Creating an Herbalist in Every Home with Mel Mutterspaugh

Mel: [00:00:00] I really think that connection to nature allows you to connect to yourself and your most amazing traits and abilities to hopefully carry on and take your gifts and talents and utilize them to make this world a better place in whatever special way. You have to do that. 

Hope: Do you want to wake up feeling like you’re stepping into who you’re meant to be and to the best possible version of you?

What if I told you that the key to your best life, health and happiness are all around you, you just have to find what works for you. I’m Hope Pedraza and I believe that there isn’t just one way to live a healthy and meaningful life and that all you need is a little inspiration to make changes that last from the inside out.

Each week I’ll be sharing tangible tips and inspirational interviews to help you on your journey. These are the steps to take to improve your life and live with purpose. This is hopeful and wholesome. Hey y’all. Thanks for listening today. Today on the show I have on Mel Mutterspaugh. Mel is a clinical herbalist and educator, and she’s the owner [00:01:00] of Mountain Mel’s, which is an herbal products company.

Which she has a brick and mortar store and she also ships all of her products She has a really cool story how she got into wellness And so today we’re going to talk a little bit about her journey into herbalism What exactly it means to be an herbalist and about her Goal to create an herbalist in every home.

We’ll talk a little bit about some myths and misconceptions people have about herbs And kind of get into how she has used herbs to heal people who use her products. Really cool stuff here. I know you’re gonna get a lot out of this. Really interesting to hear. Little bit, uh, different take on how to heal your body.

Y’all enjoy. Okay, y’all. So let’s get going. I’m really excited to bring on Mel Butterspot today. She’s gonna teach us all about herbalism and I’m excited to learn some new stuff. So thanks so much for joining me today, Mel. 

Mel: Thanks so much for having me. I’m absolutely honored to be on your show. I’m really excited.

Hope: Yeah, me too. So, first things first, can you tell everyone kind of a [00:02:00] general overview on what is herbalism and what you do as an herbalist? 

Mel: Yeah, as an herbalist, there’s so many routes you can go. So first, I’ll talk about what herbalism is and where I specialize. Herbalism is using plants as medicine, which, in my opinion, is one great way we can make an incredible impact on people and the planet.

And I am trained as a clinical herbalist. I am also a product formulator, so I have my own herbal product line and I love getting into herbal education. So I’m so happy to be on this show because, well, I’d love to tell you all about herbalism. I’ve been studying since the early 2000s and I know that I’ll be an expert sometime in the next 60 years or so, it’s just a never ending study because there are so many different plants and the constituents and the way that they work with the human body and, and how they can help people and just the different ways they interact with different [00:03:00] conditions. And they’re different for every person.

And that’s one thing that I think gets commonly misconstrued in our Western medicine world. A lot of people like to come and say. What herb can I use for X? Right. And it doesn’t always work that way. 

Hope: Yeah, yeah. 

Mel: You know, so, um. Yeah. As an herbalist, you can do so many things. You can be the herbalist in your own home, which is kind of one of my missions, is to inspire a movement where there’s an herbalist in every home again.

Yes. Because it once was that way. And you can be a gardener who grows your herbs, you can be a farmer, you can be a clinician who works closely with clients, you can be a medicine maker, you can be an educator, you can use herbalism in so many different ways, and I think that’s, that’s just part of the beauty of it.

Hope: Yeah, I love that. So what are, and I know this is kind of a loaded question that you could probably go on for days about, but what are some of the benefits of [00:04:00] herbalism? 

Mel: Oh gosh, one of my favorite benefits of herbalism is it helps keep harsh toxic chemicals out of our soils and our waters. It’s better for our planet.

It is better for people. Often you avoid having harsh reactions like, you know, when you hear a drug commercial and there’s the two and a half minute long super fast speech or the fine print at the bottom. Right. Oftentimes you can learn to work with herbs and avoid all of those harsh side effects.

That’s not to imply though that every herb is safe just because they’re natural. 

Hope: Sure. 

Mel: There are, I just want to iterate that in there. There are some that can kill you and and if you’re they’re not the right one for you Then you need to pay attention to that So, I also think that like herbs really help you because it’s this beautiful relationship and connection to nature That’s so many of us lack today.

And I think it’s the key to keeping [00:05:00] People well is having that connection to nature. 

Hope: Yeah, for sure So with this you’re saying, you know different herbs for different people kind of thing So are you as an herbalist as a clinician? Are you able to help determine which herbs are right for which people?

