S5E6: Mulberries in the Rain - Growing Plants, Cultivating Belonging with Ryan Blosser

S5E6: Mulberries in the Rain - Growing Plants, Cultivating Belonging with Ryan Blosser

Show Notes What if the way we grow food could teach us how to build community — and even bridge our deepest divides? In this rich, wide-ranging conversation, Morenike sits down with Ryan Blosser, farmer, educator, mental health professional, and co-founder of Shenandoah Permaculture Institute, to explore the living intersection of land, belonging, and human connection. Ryan is the co-author (with Trevor Pearsall) of Mulberries in the Rain: Growing Permaculture Plants for Food and Friendship — a book that weaves personal story, practical plant wisdom, and a deeply relational philosophy of sustainability. This episode is one in From the Ground Up permaculture miniseries and it might be the most human one yet. From Division I basketball to Hawaii surfboards to food forests in the Shenandoah Valley, Ryan's journey is a masterclass in following the hard path toward what truly matters — and discovering that community is not built in a moment, but grown, slowly, through rupture and repair. In This Episode  * The origin story behind Mulberries in the Rain and why approachability matters in permaculture * Ryan's surprising path: from Division I basketball to surfing in Hawaii to discovering Bill Mollison and permaculture * Why plants become characters in our lives — and what deep relationship with a single plant can teach us about commitment * The concept of the 'human sector' in permaculture design and why 98% of permaculture project failures trace back to it * Guilds in permaculture: anchor plants, barrier plants, dynamic accumulators, pest confusers, beneficial attractors, and nitrogen fixers * The biggest misconceptions about permaculture (hint: it's not a technique — it's a design system) * Why community building is hard — and why that's not a reason to stop. * Permaculture's most urgent principle for our current political moment: integrate, don't segregate * Honoring indigenous ecological knowledge — and moving beyond acknowledgment to action * How to start your permaculture journey (spoiler: don't buy land yet) Resources Mentioned * Mulberries in the Rain: Growing Permaculture Plants for Food and Friendship by Ryan Blosser & Trevor Pearsall [https://newsociety.com/book/mulberries-in-the-rain/] * Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta — recommended by Ryan for indigenous ecological knowledge * Deakin University / Tyson Yunkaporta's Indigenous Technologies Lab document on respectful use of IEK * Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier's work on permaculture design and guilds * Wendell Berry poem: 'Be joyful, even though you have considered all the facts' Website: https://www.shenandoahpermaculture.com/ [https://www.shenandoahpermaculture.com/] * Shenandoah Permaculture Institute (SPI) — courses offered spring & fall; 2 scholarships available per cohort * Upcoming SPI courses: University of Richmond area (spring) | University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg (fall) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shenandoahpermaculture/?__pwa=1 [https://www.instagram.com/shenandoahpermaculture/?__pwa=1] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shenpermaculture [https://www.facebook.com/shenpermaculture] Enjoying Elevating Good Podcast? Share, follow, and review if you like what you hear so more people can discover EGP! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/elevatinggoodpod] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/elevategoodpod] Subscribe to additional content on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠ [https://substack.com/@elevatinggoodpod] Shop for EGP merch: https://elevategoodpod.com [https://elevategoodpod.com]

S5E5: When Survival Mode Becomes Home — and How To Find Your Way Back with Cendrine Hosoda

In this episode of Elevating Good, Morenike sits down with Cendrine Hosoda, a trauma-informed life consultant, speaker, and founder of Pursuing Wholesome Health. Cendrine has a gift for meeting people right where they are — especially those who have carried invisible wounds for so long that survival mode has started to feel like home. Cendrine brings a beautifully integrated approach to healing: one that weaves together neuroscience, somatics, and faith. As a Neurosomatic Intelligence Certified practitioner, she helps complex trauma survivors gently move from hypervigilance and shutdown into greater safety, regulation, and wholeness — without bypassing the body or the spirit. Whether you've experienced trauma yourself, love someone who has, or simply feel like you've been running on empty longer than you'd like to admit, this conversation will meet you with compassion and offer a path forward. In this episode, you'll hear: * What complex trauma actually is — and why so many people don't recognize it in themselves * Why healing isn't just a mental process — and what the nervous system has to do with it * How faith and neuroscience can work together (not against each other) in the healing journey * What it means to move from survival mode into sustainable wholeness * Practical wisdom for anyone ready to stop white-knuckling through life Cendrine is also a mom of two young adults who finds restoration in nature, a good book, and a beautiful meal — and that groundedness comes through in every word she shares. This is the kind of conversation that makes you feel less alone — and more hopeful about what's possible. Contact Cendrine Website: https://pursuingwholesomehealth.com/ [https://pursuingwholesomehealth.com] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/share/1DwGWrwWwa/?mibextid=wwXIfr] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cendrinehosoda?igsh=MTV3OWRxZXJjdWt5OA==] LinkedIN [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cendrine-hosoda] Link to a free resource: https://pursuingwholesomehealth.com/nervous-system-foundations-a-gentle-introduction-to-nsi/ [https://pursuingwholesomehealth.com/nervous-system-foundations-a-gentle-introduction-to-nsi/] Enjoying the Elevating Good Podcast? Please share, follow, and review: Subscribe to additional content on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack [https://substack.com/@elevatinggoodpod]⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/elevatinggoodpod] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/elevategoodpod?igsh=MW1kdmZ1aHdjb2FjOQ==] Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/elevategoodpod.bsky.social] Looking for wealth-building options? Join the Black Woman Lifestyle 5-Day Igniter Challenge and start building your digital highway to wealth: https://blackwomanlifestylemanifesto.com/access?am_id=morenike8460 [https://blackwomanlifestylemanifesto.com/access?am_id=morenike8460] Shop for EGP merch: Elevategoodpod.com [https://elevategoodpod.com]

