We're Not Brains in Jars: Practical Sanctuary with Stephanie Jackson's Sensory Interior Design

Stephanie Lee Jackson, founder of Practical Sanctuary and pioneer of sensory interior design—designs spaces that actually calm and regulate your nervous system instead of overstimulating it.

Stephanie explains why modern homes trigger fight-or-flight, how fluorescent lights and bad layouts drain sensitive people (and everyone else), and how small, evidence-based changes can dramatically lower anxiety, improve focus, and even speed healing. From Danish dining-room lighting tricks to redesigning hospitals that currently push the brake and the accelerator at the same time, this episode bridges neuroscience, architecture, and spirituality. Perfect for HSPs, neurodivergent folks, meditators, parents, caregivers—or anyone who’s ever walked into a room and instantly felt exhausted.

[Due to editing these markers aren't exactly timestamped properly anymore but they are for the video version: https://youtu.be/_pTUmEU0LJg]

0:00 – Intro: We’re Animals, Not Brains in Jars

0:37 – Meet Stephanie Jackson: Sensory Interior Design

2:16 – Highly Sensitive People & Fluorescent Light Torture

4:24 – Discovering You’re Not “Weak”—You’re Wired Differently

6:40 – Meditation Bypasses Survival Brain (It’s Biological!)

9:11 – Comfort Zones vs. Anxiety as a Comfort Zone

10:50 – Feng Shui? Biophilia? No—Practical Nervous-System Design

13:05 – How Stephanie Works: Virtual Tours, Photos & Collaboration

16:28 – The #1 Issue: Women’s Boundaries Steamrolled (Mirrored in Space)

19:04 – “Space Therapist”: Refereeing Couples & Neuroscience Facts

21:47 – Scandinavian Design & Hygge Done Right

24:06 – The Flying-Saucer Light That Doubled Family Dinner Time

26:06 – Hospitals Are Making Patients Sicker—Here’s Proof

30:14 – Cleveland Clinic, Mayo & the Coming Sensory Hospital Revolution

32:35 – Why Mid-Career Execs Block Change (and How to Reach the Decision-Makers)

35:02 – The Ego Trap in Western Mindfulness & Spirituality

38:18 – Inner Work Must Become Outer Work—No Separation

42:49 – Connect with Stephanie: PracticalSanctuary.com + Her New Book

43:50 – Final Message: “You Already Know What You Need”

https://practicalsanctuary.com

Book (via the main page of her site): The Eccentric Genius Habitat Intervention: Interior Design for Highly Sensitive People

https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=6VCt2JitglWC2lNeA99P2v4n61OpzIzWYFHkz6QaQq0

https://www.facebook.com/stephanieleejackson

https://www.instagram.com/practicalsanctuary

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieleejacksonpracticalsanctuary

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