The Strong Sunflowers

As promised, here is part two of the Building to Bloom with the second half of the Redd & Green Podcast. (Go listen to May 3rd's episode with Kristie Greenburg to get caught up) In this episode, Dr. Redding, or Jeff as he encouraged us to call him, shares the stories that made him the Grammy award winning choir director that he is. Believe it or not, Jeff doesn't see the Grammy as a bloom moment. Listen to the full episode to find out why. 

On this weeks episode G & Z talk all about reflection and what stage they are in different aspects of their lives. There will be tears, laughs and of course real and authentic conversations. We encourage others to reflect through the phases in their life, reassess and take Field Notes. 

Happy PRIDE y'all! In this edition of Building to Bloom Chris Chandler shares his very personal and moving coming out story. He discusses how when he had the courage to be his authentic self, it shaped his future growth. Now he lives his life to the fullest with his loving husband Brad and their 3 adorable pups in Austin, TX. He lives every day to be brave and open so he can light the path for others that are navigating life in the dark. You will get chills from head to toe in this episode. *There is an explicit rating because we discuss a hate crime that recently happened and there are some adult themes and language. 

May was Mental Health Awareness month, but mental health is something we deal with everyday. In this bonus Episode we discuss depression and anxiety with Luna, someone who is in the stemming phase of mental health journey and who was brave enough to have an open conversation about her everyday struggles. 

In this episode we interview Zana's grandfather, John R. Halderman. He was aboard the USS Curtiss back in the 1950's. This was a top secret mission that was declassified in 1998. Halderman tested several H-bombs. He shares how this experience changed his life, and even through the trauma, he built friendships that lasted a lifetime. Many of his peers developed cancer or other ailments due to the radiation. Halderman is 1 of 4 survivors. You can also read or learn more about his experience by purchasing his book “Aboard the Ghost Ship Surviving the H-bomb” or watching the PBS special entitled “Secrets of the Dead, the World’s Biggest Bomb. Check out our instagram for links and more information. 

This is a Strong Sunflower Spotlight (Sx3) on Justin, the founder of Agano books, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a crucial step to encouraging reading, specially in BIPOC communities and the underservered. Dive in with us, as we learn how this project came to be, and what seeds were planted years before for this idea to take root. 

Zana invites her grandma Freda and mom, Rhonda, to the show to discuss how mothering has evolved and stayed the same over the last 65 years. Whether working or staying home, married or divorced, it all boils down to making the children feel loved. At the very end of the episode Grandpa Ron makes a guest appearance and graces us with a special musical number. Enjoy!

Gisselle interviews 2 more mothers in our field on how they continue towards their best lives. They discuss how they can be great mamas AND live their passions.  

This episode is about a few mamas in our field, and they have some advice to share. They share a few suggestions from growing along side your children or how to motivate them to clean the house. We hope you can take their best practices and apply them to your own life. From stay at home moms, to full time working moms, we love having them in our field.

In this two part series Kristie and her partner Dr. Jeffery Redding talk about their life stories, from seeding all the way to harvest. In part one Kristie shares how an unexpected death changed her life's course in ways she couldn't have imgined. Through the pain and uncertainity, she was able to find her most authentic self and give her children the space to find themselves.