S5E4: One Man Processes Grief with Jason Tuttle

Some conversations don't expire — they wait for the moment the world is ready to receive them. We're bringing back this powerful episode with Jason Tuttle because the moment is now. In a time when headlines are surfacing painful truths about men's mental health, grief, the silent weight so many men carry alone, and the tragic impacts men who do not get adequate intervention can have on their women and homes, Jason's story is exactly the kind of voice we need to hear. Jason lost his young son — and rather than retreating into silence, he did something courageous: he talked about it. In this episode, Jason opens up about: * What grief actually looks and feels like for men — and why it often goes unseen * How men process loss differently, and why that difference matters * Practical ways women can show up for the men in their lives who are hurting * How one man's willingness to share his pain became a lifeline for others Jason's journey doesn't offer easy answers. It offers something better — honest witness, hope, and a reminder that healing is possible even in the darkest valleys. Website: www.LettersToZachary.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552174684952 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letters2zachary/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@letters2zachary What do you think about the Elevating Good Podcast? Share, follow, and review if you like what you hear so more people can discover us! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DE2k7uA56/?mibextid=wwXIfr ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.instagram.com/elevategoodpod Subscribe to bonus content on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠: https://open.substack.com/pub/elevatinggoodpod Website: https://elevategoodpod.com

S5E3: It Cost Me Nothing: Portrait of a Servant Leader with Vicky Crawford

Host Morenike Ogebe sits down with Vicky Crawford, a recently retired federal employee with 44 years of public service, during Women's History Month. Vicky shares the story of her journey from a North Carolina farm — the youngest of seven children — to helping build landmark EEO and disability employment programs in public service. The conversation weaves together personal history, professional legacy, hard-won workplace wisdom, and a faith-rooted philosophy of service without seeking credit. Contact Vicky Crawford: +1 (301) 254-0419 Enjoying the Elevating Good Podcast? Please share, follow, and review: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/elevatinggoodpod] ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/elevategoodpod] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@elevategoodpod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/elevategoodpod.bsky.social] Subscribe to additional content on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠ including affirmations, curated job search tools, bridge dividing tools, and episode companions. Looking for wealth-building options? Join the Black Woman Lifestyle 5-Day Igniter Challenge [https://blackwomanlifestylemanifesto.com/access?am_id=morenike8460] and start building your digital highway to wealth Shop for EGP merch

S5E2: One Table at a Time: Bridge Building, Belonging & Courageous Compassion with Andrea Putting

Andrea Putting is a speaker, award-winning author, and the host of Chocolate and Coffee Break: A Compassionate Proposition — a broadcast where strangers sit down together,share their stories and leave seeing each other differently. Her work centers on three convictions: belonging as practice, listening as leadership, and compassion as a courageous daily choice. What began as the simplest of invitations — a pieceof chocolate, a warm drink, and a willingness to listen — has grown into a media platform dedicated to rebuilding trust in divided spaces. Andrea is the author of Compassionate Purpose and Compassionate Prosperity. Her message is clear and urgent: the quality of our conversations shapes the future of our communities. She describes her work not as a career but as a calling — one she follows in obedience to a quiet, persistent nudge to keep building bridges. One table at a time. Visit her website to learn more about her books and speaking - https://andreaputting.com.au/ [https://elevategoodpod.com/] Watch Chocolate and Coffee Break: A Compassionate Proposition - https://chocolateandcoffeebreak.com/ [https://chocolateandcoffeebreak.com/] Follow Andrea on social media for daily doses of compassionate leadership. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.putting [https://www.facebook.com/andrea.putting]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreaputting/ [https://www.instagram.com/andreaputting/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndreaPutting [https://www.youtube.com/@AndreaPutting] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chocolate-and-coffee-break/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/chocolate-and-coffee-break/] Books by Andrea * Compassionate Purpose [https://a.co/d/07X7V8DU] — Available wherever books are sold. * Compassionate Prosperity [https://a.co/d/0416DRwX] —Available wherever books are sold. Enjoyed this episode? Like, follow, share, and subscribe. Elevating Good Podcast is also on: Website: https://elevategoodpod.com/ [https://elevategoodpod.com/] Facebook: https://facebook.com/elevatinggoodpod [https://facebook.com/elevatinggoodpod] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevategoodpod/ [https://www.instagram.com/elevategoodpod/] Unlock more resources on bridging divides by subscribing to Substack: https://elevatinggoodpod.substack.com/ [https://elevatinggoodpod.substack.com/] Books by Andrea Putting