Please Do Not Eat Half The CBD Bar

Your backyard might be doing more for your health than you realize, and the “weeds” you walk past every day could be some of the most accessible plant allies you’ll ever meet. I’m talking about the kind of herbalism that starts with paying attention: slowing down, trusting your intuition, and stepping outside with curiosity instead of fear. From plantain and clover to mullein, burdock, nettles, and echinacea, we explore how common backyard herbs fit into a practical plant medicine mindset and why nature always provides when we learn to listen. 

I also debrief my time at the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference in Wisconsin, a powerful gathering focused on women’s wisdom, herbal traditions, community, and hands-on learning. The theme honoring deep roots and tending new shoots really lands for me because it connects elder knowledge with modern tools, real friendships, and that energetic “I see you, I get you” feeling that makes growth easier. I share what stood out: plant walks, make-and-take workshops, singing, rituals, nourishment, and the deep sisterhood that forms when people are grounded in holistic health and respect for the earth. 

Then we get real about parenting and personal freedom. My daughter’s experience in the teen spiral becomes a lesson in letting go of control and giving teens space to find themselves. We also talk safety and responsibility with hemp CBD edibles, including a story about a chocolate bar dose gone wrong and why “medicine in chocolate” still deserves clear guidance and respect. If you care about herbal education, natural remedies, women’s wellness, and faith-based living, you’ll find plenty to reflect on here. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find this path of practical, grounded healing.

Transcript

Summer Energy And Letting Go

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Party on yes, we are in the full heat of summer, and there is so much good energy that is flowing when it comes with the solstice, and the days are long and life is good. The weather is warm, and it's time to soak up the sun and get outside and play all the activities within a day. Does anyone else ever look back on their day and be like, oh my gosh, that was just all in a day's work? Oh my gosh, all the things that you get to do, um, especially when you're outside and have that mentality of just being in flow and you know, listening to what it is that you should be doing throughout the day and have that freedom and flexibility. What a blessing it is. We're here to bless up. I with my children during the day, and we had the lovely opportunity to head out to the farm with some friends, and it was so excited to share that magical farm energy with friends. I had full intention of podcasting with my friend and talking about some of her experiences online, but the kids, we had to be in flow with them and they had other plans, and that was okay. So I feel like learning to just trust the process, be in the flow, and it's okay if things don't go according to plan, letting go of that control. And I feel like that has been a spiritual process that will be never ending throughout my whole entire life. And that's a beautiful thing. That's lovely, that's awesome. Uh, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Ashley Amber, and I am your host on Sunshine and Bubbles High Vibrational Podcast. And I have so much goodness that I want to talk about and kind of debrief. And I feel like the weeks and the months just keep going by so fast that we're in like this vortex of fast-paced living in which I'm trying to slow down. I'm like, where is the pause button? Especially when I look back on my life and how far we've come. And then you definitely see it in the children and how fast they're growing up. And it's like, wow, we're here. We are here now, and that is such a beautiful thing. So I'm excited to share this time with y'all today. Thank you so much for tuning in. And as I said in weeks past, you know, if we can get one smile, one juicy tidbit, one little piece of knowledge, we're winning at life. And that's all about that exchange, that energy exchange that we have within with each other. And that's such a beautiful thing. So time has just been flying

