ALL EPISODES

Episode 0: Trailer
About the Podcast (2 min)

Welcome to The Awakening Spaces Podcast, a show about building homes that heal, and the sacred journey within. Hosted by Ashley Spanovich, a building biology and EMF specialist, certified passive house tradesperson, and founder of Awakening Spaces, this podcast is your grounded guide to designing, renovating, and living in a home that supports your health, nervous system, and... 

Episode 01: What is a Healthy Home, Really? Start Here (30 mins)

In this debut episode, Ashley unpacks the foundational question: What does it really mean to have a healthy home? From mold toxins to EMFs to the energy of your space, Ashley walks you through the biggest environmental risks, and how to begin building a more supportive, healing space, no matter your starting point. She offers empowering insights into the difference between baseline...

In this solo episode, Ashley breaks down one of the biggest dilemmas her clients face; should you build a home from scratch or buy and renovate an existing one? With wisdom drawn from both personal experience and years of consulting, she unpacks the nuanced pros and cons of each path through the lens of creating a truly healthy home. 

Episode 02: Should I Buy, Build, or Renovate? (30 mins)

Buying a new home can be exciting, but also dangerous if you don’t know what to look for. In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley walks you through the top environmental and structural red flags to be aware of before purchasing a home, especially if you’re prioritizing health, low-tox living, and long-term durability. This episode goes far beyond... 

Episode 03: Buying a Home? Don't Miss these Red Flags
(50 mins)

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Paula Salas to explore the intersection of emotional healing, nervous system regulation, and physical recovery from complex chronic illness. Paula shares her own journey of navigating MCAS, environmental sensitivities, and years of intense detox protocols and what ultimately moved the needle most in her healing...

Episode 04: Energy, Emotions, and Environmental Illness with Paula Salas (1hr)

In this, Ashley sits down with functional nutritionist Hannah Aylward to uncover the overlooked layers of gut healing that go far beyond food. Hannah opens up about her years of bloating, food restriction, and frustration despite following all the “right” dietary rules and the surprising root causes that finally shifted her health. From mold exposure and...

Episode 05: The Missing Piece to Healing your Gut with Hannah Aylward (55 mins)

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...

Episode 06: Proper Mold Inspection, Remediation, and Cleaning with John Banta (1hr 37mins)

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...

Episode 07: Quantum Design that Transcends Boundaries with Mahwish Syed (47mins)

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... 

Episode 08: Total body healing from Biotoxin Exposure with Dr. Terri Fox (57mins)

n 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 not to solar panels but to a dusty, unused food sealer. She explains why...

Episode 09: Electromagnetic Frequencies and Mold with Cathy Cooke (1hr)

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 he surprising potential of log homes. He and Ashley also explore...

Episode 10: Building Healthy, High Performance Homes with Contractor David Aurbeck (1hr)

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...

Episode 11: Building for Wildfire Resiliency with Hector & Marcella Abrach of Efficient Build (1hr)

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, from inspection and remediation to the crucial (and often skipped) post-remediation verification (PRV)...

Episode 12: Hidden Mold and Environmental Toxins with Kendra Seymour (1hr)

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...

Episode 13: Vetting a Good Contractor and Building with Natural Materials with Frank Wetenkamp (1hr)

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...

Episode 14: Finding Hidden Dangers Through Building Biology with Jonathan Farrar (1hr)

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... 

Episode 15: The Conscious Holiday Home: Simplifying Christmas Chaos (50mins)

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Dr. Emily Kiberd, chiropractor, functional medicine practitioner, and founder of Thyroid Strong, to explore the deep connection between autoimmune disease, mold exposure, and the environments we live in. Dr. Emily Emily shares her personal journey through Hashimoto’s, multiple mold remediations, and what it truly takes to rebuild health and trust after environmental illness...

Episode 16: The Truth About Mold, Hashimoto’s, and Your Nervous System with Dr. Emily Kiberd (45mins)

In this episode, Ashley sits down with architect Kelly Grace, known online as *The Non-Toxic Architect,* to explore what it truly means to design homes that support human biology, emotional well-being, and long-term resilience. Kelly shares how her journey into non-toxic design began through her own family’s health challenges, and how that opened the door to deeper work with circadian biology, grounding, natural materials... 