Mel: Absolutely. Yeah. So there’s a lot that goes into an assessment if, if you’re a clinician or if you’re going to see an herbalist, which I highly recommend if you really have issues you want to work on because an herbalist will know how to read your energetics and the energetics of your condition and pick a right herb because there might be some people in our, our world will say, Oh, well, this herb is great for respiratory health.

Well sure, it might be great for respiratory health, but are you having a stuffy, congested cough where you’re producing a lot of phlegm, or do you have a really dry, raspy cough where you can’t get anything out? There’s a different herb for that kind of condition, so. There are a myriad of [00:06:00] ways in which herbs can act on each individual.

So, 

Hope: yeah. 

Mel: Yeah, that’s an art and a science. 

Hope: Yeah, totally. Yeah. No, well, that’s that’s kind of where I was going next. Oh, so and not to give like medical advice or anything, but are there ways that we can use herbs as a replacement for conventional medicine where, you know, you’ve seen people who come in to see you and maybe they’re on certain medications, but you’ve been able to have, you know, Give them, send them in the right direction with the herbs to take them off of these medications?

Mel: Yeah, there are a myriad of ways. So one thing about pharmaceuticals as the majority of them are derivative of plant constituents. So you know, these scientists discover that it has these constituents that act on the human body and then they find a way to put those into pharmaceutical form. So there’s that piece for sure.

And then as far as. I’ve had many a people, I, I have a product line and, uh, functional herbal teas and then herbal [00:07:00] first aid goods, so. But I really pride myself in making the functional herbal teas actually taste good. Because I think in the 70s, it’s like herbalism was starting to rise a bit. There were a lot of people that are like, eat, drink this.

Really nasty stuff, and it’s really good for you, and people will be like, okay, hippie freak, no, never. But, and then it sits on the shelf forever, and nobody wants to use it, and they think herbs don’t work, and they go back to the pharmaceuticals and to the pills. And I’m not gonna try and imply that pharmaceuticals don’t have a time and place because they absolutely do if it weren’t for western medicine I wouldn’t be alive and neither would my daughter so That is a really important piece, but yeah, I can think in particular I’ve helped a lot of people get off various things, but I have a tea called sweet dreams are made of teas and that’s one of the ones I get the most results from people is I’ve had people.

I’ve had an older man who didn’t believe in the natural stuff at all. And he came to me and was just like, I have been [00:08:00] taking three tabs of Benadryl a night for the last 30 years to go to sleep. And since I’ve started drinking your tea, I don’t have to do that at all. 

Hope: That’s amazing! 

Mel: Isn’t it so amazing?

It’s like the most beautiful feeling to me, to hear that, oh my gosh, what I’ve created really helps people, and it’s like the highest honor in the world for me. 

Hope: Yes, that’s awesome! 

Mel: Yeah, and then I’ve had other people with that same tea, like another woman, she was on quite a few different pills to get to sleep, and Just had a lot of great things happen in that way.

And over the years of having my product business, I’ve heard that over and over and over. So I, I don’t, I’m more of a, I don’t have all the time it takes to be a full time clinical practitioner. I’m definitely trained in that realm and I’ve helped quite a few people in my community, but I decided to not make it my focus at this point in my herbal journey.

It is something I’d love to get back to later in life when I’m just ready to [00:09:00] slow down. Slow down, 

Hope: yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. 

Mel: Not that it’s an easy job, I mean, that’s the cool thing. 

Hope: Yeah, well, and that you can have, you have, there’s so many routes you can take within this realm of herbalism, it’s pretty cool.

And if, I mean, you’re clearly good at making all of these combinations of herbs, so, I mean, I think that’s a pretty good, yeah, you’re making a difference in that way, so I think that’s a pretty good route to take. 

Mel: Yeah, it’s really fun. That’s like my creativity. I love to formulate and I had an herbal apothecary tea and smoothie shop where we were focusing on using food and plants as medicine and it was all gluten and dairy free and everything was all organic.

And our smoothies didn’t have like ice as fillers. It was like frozen organic produce. And that’s what went into it. We even made our nut milks from scratch. But wow, wow. I don’t have that shop open because I was doing too much. I was trying to run too many businesses and raise a three year old girl and, and something had to give. 

Hope: Yeah, that [00:10:00] was it.

Mel: But when the community would come in and ask for specific formulations, that’s like, that’s like my play time. 

Hope: Yeah, that’s so besides the sleep issues that you clearly have a lot of success in that, in that realm, what are some of the other issues that people come in that want to use herbs for? 

