Each time a person steps into a body of water, a definitive exchange of life giving elements takes place. The relationship between water and human beings is almost unexplainable. We are completely and utterly reliant on water for our survival. It’s no secret that our bodies are made up of around 70% water, but does it really matter what kind of water we choose to drink, bathe in, and utilize each day? What is this exchange that takes place, and is it really that important to us?
All water is not created equal. Around the world, as water rains across the surface of the ground, it penetrates deep into the earth and is revitalized with the nutrients it’s exposed to. It’s then purged back to the surface again, ready to provide nourishment for all forms of life.
One of the most important characteristics of water is that it can retain numerous minerals that our bodies need on a daily basis. These minerals are based on the terrain to which the water was exposed. The minerals that are prominent to the land can also become prominent in the water. We can receive different benefits from almost every natural spring around the globe - thus, the definitive exchange between water and man. There is, however, one more element that is essential to balanced water and is within the air we breathe... oxygen! Oxygen is essential for the transportation of these minerals throughout the body and in return, the water removes the toxins from your body. It’s a selfless exchange that can take place each and every time we engage in a momentary encounter with water.
When we engage with water, our skin—the largest organ of our body—is capable of absorbing many of the natural nutrients our bodies need from water. Unfortunately, we can also absorb many unwanted chemicals and contaminants that may be in our water, as well. It’s unfortunate that our water treatment methods are not the same as what Mother Nature provides for us with that touch of TLC.
Exceptional Water Systems has been researching and developing Highly Dissolved Oxygen Systems for water treatment. We utilize natural elements like oxygen, ozone, and CO2 to balance water naturally. Those that are seeking a more natural environment for swimming with their families and friends can now enjoy a chemicalfree experience. To learn more about how we can help, please contact us at sales@exwsystems.com or call us at (480) 694-4709. EWS is dedicated to providing healthy water for humanity... no exceptions!
About the cover: Phoenix-based ice bath manufacturer Morozko Forge developed the first at-home ice bath to make its own ice. After healing her own auto-immune disorders through the power of deliberate cold exposure, Co-Founder Adrienne Jezick developed a kinder, gentler approach to ice baths for her clients. Photo courtesy of Morozko Forge.
I believe that every day is the perfect day to make a simple decision that creates positive change, whether it be large or small. This new year is an opportunity to begin again — to inform, empower, and connect – to reassess our ways of living and make conscious choices each day that help us live a healthier life on a healthier planet.
From making the choice to support eco-conscious brands and engaging in rural tourism, to healing yourself from the inside out with deliberate cold exposure - this issue’s got the info to help you start 2023 off right! Sit back and enjoy getting lost in these pages, then take advantage of the resources and opportunities you find in order to create positive change for yourself and Mother Earth. This year, beyond continuing to live an eco-conscious life, I plan to be more conscious and intentional with the way I spend my days. Life is a privilege, and we only get one chance to live it. Let’s not waste one precious moment. Enjoy this month’s issue of Green Living Magazine and from all of us here, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tanner is a Ph.D. Candidate concentrating in Community Resources & Development, Sustainable Tourism, and Research Assistant with the Center for Sustainable Tourism at Arizona State University. He is the owner of the travel company Off Season Adventures, and the president of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Second Look Worldwide.
Kathleen Gramzay, LMT is the Founder and CEO of Kinessage LLC. She is a Body/Mind Resilience & Self-Care Innovator, Speaker, Developer of Kinessage® Mindful Resilience, and the Kinessage® Release Your Pain Virtual Self Care System. Kinessage LLC supports performance, culture, and wellnessconscious organizations, teaching leaders, individuals, and teams to enjoy and model resilience so that their organization can sustainably succeed through focus, creativity, and a thriving culture.
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Camping can be a lot of fun, but there are some precautions you should take before packing your tent and spending some days in nature. Here you can find the most important ones, in order to make the best out of your trip.
Copenhagen is a family-owned, contemporary furniture store passionate about the intersection of contemporary design and sustainability. Their stores sell products from several high-quality and eco-conscious brands which apply sustainable practices to their business and production models.
Since 2017, the Bayer fund has been serving nonprofits located in the proximity of Bayer facilities, tackling issues such as malnutrition and homelessness. This year, the fund has dedicated $60,000 to nonprofits operating in Southern Arizona, contributing to the well-being of the local community.
The Green Living community enjoyed mixing, mingling, and jingling at our holiday customer appreciation event last month held at Expressions Home Gallery. Attendees perused eco-conscious products from various vendors, dined on organic bites from Witnessing Nature in Food, imbibed fizzy, festive cocktails from Waterbird, and sipped sensational wines from Scout and Cellar.
Check for a Lump, one of Arizona’s leading breast health advocacy organizations, was the beneficiary of our holiday raffle, and our generous attendees turned out with donations of fuzzy socks, colored pencils, and activity books for their patients battling breast cancer. Importantly, we were able to celebrate and express our appreciation for our clients, vendors, partners, writers, photographers, and staff that we are so fortunate to work with every day. A wonderful time was had by all!
This Spanish brand is aware of the ecological issues that the fashion industry contributes to as the second most polluting - and non-transparent - industry in existence. Committed to safeguarding animal rights and good working conditions, Flamingos Life proposes a wide array of entirely vegan shoes, produced by craftspeople working in the best labor conditions. Corn waste, bamboo, and organic cotton are the materials used to produce each of their shoes, which replace three of the most traditional and unethical materials used by the industry: plastic, leather, and conventional cotton. Moreover, each sneaker collection is aligned with an ecological project. Purchase a pair from the RETRO 90s or the OLD 80s collections to assist with the construction of water wells in remote areas of Uganda, or one of the Classic 70s or Rancho V.3s to contribute to the reforestation of rural areas in Mozambique and Madagascar – two countries with the most unique ecosystems in the world and both seriously endangered by human activity. Thanks to this project, the brand has planted more than 200,000 trees so far.
Founded in 2005 in Australia, Etiko was one of the first brands involved in the sustainable shoe industry. The company has received numerous awards which prove their social and environmental commitments, such as the Forest Stewardship Council’s Responsible Forest Management Award in 2008, and the Business Category award at the Human Rights Awards in 2016 (first fashion brand to win). Impressively, the brand is currently on track to achieve net-zero emissions across its entire supply chain. Etiko embraces a vegan model, where 95% of their products are also created with organic textiles, fibers, and yarns, which meet the Global Organic Textile Standards. The brand avoids the use of plastic wherever possible and implements biodegradable and compostable plastic when absolutely needed. The brand is also accredited by Fairtrade, which means that they grant a fair and living wage to the farmers and workers throughout its supply chain.
This Spanish brand is committed to fighting deforestation by planting two trees for every pair of shoes purchased, working to restore forests in the most needed areas of our planet. Additionally, SAYE’s projects in India and Zambia work with forest-dependent local communities to provide them with tools to develop their livelihoods and training on how to regenerate and protect the forest.
All of the brand’s shoes are vegan and produced with incredibly unique materials. The Modelo '89 Vegan Apple, for example, is entirely made from apple waste from the food industry. The Modelo '89 Vegan Mango, in turn, is entirely made from recycled discarded fruits. Other materials used by the brand include organic cotton, recycled rubber, vegan napa, and recycled insoles. Furthermore, SAYE is a leader in diversity and gender equity within the industry. Thirty-nine percent of the company’s employees were born outside of Spain and 69% of its employees are women. Overall, 64% of the women employed at SAYE occupy high positions within the company.
Ethletic’s story starts with a soccer ball. In 1998, the brand’s creators were determined to develop the first fairly manufactured soccer ball in the world, and they did it. It was 2004 when the brand landed in the fashion industry by producing the first pair of shoes in the world to be certified with the Fairtrade seal for fairly traded organic cotton. All of Ethletic’s products are shipped by sea to avoid air transport and significantly reduce the brand’s carbon footprint. Materials used in the production of its shoes include organic cotton and natural rubber. Organic cotton is acquired from producers at a fixed price, and for any quantity of product purchased, the brand also transfers bonus funds dedicated to educational and health projects in productive areas. The brand also allows customers to tip producers in Pakistan whenever purchasing their shoes.
While countless brands produce their items in Italy, few of them do so sustainably. NOAH is a German brand founded in 2009, and all its shoes are handcrafted in Italy. While it started off as a shoe brand, NOAH eventually expanded production to bags, belts, wallets, and hats. The company is the recipient of a long list of awards, including the PETA-Germany and the PETA-UK awards, and prides itself on being cruelty-free. The brand is also one of the most sustainable in the industry due to its use of exclusively recycled and recyclable materials. Last year, the brand embarked on a partnership with Tree-Nation to plant a tree for each order placed on their website.
office. The event was designed to collect holiday gifts for teens in foster care who are often overlooked when it comes to holiday gift giving. Guests enjoyed a festive holiday market with local vendors; complimentary hot chocolate, milk, and cookies; live music; and photos with Santa. The event resulted in the donation of 265 gifts and $835 in gift cards for Arizona Helping Hands.
U.S. Egg, the Valley’s ultimate breakfast and lunch spot, teamed up with Arizona Helping Hands for its annual toy and pajama drive benefiting boys and girls in foster care. Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of essential needs to the 14,000-plus children in foster care in Arizona. Throughout the entire month of November 2022, all six of U.S. Egg’s Valley locations collected new toys and pajamas that were donated to Arizona Helping Hands. With the help of the local community, U.S. Egg collected 3,000 toys and pajamas for children in foster care.
The Arizona Housing Fund (AZHF), a private philanthropic effort to address Arizona’s homelessness epidemic, announced its first four grants totaling $850,000, which will help fund affordable housing projects that will support the delivery of 200 additional housing units. Arizona Housing Inc. was awarded $300,000 for new housing at 2900 E. Van Buren Street in Phoenix; St. Vincent de Paul received $250,000 for new housing at Ozanam Manor in Phoenix; The Coalition for Compassion and Justice received $200,000 for new housing at Paloma Village in Chino Valley; and Family Promise of Greater Phoenix was awarded $100,000 for housing at Container Village in Glendale.
TruWest Credit Union held its annual holiday food drive to support the Mesa Market at Mesa Community College from November 1 – 30. The market supplies students with needed clothing, food, and hygiene items. TruWest members and staff proudly donated nearly 700 canned and dried goods which will serve both Mesa Community College campuses.
IIt is no secret that life can be stressful. Many techniques we use to look and feel healthy throughout the year tend to get neglected the busier we get, especially around the holidays. You may find yourself looking in the mirror and wondering why the dark circles, dryness, and breakouts - among other things - on your face are getting worse despite your best efforts to keep them at bay.
Before you spend your hard-earned holiday bonuses on expensive skincare, you may want to start with a simple ancient technique to help you figure out what may be a possible cause of your skincare woes.
Face mapping, also known as mien shiang or “face reading,” has been used for more than 3,000 years across the globe as an Ayurvedic guide to discovering the possible imbalances within the body that are reflected through our skin. If you ever think something in your body “feels off,” you should certainly consult with your health care provider, but face mapping may help you be better prepared for when you have that discussion.
Any number of internal and external factors - along with excess oil, bacteria, hormones, and pores clogged with an abundance of skin cells - can be responsible for different types of acne. For those that believe that their issues remain rooted deeper within the body, face mapping is often looked at as a great first step in your personal investigation of skin health.
The face mapping technique connects certain sections of your face to different areas of your
body to help you decipher the cause or connection of potential skin concerns.
The forehead is known to represent the bladder and intestines. Most often these breakouts can signal UTIs and irritable bowels, as well as digestion issues in general. Making a conscious effort to eliminate hair products that may be irritating your skin is a great first step, as is increasing good bacteria in your gut through food and supplementation. Drinking more water and eliminating alcohol, sugar, and fatty
foods may reduce the occurrence of breakouts in the forehead area.
Still within the stomach region, breakouts and dryness between the eyes can be seen as a signal that your kidneys and liver are being overworked. Are you adding more toxins than usual to your diet or eating later at night? Getting plenty of sleep, reducing dairy, eliminating processed and heavy foods, drinking less alcohol, and increasing healthy exercise have been known to reduce breakouts in this area.
