Finding Your Voice, Reclaiming Your Power, and Embracing Vulnerability
Episode Description:
In the final part of this inspiring interview, Michael Devous continues his conversation with Maria Failla, the plant enthusiast and host of Growing Joy with Plants. Maria shares her personal journey of healing from depression and rediscovering her voice through a daily practice of connecting with nature. They delve into the importance of mindfulness, routine, and embracing vulnerability in both personal and entrepreneurial life. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration to overcome challenges, find their true voice, and cultivate a life filled with joy and authenticity.
Key Highlights:
- Nature as a Healer: Maria's personal experience of overcoming depression through daily walks in nature.
- The Power of Routine and Mindfulness: How simple practices like walking in nature and caring for plants can create a sense of grounding and well-being.
- Finding Your Voice: Maria's journey of rediscovering her voice and passion through connection with nature.
- The Role of Vulnerability: The importance of embracing vulnerability as a path to joy and authenticity.
- The Ascend Hub: A community for support and growth, where entrepreneurs can connect with like-minded individuals and find resources for their journey.
Quotes:
- Maria Failla: "I left a lot in that forest. I'd leave my tears, I'd leave my laughter, I'd leave my neutrality, my numbness."
- Maria Failla: "It was this really beautiful way of literally truly finding my voice again... of just like reconnecting with myself and finding kind of my personality again."
- Michael Devous: "Sometimes, if you can kind of learn to trust your body and to have your body connect with nature and kind of show you the real truth of the matter, that can be really helpful."
- Maria Failla: "You can create a mindfulness routine with your houseplants. You don't have to go get immersed in the forest to experience the benefit."
- Maria Failla: "I think the last couple of years have only shown us how quickly [life] can be taken away. So what do I have to lose? Why would you not live life this way? Why would you not commit to living life in a vulnerable, authentic, fearless way?"
Key Takeaways:
- Nature can be a powerful tool for healing and overcoming challenges.
- Establishing a routine of connecting with nature can foster mindfulness and improve well-being.
- Finding your voice and embracing vulnerability can lead to greater joy and authenticity.
- The Ascend Hub offers a supportive community and resources for entrepreneurs on their journey.
Important Links:
- Book: Growing Joy with Plants by Maria Failla https://a.co/d/3uOlfOM
- Podcast: Growing Joy with Plants https://growingjoywithmaria.com/podcast/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Michael Davout.
Hey there everybody, andwelcome to the fearless road
podcast, where we exploreentrepreneurial insights,
stories and advice on embracingfear, breaking boundaries and
achieving goals on the road tosuccess.
I'm your host, michael Davout,and after years of overcoming
obstacles and tragedy, I I beganto wonder how does someone
(00:25):
become fearless?
Well, that's exactly what we'regoing to find out.
In every episode, we dive intothe lives of individuals who've
learned to turn fear into fuel,face some incredible challenges
and cultivate a fearless mindsetwhile navigating their fearless
road.
So join me for in-depthinterviews with some amazing
people where we investigate moredeeply the valleys on their
(00:47):
road to success, because thevalleys are where character is
built, foundations are laid andwhere the fearless are born.
Welcome to the Fearless Roadpodcast.
And now we're back with thefinal segment in the interview
with Maria Faella finding hervoice segment in the interview
(01:10):
with Maria Faella finding hervoice.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, I mean, I think it goes back to so what you're
talking about is, you know, Iwas struggling with some pretty
bad depression when I had movedback with my parents and I was
just like completely flailing,like no, you know, what am I
going to do?
My industry just evaporated infront of my eyes, like how am I
supposed to move forward?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
A lot of self judgment, yeah, and um yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
And so my mom.
There's a gorgeous, verysimilar.
The other thing is, I thinkthere's a gorgeous little nature
path near everyone.
It's just that no one knowsLike there's a.
There's probably an opportunityto get into nature that's more
readily accessible than youthink.
It's just that we're notlooking.
You know so.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I would just.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I encourage everyone to figure that out.
But yeah, there was a gorgeousnature path, um, and I would go
for walks every day and, like Isaid earlier, like sometimes I
would cry, like I left a lot inthat forest, like I'd leave my
tears, I'd leave my laughter,I'd leave my neutral, my
neutrality, my numbness.
I was numb for probably threeweeks or three months, I don't
know, and it really allowed meto kind of get back to myself.
(02:11):
And so I was a singer and whenI lost my job I didn't sing for
months because it just hurt.
It was this experience of itwas just really sad to sing and
then realize that like Icouldn't use my voice in the
capacity that I wanted to onstages for, you know, singing
for people and so I kind of wentsilent, Like I think I said in
(02:34):
the book, like my, my heart kindof went dormant and my voice
kind of went dormant.
Like there was the silence thatkind of came over me.
