Becoming Nature Podcast, body, articles
Carina Lyall
Mothership, wonder & crisis with Greg ...

articles

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From Concrete to Wilderness with Jon Conradi. Ep 32

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Land remembers. This is the heart of many rewilding activities happening across the globe, as people work to restore depleted ecosystems.


My guest today, Jon Conradi, founder of Wild Mosaic, is one of those people, working to rewild parts of the UK.

One of the important learnings from my conversation with Jon was that while human intervention in nature restoration is needed, we aren’t nature’s sole saviours. We also need to find ways of stepping back so that ecosystems can recover through their own ‘remembering’ of their natural state. 

What’s more, Jon spoke about how we are a part of this remembering; we are part of these ecosystems, not separate from them! Rewilding nature is also about rewilding ourselves, as of nature. Through storytelling and reconnecting with wildness, we can remember alongside and with the land.

And so, join us for this week’s episode, and become a part of nature’s ‘remembering’. 

In this episode, we talk about:

  • Reconnecting humans to ‘wildness’

  • Wildlife and humans co-existing

  • What it takes to rewild and restore land 

  • The impacts of humans separating ourselves from nature

  • Some of the legal constraints of land use

  • Pigs! 

“It’s almost like a desire to be small again, to be just awestruck and to feel part of something that’s bigger than us”
— Jon Conradi

About Jon Conradi

Jon founded his start-up – Wild Mosaic – in 2023 to catalyse restoration of land and reconnection to wildness. 

He has an MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation from the Centre of Alternative Technology, and a postgraduate certificate in Biodiversity Conservation and Management. He is a 2021 Fellow of the Social Innovation programme 'Year Here' and has just started a fellowship with the Bio-Leadership programme.

He spent fifteen years in business education specialising in supporting student-led learning and sustainability. He still supports sustainability leadership courses for London Business School.


Connect with Jon: 

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Mothership, wonder & crisis with Greg Wrenn. EP 31

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In this episode I sit down with author and professor Greg Wrenn. We dive into an engaging conversation about healing, childhood trauma and ayahuasca. I came to the this conversation with skepticism, but also curiosity and lack of experience with this approach to healing. As we navigate the complexities of healing, Greg reflects on the roots of his journey, tracing it back to childhood. Tune in for an insightful discussion that blends humor, vulnerability, and profound insights into the healing path.

In this episode we talk about:

  • Childhood trauma and healing

  • Ayahuasca as last resort medicine

  • Trust and psychedelics in ceremony

  • Personal and planetary healing

  • Reciprocity in healing practices

There was so much more we could have to and about. Let’s continue the conversation here.

As a discretion, there is a mention of un-detailed childhood abuse in this episode.

“What do you have to lose by putting out a message straight from the heart? What do you have to lose? Nothing. And what could be gained? A lot”
— Greg Wrenn

About Greg

GREG WRENN is a former Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University and author of Centaur, which National Book Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes awarded the Brittingham Prize. Greg's work has appeared in The New Republic, Al Jazeera, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. As an associate English professor at James Madison University, he weaves climate change science into literary studies.

An Advanced PADI Nitrox diver, he has been exploring coral reefs around the world for over 25 years. He lives in the mountains of Virginia with his husband and their growing family of trees.

Greg’s Website

Instagram

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Why the Body is Our Wisest Compass with Stefana Serafina. EP 30

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My dear friend and mentor Stefana Serafina is our guest today. Her work has transformed my life. The way I live in my body and what I experience because of the intimate relationship with its language.

It became a very rich conversation about body, culture body, deep body and listening to the language of.

A conversation and reflection about how we can trust the information coming to us, what world we would have and live in, if body led was an option.  

I’m so excited to share her work with you! We would love to hear what you take away from this episode.

In this episode we talk about:

  • The body and cultural perceptions.

  • The body speaking the truth.

  • Body movement and self-expression.

  • The intelligence of the body.

  • Deep body intelligence and movement.

“Will we transform the culture into something more restful, more sane, more just? I truly believe we would”
— Stefana Serafina

About Stefana

Stefana Serafina, M.A., is an embodiment educator, transformative movement facilitator and trainer, and the founder of the Deep Body Institute in California. Recognized for her unique body– and movement–based approach to personal and collective growth, Stefana has worked with hundreds of women and non-binary people in the U.S., Europe, and around the world since 2009, and has trained practitioners and facilitators in 12 different countries. 

