Katie Hess The Medicine in the Meadow

Joel 00:00:02.880 - 00:01:01.210 Katie Hess is the author of Flower Revolution. An entrepreneur and expert of bioenergetic remedies. She has hand collected over 300 flower remedies across the world and studied their impact over the last 25 years. She established an intuitive system for doctors, natural practitioners, and all individuals to determine their own needs, accelerate their transformation and realize their true potential. Thousands of people around the world have experienced the benefits of these remedies, not only for their personal well being, but as a catalyst for expansion in relationships, business and community. The ultimate impact is a ripple that reaches far beyond the individual, transforming the world from the inside out. She teaches about flower remedies and mindful awareness around the world and is the founder of Lotus Way, a leading flower essence apothecary. Partnered with healing practitioners, doctors and experts in holistic wellness boutiques and five star spas worldwide. Katie, thanks for being here for the truth. Katie 00:01:01.610 - 00:01:03.450 Oh, I'm so excited to be here with you guys. Joel 00:01:03.850 - 00:01:31.270 So awesome, so awesome to have you here. We've definitely been diving into your products in recent times and for sure, feeling, feeling the benefits. One way which we always like to kick off these conversations is we want to just strip everything back and dive deep into Katie Hess, your personal hero's journey. What made you who you are today? How do you, how do you find yourself down this path? What are some of those major rites of passage that I guess really catalyzed your evolution? Katie 00:01:34.790 - 00:04:01.260 I mean, I think the first one is just that sense of like, which I think a lot of us can relate to, which is like, where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to be doing? And that hit me when I was about 7 years old and living in this really tiny town. I was an only child and like way out in the middle of nature, which was cool to be out in the middle of nature, but also just like, where are my people? Like, I'm supposed to be doing something important here and I'm like stuck out in the middle of nowhere. And this like, really deep, kind of restless sense of like, there must be more. And, you know, I think that's kind of like a theme that's like circled back around many times in my life. And it wasn't until I graduated college and finished all the academics and was like, okay, now what am I really supposed to do here? And had some health challenges which pushed me into an exploration of natural health. And then I ended up running into by like a crazy set of circumstances, running into an expert from Spain in flower remedies. And it fulfilled a little part of that like, what am I here to do? What am I supposed to be? How am I supposed to be of service? Because he. He basically said, not only does every flower on the planet have a really specific benefit for us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, which is really interesting. If we could get 3% of the world's population working with these remedies, it would be so powerful in terms of momentum and ripple effect that it would change the outcome of the future of the planet. And it was like, yeah, like, I'm in. I. I'll do that. And then I ended up moving back to the United States because I had been living out of the country for some time, for years. And then when I came back to the U.S. i met my spiritual teachers. That was kind of like another. Have you ever seen the movie Kill Bill? And then he's like, she's got a teacher in the mountains, and he's like, beating her up. And you're not beating her up, but, like, making her work so hard she can't even hold the chopsticks, you know, that was like the. More like the internal emotional part of the story that came in. I had the tools, but what I really needed to do was, like, clean up and do all kinds of purification practices and. And really, like, distill myself down to the most important priority. And then from there it was just a matter of, like, doing consultations for 10 years, figuring out how to run a business with no business experience, and then growing it for that. It's been about 25 years in making. Joel 00:04:01.740 - 00:04:13.320 Wow. Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing. I want to kind of like, what is, I guess, the main, I guess, modalities that inform your philosophical worldview? Katie 00:04:16.920 - 00:04:41.770 I mean, I'm a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, so that. That just informs the work because I'm doing a couple hours of meditation every day. I believe that what we create is only as good as we are. So if we are on a path of consistent improvement and refinement, than what we're creating will constantly be an ever evolving offering for people. Joel 00:04:41.930 - 00:04:42.490 Yeah. Katie 00:04:43.370 - 00:05:38.500 And then if you look at just like, what are flower essences? It's an energy modality. Right. It's different from essential oils. They don't have a scent. They're working through the same meridians that acupuncture is working. It's like acupuncture without the needles. And they're literally, like, turning the volume down on the things that are. Patterns, limitations, lineage, generational, trauma, collective stuff. You name it. They're turning the volume down on the things that aren't Us and turning the volume up on the things that are really our true nature, that we, in a sense, have no real intellectual capacity of how vast each of us is as a human being. So using those two core practices, one on a personal level and one on a professional level, to encourage, entice, inspire people's greatness to come out more. Yerasimos 00:05:39.060 - 00:05:57.780 Yeah, what is, what is the. The lineage of flower essences? Like, how did. How did it come about? Who was the first person that was like, hey, this flower, you know, has a special property and it's going to help you express your emotions more. You know, I'm just so curious how things come about. Katie 00:05:58.210 - 00:08:37.270 Yeah, it's a really great question. Lineage is so important. It's so important to look at lineage. If you look around the world, you see evidence of it everywhere, on every continent. You see it in Africa, you see it in Australia. The aborigines were like, sucking the dew drops off of bush lollies. You know, you see it in Central America, the medicine women, after women would give birth, or men would come back from war, or people would have these huge transformational moments. They would have you select flowers, soak them in the sunlight, and then dump that water over your head. They do the same thing when you come out of a. What's the word for it? It's like a sweat lodge in. In Central America. What is it? Temazcal? Yeah, yeah. So after the temazcal, if you've been in one, right, they'll like dump all this beautiful flower water over you. You see it in the Himalayas. I just got back from six weeks in, in the Himalayas. And when yogis and yoginis would go into their solitary cave retreats, they would sometimes take a substance called chulan, which is like the concentrated essence of flowers and stones and crystals. And then you see it in Europe, like around 13, 14 centuries. Like, if you've heard of paracelsus, some of the great alchemists and doctors of that time, they were recommending their patients every morning to go out into the wild and look for specific flowers and drink the dew drops from the tops of them. That obviously has its limitations. Like, I live in the desert, we don't have much dew here. Modern day, like, we're not foraging for flowers every morning. So luckily, in the 1930s, a doctor by the name of Dr. Edward Bach, he was in the UK, you might have heard of him, he was actually an md and he went through this process of getting frustrated with the limitations of allopathic medicine. And then he became a Homeopathic doctor. And then he kind of got frustrated with homeopathic medicine limitations. And then he just like, the way I understand it is he just like opened up his door to his backyard and looked at all the beautiful flowers and was like, this is it. We need to get to the root cause of why all of these things manifest in the physical body. And this is the solution for the root cause. He collected 40 sunflower essences from his back meadows and figured out how to scale dew drops. You know, how, how do you get it into a bottle? It's similar to the homeopathic process, although slightly different. So that we can then consume it or put it around or in, or somehow in our energetic system so that it creates enough of like, if you think of like a musical instrument, tuning the instrument so that we're constantly tuning to our like truest harmonics. Yerasimos 00:08:38.470 - 00:10:32.330 It's, it's really interesting because like flowers are so magical. Like they're around us, we see them and like, oh, you would think it's more than just to look at, you know, know what I mean? On some level. Like now as I got familiar with flower essences and I'm kind of new in exploring with them in the last year or so, even though I've known about them for a while, but I love flowers. Like when I see them I just stop in my tracks and I want to look at them. Or as I've been getting more into gardening the last few years and creating a food forest here, like springtime is incredible. And to see the flowers, you know, that bud, whether it's the wildflowers or on our fruit trees, like I almost just want to sit there and stare at them and, and so like, I think that's what's like got me more excited about learning more about this and then starting to, to experiment with them. And my, my wife's been into them for a while and I've probably tried some stuff before, but I don't think it was until I, I, I tried your products and I just felt, I mean I, I don't know, I like my life. I live a good life. I feel good. But, but there was something when I think I first started taking the Infinite Love Elixir. The elixir and I just, I felt even more loving, you know, I just felt even more open hearted. I felt even more just like grounded in this. I don't know. And it was almost like the cells of my body were exuding love too. Like they were loving each other, you know, and it was just really it was really. I don't know, it was cool because, again, I can't. I can't. I personally can't explain it. Maybe you can get into some of the. If they've done any. Any studies on this stuff, you know, but, like, my personal experience is my personal experience, and they've been something that have been really amazing to. To work with. And I'm sure Joel can share his thoughts, too, but. Yeah, I just. It's made me appreciate flowers so much more and be curious about them. Katie 00:10:34.970 - 00:11:49.890 Yeah. I mean, I think if you look at, like, you know, Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, these are all systems that have been around for, like, arguably somewhere between three and 5,000 years. You know, if you look at our allopathic Western medical system is, like, a hundred years old. We're just like little babies, you know, and granted, if I get into a car accident, I'd love to be rushed to the hospital and have them put me back together. But if you look at, like, all of the old, like, the ancient medicinal systems of the east, you know, they've been tried and true and around for so many years