This Plus That

As a college athlete, Carrie (she/her) suffered chronic joint pain and insomnia. After her first child was born, she developed gut inflammation and adrenal fatigue. Armed with a BS in Biology, a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition, and multiple certifications, Carrie sought the root cause of her failing health, ultimately finding circadian and quantum biology, which she has discovered is foundational to health and healing. Carrie currently sees clients in her private online practice. She also teaches courses in applied quantum biology as a faculty member for the Quantum Biology Collective, as an instructor at Kalamazoo College, and via her online course platform.

In this episode, on the intersections of Humans + Photosynthesis, here are a few of the major things we cover:

How the water in our bodies is structured into a liquid crystal.

How that liquid crystal gets charged like a battery by the sun.

The fact that humans do photosynthesize.

How modern technology and indoor living drain our body’s battery.

The cascade of events that happen in our bodies via sunlight.

Why our bodies are like radios, constantly picking up vibrational data.

The quantum and biological legitimacy of manifesting.

How the water in our body remembers past trauma.

Carrie’s take on cancer, including cells being “out of tune.”

And, why you should ditch your sunglasses.

Listeners can find Carrie online, at:Her WebsiteHer Quantum Foundations CourseInstagramYouTube

Those who might be interested in taking a deeper dive can also become certified in Carrie’s six-week course, which is the world’s first-ever Quantum Circadian Certification.

In this bonus episode of the show, hear Brandi in conversation with Kate Kavanaugh on the Ground Work Podcast. As Kate describes of the interview —

"This episode is a long-form podcast between two people that don’t know how to be bite-sized. Often discussed through the lens of paradox where paradox is the answer and not the problem, and pleasure is found in the pursuit of all the questions. In it, Brandi discusses finding purpose in her life as a generalist for whom curiosity is always burning. We talk about aliveness as a North Star for purpose in that, according to Brandi, “Whatever wakes up aliveness is your purpose.” We talk about connection—both connecting disparate ideas and also what happens when we become disconnected and it manifests as illness in our bodies, divisiveness in our culture, and breakdowns in our ecology. Brandi shares about the role of religion in her life and her exploration of the intentional split between matter and the sacred, and how she is reintegrating them. We explore the idea of ‘living in the gift’ and how we can share our gifts with the world and how we can receive the gifts of others."

We also talk about:– The intersection of eroticism + aliveness– Learning to stop cutting off pieces of yourself to belong– Holding complexity– Finding purpose in illness

Find Kate and other Ground Work things here:Listen to the Ground Work PodcastKate's Instagram

Get more This Plus That: Sign up for the newsletter.Join Ecotone, a community of belonging in our holy un-belonging.Get 1:1 creative consulting with Brandi. Follow along on Twitter: @thisplusthatpod Follow along on Instagram: @thisplusthatpod Check out the Website: thisplusthat.com

Kate Kavanaugh (she/her) is trying to figure out what it means to lay the groundwork. For herself, for human health and ecosystem health alike, for farmers, for the next generation, and beyond. After many years as a vegetarian, Kate’s health began to decline precipitously. She turned to meat for answers and found an entire world of curiosity before her. She noticed that through holistic management, farmers were working to restore ecosystems and grasslands with the help of ruminants. This seemed intimately connected to her own health journey and—curious to help restore the Western grasslands she called home through regeneratively raised meat—she opened a whole-animal butcher shop, Western Daughters, with her now-husband in 2013.

Blending her knowledge of regenerative agriculture, nutrition, anthropology, health, and biology, Kate is now in the midst of yet another life change spurred on by meat. She moved to a farm where she grows almost all of her own food, lives with the rhythms of nature, and explores the question of what it means to lay the groundwork through her podcast—the Ground Work Podcast. When she’s not exploring the intersections of human and ecosystem health, you can find her playing with goats in the sunshine.

In this episode, on the intersections of Meat + Health, we talk about:

[08:02] The paradox of life and death: they can coexist together and one is required for the other.