Mel: Oh my gosh, women’s health, whether it be menopause or stuck menses or excessive cramping, irritability during certain times of the month, I definitely help a lot of women in that department.

I have a Tea for that called wonderful woman’s stress and anxiety. Huge, huge factors. General arthritic pains and aches, I have things for that as well. Gosh, what else? Digestive issues are a big one. So, yeah, a lot of the same things. It’s interesting how the body intertwines also there. Like the stress and the digestion and then the skin issues and, [00:11:00] yeah.

Hope: Yeah, so why do you think or I guess how can you combat this? I know a lot of people see and like you had, you know, the man come in who was, you know, kind of against the herbal stuff, but people kind of see this as woo woo, you know, hippie, whatever stuff. So first of all, why do you think people see it that way? And then how can you help kind of shift perspectives on that?

Mel: Yeah, that’s an interesting question. So, I think that a lot of why people see it that way is because of our western allopathic medical system that we are brought up on. You know, we’ve been fed the commercials for so long, and all of these variations have been happening for a long time in our society.

Well, herbs are still very prevalent in many other societies around the world and they’re definitely increasing in popularity right now with good reason Because I think people are starting to see a lot of [00:12:00] great benefits and you know How can we shift the mindset? Well, i’m trying to think if there’s other reasons.

I think that people think that It’s woo woo, and I think a lot of that can also go back to the 60s and 70s when the herbal revolution was just coming around and it was a bunch of hippies and back to the earth kind of people and had those gnarly, crazy concoctions that tasted herbal and, you know, that’s a good reason to be a hesitant to want to take herbs.

But definitely see a huge shift happening right now. So many more people are returning to natural health care Because we’re being left and right by Western medicine. We’re being for pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceuticals prices are skyrocketing Rocketing and exponent phase, which is another great reason to get into herbalism.

You can save yourself a lot of money and time in the doctor’s office. So it’s really, [00:13:00] really nice and empowering that way. And then I just keep seeing more and more people that are saying like, Oh, my aunt didn’t believe in this at all, but I made her this salve and it helped her like she’s never felt before.

Like, honestly, my own family is the same way. Even my mother, she’s a big deal. You know, okay, Mel, that’s great, sure, crazy black sheep of the family, but then like my essential salve, for instance, my mom loves to camp and be outside and she cuts her fingers or burns her fingers and she uses that salve and now she’s like, wow, you know, it really, really works.

Yeah. You know, I’ve only studied this for a very, very long time. 

Hope: I know a little bit. 

Mel: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. 

Hope: What are some of the myths? And I guess misconceptions that people have around herbs and around herbalism 

Mel: I think that one huge one is that they’re natural, so they’re safe. 

Hope: MMm. [00:14:00] 

Mel: That is scary. Sure, I do find them to be more safe than the pharmaceutical options and other things like that.

For me, because I’m well trained in that realm. That’s definitely a big myth. Not every herb is safe, and they can have some dramatic effects on the way your body works. Hopefully for the better, but unless you’re matched up with the right herb for the right conditions, that’s not gonna happen. What is another kind of misconception that I see out there?

The whole, take this herb for that, that’s another huge one. And that’s because we’re raised in that way in Western and allopathic medicine, that you can take a pill for that. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Mel: Whatever it is. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Mel: Take a pill for it. 

Hope: Right. 

Mel: You’ll get your shot for it. But herbs don’t work that way. Yes, there are definitely some very safe and effective herbs that have a strong likelihood of helping certain conditions, [00:15:00] but it’s no guarantee.

Hope: Yeah. 

Mel: Unless it’s the right one for you. 

Hope: Right. Right, right. And how, so, say someone doesn’t have a trained herbalist to, you know, send them in the right direction, what is the best way to, I guess, educate yourself on what herbs to use? 

Mel: There’s a myriad of great resources out there. One, I’ll say I have, I have a podcast.

It’s called the Herbalist Path. So it’s a great podcast. We’re really on a mission to inspire movement where there’s an herbalist in every home again. And I like to take some pretty high end scientific concepts and break them down to make it easy for you to use your herbs in your own home. There are a myriad of resources out there, and that’s where it gets kind of scary, too.

Because some of them are not the greatest of resources. Rosemary Gladstar is always a phenomenal place to start. She has some really great books [00:16:00] available, and she also has some online learning programs. I have a Facebook group where we’re also doing that kind of thing where I’m getting in there and doing lives teaching people about various herbs and how to make herbal products for themselves in their own home.

