Celebrating the Podcast’s First Anniversary

Chip Alford, host of the Home Where You Belong podcast

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since I launched the Home Where You Belong podcast. I’ve learned so much, everything from how to love where you live to the benefits of decluttering and organizing your house. Several guests provided practical tips on topics like successful homebuying, renovation and remodeling, and home security. Educators discussed how to create a home that fosters learning and design a living space that stimulates ideas and sparks innovation.

I had the privilege of talking to an award-winning architect who helps people build their dream homes, and enterprising individuals who discovered home in a treehouse, tiny house, and a recreational vehicle. I even learned how to make a garage more than a parking spot.

For me, though, some of the most interesting conversations have been with guests who shared personal stories, like Hollee Brock, who rediscovered the true meaning of home by completing a 500-mile spiritual pilgrimage, and Lizbeth Meredith, who found her own voice during a two-year ordeal to recover her kidnapped daughters.

I also learned how the past continues to impact our current feelings about home. During a trip to the UK to explore my family roots, I was amazed to discover several of my grandfathers were Members of Parliament; one was involved in a plot to overthrow the rightful heir to the English throne, and another was knighted by a king. However, the latter relative’s support for that king put him on the losing side of an English civil war and resulted in my family’s eventual move to America. From best-selling author Chad Peevy, who became my personal coach, I learned how breaking and untangling inherited mindsets that no longer serve us can help us experience a true sense of belonging in our home, community, and relationships.

I’m just getting started. There are so many stories left to tell and so much yet to learn about how to create a home where you belong. In the coming year, I’ll continue to interview guests with interesting stories, ideas, and recommendations, but I’ll also begin mixing in stories of my own. And I do have some interesting tales to tell – like the time our home burned to the ground during my junior year of high school, the two years I spent living in China, and the book I found in a Birmingham shopping mall that helped me begin the long process of accepting myself as a gay man and connecting with a community that truly made me feel at home.

Speaking of feeling at home, you may have noticed that I end every episode by asking guests the same question: “What makes you feel at home?” So, what better way to end this anniversary episode than with a montage of their answers. Here they are … and thanks again for listening!