[22:39] The brilliant thing about ecology is that we are attracted to things that are more beautiful and taste better.

[47:21] The difference between Kate’s view on agriculture and conventional agriculture. 

[57:29] Why contradiction doesn’t exist in the universe. 

[01:21:45] Life thrives in edge zones within an ecosystem. 

[01:30:48] Is the reason why so many people have health issues that we’ve replaced fat with sugar? 

[01:37:04] Kate and I both like complexity and nuance, which sometimes makes us exhausted people. 

[01:50:03] Death is not bad in nature. It strengthens the soil and our bodies. It’s all part of a bigger ecosystem.  

[01:55:51] Why Kate’s community and her new podcast, Ground Work, fill her up.

Prefer to see this conversation instead? Watch the full episode on YouTube. You can also find more on our conversation and links to everything we discussed by checking out this episode’s show notes.Listeners can find Kate online, at:

Ground Work PodcastGround Work CollectiveWestern Daughters

Kate Kavanaugh (she/her) is trying to figure out what it means to lay the groundwork. For herself, for human health and ecosystem health alike, for farmers, for the next generation, and beyond. After many years as a vegetarian, Kate’s health began to decline precipitously. She turned to meat for answers and found an entire world of curiosity before her. She noticed that through holistic management, farmers were working to restore ecosystems and grasslands with the help of ruminants. This seemed intimately connected to her own health journey and—curious to help restore the Western grasslands she called home through regeneratively raised meat—she opened a whole-animal butcher shop, Western Daughters, with her now-husband in 2013.

Blending her knowledge of regenerative agriculture, nutrition, anthropology, health, and biology, Kate is now in the midst of yet another life change spurred on by meat. She moved to a farm where she grows almost all of her own food, lives with the rhythms of nature, and explores the question of what it means to lay the groundwork through her podcast—the Ground Work Podcast. When she’s not exploring the intersections of human and ecosystem health, you can find her playing with goats in the sunshine.

In this episode, on the intersections of Rest + Work, we talk about:

[08:45] Too much healing becoming too much of a good thing.

[19:31] Spiritual and mental journeys often being a mirror for your physical journey.

[19:43] The earth is a mirror of our individual pain and vice versa.

[20:11] Allowing healing to sometimes be passive—letting it happen rather than making it happen.

[22:11] Reclaiming your self-sovereignty when you’ve been outsourcing your healing to others.

[31:00] Healing as a birthright—nature *wants* to heal, and humans are part of nature.

[38:16] Our dental journeys, include dental cavitations, airway work, and sleep issues.

and so much more.

Prefer to see this conversation instead? Watch the full episode on YouTube. You can also find more on our conversation and links to everything we discussed by checking out this episode’s show notes.Listeners can find Kate online, at:

Ground Work PodcastGround Work Collective

Jessie Susannah Karnatz (she/her) aka the Money Witch, brings capitalism-critical, shame-free education to healers, hustlers, and creatives in order to catalyze change in their financial lives. She believes healing our finances will bring blessing to our lives, our lineages, and our communities. She offers education, Money Magic products, and Intuitive Financial Coaching online and in the Bay Area (unceded Ohlone land) and does it all with impeccable business lady style.

In this episode, on the intersections of Money + Magic, we talk about:

[06:53] “Healing your finances”

[16:34] The dynamic relationship between abundance and scarcity.

[22:18] Culture tells us that it’s better to be safe doing the work you don’t like than pursuing what you really like.

[23:03] Why following the formula of each generation and compliance doesn’t necessarily give you success.

[32:29] Taking ownership and responsibility of your finances.

[36:03] Addressing intimacy in your relationship with money.

[44:16] Money is not just material, it is also spiritual.

[52:59] Be aligned with aliveness, align your relationships, and align with your spiritual truth.

[01:02:40] What money magic feels like for Jessie.

