Earth Speak with Natalie Ross and Friends

Mariana Mae shares about sitting at the feet of indigenous elder women who create with clay around the world.
Mariana Mae is an artist and visionary native to Coyoacan, DF, Mexico. She used to offer her work under the wingspan of Easy To Breathe in the Valley of Ojai, California.
We think you'll love Mariana's way of gentleness, softness, and beauty in the world as she does big work in a radically different way than the mainstream.
This episode was recorded in 2020.
As of 2026, you can connect with her at https://www.instagram.com/_marianamae/
In this episode, we talk about:
Receiving the messages of the earth through the elements
Discerning between external noise and your internal truth
The medicine of culture shock from moving internationally as a kid
Overcoming shyness and finding your voice through creative expression
How Mariana first found the magic of clay at age 7
Growing up in a Catholic household and then leaving religion
Going back to the womb of the mother, listening to the elements, and being guided by elders in temazcal (sweatlodge)
Walking softly with beauty as a way of life
Harvesting and processing clay in the traditional way in Morocco with an elder
How trusting her gut prepared her for unexpectedly documenting an indigenous potter in the Amazon
Communicating across languages using the sounds of how clay speaks
Links
Sign up for Earth Speak's email newsletter at www.earthspeak.love
Mariana Mae's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_marianamae/
Our theme music is "It's Easier" by Scarlet Crow http://www.scarletcrow.org and "Meeting Again" by Emily Sprague https://mlesprg.info.

Natalie shares how somatic experiencing changed her life, how she learned to market within a somatic framework, and how she helps clients learn to do the same. 
As a guest on Luis Mojica's podcast, Holistic Life Navigation, she shares her story of coming out of a lifelong functional freeze. She gives voice to often misunderstood experiences that lead people to be called lazy, when they're actually in a debilitating trauma response.
You can connect with Luis at https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com and listen to his podcast on any podcast app. It's called Holistic Life Navigation.
If you want to stay in touch with Earth Speak, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.earthspeak.love. We're not active on social media, so this is the only way to stay in touch with us.
And you can get in touch with me, Natalie, and learn more about what I offer at https://www.natalie.net.

Natalie Ross shares about Celtic folklore and traditions around the winter solstice and holidays.
You'll hear about:
Folklore of the ancient goddess, the Cailleach
The Celtic practice of saining with herbal smoke
Seasonal traditions and rituals that were co-opted by the church
Indigenous people of the lands we call Britain, Ireland, and Scotland
Newgrange, an ancient and sacred burial mound
The meaning of yule and purpose of yule logs
Evergreens in Celtic rituals, and how the Christmas tree came to be
How the church painted the old gods as malevolent and satanic
Samhain as the Celtic new year
Why destructive forces of winter are necessary for an abundant growing season
Links:
Connect with us and get on our newsetter at https://www.earthspeak.love
Connect with Natalie at https://www.natalie.net

Christi Johnson on moving from NYC to upstate New York as an artist who grew up in Florida.
When textile artist Christi Johnson and I spoke in 2018, she shared her story of moving from the city to the country, and it really inspired me. I love how honest she was about how it wasn't all glamorous and easy. But it was worth it.
Fast forward to now, Dec 2025, and I would never have guessed that I'd be going through a similar story! I recently listened to this episode again for my own personal inspiration, and it holds a timeless message about finding your way to places that nourish your deeper needs.
In this conversation we also get into:
How naturally dyed textiles and embroidery support healing
Christi's ancestral connection to textiles
Overcoming fear of sharing her thoughts and work publicly
Adornment as self-expression and talismanic protection
When this episode was first published, Christi created a special guide for our listeners about magic sewing and embroidery. Since then that guide grew into a full-blown published book called Mystical Stitches! And now she has a second book called The Art of Embroidery Design.
Christi has so many free and low-cost resources on her website, mixedcolor.net, so if you're interested in sewing, stitching, or magical embroidery, definitely take a look.
She has a pocket altar zine in her workshop section about crafting a sacred space of tiny talisman that you can carry with you.
Christi also has a podcast called Stitch Wish Radio, which you'll definitely enjoy if you liked this episode.
And we brought her back for a second interview on the podcast a few years ago about stitching magic making through talismanic embroidery.
All of this is linked in the show notes.
Thanks and enjoy this episode!
Links
Earth Speak newsletter  https://www.earthspeak.love

Christi Johnson's gorgeous website, where you can sign up for her newsletter, take workshops, and enjoy so many free resources, like her embroidery portal which teaches you how to stitch, for free https://www.mixedcolor.net/

Pocket Altar Zine https://www.mixedcolor.net/altar-in-your-pocket

Stitch Wish Radio podcast https://www.mixedcolor.net/podcast

Instagram @christijay https://www.instagram.com/christijay/

Christi's other interview on the Earth Speak podcast on weaving symbolism into magic making with talismanic embroidery https://open.spotify.com/episode/2IzQC2Z4vBtIbrBq7nYTCk?si=494f790e0e5f4420

Herbalist Joe Hollis shares his story about getting out of the system of capitalism and into a more direct relationship with the Earth over his last 50 years, where he made paradise, not money.
What follows is an interview with herbalist Joe Hollis of Mountain Gardens in the land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, outside of Asheville, North Carolina.
I was so fortunate to interview him in person in October 2021, just two years before his passing at age 81. 
The year after this interview, a devastating fire burned down his extensive library of both books and herbs. Then, in 2024, Hurricane Helene brought landslides that completely changed the land he tended. 
However, there are still people keeping his legacy alive, tending to the gardens, rebuilding the library, and recovering from the landslides. If you want to support them, go to mountaingardensherbs.com, and that link is in the show notes as well. 
Links
Watch the video of this interview https://youtu.be/ApO-64L6zmI?si=n7j9PuSXfbNmVeHS
Mountain Gardens https://www.mountaingardensherbs.com
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians https://www.ebci.gov
Connect with Natalie Ross https://www.natalie.net
Sign up for the Earth Speak email list at https://www.earthspeak.love