The Backyard As A Pharmacy

SPEAKER_00 2:30

by. And since I was able to attend the 15th annual Midwest Women's Herbal Conference, which happened at the end of May. It's always over Memorial Day weekend. And I didn't quite have time to like unpack this, the podcast yet. So I'm really looking forward to kind of diving in and sharing the bit of magic that happened here at the Midwest Herbal Fest. But before I get into that, I kind of wanted to start it by talking about an encounter that I had this week with a uh friend of mine who is teaching me how to play the ukulele at her home. And when we were in her home, we we were just, you know, exchanging, sharing information, and she was telling me about, you know, how she doesn't feel so good and that there's specific ailments, and she's been kind of searching for answers and you know, praying to God and giving it to him and looking for the answers. And I can't help but think that I was like a sweet little angel that arrived at her doorstep and was like, hey, did you think to look in your backyard for these the answers to your ailments? And she's like, What? Like with the weeds? With with with weeds? What's what's in the weeds? I'm like, oh my goodness, it's a whole natural pharmacy out there, and and and it's accessible to you. And I really wanted to drive in the fact of this that I know to be true, that nature always provides, mother nature always provides. She does, she knows, she's listening, she's she has centuries, millennia of knowledge and what us humans are needing to help us along on this journey. And so I was like, yes, yes, let's look in your backyard and see what we got. And we we went out in her backyard and we found just a plethora of plant medicine that could be utilized to help her live her best life and increase her quality of life. And it had nothing to do with hemp or cannabis, although, although that was the gateway to my holistic healing journey and that whole discovery of what God has provided for us out there in the wilds. But wildcrafting, I mean, we took one step outside of her back door. Wonderful news is that she had a backyard and it was, you know, totally organic, no fertilizers or pesticides that she sprayed in her yard, except from maybe the dog doing his business out there. But when we stepped out there, first thing we seen was plantain and how wonderful that is for wound healing. You could tincture that. And then I seen clover coming up to say hello, and that you know has a slew of health benefits in and of itself. And then there was the great and grand mullion that was so plentiful, just mullion was everywhere in her backyard, and I was like, Oh, like you've reached the holy grail of the great, the grand, the wonderful mullion that's out here, especially for decongestion and breathing issues. And then we ran into uh burdock and to get the root there, and then she had natural echinacea, and what else was out there? Clover, burdock, plantain, mullion, I think I already said, and there was there was nettles, of course. Nettles were out there too. And I and I could go on. I feel like I should have, you know, written this down and and so I could remember it more. But really, the the point and the intention there was to let it be known to play, discover, and explore in her backyard and trust your intuition and knowing how to work with these plants. And so I know that I have so much work to do, and we all have so much work to do in familiarizing ourselves with the names and identification of the plant medicine that are just in most of our backyards or in a neighbor's backyard, or that's very accessible to us. And by all means, like if we can't find it accessible in our backyard, knowing that plants are allies, plants are our friends, and they can help us to heal, and then finding the appropriate sources to be able to buy the plant medicine consistently on a regular basis is huge. So I it just it just kind of left me dumbfounded that we're still living in an age where people don't trust their intuition, number one, and don't trust nature. And I feel like where along the path, along the way, did that unknowing come from, that that that fear-based mentality? And I really feel like it's a conscious effort to be able to be like, no, we're living in a day and age where the information is at our fingertips. We have the internet, the world wide web, then it's just a Google search away and so many, the Google Lens that can help us identify, and Gemini that can tell us how to use, and YouTube that will show us how to how to work with the plants. So I feel like gone are the days where we have to go to the library and you know look up information in books or you know, know the village herbalists, which are still, you know, out and about. They're the they're out there. Um, and I would like to say that I'm one of them. And I feel like that is what set me on this mission to be able to disseminate this information and give people a little nudge that they need to be able to find the information for yourself and that knowing that plants are our friends, plants are our powerful allies, and they are there to help you, help you heal. And I feel like the sooner that we can, you know, come to terms with this and not lead from a fear-based mentality, but rather a faith-based mentality, the world is gonna be such a wonderful place because that is where the exchange happens of like us knowing how nature

Plantain, Clover, Mullein, And More

SPEAKER_00 8:40

can help us in every single capacity, and then give wanting, feeling that need of reciprocity and then giving back to nature because we're so very connected. So I hope this is hitting with people and that I'm not just the crazy lady that just keeps printing, preaching herbs, herbs, herbs, herbs, herbs. But I can't help but all of my past experience, all my past knowledge has led me to this very moment so I can deliver this message to you. And that's what kind of leads me into the Women's Herbal Conference. I this was my third year attending the herbal conference, and as you can see, we are a very proud sponsor of the herbal conference where DNA Hemp is repping the hemp uh CBD plant medicine. And, you know, I've been initiated with cannabis, you know, from way back when, and to be able to share that initiation with fellow women who can then teach their children and their loved ones and their community is that some of those women might be their village herbalists in their county, town, city, or state. As people come from all over the Midwest for this, even people on the coasts, too. I would I met people from California, from Vermont, from the Carolinas, the Dakotas, all the way to lady from Louisiana. So I feel like this is becoming such a growing opportunity to be able to connect, play, discover, and explore with fellow herbalists. And I cannot boast enough the wonderful energy that comes from being among among sisters. That's what we call the ladies here as we're all together. Is like we are, I know we're all brothers and sisters in Christ, but I felt like really connected to these sisters here because we all kind of spoke the same language of like the nature connection that we all have. Like we all, I think it could be a safe assumption to say that the sisters or the Gaias, the goddesses, the Gaia goddesses that were at this event know that there is a special deep-rooted connection to nature and that that she always provides. And how deeply they have a relationship with the earth varied from women to women. I mean, you had young ladies who has been working with plant medicines ever since they were little girls that their mothers had taught them, all the way to the elders who have been doing this for 40, 50, 60 years. It was so wonderful to have so many Gaias that were among all walks of life and had so much vibrancy and authenticity and knowledge to pass on to one another. And to gather us all in Almond, Wisconsin, to be able to exchange information and share and connect, play, discover, and explore was so wonderful. And the enthusiasm there about herbs was huge. Like I feel like people were just generally so excited to be amongst that, amongst their their fellow herbies and to be able to be like, you see me, I get you. I don't have to explain myself or be like, but no, really, plants are your friends. There's no need to be scared. Like, there was none of that. Like, you didn't need to, you know, drive away that fear-based mentality. It was just like we're all sitting in that same boat of like, we know plants can help heal. And it was our mission to kind of strengthen that relationship and learn something new. And that's why I absolutely love this conference because this is the schedule here, and it is chalked full of information and knowledge. All of these the schedule were different activities and workshops to in that are hosted in different tents that you could learn. And even maybe if it was just like a remembering, a reminder of what you might already knew, it was still wonderful. And this conference's theme was honoring deep roots and tending new shoots, honoring deep roots, so the deep-rooted knowledge of the earth and how it can help provide, and tending to the new shoots because we're in a new age here and there's new ideas, new ways, new thought patterns, new vibrations, and so tending to those new shoots and giving them the fertile ground to build those strong roots and foundations was so important. And I just love Linda Conroy, who and her and her team put on this event every single year, and her commitment to spreading the love, spreading the knowledge, spreading the wealth is just so inspiring and encouraging for me to keep showing up day in and day out and and just walking the walk, not just talking the talk. So I love that. It starts with hello, sisters, welcome to the 15th annual Midwest Women's Herbal

