Artist, designer, storyteller and independent researcher Alyen Foning resides in her ancestral home, the Lepcha community at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, with its sacred mountains and rivers.. Creating with fabrics, colours, music and design, Alyen’s work serves as a bridge between both the fields of art and research, and ancestral pasts and future generations.

In this We As Nature episode, Alyen shares her journey from growing up in the city, disconnected from her Lepcha roots, to the psychotic breakdown she experienced in 2014 that changed her life forever. From this place of darkness arrived guidance from an unlikely source, and an invitation back to her lineage, community and shamanic traditions.

In Alyen’s We As Nature story, she shares:

• How art has been a source of remembering her interconnection with the natural world since childhood.
• The breakdown she experienced whilst living in Goa that led her to discover her role as a shaman in her ancestral community.
• How her experiences as a Shaman have impacted her lifestyle, her art and her relationships.
• Guidance and a prayer, which came through after sharing her personal story.

After Alyen’s story, in a twist to our usual format, we share some of the questions and answers from the live event.

Links:

• Remembering our sacred Himalayan river Teesta and the Water Dragon— You Tube and Story with Artwork.
• The Story of the Muun, Female Shamans of the Lepcha tribe: A Video story session hosted by White Otter Academy.
• Alyen’s Instagram and Facebook profiles

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy &  Laura Tyley
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems. The events we produce, the narratives we amplify and the relationships we nurture seek to strengthen existing and emerging restorative cultures by supporting people to protect and deeply connect with the land on which they dwell and the multi-species communities they share these spaces with.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In.

Bodyworker, cultural worker and author of “Liberated to the Bone”, Susan Raffo, shares her personal story of discovering the intrinsic connection between individual healing and our collective power to shape the systems we live in.

In this episode, Susan highlights the impact of the histories held in our bodies, and with passionate and hopeful energy, offers the possibility of leaning into our aliveness as an act of social and ecological repair.

In Susan’s We As Nature story, she shares:

• The impact of being raised in a political family and her childhood awareness of the energetic relations between people.
• How her direct experience of political activism at the UK Greenham Common occupation site has shaped her.
• How the hidden histories held in our bodies create fractures in our relationships and collective power. 
• The potent effect cranial sacral therapy had on her baby daughter and how this led her to become a bodyworker.
• How she came to recognise individual healing and collective organising as fundamentally the same body of work, and how her vocation has evolved to embrace and champion this.

Find out more about Susan’s work at The Healing Histories Project, REP, and on her website, where you’ll also find details of her books, ‘Liberated to the Bone’, ‘Queerly Classed’ and ‘Restricted Access’.

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy,  Laura Tyley & Andrea Langlois
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems. The events we produce, the narratives we amplify and the relationships we nurture seek to strengthen existing and emerging restorative cultures by supporting people to protect and deeply connect with the land on which they dwell and the multi-species communities they share these spaces with.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In.

Movement artist, director & theatre-maker Gabrielle Moleta invites listeners into a creative process that dissolves the perceived boundaries between humans and the natural world. 

In this episode, Gabrielle shares her journey into Transformation and Imaginative Improvisation, and how this unique creative process helped her recognise the depths of her interconnectivity with the living world. Now the Founder of the Company Gabrielle Moleta, her work trains artists to fully absorb the essence of an animal and, through theatre, share the stories that emerge.

In Gabrielle’s We As Nature story, she shares:

• Her unexpected journey from being a dance-obsessed child, uninterested in animals, to discovering her life’s work as a theatre-maker who spends years observing a single animal. 
• The actor training that led her to Catherine Clouzot and the Transformation and Imaginative Improvisation approach and how this lineage was passed down to her.
• A window into the process of observing and absorbing the essence of animals and how this unlocks theatre characters and stories.
• How this work has changed the way she perceives and senses the world around her.
• The qualities that emerge in both actor and audience from coming into contact with this approach

Find out more about Gabrielle’s work at Company Gabrielle Moleta and watch the Hawk Documentary here. Connect with Gabrielle on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy,  Laura Tyley & Andrea Langlois
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems. The events we produce, the narratives we amplify and the relationships we nurture seek to strengthen existing and emerging restorative cultures by supporting people to protect and deeply connect with the land on which they dwell and the multi-species communities they share these spaces with.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In.