Gosh, there’s a lot of great resources out there. But, Just make sure you’re looking into the credibility of the people that you’re learning from. 

Hope: Right, right, yeah. 

Mel: Because I think there’s also a lot of people that are like, Woohoo! I went to a special party and so now I’m going to give you all this health advice.

Hope: Right, right. No, for sure. 

Mel: Yeah. 

Hope: I will definitely put all of those links in the show notes for everybody because I know the resources that you have Even as, you know, on your website and stuff and your Facebook group, I’m sure that will interest a lot of people listening. So I’ll put links to that. That would be, that’s a really good place to start for people.

So let’s kind of switch gears and talk kind of about how, what was your path to get into herbalism? How did you get on to This life’s path. [00:17:00] 

Mel: Yeah, what a fun story and journey it’s been so in the early 2000s I went to school for environmental and experiential education because I have such a love for nature and all I wanted to do was Work around music or mother nature and be outside.

And I wanted to have, I wanted to spread that love for nature to so many people. And so I became a backpacking guide and a wilderness therapist. It was super fun. Like getting paid to be outside. I would be out backpacking eight days a week and then six days off. It was a really hard job, but it was great.

And. Yeah, when I was doing that, I would find people paying me hundreds of dollars to walk them in my most sacred and amazing of spaces. Yeah, they carried backpacks and first aid kits filled with toxic, nasty crap, and it really chapped my hide, because one, it wasn’t only harming their bodies, [00:18:00] more importantly to me, it was harming our beautiful, precious planet.

And so I started buying all these books on how to make different herbal remedies. Like I have so many herb books, that’s insane and started making these recipes out of the books and handwriting my own labels. And I really wanted to have an herbal first aid kit and all the backpacks and camping gear of outdoor adventure seekers.

That was like my dream. And I started passing them around my little Mount hood community and people kept giving me feedback. Wow, this actually works. Like this is really great. Which triggered me to be like, really? Wow What’s going on here? Like I had already been studying plants and like out in nature spending a lot of time there but I hadn’t been studying the medicinal properties of the plants and so I went to a conference at Brighton Bush herbal conference after that and All of the great herbal elders were there, Rosemary [00:19:00] Gladstar was there, Christopher Hobbs, Cascade Anderson Geller, Jane Bothwell, just these amazing people that have brought herbalism to where it is today.

And, I didn’t know anybody or anything at the conference, I just went on a whim, and when I left that conference, I knew. I knew that, uh, This is what I have to do for the rest of my life, and so I signed up for my first official herb school that wasn’t online. I had done a few online before then, and I started at a school, the Berry School of Botanicals.

Out of Portland, Oregon, and there we got to spend a lot of time in the field going out to meet these plants and learn a lot about when the best times to harvest them are and how to make real medicine with them to make it effective. And it was really, really cool. And it left me wanting to know more. I wanted to science behind what was going on there.

I went to Portland School of [00:20:00] Traditional Western Herbalism, where that’s Where I got my clinical studies going on, and they would have, like, one of the best herbalists from around the continent come and teach on specific systems and structures of the body each month, and we’d do a really great intensive, and it was a really jam packed bunch of herbal studies there, and that’s kind of, and since then, I’ve done a lot of conferences at the Naturopathic College up in Portland, Oregon, and Yeah, it’s a never ending study now.

Hope: Yeah, well, like you said, there’s so much to learn. I mean, it’s like, it’s, I’m sure you can never learn, you know, all there is to know about, all of these plants and herbs and stuff. So, and I know as a part of your journey, you, is education, right? It’s to educate people. So, can you tell everybody about some of the courses that you offer?

Mel: Yeah, of course. I’ve actually got a free workshop coming out. I don’t know if you’re going to be airing this in time. My first one starts on Friday the 13th. [00:21:00] Ooh, I just now realized it’s Friday the 13th. It should be a lucky one anyways, but that one’s all about keeping cold and flu at bay and away. And I’m doing that free work workshop four times and then I’m doing boosting immune strength and resilience with herbs.

And I’m going to have that in two levels for like the moms that just want to learn how to make great medicine for their families and keep their toddlers from snotting all over them for the whole winter, that kind of stuff. So I have a course that we go into pretty good things there. And I share a lot of recipes and just.

