This podcast episode delves into the evolution of human shelter and the pressing need for sustainable living, particularly through the lens of container home living. As we explore the journey from primitive shelters to contemporary constructions, we emphasize the significance of adopting a more sustainable lifestyle to mitigate environmental impact. Our esteemed guest, Kerstin Lindquist, a health science expert, joins us to discuss the intrinsic connection between personal health and the health of our living environments. We examine how a home should reflect not only our aesthetic preferences but also our commitment to well-being and sustainability. By fostering a healthy lifestyle within our homes, we empower ourselves and our families to thrive in harmony with the planet. The pursuit of shelter has been a defining characteristic of human existence since the beginning of time. This episode of Boxcar Universe delves into the evolution of our living spaces, tracing the arc from primitive bamboo huts to the towering concrete edifices of modern civilization. As our habitats have adapted to the changing needs and circumstances of humanity, the latest trend reflects a growing consciousness towards sustainability. The conversation transitions into the realm of container homes, a manifestation of innovative design that embodies environmental responsibility. Kerstin Lindquist, a guest renowned for her expertise in health science and biblical principles, joins host Steve Deubel to explore the intersection of sustainable living and personal well-being. Listeners are invited to consider their own readiness to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, highlighting the importance of not only the physical structure of our homes but also the health of the inhabitants within them. The episode culminates in a call to action for listeners to reflect on their living environments and the choices they make in pursuit of a healthier, more sustainable way of life.

Takeaways:

• Mankind has historically sought shelter from the elements, evolving from primitive structures to modern constructions.
• The discussion centers on promoting a sustainable lifestyle, particularly through container homes.
• A healthy home environment is integral to maintaining personal health and overall well-being.
• Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their life choices and consider downsizing as a means to achieve happiness.
• The podcast emphasizes the importance of community and service as foundational elements in life.
• Understanding the connection between health, environment, and lifestyle choices is critical for personal growth.

Links referenced in this episode:

• stardustbuilding.org
• www.idealhomeimimprovementaz.com
• [email protected]
• https://kerstin-lindquist.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• QVC
• Ideal Home Improvement
• Legacy Custom Homes AZ
• Stardust Building Supplies
• Mr. Electric of Phoenix-Metro

Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter themselves from the elements.

Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.

The last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.

Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?

Look no further.

You're about to enter the adventures of container home living.

And now, contractor, racer and TV personality and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.

Hi, this is Steve Dubel, host of Boxcar Universe.

And here's what we got coming up on this week of Boxcar Universe.

Kirsten Lindquist is here.

And for those of you who don't know her, you will know her after the show today because she is an inspiration in health science and biblical truth.

And the reason I wanted to have her on the show today because, you know, we always talk about sustainable lifestyle living with the container homes and actually traditional homes.

Well, if you know anything about me over the years that I've been doing radio and tv, we always talk about, you know, it's not just the nuts and bolts of what goes into a home, it's how you get there.

It's like, you know, your realtor, you know, and all the people that get you to the point point where you are a homeowner.

But then after you buy your home, a lot of times the builders or if you buy a home that's already been lived in, you don't get a maintenance manual on how to take care of it.

And that's one of the things that we always try and share with people and tell them there are certain things that you need to do to make sure that your house stays healthy.

Much like you, you as a living human being have to stay healthy.

Now, if your home is healthy and you're not, well, that could be a problem.

So you want to talk about the sustainable lifestyle living includes your health and what you do to keep it that way.

Because, you know, you know, as a family member, if you're not in good health, it could be a problem for your family.

Much like if you're not in good health, you're not going to be able to take care of your home.

And I always believe that your home should be a reflection of you and if you are healthy, happy, and as I always like to be passionate about whatever I do, I think it's important that you be passionate about how you take care of yourself and also your home.

And one of the things that Kirsten and I, we're going to be talking about a little bit about her journey today and how it relates to homes and a better lifestyle so that you can live the best life that God intended you to.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce Kirsten Lindquist here and to Boxcar Universe for the very first time.

Kirsten, thank you so much for taking time out.

I know you're on the east coast and we're out here.

Well, not on the left coast, but almost.

I was out on the west coast for the longest time.

I've got a family out in Tucson, so it's wonderful to be here.

Thank you so much.

I'm Kirsten Lindquist, everybody.

Great to meet you.

Yes, it's so good to meet you.

So, yeah, Tucson's a little bit of different animal, we'll call it, than Phoenix.

You know, I mean, there are a lot of things in Tucson that I like that are a little more on the laid back.

It's like the.

Whereas Phoenix is more, you know, hustle and bustle and, you know, and I have to tell you, you know, you've lived in a lot of different places, too.

Lots of places.

But my journey went New York, Chicago, Bost, and then here.

And then I was commuting to Los Angeles for a year and a half with the company I was working with until finally I said, you know, I can't do this commute anymore.

I'm going to just strike out and do my own.

Do my own thing.

And construction and remodeling led into doing media.

And I think the most important thing that I found that it was that I wanted to do was to give back to the community and make a difference.

And I think you probably would share your story.

I think you're probably right there with me.

Yeah.

I think that the most important thing that we can do when we do anything in our life, whether it's with your family, whether it's with your career, is to go at it from a place of service.