Those who may have circulatory, blood pressure, or heart issues could notice they tend to have an abundance of oiliness and acne along their nose. Imbalances in the kidneys and liver have also been known to show up around the nose, so try cutting back on after-work cocktails and spicy foods. With permission from your doctor, discuss introducing temperate foods that aren’t too hot or cold, green tea, or even chlorella into your diet for potential help with this area.
Lungs and respiratory issues often expose themselves through our cheeks, but the first steps to balancing breakouts in this area could be as simple as keeping sheets and pillowcases clean, wiping our cell phone screens, and removing daily skin pollutants through thorough cleansing. Environmental fixes like introducing air cleaning plants into your home or adding an air purifier may also help keep those pesky cheek pimples at bay.
The chin and jawline are known to be one of the first places that hormone imbalances within our body rear their ugly head. Women may notice that breakouts in this area coincide with their monthly cycles, but if your acne becomes unmanageable throughout the month or is overly bothersome, you may want to get your hormones tested and speak with your doctor or dermatologist to investigate it further.
The technique of face mapping has gone by many names over time and can provide insight into multiple areas of the body. With a little self-reflection and some minor changes, you and your health care provider may be able to unlock the answer to potential ailments through something as simple as looking in the mirror.
habitatcaz.org
Together we can build, repair, renovate and revitalize homes for those in Arizona who need an affordable place to call home.
If you’re looking to make longlasting, sustainable community impact, you can shop, donate or volunteer at habitatcaz.org
Let’s give Arizona a hand up!
BY GRETCHEN PAHIA
TThe Sedona Yoga Festival is returning in April 2023 for its 10-year anniversary celebration of true transformation. Heather Shereé Sanders, festival producer and co-founder, says it is an event like no other. “The Sedona Yoga Festival aims to help provide the necessary tools to unleash your greatest potential through the practice of yoga.
We pride ourselves in finding amazing teachers that are not always drawn to the festival circuit and curating a program unlike any other, where each attendee may plan their four-day experience from more than 150 offerings available on the schedule.”
Event goers will get to plan their own journey throughout the beautiful landscape of Sedona, Ariz., and there will be plenty of offerings for every skill level, from brand-new yoga fans to seasoned professionals in the field. Sanders says that Sedona is the perfect spot for this event. “Sedona provides the gathering point to launch your practice to new levels. We have participants return year after year to enjoy this lifechanging opportunity to gather in community and to facilitate collective transformation.”
One of the reasons Sedona was selected for this festival was because it creates an opportunity to
connect with the natural landscape while practicing yoga. The Red Rocks offer attendees a chance to align the flow of their yoga practice with the power of the region’s well-known vortex energy. The festival is committed to making the event as sustainable as possible and supports the Sedona Chamber’s “Leave No Trace” program to encourage participants to use sustainable ideals while attending the festival, in addition to when they return home.
The festival has classes and offerings suitable for every level of practitioner, adds Sanders. “From absolute beginners to experienced teachers, we have cultivated an audience of deep seekers of yoga. The event is attended by yoga and overall wellness professionals who want to apply themselves to the study of yoga. Conferences such as this can gather great teachers and allow the studio-goer to deepen their relationship
with the full breadth of what the practice of yoga has to offer. It takes discipline to cultivate a mind, body, and soul that is at ease, but that peace is contagious.”
But SYF offers more than personal transformation, and its event planners recognize the power of the platform, taking seriously the responsibility of sharing the multitude of authentic yoga practices in a way that represents the diversity of its practitioners.
“SYF is laser-focused on representation, because representation matters. If we truly want everyone to feel comfortable in exploring a yoga practice, we need to reveal the truth that people from all walks of life — all backgrounds and races — are practicing, teaching, and benefitting from yoga,” said Sanders.
The event will be held April 27-30, 2023, and there are several ways to be involved in this beautifully crafted event. From the ability to attend, sponsor, or take part as a vendor, Sanders hopes it will be a life-changing experience for all who participate in the festival. “Yoga facilitated deep healing and transformation for me personally, so it is no surprise that I took the lifelong practice of bringing people together in the fields of arts, sustainability, and community and brought that to my passion for yoga. The powerful vortex landscape of Sedona amplifies the effects of the practice, especially when we all practice together over a series of days, and I expect it to be uplifting, inspiring, and revealing.”
To learn more, visit www.sedonayogafestival.com or call (928) 288-2484. Green Living readers can receive 5% off tickets by entering code SYF-GREENLIVING online.
AAs sure as night follows day, New Year’s resolutions and weight loss ads follow the turn of the calendar. Yet, statistics say that only 9% of people who make resolutions have kept them a year later. If you’re looking to genuinely to improve your health, your WHY to change must be greater than your habits and inertia to stay the same.
One of the best ways to change your perspective toward something is to increase understanding of the value it can bring. When it comes to both physical and mental health, movement gives incredible returns on investment. Let these benefits be your reminders WHY you want to increase movement of your body.
Movement Keeps Your Vehicle Running. If you left your car parked for an extended time without running it, it wouldn’t take long before the battery would be dead, spark plugs misfire, or the engine
block cracks without oil moving through it. The vehicle you live inside is much the same. Without movement, your body/mind vehicle is missing its most important and effective maintenance requirement to keep your brain firing, fluids circulating, parts lubricated, and excess weight in the trunk down.
In short, movement is the number one requirement for a healthy body and mind. The health of all your systems — cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive, urinary, lymphatic, muscles, bones, integumentary (skin), and endocrine (hormones)
Your key to a healthier body and mind (and a happier 2023)!
— are dependent upon movement for proper and optimal function. Movement keeps your organ engines of the heart, lungs, and digestive track firing. It helps increase and maintain bone density, muscular tone, it stimulates feel-good endorphins and heart rate variability, helps balance hormones, stabilizes blood pressure, and helps keep gastrointestinal issues down.
Movement Strengthens Your Immune System. In winter months when viral conditions such as cold, flu, respiratory or other viruses are greater, movement is one of the smartest daily choices you can make to keep your immune system healthy and conditioned to protect you. Movement is critical for the optimal function of the lymphatic system and for both general and specific immune responses. The lymphatic system produces and releases white blood and other immune cells that fight bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that enter the body. Movement keeps lymph moving, immune cells fighting, and dead bacteria and other toxic waste moving along to be filtered out through the bladder and intestines.
Movement Keeps Your Body Filters Clear. Just as your power steering or engine oil can get sludgy and gunk up your hoses and filters, so too do your body hoses and filters get clogged up and cause health issues. Lack of movement contributes to heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Unexercised lungs are more prone to bronchitis, and respiratory or sinus infections may occur due to bacteria growth and stagnant fluids. Constipated bowels are not only uncomfortable, but the toxicity of accumulated feces can, in severe cases, lead to sepsis, a potentially fatal infection that expands into the pelvis outside of the intestines. Movement expands your lungs and deters stagnant fluid and bacteria build up. Movement keeps bowels functioning, your intestine filters clearer, and excess weight down. Keeping the gut clear also positively affects the immune system, a significant portion of which is in the gut.
Movement Keeps Your Brain Firing (and Happy). Exercise promotes neuroplasticity and increases oxygen supply to your brain. Exercise releases a number of neurotransmitters including endorphins, dopamine, and endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids regulate food intake, lipids synthesis, and turnover in the liver and adipose tissue, as well as glucose metabolism in muscle cells.
Effective Movement Can be Fun. Who said that because it’s good for you, you have to dread exercise? What did you love to do as a child? Can you do some form of that now? The more fun it is, the more your
mind will get on board, and pretty soon, your body/mind will crave it as the perfect offset to the stresses of life.
As I kid, I loved to JUMP - and I still get great joy from jumping decades later. Whether it’s jumping rope, jumping on a quality mini trampoline, or doing jumping jacks, this activity is hard to beat for stimulating your lymphatic system and boosting your immune system. When most people start to feel sick, they lie down. Instead, I jump rope or on the mini trampoline to get my lymph moving and clear out any congestion that is building in my chest or head. This not only kicks in my immune system, it helps my body move out whatever might be trying to take hold. The mini trampoline is a great lymph stimulus, whether it be gentle- or high-bounce active movement. It’s great for those who can jump off the mat to those who can only sit on it and bounce lightly. It also helps increase bone density. The quality mini trampoline I prefer was originally developed by Needak for NASA astronauts returning from space to increase their bone density.
you get the importance of circulation and clearing your filters. If you haven’t moved much, start out with walking a block, adding a bit each day until you are noticeably expanding your lungs. Exercising in ways that make you break a sweat opens your pores and releases toxins through your skin, which improves its health, too. Play your favorite music to add to the joy of it.
WHY do you want to get your body/mind vehicle moving? To feel better mentally and physically, to have more fun driving it, and to have more fun and energy living your life. Here’s to choosing to make 2023 the year your body/mind vehicle becomes a prized classic.
TThere are more self-employed workers in the United States this year than any other time in history. The approximate 64.6 million independent workers who freelance, own small businesses, or consider themselves entrepreneurs may have the benefit of being in charge and living out their dreams, but a common struggle they all face is the substantial cost of healthcare insurance.
This became the reality for Arizonan Melissa Blatt after she left her long-term corporate career in 2019 to pursue new interests and ambitions. Upon researching options for healthcare, Blatt was shocked to see the high costs of COBRA and other plans that she found online. She quickly discovered that most of the options provided to her were simply unaffordable. Through her frustration and desire for a resolution that could help others who were self-employed, the concept of indipop was born.
“I found my solution in healthshares. Although not mainstream, they are a different approach to managing medical needs, with fair medical pricing, concierge care, and lower monthly rates,” Blatt said. “I created indipop because I want to offer you the same solutions. Then you, too, can be free to do your best work and pursue your dreams, without worrying about ‘what-if’ scenarios.”
This new, subscription-based healthcare option is a game-changer that is disrupting the $1 trillion healthcare industry. The service takes the time to research and vet dozens of programs in advance. It helps consumers find the perfect plan to suit their needs and offers an easy online enrollment and registration process. Another unique feature is there is no open-enrollment period to work around. Individuals can shop for a plan that costs as low as $35 a month, 365 days a year from the comfort of their homes.
So how does a healthshare like indipop work? In short, members of the plan become part of a community that shares the cost of medical needs. So, instead of paying a premium, members pay a ‘contribution’ or ‘membership.’ And the deductible becomes a ‘member responsibility or unshareable amount.’ Instead of a covered expense, a member has a ‘shared expense’ with the community. Finally, a claim becomes a ‘need.’ Healthshares are further differentiated from traditional insurance plans in the way that they are not regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Because the ACA mandates health insurance companies to cover a variety of health concerns or needs that not everyone requires, many people often wind up paying for countless services they never use. This is not the case with healthshares and is one of the reasons that the plans are more affordable.
On average, indipop costs 20-70% less than most conventional health insurance plans. It can be purchased for individuals, families, or even small businesses. Another perk is that there is no lifetime or annual cap to worry about, and there is much more flexibility with what is covered or even considered a pre-existing condition.
The monthly plan for all indipop clients includes concierge care, major medical, and 24-hour telehealth visits. When a medical problem arises, the first step is to contact the concierge or ‘care team’ by phone or by using the app. They will listen to the client’s problem and help guide them to the best route for their specific medical need, which could be a telehealth visit, primary care appointment, a trip to urgent care or even to the emergency room, in severe cases.
However, for common illnesses, such as pink eye or a sore throat, a client may end up paying nothing at all and getting a prescription called in from home after a convenient telehealth visit.
