Ep.128 Nature as my Co-Guide with Clara Schroeder

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Hello, hello, hello, everyone.

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Welcome back to another episode of Reconnect With Plant Wisdom.

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It’s me, Tigrilla Gardenia.

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I, I can, I

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Can I just say this?

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I’m gonna say this.

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I love this podcast.

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I love this podcast for so many reasons.

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Not just because, of course, I’m doing it, but I love thes- this podcast because I love the people I am sharing with you.

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I am just in awe of everything that they are and everything that they do, and I am just so humbled to be able to bring this to you.

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Plus, the interweaving of ideas and thoughts as like, you know, this guest, and I think about what this other guest is doing and saying, and what this guest has understood, and all of these things to be able

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This little multipotentialite, this little multi-passionate person that I am is just like ah, in heaven every time I get to come and record an episode.

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And this episode is no different.

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I just recently met Clara, but from the moment we started to speak, I knew I had to bring her on the show, and I knew I had to share her with you.

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Because again, it’s another one of those people that’s just quietly doing the work.

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Plus, she has a new book, and you know me, I love books.

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I am reading so many books right now from the different people that, um, have been coming on the show, plus, you know, getting them into the Plant Wisdom Book Club is always fun.

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So, this episode is going to be just another deep dive into reconnection and why it is so important and how you and anyone you know can do it in small steps.

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As always, remember that this episode and all the episodes, this entire podcast exists thanks to your support.

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So please hit the subscribe button, hit the like button, make sure that you share this with your friends, and come over to the Naturally Conscious community to be a part of these deeper discussions and explorations.

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Because it is all of this that is what is going to change the paradigm that we desperately need to change right now.

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So with that, I leave you with episode 128: Nature As My Co-Guide, with Clara Schroeder.

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Welcome to Reconnect With Plant Wisdom.

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I’m your host, Tigrilla Gardenia, nature-inspired mentor, certified life coach, and the founder of the Naturally Conscious community.

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For over a decade, I’ve been known as a world ambassador for plant advocacy, working closely with plants to share their practical wisdom to help you consciously embody the elements of life that nourish your evolution.

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In this podcast, I delve into ancient and modern knowledge, from biology to spirituality, about the wondrous ways of plants.

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Together, we’ll explore how ecosystem thinking helps you overcome limiting beliefs, understand the true nature of relationships, and live an authentic, impactful life.

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Hello, Clara.

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Hello.

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Hi, Tigrilla.

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Good to see you.

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It’s so good to see you.

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I’m very excited about this, ’cause already in the 2 times that we’ve had right before this, and the last time we spoke, we kind of just dove into so many topics.

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I should’ve just hit with the record button from the very-

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beginning.

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It would’ve been useful.

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But before we start, we’ve like really get into it, can you tell everybody who is Clara Schroeder?

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Sure.

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Yes, I’m happy to be here.

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So, uh, my name is Clara.

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I’m, by training and profession, I’m an eco-therapist, outdoor guide, and new author, which is exciting.

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And mostly also I’m, I have a sole mission to bring more wellbeing and like global health to people, the planet, all beings, you know, nature.

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I’m here to really heal the disconnect that is present in our world and causing so many issues between human society and the more than human world.

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And so, that looks so, many, many different ways, as I’m sure we’ll go and talk about.

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And, uh, yeah, so I just really, I’m just a really passionate kind of guide and messenger between s- different parts of, of our, of our worlds here.

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I love, I love actually

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I, I say this all the time, so I just kinda wanna reassure you.

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I love the stumbling of words.

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The stumbling of words to me is, especially for multipotentialites for us that have all these different passions that we’re weaving together, is such, for me, an indicator of how we’re bringing new paradigms into being.

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So, you stumble away-

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’cause I think that that’s the most exciting part of it all.

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Mm-hmm.

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And I wanna, I wanna s- start on a f- there’s so many different places where I kind of-

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want to start based on our conversations, but I wanna kind of dive a little bit deeper into, um, this particular comment, this particular topic of disconnection, because I’m excited.

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Like I get, I literally get goosebumps excited how more and more of the people that I’m talking to, as we’re getting into our conversation, we’re realizing that it is disconnection, and it is that, that place when the human places themselves outside of nature- Mm-hmm.

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that causes so much of what we’re seeing in the world.

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So many of the, the anxiety, the, the feeling of hopelessness, the feeling of aloneness, all of these different pieces really oftentimes come back to that original riff and that disconnection.

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I’d love for you to kind of share with us kinda how did you get there.

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Like, what was the path that took you to the understanding of that, that original kind of trauma, as we call it, or that original parting and everything that it’s been happening to, especially the human being, but also the planet as a result of it?

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Yeah.

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Agreed.

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Yeah, so I mean, I was always, and, and I can talk more about this, uh, later, I was always very connected to nature, very connected to animals growing up, not just, you know, like-

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just having conversations with more than human beings, et cetera.

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And so, I eventually made my way to, uh, study environmental studies and conservation and restoration of, of the environment in my undergrad.

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And as I was finishing that up, a lot of people were coming to me because I’d been, um, I’m, uh

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f- I follow Buddhism, I’d been a kind of a meditation- or meditator for a long time.

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And people came to me and started sharing with me how they were feeling not, you know, not very well and they liked my grounding presence.

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And it was just this interesting

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I, I was here thinking I would go into a, take a job e- about restoring the environment and conserving nature, et cetera.

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And, like, just these weird conversations started, like I started attracting people and they would share, and I loved that vulnerability, the depth.

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So it got me thinking more and more about, like, why is it that we don’t feel well and whole and obviously you just open the news and you see it.

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Um, and I

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it was like, well, I just, it just clicked.

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I was like, “Oh, it’s because most people don’t, don’t live or didn’t grow up the way that I did, just running around in the woods barefoot with my dogs, you know, and talking to the trees.”

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And so when I was, I was thinking at that time, like I said, I would take a technical job, go pull, you know, invasive plants and stuff like that.

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That’s what we did in environmental restoration.

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But it occurred to me that it was actually a different path that was opening up to, to me.

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So I decided to look into more of a spiritual psychology, more clinical psychology, and just I became really interested in this, like, how do we heal that disconnect?

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Like, people aren’t relating, even conservationists, even people who are actively trying to help the planet, how do we heal this p- this thing?

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We’re like, “Oh, it’s outside of us.

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We’re trying to fix something that’s not us.”

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But actually it is us, it’s always been us and we’ve just, you know, forgotten.

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So it became like, for me, it was, uh, an honoring and I wanted p- for people to remember.

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I wanted them t- for able to be the remembering.

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And so then, you know, I took a, uh, a gap year.

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At that time I was traveling to Nepal, I was teaching at a Buddhist monastery.

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So I was having kind of

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I was, I was having my own healing journey and awakening journey.

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And, um, I, I then found a program that was basically, um, clinical psychology through spirituality.

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Mm-hmm.

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And so I went and started my master’s in that, and I specialized in ecotherapy because

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So spirituality can include nature and, uh, does for a lot of people, luckily.

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And so that’s just kind of became my path.

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But it was this, like, real recognition of like, wow, not only are people a- around me hurting, but also so is the rest of the world.

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You know, how do we, how do we address that?

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Really admire that kind of step-by-step approach, that following your calling and then realizing how that weaves into things.

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I think there are still people out there who feel like, okay, if I get a conservation undergraduate, then I need to get

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a master’s that has this, this and this, and then

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Like, it has to be this very linear type of progression.

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But I think what we’re finding with the whole kind of multi-passionate way of looking at the world as more

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as neurodivergence actually becomes the actual, like, regular divergence

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or the way that we think about it, we realize that there are so many different paths.

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And I think that that also echoes the spiritual work that you were just talking about.

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Yeah.

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Because, for example, at, in Damanhur, we often talk about relationships and the m- we call them the missing archetypes.

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Those ways of relating that are archetypes, that our species, that we as humans had- Mm-hmm.

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and have been lost in the separation from the mother worlds, from the world of the plants and the world of the nature spirits, and even our own disconnection with our part in the animal world, the fact that- Mm-hmm.

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I am part of that.

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Yeah.

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And so these archetypes connected to relationships or relating have been lost, and the plant world holds them for us.

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Specifically ancient trees- Mm-hmm.

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hold these memories.

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So the reconnecting back with the plant world and the plant kin home is not just about kind of, um, you know, feeling good and, and environmental issues.

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It’s also about recovering pieces of our memory- Mm-hmm.

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pieces of ourselves that we have lost in the process, and that whole remembering is- Mm-hmm.

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is a big part of it.

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Remembering who we truly are as interconnected beings- Yes.

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who are also independent, but who live in this interconnected life and therefore a part of me is plant, a part of me is animal- Mm-hmm.

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a part of me is divine, a part of me is- Yeah.

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nature spirit, a part of me is, and a part of me is, and a part of me is-

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and I can say that even from a biological perspective, right?

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I am part bacteria, I am part, you know- Mm-hmm.

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all these different- Yes.

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is different parts.

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And so when we start to look at ourselves, I think that you, you just end up in this understanding of we are an ecosystem.