Episode 17: A Non-Toxic Architect’s Guide to Circadian Living, Materials, and Modern Wellness (48mins)

This week’s episode is part personal story, part building-science wake-up call. Ashley shares a tender reflection on her dad’s legacy, her family’s roots in small-business grit, and how those early years walking construction sites shaped the work she does today. From there, she unpacks one of the biggest misconceptions she sees in renovation projects: the near-total disregard for what’s happening inside our walls. If you’re planning a renovation, whether...

Episode 18 - My Building Story and Your Renovation Guide (38 mins)

What actually matters when you’re trying to understand mold in your home, and how much of the fear around it is truly warranted? In this episode, Ashley sits down with John Skelly, a Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant with over 20 years of experience, to unpack what most people get wrong about mold inspections, remediation, and healthy homes. Together, they explore the difference between awareness and alarmism, why so many homes don’t need to be...

Episode 19 - Inside a Mold Inspection with John Skelly (45 mins)

Electromagnetic fields are often dismissed as a secondary concern in the healthy home conversation, especially when mold feels like the obvious threat. In this episode, Ashley Spanovich invites listeners to look deeper. She explores how invisible electromagnetic fields, particularly radio frequency radiation, quietly shape our nervous systems, mitochondrial health, and ability to truly heal from mold and other chronic stressors. Drawing from her personal health...

Episode 20 - Why You Might Want To Reconsider A Smart Home (42 mins)

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Texas-based home inspector Matt Brading, known for his viral “It’s Not Supposed to Do That” series, for a grounded, honest conversation about what’s really happening inside our homes and why so many issues go unnoticed until they affect health.
Together, they unpack the systems that shape the comfort and health of our homes: moisture movement...

Episode 21 - Home Inspections, Mechanical Systems, and Home Maintenance with Matt Brading
(48 mins)

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Lauren Lowenstein, known to many as The Biotoxin Lady, to explore what’s really happening beneath the surface of chronic, unexplained illness. Lauren shares her deeply personal journey through years of neurological decline, misdiagnosis, and family-wide suffering before discovering Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and the...

Episode 22 - Removing Biotoxins From Our Home and Body with Lauren Lowenstein
(56 mins)

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with electrical engineer, circadian health educator, and Daylight Computer Co. co-founder Tristan Scott for a wide-ranging, deeply grounded conversation about the invisible forces shaping modern health. Together, they explore how light, electromagnetics, and technology design are quietly influencing our nervous systems, hormones, sleep...

Episode 23 - All About Circadian Health: Screens, LEDs, Flicker, and EMFs with Tristan Scott
(1hr 12mins)

In this episode of The Awakening Spaces Podcast, Ashley sits down with Nikki Krueger, one of the most respected voices in indoor air quality, dehumidification, and crawl space science to unpack why moisture is quietly one of the most destructive forces in our homes and our health.
Together, they explore how crawl spaces, ventilation strategies, oversized HVAC systems, and misunderstood dehumidifiers contribute to mold, off-gassing...

Episode 24 - Dehumidification, Crawl Spaces, and Indoor Air Quality with Nikki Kreuger (58mins)

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Annie Graybill, founder of Havenwith, a transparency-first, wellness-forward vacation rental platform designed for people who care deeply about what’s in their air, on their sheets, and in their cookware. If you’ve ever spent hours scrolling Airbnb, zooming into photos, reading reviews for clues about mold or fragrance, or packing your own cookware “just in case,” this conversation is for you...

Episode 25 - The Truth About “Non-Toxic” Vacation Rentals with Annie Graybill (54mins)

In this episode, Ashley shares her biggest takeaways from the Colorado Building Science Symposium, the International Builder Show, and other industry gatherings she’s attended this year. What keeps surfacing again and again? Building and renovating a home is a team sport and when we forget that, projects suffer. Ashley unpacks why leaning entirely on your builder is a setup for misalignment, how vague words like “healthy” can derail your vision, and why early planning around air...

Episode 26 - Building a Home is a TEAM Sport (21mins)