Those who are concerned with having to change their trusted primary care doctor can rest assured that several plans offer open networks, so finding a new doctor may not be necessary with indipop. Other plans provide an extremely large PHCS, or multi-plan, with deep discounts. A member’s favorite healthcare provider can even be nominated to become part of the network if they aren’t already. There are a variety of options to choose from when selecting an indipop plan. For instance, one plan offers unlimited primary care visits for the entire family, which may be especially beneficial for those with children. And with other plans, an office visit may have no out-ofpocket costs and preventative care may be included for free. No matter which plan is selected, all indipop subscriptions cover maternity costs. Dental and vision insurance may also be purchased for only $100 a year, and there are no waiting periods, restrictions, or limitations to that coverage.
Subscription healthcare, such as indipop, is the key to affordability, convenience, and flexibility, regardless of the situation at hand. Providing an alternative approach to managing healthcare needs in a more personable, customized way is one of many reasons millions of people are switching from traditional insurance plans to subscription healthcare today. Indipop is built to fit the budgets and lifestyles of everyone, regardless of their financial or employment status. More info at www.indipop.co.
BY DAVID M. BROWN
TTraditional or home offices can damage you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Stressors attack continually: the behavior of fellow employees; a micromanaging or lax work culture; fear of viruses; intimidation; sexual and political harassment; domestic interruptions. Your response will affect the health of your relationships with family, friends, your significant other — and yourself.
An administrator fails to guide you or guides too much; a workmate repeatedly requests that you expand your professional relationship into a personal one, although you rebuff these overtures immediately. You’ve been over-Zoomed during the pandemic and feel disconnected from the one-on-one interactions we need as social creatures.
More: An outspoken colleague doesn’t understand why you haven’t fallen into formation on political matters and reminds you often at the water cooler that you’re marching to the wrong drummer. Another co-worker is “quiet quitting,” but please don’t tell. Or, you feel “othered,” not included, although the company attests it’s devoted to diversity and inclusion.
Or, working hybrid at home on a project deadline, you are bothered by your children or spouse breaching your office, complaining about domestic issues.
The scenarios are many, but you must promptly attend to them to balance work and life to ensure the success of your 21st-century career. For Baby Boomers, money was marquee; today, research shows that work-life balance is paramount for Millennials and Gen Z’ers.
“Your system will process some of these stressors the same as it will process a tiger jumping out from behind a bush or a large tree branch landing on your child. We can include many situations where the mental trauma is acute; when we must be concerned is when we are in ‘fight or flight’ response on a regular basis,” says Cie Allman-Scott, Ph.D., a media psychologist and longevity expert in Phoenix and Los Angeles, who has for a quarter century advised her patients on matters of body, mind, and spirit. She is also the author of the best-selling book Decide Your Future.
Dr. Bruce Hutchison calls one aspect of work toxicity “emotional contagion.” The semi-retired Ottawa, Ontario based clinical psychologist is the author of the recently released Emotions Don’t Think: Emotional Contagion in a Time of Turmoil , which discusses how toxic emotional contagion is one of today’s most powerful forces in society and in politics. For more than 50 years, he has provided psychotherapy, counseling, consultation, and assessment to thousands of clients and patients.
“Emotions can be transferred between people via mirror neurons inside our bodies so that they feel like they are transferred and rub off on us,” he explains.
“They’re contagious, and if we are susceptible and have an affinity to a certain kind of belief or topic, then we are more prone to pick up the emotions that come along with that belief. In this way, emotions carry simple messages that we also pick up when we absorb contagious emotions. It's better not to absorb them automatically. Instead, let them bounce off until you have a chance to appraise them.”
Negativity can be spread as pessimism, cynicism, depression, fear, hate, panic, anxiety, and suspicion, as well as fact-challenged politically based conspiracy theories, he explains, referring to today’s volatile rhetoric.
He recommends, “Don’t get involved in the emotional ping-pong game which can occur when others engage in political rhetoric. Be aware of the emotion as conversations and interactions occur at work. Resist becoming emotional, either in favor of or in opposition to the other person’s rhetoric. Recognize the other person as expressing emotion even if they are not outwardly emotional. Emotion is in the voice.”
According to Hutchinson, happiness at your desk begins with you. “Managing contagious emotions stemming from a significant change in the workplace, toward or away from toxicity, is a fundamental key to personal and organizational survival.”
Our mental health can also be affected. “Depression, anger, and pessimism all stem from toxic workplaces. We can feel trapped and so find it difficult to be happy, especially if we feel we cannot advance further in our careers,” notes Dr. Hutchinson.
In addition to affecting our mental and emotional well-being, chronically stressful professional environments can often have lasting physical effects, as well. According to Dr. Scott, for some, toxic work environments can create levels of stress on the body akin to what some may have experienced in POW camps or medieval torture chambers. “The body sees them the same when you experience this type of stress,” she notes. “Commuting in stressful traffic for some is like smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.”
The body responds to stress immediately, she explains. “If a lion jumps out from behind a tree, your eyes go wide, your blood pressure skyrockets, the heart rate elevates through the roof, and you experience deep gasps to breathe in oxygen. Blood vessels to the GI tract constrict and your intestines shut down.”
To combat stress, the body releases stress hormones to warn and protect you. If you are chronically exposed to stress, these hormones — cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine — can be dangerous.
“You are inciting a decline of health that can eventually lead to serious disease, premature aging, and death,” she explains.
Adrenal failure is also a chronic stress symptom. Our fight or flight response begins in the endocrine glands, located on top of each kidney. They secrete hormones into the bloodstream which tell receptors on cell surfaces that danger is imminent. According to Scott, “The adrenal gland’s response was designed to be an acute response for rare occasions, not daily."
So, too, stress overload can cause cardiac issues, migraines, muscularskeletal pain, and vasoconstriction – a lack of blood flow and oxygen supply to the body’s organs – particularly to the gut. And that can lead to other problems, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
FIGHT, FLIGHT, SURRENDER?
Recognize work toxicity and its potential seriousness.
If you can’t alleviate the situation immediately, consider practicing mindfulness on a routine basis, as well as after toxic incidents. Dr. Hutchison recommends meditation, affirmations, prayer, feeling and expressing gratitude, nature walks, listening to soothing music, and visualization of your desired outcomes. “Petting your dog or cat and appreciation for their beingness also applies,” he says.
“Very often we find that the source of toxic environments isn’t personal. That is, these conditions would exist with or without you, and you may find comfort knowing that you don’t have to take it personally,” he says. “When a person who is experiencing mistreatment knows that it isn’t about them, it becomes far easier to let it go and experience less pain and release fewer of the toxic chemicals.”
For instance, working at home can be more peaceful as it can remove some of the traditional office stressors. But if your boss continually calls you on your cell phone, day or night, this crossover between home and work can become a violation of personal boundaries. It then becomes important to communicate the need for a change in behavior. “Be flexible when it’s reasonable, but if the boss resists this change continually, then look for another job,” he says.
If you’re finding your circumstances to be more difficult than you feel equipped to handle on your own, check in with your company’s HR director for advice on how to handle the situation. If you feel you might benefit from outside help, explore
your company’s insurance policy on mental health counseling. “It’s best to seek out private counseling,” says Hutchison. “Generally, medication is not recommended, as it does not solve problems related to the issues; it just removes the symptoms rather than solves problems.”
“We must learn to manage the stress we cannot avoid,” Dr. Scott says. “Would you go on a roller coaster every day? It might exhaust you. This is oxidative stress, and it wears the body out. If you are struggling, you are doing it wrong! Life is what you make it. Suffering is optional.”
Twelve years ago I had an awareness. I felt whole. My five bodies (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic) were together, breathing as one. I had healed my childhood trauma.
I share my experience, strength, hope, education, and healing through highly developed personal intensives. These intensives are personalized treatment plans that will help you gain clarity of thoughts, behaviors, and triggers. Bring your five bodies together and change your life by experiencing true freedom.
(480) 594-0949
info@journeybeyondahc.com
10309 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale. AZ 85253
Sound healing allows soothing vibrations to transfix all sensations of being and provides an opportunity for human existence to realign into perfect function.
Kim Balzan SOUND produces endless vibrational frequencies using various instruments and high-quality Crystal Sound Bowls. Kim carries the finest Alchemy Crystal Bowls on the planet, each infused with pure quartz crystals, gemstones, or precious metals.
Her Crystal Singing Bowls send healing vibrations to expand health; introduce peace; provide relaxation; reduce anxiety; increase concentration; assist through grief; bring love; reduce pain; balance the nervous system; and so much more. From playing on television to selling out sound events, you can count on Kim to provide an extraordinary experience with each mallet stroke.
Explore her Crystal Bowl Showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona, and purchase your favorite vibrational frequency. Because she believes in her healing practice through Crystal Sound Bowls, she sells only the best to the public.
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Kim creates experiences with SOUND for all occasions on location or in her extraordinary private space.
BY RIC COGGINS
DDr. Trevor Ferguson has been involved in the arena of regenerative stem cell medicine since 2015, when he first explored the treatment for his own father’s chronic condition. As a Doctor of Chiropractic, the concept of regenerative medicine was certainly not new to him, but stem cell therapy was.
While stem cell therapies are still considered new, the science from which they are derived has been around for centuries. In the early 1800s, scientists were already searching for cells that gave rise to all other cells. They coined the term “ancestor cells” to describe them. Over a century later, medicine would turn to these ancestor cells when confronted with the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in an effort to help those suffering from radiation poisoning. In the 1950s, research conducted by Egon Lorentz illustrated that mice who had been exposed to a lethal dose of radiation could recover if they received bone marrow from a healthy donor. Although the field of medicine was not yet fully able to comprehend how
this process helped, soon it would. It turned out that the “active ingredient” in these transplants were the hematopoietic stem cells contained in the marrow.
By the 1980s, much more was understood about this genre of cells, and research into their potential continued with experimentation of embryonic stem cells in mice. During this time, it was learned that these undifferentiated cells are essentially blank slates, with the potential to develop into virtually any type of cell (this is what happens during gestation).
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin first isolated human embryonic stem cells in 1998. While this research proved invaluable to advancing our
understanding of stem cells, a firestorm arose over the ethics of using human embryos for research. The abortion debate entered in, and there was an organic moral concern building. However, it is also known that at least some, if not much, of that ‘concern’ that seemed about morality and ethics was, in fact, funded by pharmaceutical company lobbies - and predictably so, as this new technology would forever be out of reach from a patent standpoint and would potentially compete against patented products already or soon-to-be in the marketplace.
Whether responding to ethics or the pharmaceutical lobby, President George W. Bush imposed broad restrictions in 2001 on embryonic research, and in 2006 vetoed a bill attempting to mitigate those restrictions. It was then that medicine was forced to look elsewhere for the “El Dorado” of the ancestor cells.
Fortunately, science did not have to look far. Continuing research revealed that both the umbilical cord and, to a somewhat lesser degree, the placenta of a full-term human baby contain a large number of undifferentiated stem cells referred to as “pluripotent” stem cells, or those with “many potentials.” As umbilical cords and placentas were typically discarded byproducts of the birthing process, these were readily available for “harvesting” for research without posing ethical concerns or considerations.
According to Dr. Ferguson, the “gold standard” of stem cell therapy today is called Wharton’s Jelly, a whitish, viscous material laced with stem cells that is found within the umbilical cord. Named for 17th century scientist Thomas Wharton, this gelatinous substance was first isolated by him in the 1650s. Little did he know he was much closer to a fountain of youth than Ponce de Leon ever dreamed of.
Dr. Ferguson’s entry into this aspect of regenerative medicine came when he had reached a fork in the road when treating his father’s knees. “My dad blew out his knees in high school football. I remember all while growing up my dad’s knees were always hurting him.” said Dr. Ferguson. “When I was in high school, he was only in his forties, but he often hobbled like a man in his 70s. After becoming a doctor, I treated his knees for several years as a chiropractor, but in 2015 he came to me and told me he was ready for knee replacement surgery. Coincidentally, three days prior I had learned about stem cells, and I asked Dad if he was interested.”
