Pizza is a Spiritual Practice

Liminal Writing: A Conversation with Amanda Saint

There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to talk about the liminal space. Good thing - for you - this video is just under 40 minutes Amanda and I chatted about the liminal space, and how I found myself there. I’m learning that I’m a liminal being at this point. I’ve fully set up camp in the in-between. Liminal simply means in between. In between versions of yourself. Transitional phases and places. Sometimes I think about a house foyer being a liminal space - the space between where you come and go. We talked about writing, and how it’s a form of channeling. How things just pop into our writer heads and we just have to get it out. The liminal space and writing go hand in hand. Like peanut butter and jelly. Peas and carrots (said in the Forrest Gump voice.) If you’d like to explore writing your way through (or just further in, if you’re anything like me) the liminal space, I encourage you to check out Amanda’s 6 month program. The application deadline is June 8th, so don’t wait! Check out Writing the Bardo with Amanda here [https://themindfulwriter.net/writing-the-bardo]. I’ve had the pleasure of being in class with Amanda, and she has such a gentle energy. It reminds me of floating on water. Flowing, not forcing, and a sense of trust. Having that experience, I highly recommend her work, and share the above link here with no agenda or profit. Just the simple trust and faith in Amanda and what she stands for. I think it’s what the world needs. Faith. Trust. Flow. That and listening to the trees. Coffee is my love language.☕ You can buy me one here: Become a paid subscriber to join the monthly Show & Tell for Grown-Ups [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/p/show-and-tell-for-grown-ups] gathering (Next gathering is Sun June 7th at 1 pm EDT) and access exclusive posts like these: Nature Therapy Daily Journal [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/p/the-latest-paid-subscriber-perk] and Rewild Your Heart mini-course [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/p/rewild-your-heart-4-week-mini-course]. Wandering onward,Sam 🌿 P.S. I totally mixed up the 4 of Cups and 5 of Cups in tarot. Oops. Shout out to 2260 Hamilton’s Lore & Shadows [https://substack.com/profile/309144470-2260-hamiltons-lore-and-shadows] for telling me in the live chat. I was combining two cards and using my foggy midlife brain to try and remember something I’ve only been dabbling with for a few years. After researching, I meant the 4 of Cups, which definitely has not spilled yet. Not actual grief, just stubbornly disengaged. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Wacky, wild, and somewhat fiery life update

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wanderingwillow.substack.com [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] Hello wanderers! This is me giving a mostly casual, slightly feral life update. In the video I mentioned how I’m going live with Amanda Saint on Wednesday May 27 at 11:00am ET, here is the link https://open.substack.com/live-stream/209461 [https://open.substack.com/live-stream/209461] The next Show and Tell for Grown-Ups gathering is on Sunday June 7th at 1pm ET. More info is here [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/p/show-and-tell-for-grown-ups]. The Zoom link will g…

ADHD & the Wild Mind: Finding Focus Through Nature

In this live conversation, Sam and Christie explore the relationship between nature and ADHD—through lived experience, not just theory. Sam shares how forest therapy became a turning point during burnout and panic attacks, describing it as a heart-based, relational practice where “the forest is the therapist” and the guide simply opens the doors through the senses. Christie reflects on being diagnosed with ADHD in childhood, then again at 31, and how getting outside was one of the few things that consistently helped—long before she understood why. Together, they move through a live Pleasures of Presence invitation—bringing awareness to touch, sound, smell, taste, and the heart—then unpack what it’s actually like to try and be in your body when your brain won’t slow down. Some threads that unfold: * What it feels like when being present is uncomfortable or even inaccessible * The tension between restlessness and stillness in ADHD * Why movement can be a form of meditation * How nature supports regulation—even when you don’t feel it right away * The role of novelty, structure, and “both/and” thinking * Why “just getting out the door” can be the real win * The subtle ways nature affects attention, mood, and focus They also touch on: * Dopamine, cortisol, and sensory input in nature * The difference between indoor vs. outdoor environments (for both adults and kids) * How repetition + variation can support an ADHD brain * The challenge (and reality) of figuring out what works for you There’s no single method offered here—just honest exploration, experimentation, and noticing. You’ll probably recognize yourself somewhere in it. As you listen, notice what you notice.🌱 Thank you to Sheri Handel [https://substack.com/profile/16069317-sheri-handel], and everyone who tuned into our live video! Join us for the next one. If this resonated and you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee here: If you’d like to support my work and be part of this space more deeply, you can become a paid subscriber. You’ll get access to perks like the monthly live gathering Show & Tell for Grown-Ups [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/p/show-and-tell-for-grown-ups], along with paid subscriber-only posts. Wandering onward,Sam 🌿 If you enjoyed this, a like, comment, and restack really helps support this work and this space. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Are You Feeling Unseen? Make a Video.