If your goal is to serve other people, win whatever you're doing, you're going to be successful.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I think it's appropriate that we're doing this show just ahead of America at 250, building better lives, stronger communities, and, you know, finding partners and people that are where you can actually have a purpose for.

And I think that's so very important as we celebrate 250 years of.

Of existence at this great country that we live in.

And we thank, we thankful for it.

I don't care what political persuasion you are.

You cannot deny that if you've ever been in other parts of the world, you don't have the freedoms that we have here in America.

And I, and I think it's one of the things that we're able to go on and talk about it and debate different ideas.

And I think that's important that we share certain ideas and values.

And I think that's some of the things that you do as well.

But tell our listeners a little bit about your journey and how you got started and how you've come to where you are now.

Yeah, so I am currently, I run a multimedia broadcast company that consists of me, I am a health coach.

I have a podcast called Stressed.

I have books.

I. I am a wellness expert on television.

I'm an author and a speaker.

I got here by way of broadcast news.

I was in news on the west coast.

Born and raised in Southern California.

And I started out there in Central.

Speaking of moving everywhere, I started out there in Central California, lived there for a while, Las Vegas with news and then San Diego.

And then about 14 years ago, I joined up as a host on QVC.

And that's where I spent the majority of my career was at qvc.

I left about two years ago through in the midst of that, I helped grow a wellness brand at qvc and I had my own line of clothing and books and exercise and all of that.

And I really felt the Lord's calling on my life when I was in the midst of that, because my mother got very sick.

She died very young, at least young to me, of Alzheimer's.

She battled it for about 11 years and went back to school to become a health coach, mainly for my own and for my family's information.

But I started sharing that with my viewers.

Millions of people were watching at the height of qvc and I really felt the Lord saying I needed to jump out full time and go into health and faith.

And that's how really the podcast started.

Stressed it's all health science and biblical truth.

I started writing books.

I started health coaching, and I found this woman specifically.

That seems to be a lot of the people who I'm speaking to at QVC who were hungry to figure out how to.

To live a healthier lifestyle and how to incorporate faith into that and to grow that.

So about a year and a half ago, I left QVC as a Full time employee and started my own business and it's been fantastic.

And I really get to speak to people day in and day out.

I represent a couple of really great brands in the health and wellness space and I teach on health and faith pretty much full time.

Yeah, I mean, that is so it's good that you were led to do that because I know a lot of people, not just from a health standpoint, but, you know, when in their life standpoint, if they want to, you know, they want to maybe, you know, maybe downsize and maybe do a container home or maybe even, you know, just, just move and get into a smaller place that you want to be able to turn around.

And if they're not, they seem to get stuck.

And especially, especially people get stuck in their own ways, in their own health routines, and it restricts them from doing a whole bunch of other things in their life.

And then all of a sudden they wonder why.

You know, and, you know, everybody says this, you know, as you get older, life seems to pass more quickly.

And it's like where you wake up one morning and it's like, how did I miss that?

Or, you know, and the last thing you want to ever do is do like wake up in the morning and do one of those woulda, shoulda, could have, you know, what did I do?

Why didn't I, why didn't I take advantage of this?

You know, and yeah, sometimes you have to take a risk, just like I'm sure we both have.

Yeah, I, I, I connect so much with what you're doing and what you speak about, because I always, except for the house that I live in primarily right now, but we always lived in super small spaces.

I, I met my husband, he was living on a boat.

Our first home together was 600 square feet and we had two babies and two dogs.

But we lived outside a lot.

You know, we're very active at the beach, always outside.

It wasn't until we moved to Westchester, Pennsylvania and as you know, winter gives you the need for a little bit more space that we had a little more space.

But our dream and our goal has always to get back to honestly living on a boat.

That's our favorite thing.

We now have three kids still, two dogs, bunch of chickens, and moved to Mexico to be missionaries.

And so we walked away from 3,000 square feet, two cars, moved to a very impoverished area.

Very small, small home, one Little tiny car to get around, even though we didn't use it much because all the roads were horrible down there.

And we were missionaries for four months.

And I will tell you, in that smaller environment, less stuff, less of everything.

I think our family was happier than we've ever been.

The kids were happier.

My husband and I were happier.

There is love grows in small spaces and also more stuff, more problems is honestly how we see things.

That's true.

More stuff is more problems because your life becomes more complicated.

Yeah.

You know, and sometimes the simplicity of it, I think that's why people turn around, even in Phoenix, that, you know, the government finally, the city, all the cities in and around the Phoenix area finally decided several years ago because, you know, ADUs, the accessory dwelling units in container homes and stuff like that were becoming such a movement throughout the country that the cities had to make some changes in their rules and regulations.

Whereas they used to say that you could not have a secondary dwelling unit on your property.

Well, with the way it is now, when they change it now they allow secondary dwelling units.

So now, you know, homeowners are putting these units on in their property so that they have either, you know, a living, a separate living space for maybe one of their family members, you know, you know, a grandmother or mother, whatever.

And also they just build them just for, you know, to have an extra revenue screen.

Yeah.

And, you know, makes a whole lot of sense.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, especially in Phoenix, where you've got so many different events going on because the climate is so good.