From Fear To Faith In Nature

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Conference. We are thrilled to gather you in celebration of women's wisdom, herbal traditions, and community. Whether this is your first time joining us or you are returning to reconnect, we hope you find inspiration, learning, and friendship throughout your experience. I will just stop there that I, you know, not only, you know, learning and being inspired by these women who devoted their lives to the earth, the friendship that I found throughout here. I have so many different friends. Like this card just pops out, Louise Kelly. She was kind of like one of the hostesses that, you know, was on the microphone and singing and dancing and keeping us on schedule. I absolutely love her. And now I follow her on social media. Y'all should too, because she's hilarious and she comes up with really great music and she's, you know, sharing her gifts and shining her light. And she was really someone new this year that I connected with, and I just absolutely loved her. But I have like probably three handfuls of friendships that I've made there, like of deep-rooted connections where I feel like these women will be in my life for the rest of my life. And that's just such a wonderful thing to announce that it's so easy to make friends when you're among like-minded people. It is this conference is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in workshops, explore herbal practices, and connect with like-minded women from across the Midwest and beyond. And they celebrated 15 years and they, you know, blossomed and cherished tradition, nurturing a legacy of learning, empowerment, and connection. So that empowerment piece is really important too, because I feel like somewhere we've gave away outsourced our power to doctors, to pharmacists, to people that didn't know our body. Like you are a whole person and you have all the answers that you seek for your health. All you have to do is look within and maybe outside your back door. We honor all the women, speakers, and coordinators and supporters who have helped shape this journey and invite you to join us in reflecting on the growth and resilience of the community. The presenters and facilitators are eager to share their knowledge. I felt that enthusiasm. And we encourage you to participate fully, ask questions, and embrace the spirit of collaboration that defines our event. And throughout the conference, they we did have the opportunity to explore delicious nourishing. That's Linda Conroy's favorite word, I say nourishing, very nourishing. Um food and herbal infusions to serve as the foundation of health and vitality. These thoughtfully prepared meals and food and drinks not only fuel your body, but also honor the tradition of healing through nature's bounty. Be sure to say hello to the kitchen crew as they as they work to bring you nourishing food. And each session, they were hoping to forge meaningful connections and along with other Nintendo and attendees. Let this weekend serve as a reminder of wisdom, strength, and creativity as we as we share women dedicated to herbal traditions and holistic well-being. Thank you for being a part of this vibrant community. We look forward to sharing an enriching and memorial, memor memorable weekend together. In nourishment. Linda Conroy and the entire Midwest women's herbal team. And it takes a tribe, a high vibe tribe. And I would say that these women definitely have got it going on. They plan for this all season long. And not only do they host the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference, but there's also a conference called Mycelium Mysteries, and that is focusing more on the fungi kingdom with all of the mushrooms, because in fall is a great time to forage for mushrooms. So I feel like they're focusing on the flora and the fungi. And of course, the the fauna are amongst us all in the woods, and such a great scene that they're doing. And I just the sacred sister rituals, the holding of space that this conference was able to facilitate really just allow you to remember how the women stick together. And it is nothing weird about getting women together. And I don't know how many ladies out there have experienced this type of sisterhood where there's more than 10 women in gathering. I mean, we're talking 300 or was it 400, don't quote me, women that were gathered together in that space. So even if you weren't a facilitator or a presenter, you are still a wonderful whole-bodied Gaia individual with that has some special gift to share. So allowing that that creative space was absolutely wonderful for women to be able to exchange the information, traditions, and knowledge. And again, they had different plant walks where you could go like have hands-on experience with plants and get to see, touch, feel, taste these plants. They had work make and take workshops where you could like weave baskets, make tinctures, etc., and so forth that you could take with you and then incorporate into your

Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference Magic

SPEAKER_00 18:50

everyday life. They had science-based instruction there that you know you could use microscopes and other tools in the industry and really like kind of hone in on the science background, if that's what makes you tick. Beauty, sun care, everything from you know, herb-specific workshops. And one of my favorite things that I participated in with workshop was a lot of song-based songwriting, because I feel like when we get together and sing and our voices and sing praise, that just elevates the vibration and helps us remember even more of how we used to be way back when. So, anywhere from the beginner herbalist to the far out advanced, to maybe someone that doesn't even know what herbalism is. There is just something there for you, and then flow flowing all the way into the evening, too, with tea, snacks, visiting, film showing and discussion, yoga, morning movement, plant wisdom practices, boundary setters and boundary dwellers, plant medicine for supporting our physical and energetic membranes, entertainment throughout the way, where you are given the opportunity to share taste testing, exploring sensuality and self-trust, energetics and actions, creative rituals for everyday beauty, homeopathic remedies, African drumming, ethnopharmacology, botanical illustrations where you could draw, and biorhythms, tea hives, you know, dancing. But I mean, check this out. I mean, this is absolutely insane, and this is just for one day. All the activities. So, what I loved about it is that even if that if one workshop didn't align with you, you had literally 10 plus other choices to choose from. So it was kind of like choose your own adventure style, where they, I'm like, oh, I circled the ones. And I'm like, oh yes, that really just gets me excited and makes me tick. And then here at this time, I'm gonna do this, and then I'm gonna go over here. So even though I was a vendor at this conference where I sold our plant medicine and offered that to the community, things that were infused as CBD, I didn't have to necessarily like hunker down and be at my vendor tent because I was able to go and be in a conference attendee. So even if there's a special gift that you wanted to share next year as a vendor, you could still do that and trust that everyone there was like super honest. Like it was like the honor box system. Like people would just like if you instructed them to do so and you gave permission, you could they could leave money in a box and like write down what they wrote and then like leave it there, and you could trust that it was it was there. Like nobody was theft was not an issue here at all. And I'm sorry to say that I have had other experiences at other places where it was and you couldn't leave your booth, but I just totally trusted. I'm like, psh, and you know what? For the one bad egg, which there wasn't here, I'm just saying, but in my mentality was I'm like, if somebody needed To steal this or take this without asking or for permission, because Lord knows I probably would have gave it to them anyways if they needed that. They needed it more than I did. So I just kind of like went into it with that, with that trust and faith that, you know, everything was gonna work out and go according to plan. But I loved the being able to vend there and offer our CBD plant medicine whilst being able to enjoy the conference and learn a ton for myself. And that really invigorates me to go back year after year because I feel like I'm not just a vendor. I'm not just there to sell. Like I want to go there and like strengthen my relationship with Earth, strengthen my relationship with other sisters and guys out there, and really stay above the cutting edge of the herbalism environment. So I can continue to create and discover and trust my inner knowing and kind of it's like kind of unknowing and then relearning is what's here. But the sisterhood is definitely strong. And I loved that they had like opening ceremonies and closing ceremonies there where we sang songs together and we kind of breathed together and moved together and like kind of just you know cleared the space to be able to be in that mindset of the learning mentality, the student mentality. And so I love that they have wellness series as well throughout the year where you can turn tune in online um through Zoom or virtually, and I think that kind of spawned from COVID. So I love that they have that offering. So there's a ton of different ways to connect with this community, is I guess where I'm going at this. And just because you missed the herbal conference this year doesn't mean you can't plan to go next year because it's always Memorial Day weekend, or you can connect at Mycelia Mysteries, which happens in September. You can look up the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference on any of the social media platforms and get on their email list. Or you can do the wellness series online. So all different types of ways to connect, but I just absolutely love this. They also have a sauna there, and I didn't get to experience it this year because I was brought my daughter, and so I was really focused on connecting with her. But in years past, the sauna chronicles, like the information that was shared in that sauna, like as we're all just sweating and just kind of like pouring out and just being super open with the sauna was absolutely amazing, and I love that they have those opportunities there to connect. And this time I really connected with a lot of lovely ladies around the fire and having like campfire anthems, and we would sing songs all together and share songs. I even offered a song at the campfire circle, and that we were I was able to hear it come alive as all of us were singing it together. I just thought it was that special moment that I'll always just cherish forever. And I just felt so connected. And, you know, God forbid, if you walk into a tent and you're not connected with the with what they're what they're offering, you can go on to the next tent and discover something new. And so I feel like going there with a super open mind is really important, and that's always a must when you're immersing yourself into a new environment is to, you know, to to surrender, let go, have faith and and walk your path. And being able to do a lot of listening, it's not so much I when I'm there, I kind of like really try to to zip it and do more listening than I am sharing because I know that I have a lot to learn and I'm just on the beginning phases of this herbalist journey, as it is a lifelong journey, because unfortunately, all my grandfather, grandmother's knowledge, she is gone now, and she passed when I was young. Um, well, not young, I was in my mid-20s, but I felt like I didn't really have the opportunity for her to pass on the gardening knowledge that she so possessed in her way. Neve,

Workshops, Vending, And Real Community

SPEAKER_00 26:10

you actually came at the most perfect time here. Oh my gosh, grandma's. Well, I was here, I'm live and filming there on the podcast, and I was talking about the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference. And I was just about to go into the teen spiral. Can you sit on my lap here and tell me like firsthand? Oh, she's got a squishy.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

What?

SPEAKER_00 27:06

I can clip it on you. What kind of tea did you make? Did you use fresh herbs? Did you use fresh herbs?

SPEAKER_01 27:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

Yeah. I don't need I kind of go without the little fuzzy thing. Oh yeah, you can hold it up to you.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

All right. So you used herbs for the tea. Did you drink the tea?

SPEAKER_02 27:30

No, it kind of tasted a little bad.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

That's funny.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

But did you get to know some plants? What is like one plant that stuck out to you there, if any?

