Gratitude Blooming Podcast Gratitude Blooming

You ever find yourself searching for an antidote to the chaos of the world? Let's journey together into the warm, comforting embrace of hope, gratitude, and the soothing scent of candles. Special guest Kate De Palma, former teacher turned candle artisan and founder of Scented Designs, illuminates us with her story of transformation. She shares her leap from the classroom to the candle workshop, and how her newfound passion became a beacon of joy and community.

Our intimate conversation continues under the soft glow of intention setting and candle rituals. We share our personal experiences, revealing how these practices have brought light and positivity into our lives. The transformative power of ancestral healing, the art of candle hygiene, and the practical use of candles as tools for setting intentions are all threads woven into this enlightening chat. So, light a candle with us as we explore these heartwarming rituals together.

Finally, we explore the importance of balance and boundary setting. Co-host Omar Brownson shares his ambitious dreams for sustainable growth while preserving his own wellbeing. We reflect on the harmony between personal and professional life, using the symbol of the Fox Glove flower, a metaphor for singing your heart's song. We wrap up our conversation with a focus on the simple practices that can spark joy, hope, and gratitude in our lives - think candles, note cards, and music. So, join us as we kindle hope and gratitude in the cozy glow of our candle-filled spaces.
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.

And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

How do you find hope and personal empowerment in the face of war and political unrest? 

According to Lea Endres, the CEO of NationBuilder, democracy is the least violent form of government currently known to humans.  It's a system. It's also an idea. And it lives in our imaginations. 

Research shows that when citizens are actively engaged in showing up for their community,  it can actually turn the tide in countries that have slid into authoritarianism.  Human beings will not endorse or advocate for violence against another group until they have dehumanized that group.  Dehumanization is a prerequisite for violence.

Lea reminds us that we each have personal power and agency.  When institutions fail, it's actually civil society that can bring us back into a healthy balance.

For our second live podcast series, we reimagine democracy as an everyday practice of listening, speaking, and asking questions in a new way to humanize one another and build our muscle of empathy.

Tune into this raw, inquisitive conversation with our live audience, the Gratitude Blooming team, Jim Herr from the Democracy Center, and Lea Endres from NationBuilder.

Enjoy the captivating intro and closing beats of the Taiko drummers from On Ensemble to notice more fully with your heart.   

Share your perspective as you experience this practice with us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com!   
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.

And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

Imagine a world where tenderness takes the political stage and grace is nurtured enough to birth something beautiful. In today's heart-to-heart, we sit within the hard cracks and rubble of life, armed with a gentle energy, exploring how we can endure the world's heaviness without being swept away by it. Drawing inspiration from Bayo Akomolafe's call for a politics of tenderness, we invite you to join us in this moment of vulnerability as we turn to the Gentleness card from our deck, a beacon created in a moment of overwhelming emotion. We delve into the importance of creating a space for discomfort to arise and the necessity of channeling a tender energy before taking action.

But, our journey doesn't stop at tenderness; forgiveness, too, holds a vital place in our discussion. Ever experienced the therapeutic power of art and music? We're inviting you to pause, reflect, and embrace the themes of healing and forgiveness, creating room for the discomfort of change. Light a candle for healing and listen to our song Forgiveness, for yourself and your community. Reflecting on the anemone card from our deck, a symbol of forgiveness, we navigate through the strength it takes to weather challenging times and the energy required for true forgiveness. Remember, tenderness, grace, gentleness, and forgiveness are the pillars we need in our lives, and this conversation hopes to serve as a gentle reminder.
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.

And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

Have you ever wondered how the power of pause can lead to achieving more? Today, we're joined by Emily Lynn Wendell, who takes us on her personal journey of battling an autoimmune condition while simultaneously building a business. Despite the challenges, Emily's story is one of resilience and creativity. She likens her experiences to building wire sculptures one wire at a time, a testament to her patience and determination.

Taking a step back from medical school due to her health situation, Emily redirected her passion for medicine into exploring integrative medicine, art and somatic work. Her unique blend of modalities, coupled with the importance she places on play and joy, makes for an intriguing insight into managing difficult circumstances. Emily's journey offers valuable lessons on the role of curiosity, patience, and playfulness in maneuvering through life's challenges.

In our closing conversation with Emily, we delve into the theme of self-cultivation and the journey of finding hope. Emily opens up about her use of Human Design to find focus amidst her health journey and the role of meditation in connecting with inner strength. Drawing inspiration from the Gratitude Blooming card deck, she shares her insights on patience, hope, and gratitude. Emily's journey serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of self-care, patience, and the transformative power of a good pause.

Join us to listen to the Gratitude Booming x Window Seat music collab: Self-care.

Find more about Emily's journey on IG at @emilylynn415
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.

And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

Welcome to a journey of courageous self-expression, a voyage across the realms of identity, gratitude, and remembrance. How do you find your authentic courage? In today’s conversation, we explore this question, and so much more.

What's more, we have a new segment – a heartfelt invitation around the beautiful questions that reside in our lives. Join us as we engage with you, our listeners, to unveil the questions you are holding.

Beat by beat, we’ll navigate the dynamic concept of courage, and its myriad manifestations, especially when fear tries to cloud our vision.

Also, as a part of our ongoing collaboration with the Japanese American National Museum, we’re taking on themes of empathy and democracy. Adding to our exploration, in a few weeks, we will be joined by our esteemed guest Lea Endres, co-founder and CEO of Nation Builder, sharing her insights into the practice of democracy.

As we delve into the Gratitude Blooming deck, we’re setting our sights on these evolving themes, culminating our journey with a music practice amplified by the power of infinite possibility. So, grab your headphones and join us as we tune into courage and mindful expression.


If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.

And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

Ready to reframe fear and the unknown as fertile ground for creativity and change? Our illuminating conversation aims to inspire you to do just that. We explore the "J-curve", a trajectory of change that involves embracing failure and loss, while co-creating a future outside traditional conventions.

The dance between fear and creativity forms the heart of this episode. We invite you to consider the vital role of the unknown in collective change and how artists harness this uncertainty. While fear can stifle, it can also spark creativity when viewed through a lens of joy and playfulness. We also discuss the concept of 'enough', inviting you to examine the roots of your fears and construct metaphorical houses to safeguard your dreams.

Let's take a moment to reflect on how we protect our dreams. We focus on the power of gratitude and freedom, discussing ways to shield our dreams from fear and nurture playfulness for resilience. We bring to light the significance of creating space for failure from an Asian-American perspective and how the unfamiliar can lead to rewilding our hearts. It's more than a discussion; it's a journey into the unknown. Are you ready?

Also, listen to the wildcard song from our Garden of Healing album for inspiration. 
If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.

And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.

Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!