Elsie Harp, Founder of Divina Botanica, is a florist, folk herbalist, and mental health practitioner based in the South-West of England, where she grows seasonal, regenerative flowers in deep relationship with the earth and its rhythms. In this episode, Elsie shares her journey with anxiety and intergenerational trauma, and how the nurturance of the living world has become her greatest source of strength and support.

In Elsie’s We As Nature story, she shares:

• Her childhood relationship with the aliveness of everything in the natural world, and how this sense of belonging to nature gave way to struggles with identity and belonging in her teenage and young adult years 
• How debilitating anxiety led her to a transformative encounter with birch wood trees and a return to the nurturance of the living world
• How her journey of becoming a mother and working in NHS mental health services connected her with her own mother’s journey—raised in the townships in South Africa during the height of the apartheid—and the intergenerational imprint of this lineage
• How her research into epigenetics intertwined with her connection to the natural world to become a passionate source of strength, and evolved into the offerings and practices she shares today 
• The nuance and power of working with flower essences, describing the specific healing properties of the dandelion as an example

Find out more about Elsie’s work at Divina Botanica, discover her upcoming workshops, and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook. 

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy,  Laura Tyley & Andrea Langlois
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems. The events we produce, the narratives we amplify and the relationships we nurture seek to strengthen existing and emerging restorative cultures by supporting people to protect and deeply connect with the land on which they dwell and the multi-species communities they share these spaces with.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In.

Lakshmi Venugopal is the founder of Inner Climate Academy and an experienced facilitator of Deep Ecology and the Work That Reconnects. Through chronic illness and the discovery of her ancestral past, Lakshmi’s story illuminates how individual health and ancestral healing are deeply intertwined with the health and healing of the Earth. Taking us on a profound journey from India to Australia and back again, Lakshmi shares how embodied remembering ignited deeper relations with the living world.

In Lakshmi’s We As Nature story, she shares:

• Her adventures growing up in Kerala, South India, and how local ecological destruction gave rise to anger that dominated her teenage years
• The chance encounter that led her to the work of Joanna Macy, enabling her to find the grief and love buried within her anger
• The story of a quest through Kerala listening to women’s prayers and stories, which ignited an embodied understanding of apology’s power to restore relations
• How her struggle with endometriosis led her to understand the interconnections between chronic pain, ancestry, and the living world—a journey that eventually inspired her menstruation work with rural women in India, and paved the way for her founding of the Inner Climate Academy
• Her experience living in the international township of Auroville, East India, recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness

You can find out more about Lakshmi’s work at the Inner Climate Academy here.

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy,  Laura Tyley & Andrea Langlois
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems. The events we produce, the narratives we amplify and the relationships we nurture seek to strengthen existing and emerging restorative cultures by supporting people to protect and deeply connect with the land on which they dwell and the multi-species communities they share these spaces with.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In.

Hip-hop artist and urban-food growing pioneer Ian Solomon-Kawall (aka KMT Freedom Teacher), shares his story of hope, grit and passion. During this episode, he describes the journey that led him to transform his late mother’s London garden into a dynamic community hub where permaculture, music and creativity ignite social change and empowerment. As the co-founder and CEO of award-winning CIC May Project Gardens, Ian has channelled the pain and grief of his childhood experiences and the challenges of dyslexia into what he calls ‘rays of light’ and ‘compassion to the max’.