SPEAKER_02 27:44

Grass. But like that's a plant, right? No, it is and like calendula because it looked pretty.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

That's sweet. It is so sweet. I loved how some of the girls in the teen spiral like picked their plant and then you were drew it and then shared it in song to the conference. Do you remember doing that?

SPEAKER_02 28:05

Yeah, I didn't do it though.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

I feel like this is like a full immersion experience for you. You were like, what the heck is going on here? What did you what were your first initial reactions?

SPEAKER_02 28:17

I wanted to go home. That was when I first got there because there was too many bugs. But then I played volleyball and like then I met a friend, and then everything was okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

What was your friend's name?

SPEAKER_02 28:28

Claire.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

And so did you say that you were gonna come back with me next year?

SPEAKER_02 28:35

With Harper, yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

With Harper and who will be there?

SPEAKER_02 28:38

Claire. Claire! Well, Claire's bringing her friend, so I'm bringing Harper. And Harper said she would go. Well, the more sisters. There goes Ripley scaring all the birds away.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

That's alright. The more sisters that we can gather together in union, we're totally winning. Come on, hey, wait, do you want to share one last final thought? Nope. And she gone. So I want to share a little secret about the event. So my daughter, Nivea, is super athletic and she's very involved in school, in her academics. And I feel like the natural healing, you know, she's totally not convinced yet. Even though she's witnessing me and seeing me work with the herbs, you know, she's got her mind on her own interests and her other things. And so I never want to force anything on her, you know, especially, you know, I do the same thing when it comes to Jesus. Like I really want it to be like an organic, like unfolding and let the experiences speak for themselves. But I absolutely love this because when she first came, she for I the teens, this is her first year doing the teen spiral at the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference. You have to be 12. And they get together girls from 12 to I think 17 or eight, could even be 18 together. And they share, they have their own schedule of set experiences, and they talk about moon set menses and moon cycles and you know, plant allies, but they kind of make it more kid-friendly. So it's not so in-depth knowledge, it's just kind of like a more introduction, but I guess they have things for the more advanced too. I don't want to like shy any, you know, budding herbalists out there that are teenagers who really know their stuff because there's something there for you too. But she resisted. She was like, Mom, no, I don't want to go. It sounds like work. You're gonna be there working. Like, I'm not really into, you know, that that scene of plant medicine. It's kind of interesting or strange, like I don't quite understand it. Like you just kind of like, Nevi, like I need your help. Please come with me. I want to be able to share this facet of my life with her because it's it's all about the kids, and I can only, you know, dream of what she's gonna do with the knowledge that that is passed down to her as I'm going to be an elder one day. And she totally resisted, did not want to go, did not want to partake. As a matter of fact, even when we were there, I felt myself trying to like be like, just go, just go, come on, like check it out. Just even if you don't like it, like just go check it out. And she was like, mm-mm, mm-mm. Like, I'm just gonna go do my own thing, Mama. I just want to sit here. And I was getting frustrated with her. I was getting mad, I was getting upset. I was like, come on, just like, oh god, I was like, come on, like quit being so stubborn, like go learn something new. And then I spoke with a sweet little angel, and she came out of nowhere there. She had three daughters of her own, and she explained this to me, and it was like life-changing. Honestly, like, I'll never like un, I'll never forget it, I'll never unlearn it. It was a very good, like in time, like learning experience for me. And that was, she goes, Ashley, like so up until the teenager point, your daughters spend their time like mimicking you. They want to be just like you. They're they're doing everything that you're doing, they're learning from you, you're showing them the way, guiding them, and they are going with you on that. And when they hit that teenage years, they rebel. And part of that rebellion is just the independence and them wanting to find themselves and given the open space and allowance for them to discover themselves and be themselves, and they're still figuring out who that is because it's like the separation from the mother to a full-on preteen or adult like stage in which you're supposed