that people don't even really question them on that side of the world. And then the world of the flower essences, I think, for the west is like. Like you said, it's like, such an easy door to open, because the world of herbs is, like, kind of crazy. You have to learn how to, like, read someone's tongue and read their pulse and know which one's affecting your liver and how that's going to work with your stomach. And. But the world of flowers is, like, what are you drawn to? What inspires you? And because it's so subtle and gentle, there isn't really a way that you can screw it up. You know, there's no. No side effects other than just, like, feeling more loving and happy. And unless you have a healing crisis, I guess you could call that a possible side effect. Joel 00:11:50.610 - 00:11:51.090 Yeah. Katie 00:11:51.090 - 00:12:48.970 But it's like, it is such an easy entry point. And I think, like, having just been in the Himalayas for such a long period of time, I'm. I'm in that, like, reverse culture shock point right now. And whereas over there, there's so much about, like, survival mode. And here we have all the time and energy to, like, dig into why we are the way we are and what our limitations are and what our emotional states are, plus the fact that, like, we've got 5G and computers and cell phones and all kinds of things that are, like, dragging our energies out of alignment. But like you said, it's just really as easy as, like, what flowers am I drawn to? What are their qualities and what is it doing for me? And I think what most people don't understand is beyond, like, beauty and color and shape. That's so, like, artistically inspiring. Like you said, there is this capacity for us to become more. Like, we already feel pretty comfortable. We feel great. We might love our lives, we may have a certain kind of success, but then they, like, there's actually more. There's so much more. Joel 00:12:49.370 - 00:12:49.810 Yeah. Katie 00:12:49.810 - 00:13:33.190 And then, you know, if you think about, like, all the different patterns of, like, things that are happening in your family lineage from six to eight generations back, everything that's happened to them in their lives, that's also instructing how your cell is set up and how we perceive the world and how we perceive reality. Plus our past lives, if you believe in past lives, now there's like, a whole other, like, realm of experience that informs how we see what presents itself to our eyes and our systems. Right. So I don't know. I just get, like, endlessly inspired at the. At the capacity of humans to have more realization of our expression and power and who we are in the world now. Joel 00:13:33.190 - 00:13:50.630 Beautifully said. Thank you. I'm curious, like, what are, like, the. The range of uses for flower essences, from, like, the most extreme examples to some of the more subtle? Because I feel like it's a little bit, at least in my personal understanding, vague as to. In what, you know, applications they have. Katie 00:13:51.680 - 00:15:56.430 Yeah. So when people are first coming into this world, I usually start with something, like, basic, because we all want the basics covered. You know, like, I want to feel more love. I want to laugh more. I want to feel a sense of calm and stability. I want to be able to sleep well. I want energy, and I want to be able to get things done. That's just kind of like, baseline, you know, we all have those needs, and when we're in. In a really strong, stable position, then we can move into things like what happened when I was little. How do I feel about things that, like, no one wants to talk about? Rejection, jealousy, abandonment, you know, trauma, all the, like, crazy experiences that have happened to us. Communication, how we talk to each other. Then there. From there, it can be like, how do we feel about our sexuality? How do we feel about having children? Relationships? Where are our sticking points? What challenges us? How. How much can we receive? Like, if somebody actually gave you the winning lottery ticket of billions of dollars, could you. Could your system receive that? Some of Us can. Some of us can. What do we do when we're, like, lost and in a dark room and we don't know where to go in the unknown? Like, how do we manage the unknown? How do we deal with grief? What do we. How do we deal with when someone dies? Like, someone that we love dies or gets sick or we get really sick or we're in a lot of pain. What are we afraid of? What are our fears? Like, subconscious fears, you know, like wild animals being attacked. Like, there's just so much that we can work with as human beings. Right? Or, like, think of, like, flip the coin. What would it be like if I were a more powerful speaker? Or what would it be like if I, like. If you think of, like, your top number one thing holding you back right now, if that were just, like, gone, what else can I tell you? Like, anything from, like, fears of flying to I'm getting a divorce to I'm having a baby to, like, like, pretty much anything you can think of in a human experience that we need, like, just a little bit of help, support with. There's a flower for it. Joel 00:15:56.430 - 00:16:13.040 Yeah, no, I appreciate that. What are some of your, I guess, personal, most powerful experiences with flower essences in terms of, like, your personal use? And some of those moments which really were like, okay, this is. This is my lot in life. I'm going this way. Katie 00:16:14.880 - 00:19:28.840 I think it's like, every month it happens because we. We. So we have this program called the Flower Revolution, where we release a new flower every month and we take it. And like, every month I see a new aspect of myself that I've never seen before. I think that's the most surprising to me is I think, okay, I've been doing this for a really long time. It's going to be like, yeah, yeah, okay, they work, right? But then every single month, I'm like, damn. How does this, like, love affair not end? How does this not get just, like, baseline? I think that's the most surprising thing. Some of the other experiences have been, like, when I'm actually out collecting the flowers, the sense of, like, that we are literally inseparable from this entity that is Mother Earth, you know, that we're not on this, like, flying rock through space, that there is a sentience that you can communicate with it, that if you make a wish or an aspiration that is deep and sincere, you will be heard. And you, like, there have been times like, this is not, like, I'm not telling you about a specific. Like, I took a flower essence and this happened. But I think this will. This is interesting. Like, there was one summer where I was like, I really wanted to find this endangered species orchid, and all the botanists were like, super tight lipped and they wouldn't tell me where it was. And nobody wanted me to find it because they're all. They all want to protect it, right? It's like a hundred thousand dollar fine if you pick one. But I really wanted to find one and I wanted to make a flower essence out of it because I was like, what if this thing goes extinct? Like, we should have this for the next few thousand years as a remedy. So for months in my meditation practice, in the morning, I would finish and then I would make like the final dedication, and I would be like, hey, I'm. If you want me to find you, if you want to be of benefit to humanity, please help me find you and help me find you quickly. And I would just do that every morning for a few months. So when we finally were in that area, months later looking for this orchid, this is like crazy. We could have driven around for weeks. It's just like fields and fields and fields of stuff, right? And we literally were driving down this road. Mm. And five minutes in, spotted one from the car. Like, oh, my God. I think I see, like, seriously, right? And then we get out, we run to this flower, and my photographer and I are like, staring at this orchid. Like, could this actually be real? And there was one tiny little cloud above us in the. In like an otherwise completely blue sky. And the earth rumbled like it was like thunder. And then it rained for like two minutes. Like, you know, that really gentle plot rain from that one cloud, tiny cloud that was above us. And in that moment, it was like, whoa. Like we've. We. Like all that weird thing I was doing in my meditation practice in the morning, I actually was being heard. We were welcomed, we were assisted, we were guided. And now we can, like, make a flower essence of this flower that can reach so many people actually have it sitting next to me. This is the one. This is the one I use before every podcast because it. It helps me figure out what I should say in a moment. Yerasimos 00:19:29.080 - 00:19:38.920 So I'm curious. Did the cloud that rained over the orchid, did you, like, drink the rain off the orchid? Was there any. Was there any. Is there any rain that landed on it? Katie 00:19:39.320 - 00:19:47.320 That's a good question. I didn't even think of that because I like, I try. I don't touch it. I don't smell it. I don't. You know, it's like for someone else. Yerasimos 00:19:47.720 - 00:19:48.360 Gotcha. Katie 00:19:49.800 - 00:19:50.760 That's a fun question. Yerasimos 00:19:51.000 - 00:19:53.080 So I'm curious again, because I. I'm. Joel 00:19:53.480 - 00:19:55.320 Was that sacred awareness you spray just then? Katie 00:19:55.720 - 00:19:57.240 It is. Oh, my God, you're good. Yerasimos 00:19:57.480 - 00:19:58.120 Oh, great. Joel 00:19:58.120 - 00:19:58.760 Look at that. Katie 00:19:59.080 - 00:20:00.280 How do you know that bottle? Yerasimos 00:20:00.280 - 00:20:02.840 Or do you recognize, like, what it's for because you've used it? Joel 00:20:02.920 - 00:20:05.080 I'm using. I saw the color. I'm using it at the moment. Yerasimos 00:20:05.080 - 00:20:05.960 Oh, gotcha. Joel 00:20:05.960 - 00:20:10.280 So that's. That's the one that is connected to that rare awkward. What is that? Just out of curiosity, what is that? Yerasimos 00:20:12.200 - 00:20:14.440 She can't tell you, bro. She's gonna have to kill you if she tells you. Katie 00:20:16.280 - 00:21:37.010 It's called the white fringed orchid. It's the one that looks like it has, like, all these little neurons. And it's, you know, the crazy thing is, like, as we continue to work with them, we find out more and more and more interesting things. So at the time, it was like, wow, this is for, like, electric communication. This is really good for speakers, it's good for podcasters. It's good for when you're like, you have to rapidly tap into a particular demographic. Like, let's say someone was like, hey, you're asthma. You're going to go speak to 500 car mechanics tomorrow. And you're like, I don't know that much about this industry. This would be the flower you'd want to lean into because you. You'd want to use it. Until that point, you're going to speak so that you know how to, like, reach into the energy system of that particular demographic and collective consciousness energy and say exactly what they need in the way they need to hear it. Right? But then over time, as we went through, like, 2020 and 2021 and all these, all. All these different types of experiences of, like, people being separated and then coming back together and then trying to find ways to be more integrated or people who are having brain issues or neurological issues or strokes or having to, like, reconnect things. Then we're