I first met my today's guest when I took her class on herbal oil making and has been fascinated by her work ever since. Her name is Kami McBride. 

Over the past 30+ years she has been teaching and inspiring others how to use herbs in their daily lives for cooking, gardening, skin care, stress reduction and preventative health through her Women's Wisdom curriculum and so much more.

By the end of this episode, you'll appreciate Kami's perspective on life and healing and will enjoy her recommendations for better health and wellness. 

Show Notes: https://plantloveradio.com/35 

​My guest is ​Lisa Estabrook. Lisa is a ​graphic designer, an artist and a​ gardener. She has over ​30 years of experience working in her gardens, tending and talking to the flowers and plants that grow there. 

​Her intention, through her art, is to share the healing wisdom of the plants that graciously support us and all life on this planet. 

​Lisa's hope is that the beautiful plants and flowers she paints and the soul messages they provide, will spark or support your healing journey, as it has hers, and that in turn contributes to the health and well-being of us all.

"In 50 minutes you'll learn the best pearls of wisdom I've discovered during the last 50 interviews." Lana Camiel, PharmD

Today is a celebration for me - it's my podcastiversary!

As a result, I’d like to share with you some of the lessons learned over the past 50 episodes.

And I couldn’t think of a better way to do this than bringing you some great pearls of wisdom from my guests.

Show Notes: https://wellnessinsidernetwork.com/50

​My guest is Dan Clapp. Dan is an engineer by training, yet few years back he discovered a new passion he is excited to share with the world.

​Today, together with his family, he owns 1634 Meadery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. This is where he makes mead by fermenting honey and creating interesting combinations of flavors. Mead has not yet become as popular as other alcoholic beverages, but the world of mead-making ​has rich history and exciting future.

My guest ​is ​Maria Noel Groves. ​With more than 20 years experience in herbalism, ​Maria strives to educate and empower her students, clients, and readers with the foundational believe that Good Health Grows in Nature. 

Maria is a journalist who has been formally educated by the country's top herbalists. ​She opened her private practice, Wintergreen Botanicals, ​in 2007. ​She's registered as a professional herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. ​

My today's guest ​is ​Brittany Wood Nickerson.  ​Brittany is a practicing herbalist, author, health educator, and cook. Her knowledge of nutrition and a passion for using food as medicine is beautifully combined with her training in Western, Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine. 

Brittany is the founder and primary instructor of Thyme Herbal, where she teaches the three-year Herbal Apprenticeship Program, as well as courses in earth-based ritual and spirituality. Brittany's ​teaching and learning approaches emphasize personal empowerment, holistic self-care, and intentional living.

​​"​Being mindful doesn't have to be overwhelming - take one part of your life to improve and focus on that. When you have it down, move on to the next. This all adds up with a little bit more intention in your days." ​​Melissa Monte

What do you do when you're dealt a bad hand in life? How do you decide not to remain a victim but to take control of your destiny? My today's guest will share with us her experiences and ways to loving her mind in the search for health, clarity and success. 

Today I'm speaking with Melissa Monte.  Melissa is one of today’s influential and thought-provoking explorers of the mindset and positive energy.

On her popular, podcast “Mind Love,” she discusses mindset shifts, energy frequencies and modern mindfulness through inspiring stories, interviews and her own experience. I appreciate the diversity of Melissa's interests and intense curiosity.

Melissa’s ability to connect with her audience is largely due to extreme life experiences. At a young age, she was a victim of sexual assault, suffered the loss of a close friend by suicide, lost a parent from lymphoma and suffered from bulimia for close to ten years.  

Today, Melissa is a certified yoga teacher and reiki healer. She’s also certified in Accelerated Free Fall Skydiving and she’s a student of meditation and mindfulness practices.

By the end of this episode, you'll appreciate Melissa's open mind, her love for self-experimentation and improvement of human condition. Her dream is to help others to become their absolute best selves. 