I mean, it's almost impossible, like in January to get, you know, to find a place to come into the Waste Management Phoenix Open with the golf tournament.

The place is just packed in One year when they had that and they had the super bowl here over at the Arizona Cardinals Stadium, it was almost impossible.

I mean, you had to really travel outside of the area just to find a place.

So being able to have those downsized units and living smaller and simpler, I think I'm with you there.

It just makes life easier.

It makes for a healthier, happier lifestyle.

It really does.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We have a tiny place, very small place down on the water, because that's, again, our favorite place is to be on the water.

And I will tell you, especially in the summer when it's nice here, it's where we all want to be.

We're on top of each other, the one bathroom and the tiny little rooms and the kids all have to share, but everybody is happier and we're all together.

Yeah, it's when you're in small places like that, you have to, you have to have a system especially.

Oh, my God, I can't imagine the kids.

And the dogs.

And the dogs.

Yeah.

Big dogs or little dogs?

Two English bulldogs.

Oh.

So they're big, but they're little.

You know, like, they're compact, but they're heavy.

Big guys.

My neighbor has one, has two of those.

They're like, they're so small and stocky and small.

Like bull.

Yeah,.

Yeah.

It's amazing.

But.

Yeah.

No, and it, again, it takes a lot of coordination, but I think it takes a special person to be able to want to do that.

I know there's a lady who actually started out small and when she built a tiny home, and one thing led to another and years went by and other people said, hey, could you build one for me?

And then before you know it, now she runs a tiny home fest twice a year out in California, once in Northern California, once down in San Diego, and she did bring it to Phoenix once.

And just the different conglomerations of vehicles, not just a trailer.

I mean, I had this one guy, he built a tiny home.

You wouldn't think it was a tiny home, but he converted a 40 foot tractor trailer, the trailer part, into a double deck tiny home.

Wow.

Yeah.

And it wasn't any taller than a 13 foot six trailer, but it did have like an upper bunk for sleeping.

So it's just amazing when people are going along in that mindset that, like I say, it works and it works for them.

And I'm.

You know, my friend is.

Is in.

In enamored with, you know, tiny homes.

And I told her about my friend who actually owns a tiny home company here in Phoenix, and she wants to go tour, take a tour, because she wants to see how they're built.

And she keeps sending me pictures of all these upscale ones that she sees on social media, so.

Right.

Yeah, there's some nice ones out there.

Oh, my God, there are so many nice ones.

But, yeah, but anyway, so tell me, I mean, when you made these lifestyle changes, did you, like, for instance, after 14 years, did you miss QVC?

So, you know, it was a really hard decision to make.

I think that we all get very.

It's easy to stay where we feel safe.

And I felt safe.

I was at the top of my game.

I had the number one show on the network.

I was bringing in $250 million a year in sales for them.

I had a great show.

But when you feel the Lord's calling on your life and Part of what I want people to understand is it's time to make a change.

A couple of things will happen.

You'll start to feel uncomfortable.

And there's a couple things that God's asking you to do.

One is it's for just to turn into him and ask him more and depend on him more when you start to feel uncomfortable in a job or in a situation.

And one of the things that he might be asking you to do, though, is to make a change and to trust him blindly.

And that was really what I needed to do because I didn't know how we were gonna make our next paycheck.

When I left qvc, I didn't have this grand plan.

I mean, Since I was 14, I've worked, worked at Disneyland.

When I was growing up, I was a lifeguard.

I mean, I always went from one job to the next.

And this was the first time where God was really saying, no, I need you to take out the step of faith.

And so it took me a while to make the decision, and once I did, I felt a complete peace about it.

And he really was saying, just take a step in the dark and I will provide.

And that's exactly what happened.

I mean, every step of the way, every step that I took, he provided.

And I didn't necessarily know what was gonna happen the next month or two months from now.

And I still don't.

Even a year and a half into this, as the podcast grew to top 200 and the book deals came in and the speaking and the endorsements from the products over and over again, I'm amazed by what the Lord is doing.

But when you are following your purpose, when you're in your identity that the Lord has for you, and I truly feel when you are listening to the calling, because the calling changes, your purpose might stay the same.

I know my purpose is to make faith come alive in others and help women gain confidence so they can create more space for joy.

But the calling on my life can change.

And for a while it was to be a host at QVC and connect and serve people there.

And now it's to do it through a podcast and through faith and through wellness.

So part of what he provided was a way for me to be back at QVC occasionally.

Not as a full time host where I wouldn't be able to have the time with my children, who are in a very tender time of their lives right now, but occasionally.

So I'm back there with my friends from time to time as a wellness expert for Kevin Hart's brand and a couple of other brands from time to time.

So I still get to kind of feed that piece of me.

But other than that, to be completely honest, I do not miss it at all.

It was still a corporation and it was still a 50 hour work week.

And now I have the time to spend summer time with my kids and linger over writing in the mornings and say yes to things that fill me up a little bit more.

Yeah, I think that's so important.

And your day will be filled and be a lot more productive.

I think you also will have a lot more energy and you'll definitely be able to think a lot clearer on everything that you do.

So.

