saying, isn't there? Like, you know, I'll jump out of the bit plane and build the parachute on the way down. I'm that kind of person, but this isn't the year to do that. This is the year to go with some kind of purpose and clarity, but but to still do the bold at the bold and the brave thing, because the amount of oomph that is here to support us this year is huge, absolutely huge. It's so exciting, and this is why I'm so excited about this year because I know the power that's kind of I feel like it's kind of pushing everybody along, and you can either kind of get pushed through in whatever direction it wishes to take you, or you can kind of forge your own path and um direct it towards where you want to go to. Um, and for me, that is going to come down to massively having a home that is supportive, and I feel like this year having remedies in your home is going to be so much more. I don't want to use the word important because I do understand that not everybody either wants or is in a position to have remedies in their home, but having the support of that energetic kind of grounding that comes from a home that is um balanced and energetically balanced is going to be so, so powerful. It's going to help not go through those periods of overwhelm. It is going to help with your clarity, it's going to help with your direction and your communication and all of those things that we've talked about so far. Um, because that is the power of having a balanced home. So, really, to kind of summarize what I'm trying to say, this year needs us to pause and not for long, not for long at all, but just enough to be able to decide how or to go back to that point of to be able to respond rather than react, right? So it's it's putting in that tiny gap between the cause and

Boundaries, Bold Moves And Conscious Plans

SPEAKER_00 24:14

the effect, it's about being aware, so responding from a place of self-awareness and maybe that's physical awareness as well, and um, you know, your own sort of innate wisdom and your own gut instinct. So it's it's all about that kind of connection this year, and that is going to be the thing that can really help lead you on your path. So just trying to come out of the ego ultimately is what we're what we need to do this year because otherwise we could find ourselves at the mercy, so to speak, of our ego, and that's never necessarily um a positive thing. So I'm gonna leave you for today wishing you an amazing beginning to our fire horse year and our 2026 Feng Shui year. Um, and I will be back with you next week. Next week's going to be the last week, then there'll be a week off because it will be half-term, and as I joke every time, I'm fairly confident that nobody wants me to do a podcast with my children. I don't think it would make much sense. Um, so I will be here with more musings and ramblings um next week, and then there'll be a week off. So if you have any questions that you want me to answer in that one, then just let me know, and I will answer them for you.