discovering later, like, how. How this can actually manifest in the physical body as well. Does that make sense? Yerasimos 00:21:37.330 - 00:22:14.120 Yeah, it definitely does. I remember right away, I'm like, I gotta see if my wife has sacred awareness, because she just needs an easy sell. He has, like, a whole box of, like, I don't know, dozens or a hundred of Lotus Way products. So I gotta go through there and see what I'm drawn to. So this is. I'm curious about again, I'm a beginner and a novice, and I'm curious if it's similar to homeopathy. Like you said, we found this one flower and now we can help people for years and years and years. So then it's like, well, how is that energetic process done in order to take one flower and then provide essences for, you know, thousands and thousands and thousands of people. Katie 00:22:14.600 - 00:23:54.050 Yeah, so homeopathy is a really good jumping off point because you know that that's like super diluted, right? So diluted that you can even make it from poisonous substances like lead. So similar with flower essences. That's why you only need one or five, depending on how big the flower is. You could, you could have thousands of people benefit from just one single flower. Because you're doing one infusion, like on the spot as it's growing there. You can either bend the flower over or you can, if you have to cut it, you can cut it. That flower soaks in pure water in a, in a clear glass crystal bowl. I mean this, the actual like how you do it is so simple, it's crazy. What you're doing is using the light from the sun or the moon, if it's a night blooming flower, to drive or catalyze that subtle energy from the flower into the water. You know, all the water research and how like amazing water is as a, like a recording device. Then after a certain period of time, you add alcohol, you take the flower out. This is what's called a mother essence. So the mother essence is what, you know, we have a, like a, a room downstairs that's full of mother essences. And then from there you take a tiny amount into the first dilution and then from that dilution you take a tiny amount and you make your third dilution. And that's what we actually consume. And that's why we can dig into poisonous flowers and stuff like that and not be harmed because it's, it's so diluted that by the time you get to the end, there's no chemical constituents left from the plant. It's just simply the vibratory quality. Joel 00:23:54.770 - 00:24:05.730 Amazing. How are the unique attributes of the flower learned or understood or gleaned? Like how do you know this is joy, this is love, this is abundance, this is awareness. Katie 00:24:06.530 - 00:25:44.760 It's been a long road and a lot of practice and a lot of testing. And for me personally, the best way is to just ask the earth and the plant itself. There are so few books written about this and I don't read any of them because I don't want to be tainted by anybody else's idea of what Things are also. Because I think things are changing constantly. You know, life, the earth. There's so many things happening that are changing. Better to go right to the source and find out what is this for? That's where the kind of more woo aspects of what I do come into play. But I've just found that over the last 25 years, it works. You know, I mean, I probably took 10 years and 20,000 or 30,000 hours of working with people individually to figure out what is the people need, which flowers do people need. That's also constantly evolving. And for me, the best way is just to ask the plant and the earth, tell me what you're for, like, how, how? And like, give me it in words that I can say to the people that I will reach. What are you for? Like, what do you magnify? What do you dissolve? And then I take notes. In the beginning, it was a shit show, right? I'd write down one line and think, like, am I making this up? Look, am I fabricating this, projecting this? Right? But I've just been doing it for so long that I've come to trust. We have over 300 flower essences now, and every month we release a new one. And we have, you know, somewhere between three and 400 people corroborate that the information I'm getting is accurate, that they're actually having those results that. That I'm writing is what should happen. Yerasimos 00:25:45.640 - 00:25:53.080 Do answers. Do answers come to you in meditation? Like, do you ask questions about a certain flower and then, like, see what comes up? Katie 00:25:54.280 - 00:26:49.270 Typically, it'll be like, I'm out in the field, I'm sitting with the plant. I do meditation to, like, clear all. You know, to clear everything. So I'm just an open. I can listen. And then, yeah, then I ask and just take as many notes as I can. I also use something similar in the homeopathic process, where they. They call it like a proofing where you very carefully observe all of the things that are happening in that time period. Like, did somebody walk up to you and say something to you in that moment when you're out in the middle of the wild and collecting? Did, like, a bear come out of the woods? Did a particular insect. ARR. Did you have, like, a crazy feeling? Were you battling something in that moment? Like, all aspects of what's happening externally, internally in the field? And then also just like, the direct transmission from the plant itself. Does that make sense? Joel 00:26:49.510 - 00:26:49.870 Yeah. Yerasimos 00:26:49.870 - 00:27:13.120 Yeah, it does. Do all the flowers you collect, they're in the wild? Like, you don't you don't go to, like, a nursery to get a certain flower. Like, is it just certain places in the world? And what guides you to go, hey, I'm going to find this orchard in this field, or I'm going to go to the Himalayas. Like, is there research in terms of, like, these plants show up in these certain places? Now I'm going to go there and see what presents itself. Katie 00:27:14.240 - 00:28:06.330 On occasion, I have collected flowers from special gardens, you know, from people who are really good at growing things in their backyard or at their house. Like, really special people. More recently, I've been just really drawn to going out into the wild, and it'll be weird stuff. Like, I remember in 2015, I had this iPad and it opened up to Airbnb. You know how airbnb will give you, like, all these little teaser images, and you're like, where's that? I want to go there. So at that time, it was like, these beautiful pictures of Iceland with northern lights, and I was like, where is that? And Iceland wasn't really on people's radar at the time. And I just got really obsessed, and I started researching that there are all these wild orchids in Iceland. And then I was like, hot springs, orchids. This sounds like a great trip, right? Yerasimos 00:28:06.730 - 00:28:07.450 Definitely. Katie 00:28:07.850 - 00:28:52.250 So it can happen like that, or it can be like a particular problem presents itself, or I see something in our community that's, like, popping up, and then I start just, like, asking, what are we going to do about this? Like, in the West? Coming back from the Himalayas, I'm seeing this pattern of, like, we all want to be special. We just want to be special. You know, it's like, such a core root thing for us. Like, and maybe that's not the way every one of us would describe it. Like, maybe some of us are, like, looking for relationships that make us feel special. Some of us are looking for, like, jobs that make us feel special. Some of us are looking for, like, recognition. And now we feel special because at the core of it, somehow, we feel like we're not special. So now we have to, like, prove to ourselves that we are special. Joel 00:28:54.170 - 00:29:00.970 Crazy synchronicity. I was literally writing on this exact topic this morning. Like, one of the biggest human fears is the fear of being ordinary, you know? Katie 00:29:01.930 - 00:29:03.290 That's crazy. Joel 00:29:03.370 - 00:29:03.850 Yeah. Katie 00:29:05.610 - 00:30:24.690 And, like, coming back from Nepal, I mean, there are a lot of reasons I went to Nepal, but there's this jungle outside of Pokhara called Panchase, and there are just wild orchids everywhere hanging off the trees. And that was, like, one of the Most like blissful, joyful, heart opening. And Nepal. I don't know if either of you been to Nepal, but it's like this. The collective consciousness in Nepal is like. It just like, rips your heart to shreds. Like if, like, when you get there, just like looking at people in the eyes makes you realize how many protective barriers you have around your heart. It's insane. Like, it's hard to hold the gaze of people there in the beginning because it's like, oh my God, they love me so much. They accept me as I am so much. They see me as special. Like, you know, it's like, unnerving. So I have a hunch that, like, most of the orchids we just collected are somehow going to tie in into this, like, Western problem of are we special or are we ordinary or what's making us special? How do we, like, untie that knot inside of us, individually and collectively, how it manifests. Yerasimos 00:30:26.530 - 00:30:46.290 Yeah. You know, I'm curious to share your thoughts around the skepticism that people may have for this. Because, you know, we're live. We're in this world where. And I think we see it in, like, the truther movement too. It's like, it's not 100 objective and logical and it's not real emotions causing things. Not real. Joel 00:30:46.610 - 00:30:48.770 And it's like you're the one making the positive claim. Yerasimos 00:30:49.330 - 00:31:21.880 Yeah, like. Like, of course you can't measure consciousness and. And like what's happening in you and. And yet of. But. But you can look at patterns and you can look at outcomes and you can look at the phenomenon of things and. And like, what your experience is, what you shared around, what's happening in the moment when you're with a plant and what's happening in your life. And then thousands of hours of working with people and seeing patterns, you know, you come to certain conclusions, but that's not enough for certain people. You know, And I just love for you to talk about that. Katie 00:31:25.320 - 00:34:22.010 When you have your own personal experience. Like you said, you don't need someone in a white coat to tell you if you've had that experience or not. You know, you just know. I really love skepticism and I love people who are critically thinking. I think we need more critical thinkers. We need a lot more critical thinking. Right. And I love when people show up and they're like, I don't believe this. Because I think the biggest challenge is like, well, just try it for yourself. Like, why should we? In a world where there's so much freaking propaganda and bias everywhere, why do we need to read it somewhere for it to be real. You know, it's so much more powerful. Like you said, when we have our own experience, we can't argue with our own experience. So when someone comes up and they're like, this is crazy. You're crazy. My best recommendation is just like, cool, why don't you try it? And I will tell you that the first 10 years of me doing consultations, this is in, like, the early 2000s, people didn't think I was nuts. I mean, people were drawn to me because maybe either they had an issue they were working with that they were, like, freaking desperate. Like, help me with this and let me try something new. Or I'm super successful in life and I just want more, and I'm willing to