His father responded that he had been in pain for years, and although he knew the surgery and recovery wasn’t easy, he didn’t feel he had much to lose. As an experiment, Dr. Ferguson acquired a ‘dose’ of Wharton’s Jelly, and his nurse practitioner administered the injection. Typically, it can take a couple of months for stem cell transplant patients to notice improvement in their symptoms, and this proved to be true for the senior Ferguson, as well. Not knowing what to expect initially, Dr. Ferguson was worried that he had wasted his father’s time and money. But after eight weeks, some improvement was recognized and continued until eventually all his knee pain was gone.
Encouraged by his success with his father’s treatment, Dr. Ferguson expanded his practice to offer stem cell therapy injections to assist in the regeneration of his patients’ knees, hips, and shoulders, and even offered systemic injections, as well. With the assistance of his nurse practitioner to administer the injections, Ferguson now focuses on regenerative medicine full time, selling his chiropractic practice to open Stem Cell Pro in Gilbert, which provides patients with a variety of stem cell therapy options, as well as platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections and a full offering of IV lab services. Ferguson also owns and operates Arizona Beauty Lab in Gilbert.
He notes that in the eight years that his practice has been offering stem cell therapy, a full 90% of his patients are completely satisfied with the improvements they experience and have avoided surgery and the risks entailed with going under the knife. Other patients have experienced enough partial relief and reduction in pain to avoid surgery, as well. Ferguson also states that a full 20% of his patients were not surgery candidates for multiple reasons and have received relief that otherwise would not have been available were it not for stem cells.
“I really believe that stem cells are the future of medicine,” says Ferguson.
Today, there are over a thousand stem cell trials currently underway - which means the science and results around stem cell therapies are “refreshing” at a rapid rate. As we continue to gain more understanding, the expansion of their applications to treat some of human kind’s most troubling diseases is both exciting and possibly somewhat unfathomable to some. And while there is much to be known and many obstacles to overcome, the future of regenerative medicine looks brighter than ever before.
TThese eco-friendly, clean beauty brands are doing their part to produce sustainably sourced, environmentally friendly products that are gentle for both people and the planet.
Bringing forth a history of science and sustainability, Biossance prides itself on creating incredibly effective skincare without harm to the environment. Every Biossance product undergoes in-depth clinical testing and is EWG VERIFIED, meeting rigorous transparency requirements and stringent criteria for health safety, including being free of “chemicals of concern.” Exclusively using ethically and sustainably sourced ingredients, the brand bans more than 2,000 ingredients from its line. All products are vegan, cruelty-free, non-toxic, and crafted without any parabens, synthetic fragrance, PEG, sulfates, phthalates, or mineral oil. They are also dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested, non-comedogenic and safe for all skin types.
Furthering its commitment to the planet, Biossance sources its cornerstone ingredient (squalane) from 100% plant-based, renewable sugarcane that is biofermented. The brand also partners with Oceana on its efforts to keep our oceans healthy, safe, and abundant, and utilizes conscious packaging (tubes and bottles are completely recyclable and the brand’s outer cartons are made from renewable sugarcane paper). For every order shipped, the company plants trees and funds reforestation efforts. Biossance’s newest product is the Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer with fermented lemon peel. These powerhouse ingredients work together, providing skin with antioxidant support to fight free radicals and pollution, while providing weightless hydration, radiance, and brightness. $54, 1.69 fl. oz. at www.biossance.com, Sephora, and www.sephora.com.
Founded more than 12 years ago, Babo Botanicals focusses on sustainably sourcing ingredients that are good for all—good for you, for local ecosystems, and for the farmers who grow the ingredients. As a mom on a mission to create clean, natural, effective, safe-for-the-entire-family products, Kate Solomon’s first formulations for her line were produced with ingredients she found in her garden.
Combining knowledge of sustainable agriculture that she learned as a kid with her knowledge of product development learned while working at a major beauty company, Babo was born. The brand’s products are made in the U.S. and are certified Animal TestFree by PETA and cruelty-free by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. Babo is one of the first beauty brands to receive a B-Corp certification, with several of their products EWG VERIFIED. Babo incorporates ultra-nourishing ingredients such as organic aloe vera, oat, shea butter and chamomile into its products.
Among popular offerings: Three-in-One Calming Lavender & Chamomile Bubble Bath, Wash, and Shampoo ($16); EWG Verified™ Babo Botanicals Eucalyptus Remedy Shampoo, Bubble Bath and Wash ($16); Swim & Sport Citrus Mint Shampoo and Wash ($13); Sport Citrus Mint Conditioner ($12); Babo Botanicals Moisturizing Oatmilk & Calendula Lotion ($14); Daily Sheer Fluid Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 ($20); and Plant-Based Hand Soap Collection (Lavender Dream, Eucalyptus Remedy and Sensitive Baby) ($9 - $13). For more information visit www.babobotanicals.com.
Making sustainable changes in life often results in small compromises of lifestyle, like implementing reusable water bottles, switching to chemical-free cleaning products or taking shorter showers. A lot of us tend to focus on these small changes, and although this is a great place to start, we often forget to consider the larger changes we can make for the environment — particularly through the creation of healthier homes in Arizona. Here, Phoenix-based green Realtor Ali AlAsady walks our editor through what it means to have a healthy home and the long-term positive impacts we can make for the planet.
Al-Asady: A healthy home is one that is designed, constructed, rehabbed, or maintained in a manner that prevents housing-related diseases or injuries. A healthy home can mean a variety of things — from choosing carpets that haven’t undergone chemical processes to buying a certified home that uses technology to improve air quality while also reducing energy consumption.
Al-Asady: Buyers generally select homes based on location, nearby schools or mortgage prices, but rarely consider how much our houses cost to operate through utilities. For example, a certified home could save $100,000 on utility costs over a 30-year mortgage. As a bonus, according to the Department of Energy, energyefficient homes can also improve occupant health outcomes related to asthma, hypertension, and allergies.
Al-Asady: Absolutely. There are three primary things to focus on to make your home healthy. First, in the building process, it’s important to find a builder who cares about sustainable practices. In Arizona, there are six “green home” certifications that deal with home health. Finding a builder who adopts such certifications is a great step. For already existing homeowners, it’s a great idea to start with energy audits to identify any energy leaks in your home, whether it is a leak in ducts or doors. Finally, ventilation is key in Arizona. Making sure sources of air within the home vent to the outside is crucial. We also have a DIY checklist that we provide to our clients.
(ERV). This tool helps air-tight buildings to breathe by distilling air out of the building in exchange for fresh air. Other technologies include one device that could track temperature, humidity, CO2, dust, and VOCs while reporting in real-time via the app.
Another thing to consider is that gas appliances are known to create indoor air pollution even when not in use. By substituting electric appliances for gas models, your home could potentially eliminate up to 2.5 metric tons of carbon released into the atmosphere each year. It’s like taking a car off the road for an entire year.
Al-Asady: In 2021, I received the EverGreen Award from the National Association of Realtors and was named by RISMedia as a sustainability champion. I’m also honored to have been recognized by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC). In my spare time, I enjoy teaching classes and speaking nationally on sustainable practices.
Ali is a local realtor with HomeSmart with 20 years of experience. He can be reached at 623-332-4116 or via email at ali@alialasady.com.
Al-Asady: One of my favorites is fresh air mechanical or fresh air intake, and the energy recovery ventilator
are
EEven though our visual sense can be dominant, we must not neglect the other key senses we possess when decorating our homes. Generally, we look to see what is visually pleasing, but we often forget our other senses and ignore their satisfaction—and sometimes our own well-being.
For instance, what do we like to hear around us? Do we like the sound of birds singing? Or do we prefer the news playing on the TV in the background? What do we like to smell? Is it dinner cooking or the fragrance of flowers in a vase? What do we like to taste? Maybe it’s the first flavor of the day: juice or perhaps coffee with our favorite creamer. And what is our favorite thing to touch? Is it the fabric on our favorite chair or the soft skin of a child’s cheek?
Our senses help us express who we are, and they can both consciously and unconsciously show up in our behavior and choices. Our environment is full of
stimuli which call upon our senses to react. We call upon familiar sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes so that we are comfortable.
We also look to the unfamiliar to provide a sense of adventure or stimulation and to arouse our interest. When we are unaware of what’s stimulating us, we may be pulled in a negative direction and struggle to make sense of our world. We may become sad, angry, or lose our patience. When we’re stimulated by something pleasant, like touching the fur of our favorite pet or tasting a delicious piece of homemade apple pie, we may suddenly feel happy, creative, or have a burst
of energy. Our environment and everything that surrounds us invokes a response that impacts our mood, viewpoints, and the choices we make.
When choosing textiles or patterns to stimulate us positively, consider a color palette from nature or letting the outdoors inspire you through various textures and materials that allow you to connect with the earth around you. Work to maximize the natural light in your space through the addition of large mirrors or lighter paint colors.
Lighting is key to creating the mood and feeling of each space in your home, and it can even evoke different emotions. Shadows created by low-level, warm-hued lighting add interest and ambience, making us feel cozy and calm, while daylight-hued bulbs provide full-spectrum lighting that makes us feel energetic and mentally alert.
Touch is the first sense developed after we are born and is associated with caring and love. It is equated to intimacy in our environment and helps to give us stability. When we consider touch and the feeling of fabrics, the amount of padding in a chair, or the way it surrounds our body, we must remember that our entire body is a receptor. Choosing the right textiles and furniture shapes and styles that provide us feelings of comfort and satisfaction, relaxation, or safety can be extremely unique to us as individuals.
It is important for us to be aware of our senses and how our surroundings affect us, as they can either work for or against us in our everyday lives, and even in our healing process. When we become conscious of the world around us and how every part of our surroundings makes us feel, only then can we be fullyconscious advocates for our own health and wellness.
AAdrienne Jezick is one woman who discovered the healing power of deliberate cold exposure and is on a mission to share with the world how she transformed her life. It is her passion not only to share her story but also to teach others how to heal their bodies and, consequently, their lives.
Adrienne Jezick is the co-founder of The Morozko Forge Ice Bath along with her husband and President of the Company, Jason Stauffer. Adrienne created the Morozko Method, a sensory immersion meditation technique for deliberate cold exposure. She and Jason are also the co-creators of the Morozko Podcast, where they share the details of their spiritual journey of healing mentally, physically, and spiritually through deliberate cold exposure and discuss the many healing stories of clients who have used the Morozko Method.
When asked if there is a meaning behind the name of her business, she enthusiastically replied, “There sure is! Morozko is a Russian fairy tale, a Jack Frost-Father Winter type mythology. And there is a story that goes along with it and tells us that if you meet the cold with stoicism and grace, it will bestow great gifts upon you.”
Adrienne’s battle with her health began in her early thirties when she suddenly became ill and was diagnosed in a short amount of time with three auto-immune disorders: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and Urticaria. Over a few years, she experienced significant weight gain, started taking copious amounts of prescription pills, was administered two live antibiotic shots per month, and taking up to 20 pills and supplements per day. “Nothing was making me feel better. If anything, I was continuing to feel worse.” Jezick stated.
In fact, she also began developing several debilitating allergies to foods and fragrances – things she had been exposed to for much of her entire life such as eggs, bananas, perfumes, and everyday products.
As time passed, Adrienne’s condition worsened. Dealing with severe heartburn, debilitating leg pain, weight gain, and extreme fatigue, she felt as if she had exhausted the traditional medical options of treatment.
With the help of her husband Jason’s “bird's-eye view” in his own career in healthcare data analysis, he began to see the patterns and futility of the efforts of traditional medicine as they were applied to his wife’s situation. He began looking for natural alternatives for her health and healing. In October 2017, he was introduced to the practice of ice bath therapy through a local yoga instructor in Phoenix, Ariz. Due to her busy schedule, Adrienne was unable to attend most of the ice bath gatherings. In his efforts to help her, Jason set up a makeshift ice bath in their backyard.
Adrienne’s first experience with the ice bath immersion lasted only nine seconds, but the results were so profound it began her journey of healing. Due to that brief ice immersion experience, she said, “For the first time in years, the chronic pain in my legs was completely gone. And I felt a sense of empowerment like I’d never felt before. I realized quickly I had been
living my entire life in this state of blind confidence. This active fight, challenging energy state. My body was just tired.”
