Summer is often characterized by buoyancy, expansion, joy, creativity, vitality.

But there are times in our lives when we are feeling this life-giving energy of warmth around us and simultaneously navigating a deep season of grief.

This is what I speak to in today's episode. Some ways we might caretake our tender hearts in the peak of summertime, herbal allies for the journey, and more.

Resources:

• Info & registration for July 14th class: Herbal Healing after Pregnancy Loss
• Free guide: 10 key herbs for your hormonal health
• Today's shownotes: Traversing the wild terrain of grief
• Episode 65: Grief & pleasure postpartum & beyond with Stacey Ramsower
• Episode 112: How to tend grief with the earth w India Elyn
• Episode 135: Re-enlivening a wailing culture w Siobhan Asgharzadeh

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

One of the core pillars hormonal health - the dynamic healthy dance of our hormones - is a resilient nervous system.

I don't love using the word regulated, because that sounds like we're trying to neutralize or dampen our nervous system response, when what we really want is to grow our capacity to feel all the things fully, and complete the waves.

So what can we do yo cool and calm our frazzled, anxious, agitated systems? Herbs can be amazing allies for this, really it's one of the places they shine.

In today's episode, I share about motherwort as a relaxing, antispasmodic, cooling nervine; milky oats as a deep restorative nervous system tonic; and schisandra as an incredible ally for stress resilience as well as nourishing our qi and retaining fluids in the body.

Hopefully these glimpses feel supportive in this summer season that tends towards heat, intensity, drive and excess activity. A time when we would do well to incorporate some cooling and calming herbal allies alongside.

Resources:

• Free 10 key herbs for hormonal health (incl. 5 herbal pillars of hormonal health) guide
• Today's shownotes: Herbal allies to cool + calm the nervous system
• Episode 17: How stress messes with your hormones
• Episode 32: Herbal spotlight on motherwort
• Episode 40: Herbal spotlight on schisandra
• Episode 68: Herbal spotlight on milky oats

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

It can be so common to feel the quickening of summertime and forget to slow down to truly savor the season.

Sometimes it feels almost impossible to find the quiet in all the expansive blossoming energy.

But if we don't slow down to pause, we miss the opportunity to more fully receive the gifts of the season. And we may end up more imbalanced during the peak and late summertime. Too hot, too dry, too fiery, too much.

So what are some ways to slow down and savor this season? That's exactly the question that this medley episode answers from three different lenses.

First I share about ways to deepen connection to the rhythms of your womb, and specifically this episode snippet covers the arousal process & a little on your womb rhythms during your fertility years.

Next, Ruth Hull explores three different homeopathic remedies for hot flashes and night sweats (which can certainly be exacerbated in peak summer), and how to be very specific in your choice of which one is right for you.

And finally, I share a little about herbal allies for for cooling down the summer heat in your body.

I hope you find this episode to be a gift in this potent window of summer solstice.

Resources:

• Free guide to Gardening for Your Hormonal Health
• Today's shownotes: 3 simple ways to savor peak summer season
• Episode 28: Rhythms of your womb
• Episode 33: Homeopathy, hot flashes & the menopausal transition
• Episode 74: Cool the summer heat in your body the herbal way

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

So often we think of essential oils as the primary form of distillation from aromatic plants. But there is another form of water-based extraction through distillation that is commonly overlooked, and that's hydrosols.

Hydrosols are aromatic waters that capture both volatile oils and the water from the steaming process.

According to today's guest Emma Prescher, they really are a bridge between the energetic signature of the plant (the plant "beingness") and the physical characteristics within the volatile oils.

She speaks to the immense transformational accident that required her to slow down after longtime survival mode and how astrology and herbalism were key parts of her healing journey and ultimately what brought her back to life in a way.

We also explore the sensual nature of hydrosols, how they impact your nervous system, the different aromatic profiles of the same plant at different times in the growing season, how tobacco flowers came to be her first hydrosol and so much more. 

Resources:

• Free guided womb connection meditation and clearing 
• Today's shownotes: Get links to Emma's offerings, hydrosols etc
• Episode 83: What is astro-herbalism with Andrea Webb

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Click here to send me a quick message :)

(audio fixed! sorry y'all) The Ayurvedic concept of "ojas" can feel elusive, especially because it's a unique perspective on something that we might refer to as our deep inner well of resilience or the nourishment we can call upon when we are in a time of stress or strain. 

There's no real physical component we can point to from a western anatomy lens.

But it's an essential literal substance in the Ayurvedic paradigm that is required for recovery from "karmic crunch" times and also for things like healthy menstrual cycles, fertility, gentler perimenopause and even longevity.

Ayurvedic practitioner Adena Rose Bright speaks to both her clinical and embodied personal experience identifying low Ojas and replenishing this "inner well" through simple practices that are accessible to all of us. 

We also chat about the often overlooked significance of bodywork in integrative health practices and so much more. 

Resources:

• Shownotes: Get links to Adena Rose's free course, apprenticeship etc
• Free Womb Connection & Clearing meditation
• Episode 97: Understanding & pacifying Vata dosha w Kristen Timchak
• Episode 182: Deeply replenishing postpartum care w Coco Genevieve

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Traditional intact cultures, and systems like Ayurveda and TCM, all include not only physical and emotional healing but also speak to how the energetic layers of our beings impact our healing, too.