It was just like, it was just an investment and they, but they were living there, but it wasn't like, you know, if you're going to buy a home, you're going to live in it.

I still think you should, even if it's only from a decor standpoint, to be able to make it feel like it should represent and reflect you instead of just, you know, walking.

I mean, if you don't want the house to reflect you, you could just stay at Motel 6.

That's true.

You know, I mean, it's not going to make any difference to you.

Yeah, you'll make money.

But again, there are some people that actually do that.

And I think the people that don't take their home, you know, and make it their own, so to speak, is they did, they don't, they don't really know what to take care of.

And that's some of the things that I want to, I want to go over.

If we're going to take a short break.

We come back, we want to talk a little bit about the things that people need to talk about taking care of their home as well as taking care of themselves.

Because like you say, if, if you're not, if you're not healthy, you know, healthy, wealthy and wise and you could even leave the wealthy out, but healthy and wise, then you're not going to be able to take care of your home and have that clear thought, to be able to go and look forward from when God leads you that way.

So I want everybody to hang tight.

We will be back with Kirsten Lindquist right after the break.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

Looking to transform your space with over 30 years of construction experience and featured.

On radio and TV, Ideal Home Improvement.

And Legacy Custom Homes AZ does it all, from repairs, remodeling and restorations to new builds, container homes and container pools.

Plus cutting edge solar systems to help.

Homeowners save money on their utility bills.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell.

Let us help you design and build.

Your dream home with the expertise that comes from decades of experience in the business.

Remember, Ideal Home Improvement and Legacy custom Homes az, where your dream home becomes reality.

Don't wait.

Call today.

Stardust Building Supplies is your home improvement thrift store.

Find salvaged and gently used cabinetry, doors, windows, appliances, lighting, plumbing and much more.

Save money, be green and support the community.

Shop and donate at Star Building Supplies Valley locations.

For more info, visit stardustbuilding.org.

All right, we are back and you are listening to Boxcar Universe.

And this is our America 250 special this week as we're celebrating 250 years of America's independence.

And one of the things that Kirsten Lindquist, my guest, and we were talking about is celebrating healthy lifestyle and healthy, sustainable lifestyle living.

And I think again, as we said in the first segment, that is so very important to be able to have that kind of mindset, I think.

And you know, Kirsten, I don't think that's anything that could be instilled in you or if somebody had told you you need to do this, you need to do that.

And I don't think, I don't think it would be as forceful as if it didn't come to you, you know, on your own.

It's like when people tell you like, well, you need to stop smoking.

And yeah, I know I need to stop smoking and they never do.

But when you have that inner voice that says it's time and I need to do this, I think it's a motivating factor to be able to go back out.

Yeah, I have to make my life better and make better choices and it'll affect my family, it'll affect my lifestyle and go out and yeah, if you need to live that simple lifestyle and when you work at it every day and then you get into say, well, I want to live that sustainable lifestyle in a tiny home or a container home and just you don't need a lot of space to be happy.

As you said when you were in Mexico, you were one of the happiest times of your life with your family.

So I think to be able to do that, you can build a better life.

Something that's very important to understand.

I do come from a health, health and faith background.

I'm a certified health coach.

And one of the things that we know from science and from the research is that you can't live in fear and be healthy at the same time.

Or more appropriately, you can't be in fear and your body can't be healing at the same time.

Your body will always prioritize the fear.

It will always prioritize getting you to safety.

And fear could be anything.

Sure, it could be running from a bear, but, but it can also just be working too much.

It can be over controlling.

It can be if you have again as we're talking about too much stuff, it can be trying to control all the stuff or constantly shopping like this can all be a feeling of fear moving into a sympathetic as opposed to parasympathetic space inside your body.

And if that's the space that you're constantly in, your body can't heal.

So if you see yourself with chronic conditions or you've got allergies that never go away, or fibromyalgia or any of these things that you're trying to figure out, why am I not losing weight, why am I not sleeping a big piece of it?

And what I talk about a lot when it comes to stress is that your body is in fear, so it's not healing.

And so what you have to do first, sure, I can talk to you about taking supplements and I can talk to you about getting testing done and blood tests and things like that, but I'll often work with somebody on, all right, where is the fear and the trauma living in your body?

Are you over controlling?

Are you working too hard?

Are you, are you pushing against what the Lord is calling you to do?

Maybe you have heard that voice in your head saying you need to move to a better climate, you need to get more sunshine, you need to be outside more often.

You need to downsize your life.

This life is too big and too overwhelming for you.

And what you're doing is saying no, no, no, no, no, because you're Afraid of letting go of all the stuff that you've built or all the wealth that you've built or whatever it might be.

And I'm telling you, that's actually detrimental to your health because until you get out of the fear and the over controlling, your body's not gonna start healing.

And that's what we want.

Because a healthy body is a body that is in joy, that has better relationships, that has longevity.

So I know that it can be scary to think of should I downsize, should I quit this job that I really hate, but it makes me money, so I'm doing it anyway.

I know all that's fearful, but understand how detrimental that is to your health.

And that's part of the reason why, as a health coach, I had to take my own advice and leave a job in which I was working.

Morning, middle of the day, nighttime, middle of the night.

