The Feng Shui Advice I Actually Used in My Workspace (in Real Time)

This is the transcript of The Refreshing Leadership Podcast episode: The Feng Shui Advice I Actually Used in My Workspace (in Real Time), published on 27th April 2026.

When you enter your workspace - maybe sit down at your desk - how does it actually feel? Does it feel supportive of the work that you do, or is it a little bit cluttered? Does the energy not feel great? Does it help you think clearly, or is it dragging you down?

It's spring, and it's a natural time to have a bit of a clear out and reset. We might think about spring cleaning our homes, but I also want us to think about the spaces where we do our best work and thinking. For some of us that will involve a home office, even if not for the full week, or it might just be a corner of the house where we sit and get on with some aspect of work or admin. The energy of those spaces matters.

A while ago on the podcast, I had feng shui expert Meena Jagpal-Paré come on to talk about how our workspaces influence our focus, our productivity, and even our ability to manifest in our careers. We talked a lot about the energy of spaces and she shared some practical solutions. I remember thinking it all made so much sense and I couldn't wait to put a lot of it into practice.

I recently wondered how much of that I had actually managed to do. So I thought it would be fun today to revisit the episode, replay some of the advice and tips, and actually see where I've managed to put things into practice. In my home, I seem to prioritise other spaces - my office is on the top floor, tucked away, and it can get a bit neglected. It's spring now, I'm really feeling the energy around my business, and it feels like the right time to make sure that energetically and from a feng shui perspective, my home office is not being neglected.

So this is a bit of a scorecard. I'm going to play you some segments of Meena's advice and then give you an update on what I've done in each area. As you listen, you might want to do the same - look around your own workspace and ask: is this space really supporting the way I want to work and the way I want to feel? Or is there something small here that could help shift the energy?

Desk placement and what to have in your workspace

Here is what Meena said about desk placement:

"Starting from my own home office, as you can see, there's a solid wall behind me - that's very important to have. It's like the energy saying, don't worry, I've got your back. In feng shui, it's all about supporting the back. The ideal situation is that you have a solid wall behind you, you can move freely around your desk with no obstruction - no shoes, no boxes, no plants, just free flowing. And ideally you should be able to see the door. You shouldn't be on guard all the time, wondering what's going on behind your back. You should also be able to see the window. That is your perfect feng shui starting point for desk placement.

As for what to have in your home office - it should be things pertaining to productivity and something that you love. Display artwork that warms your heart. You can have one family picture - that warms your heart too - but don't make a whole wall full of family pictures or trips because there's a space for that somewhere else in the home. Display your accomplishments and achievements. Only have current files at your desk and file everything else away. The subconscious mind has so much power behind the scenes - it picks up everything - so it's important to only have things around you that are productive."

Starting with the basics - I do have a wall behind me, so that was a good start. I face a window, though unfortunately I can't see the door from that position. I've made a compromise because having natural light is really important to me, so the door is just out of my sight. That's structural, and I think we have to make the best of the environments we're in and prioritise what matters most.

On the things pertaining to productivity and things I love - I've got some nice framed pictures on the wall that I really like. Some cherry blossoms, some skiing, some coffee, and a nice piece of art. I would say that's in good shape. I do only have one or two family pictures, which was a lesson I took from this conversation - I probably had a few more than that before. I also found a frame for my master's certificate and module results, so I am now displaying some of my achievements.

The bit about only having current files is unfortunately a big fail. My desk is currently cluttered. I don't just have current files on here. It would probably take me less than 60 seconds to clear it up, and I'm not sure what gets in the way. I think because this office is tucked away, I just don't have any accountability to keep it tidy. Clearly on the desk front, it's an extrinsic motivator I need, not intrinsic. It just doesn't bother me enough to make the effort every day.

So instead of estimating it would take 60 seconds - which I seemed not to be willing to do - I actually paused this recording and went and did the tidy. I timed it. It took eight minutes. I wiped some coffee stains off the desk, tidied up the wires, sorted the setup, and found a few things that had been missing. It turns out I wasn't even using my mouse - I'd just been struggling along with the keyboard. All of that is looking a lot better now.

I think I always have a feeling when I come into this office that I need to get stuck in quickly, and that diverting myself to tidy up will take me off task in the morning when I'm trying to do my most important work first. So I'll need to think about what time of day works better for this. But I really enjoyed that eight minutes. And there's probably another 10 minutes that would get everything else into good shape.

Perhaps I always knew it wasn't a one-minute job, and that's why I wasn't taking action.

Current files and journals

The other thing Meena talked about was only having current files. In a follow-up conversation I asked her about my journals - I have a lot of them going back to when I was a kid, and they're really dear to me. But I felt they were weighing down my office space. I took her advice and moved them into a storage area. She also said it's good to pick them out occasionally, look at them, and renew the energetic connection so the energy doesn't get heavy. I have done that, and I do think it helps not having them in the energetic space of my office. That's a tick.

Plants

Here is what Meena said about plants:

"There are certain plants - like the ZZ plant and the snake plant - that are great for a bedroom and especially a home office, for two reasons. One, they're very energetically purifying. And secondly, they don't go crazy big or wild - they're fine in low light. On the question of artificial plants: if you can have a real plant, go ahead. But if it won't survive or you don't have the space, a beautiful small silk plant is fine. To the subconscious mind, it still denotes a plant. Just make sure you have no dried flowers, because that's considered dead energy."

On the plant front, it's mixed success. I'm enjoying the orchids my husband got me - I've managed to keep some of those alive elsewhere in the house, so I have good faith in them. I can see them behind me on Zoom calls. I do also have a fake plant from the high street, but it's not silk, so that's something to consider. We went to a garden centre this weekend and had a look at some snake plants, so that is back on my list.

