🗣️60% of people are either neurodivergent or highly sensitive - yet every space is designed for the other 40%.
Stephanie Lee Jackson is a sensory interior designer who creates spaces for people's actual nervous systems. She designs homes where Mom has ADHD, Dad codes from home, one kid is sensory-seeking, and another is neurotypical - all in one house.
Key insights:
🗣️ Fluorescent lights prevent many neurodivergent people from thinking - their brains can't create visual images under that flickering
🗣️Ambient noise makes conversation impossible for people who can't filter background chaos
🗣️Bars turn up music so you drink more (shouting makes you thirsty)
🗣️High-functioning autistic people hitting total meltdown in their 50s because masking energy finally caught up
🗣️Some people are "sensory seeking" - they NEED coffee shop noise or music to focus
Five principles for better spaces:
🗣️Indirect lighting (not recessed lights pointing down)
🗣️Sound baffling in open spaces
🗣️Neutral air quality before adding scents
🗣️Reduce visual overwhelm
🗣️Trust your body's signals
Resources:
Website: PracticalSanctuary.com
Book: "The Eccentric Genius Habitat Intervention" (September 5, 2024)
Free sensory cheat sheet available
Chapters:
[00:01] Introduction & Hosts Preview
[01:22] Meet Stephanie Lee Jackson
[01:29] What Is Sensory Interior Design?
[03:04] Why Designers Don't Think About This
[03:59] Neurodivergent vs Highly Sensitive
[05:23] Retail Store Example: Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent
[07:48] The Sensory Seeking Reality
[08:56] Real Family Design Example
[13:38] Zones for Different Neurotypes
[15:48] How She Got Into This Work
[16:52] Her Book: Eccentric Genius Habitat Intervention
[18:00] Why Febreze Is Evil
[19:33] Visual Overwhelm and Bookshelves
[20:55] Advice for Average Person
[22:25] The Five Key Principles
[24:55] Color and Lighting Advice
[26:06] How to Reach Stephanie
[26:53] Closing
📱 FOLLOW US:
📲 Connect with Our Hosts:
Stacey: https://www.instagram.com/staceymgrant/
Mark: https://www.instagram.com/mark_lubragge_onair/
⭐️ Watch/Subscribe to Gurus and Game Changers on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GurusAndGameChangers
⭐️ Listen on any podcast audio platform
✨ Subscribe for more game-changing conversations
✨ Hit the bell for notifications
✨ Share with someone who needs to hear this