She continued, “It was probably my third ice bath that I realized I couldn’t do this violent dropping in. I couldn’t do this hyperventilative, holotropic breathwork anymore because it was too high-energy for me to prepare myself for this ice bath experience. I had to find a way to calmly surrender to the cold. Partly because I knew if I could stand it for two minutes, I would get maximum health benefits, and partly because I became really afraid of dropping myself in.”
Adrienne recalls a key moment of awareness when preparing to take her fourth ice bath when she called on her previous experience with dialectical behavioral therapy. She worked to calm her mind by bringing herself back into her body and engage her senses.
“I’m looking around at the sunshine in the backyard, I’m hearing the birds, I’m feeling my feet on the ground, and I decide I’m just going to step in. And when I step in, I decide I’m just going to sit down and lean back and breathe. And I did. These benefits from deliberate cold exposure were happening every time I took an ice bath - it was like stepping out as a whole new person,” she said.
Adrienne continued with this method for several months, and when Jason began to see the incredible progress in her health, the idea to create their own ice bath was born. The idea stemmed from the challenges they faced in creating an ice bath each and every time Adrienne needed to take a plunge. Jason researched countless online options available for at-home ice bath therapy, but at the time, the cost was exorbitant, and none would reach below 40-45 degrees to sustain the ice or create metabolic change in the body. Jason got to work with the couple’s then other business partner, Tom Seager, to develop a concept for an ice bath that would meet Adrienne’s needs and, likely, those of others who had a need for regular ice bath therapy at home. With much trial and error, they created a makeshift prototype in the couple’s backyard.
In 2018, the team took the rudimentary prototype and founded Morozko Forge. They began research and development to turn into a beautiful, fully functional product and enlisted the help of locals to test the units, which Jezick says are still in use today. In January 2019, Morozko Forge sold its first unit, and as the word spread about the health benefits of deliberate cold exposure, so did the awareness of the company.
“We’ve grown exponentially every year. We’re the leaders in this space - there are other people now that are making cold plunges - but we’re the ones that make ice. We get down to those freezing temperatures that we’ve seen have an effect on people mentally, physically, and emotionally,” she says. “From November 2017 to August of 2019, I fully reversed every trace of auto-immune (disease) in my system.”
Shortly after her last doctor’s appointment, Adrienne realized that her doctor was not going to share her miraculous recovery with others. It made her angry.
“It was at that last visit seeing women in the waiting room who were overweight, depressed, unhappy. And I thought, ‘She’s not going to tell a single person that I cured the chronic illness that I would have had for the rest of my life.’” She continued, “The pills she said I needed to take in order to stay alive. She’s not going to tell anyone about that!”
After that appointment in August 2019, Adrienne made it her personal life’s mission to shout the healing benefits of cold therapy from the rooftops. She’s turned cold haters and non-believers into deliberate cold exposure evangelists. Along with the ground-breaking design of the Morozko Ice Bath, Adrienne also developed a guided practice to accompany ice bathers on their immersion journey, which she teaches at her studio in Downtown Phoenix - now called the Morozko Method.
healing, and light.”
Adrienne’s mission today is to educate others on the tremendous healing power available inside our own bodies. She knows from experience. “We have the power to heal our bodies, and we can do it through natural remedies. The number one thing that we need to enforce our body’s healing is to create natural resilience, build our own immune strength. This can be done by introducing these outside natural healing factors like extreme cold or heat. Our bodies are magic mechanisms designed to be able to heal themselves.”
Adrienne points out the difference in the Morozko method to other methods is the gentle guided process of immersion. It teaches people how to self-regulate their fight or flight nervous response.
“Over time the body learns to self-regulate the fight or flight response. It is something that can be used in all areas of our lives,” she said.
The approach includes gentle meditation, breathwork, and intention setting to give clients an overall awareness of their senses and purpose, bringing clients out of their heads and into their bodies, and using their ability to control their breathing and focus during the experience. With her gentle presence, Adrienne guides her clients through the fight or flight response and recovery.
Adrienne is now offering services to trauma recovery centers and sober living facilities to help reframe and repattern brain responses. She also offers online training courses, sharing her technique throughout the world.
She notes that many A-List celebrities and professional athletes have worked closely in their own healing practices with her and have incorporated the benefits of the Morozko Forge Ice Bath in their own homes. And while the process of healing physical, emotional, or mental wounds can certainly take significant time and may not always be under our control, Adrienne’s words ring clear and true: “How we choose to heal is up to us.”
“I developed a guided sensory immersive technique for helping people move through that fight or flight response to cold with a calm, meditative mindset,” she notes. “At Burning Man in 2019 – that was my first experience guiding dozens of people, every single day, through this process, using sound healing, scent
While Morozko Forge products are proudly handcrafted in Phoenix, their ice baths have been shipped throughout the world to international clients in Canada, Dubai, Germany, London, Paris, Portugal, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
Morozko Forge7150 W Roosevelt St, Phoenix, www.morozkoforge.com
BY ANGELA FAIRHURST
AAt the end of each year, we have an opportunity to review, reflect, and rewind. Sometimes, having the right space and place to contemplate our year-inreview can make it just a little (or a lot) more enjoyable. Eco-hotels all over the globe are developing programs that make restoration of health and wellness a priority and are perfect to soothe your soul and re-energize for the year ahead.
Deep in the jungles of Cambodia is a luxury tented camp, Shinta Mani Wild – A Bensley Collection. With conservation and protection of the environment and endangered species in mind, the meticulously planned safari-style camp has 14 private onebedroom tents and one two-bedroom tent. These accommodations are perfectly positioned along the riverbank and among the waterfalls, offering first-class views in the lap of luxury and comfort. Arrival into the camp is as unique as the jungle paradise itself, requiring entrance by a 400m zipline over the forest onto the Landing Zone Bar.
“Wellness at WILD” offers an immersive three-night all-inclusive wellness stay for groups of two to six adults. Guests may choose one of three programs to meet their individual needs: ReWILD caters to the fitness-forward guest and includes guided trail running, mountain biking and fit-yoga classes; Reconnect offers health-minded travelers a balanced wellness lifestyle program; and Restore is designed for guests to rest, reset and recover from stress.
At Shinta Mani Wild, you will find fitness activities aplenty, including sunrise yoga performed atop a seven-story zipline tower overlooking the forest. “Wellness at WILD” packages also include a PostTravel Recovery Massage on your day of arrival, unlimited Khmer Tonics spa treatments, forest bathing, breath-walking, meditations and deliciously creative cuisine using local ingredients foraged from the jungle. Tailored to guests’ dietary needs and preferences, there are options available for all. A unique and engaging WILD spa experience will even teach you ancient Khmer beauty practices, including how to make your own body products from nature.
Excursions include a half-day pontoon boat experience exploring the waterways ecosystem, kayaking, and joining the Wildlife Alliance rangers on an anti-poaching patrol. The stay includes personal Bensley Adventure Butler services to handle your every need, along with land transfer from Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville airports. https://wild.shintamani.com.
SHINTA
Noted California wellness retreat The Ranch Malibu, has officially opened its first international outpost in the mountain town of Fiuggi, an hour south of Rome. The area is known for the unique healing powers of its waters, with The Ranch nestled in a 20-acre park located on an ancient hilltop surrounded by 100-yearold Sequoia trees.
Focused on achieving overall health, fitness, and longevity while restoring and balancing guests’ strength and mental clarity during their stay, the five-star Ranch Italy at Palazzo Fiuggi combines the award-winning, results-oriented fitness program of its Malibu property with the expertise of a premier medical retreat. Limited to 25 participants each week, guests can choose between a four-night, five-day option (available year-round) or a seven-night, eightday experience from April – December.
Each program features a daily schedule that is identical to The Ranch Malibu’s signature active routine, including a four-hour morning mountain hike in the Apennine Mountains, followed by nap time, afternoon strength and core training classes, yoga, and a daily massage. The rigorous routine is complemented by a nutritionally dense, plant-based menu with an Italian flair, created by The Ranch’s Executive Chef Meredith Haaz and prepared by three-star Michelin Chef Heinz Beck and his Palazzo Fiuggi culinary team. Meals are enjoyed as a group, in a private dining room overlooking the mountains and ancient hilltop town.
Guests also receive a targeted evaluation and diagnostic consultancy with Palazzo Fiuggi's team of scientists and doctors to gain a deeper insight into their current health, along with where and how to make optimal changes. www.palazzofiuggi.com.
The Stanford Inn & Resort is an historic farm and eco-resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Mendocino. It is North America’s only 100% vegan resort destination boutique hotel and is ideal for retreats, events, and family getaways. The wellness program allows for reconnection and restoration with one another and oneself.
The Stanford Inn’s wellness center is a key feature of the resort. Run by Wellness Programs Director Sid Garza-Hillman and the resort’s co-owners Joan and Jeff Stanford, the Stanford Inn offers cooking classes, nutrition and healthy living classes, creative playshops, gardening classes, mushroom exploration walks, guided hikes, breathwork classes, meditation, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, Tai Chi, yoga, and a variety of massage/spa offerings.
The well-appointed rooms and suites have first-class views of the Pacific Ocean, Big River, colorful organic gardens, and the historic village of Mendocino. Full made-to-order breakfasts are included and served in Ravens Restaurant. “Lunch on the Go” and daily dinner are also available. While more than 95% of the resort’s guests are not vegetarian or vegan, the menu does feature gourmet plant-based breakfast dishes and dinners that offer unique takes on dishes using vegetables. Additionally, Ravens Bar provides a full wine list featuring wines from local vintners and a full range of cocktails. www.stanfordinn.com.
Built during the pandemic amongst an untouched waterfall, terraced rice fields and a jungle mountainside, Avana Retreat incorporates local Hmong architecture and Thai building design to create the 36-villa resort in Mai Chau, a 3.5-hour drive from Hanoi.
The resort’s open-air yoga pavilion is perched atop a stream, while the property’s eight-treatment-room Orchid Spa is immersed in the lushest of landscapes, providing a wellness sanctuary that is both gratifying and mesmerizing. A comprehensive pampering package, Wild Reconnection, is a signature threehour transformative experience which includes a body exfoliation using local products, toning and firming wrap, relaxing facial, and signature body massage that uses firm pressure and the stimulation of acupressure points, as well as warm Vietnamese herbal packs. Guests also benefit from the use of healing herbs and oils in all of the facials and body wraps offered.
Honoring all that is local is a priority across the board at this wondrous retreat. Avana’s all-day dining venue, Green Chili Restaurant, uses seasonal and hyper-local ingredients for its menu. Freshly laid organic eggs are sourced from the chicken farm on property, while other items are procured from local Vietnamese farmers and used in dishes designed to maximize their flavor and connection to the region.
An homage to a local phenomenon, the Cloud Pool Bar is named after the regular occurrence of fluffy cloud cover that settles just below the property, providing a positively “heavenly” effect that encourages guests to unwind with a local tonic, cocktail, or glass of wine.
Additionally, more than 90% of Avana’s staff are from the surrounding area. www.avanaretreat.com.
Pamper your valentine with a gift certificate for a holistic wellness escape at Scottsdale's Journey Beyond - A Holistic Center. The center's professional coordinators will design a personalized treatment day for your loved one, incorporating an array of holistic modalities including yoga, energy work, facials, massage, and more. (480) 594-0949, www.journeybeyondahc.com.
Find a warm, personal gift for yourself or your love, for Valentine's or anytime at Buffalo Boutique. Toast the occasion with a Buffalo etched wine glass, gift a hand carved onyx lamp to create the perfect ambient glow, write a love note in a locally handcrafted bison journal, or don a pair of stunning red coral + bone earrings for a date night with your favorite crush.
7032 E. 5th Avenue, Scottsdale, buffaloboutique.com.
Got a gut feeling about your sweetheart? Give them the gift of health with nutrient-dense, fermented tonics from Garden Goddess Ferments. Beet kvass is an ancient remedy shown to support healthy blood pressure, increase immunity, and lower sugar cravings. Get 20% off with code BEST BEET at www.gardengoddessferments.com.