I was missing things for 14 years, weekends with my kids and raising them.

And I knew that after watching my mom and what happened to her and her dementia earlier, I knew that I had to make a change for my health.

And so leaving that big corporate job and taking a chance on something smaller that actually ended up being something pretty big really was the key for my health.

Yeah.

It's so amazing that I know a lot of people and what you say is absolutely right that they think that if they continue on and they listen to whatever doctors they go to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not out here to bad mouth all doctors, but sometimes certain doctors say certain things that probably are leading the patient down the wrong road and to where they are.

So all they want to do is, well, I need to go get my prescription refilled.

And I'm like, well.

And then when they get stuck in that mode, it prevents them from looking forward or looking at other alternatives to feel better.

And they just get stuck in this cycle and it keeps going around.

Very true.

It's terrible.

Here's the thing with doctors.

Doctors mean well.

They want to help and to heal.

But here's what they can't control.

They can't control how you eat, how you sleep, how you move, your relationships and your spirituality.

Those are the five main components of your wellness as a health coach.

That's what I help you with.

How you eat, how you sleep, how you move, your relationships and your spirituality.

A doctor cannot control you in those areas.

They're not in your house making your move.

You move.

They're not in your house making you eat whole foods from quality soil.

They're not in your house, making sure you're not lonely or that you're putting up boundaries or that you have a relationship with the Lord.

What they can do in the nine minutes, that's the average time that a doctor gets with you in a doctor's appointment, in the nine minutes that they have with you in order to try and keep you healthy, the one thing they can do is write you a prescription.

And they're pretty confident you're gonna take it because you trust your doctor.

Sure.

So that's all they can do.

I think that doctors, if they had time, if our medical system wasn't as broken as it is, that they would love to be able to hold your hand through the five main components of your wellness and say, listen, go to lifestyle first.

Go to getting out of fear first.

But since they don't have the time to do that and their goal is to keep you healthy, all they know to do is write a prescription.

I, on the other hand, who don't take insurance, who.

Who work with people who really, really want to get healthy, I can say, listen, I know the root of feeling better starts with these five things that you have to do.

And it does not start with taking a pill.

Yeah, I mean, it's true.

It's true.

It does not.

I've notes, I know too many people that they are addicted to going to the pharmacy and getting the pills that the doctors ordered.

And, you know, if they don't get it, if they don't get it right, they don't get it right.

And I, you know, some of these people, I've sent videos and all kinds of alternative things to look at for your health other than taking a pill.

And, you know, they may read it, but they don't take it to heart.

And I don't think, like I say, taking.

Having a healthy life will lead to a healthy home, healthy decisions about your home.

And, you know, a lot of times, you know, trying to bridge the gap between, you know, what could happen if you're.

If you have an unhealthy home, it will affect all the things that you talked about.

Because, you know, a lot of people, if they, you know, I walked into a couple of homes once that they had the.

All of a sudden, the bell went off one day, and they thought maybe they might have mold in their house.

And it was like, okay.

So I went over and it.

I.

They opened the door, Kirsten, I'm telling you, it was like a gust of wind just blew out of the house, and I could smell the mold.

And I'M like, how long have you been living like this?

You know, and they in.

Some of them said, you know, several weeks, maybe a month.

And I'm like, how are you feeling?

And some of them said, yeah, I mean, my family's sick and this and that.

In fact, one.

One couple that who had some children actually moved out of the house because the whole house had to be remediated.

Yeah.

And it.

Just to get, Just to get the, you know, the mold and the air quality and get it all cleaned up and then they had to treat certain areas.

So a lot of different things.

That's like I said, you have to be aware of your, of what your house is telling you.

And sometimes when it goes bad, it talks to you.

Much like when you get sick, you know, your body's trying to tell you something.

I'm not well, do something.

You know, it's very, very true.

We dealt with mold in our home.

I have a daughter, so I have three children, and I have a daughter who has had a lot of, you know, she has an opportunity for her health and she has for many, many, many years.

And, and I do mold testing on some of my clients in health coaching, and I was doing them with a couple of my clients and I was like, you know what?

I should do this for myself.

Just so I have that experience with what they're going through.

And I came back with mold toxicity.

Now, something important to understand about mold toxicity, it expresses itself differently in different people.

So if you're somebody who cannot detox, well, you probably have.

You could have high toxicity of mold and not necessarily have bad symptoms, or maybe you will have bad symptoms if you have other things going on in your body.

So I didn't have any symptoms.

I detoxed very well.

But I thought if I have this, everybody else in that family does too, because it's most likely coming from the house.

So we had somebody come in, found the source of the mold, had to go through a mediation.

I will tell you, the best thing that we have done in our house is we have six.

We now have eight.

Eight air purifiers in here, like the best of the best that use hydroxyls that really make sure that if mold is going to start circulating in the house, it gets before even goes onto the surfaces.

And, you know, got rid of that right away because that can leave you open for so many different problems.

I will say when it comes to your home environment, toxins are a big, big problem.

And if you're dealing with chronic illness and disease or issues or even just brain fog or not feeling yourself or having a hard time as you go through menopause, all of those things can be a result of an extra toxic load.

So a water purifier is a great idea.