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I, um, one of my, one of my favorite kind of speakers and, and, and, uh, writers, uh, Emanuele Coccia, just recently I was listening to a, a presentation by him and he said that ecology is just natural, uh, sociology.

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It’s all about- Mm-hmm.

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relationships.

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And I was like, “Yes.”

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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That is it.

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I agree.

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That’s the part.

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And so how does this work for you?

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Like how does it manifest itself now?

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You’ve gone through this entire path.

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Yeah.

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And so what are you doing with it?

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Yeah.

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So you know, a- again, just so not linear.

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Um- Mm-hmm.

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So to pick, pick up where I left off, my master’s thesis was ecotherapy.

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So I did the research, the science, because I knew that that would be necessary to put this work out there and to convince other people who, you know, aren’t convinced and don’t understand and just needed the, the data.

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And after that, I was like, “Okay, I have the master’s in psychology, I can communicate, I can, you know, understand people better, I’m gonna become a certified coach,” because I didn’t wanna work with clinical population.

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And then, and that was a requirement together, the master’s and the coaching certification, to become an eco-therapist, like a certified professional eco-therapist.

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And so, you know, that just added years of, of schooling and I did the thing and –

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you know, also taught in between and kind of built a business, um.

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And then, you know, eco-therapy and h- the way I, I lead it is I work, I do work remotely with people on their nature connection.

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That’s totally a possibility, uh, especially for people with limited mobility.

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Like it’s really, I’m trying to make it very accessible.

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Mm-hmm.

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Um, and it can also look like going to, you know, a park, or the forest, or the beach depending on I’m in San Francisco, California, so we ha- kind of have all those options, um, and go, and just being with the client in that space and then inviting nature to be my, my co-guide essentially and, and was what I was saying in my intro is I’m just the messenger.

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I’m just letting people know that there is a communication happening and I’m kind of like attuning their senses to it.

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So we’ll be like processing something- Mm-hmm.

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and s- you know, the client will say something and then, you know, a hawk flies 0 overhead or, you know, something, a lizard or a tr- we come across, you know, fallen leaves.

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It’s fall for example.

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And so I’ll bring that in and I’ll say, “Hey, d- did you notice when you said that, you know, this happened?”

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Like it’s a spontaneous nature event is what we call it.

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Um, and then I’ll ask, you know, “What does that bring up for you?”

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So I’m not, it’s not, uh, nothing’s artificial.

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Nothing’s forced.

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I just literally, before any session, I, I’m, you know, I come into prayer and I connect with the land and I ask for, for guidance for the client.

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And so there’s a real, like it’s a relationship.

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I’m building a relationship between the person and the place, and the place is, is, um, chosen, you know, according to what they’re working on or what they’re comfortable with.

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Not everyone, uh, wants to go be out of cell range and on a dirt trail.

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Sometimes we can go to a city park and look at the flowers growing or whatever, the trees.

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Um, so that’s kind of an

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And so those sessions go an hour to an hour and a half.

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And then I also have led, uh, women’s nature retreats and, you know, just again, it’s that, and on those circumstances I also send them out on, on the land as a solo.

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Um, so there’s a lot of ways that it manifests.

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Uh, and I try to bring in, on the corporate world side, I call it, I, I focus more on resilience and how nature is an ally in resilience.

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And so I try to, you know, I’ve delivered some talks about that and there’s al- of course science backing it up.

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But that’s a different, another different facet, like you were saying- Mm-hmm.

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multi-potential, multifaceted.

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Absolutely.

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And I do think that this is so important to help people realize, to help us enter into an understanding that place

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is important and place can be anywhere.

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And I think, you know, going into parks, using and working with the land around you is so important, even if that is your, you know, urban street, even if that is the inside of your home.

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Exactly.

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And once you connect back into place, and, and I think that this is why that combination, like you said, of in person, but also just because you can’t do it in person doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

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Like I do, I would say, 99.999% of my work remotely, and I work probably 99.9% of that work with houseplants.

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And I love working with houseplants because, you know, houseplants have had such a rich history with human beings.

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Mm-hmm.

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Houseplants have been connected to us, have been growing, expanding, and more than anything, adapting.

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Because if there’s ever a species that has had to adapt very quickly, most houseplants are tropical, right?

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Yeah.

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They’ve had to kind of adapt into this temperate ki- uh, kind of weather that we have inside of a home.

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Most of these plants have had to figure out how to deal with changing light conditions on a regular basis- Yeah.

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like you’re in a windowsill or maybe you’re farther away and, “How do I deal with this darkness?”

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And all these pieces.

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And I think that once we start to get into the life of a houseplant- Mm-hmm.

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we start to recognize so many aspects of ourselves as that adaptable, resilient species that we really are.

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And then that helps us better see who’s outside, from starting with the grass, you know, moving out through the dandelions- Yeah.

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going out to the wild plants.

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Mm-hmm.

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And then even, like I said, city trees.

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So many different kinds of city trees that are also amazing at adapting to small, confined root systems- Yeah.

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to areas where, you know, the conditions of the heat island effect that you see in cities.

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And I think that when you take people through these journeys starting wherever it is that they are, local parks- Yeah.

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understanding, you know, the different types of environments that even you have, I think most of us don’t even recognize.

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Like you said, you have beach in San Francisco.

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You have also higher elevations and lower elevations.

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Mm-hmm.

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You have very, very urban streets, you have slightly urban streets- Yeah.

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you know, you have a little bit of everything.

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And I think that when you take people out to have a relationship with the more than human world right outside, then place becomes something tangible.

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Mm-hmm.

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It becomes more home, it becomes more relationships and friendships and all these different pieces.

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And I’m curious as to what you see, uh, in your clients- Mm-hmm.

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but also in your own, like, research and in your own life.

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How do you see that this changes people?

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Like what are the experiences that you see- Yeah.

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for the actual human when they start to recognize an- that life

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Because it, uh, let me, let me preface the question because- Mm-hmm.

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one of the challenges I experience, and I, and I find that many of us that are in this, is that it’s society, the public talk of things like anxiety and fears- Yeah.

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and depression and, uh, are so allopathic, they’re so mechanical- Sure.

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they’re so medicine-based- Mm-hmm.

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they’re so chemically driven in the conversations that are happening that I find that especially in urban environments most people don’t even recognize that what they’re experiencing- Yeah.

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is disconnection from nature.

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I agree.

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And so how do you

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1, how do you kind of overcome that?

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How do you help people understand, hey, all these things that you’re trying to treat with medicine or exercise or discipline or whatever is really more disconnection?

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And on the other side, once you finally get people through the door, what are, what are you seeing changing in them?

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Yeah, so I love your question and I also wanna preface, um, that I don’t work with clinical populations.

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Right.

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So they come to me with anxiety and they come to me with loneliness and, you know, potentially depression.

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And, um, because my certifications, other than my master’s in psychology, that doesn’t make me a psychologist, is- Fair.

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I say that all the time about myself.

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So, um, like I will not specifically work on that with you.

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And everything that we’ll do together improves it.

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Um, so, yeah, I mean, uh, f- uh, I think, first of all, let’s start with anxiety because that’s so common.

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And for me, anxiety comes, I mean, there’s

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And I won’t get into all of it, but grounding, you know?

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People don’t know how to ground, they don’t feel grounded, and I don’t blame them, you know?

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Look, look at the world that we live in.

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Um, so that is a great starting point, first of all, you know.

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And, and plants are such allies in that nature in general, like, feeling your, like, your feet on the ground, connecting with the Earth, you know, noticing that connection literally.

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Like, your body is part of something bigger.

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There’s an entire force field underneath you.

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Um, so anxiety, you know, grounding first, and then really a lot of people what

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Uh, they feel alone in their anxiety and their concerns and their fears about the world.

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So nature, when, and I, I use nature, it’s a capital N, but it’s a, a bigger, you know, container.

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Um, like you said, you were, you were, you were just talking about it, if someone starts to pay attention to the cycles of nature right outside their doorstep, that tree, that depending on where you live, something is go- Like, that tree’s

246
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Unless it’s, like, a conifer, but even the conifers change, like the pine trees, you know?

247
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Absolutely.

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Yeah.

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They, they’re, there’s a cycle, there’s a rhythm, there are seasons.

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Like, just like your own internal seasons, th- there’s a movement, there’s a rhythm.

251
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And the moment you start paying attention to that, then you f- you don’t feel so alone.

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I mean, one of the practices that I talk about in my book is like good morning ritual.

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So it’s super simple, um, n- nothing crazy deep or, or spiritual, because it’s made for a mass audience.

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Have your morning cup of tea or coffee, and think about where did the water come from, what, where did, what was, where was the tea grown, where was the, where were, did the coffee beans come from, um, and wh- what, what community of people, but also Earth beings and, like, ecosystems helped that come to me?

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And, uh, automatically you’re connected, you’re interdependent, you’re interconnected with a whole, like, with, you know, the planet and other people.

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And as you consume it, like, really set, you know, get the intention that you honor that connection.

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And so that’s a simple, simple thing, but people are not gonna think about that necessarily.

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Like, you know?

