Plant Music, Spiritual Growth & Clarity with Tigrilla Gardenia

Sponsored by Four Seasons Landscape & Construction Services 

In this powerful episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett, Tigrilla Gardenia shares her extraordinary journey from Microsoft engineer to Cirque du Soleil performer to spiritual eco-community leader. Now a nature-inspired life coach and plant intelligence advocate, she opens up about how plants helped her reconnect with her true purpose. You’ll learn how music, plant communication, and reconnecting with nature can unlock healing, clarity, and emotional well-being. 

Guest Bio:  

Tigrilla Gardenia is a certified life coach, nature-inspired mentor, and passionate advocate for plant intelligence. Once an engineer at Microsoft and a touring performer with Cirque du Soleil, she now resides in Damanhur, one of the world's largest spiritual eco-communities. There, she helps multi-passionate and neurodivergent individuals find clarity and purpose by connecting with nature and plant consciousness. Tigrilla is the host of the Reconnect with Plant Wisdom podcast and founder of the Naturally Conscious Community. 

Main Topics: 

·         Tigrilla's transition from tech and performance to spiritual ecology

·         The meaning behind her name and her life in Damanhur

·         How plants make music and the science behind it

·         The mental health benefits of connecting with plants

·         Understanding "plant blindness" and how to overcome it

·         Why reconnecting with nature heals trauma and reduces burnout

·         Coaching neurodivergent individuals using nature-based systems

·         Her podcast Reconnect with Plant Wisdom and the community she’s built

·         Hosting immersive retreats in Italy for deeper nature connection

·         Biophilic design and the impact of environment on well-being

·         The importance of listening to plants, not just talking to them 

Resources mentioned: 

·         Tigrilla’s Website: https://tigrillagardenia.com/

·         Episode Sponsor:

Four Seasons Landscape & Construction Se
While we perform the traditional lawn and landscape bed services, our passion is providing drainage

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Rich Celebrates 10 Years of Podcasting
• 1:15 Introducing Tigrilla Gardenia
• 4:15 Meaning Behind Her Name
• 9:05 From Microsoft to Cirque du Soleil to Italy
• 12:35 Music of the Plants: A Life-Changing Moment
• 18:15 The Mental Health Benefits of Nature
• 27:15 Choosing the Right Plants for You
• 31:45 Plant Communication and Intuition
• 44:15 Living Among Nature: Stories from Damanhur
• 49:15 Coaching for Neurodivergent and Multi-Passionate People
• 54:15 Language, Culture, and Plant-Based Thinking
• 1:05:15 Sustainable Living and the Fairphone
• 1:08:15 Why She Started the Reconnect with Plant Wisdom Podcast
• 1:13:15 Retreats and Festivals in Damanhur
• 1:17:15 Final Advice for the Burned Out: Book a Call

Transcript

Wendy & Rich 0:00
Hey everyone it's Rich Bennett. Can you believe it? The show is turning 10 this year. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who've tuned in, shared an episode, or even joined the conversation over the years. You're the reason that this podcast has grown into what it is today. Together we've shared laughs, tears, tears, and moments that truly matter. So I want to thank you for being part of this journey. Let's make the next 10 years even better. Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios Hartford County living presents Conversations with Rich Bennett. 

No, no, no, no, it's all worth it. 

Rich Bennett 1:00
Have you ever wondered what plants might teach us about living a more meaningful purpose-driven life? What if I told you today's guests went from working at Microsoft to co-owning a circus to touring with Cirque des Salle des Salle, whatever, and now lives in one of the world's largest spiritual eco communities where she teaches people how to reconnect with nature in ways you've probably never managed it. Well, in this episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett, I am joined by the incredible and oh my god. I hope I say this right. But those of you listening, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:42
when 

Rich Bennett 1:43
you hear her say her name, you'll be like Rich don't say her name again because the way she says it is just so beautiful. Tegreia Gardinia, a nature-inspired mentor-certified life coach and self-proclaimed world-emblasseter. 

World ambassador for plant advocacy. Tegreia helps creative, multi-passionate people unlock clarity, confidence, and direction. By the time, good Lord, I run it lips here today. By tuning into the intelligence of the natural world, we're talking about the actual wisdom of plants. So if you're someone who's felt pulled in a dozen different directions, or you're just craving a deeper sense of connection and purpose, this conversation is going to shift your perspective in a big way. So grab your drink, whether it's a herbal tea, mushroom coffee, grab something plant-based. Uh oh. Is that okay? Tegreia, do I have a plant-based drink? Look I'm I 

Tigrilla Gardenia 2:52
know 

Rich Bennett 2:52
gonna. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 2:52
we're 

Rich Bennett 2:52
I'm gonna even look already then. I have in trouble how you doing Tegreia. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 2:57
And here's I'm going to say this right up about the fact. 

Rich Bennett 3:01
I messed it up 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:02
No, 

Rich Bennett 3:02
didn't 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:02
no, no, actually the contrary, my favorite conversations, especially because again, working with plants, totally different logic, totally different 

Rich Bennett 3:10
I? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:10
way, 

Rich Bennett 3:10
Hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:11
and totally different language, which means when language starts to kind of, ss, you can't find the right words. 

Rich Bennett 3:19
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:20
No, we're on the right track. 