And as I was walking and thistook a while, right, um, it took
it, it took a bunch of walks,but I noticed that all of a
sudden, like I would just startlike mimicking bird song with my
voice, or I would just starthumming a song that was stuck in
(02:55):
my head.
Well, and then, you know,humming turned you, like a
little bird mimic or a littlehum turned into, okay, actually
singing lyrics to words I knew.
And then, all of a sudden, Iwas, you know, full, full
throated, just like singing inthe middle of the woods,
recording it on my camera, likehaving so much fun with it.
Singing to the inchworms,exactly Like singing to the
(03:17):
inchworms that were, you know,falling from the sky or the
little birds.
Um, and it was just this reallybeautiful way of like literally
truly finding my voice again,but also kind of in a figurative
, figurative way, to have justlike reconnecting with myself
and finding kind of mypersonality again after kind of
going through such a tough time.
(03:38):
And I think another thing youtouched on, phaedra, is the
importance of of a routine likeone walk in nature.
Nature isn't going to cure yourdepression, you know, I
wouldn't be great if it would,but it's the, it's the
consistency.
It's also what you mentioned,like walking the same path and
seeing the seasons change helpsyou internalize, like, even if
(04:02):
you're feeling so stuck.
I felt so stuck and paralyzedin that moment.
It felt like my whole life gotput on hold, but I was watching
summer turn into fall, turn intowinter, like I was watching the
leaves change, and on aninternal level, on a cellular
level, I was able to processlike, okay, time is moving, we
are moving, we are growing, weare evolving, like it's.
(04:24):
It's very poetic, but nature canreally be your teacher if you
let it, and um, so I I thinkthat is.
It's a beautiful opportunitythat you do have to commit, you
know, you have to commit alittle bit of time too in order
to really reap the benefits ofit.
But you also notice that yourbody starts to crave it, so,
like on days, that if I hadappointments or I just like
couldn't get to my walk that day, I would notice that I'd like
(04:45):
be a little antsy, or I'd be,like, you know, five minutes
early to my walk the next day.
Um, which I also think wasreally interesting, because
that's your body, you know,confirming this, this thing,
cause this is a lot of thisnervous system regulation work
is coming at it from a bodylevel and not a mind.
You know your mind can get verybusy.
Coming at it from a body leveland not a mind.
(05:06):
You know your mind can get verybusy.
Talk about entrepreneurship too.
Your mind can just like leadyou to the darkest dark depths,
you know.
And sometimes if you can kindof learn to trust your body and
to have your body connect withnature and kind of show you the
real truth of the matter, thatcan be really helpful.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, well, and I also think there's this tendency
to go okay, like I have a bit,especially as an entrepreneur,
but just as a person in America,society, um, in general, just
to sit there and go like I'm toobusy, I don't have time for
that, like that's the firstthing, right, that gets pushed
aside.
Um, the things that trulynourish our body and our spirit
(05:44):
and our soul, right, like eatinghealthy meals on time right,
often gets pushed out of the way, and, um, and spending time
outside, those are the firstthings to go and they're they're
probably the things that arethe most beneficial.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Um, and I've gotten out of my practice, especially
since moving Um.
You know I've gotten out of mypractice, especially since
moving Um.
You know, I, we, we, got homefrom our two week trip.
Two weeks later I moved andthen, after spending a month
with Michael, I was by myselfand not what's a new place.
But you know, again, um, andyou know, post trip and post
(06:20):
hectic moving, depression set inand I just kind of hold up and
I truly haven't gotten.
You know, I've come out of thedepression, um, but I haven't
gotten back out into a regularhabit of walking um outside in
nature and it's definitely thisis such a great um reminder of
(06:40):
all of the many benefits thatcan come from that.
So, yeah, and this interviewcould not have come at a better
time, that makes me so happy.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
And also, you know, if you, if you are in a city and
you don't have access to a goodnature walk, you can create a
and I there.
You know there's multiplechapters in my book on this, but
you can create a mindfulnessroutine with your houseplants.
So it's, you don't have to goget immersed in the forest to
experience the benefit of ofwhat we're talking about.
You can experience the benefitof building a, you know,
(07:10):
sustainable routine with acouple of houseplants that you
will still like reap so manyrewards from Um.
But it's, it's about the.
You know the key part is theroutine, for sure.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, and one more thing I wanted to touch on, and
it's it's kind of random, but itcame to mind when I was reading
the section, when you weretalking, when you went forest
bathing in the Redwoods, ah yeah, like not having noise
(07:41):
pollution, which is marked,which I'd love for you to talk
about that a little bit.
