Finding Joy through Plants in a Season of Transition: Reflecting on 2021

When I think back on this last year, transition is the word that comes to mind. We are literally transitioning into a new year, but I'm sure everyone went through some form of transition this year: a new home, family additions and losses, job changes, and more. And as we grow through those transitions, our plant collection evolves too. I personally went through a tremendous transition this year and my plant collection and plant parent personality completely shifted. These transitions in my plant parenthood brought up a lot for me: feelings of shame, failure, or almost a rigidity to stick with what I used to do. In moving through this transition, I found some really helpful practices and concepts that helped me ebb, flow, and grow that I wanted to share with you today. So, this episode is rather different than our other episodes: it’s highly personal and I get into the nitty-gritty of some behind-the-scenes of this growing business and my life. No ads, no interviews, no guests—just checking in! Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Society! The Bloom and Grow Garden Society is your one-stop shop for plant parenthood growth. When you join, you'll gain full access to the Garden Party Community Platform and App PLUS monthly plant care lectures with Horticulturist in Residence Leslie Halleck, monthly office hours with Leslie to troubleshoot your personal plant care issues and monthly Growing Joy Calls with Maria to develop our community of Society Members and explore the plant/person connection. Click here to join us! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you don't miss the amazing episodes we have coming up! In this episode we learn: [00:56] Why transition is an important conversation today [02:26] How Maria’s plant parent personality and plant collection have changed this year [03:37] What to expect from this year-end episode [05:45] Maria’s questions to YOU, the listener [08:03] How the Bloom and Grow listener community inspires Maria and the podcast [11:00] Why plants improve our lives [11:30] Updates on the Bloom and Grow Radio podcast [13:40] The different transitions Maria went through this year [15:05] Planty practices to find more joy and stillness in your life [15:16] Why you should have your morning coffee with your plants [18:13] The benefits of engaging with plants during the day [20:23] Shifting how you see plant care and your plant number [22:09] Explore your plant curiosity [23:02] Use planty affirmations and some of Maria’s personal examples [25:44] Maria’s big announcement! [30:27] A very special (and secret) snippet Mentioned in the conversation: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) pre-order links: Amazon | Bookshop.org Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Take the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle) Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon ! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Tiktok: @bloomandgrowradio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.