Rich Bennett 3:22
Uh hmm. I do me a favor. For all those listening, you have to do it. Tell everybody 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:30
your name. My name is Tegreia, 

Rich Bennett 3:32
Gardenia. Oh my god, I told you all when she says it, it's definitely prettier. I mean, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:38
uh 

Rich Bennett 3:39
when I'm listening to your podcast, just I mean the thing is, just when you say your name, that alone is gonna pull people 

Tigrilla Gardenia 3:48
in. 

Rich Bennett 3:49
right I'm sure he is. But the and before we were talking, you told me what it meant. And I think this is just simply amazing. Tell everybody what your name means. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 4:03
So my name is Tegreia is a small South American feline, kind of in the family of Asalats. So Asalats. So Asalota is big. And then there's a Marguay who's kind of in between and then there's myself who's like small and lives up in the trees. Big big eyes, beautiful like spotted fur just a really beautiful animal. 

Rich Bennett 4:27
And then and probably fierce too, right? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 4:29
Huh? 

Rich Bennett 4:30
And probably fierce as 

Tigrilla Gardenia 4:31
Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 4:31
well. Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 4:33
It's really fun. There's this gorgeous organization in the mountains in the forest of Columbia that does rehabilitation of wild animals. I love this organization. I follow them on Instagram. And they often will find because people, because when we're little, tedious are very small. And so people think that they're cats. And then all of a sudden they start to wreak havoc in the house and they're like, "Maybe this isn't a cat after all." 

Rich Bennett 5:03
Oh wow. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 5:04
Like a domesticated cat. And so, you know, they often get found in people's homes or they're losing a lot of their land, as you can just imagine, things that are happening in the forest of Columbia. And so, they do rehabilitation. They have all these videos of these "what seem like kitty cats, right? Tiny." And then all of a sudden it's like, "Whoa, I did not expect that kind of hunting from that animal." 

Rich Bennett 5:30
Now that's not the one that eats the coffee beans, is it? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 5:32
No, these eat their, like I said, they live up in trees, and so they are carnivorous as carnivorous can be. They love to, 

Rich Bennett 5:39
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 5:40
you know, explore the forest and... 

Rich Bennett 5:43
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 5:43
What they, you know, hunt and such. They're really adorable. They're right now rehabilitating one whose name is "Havi I think" And it's so cute. It's just like just adorable. So, but that's the whole reason, like, so, in my community where I live, we have the opportunity if we want to to conquer new names. And the first 

Rich Bennett 6:03
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 6:03
name is usually "Nature Spare" or "An animal" to really connect to that side of ourselves, to those parts of ourselves. People will choose animal names because animal is really getting into, and it's fun now because, you know, we're... We've got probably about, there's about 500 of us living in the general area where I am in the first city in Italy and then there's about another, you know, 700 to a thousand around the world. And so, as more and more people are conquering their names, we've gone from kind of the generic, you know, bare, you know, whatever, bare swan this, that or the other. And now, the really specific species, and it's fantastic because just to see why people want to conquer names, and sometimes you're offered the name that you want. Sometimes, instead, 

Rich Bennett 6:50
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 6:50
it's this big game that happens and the community will, like, select and offer you a different name and you always can have the chance to say yes or no. But there's some great stories of people who, like, the woman who asked for swan many, many years ago and ended up in skunk. And, you 

Rich Bennett 7:06
What? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 7:06
know, at first you say exactly that. But then, if you talk to her, she will tell you, like, she would never change her name. She loves, 

Rich Bennett 7:13
yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 7:14
And she feels like, it's such a beautiful, like, and she's learned so much and has been able to connect with this animal in such a deep way. And that's really what it is. It's this extremely deep connection on multiple levels. Some people will choose the Latin name, kind of the scientific name. Some people will choose the kind of common name in their own language. Now that we have people around the world, we have names in Norwegian and names in Croatian, names in English and in Italian. Even indigenous language, like, for example, the person whose name is Tasmanian devil, kind of devil is not 

Rich Bennett 7:52
best. That's 

Tigrilla Gardenia 7:52
really the 

Rich Bennett 7:52
my boy. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 7:53
So he has the name Tādaba, which is the indigenous name of that animal. So it's really beautiful and super fun and interesting to see, you know, what aspects of the animal do you connect with and therefore 

Rich Bennett 8:04
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 8:04
which name do you choose? And 

Rich Bennett 8:07
then the last name, Gardena. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 8:09
And so the second names are plants or fungi. And so, you know, Gardena is this beautiful flower with, you know, this wonderful scent. And I wanted, it really reminds me of my youth. I grew up in South Florida even though I've been in Europe for the last 20 years, but I grew up in Miami. And I lived for a long time in Seattle and just the Gardena will remind me of home. It reminds me of my grandmother, who would collect Gardena's and put them in boiling 

Rich Bennett 8:34
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 8:34
hot water. And at the end of the shower, she would dump it on me, like, to perfume me. And so I just always have this idea of the purity, that scent, that connection beyond just the visual but also through other senses. 

Rich Bennett 8:51
Correct. All right. Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. Okay. So you grew up in South Florida. Seattle, it makes sense because you were working for Microsoft. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 8:59
Correct. 

Rich Bennett 9:00
And then to the circus. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 9:02
Correct. 

Rich Bennett 9:02
And then you said you'd been here 

Tigrilla Gardenia 9:04
20. 

Rich Bennett 9:05
for hell? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 9:05
I've been in, no, I've been in Europe for 20 years because I 

Rich Bennett 9:08
For 

Tigrilla Gardenia 9:08
left and I was with Cirque. Then when I came off tour with Cirque, I decided I was not going to come back to the U. S. I was not ready. 