And then it made me think ofsomething really cool that you
may or may not know about, butif you could just let the
audience know a little bit aboutthe one square inch, yeah, so
when I moved to the woods, oneof the shocking things that I
(08:01):
did not understand was noisepollution and my first three
weeks-.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
And how long you've been immersed in it, especially
in New York City.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And how lucky that I was doing all of this research
as I did this move, because Inoticed that I had a spike in
anxiety when I moved to thewoods because the silence was
almost deafening.
Like that phrase the silence isdeafening really hit home where
I mean.
I just remember those firstcouple of weeks looking at my
husband just being like it's soquiet, this is spooky, like this
(08:35):
is wild, and it almost beinglike like my nervous system was
just like what is this?
And it's because I had lived inthe city for over a decade with
trucks and also light.
Light pollution is another thingthat a lot of my research came
up.
But like our bodies are notdesigned to listen to traffic at
(08:55):
three o'clock in the morningand to have lights come in your
window, you know, from thestreetlights and because of
modern advancements in society,which are fabulous, you can take
a plane and be anywhere.
You know there are very fewplaces in the world,
specifically in the States, thatactually have no noise,
(09:17):
manufactured noise pollution,for I think that I think it's
over 15 minutes um, with flight,flights, flight, um, what's it
called?
Flight paths, yeah, flightpatterns and trains and traffic,
and so in the whole nationalrainforest on the West coast of
the States.
There's this one square inchthat has no.
(09:37):
You know that that falls underthese guidelines and you can go
to onesquareinchorg to listen toa recording of what it sounds
like, but there I think I haveone square inch here yeah,
totally.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Amazing?
I think so.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You might.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
You might on private land.
Well, because our propertybacks up.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Our property, which is about 50 acres, backs up to
the Lincoln National Forest,which is a little over 300,000
acres.
And we're surrounded by it onthe backsides and nothing as far
as I can tell, except for theplanes from Alamogordo Air Force
Base occasionally come this way, but in general they don't.
So we're not part of thatflight pattern, we're actually
(10:18):
off the flight pattern.
So I think we might actuallyhave one square inch.
You're on square inch, youlucky duck Right.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So then it was very interesting.
You know, being in the woods,getting used to the silence.
I can barely go back to NewYork City and sleep there these
days because my nerve Do youfind your response to it so much
more?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Oh, it's so jarring.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I mean, I feel like my nervous system I was in fight
or flight for 10 years, youknow, living in New York City.
Literally your nervous systemdoesn't know any different,
right.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
So your parasympathetic doesn't ever
relax it never.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
It never shuts down it never truly shuts down, and
so once I experienced what thatactually feels like when I go to
the city, now it's like sojarring for me.
My husband and I joke that likethe minute we get there, we're
counting the minutes till we getto go home.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
You know, I live two hours outside of the city.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I'll go meet a friend for dinner in the city and at 9
o'clock I'll drive home becauseI'm like I want to wake up in
my own bed and, like you know, Idon't want to deal with
sleeping on a couch with thelight coming in and the sounds
Um and so I think.
But I had no idea that mynervous system was even this
raised.
I was even in this state untilI moved and I realized that this
(11:26):
isn't available to a lot ofpeople.
Not everyone can just run forthe hills the way my husband and
I did, and I don't necessarilyrecommend it for a lot of people
because it's a huge 180.
But what I found was, you know,you can replace nature sounds
throughout your day.
So I found I wrote my whole bookto a eight hour nature sounds
(11:46):
playlist on YouTube and I wouldjust play it on YouTube and I
would write my book and um, youcan, you know, on the headspace
app you can go to sleep tonature sounds, like you can find
nature sounds on Spotify, likeit's very easy to find.
So it's a hack.
You know, ideally you want tojust go be in nature, but if you
can and you want that nervoussystem healing and you want that
(12:07):
opportunity, you know, whileyou be in nature, but if you can
and you want that nervoussystem healing and you want that
opportunity, you know, whileyou're in your house, while
you're in your apartment in yourcongested city, can you tell
you know Alexa or Google Home toplay some you know jungle
sounds or forest sounds, so thatat least your nervous system
can kind of feel what, what it'ssupposed to?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Yes, well, and speaking of that and I love that
idea and I really believe inthat too, and we are slowly
going to be running out of timehere and I've got a couple more
questions to get to but are youor will you be planning a
retreat?
I think this is the perfectopportunity to take these ideas
that you've created and create asort of retreat for people from
(12:49):
the city to have these touchpoints, to reconnect, to hear
some of this and get theirparasympathetic system calmed
down a little bit.
I mean I would love to do alawyer joy retreat, that's so
interesting.
I mean I would love to do that.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Maybe that's 2025.
We have some big plans for 2024.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
So I'm like I don't think I can.
I know you're busy but, I dothink.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Ultimately, I want to bring this research and this
accessible wellness practicesusing plants that are affordable
to live a happier life to asmany people as possible at scale
in the most affordable way.