Stefana developed the Deep Body Movement Method, which empower people in restoring embodied wholeness, interconnectedness, and personal–collective growth. Her work weaves together movement journeys and expressive arts approaches, nature- and soul-centric body practices, women’s sensuality & mystery traditions, embodied archetypal psychology, and dance, Her facilitation and teachings have been called "life-changing and life-giving",  "deeply penetrating and rekindling", a "masterful invitation to the timeless remembrance of who we are''.

Weekend Immersion in Copenhagen, Sept 13-15 2024

https://www.deepbody.org/sensual-root-denmark

Embodiment and Movement Facilitator/Educator Training - October 2024-2025 

https://www.deepbody.org/facilitator-training

(as a listener you get a discount on the training by mentioning carinalyall at sign up)

More about Stefana's work and all her offerings: 

www.deepbody.org

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Re-imagining our future through food and hunting with Danny Christensen. EP 29

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The illustration for this weeks podcast Is made by beautiful artist Cille Vengberg

This week I speak to Danny Christensen, a hunter among many things. And also a man with a passion for nature, animal welfare and health.

I learned a lot from my 1 and a half hour conversation. One that rolled with me for days after. New questions arrived, New threads and a real desire to have more conversations around the way we consume, produce and honor the food we eat.

There are many questions still. We both want to keep this thread alive, as it is something we need to have a serious look at.

As for hunting there are many opinions and feelings attached. Should we eat meat? Should we hunt as modern people. Or should we think differently about the system as a whole?

Please listen in and bring your thoughts and questions!

In this episode we touch on

  • Food production and consumption.

  • Rejecting the general food system.

  • Consuming and harvesting wildlife.

  • Ethical dilemmas in food consumption.

  • Ethical consumption and environmental impact.

  • Veganism and connection to nature.

  • Environmental impact of avocados.

““I don’t want people to wash their hands with the organic labeling and say, well, then everything is okay. It’s not, it’s not. You still have an enormous environmental footprint.”

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— Danny Christensen

About Danny

He shares about his path “I grew up on a small farm in Denmark, close to a metropolis city. I spend most of my youth dreaming, fishing, hunting, and talking to trees.

As my world evolved, I developed a strong interest and appreciation of the design, architecture, fashion, art, and the food that were always all around me.

I met the most amazing and inspiring people in the world but the ones that I really admire and remember are the passionate men and women that live their lives to the fullest with a burning fire in their heart for everything they do. I like to think I'm one of those men.”

 

Find Danny here

Instagram

Website

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Conversation with Tom Hirons: Exploring Poetry, Love and Hope. Ep 28

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Art made by Cille Vengberg

In this episode we explore the power of poetry and the thing about hope. This episode is a conversation with poet Tom Hirons. I first discovered Tom's poetry on Instagram and it has a certain way of grabbing me.

We discuss hope, Whiskey, fires, love and activism. Tune in to the beauty of Tom Hirons' inspiring words and ways in a World, with hope not fueled by optimism but love.

Known for ‘In the Meantime’ and ‘Once a wild God’ Tom writes in ways that brings you to far a way land and the earthly muddy ‘here’.

 

In this episode we touch on:

  • The impact of poetry

  • The reputation of poetry

  • Poetry as expression of soul

  • Poetry as activism

  • The power of poetry

  • The importance of love

  • Unexpected occurrences and hope

  • Whiskey and storytelling traditions

“ “poetry has a power to speak to things and open doors in us that the language of everyday conversation, or, you know, especially kind of political discourse, whatever, just doesn’t have””
— Tom Hiron

Tom Hirons was born and raised on the Suffolk-Norfolk border in East Anglia, but lived in Scotland for almost twenty years before gravitating to Dartmoor in the Southwest of England. T

om has been storytelling publicly for over 15 years and writing for much longer.

He now teaches storytelling for Hedgespoken and has been known to mentor a writer or two.

 

Find him here

Website

Instagram

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Tara Lanich-LaBrie - Donuts, Nettles and Culinary Herbalism. Ep 27

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Art by beautiful Cille Vengberg

Tara Lanich-LaBrie is an Instagram star loved by over 110.000 followers, for her colorful and joyful way of sharing her craft - Culinary Herbalism. She was also fun, real and we got into the deeper side of this work. Connection, eldership, playfulness and having fun with what you do.

I adore this woman and what she has to offer. Please enjoy this conversation, I did!