Rich Bennett 9:16
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 9:16
Ready. And, and so I stayed and I traveled a little bit. And then I ended up living in Barcelona for a number of years. And then from Barcelona, I had the opportunity to come and visit here. And when I came here, it was supposed to just be a weekend and then all of a sudden synchronicity took flight. And I was offered the opportunity to come and work on a project here for six months. And at the same time, my roommate back in Barcelona was like, "Hey, I'm moving back to Argentina, so you're going to have to 

Rich Bennett 9:47
Wow. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 9:47
find a new place to live." So I was like, "Well, I got to find a new place to live anyway. Let me just do this six months." I loved Barcelona. I thought I was going to be there forever. I thought I had found home. And, and yeah, and I came here thinking, "Okay, six months and then I'll be back." And then man, that was almost 15 years later. I'm still, I'm still here. 

Rich Bennett 10:06
Okay, stuffing that in up here. Because in all honesty, when you first came on, I figured you're probably early 30s? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:16
You're so sweet. 

Rich Bennett 10:19
I'm serious. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:20
Yeah, well, I had another 20 years to that. 

Rich Bennett 10:22
No way, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:24
no way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, way. 

Rich Bennett 10:26
So it must be the plant life. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:29
Definitely. 

Rich Bennett 10:30
Most people I would say is the fact that youth, I think it's the plant 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:33
you. 

Rich Bennett 10:33
life for 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:33
Dominer in some ways, I have to say when I first got here, I mean, I do have good genes. If you met my mother, you'd also say the same thing to her, you'd 

Rich Bennett 10:41
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:42
As younger than she is, she's amazing. But, but in addition to that, like, when I first came to Dominer and when most people come to Dominer, you look around and you're like, what what what is going on here? Like how older you? 

Rich Bennett 10:56
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 10:56
Figure it out. And it's a combination of, you know, our our health system is the idea of preventative medicine. So, you know, good, good life, you know, living well amongst so deep family connections from all kinds of different ways, eating well, eating close to the land, and such. And then as and then we have, you know, kind of spiritual technologies to help us with staying youthful, re rejuvenation of organs and all kinds of different things. And then we have really great doctors. So, this whole idea of medicine really starts way before not after some 

Rich Bennett 11:33
right 

Tigrilla Gardenia 11:34
depends. I was like, okay, now I got it. Like now I got it. You know, and that's the reason why around here, you can't you can't tell how old people are at all. It's like, what? What? She's what? Where he's what? 

Rich Bennett 11:48
I'll be honest with you. I mean, I've had probably get the name wrong. People that study plants, but whatever they, they're called. I've talked to them, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 11:59
botanist, or 

Rich Bennett 12:00
yeah botanist, thank you. I did put your it. But with you, it's different because when I was looking at everything, and I'm going to get into this. Number one, what is a musical plant? And how, what was the life changing thing that connected you? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 12:22
Yeah, exactly. So, okay. So, I should just preface very quickly to tell this story well, is that I grew up, I said in South Florida 

Rich Bennett 12:31
Mm hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 12:31
in Miami in the height of the music scene in Miami. So, music is a fundamental core part of my life. 

Rich Bennett 12:37
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 12:37
Degree in music engineering and electrical engineering. 

Rich Bennett 12:40
Really? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 12:40
Yeah, I love music was like, is my jam from the perspective of the arts, especially in general. Now it's more art. But the whole concept of just like music, I used to produce large events. You know, I toured with different groups. I mean, I've done a lot of different things in the in the whole world. And even my career, when I started my career right before Microsoft, was the height of like the internet, as the internet was really being 

Rich Bennett 13:06
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 13:07
born. And we're talking I was on, I used to work for real networks. So, was when audio and video first came into the 

Rich Bennett 13:13
Mm 

Tigrilla Gardenia 13:13
world. 

Rich Bennett 13:13
hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 13:13
So, my specialization has always been audio. Anyway, so, I'm here in Dom and her and I'm walking around one of our main areas and I hear this music. And like I said, music is my, like I love music. And, 

Rich Bennett 13:25
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 13:26
but I'm listening. And I'm like, I don't, I don't, I don't understand, I don't, I don't recognize this type of music. It was just really odd type of music. So, I followed the music and it took me this, like, little box, you know, with a speaker that was then connected to a plant. 

Rich Bennett 13:40
And I was, why? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 13:40
What the heck is this? And it was interesting because as I'm listening to this music, it's almost like the plant is talking to me. And I, you know, we often think of music as a language, but it's actually the opposite way around. Language, as we know it, is a music quality. It is music that comes It's the thing that we really recognize, even as

Rich Bennett 14:01
mm-hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 14:01
we recognize rhythm and beats and all these before we can ever understand words. So 

Rich Bennett 14:07
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 14:08
emotions transmit through these types of mediums. And so this plant, as I was listening to this music, I was like, oh my goodness, are you talking to me? Like, are you talking to me? Like, what? So for me, it was an instantaneous, almost like plant reawakening to recognize, oh my goodness, this plant is actually creating this music. What is going on here? And so, it comes from a device that we started working on in the 1980s. There's a few, actually late 1970s, early 1980s, and we've refined over the years. It's called the music of the plants, and it's a small device. It's basically a music instrument for plants. And over the years, we've had lots of different versions. And now there's a few other companies that have created similar devices. The difference between the device that we've created here in dominant her is that because we are a spiritual community, because our base is not, was not let's make music, but more. How can we relate to the plant world? How can we enter and hear what the plant is doing? So it's a form of biofeedback, 

