Why I Couldn’t Run My Business Without Feng Shui

I never thought I would say this, but without Feng Shui, I honestly don’t think I could run my own business.

I’m Kiah from Declutter with Kiah, and after all these years of working inside people’s homes, I’ve realised that Feng Shui has become so much more than something I offer my clients. It has become a way of understanding myself, my environment, my clients and even the challenges that life throws at us.

I started my business in 2019, right at the end of the year, just before we had any idea what COVID-19 was going to mean for the world.

At the time, I felt confident about the future. I was excited about building a business where I could go into people’s homes, help them declutter, organise their belongings and create spaces that felt better to live in.

Then, within a year, the entire world changed.

Suddenly, going into someone’s home wasn’t something we could simply do anymore.

Looking back, I still find it incredible that I managed to keep going through all of that. But perhaps one of the biggest lessons I learnt was that we are more important than an unfortunate circumstance.

Life changes. Circumstances change. The world changes. But our need for connection, support, safety and hope doesn’t disappear.

And that is what has kept me going.

The people behind the clutter

Over the years, my clients have become so much more than clients.

People have trusted me with their homes, but more importantly, they have trusted me with their stories.

I’ve been invited into homes where someone is overwhelmed, grieving, going through a major life change, dealing with a loss, starting again, retiring, changing relationships or simply feeling like life has become too much.

And when someone allows you into that space, you have to learn to slow down.

I learnt that I can’t just walk into someone’s home and start making decisions for them.

I have to listen.

I have to pause.

I have to ask.

I have to check.

Before I move something, I ask.

Before I make a suggestion, I check that they are comfortable with it.

Before I assume I know what someone wants, I listen again.

And somewhere along the way, I learnt how important it is to understand the energy of the person I’m working alongside.

Not in a way where I pretend to know exactly what someone is feeling, but by becoming more aware of their pace, their emotions, their boundaries and what they need from me in that moment.

Sometimes the best thing I can do is simply slow down.

Clutter isn’t a personal failure

This is probably one of the most important things I want people to understand about my work.

Having clutter is not a personal flaw.

We don’t think we’re failing because we need to service our car.

We don’t think we’re failing because we need a gardener.

We don’t feel ashamed because our gutters need cleaning.

We don’t think we’re a bad person because the house needs a clean.

But somehow, when it comes to our belongings, we can make it incredibly personal.

We look around at our stuff and think:

How did I let this happen?

Why can’t I keep on top of this?

What’s wrong with me?

And I don’t believe there is anything wrong with you.

Sometimes life simply becomes too much.

And sometimes your home needs a reset.

Just like your car needs servicing, your garden needs tending and your gutters need cleaning, sometimes our stuff needs attention too.

Then came online shopping

One of the things I’ve noticed more and more over the past five years is just how much our relationship with shopping has changed.

Online shopping has made it incredibly easy to buy something instantly.

We don’t have to get in the car.

We don’t have to walk around a shop.

We don’t even have to think very long.

We can see something, want it, click a button and have it arrive at our front door.

And I see the consequences of that in people’s homes all the time.

There is so much stuff.

So many purchases that seemed like a good idea at the time.

Things bought for that little hit of excitement.

That instant dopamine fix.

And then the parcel arrives, the excitement wears off and the item becomes another thing that needs somewhere to live.

Over time, those little decisions can add up.

And suddenly someone isn’t just dealing with clutter.

They’re dealing with overwhelm.

Guilt.

Shame.

Frustration.

Financial stress.

And sometimes they don’t even know where to start.

That is where I come in.

Not to judge.

Not to tell someone that they’ve failed.

But to help them find a way forward.

Learning how to say no

One of the most fascinating things I’ve discovered while working with people and their belongings is how difficult it can be for some people to say no.

And I’ve come to believe that if we don’t know how to say no, sometimes we don’t really know what our yes feels like either.

Because how can you recognise a genuine yes if everything feels like a maybe?

So when I’m working with someone, I don’t want to simply stand there and tell them what to keep and what to throw away.

I want them to discover their own answer.

Sometimes it starts with confusion.

They’ll pick something up and say, “I don’t know.”

And that’s okay.

We slow down.

We talk about it.

We look at what they actually love.

And then something changes.

They find that genuine yes.

That moment when their whole body seems to say, Yes. This is it. I love this.

And then everything that isn’t that becomes a little easier to recognise.

It doesn’t mean everything has to go.

It means we’re becoming more intentional.

We’re learning to choose.