So I feel like I my 2024initiatives are more about how
can I reach more people for freeto empower them with this
(13:32):
information, but then I think Iwould love the idea of doing a
retreat, um to be able to likereally dive deep and have some
sort of quarterly reset orsomething.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Yes, you are so good.
That was my next.
Are there any specific goals ormilestones you'd like to
achieve?
You're literally already there.
You're doing it.
This is great.
I think a retreat would beperfect.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
I think your next iteration of let's put it into
the universe baby, the GrowingJoy.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Retreat?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
You now have it.
Universe, make it so.
We are, of course, in studiowith Maria Faya, phaedra Chinaki
and myself, michael DeVue, atthe Fearless Road podcast,
talking about growing joy andfinding your balance and finding
your voice and yourvulnerability, not only to
become fearless, but be mindfulof the journey that you're on.
(14:22):
Lastly, before we sign off, weask our guests, as we've asked
you, to share a little bit aboutyour life and be vulnerable.
Vulnerability, I feel like, isa very, very.
I was thinking about thisearlier when I was getting ready
this morning, because yourbook's about growing joy, and I
was, like is vulnerability likethis other?
(14:45):
Is the root of joy, is thespace where joy germinates and
comes out of?
Is that vulnerability?
How does vulnerability play arole for you on your fearless
road?
And yeah, I mean it'severything.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Um, like I said earlier, I feel like
entrepreneurship is like walkingaround with no skin on.
You're so vulnerable.
You're literally just sayingokay, world, here's my heart,
here's my joy, here's what worksfor me.
Can I help?
you here are my dreams.
Can I help you?
And you hope that what you sayresonates with people.
I don't think there's anythingmore brave than that, right,
(15:26):
especially in today's societywhere everything is curated,
everything is filtered,everything is, you know,
ridiculous.
It's just ridiculous.
Um, I think it's a very bravething to allow yourselves to, to
be vulnerable.
And, yes, I do feel like thegreatest things out of life come
from vulnerability, whetherit's a relationship like how are
you going to have a true love,like a true relationship, if you
(15:49):
don't allow yourself to bevulnerable?
Um, and the joy that comes fromthat.
So I do think you, you'respeaking a lot of truth in, in
vulnerability being a core, acore principle, a core root of
what joy can bring.
Um, and I think too, even thedefinition of joy.
You know, joy doesn't need tobe like hilariously giggling,
(16:12):
you know, like head exploding,you're so happy.
Joy can be just like a peacewith yourself that you can
really find in nature.
But I think sorry to go back toyour question, I'm veering off
you know how does vulnerabilityplay into it?
I do think it's everything.
(16:34):
I don't think I, I think it'shard, I think it requires
bravery, bravery.
I think that you know, you dohave to be a little bit fearless
to kind of, you know, unzipyour heart and show it to others
, whether it's at like a largescale, in the way that I'm doing
, or whether it's just with,like the people in your, the
people in your immediate circlein life.
But I do think that it's somuch more rewarding when you
live life that way.
I mean, we have one life tolive right, and I think the last
(16:56):
couple of years have only shownus how quickly it can be taken
away.
I also feel like now I'm evenmore addicted to vulnerability
because I've realized you, I doonly have one life to live.
I have kind of walked throughthe fire of a lot of stuff in
the last couple of years, sowhat do I have to lose?
(17:17):
Like, why would you not livelife this way?
Why would you not commit toliving life in a vulnerable,
authentic, fearless way?
Because it's so much morerewarding.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
And, ladies and gentlemen, I mean this is the
fearless road with Maria Faiya,phaedra Shinaki, michael DeVue,
um the key takeaways.
I just want to remind everybodyout there, if you're on this
journey and you're on yourfearless road, you're a you're
not alone.
We are all with you on this,and we have discovered, we are
discovering that joy can be had,can be found, can be nurtured,
(17:54):
can be practiced.
And if you want a little toknow a bit more about that,
about that journey with joy,pardon me pick up this book
Growing Joy from Maria Fahia.
There it is the Plant Lover'sGuide to Cultivating Happiness
and Plants.
(18:15):
With this book, I'm telling youthere's so much in there that
you're going to get from it.
But if you put it into practice, if you really find ways to
execute this one, you're goingto find your voice.
That's key.
Find your voice.
Maria knows about this.
She knows exactly how to dothis.
Get in touch with her, reachout to her.
Oh, speaking of which, how canour guests get in touch with you
?
Where do we find you?
Yeah, I was going to say youknow, please get my book.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
It's my love letter to plants.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Behind a plant.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Yeah, exactly there I am with my crazy plant people
eyes.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
But you know you're listening to this podcast.
Add my podcast to your list ofsubscriptions.
Growing Joy with Plants.