Rituals, Sauna Stories, And Campfire Songs

SPEAKER_00 32:40

to offer that space. And so she she said, That's what that is. It's it's and that's kind of why they lash out, is because they're like, No, I want to be myself, I want to do my own thing, like forget what you tell me. I'm gonna do the opposite. And so the moment like I heard it like that, and being like, wow, like, yeah, this is totally natural. And and if I quit like resisting her and like forcing her and be like, no, you must do this, otherwise this, and like trying to like have that control. As soon as I relinquished that and kind of was like, okay, you don't want to go to that portion of the conference or portion of the spiral, don't go. That's fine. You can that's okay. That's okay. Sit sit here, take it at your own space. If you don't want to do that, that's okay. You do you. And I found as soon as as soon as I relinquished that control, as soon as I surrendered, that's when she blossomed. That's when she flourished, that's when she chose her own path and and allowed herself to do so in a way that was marching to her own beat. And that's when she found a friend, and that changed everything. As soon as she found a friend that was someone that she connected with that was her age, and that they, you know, they had a shared experience together, that was it. Then she was off and running, and that's when the magic like unfurled. I was like, yes, yes, this is exactly what I wanted. And and like I feel like letting go of my expectations because I expected her to come in there and be like an eager student and want to learn and like you know, get her hands dirty and just really like full immersion, but she was she's not me, and she's never gonna be me. She's her own special, unique individual. And so I really honored that at this conference. And I feel like I'm I'm still stepping into that, I'm still walking that walk. And of course, every day is a little bit different, but I would highly recommend and encourage parents out there to provide that space for their loved ones to discover themselves and not force anything. If you have to force it, it's probably shit. As I've once heard. So I'm gonna stick by that. And, you know, of course, I am the parent and I have to set boundaries and want to keep her safe in in means, but I think that's half the reason why I turned out the way I did, is that my parents really did my mom really allowed me this the space to be able to find myself. And and of course, you know, we did butt heads every so once in a while, but I feel like she was always like a free spirit, a free bird, and she wasn't kind of like I'm here now, and I'm tracking you, and I gotta find all this, like and more everyone's a little bit different, and you can't, you know, you you you can't know what you don't know. But I really enjoyed kind of that analogy of you know the the teenager resisting being like their mother because they want to find themselves. And so as soon as I heard that being spoken to me and and in that in that capacity and in that space, I was like, wow. And I practice it. I was able to like kind of see how that worked for me right there and then. And it just blossomed so beautifully. And hey, now she wants to come back next year. And that is so amazing to me because you know, that was like the initiation into that kind of sisterhood. Like now, next year she's gonna, it's gonna be like a lotus flower, right? Like we all are lotus flowers, like where we just open up a little bit each more. It's like, or like an onion, you know, you're peeling back the layers, whatever, what have you. But each year she'll kind of find find something new and bright in each new experience. And being even open to be able to going back was a huge win for me because she could have came back and been like, nope, that food was weird, you know, like because the food is all very nourishing. The food is all very green and healthy, even though they do offer sweet treats to every meal. So don't worry, like you do get, we are women, we do like our desserts. But I do feel like it was a major win for her to want to come back and to be open to that. And who knows what she'll learn at the next time because now she kind of knows what to expect, too. And isn't that kind of what we do? Like when we go into the unknown, we're like, like, I want to control this. Like, no, this is how it's gonna go. Like, this is what I want out of it. But it's just like letting go of all those expectations and kind of just falling into a space where you just expect the unexpected and let go of those expectations. It's so liberating, it's so freeing, and I highly recommend it. And that's how I try to live my everyday life, to be honest, is just to kind of to let go, let go and let God. It's such a wonderful

Teen Spiral With My Daughter

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philosophy, but it has to be practiced. And I feel like, you know, just breathing in this very moment always will help. So, anyways, I go off. The sisterhood was strong and involving the children is huge. And for me, that was a big, big, huge win. And I'm so happy she walked up with that moment because I was going into the teen spiral and wanted that direct testimony, and even then, she still doesn't know what to think about it, and that's okay. But she's being exposed. I feel like that exposure there of her witnessing that sisterhood affair there. And honestly, like, I was gonna say, like, no, if I knew now what I was when I was her age, like who knows where I would be right now, right? Like, but we'll be here now. But I just love that she was able to even witness to see that sisterhood, the that gathering of women coming together with love and support and and good intentions and trusting the process in that is just priceless. So you cannot put, you know, put a monetary amount on on what was all gathered there at this conference. And I just think that sisterhood is just so important, even brotherhood, too, for the men that are listening out there to being able to have that brethren, you know, like iron sharpens iron. So I feel like you know, men do it a little bit differently. They have like golf outings and you know, hunting parties, and you know, they they they always find different ways to get together with the boys and let boys be boys. And this is kind of way of like girls, let girls be girls. Besides, it's not about Tupperware, okay, or sex toys, right? Like we're we're getting together and connecting with Mother Earth. And I feel like she is the biggest mother of them all, the biggest crone of them all. And I feel like there is just so much like interesting reverence and respect for the elders here, and I feel like that lends a hand into Mother Earth and respecting her and her knowledge and and revering in all of her beauty and glory, and in and also treating all of us women like sweet little flowers, and we're all different and we're all unique, and we all bloom at different times, and some blooms last longer than others, or you know, some are hearty or perennials and last and somewhere, anyways. You get what I mean that we're all different flowers and we're all so different and beautiful in our own right, and so seeing each flower bloom in their own divine timing is just so wonderful. And to be able to plant seeds together and and be in witness with that, with one another is just so powerful and impactful, especially for the youth. That was really exciting. And of course, I want to go into this story a little bit because speaking of plant initiations and me being a vendor there, I was selling our chocolate bars there. And I had our chocolate bar. Now, my chocolate bar doesn't have any psychoactive components to it, but the trifecta of synergy with hemp, chaga mushrooms, and cacao that are all in the chocolate bar, that synergy creates a feeling of euphoria that's unrivaled, right? To any, like, because you're you're bridging the kingdoms and the gas, and it makes you feel really good. I mean, cacao in and of itself is super beneficial and medicinal. And then when you add the chaga mushrooms that are sourced here in Wisconsin and the hemp that is sun-grown organic, and you fuse all of those elements together, like you are gonna feel good, right? Like you're gonna feel super present in the no, and it's what you don't feel, right? You're gonna feel less pain, less inflammation, and just be like feel really good. But a dosing there is one square,