try something that's like, a little outside of the box. But most people in my first 10 years of consultations would leave my office and, like, they were so sweet. On the way out the door, they'd be like, I really like you, Katie, but really think this is going to work. And I'm so touched by their honesty. Like, thank you for being honest. Right? And like, you don't have to believe in it. You can be totally skeptical, but as long as you just give it a chance and try it and use it five times a day, use it as it's meant to be used, and just see what happens. And that's where people have their own experience and it's undeniable. And then who cares what the research says? Who cares if there's no double blind, blah, blah, blah, blah test? We know that the majority of those are fake anyway. Or they can be by, you know, like, bias be introduced. So. And then that's part of the whole process in itself is like, when we bring people into the wellness center here and we say, okay, choose the flowers from these photographs that you're most drawn to. And then we reflect back to them what those flowers are. That's like the first gateway of just saying a, showing you actually know what you need. You don't even need me to tell you. You don't need some expert. You don't need a doctor. You actually will naturally, as a human being, be drawn to those flowers that are going to assist you most right now with the most critical things that you need help with. So I love that the process of it is just naturally breaking down those barriers of what we believe to be possible by experience. You don't need to hear it from someone else. You don't need to see it on social media. You don't have to read a report about it or read in a magazine. Just feel it, give it a chance to see what you feel. Yerasimos 00:34:22.810 - 00:34:28.730 Do you have a, an elixir for unhealthy skepticism that you just go, here, take a few drops of this. Katie 00:34:31.290 - 00:34:39.290 Oh, I mean that person would be drawn towards a particular flower that would then unlock whatever that, that knot is. Yerasimos 00:34:39.450 - 00:34:52.740 Yeah, I like your quizzes. You know, they're cool. Sometimes I have a little difficulty because I'm like. But I, I like multiple flowers, you know, but I think I kind of just like close my eyes and drop in and then open them and like one of them kind of stands out. Joel 00:34:53.540 - 00:35:06.260 Yeah. What are the particular differences in I guess the types of products you consume? You produce between like the sprays, the elixirs, the oils, like do they have different specific uses or is it just a preference thing? Katie 00:35:08.100 - 00:35:28.270 I mean, honestly, it's really geared towards what would you use most often in your lifestyle? Because I know that the more often you use it, the more often you're going to get the benefits. Men, for example, I find are much more akin to elixirs. Like I can put one in my pocket, I can shoot it in my mouth, I can put it in my beer, like whatever. So good. Yerasimos 00:35:28.270 - 00:35:33.230 They taste so good on their own too. Me personally, I, I love like the honey, the honey sweet flavor of them. Katie 00:35:33.790 - 00:36:10.710 You can take them with your kids. Like kids love the flavor. But then there's also the mist. Right. We mix them with essential oils. So in some ways it's like, it gives you this experience of like. Right. My energy fields out here too, and there's all these interfaces and energies out here and I'm kind of like cleaning all that off. So that's a nice experience too. The oils are more like, you know, our acupuncturist will put them on acupuncture points. Especially for people who don't like needles or combine needles. I need the needles. If you use flower essences, you don't even need the needles. It's crazy. Yerasimos 00:36:11.110 - 00:36:16.870 So you could like self study the acupuncture points and then just take our little, our little drops and put on them. Katie 00:36:17.590 - 00:37:00.900 Or you can just like put it right here in your wrist and it's like direct connect to the heart. You really put it anywhere. It's like anywhere on or in. And then one day like we just came out with hand soap, body soap, you know, and the idea is like, cool, you're just washing your hands or you're just washing your body, but as you're Doing that, you're working with flowers that are, like, helping you be more expressive and helping you release tensions or dissolving fear of, like, waiting for the other shoe to drop or of abandonment or, you know, like, we looked at, like, what are the most common things that are holding people back on a super core level, and then put them into hand soap. Just, like, wash your hands, wash your body. But is this one more, like, hit of. Of your beauty and your brilliance? Yerasimos 00:37:00.900 - 00:37:06.340 You know, I like it. I know you had hand soap and body soap. Katie 00:37:06.900 - 00:37:07.380 Cool. Yerasimos 00:37:07.860 - 00:37:15.380 Yeah. I haven't used the, the. I've only used the sprays and the elixirs. I haven't used any of the, like, anointing oils yet. So that's a new area to explore. Joel 00:37:16.420 - 00:37:34.650 Yeah. I want to talk deeper about your personal spirituality. Like, how do you relate to, like, I guess, nature, God, spirit. Like, what is your relation there in terms of your personal spirituality? Katie 00:37:41.529 - 00:40:25.260 That's such a great question. I mean, I'm. I'm practicing Tibetan Buddhist, so every time I sit down to do a particular meditation practice, I'm conscious of the fact that something from my past will dissolve and something will open up. And that directly relates to the world of flower essences, where if I, you know, it doesn't matter what religion or spiritual path someone has, they don't have to be Buddhist like me. If I can gather something from nature, from the earth, which doesn't belong to any spiritual path or religion, it belongs to all of us that can do that same thing or a similar thing where it's like dissolving something from your past, showing you where you're getting tripped up and how you can open the door to more freedom. I think that's how they're directly in alignment. And I mean, I just have a huge reverence for. I do have a huge reverence for the earth. I mean, it's like when you go out into a wild place and you're in the mountains or you're at a forest, or you're at a beach, or like, wherever that spot is for you, you feel tiny. You know, you feel tiny and all this grandeur. But what happens is it also, like, reflects back to you, and you get this sense of inseparability. And you also feel like you are that grandeur. And it's similar with flower essences. Sometimes we'll have a healing crisis and we'll go like, God, I am just such a loser. You know, you see yourself getting tripped up in this thing, and you're like, why do I keep doing this. And it reminds me of something that one of my spiritual teachers said to me years ago. He said, when you. When you feel like you're such a dirt, like such a nothing, like you're. You're so. You're such a loser that you're just like, nothing but a speck of dirt, that's when you become the world. So it's this, like, funny process of, like, stripping away and, like, getting, you know, getting our feet firmly planted on the dirt. It's like this kind of weird surrender of, like, all that's, like, holy inside of us and sacred, but also being, like, clear about where we're being stupid. You know, it's this funny process, but, like, loving ourselves through it. Like, can we be that compassionate and loving that we can gently arrive at a place of more empowerment and realization? I think those are all the ways that it kind of goes hand in hand. Joel 00:40:26.060 - 00:40:31.020 Yeah. Now, beautifully. Beautifully shared, for sure. I mean, there you go. Yerasimos 00:40:31.900 - 00:40:32.540 There you go. Joel 00:40:32.540 - 00:40:32.940 There you go. Yerasimos 00:40:32.940 - 00:40:36.730 I was gonna bring it back to, like, flowers again, if you want to keep on subject. Joel 00:40:36.730 - 00:40:37.450 You're good. You're good. Yerasimos 00:40:37.610 - 00:40:53.210 I'm good. Well, I was just curious, too, like, different environments and different landscapes. Like, do. Do desert flowers have, like, a certain signature? Do mountain flowers, do open field flowers, Like, I'm curious about that, like, on a foundational level. Katie 00:40:53.370 - 00:42:16.960 Great question. Yes, they all. They'll be like a theme for a certain area. So, like, for example, what I noticed about flowers in Iceland, even though each one is very unique in what it does as a whole, a lot of the flowers in Iceland are about, like, unlocking our childlike curiosity about the world. Like magic. What's possible. Flowers coming out of Costa Rica are like, dredging the most deep, subconscious, primal, weird fears that you have and unlocking those and liberating those. Southeast Asia is like, what? What? Like abundance and money and growth and entrepreneurship and making things happen. In Nepal, it was like opening your heart, like, beyond anything you've ever felt before. So definitely at each. In each location. Desert. Desert is where I live. Desert is like. If you think about walking through the desert, everything's pokey. It is not like you can curl up on a nice little warm piece of moss. It's like you're poked or bit or attacked by a snake or so. Everything in the desert is about awareness and alertness and sharpness. It's also about you can see from horizon to horizon, so there's nowhere to hide. That's where people go to do accelerated, you know, fasting or spiritual path stuff. Because you can see everything from here to here. There's nowhere to hide. You can't tuck it anywhere. Awesome question. Yerasimos 00:42:17.200 - 00:43:00.170 Yeah, well, I'm really curious also, because we. A while ago, maybe a couple years ago, we planted a San Pedro CAC Cacti on our property. And I didn't know much about it, but then, like, I, like, made a left turn outside of our door, and then I looked at one, and I happened to catch the exact moment that the flower opened up. And it was like. I'm like, are you kidding me? This was like, the most incredible thing I had seen. Like, I'd never really seen that process. And it doesn't last very long. Like, I think after a while, then it started kind of wilting. And so I'm just curious because we talk about the desert. Like, the San Pedro flower. What is that? Does that represent anything? Have you worked with it or no? Katie 00:43:00.650 - 00:44:15.000 It's funny you should ask, because I just recently collected it a few months ago, but I didn't. It was, like, at a time period where I was so busy, I didn't sit with it because I knew I would have access to the plant. So I just made the collection and then tucked it away. But I have worked with a plant that's very similar to it. Similar family, only blooms one night a year. Cactus. And those particular flowers usually are about, like, no more baby steps. Like helping you take a big leap. So, for example, the transition between me seeing clients one on one and then reaching more people working with luxury spas four months after opening of a particular project, actually having access to the current. Not the current. The. At the time president of the United States who was just coming into office was like this weird leap for me of private conversations one on one to. All of a sudden, I'm like, now making something for the President