On the podcast, I interviewexperts in horticulture on
literally every type of plantyou could ever want to grow.
I probably have an episode onit.
We have over 200 episodes alldedicated to houseplants,
gardening and wellness throughthe lens of nature.
(19:06):
Such a great resource.
Yeah, we've got episodes on howto forest bathe, how to do all
of these things.
So come hang out with me inthis kind of digital corner of
the universe on the Growing Joywith Plants podcast and then on
socials.
I'm Growing Joy with Maria andmy DMs are always open and I'd
(19:26):
love to see all the pictures ofyour plants.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Yes, well, and your Growing Joy with Maria.
She has brought so much joytoday to my show, to this show,
to our listeners and to us.
Thank you so much, my pleasure.
Thank you for having me so muchof course, remember, ladies and
gentlemen, create balance inyour life and be and create a
mindful practice with asustainable routine you can do.
(19:51):
Do it, find your joy with Maria, find your fearlessness with
the Fearless Road podcast.
Thank you so much for joiningus today, maria.
You've been incredible.
What a joy, what a lovely,lovely time.
And, ladies and gentlemen, whatdo we say?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
We say stay fearless.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Stay fearless Bye.
Michael Davout.
Hey there everybody, andwelcome to the fearless road
podcast, where we exploreentrepreneurial insights,
stories and advice on embracingfear, breaking boundaries and
achieving goals on the road tosuccess.
I'm your host, michael Davout,and after years of overcoming
obstacles and tragedy, I I beganto wonder how does someone
(00:25):
become fearless?
Well, that's exactly what we'regoing to find out.
In every episode, we dive intothe lives of individuals who've
learned to turn fear into fuel,face some incredible challenges
and cultivate a fearless mindsetwhile navigating their fearless
road.
So join me for in-depthinterviews with some amazing
people where we investigate moredeeply the valleys on their
(00:47):
road to success, because thevalleys are where character is
built, foundations are laid andwhere the fearless are born.
Welcome to the Fearless Roadpodcast.
And now we're back with thefinal segment in the interview
with Maria Faella finding hervoice segment in the interview
(01:10):
with Maria Faella finding hervoice.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, I mean, I think it goes back to so what you're
talking about is, you know, Iwas struggling with some pretty
bad depression when I had movedback with my parents and I was
just like completely flailing,like no, you know, what am I
going to do?
My industry just evaporated infront of my eyes, like how am I
supposed to move forward?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
A lot of self judgment, yeah, and um yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
And so my mom.
There's a gorgeous, verysimilar.
The other thing is, I thinkthere's a gorgeous little nature
path near everyone.
It's just that no one knowsLike there's a.
There's probably an opportunityto get into nature that's more
readily accessible than youthink.
It's just that we're notlooking.
You know so.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
I would just.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
I encourage everyone to figure that out.
But yeah, there was a gorgeousnature path, um, and I would go
for walks every day and, like Isaid earlier, like sometimes I
would cry, like I left a lot inthat forest, like I'd leave my
tears, I'd leave my laughter,I'd leave my neutral, my
neutrality, my numbness.
I was numb for probably threeweeks or three months, I don't
know, and it really allowed meto kind of get back to myself.
(02:11):
And so I was a singer and whenI lost my job I didn't sing for
months because it just hurt.
It was this experience of itwas just really sad to sing and
then realize that like Icouldn't use my voice in the
capacity that I wanted to onstages for, you know, singing
for people and so I kind of wentsilent, Like I think I said in
(02:34):
the book, like my, my heart kindof went dormant and my voice
kind of went dormant.
Like there was the silence thatkind of came over me.
And as I was walking and thistook a while, right, um, it took
it, it took a bunch of walks,but I noticed that all of a
sudden, like I would just startlike mimicking bird song with my
voice, or I would just starthumming a song that was stuck in
(02:55):
my head.
Well, and then, you know,humming turned you, like a
little bird mimic or a littlehum turned into, okay, actually
singing lyrics to words I knew.
And then, all of a sudden, Iwas, you know, full, full
throated, just like singing inthe middle of the woods,
recording it on my camera, likehaving so much fun with it.
Singing to the inchworms,exactly Like singing to the
(03:17):
inchworms that were, you know,falling from the sky or the
little birds.
Um, and it was just this reallybeautiful way of like literally
truly finding my voice again,but also kind of in a figurative
, figurative way, to have justlike reconnecting with myself
and finding kind of mypersonality again after kind of
going through such a tough time.
(03:38):
And I think another thing youtouched on, phaedra, is the
importance of of a routine likeone walk in nature.
Nature isn't going to cure yourdepression, you know, I
wouldn't be great if it would,but it's the, it's the
consistency.
It's also what you mentioned,like walking the same path and
seeing the seasons change helpsyou internalize, like, even if
(04:02):
you're feeling so stuck.
