June 12, 2025: Beads of sweat are forming on my lower back as I haul my bags through the streets of Chicago and off to an unexpected new destination.

In this episode, I stumble my way through another transition, hop on a plane, have a surprising cup of coffee, and cross a footbridge into the next chapter of The Hummingbird Chronicles.

So, do you wanna get out of here? Press play to come along for the ride!

How can we avoid burning out in times that never slow down or give us a break from the *unprecedented* events?

How can we use beauty as a remedy in a society that expects us to operate like robots?

This week, I had a chat about this with Liz Hackney. For the last six months, Liz and I have worked together on a media project for the Hub, a beautiful natural building and gathering place located in Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage.

In this episode, I share about how the pandemic was the interrupter I needed to restructure my entire life. Then, I have a chat with Liz about her experience with burnout, how she built a bridge from her old life to her current one, and how we both have changed the way we think about work.

More on Burnout and Beauty

🔥 Liz Hackney is always creating and sharing beautiful things over at the Hub.

🔥 Anna Rose is leading a Burnout Rebellion right here on Substack.

🔥 Trisha Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, believes that Rest is Resistance.

Some creators know exactly who they are and what they want to create from the beginning of their journey. But what about the rest of us poor creatives? What about those of us who can’t choose one thing because we have many different interests?

What about the hummingbirds?

I recently had a chat about this and many other divergent topics related to creativity with Alex Tuccitto. English teacher by day, freestyler by night, she is a wordsmith- and one of my favorite people to hang out with when I visit Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage.

You’re invited to join us for a fun chat over a bottle of wine and a couple bowls of her homemade mac and cheese.

More Creativity and Cross-Pollination:

✏️The full creativity conversation between Austin Kleon and Lewis Howes

✏️ Liz Gilbert explaining the difference between a jackhammer and a hummingbird

✏️ Alex and Arune are fun and free women in their YouTube series Uneven Lanes

When you find yourself walking through a dark time, artists are the ones who will light your way through. We need those sensitive souls who protect the spark of creativity in themselves and use it to warm up their communities.

So, why do so many artists find themselves isolated, struggling, and barely scraping by?

This week, I spent a few days with a little community in Hyde Park. The Fireplace is a sanctuary that values activism, artists, and spiritual seekers.

In this episode, I have a cup of tea with Abby, a resident of the community, and share an ode to artists.

📍The Fireplace

More art, activism, and community care

🔥 The Fireplace is looking for new residents and connections! Visit their website to learn more or contact them to attend a community dinner on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

🔥 To hear more from Abby Rampone, check out her brand new Substack, Love in Community.

🔥 Watch The Greatest Night in Pop to see the making of “We are the World.”

🔥 Harry Belafonte’s thoughts on art and activism.

This episode of the podcast is really just me trying to make some sense of the strange way I’ve been living for the last few years. As an in betweener, I spend my time fluttering between wildly different worlds.

So, here’s a taste of what life is like as a hummingbird.

📍 Rutledge, Missouri

Learn more about…

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

The Hub Collective

Sandwiched between an XTREME Sports Center and a Car Repair shop is an unlikely haven where women can do anything they want (or nothing at all).

In this episode, I share some thoughts on sanctuaries and have a cup of tea with Janet Giangrasse, the woman who carved a sanctuary right into a city block in Chicago.

To learn more about Anne’s Haven or support this sanctuary, visit their website or stop in on Saturday mornings and do nothing with Paula!

How do you return to your community after you've made a mistake?

What about after making a big mistake, one that lands you in prison?

Do you live with that label forever? Do you ever get to take it off?

In this episode, I flutter to Wheaton, Illinois and have a cup of coffee with Pete Leonard. He is a man who cross-pollinated his love of coffee, his technology skills, and his belief in second chances into one business model.

To learn more about I Have a Bean, check out their website!

“Hi, you are currently being recorded.”

In this first audio episode of The Hummingbird Chronicles, Ms. Tik explores the concept of The Honors System.

She flutters from a neighborhood in Chicago to an ecovillage in Missouri and finally to a food forest in Seattle to answer the question:

How do we rebuild trust in our neighbors when we have been conditioned to fear them?