Topics:

1. How Melissa overcame her early youth struggles and became resilient 
2. Why Melissa is obsessed with a superpower we are taught to disbelieve
3. What is the importance of structure in your day, and how someone who is as spontaneous as my guest is convinced that this is her key to success
4. Melissa's favorite resources for mindset shift, rituals and modern mindfulness 
5. Three most unpredictable lessons and topics from Melissa's new podcast 

Resources:

To explore resources shared in this episode, visit the show notes at www.wellnessinsidernetwork.com/46.

​​Thank you for listening!

To share your thoughts and questions:

• Please leave a note in the comment section at www.wellnessinsidernetwork.com/46.
• Join our discussion of this episode and other news and resources at the Wellness Insider Network Facebook group.
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or ​LinkedIn.

To help out the show:

• Please leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play/Google Podcasts or Spotify.

My today's guest to speak with me. Her name is Deb Soule. Deb is an herbalist, gardener, teacher and author.

One of her dreams and desires is to make organic herbs easily accessible to women and families living in rural areas. In the fall of 1985, with her first mail order catalog and a small selection of herbal extracts and teas, Deb launched Avena Botanicals in Windsor, Maine. 

Deb's passion for plants, gardens and healing and her commitment to sharing herbal knowledge with others is central to her work.

​​"​When it comes to buying herbs and other nutrients internationally, you don't have control. You have no idea what somebody did to it. That's why this level of testing is so important." ​​Dr. Rick Liva, ND, RPh

Several weeks ago I introduced you to a friend of mine, Linda Shanahan, who is also a nurse and an herb farmer. One of the lessons from our conversation was understanding better how to evaluate the quality of herbal products on the market. Today, let's take it a step further and understand the quality concerns related to dietary supplements.

To do this, let me introduce to you my today's guest, Dr. Rick Liva. Rick has been joining me for the past 10 years or so to educate my students about the concepts of dietary supplement quality.

A naturopathic physician and registered pharmacist, Dr. Rick Liva, RPh, ND, received his degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Temple University and earned his Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

For the last 30+ years Dr. Rick Liva has been the Managing Director and a Naturopathic Physician at the Connecticut Center for Health, where he oversees clinic staff and manages the naturopathic treatment of patients. In his daily treatment of patients, he combines traditional and alternative practices to cultivate good health and prevent the development of disease.

Dr. Rick Liva is also the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Quality Assurance at Vital Nutrients, an industry-leader in quality nutritional supplements. In this role, he oversees the quality assurance process of each of the firm’s dietary supplement products, developing testing procedures and conducting research, as well as consulting with medical professionals on the use of supplements in everyday care.

Dr. Rick Liva has twice served as president of the Connecticut Society of Naturopathic Physicians and is a member of the Naturopathic Physicians Association.

By the end of this episode, you'll have a much better understanding of how to evaluate your dietary supplements for quality.  

Topics:

1. Dr. Liva's journey to becoming a naturopathic doctor 
2. Why Dr. Liva decided to start a dietary supplement company
3. Understanding basic testing (such as testing on raw materials/identify testing, testing of herbicides, pesticides, aflatoxins, and solvent residues, finished product testing, rancidity markers, PCB's and more) and why knowing company's quality assurance process is crucial before you commit to a supplement line
4. Ways to learn more about products you're thinking of using 
5. Some of Dr. Liva's favorite resources on quality of supplements

Resources:

To explore resources shared in this episode, visit the show notes at www.wellnessinsidernetwork.com/44.

​​Thank you for listening!

To share your thoughts and questions:

• Please leave a note in the comment section at www.wellnessinsidernetwork.com/44.
• Join our discussion of this episode and other news and resources at the Wellness Insider Network Facebook group.
• Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or ​LinkedIn.

To help out the show:

• Please leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play/Google Podcasts or Spotify.

My today's guest is Liat Racin.  Liat is a Massachusetts-based creator of 7 beautiful mushroom blends she graciously shares with friends and family through her company Tamim Teas.

Liat's knowledge and thoughtful approach to putting together her blends inspires her friends to take care of our bodies and minds with these great preparations.