of the United States. So it's like getting you into position so that you can make some huge leap that ordinarily you wouldn't be able to do. Yerasimos 00:44:16.870 - 00:44:45.660 Yeah, that's really interesting. And I'm curious, too. Like, for people that know plants even just as they're going around or they're traveling, like, just. Just noticing the plant and seeing it as a symbol can also maybe have a similar impact as well, potentially, you know, as opposed to just only, like, imbibing it or taking or putting on your body, which is amazing. But I'm curious if even just like, encountering a flower can act as that 100 catalyst. Joel 00:44:45.660 - 00:44:46.020 Yeah. Katie 00:44:46.020 - 00:45:52.010 Yes. I mean, you in your garden growing things can do that. Like, you're you're, you're in their energy all the time that's going to be constantly impacting you and uplifting you and shifting things and changing things, you might not necessarily be aware of it as much because you may not be paying attention on that level, but Absolutely. Or seeing it once or getting a message. I mean, you can go in your backyard and say, okay, who has a message for me today? Sounds crazy, but you can sit there with a plant for 5, 10 minutes and just kind of open your mind and something will come in and it will be meaningful. You can, you know, and you can go through that whole process like, this is me. Am I making this up? But when you become more comfortable with that process, you realize that actually, no, you're not making it up. And where, when you think of the world in that way, that every time, like you said, you have an encounter with a flower or interesting plants or trees, there's so much support. We don't have to feel so, like, alone sometimes because literally we walk outside and everywhere around us is support. Yerasimos 00:45:53.130 - 00:46:34.190 Yeah, I feel like that's what nature does for me. And even as I've been gaining more of a green thumb, you know, I was a city boy for a very long time. It is, yeah, there is something comforting and grounding around being out in nature and, and, and also this co creative process of like, I'm also playing a part in planting these things or sowing a bunch of California wildflowers. And then, wow, look at these that popped up. And they each have like such a different energy and a different frequency and the different colors and. Yeah, it's pretty, it's, it's pretty magical to experience. It's hard. It's hard to explain, but it's. Yeah, I'm looking forward to continuing to learn. Joel 00:46:38.030 - 00:46:53.950 Obviously you've built like a pretty incredible business which services and impacts a great number of people. I'm curious, like, what are some of your major challenges in kind of taking your vision and grounding it into something that is, you know, really pretty amazing? Well, what was that journey like? Katie 00:46:55.550 - 00:49:05.000 Ridiculous. I mean, it just like requires somebody who's stubbornly consistent and can just keep going. I mean, which year? You know, in the beginning it was like, how do I even talk about it? Gosh, in the early 2000s, I'd show up to these networking meetings and they'd be like, what do you do? And I was using words like frequency and energy. And at that time, like, meditation wasn't even cool. Yoga wasn't even cool then. Right. So like how to talk about it, how to be skillful, how to inspire people was like, really the first challenge. How to get out of my shyness. Like, how to deal with, like, do I, like, sell stuff or like, oh, God, you know, storytelling? And then accounting. Like, I didn't know how to do accounting. I don't have business in my family. Background. Marketing, hiring, firing, growing a team, buying properties, real estate, like, pretty much anything. Social media, like, you know, all the things you have to deal with when you're in a business. I didn't know anything about it, so I think once I realized that I would never know what I was doing and just got comfortable with the fact that, like, I will never know what I'm doing. Really. Like, because you shouldn't. Right. Because once you attain this certain level, then you should be like, exploring this other thing. And then this other thing, if you're growing, you want to always be uncomfortable and always learning. But in the beginning, I think it was just, oh, man, there's just so many things to learn and hurdles and. And then also I realized that the problem was here. Like, how. How willing am I to be to stand up in a room full of a thousand people and say what I do in front of a thousand people? You know, like, it's still hard for me to do that. So when I realized that, like, this is the work that I can do and that's the work that all of us can do, in some ways that eases the pressure because it's like, well, we'll just do this and then everything else will unfold from there. Yerasimos 00:49:05.880 - 00:49:28.750 Yeah. And you're just. You're clear on who you are and your purpose and your mission. That. So what if people are skeptical? So what if people poo poo what you're doing or like the flower essences. Yeah. Okay. Because you're just like, whatever. I'm. I'm me and I'm doing my thing. I'm on my mission and I'm providing value and people are receiving value. And if. And if it's not for you, then it's not for you, and you can go find what is for you kind of thing. Katie 00:49:29.310 - 00:50:49.890 And they're really protective. I feel like the world of flower essences in the earth and all the energies that are kind of bundled in this field. I've been protected a lot. I think there have been times where I was really had my eyes set on some kind of like, bigger opportunity or bigger visibility, and I would get shut down. And in the moment, it was so frustrating, you know, Like, God, when is the world going to be ready for this? Like we need it so badly. But when I look back it's like, yeah, that was probably me being protected. Like the world actually wasn't ready then or something would have been like exposed on a level that wasn't really time time for it. In some ways I feel like I've been waiting for the world to catch up to be ready for this kind of thing. You know, like after 2021, I feel like people had gone through so much culturally that people were so much more open to what we do. And then also like working with, you know, pharma and having side effects and looking for something natural. I think is, is much more of a theme that we are seeing right now. But then it also gives us time, right. When things take a longer time, it gives us time to purify all the stuff that's inside of ourselves so that when a bigger wave comes, we're really much more spacious and open container to hold it all in the best way. Yerasimos 00:50:50.930 - 00:51:16.180 Yeah. Can you give any specific, like more specific examples of like people that you've worked with that maybe came to you with a specific issue like you mentioned just before, like potential side effects from pharma or anything else, you know, where you, they started working with you or working with the, the flower remedies and it was just very clear. They're like messaged you or you know, reached out via email. Like you're not going to believe this, like xyz. Katie 00:51:17.700 - 00:53:25.520 I have a fun one about success. This one guy came to see me for, for consultations and he was like, I have a great life, I have a great family, I'm married, I have kids, great business, I'm really successful, I make lots of money, but I just feel like there more. And he, I noticed during that first appointment that he was like super tied to his phone. You know, like we would be talking in the middle, he'd be like, oh, sorry, you got to answer this call. And I was like, so what's that about? Like you can't carve out an hour to have a conversation. You need to like answer that call right then. And we talked about it and he, we, we had several sessions. He would come to see me every month and probably like around month three, he called me really excited. He was like, I shouldn't. He just got back from Costa Rica and at the time, it was during this time period where he was like doing all this real estate deals in Costa Rica and he said, you know what? I listened to what you said, and I realized I was too, like, tight to my phone because I have this big real estate deal going on. And, like, I can't miss a call. Like, I can't miss an opportunity, because what if somebody wants to invest in me? This is like having that grasping, clinging attachment, right? And he said, well, I just. I went to Costa Rica, and I just turned my phone off for the whole trip. I just turned it off. I did my stuff. And he said, I got back into the airport in the US And I turned my phone on and I checked my messages, and there were all these messages of people who wanted to invest in my project. And he said I had made. He said, I know. I know it sounds weird, but, like, I know it's because I could actually just, like, release that clinging that made an opening. Like, it made him more. What do you call it? Just, like, unattached, right? Because we're humans, we feel that, like, stickiness. And so the moment he just, like, let it go and was like, well, whatever it is, it is, then everybody wanted to be putting their money in his project. So he saw a direct result of dollars in his bank accounts and his projects related to this simple conversation. Working with Flower Essences on how to unplug that. It might have been, like, a little bit of scarcity, right? We're like, oh, I'm gonna miss a thing. I'm gonna miss this thing. Yerasimos 00:53:25.840 - 00:53:36.640 Well, it just reminds me of, like, so many people that are, like, so desperate to be in relationship, and then when they're like, yeah, I'm not. I don't want to be in partnership, then like, someone comes along in those moments, right? Joel 00:53:39.200 - 00:54:42.550 Yeah, yeah. Just back on the business front, like, it's kind of like growing a garden, right? I mean, it takes so much perseverance. You have to be in it for the long game to kind of wield ongoing prosperity and fruit and whatever it might be. And I just really admire, like, that particular perseverance to. For anyone that steps into that challenge of, like, there are all these different arenas on a business front that I know nothing about yet. I'm committed and devoted to the mission. And so we all have to go through this process of learning and of discovering and of becoming adept at these different arenas and finding the right people that can support us in areas where we might be weak, etc. You know? And like, so many people, they turn to face that challenge and then shy away when things feel overwhelming, when things feel like, I'm not good enough, I can't solve this. I need someone else, etc. And it's that hurdle so often which prevents so many people from actualizing their gifts and then having a platform to offer them to everyone else as well, you know? Katie 00:54:43.990 - 00:54:56.580 Yeah, it takes a certain kind of grit, doesn't it, to have something kind of rip you apart and then just like go forward anyway. Go forward and keep going and keeping vulnerable and keep feeling, like, inadequate. Joel 00:54:57.060 - 00:55:36.990 Yeah, yeah, totally. And even again, I think, like, you know, I think we're so often sold in this culture that we just need to be honest all the time. We need to feel motivated all the time, we need to feel inspired all the time. We need to be