Whether it's tuning into the medicine of the wheel of the year like Summer Solstice (the expansive, invigorating sunlight) or the harmonious dance of Yin and Yang or the subtle energies from the Vedic lens of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, every system holds its own wisdom. 

What matters most is how these subtle energies truly impact us, what we notice, what we feel affinity towards and what works for each of us as unique individuals.

The dance of light and dark, contraction and expansion, the underworld and above world, are part of the necessary path to healing. Without one we cannot have the other. 

I explore all of this in depth and share some reflective prompts and share some examples of herbs and foods that can help you cultivate some of the subtle energies as well. 

This was a total riffing episode, so I hope it offers some little gems for at least one of you since it just sort of flowed through!

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Subtle energies on your path to radiant wellbeing
• Free guide to Gardening for Your Hormonal Health
• Episode 172: What is vibrational medicine? Flower essences & mantra

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Iron deficiency is incredibly common, and even more common during pregnancy where there is some level of physiologic anemia with all that blood dilution but it can definitely become too much. 

But what is really happening? Today's guest, Samantha Chandler, speaks to what minerals are doing in our bodies, and why she sees copper as a key ally to support our overall mineral balance, including iron available in our blood, and why.

She also speaks to how menstruation may be a part of female-bodied longevity, what deficiencies might be happening when progesterone is low, and what estrogen dominance may be telling us.

The truth is, without basic nutrients - minerals included - we cannot actually produce healthy hormones or tissues, so minerals are often a missing piece in any hormonal or menstrual health picture. And we literally need iron in our blood to transport oxygen, which cells require to to produce energy (aka vital force).

So, this topic is more important than it may seem at first glance. 

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Samantha's offerings
• Episode 22: Stinging nettles herbal spotlight
• Episode 36: Blood building herbs

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

When cycle alchemist, Tere Marie Martini, first proposed speaking to the 4 P's (plants, planets, pussy & personal agency), I was already ALL IN.

By themselves, each of these topics is compelling, but when we combine them to explore how they can support us to become "whole ass human beings" it gets even more interesting.

What brings each of these seemingly divergent topics together is their cyclical nature. I would also say in general, the way they help us both learn about and become more fully ourselves.

Bridging the worlds of cyclical living, herbalism, astrology and self-awareness and growth together really isn't that far fetched, and is likely something many of us are already practicing in some way.

Tere speaks to how she sees these weaving together, and drops some gorgeous wisdom gleaned from her own womb stories and life journey that have helped her surrender to the will of life, alongside powerfully creating transformational events and spaces.

We talk all about this and more. I really loved this conversation, and hope you find some inspiration in it too!

Resources:

• Free guided womb connection meditation and clearing
• Today's shownotes: Get links to all of Tere's offerings!
• Episode 83: What is astroherbalism? w Andrea Webb
• Episode 197: Somatic practices for healing childhood wounds w Kristen Stake
• Episode 216: How does the moon affect your hormones?

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Fascia is an extraordinary substance in our bodies that supports both structural integrity *and* fluidity. And it is a web that weaves throughout our entire form.

It has more nerve endings than our skin, responds to our hormones, tenses and relaxes, hydrates and dehydrates and can be a root of chronic pain and/or stuck energy.

It lines all of our organs and muscles and bones! And our endopelvic fascia (the fascia in our pelvis) has direct relationships all the way up to the ribcage.

Our breathing, belly and feet all have clear connections to what Julie Hammond calls the Pelvic Diaphragm (instead of the pelvic bowl). 

And even our throat and jaw can have fascial impact on tension or relaxation of the muscles or tissues in our pelvis. 

I talk about all of this and more (you'll hear my excitement) on this week's episode.

Resources:

• Free: Gardening guide for menstrual health
• Book: The Pelvic Diaphragm by Julie Hammond
• Episode 22: Stinging nettles love
• Episode 77: Myofascial release for pelvic bowl and chest/breasts with Lindsay Courcelle
• Episode 160: How to nourish fascia with Lisa Masé

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

The sacred windows of our lives, whether postpartum or perimenopause or menarche or any significant transition, are portals of extra sensitivity.

In some ways, they are a gift in that we can almost recreate ourselves from the ground up, renewing, and discovering a new version of ourselves.

In other ways, they are tender, even vulnerable, times that require extra care and deep nourishment to replenish and rebuild from what is often more Vata dominant (from the Ayurvedic lens).

But what can that nourishment look like? And how can relationship to the earth, seasonal cycle and local food play a role? 

This week's guest, "nurturer" Ashley Winkelspecht, bring all of this together in her work and practices where she tends and nourishes both postpartum mamas as well as her rural community in the form of meal prep (and growing and sourcing local food). 

She also layers on additional practices to enhance the prana, vitality and healing potential of the nourishment she brings. 

Listen in to hear all about it.

Resources:

• Free guided womb connection meditation and clearing
• Today's shownotes: Get links to Ashley's offerings
• Episode 49: Sacred windows of our lives with Ashlee Sakaishi Wilkin
• Episode 139: Cultivate resilience in Vata season w Molly McConnell
• Episode 156: Universal Mother principles w Christine Eck
• Episode 182: Deeply replenishing postpartum care with Coco Genevieve

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)