Andrea Jaramillo  is a bilingual hospice nurse, urban farmer, ceremonialist, and beekeeper in training. She is the founder of Forest Nurse, a forest therapy practice that connects people with nature through guided, intentional sessions. As a certified forest therapy guide, she supports individuals through life’s transitions, drawing from her experience in both birth and end-of-life care. Originally from Ecuador, Andrea honors ancestral wisdom and integrates Mesoamerican and South American traditions into her work. She believes in cultivating a deep relationship with the land as a way to protect and care for it. She also sees nurses as guardians—stewards of both human and ecological well-being. 

Andrea Jaramillo (Haramillo) and I know one another as members of  a new group called Global Nature Nurses Network – which so far,  is a comprised of nurses from US, Canada, and UK in the fields of  academia, public and private sectors practicing and promoting awareness of the vital reconnection with nature. One of the many goals of the Global Nature Nurses Network is to get the green space science and the nature connection piece into the nursing curriculum in Schools of Nursing. Last podcast episode I interviewed Susan-Allison Dean the Co Chair of the Global Nurses Network. I will put a link to that in the shownotes for your interest. Now over to you Andrea Jaramillo…

1.    Please tell us more about your personal story and connection to nature.

2.    You are an urban farmer. Please tell us more. 

3.    You are a hospice nurse. How does that relate to nature? 

4.    You are a forest therapist. Please talk about the evidence. 

5.    How do your nature work in urban areas?

6.    Can you walk us through one of your sessions?

7.    You are from Equador. Please talk more about being an apprentice of traditional medicines in Central and South America. 

8.    We are both in a new group called the Nature Nurses Network. Last week you opened with a beautiful grounding practice. Could you end our session today with that one? I loved it. 

website: https://forestnurse.com/      LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/andreajnurse

Instagram: @forest.nurse 

So listeners as Andrea Jaramillo, forest nurse  says immerse yourself in nature to improve physical and mental well-being. And because our bodies are sensing our environments all of the time…..  Use Andrea’s mindful approach to helps you to slow down, engage your senses, take in the light, notice how that makes you feel, notice how that makes you think, as you connect with your natural environment. And finally remember to thank yourself for taking back your outside mindset. 

For peer reviewed research on how your time spent in green space can change your mindset, balance your nervous system and your heart rate please go to verlafortier.substack.com and check out my books Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live Longer, Stress Less, and Control Your Chronic Illness and Optimize Your Heart Rate: Balance Your Mind and Body With Green Space