The right timing to take the right herbs, which is a pretty big deal. And then I have a next level for those that want to go a little bit deeper. If you’ve already made these kinds of things and you want to learn even more herbs and you want to get really into the science behind the herbs and how the body works in the immune system.

Hope: Yeah, nice. 

Mel: And then, yeah, those are just some. Soon I’ll have one out for [00:22:00] Stress and Anxiety, Herbs for Stress and Anxiety in the New Year. Talking about herbs for digestive health and then we’re gonna go into gardening and growing your own medicinal herb garden. I got a lot going on. 

Hope: Looks like I like it.

It’s like every step of the way like here let’s heal your body with all of these and then hey, you can learn how to grow them yourself. That’s perfect. 

Mel: Yeah, I really think that we need to have an herbalist in every home. 

Hope: I love it. 

Mel: Yeah. 

Hope: Yeah. And I know you’re in your online store or in your, your store, you sell a lot of teas and you put those together yourself.

So, can you talk a little bit about the, I guess, the benefits and why you chose to do it that way? 

Mel: Yeah. So, one, there’s a lot of value in taking the time for yourself to sip a cup of tea. 

Hope: Very true. 

Mel: Right there. That is medicine. And I make all of my life, and I’ve had people for years that are like, Oh, [00:23:00] Put your tea in bags.

I don’t know how to do loose leaf tea, but I do it loosely for a few reasons I want you to be able to see what you’re putting in your body this whole revolution knowing your farmer Knowing what’s going in your body all the microwave meals that were the 80s like this is great But we need to do the same thing with our medicine.

Not that i’m allowed to say it’s medicine I’m, just talking about the big picture anyways So, you know, eventually my hope is people can drink my teas and look in there and be like, Oh, that’s oat tops, and that’s extremely nourishing for my body and my nervous system, and it’s really helping me in that way.

I think that connection is a lost connection in our society today, and it’s a really important one. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Mel: Plus, they’re beautiful. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Mel: It’s just so pretty. 

Hope: For sure. 

Mel: You don’t get to see what’s in that little teabag. 

Hope: That’s very true. Yeah. No, that’s so true. 

Mel: Yeah, and of course the sustainability efforts. So 

Hope: yeah, 

Mel: but as far as other benefits like I have 14 teas in my line of teas [00:24:00] and Every one of them is formulated for their functionality Like I have a where is my mind for mental clarity and focus.

That’s what i’m drinking right now It’s the one I do the most of as I try the business and be a mother and do all of the things. Yeah. And it’s go to cola and it’s ginkgo biloba, and then I use rosemary, peppermint, both for the flavor and for their functionality, because rosemary, yeah, rosemary has an affinity for bringing something up to your brain and enhancing the memory, and then if you think about any time you walk by a peppermint.

Plant, you’re instantly, like, more alive, and you have a little more pep in your step, and there’s some ashwagandha and red clover in that blend, too, and nettles to nourish the body, so it’s a really good one. I have an unfrazzle your dazzle, that’s all about calming your nerves and stressing less, and I feel like that’s a couple of things.

It’s like a hug and a mug and it’s also a lot like a yoga class in a cup. 

Hope: Yes. [00:25:00] Oh, I love that. 

Mel: Yeah, like that calm you get after a really good yoga session. You’re just like, ah, yeah. All right. Where do I get to go now? 

Hope: Right, right. Yeah. 

Mel: And then there’s a whole myriad, like some for digestive health, and hormonal balance for women, the sleep health one.

I have a hibiscus heart song, which is so delicious. It’s also happens to be pretty helpful. Some of the herbs in there have traditionally been used to help with heart conditions and strengthening and toning of the heart and cardiovascular system and helping with blood sugar and blood pressure. 

Hope: Yeah.

Mel: Things like that. 

Hope: Awesome. Lots of benefits. I love that. There’s 

Mel: so much going on. 

Hope: Yeah, yeah, I love it. 

Mel: And I have a whole mommy baby line I should send to you. 

Hope: Oh my gosh, that’s perfect. 

Mel: Yeah, I’ve got a mommy to be, which is going to strengthen and tone the uterus and calm and soothe your [00:26:00] nerves. And just help prep you and your baby for labor.

It’s also great postpartum too, cause with the red raspberry in there to get you back into shape. Milk ladies blend in there, which is all about, yeah, the let down reflex, calming and soothing the nerves. I have a peaceful baby tea. And I like to say I focus on three things in that whole line of teas. One is flavor, obviously, because if you don’t like it, you’re not gonna drink it, and then it’s not gonna work.