"We use nature, food, and creative arts to work with marginalised groups - mostly young people, people of colour and refugees - to create social change. Having genuine care for the people around us and the environment is pivotal to our success."–Ian Solomon-Kawall

In Ian’s We As Nature story, he shares:

• The impact of his mother’s physical and mental health and the insights it’s brought forth
• The permaculturist who landed in his home by chance and transformed not only Ian’s garden but his life path
• The pitfalls and obstacles he faced when working in the music industry and charitable sector
• The challenges and strengths of having dyslexia
• How the three core principles of permaculture inform the May Project Garden ecosystem ethos
• The journey of May Project Gardens, from a run-down patch of grass to a 16-yr old grassroots organisation engaging people from all over the world
• The influence of growing up in an all-female household and how this informed his approach to employment equality
• How the natural environment serves as a guide and reference point for his choices

Find out more about Ian’s work:

• May Project Gardens website and Instagram
• KMT website and Instagram
• Little Seeds (opening spoken word)

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy,  Laura Tyley & Andrea Langlois
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In.

Beekeeper and author of ‘Bee Wisdom - Teachings from the Hive' Sandira Belia shares her enchanting journey of learning and healing from the wisdom of bees. Born in France to a beekeeping mother, Sandira has bathed in the bee world from an early age and is now dedicated to shifting the focus away from honey production and bridging a reciprocal relationship between humans and bees. With the bees as her muse, Sandira has unveiled astonishing insights into their intelligence, complexity and beauty, as well as their ability to support human and planetary healing.

“When we open our antennae we can learn from the bees about nature’s mysteries, healing processes and ourselves.”—from the Bee Wisdom principles

In Sandira’s We As Nature story, she shares:

• A glimpse into her childhood as the daughter of a beekeeping mother, including an early experience of sitting calmly amidst swarming bees and why this felt safe.
• Her journey to the teachings of bee wisdom and how she unexpectedly came to care for bees in her adulthood after moving to the Tamera community in South Portugal.
• How living with the health condition Fibromyalgia led her to turn inward and deeply connect with the wisdom of the hive
• The healing properties of the ‘fruits of the hive’, such as bee venom and beeswax.

Early in her story, Sandira describes a photograph from her childhood, which you can view here.

Find out more about Sandira’s work:

• Bee Wisdom - Teachings from the Hive, by Sandira Belia
• The Bee Wisdom website

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy & Laura Tyley
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In

Mercury Music Prize nominated folksinger, Sam Lee, has journeyed throughout the British Isles collecting the Indigenous songs of the lands and absorbing the ancient wisdom and knowledge embedded within them. In this episode, Sam shares his personal story of nature connection, and how he became a leader of pilgrimages to the Sussex countryside, where people gather in communion with the Nightingales for an inter-species collaboration of birdsong and music.

In Sam’s We As Nature story he shares:

• How he came to discover the magical realm of the Nightingales and their amazing relationship with humans
• A glimpse into his inner-city childhood and the culture of music he grew up with
• The ways in which Forest School Camps ignited his relationship with the wilderness and introduced him to rituals and folk music
• His fascination with devotional music from diverse communities across the globe, inspired by studying anthropology at Birkbeck and ethnomusicology
• His apprenticeship with Stanley Robertson - the last surviving member of an ancient lineage of Scottish travellers - who shared with Sam his profound repertoire and knowledge of ancient songs
• The extraordinary power of music as a pathway to our re-enchantment with the natural world
• The purpose that has emerged in Sam’s life through learning how to hold your art and share it, and the importance of this being done in diverse communities that are open to all

Find out more about Sam’s work:

• Website, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook
• The Nest Collective 
• Watch the short film, Singing With The Nightingales
• Singing With Nightingale events
• Song Collectors Archive
• Sam Lee’s book, ‘The Nightingale: Notes On A Songbird’, is available here
• The music you heard in this episode can be found here, featuring Cosmo Sheldrake on the banjo, Tommy Black-Roff on the accordion and Sam Lee on the shruti box.

Credits
Creative Producer & Host: Nathalie Joel-Smith on behalf of Flourishing Diversity
Music Composer and Sound Producer: Dom Martin
Live Event Production: Katy Molloy, Andrea Langlois and Laura Tyley
Illustrations: Rohama Malik

About Flourishing Diversity
We As Nature was recorded during an online gathering hosted by Flourishing Diversity.

Flourishing Diversity nurtures the human capacity to respect and uphold vibrant cultures and flourishing ecosystems.

You can register to receive updates and inspiration from us here and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Linked In