Going back to the source of your water, going back to the air in your home, getting a great purifier, making sure you don't have any mold in your home is really, really important.

And using as clean and natural as products as you can on your home.

Unfortunately, these newer houses even can be the ones that have more toxins because of all the off gassing.

So it's really, really important to also do what they call sounds great, burping your house.

Where even in the winter and even in the summer, you're opening up the windows every day for just a little bit of time and a little bit longer of time when you can during the season that it works because you have to get some of the fresh air in there.

So all these things can help lower the toxic burden that you might have in your home.

Yeah, I mean that's so, so very important.

Air quality and water quality are just imperative to be able to be, to again, be healthy.

Not just to mention what, you know, eating healthy.

Yeah.

And that's so very important, to have a healthy diet.

Healthy, healthy diet, healthy mind, good sleeping habits, get all that stuff goes well together and allows you to function well.

I mean, I mean, how many of our listeners out there, you know, and in whatever job that you're in, I'm sure that you've all experienced times where, you know, maybe you were up late, maybe you had to do some work, you had to get something done for the office and then all of a sudden, but you needed to get up at 5am the following morning.

So instead of getting maybe six or seven hours of sleep, maybe you only got five hours of sleep.

I know when that happens to me, you know, the morning's a little more sluggish than normal mornings when you wake up a little more rested and maybe you do need that extra cup of caffeine, you know, just to get you over the hump, to get you back on track again.

But still, you still have to catch up sometime.

So the best thing to do is keep something balanced.

And like much like when you're home, whether it's a container home or your traditional home, you start seeing things that are going wrong, take care of them, you know, as they happen.

Don't just ignore them and bury your head in the sand and say, oh well, you know, it's not that way.

Or all those five dreaded words, you know, that the chiropractor, you try and say about your chiropractor, it will get better soon, you know, unless you go for help.

But these are things that you need to be able to do to and they tie in so much together, talking about a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

And you keep your home healthy, you keep your body healthy and you're going to be able to go forward every day with a positive attitude, being able to attack whatever life throws at you and you won't have to rely on, well, I need some more of this medication to get me through the day.

That's not a good thing.

If I want to live, if I want to get through the day.

I want to be high on life.

That's what I want to be high on to make sure.

Because I want to get through it.

And as I am a devout Star Trek lover, I'm going to attack life at warp speed.

And that's just the way you need to do it.

But we're going to take a short break.

When we come back, we're just going to take a look at America at 250, looking forward and how you can make changes to not just your life, but your home's life, your living area and what you can do to move forward here in our 250th year independence anniversary.

So don't go away.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

Hi, I'm Erica Thompson, the dominating designer.

A hard working artist with a sense of humor.

What is the dominating designer process?

It's just like what you see on tv.

We discuss your wants and needs about your project, go over your ideas.

Then I provide you creative, one of a kind options that fit your budget with respect to your home's value.

When we finish your project, you are set to enjoy your new space.

I would love to help you with your upcoming project.

Please reach out to me on Instagram.

The dominating designer.

Hi, I'm Sean with Mr. Electric and I have a tip to help make your life better.

One important reminder is to call a qualified electrician when you have frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers.

When a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows, it's indicating that you have a problem with some other part of the circuit.

If your breaker trips more than once, you should have a qualified electrician come out and take a look at it.

Contrary to what may be acceptable, you really shouldn't try to continuously try to reset the breaker because there may be a problem somewhere else.

Down the circuit and you could be causing a fire hazard.

There could be a loose connection or some other form of problem on the circuit and every time you reset the circuit breaker, it could be causing a spark at the other end.

We recommend having a qualified electrician come out and check on the condition of the circuit, make sure that the circuit does not have any problems and it could just be a bad breaker also.

But you definitely want to have a qualified electrician check that out.

To have someone come out from our team may only take a portion of a day, but it could potentially save you a lot of money for your life.

And that's just another way Mr. Electric has the power to make your life.

Better govern the future of sustainable lifestyle living with Boxcar Universe your go to source for cutting edge container home and container pool information.

Want a dream container home or pool?

We can build it for you.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell from Boxcar Universe.

For the latest in container innovation and expert insights, tune into our weekly podcast, Boxcar Universe.

Ready to start your project?

And we are talking a little bit of healthy homes, sustainable lifestyle, and the faith that you should have to be able to move your life forward and make great decisions on all the things that you do in your life.

And I think, Kirsten, I think we covered a lot here, but you know, looking forward into our Nation's celebration on July 4, I think there are kind of like, much like almost like New Year's resolutions that we look forward into.

What's the next 250 years going to be like?

I mean, you know, we can't predict the future, but I think we could surely start by making positive decisions and taking things a day at a time instead of going backwards.

What do you think about that?

You know what?

And I don't think that going backwards is the right words that I want, but I do think that there is a leveling out and a return that needs to happen in our nation, specifically when it comes to health, when it comes to, because we are a very, very, very sick nation, unfortunately.

And we have got, we have to remember that Mother Nature, that our Earth, that our world, that our ancestors, they knew how to do this and how to take care of ourselves for years and years and years before technology and all big pharma and all these things came into play.

