The Home Practice

This week’s episode is a continuation of last week’s conversation all about the important and complex topic of mental health. If you missed it, I recommend taking a listen before you sit down with this one, so you’ll have more context of where I’m coming from and what points were already made.

Last week was more of an overview of the mental health issue and what we as a community can do about it. And in this week's Part 2, I dig into more of the nitty gritty of how you can tend to your own mental health needs with my top tips and things to keep in mind as you brave your own wilderness.

My personal self care journey began shortly after I was diagnosed with depression in my teens. And my path to heal and maintain that part of myself is the substance the powers what I bring to the world, including through my work and through this very podcast.

The subject of mental health is so near and dear to my heart that honestly, I'm a bit nervous to talk about it in this format. But with all that is going on, with so many people out there that suffer alone or don’t know how to help, I feel like it would be a disservice to keep sitting on the sidelines in this arena. 

So, I’m going to be taking the next two episodes to talk about the timely and timeless topic of mental health, my personal journey with it, the stigma around it, how you can really help others, and how you can use self care to help yourself.

This episode (part 1) is all about the issue at large and how we as a collective community can help each other. The following episode (part 2) will cover simple self care practices specific for mental health, including thoughts on using or not using medication, how to tune in when you fear what you might hear, the concept of a good day and bad day routine and more.

In a world where we’ve become all about the likes and the followers and the curated feeds and all of that, it’s hard to know if we are really connecting with each other online. And if we are, it's hard to tell if that connection is feeding our deep need to connect or feeding our addiction to escape and compare. 

A leading force for good is writer and photographer Lily Diamond. Lily is the author of Kale and Caramel: Recipies for the Body, Heart, and Table. But she has also started quite the movement on social media with the hashtag #honestinsta. 

Take a listen as we discuss how to be honest on social media and why it’s so important, being the space holder of a movement, vulnerability and how to reach out in a way that is proactive instead of destructive, the importance of being a witness for each other, the joy of keeping it simple when it comes to self care, and the power of mental sanitation.

As much as we dream of long summer nights, weekend adventures, times to chill out and relax, Summer can oftentimes feel chaotic and stressful and just the opposite of what you want it to be.

In this episodes, I share my top three simple summer practices to keep in mind to help us slow down in some ways, perk up in some ways, and overall savor this time of the year.

The wonderfully inspiriting Ruth Allen from Whitepeak Wellbeing chats with me about her experience with the outdoors and her outdoor therapy practice in the UK.

As an indoor and outdoor counselor and coach, and as an outdoor enthusiast herself, Ruth shares her wisdom on how to chill out to hear your inner voice, how to use nature to be more playful, the importance of silence, how to bring the outdoors in, balancing nature and technology, and how to honor and listen to the enticing call of the outside world.

www.whitepeakwellbeing.com

Insta: @whitepeak_ruth

Kym Ventola is not only an amazing life and business coach, community garden manager, and wife and mama, but she is the founder of NINE Retreat, a community dedicated to empowering women through connection, wellness, adventure, and wisdom.

In this episode, Kym shares her own journey of need to carve her own path when it came to self care and caring for her family and community. We also chat about the perks of taking social media breaks, setting healthy boundaries in everyday life, making the time for your passions, the joy of hitting rock bottom, living with less waste and a simpler lifestyle, and the power of gathering in a judgement free community.

It is a jam-packed, delightful conversation that I know you will get a lot out of.

www.kymventola.com

www.nineretreat.com

Springtime is a season of change. Of transformation and reevaluation. On this episode, I share with you a personal example of a recent change I made due to a much needed reevaluation of how I was operating. Spoiler: It involves this very podcast.

Take a listen to hear how it's ok to let go of the things that no longer work in our lives and what life tweak I made to bring you this week's episode.

In honor of Earth Day, I take you with me on my recent trip one of the coolest places on earth, Joshua Tree National Park with my friend, adventure and plant loving buddy, and past podcast guest Kristen Runvik.

There are many things that can fall under the self care umbrella, and I talk a lot about the day to day simple and practical things we can do to bring self care into every moment. But it is also important to think about the bigger picture ways of practicing self care.

And to me, this is travel, exploring, and getting out in nature for extended periods of time.

Join Kristen and me as we recount our trip and share what we learned, and we even take you on a special plant hike with a local guide.

Hopefully this episode can inspire some adventures of your own and remind you that the world, the earth, even the plants blooming outside your window, are there waiting for you.

After my brief hiatus, we are back, and I am just giddy to bring you a conversation I had with the lovely Melissa Coleman from the beloved blog the Faux Martha.

Her new book The Minimalist Kitchen just hit the stands a few days ago, and I got to chat with her not only about her book and simplifying the kitchen, but also some beginner steps for bringing minimalism into your life, how gathering around the table can bring healing, Melissa’s favorite self care rituals, and more.

In the spirit of Springtime, a time for dusting off the Winter and making space for a new season, I will be taking a break from this podcast until April 15th.

In this podcast update, I explain the motivation behind my mini-break and invite you to do you own version of it.