From nettle donuts to rose syrup, Tara's cookbook is a colorful journey into the world of plant-based cuisine. We talk about the magic of connecting with nature through food. Tara as she shares her insights on the ancient wisdom of plants.

In this Episode we talk about: 

  • Connecting with nature through art.

  • Plants as elders and allies.

  • Connecting with Elderberries.

  • Deep connection to plants.

  • Chamomile tea's lasting power.

  • The power of plants.

  • Building connections through humility.

  • Discovering nature in your backyard.

““If you can get someone to taste the carrot that was grown by them or grown by a local farmer. It’s like what you said, like that can change the way that they meet the world.””
— Tara Lanich-LaBrie
 

About Tara

Tara Lanich-LaBrie is a culinary herbalist, finding a love of cooking and plants at an early age, and after a series of health issues began farming, foraging and baking professionally.

She created her business, The Medicine Circle, to share colorful, seasonal recipes, and to build a bridge between people and the natural world.

Foraged & Grown: Healing, Magical Recipes for Every Season, is her first book.

 
 
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Sam Lee - Singing in Dark Times and places. Episode 26

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Art donated by Cille Vengberg

I first came across Sam during a leadership training I did with Emergence Magazine. I was captivated by his work and story. It is with great honor that I got to sit down and talk with him.

We explore his work of collecting songs and time with traveller communities, and the honoring of elders. It became a deep look at bridging what was known once into the current. I had to go for a long walk after this conversation to just be in some of the magic of his words… and humor. He is an artist that can’t help but pull you in, to listen, learn and be.

About singing in the dark times and places.

 

In this episode we talk about

  • Singing with Nightingales.

  • The importance of old traditions.

  • Last of the Scottish Travellers.

  • The urgency of preserving culture.

  • Discovering elders from different communities.

  • Unusual encounters and creativity.

““I saw something that will never be seen again.””
— Sam Lee

Sam Lee is a highly inventive and original singer, folk song interpreter, passionate conservationist, song collector and successful creator of live events. Alongside his organisation, The Nest Collective, Sam has shaken up the music scene breaking boundaries between folk and contemporary music and the assumed places and ways folksong is appreciated.

Sam’s helped develop its ecosystem inviting in a new listenership interrogating what the messages in these old songs hold for us today. Sam released his debut novel ‘The Nightingale, notes on a songbird‘ telling the epic tale of this highly endangered bird and their place in culture folklore, folksong, music and literature throughout the millennia.

 

Find Sam Lee here

Website

Instagram

Spotify

 
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Richard Skrein - Reciprocity, Play and Thank You as foundational skills. Episode 25

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Art by Cille Vengberg

Today I speak with a really good friend of mine, Rich Skrein. We’ve been in the same storytelling mentorship for nearly a year now. We share many different interests and I’ve been curious about his work with nature, children and educators since first getting to know him.

It became a heartfelt conversation about our place, as humans, in the greater eco system.

Rich shares about his work, about returning to England, being a primary school teacher and started taking his students outside to experience nature. He observed the transformative effect it had on the children, witnessing them coming alive in ways that couldn't be fully expressed within the confines of the classroom. A transformation happening in him as well.

We get into the more personal wonder about and in the world and how we as adults need this just as much as the children.

“How much awe and wonder was there when I was able to take them to the beach? How much awe and wonder was there when I took them to the deep forest? It’s right there. They were able to grow in ways that I couldn’t give them in the classroom.”
— Richard Skrein

Richard is a Forest School teacher trainer, ecological educator, storyteller and author. He can be found in the woods of Europe and England and is a storyteller and experienced educational professional with a profound and enduring passion for the natural world.

He worked for many years in the classroom as a primary school teacher before swapping four walls for the magic of natural environments.

He is the author of three books: 5o things to do in the wild. 50 things to do with a stick and 50 things to do in the snow.

Find him here

Instagram @richardskreinoutdoors

His website

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Erica Berry - Wovles and the stories we tell about fear. Episode 24

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Art by Cille Vengberg <3 - Check her work out here

In this episode I have been so blessed to have a conversation with Erica Berry, author of the book ‘Wolfish- Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear’.

This is a brilliant book that I highly recommend. Ever since putting it down, I knew I had to talk with her some how. And here we are.

We dive into the impact of consuming a constant stream of fear-based stories. From the overwhelming amount of news and information focused on fear and trauma that bombards us in today's world. But also the stories that are ancient. The ancient fear stories that we told, and heard, for many reasons.