productive all the time. But like, in the same essence as nature, like, we operate seasonally as well. Like, I know for myself there's some days where like, I'm not lit up about doing anything, even though there's a big to do list, the shit I got to get to. But often I find in the long run, when I honor the season of my inner being in needing to rest and needing to not do it, then I'm rewarded in the long term game of the garden that I'm planting. When it comes to the business. You know. Yerasimos 00:55:39.790 - 00:55:42.110 I love all your garden analogies now, Joel. Joel 00:55:43.110 - 00:55:56.630 Well, I mean, I'm curious your thoughts on like how you work with like your own natural rhythms in that sense when it comes to, you know, what I said and growing the business and you know, because it's, it's an interesting correlation for sure. Katie 00:55:57.750 - 00:56:08.550 It's almost like you have to at some point become your own best friend in the sense of like and not in like a rah rah. You're doing great. More like I'm going to be with you. Joel 00:56:09.210 - 00:56:09.450 Yeah. Katie 00:56:09.450 - 00:57:00.580 No matter what. I am here for it. So, like, if you're having a day and you don't want to do anything, I'm going to sit and observe this phenomenon. I'm going to be with you during this period and then, you know, you might have like a season like that, like you're saying, for like days, weeks, months, where everything just feels like shit. And then something shifts one day and then you observe. Whoa. Like something just jumped forward. Something just like brought in more ease. Something made this way easier. I'm not sure what this was. And then you can observe that phenomenon and you see it in business, you know, wow, I just hired some people and I feel so good. I feel so supported and we're all growing as a team and then somebody falls through the cracks and somebody gets lazy and somebody didn't I gotta fire three people? You know, it's like, like you said. I think it's really helpful actually to look at it in terms of seasons. Yerasimos 00:57:00.660 - 00:57:01.220 Yep. Katie 00:57:02.030 - 00:57:21.470 Because it's not about us being perfect. It's not about us being. Having it all together. In fact, I think when we're on the ground and feeling like a piece of is actually when we do our greatest work. But it's that stick to itiveness of like, I'm here with you no matter what. Yeah. Just right here. Joel 00:57:22.190 - 00:57:44.030 Yeah, totally. Totally. And like, I don't know about your experience, but my personal experience is that like that kind of cyclical nature, like it's never changes. No matter how far you progress on the journey, like at some point again, you're always going to hit that descent again where it's like, what the fuck is happening? What is all this for? What am I? Why am I. You know? And that's. Yerasimos 00:57:44.430 - 00:57:47.150 Yeah. And I think like waiting to. Yeah. Joel 00:57:47.630 - 00:58:03.420 No, like people really need to like. I feel like embody that because it's like so often we turn away and we quit in those moments. And like a part of us is like expecting things just be endlessly easeful at some point in time, which doesn't ever really come. Yerasimos 00:58:03.580 - 00:58:17.660 It's not reality and it's not being human. But we're sold that, you know, and especially if we have like big like inner critics or pushers that got to get things done. But it's like, it's not real, you know, it's not the way things operate within the. The human psyche and the human being. Joel 00:58:18.220 - 00:58:18.780 Yeah. Katie 00:58:20.060 - 00:58:22.460 You know, making us food. Yerasimos 00:58:22.910 - 00:58:23.310 You go. Katie 00:58:23.710 - 00:58:38.910 I was just saying, like, we can use it as food, you know, like we have all these different like personalities and characters inside of us and ultimately like all of them still have to come to the dinner table and eat and we have to like, use that as something to propel us forward, I think. Yerasimos 00:58:39.550 - 00:59:07.880 Yeah, it's like the. The great roomy poem, the guest house, you know, like, how do you treat all these different aspects of yourself, you know, as a guest, you know, or like sitting at your dinner table and. And you know, give them a voice, give them a seat and be a friend to them and because they're there, you know, they're there and whether or not we want to pay attention or not, because if we don't pay attention, then they're going to. They're going to show up in tricky ways and impact our health, impact our relationships, impact our businesses. Katie 00:59:08.440 - 00:59:25.530 I do think there is a really strong pattern in the west of, like, wanting to kill those pieces of ourselves, like, really being hard on ourselves and really, like you said, inner critic, but also, like, how do I eradicate? You know, how do I get rid of. Yeah. Yerasimos 00:59:25.690 - 00:59:38.330 Hear people talk about it, like, I just got to get rid of this part. Got to get rid of, like, I just want to annihilate this. This aspect of me. And, like. Well, I think you're going about it the wrong way. What would it look like if you put your arm around it and spoke to it? Katie 00:59:38.970 - 00:59:39.490 That's right. Yerasimos 00:59:39.490 - 00:59:40.490 Let it be it. Katie 00:59:41.130 - 00:59:59.930 That's where I think the flower essences are so helpful, because they're just, like, soft and gentle and kind of a whisper. And, like, you don't have to overdo it, but it's like, maybe you just, like, turn towards it. Maybe that's the first step. You turn towards it, you know, and then from there, you can kind of deepen into a relationship with these parts of ourselves that we maybe don't like. Yerasimos 00:59:59.930 - 01:00:00.370 Yeah. Joel 01:00:01.650 - 01:00:31.310 When you're working with the remedies, like, what is the balance between someone knowing, okay, I've worked with this particular flower essence, this particular remedy for this particular experience I was having. Like, when am I. How do I. I guess for people that are more logically minded, how do I know when I'm done with that versus how do I? Am I just dependent on continuing to have to work with this remedy for fear of if I don't keep working with it, that thing is going to come back, you know. Katie 01:00:34.990 - 01:02:34.830 I mean, in some ways, like, I think I'll be working with flower essences until I die, which is not an addictive thing. It's more just like, it's always gonna be. There's always gonna be something. Right. And I can use that support. In some ways, you. You know, when you're done with it, because there's some ease. Like, I'm thinking of. I'm thinking of one of the women that works with me. She. She has this great story where she came with me to this to collect flower essences, and she was photographing the flowers, and there was One of the 10 we were collecting, and she was just like, this flower is disgusting. Like, it's so repulsive. How could Katie be collecting this flower? How could this be beneficial? It's just, like, she couldn't stand looking at it through the lens of her camera. Right? And then she's ahead of our marketing. So later, when we were coming out with flower essences, she was having to, like, pull up the images and put them on labels and put them into the marketing, the branding. She's just like, I can't. This flower is, like, so disturbing to my mind. And she laughs now because at the time, she was in a relationship that was kind of going nowhere. You know, we've all had those relationships where we've kind of settled into something, and we. We know that it's not working well. We don't really want to look at it. We don't want to address it. We don't want to, like, disrupt the harmony. And that particular flower that she was so repulsed by was. Was the call, you know, was like, hey, this is something you need to look at. You're at a crossroads. You can go down this path, or you can take a radically different path and, like, realize a whole other level of evolution that's waiting for you. So in her case, she worked with that. When she actually went. It came time that we were working with that particular flower. After a month of working with it, she broke up, moved out, split, and it was, like, the best decision she made for her life. So in situations like that, you kind of know, like, okay, you've. You've done the thing, but then maybe 10 years later, you're at a different crossroads, and you could use that same flower to help you clarify something else. Joel 01:02:34.990 - 01:02:35.470 Yeah. Katie 01:02:35.470 - 01:02:42.510 So it's not like, oh, I took that thing and I'm done with it. Sometimes we cycle around, you know, in patterns. Joel 01:02:42.910 - 01:02:50.830 Yeah, well, it's almost like, you know, that flower was the thing that she was avoiding, you know, in. In her own life, was symbolic of that, for sure. Katie 01:02:52.830 - 01:03:32.740 Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, just to like, answer your question more plainly, like, there are certain things that I come back to all the time, like, infinite love. I come back to that maybe every six months because I'll notice, like, ah, I'm kind of getting hard on myself, or like, oh, I'm kind of, like, wanting love from the outside, or, geez, I feel like I could use a little more affection. Okay. I'm looking for it in the wrong places. Okay, let me come back to infinite love. You know, so there are certain things that we might. We know are, like our little patterns that will come up that we can kind of keep infusing to set ourselves straight. And then there are other things that I see people working with, and it's like, that's it. You know, They've got it for life. Yerasimos 01:03:33.380 - 01:04:03.420 Yeah, Katie. So obviously, people throw the word addiction around a lot. You know, I'm addicted to my phone. I'm addicted to food. I'm addicted to sex. I'm addicted to whatever. Are there certain flowers that focus primarily on like, let's say addiction overall? Like for instance, someone who just like has to touch their phone all the time or someone who's in a meeting with you and won't put down their phone or whatever. Or is it like, is it like addiction as a whole? Or is it like certain specific, particular relationships with certain like things in their life? Katie 01:04:03.820 - 01:05:39.860 Yeah, both. Both. So like I can tell you about a couple flowers that come to mind. One is pink primroses. It's in a blend that we have called Game changer. And I always recommend that to people who are trying to quit smoking because they just like want to breathe something, you know. So I'll have them like miss to the Game Changer every time they'll want to smoke a cigarette. And there's another flower called Sacred Day Tura. It's a poisonous flower in the desert. You might have seen it, the big white flower. For addiction patterns that are caused by a particular kind of like feeling like we're going crazy or like a crisis moment in our life that stems from a crisis moment. That being said, even though there are some flowers that I would specifically attribute this is for addiction, it depends totally on the person. Right? Because you know, somebody who's addicted to chocolate might be because of a mineral deficiency. And what you need is a flower essence that's going to increase your ability to uptake that mineral. Or maybe it's because you're looking for love and then we need to work on