Your sweetheart will thank you for the gift of wearable glass art from the mother-daughter duo at Studio BB Designs. Each bead is melted freehand over a torch fueled by propane and oxygen, and carefully crafted into one-of-a-kind bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings. Visit www.studiobbdesigns.com and enter code GREENLIVING for 20% off your entire purchase.
Gift your loved one with an early Valentine's Day experience that won't soon be forgotten at Viberaiser. Join MaMuse, DJ Taz Rashid and metaphysical Reverend Joya in a community intention setting, followed by a rhythm-filled concert sure to awaken hearts and elevate consciousness through the power of community. January 22, 2023, 1-4 p.m. Sunkist Warehouse, Mesa https://viberaiser.eventbrite.com/?aff=GreenLiving.
The Sedona Yoga Festival celebrates 10 years of transformation in the undisputed spiritual center of the American West from April 27–30, 2023. Enjoy yoga, meditation, workshops, lectures, and more for all experience levels and interests. It's the perfect experience to share with a loved one — tickets are transferable and make great gifts. Emerge to imagine a more mindful world. Get 5% off tickets with code SYF-GREENLIVING. www.sedonayogafestival.com.
Shrimp
5 pc shrimp, peeled & deveined (tails removed)
1 medium shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small nub ginger, minced
½ fresno chile, minced
2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce
½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened and cubed
¼ teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Finely chop shrimp. Saute garlic, ginger, chiles, and shallots in a pan. Once translucent, fold in the minced shrimp and cool down immediately. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp. Put your vegetable/shrimp mixture on a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator. Once cool, mix all the remaining ingredients together in a bowl or stand mixer until combined. Set aside.
20 pc shrimp (tails removed)
½ teaspoon red pepper flake
5 basil leaves, torn
5 mint leaves, torn
1 bundle cilantro, torn Crispy shallots, optional Lime wedge, optional Naan, optional
In a large (oven safe) skillet, combine shrimp, shrimp butter, and two pinches of red pepper flakes. Sauté on high heat until butter starts to separate and shrimp begins to turn pink. Take sauté pan and place under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with mint, basil, cilantro and crispy shallots. Serve with a lime wedge and a side of naan or your favorite bread!
Salad
6 oz golden oven roasted beets, cooked, peeled and diced into large pieces (see below for roasting directions)
3 oz of your favorite ricotta, whipped
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pickled shallots
3 dates, pit removed and julienned
½ of one ruby red grapefruit, sliced into 6 segments
3 oz arugula
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Pinch of salt
1 lemon
¼ cup sliced breakfast radish
1.5 oz Champagne Vin (See Recipe)
5 drops truffle oil, optional
1 tablespoon crushed roasted pistachio, optional
2 medium sized golden beets
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Water to cover
Citrus Vinaigrette
3 oz orange juice
8 oz champagne vinegar
1.5 oz honey
¼ oz shallot
1 garlic clove
12 oz grape seed oil
12 oz extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350º. Combine whole beets, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a deep baking dish and fill with water enough to cover beets. Roast for 90 minutes or until fork tender. Remove beets from oven and liquid and let rest until warm to the touch. Once warm to the touch, use a dish towel to rub away skin from beets. Dice beets into large cubes and let cool fully in the fridge. While the beets cool, make the champagne vinaigrette by combining vinegar, orange juice, honey, dijon, shallot, and garlic in a blender. Blend until combined. Add oil and continue to mix until emulsified. With a large spoon, smear whipped ricotta on a plate. Drizzle the honey over the whipped ricotta. Toss beets with champagne vinaigrette, salt, and pepper, and place on top of whipped ricotta. Garnish with sliced radish, dates, grapefruit segments, and pickled shallots. Combine arugula with olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon and toss. Garnish beets with the seasoned arugula. Finish with drops of truffle oil and pistachios (optional).
Locally owned and operated Fired Pie has partnered with Beyond Meat® to add plant-based protein to its menu with the inclusion of the brand’s newest innovation, Beyond Steak™.
“We were blown away when we tried Beyond Steak and are thrilled to be adding a flavorful plant-based protein option to our menu,” said Doug Doyle, owner of Fired Pie. “The new Beyond Steak menu offerings at Fired Pie are an impactful option for everyone –meat reducers and flexitarians alike.”
Available at all Fired Pie locations, two new pizzas and one delectable salad deliver the experience of eating tender, delicious bites of steak with the added nutritional and environmental benefits of plant-based meat.
Fired Pie’s new Beyond Steak menu items include:
Beyond Steak & Blue Pizza: choice of crust topped with garlic oil, mozzarella cheese, roasted mushroom, peppers, onion, gorgonzola cheese, and seared Beyond Steak.
Beyond Cheesesteak Pizza: choice of crust topped with a creamy Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, peppers, red onion, pepperoncini, and seared Beyond Steak.
Beyond Steak & Blue Salad: Fresh romaine lettuce topped with seared Beyond Steak, mozzarella and gorgonzola cheeses, roasted mushrooms, peppers, and onions, served with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette.
Fired Pie, 16 locations Valley-wide, www.firedpie.com.
Phoenix’s Earth Plant Based Cuisine features a 100% plant-based menu of mostly organic, non-GMO foods. Opened in September 2019 by siblings Keyla and Keren Aguilar, this family-owned restaurant is based on a mission to create a positive change in the world by showing people that being healthy and Earth-friendly is not as hard as it may seem.
“It’s more than just eating here at Earth. We want to help the planet – encourage others to reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, and care about the planet,” says Keyla. “During the construction of our restaurant, we recycled and repurposed so many materials. Our tables and cloud ceilings are made from wood pallets. The bar beam and the countertops and prep tables are all repurposed. Our goal is to be as green as possible.”
The menu is overseen by head chef Lilian Burrola and features five tacos: soy chorizo, vegan fish, seitan al pastor, mushroom carnitas, and vegan shrimp. The local spot also features more vegan and plant-based favorites like flautas, buffalo “wings”, and nachos, along with a burger, burrito, and BBQ sandwich. Be sure to save room for dessert – a long list of vegan milkshakes and a delectable churro ice cream sandwich await those with a sweet tooth. On weekends, Earth also serves brunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with favorites including huevos rancheros, pancakes, breakfast burritos, and “chicken” and waffles.
Earth Plant Based Cuisine, 1325 Grand Ave. Unit 7, Phoenix, www.earthplantbased.com.
In Bogota, Colombia, Chef Leonor Espinosa uses native foods to promote national pride and economic sustainability.
BY REBECCA L. RHOADES
TTo understand a destination, one needs to appreciate not only its history and traditions, but also its biodiversity. Colombia is a country rich in ancestral heritage, with cultures dating back tens of thousands of years and reflecting a vibrant blend of Spanish, African, and indigenous influences.
It’s also the second most biodiverse country in the world. Its terrain encompasses the Andes Mountains, the Amazon rainforest, savannahs, deserts, riparian lands, and coastline. And each territory has its own ecosystem.
According to the Biodiversity Information System in Colombia, there are more than 51,000 species registered in the country. That includes more than 1,920 bird species, 528 types of mammals, 1,521 species of fish, and 250 species of palms. Of all the species, 14% are endemic, meaning they can be found only in specific regions of the South American country.
Renowned chef Leonor Espinosa celebrates these
unique and disparate biotas. As the owner of Leo, one of the best restaurants in Bogota — and the world — she has made it her mission to tell the story of Colombia, its history, culture, and people through its native food products.
Born in Catargo in southwestern Colombia and raised in Cartagena de Indias, the historic walled Spanish colonial city on the country’s northern shores, Espinosa didn’t begin her career in the kitchen. She studied plastic arts and economics and spent her early years working in advertising. But as an artist, she felt
unfulfilled. She taught herself how to cook and began researching local gastronomic practices.
In 2005, at the age of 35, the chef opened her eponymous restaurant, Leo, in Bogota’s Centro Internacional area. With an emphasis on native ingredients and foods of the country’s indigenous populations, her style stood out from that of her contemporaries, in a culture where women are in charge of the home cooking, but men dominate haute cuisine and fine-dining restaurants.
“I did not want to be a traditional chef,” Espinosa explains through an interpreter to an exclusive group of journalists who gathered to hear a presentation about her work. “I had the great opportunity to have been born and brought up in a great culinary region, which is the Caribbean. So I said to myself that my menu has to be centered around Colombian flavors and tastes.”
Espinosa began traveling throughout the country, visiting towns and villages and exploring their food traditions. She refers to these oft-overlooked rural regions as “invisible.” While traversing the tropical rainforest, she feasted on pirarucú, a giant freshwater fish found in the Amazon River; she sampled Hormigas culonas, also known “bigbottom” ants, in the montane forests of the Santander region; and she drank wine made from the miriti palm of the Piedemonte area in central Colombia. In Chocó, a department on the western coast known for its Afro-Colombian population, she had beans with coconut milk and herbs that are used not only for cooking but also for medicinal and magical purposes.
“When I began to travel, I realized that the Colombian kitchen is given its meaning by its regions. When you go to the Pacific zone, the food is very different from what you would eat in the department of Nariño (on the southwest border) and several zones in the
Serranias, along the ocean, around the river, or in the jungle,” Espinosa says. “So for me to understand those ecosystems and biodiversity, it made me change my view on what I wanted to offer on my restaurant’s menu.” She continues, “The entrees, the appetizers, the desserts: We give an experience of these invisible territories that have great biocultural richness.”
This cooking style, which Espinosa termed “ciclobioma,” focuses on Colombian ecosystems and explores the ways new species can be used in the kitchen. One hundred percent of the ingredients used at Leo come from Colombia. Sixty percent are from the invisible territories.
When the pandemic forced the temporary closure of Leo, Espinosa took the opportunity to reflect and evolve her ideas. In June 2021, she reopened the restaurant in a new location in Bogota’s fashionable, upmarket Chapinero neighborhood.
Tucked inside an unassuming red brick building, the sleek, contemporary space features high ceilings, concrete and wood floors, and accents of black steel. Minimaliststyle seating and white brick walls allow the open kitchen to take center stage. The first floor is Espinosa’s domain. Upstairs is La Sala de Laura, a second concept run by Espinosa’s daughter and sommelier, Laura Hernández.
Showcasing Espinosa’s innovative and experimental cuisine, dinner at Leo consists of two tasting menus: an eight-course option and a 13-course option.
Each night, members of Bogota’s affluent society and gastronomes from around the world dine on fresh, seasonal ingredients artistically presented on eye-catching serving vessels, such as traditional handcrafted pottery or even indigenous stones that enhance the theme of the meal. The experience is
Photos courtesy of Chef Leonor Espinosaakin to Japanese kaiseki, balancing taste and texture with appearance. And each course is paired with spirits and juices brewed by Hernández.
Peach palm hearts come with the mojojoy, a plump grub that lives inside the plant. Shrimp and snails are sprinkled with a crunchy topping of crushed ants. Mussels harvested off the coast of Cartagena are topped with coconut and pink Galerazamba salt. Cucha, or suckermouth catfish, and caiman are served nigiri style. The flavor combinations are unexpected, and each bite-size course offers fresh surprises.
“We like to tell a story,” Espinosa says. “For example, when we use the macambo, which is a cousin of the cacao, we prepare it according to traditional customs.” And no ingredient is wasted. “In the territories that I visit, everything is used; nothing is thrown in the garbage,” the chef adds. “So in my culinary proposal, we cannot leave things behind.”
map of Colombia that displays the source of every ingredient on the menu.