We talk about wolves and the history of out of proportion fear that has existed around this beautiful animal.

All of this conversation centered around Erica’s study with wolves, collective and personal fear and what emerges with that - love.

“I think there’s something beautiful in actually thinking about the idea of a lone wolf as someone looking still for connection and actually being vulnerable.”
— Erica Berry

About Erica Berry

Erica  is a writer and teacher based in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Her essays appear in publications such as the Guardian, The New York Times, Yale Review, The Atlantic, and Orion, and her first book, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell about Fear, was published by Flatiron/Macmillan in 2023.  She is currently an Associate Fellow at the Attic Institute for Arts and Letters and a writing instructor with Literary Arts in Portland.

Find her online

Instagram @ericajberry  

www.ericaberry.com.

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Woniya Thibeault - Never alone. Episode 23

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Artist: Cille Vengberg - find her here

In this episode, I speak with Woniya Thibeault who appeared on the show "Alone" and was the first woman to win a season.

Woniya joined two seasons of the show. First lasting 73 days alone in the wild on the brink of starvation. And won the second season ‘Frozen’, as the first woman in ‘Alone’ show history. It felt even more special to speak to her, as she won the show on my birth land of Labrador.

We talk about shares her experience in Labrador and the similarities and differences between that location and the Northwest Territories. Woniya reflects on the importance of self-care and the societal pressures around winning and money.

She has such a special way of speaking about the land and how it held her through her time there.

I hope you enjoy what she has to offer as much as I did.

““Usually big, tough men with bulging muscles with a bunch of military training. I was that small woman coming at it with a really, really different perspective””
— Woniya Thibeault episode 23
 

Woniya Thibeault is a naturalist, craftsperson, and ancestral skills instructor, whose passion is inspiring and empowering people to live their wildest, freest, most abundant lives. She accomplished this through teaching land-based living skills such as those our ancestors used, and nature connection practices. While never describing herself as a survivalist, she is best known for being the first woman to win a solo survival wilderness challenge on the History Channel’s Alone.

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Why knowing your story matters, when holding space

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The first thing we look at in The Art of Holding Space is our stories about being in relationship, community, together. What we bring with us into the spaces we create or participate in. The old, the new. The family ones, the School ones, the others. 

The stories about our place, roles, expectations, assumptions, wounds and longings.

There are the obvious ones and sometimes the more subtle threads. But they can have a lot to say about how safe we feel. Or the way we connect inward and outward as we take a seat. Without feeling we have to play a part, to be worthy. 

A new edge for me is becoming more visible and it is really shining in relation to motherhood. I feel my old stories poke as I witness their interactions and school yard challenges. It takes a lot of consciousness to remember what is mine and what is actually their experience.

I am meeting them A LOT at the moment! Even though many carried threads have found some ease, they will probably never leave my system completely. It weaves in. 

Knowing our history of togetherness, the in the light and the ‘in the shadows’ can support us in creating a safer container for not only participants, but also ourselves. We can tend to ourselves with intention and care in a different way. It can become easier to get proper supervision and plan curriculum and content that we can actually hold in a responsible way.

Having this perspective and insight with us, I feel, it’s important. The things we often think set apart, are the stories that truly connect us.


The art of holding space begins February 8th - read more here

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When we compete, we can't connect

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image by inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok

For 7 years I’ve offered a course on the art of holding space. When I first started out I had listened to a Ted Talk with Chitra Aiyar. In the talk she mentions her work with communities with minorities on campuses in the US. She states in the talk ‘When we compare, we can’t connect’. 

The more I’ve worked with the content and people, that statement has changed for me. I think it’s more a case of ‘When we compete, we can’t connect’. 

Of course in many ways they are linked, the ‘compare and compete’. We compare all the time, it’s natural. When it takes over, the energy can change. I’ve been down the spiral so many times. The compete element feels more intense. It’s not one that brings the heart to heart feel. It’s been a key learning of mine I think. To feel safe enough to let the story of having to fight my way through to get anywhere, rest. 

It’s also something that often gets glossed over in the spiritual settings. We pretend it doesn’t exist and we stick to the love and light. We stay with the all positive feels and suppress what also exists when people come together. I think most of us have, well I think all of us have. In business, in all kinds of groups - the spiritual is no exception, the competition has a certain effect on how we connect. I’ve seen it in the yoga world, the meditation world, the shamanistic the the the. And as mentioned in myself. Something we don’t talk a lot about. It’s not really pretty and comes with some level of shame or ick. Which makes it grow in intensity. 