What was a bit of a spectacular fail was the bonsai tree. I thought I would be able to nurture it at my desk. I couldn't have been more wrong. It was really hard to keep alive. I put it outside and I genuinely don't know if it's still alive. Plants are mixed - but I think getting the other basics in order comes first, and plants are the finishing touches.

Crystals

Here is what Meena said about crystals:

"I have an ebook on my website for eight crystals used in feng shui - one for each area of life. For the home office, it's citrine. That's the crystal for career enhancement. I cleanse them, purify them, and pass them on to clients after embedding their address into the crystal. But it's one thing to know which crystal, and another thing to place it with intention. Grounding meditation before you place it. And most importantly, clear it once a month with full moon energy - put it out for three nights, bring it back in the morning, and place it with intention."

The crystal world is still very much untapped for me. I would love to have a citrine crystal in here that was properly looked after. The sourcing piece is the challenge - how do you find a reliable crystal? I was gifted a protection crystal at one point, which I did enjoy having with me. Meena also mentioned clear quartz, so that's something I'd like to look into. If anybody knows any good crystal experts who could come onto the podcast, or a reliable online source, I would love to hear from you.

Lighting

Here is what Meena said about lighting:

"Lighting is very important. It shouldn't be directly at you because you don't want too much energy coming right at you, but enough that you feel nice and awake and energised."

For me, the daytime setup is brilliant - I'm next to a window, so I'm always working in natural light. But the minute it's dark, the lighting is pretty poor. The overhead light isn't very strong. I had a lovely lamp in here but lent it to my daughter and haven't got it back. There is a lamp my husband put here, not the most aesthetically pleasing, but I do use it for evening calls or recording.

That said, it probably reflects how I work in this space - around five o'clock I'm out of the door to do pickup, and any further work in the evening tends to happen downstairs near the kids. So the lighting is probably fit for about 80% of the purpose I use it for. Adding better lighting is a nice to have rather than something that's going to completely transform my experience here. Far more transformative right now is just having a clear, orderly desk. I want to focus on the things that produce the biggest energetic impact first.

Shapes and corners

Here is what Meena said about shapes:

"In feng shui, we're very mindful of not having sharp corners. Lights with triangular shapes and piercing energy aren't endorsed in classical feng shui. Something soft and flowing - round shapes or corners that are rounded off - is ideal."

I've actually got my eye on a rug for this - one of those with a squiggly edge, which would hopefully help soften the space. I still have my desk corners, my drawer corners, and I added a set of drawers to help create easier homes for things so I can tidy up more quickly. There are unfortunately quite a lot of square corners in this space, but perhaps the rug will help soften it.

Setting an energetic intention before you start work

Here is what Meena said about starting the day:

"It starts with us. Are we grounded when we come into our home office or any office? Take five minutes, listen to an empowering podcast on the way there, ground your energy, walk in through the front door saying the white light has got me surrounded, I'm covered and I'm grounded and nothing can sway me today. That's a beautiful start. Sit at your desk with intention."

This was a nice one to hear again, because I've realised that is by no means my current routine. I tend to rush in, sit down, do a little bit of faffing online - check downloads or the stock market, anything that might give me a dopamine hit - and then dive into work. There's nothing there to set the energetic tone.

It wouldn't take much, as I cross the threshold into the home office, to set a bit more of an energetic intention and take a few deep breaths. With these things, it can feel fluffy if you don't have a why. But I do have a why. I really pick up on other people's energy, and I want to make sure that when I'm in coaching conversations I'm bringing my best energy. I also think it would help with anything creative I'm doing, or when I'm recording. And for the more administrative work - if you've taken time to set yourself up at the start, that stuff is less likely to drain or distract you. So this is something I feel is very achievable.

Grounding and energy clearing

Here is what Meena said about energy clearing:

"Start from the front door, go clockwise - always to the left. Go around the whole home: through the kitchen, up the stairs, around, back down, all the way to the front door again. Open doors and windows before you start. Use sage if possible - it's one of the strongest herbs for detaching heavy energy. Command the heavy energy that's not serving you to leave your space, with your intention focused on the open doors and windows. When you're done, complete the rest of the sage outside. You may feel a shift in the energy afterwards - some people feel very energetic, some feel a little tired. That's just energy rebalancing. Drink more water till end of the day."

I'm really pleased to report that we have done some energy clearing with my kids. We didn't use sage - I still haven't got hold of that - but we did a whole thing with candles, opened the windows, and moved from room to room. It was a lot of fun. We've done it a few times and we're probably due another one. I have a friend who can help me with the sage piece, so I'm going to bring that back in.

Since this conversation, I've been much more focused on moving energy around and opening windows more, all the way through winter. So this one is definitely a tick - or a semi-tick without the sage.

One of the key messages I took from Meena was that when we clear our energy and clear the space, we make room for the things we wish to happen.

How did I do overall?

I think I have made some progress. I've done the easy things and they have had an impact. Let me know if you have an action or two you are planning to take forward to support your workspace.

In an ideal world, I would walk up to my office and feel a sense of refreshed energy and renewal, and be able to put that into all the work I do during the day. Given that the new name of the business and podcast is Refreshing Leadership, I feel like that's exactly the aim - and I need to find ways to build that more into the environment I'm in.

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About Maya

Maya Gudka is an executive coach specialising in C-suite career progression and leadership development. She works with senior leaders in major organisations on strategic career planning, executive presence, and building sustainable influence. Maya hosts The Refreshing Leadership Podcast, which ranks in the top 2% of podcasts globally and has nearly 300 episodes exploring the challenges faced by ambitious professionals.