Planted in Miami

Paul Silitsky was working as the CEO of a tech company in 2008 when he woke up one morning believing he had laryngitis.  Although he got his voice back a few days later it started to disappear  again.  As the days went by and his voice didn’t improve, he sought out help to find out what was going on with him.  It took him 18 months of seeing various doctors to find out he had Spasmodic Dysphonia, a rare neurological disorder that affects the voice muscles in the larynx.

Since he couldn’t and didn’t want to speak much during this time, he found himself with a lot of time on his hands.  That’s when he came across a book by Jon Kabat-Zinn called, Wherever You Go There You Are, which introduced him to the power of meditation and the simplicity of being still.  Since then, he’s dedicated himself to cultivating a strong meditation practice and sharing its many benefits with others by opening Innergy Meditation, the first meditation studio created in South Florida.

Located in Miami Beach, Innergy offers classes for beginner meditators as well as seasoned practitioners.  With more and more evidence being found about the benefits of meditation, there’s no better time to discover your practice and Innergy Meditation can help you get started.

We hope you enjoy the conversation,

Alex and Jeanette

For behind the scenes show notes, photos and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com.

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To many residents in Miami, climate change is personal.  To Zelalem Adefris, climate change is her life's work. Building on her passion for public health and environmental activism, Zelalem moved to Miami a few years ago to become the Climate Resilience Program Manager at Catalyst Miami. Zelalem works to educate residents on the local impacts of climate change, connecting climate change to social justice initiatives and implementing programs that strengthen the resilience  of communities.

It's no secret that South Florida is 'ground zero' for rising sea levels and that many scientists predict major flooding and inhabitable communities within this century if drastic measures aren't taken.

Catalyst Miami has created CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience) to provide the groundwork to bring about change by recruiting educators, leaders and innovators in their own communities and beyond.

Participants will learn how to advocate for policies and practices that strengthen the resiliency of Miami communities, educate residents on basic climate science, threats and solutions as well as expose and challenge how poverty and discrimination make communities vulnerable to climate change.  This free leadership training starts on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and runs 11 weeks.

We're excited to be participating in the training and hope you will join us.

We hope you enjoy the conversation,

Alex & Jeanette

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For behind the scenes show notes, photos, videos and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

When Kathie Klarreich decided to end her decade long career of being a journalist in Haiti, she wanted to dedicate her time to focus on social change by expanding arts programs in prisons. In 2014, Kathie founded Exchange for Change, a program which facilitates anonymous writing exchanges between classrooms in correctional and court-mandated facilities, and classrooms in high schools and universities.   Exchange for Change’s mission is to teach writing in prisons, foster leadership, and promote dialogue across social and institutional barriers. They focus on collaborations that nurture empathy and advocacy and create individual and social change.   The inmates or “inside students” who participate in the program commit to attend class for about two hours every week and the program runs roughly eight to twelve weeks. Courses include memoir writing, poetry, songwriting, trauma writing and more.   Exchange for Change has grown to offer 23 courses in multiple institutions, award more than 400 diplomas for course completion, and feature exhibits of the students’ work. In addition, several of their inside students have won awards and their writing has even been published.   Kathie and her team of dedicated volunteers are stalwart supporters and advocates of the program and we are lucky to have her as part of the fabric of our community.

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For behind the scenes show notes, photos, videos and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

Did you know? The amount of paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons disposed of annually could wrap the equator 300 times! 

Spending summers in a country house on the border of Russia and Finland, Anastasia Mikhalochkina (Anna) grew to appreciate the outdoors and witnessed a direct correlation between the consequences of her actions and its effect on a contained environment. Fast forward to Anastasia taking these lessons and her trainings in product and graphic design to found the local start-up company, Lean Orb which specializes in providing plant-based food service packaging and catering supplies made from agricultural by-products such as fallen palm leaves, sugar cane, and wheat straw.

Anna's entrepreneurial spirit and passion stems from her desire to find sustainable solutions to current environmental issues.  She believes in educating not only the consumer but the buyers as well by guiding them through the process of swapping out traditional forms of packaging to an alternative that is not only stylish and custom, but one that can be composted and kept out of landfills.  Her activism also includes  supporting vendors that treat their employees with respect and offer advancements via education such as the Crescent Educational Society (CREDSO).

Building on her approach of community outreach and engaging local politicians and like-minded organizations, Anna looks forward to finding solutions to eliminating waste and creating more opportunities for composting in Miami.  We expect big things from Lean Orb and Anna and we are excited for you to get to know her better.

We hope you enjoy the conversation,

Alex & Jeanette

For behind the scenes photos, show notes and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

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Inspiration is all around us.  For Mariana Cortez, it was her baby boy, Luke, who was allergic to dairy that inspired her to create dairy/gluten-free, vegan cakes that he could enjoy on his birthdays.  When she got the idea of taking her cakes and making them into mini cupcakes, it set her on a remarkable journey which led her to open Miami's first vegan bakery, Bunnie Cakes, and Miami's first vegan DIY cupcake/cake decorating studio, Bunnie Cakes Studio, to selling her creations at Whole Foods Markets and now being the first vegan cupcake to be offered in Starbucks locations throughout South Florida.