I work with this a lot. Relearning how to be in ‘it’ with fellow humans, myself. And it is a huge part of the foundation of my work. 

As a people we are increasingly recognizing the importance of coming together in a different way. To heal our stories of being in community and the ways we walk this Earth. 

AND we meet edges here. That may surprise us at times. Wounds and past experiences that were not easy and are brought into the room with us. 

Creating space for all of that and the chance for us to witness the brilliance in ourselves and others is powerful. Healing a story and experiencing the ability to be here as a whole entire being. I love this work so much. The honeymoon and the chaos. 

READ MORE ABOUT ‘THE ART OF HOLDING SPACE’ THAT BEGIN FEBRUARY 2024

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{Conversations with the Earth} A Letter to Mother Earth, by Angela Moon

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Dear Mother,

You are the most enduring mother of all -- the bedrock of all. You are the soil, the water, the wind in the trees, the fire erupting from within.

Without you, where would I be? 

Earth, you hold me in embrace without reproach. My worries live in my head, I realize this when I press my cheek to your ground. Your energy is soft and pulsing. And I fear I will forget your embrace, calming and still, when I head back to the computer screen. I want to stay. I see my self centeredness waving again at its reflection in the mirror. I don't want to be trapped in my own reflection. 

I am just sitting, lying here right now, looking at the grass that covers your ground. The world is quiet here. For now. I might just drift off, into the land of dreams.

Let me tell you this, I love you. I want you to know love can feel like abundance. But love can also feel like a clear absence, a clearing of immense space. It's not always about filling up to the top. Love can be like an empty shelf, cleared just for you. Love can be a pocket of silence. This space, it looks empty and it holds so much. 

I dream of being in peace with you more often. I dream of being like this even when I am not lying here with you. When I'm frantic and hurrying, I dream of settling back into contemplative presence with you. I want to greet your blue oceans and your mountain terrains, your children - the animals, plants, all.

But I either fall behind, stay stuck in my head, or send all my senses into the vortex of my screen. Removed from you, I seek comfort and relief from you -- perhaps it is a heavy burden for you to bear, along with other things you carry.

You don't engage me in my rabbit hole of abstractions, my spiraling staircase of 'what-ifs'. You neither validate, nor affirm, nor criticize. You just hold me and then they somehow fade away, to be replaced by birds chirping and a sense of peaceful awe.

It feels like an external force, and yet I felt the shift happen from within. Have you absorbed my deepest fears and self criticisms? Have they seeped into your ground? Or did they disappear when you didn't help me feed them? I have now slipped out of the room of thoughts. I'm now in this moment with all of your children, all of your creation, with the tangible feeling of you holding me. 

I feel a wave of guilt when I reflect on how we are poisoning you. Humans. I'm one of them. How do I listen for you more deeply, Mother Earth? How do I do that without relying on the speech of humans, the speech we have carved out only for our kind, our kind that now seeks to destroy the balance you set?

A language of feeling and earth based tending. I am learning and growing. You are always there, present. You are with us all, and I hope you are listening. I won't forget you. I'll remember to spend time with you. Stay well, until we converse again, in love.

By Angela Moon

Bio:

Angela Moon strives to practice mindful living and express her deepest imaginative self. She appreciates time to observe nature, meditate, learn from others, read, and write. She enjoys connecting to our inner wildness, nurturing trust with clear communication, tapping into creativity, and getting in touch with nature and spirit. Sharing authentic experiences, thoughts, and connections is one of her aspirations and joys.

Follow Angela on her Medium page: https://medium.com/@angelamoon

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To Mentor with the Wild; with Sophie Strand

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It’s been a long time coming, but I am so excited to share this interview with Sophie Strand.

Sophie Strand is a writer based in the Hudson Valley who focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. But it would probably be more authentic to call her a neo-troubadour animist with a propensity to spin yarns that inevitably turn into love stories.

Her first book of essays The Flowering Wand: Lunar Kings, Lichenized Lovers, Transpecies Magicians, and Rhizomatic Harpists Heal the Masculine is forthcoming in 2022 from Inner Traditions. Her eco-feminist historical fiction reimagining of the gospels The Madonna Secret will also be published by Inner Traditions.  

She is currently researching her next epic, a mythopoetic exploration of ecology and queerness in the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde.

