Grounded in Maine

It's been bugging me that there hasn't been an episode devoted to composting in 4 years! In March of this year, I think, there was a compost week, and friend of the podcast Alexa Pavan did a post about it, and it wasn't hard to convince her to come back Her first episode was # 107 in August of 2024 - link here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/1952444/episodes/15591760-107-go-green-with-alexa-pavan ) and talk about composting, because she LOVES talking about it! This is something she's been talking about for a while - in fact, her regional composting service asks her to fill in...

This conversation with Derek Haynes AKA The Chocolate Botanist was so fun! I "met" Derek as a participant of a workshop offered through the New England Botanical Gardens - they had him come talk about the Vanilla Orchid, and it was FASCINATING! Derek adds in some history we weren't (at least I wasn't) told, that opens up a whole different story...

Derek has a Plant Biology degree and background, as well as experience working on plant-based vaccines and therapeutics, so he knows what he's saying. He enjoys de-bunking plant rumors on social media. He also is one...

Omar Al Shafie, Co-Founder of Teregen Ag digs into regenerative agriculture (pun intended)— specifically how mineralized worm castings and biodynamic farming practices are helping growers rebuild soil health and make their crops more resilient to increasingly volatile weather. We cover what's actually happening at the soil-biology level, how micronutrients play into natural pest resistance, and the practical (and economic) realities farmers face when moving away from conventional methods.

I love how this product is not just for farmers, but for backyard growers and house plants. And that farmers who are nervous about not using conventional fertilizers and pe...

I loved getting to hear all about The Bloom Edit; a beautiful collaboration with Holly Berry's Floral Design Company, A Natural Design and Laura Grauer Photography to create a beautiful day of self appreciation! The Bloom Edit will be in person in the Seattle, WA area on July 17th - which is also around Lara's 50th birthday... Lara said she usually does a birthday selfie, and for her 50th she's sharing it with YOU if you're nearby! The main color of the day is purple, and the photography subjects will literally have their head as part of a flower...

I know I've said this before, but being asked if cat overpopulation was a conversation I'd be interested in was an easy yes for me! I'm so happy to share this conversation I got to have with Deborah Felin Magaldi. Deborah works with Helen Sanders Cat Paws in the Los Angeles area, where they're making progress, and have learned a lot to be able to teach others (us). 

Deborah met Helen Sanders back in 2001, and Cat Paws became a legit non-profit in 2010; they've rescued/fostered around 5,000 cats and kittens, and if you think about how many might h...

First, I want to give a big fat thank you to our friend Joan Kanner who hooked me up with Hazel, knowing this would be a great conversation! 

It's fun when things just line up really perfectly - for me, at least. Last week we heard from Austin French, of the More Than Outdoors podcast, and it was just chance that today we're learning from Hazel Stark, of The Maine Outdoor School - both in Maine, both focusing on outdoor activities. Seriously,  how fun is that? AND I had asked Austin what a State Guide does, because is...

I want to just start by acknowledging that this is episode 200! If you've been here since the beginning of Grounded in Maine, bless you, and thank you! If you're new here, I'm so glad you're here!Let's learn to be better stewards of the land as we can!

I only learned about Austin French and More than Outdoors podcast in March, I think, but I loved getting to know him. By chance, someone tagged the New England Podcasters Group on Linkedin, and I was tagged, because Austin is in Maine, and his podcast topic would fit perfectly...

I hadn't heard of Ethical Seafood Research until Wasseem Emam reached out to me, but I'm so grateful I know about it now! Drawing on his background in applied aquatic ecology, conservation, and sustainable aquaculture, Wasseem recognised a critical gap; aquatic animals are the most numerically exploited, and least protected animals in the food system.

Wasseem started Ethical Seafood Research in 2021. He had an experience working on a fishing boat that fueled his need to work for the ethical fishing of aquatic animals- he tells the story better than I ever could, of course, so you'll have...

I loved this conversation with Blair Northen Williamson, aka The Island Writer. Blair is a sailing Captain, dive instructor, ocean activist, global traveler, author and speaker, and she is talking to us about raising curious, empathetic global citizens with care and curiosity, instead of fear. 

Blair has published 3 children's books so far about caring for the ocean: Island Girls, Birthday Bash and Ocean Protectors, to teach kids about the ocean, and encourage them to take care of it, and all who live there. She talks about coral reefs, which are really in danger as our ocean temperatures a...

*Please forgive my echoey audio in this episode! I had cleared out my office to move, and it was - well - echoey.*

Vale Siegrist won a year of Public Relations work from Publicity for Good, who has been sending some pretty great podcast guests my way lately! I was watching their contest, so curious to see who won - and while talking with Vale, she let me know it was her!