The other one is nourishment, because it takes an awful lot of work to make a human. 

Hope: Yes, it does. 

Mel: And then to feed that human, you know. 

Hope: Yes. 

Mel: And then nervous system support, because It takes an awful lot of work to make a human, you know, it’s not easy. 

Hope: That’s perfect. 

Mel: Yeah,

Hope: I love that. I love that. I’m going to have to get some of those.

Mel: I’ll [00:27:00] send some to you for having me on. 

Hope: That would be awesome. 

Mel: Yeah. 

Hope: So I do like to give some kind of tangible takeaways for people on this. So in the spirit of your mission to help bring an herbalist into every home, And I know you can’t make a blanket statement because it’s going to depend on the person, right?

But if you had to pick and choose some of the few herbs that we should keep in our homes, And maybe consume on a regular basis. Could you pick a few to, you know, kind of keep us healthy and balanced? What would be the few that we should have? 

Mel: Absolutely nettles. And yes, it’s the same stinging nettles that you’re all probably knowing and afraid of.

It’s incredibly nourishing and nutritive. It’s really rich in vitamin k and a and just It’s amazing. So if you can drink nettle tea every day, you’re going to really help yourself a lot. One of my absolute favorite herbs also is called [00:28:00] plantain. And it’s actually a weed that probably grows in your yard somewhere or within a block from your yard.

People try and kill it all the time, but it never goes away, which is a testament to its strength and magic. I use it for so many things. I have a podcast out about that and a blog about plantain. It’s like the one herb I think everybody should know. 

Hope: Yeah. 

Mel: It’s great for ouchies and first aid and cuts and scrapes and bee stings and bug bites.

It has an affinity to be able to draw out infection and venom. So, it’s the first thing I go to in the summertime for first aid all the time. I also use it for gut health because it’s really rich in this constituent called allantoin. And allantoin helps to regenerate mucosal tissue cells like your skin or even your gut wall.

So, somebody that’s suffering from leaky gut or irritable, or IBS or one of the other, Many diseases of the gut these days could really [00:29:00] benefit from having plantain on board. Also, because if you’re dealing with gut issues, that’s inflammation. And inflammation is a sign of heat in the body. And plantain is a cooling herb.

So it can cool and coat and regenerate. And it’s this weed that’s everywhere. It’s so amazing. 

Hope: That’s awesome. 

Mel: Yeah. And then calendula. Calendula is one of my absolute favorites also for a myriad of reasons. It’s also got that allantoin I was talking about. It’s a great wound healer. It’s absolutely beautiful to grow in your garden.

It’s just vibrant and sunny and alive. It’s just so lovely. Makes you smile every time you see her, but she’s great for skin issues. She’s great for Antifungal as an antifungal like I use my partner skis a lot and so we wear ski boots like all winter long and so he gets the foot funk and I make him do like a Calendula tea bath with a little garlic and apple [00:30:00] cider vinegar and it kills it so fast Yeah, and then garlic 

Hope: Yeah.

Mel: Garlic, garlic, garlic, garlic. 

Hope: Super cool. I like that. I think everybody’s going to make their list now. 

Mel: Yay! 

Hope: On these to have in their house. This is great. So, I, and I’m going to put all the links to all of your stuff in there so people can also look at your teas and all of that, but I do like to finish with the same question for everyone.

What do you think is the most important thing people can do to live with purpose? 

Mel: Breathe. Go outside. Be in nature. And listen. Is that enough? That was such a simple thing that just came out without really even thinking about this question. I really think that connection to nature allows you to connect to yourself and your most amazing traits and abilities to hopefully carry on and take your gifts and talents and utilize them to make this world a better place in whatever special way you have to do [00:31:00] that.

Hope: I love that. That’s great. I think, I mean, I agree with that so much because I think we, none of us do that enough. 

Mel: Yeah. 

Hope: Just get out and be out in nature and outdoors. I love that. That’s such a great place. Well, Thanks so much Mel for taking the time to educate all of us. This is great. 

Mel: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a lot of fun. 

Hope: Thanks for listening to hopeful and wholesome y’all if you found value in this week’s episode Please subscribe on itunes wherever you get your podcast and leave a review to let me know what you thought I’d love to know what you find useful in these episodes So I know how I can provide the most value I can to my listeners And if you have topics that you want to know more about i’d love to hear those as well So shoot me a message on instagram facebook or linkedin.

It’s at the hope pedraza or visit my website hopeful and wholesome. com Thanks y’all 

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