Rich Bennett 15:10
right? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 15:10
It allows the plant to use their electrical system, their electrical body, to create these notes of music. And then over time, what we have found is the plants recognize that they're the ones making music and can therefore modify the music and harmonize and create different things. So the music has lots of different functions. There are ways of being we've discovered over the years, but fundamentally it's a form of communication. It's a way for us to relate and connect, whether we do it as musicians, and you 

Rich Bennett 15:39
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 15:39
know, you do it for the music part or as I mainly use it now as a form of literally connection, communication, a way to feel it into my body. I mean, there's lots of different aspects, but it it's something that uses a language that we all speak music. And to recognize that plants are not inert. It's not just that I'm alive because I breathe, but other than that, there's nothing going on, which I think from many people. That's that's pretty much what they think, right? 

Rich Bennett 16:11
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 16:11
Yeah, sure plants are alive. I've got to keep them alive. But that's that's about it. And then we we don't recognize, there's something called plant blindness, which is a term sometimes now called plant disparity disorder, which is the fact that we don't recognize plants in our environment for everything that they are and everything that can give us. So in the sense that plants not just create oxygen, but they create ecosystems, they have a whole series of ecosystem services, they have their own experiences, their own way of doing things, and we don't recognize, we just see background, like if I if I give you a picture and it has, you know, all of this jungle and at the end of the middle of it, you're going to say, oh, look, cat. 

Rich Bennett 16:53
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 16:54
It's like, yes. And what about, you know, all of these other plants and we just kind of blends into who we are. So the music of the plants is is a way for us to sort of hear 

Rich Bennett 17:07
that that is not a plant singing by the way. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 17:09
No, that that that's the daughter looking for you again. 

Rich Bennett 17:15
The sad thing is I could've sworn I put that thing on do not, it is on do not disturb. I don't mind. It's 

Tigrilla Gardenia 17:22
one of those days. 

Rich Bennett 17:23
It is. It's weird. It's weird. But the funny thing was not funny, because you know, you always hear that if telling people to talk to their plants, talk to your plants. But one of the things you never hear is listen to your plants and to me it makes sense because yeah, I mean plants are a living thing when you're in the woods. You're in the forest or whatever, especially if it's a windy day to me, the trees are singing when those leaves are waving if you really sit back and listen, they're singing to you. If animals, like birds, frogs, if they can sing, talk whatever you want whatever you want to call it, why can't plants? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 18:12
Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 18:13
And I do I do believe that 

plants are what they've been here a lot longer than us for one, but I do believe if you learn to listen to them like you do, we can learn so much more. I do know for a fact that when it comes to your mental health, oh my God, what a difference. I mean, they even say gardening is great for your mental health. Just sit down and just sit down and surrounding yourself with different plants. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 18:53
Absolutely. 

It's, it's incredible how much we, um, uh, I recently was doing an interview, I interviewed an eco psychologist, we had a beautiful conversation and one of the things that we were talking about was the fact that, that the separation that we have from nature is kind of our original collective trauma. It's the trauma that we all as humans have, the more disconnected we are from nature, the more we feel this whole. And like you said, scientifically speaking, there are many, many, many, many, many now studies starting, I mean the first set of studies that I read about, um, the connection of your mental health and plants, go back to like the 1970s, 70s, 70s and the 1960s that talk about how, you know, spending time in nature for example just 20 minutes in a natural environment immersed will lower my cortisol levels and bring my stress down by like 50%. I mean it's not a small number, there are studies that have been done in the United States and in Denmark that show that if you live in a neighborhood where you can see kind of a little bit of wildness, whether that's an overgrown, uh, an, even an overgrown lot, like an old parking lot that gets left behind and you know when it starts to grow out and stuff, just having something like that nearby will actually, um, people will self-report higher levels of positive mental health. They'll feel less depression. Um, these types of environments where you spend time, even just a public park, you'll end up mean our altruistic. There's terpenes in the air that we breathe in and the whole concept of a forest bathing of Shirin Yoku which has very specific kind of properties around both physical health as well as mental health. I mean there's just overwhelming evidence that the awe and the wonder of time spent in nature can help us and does help us to grow better. On top of that you add, like you said, the part that we have forgotten which is my body is made up of a number of senses, right? I think about my top five, 

Rich Bennett 20:59
the 

Tigrilla Gardenia 20:59
right, 

Rich Bennett 20:59
right, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 21:00
of sites and vision and hearing and all these things. But plants have at least that we know of and we know that there's more that we don't know. At least another 15. And so if you think about myself as evolving from or with plants, then you must think that my body somewhere registers some at least of those senses, right? The whole fact of electromagnetic pressure and of actual like humidity and of light and all these different aspects and so all of these influence who I am. So when I can hear, when I give myself the space to hear the plant and hearing some people are going to hear it as like an auditory thing, like you said, the rustling of the trees. There's a whole series of experimentations out there that you can try about how plants can rustle and move and such in response to you. But also just allowing your body to receive and just giving yourself that space completely starts to transform the way that you experience life, the way that I think about it, because I don't rely so much on that animal side of myself that runs away. But I start to rely on that more plant side of me that is cessile that's rooted into the earth. And that is saying, no, no, no, stay here and deal with this. Like you can learn, you can be resilient and you can deal with whatever comes your way because you've got all these other tools that you just don't know that you have. And so 

Rich Bennett 22:27
right 

Tigrilla Gardenia 22:27
it really just changes the way that you fundamentally approach life. You feel more in flow and like everything has its way of being dealt with. 

