Ep 8: We Traded Farm Work for Adventure: The WWOOFing Journey That Changed Our Lives

Ep 8: We Traded Farm Work for Adventure: The WWOOFing Journey That Changed Our Lives

When we first discovered WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), we had no idea how much those experiences would shape our lives. In this episode, we're taking you back to our very first WWOOFing journey across the United States. From California and New Mexico to Georgia and North Carolina, we share stories from the farms we stayed on, the unforgettable people we met, and the experiences that have stayed with us for nearly two decades.  Today, we've come full circle. After years of WWOOFing ourselves, we now welcome WWOOFers to our own homestead. As we reflect on these early adventures, we're reminded of the generosity, hospitality, and unexpected connections that made each experience so meaningful.  In this episode, we share: *  Stories from our first WWOOFing experiences across the United States  *  The unforgettable people and farms that left a lasting impression  *  What it's been like to experience WWOOF from both sides—as volunteers and now as hosts  *  How WWOOFing influenced our homesteading journey  *  Why opening ourselves to new people and experiences has enriched our lives  If you've ever been curious about WWOOFing, volunteering on organic farms, or hearing the stories that helped shape our path to homesteading, we hope you enjoy this conversation. Learn more about WWOOFING: https://wwoof.net/ [https://wwoof.net/] Connect with Lindsay & Scott:  To learn more about our retreats: www.homesteadandheal.net [http://www.homesteadandheal.net/] Connected with Lindsay: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/ [https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/] Connect with Scott: https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/ [https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/] Don't forget to subscribe, and leave us a review/ rating!

Ep 7: Trusting Yourself & Following What Makes You Feel Alive with Jen Wyatt

What does it mean to be truly wild? Not reckless. Not unhinged. But deeply, unapologetically yourself. In this episode, we sit down with their dear friend Jen Wyatt, founder of Wander Free Wellness, retreat leader, ritual guide, and creator of transformational experiences for women rooted in freedom, wildness, truth, and aliveness. Together, they explore what it means to return to our authentic nature and how so many of us spend years navigating the expectations, conditioning, and beliefs that pull us away from who we truly are. Jen shares her journey from growing up in the forests of New Hampshire, to teaching in Boston Public Schools, to experiencing a health crisis that ultimately led her into the world of holistic healing, yoga, ritual, and women's work. She reflects on the role that grief, self-trust, nature, and embodied healing have played in helping her reconnect with herself and build a life aligned with what makes her feel most alive. In this conversation, we explore: • What "wildness" really means and why it's often misunderstood • The influence of Women Who Run With the Wolves on Jen's work • Freedom, authenticity, and shedding the layers of conditioning • Nature as refuge, teacher, and guide • Ritual, myth, archetypes, and the power of storytelling • Why being fully alive includes grief, rage, longing, joy, and pleasure • Women's conditioning around self-expression and truth • Jen's health journey and the turning point that changed her life • The connection between self-trust and personal freedom • Retreats, transformation, and creating spaces for women to remember who they are • Ancestors, family stories, and the people who shape our path • The advice Jen wishes she had received sooner: trust yourself and follow what makes you feel alive This conversation is rich with stories, wisdom, laughter, and reflections on what it means to live in deeper relationship with ourselves, the natural world, and the life that is calling us forward. About Jen Wyatt Jen Wyatt is the founder of Wander Free Wellness and a guide for women on the path of wild remembrance. Through ritual, retreats, seasonal circles, movement practices, and immersive experiences, she creates sacred spaces for women to reconnect with their freedom, wildness, truth, and aliveness. Drawing from backgrounds in psychology, education, yoga, nature-based spirituality, and feminine wisdom traditions, Jen blends myth, archetype, embodiment, and creative expression to guide women home to themselves. Connect with Jen: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderfreewellness [https://www.instagram.com/wanderfreewellness] Website: www.wanderfreewellness.com [https://www.wanderfreewellness.com] Awaken Your Aliveness Retreat: www.wanderfreewellness.com/costarica2026 [http://www.wanderfreewellness.com/costarica2026] Connect with Lindsay & Scott:  To learn more about our retreats: www.homesteadandheal.net [http://www.homesteadandheal.net/] Connected with Lindsay: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/ [https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/] Connect with Scott: https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/ [https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/] Don't forget to subscribe, and leave us a review/ rating!