“Having dinner at Leo is more than simply going out and getting something to eat. It's a dramatic presentation of ingredients from around the country that have been carefully, painstakingly sourced, with thoroughly knowledgeable servers explaining the food journey and why the chef chose each element of each dish,” notes Massachusetts-based journalist Kim Foley MacKinnon. “It's an adventure, for sure, and even if you don't like every single bite, you can appreciate why the chef chose what she did. I loved the experience, and being handed a menu with a map at the end of the meal made for a delightful souvenir.” Espinosa’s trailblazing approach to what has long been considered peasant food has garnered numerous accolades. In 2007, Condé Nast Traveler named Leo one of the best restaurants in the world, in addition to one of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. It also has earned a spot on the coveted World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. And recently, in July 2022, Espinosa was named the World’s Best Female Chef by the panel that selects the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
In the midst of running one of the country’s top dining destinations, in 2008 Espinosa and Hernández founded Funleo, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving the social and economic development of indigenous and disenfranchised populations. “Colombia is a country with economical poverty,” the chef notes. “I have lived it. I have walked it. I have felt it.”
Michael J. Solender, a writer from North Carolina, was lucky enough to snag a lunch reservation at Leo during a recent trip to Bogota. “Dining at Leo is about being part of a larger contribution to social entrepreneurship. The tastes, ingredients, preparation techniques, and serving vessels all bring the broader and most fascinating experience of preserving and honoring indigenous cultural foodways,” he says. “The meal is a celebration of Colombian culture, one tiny bite at a time.”
As part of the dining experience, guests receive a
Nine years later, the organization received the Basque Culinary World Prize for promoting the gastronomic traditions and biological and intangible heritage of Colombia.
For the past 50 years, Colombia has struggled with conflict and guerilla warfare, leaving many rural communities without government support or economic development. Despite a truce in 2016, discord remains. And many villages are located in mineral-rich territories that are frequented by narcotics traffickers. Funleo focuses on uplifting these communities by generating commercial channels between rural and urban areas; educating
the people in cooking, farming, and sustainable tourism; and promoting local ingredients and culinary traditions.
Recently, the foundation partnered with Chocó Emprende - an organization that supports sustainable growth for communities in the department of Chocó, on Colombia’s Pacific coast - to develop Zotea, a Comprehensive Gastronomy Center in the village of Coquí.
Home to mostly Afro-Colombians, Chocó is one of the country’s most biodiverse yet poorest regions. Coquí, with a population of about 120, is nestled in mangrove forests and accessible only by boat. Opportunities are few. Zotea is a greenhouse, production center, restaurant, and hotel, all designed to promote eco-tourism and increase economic resilience.
“We feel great satisfaction that not only do we connect these places with the world to show all this biodiversity in a sustainable manner, but we also generate development in these communities,” Espinosa says.
“Chefs today are transformers. We are connected to the problems we have with poverty around the world, with climate change, with food insecurity,” she continues. “This is Leo’s story, to narrate where all these ingredients come from. My responsibility is not only to cook but also to be committed to my country, Colombia.”
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WWhen I was younger, maybe three or four, my parents told me that my favorite movie was the 1982 version of Gandhi. They said I would calmly and intensely watch the three-hour-and-11-minute film on repeat, with stillness, except for my hands that I would turn over and over again in my lap. I choose to believe that at this time, I did not yet know the purpose of my hands, which I recognize now is likely the root of my anxiety.
I recently rewatched this film, and three decades later, I was still struck by the story. Through the arts, through our hands, eyes, and minds, the themes of nonviolence, peace, justice, resistance, refusal, and self-reliance are part of the sociocultural imaginary. There is an interplay between what we create and the collective actions these creations reproduce; the arts change my heart in ways that science cannot. The movie, and of course the historical reality of India’s struggle towards independence, reminds me that my hands can craft something that can change. I contend that by changing myself, I can create something that has the potential to reciprocally impact someone or something else that aligns us in harmony for a stronger future, not through force, but through stillness and resolve of what the hands can do.
Mahatma Gandhi employed the concept of Swadeshi, meaning self-sufficiency or self-reliance. The strategy was simple: instead of purchasing Britishmanufactured garments, people throughout India would begin spinning their own cotton threads
on double-wheel Patti Charkhas, eventually creating garments known as Khadi. This was one way to disrupt the textile industry that the British empire had constructed over the past 150 years. By spinning threads and making Khadi, followers of Gandhi’s Swadeshi way were able to support themselves outside of British control. They took the power back to create the garments with their own two hands. By resisting to buy into the mass market of imported textiles, Gandhi and his followers created something new: an iconic expression of Indian independence, crafted by Indian hands.
This strategy is not dissimilar to the practices and characteristics of the rural tourism sector. Rural tourism is a way to disperse tourism to lesser-known, often nature-based, destinations for the purposes of traveler enjoyment and local economic growth. By adjusting the supply and demand of market forces, as done through the Swadeshi movement in India, local communities can feel a sense of empowerment as they promote their lifestyle, heritage, and culture in a way that transcends and shifts the focus from a mass tourism
strategy. Activities for tourists include agricultural tourism, village tours, camping, dark sky viewing, arts and crafts production, and an overall sense of relief from rapid urban development, especially from a city like Phoenix.
The organization Local First Arizona, for example, promotes the slogan “Think local. Buy local. Be local.” The organization works towards community and economic development strategies, one of which is rural development for communities such as Bisbee, Camp Verde, Copper Corridor, and Superior. By embracing local heritage and environments of each place, the size, quirkiness, cuisine, archaeology, and wilderness trails become the assets through which tourists enjoy their experiences. Local communities benefit because they do not have to conform as much to the standards of the colossal tourism industry, and tourists benefit because they are able to find places that have wide open spaces, detached from city dwelling and other “overly touristy” destinations. This strategy thus promotes sustainability and green living.
There are unifying sentiments that hold these two worlds together. Self-reliance and selfsufficiency are terms that cut across the geographical and cultural divides between Arizona and India, but the importance of these ways of being are no less important as they are carried halfway around the world. The notion that groups of people have power by remaining true to themselves and their heritage is profound. Cultural cohesiveness has the ability to spark
curiosity in others who may think that this way of life is something from another time and another place. But there is power in the stillness, there is power in the resolve that one way of living is just as important as another, though it may be completely different. So, as we think about our future and all the changing paths, perhaps the wisest next step is to stitch the thread through another type of textile – one that creates space for a wider range of possibilities endowed with nonviolence, peace, and openness.
Bisbee when it snows. Photo by Jimmy Emerson, DVM
BY SHELBY TUTTLE
DDeep in the heart of the Andean states, throughout some of the region’s most remote and rural communities, live some of the utmost skilled artisans of our time. Through ancient weaving techniques that date back thousands of years, these artificers meticulously tend to their craft – laboring only by the light of the sun – to work the yarn and loom that produces some of the finest textiles in the world. These masterfully woven works of art are showcased in Scottsdale-based ETNICO Trade Co.’s collection of home goods.
When world supply chains came to a screeching halt in the midst of the recent pandemic, Esteban Ibarra was working as a senior vice president overseeing the sales division of a major multi-national IoT provider. His brother-in-law, Juan Martin, had spent the last 20 years in a much different professional capacity, trading Andean textiles. In May 2021, he approached Ibarra with a request for a small purchase to help
some of the artisans he does business with get back to work. Ibarra was in for the purchase - and, as it turns out, so much more.
“It got me thinking - what’s going to happen next month to these people? And the month after that?” Ibarra remarked. “The pandemic wasn’t slowing down, and most countries in Latin America had a long quarantine. Argentina had a very strict quarantine for
18 months, forcing people to stay home, leaving many unable to earn a living.”
When Ibarra received his small order in the summer of 2021 containing a few llama shawls, ponchos, and ruanas, as well as some sheep rugs, he immediately loaded them into his car and went to every interior designer and home decor retailer that he could think of to validate the product. He asked a simple question: “Would you buy this?”
“The reactions were more than validating - they didn’t know who I was, but they couldn’t resist the quality. The feel, the colors, the artistry. They loved it!” he exclaimed. “I thought, ‘This could be just the beginning.’ The idea for ETNICO seemed almost impossible - but it was a most needed change for me personally.”
Ibarra knew he had something special, and shortly thereafter, ETNICO was born. He and Martin became business partners, working in concert to support the people of the Andean states through the procurement of incredible woven goods. Sourced from llama, sheep, and vicuña, the wool produced for ETNICO’s sumptuously soft products is acquired from artisans across the entire south-central region of the Andes, including Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.
The llama, specifically, plays a very important role in Andean culture. According to Ibarra, all of the artisans that ETNICO partners with breed and care for their animals through ancestral sustainable practices that date back several generations.
“With a profound respect for the animals’ natural cycle, they extract the wool carefully by hand during the right season in preparation for temperature shifts and to help the animals acclimate. In turn, this allows the artisan to continually source and maintain the highest quality of raw material,” Ibarra remarked.
That material – combined with thousands of years of masterfully crafted techniques handed down through generations – produces the finest thread made of long, super-fine gauge fibers that is then woven into an extremely soft finished product.
In the beginning, Ibarra and Martin focused primarily on the Andean region within Argentina, as both men have personal connections to and affinities for the area. Ibarra was born and raised in Buenos Aires, while Martin resides in the northern region bordering Bolivia and Chile. As
the need for more pieces has grown, so has the duo’s ability to support artisans in other regions. Although most of Martin’s relationships have been forged over decades and even cross into friendships, new relationships can sometimes require patience and an establishment of trust. Ibarra cites the influence of the Spanish colonization of the area during the 1600s as a reason for the peoples’ distrust of outsiders, which brought a drastic and permanent change in the way of life in the Andean region.
“Still today, there is a cultural barrier and mistrust with the ‘gringo,’ or what they call a modern Europeanlooking person,” he says. “It takes time. Every textile is viewed as a piece of their culture with true meaning. So, for us to have the privilege to share these authentic pieces with the rest of the world, makes the relationships and our work even more meaningful.”
Each rooted in its own artistic legacy driven by natural resources and cultural inheritance, the
patterns, colors, and styles of ETNICO’s woven tapestries are as unique as the regions they hail from. The work of Argentina’s and Chile’s artisans produce gorgeous, unaltered earth-tone textiles that reflect the natural color of the animal’s wool, whereas Bolivian artisans favor deep, vibrant colors, utilizing pigments derived from flowers, fruit, roots, and vegetables.
“All of our golden-tone textiles are hand-dyed with onion peel,” remarked Ibarra.
The process of obtaining these unique pieces is both laborious and time intensive. Each month, Martin begins in the northwest corner of Argentina in San Salvador de Jujuy and travels by truck through the Camino Real – the original trading route built in the region during the Inca Empire. At least twice a year, Ibarra leaves his home in Arizona to join Martin on his journey to visit the remote communities. Each time, whether alone or with Ibarra, Martin stops to visit the homes of the artisans in the most remote of communities – usually no more than 50 residents living completely off the grid – to collect the pieces he ordered the month before and place new orders for the month ahead. As one might imagine, production slows considerably during the winter months when the weather, shorter days, and lack of raw wool pose significant challenges. Some of the towns favored by Ibarra and Martin are actually 12,000 feet above sea level.
Each monthly visit nets a respectable but varied lot of items from 23 artisans. Seasonality, item size, and individual production time all come into play. As a reference point, Ibarra notes that a king size llama blanket takes approximately four days of full-time weaving to complete, in addition to the time needed to make the yarn. And while the work is deliberate and refined in process, in under two years, this small-butmighty, socially conscious company has introduced over 96 woven works of art across 15 collections to individual buyers and design professionals in five domestic markets and many more across the U.S., thanks to ETNICO’s online marketplace. ETNICO’s most recent product line includes a luxurious, yet delicately
cozy collection of pillows, throws, rugs, and bedding, all directly and ethically traded from artisans in Argentina.
In 2022, Ibarra and Martin also fulfilled their goal of reallocating $35,000 in profits to support social projects and initiatives that address a wide range of environmental, health, social, and economic concerns within the artisan communities they trade with.
7530 E. Main Street, Ste 101, Scottsdale, www.etnicotrade.com.
WWhen it comes to clean energy in Arizona, this is not a sector that we may see as part of the mainstream someday. The technology and the wave of businesses both creating and embracing it are here now. According to the 2022 Arizona Clean Energy Jobs & Economic Impact Report from the Chambers for Innovation & Clean Energy, nearly 11,500 renewable energy jobs already exist in the state. What’s more, there’s an impressive $15 billion in capital that’s been invested in wind, solar, and energy storage projects.