In this episode we talk about:

  • Storytelling

  • What it is to root our spirituality

  • Activism

  • What it is to be in awe

and so much more

You can listen to the episode here on your favorite podcast platform

You can also find it on Spotify

Find out more about Sophie, her books and writing here:

Read more about her new book here

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{CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EARTH} RIVER SPIRIT

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THE SERIES 'CONVERSATIONS WITH THE EARTH' IS A COLLECTION OF ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE WILD. THEY EMERGE FROM THE MINI COURSE 'HOW TO BECOME INVISIBLE IN A WORLD THAT DEMANDS TO SEE EVERYTHING' IN THE COURSE THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SPECIAL NATURE ENCOUNTERS THROUGH ESSAY, PICTURES, POETRY OR OTHER EXPRESSIONS. THEY ARE CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED HERE ON THE WEBSITE.

River spirit

Spirit of the river, clear and pure, flows with ease and beauty. No obstacles too difficult for her to overcome and she does so firmly but tender. Her gentle sounds are soft and soothing, whispering “let go”.

She welcomes me with joy and laughter, playfully caressing my naked body as I step into her cleansing, fresh waters.

Here I fell at home, a daughter of the river.

by Sigrid Fay

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{Conversations with the Earth} A Story by Clara Pagliaro

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A story: 

The rain slowly moved in,

the ocean calling her name.

Finding herself walking down nearly bare,

perhaps showing up to be.

Hesitation encompassed her mind as she stood upon the waves 

gently showing her her own currents. 

"Do not fear" sang the sea.

She sat, surrendering and immersing her body in the vast and salty milk of the mother. 

Every hair on her body stood, her breath deep. 

Her mind whispering prayers to the universe,

"Don't let me go, keep me right here"

The ocean pushed her small body back and forth like a child being rocked. 

Her body frozen, desperate to shut

yet every breath releasing discomfort and opening her soul. 

The rain slowly moved in, 

It is only here she can see herself in all her wholeness. 

Mind still, body numb, lost in nature's power. 

It is here she listens. 

Clara Pagliaro

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Other people's mess and restoring the earth

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the 3rd load of the day

There was a time where we believed that everything we buried in the ground would disappear. Very literally. Also very metaphorically. Once our trash has been picked up it’s gone. But it’s not. Most plastic ever made stil exists on the planet. We know it, but somehow we don’t really believe it. Out of sight, out of…

A few weeks ago my partner and I took the wheelbarrow to the back of our rented land. We have done this several times a year since moving here 8 years ago. The practice of burying trash was easy back in the day. Who cared what went on up there in the forest. We have cleared this land of car batteries, toilets, kilometers of rusty fence, buckets, tools, cans, glass and all shapes of plastic.

It is never ending. It is as if the earth turns once a year. Offering our shit back to us. ‘Here, clean up your mess’. We have thought ‘this must be it’ so many times. As it turns out, there are always more surprises. It’s not our mess. We don’t know who turned this beautiful spot into a dumping ground. But we are taking responsibility for undoing it.

Another item that has become part of the tree. On the other side cans have grown into the bark.

The glass could cut animals and kids. They could eat something that was stuck to a plant etc. We both get annoyed as we drag all this stuff out of the forest. Spending days clearing the ground, because other people didn’t know better or didn’t care.

Sometimes people have asked why we’ve done so much to this rented land, especially knowing how little our landlord cares.

The thing is, even with the illusion of ‘my land’ this will always be our shared earth. In that perspective how could we not?

SIGN UP FOR THE FREE MINI COURSE

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An ode to blubber; this body is not your battleground

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I wrote this post for a site back in 2014. Yet we’re still talking about this. Still asking for the right to be body. To feel safe. To have body, not give you the right to traumatize. There is a long way to go. I have conversations with my three daughters about this a lot. I am sharing this again, as the blog I wrote it for no longer exists. My feelings and experience with being a body still does.

Denmark, 2014

Do you strive for perfection or feel shitty when you look in the mirror?Are you pretty sure that Self-Love is a short drive from Minsk? These are my thoughts on why being called fat in public once again pushed me to change how I related to myself - for the better.  

My weight… just writing that sparked so many thoughts that I have a hard time keeping up. Feeling forced to relate to how I look, what I weigh and most importantly what am doing about it has swung into my life again and again. 

Some have said I am easy on the eye, others say that there is so much of me I am hard to miss. This is a recent story about a personal-space invasion by opinions and the ripple effect of them. 

