Grounded in Maine

Let me tell you a little story about my meeting Samantha Erickson... I think she reached out to me (my Instagram name is Grounded in Maine, and she's a Maine business, so I assume that's why), and the idea of used formal dresses was such a great business plan, so I was sold, and invited her to talk about it on the podcast. When I got her podcast guest form, she said "turning grief and pain into purpose," and if you know me, I'm all in for all the deep conversations, so I couldn't wait for the chance to learn more about the story of Tia's Prom Closet Project. 

Tia Morrell was Samantha's best friend, and she passed away in 2024, 4 months after giving birth to her first child, Zara. Tia was a total fashion girl, and had a huge heart, not letting someone miss out on a special occasion because they didn't have the right outfit - Samantha tells the sweetest story showing this. So Samantha, Tia's mom, and a couple other of Tia's friends started Tia's Prom Closet Project - really a circular fashion goldmine, located in the small town of Harrison in southern Maine. They started 4 months ago now with 20 dresses, and 3 months later when I spoke with Samantha, they had received close to 600 donated dresses to offer folks!

Samantha has so many stories about this, and the reach they've made in just a few short months shows the power of community.  

I'm going to leave you with this last quote from Samantha: "This is bigger than dresses; it's about dignity. A pay it forward movement built on kindness, confidence, and connection, all in honor of an incredible soul.
Every dress that leaves our racks carries more than fabric and sparkle — it carries a story, a piece of someone else’s love and hope." 

You can find Tia's Prom Closet Project on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tiaspromcloset/ 

And on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Tias-Prom-Closet/61580223976310/

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Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

Tom Schueneman has lived a fascinating life of traveling and music, and now has been an environmental journalist for several years - literally a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists. This year he started hosting his own podcast, which was called Global Warming is Real - recently rebranded to Earthbound, which is so good. Tom is very thoughtful and really cares about the earth and people, and that comes across very clearly. Reading his Podmatch bio, I learned he was born without peripheral vision, which was repaired, but that time taught him so much empathy for humans.

I loved getting to talk with Tom, because he's gotten to do some really cool things, like attend global environmental summits, and he's currently working on a film about packaging. And I loved hearing about his previous career in music! You'll see - he's just really easy to talk to, and can talk about pretty much anything. 

You can find Tom's website and podcast here: https://tdsenvironmentalmedia.com/

He's on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tdschueneman/

and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/WatchingthePlanet

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Like this episode? Send me a message!

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Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

Julie Colombino-Billingham was working in disaster response 15 years ago, and was in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010. She never went back. She fell in love with the resilience and kindness of the people, and started a business with them called Deux Mains (two hands), making sustainable, fair trade leather bags and accessories - and also school shoes for students that they sell to churches and ministries to distribute. These beautiful bags are sold in Nordstrom! 

During the time she's been working with the people of Haiti, Julie's interviewed residents and documented her time, and launched her memoir earlier this month - it's called From Loss to Legacy: How a Fashion Business Rose from Haiti's Rubble. All book proceeds will go to REBUILD globally, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty in Haiti through education and job training.

Julie wants to relay the message of the power of our purpose - that our purchases make a global impact.

Deux Mains website is here: https://deuxmains.com/pages/our-story-2

Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/deuxmains_official/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DeuxMainsDesigns/

They're on Pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.com/deuxmainsdesigns/

Julie's TedX Talk is here: https://youtu.be/XE76NResiUc

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Like this episode? Send me a message!

Please follow the podcast on Instagram here
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How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/

Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

As everyone is seeing their electricity bills rise, the opportunity to speak with Our Power Maine came up. I'm speaking with the Executive Director Seth Berry, and Policy and Communications Fellow Isabelle Winstead - just days after  they succeeded in pausing what seemed to many as a huge increase in Maine's CMP (Central Maine Power) rates. It's historic to halt the monopoly of a utility like this, and they are very happy to share why they are so passionate about helping Mainers to have other options. And don't feel left out if you're not in Maine - Our Power is in several states, and even if not, you can reach out to Our Power Maine and they'll get you in touch with someone to help.