Rich Bennett 22:38
Now, are you in an apartment or a house? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 22:42
Kind of both. Like 

Rich Bennett 22:44
Kind of 

Tigrilla Gardenia 22:44
I live in a really, really small town and we live in these things called Nucleos which are these shared houses. 

Rich Bennett 22:51
okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 22:52
And so I'm right now kind of in an apartment in a bigger structure. 

Rich Bennett 22:55
So you don't have a yard? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 22:57
I don't, I, um, um, knowing yes in this 

Rich Bennett 23:01
okay, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 23:02
I am sitting right in front of a giant meadow that 

Rich Bennett 23:05
okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 23:05
then leads to a river. I have a bunch of cows and Gary, the silver fur who sitting really tall in front of me and all. I live at the foothills of 

Rich Bennett 23:16
the Alps. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 23:17
So, yeah, so uh, we have green, the area that we live in is called the Valkyzele, which is the closed valley. And it's this gorgeous valley connected to this really green space. So, yeah, I'm immersed in nature and ever. As a matter of fact, this earlier today, a friend of mine wrote to me, she's like, "I'm having a crap day." You want to go take a walk? We were like, "Yeah, let's go." So we just walked down and then I got my feet all stuck in the mud because there's a bunch of streams and river. And it sounds horrible, but it was actually great. I'm like, if I only, you know, you're like, "take your shoes off and you're like, "screw it, I'm just gonna get, you know, stuck myself in the mud." 

Rich Bennett 23:53
Uh-huh. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 23:53
The cows are following us around because they're like, "what the what? 'Cause they're very--" 

Rich Bennett 23:58
[laughter] 

Tigrilla Gardenia 23:58
So, they're like, "what are you guys chewing over there?" And you have all these plants around. It's quite an experience here. 

Rich Bennett 24:06
I like that the cows are just like, "what the what? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 24:09
Our 

Rich Bennett 24:09
[laughter] 

Tigrilla Gardenia 24:10
super curious, I remember one time, so like I said, I live in a little, like, when you 

Rich Bennett 24:14
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 24:14
think-- Kind of an Italian town. I live in a tiny little Italian town, population in the exact town that I'm in, I think it's population 200 or 

Rich Bennett 24:22
Wow. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 24:22
something. And so, one time we were sitting out, we have a place called the Dam in Hercrea, which is kind of our, it's an old, olivety typewriting factory that has been converted into, it has a supermarket and like a little cafe, and, you know, some shops and all kinds of different stuff like that for us. And they have an outdoor area where you sit and you have, you know, whatever coffee 

Rich Bennett 24:43
Mm-hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 24:43
and stuff like that. So, we're sitting out there and all of a sudden this cow, I swear, was something out of a television show. This cow comes walking by and stops in front of all of us and is like, looking around. Because this area is a crossroads where shepherds will-- because a lot of cows here are still in pasture, so they get moved 

Rich Bennett 25:03
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 25:03
around throughout the year. And the area right in front of me is one of the large pastures that they use, plus there's a few pocket ones all around, and then they head from here up to the mountains and down to the valley, so they can go in both directions. So oftentimes you're like, I gotta go somewhere and you can't go anywhere because there's like 50 cows that are passing through with their shepherds. Anyway, so this cow apparently is like standing there, and she's looking at us like, oh 

Rich Bennett 25:30
just-- 

Tigrilla Gardenia 25:30
shit, I 

Rich Bennett 25:31
[laughs] 

Tigrilla Gardenia 25:31
It's got maid, because she's kind of like, you could tell, she had just come out because they put a type of electric fencing around. 

Rich Bennett 25:39
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 25:39
It's just a very small wire thing that goes around. And apparently this cow got out of it. So, so she was like trying to get away very inconspicuously, and then stops with all these humans that are staring at her, going, what are you doing here? And she's just looking. She kind of looks back from where she came from, then looked at all of us, and then darted in the opposite direction. It's like, I'm--

Rich Bennett 26:02
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:02
But here as fast as I can until somebody catches me. Because usually-- [laughs] The shepherds will leave the cow with a dog. 

Rich Bennett 26:10
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:11
But not always. Sometimes they don't leave the dogs. And so this one didn't have the dog. So the dog didn't-- because normally the dogs are really good about like chasing the cow back 

Rich Bennett 26:22
thing. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:22
towards the 

Rich Bennett 26:22
Mm-hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:23
Very, very interesting dogs. But it's-- it was hysterical, and I see that happens sometimes in here, but there was just so funny because it was the middle of the town, and you're like, "What are you doing here?" And she was just like, "I'm out." And she just ran as fast as she can. 

Rich Bennett 26:39
[laughs]

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:40
We're like, "Alright." And everybody went back to drinking. 

Rich Bennett 26:43
And the reason I asked if you had a yard or not, but you have that giant one out in 

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:48
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 26:48
your front window, I wanted to know if you actually had like a meditation garden. 

Which yours is out front, you, it's-- 

Tigrilla Gardenia 26:56
Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 26:57
everybody's. But for those people listening, especially if they don't know how to reconnect with plants, and I'm sure you meditate, well, you're involved with nature. That is meditating, I believe. What are some of the best plants to surround yourself with, especially to help out with your mental health? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 27:18
Yeah, this is a great, great question from the perspective of the most important thing is for you to work with plants that feel good to you. The reason I say this is because, for example, I admit, I am not the biggest green thumb type of person. I love nature outside. 