The foundation of my work is that you belong here exactly as you are. I believe that there is no perfect ideal to strive for. Body image, intellect, beauty, coolness. It has been the work I needed to do with myself to feel free in my life, and it is how I support women to feel content, happy and strong as they are. 

I know that for me not owning that statement has been exhausting. In motherhood I read books, looked at women who wizzed through the challenging parts smiling and looking great, and I felt like a constant failure. Going to meeting with oatmeal in my hair, or saying that i JUST gave birth to excuse the blubber on my belly. 

The art of comparison once again left me feeling less worthy. The foundation of being wrong or less than, isn’t a nice place to be and very very seldom leads to a life with happiness and ease. The self-compassion practice and showing up just as I am changed my life. 

Does this mean that that foundation is never shaken? No. But it takes a bit more to get the earth quaking, and it happened a few weeks ago. 

A little story I want to share.

I was out for drinks with my two sisters. We had a great time and we decided to end the good times with a burger. Now it is no secret that I have put on weight after the 2 pregnancies and what not, but burger it was – YOLO or something.

In the cue some guys felt that we had cut in line, and looked at me and said that I probably shouldn’t be in there anyway considering my weight. Well tears galore and I felt shitty. Reduced to an unworthy lump of Blubber (did you every read Judy Blume’s book? It’s awesome… anyway).

The sense that everyone in there were looking at me deciding whether they agreed or not felt humiliating. I had to get out of there. Shaken by how someone could effect how I felt about myself stayed with me for days. 

Fast forward 2 weeks and my man and I are away for the weekend at a music festival. As I am coming out of the toilet area a woman stops me. She is a scout for a model agency and thinks I would be an awesome model for the normal size/curve department… huh…

All of the sudden someone’s opinion of me steered me in another direction. 

So which “truth” do I go with? A third – my own? How I see myself? How I feel about myself? Or do I let either of their perspectives rule and dictate wether I feel worthy just as I am? Do I wait till I have xx weight to go out again or do I pout my lips and work it like a supermodel? The “you belong here, exactly as you are” reminds me that none of the above is my truth. It is their eyes looking at me. What matters is how I look at me. And this has been such an awesome reminder.

BMI and weight has nothing to do with it. I feel it is relevant for most women. I believe it begins with how you feel. Does the need to shift come from “I am a problem that needs to be solved” or does it come from a deep knowing of worth and compassion and from there asking “So what do I want”. 

This is what we can work on – how you see you. And knowing that you belong here, because hey you already are. <3

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Bleeding sustainably...

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Most women are beginning to notice the rise in women owning their blood. Some find it over the top, gross, something that should continue to be private and toned down. 

Others, me included, find the power in knowing how my cycle influences me throughout the month. And more so how my way of living influences my cycle. It is our feedback system if we dare to listen. It tells a lot. And whether you feel like claiming it publicly or not, I can only recommend beginning to explore your cycle. 

This is not only the bleeding time, but the full cycle from pre ovulation all the way around to the days you bleed. 

Tuning into emotions, mood, physical sensation, energy. In this post I share a little more on tracking your cycle. Take a read…

For this post I wanted to bring attention to the less-waste approaches I’ve made when it comes to my cycle. 

It is very simple actually, I stopped buying pads, tampons (only used those when I was a teen) and have invested in 6 fabric pads and a luna cup. That is all I use. 

It is easy. I have a little wet bag for used pads. Wash them with towels etc. No smell or a bloody mess… haha. 

But the thing that brings me true joy is what it saves me money wise and Earth wise. 

 

The Numbers

Meet Jaluna Red ;) . She’s 50 and just had her last period. She had her first when she was 12. She has 2 children and with both kids her cycle began again 10 months after giving birth. 

The past 2 years her cycle has been a little irregular.  So taking all of this into calculation, she has had around 408 bleeds in her life time. 

Jaluna used to bleed 5 days on average and used 4-5 pads or tampons a day. (You can do your own calculation. I have 3 girls so I will experience fewer.) 

Jaluna has used a whopping 8160 pads/tampons in those years!! That’s a lot going down the drain or in the trash! 

She used a common brand, non organic etc. 1 pad cost her around 20cents.* So in her life time she spends roughly 1600USD on pads/tampons alone.

It’s a lot really. 

 

My calculation
So let’s say I have to buy three cups in my bleeding years. Each cup lasts around 10years = 17USD per cup.

And then 3x 6 cloth pads (those who can make them themselves can save even more) = 25USD for a 6pack.