Vale started Circular Mom Club after struggling post partum. One day she sent a  photo of her newborn in a cute outfit she h...

I've been bugging Elizabeth Bruckner for months to come back on the podcast, because I've been listening to her other podcast guest episodes and feeling like we've been missing out, and I finally wore her down. I'm kidding - she's been wanting to go deep about Kefir with someone, and I've been interested in learning about it, and finding a fermented food I can actually ingest. And boy oh boy, did we get an education!

Elizabeth was a guest in 2025 (episode 148) to talk about her book, The Homesteader Mindset, that had just published. We talked about homesteading...

I was so looking forward to talking with Susan Poizner - I've heard so many times that the first thing you should do on a homestead is plant perennial fruits, so I wanted to make sure we/I know the best practices, And Susan's story about learning about fruit tree care is so incredible. Susan planted fruit trees in her city park in an empty space, only to hear from some community people that they didn't want it. She did it anyway, and created this beautiful community of education, appreciation and care for the earth - EVEN from her...

I got an email asking if I'd want to have a conversation with GreenFi Banking very soon after talking with Maya Lily the filmmaker, who recommended knowing that who's holding our money is in alignment with our values, so that was a really easy YES! George Mazzella is the VP of Marketing for GreenFi - he was sought out for the position by Tim, the CEO, who had worked with George before, and knows that he is passionate about climate change and leaving the world better than he found it. George has children, so he has extra motivation to...

I feel like this conversation with Mark Winters was so needed. Things feel so desperate and divided, and in comes Mark with his bubbly positive outlook to neutralize any heaviness. Mark Winters is an bonafide rocket scientist turned full time touring musician, spreading his positivity wherever he goes. He's currently on his Good Vibes Highway Tour of 120 cities and counting.

For Mark, music is his bridge between the analyzing world and connecting on a human level. He started writing poetry with his grandmother , and only recently picked up a guitar to learn a song...

There were so many great moments that it was hard to narrow them down in this conversation with Stephanie Gross, Founder of Bumby Wool! She built a sustainable fashion brand with merino wool in Canada. Stephanie is a married mom of 2, and is passionate about circular fashion, using what's already existing and her community. 

Bumby Wool started out in 2007 as cloth diaper covers, because the wool wicks moisture away from the skin; they now offer full clothing items for all sizes! Wool is like a smart technology, where if you're hot or cold, the wool will know h...

I absolutely loved talking with Rebecca Newburn, the Founder of the Seed Library Network! Past podcast guest and friend Ranya Dube connected us after a workshop that Ranya hosted and Rebecca spoke in. I remember hearing recently that I think it was Israel that destroyed Gaza's national seed library, which got my mind wanting to learn more about seed libraries, and why that mattered so much. I had heard of seed libraries, but I didn't know really anything about them. But Rebecca does, and now we will, too!

We talked about why seed libraries are important, and...

I met Lauren Lovejoy last fall in a Women in Regenerative Agriculture group and was so silly excited to learn that she was the creator of the Red Hen app that I already had on my phone. Ren Hen app is a farm finder, so wherever you are, you're able to support small farmers- you can message and set up a meeting and pay for stuff all through the app - it's kind of like a mobile farm stand!

The Red Hen app is still relatively new, so the more people using it, the more effective it...

If you're following me on Instagram, you may have noticed me sharing posts about Barterloo bartering app - community powered and community building, sharing strengths and caring for each other. I'm talking with the founder, Kelly Dempsey. I learned about her when she was a guest on another New England podcaster, Molly Amatangelo's Local Treads podcast. Barterloo is just a few weeks away from launch, and it's so exciting!

Kelly has quite a story - she ran a thrift store previously, and also was a contestant on Project Runway! This is part of her bio: "fashion designer...

I loved this conversation with Michelle Heberling, and learned so much about the gut role and how to care for it with fermentation. Michelle shares her very intense story of finding her way to fermenting foods, and she shares many more in her soon to be published book The Guts of Fermentation, along with some of her favorite recipes.

We talked a bit about the Germ Theory and the Bristol Chart, calming our gut with mindfulness, BELLY LAUGHS and gratitude. Michelle said something that I had never heard before: dopamine comes from the GUT, not the brain...

Talor Stewart has a very different way of looking at home design, and I am here for it! Conscious Home Design is Talor's business and the name of his #1 Best Selling book. 

What does a home truly need to provide? There has been research done about what makes people happy as they age; Talor has incorporated both of these studies and more with his Architecture education to offer Conscious Home Design. He offers a workbook and also a certification for Architects and Designers who are inspired by his work.

I love Talor's wording in his b...