Rich Bennett 27:34
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 27:39
there are a few plants that live with me because they've called to me in different reasons. I like, for example, peace lilies are our plants that I, I have one peace lily that lives with me right next to my bed because used to live in this area where I am right now. And was like, uh-uh, this isn't working for me. And so peace lily was like, I'm going to your bedroom. And it's, and, and, and kya's the first plant I see every morning. And you know, plant I see every morning. And there is a deep, deep relationship and flourishing there. But for example, I don't have plants around that I struggle with 

Rich Bennett 28:15
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 28:15
taking care of, right? So a lot of the plants I have, Jane and Zaina. Um, Jane, uh, Jaina and Zane. God can't speak even myself. That are two allos that live with me and that came to me from different directions. But what I always tell people is sure there are some plants that you could like look at a chart. For example, um, right behind me, there's no name, Dressena, which is a spider. I mean, a snake plant. 

Rich Bennett 28:43
Mm hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 28:44
And you could have tons of plants in your house that have specific characteristics, like this plant is known to be a really great plant to having your bedroom because during the night, they don't reverse their, um, breathing patterns, like most plants do. 

Rich Bennett 28:57
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 28:57
Most plants breathe like us during the nighttime daytime. They breathe opposite. And then at night they breathe like us. But this plant doesn't. So therefore at night, you're still filling your air, your, your bedroom with, with oxygen. So there are some plants that are like that that you have care, 

Rich Bennett 29:12
right? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 29:13
But if I'm then worried about whether or not I'm going to kill this plant, I don't know how to take care of the plant. I don't know how to do, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's not worth it. It's not worth it then you don't really give yourself the space to form the relationship. So what I always say to people is, really choose, let the plant almost choose you and call you. If you give yourself that space and it doesn't matter, I mean, I'm not a huge fan of going to Home Depot, although I understand, I prefer that you go to a garden center where you have people that actually care about the plants. 

Rich Bennett 29:42
They know what they're talking about. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 29:43
And then know what they're talking about, but that actually care about the way that that plant was raised. 

Rich Bennett 29:48
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 29:48
But even if you find a plant, like I do have a few plants that live with me that I was in IKEA and I was walking around and all of a sudden I hear, 

come this way, you know, and you come over and it's like one euro or one dollar for a plant that's almost dead. And you're just like, I can't leave 

Rich Bennett 30:08
wow, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 30:08
you here. I can't leave you here. So I always say that most likely than not, you are hearing something and that might be a sound, but it also might just be a feeling. I can't tell you how many people after we start to talk are like, that is why when I walk down this street, something always pulls me back and makes me stop for a second. And I'm like, yeah, because most likely the tree or some plant and somebody's yard or something is calling you, someone wants to connect. And so the best thing for to do is instead allow that to happen and then start there. Any plant can be really powerful for your mental health because it's not about the type of plant, but about the relationship, the giving yourself the space to really sit like I'm one who will sit here where I am right now at my desk. There is guests Gary, this overfer in the window right outside, but there's also a whole number of plants all around me. Some of which I work with very closely and some of which I don't. They're just there. But all of them, I can say that I know what I know who they are. Like 

Rich Bennett 31:19
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 31:19
I literally will spaz out just sitting here staring at one or closing my eyes and just feeling connected to one. And no matter what, something is arriving. I might not always be able to articulate it as I was saying 

Rich Bennett 31:32
beginning. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 31:33
to you at the Love it when we don't have words because it's not about the words. It's not about the deep understandings necessarily. It's about feeling that connection and allowing that connection to transform you. Today I published a small kind of like leaf reset and it's a little activity that you can do in 10 seconds, which is, you know, you're having a day where everything is open, there's no clarity. You don't know what the heck is going on. And so you just sit with whatever plants feels appropriate, put your finger kind of on a leaf or on something that stems somewhere where you're touching the plant. 

Rich Bennett 32:11
Mm 

Tigrilla Gardenia 32:12
Give the plant all your crap because plants like crap crap is fertilizer. So don't worry about it. Give them all your crap and be like 57 tabs open in my mind. I can't find clarity. I don't know where I'm going. And then just give yourself a second. Take that nice deep breath as you exhale over a few beads to just see what comes. Whatever comes. Is it? Did you feel cold? Did you feel warm? Did 

Rich Bennett 32:35
hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 32:35
you get a tingle somewhere? And then let that word sit in your mind for a second and then wherever it might go. Don't try to say, oh, it needs to be. It could be a memory that you have of like, when I was 12, you know, my brother came in and gave me noogies. And then when I did that, I turned around and I saw blah, blah, blah. And that might be your answer because 

Rich Bennett 32:58
Mm hmm. Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 32:58
plants will use your memory. So don't be afraid to think that whatever comes through whatever sensation is a distraction or something. Most likely it's the plant using something of you to be able to connect to 

Rich Bennett 33:10
you. How old did you did it take for you to realize that I want to say it's a gift, that you can hear the plants as well as feel them in everything. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 33:27
Yeah, I would say it's been a progression over time. 

Rich Bennett 33:30
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 33:31
For example, for me, it started more on the audio side because of the music. So the 

Rich Bennett 33:37
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 33:37
music gave me kind of a frame of reference. 

Rich Bennett 33:41
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 33:41
And when I teach plant communication, I tell people to start with art because oftentimes we try too fast to make sense of it. 

