Return to Nature

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Brian Gorman, a regenerative rancher and co-owner of Blarney Ranch. He and his wife Karla raise grass-finished Dexter beef on a historic ranch in Trego, Montana. The ranch has been in continuous operation since 1894.  Brian was born and raised in Monterey Country, California, an area extremely well known for agriculture. The events of September 11th, 2001 led him to join the US Army for 10 years, where he was shocked to discover the poor quality of food provided to soldiers. While in Afghanistan, he visited the dining facility of a German-controlled base to find real, high quality food being served. He and his wife were always conscious of health and what they consumed, which led them to raise and grow a lot of their own food, including meat. In 2015, they decided to move to Montana and start a ranch of heritage breed cattle. An homage to their engagement in Ireland and the Blarney Castle, they chose the name for their ranch, which is derived from the gaelic “an bhlarna,” meaning “small green field.” Brian Shares: * His experience in the US Army and the quality of food provided versus what he was used to growing up at home * The industrial trajectory our food systems have been on since World War II * How he and his wife chose to settle in Montana and how they began their first regenerative ranch in Arlee * The demand that led them to move to their current operation in Trego, Montana  * Why cattle breed matters and how he chose the heritage breed Blarney Ranch raises * Why Angus became the popular choice for beef in America  * How cross breeding has affected animal instincts and ancestry * How regenerative agriculture is just a new term for an old way of farming and ranching  * How being in tune with the environment and observing what the land needs can broaden the climates in which agriculture can be practiced  * How regenerative ranching practices have brought native species of plant life back to Blarney Ranch’s land * A look inside Blarney Ranch’s regenerative operation * How regenerative ag affects irrigation * How stockpile foraging works in Winter * The scalability of regenerative agriculture * The “value added” products that are possible when ranching regeneratively * The ethics of raising meat in a society that is disconnected from the realities of agriculture  * The greenwashing of the industry that makes it hard for consumers to truly know the quality of food they’re purchasing  You can connect with Brian through Blarney Ranch: Website: www.blarneyranch.com [https://blarneyranch.com/] Instagram: @blarneyranch [https://www.instagram.com/blarney_ranch/] Facebook: @blarneyranchmt [https://www.facebook.com/blarneyranchmt/?_rdr] Intro/Outro Music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/]

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Chuck Duke, a seasoned stop-motion and CGI animator with over 40 years experience. At age 22 Chuck found himself working claymation for Will Vinton Studios sculpting and animating the California Raisins. Between 1985 and 1995 Chuck animated on several Emmy winning Television Productions for Will Vinton. He left Vinton Studio to work on his first feature film, Henry Selick's James and the Giant Peach. In 1997, Chuck began working at George Lucas's ILM,  animating on films such as Small Soldiers and Star Wars Phantom Menace. Since then, he has animated on notable stop-motion films such as Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and  Isle of Dogs, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.  Chuck Shares: * The Ray Harryhausen film that sparked his interest in learning how stop-motion was done * How he made his early stop-motion films as a teenager * His dad’s support for his interest in the arts and animation * The lack of schooling available for stop-motion and animation in general during his college experience and how he garnered an informal education * His first job in stop-motion for Will Vinton Studios and how he got it * How technological progress has changed everything from getting an education to breaking into the industry. * An overview of how stop-motion technology and software has changed since he started  * The capabilities of the industry standard Dragonframe [https://www.dragonframe.com/] stop-motion software * How he got hired on Henry Selick’s James and the Giant Peach * Why the Mars Attacks! animation switched from stop-motion to CGI * Why he and other stop-motion animators transitioned to doing 3D animation * The differences between the various stop-motion directors he’s worked with * His experience animating at The Sisters Bloom

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Mariah Gannessa, the founder of Four Visions, a global leader, educator, and advocate for the study, benefits, and uses of plant medicine. Born and raised in Northern California, Mariah now lives in Colombia, working directly with the Indigenous tribes. She’s spent the last decade immersed in the healing cultures of the Amazon and has dedicated her life’s work to the plants and the peoples of the Amazon Rainforest. Four Visions supports these communities through direct commerce partnerships, donations, and sponsoring charitable initiatives. Mariah also founded the nonprofit organization, MAGIC Fund [magicfundamazon.com], where she spearheads projects to preserve the Amazonian people, their culture, and their lands. Mariah Shares: * Her early life as an academic over-achiever and how her first plant medicine ceremony was a catalyst for her healing * Her travels that led her to Columbia to embark on a 10-year apprenticeship learning about the art of healing, guided by her teacher, Tiata Juanito * How her desire to find a way to support the ancestral practices and the indigenous tribes who guard them led to the creation of Four Visions * Choosing her own path despite cultural and familial conditioning * Keeping a connection to Nature whether immersed in the forest or in the city * Insight into the Yahe culture of the Columbian Amazon rainforest and all the ways they utilize plant medicine * Western attachment to the idea of credentials as necessary to being successful or experienced  * The various ways to experience plant medicine in our modern society * A detailed look into an ayahuasca ceremony, as practiced by the Inga culture, and the experiences one can have  * Four Vision’s offerings and what those four visions of the future are You can connect with Mariah through Four Visions: Website: www.fourvisions.com [http://fourvisions.com] Instagram: @fourvisionstribe [https://www.instagram.com/fourvisionstribe/] Intro/outro music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/]