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So, uh, things that I see shifting in my clients or just in general is people feel more relaxed, they feel more trusting, they feel, um, like they’re not so alone.

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Mm-hmm.

261
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And it’s something that you, you cultivate, right?

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It’s a practice.

263
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So it doesn’t

264
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You start it and then, you know, you might stumble and, and then try again.

265
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And it’s, you build on it, and then it becomes, until it becomes automatic.

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And that’s really what I want to help people build into their lives, and that’s how you create sustainable wellbeing.

267
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‘Cause that’s kind of a phrase that I use when I talk, is sustainable wellbeing comes from, you know, acknowledging that we’re completely connected all the time to the more than human world.

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Um, it’s just you have to work, you know, work towards it and be conscious about it.

269
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And, yeah, I hope that answers your question.

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It’s a- It’s almost like, it’s almost like an, uh, uh

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It is, it’s a reawakening, it’s a reactivation- Yeah.

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that happens.

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I’ve actually, um

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It’s interesting to see in my own practice- Mm-hmm.

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with my one-on-one clients, um, how much I’ve even changed in the way that I do things.

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For example, I used to give much more space to my clients between sessions, and nowadays I do- Yeah.

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either weekly or biweekly kind of fixed sessions because of exactly that practice.

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Mm-hmm.

279
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Because we are introducing those types of thoughts into their lives, because we’re trying to create these living, we are working on these living ecosystems.

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And that, that practice that you mentioned of, like, the morning is so important.

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Taking that time to, like, especially with food- Yes.

282
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it’s such a great way of doing it, because it is something that is such an, a necessary part of ourselves.

283
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So taking that moment as you’re preparing your coffee or your tea in the morning- Mm-hmm.

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and literally, like, through touch- Mm-hmm.

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through, uh, i- memory, through emotion, uh, through so many different parts of yourselves and senses of yourselves, connecting into that particular being, whether you’re talking about tea leaves- Yes.

286
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or the water or the coffee bean.

287
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And, like, literally as you’re pouring it into whatever it is, taking that time.

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I mean, I think that there are so many people who talk about having that favorite mug- Yeah.

289
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that favorite kind of apparatus that they use for brewing their coffee, and that it all tastes better because you’re putting in that energy and because you’re starting up your day with that connection.

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And that moment of sitting, you know, with that being- Yeah.

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who has given their life for you, and to, you know, bring that into yourself is probably one of the first things that you connect with.

292
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Mm-hmm.

293
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The same as breath, as you were talking about- Yes.

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relating to grounding, is even just 5, 10, 15 minutes- Yeah.

295
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of breathing, of breath work of any sort- Mm-hmm.

296
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but just that conscious breath and how different it is.

297
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I think most people think that when we talk about breath work, we talk about it from the perspective of, you know, clearing your mind- Yeah.

298
00:26:06,910 –> 00:26:09,020
and it’s like, again, this mental practice.

299
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Absolutely.

300
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And yes, it can be, but I have found-

301
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that more than anything, breathwork is about all those beings that are coming in as I take that breath-

302
00:26:18,412 –> 00:26:25,312
all those connections, and with my plant partners, all the oxygen that they’re producing for- Yes.

303
00:26:25,312 –> 00:26:39,272
that sp- for my space, for me, and how I then think about it, almost all the meditations that I- I do, I try to bring that consciousness of, like, every time you breathe out, you’re also giving to your plant partners.

304
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You are sharing that carbon dioxide, you’re sharing molecules of yourself, your- in your saliva, in your- in all of those compounds.

305
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Not just are you bringing in those volatile organic compounds from the plants, but you’re also expelling a whole series of different compounds.

306
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And so that’s their, you know, plants have as many parts of you in them as well.

307
00:27:02,252 –> 00:27:02,682
Yeah.

308
00:27:02,682 –> 00:27:09,552.0000000002328
And- and so do, so does your cat, or your dog, or your reptile, or whatever other animal is living nearby.

309
00:27:09,552.0000000002328 –> 00:27:09,562
Yes.

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The lizard, the spider, you know, whether you like spiders or not.

311
00:27:13,892 –> 00:27:19,752
You know, the ants crawling across, like all of these beings are sharing this space.

312
00:27:19,752 –> 00:27:19,912
Mm-hmm.

313
00:27:19,912 –> 00:27:27,52.00000000023283
And I think that when we start the day with that connection, like you said, I now feel grounded.

314
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I feel a part of something.

315
00:27:29,912 –> 00:27:35,552.0000000002328
I don’t ha- not mentally necessarily, but at least I know I am part of the greater web of life.

316
00:27:35,552.0000000002328 –> 00:27:39,612
And I don’t have to think about it, I just have to feel that peace.

317
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Yes.

318
00:27:41,154 –> 00:27:41,222
Mm-hmm.

319
00:27:41,222 –> 00:27:42,552.0000000002328
So important.

320
00:27:42,552.0000000002328 –> 00:27:43,536
You mentioned- you mentioned a book?

321
00:27:44,312 –> 00:27:45,512
You mentioned a book?

322
00:27:45,512 –> 00:27:47,874
What is this book of which you mentioned?

323
00:27:49,932 –> 00:27:50,412
Yeah.

324
00:27:50,412 –> 00:28:03,992
So, um, the book is kind of my way of trying to take these practices and this message to a much wider, you know, portion of people, because it’s- it’s one thing to be

325
00:28:03,992 –> 00:28:08,672
I felt like I was operating, you know, doing my business in- in a bubble.

326
00:28:08,672 –> 00:28:20,862
I am lucky I live in California and people kind of are- are tuned to these messages, they understand eco-therapy is- is a new field, and, um, it’s starting to spread but it’s not widely known.

327
00:28:20,862 –> 00:28:31,902
And so, um, just a little backtrack, I experienced a traumatic brain injury a few years ago when I was in w- kind of in my mid- mid-20s.

328
00:28:31,902 –> 00:28:57,103.99999999976717
And, um, so it took me a long time to recover from that, and I felt like I was really being offered a second chance at life, and, um, I- kind of coming out of that long recovery period, I decided that, like I just mentioned, the world is in crisis and I have these tools and some- sometimes, you know, gifts.

329
00:28:57,851.9999999997672 –> 00:29:01,912
And my message just was I wanted to amplify, I wanted to reach more people.

330
00:29:01,912 –> 00:29:06,292
So I always knew I would write a book, I just didn’t think it would come that fast.

331
00:29:06,292 –> 00:29:13,232
And so the book, I moved forward with it, kind of coming out of my recovery, it gave me, uh, a- more of a sense of purpose.

332
00:29:13,232 –> 00:29:17,199.99999999976717
I wasn’t sure how I was returning to- to entrepreneurial pursuits, to my business.

333
00:29:17,752 –> 00:29:20,252
So that’s how I came about, that’s the backtrack.

334
00:29:20,252 –> 00:29:24,208
Um, and I’m very grateful to be here today, let’s just put it that way.

335
00:29:24,932 –> 00:29:32,41.00000000023283
And, um, the book is called Renature, and how nature helps us feel better and do better.

336
00:29:32,41.00000000023283 –> 00:29:45,012
And the idea is to show people, like I talk about the disconnect, the history, you know, how we got to where we are, h- how we have mental health crises that are, like you said, are being treated with medicine.

337
00:29:45,012 –> 00:29:49,092
And- and you know, again, I’m not gonna make comments about medicine.

338
00:29:49,092 –> 00:29:56,112
I think sometimes they have their place, and we can also just use plant allies so much more than we use chemical substances.

339
00:29:56,112 –> 00:30:14,962
But beyond that, there is a potential for us to- to- to lift the consciousness, to come together, and start to, so re-nature, to- to really notice the ripple effect of our own nature connections, so I teach people how to build that in the book.

340
00:30:14,962 –> 00:30:25,712
And then paying attention to how that ripples out, literally it’s gonna make everyone in your life feel better because you’re a better person, you’re more whole, you’re more connected, you’re more well.

341
00:30:25,712 –> 00:30:29,220
So, you know, your- your family, your community, everyone’s gonna benefit.

342
00:30:29,220 –> 00:30:56,592
That’s the first ripple outside of yourself and then beyond that, if your wellbeing is coming, wellbeing is coming from being connected to the more than human world, to what you’ve always belonged to, then my hope and the, you know, the science backs this up as well is that people are gonna wanna protect and, like, care and give back and really show that compassion that’s so needed and lacking in our world.

343
00:30:57,220 –> 00:31:00,360
So it’s, um, the book has 3 parts.

344
00:31:00,360 –> 00:31:05,300
The first part is more going over, like, how we got here, the issues, you know.

345
00:31:05,300 –> 00:31:09,680
It’s, it’s definitely not doom and gloom but you, we’ve gotta kinda get into it first.

346
00:31:09,680 –> 00:31:25,580
The second part is more talking about that community piece, the resilience, the spirituality, you know, before I get more into the tools, the love, the compassion, the, um, you know, the ripple effect of, of nature connection.

347
00:31:25,580 –> 00:31:34,320
And so re-nature is the idea of reconnecting with nature to a whole other level and, uh, and yeah, it’ll be, it’ll be out very, very soon.

