A guide to slowing down, savoring summer’s sweetness, and honoring the sacred pause—even if you're not on the Italian coast.

I write this to you from under the bump. That is to say that my pregnant belly protrudes over my keyboard while my feet rest comfortably propped up. I’m remiss to get this post published nearly a week later that I’d hoped, but alas, I’ve been giving my pregnant self a ferragusto August. I’m under no imperative to meet a deadline. I’m moving slow as a snail these days - as slow as anyone in their right mind should be moving during the hottest peak of summer. Or, as slow as you’d expect a 6 month pregnant woman to move in 95 degrees. Pregnancy is helping me embrace a ferragusto August, and for that I’m grateful. That’s what I’m here to talk about today - the wisdom of ferragusto.

In Italy, Ferragosto marks the height of summer. It’s a national holiday on August 15th, but more than that, it’s a cultural slow down. Businesses close and cities empty. Locals head to the mountains or the sea to escape the heat for the entire month. And for at least a few golden weeks, everyone steps away and takes a deep breath. What a dream - no!?

But what if you're in America, a place where August often feels more like a sprint than a siesta? Between back-to-school rush, full inboxes, and a culture that glorifies busyness, it can feel rebellious to press pause. And yet, that’s exactly what this month calls for. I polled my audience on social media asking if it’s possible to cultivate a Ferragusto August in the U.S. 46% of you said yes, and believe that it might just look different than taking a month long holiday as they do in Europe. I’m of a similar mind. The majority of people however, said “No”, and that makes me sad. But perhaps, that’s all the more reason to actively pursue this level of rest and seasonal celebration al fresco. I believe a Ferragosto state of mind is possible anywhere (and whether you’re pregnant or not) - if you’re willing to shift your rhythm. Here’s some ideas for how to create your own Ferragosto—no passport required.

There was once a season of my life when I’d come home from work, fall onto the couch and disassociate into a hollow abyss. I wasn’t just tired. I was bone-empty. Not the sort of empty that feels fulfilling after a long day doing something you love, but the sort of empty that feels like your soul is slowly dying. I had spent years pouring into everyone and everything: my work, my family, my community, the doing of modern womanhood. I was 27 when I began to ask myself: Is this it? Is the how the next 60 years of life will be? I couldn’t stand for it. Physically, mentally, emotionally - I knew deep down, that everything had to change. So I quit my job, lived off my savings, and began my burnout recovery journey. The first place I went was to my garden and that led me to wild trails seeking peace among the trees and streams. Not long after, Gather & Grow begun and the rest is history. During those early years of my blog I spent a lot of time digging, not just in my garden, but in my soul, in psyche, in my body.

Slowing down and getting outside prompted deep reflection. I began pulling threads—little memories knotted into the tapestry of my life. The good Mormon girl who learned early that service to others and striving for perfection made you worthy and that love was conditional. The coach’s voice from competitive soccer: push harder, no excuses. The little girl growing up in an emotionally turbulent household who learned how to be a strong diplomat in order to keep the peace. The daughter of an immigrant: sacrifice; the American dream is the gold standard is the only path worth working for. And then the bigger, more subtle message that all of us here in America know so well: productivity as a virtue, achievement as identity, exhaustion as status. None of these are inherently “bad”, per se. They formed me into a high-achieving woman with an amazing skillset. But I didn’t realize how deeply my conditioning drove me—until my body and soul said no more.

As I dug in the garden, I traced those threads, and patterns emerged. I saw the Pleaser who couldn’t bear to disappoint. The Pusher who outran her own hunger and put her needs last. The Caretaker who held the household (and everyone’s hearts) together. The Perfectionist who believed love was earned through excellence. Each one had roots in real places: in church pews, on playing fields, at the kitchen table amongst piles of homework, Each of these archetypes were channeled unknowingly by my younger self to keep me safe, successful, and loved.

This is why I teach archetypes to my students. Not to label or sham, but to illuminate the drivers beneath our burnout. When we can name the pattern, we can meet the fear under it. We can sit with the shadow, gather the little girl within ourselves, and offer her something different: rhythm, nourishment, shared load, permission to rest, love, pleasure, safety.

I’ve spent years rewriting the beliefs that kept me running on empty. That work is ongoing. But I can say this: once you see what’s steering the cart, you can take back the reins. You can choose a future that is slower, more rooted in nature’s seasons, and full of the kind of ease that lets you breathe again. The type of life that fills your soul rather than kills it. Below, you’ll meet the eight burnout archetypes I see most often in my work with women. Read them gently. Notice which ones tug at you. You may recognize one, or all of them, present within yourself. Most high-performing women I work with identify with more than one. That’s not a failure; it’s a map back to your roots. It’s your blueprint for healing and nourishment.

The Pleaser

You’ve built a life on saying yes—even when it costs you. You smooth tension, anticipate needs, and keep everyone happy, but often at the expense of your own well-being. Maybe you grew up in a family, faith, or community where being “good” meant being agreeable. Deep down, you fear that saying no will cost you love or respect. Burnout shows up as resentment, exhaustion, and a quiet ache for your own unmet needs.