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Cory Hillis, a certified EMF specialist and the president of EMF Solutions Inc., a company creating products that are proven to normalize the effects of EMFs on human cells. EMFs, or electromagnetic frequencies, include both ionic radiation such as X-rays and non-ionic radiation such as cell phones, wi-fi, and even power lines. In many human cells, EMFs cause depolarization, free radical damage, nitric oxide issues, and DNA damage. This can lead to a variety of symptoms and health issues. After healing his own devastating physical condition through dedicated, holistic-related work, Cory became a holistic practitioner to help others. Understanding the harmful effects that EMFs have on human health and unable to find any solutions that addressed them, Cory set out to discover the root cause of the problem. His studies and work produced the first real and complete solutions to help him, his family, and his clients. In addition to being a Certified EMF Specialist & Trainer, Cory has a number of holistic practitioner-related trainings and certifications including Quantum Reflex Analysis (QRA), Clinical Nutrition & Weight Management Consultant, and being an Advanced Trainer for QRA to doctors, chiropractors, & others.  Cory Shares: * Discovering that EMFs were a factor in healing his patients and his journey to finding out how to resolve it * A detailed look at what is happening at a cellular level when EMFs are present, based on Dr. Martin Paul’s research * How EMFs affect individuals and common symptoms  * An explanation of the different kinds of EMF remediation and what they are actually doing * How EMF Solutions’ products address the subatomic chaos created from EMFs rather than the EMFs themselves * How 5G’s short wave affects the human body, despite barely penetrating the surface of the skin * Grounding vs. EMF remediation * Why some people are more sensitive to EMFs than others and how your location can have something to do with it * How 5G satellites send signals to Earth and how that’s affecting us * How our scientific understanding of EMFs need to become holistic rather than focused on a specific discipline  * The issues with EMF meters * Mold and EMFs * Insight into the detox process once you have remediated for EMFs You can connect with Cory through EMF Solutions: Website: www.emfsol.com [ https://www.emfsol.com/?aff=growwithus%40thesistersbloom.com] Instagram: @emfsol [instagram.com/emfsol] Facebook: @emfsol [facebook.com/emfsol] Email: info@emfsol.com Intro/Outro Music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/] Sound Mixing by Andrew Pals [a180msound.wixsite.com]

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Todd Ulizio, a farmer who co-owns both Two Bear Farm and The Farmers’ Stand in Whitefish, Montana. Todd grew up on a small vegetable farm in Connecticut and, since a young age, loved to be outdoors in nature. After feeling pressured to get a business degree and working for two years as an accountant, he found the courage to follow his own path and moved to Montana, where he went back to school to study Wildlife Biology at University of Montana. Todd worked for 10 years as a wildlife biologist, studying forest carnivores, before meeting his wife, Rebecca, and starting an organic vegetable farm called Two Bear Farm.  With 17 years of farming experience, Todd strives to promote the importance of local economies, community food systems, and nutritious food. In 2020 he and Rebecca partnered with Wicked Good Produce [https://wickedgoodproduce.com/] to open a local food market in Whitefish called The Farmers' Stand [https://thefarmersstand.com/]. Todd Shares * His introduction to farming as a child and his grandfather’s legacy * His father’s dual life as a farmer and banker * The evolution of organic farming and how it used to be the way everyone farmed * How Aldo Leopold’s Teachings influenced him * The book he read in college that helped him realize he did not want to walk the mainstream path he was on, Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken * His breaking point working as an accountant that prompted him to changed his career trajectory to wildlife biology. * The observation that how humans live on the landscape affects the ability of certain wildlife species to thrive * Learning the nuances of farming in Montana and starting his first farm with his wife, Rebecca in Eureka, MT * The benefits of having a business background as a farmer * The truth behind conventional farming’s story of “feeding the world” * How human disconnection from Nature is at the core of the environmental and agricultural issues we face today * The difference between organic and regenerative farming  * How corporate influence affects our agricultural system * How our values and priorities can play a role in restoring our systems to support both human and planetary health * The fallacy of choice when it comes to the food available for purchase at the grocery store * The need for more people to return to the land and farm for their local communities  * Insight into The Farmers’ Stand’s origins and operation * How we can make choices that align with the kind of future we want for ourselves and our children You can connect with Todd through Two Bear Farm: website: www.twobearfarm.com [www.⁠twobearfarm.com⁠] instagram: @twobearfarm [https://www.instagram.com/twobearfarm/] instagram @farmersstand [https://www.instagram.com/farmersstand/] Intro/Outro Music by Ken Belcher [https://www.kenbelcher.com/]