All together it has cost me roughly 126USD with the zero waste version. 

 

A lot of math, but worth doing! 

So there are a few motivation pointers to look at when it comes to choosing what you use. And more and more are coming up: underwear was recently launched for example, so you don’t need any of the options above, sponges and more. 

Glancing at these numbers it gives me the sense of the scale of our choices. 

Little me may not make a big difference… we think. But let’s say that I get 4 friends to join me. We’ve already saved the world from 32640 pads/tampons. Each of those 4 inspires 4 more etc. and all of the sudden we are making an impact. 

Numbers will vary no doubt. Cost will vary no doubt. But the amount of trash we generate continues to rise. Where it goes. What it means to our Earth will also be discussed, for me my consumption and consumer habits is in my power and worth looking at 1 million *little me* actions is no longer insignificant! 

I hope that this post will inspire you to do your research and what is out there, and maybe find a way to bring the number down of what we throw away or flush out into our water. 

With Love
Cx

For inspiration on zero waste action in your business check out this post... 

 

*I ran it through Google and these are prices on average in Europe. See links below. It will vary from country to country. But the amount of pads being thrown away is the same, regardless of the price. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AFMJMPQ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B01AFMJMPQ&pd_rd_wg=pX95O&pd_rd_r=MQ44JXCKV8B8PQZHRFZ7&pd_rd_w=0Looe&th=1

 

https://menstrualcupreviews.net/go/MeLuna-Main

First steps to my Zero Waste Business.

I have talked a bit about zero waste and how much I love this movement that is happening around the Globe. My interview with Bea Johnson kicked it off for me. 

Some say climate change is bull. Others claim that ditching wrapping won’t change anything anyway. Others preach that plastic helps the fight against food waste. And as with everything else, people have opinions and we don’t all agree. 

I do believe that I make the changes I can with what I have, this doesn’t mean you do the same as me. Maybe just feel inspired to take a look at the steps that resonate with you. 

Reducing my waste and CO2 trail makes so much sense. 

In the beginning of 2017 I declared this to be a buy-nothing-new. I haven’t - well that’s not true; I bought a bra. But I need mine specially made so that was a ‘had to’ to save my back. And twice something dropped into my basket at the store that was a thing, not food, and I wasn’t really thinking. So in 5+ months, 3 new things have been purchased - I say that is doing pretty good. 

An area where I have had to really make some choices and consider how to go about it, is with my business. How do I reduce waste in this area? 

 

Because clearly I HAD to have business cards, handouts, manuals, cd’s, flyers, prints for my bookkeeping, postcards, magnets, notes and the list is long. 

Especially business cards and flyers. Thinking about what I do with the ones I receive, it just no longer made sense to have my own. They go in the bin… 

When reminding myself of the enormous amount - of all of the above - I have thrown away, it seemed there was room for improvement. 

 

So I no longer order or print: 

  • Business cards

  • Flyers

  • Postcards

  • Magnets

  • Hand-outs

  • Manuals

  • Cd’s (yeah who does that anyway... in our house we still dedicate a wall to this ancient thang)

 

That’s a huge amount of paper no longer coming in through my business. Not to mention money saved. I offer PDF’s. People can print them if they want or just write the points that matter in their journal etc. 

When I do print, I use the back side of my daughter’s school print outs (there’s enough to keep a few businesses running). My mom is a teacher and they print out piles of stuff for their students and often too many copies - she brings them home for me and I use those. 

Is there room to do more - sure. For a giant first step, I am pleased. I am implementing other things such as using recycled packaging to send out the herb products - that’s for another post. 

I know some will roll their eyes and think Jesus, a few flyers never hurt anyone. 

 

Well let’s play with some numbers: 

In Denmark alone there are around 125.000 solo businesses (2012) and that number is higher today. 

Let’s say each one of them buys 300 business cards and 500 flyers (what I did the first few years) that = 10.0000000 bits of paper are ending up in the garbage at some point and just for a one-off glance. Now bring that to a Global scale… phew, I wouldn't know how to calculate that. 

And this is not even counting the huge corporations. 

It no longer feels irrelevant to me. 

Fun fact - the business didn’t die out from the lack of exposure… Facebook, Instagram, talking to real people, fucking up and having wins have kept the wheels turning. 

Is this right for you. Maybe not, maybe flyers are the only way you feel you can get the word out. But are there other ways you can reduce your waste in your business? 

Would love to hear your ideas and thoughts. <3

 

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