I felt so stuck and paralyzedin that moment.
It felt like my whole life gotput on hold, but I was watching
summer turn into fall, turn intowinter, like I was watching the
leaves change, and on aninternal level, on a cellular
level, I was able to processlike, okay, time is moving, we
are moving, we are growing, weare evolving, like it's.
(04:24):
It's very poetic, but nature canreally be your teacher if you
let it, and um, so I I thinkthat is.
It's a beautiful opportunitythat you do have to commit, you
know, you have to commit alittle bit of time too in order
to really reap the benefits ofit.
But you also notice that yourbody starts to crave it, so,
like on days, that if I hadappointments or I just like
couldn't get to my walk that day, I would notice that I'd like
(04:45):
be a little antsy, or I'd be,like, you know, five minutes
early to my walk the next day.
Um, which I also think wasreally interesting, because
that's your body, you know,confirming this, this thing,
cause this is a lot of thisnervous system regulation work
is coming at it from a bodylevel and not a mind.
You know your mind can get verybusy.
Coming at it from a body leveland not a mind.
(05:06):
You know your mind can get verybusy.
Talk about entrepreneurship too.
Your mind can just like leadyou to the darkest dark depths,
you know.
And sometimes if you can kindof learn to trust your body and
to have your body connect withnature and kind of show you the
real truth of the matter, thatcan be really helpful.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Yeah, well, and I also think there's this tendency
to go okay, like I have a bit,especially as an entrepreneur,
but just as a person in America,society, um, in general, just
to sit there and go like I'm toobusy, I don't have time for
that, like that's the firstthing, right, that gets pushed
aside.
Um, the things that trulynourish our body and our spirit
(05:44):
and our soul, right, like eatinghealthy meals on time right,
often gets pushed out of the way, and, um, and spending time
outside, those are the firstthings to go and they're they're
probably the things that arethe most beneficial.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Um, and I've gotten out of my practice, especially
since moving Um.
You know I've gotten out of mypractice, especially since
moving Um.
You know, I, we, we, got homefrom our two week trip.
Two weeks later I moved andthen, after spending a month
with Michael, I was by myselfand not what's a new place.
But you know, again, um, andyou know, post trip and post
(06:20):
hectic moving, depression set inand I just kind of hold up and
I truly haven't gotten.
You know, I've come out of thedepression, um, but I haven't
gotten back out into a regularhabit of walking um outside in
nature and it's definitely thisis such a great um reminder of
(06:40):
all of the many benefits thatcan come from that.
So, yeah, and this interviewcould not have come at a better
time, that makes me so happy.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
And also, you know, if you, if you are in a city and
you don't have access to a goodnature walk, you can create a
and I there.
You know there's multiplechapters in my book on this, but
you can create a mindfulnessroutine with your houseplants.
So it's, you don't have to goget immersed in the forest to
experience the benefit of ofwhat we're talking about.
You can experience the benefitof building a, you know,
(07:10):
sustainable routine with acouple of houseplants that you
will still like reap so manyrewards from Um.
But it's, it's about the.
You know the key part is theroutine, for sure.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, and one more thing I wanted to touch on, and
it's it's kind of random, but itcame to mind when I was reading
the section, when you weretalking, when you went forest
bathing in the Redwoods, ah yeah, like not having noise
(07:41):
pollution, which is marked,which I'd love for you to talk
about that a little bit.
And then it made me think ofsomething really cool that you
may or may not know about, butif you could just let the
audience know a little bit aboutthe one square inch, yeah, so
when I moved to the woods, oneof the shocking things that I
(08:01):
did not understand was noisepollution and my first three
weeks-.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
And how long you've been immersed in it, especially
in New York City.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And how lucky that I was doing all of this research
as I did this move, because Inoticed that I had a spike in
anxiety when I moved to thewoods because the silence was
almost deafening.
Like that phrase the silence isdeafening really hit home where
I mean.
I just remember those firstcouple of weeks looking at my
husband just being like it's soquiet, this is spooky, like this
(08:35):
is wild, and it almost beinglike like my nervous system was
just like what is this?
And it's because I had lived inthe city for over a decade with
trucks and also light.
Light pollution is another thingthat a lot of my research came
up.
But like our bodies are notdesigned to listen to traffic at
(08:55):
three o'clock in the morningand to have lights come in your
window, you know, from thestreetlights and because of
modern advancements in society,which are fabulous, you can take
a plane and be anywhere.
You know there are very fewplaces in the world,
specifically in the States, thatactually have no noise,
(09:17):
manufactured noise pollution,for I think that I think it's
over 15 minutes um, with flight,flights, flight, um, what's it
called?
Flight paths, yeah, flightpatterns and trains and traffic,
and so in the whole nationalrainforest on the West coast of
the States.