Seth and Our Power Maine are focused on transparency and energy democracy, and with good reason. He brought up the Halloween storm of 2017, and I said I started saving all the electric bills I received after that storm, because CMP sent me 3 bills in 1 month. We talked about Maine Community Power Cooperative (MCPC), and breaking the monopoly that CMP has with Maine's energy. MCPC offers up to 20% savings for CMP customers. 

This conversation was enlightening and encouraging, and I hope you'll reach out to them, to learn more about how we can take our own power back

Our Power site: https://ourpowermaine.org (remember, you don't need to be a Maine resident to ask questions!)

They're on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ourpowerme/

On Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ourpowermaine/

And Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-power-maine/

Another resource is https://www.efficiencymaine.com/

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Amy's email newsletter: 

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Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

Y'all, sometimes things just fall into place, and the chance to talk with Annamarie Pluhar is definitely one of those! As I'm in the process of selling my VA house and looking for a new place to live, and knowing that to grow food for more than 1 will take more time and energy than I have, partnering with folks feels like it needs to be part of my plan (always was, but less for the financial aspect), but then enters Annamarie into my world with all her experience and wisdom...

Annamarie has been sharing housing for years, and has created a guidebook of things that are helpful if you're planning to share space. She shows how sharing housing is a way to live sustainably, happily, and with greater ease.

You can find Annamarie's website here: https://sharinghousing.com/ (find her book, Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates here)

She's on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sharinghousingcommunity/

And on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/SharingHousing/

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Support the show

Like this episode? Send me a message!

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Amy's email newsletter: 

How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/

Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

When I was approached by Brett Aldrich's team, I wasn't quite sure how the conversation would go - if it would be something you would be interested in; but maybe this convo was more for me than you? I booked a visit with her, at least! You'll hear me fumble my way around what I thought Ayurveda was (clearly I'm wrong), but Brett's practice is absolutely fascinating to me! Did you know about Ayurveda before today?

Brett's practice is located in Maine, but she offers virtual visits as well, which is how my appointment will be the day before this airs! She touched on the topic of elements, which I've never heard of (not like the table of elements), and I had too many questions to let it go - so I've got an hour and 1/2 with her to get caught up. To quote Brett: "Just as the earth is made up of natural elements, so are we." She also said this: "sustainability begins within ourselves."

My takeaway: what we take into our bodies matters - it either helps or hinders, and if we understand that and take notice of our body's response, we may just have an easier go of life. That's not really new info to me, but the delivery was everything to me. I'm so looking forward to some extra time with Brett and learn about my elements, and how to live better with that info! I hope you learned something new in this conversation, too!

You can find all things Brett here: https://seedthespirit.com/

She's on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/p/Seed-The-Spirit-LLC-61575858674934/

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Like this episode? Send me a message!

Please follow the podcast on Instagram here
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Amy's email newsletter: 

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Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

I was first introduced to Clara Schroeder through recent podcast guest Brittany Hansen, knowing that I would love talking with Clara - I'm super grateful to Brittany for that!

Clara is an Eco Therapist who has been working with big companies like Microsoft, Women in Cloud, Aura, and Insight Timer, and more. Clara recently published ReNature: How Nature Helps Us Feel better and Do Better, and she's here to talk about that, and about what EcoTherapy is. Her goal is to help people to deepen the connection to the natural world so they can find well being, hope and resilience. 

One of the things Clara said was "When you love and care for yourself with intention and sustainable action, you are loving and caring for the earth." And to quote another recent podcast guest Vince Aiello, "We are nature," so that makes so much sense, right?

I loved getting to talk with Clara - I hope you enjoy it, too!

You can find all things Clara here: https://www.claraschroeder.com/

She's also on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/livingwithclarity/

She's on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clara-schroeder-ma/

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Support the show

Like this episode? Send me a message!

Please follow the podcast on Instagram here
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Email me at [email protected]
Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!)