Core Belief: If I disappoint you, I’ll lose love or belonging.
Replacement Belief: My worth isn’t measured by pleasing others. Boundaries deepen my relationships and keep me whole.

Most of us have been taught that rest and self care is the antidote to burnout. More sleep. Expensive skincare A bubble bath. A scented candle. But if you’ve done all that and still feel exhausted, anxious, or disconnected — there’s a deeper truth you need to know: Rest isn’t enough. To truly recover from burnout — and prevent it from coming back — you need both rest and recovery. As a master gardener, herbalist, and lifestyle wellness coach, I teach high-performing women how to reclaim their energy and vitality through holistic wellness and supportive lifestyle strategies. One of the most powerful shifts my clients make is learning how to differentiate between these two vital forms of nourishment.

As we begin another year around the sun, one thing is certain for folks in the Gather & Grow community: we want to cultivate a less stressed and more nourished life in 2025. Ultimately, we want to live well - to live simple lives connected to the land, our food and medicine, as well as our community. We want to cultivate a life full of beautiful moments that feel slow and present through the seasons. The “wellness” industry in the United States does not want you to actually be well in 2025. Rather, those big businesses’s rely heavily on you staying unwell, stressed and disconnected from the sources that truly help you thrive. We all know this, and yet it’s still hard to resist the magic bullets we are sold every year in January. Our feeds and emails are clogged with product advertisements, gym memberships, bio-hacks, and magic injectables that promise a year of skinny, happy, agelessness, and healthy.

We cannot bio-hack our way into wellness, longevity, connection, or presence. There is no magic bullet to replace nourishment from the source, nor the knowledge, skillset and discipline required to cultivate a lifestyle that is truly well.

We are over complicating our health and lifestyles here in the United States and it’s burning a hole in our pockets to no effect while also depleting us. The solution to cultivating heirloom wellness is so simple it’s almost too good to be true. Living well is not about buying a magic pill, but rather about cultivating simple heirloom skills and a lifestyle full of habits that nourish us in more ways than one.

If we look outside the United States’ scope of wellbeing, to the healthiest, least-stressed and longest-living communities in the world we have our 2025 roadmap to living well. So, as we head into 2025, why not simplify life and save some money by taking a page from the Blue Zones playbook? Join me this year in adopting some of the core habits practiced by these long-lived communities so together we can cultivate a nourishing lifestyle that roots us into wellbeing, community, and the earth.

*deep breath* I’m postpartum (again) with nothing to hold in my arms but myself and my grief. After two miscarriages in 9 months, one of them gentle and early, the other late and traumatic, my knees are brought to the earth. As much as it’s been a heartbreaking and physically challenging experience to navigate, there’s wisdom I’ve gleaned. It has pulled me into the depths of a spiritual and physical voyage - the likes of which have enlightened me of the sacred understanding of what it means to be a woman and the gift it is to bear life - and the burden of losing it.

Pregnancy loss and miscarriage (through choice or not) is demanding on the body, mind, and soul. It is no easy task to grow life and then to lose it. Our bodies and souls are never the same after, which brings me to my offering to you today.

I’m sharing the ways I’m holistically nourishing myself during postpartum loss - from nutrition and herbs, to mental and spiritual health rituals, as well as physical recovery exercises. My protocol is guided by my natural midwife and my Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor as well as my own knowledge & experience in holistic wellness. Here’s what I’m doing to care for myself during postpartum loss.

In fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, we experience less hours of sunlight. In these seasons, our body requires certain routines for a healthy circadian rhythm. I’m exploring (and sharing with you) a nourishing daily routine that supports our circadian rhythm and general well being during Fall and Winter. This routine syncs our daily cycle with nature so we can optimize our energy levels, respect our physical needs, live more nourished and connected lives, and... as always build resilience against burnout.

After learning that common hydration powder packets contain many ingredients (such as pure cane sugar as the primary ingredient) that negatively impact our health and hormones, I began scheming ways to make my own herbal electrolyte drink. I crafted this refreshing and nourishing cold-water botanical infusion that is loaded with minerals and electrolytes for hydration.

Set on the wild beaches of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Kalaloch Beach, we gathered at the invitation of Leger Experiences for a wild dining overnight retreat we wont soon forget.

During the week of the Fall Equinox each year you can find me in my kitchen chopping up spicy garden-grown vegetables and adding them to a large glass jar. I’m making fire cider in preparation for the oncoming cold and flu season. Fire Cider is a spicy cold and flu tonic that boosts immunity, improves digestion, and warms the body. Discover the benefits of fire cider, how to make fire cider, and how to use fire cider in this simple recipe.

My car rumbles along a dirt road as I head inland from the bay and through a densely grown woodland on the island. The smell of the sea mingles with road dust and the resinous musk of old cedar trees. At the end of the road, a sharp turn down a gravel driveway reveals a clearing in the wood ahead. I can just make out the sight of a dome-top roof peeking from the canopy to enjoy a kiss from the mid-afternoon sun.

Inspiration for summer seasonal living as shared by a woman rewilding herself and land through gardening, foraging, and wildcrafting.