Ep 6: Moving Through Life After Loss: Emily Hanger on Acupuncture, Mediumship & Grief

In this powerful conversation, Lindsay and Scott sit down with Emily Hanger, a dancer, acupuncturist, Holistic Pelvic Care Practitioner, and psychic medium whose work bridges embodiment, intuition, healing, and the wisdom of the natural world. Emily shares how dance quite literally saved her life more than once. From a young age, movement taught her embodiment, body confidence, and how to read energy in the people around her. After earning her BFA in Dance and Choreography and spending four years immersed in New York City's modern dance scene, a life-altering injury brought her career to an unexpected halt. What followed was a period of depression, a pregnancy loss, and ultimately an acupuncture treatment that changed the course of her life. That first acupuncture session sparked a calling. Emily went on to earn her Master's in Oriental Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine and has spent the last twelve years supporting clients through her private practice, where she continues to witness the profound intelligence of the body and the healing process. The conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Emily reflects on the stillbirth of her daughter Josephine in 2017. Through grief, Emily found herself reconnecting with psychic and mediumship abilities that had been present since childhood. Guided in many ways by Josephine's spirit, she began developing her gifts more intentionally and now helps others strengthen their own intuition and spirit connection through her In Service to Spirit Mentorship. Emily also shares her experiences receiving messages from ancestors during treatments, her relationship with the powerful plant ally datura, and her emerging work with intuitive voice and sound healing. Through spontaneous songs and tones, she helps clients access deep states of nervous system regulation, emotional release, ancestral connection, and embodied healing. This episode is a beautiful reminder that healing rarely follows the path we expect—and that some of our greatest challenges can become gateways into deeper purpose, connection, and trust. In This Episode *  Growing up connected to nature, spirit, and intuition * How dance shaped Emily's relationship with embodiment and energy  *  A life-changing injury, pregnancy loss, and discovering acupuncture  *  The healing power of Chinese medicine and emotional release  *  Grief, stillbirth, and the loss of her daughter Josephine  *  Reconnecting with psychic and mediumship abilities  *  Ancestors, spirit communication, and intuitive messages  *  Plant wisdom, including lessons from datura  *  Voice healing, sound, and nervous system regulation  *  Following curiosity as a guide toward purpose and healing Connect with Emily:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taproot.healing.arts/ [https://www.instagram.com/taproot.healing.arts/] Website: https://www.emilyhanger.com/ [https://www.emilyhanger.com/] Connect with Lindsay & Scott:  To learn more about our retreats: www.homesteadandheal.net [http://www.homesteadandheal.net/] Connected with Lindsay: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/ [https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/] Connect with Scott: https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/ [https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/] Don't forget to subscribe, and leave us a review/ rating!

Ep 5: Deepening Your Connection with Nature Through Plant Consciousness with Pam Montgomery

