Our Nature: Conversations about the relationship between nature, spirituality, and well-being

The idea of simple being sacred is a concept that my friend Jenn Tardif introduced me to and it’s a frame for what we’ll be exploring in this episode. I’ve wanted to have Jenn as a guest on Our Nature ever since the podcast launched, so I’m incredibly excited that she’s sharing her wisdom with us on this Season 2 finale episode.

Jenn is the founder of 3rd Ritual, a global collective that creates mindful objects, botanical blends, and esoteric content, all of which are intended to help us move half as fast and notice twice as much. Jenn is a mother, a teacher, and a lifelong student of Taoism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yogic philosophy, numerology, and sacred geometry. She’s also a certified aromatherapist, a mentor to new and aspiring leaders in the wellness world, and a ritual guide who's led ceremonies for rites and celebrations all over the globe. I absolutely love everything Jenn creates because she does so with grace, intention and impeccable taste. She is one of the wisest people I know and it is an honor to welcome her to the Our Nature community.

This week’s episode is about the search for meaning and fulfillment and the unexpected places it leads. It comes by way of Ethan Delorenzo, a father, permaculture farmer and multi-disciplinary artist who lives in an eco-village on Vashon, a rural island off the coast of Washington State. Ethan climbed the ladder of success in the music industry, beginning as an assistant to mixer and engineer Ryan West (who has worked with Rihanna, Eminem, Jay Z and Usher). Ethan then formed a band with Teyana Taylor and continued to rise in the industry as a producer and engineer. But, after achieving a remarkable amount of success by his early 20’s, he began to seek a different kind of life, one closer to the land and in alignment with his own values.

This week, I’m speaking with the powerful Synmia Rosine, a birthworker who regularly practices and engages with plant medicine and ancestral healing. She’s a mother, an avid urban gardener, and a wise soul who turned to nature and indigenous wisdom to help heal physical and mental imbalances. Synmia’s story is one of great courage and resilience, which you’ll hear more about in this episode.

In this episode we discuss: Synmia’s process of returning to nature, how a series of toxic events forever changed the course of her life, how she got off prescription medication by seeking out indigenous wisdom, and the practice that brought Synmia out of a rut. We also touch on how to feel empowered no matter how tough your circumstances, why pregnancy and birth are divorced from community and how that negatively affects everyone, why ending racism is connected to saving the planet, and how to decolonize your diet. I describe Synmia as powerful because she is unafraid of embodying her authentic self, and it was inspiring and expansive for me to witness this throughout our conversation. As I continue to find my voice, it’s truly an honor for me to share hers. Enjoy!

This episode is the second in a series exploring how plants can help us regulate our stress response. This week, the plant we’re exploring is hemp. In this episode I talk with Alexis Rosenbaum, the founder and CEO of Rosebud CBD, which makes CBD tinctures with a high concentration of full spectrum hemp extract mixed with certified organic MCT oil for a faster, more efficient delivery throughout the body. Alexis says: “I believe in the power of hemp and cannabis because our biology shows such a strong and natural connection. I hope Rosebud brings people relief, but more importantly, the ability to live a happy and comfortable life feeling like their best selves.”

We live in a stressful, unpredictable world. Enter adaptogens. I learned so much in this week’s episode with Nadine Joseph, the CEO and founder of Peak and Valley, a company that makes adaptogenic blends using varying combinations of over 18 adaptogens, mushrooms and herbs. In this episode we discuss Nadine’s work as a neuroscientist studying what happens physically in the body when you’re exposed to stress, how Nadine’s own experience with chronic stress, anxiety and adrenal fatigue led her to adaptogens and ultimately healing, the definition of adaptogens and the origin of the term, the role of primary, secondary and tertiary adaptogens, why the beta-glucan content in mushrooms matters, the healing powers of turmeric, and why consumers need to be incredibly careful when purchasing plant-based products and how to screen brands for purity and quality. I had definitely heard about adaptogens from herbalist Rachelle Robinett, but I we go deep into them in this episode. Stay tuned until the end of our conversation to hear about a special discount on Peak and Valley exclusive for Our Nature listeners!

This week on Our Nature, I had the pleasure of chatting with one of my favorite individuals and teachers Jules Bakshi. She’s a dancer, choreographer, certified pilates instructor, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and the owner of GOOD MOVE, a dance and mindful fitness studio for movers of all levels, genders, races, shapes, and sizes. Her classes are designed to take the intimidation out of dancing and help you feel the joy, freedom, and empowerment of expression through movement, which you’ll hear much more about in the episode.

This week I chat with Danielle Beinstein, a psychological astrologer who combines astrology with archetypes to reveal and reflect different aspects of the human psyche. She believes that astrology offers us “a window into our personal life cycles.” Because astrology is so complex and individualistic that it’s hard to unpack without a specific chart to read from, I asked Danielle to give as much of a high level overview of astrology as possible.

This interview was recorded remotely rather than my preferred in-person experience, so you’ll hear some background noise on the recording. We also start this conversation a bit differently than most episodes. We didn’t have a chance to connect prior to recording, so I spent time at the beginning of the call sharing some background with Danielle about why I started the podcast. This resulted in an interesting conversation about comfort and conditioning as it relates to nature. For example, for those of us who have felt disconnected from nature for a while, or perhaps for our whole lives, the process of connecting with the natural world can feel intimidating or uncomfortable. I think being honest about these feelings helps make them less feel like less of a barrier. I know this has been true for me.

This episode is both for people new to astrology and for those who are familiar with it, but curious about how astrology and psychology connect. Danielle uses archetypes and her intuitive gifts to invite people to bring a sense of agency and consciousness when learning about their innate energy. I think this episode is especially important in this moment when many people I know, myself included, are turning inward and doing deep work. So, without further ado, welcome to my conversation with Danielle Beinstein.

This week, I chat with my longtime Ayurveda teacher Doctor Bhaswati Bhattacharya. Dr. Bhaswati is a biomedical scientist, international health specialist, primary care physician and holistic healer. She has a masters in neuroscience and pharmacology from Columbia, a masters in International Public Health from Harvard University, and a doctorate from Rush Medical College. She also completed a mid-career Phd from Banaras Hindu University in India. Dr. Bhaswati was selected from over 4000 graduates as the Commencement Graduate Orator at Harvard University in 1993, the only Indian and the second woman in history to be given this opportunity. She serves as the director of the Dinacharya Institute, teaching workshops, seminars and courses for students (such as myself) who are interested in studying Ayurveda and is the author of "Everyday Ayurveda," a book about the daily habits that can change your life. Dr. Bhaswati has far too many accolades for me to name them all here, but she’s been an incredible teacher and friend as I continue to immerse myself in the world of Ayurveda.

This week, I will not be putting out a typical Our Nature episode like I usually do because this is not a typical time. Many of us who are white are waking up to the ways that our unearned privilege has made us blind and passive to the ongoing suffering of Black people in America, suffering that has endured for over 400 years.

Nature’s way is for the long haul. Nature’s brilliance evolves and unfolds over time. I do believe that if each of us who has benefited and continues to benefit from racial inequality does the deep work, work that sometimes makes us feel uncomfortable, we can truly begin to undo racism within ourselves and within our society.

This moment is a movement, and it deserves our attention and sustained support. As my favorite spiritual teacher Tara Brach says “Each of us has a medicine to bring to these times.” I invite you to reflect on what medicine you uniquely bring – a revolution has many lanes.