There's this one square inchthat has no.
(09:37):
You know that that falls underthese guidelines and you can go
to onesquareinchorg to listen toa recording of what it sounds
like, but there I think I haveone square inch here yeah,
totally.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Amazing?
I think so.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You might.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
You might on private land.
Well, because our propertybacks up.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Our property, which is about 50 acres, backs up to
the Lincoln National Forest,which is a little over 300,000
acres.
And we're surrounded by it onthe backsides and nothing as far
as I can tell, except for theplanes from Alamogordo Air Force
Base occasionally come this way, but in general they don't.
So we're not part of thatflight pattern, we're actually
(10:18):
off the flight pattern.
So I think we might actuallyhave one square inch.
You're on square inch, youlucky duck Right.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So then it was very interesting.
You know, being in the woods,getting used to the silence.
I can barely go back to NewYork City and sleep there these
days because my nerve Do youfind your response to it so much
more?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Oh, it's so jarring.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I mean, I feel like my nervous system I was in fight
or flight for 10 years, youknow, living in New York City.
Literally your nervous systemdoesn't know any different,
right.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
So your parasympathetic doesn't ever
relax it never.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
It never shuts down it never truly shuts down, and
so once I experienced what thatactually feels like when I go to
the city, now it's like sojarring for me.
My husband and I joke that likethe minute we get there, we're
counting the minutes till we getto go home.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
You know, I live two hours outside of the city.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I'll go meet a friend for dinner in the city and at 9
o'clock I'll drive home becauseI'm like I want to wake up in
my own bed and, like you know, Idon't want to deal with
sleeping on a couch with thelight coming in and the sounds
Um and so I think.
But I had no idea that mynervous system was even this
raised.
I was even in this state untilI moved and I realized that this
(11:26):
isn't available to a lot ofpeople.
Not everyone can just run forthe hills the way my husband and
I did, and I don't necessarilyrecommend it for a lot of people
because it's a huge 180.
But what I found was, you know,you can replace nature sounds
throughout your day.
So I found I wrote my whole bookto a eight hour nature sounds
(11:46):
playlist on YouTube and I wouldjust play it on YouTube and I
would write my book and um, youcan, you know, on the headspace
app you can go to sleep tonature sounds, like you can find
nature sounds on Spotify, likeit's very easy to find.
So it's a hack.
You know, ideally you want tojust go be in nature, but if you
can and you want that nervoussystem healing and you want that
(12:07):
opportunity, you know, whileyou be in nature, but if you can
and you want that nervoussystem healing and you want that
opportunity, you know, whileyou're in your house, while
you're in your apartment in yourcongested city, can you tell
you know Alexa or Google Home toplay some you know jungle
sounds or forest sounds, so thatat least your nervous system
can kind of feel what, what it'ssupposed to?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Yes, well, and speaking of that and I love that
idea and I really believe inthat too, and we are slowly
going to be running out of timehere and I've got a couple more
questions to get to but are youor will you be planning a
retreat?
I think this is the perfectopportunity to take these ideas
that you've created and create asort of retreat for people from
(12:49):
the city to have these touchpoints, to reconnect, to hear
some of this and get theirparasympathetic system calmed
down a little bit.
I mean I would love to do alawyer joy retreat, that's so
interesting.
I mean I would love to do that.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Maybe that's 2025.
We have some big plans for 2024.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
So I'm like I don't think I can.
I know you're busy but, I dothink.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Ultimately, I want to bring this research and this
accessible wellness practicesusing plants that are affordable
to live a happier life to asmany people as possible at scale
in the most affordable way.
So I feel like I my 2024initiatives are more about how
can I reach more people for freeto empower them with this
(13:32):
information, but then I think Iwould love the idea of doing a
retreat, um to be able to likereally dive deep and have some
sort of quarterly reset orsomething.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Yes, you are so good.
That was my next.
Are there any specific goals ormilestones you'd like to
achieve?
You're literally already there.
You're doing it.
This is great.
I think a retreat would beperfect.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
I think your next iteration of let's put it into
the universe baby, the GrowingJoy.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Retreat?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
You now have it.
Universe, make it so.
We are, of course, in studiowith Maria Faya, phaedra Chinaki
and myself, michael DeVue, atthe Fearless Road podcast,
talking about growing joy andfinding your balance and finding
your voice and yourvulnerability, not only to
become fearless, but be mindfulof the journey that you're on.
(14:22):
Lastly, before we sign off, weask our guests, as we've asked
you, to share a little bit aboutyour life and be vulnerable.
Vulnerability, I feel like, isa very, very.
I was thinking about thisearlier when I was getting ready
this morning, because yourbook's about growing joy, and I
was, like is vulnerability likethis other?