flower essences that help you fill up from the inside. Or maybe it's because, I don't know, your mom whacked you over the head with a broom when you're a kid too many times and you need flower essences to generate that like self mothering quality, you know what I'm saying? So then it also comes down to the individual being of like what is actually your personal root cause underneath, underneath, underneath everything that would drive you to get into that pattern that's familiar as a self nurturing thing. Yerasimos 01:05:40.540 - 01:06:05.650 Yeah, no, it makes sense. Obviously it's super personal. You know, there's different reasons why people may turn to substances. I have a question about pregnancy. Are there certain elixirs, certain essences that you recommend overall for people like trying to get pregnant? Or is it okay when people are pregnant to be taking, taking essences? Like I'd love for you to talk about the. Yeah, the subject of pregnancy. Katie 01:06:05.960 - 01:07:18.570 Yeah, it's awesome because like Studies show that the baby feels everything that mom feels in the womb. So if you can remove altogether the stress from mom, then that's like removing any kind of stress from the first nine, 10 months of being in the womb. For the little one, it's a hugely profound way to come into the world. It's a very profound impact point. And in terms of getting pregnant, there are some flowers that I recommend. There's one squash blossom, you know, like a zucchini squash. You throw it in your garden. That's like one of the most powerful flowers for fertility. It's also good at dissolving, like, old sexual abuse patterns. Feeling comfortable in your body, feeling open, feeling like you can be creative and fertile. What else that one is in Luscious embodiment. And then I also recommend pomegranate for women who, you know, sometimes it's tricky to know, like, when are you ovulating? When's that peak time in the cycle, the few days that we can get pregnant. So it, it helps your cycle become like clockwork. So it helps women and men kind of like sync their energies together so that you kind of naturally come together when it's the peak point. Yerasimos 01:07:19.690 - 01:07:22.410 So you have, you have a product just called pomegranate, Is that what you're saying? Katie 01:07:22.410 - 01:08:13.710 Or the pomegranate will be in a blend called radiant energy. So I would recommend radiant energy and luscious embodiment for people trying to get pregnant. And then once you're pregnant, it's kind of like you can use whatever you want. It's all going to be beneficial. Infinite love is like super sweet. Like all the lovey dovey ones, I think are great and luscious embodiment for just helping women feel good in their bodies. Even though we're. They're like, we're growing and getting fat and strange and odd and. Yeah, any flower essences at that point are good. Like, because whatever. I mean, it's like when you think of like, even just like none of us are in a womb right now. We're taking flower essences. It's pulling out patterns from six to eight generations back in our family lineage. So, like, whatever you're doing for mom, that's automatically going to be benefiting this new little kiddo. Yeah, right. Joel 01:08:14.430 - 01:08:16.910 Do you have personal favorite products of yours? Katie 01:08:19.870 - 01:10:17.850 Okay, this is funny. Probably depends on the day. I don't know. Right now I'm working with open Heart because I. For a lot of different reasons, like crossroads, and I don't really like to feel vulnerable. And when something's coming up. I just kind of want to, like, go isolate in my room and do my own thing and. And I want to just like, kind of keep staying open, especially after being in Nepal for so long. That's what I'm working with right now. If you ask me next month I'll probably say something different. Yeah. And then we again, we have that, like, flower revolution program which is focusing on a new flower. And this month it's pitcher plant. And I was reading this last week, I was writing about it and I was like, I started to have that feeling and I have this sometimes where I'm like, I wonder if all I'm doing is, like releasing these flower essences based on what I need and like, how embarrassing and self indulgent is that? Because I do feel this way. I'm looking at this list of things, like, do you feel a little bit lost? Do you feel like you don't know who has your back? Do you feel like you don't know who your tribe is? Do you feel like there's like all kinds of massive changes that are about to happen in your life and you're going to go into this period of unknown, you're on this jet, you're whizzing through the sky, you need to grab your parachute and jump. But, like, where am I jumping and why and what am I doing? This is a sensation I was having and I thought, I'm sure I'm the only one who's feeling this right now. And like, how self indulgent of that, of me? Is it that I've created this business around or this, like, product offering around, like, what I feel? But then I started to ask people around in the office and they were like, no, I'm feeling the same thing. It's like, oh, right, of course. Okay. This is meant to be a collective remedy. People will feel this kind of similar aspect happening right now at the end of the year. Like, we, like, I don't know what you guys have felt, but do you guys feel in some way, I'm curious if you're going into a world of the unknown or like some big changes are coming that you don't know what they are. Do either of you feel that way or like a little bit like, where's my people? Yerasimos 01:10:18.490 - 01:10:37.730 Well, I. I think my words, my people, I have that pretty solid down, but it's more in terms of, like, you know what? Joel and I are building and creating and wanting to expand that and, you know, things in my life and with my wife and our Relationship. And. Yeah, I think so. I think then this next year is going to be very interesting to see what. What unfolds and what expands. Joel 01:10:37.730 - 01:11:13.760 I definitely feel like, you know, there's a. There's a great unknown that's looming. Come in, like, very soon, and it's like, I've got no idea what that is going to look like, you know, and how that's going to piece together. So for sure, I feel that. And like, what you were saying reminds me of a quote from the great psychologist Carl Rogers. He says the most personal is often the most universal. You know, so, like, and that's how I find my work as well. If I'm feeling at a particular season, at a particular time, then generally when I talk about that, it seems as though that resonates with a very, very, very large number of people, you know, thank goodness. Yerasimos 01:11:14.080 - 01:11:15.040 Yeah, yeah. Joel 01:11:17.360 - 01:11:44.640 So for anyone listening to this, okay, they're curious about flower essences at this point in the conversation. Otherwise they're probably not listening anymore. How would you guide them to kind of get into the process? Like, is it a quiz? Or like, is it just, like, looking at what's available and, like, resonating with maybe the. The words that are used or the imagery or whatever it might be? Like, what's the first step that you would guide people through? Katie 01:11:45.200 - 01:12:14.270 Some people love words and figuring things out. And I would say, look at the words. But I think the easiest way is to really just take the quiz because it's like working around your left brain and what you think you need and just tapping into your right brain intuition, like, what's beautiful, and then seeing if that resonates with what's. With what's happening. I think that's the easiest. I mean, of course, we can also do consultations and we can help people and talk about things. You can come visit us in Phoenix at the salon center. But the easiest is just to do the quiz and see what pops up. Joel 01:12:14.350 - 01:12:14.870 Yeah. Katie 01:12:14.870 - 01:12:19.710 Or you can look at your life and say, like, what's bothering me? What do I need help with? Joel 01:12:20.270 - 01:13:07.990 Yeah, yeah, got you. Yeah. It's interesting. I actually first really came across your products. I was in. I was in Austin doing an interview on Alex podcast, the Way Forward, and his studio is set up in, like, this apartment where, like, the guest stays there and the studio is there. And, like, on the bench, there's all these Lotus Way products, and I had no idea how to use them, so I was kind of downing, like, the elixirs. Like, it was the thing. He had, like, infinite love Fierce compassion. And honestly, those few days I felt on fire. I'm like, this is perfect for this, like, interview that I'm about to go into this podcast. And like, it really like, was very, very, very strong. I might have like done more than the recommended dosage because I didn't really understand the process at that point in time. But yeah, it was incredibly powerful. And I was like, like, this needs to be a staple kind of in my life for sure. Yerasimos 01:13:09.350 - 01:13:17.110 Which, which brings me to the question in terms of even dosage and like, let's say someone has three sprays or five elixirs or anointing oil. Like what? Joel 01:13:18.150 - 01:13:23.910 And that question, and how many different types at a time should people be working with? Katie 01:13:24.150 - 01:14:17.540 It's changed a lot. I believe that as human beings, our capacity for understanding the subtleties of all these energies has increased. Because when I first started, when I first started this, I would make a little bottle of remedy and someone would go and take that five times a day. Now what I'm seeing is people are putting them in their homes, they're grabbing for them. As much as, you know, you see it, you grab it, you use it. And I think we're becoming energetically more, you know, whether I could go either way, you could say like, we really need it today, or you could say like, we're able to understand the components, complexities and sort through all those different energies and pull in what we need and kick out what we don't need. So the answer to that is as many times as you want to use it, you will notice more effects the more frequently use it. So if you put something in every one of your beverages or you take an elixir every single hour, like you said, you're going to be on fire. You'll feel it. Joel 01:14:17.700 - 01:14:18.180 Yeah. Katie 01:14:18.180 - 01:14:51.150 Versus like just pulling it out once every couple days, the more frequently use it. And then if you have, let's say you're maybe you have like five myths on your desk and you reach for the one you need in that moment. There's nothing wrong with that. You can't overdo it. You can't. You're not going to confuse your system. And you can trust. That's the cool thing is like you're not only the doctor, but you're also the pharmacist. And you can trust that when you feel an inclination to go towards something, you can use it. And it's also like a great pattern interrupt, you know? Yerasimos 01:14:51.560 - 01:15:17.240 Yeah, yeah. It's a simple act of self care too, I'm finding, and I love Just taking the elixir straight. Like, I. It's cool. I could put it in my drink or a smoothie, but I. I just love the taste so much that it gets diluted in, like, a smoothie. And so I want to actually taste the elixir, and I'll put, like, a few of them in my. In my mouth, and then just, like, whatever, half the droppers full and then just swallow it. So, yeah, that's