Prefer to see this conversation instead? Watch the full episode on Youtube. You can also find more on our conversation and links to everything we discussed by checking out this episode’s show notes.

Listeners can follow and support Jessie at her:

WebsiteFacebookInstagram

Support This Plus That:Send Brandi a One-Time TipBecome a Monthly Supporter

Get more This Plus That:Sign up for the newsletter.Follow along on Twitter: @thisplusthatpodFollow along on Instagram: @thisplusthatpodCheck out the Website:

Emily McIlroy (she/her) was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma with her twin brother Ross. She received her BA in Studio Art from the University of Arizona in 2005, and her MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2011. She served many years as an instructor and an art educator for the Honolulu Museum of Art School, and the Hawaii State Art Museum and currently teaches in the drawing and painting program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 

When she's not teaching or in her studio, Emily enjoys reading, writing and walking, and swimming her way through various terrestrial and aquatic wildernesses. She lives and works in Honolulu in Pālolo Valley with her very vocal Siamese cat.

In this episode, on the intersections of Painting + Prayer, we talk about:

[06:10] Brandi and Emily’s early struggles in Christianity and religion and where they’ve come to now.

[18:51] How choosing one discipline or tradition, like a religion, doesn’t have to mean that all the others aren’t true. In fact, it might enliven all of the other traditions even more.

[25:27] The value of committing yourself to a particular tradition and sneaky ways we individually and culturally avoid intimacy.

[37:27] Emily’s “Promises” blog.

[47:24] Strengthening the “host” instead of attacking the “invader”—a different way to think of “health.”

[55:22] The visceral nature of grief and joy.

[56:32] Eve’s greatest sin wasn’t eating the apple, it was choosing the knowledge of “good” and “evil”—a dualism.

[1:05:03] Meditation as a path to finding alignment.

Prefer to see this conversation instead? Watch the full episode on Youtube. You can also find more on our conversation and links to everything we discussed by checking out this episode’s show notes.

Listeners can follow and support Emily at her:WebsiteFacebookInstagram

Support This Plus That:Send Brandi a One-Time TipBecome a Monthly Supporter

Get more This Plus That:Sign up for the newsletter.Follow along on Twitter: @thisplusthatpodFollow along on Instagram:

Emily McIlroy (she/her) was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma with her twin brother Ross. She received her BA in Studio Art from the University of Arizona in 2005, and her MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2011. She served many years as an instructor and an art educator for the Honolulu Museum of Art School, and the Hawaii State Art Museum and currently teaches in the drawing and painting program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. 

When she's not teaching or in her studio, Emily enjoys reading, writing and walking, and swimming her way through various terrestrial and aquatic wildernesses. She lives and works in Honolulu in Pālolo Valley with her very vocal Siamese cat.

In this episode, on the intersections of Painting + Prayer, we talk about:

[11:13] How Emily and I came to know each other. [11:45] Emily talks about her body of work, The Lilies, as prayers. [26:28] Art as the whetstone of consciousness. [31:59] Paradox as a feature of the human mind. [38:35] Emily's story of losing her twin brother and how it’s shaped her life and work. [42:36] Where the title for Emily’s “Lilies” exhibit comes from. [45:31] Questions like “Who am I?” and “What’s my purpose” as invitations to prayer. [56:46] Thinking of death as a dimension beyond our current perception. [1:01:23] Life and death as part of the same continuum. [

Just a quick update for you all in this episode, in terms of this moment of transition and what comes next for the podcast, my writing, and building more community with you.

Here’s what I cover:

This moment of transition.

What to expect soon with the newsletter.

Getting some better production quality set up for video and beginning to create more video content.

Exciting news about hiring a new podcast production team.

Thoughts about expanding beyond the newsletter and podcast.

Asking what you’d like to see and how you’d be most excited to support this work so we can build more of a community and so that I can build toward financial sustainability.

Gratitude for your being here :)

If you’d prefer to read the entire update instead, you can do so here.