And I think that skill can extend far beyond our belongings.

Because when you become more comfortable saying no to the things that aren’t right for you, you can start creating stronger boundaries in other parts of your life too.

And there is something incredibly empowering about watching someone discover that.

Why Feng Shui became so important to me

This is where Feng Shui comes into my life.

Feng Shui has become almost like a template that helps me pause and ask questions.

When something feels off in my life, I don’t just look at the problem itself.

I also look at my environment.

What is happening in my home?

What does this space feel like?

Is there something here that needs attention?

Is something blocked?

Is something neglected?

Is there too much of one thing?

Is there not enough balance?

For me, Feng Shui gives me another way of looking at my environment.

Traditional Feng Shui looks at different areas and sectors of a home in relation to different aspects of life. So if something is coming up for me, I might look at the corresponding area of my home and ask myself what is happening there.

Not because I believe my house magically controls my life, but because our environment can influence how we feel, what we notice and how we move through our day.

It reminds me of the way traditional Chinese medicine looks at the body as a connected system rather than treating everything as completely separate.

Our environment can be another layer of that conversation.

Listening to a room

When I’m using Feng Shui, I don’t just look at a room.

I experience it.

I ask myself:

Is something sharp or pointy?

Is there a strange smell?

Is there an uncomfortable temperature?

Are there noises that shouldn’t be there?

Does the space feel heavy?

Does it feel cramped?

Is something broken?

Is there rubbish sitting somewhere?

Is there something that simply doesn’t belong?

Sometimes the answer is obvious.

Other times, it isn’t.

Sometimes I need to sit in a space for a while.

I might potter around without really knowing what I’m looking for, and then suddenly something catches my attention.

I’ll think:

“Oh… that’s not meant to be there.”

It could be something as simple as a sharp edge, a pointy plant, rubbish that has been forgotten, a bad smell, something broken or an object that has somehow ended up completely out of place.

And sometimes it’s not one particular thing.

It’s the feeling of the space as a whole.

Is it flowing?

Is it balanced?

Does it feel natural?

Or has it become too much?

Too much stuff.

Too much of one element.

Too much artificiality.

Too much noise.

Too little space.

That’s when I start looking deeper.

The connection between our homes and our lives

This is probably the part of Feng Shui that I love the most.

It encourages me to look at my environment with intention.

If something in my life isn’t feeling right, I can pause and ask:

“What is happening around me?”

And sometimes the answer is surprisingly simple.

Maybe there is an area of my home I’ve been avoiding.

Maybe something has been broken for months.

Maybe there is clutter that I’ve been walking past every day without really seeing it.

Maybe I’ve created a space that doesn’t support the person I’m becoming.

Or maybe I simply need to change the energy and flow of a room.

For me, Feng Shui is about becoming aware.

It’s about observation.

Intention.

Balance.

And connection.

And that awareness has changed the way I work with my clients too.

Why I keep doing this

After everything I’ve experienced since starting my business in 2019, there have certainly been moments where I’ve wondered why I keep doing it.

Running your own business takes an enormous amount of energy.

You have to believe in yourself when nobody else can see the vision yet.

And you have to keep going when things don’t work.

You have to learn things you never expected to learn.

You have to become your own marketer, administrator, bookkeeper, problem-solver and cheerleader.

And some days, you simply have to get up and do it again.

But then I walk into someone’s home.

And I see the change.

I watch someone go from feeling completely overwhelmed to taking their first step.

I witness someone realise that they don’t have to keep everything.

I notice someone make a decision without asking someone else what they should do.

I hear someone discover what they actually love.

I see the relief on their face when they can finally see the floor again.

And sometimes I see something even bigger.

I sigh in relief when someone start trusting themselves again.

That is why I keep doing it.

Because I don’t believe my job is really about getting rid of stuff.

It’s about helping people reconnect with their homes, their choices and themselves.

And perhaps that is why Feng Shui has become such an important part of my life.

Because whether I’m helping someone declutter a cupboard, reorganise their home, navigate a major life change or look at the energy and flow of their space, I’m ultimately helping them create an environment that supports where they are going next.

We are not our clutter.

We are not our difficult circumstances.

We are not the things we bought when we were overwhelmed, lonely, grieving, excited or simply trying to make ourselves feel better.

 I  am human.

And sometimes we just need a little help finding our way back to what matters.

That’s what Declutter with Kiah has always been about for me.

And after everything I’ve learnt along the way, I honestly don’t think I could do this work without Feng Shui.