Sometimes the thing we’re craving most isn’t more attention… it’s actually seeing ourselves. In this episode of Wandering Willow Speaks, I follow a thread that started with a simple question: “Today is, are you feeling unseen? Make a video.” And it goes somewhere deeper than just “go make content.” I talk about how making a video might not actually be about other people seeing you at all. “The point of making the video is for you.” There’s a piece in here about what it feels like to not belong, and how that shows up in different ways—astrology, childhood stuff, personality patterns, all of it kind of layered together. And also this moment where I realize… 91 people watched my last video. And how that actually is something. Like a room full of people. Like a wedding. I wander into this idea of reciprocity too—how when you see something, it might also be seeing you. “You know, like nature does witness you.” That turns into talking about trees, birds, my cat hanging out on the desk… and this feeling that maybe being seen isn’t as limited as we think it is. It’s very stream of consciousness. No editing, no polishing. “I can’t pause these videos. And I don’t want to edit.” “I laugh at my own jokes too. And you know what? I highly encourage it.” There are tangents. I lose my train of thought at least once. I follow threads and see where they go. At the core of it, though, there’s a really simple invitation: “If you just make a video for yourself, talking to yourself, that’s enough.” You don’t have to post it. You don’t have to go viral. You don’t have to do anything with it. Just… what happens if you let yourself be seen by you? This was recorded on March 27th, 2026 when there was a lot of Aries energy moving through, and you can kind of feel that in the background: “…there’s so many planets in Aries now. Does this serve me first? yes or no?” There’s something in here about choosing yourself, even when it feels a little edgy. If you’ve been feeling unseen, or disconnected, or like you don’t quite belong… this one is for you. You’re not alone. Wandering onward,Sam 🌿 If this resonated and you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee here: If you’d like to support my work and be part of this space more deeply, you can become a paid subscriber. You’ll get access to things like my monthly live gathering, Show & Tell for Grown-Ups, along with subscriber-only posts and the full archive. If you enjoyed this, a like and restack really helps support this work and this space. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Joy is a currency

Joy is a Currency (video at the top) This started with a question I asked this morning: If I’m in the right place, following the nudges…why isn’t the money showing up? What came through wasn’t an answer I could logically work with. It was this: joy is a currency. I don’t fully understand what that means in a tangible, pay-your-bills kind of way. But I do feel that it matters. That giving and receiving joy is an exchange.That it counts for something. Some threads we moved through: * following intuition without knowing where it leads * living beyond pure logic (even when that’s what we were trained into) * the quiet ways intuition actually comes through * nature as an access point * grounding back into the body (even something as simple as feeling your feet) This isn’t wrapped up neatly. It’s something I’m still in, still questioning, still practicing. But it feels important to name: joy isn’t pointless.it isn’t extra.it moves. If you want the full, unfiltered conversation—how this came through, what it felt like, and everything in between—it’s all in the video above. Introducing Wandering Willow Speaks: The Podcast! And I’m really excited to say this is now also a podcast-Wandering Willow Speaks-and it’s living in more places, so you can listen or watch however you like: Spotify, Apple, or YouTube. If you missed it, Pizza is a Spiritual Practice [https://open.substack.com/pub/wanderingwillow/p/pizza-is-a-spiritual-practice?r=gn8rr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web×tamp=2.0] is linked below at Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. Spotify: Apple Podcasts: YouTube: If you liked this, let me know in the comments. I love chatting, obviously. Coffee is another form of joy, and if you’d like to buy me some joy you can by clicking the button below. I appreciate every cup of joy. Wandering onward,Sam 🌿 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe [https://wanderingwillow.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]