And now all of A sudden we're sicker.

We have.

We have more gyms than anybody in the world, and yet we have the highest rate of obesity.

We have the lowest.

We have the highest, pardon me, the lowest life expectancy at birth for any of the developed nations.

We have the highest rate of multiple chronic conditions.

I mean, we are really in a bad place when it comes to our health.

And I think that the answer isn't more drugs, more doctors, more vaccines.

Not that I disagree with any of those things.

Drugs save lives.

There's certain vaccines that I think are important.

Doctors are amazing.

But what we have to do is get back to the basics of how you eat, which is whole foods from quality soil, stop it with the packages, stop it with the highly processed foods.

Go back to how people grow food, go back to animal foods.

And if you knew where it grew and you knew where it moved, then you eat it.

Not if you can't pronounce it.

We have to move our bodies.

We have to work with our hands.

We have to get outside of our homes and move around.

And I think that when we talk about living in a smaller place, that's part of it.

When you live in a smaller home, I know, at least in my experience, you're outside a lot more because you don't have all that space in your house.

So you have to be moving more.

You have to sleep better, which also means getting outside, because our sleep is directly impacted by our ability to be outside in the morning and get that red light and then get outside at night and get that red light so that our circadian rhythms are regulated.

So we have to get back to our sleep.

We have to get back to relationships, face to face relationships and being in the same space as somebody else, not just on the Internet, not just text messaging and social media.

And then we have to get back to a faith practice, because as I said earlier, our bodies cannot heal when they're in fear.

And the best way to get out of fear is to have a resilience or a reliance on the Lord.

So, yes, moving forward is important, but I think that the way that we move forward for the next 250 years is to look back a little bit as to how we did it in the past and how we stayed so healthy.

It didn't even happen.

And now they are so common.

Heart disease is huge.

And a lot of that goes to what we've done to ourselves in this country when it comes to technology and fake food.

That's true.

You know, you wind up seeing all these different.

Starting to sprout up now.

Some of these commercials about, you know, the food that you're.

You're eating and the additives and the processing of, of certain foods back.

One of the things, you know, we were talking about earlier about, about your dogs thinking about, you know, you see a lot of commercials now out there about the, the.

Some of the food product for dogs are looking and moving away from it being processed food.

They want to be more natural because that's the, the best thing for the dog's health, right?

And instead of eating a lot of this processed food stuff.

So I know with my guy too, you know, I'm looking at some of the different ones that are out there too, because it's, you know, my dog's getting older.

I rescued him seven years ago.

Somebody had tied him to a pole near a wash near my house where I used to live.

And it was 97 degrees outside.

And, you know, when you talk about, you know, some people turn around and say, well, you know, I don't really believe in, you know, in God and faith.

But I'll tell you, my experience is that he's real because one of the things that he did to me where I used to live, I used to go home one particular direction, and the post office was like a block away from me.

And something told me that day, just go the other way, man.

I just thought it was for variety.

I mean, I didn't give any second thought.

If I didn't do that, I would never have found the dog because I would never have seen him going my normal way.

So God did.

Definitely led me to him.

And, you know, I.

It was so funny.

I had the Humane Society come down and pick him up.

But I've had dogs my whole life, and I started thinking about him.

This was on a Saturday, Sunday.

I called up the Humane Society.

I said, hey, how's he doing?

You know, he's doing fine.

And, you know, I said, you know, can I come down and see him?

Well, I went down to see him, and when I got to his kennel, he was all excited.

He was jumping up and down.

And then I was knelt down.

As soon as I stood up, Kirsten my puss, he took and leaped up on the fence with his front paws and looked me straight in the eye, like to say, please don't leave me.

Take me home.

And I swear, I.

My heart melted.

That was the last.

And two days later, he was a Dubella.

And he's been my best buddy ever since.

But yeah, he was very.

I mean, we're doing that for our dogs.

Right.

And I told him, my dogs are on a grain free, whole food diet.

It is.

I mean, humans can eat it.

I don't think it would taste very good.

But it's all real food.

Why aren't we doing that for ourselves yet?

We will still drive through fast food.

We will still eat primarily from a package.

We will still drink things that have type 2 carcinogenics in them, but we'll feed our dogs whole real food.

It doesn't make sense.

No, it doesn't.

I mean, yeah, you're taking care of your dog better and you take care of yourself.

Yeah, which, which is just, it's just amazing.

But, you know, there, you know, some people are like that, but then there are other people that are on the other side of the pendulum.

You know, they're doing all these right things and they're making a difference.

And you could tell, you know, from just from their talking to them, their attitude, that they're making the right decisions.

And I think you're saying making right, healthy choices for their lifestyle and, and downsizing and getting into a tiny home or a container home or something of that nature is just, you know, it's all part of putting a plan together going forward, you know, taking it a day at a time, looking ahead to be able to know.

I want every, all our listeners to ask yourself this question and be truthful with it.

Ask yourself, am I doing everything I can for my children and all the people I know so that they make the right decisions as they go forward for their children and everything else?

Are you setting an example for them?

Okay.

And if, if you have a conscience, you'll, you'll, you'll be honest with yourself.

And if you're not, then it's time to make a change.

