Skin | Earth | Vitality

In today’s episode, I’m diving into one of my most requested topics: retinol, Retin-A, retinaldehyde, retinol esters, the whole retinoid family, and how these different forms of vitamin A actually work in the skin.

This episode is the first in a three-part Vitamin A series.

I’m breaking down:

The conventional view of retinoids

The difference between retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters, retinoic acid & Accutane

What vitamin A actually does in the skin (differentiation, turnover, collagen)

Side effects, irritation, contraindications & when not to use retinoids

Why oxidized retinol can cause inflammation

How the formula around vitamin A matters just as much as the vitamin A itself

Why retinoids thin the barrier and disrupt the microbiome

The wild history: the dermatologist who helped bring Retin-A to dermatology is the same doctor who later coined the term corneotherapy

How the medical model shapes the way dermatology thinks about skin

Why the “skin as machine” paradigm creates a very narrow way of treating skin

And the corneotherapeutic + herbalist lens: what happens when we force cell turnover instead of supporting the skin’s natural intelligence

If you want the full picture of retinoids this episode will help you understand exactly what these ingredients do, who they’re right for, and how they affect the skin’s ecology.

✨ Shop herbalist-formulated skincare & self-care — Shop here

🌿 Explore more: blog posts, rituals, and resources at stratumaesthetics.com

In this episode, Emily dives into the heart of herbalism.   What even is herbalism? How is it different from “clean” or “plant-based” skincare, and why do herbalist-formulated products feel so alive?

She shares how her love of plants began at the Denver Botanic Gardens (and the fairy-tree elderberry that started it all), why whole-plant medicine is so much more than supplements or buzzwords, and how herbalism reconnects us to the intelligence of nature.

You’ll hear about:

The roots of herbal medicine and how it became “alternative” in the West

Why whole-plant formulas work differently from isolated actives

Common misconceptions about herbalism

How working with plants brings creativity, confidence, and embodiment back into self-care

What makes herbalist-formulated skincare uniquely potent and gentle

Whether you’re just herbal-curious or already steeping teas and mixing tinctures, this episode will leave you feeling inspired to reconnect with the land, and with your own body.

If this episode resonated, share it with a friend and let Emily know what landed for you.

The Beekeeper’s Apothecary by Kaylee Richardson

Energetic Herbalism by Kat Maier

Herbal Medicine for Beginners by Katia Swift & Rin Madura

Body into Balance by Maria Noël Groves

Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide by Rosemary Gladstar

✨ Shop herbalist-formulated skincare & self-care— Shop here

🌿 Explore more: blog posts, rituals, and resources at stratumaesthetics.com

This episode is for educational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.

In this episode, Emily talks about how her understanding of holistic living has evolved beyond the “natural lifestyle” checklist into a deeper, more textured practice. She shares why true holistic living is less about controlling every variable and more about cooperating with the body’s innate intelligence through rhythm, seasonal awareness, simple rituals, and herbs as allies.

What you’ll hear:

Why “holistic” is a worldview, not an aesthetic or a shopping list

The difference between “natural,” “healthy,” and truly holistic living

A systems-biology lens for everyday choices, without the reductionist trap

How cycles matter: circadian rhythm, seasons, and the flows of a life

Practical ways to make life feel nourishing instead of like a to-do list

Gentle energy management: noticing leaks and restoring vitality

Connect with Emily:

Shop curated goods and favorites: Shop here

Learn and explore: Visit the website

Watch and subscribe: YouTube channel

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If this episode resonated, share it with a friend and let Emily know what landed for you. Next week, she dives into what herbalism really is and how she weaves herbal wisdom into skincare.

In this episode, Emily guides you through one of her favorite seasonal rituals, the Fall Shed.  This is a powerful process of releasing clutter, stagnant energy, and outdated identities in order to create spaciousness for renewal, vitality, and aligned growth as we transition into a new year.

Rather than approaching decluttering as a chore, Emily reframes it as an intentional act of energetic refinement. She explores six key areas that hold energetic weight in our lives:

Physical environment

Digital space

Finances

Social life & relationships

Time & schedule

Health & fitness

Through this practice, Emily discuses how clearing these spaces can restore flow, increase clarity, regulate the nervous system, and invite abundance and creativity back into one’s life. This episode is an invitation to slow down, release what no longer resonates, and prepare the inner and outer landscape for a fresh season of vitality.

Whether you choose to shed in one of these areas or move through all six, this episode will help you reconnect to your own natural rhythms and step into the coming season with a renewed sense of peace, sovereignty, and purpose.

Mentioned In The Episode: 

Banyan Botanicals Article: A Traditional Ayurvedic Cleanse

🌿 Moonday Notes Newsletter – Receive weekly seasonal guidance, skincare wisdom, herbal teachings, and rituals for aligned living: Newsletter Sign Up 

🌿 YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/

What really happens when you step away from social media: mentally, emotionally, and as a business owner?

In this candid episode, I share my field notes from three weeks off Instagram: the unexpected grief, newfound peace, surprising business clarity, and the stories I didn’t know I was living inside of.

This is an honest exploration of identity, self-worth, and whether our nervous systems and businesses can thrive outside of the algorithm.

We explore:

The false sense of self-importance created by constant visibility

How algorithmic bubbles shape our worldview (without us realizing it)

The difference between being seen and being watched

The story I told myself about not being able to run a business without Instagram, and what actually happened when I stepped away

What begins to flourish when we stop performing and start living again

Whether you’re social-media-free-curious, deeply burnt out, or simply rethinking how you want to be visible in the world, this episode will speak to that longing for a slower, more sovereign, more embodied way of doing life and business.