Christa Dhimo is a New England Podcaster who I hadn't had much of a chance to get to know until I talked about my sustainability podcast in our community, and Christa, Founder of Impono - Senior Business Advisor, went full-on nerdy about DIRT. 

Christa hosts a podcast about business questions called Ask Christa, where people will write in whatever business questions they might have - from executive to employee and everything in between, because she's seen it all - and she answers them on the podcast, with sources and lots of notes to follow.

Christa s...

This conversation with Doug Katz went deeper than expected, but it was SO good! Doug is a retired Military Veteran who has used his disability as inspiration to create adaptive items. He just started selling the Nulu adaptive knife last summer - it's inspired by the Inuit ULU, but adjusted to accommodate his and others' disability. 

Talking with Doug, I learned that there are Adaptive Libraries across the country, so that someone can try an item before buying. The conversation got deep when we went into whether a disability is really a disability, which may have gone a...

Climate Storyteller barely touches on the work that Maya Lilly has been a part of in the climate change world; she's part of the Emmy Award Winning The Years Project. She's been an activist since she was 15. She's a Producer, Speaker, and Climate Storyteller. She was named to the Grist 50 for revolutionizing Hollywood's approach to Climate Storytelling. She uses storytelling as a force for justice, empathy and real climate action. "Maya's voice remains unmistakable, credible, courageous and profoundly human." - this was taken from the Grist 50 write up of her - my eyes couldn't let go of profoundly human...<...

I found Jacaranda Hemp Apparel through a podcast guest newsletter and thought that by satisfying some curiosity we can learn more about an available sustainable fabric with so many great qualities! I got my 'I grew up under a rock' questions out of the way before recording to spare you, but there's still plenty to learn.

There are so many things about Jacaranda that impress me, like their entrepreneurial spirit, and their scrappiness, but I absolutely love that these guys (there are 4 - we're meeting Billy and Harrison, but there's also Milo and Henry) have been friends...

I attended Chad Thompson's talk at the SOVA Rise Entrepreneur Summit last October about business planning, I didn't tell him this, but it wasn't a talk that I thought really pertained to me, since I didn't really have a business to market so to speak; something drew me to it- and I'm so glad I listened to that! 

Chad mentioned something about the business plan that I had never heard or even thought about before, and honestly I didn't hear much after that. I've been guilty of thinking the business plan was lame. I felt like he w...

Let me tell you a little story about my meeting Samantha Erickson... I think she reached out to me (my Instagram name is Grounded in Maine, and she's a Maine business, so I assume that's why), and the idea of used formal dresses was such a great business plan, so I was sold, and invited her to talk about it on the podcast. When I got her podcast guest form, she said "turning grief and pain into purpose," and if you know me, I'm all in for all the deep conversations, so I couldn't wait for the chance to...

Tom Schueneman has lived a fascinating life of traveling and music, and now has been an environmental journalist for several years - literally a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists. This year he started hosting his own podcast, which was called Global Warming is Real - recently rebranded to Earthbound, which is so good. Tom is very thoughtful and really cares about the earth and people, and that comes across very clearly. Reading his Podmatch bio, I learned he was born without peripheral vision, which was repaired, but that time taught him so much empathy for humans.

Julie Colombino-Billingham was working in disaster response 15 years ago, and was in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010. She never went back. She fell in love with the resilience and kindness of the people, and started a business with them called Deux Mains (two hands), making sustainable, fair trade leather bags and accessories - and also school shoes for students that they sell to churches and ministries to distribute. These beautiful bags are sold in Nordstrom! 

During the time she's been working with the people of Haiti, Julie's interviewed residents and documented her time, and launched her memoir e...

As everyone is seeing their electricity bills rise, the opportunity to speak with Our Power Maine came up. I'm speaking with the Executive Director Seth Berry, and Policy and Communications Fellow Isabelle Winstead - just days after  they succeeded in pausing what seemed to many as a huge increase in Maine's CMP (Central Maine Power) rates. It's historic to halt the monopoly of a utility like this, and they are very happy to share why they are so passionate about helping Mainers to have other options. And don't feel left out if you're not in Maine - Our Power i...

Y'all, sometimes things just fall into place, and the chance to talk with Annamarie Pluhar is definitely one of those! As I'm in the process of selling my VA house and looking for a new place to live, and knowing that to grow food for more than 1 will take more time and energy than I have, partnering with folks feels like it needs to be part of my plan (always was, but less for the financial aspect), but then enters Annamarie into my world with all her experience and wisdom...

Annamarie has been sharing housing for years...