348
00:31:35,560 –> 00:31:40,580
I, uh, of course will include all the information about it in the show notes and I love this

349
00:31:40,580 –> 00:31:44,270
Like, I’m a big re person, so my- Mm-hmm.

350
00:31:44,270 –> 00:31:47,040
to a certain extent I guess you could say brand is about reconnect.

351
00:31:47,040 –> 00:31:48,640
I mean, this podcast is called, you know- Yeah.

352
00:31:48,640 –> 00:31:50,060
Reconnect with Plant Wisdom.

353
00:31:50,060 –> 00:31:54,190
I have so many parts that are called Reconnect or Reawaken or Re- Yeah.

354
00:31:54,190 –> 00:32:04,420
because I really do feel, and this is part of also my philosophy on, you know, the whole Damanhurian philosophy in my own spiritual practice is that we were once all united.

355
00:32:04,420 –> 00:32:12,800
We were once connected and I don’t see necessarily the individuation as a negative thing.

356
00:32:12,800 –> 00:32:18,460
I think that it’s very easy for people, as you said, to get into the doom and gloom or to focus on the negative.

357
00:32:18,460 –> 00:32:22,470
I feel like it’s a path of awareness and of consciousness and of- Yeah.

358
00:32:22,470 –> 00:32:24,680
conscience that we have to develop.

359
00:32:24,680 –> 00:32:26,128
I feel like it’s really important.

360
00:32:26,860.0000000002328 –> 00:32:34,720
I f- I feel like if we look at this as a journey that we take, it’s kind of like the epic hero’s journey.

361
00:32:34,720 –> 00:32:35,420
Yeah.

362
00:32:35,420 –> 00:32:39,180
Or the heroine’s journey or the fact that to me, I don’t care about gender.

363
00:32:39,180 –> 00:32:39,480
The-

364
00:32:39,480 –> 00:32:40,840
the thing’s journey.

365
00:32:40,840 –> 00:32:41,700
Like- Yes.

366
00:32:41,700 –> 00:32:44,360.00000000023283
it frus- it frustrates me, all the words that we’ve split-

367
00:32:44,360.00000000023283 –> 00:32:47,920
and that’s, at least in English it’s better than in other languages I speak-

368
00:32:47,920 –> 00:32:51,460
where I’m like, “I do not wanna use those words any more.”

369
00:32:51,460 –> 00:32:54,700
Because I hate that they denominate one, you know-

370
00:32:54,700 –> 00:32:56,960
I’m an engineer, period.

371
00:32:56,960 –> 00:32:58,040
Not an engineer-

372
00:32:58,040 –> 00:33:01,520
not an engineer-er or whatever words you wanna add.

373
00:33:01,520 –> 00:33:03,470
Like, I’m just an engineer.

374
00:33:03,470 –> 00:33:07,600
Why do we have to have hero, hero and heroine a separate thi- it bothers me.

375
00:33:07,600 –> 00:33:08,639.9999999997672
But anyways.

376
00:33:08,639.9999999997672 –> 00:33:09,000
Yeah.

377
00:33:09,000 –> 00:33:18,500
You know, I feel like it’s important for us to recognize and to get comfortable and excited even of the fact of, oh wow, I’m on this soul journey.

378
00:33:18,500 –> 00:33:19,260
Yes.

379
00:33:19,260 –> 00:33:25,250
That is looking at where I started from, which most likely was some kind of unity- Mm-hmm.

380
00:33:25,250 –> 00:33:33,580
to some kind of division and separation to then reunite in consciousness, to reunite in awareness.

381
00:33:33,580 –> 00:33:40,260
And I hate to say this ’cause it’s corny but it comes up all the time, that’s where you find that universal unconditional love.

382
00:33:40,260 –> 00:33:42,920
It’s, it sits in that awareness.

383
00:33:42,920 –> 00:33:53,200
To my opinion, it doesn’t sit in the past where we came from because there was no awareness and in my opinion, without awareness, you don’t really get that unconditional peace.

384
00:33:53,200 –> 00:33:53,210
Yeah.

385
00:33:53,210 –> 00:33:59,400
And I think that that’s what we feel when we’re with and we connect back into the natural world of which we’re a part of.

386
00:33:59,400 –> 00:34:03,080
It’s like we feel ourselves click into place- Mm-hmm.

387
00:34:03,080 –> 00:34:22,420
and you recognize this, this uncontrollable feeling of being-ness and of being a part of this that is where that seed of unconditional love really does come from.

388
00:34:22,420 –> 00:34:22,540
Mm-hmm.

389
00:34:22,540 –> 00:34:33,720.0000000002328
And you, I, at least this has been my journey and the journey that I see a- so many of my clients go through is, it is something that we can talk about- Mm-hmm.

390
00:34:33,720.0000000002328 –> 00:34:39,980
but when you feel it, it really has to be, it really always comes from that awareness.

391
00:34:39,980 –> 00:34:40,679.9999999997672
It’s like- Mm-hmm.

392
00:34:40,679.9999999997672 –> 00:34:46,850
oh my goodness, that’s what it i- I remember the first time I was in a spiritual research group that we sort of came- Mm-hmm.

393
00:34:46,850 –> 00:34:50,500
to that understanding and I, I remember that feeling.

394
00:34:50,500 –> 00:34:56,529.9999999997672
I’ve always been one that’s, when you s- when people talk about, “Oh, all of this beautiful unconditional love,” I’m like- Mm-hmm.

395
00:34:56,529.9999999997672 –> 00:34:57,500
“Eh, whatever.”

396
00:34:57,500 –> 00:35:04,060
And and then to be sitting with, um, you know, with actually this plant, No Name Dracaena- Mm-hmm.

397
00:35:04,060 –> 00:35:05,072
who’s sitting right in front of me.

398
00:35:05,600 –> 00:35:05,990
Mm-hmm.

399
00:35:05,990 –> 00:35:15,450
And feeling that from the group of people, and by people I mean human and more than human people, we were all sitting in this group.

400
00:35:15,450 –> 00:35:17,380
And it was virtual, to be honest.

401
00:35:17,380 –> 00:35:21,830
And here was all these, I think there was, like, maybe 8 of us and each 1 Mm-hmm.

402
00:35:21,830 –> 00:35:37,072
of us, um, you know, 8 couples because each person had, each human person had been working with a plant person for the last year, and here we were sharing these experiences and I felt all these plants and people interlock in a way.

403
00:35:37,890 –> 00:35:37,980
Mm-hmm.

404
00:35:37,980 –> 00:35:46,360
And that, that sort of radiating, I know it sounds super corny but I have no other way of saying it, this radiation of, like, universal love that came- Yeah.

405
00:35:46,360 –> 00:35:49,740
out of it that still to this day, like, makes me- Mm-hmm.

406
00:35:49,740 –> 00:35:54,760
tear up as I’m talking about it because it was just like, oh my goodness, that’s where we’re headed.

407
00:35:54,760 –> 00:35:57,340
Like, that’s what I wanna feel- Yeah.

408
00:35:57,340 –> 00:35:58,440
all the time.

409
00:35:58,440 –> 00:36:07,960
I wanna, I wanna be able to lock into that and I feel like these practices that you’re talking about and that we’re talking about relating to what you’ve included in your book- Mm-hmm.

410
00:36:07,960 –> 00:36:12,279.99999999953434
and what you practice as an ecotherapist is really about that.

411
00:36:12,279.99999999953434 –> 00:36:12,290
Mm-hmm.

412
00:36:12,290 –> 00:36:12,880
It’s about-

413
00:36:13,584 –> 00:36:15,384
baby steps- Yeah.

414
00:36:15,384 –> 00:36:20,144
that you guide with the help of a natural being- Yeah.

415
00:36:20,144 –> 00:36:21,163.99999999953434
Uh, yeah.

416
00:36:21,163.99999999953434 –> 00:36:26,564
uh, and that, uh, we as the kind of coach/therapist piece- Mm-hmm.

417
00:36:26,564 –> 00:36:33,754
are just there to hold that space for you and to, like, hold your hand when you wobble- Yeah.

418
00:36:33,754 –> 00:36:38,724
and make you feel like you’re fine, where do you wanna go from here?

419
00:36:38,724 –> 00:36:50,384
And having that person turn to the plant partner, or aunt partner, or dog partner, whomever of the more-than-human world that’s helping them in that moment and turning and say, “Where should we go?

420
00:36:50,384 –> 00:36:52,084
What step should we take?”

421
00:36:52,084 –> 00:36:52,324
Yeah.

422
00:36:52,324 –> 00:37:06,424
And seeing where that curiosity takes them is such a privilege and so beautiful and, and then from there you can’t unsee it.

423
00:37:06,424 –> 00:37:06,683
Yeah.

424
00:37:06,683 –> 00:37:14,424
So therefore it feeds into everything you do for the rest of your day, week, year, life.

425
00:37:14,424 –> 00:37:14,433
Yeah.

426
00:37:14,433 –> 00:37:22,624
You can’t undo that step unless y- you really gotta work for it, like type of thing.

