From Nature to Nurture

Welcome to the first episode of 2026 This isn't your typical New Year’s push. Instead of resolutions and rigid goals, I’m inviting you into a softer, slower start, one that honors the depth of winter and your natural rhythms.In this episode, we explore:Why winter isn’t the season to rush into productivityThe power of rooted rituals over resolutionsHow tending to your future self can be gentle and sustainableHerbs that support clarity, presence, devotion, and intuitive guidance — like rosemary, Tulsi, rose, and mugwortWays to reframe everyday habits into nurturing ritualsWe’re shifting from "doing more" to deepening what’s already there.Grab a cup of tea, settle in, and let’s welcome this new year with presence and purpose.**Reflection prompt: What are you saying yes to in 2026 that your present self can begin tending to today?

In this grounding conversation, I sit down with Jennifer Maklan, a massage therapist and Ayurvedic practitioner, to explore the beautiful tradition of Ayurveda as a sacred path of wisdom and healing.Together, we talk about the rhythms of Ayurveda, seasonal care, and how tuning into the body’s natural cycles can help us live with more balance, awareness, and ease. Jennifer shares how her work integrates this ancient system into our modern world, from daily rituals like self-massage (abhyanga) to regulating your digestion with food combinations.This episode is an invitation to slow down, soften into your senses, and remember that the body itself is nature: wise, cyclical, and capable of profound restoration.Tune in to feel nourished, grounded, and inspired to care for yourself in deeper, more intentional ways.Learn more about Jennifer at:www.PerimenopauseMassageAyurveda.comBio:Jennifer Maklan, LMT, Ayurvedic Practitioner helps women experiencing perimenopause, menopause, and aging, with joint pain, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and moodiness. Her unique educational background is steeped in ancient wellness methods as they are practiced in India today. Jennifer educates clients with Ayurvedic consultations. She provides massage, body therapies, and cleanses, to balance the body and mind. She sees clients in downtown Chattanooga, TN as well as online.

In this episode of From Nature to Nurture, we sink into the grounding world of root medicine, the slow, earthy, deeply nourishing herbs that hold us through the coldest and quietest months of the year.Together, we explore the energetics of roots: what it means for plants to store their strength underground, how this medicine translates into grounding and resilience for our own bodies, and the subtle emotional teachings these beings offer when the world around us grows dim and still.You’ll meet four of my favorite winter roots (Burdock, Ginger, Licorice, and Ashwagandha), each with its own personality, purpose, and place in seasonal care. We’ll talk about simple, accessible ways to work with them through decoctions, syrups, broths, and small herbal rituals that bring warmth and steadiness back into your days.This is a cozy, practical, and deeply rooted conversation about tending yourself from the inside out, listening to winter’s call to slow down, and letting the plants guide you back into rhythm.

In this episode of From Nature to Nurture, we explore the quiet wisdom of winter. As the days shorten and the light softens, nature invites us to move differently. We will explore how to build a rhythm that honors the quiet power of winter, a season meant not for hustling, but for reassessing, rooting, and restoring. You’ll hear reflections on following the natural cycles, creating daily rhythms that honor the dark and cold, and weaving grounding rituals through herbs and food as medicine. This conversation is an invitation to soften into the slower pace of the season and remember that winter’s stillness is its own kind of growth.Listen in, brew a cup of tea, and let this episode be your permission slip to rest, realign, and re-root.

In this heart-opening conversation, I sit down with Nico Lebreux, a community herbalist and owner of Wild Heart Herb House, to explore the soul of inclusive herbalism and community care. Together, we dive into the magic of creating spaces where everyone is welcome to learn, grow, and heal, without expectation or judgment. Nico shares how their apothecary bloomed into a sanctuary for self-care and collective healing, along with some of their favorite herbs, rituals, and grounding practices for everyday life. This episode is a love letter to the plant world, intuition, and the power of community connection.Tune in to feel inspired, grounded, and reminded that herbalism is for everyone.Links to Learn More About Nicohttps://wildheartherbhouse.com/https://www.instagram.com/wild.heart.herb.house/Bio:Nico Lebreux (she/they) is a queer neurodivergent community herbalist, self care advocate, and herbal apothecary owner who operates Wild Heart Herb House in New Bedford, Massachusetts on unceeded territory of the Wampanoag Nation. Introducing others to herbalism and sharing how plants can benefit your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health is their passion. In Nico’s offerings there are no expectations and no judgments. She holds space for her students to strengthen their intuition, commune with the earth, and connect with source energy whatever that looks like and feels like for them.

In this episode of From Nature to Nurture, we journey into the rich folklore, rituals, and symbolic magic of Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil, a plant revered across generations as a living goddess, a purifier of space and spirit, and a guardian of the sacred.You’ll hear origin stories of transformation and devotion, explore the energetic essence of Tulsi as heart medicine, and discover the ways this plant has been worked with to bless homes and connect with the divine. From ancient scriptures to living ritual, Tulsi continues to be a beloved plant teacher, and in this conversation, you’ll feel why.Whether you’re familiar with her gifts or just meeting Tulsi for the first time, this episode is a gentle portal into her world.Here is an example of a Tulsi Aarti song.

In this laid-back, tea-sipping episode, I chat with the lovely Liz Vermillion, a fellow herbalist whose deep love for plants shows up in every foraged blend and garden-grown potion she creates. You might know her from Willow & Sage or The Botanical Anthology, but today, you’ll get to hear her unfiltered, plant-nerding side.We meander through her herbal journey, swap stories about wildcrafting, and dive into the earthy joy of mushrooms, recipe-making, and letting the seasons lead the way. It's less of an interview, more of a soul-aligned catch-up between two plant people who could talk herbs for hours.Perfect for anyone who loves hearing how other herbalists live, create, and stay inspired, especially if you like your learning with a side of laughter and real talk.Bio:Liz is a passionate herbalist and forager who has studied through the Herbal Academy and California School of Herbal Studies. She began foraging and learning about herbalism, becoming self-taught, in 2022. This led her to create Liz’s Cottage, the whimsical cottage where things are created using the ingredients from her foraging basket and garden. You can find her wares on www.lizscottage.com and follow her at https://www.instagram.com/liz.vermillionaire.

What if the old stories carried more than just myth? In this episode, we explore how folklore, myth, and plant stories hold clues about the healing properties of herbs, and why remembering these stories matters. Folklore isn’t just entertainment; it’s a way of passing down plant wisdom, cultural memory, and a deeper connection to the natural world.Join me as we dive into the meeting place of storytelling and herbalism, and discover how tales from the past can still guide our healing today.