Rich Bennett 33:52
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 33:52
And instead, that's not what this is about. This isn't about asking question and getting an answer. It's not like a terro deck or you know, some kind of thing, dousing where I'm trying to like get a very precise answer. It's slightly. It's more of I'm trying to get, I'm trying to really reconnect back into nature. 

Rich Bennett 34:12
I 

Tigrilla Gardenia 34:13
can experience the world as a being of nature, which means I create better connections, better relationships. I can communicate better all these types of things that start to happen. So for example, the plant behind me that I call, no name, Dressena, I call this plant that name because about two years ago, I started to two to three years ago now. Yeah, two plus. I started to work with this plant with the intention of working on a very specific thing. And the 

Rich Bennett 34:40
like, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 34:40
plant was you need to get back in touch with your body. Like, you don't feel things anymore. You're trying to intellectualize it all. That was kind of so I'm not going to talk to you. 

Rich Bennett 34:50
you. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 34:50
I just want 

Rich Bennett 34:50
Wow. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 34:51
I want you. So we have spent the last few years and I've spent the last few years with the help of this plant. Feeling things again, like allowing my body to be loud as a body, like to 

Rich Bennett 35:05
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 35:05
move my arms, to move my body to get back into my flexibility, for example, like and since I started to do things, you to notice how things change. I don't know, from simple things, like the way I do yoga in the morning, my body feels more in, not just in movement, but then I realize that there's a clarity that comes with that. And so it's more of these types of subtle changes. So I would say that probably in the last, whatever it's been 12, 13 years that I've been 12 years at least that I've been working closely with plants. My whole life has changed, but because not I sit there, like there are those people that love to sit there and like I touch a tree and I get a message and sure that happens to me. 

Rich Bennett 35:48
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 35:48
Two, but it's way different, it's more of, and what I teach, is how do you hear that innate wisdom, that innate knowledge, that innate sense of being? How do you feel into it and feel comfortable and confident? And know that it's not just coming from the plant or from yourself, but it's that combination. It's the, it's almost the entanglement between you two 

Rich Bennett 36:14
yeah

Tigrilla Gardenia 36:14
that is forming and giving you the direction. So you don't feel alone, you don't feel like you're doing things in a vacuum. You start to get a better sense of how the things that you do affect the overall system in which you're in your ecosystem. I always say you're like creating a, a living ecosystem that is from both within and without and and it's all entangled and it's and it feels good. Like even when you're doing crappy things, you sort of start to get to understand even plants compete at times. Like it's not, it's not always just roses and beautiful experiences. Sometimes it's war in a forest, but you start to see where that comes from. What is its purpose and how is it limited? And it just gives you this sense of, oh, these parts of me are also natural, so I can learn how to use them and put them to use for the overall ecosystem that I'm immersed in. 

Rich Bennett 37:11
you're listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. We'll be right back. 

let's take a little break here so I can tell you about my friends over at four seasons of Landscape and construction services. And when it comes to lawn maintenance and lawn renovations, they are definitely the good to people, even snow removal services. But something else that a lot of people don't think about, that's very important that they do, storm water maintenance, whether it's a pine clean out, remove overgrowth of what are ornamentals, uh, debris, trash, and even drainage services. You know, if you have a cracked foundation, they can rerun your day on spouts. French drains, proper grading, there's so much it goes in storm water maintenance and the proper drainage in your yard and a lot of people don't know how to do it. You don't want it to run into the bay, you don't want it to run towards your foundation. You need the professionals to take care of it. And the professionals are four seasons of Landscape and construction services. Give them a call today, 443-390 yard. That's 443-390 yard, 9273. Or go to their website 4ceasonsLandscapeMD.com. Again, that's 4ceasonsLandscapeMD.com. They're giving you sustainable landscapes for the future. And they are the ones that get your yard looking beautiful. How important is it to have plants in your house? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 38:45
Oh, huge. I mean, it's So, let me start by saying, there are some people that for lots of reasons can't have plants and 

Rich Bennett 38:54
-- 

Tigrilla Gardenia 38:55
from 

Rich Bennett 38:55
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 38:55
a -- from a studies perspective, there's something called biophilic design, which is this whole biophilia is the -- is the love of nature, right? The love of the natural from myself and outside of myself. And biophilic design is designing with the idea of triggering, as we said, or being feeling connected to that natural part of myself. So, technically there are many ways that you can create, quote-unquote, natural environments, environments that feel natural, even 

Rich Bennett 39:23
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 39:23
without having specific I mean, if you can't have a plan in your house because you have an allergy, because you have a situation, because you're just not allowed for whatever even artificial plants can have a benefit, because our bodies trigger and connect. So that's first thing. Second thing is, in biophilic design, there's a whole series of other things, like light that comes through in a soft way, rather than a straight -- because if I'm in nature, light is almost always being filtered through something, 

Rich Bennett 39:51
-- 

Tigrilla Gardenia 39:51
through the trees and stuff, so if you have dApple light that moves and shimmers and changes over time, that makes me feel like I'm in a natural environment. If I have a water source, a little fountain water that's running, I start to feel that relaxed state. So there's all of those aspects. The second part that I will say is that what is almost most important, whether you have plants in your house or not, is more of starting to recognize that nature is everywhere. We, as humans, as adults, there was a great study that came out called the nature of Americans that I cite a lot because it's just so telling. That says that when you ask an adult what is nature, how do I connect in nature? They think out there. I have to pack up the car. I have to put on my hiking boots. I have to go out to the middle of nowhere. And that's how I connect in nature. If you ask a child how do you connect to nature, they will look around them and they will point at the ground and they are right there. 