(14:45):
Is the root of joy, is thespace where joy germinates and
comes out of?
Is that vulnerability?
How does vulnerability play arole for you on your fearless
road?
And yeah, I mean it'severything.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Um, like I said earlier, I feel like
entrepreneurship is like walkingaround with no skin on.
You're so vulnerable.
You're literally just sayingokay, world, here's my heart,
here's my joy, here's what worksfor me.
Can I help?
you here are my dreams.
Can I help you?
And you hope that what you sayresonates with people.
I don't think there's anythingmore brave than that, right,
(15:26):
especially in today's societywhere everything is curated,
everything is filtered,everything is, you know,
ridiculous.
It's just ridiculous.
Um, I think it's a very bravething to allow yourselves to, to
be vulnerable.
And, yes, I do feel like thegreatest things out of life come
from vulnerability, whetherit's a relationship like how are
you going to have a true love,like a true relationship, if you
(15:49):
don't allow yourself to bevulnerable?
Um, and the joy that comes fromthat.
So I do think you, you'respeaking a lot of truth in, in
vulnerability being a core, acore principle, a core root of
what joy can bring.
Um, and I think too, even thedefinition of joy.
You know, joy doesn't need tobe like hilariously giggling,
(16:12):
you know, like head exploding,you're so happy.
Joy can be just like a peacewith yourself that you can
really find in nature.
But I think sorry to go back toyour question, I'm veering off
you know how does vulnerabilityplay into it?
I do think it's everything.
(16:34):
I don't think I, I think it'shard, I think it requires
bravery, bravery.
I think that you know, you dohave to be a little bit fearless
to kind of, you know, unzipyour heart and show it to others
, whether it's at like a largescale, in the way that I'm doing
, or whether it's just with,like the people in your, the
people in your immediate circlein life.
But I do think that it's somuch more rewarding when you
live life that way.
I mean, we have one life tolive right, and I think the last
(16:56):
couple of years have only shownus how quickly it can be taken
away.
I also feel like now I'm evenmore addicted to vulnerability
because I've realized you, I doonly have one life to live.
I have kind of walked throughthe fire of a lot of stuff in
the last couple of years, sowhat do I have to lose?
(17:17):
Like, why would you not livelife this way?
Why would you not commit toliving life in a vulnerable,
authentic, fearless way?
Because it's so much morerewarding.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
And, ladies and gentlemen, I mean this is the
fearless road with Maria Faiya,phaedra Shinaki, michael DeVue,
um the key takeaways.
I just want to remind everybodyout there, if you're on this
journey and you're on yourfearless road, you're a you're
not alone.
We are all with you on this,and we have discovered, we are
discovering that joy can be had,can be found, can be nurtured,
(17:54):
can be practiced.
And if you want a little toknow a bit more about that,
about that journey with joy,pardon me pick up this book
Growing Joy from Maria Fahia.
There it is the Plant Lover'sGuide to Cultivating Happiness
and Plants.
(18:15):
With this book, I'm telling youthere's so much in there that
you're going to get from it.
But if you put it into practice, if you really find ways to
execute this one, you're goingto find your voice.
That's key.
Find your voice.
Maria knows about this.
She knows exactly how to dothis.
Get in touch with her, reachout to her.
Oh, speaking of which, how canour guests get in touch with you
?
Where do we find you?
Yeah, I was going to say youknow, please get my book.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
It's my love letter to plants.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Behind a plant.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Yeah, exactly there I am with my crazy plant people
eyes.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
But you know you're listening to this podcast.
Add my podcast to your list ofsubscriptions.
Growing Joy with Plants.
On the podcast, I interviewexperts in horticulture on
literally every type of plantyou could ever want to grow.
I probably have an episode onit.
We have over 200 episodes alldedicated to houseplants,
gardening and wellness throughthe lens of nature.
(19:06):
Such a great resource.
Yeah, we've got episodes on howto forest bathe, how to do all
of these things.
So come hang out with me inthis kind of digital corner of
the universe on the Growing Joywith Plants podcast and then on
socials.
I'm Growing Joy with Maria andmy DMs are always open and I'd
(19:26):
love to see all the pictures ofyour plants.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Yes, well, and your Growing Joy with Maria.
She has brought so much joytoday to my show, to this show,
to our listeners and to us.
Thank you so much, my pleasure.
Thank you for having me so muchof course, remember, ladies and
gentlemen, create balance inyour life and be and create a
mindful practice with asustainable routine you can do.
(19:51):
Do it, find your joy with Maria, find your fearlessness with
the Fearless Road podcast.
Thank you so much for joiningus today, maria.
You've been incredible.
What a joy, what a lovely,lovely time.
And, ladies and gentlemen, whatdo we say?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
We say stay fearless.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Stay fearless Bye.
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