Heather Aardema NBC-HWC, FMCHC was the resident “cougher” of her friend group from when she was 7.
It was just something her friends and family expected, and for a while, didn’t bat an eye about.
It wasn’t until years later that Heather found out her parent’s mold solution of ripping up the carpets and running a fan wasn’t enough to stop the toxicity from hidden mold in their house from threatening Heather’s health.
Recently, I talked with Heather Aardema, a nationally board-certified and functional medicine-certified health coach, and founder of The School of Living Lighter, a program to help declutter the mind, body, and spirit and leave the weight off for good. Her journey from struggling with mold toxicity nearly all of her life translated into coaching, leading programs, and guiding those struggling with stuff, and instead guiding them towards the magnificence of minimalism.
Finding Hidden Mold in Her House as a Child, and as a Mom
When Heather was 7, her parent’s house flooded, and just around that time, she developed an incessant cough that lasted throughout her entire childhood and into adulthood (3:38). It wasn’t until 40 years later that she connected the dots: while her parents thought they’d gotten rid of the hidden mold in their house, Heather’s body was being detrimentally affected from mold toxicity every minute she was inside.
Fast forward a few decades and Heather saw herself in a similar boat. Her health was diminishing, and soon realized the mold was back; but this time, that all-too-familiar culprit was in the home she had with her husband and two kids. Knowing that she had to be honest, Heather spoke with her husband openly about how vital alleviating the toxic mold was to help her recover from the physical ailments she was enduring, from struggling with vision problems to coughing to dealing with heavy inflammation every time she’d wake up (18:22).
Heather moved her and her kids with her sister, miles away from where her husband was, who was staying back to analyze the mold situation and getting rid of it once and for all. But first: they had to declutter.
Heather’s family went through everything that the mold could have potentially contaminated before the de-molding process began. They worked as a team, learned to take breaks, and soon, Heather uncovered the power of decluttering (23:40).
(If you’re battling mold in your home like Heather, our Mi Toxin Blender is just for you.))
Freeing the Home of Mold Became a Path to Clearing Heather’s Clutter… Once and for All
Heather and her kids returned back to their newly cleansed home, hoping that the astronomical financial investment was near the end.
Trying to stay frugal, she and her husband tried to keep their couch, hoping that it was cleared of mold. But she realized that not speaking her truth was one of the biggest mistakes she could have made (28:15), and found that trying to save money was just continuing the health problems the longer that couch was around.
After weeks of continued health problems, she’d finally had enough. “The couch needs to leave!” she’d said to her husband after returning from a bike ride, knowing that he wouldn’t like the response while acknowledging that it was the right thing to do.
Standing in their nearly empty house, void of her diplomas, prized family photos and letters, and almost every piece of electronic and furniture that was in-tact with mold, Heather started seeing the lighter side of loss (37:50), turning FOMO into JOMO: the joy of missing out. She’d glimpsed at the power and intention in the decluttering process, learning that making space for the new doesn’t just benefit health, but body and mind.
Our Mi CoQ10 helps with toxin exposure: mold and beyond.
Connect with Heather Aardema
Heather’s business, the School of Living Lighter is a virtual curriculum and community for those who want to shed excess weight from their lives. Her program provides coaching and connecting, transforming lifestyles from worlds of clutter to newfound clarity.
Her virtual summit, Healing Habits, starts March 21st, where she gathers a group of experts to address the “how” of habit change, covering everything from the art of adding spices to your life from inner-child work to implementing her signature 3-day decluttering challenge.
Follow Heather @heatheraardema and visit her site at theschooloflivinglighter.com for alleviating mind, body, and home clutter for good.
Ready to Learn More About Toxic Mold?
Toxic mold can be a journey to fix, but it is fixable. Learn how you can prevent and remediate mold growth and overcome mold illness! Don’t miss The Toxic Mold Masterclass, online and free from Feb. 27 – March 5, 2023! It’s free and online!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is an acupuncturist turned functional health coach and has worked with thousands of clients since 2004.
She is the founder of FunctionalDetoxProducts.com and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Toxic Mold Recovery: Take Back Your Home Health & Life, available in audiobook, Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
I love castor oil because it is a simple, versatile solution. Learn my top tips for using castor oil to support digestion, keep your hormones happy, help you detox, improve circulation, and so much more!