Parenting Teens By Releasing Control

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and there is 24 squares on the chocolate bar. So we're all like trained, right? Like you eat the whole Hershey's bar. Like you just don't like break off one square unless you like hide it on yourself. Like your probably tendencies eat the whole chocolate bar. Well, I really make sure to like lock in with the people. I'm like, look, this is not your ordinary chocolate bar, okay? Like this is medicine given through the medium of chocolate, right? That is the fusion of how we we give the medicine of mushrooms and the medicine of plants in together through cacao. And this is to be treated as medicine. Now you wouldn't take the whole bottle of Tylenol and be like, woohoo! Or you wouldn't drink the whole tincture bottle and be like, oh yeah, we dosed it right. Like, no, like one dose is one square. Not one bar, one square. All right. And so I feel like I try to lock in with everyone that buys one of these bars and being like, you feel me? You feel me? Like, you don't, you want the proper initiation with cannabis. You don't want to have a bad experience because that's how people green out, right? Is they eat too much. And especially with edibles, where we're trained to eat the whole brownie, right? We're eat the whole chocolate bar, eat the whole gummy. Like, unless you know your edible, you don't know your edible. So definitely ease into any edibles with a side of caution, even if it is just hemp, right? Because hemp is medicine, right? And you have to respect it as such. So, every bar of chocolate I told us, and I've had some wonderful feedback from the chocolate bars. I mean, they have really helped people. And I, they're one of my favorite products because they're just so high vibrational, and I feel like the energy is just so high in the chocolate bar, believe it or not. You just have to experience it for yourself. It's the trifus trifecta synergy that's happening there. And so I we had a lady at the conference who had never used hemp or was initiated into CBD or cannabis before. And she bought a chocolate bar. And I feel like we have the connection because I feel like this communication line is pretty good. And not to mention what it says on the package, you know, the the trying. That's saying, you know, be cautious, proceed with caution. Like this is this is this is high power stuff. And she she ate half of the chocolate bar. So she ate 12 squares of the chocolate bar. I don't know what she was thinking because I don't know how else I could have communicated it, honestly, besides that, like what were so ingrained to think and know. And she had a not good experience. She was initiated into cannabis and it bit her. I doubt she would ever use cannabis ever again after this experience. Unfortunately, I was not able to help her throughout this because I didn't see her. She, I guess she came back to the booth and it was like after vendor hours, and I think I was eating dinner, and she came back and she was like by my booth, and she was like, help, help! Like, I don't know what's going on. Thank the dear lord that she was surrounded by trustworthy, beautiful women who were aware of cannabis and aware of the energy that it possessed. And they were like, the one lady she told me that she told she passed on to this girl, she's like, You're on a train ride. She's like, the train is gonna stop, but you just gotta ride it out until it does. And the lady was like, No, like that's not what I want to hear right now. What do I do? And they took her into this, like, they have this they call like the red tent, and it's supposed to be like the chill tent where you like relax and you're able to like kind of decompress a little bit. And they took her into there and they were able to give her plenty of hydration, you know, calming music. They it was like almost like trip sitting, I would say. So she had like beautiful little Gaia goddesses that were there to help her through this trip, but she totally it was a perfect example of taking way too much, not respecting the plant medicine and abusing it for say, like drinking the whole bottle of tincture or eating the whole bottle of Tylenol, or you know, selling the whole bottle of Tylenol. You just like wouldn't do those things because you know better, right? So I felt so bad though. I was like, oh my gosh, this happened. Like this is crazy. Like what? I just I don't know what. And so now I'm still kind of sitting with that. And one lady was like, maybe you should make the chocolate into like little kisses, and that's like you sell each like individual kiss. And I'm like, yeah, maybe that's not definitely an option. I don't know who's making individual kisses and wrapping that up for me. I'll have to run that by to bald chocolate in in Mel Matosa. But I felt terrible, but I really like had to take a step back and be like, wow, like for me, like if I ate half of a chocolate bar, I I would definitely probably need some sleep. I'd probably need to go nighty night. But it's just like wow, like made me really like sit back and and and know that everyone's thresholds a little bit different, everybody's gonna handle edibles a little bit different. It it brought into all the safety concerns and considerations and how this plant can really affect people and really made me respect the plant even more. That she will bite you. She will bite you. And that's that goes the same with some other a lot of other herbal medicine too. Like if you're not aware of what you're doing and you don't, you know, if you don't listen, you're gonna get bit. And that doesn't mean you can get back on the that doesn't mean that you're never gonna get back on the saddle. Like, get back on that saddle, like knowing what you now know, right? Like, don't get scared off. But say this, these experiences can happen. So that happened. That happened at the Midwesterville Conference. And I had Linda Conroy herself come up to me, and we actually had this amazing conversation that which led into the future of hemp and where we see it going here in Wisconsin and kind of like forging the way of like how people can respect plant medicine and what and how we are all to be held accountable for our part in these plant initiations. And I also understand that I am talking a lot about plant initiations, and I'm sure some people are like, what in the deer? You're talking a lot about plant initiations. And I just I only ah, now I feel rushed because I looked at the time and I'm gonna be shut off here. But I was able to actually meet these two beautiful herbalists and authors that this is just one of each of their books, but uh Pam Montgomery