Support This Plus That:Send Brandi a One-Time TipBecome a Monthly Supporter

Get more This Plus That: Sign up for the newsletter. Follow along on Twitter: @thisplusthatpod Follow along on Instagram: @thisplusthatpod Check out the Website: thisplusthat.com

Thanks to Joshua LaBure for mixing the audio on this episode. You’re a saint.

Brenton Zola (he/him) uses the power of words to cultivate humanity. He is a writer, thinker, and multi-disciplinary artist. Informed by an upbringing from Congolese immigrants and travel to over 60 nations, his writing and creative work blend narrative, philosophy, and history to examine how we build ethical societies. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, LA Times, Inc., American Theater, Boulevard Magazine, Prism, and on NPR member-station WBUR Boston and PBS, among others. His professional journey started with living at a meditation and martial arts school in Asia, which led to work through social impact and the arts. Brenton has been an artist-in-residence at theaters and collectives worldwide and serves as a curator for the Tilt West Journal. He is a Moth story slam champion, a proud member of Playback Theatre West & Storytellers Acapella, and a TEDx speaker and organizer at one of the world’s largest events. He believes truth can be found at the intersection of disciplines and stories.

In this episode, Brenton and Brandi talk about the intersections of Freestyle (Rap) + Philosophy, including:

The tension between “intelligence” and “creativity.”

His mom’s love of Tupac, where his love of rap began.

How he defines “philosophy.”

What philosophy brings to the table that science doesn’t.

Rap as resistance and a demand for equality.

What Brenton calls “smashing atoms” and why he loves it.

A story about his time in speech and debate, a kind of freestyle performance, and his first early foray into mixing disciplines together.

How the Greek “stoa” was the ancient version of the modern rap cipher.

Freestyle and philosophy as a practice of spotting patterns and making interesting connections.

The value of a public forum for debating ideas, and how rap still practices this tradition.

Brenton’s current favorite “atom smashers,” rappers, and all-time favorite philosophers.

And, a closing freestyle rap!

Listeners can find Brenton online, at brentonzola.com, as well as on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Ashley Jane Lewis (she/her) is a new media artist with a focus on Afrofuturism, bio-art, social justice, and speculative design.

Her artistic practice explores black cultures of the past, present, and future through computational and analog mediums, including coding and machine learning, data weaving, microorganisms, and live performance. Listed in the Top 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada, her award-winning work on empowered futures for marginalized groups has exhibited in both Canada and the U.S., most notably featured on the White House website during the Obama presidency. Her practice is tied to science and actively incorporates living organisms like slime mold and food cultures (kombucha and sourdough starters) to explore ways of decentralizing humans and imagining collective, multi-species survival. Ashley is currently an Artist in Residence at CultureHub NYC as well as part of the Culture Futures Track in the NEW INC year 7 cohort, an art, design, and technology incubator run within the New Museum.

In this episode, Ashley and Brandi talk about the intersections of Slime Mold + Social Justice, including:

Afro-futurism, bio-art, social justice, and speculative design.

The tensions between art and science, especially as a Black woman.

How Ashley got into sourdough, sci-fi, and slime mold.

What slime mold has to do with Black popular culture.

What it teaches us about gender, mutual aid, and immigration.

De-centering humans in imagining the future.

Using AI as a science fiction tool to predict a future imagined by BIPOC folks.

Plus, a ton of other things related to food, fermentation, our ancestors, passing information generationally through time, writing as a prophetic tool, and geeky things that Ashley and I both love.

Listeners can find Ashley online at ashleyjanelewis.com, as well as Instagram and Twitter.

Get more This Plus That: Sign up for the newsletter. Check out this episode's show notes. Follow along on Twitter: @thisplusthatpod Follow along on Instagram: @thisplusthatpod Check out the Website: thisplusthat.com

Music: The in-house musicians at Slip.stream Audio Engineering: Joshua LaBure