When I was approached by Brett Aldrich's team, I wasn't quite sure how the conversation would go - if it would be something you would be interested in; but maybe this convo was more for me than you? I booked a visit with her, at least! You'll hear me fumble my way around what I thought Ayurveda was (clearly I'm wrong), but Brett's practice is absolutely fascinating to me! Did you know about Ayurveda before today?

Brett's practice is located in Maine, but she offers virtual visits as well, which is how my appointment will be the...

I was first introduced to Clara Schroeder through recent podcast guest Brittany Hansen, knowing that I would love talking with Clara - I'm super grateful to Brittany for that!

Clara is an Eco Therapist who has been working with big companies like Microsoft, Women in Cloud, Aura, and Insight Timer, and more. Clara recently published ReNature: How Nature Helps Us Feel better and Do Better, and she's here to talk about that, and about what EcoTherapy is. Her goal is to help people to deepen the connection to the natural world so they can find...

This conversation is a little heavier than most, but it's so important to talk about. I can honestly say I knew almost nothing about West Virginia before I came across these ladies, but I can't say that anymore. Julie Eisenberg and Babette Hogan are here to talk about their first documentary together that just debuted called Running for the Mountains. "This is about politics and keeping our water and air safe, requiring political action; and keeping West Virginia safe is of national importance. "Running for the Mountains" exposes some of the toxic structure that allows the polluting of our...

I hope you love this conversation with Vince Aiello as much as I do! I found Vince by chance on Instagram - or maybe he found me? I forget. But I love his business Fire and Foraging, and we struck up a conversation and I invited him to talk on the podcast, and I'm SO glad I did! 

Vince is a nature guide in Wisconsin, and is a real pro! I learned so much - he talked about fire adaptive species and fire ecology; we talked about invasive EDIBLE plants to help plants thrive, and how humans s...

I loved learning about Kimberly Haley Coleman and Globe Aware- an award winning short term volunteer abroad program available in 26 countries. I didn't know this was a thing, but I'm so glad it is! You can travel abroad to learn about a new place, help people and find purpose - this sounds like my kind of vacation! Tropical destinations, cooler weather, far away, or closerby, there's something for everyone. Kimberly says they can teach the kills; they just need kind, willing people, to offer short term support - solo, or as a group!

Kimberly previously worked in...

This conversation with CEO of Dip HairCare Kate Assaraf was so fun for me, because 1: it's Dip shampoo bars, and if you've listened to the podcast for a while, you've heard me talk about shampoo bars, and 2: we're talking about an exciting collab with Kate/Dip and GoGo Refill, my refill store back in Maine that I love. They've done a few collabs together, but this November 13, Kate is debuting GoGo Refill's very own exclusive shampoo bar scent, and they'll both be at the South Portland GoGo Refill store to celebrate!

Kate's big message is to shop...

I loved learning about Lindsey Turnbull's life in activism! I did an episode with Laura Marston of GoGo Refill way back in episode 10, I think... Anyway, it's been a while since we've talked about the cool things about refilleries. Lindsey is the owner of From Here To Home Essentials, a really cool home based refillery in Maryland and Washington DC - and she offers DELIVERY for busy folks, even! Like Laura of GoGo Refill, Lindsey is more than a shop owner - she's an educator and activist; always a "crunchy granola treehugger" are her words... 

Have you b...

I learned so much speaking with Kelsey Green about digital minimalism!  I've heard about more and more people removing themselves from social media, and the thought seems overwhelming at times, but at the same time knowing there's some addiction (where's my phone? I need my phone handy! What if someone can't reach me? Have you had any of those thoughts?), and we've probably all heard the phrase "loneliness epidemic," right? I've been very cureious about it--

In comes Kelsey L Green - she works at the intersection of community, strategy, and accountability, helping people stop stalling and s...

Y'all, I'm feeling like a million bucks sharing this conversation with you that I got to have with Amanda Leland, Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Fund... I'm still pinching myself! Amanda became a member of the EDF when she was 13, so she's been training to be Executive Director for a few years!

Amanda just published Sea Change: Unlikely Allies and a Success Story of Oceanic Proportions, with James Workman - it published September 30! It tells the story of how fishermen, scientists, and environmentalists set aside their distrust and their differences to forge an unlikely alliance to...

Y'all, in over 3 years, I can't remember doing a full episode on the OCEAN! Until now - Andrew Lewin is a total ocean geek - in the best way! He grew up far from the ocean, but watched Jacques Cousteau shows and was OBSESSED. He has a Masters in Marine Biology, and hosts the How To Protect the Ocean podcast and co hosts the Beyond Jaws podcast. How To Protect the Ocean has over 1800 episodes! He was recording 5 episodes a week for a bit; now it's only 3 a week (plus a job)... and he's hosted the podcast for 10 years...