Our Nature: Conversations about the relationship between nature, spirituality, and well-being

For this week's episode, I’m speaking with Michael Washington. Michael is the founder of Usal Project, an LA-based community offering experiences and goods for the modern nature enthusiast. Usal hosts over 20 monthly experiences that (in addition to forest therapy) include: foraging and herb walks, falconry, oceanic species dives, incense-making workshops, flower arranging classes, community hikes, and more. In this conversation, M...

“I think one of the best thing’s we’ve done to ensure the likelihood of our long term success is to really see this relationship as something that’s unfolding in the present moment, and being very open and flexible about what that will look like in a month, a year, in a decade.” - David Sleininger

In this episode, we discuss: what we mean when we use the term “conscious relationship”; the cultural messaging that warps our perspectiv...

This week, my partner David and I are chatting about….drumroll, relationships! Specifically romantic relationships. This episode is very different from the type of content I usually have on this podcast, but when I started this show in 2019, my intention was to uncover how each of us could live in harmony with the natural world and thus be able to care for ourselves, our communities and ultimately, the earth. The dynamics that surf...

“I love the matrix and quilt of different things all over the place. Monoculture is boring. So for me, diversity is the spice of life in the garden.” - Erik Keller, ep 60

Helpful links:

• Erik's Website
• Erik’s Instagram

Highlights from our conversation:

• Erik’s relationship to nature as a child
• The definition of horticultural therapy and Erik’s journey from master gardener to horticultural therapist
• The various types of horticul...

“I think if I can inspire people not to be perfect, but just a little more conscious–that would be a win. And hopefully, the recipes become part of people’s repertoire that they make on a weekly or monthly basis.” - Alexis deBoschnek

RESOURCES:

• To The Last Bite Book
• Alexis’ website
• Alexis' Instagram
• Garlic and Sapphires book
• Magpies on Pink Street
• Bovina Fermentory

SHOW NOTES:

• What it was like to grow up in upstate NY
• Alexis’ j...

RESOURCES:

• EP 58: Flipping the Script: (Hard Won Lessons from the Past Year) with Alyssa Benjamin
• Return to Nature Book
• Emma’s Website

SHOW NOTES:

• Emma’s relationship to nature as a child
• What inspired Emma to write her book “Return to Nature”
• The reasons she organized “Return to Nature” by a series of eight distinct landscapes
• The intention around using the word “return” in the title
• Crafting a new definition of “wellness”
• An o...

RESOURCES:

• Alyssa’s Instagram
• Subscribe to my newsletter
• ANFT Forest Therapy Training
• Usal Forest Therapy Walk: March
• Usal Project
• Holisticism

SHOW NOTES:

• The reason why Alyssa paused this podcast and many aspects of her business for almost a year
• The new opportunity that came into Alyssa’s life that led to an unexpected career shift
• How to work within the system to change the system
• The framework that has been really supportive ...

This week, I’m speaking with Farmer Rishi, a farmer, educator and consultant based in Los Angeles working in the field of regeneration. Everything Rishi does is with the intention to help people understand the basic principles behind healing of our bodies: both our physical bodies and our Earthen body.

Resources:

• Sardovaya Farms
• Healing Gardens
• Rishi’s Website
• Homecoming course
• Connect with Alyssa

<<  Doors close for HOMECOMING o...

This week I’m speaking with Regina Rocke, a breathwork teacher, and healer who uses many modalities including yoga, tarot, Ayurveda, and movement practices to help people in their spiritual journeys.

Regina knows firsthand what the healing path requires. They say: “It was through great discomfort, emotional upheaval, and a lot of self-loathing that I came to this life of offering up ways for people to heal through connection to thei...

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to your life when you cultivate a deep and intentional connection with the natural world, this episode is for you. Today, I’m in conversation with teacher, philosopher and former Homecoming participant Peter August. Peter also has a nature TikTok (which I’ll link to in the show notes) where he shares his practices, perspectives and experiences of being in nature with his over 72K followers.

In th...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to leave the city, move to a small, rural town and build a regenerative, community-oriented farm?  Well, Nick and Spencer of Solar Punk Farms did just that. Solar Punk Farms is a queer-run, regenerative agro-tourism experiment in Guerneville California. As Nick and Spencer share in this episode, the vision for Solar Punk Farms is emergent and ever-changing, but they have always intended ...

This week, I had the honor of speaking with Dr. John Hausdoerffer. Doctor Hausdoerffer is an environmental philosopher, author, teacher and Dean of the Clark School of Environment & Sustainability at Western Colorado University. He has written and co-edited titles such as Catlin's Lament, Wildness, What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be?.

Most recently, he was the co-editor of Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations, a five volu...

This week I’m speaking with my friend and fellow nature enthusiast Mary Grace Allerdice. Mary Grace (or MG as I like to call her) uses astrology, divination, energetic healing + oracular practices to help people access their own inherent wisdom + healing so they can navigate life’s difficulties and connect to their purpose. 

As you’ll hear in this episode, Mary Grace has a special and miraculous gift for communicating complex topics...

This week, (episode 50 and the final episode of Season 3), I’m speaking with Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, a curandera, indigenous foods activist, and natural foods chef whose work is deeply rooted in the healing properties of all earth medicines. Her business name came to be after friends lovingly called her "the kitchen curandera", as she was often creating healing foods and remedies in her tiny adobe kitchen.  

Her work has been feature...

The earth is a schoolroom, and what a joy to be able to continue to remember through all these wild and wonderful means.” - Ayesha Ophelia 

If you’re looking to expand and transform your relationship to self expression and creativity, this episode is for you. Ayesha Ophelia is a self identified spiritual provocateur who is passionate about women, plants and human potential.

Ayesha’s offerings include The Girlfriend Manifesto where sh...

This week is the second part of an interview I had with Vedic astrologer Blaine Watson. In this final part of my conversation with Blaine, we discuss: How Blaine’s interpretation of a chart changes over the years as that person evolves and transcend, What it means to live a successful life from a Jyotish perspective, how often Blaine looks at his chart, why knowing when to have Yagyas done helps create a better and brighter future,...

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with my Vedic astrologer - Blaine Watson. 

Blaine has been a life-long student of astrology, having studied it since childhood. In 1980, on a trip to India, he became specifically interested in Vedic astrology and after almost 9 years of self-study, the Dean of the Department of Sanskrit at Benares Hindu University in Varanasi, India certified him as an expert in Jyotish. He’s been a personal a...

This week, I’m speaking with Helen Phelan, a body neutrality pilates and movement instructor who believes that everyone deserves to feel good in their body. Helen’s approach to fitness and health is one centered around how exercise makes you feel, versus how it makes you look. She uses conscious breathing techniques to enhance bodily intuition and high repetition sequences that encourage body awareness and mindfulness. As a former ...