Hemp Chocolate Dosing And Safety

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is a saint and so connected to Mother Earth that I could read you just one paragraph out of this book, and you're like, wait, whoa, whoa. It talked a lot about plant initiations, building relationships with plants, picking one plant, and really like listening to the energetic, to the energy and what it has to say and what's coming through from the divine, and you know, it gives a lot of reverence to God and um our sacred relationship with nature and how God facilitates that because He God created this earth and through the doctrine of signatures and telling what it looks like and feeling its energy is gonna tell you how it can help you. But then Robin Rose Bennett, too. She is just like a super sacred sweet sister that is just you know among the best of the best. And you know, she writes, she was one of the presenters there, the keynotes, and her her reverence for herbs, plants, songs, and cultures was so amazing and inspiring. And I just have read just a little bit of her book, and I can't wait to read more. I mean, I just opened up to nourishing the muscoskeletal system and how this it's all connected, and she has different recipes in here for infusions and tinctures and spreads, and it's just really wonderful, and it kind of goes upon each system, each one of your systems, too. So I love that you're able to meet these women in person. Like the I these ladies I really look up to, and you know, I've I've only like heard of them about their book by reading their books, and then I'm able to go there and have my book signed by them. And you know, dear Bubbles, may you walk a path of beauty in partnership with all nature. Love Pam shares the flower song, is her nickname. As I told her, mine was Bubbles. So I just love that I was able to connect with these ladies, feel their energy, listen to their ideas as they are considered elders, these ladies were. And again, I could read a chapter out of here, and you were like, you're like, whoa, with the amount of reverence and joy that she has by building a relationship with the plants. I just I hope to be there on one day. So I am going, I think that is about all I have time for today to talk about the wonderful herbs. And I want to thank you so much for tuning in and listening about my experience at the Midwest Women's Herbal Conference. I really hope to pick up this conversation as I dive deeper into these books to share the plant knowledge and actually like you know, the easy elderberry syrup, show you the elderberry and how to work with it is kind of where I'm going with this whole series. But hey, wherever the road takes me, not my plan, but my purpose. And also, quick drop for the sorry, just keep looking over here. The everyday life bible. I was talking with another sister and she was like, ah, the Bible just can be so confusing. I don't even know where to start. Like, what the heck? What are they talking about? Parables? I'm not sure. And you know, sometimes it does feel very cryptic and and it's very, you know, it's very dense as far as the stories here, and they happen rather quickly. But I just wanted to give a shout out to Joyce Meyer, who has been doing ministry all over the world and spreading the good news of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And I just love that she has commentaries. She has speak the words, which are little prayers that you can dive into, uh, life points and putting the word to work that explains the Bible and kind of walks through in her own commentary, which is super helpful because it kind of dissects the Bible and makes it into layman's terms where we can all understand. And where I'm at today, it was amazing. It was Romans 9. And no, Romans 8. And it says, All that Jesus asks of our Father, God answers. So whatever he prays for me, whatever he prays for you, he will receive. Jesus never stops praying for us. That's such good news. This means we can relax because Romans 8, 34 promises that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. Think of it. Jesus is praying for you. And all things are working together for good. So I can't help but believe that I was put amongst these fellow herbalists to soak in the great juicy herbal tin bits to be able to share them with you and beyond and with my children

Plant Initiations, Faith, And Closing Notes

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and their children and their children as we are breaking chains, as we're stepping out of the fear-based mentality and into faith-based stronghold, and where all we have to do is speak the name of Jesus, and it's already written, it's already ours, and that's such a beautiful thing. And I'm gonna keep on rocking in the free world. Speaking of uh grandmother Gaias and elders, I think my mom just rolled up here. We're gonna go watch my niece play some baseball as she is the pitcher on her on her team, and she plays in a little league, and it's so sweet seeing you know the future generation just get out there and move their bodies. So, again, I've I could go on and on. I mean, wildfire, wildflower songwriting. I wrote a song about raspberries, Rubius, I Deus, how I love thee, so tasty and good for me. From the womb to the heart, it's love from the start. How you provide for me. Berries and leaves from the vine have me feeling so fine. Taste and see raspberry. That was just like a little tidbit. I did want to want a ragno too, and it was really like sitting with raspberries, and that's the song that came through. So that's talk, that's more to the initiations and spending time in nature and with plants and trusting your intuition and your knowledge. And I'd love to talk more about it. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, additions, any high vibrational, juicy tidbits that you want to drop along the way, please hit me up, DM me, share this with a friend, connect with me on some way through the ether waves because all things are possible. And know that you are so, so loved, cared, and provided for. And I'm so grateful to be able to share this space here with you today. Much love, brothers and sisters. Keep on getting out there, empowering one another, encouraging and motivating each other, and shining your sweet light and sharing your gifts. God bless and hallelujah. Amen.