The Story Behind My Approach to Spaces: Interior Geography, Full Spectrum Feng Shui, & More
I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between people and the places they inhabit. How do we experience the spaces we inhabit, how do our needs change over time, and how we can become more intentional about the environments we create and maintain?
I was raised with the motto, “Leave everywhere better than you found it.” For me, that philosophy extends beyond the natural environment to the spaces we inhabit, the energy we bring into them, and the ways we care for ourselves and one another.
My path to feng shui wasn't a straight line. It evolved through years of studying the relationship between people and places, exploring personal and planetary healing, and discovering how our surroundings can influence our everyday experiences. Looking back, my background in geography, environmental education, and Reiki all played an important role in shaping the work I do today through Synergetic Spaces.
What might seem like a collection of different interests is, to me, a natural progression toward one central question: How can we create environments that better support the people who live, work, and grow within them?
My lifelong connection to place, my interest in environments, energy and intentional living have all shaped my approach to this business.
Nature: Exploring Earth & The Outdoors
My connection to place began long before I had the language to describe it. I learned about place by living in it.
I grew up spending countless hours outdoors—wandering through the woods, exploring creeks, climbing rocks, and paying attention to the changing rhythms of the seasons. Nature wasn't somewhere I visited occasionally. It was where I felt most grounded, curious, and alive.
As a lifelong conservationist, I'm passionate about spending time in nature, bringing the outdoors in, and making more environmentally conscious lifestyle choices. I believe caring for the planet begins, in part, with recognizing that we are not separate from the natural world. We are part of it.
Looking back, those early experiences in childhood shaped the way I still see the world. They taught me to notice how different places have their own character, how landscapes can influence our mood, and how we form relationships with the environments we return to again and again.
Geography taught me that place is never just a location. It's a living, breathing relationship.
2. Geography: Understanding the Relationship Between People and Place
My world opened when I realized there was an entire field devoted to the questions I'd been asking intuitively all along.
As a Geography major at a small liberal arts college, I learned to look at the world through the lens of place.—how environments influence human experiences, how people shape the landscapes around them, and how our surroundings are connected to the ways we live, work, and interact with the world.
I became interested in how environments influence human experiences, how people shape the landscapes around them, and how our surroundings connect to the ways we live, work, and interact with the world.
The physical environment shapes our experiences, while our habits, choices, and activities continually shape the places around us. Where we live, the landscapes we move through, and the environments we create all contribute to our sense of connection and belonging.
This perspective stayed with me long after my studies. It gave me a framework for understanding the interconnectedness of people and their surroundings, and it planted the seeds for the work I would eventually pursue.
My Values, My Manifesto: Love, Light and Less.
3. Environmental Education: Connecting Personal and Planetary Healing
My interest in the relationship between people and place naturally extended into environmental education and conservation.
In 2014, I became a certified Environmental Educator through the NC Office of Environmental Education, a program of the NCDNR. This milestone helped formalize my commitment to helping people, especially youth, better understand their surroundings and develop a deeper appreciation for the natural systems that sustain us.
For me, personal and planetary healing are interconnected. Caring for ourselves and caring for our surroundings don't have to be separate pursuits.
4. Reiki: Exploring Energy, Balance, and Restoration
Alongside my interest in the environment, I was exploring spirituality and the less tangible aspects of well-being.
As I grew older, I also began noticing how closely my mental and emotional state seemed to correlate with the condition of my physical surroundings. Although friends and family could tell you I wasn't always the most naturally tidy person, I increasingly recognized the connection between my internal experience and the spaces around me.
When several personal tragedies hit, adopting a more minimalist lifestyle helped me regain a sense of control. Decluttering brought an immediate feeling of relief and became a meaningful part of my healing process.
I began to see that clearing a space could be about much more than organizing belongings. It could also create room to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with what matters.
That experience sparked a desire to help others find similar clarity and calm in their own homes. At the same time, my curiosity about energy work continued to grow.
In 2018, I became certified as a Level I and II Reiki practitioner, initially intending to use the practice primarily for personal and at-home purposes. Reiki deepened my interest in energy, balance, and restoration. It introduced another perspective on well-being and complemented my longstanding fascination with the relationship between people and their environments.
Looking back, Reiki was an important bridge between my interest in the physical world and my curiosity about the more intuitive and energetic dimensions of our experiences. It encouraged me to consider not only what we can see and touch, but also how we experience a space and how it makes us feel.
Sometimes the most important first step isn't changing anything at all. It's learning to notice.
5. Feng Shui: Bringing People, Place, and Energy Together
My own decluttering journey eventually introduced me to feng shui through books, bloggers, and other resources about intentional living. The connection felt almost immediate.
Feng shui brought together so many of the interests I had been exploring for years: geography, conservation, minimalism, spirituality, energy, and the relationship between people and their surroundings.
Rooted in ancient Chinese philosophical traditions, feng shui offers a framework for considering how the arrangement and use of our spaces relate to our daily experiences, our connection with the natural world, and our sense of balance. It incorporates so many concepts: energy, earth, geography, decluttering, and the relationship between a space and its orientation.
My background in geography also drew me to the principles of geomancy and the practice of observing and interpreting the land and the spaces around us. Meanwhile, environmental education reinforced something I had already come to believe: our relationship with the earth matters. And while conversations about the environment often focus on forests, waterways, wildlife, and climate, I also began to think more deeply about the environments closest to us:
Our homes. Our offices. Our bedrooms. Our workspaces.