Have you ever wondered what plants might teach us if we truly learned how to listen? In this deeply inspiring conversation, we sit down with renowned herbalist, author, international teacher, and founder of Nature Evolutionaries, Pam Montgomery, to explore the profound world of plant consciousness, co-creative partnership with nature, and healing the "wound of separation" that many of us experience in modern life. Pam shares her lifelong journey of connecting with the intelligence and wisdom of the natural world - from her childhood in Appalachia to decades of teaching people how to cultivate meaningful relationships with plants. We explore what becomes possible when we move beyond seeing plants as resources and begin relating to them as teachers, allies, and elders. The conversation also dives into the transformative power of plant initiations, including ceremonial experiences with rose and hawthorn, ancestral healing, belonging, and the deep remembrance that can emerge when we reconnect with the living world around us. Whether you're new to herbalism, curious about plant spirit medicine, or longing to deepen your connection with nature, this episode offers a powerful invitation to slow down, listen, and remember that we are not separate from the natural world—we are part of it. About Pam Montgomery: Pam Montgomery is an herbalist, author, international teacher and Earth elder who has passionately embraced her role as a spokesperson for the green beings and has been investigating plants and their intelligent spiritual nature for more than four decades.  More recently she has been working with the plants to heal the wounds of separation from Nature in order to move into co-creative partnership with all Nature. She is the author of three books including Co-Creating with Nature; Healing the Wound of Separation and the highly acclaimed Plant Spirit Healing; A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness.  She teaches internationally and virtually on plant initiations, spiritual ecology and co-creative partnership with Nature. She is the founder of the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries or ONE and was a founding board member of United Plant Savers. Learn more about Pam's work: Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pam.montgomery.589/ [https://www.instagram.com/pam.montgomery.589/] Her website: https://wakeuptonature.com/ [https://wakeuptonature.com/] Connect with Lindsay & Scott:  To learn more about our retreats: www.homesteadandheal.net [http://www.homesteadandheal.net/] Connected with Lindsay: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/ [https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/] Connect with Scott: https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/ [https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/] If this episode resonates with you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who is ready to deepen their connection with nature, healing, and the wisdom of the plants.

Ep 4: Nutrient Density, Plant Resilience, and the Future of Food with Dan Kittredge

In this episode of Homestead and Heal, we sit down with Dan Kittredge, founder of the Bionutrient Food Association, to explore the connection between soil health, plant vitality, and human well-being. Dan shares his journey from growing up on an organic farm to developing a systems-based approach that helps farmers grow healthier, more resilient crops while reducing costs. The conversation dives into nutrient-dense agriculture, including soil mineral balancing, biological inoculation, foliar nutrition, and reducing plant stress to naturally improve pest resistance. The hosts also reflect on the dramatic improvements they experienced on their own farm after implementing Dan's principles. Dan discusses Brix testing, the Brixit Challenge citizen science project, and research revealing significant differences in nutrient density among crops. The episode concludes with a broader exploration of plant intelligence, our relationship with nature, and the Bionutrient Food Association's mission to create a healthier, more nutrient-dense food system for future generations. About Dan:  Dan has been an organic farmer for more than 30 years. He grew up on Many Hands Organic Farm in central Massachusetts with his parents, Julie Rawson, NOFA-MA Executive Director, and Jack Kittredge, publisher of Natural Farmer. After working globally in the late 90s and early 2000s with farmers, NGOs, and researchers across India, Russia, and Central America, Dan returned to the U.S. and in 2010 launched the BFA in order to ignite a movement around food quality. Dan has become one of the leading proponents of “nutrient density,” and works to demonstrate the connections between soil health, plant health, and human health through workshops and speaking engagements around the world, the annual Soil and Nutrition Conference, and an increased presence online through social media, a YouTube channel, and numerous webinars and podcasts. Dan launched the Real Food Campaign, now the Bionutrient Institute, that, with open-source science partners Our-Sci and FarmOS, are leading the effort to identify and increase nutrition in the food supply. The Bionutrient Institute has engineered and released a hand-held consumer spectrometer, the Bionutrient Meter, designed to test nutrient density at the point of purchase and bring transparency to the marketplace. Via the Bionutrient Meter, the goal is to empower consumers to choose their foods based on nutrient quality and thereby leverage economic incentives to drive full system regeneration. Connect with Dan:  His personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/dan_kittredge/ [https://www.instagram.com/dan_kittredge/] His website: https://www.dankittredge.com/ [https://www.dankittredge.com/] Bio Nutrient Food Association Website: https://www.bionutrient.org [https://www.bionutrient.org/team] BNFA IG: https://www.instagram.com/bionutrientfoodassociation/ [https://www.instagram.com/bionutrientfoodassociation/] Connect with Lindsay & Scott:  To learn more about our retreats: www.homesteadandheal.net [http://www.homesteadandheal.net/] Connected with Lindsay: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/ [https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycourcelle/] Connect with Scott: https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/ [https://www.instagram.com/alchemygardens/] Don't forget to subscribe, and leave us a review/ rating!