427
00:37:22,624 –> 00:37:26,584
I think you can forget about it temporarily.

428
00:37:26,584 –> 00:37:27,224
Fair.

429
00:37:27,224 –> 00:37:30,784
But there comes the remembering, so that’s why I understand.

430
00:37:30,784 –> 00:37:44,644
I also work a- at least weekly or biweekly when I’m in a, you know, in a coaching container because the remembering, the building of the awareness, the building of the connection takes that much activation sometimes.

431
00:37:44,644 –> 00:37:45,084
Mm-hmm.

432
00:37:45,084 –> 00:37:50,044
But I think that, you know, I can use my mom as an example.

433
00:37:50,044 –> 00:37:55,312
In her adult years she became a, a herbalist, you know, for personal reasons, and family, et cetera.

434
00:37:55,804 –> 00:37:57,864
But before that as a child, and this is

435
00:37:57,864 –> 00:38:03,044
I was very inspired by her in my whole life, she, she was a, um, communicating with animals.

436
00:38:03,044 –> 00:38:06,424
She, she would talk to birds and, and hear birds and not just, you know

437
00:38:06,424 –> 00:38:07,440
It was like language.

438
00:38:07,964 –> 00:38:09,024
But then it was, it was

439
00:38:09,024 –> 00:38:09,644
I mean this is

440
00:38:09,644 –> 00:38:12,912.0000000004657
Gets into the witch wound and everything, but she was like, it was like not okay.

441
00:38:13,604 –> 00:38:24,584
So then when she, um, when she, like, c- came out of that kind of, you know, raising children and being, you know

442
00:38:24,584 –> 00:38:29,644
She actually went to business school and she, like, you know, she made a, a path for herself.

443
00:38:29,644 –> 00:38:37,744
But then she remembered somewhere along the journey, it was actually an animal, um, I’m trying to remember.

444
00:38:37,744 –> 00:38:41,443
I think it was her horse, like, basically she rescued a horse.

445
00:38:41,443 –> 00:38:46,144
We, we have horses in the family and, um, he needed holistic help.

446
00:38:46,144 –> 00:39:00,764
And so, and so then she became exposed to communication, and so in this case animal communication, and she remembered and now she’s, you know, energy healer for animals, she does, she does herbalism for animals, and, um, but it’s

447
00:39:00,764 –> 00:39:03,444
You can disconnect, you can forget- Mm-hmm.

448
00:39:03,444 –> 00:39:11,824
you can get pulled by society and, uh, and follow a different paradigm for a while, which is, you know, we’re all human, that’s normal.

449
00:39:11,824 –> 00:39:12,663.9999999995343
Right.

450
00:39:12,663.9999999995343 –> 00:39:15,144
And I don’t want anyone to feel bad about that.

451
00:39:15,144 –> 00:39:22,084
And follow, like you were saying, the curiosity, follow the spark, follow, you know

452
00:39:22,084 –> 00:39:25,136
Be open and then you’ll receive, essentially.

453
00:39:26,084 –> 00:39:27,564
I love that and it’s so true.

454
00:39:27,564 –> 00:39:28,163.99999999953434
It is true.

455
00:39:28,163.99999999953434 –> 00:39:39,104.00000000046566
I mean, we, we do have periods of our lives where we forget certain pieces, especially that path through a certain level of “adulthood” in the traditional world- Right.

456
00:39:39,104.00000000046566 –> 00:39:39,550
where

457
00:39:41,004 –> 00:39:44,304
Our cities are just built badly so they don’t encourage you- Yeah.

458
00:39:44,304 –> 00:39:50,244
to stay connected and so people feel like, “Oh, well, I didn’t grow up on a farm so therefore I, you know, I couldn’t.”

459
00:39:50,244 –> 00:39:53,264
And it’s like, uh, uh, it’s not necessary to do that.

460
00:39:53,264 –> 00:39:57,804
You, you don’t have to have 700 plants in your apartment either.

461
00:39:57,804 –> 00:39:59,384
There’s lots of other ways.

462
00:39:59,384 –> 00:40:03,404
But you’re absolutely right that it is so easy for us to forget- Mm-hmm.

463
00:40:03,404 –> 00:40:04,404
and to get wiped out.

464
00:40:04,404 –> 00:40:07,134
And I think that that forgetting- Mm-hmm.

465
00:40:07,134 –> 00:40:13,424
is what causes, or causes, it triggers, let me just use that word for lack of a better term- Sure.

466
00:40:13,424 –> 00:40:15,264
all of those feelings that we were talking about, right?

467
00:40:15,264 –> 00:40:18,723
Those fears, that anxiety, that loneliness, that separation.

468
00:40:18,723 –> 00:40:22,060
I know that for myself in the last, like

469
00:40:22,060 –> 00:40:37,060
there have been 3 major elements, we’ll use that term for right now, that when I don’t have them, when I disconnect from them in my life or when I feel like I, I separate out more for different reasons- Yeah.

470
00:40:37,060 –> 00:40:38,240
I feel that void.

471
00:40:38,240 –> 00:40:42,110
One of them is my esoteric roots, like really- Mm-hmm.

472
00:40:42,110 –> 00:40:45,240
which nowadays after living in Damanhur for 15 years- Cool.

473
00:40:45,240 –> 00:40:55,000
is a completely different story because they’re so integrated into who I am that it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, I, I’m, I’m still always doing it with, you know, those guides- Yeah.

474
00:40:55,000 –> 00:40:58,340
with those relationships, with that understanding of the cosmology of the universe.

475
00:40:58,340 –> 00:41:00,100
But there was a period in my time- Mm-hmm.

476
00:41:00,100 –> 00:41:04,800
of my life where I felt, you know, kind of h- th- this is life and life is just this- Yeah.

477
00:41:04,800 –> 00:41:06,900
and it’s this box and everything that’s in this box.

478
00:41:06,900 –> 00:41:08,490
The other one is the arts.

479
00:41:08,490 –> 00:41:08,650
Mm-hmm.

480
00:41:08,650 –> 00:41:11,780
Like if I don’t have a form of creative expression

481
00:41:11,780 –> 00:41:18,940
I remember back when I was working in the corporate world, especially my first few years of technology, I had come out of a school of music, right?

482
00:41:18,940 –> 00:41:20,080
Because I’m a music engineer.

483
00:41:20,080 –> 00:41:20,100
Oh yeah, uh-huh.

484
00:41:20,100 –> 00:41:34,240
So I come out of this school of music with creativity and the arts surrounding me and I come into a company that is all about that, like this is technology br- meets music at the height of the internet bubble.

485
00:41:34,240 –> 00:41:35,135
It was such- Wow.

486
00:41:35,135 –> 00:41:41,180
a thrill to be immersed in all of this new technology, but specifically around the arts.

487
00:41:41,180 –> 00:41:46,192
And then for d- various reasons, I had to step away and farther away and farther away.

488
00:41:47,320 –> 00:41:53,560
And in the process, also lost my own personal, because I had, you know, played instruments and, and sang- Mm-hmm.

489
00:41:53,560 –> 00:41:56,560
when I was in college and I lost a lot of that.

490
00:41:56,560 –> 00:42:02,440
And I remember sitting and listening to a friend of mine play the piano and I was crying.

491
00:42:02,440 –> 00:42:02,450
Aw.

492
00:42:02,450 –> 00:42:03,580
And it wasn’t

493
00:42:03,580 –> 00:42:07,000
Yes, he was playing beautifully, but it wasn’t because of that.

494
00:42:07,000 –> 00:42:07,580
Yeah.

495
00:42:07,580 –> 00:42:08,600
Got to say that.

496
00:42:08,600 –> 00:42:09,900
But it wasn’t because of that.

497
00:42:09,900 –> 00:42:14,160
It was because I didn’t have that in my life.

498
00:42:14,160 –> 00:42:21,328
And then even when I got all those pieces back together, there was this, still this feeling of like, “What is missing?”

499
00:42:21,980 –> 00:42:24,580
And then I met the plants.

500
00:42:24,580 –> 00:42:24,880
Mm-hmm.

501
00:42:24,880 –> 00:42:27,020
Like I met all these plant people.

502
00:42:27,020 –> 00:42:33,720
And all of a sudden it was like, “Oh my goodness, that is the missing piece.”

503
00:42:33,720 –> 00:42:42,860
Like that is the part of me that I had never had a chance to even form a relationship with- Mm-hmm.

504
00:42:42,860 –> 00:42:48,480
because my upbringing never brought me into connection and contact.

505
00:42:48,480 –> 00:42:50,200
I didn’t have access to that.

506
00:42:50,200 –> 00:42:52,420
It wasn’t part of our vocabulary.

507
00:42:52,420 –> 00:42:54,320
It wasn’t part of the way we did things.

508
00:42:54,920 –> 00:43:04,340
And as the years have gone by now, I realize how much of that like hole that I had- Mm-hmm.

509
00:43:04,340 –> 00:43:08,120
that, that loneliness that I had- Mm-hmm.

510
00:43:08,120 –> 00:43:12,210
is gone, is, is been filled, you can say- Yeah.