Surprisingly, only 11.4% of Arizona’s total electricity came from wind, solar, and energy storage power plants in 2022, according to industry group American Clean Power. That puts our state at just 25th place in the nation – talk about untapped potential here in sunny Arizona.
Still, operating wind, solar, and energy storage capacity in Arizona is credited with generating 3,526 megawatts (MW) in 2022. That’s enough clean energy to power 613,000 homes in the state. Clean energy also resulted in $17.3 million going to local communities through property, state, and local taxes in 2022. Additionally, thanks to these same technologies, 5.2 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide emissions were avoided. That is the same as taking 1.15 million cars off the road.
The Chambers report cites Arizona’s corporate sector, in partnership with utilities, as driving the demand for clean energy while establishing carbon emission goals and developing strategies to reach them. As a result, clean energy has moved from a corporate differentiator to “the price of entry.”
It’s unlikely a shock that the constant sunshine in Arizona provided more power than all other clean energy sources combined and offers giant potential for the solar industry as a whole. As a state, we already rank fifth in the nation for installed solar energy and sixth for solar employment, clocking in with 8,278
solar jobs across 296 related companies in 2021.
More recently, nearly 6,000 MW of solar were installed through the second quarter of 2022 for a total investment of $13.9 million – and you can expect more to come. Arizona ranks ninth for potential solar growth over the next five years, translating into an additional 5,342 MW across our state in that same period.
There are already several solar installations of note in the state. For example, Sunstreams in Hassayampa, which was developed from 2020 to 2021, is a 398.4MW project that produces enough electricity to power nearly 60,500 homes. Saint Solar in Coolidge is among the largest solar installations in Arizona. Completed in 2021, this 135-MW solar project has enough electric capacity to supply nearly 20,500 homes. And lastly, Intel's 129-MW East Line Solar project, also in Coolidge, is the largest corporate project in the state.
Beyond our intense amount of sunshine, solar also makes sense as a viable energy resource from a cost perspective. According to an October 2022 report by Deloitte, “after an 85% cost decline over the past decade, solar photovoltaic systems are among the most cost-competitive energy resources in the market.” Solar power, especially in the Southwest, is now the energy market’s cheapest, most price stable, and most reliable source. In fact, solar will make up roughly half of the new generating capacity added in the U.S. this year. More and more, Arizona’s utility companies are turning to solar as they move toward retiring aging coal plants that are no longer economical. Arizona Public Service (APS) has pledged to end all coalfired generation by 2031, and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) plans to retire its two coal-fired units at the Springerville Generating Station in 2027 and 2032.
Largely due to the age and complexity of coal plants, the cost of electricity generated by them is no longer competitive with other power sources. As a comparison, the price of electricity generated from these plants is approaching $80 per megawatt hour (MWh), while new solar projects that include storage for night-time generation are selling electricity for $14 to $25 per MWh.
Paired with battery storage, solar can also handle peak night-time loads. According to American Clean Power, Arizona ranks sixth for operating battery storage technology at 107 MW. This means the benefits of solar and wind energy can be counted on as energy sources around the clock. Salt River Project has added two battery energy storage systems as it
moves toward 800 MW of energy storage by 2024, while APS plans to add 850 MW of battery storage by 2025. Down south, TEP will look to add 1,450 MW in battery storage by 2035.
As solar and clean energy technologies continue to be embraced by Arizona utilities, companies, corporations, and consumers, our state will continue to become the land of new opportunities for a growing population.
She Said: I can't say that I ever willingly wanted to make myself a popsicle, but there I was - ready to freeze my buns off! Naturally, I hesitated long enough that John volunteered to go first. Yippee! Turns out, that was a mistake – the variety of expressions on John's face made me question that choice. There was no turning back though, and I stepped inside the foggy chamber. Stepping in wasn't bad at all, but then the swirling air cooled down VERY quickly. Negative 166 degrees is impressive and also a bit insane! I was really counting on my robe, gloves and socks to keep me from becoming an ice cube. My poor uncovered legs, closest to the vents, took the brunt of the cold and stung like the dickens. But just when I was considering tapping out, a familiar song I used to karaoke started flowing through the chamber speakers. “Ice Ice Baby” got me moving and singing and soon I stopped wondering if my legs were still there. Poor John only had the chattering of his own teeth for music. It was the longest and coldest two and a half minutes of my life, but I was proud to make it through the whole session and relieved when that door opened! I definitely felt invigorated, alert, and, later, ready to relax into bed by 8:30 p.m. Would I do it again? Yeah, it wasn't that bad. Not to mention convenient, with no special preparation or clothing needed, and it only takes minutes!
This month we decided to test our cold tolerances to the max. You know, just for fun. Cryotherapy – it's not just for heads anymore! Oh wait, that's cryonics. MUCH different than the thing we tried. Thank goodness. We arrived at our local therapy center, stripped down to our skivvies, donned soft robes, socks, and slippers, and then got a brief tour of the other modes of torture (healing) offered, which included a room where they poke you with needles (intravenous therapy), a sweat box (infrared sauna), a limb crusher (compression therapy), and a claustrophobia tube (hyperbaric oxygen therapy).
Lastly, we arrived at a room with one thing in it - a space pod full of fog that looked like it came right out of a sci-fi movie. You know, the one you sleep in for like 30 years. Here goes nothing...
He Said: For some unknown reason I volunteered to go first, so into the pod I went. So now I'm standing there in nothing but a robe, socks, and tighty-whities, and the negative 166-degree liquid nitrogen vapor starts rolling in. I remember regretting a few of my life decisions. Time was relative at that point, so the next two and a half minutes felt like an eternity. I exited the pod, and my skin surface temperature had dropped almost 25 degrees. Over the next ten minutes, I felt a strong internal warming sensation and even started to sweat a bit as my body went into overdrive to warm back up. This was a pretty unpleasant experience and not something I would recommend doing just because you're bored, but I could see this helping with circulation, weight loss, and cold resistance if I did it often. No pain, no gain, right?
Opening its gates on January 13, the Arizona Fine Art EXPO features artists from all around the world and is the perfect place for art aficionados and casual collectors alike. Considered the premier venue for fine art collectors in Arizona, the expo will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day through March 27. From sculptures to limited edition stamps, the exposition will feature various types of works for all types of fans and collectors.
26540 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale www.arizonafineartexpo.com.
Bhante Sujatha is a 40+ year Buddhist monk, teaching lovingkindness meditation through core Buddhist teachings all around the world. Sujatha will guide participants through an evening dedicated to repelling negative energy, which can have disastrous consequences in our lives. He will also perform energetic healing work on all participants and allow time for some Q&A at the end of the event.
5108 North 21st Street, Phoenix, www.eventbrite.com.
This women-only event, held in Scottsdale on January 21, focuses on female health and wellness, self-growth, and empowerment. The goal is to instill self-confidence for women to be the best version of themselves. Apart from providing the necessary tools to build such awareness, the event will also provide different workshops focused on self-care, goals management, self-confidence, and love sharing. The event will also feature a bevy of guest speakers and will be entirely dedicated to connecting with yourself and other women.
7350 East Pontebella Drive, Scottsdale, www.eventbrite.com.
This workshop will be divided into three sections: yoga, meditation, and the creation of vision boards. No experience is required in any of the practices. Scissors, glue, markers, and magazines will be provided for the vision board session. The goal will be to outline and focus on dreams and goals for the new year.
Elevate Yoga and Wellness, 1001 N 3rd Ave Suite 7, Phoenix, www.AllEvents.in.
While the new year is just getting started, it’s common to feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities a new season can bring. Going back to your routine after the holidays can be stressful, especially if there was little time to unwind and reset. For those of us still craving a little time to unplug, planning a getaway in a healing locale can be a good solution. This silent retreat will lead you through five days of complete harmony with nature in Sedona and features daily lectures on mindfulness, yoga, meditation, guided walks in nature, vegetarian meals, and guest speakers. www.eventbrite.com.
Join this two-hour ritual with the goal of connecting with other attendees through the power of love. Beginning as individuals, at the end of the two hours, participants will belong to the same community of healing experienced through the power of somatic yoga.
Sedona Conscious Living Center, 120 Deer Trail Dr, Sedona, www.AllEvents.in.
For those on the hunt for prime networking possibilities, this event might just be the one. On January 5, enjoy a pleasant meal and conversation with roughly 70 members of Tucson’s business community at Sinbad’s Restaurant. Post event, all participants will receive an email with each attendee’s contact information to facilitate connections and follow-up opportunities.
810 E University Blvd, Tucson, www.tucsonbusinessnetworking.com.
This market takes place on the first Sunday of each month, organized by a group of small businesses. All profits will be donated to Casa de los Ninos, an association shielding children from abuse and assisting families in need in the Tucson community. Market goers will discover handcrafted items and multiple services. Donations will be accepted, hygiene products in particular.
102 North Alvernon Way, Tucson
Marriage and domestic partnerships bring many changes to your life – and your finances. In addition, LGBTQ couples and families may have different priorities and challenges that require careful planning. Whether your family includes one or two parents with kids, individuals or a couple, or grandparents wanting to provide for and assist future generations, you’ll want to review your state’s laws and how to best plan for your needs.
Mark Morales
First Vice President - Investment Officer 20551 N. Pima Rd. #200 Scottsdale , AZ 85255 Direct: (480) 419-2016 mark.morales@wellsfargoadvisors.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/mark.morales
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Sun City Farmers Market - Seasonal Thursdays, Oct 6 - May 25, 9am - 1 pm
16820 N. 99th Ave., Sun City 85351
Carefree Farmers Market - Year round Fridays, Oct - May 9am-1pm; Jun - Sep 8am-11am
1 Sundial Circle, Carefree 85377
Downtown Chandler Farmers Market - Seasonal Saturdays, Oct 1 - May 27, 9am-1pm
3 S Arizona Ave, Chandler 85225
Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market - Seasonal Saturdays, Oct 1 - May 27, 8am - 1pm; Jun 3 - Jun 24, 7am - 10am
3806 N. Brown Av, Scottsdale 85251
Roadrunner Park Farmers Market - Year round Saturdays, 8am - noon Oct 1 - May 27 Jun - Sep 7am - 10am 3502 E. Cactus Rd, Phoenix 85032
Ahwatukee Farmers Market - Year round Sundays, Oct 2 - May 28, 9am - 1pm Jun 4 - Sep 24, 8am - 11am 4700 E. Warner Rd., Phoenix 85044
Farmers Market on High Street - Seasonal Sundays, Oct 2 - May 14, 10am - 1pm 5415 E. High Street, Phoenix 85054
Ocotillo Farmers Market - New Sundays, Oct 30 - May 28, 9am - 1:30pm *Call for Summer Schedule 2577 W Queen Creek rd, Chandler 85248
Verrado Farmers Market - Seasonal Sundays, Nov 6 - June 25, 9am to 1pm N. Market Place & W. Main St., Buckeye 85396
Our Farmers’ Market organization has been active in the Phoenix metro area and across the valley for over 33 years creating and coordinating community farmers markets. One of our markets, the Roadrunner Park Farmers Market, has been an active neighborhood hub in the northeast Phoenix area for over 3 decades. Others of our valley markets have similar relationships within their communities - a place where neighbors can shop and meet up on a weekly basis.
Our mission has always been to support local farmers, growers and other agricultural producers with stable venues that offer them the opportunity to grow their businesses and to have direct contact with their customers.
Additionally we have supported micro-business enterprises that are local value-added food producers and their products, and in some markets local artisans and crafters.
Farmers markets traditionally are the places where folks come to enjoy what neighborhood gathering places are about.. slowing down, enjoying and discovering all kinds of tasty fresh foods and the folks who bring them.
At HonorHealth Virginia G. Piper Cancer Care Network, you’ll find:
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Meet with an HonorHealth provider — within 48 hours if you’d like. Call 1-855-485-4673.
Locations are available across the Valley.
