Four Gardens Podcast

Melly Huang is an artist and creativity coach who has helped me overcome perfectionism and other challenges that have limited my creative expression. Melly and I talk about the common blockages that her clients face around creativity. She shares about her professional background in psychology and her creative background as a dancer. We discuss how sexuality and creativity are connected, and consider how body image and shame can be transformed through embodied expressions such as dance and bodypainting.

Follow Melly @melly.moves on Instagram and TikTok

Email Melly at [email protected]

Connect with Melly Huang on Facebook

Intro Music by bensound.com

Ann Kite taught my very first 5Rhythms class more than seven years ago. Since that first class, I have been hooked on conscious dance and have received so much from my 5Rhythms practice. I am grateful to still be dancing with Ann and the caring community she has brought together. In this episode, Ann shares about the essential qualities of a 5Rhythms experience, how she channels the music and verbal cues that she offers, and the first questions she asks private clients. She tells her inspirational and moving story of how dance has been part of her life through the most joyful and challenging moments. We also explore how dance connects to the four gardens of health, nature, creativity, and service and how the 5Rhythms practice in particular connects to natural cycles.

Ann’s website: www.Annkite.com

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Over the past two years I have witnessed Kevin Hauber’s deep commitment to creating safe spaces for people to heal and grow. In addition to being a yoga teacher, author, eco businessman, and aquatic bodyworker, he is the main organizer of the Gold-Mining Circle, my men’s group, which focuses on life-purpose and what each man truly wants in his life.

In our conversation, we discuss the evolution of men’s work and how “Gold-Mining” emerged. I recently had my first Watsu (water shiatsu) session with Kevin and we talk about that starting at the 40:20 mark.

Kevin’s Website: https://www.abundanthealthslo.org/

If you are interested in joining our men’s group, email Kevin at [email protected]

Mankind Project: https://mankindproject.org/

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Andi Wich and I discuss how having a personal mission statement has helped us discover higher service in our lives and direct our focus. Andi guides listeners through a structured process of writing their own mission statements. At the end, I share my new mission statement that I created during this process.

Instagram @mister_wick

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Every week I look forward to seeing Andi Wich in my men’s group where he brings his joyful, grounded leadership. In our conversation, we discuss our experience with the Gold-Mining Men’s Group and how it has supported our individual and collective growth. Andi then tells me about the Omega Point Program (OPP) that his father created to help self-discovery through structured peer mentorship. OPP has been a central platform in Andi’s own work and personal development, and he shares how it has improved his relationship with his wife and children.  He ends by offering his vision for building a land-based community that is committed to conscious communication and healing.

Learn more at www.omegapointprogram.com

You can find regular updates from Andi @mister_wich on Instagram

Intro

2:00 Journey into men's groups and Gold Mining

7:40 The positive effect of allowing love in

9:20 Why the ego is a protector

11:30 The structure and benefit of group sharing

15:30 “Walking each other home”

17:45 Working on the mission in a safe container

22:00 Seeing the magic in another man's joy through healing

24:00 Active listening

26:30 Facilitation vs control

27:30 Silence helps letting go of agenda

29:00 Omega Point Program (OPP) origin from father, prison work, ways to better facilitate men and women towards mission

32:00 “Omega point” = humanity as individuals moving towards greater enlightenment /a ‘we’ world

34:00 Four Gardens origin and how gold mining supported it’s creation

36:00 Experiences through OPP, coming out of a rut, building ownership of who you are

42:30 What's next for Andi Wick and spreading the healing

47:30 Mental health leadership in the quest for healing, accumulating knowledge from elders and others

Andrew Shofer believes the relationship between humans and nature is inseparable. In this episode, he shares about his journey from being a boy scared of bees to a highly skilled naturalist and nature connection guide. We also discuss his healing relationship with cannabis, how real estate is supporting his vision for the future, and how adults can help support nature connection for children.

Kula Collective co-founder Zach Townesmith joins the show from beautiful Seven Springs Retreats in Tennessee. We discuss his background in the creative facilitation field and how creativity is essential to solving all the big challenges in the world and in our lives. We consider the question “What is creativity?” He shares about the flow design process he created which helped me develop the Four Gardens approach. We end by talking about a challenge Zach is experiencing around doing enough to serve in this time when there are so many challenges in the world.

Zach’s Bio: https://www.thekulacollective.com/zach-townesmith

Lunar and Solar Design: https://www.lunarsolardesign.com/

Caracol Consulting: www.caracolconsulting.com

Seven Spring Retreats www.sevenspringsretreats.com

Zach’s IG @Ztts13

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Zachary Townesmith shares about lunar and solar creativity, an approach that separates our analytical process from our initial generative, intuitive creative process. This approach has been extremely helpful and I've applied it in all kinds of situations. We also speak Martian, play a lunar-creative word game, and have a few laughs.

Zach’s Bio: https://www.thekulacollective.com/zach-townesmith

Lunar and Solar Design: https://www.lunarsolardesign.com/

Caracol Consulting: www.caracolconsulting.com

Seven Spring Retreats www.sevenspringsretreats.com

Zach’s IG @Ztts13

Intro music from Bensound.com

I recently met Liz Glazer at one of her stand-up comedy shows and struck up a fast friendship over our shared interest in personal development. In this episode, we talk about how she made the jump from law professor to comedian and what insights she has developed from making this bold career change. Then we explore why she chose sobriety and how a sober lifestyle has affected both of us as we pursue our creative passions. We end by sharing our reactions and experiences with self-help books, in particular "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.  

Liz’s website: www.dearlizglazer.com

Connect to her on social media: IG @lizglazer, TikTok @lizglazer Twitter @elizabethglazer

Intro music from Bensound.com

Ari Rubens always impresses me with his dedication to personal growth and his commitment to bringing out the best in others. We co-founded Engaged Ecology and he has been instrumental in creating the Four Gardens Podcast. He is also a personal trainer, yogi, musician, and permaculture gardener. In this episode we talk about his personal practices in each garden, explore his background, and find out what is next for him as he prepares to head off to Costa Rica next month for an intensive outdoor leadership training.

Learn more about him at arirubens.com