These are the places where we rest, create, connect, recover, and navigate the everyday rhythms of life. They may not be wilderness landscapes, but they are environments we interact with constantly.
I became increasingly interested in how these interior environments affect our experiences and how we might approach them with the same thoughtfulness, respect, and care that we bring to the natural world.
I was fascinated by the possibility of looking at a room not simply as a collection of walls, furniture, and decorative choices, but as an environment with its own relationships, patterns, and possibilities.
In 2019, I became a certified feng shui practitioner through the Earth Home School of Feng Shui. And a few years later, in 2021, I achieved the highest level of professional certification through the International Feng Shui Guild, a Red Ribbon professional.
Geography helped me understand how people and places influence one another.
Environmental education deepened my appreciation for the relationships within living systems.
Reiki expanded my interest in energy and restoration.
Feng shui gave me a practical framework for bringing these perspectives into the spaces where everyday life unfolds.
Over the years I've developed an approach that brings together traditional feng shui principles with contemporary, practical tools such as minimalism, eco-conscious living, and intuitive approaches to energy and well-being.
When I look back at my multi-passionate journey, I see a consistent thread running through every stage: the interconnectedness of people, place, planet and well-being.
The Integrated Philosophy Behind Synergetic Spaces
Interior Geography Meets Full-Spectrum Feng Shui
At Synergetic Spaces, I bring together my background in geography and environmental education, my exploration of Reiki and energy work, and my training in feng shui to help people cultivate more supportive relationships with their surroundings.
I think of this overarching philosophy as Interior Geography: an exploration of how our spaces influence our experiences, or the relationship between people and their interior environments.,
My signature approach, Full-Spectrum Feng Shui, puts that philosophy into practice. It combines feng shui principles with minimalism, sustainability, and attention to the personal and energetic experience of a space.
For me, feng shui isn't simply about following a set of rules or making a room look a certain way. It's about understanding the relationship between people and their surroundings, identifying what feels supportive or out of alignment, and making thoughtful changes that reflect the needs and intentions of the people who inhabit a space.
My signature approach: Full-Spectrum Feng Shui which unites ancient energy principles with individual experience to create intentional, sustainable living.
My unique philosophy: Interior Geography: Studying the relationships between people, place, environment, and lived experience.
The Intersection of the Personal, The Practical, The Planetary
I believe our relationship with our surroundings extends far beyond aesthetics. It's also about how we experience it, what it means to us, and how our choices affect the wider world we share.
My approach brings together three interconnected dimensions. I consider the physical environment alongside the personal experience of inhabiting it, while remaining mindful of our connection to nature and our responsibility to the planet.
The Practical: How does my space work? Creating spaces that function well, support everyday life, and make thoughtful use of the resources we already have.
The Personal: How does my space feel? Exploring how we experience our spaces, what they mean to us, how our surroundings reflect our identities, and support our evolving needs, intentions, and sense of well-being.
The Planetary: How does my space and my energy influence the wider world, and vice versa? Recognizing that our homes are part of larger ecological systems and making conscious choices that honor the natural world, and encourage a more sustainable way of living.
Because the best solutions don't simply make a space look better. They consider the person living within it, the practical realities of everyday life, and our shared responsibility to the planet. The result is a more thoughtful approach to space alignment—one that honors personal well-being, practical function, and care for the wider environment.
Sometimes the most impactful changes are small. Other times, the process invites a deeper reflection on our routines, priorities, and the lives we're trying to create.
Creating Spaces That Support the Life You're Living
Today I bring all of my experiences and perspectives together to help people explore how their surroundings can better support them.
My work is grounded in the belief that:
Our homes and workspaces are more than just backdrops. They're environments that shape our health, wealth, and happiness.
We can create greater alignment between the person you are, the life you're living, and the environment you inhabit by making intentional choices about our space
We can create spaces that feel more functional, connected, restorative, and reflective of who we are becoming. We can make room for new possibilities while honoring what already matters to us.
We can approach our homes with the same awareness and care that we hope to bring into the rest of our lives.
My purpose is to help create more harmonious relationships between people and their spaces, in ways that support personal well-being and a deeper respect for the world we share. Because when we care for the places we live, those places care for us in return.
Ready to explore your space differently?
Whether you're navigating a life transition, feeling unsettled in your home, reimagining your workspace, or simply curious about how feng shui might support your everyday life, I offer expertise to look at your surroundings with fresh eyes.
The goal isn't to create a perfect home, follow rigid rules or formulas, or convince anyone they need to buy more things. It's to develop a more conscious, responsive relationship with the space we inhabit. It's to find thoughtful, practical, and meaningful ways to bring our surroundings into greater alignment with our lives, our values, and the living world.
The feng shui process doesn't have to be overwhelming or prescriptive. It can begin with a single room, a particular concern, a floor plan, or a conversation about what you want your space to support.
Let's explore what's working, what could feel better, and how thoughtful changes can help your space become more aligned with the life you want to live.
Working with me, you don't just get a home that feels easier to navigate, a workspace that supports concentration, or a room that better accommodates a changing season of life. You also gain deeper sense of harmony between who you are, who you've been, and where you're going.You gain greater ease, clarity, calm, and confidence.
Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.
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