And then obviously you, you know, maybe, maybe you need to make a call to Kirsten and get yourself on track because it's only gonna, you're only gonna have a better life.

And I think, you know, and the first thing that I always ask everybody to do is figure out their why.

My whole platform is stress.

Getting rid of dangerous stress and leaning into resilience.

Resilience is another way for saying the good stress.

We have to have good stress in our lives.

It's how we continue to keep our brain sharp as we age and we avoid things like Alzheimer's and dementia.

So bad stress can have an impact on that and it can cause some of These horrible, chronic conditions.

But lack of stress can be just as bad.

So I always ask people, what's your why?

For me, my why is my children.

I want to be around and be a great grandmother and be very present for them because my mother wasn't because of this disease.

I also wanna avoid the disease that she got.

So I know that I have to do some of the things that put the good stress in my life in order to get to that why.

And I have to decrease the bad stress.

The things like drinking alcohol, which is a bad stress, being sedentary, which is a bad stress.

Too much overworking, which is a bad stress.

But lean into the things like lifting weight, which is the good stress, and embracing change and making hard decisions.

And if you are one of these people who.

You're listening to this and you're going, you know what?

I really feel like I should be quitting my job and I should be doing something different.

I should be downsizing and traveling or living in a smaller home and being able to be more present because I don't have all this stuff that's scary.

That's a stress in itself.

Then you go back to your, why?

Why do I want to do that?

What is your why?

Is it your kids?

Is it your health, whatever it is, so that you can continue to grow that resilience and do the hard things that are necessary.

Yeah, I mean, it's just so very.

And, you know, a lot of it, when you think about it, it's common sense, you know, I think it just.

You just need to make the right decision and know that you're going forward.

And, you know, to have that straight roadmap is so important because otherwise, you know, you're just, you know, think about it as if you're.

If you're driving impaired and you're driving down the road and you zigzagging back across the street, you know, from one side to another.

That's what your life looks like if you're not.

If you don't.

If you don't have any roadmap in a straight line to say, I need to do this, this and this.

Yeah.

You know, there might be a day or two, you know, when, you know, I think everybody is allowed to have an off day.

Absolutely.

As like we say in golf, you know, you can have a mulligan, I won't tell, you know, but you'd be able as long as you realize that, you know, you take it, as my friend likes to say, take a me day and do nothing.

I mean, you know, sometimes, and in essence sometimes you are doing something because you're allowing your body to restabilize itself and re energize itself.

So your body is relaxing, it's doing something, but your mind is not like all over the map causing you all that stress and doing all those things.

Exactly.

Yeah.

But Kirsten, how can our listeners contact you if they want to learn what they need to do to get their life back on track?

I would love to meet you.

I am Kirsten Lindquist.

K E R s t I n-lindquist.com is my website.

That's where you find everything.

I'm very active on social media.

YouTube and Instagram and Facebook and TikTok.

I'm Kirsten Lindquist.

I have a podcast called Stressed that you see right there.

We're on every single week.

It's talking all about this in health and faith.

And the best place for you to go is we do have a membership, a community group in which we do live group coaching every Tuesday for small groups of people.

You get access to all of my worksheets and documents and books, and it's a wonderful place to be.

And you can find out more information about that and join my free newsletter that's on my website.

Kirsten Dash Lindquist.

It's so very important, Kirsten.

That is some great information.

I want all our listeners to, as you go forth this weekend and thinking about, you know, America's independence and stuff like that, make sure you reflect a little bit on yourself, which you should be doing on a regular basis anyway because it's like a, you know, it's a self check to make sure, you know, and being honest with yourself to do certain things.

Just like much like you keep, you know, think about, well, with all the things you have to do, you make a list.

I need to do this, that and every other thing.

You know, take an assessment of yourself in the direction that you're going and making sure that you're honest with yourself.

And as my mother used to say, don't lollygag.

It's just do it the right way.

But Kirsten, thank you so much for being on the show today and thanks to all our listeners for Boxcar Universe.

We are your source for cutting edge information on traditional homes, container homes, luxury lifestyle living, as well as, you know, tying together sustainable lifestyle living.

And I think, Kirsten, you'll agree it's a mindset for both to be able to take it and do what you need to do without that positive mindset.

I don't think you can be passionate about anything.

And I think, I think that's why some people are more successful than others, not just financially, but also, you know, with their, with their own lives to be able to do that.

So definitely.

So if you have any questions at all, you could always reach [email protected] and remember, Boxcar Universe can be heard weekly on any podcast player.

And also this special announcement for those of you maybe who haven't found one of my new TV endeavors, we have our image home Improvement show that is under the heading of Home Renovation IQ now on Fire TV and Roku.

So make sure that you look those up and you have some great home improvement information on there.

And you know, we'll be adding shows as we, as we make them and post them.

So you'll have a bunch of information in there.

And I've got some exciting news coming up for all our Phoenix area listeners too.

And we're going to be making some announcements coming soon about that to doing some new digital marketing as well as yours truly.

We'll be back on local TV here in the Phoenix market.

So stay tuned for that, some exciting news that way.

But remember, let us always containerize your lifestyle.

Have a great weekend.

You're a great American.

I love you.

It.