Amy's email newsletter: 

How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/

Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

This conversation is a little heavier than most, but it's so important to talk about. I can honestly say I knew almost nothing about West Virginia before I came across these ladies, but I can't say that anymore. Julie Eisenberg and Babette Hogan are here to talk about their first documentary together that just debuted called Running for the Mountains. "This is about politics and keeping our water and air safe, requiring political action; and keeping West Virginia safe is of national importance. "Running for the Mountains" exposes some of the toxic structure that allows the polluting of our commons. Step up and into politics!" (Babette's words)

I'm not going to try to describe the film; it's too complex (Babette said it in 1 sentence, but I didn't write it down), but I can say I honestly learned a ton about the WV lifestyle and people, and the direction the political climate has been heading, and it makes me both sad and scared - and also SO proud of those who are fighting. 

Babette and Julie have spent a good part of the last 15 years researching, following people and stories, and filming in WV, and they have seen a lot to have strong feelings about. I didn't finish the film the first time through- I literally turned my phone OFF because I got so mad. But I was expected to finish it, so I watched again. These ladies did a wonderful job of catching so many personalities and opinions through this film that you really feel protective of the people. And they need that, and deserve that. 

Super grateful for this education from Julie and Babette!   

You can get all the info about, and get a link to watch Running for the Mountains here: https://www.runningforthemountains.com/

Their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/R4M2024/

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Like this episode? Send me a message!

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How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/

Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

I hope you love this conversation with Vince Aiello as much as I do! I found Vince by chance on Instagram - or maybe he found me? I forget. But I love his business Fire and Foraging, and we struck up a conversation and I invited him to talk on the podcast, and I'm SO glad I did! 

Vince is a nature guide in Wisconsin, and is a real pro! I learned so much - he talked about fire adaptive species and fire ecology; we talked about invasive EDIBLE plants to help plants thrive, and how humans share 80% of DNA with trees (did you know that? I sure didn't). Some of the species we discussed are dandelion, of course - how every part of the plant is beneficial, also Dames rocket and Queen Anne's Lace. 

Speaking of edible plants, do you recognize the mushroom on this episode's art?

I also learned from Vince that there's a Mid West Wild Food conference, and that he's worked with Alexis Nikole (The Black Forager on Instagram - she's so great!) a few times!

Vince says "You are nature," and his goal is for people to connect with their local environment. And he's doing that - one nature walk at a time.

Vince's website is here: https://www.fireandforaging.com/

Here's his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/woods_treker/

He is also a writer - here's an article of his: https://driftlessareamag.com/unicdn/2022/04/04/driftless-the-beautifully-unglaciated-area/

**(the mushroom is Chicken of the Woods!)

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Like this episode? Send me a message!

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How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/

Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...

I loved learning about Kimberly Haley Coleman and Globe Aware- an award winning short term volunteer abroad program available in 26 countries. I didn't know this was a thing, but I'm so glad it is! You can travel abroad to learn about a new place, help people and find purpose - this sounds like my kind of vacation! Tropical destinations, cooler weather, far away, or closerby, there's something for everyone. Kimberly says they can teach the kills; they just need kind, willing people, to offer short term support - solo, or as a group!

Kimberly previously worked in Aerospace, and several High-level tech jobs - we talked a little bit about people sending their lost loved ones' ashes to space to be released when she mentioned it. This isn't quite as far off from her previous careers as it might sound, but I'll let Kimberly talk about that in the episode. 

When I asked Kimberly what message she'd like you to remember from this conversation, she said this: "It is inspiring and meaningful to engage in thoughtful service abroad" Kimberly has been working in the international field since 1990, so she's got her finger on the button of what is needed; and she is committed to everyone having a meaningful experience - on both sides of the service.

You can find all things GlobeAware here: https://www.globeaware.org/

They're on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/globeaware/?hl=en

And Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/globeaware

You can see what these intentional vacations are like on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GlobeAware

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Like this episode? Send me a message!

Please follow the podcast on Instagram here
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Email me at [email protected]
Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!)

Amy's email newsletter: 

How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/

Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects.

Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the best customer service! Learn more here

You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine

Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://esgreview.net/

Grounded in Maine is curr...