511
00:43:12,210 –> 00:43:18,440
with this relationship and how important it is for us to recognize

512
00:43:18,440 –> 00:43:20,020
It didn’t happen all at once.

513
00:43:20,020 –> 00:43:23,760
And it did not happen in the way most people like think- No.

514
00:43:23,760 –> 00:43:28,290
in the movies it’s supposed to happen, like, “I go out and I bought a house in the middle of nowhere.”

515
00:43:28,290 –> 00:43:28,350
Yeah.

516
00:43:28,350 –> 00:43:33,140
I mean, I kind of do live in the middle of nowhere, but I am a city girl by heart.

517
00:43:33,140 –> 00:43:39,420
And I s- you know, started to recognize this in those teeny, like grass.

518
00:43:39,420 –> 00:43:39,600
Yeah.

519
00:43:39,600 –> 00:43:41,180
Grass is everywhere, folks.

520
00:43:41,180 –> 00:43:42,640
Grass is everywhere, folks.

521
00:43:42,640 –> 00:43:44,340
Grass is your friend.

522
00:43:44,340 –> 00:43:49,560
Grass is probably one of the wisest guides because they’ve been stepped on- Yeah.

523
00:43:49,560 –> 00:43:53,140
trampled, and they have learned to thrive from it.

524
00:43:53,140 –> 00:43:53,940
They grow.

525
00:43:53,940 –> 00:43:56,080
Can grow everywhere.

526
00:43:56,080 –> 00:43:57,480
Like seriously.

527
00:43:57,480 –> 00:43:59,740
You couldn’t get rid of them even if you wanted.

528
00:43:59,740 –> 00:44:04,280
Can have been status symbols because a lawn is considered- Ah, true.

529
00:44:04,280 –> 00:44:11,470
to be, you know, something of status and can have also been what means junk, like an overgrown house where- Mm-hmm.

530
00:44:11,470 –> 00:44:13,300
the grass is all over the place.

531
00:44:13,300 –> 00:44:14,880
Can have been everything.

532
00:44:14,880 –> 00:44:21,950
So if you really want to get a wide range of what it means to live with humans, without humans, with animals, with this, with that- Yeah.

533
00:44:21,950 –> 00:44:23,100
go chat with grass.

534
00:44:23,100 –> 00:44:24,380
Trust me.

535
00:44:24,380 –> 00:44:29,130
And they live in community because when you go and look at grass, it’s very rarely one species.

536
00:44:29,130 –> 00:44:30,779.9999999995343
There’s like all these little species- Yeah.

537
00:44:30,779.9999999995343 –> 00:44:31,820
all around grass.

538
00:44:31,820 –> 00:44:33,279.99999999953434
Trust me, grass is your friend, man.

539
00:44:33,279.99999999953434 –> 00:44:34,560
Go have fun with grass.

540
00:44:34,560 –> 00:44:35,920
And you can do that anywhere.

541
00:44:35,920 –> 00:44:37,500
It doesn’t matter where you’re living.

542
00:44:37,500 –> 00:44:43,550
Unless you’re in Antarctica, and even there I’m still convinced that there are blades of grass that are showing up in places-

543
00:44:43,550 –> 00:44:45,620
you can connect with grass.

544
00:44:45,620 –> 00:44:47,480
Like, ah, do it.

545
00:44:47,480 –> 00:44:47,840
Yeah.

546
00:44:47,840 –> 00:44:57,104
Is there, um, in the work that you do and, and in your own experiences, have there been kind of like more master plants that have helped you through your process?

547
00:44:58,460 –> 00:44:59,660
Uh, yeah.

548
00:44:59,660 –> 00:45:00,496
Let’s see.

549
00:45:01,300 –> 00:45:08,900
I, I have to, I mean, give it up for really powerful trees- Mm-hmm.

550
00:45:08,900 –> 00:45:14,740
and tree guides, uh, whether it’s for myself or for clients, I feel like a lot of the connection

551
00:45:14,740 –> 00:45:23,210
I literally, I think it’s one of the stories I share in the book, um, someone told me like, “I breathe better when I’m hugging a tree.”

552
00:45:23,210 –> 00:45:26,100
And like, duh, you breathe better when you’re hugging a tree.

553
00:45:26,100 –> 00:45:26,680
You know?

554
00:45:26,680 –> 00:45:32,790
So like, you know, just like that symbol is so powerful.

555
00:45:32,790 –> 00:45:35,720.0000000004657
And like, kudos, they are awesome.

556
00:45:35,720.0000000004657 –> 00:45:36,520
Um, but it’s very

557
00:45:36,520 –> 00:45:42,832
So I just, my whole life remember already as a little girl just going to talk to

558
00:45:43,340 –> 00:45:45,060
So it was a walnut tree where I grew up.

559
00:45:45,060 –> 00:45:46,480
So I’m originally from France.

560
00:45:46,480 –> 00:45:55,650
So in our garden we had, um, we had a walnut tree and it had some sort of dif- disfiguration on, on the trunk, on the bottom.

561
00:45:55,650 –> 00:45:59,640
And I was like, as a little girl, I was very concerned for this tree.

562
00:45:59,640 –> 00:46:00,262
But it al-

563
00:46:00,262 –> 00:46:01,092
always thrive.

564
00:46:01,092 –> 00:46:08,732
And in fact, years later, ’cause I moved so much, when we were in the area, I would return and we would- I’d ask my parents to drive by and see if it was still alive.

565
00:46:08,732 –> 00:46:19,088
And so that walnut tree, and now it’s a, a very elder, beautiful oak tree here in, in, uh, right now I’m outside of San Francisco.

566
00:46:19,971.9999999995343 –> 00:46:28,560
And, like, I could cry, I just, every time we get these huge storms, I probably will cry, and, uh, here in Northern California in the winter.

567
00:46:29,192 –> 00:46:35,408
And I, I’m, every time I’m, like, in my bed thinking, “Oh my gosh, is this grandfather oak tree going to make it?”

568
00:46:35,952 –> 00:46:36,072
Right.

569
00:46:36,072 –> 00:46:42,000
And I go out there and, like, yeah, maybe a branch will have fallen, but it’s, it’s, and it’s so

570
00:46:43,052 –> 00:46:43,532
Yeah.

571
00:46:43,532 –> 00:46:47,872
I just, I- he’s part of my, my, like, weekly ritual.

572
00:46:47,872 –> 00:47:05,892
Um, so I think, you know, there are so many symbols and archetypes around trees, and obviously, like, their- even from the root system to, like, the, what they offer and to the, the chemical compounds in the air that y- you were talking about, it’s, um, yeah.

573
00:47:05,892 –> 00:47:10,412
I think, I think that’s probably been s- really strong guides for me.

574
00:47:10,412 –> 00:47:19,752
And, and also, um, you know, they, they, they hold the nests of so many birds and, like, it’s just always something.

575
00:47:19,752 –> 00:47:25,971.9999999995343
You can never, you know, be bored looking and communicating and being with trees.

576
00:47:25,971.9999999995343 –> 00:47:27,248
There’s always something going on.

577
00:47:28,112 –> 00:47:28,872
Absolutely.

578
00:47:28,872 –> 00:47:34,772
And I love, um, how when you think about trees, right, we start to realize also the phases of life.

579
00:47:34,772 –> 00:47:34,992
You know?

580
00:47:34,992 –> 00:47:35,012
Yes.

581
00:47:35,012 –> 00:48:00,572
Very similar to our own phases, the, you know, the, the maiden, mother, crone to a certain extent is really one of the archetypes that the, that oak trees in particular embody so beautifully where, you know, the idea of the oak tree being this creating shade and just playful and experiencing the land and then getting to the place with the acorns and giving so much.

582
00:48:00,572 –> 00:48:15,161
I just recently had, I think it was, like, episode 123, Elspeth Hay, who we were talking about acorns, how she f- fell in love with the understanding of life and of nourishment and of this myth of farms that we have- Mm-hmm.

583
00:48:15,161 –> 00:48:19,232
through oak trees and really connecting back into oaks.

584
00:48:19,232 –> 00:48:22,872
And how the oak goes through that mothering phase where it takes care- Mm-hmm.

585
00:48:22,872 –> 00:48:26,762
and then that crone of, like, “I create this entire ecosystem.

586
00:48:26,762 –> 00:48:32,412.00000000046566
My body holds and all these little wholes that get created for other kinds of critters.”

587
00:48:32,412.00000000046566 –> 00:48:37,542
And the pe- you know, like you said, nests that get held and my roots hold things up.

588
00:48:37,542 –> 00:48:37,572
Yeah.

589
00:48:37,572 –> 00:48:44,932
And there’s just this entire ecosystem life that gets created from an oak tree- Mm-hmm.

590
00:48:44,932 –> 00:48:51,792
that is such a powerful metaphor, but also partnership with ourselves and the environment.

591
00:48:51,792 –> 00:48:54,652
So many people have relationships with oaks- Yes.

592
00:48:54,652 –> 00:49:03,392
because oaks have really been there for humanity to be examples, but also to share and co-create in that perspective.