✨ Website:

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This week, Emily shares her Fall Self-Care & Wellness Bucket List. This is a cozy, grounding lineup of ideas designed to help you feel nourished, rooted, and more at home in your body as the season shifts.

If you’ve been feeling dry, scattered, or craving warmth, this episode is for you.

From breath work and warming foods to herbal cold-season prep and evening routines, you’ll learn how to align your self-care with the rhythms of fall: the season of lungs, letting go, and renewal.

Grab a cup of tea and your notebook; this one’s full of inspiration.

Fall Face Massage Workshop — now open for enrollment

Fire Cider Recipe Blog

Pavoni Tri-Dosha Abhyanga Oil

Raw Silk Garshana Gloves

✨ Website → stratumaesthetics.com

🛍️ Shop the Apothecary → stratumaesthetics.com/collections/all

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In this episode, Emily explores wrinkles through a vitalist lens... seeing them not as flaws to fix, but as messages from a living, intelligent body. She unpacks how aging became something we fear, how modern culture taught us to see our faces as broken parts, and what it means to come home to vitality instead of perfection.

You’ll hear about:

Emily’s own shift from “fix it” thinking to reverence for the aging face

Why modalities like facial massage, cupping, and face taping aren’t “natural Botox,” instead, they’re the antidote to stagnation

The 3 types of wrinkles: dehydration, dynamic, and static

How modern beauty ideals grew out of industrial, mechanical views of the body

What energetics really means (hint: it’s not vibes, it’s qualities)

The five core patterns that can show up in the skin as wrinkles: dryness, tension, stagnation, heat, and depletion.. and how to restore balance in each

Through herbal wisdom, lifestyle practices, and a vitalist approach, you’ll learn how to listen to what your skin is saying instead of waging war against it.

Emily’s next Live Facial Massage Workshop begins November 17th, with tickets opening October 13th. Six weeks of live community practice centered around facial massage, gua sha, cupping, and intra-oral work. Join the waitlist HERE

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Flora x Face Substack Publication

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In this episode, I explore the idea that beauty is sacred: not something to pathologize, fix, or commodify. We’ll talk about how cultural grooves train us to see flaws instead of presence, why fix-it culture is actually a desecration of the holy, and how we can begin to shift into reverence instead of panic.

This episode is the foundation for next week, where I’ll share practical, sacred ways to tend to wrinkles with love instead of fear.

Mentioned in the episode: 

Nephrite Pro Gua Sha Stone

Connect with me further: 

📆 Sign up for the waitlist for my face massage workshop, sale of the workshop will open Monday October 13, 2025. 

💌 Join my email list: Sign up here to get weekly updates and insights from my newsletter: Moonday Notes 🌘 

✨ Thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends on Instagram—it means the world to me! If you loved today’s episode, please leave a 5-star review so more people can find this work.

This week, we’re exploring how autumn invites us to tend to ourselves in deeper, more nourishing ways. In a world where beauty is often defined by surface fixes and staying forever young, this episode redefines beauty as harmony with nature and vitality from within.

We’ll look at what it means to live in rhythm with the seasons, why this matters for your skin, and how practices drawn from Ayurveda and Western herbalism can help you build reserves of vitality: what’s called ojas in Ayurveda and jing in Chinese medicine. Autumn (Vata season) brings airy, dry, restless energy, and I’ll share grounding foods, rituals, and self-care practices to stabilize and resource yourself.

This isn’t a checklist.  Instead, take what feels delicious and leave the rest.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

My favorite raw silk garshana gloves

Abhyanga oil available in my shop

Connect with me further: 

📆 Sign up for the waitlist for my face massage workshop

💌 Join my email list: Sign up here to get weekly updates and insights from my newsletter: Moonday Notes 🌘 

✨ Thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends on Instagram—it means the world to me! If you loved today’s episode, please leave a 5-star review so more people can find this work.

In this midweek bonus episode, Emily speaks  about emotional, energetic, and cognitive sovereignty in a time of chaos. In the wake of violent, uncensored media flooding our social feeds, she explores what it means to protect your mind, body, and spirit from the collective swirl of fear. Why doing so is more than self-care: it’s soul care.

We talk about:

Why witnessing horror without consent is traumatizing, and how to step out of the outrage loop

The difference between tribal thinking and true discernment

Reclaiming your attention, ritual, and nervous system as daily forms of sacred resistance

The energetic cost of constant consumption, and what happens when we unplug

Why tending to your temple is a way of keeping humanity intact in a dehumanizing world

What it means to create new timelines instead of feeding existing fear loops

How to choose creation over collapse : without bypassing real grief or shadow

Herbs, nervous system practices, and grounding routines to bring you back to earth

✨ Plus:

Emily’s nighttime rituals for energetic protection

The herbal nervines she reaches for in chaotic times

A recommendation for the book Humankind: A Hopeful History

Why she’s obsessed with Yoga Nidra and how it changed her relationship with fear

Cal Newport podcast episode on Better Thinking 

Allie Boothroyd’s Yoga Nidra on YouTube

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

Herbs: Passionflower, Milky Oat Seed, Chamomile, Tulsi, Lemon Balm, Hops, Catnip

Shop curated skincare & herbal goods → stratumaesthetics.com

Instagram → @stratumaesthetics

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