Bunnie Cakes is more than a bakery, it's an experience. When you first walk through the doors you are greeted by an explosion of colors and a display of cupcakes, cookies, brownies, sandwiches, and more that are just as bright and lively.  The walls recount its humble beginnings and hearts are a central theme throughout the store and on the cupcakes.  The love for her family is reflected in photos and you can immediately feel the warmth and sense of belonging when you're there. 

Bunnie Cakes is a story of love, loss, dreams, and having the courage to follow your heart.

We hope you enjoy the conversation,

Alex and Jeanette

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest @plantedinmiami.

For behind the scenes photos, videos, show notes and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

Nine years ago, Art Friedrich along with Melissa Contreras created the Urban Oasis Project, whose mission is to foster a local food movement that's accessible and available to everyone. The way they've achieved this goal is by planting gardens with low-income families, creating several thriving Farmer's Markets throughout South Florida (Upper East Side, Tropical Park, Adrienne Arsht, Bay Harbor) and accepting SNAP benefits at the markets and doubling their value for Florida grown fruits and veggies.

Art believes that farmer's markets are more than just a place to buy food, they are connection hubs that foster community and support local farmers and vendors. The Urban Oasis Project works tirelessly to educate the public on the value of these markets and how they strive to connect people to their food by eating seasonally, protect the environment by sourcing from local farmers, and support economic viability for small businesses.

We hope you enjoy the conversation,

Alex and Jeanette

For behind the scenes photos, show notes and more, visit www.plantedinmiami.com

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter @plantedinmiami

History has blessed us with some dynamic duos over time: Tom and Jerry; Thelma and Louise; Bert and Ernie and now, Andrea Askowitz and Allison Langer.  They are two peas in a pod(cast) and the creators of the immensely entertaining, outrageously raw and honest podcast called, Writing Class Radio where true and personal stories from students in Andrea's writing class are shared and where you can learn to write you own stories.

The duo met years ago after Alison suffered a devastating personal tragedy and enrolled in Andrea's writing class in hopes of navigating through some of the pain she was going through. This serendipitous meeting would be the catalyst to an enduring friendship and collaboration that would change both of their lives as well as the lives of many others brave enough to be honest with themselves.

Writing Class Radio is where "heart meets art" and where the goal of each episode is to make it equally about the craft of writing and the art of storytelling.  We think they nail it each and every time.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alex + Jeanette

For behind the scenes show notes, photos, videos and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

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It's said that necessity is the mother of invention. So if you take invention and mix it with an intelligent, driven and creative individual who understands the harmful effects of poisonous products on our skin, then you get Jacq's, a natural beauty brand founded by Barbara Jacques.

Six years ago, when Barbara was pregnant with her first child, her doctor discovered an ovarian tumor that put her on bedrest with few medical answers.  After deep diving into holistic healing and the importance of self-care and diet, Barbara discovered that what she was using on her skin was just as important.  Turning to her kitchen, using natural and organic ingredients, Barbara birthed a non-toxic skin-care line that's designed to feed and heal the skin.

Today, Barbara and her husband James, have grown Jacq's to offer an array of products designed for all skin tones with the goal of making every woman (and man) look good, feel good and slay naturally.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alex + Jeanette

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube @plantedinmiami

For behind the scenes photos, show notes and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

The activist in Elizabeth Jones peaked it's head out in 8th grade when she presented a research paper on animal testing to her fellow classmates. It wasn't until years later, after becoming vegan and being put on the spot about her activism efforts, did Liz allow her inner activist to come through.  Today, she's a Marine Biologist by day and passionate, bad ass animal protector by night/weekend and everything in between.  A quick visit to her Instagram page will reveal her passion and efforts to educate and bring awareness to not only animal welfare, but also the environment, health and human rights.

We've admired Liz for quite some time and was eager to sit down and learn her story.  It takes incredible strength to stick to your convictions despite constant harassment and ridicule.  Yet, Liz understands her mission is greater than herself and continues each day to fight for the voiceless and marginalized.

This interview is honest, raw and powerful and we don't shy away from asking the questions you may be thinking.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Alex + Jeanette

For behind the scenes photos, show notes and more visit www.plantedinmiami.com

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In South Florida, there are a number of vacant lots ripe for transformation and Asha Loring, founder of Health in the Hood Inc., had an idea of what she could turn them into. Inspired by a project her father, Marvin Dunn, created years ago named Roots in the City, Asha began taking empty lots and converting them into nourishing gardens in food deserts throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County.

Since it’s origin, Health in the Hood Inc. has planted gardens in Liberty City, Opa-Locka, Overtown and Hallandale Beach. These communal gardens have essentially become classrooms and meeting areas where people can learn things such as how to plant food in their backyards, understand complicated nutrition labels as well as the many benefits of exercise. In addition to providing healthy fruits and veggies, Asha’s organization is also responsible for creating jobs which helps keep the gardens running.

Health in the Hood Inc. excels in putting children on the path to healthy futures, giving parents valuable information and creating environments that support healthy choices.

We hope you enjoy the conversation,

Jeanette & Alex

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