593
00:49:03,392 –> 00:49:05,532
Like you said, that co-guiding- Mm-hmm.

594
00:49:05,532 –> 00:49:07,712
of that co-guiding of that space.

595
00:49:07,712 –> 00:49:09,692
And it’s only been us that has forgotten.

596
00:49:09,692 –> 00:49:18,332
Like, we as humans have forgotten in so many places about that relationship, which is, is such a beautiful co-creation.

597
00:49:18,332 –> 00:49:20,752
And we do see, you know, what was it?

598
00:49:20,752 –> 00:49:40,312
Um, unfortunately for- I just blanked on the name of the oak tree that was cut down a few years ago in England that made, you know, headlines of when, you know, this oak that was a symbol of that community, a symbol of that location, um, and here are these stupid people who come- They are stupid.

599
00:49:40,312 –> 00:49:46,312
I’m sorry, but nobody will tell me that these humans are not stupid- who come and just, like, say, “Oh, hee, hee, hee, I’m gonna cut this tree down.”

600
00:49:46,312 –> 00:49:48,612
It’s like, “What are you doing?”

601
00:49:48,612 –> 00:49:55,471.99999999953434
And that’s that example of the disconnection that you were talking about, that, that fact of when you’re connected to that, you no longer

602
00:49:56,511.99999999953434 –> 00:50:02,732
You, you don’t go in that direction because that just feels like cutting off your own limb- Yeah.

603
00:50:02,732 –> 00:50:03,192
Exactly.

604
00:50:03,192 –> 00:50:04,612
uh, and, and heading into it.

605
00:50:04,612 –> 00:50:09,104
As we start to wrap this up, uh, so tell us once again the name of the book.

606
00:50:09,992 –> 00:50:15,024
So about the time that we’re gonna be, um, that this, this episode is coming out, I know that the ep- that

607
00:50:15,682 –> 00:50:16,292
So check back.

608
00:50:16,292 –> 00:50:17,532
Check, check your bookstores.

609
00:50:17,532 –> 00:50:17,772
Check.

610
00:50:17,772 –> 00:50:23,032
I’ll put the links in, but also check your bookstores because it should be right about coming out right now.

611
00:50:23,032 –> 00:50:23,042
Yeah.

612
00:50:23,042 –> 00:50:27,312
If you don’t find it yet, go call the bookstore and be like, “Hey, when are you gonna get this book?”

613
00:50:27,860 –> 00:50:32,820
And so tell us all, the name of the book, if it has a subtitle, and, and tell us what we need to know.

614
00:50:32,820 –> 00:50:35,680
And also, of course, we’ll include your information so that people can- Yay.

615
00:50:35,680 –> 00:50:37,072
find it directly from your website.

616
00:50:37,860 –> 00:50:38,520
Thank you.

617
00:50:38,520 –> 00:50:40,940
So the book is called Re-Nature.

618
00:50:40,940 –> 00:50:45,488
So it’s spelled re-nature, talking about that remembrance, the reconnection.

619
00:50:46,220 –> 00:50:52,200
And the subtitles, so the subtitle, I’ll be super transparent, was so difficult to find because- So is, always is.

620
00:50:52,200 –> 00:51:00,280
I went with, uh, I had a different one, but it, I’m try- because it’s a mass audience, had to go more TED Talk style.

621
00:51:00,280 –> 00:51:04,360
So it’s How Nature Helps Us Feel Better and Do Better.

622
00:51:04,360 –> 00:51:07,530
And I know that some people have some issues with that because-

623
00:51:07,530 –> 00:51:11,120
it’s personifying nature, and I completely agree.

624
00:51:11,120 –> 00:51:16,336
And when you have a publisher, you’re on deadlines and they have a say, and so here we are.

625
00:51:16,940 –> 00:51:20,180
I go with Re-Nature most of the time, depending on who I’m talking to.

626
00:51:20,180 –> 00:51:22,140
Um, so it

627
00:51:22,140 –> 00:51:24,780
And my name is Clara Schurter, and yes, it will be available.

628
00:51:24,780 –> 00:51:29,040
So it’s like late September for the e-book, early October for the paperback.

629
00:51:29,560 –> 00:51:30,980
You can also just reach out to me.

630
00:51:30,980 –> 00:51:39,020
I’m getting copies that are like completely sustainably printed where everything is like the ink is algae-based.

631
00:51:39,020 –> 00:51:44,700
And so those are limited copies, um, you can like shoot me an email, I’m happy to send them over.

632
00:51:44,700 –> 00:51:50,320
Otherwise, they will be carried by bookstores, um, so there’s like a whole

633
00:51:50,320 –> 00:51:52,220
Your local bookstore should be able to pull it.

634
00:51:52,220 –> 00:51:54,840
Um, but yeah, if you want it but- Beautiful.

635
00:51:54,840 –> 00:52:02,005
not every copy is gonna be that, unfortunately, because it’s just logistically the world doesn’t work that way, but it will- Absolutely.

636
00:52:02,005 –> 00:52:03,080
hopefully one day.

637
00:52:03,080 –> 00:52:04,320
It will, it’ll get there.

638
00:52:04,320 –> 00:52:06,220
It’s a, it’s a lot closer believe it or not.

639
00:52:06,220 –> 00:52:07,560
It’s a lot, lot closer.

640
00:52:07,560 –> 00:52:12,480
I have, I have a lot of books now because I’ve been talking to so many authors, which I love.

641
00:52:12,480 –> 00:52:18,720
So I have this little like collection and I’ll make sure that we include it in our list of possible books for our Plant Wisdom Book Club.

642
00:52:18,720 –> 00:52:20,630
I’ll send you a link to that, course.

643
00:52:20,630 –> 00:52:29,769
So, yeah, w- it would be wonderful because, uh, that book club, can I say, we’ve been going now for about, I think, almost 3 years, if not more.

644
00:52:29,769 –> 00:52:31,820
Or like somewhere in there, or maybe it’s been more.

645
00:52:31,820 –> 00:52:36,440
I mean, and I just love all the books that were, that we’ve read.

646
00:52:36,440 –> 00:52:39,800
Even the ones that have been duds, ’cause we have had a few duds.

647
00:52:39,800 –> 00:52:44,269
I once did a podcast episode that was like 11 fantastic books and a, and a dud.

648
00:52:44,269 –> 00:52:51,980
‘Cause it was, you know, sorry to the author, but it was like, “No, do not do that,” type of thing.

649
00:52:51,980 –> 00:52:56,540
But even the duds, like they’re still great stories and there’s always something to come up with it.

650
00:52:56,540 –> 00:53:01,480
So I think it’s so important, like you said, to have a book that touches different audiences- Yeah.

651
00:53:01,480 –> 00:53:03,620
and allows people to have these experiences.

652
00:53:03,620 –> 00:53:12,660
Because again, not everybody at the very beginning is going to have, quote unquote, the courage to contact an eco-therapist or, you know, a, a- Exactly.

653
00:53:12,660 –> 00:53:14,680
a nature-inspired like life coach.

654
00:53:14,680 –> 00:53:18,020
Like not everybody is ready to take that step.

655
00:53:18,020 –> 00:53:24,048
And I think that books provide an opening for you to start playing with this practice on your own.

656
00:53:24,820 –> 00:53:29,960
And I would say this to everybody who’s listening that like feel free to start with the book, right?

657
00:53:29,960 –> 00:53:32,120
Or to even supplement with the book, right?

658
00:53:32,120 –> 00:53:42,000
The book is a great place for you to have that pla- that, that kind of doing it, um, and ideas and activities and just some direction.

659
00:53:42,000 –> 00:53:44,880
That being said, we’re not meant to do things alone.

660
00:53:45,500 –> 00:53:45,640
No.

661
00:53:45,640 –> 00:53:46,480
We’re just not.

662
00:53:46,480 –> 00:53:48,250
We are social beings.

663
00:53:48,250 –> 00:54:00,380
And so whether you go one-on-one with somebody because again you want to start in this perspective or because you’re trying to get deeper into something of your own, or you come into something like the Naturally Conscious Community, which is, you know, my community- Yeah.

664
00:54:00,380 –> 00:54:09,104
online, which is a space for you to explore through the arts, through reading, through meditation, through discussions.

665
00:54:09,740 –> 00:54:11,040
All of it is good.

666
00:54:11,040 –> 00:54:14,340
Just find the thing for where you are.

667
00:54:14,340 –> 00:54:20,760
Take one little step, play with it, and then allow the curiosity to drive you into the next direction.

668
00:54:20,760 –> 00:54:23,720.0000000004657
Because really that’s the way we’re gonna get things done.

669
00:54:23,720.0000000004657 –> 00:54:31,860
People like Clara and like myself, we’re here to help be that container of safety, to give you some ideas and directions.

670
00:54:31,860 –> 00:54:34,180
And more than anything, we’re here to just support your path.

671
00:54:34,180 –> 00:54:36,400
And if that means buying a book, great.

672
00:54:36,400 –> 00:54:39,600
If it means coming into the Naturally Conscious Community, fantastic.