too much. But I've been enjoying it. Katie 01:15:17.240 - 01:15:19.560 No, it's not too much. It's not too much. It's perfect. Joel 01:15:19.900 - 01:15:36.380 Yeah. My personal preference is the elixirs in my daily water. You know, it just makes me look forward to, like, consuming water so much more. And it just feels like there's just this vibrancy that's been, you know, working its magic with my water. And I just. That's how it feels most correct to me that way. Katie 01:15:36.780 - 01:16:03.200 Well, and you look at, like, so many of the kind of thought leaders around, like, health right now are all talking about light, you know, like getting. When the sun's rising and getting light in your eyes. And our body is a huge producer of light. And if you can put light from flowers in your water to structure it and to, like, amplify your own body's capacity to create more light, I think it's all working together. Joel 01:16:03.840 - 01:16:22.110 Yeah, for sure. Is there also something to be said in terms of the correct flower to be working with? Like, in terms of, like, just pure preference when it comes to, like, the smell of, like, a mist? Like, is that something that's happening on a deeper level? Like, my soul is drawn to this particular sense more than other sense for a reason. Katie 01:16:23.470 - 01:17:34.080 Yeah. And I try as hard as I can to take the. Like, when I'm, like, gonna create a mist because the elixir comes first for me. That's like, everything is the flower essences. And then I'll say, okay, I have hundreds of essential oils. Which of these essential oils is going to be like a bridge or a mirror or a match or reflection of the flower remedies themselves to give more of, like, a physical punch to it and neurological? So, yeah, you might be, like, drawn to sacred awareness because you're like, damn. Like, that's, like, spicy and masculine. And there's jasmine and cardamom, and, like, this is just so, like, yum right now. The truth is, though, that you will. How do I say this? Your six senses will show you a picture based on the energy that you're most needing. So, like, if, If. If this Smells really good to me. It's because I actually need the flowers that are in there the same as with the chocolate. So we make dark chocolate, and you could have 10 different flavors of dark chocolate. The one that you're feeling, like, tastes the best, has the flower remedies that you need the most. Joel 01:17:34.320 - 01:17:34.880 Yeah. Katie 01:17:34.960 - 01:17:58.010 So, like, I hate lavender, for example. I feel like I'm confiding in you. I hate lavender. So we have this one called Inner Peace. And I, like, hate it because I hate lavender. But if I am super, like, acutely stressed or just got in a car accident or something, it's going to smell really good to me. So you can also, like, in the end, it's all just, like, move towards what you love. Joel 01:17:58.170 - 01:17:58.610 Yeah. Yerasimos 01:17:58.610 - 01:18:06.020 Do you hate lavender? Because it's like, just like, everyone knows what lavender is. It's, like, not special enough, probably. Joel 01:18:09.700 - 01:18:25.060 No, I really appreciate it. Katie, just quickly, one. Like, one more question. How often do you recommend people to go back to the quiz because, like, obviously results can change each time that you do it. Would it be like when you're just considering, like, repurchasing or whatever it might be to revisit that or. Katie 01:18:25.700 - 01:18:34.780 Yeah. I mean, I know people who do it every month. Or like, when you feel like you've completed something or a cycle has ended or something new is popping up? Joel 01:18:34.940 - 01:18:35.260 Yeah. Katie 01:18:35.260 - 01:18:56.500 I mean, you can do it every day if you want. There's no harm in doing it. But, like, very consciously, when you hit those moments in your life where you're like, okay, something's happening that's different. I need right now. How can I support myself? Yeah, what do you guys. Just out of curiosity, what do you see in your community that's popping up recently? Like, what are people grappling with? Yerasimos 01:19:00.100 - 01:19:51.120 I would say. Hmm. I think. I think relationship, relationships and harmony in relationships, whether you're in partnership and maybe, like, things aren't going so well, or you're single and really wanting a partner during this time, I think that is definitely paramount. And then other than that, I think it's just, how do people. How can people take, like, their value system and then really like who they are as a person and that bring that into their work and create that? So it's as opposed to, hey, I'm kind of in work that I don't really like. And it's like, there has to be more. There has to be a way to bridge into, you know, creating something that's more in alignment with my values. Joel 01:19:51.520 - 01:20:30.560 Yeah, I agree. You know, one of the biggest, I guess, problems which we interested in personally. And again, the most personal is the most universal. We kind of draw those people to us is, I think, people just looking for that extra dose of courage to do the thing that they haven't been doing or say the thing that they haven't been saying or have the conversation they haven't been having, whether it's in relationship, whether it's with or an employer, whether it's, you know, quote unquote. The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. And how do I actually have the courage to move through that cave and break through to the next threshold and not just let things become stagnant? Yerasimos 01:20:31.920 - 01:20:58.390 Yeah, like a deeper, A deeper craving for like, true authenticity. Yeah, I think like, truly like, you know, being myself in all the different colors and complexity and being around people that honor me for my depth, for my humor, for my fear, for my vulnerability, just like, like acceptance for the, the totality of being a human being with the people in my life. And I think, I think that's something that I'm noticing as well. Katie 01:20:59.750 - 01:21:00.790 Wow. I love that. Yerasimos 01:21:01.190 - 01:22:37.250 Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, you know, in our, in our Friends of the Truth community, we have a channel because we have like 35 different, like, sub channels of all different conversations that we get into. And we have one on flower essences and homeopathy. And so there's definitely a lot of people in our community that love your products. So that's been really cool, like the conversations that go on there. And yeah, I just, I also just love, I love learning personally. And I like being humbled. You know, I like, I like, like maybe something just doesn't come across my space. And it's not that I immediately reject it, but I'm like, ah, that's not really my thing. Like flower senses. I don't know if it's my thing. Life's good. But then something happens and then I'm like, I'll try this out. And then I take these products and I go, okay. Something feels different. Yeah, I think definitely feels different. I don't know why. I can't prove it. I don't, I don't have like some, you know, Google Excel sheet, whatever. Excel sheet, like marking down. It's just, It's a personal experience and I'm into it and I'm going to keep doing it. And I love the creative aspect too, because it's, it does for it in a sense. It forces you to go inwards because you're like, what's happening within me. I've had these products I'm noticing these changes. Let me go take the quiz again. Okay, let's see what comes up. Does this land? Does this resonate? What's happening in my life? What's happening in my emotional life? It's like, it almost like working with the plants requires this co creative process. It requires you to be introspected. It requires you to pay attention and listen to your body, to your thoughts. And so I like, I like that aspect of it too. Joel 01:22:37.410 - 01:22:37.810 Yeah. Katie 01:22:37.810 - 01:22:43.010 Like, yeah, you can't just go on autopilot and sleep, you know? Yerasimos 01:22:43.090 - 01:23:24.610 No. And when you notice it work. When you notice it working too, then you go, oh, what else? What else is there? And I'm at that mindset. There's a lot of things of my life that are great, but like, there are things that could improve, there are things that could be better. And, and, and it's not coming from this like, deeply critical place, like, you're awesome. It's just, it's this opening and expansion of why not have incredible, amazing things happening in all the different areas of your life? Like, that's actually a bit of a baseline belief system in me. Like, I expect awesome and amazing things and amazing people to cross my path, you know, and so like, if there's anything that can feed that and can expand that, I'm game. Joel 01:23:25.090 - 01:23:33.090 Yeah. I just had a mad idea. We should do a custom here for the Truth blend to build one's capacity for truth, courage and heroism. Yerasimos 01:23:34.370 - 01:23:35.570 Oh, I like that. Joel 01:23:39.090 - 01:24:03.240 We'll talk later. Hey, Katie, it's been so amazing to connect with you. So grateful, obviously, that you've walked your path. You came into this field of work, you were interested enough to build something of incredible value and that, you know, is. Has created a massive ripple effect. So thank you so much for being you is the first thing I want to say. Secondly, like, anything you'd like to leave our audience with in closing. Katie 01:24:16.520 - 01:25:22.680 Maybe just because of this particular time period, I would say encouragement for opening to the unknown. I think when you were, when, when you guys are talking about things are really good, but like, what else is there or anything that could help me expand? I think there's, there is something coming down the pike and I don't know what it is. You know, is it 20, 26? Is it like what's happening? I think all of us are getting this sense of like, oh, something is there that's unknown. It would be an encouragement for not only myself, but, and you guys, but for everyone listening that there is a way to open to something that we don't know what it is that will be liberating and that we can expect that if we jump out of the plane, we're going somewhere really good. So it's like encouragement to just take the leap and to be open and to let yourself be vulnerable in that process of whatever unknown is coming down. Thank you guys so much for having me on. I really appreciate your questions and your, your depth and, and how you see the world. Yerasimos 01:25:23.000 - 01:25:29.560 Of course. Thank you so much. And just can you guide our listeners, like how they can best support you, your website and. Joel 01:25:29.800 - 01:25:41.600 Yeah, totally. And we'll have the specific link inside our brief as well for here for the truth. And you guys have been so kind to offer us HFT as a discount code which people can use as well. Sorry, go for it. Katie 01:25:41.920 - 01:25:58.080 Yeah, I would do that. So go to Lotus Way and it's Lotus, like the flower. And then we.com and then type in the code. You can also come and visit us in Phoenix if you want. And if anybody needs support helping figure out what flowers they need beyond the quiz, feel free to reach out to us. Joel 01:25:59.120 - 01:26:06.880 Amazing. Definitely recommended, definitely encourage people to go check all that out. Thank you for being you once again. Everyone else, thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.