The Lazy Genius Podcast - Episode Summary

Podcast: The Lazy Genius Podcast
Host: Kendra Adachi
Episode: #461 – The Overlooked Secret to Loving Your Home
Date: March 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and practical episode, Kendra Adachi (aka The Lazy Genius) explores the "overlooked secret" to truly loving your home. Drawing on personal stories and years of experience, she outlines foundational mindsets and a phased approach to creating a home that feels good—not just looks good. The episode also features a mini-guide on calling your elected representatives, a listener tip for making hobbies portable, and a pep talk for when life feels heavy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Foundational Beliefs for Loving Your Home

(Start: 19:55)

Kendra introduces three core mindsets ("compassionate boundaries") for approaching your home:

• How Your Home Feels is More Important Than How It Looks

  • "How my home feels is more important than how it looks." [21:02, Kendra]
  • Kendra recounts homes that felt welcoming because of the people and energy—not their decor.
  • She compares her own experiences in homes that looked stunning but felt cold and uninviting to the warmth of homes with less impressive aesthetics.

• It's Good to Take Your Time

  • "It's good to take your time." [23:19, Kendra]
  • Kendra reflects on how making slow, incremental changes over 15 years led her current living room to finally feel like home.
  • “We think that our options are a total makeover or unhappiness. I’m guilty of this…” [24:45, Kendra]
  • She urges listeners to embrace gradual evolution rather than striving for immediate “after” moments.

• Small Things Matter

  • "Small things like a shelf that displays photos that make you smile... small things matter. Small changes matter." [27:27, Kendra]
  • She underscores the power of little tweaks—a candle, a favorite photo, a cozy blanket—to add up over time.
  • Remodeling can feel overwhelming because it demands all-at-once decisions, but Kendra advocates for an ongoing process of “smallness.”

2. The Three Phases of Loving Your Home

(Start: 31:30)

Kendra outlines a practical, ordered three-phase process for transforming your feelings about your space:

• Phase 1: Focus on How Your Home Feels

  • Choose a desired feeling for your home or a specific room (e.g., cozy, peaceful, playful).
  • Identify what’s already working: “I want my home to feel cozy... I try to look my family in the eye and warmly greet them... Coziness comes from people more than from furniture.” [33:10, Kendra]
  • Use all your senses: lighting, music, smells, routines.
  • “Start small and take your time.” [36:13, Kendra]

• Phase 2: Focus on How Your Home Functions

  • It’s easier to love your home when it works for you.
  • Identify small household annoyances and gently solve them.
  • Notable story: The “house of cups” problem, solved by a simple lazy susan “drink spinner” on the counter. [38:25, Kendra]
  • “If you don’t have a sense of how you want your home to feel, you might start solving problems like an angry robot.” [41:02, Kendra]

• Phase 3: Focus on How Your Home Looks

  • Once feeling and function are established, aesthetics fall into place naturally.
  • Example: Gradual swapping of IKEA pieces for thrifted, cozy pieces over 15 years, culminating in the perfect dresser by her reading chair.
  • “The aesthetics of your home support feeling and function, they’re not necessarily the source for it.” [44:05, Kendra]
  • “Go in the right order and stop putting how your home looks above how it feels and functions.” [45:12, Kendra]
  • Emphasizes that home design is an evolving process, much like personal growth.

3. Takeaway: The Overlooked Secret

• The core secret is: Prioritize how your home feels, take your time, and honor small steps.
• “You can actually love it [your home] right now.” [52:20, Kendra]
• Avoid the television makeover mentality—“Don’t overlook the secret sauce of how your home feels.” [52:35, Kendra]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “How my home feels is more important than how it looks.” – Kendra [21:02]
• “I want you to spot the good that’s here right now... your home has something of the feeling you desire.” – Kendra [33:27]
• “Start small and take your time.” – Kendra [36:13]
• “The aesthetics of your home support feeling and function, they’re not necessarily the source for it.” – Kendra [44:05]
• “Go in the right order and stop putting how your home looks above how it feels and functions.” – Kendra [45:12]
• On personal growth and homes: “I think creating a home is like becoming a person... there is constant becoming.” – Kendra [48:06]

Important Timestamps

• Foundational beliefs: 19:55–31:30
• Three phases of loving your home: 31:30–51:28
• Story of the dresser & the evolution of her living room: 46:30–51:28
• Mini-guide on calling your representative: 56:14–1:05:22
• Lazy Genius of the Week - Kara’s analog diaper caddy: 1:05:30–1:09:00
• Pep Talk (Guest: Shannon Martin, “Counterweights”): 1:09:00–1:15:10

Extra Segments

How to Call Your Representatives (56:14)

• Don’t be intimidated—most calls go to voicemail or are fielded by staffers whose only job is to log your opinion, not to argue.
• Script: Say your name, address, what you’re calling about, and your stance.
• App recommendation: 5 Calls—automates finding who to call and provides scripts.
• “Move from zero to one call. This is an opportunity—like loving your home—to value small steps.” [1:03:28, Kendra]

Lazy Genius of the Week (1:05:30)

Kara from Charlotte, NC:
Created an “analog diaper caddy” to carry books, crafts, and necessities from room to room, making analog hobbies portable and homey.
“It’s also easy to hide out of sight when necessary. I love my analog diaper caddy.” [Kendra reading Kara’s submission, 1:06:24]

Pep Talk — When Everything Feels Too Heavy (1:09:00)

• Counterweights: “During heavy seasons, what we need are counterweights.” [1:09:28, Kendra]
• Special guest, author Shannon Martin, reads from her book Counterweights:
  • “Our terrors will look different depending on the day, the hour, our zip codes, and our skin tones...” [1:10:34, Shannon Martin]
  • “We can stand at its edge, cheeks rosy, hot, eyes bright from the flames, and choose the path of growth and valor...” [1:11:23, Shannon]
• Kendra’s encouragement: “We will teeter and wobble, but most days, we’ll stay on our feet. Beneath the lights, strobing against the darkness, it will almost feel like dancing…” [1:12:55, Shannon]
• Book recommendation: Counterweights by Shannon Martin

Summary Table

| Segment | Timestamp | Highlights | |------------------------------------------|---------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | Foundational Beliefs | 19:55–31:30 | Feeling > Looks, Take Time, Small Things Matter | | Three Phases (Feel, Function, Looks) | 31:30–51:28 | Step-by-step practical approach | | Home Evolution Example (the dresser) | 46:30–51:28 | Real-life, gradual transformation story | | Calling Reps Guide | 56:14–1:05:22 | Easy, actionable civic engagement advice | | Lazy Genius of the Week | 1:05:30–1:09:00 | Caddy system for portable hobbies | | Pep Talk — Counterweights | 1:09:00–1:15:10 | Guest reading, handling heaviness in life/home |

Final Takeaway

To truly love your home:
Start with how it feels, let small steps shape its function, and only then enhance how it looks. Go slow, celebrate progress, and create the atmosphere you crave—no renovation show required.

Resources Mentioned

• Book: House Rules by Myquillyn Smith (for accessible decorating)
• App: 5 Calls (to reach local representatives)
• Book: Counterweights by Shannon Martin (for life balance & hope)

“Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” – Kendra Adachi