673
00:54:39,600 –> 00:54:44,380
If it means coming and doing one of our programs or working with us one-on-one, also great.

674
00:54:44,380 –> 00:54:45,420
Whatever feels right.

675
00:54:45,420 –> 00:54:48,654.9999999995343
The most important thing is that you do something and- Yeah.

676
00:54:48,654.9999999995343 –> 00:54:51,860
that you feel supported in doing it.

677
00:54:51,860 –> 00:54:55,340
That to me is like the essence of it all.

678
00:54:55,340 –> 00:54:56,620
I completely agree with you.

679
00:54:56,620 –> 00:54:58,340
You said it so beautifully.

680
00:54:58,340 –> 00:55:01,640
And in fact, it’s funny you mentioned not doing it alone.

681
00:55:01,640 –> 00:55:06,170
I think the, the very end of the book invites readers to do a 10-day challenge.

682
00:55:06,170 –> 00:55:08,110
There’s 5 practices in the book.

683
00:55:08,110 –> 00:55:14,860
I suggest, you know, trying them out over 10 days and repeating whichever one feels right, and then sharing it with someone.

684
00:55:14,860 –> 00:55:15,400
Inviting- Yeah.

685
00:55:15,400 –> 00:55:21,600
another person to do them with you and seeing how that changes their lives and talking about it.

686
00:55:21,600 –> 00:55:22,960
Like it’s inviting

687
00:55:22,960 –> 00:55:31,020
The more connection you invite into your life, whether with people or, or more than human beings, the better- Absolutely.

688
00:55:31,020 –> 00:55:31,696
and the better our earth will be.

689
00:55:32,898 –> 00:55:35,940
Clara, this has been such a fantastic conversation.

690
00:55:35,940 –> 00:55:43,340
I am so grateful for the time that you’ve shared with everyone and also all of, you know, your experience, your knowledge, and the work that you’re doing.

691
00:55:43,340 –> 00:55:45,240
Li- it’s just, it’s needed.

692
00:55:45,240 –> 00:55:52,900
We, we need all these different paths for people to reconnect and to find their, you know, connection and re-nature, as you said it.

693
00:55:52,900 –> 00:55:53,120
Yeah.

694
00:55:53,120 –> 00:55:54,660
So any last words?

695
00:55:54,660 –> 00:56:13,808
Anything you wanna share with the audience before we go?Oh, just thank you so much for having me on, also for doing the work that you do, for, you know, paving the way, opening it up for more and more healers to come together, to give back, to create communities that are in connection with- with- th- with nature, with the plants, with the earth.

696
00:56:13,808 –> 00:56:19,008
Um, I think the more of us start to talk about it as well

697
00:56:19,008 –> 00:56:28,28.00000000046566
Like, if you’re listening to this podcast right now and you feel inspired, share it with someone, someone that you think would resonate or- or would learn something, because we’re

698
00:56:28,28.00000000046566 –> 00:56:29,948
I think you and I are- are the same in that way.

699
00:56:29,948 –> 00:56:31,748
We’re trying to raise or change

700
00:56:31,748 –> 00:56:40,248
Shift the paradigm, raise the consciousness to- to be a more united whole, you know, healthy world.

701
00:56:40,248 –> 00:56:40,958
And in that s-

702
00:56:40,958 –> 00:56:46,848
And that healthy, I mean, like, e- all beings, not just people.

703
00:56:46,848 –> 00:56:55,588
So if any of that speaks to you, please, you know, spread the word and- and, um, yeah, join the book club, buy my book.

704
00:56:55,588 –> 00:57:08,350
Like, you know, take action, because actually, talking about the very beginning, taking action is an antidote, a very strong antidote, to anxiety, depression, loneliness.

705
00:57:09,128 –> 00:57:09,808
You know?

706
00:57:09,808 –> 00:57:10,968
So- so there’s- Absolutely.

707
00:57:10,968 –> 00:57:11,908
I have hope.

708
00:57:11,908 –> 00:57:14,008
I have hope when I talk to people like you.

709
00:57:14,008 –> 00:57:14,528.0000000004657
I have

710
00:57:14,528.0000000004657 –> 00:57:19,760
You know, I just have hope in- in everyone, but we need to come together and- and keep stepping up.

711
00:57:20,728 –> 00:57:21,498
I

712
00:57:21,498 –> 00:57:22,408
You- you

713
00:57:22,408 –> 00:57:25,948
I- I echo those sentiments 150,000%.

714
00:57:25,948 –> 00:57:29,608
I also have hope, especially after speaking with so many people.

715
00:57:29,608 –> 00:57:30,948
I love doing this podcast.

716
00:57:30,948 –> 00:57:34,668
I love having the Naturally Conscious community, because it is what gives me hope.

717
00:57:34,668 –> 00:57:41,328
It is what helps me see that- that humanity does have the opportunity and is moving.

718
00:57:41,328 –> 00:57:42,768
So many people in- in

719
00:57:42,768 –> 00:57:50,278.00000000046566
So many humans are moving towards this reconnection, and that we need to focus on that and help people get there.

720
00:57:50,278.00000000046566 –> 00:58:01,348
And what I love in- in the work that you’re doing and also what we were talking about in the Naturally Conscious community is having these spaces for people to explore what the new paradigm is, because we don’t actually know what it looks like, right?

721
00:58:01,348 –> 00:58:01,968
We haven’t

722
00:58:01,968 –> 00:58:08,368
We’ve been living in this old paradigm, so we’re stretching and pushing and trying things out and experimenting.

723
00:58:08,368 –> 00:58:15,268
And I think spaces like ecotherapy and as well as the Naturally Conscious community are made for that.

724
00:58:15,268 –> 00:58:17,928
This is a place where we want to experiment.

725
00:58:17,928 –> 00:58:19,328
We want to fall down.

726
00:58:19,328 –> 00:58:24,348
We want to make mistakes, because it is only in doing these types of things- Yeah.

727
00:58:24,348 –> 00:58:35,568
and taking our thoughts and our feelings and putting them, as you said, into action in the living world that we actually get to start creating and co-creating this new paradigm.

728
00:58:35,568 –> 00:58:35,888
So

729
00:58:35,888 –> 00:58:39,368
And I think that plants are the wonderful co-guides- Yeah.

730
00:58:39,368 –> 00:58:43,308
for this experience and co-creators of this experience.

731
00:58:43,308 –> 00:58:49,498
And all of the beings of nature really are looking and waiting, and they’re looking at humanity going, “Are you gonna

732
00:58:49,498 –> 00:58:50,517
Are you gonna do it?”

733
00:58:50,517 –> 00:58:52,568
“Are you gonna do it?”

734
00:58:52,568 –> 00:58:53,228
So- Yeah.

735
00:58:53,228 –> 00:58:55,188
thank you so much for this conversation.

736
00:58:55,188 –> 00:59:07,388
And for everyone listening, as Clara said, please, if you enjoyed this, like, subscribe, you know, hit that, you know, whatever button that might explain, ’cause everything has a different name, follow button, this or the other.

737
00:59:07,388 –> 00:59:08,948
But more importantly, share this.

738
00:59:08,948 –> 00:59:09,908
Share the thoughts.

739
00:59:09,908 –> 00:59:11,048
Share the ideas.

740
00:59:11,048 –> 00:59:12,408
Reach out.

741
00:59:12,408 –> 00:59:15,308
We are all here to support you in this process.

742
00:59:15,308 –> 00:59:26,938
And if you want to have a complete group of people and a entire container that holds you, find myself, find Clara, find the Naturally Conscious community out for you there.

743
00:59:26,938 –> 00:59:30,208
We are just so excited to do this work together.

744
00:59:30,208 –> 00:59:33,048
So with that, that’s the end of this episode.

745
00:59:33,048 –> 00:59:34,128
Thank you so much.

746
00:59:34,128 –> 00:59:37,712
Remember, resist the urge to hold back your emerging green brilliance.

747
00:59:39,328 –> 00:59:42,703.9999999995343
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Reconnect With Plant Wisdom.

748
00:59:43,188 –> 00:59:53,551.9999999995343
To continue these conversations, join us in the Naturally Conscious community, your premier online ecosystem for plant reawakening and accelerated evolution and co-creation with otherkin.

749
00:59:54,168 –> 01:00:03,568
Here, you’ll find expansive discussions, interactive courses, live events, and supportive group programs like the Plant Wisdom book club and the Sprouts Writing and Creativity Group.

750
01:00:04,228 –> 01:00:09,488.00000000046566
Connect with like-minded individuals collaborating with plants to integrate these insights into life.

751
01:00:09,488.00000000046566 –> 01:00:14,587.9999999995343
Intro and outro music by Steve Sciulli and Poinsettia from The Singing Life of Plants.

752
01:00:14,587.9999999995343 –> 01:00:18,188
That’s it for me, Tigrilla Gardenia, and my plant collaborators.

753
01:00:18,188 –> 01:00:22,352
Until next time, remember, resist the urge to hold back your emerging green brilliance.

754
01:00:22,988.0000000004657 –> 01:00:23,688
I’m out.

755
01:00:23,688 –> 01:00:24,254
Bye.