Rich Bennett 40:49
Do 

Tigrilla Gardenia 40:49
you see the grass coming through the sidewalk? That's nature. Look at the little crack on the wall and the moss coming through. That's nature. Children will see nature everywhere and we lose this as adults. But if we get that wonder back, it is that connection to nature through wonder that gives us all those mental health benefits that we're talking about. So all I have to do is start to, it's that plant, that plant blindness I was talking about. It's the real awakening from that plant blindness allows me to see the tiniest, tiniest, little bit of nature, no matter where I am, and all of a sudden connect. I remember one of the first plants that's right behind my monitor so I can't see. Key fully right now, but I remember my friend when she gave me key was like, it was like a tiny, little cactus like this big. And at the time, this was the only plant that was inside of my home. It was just because I had a room. I was immersed in other kind of nature, but that was the only plant that literally lived with me. 

Rich Bennett 41:55
uh... 

Tigrilla Gardenia 41:57
And that was enough, besides the fact that, you know, kids really big right now, but the point being was, was, I was so enamored by this one little cactus of like, wow, you're so cool. And, you know, that was enough. That was enough. 

Rich Bennett 42:14
I, I've been wanting to get planned. And I can't wait to, well, as you can see, behind me, I got the green screen because I've been remodeling this, my, my office as a studio. And that's one of the things I can not wait is to get some plants in here. I just can't figure out, because there's a big difference between putting the plants inside and outside. I know the plants I want to put outside already, because I want to pollinate in garden out there. Which I believe is very important and a water garden. I think that's what they call it, yeah, water garden. But inside, it's completely different. I'm trying to figure out what to put in there, which I'm hitting everything now. It makes it harder, but those of you listening and you've heard me talk about this when I came across the hummingbird mouth and all that. If you get the chance, if you have a yard or even inside your house, put together a little garden, eat and then go out there and enjoy it. Don't be afraid of the insects and everything that come around. Look at them. And I don't, so I got it, I'm going to, I'm going to say it wrong, try, try, Tegrilla. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 43:34
Perfect. 

Rich Bennett 43:35
Ah, okay. So I'm going to tell you this story. So I have a beautiful butterfly brush out back, well, did it and then I moved down, got to get a new one now. Anyways, have you ever seen a hummingbird mouth? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 43:48
Not live. 

Rich Bennett 43:51
Okay. And first I thought it was a bumblebee because it looked like a, you know, a queen bee or whatever. And I'm just sitting there watching it and it's like, oh, that's a hummingbird mouth. And he was just sitting there at the butterfly bush. I am not lying. The thing allowed me to pet it. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 44:09
Mmm. 

Rich Bennett 44:11
I feel, oh my God. It's, and when you do that, just connecting with nature, it's, it's just something that overcomes you. You, you feel it out. It's, I don't know, I can't explain it, but. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 44:26
And that's it. It's not something that needs to be explained. 

Rich Bennett 44:29
Well, yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 44:29
It's to be felt. And that's the most beautiful part about it. And like you said, it's, it's just sitting there and giving yourself the space. One of the things I, I like to do, I have, in the area that I'm in right now, there's a small balcony. And in the balcony, half of the pots have plants that have arrived in some ways. That's, I mean, if you go to my podcast, you'll see here's some of the stories besides the fact that right now, there's three geranium pots that are just. This town gives geranium plants every year, which sounds lovely, but to me, it's horrible because of course most of the people just kill them, and it's 

Rich Bennett 45:01
Uh, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 45:01
just 

Rich Bennett 45:01
geez. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 45:01
terrifying. But so what happens is a lot of people bring me the geraniums and the geraniums are doing, I just keep, I'm, I'm without words every time I walk outside and I see, but there's a bunch of pots that I have that are empty. And the reason that they're empty, they have, in the sense that they have soil, but the, and I keep the soil moist and I water the soil on a regular basis. And somebody was like, why are you, why are you watering soil? I was like, because this is where my visitors come, so one of them has now been overrun by Clover, and I love it. There's two different kinds of Clover that are growing there. Usually, Purcellane will come to visit once a year and Purcellane will spend a few months with me, and so there's always some pot where Purcellane will just show up in. And I love working with Purcellane in different ways, both as, as nutrient, and Purcellane will almost always show up in the years when I really need Purcellane for lots of different reasons, 

Rich Bennett 45:54
type of-- 

Tigrilla Gardenia 45:54
some 

Rich Bennett 45:55
What is Purcellane? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 45:56
Purcellane is a type of, some people will call a weed, but it's a, key is a, a type of plant that you'll, you've probably seen Purcellane a bunch of times 

Rich Bennett 46:05
Okay, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 46:05
because-- Purcellane grows very close to the ground, like in the crack of sidewalks has a really kind of almost succulent like look, but very, very flat to the ground. 

Rich Bennett 46:14
okay, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 46:15
And so Purcellane, there's two particular pots in my house that, for whatever reason Purcellane really likes, and 

Rich Bennett 46:21
mm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 46:21
we'll constantly kind of show up in, also Chickweed will just randomly show up. And so it's really beautiful. I have a few pots that are just empty because it's like, okay, whoever wants to come and visit me, come, come, come and visit, like-- 

Rich Bennett 46:34
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 46:35
time with me and some will ask like like the Clover has been there now several years, others instead will go away for a few years and then come back. It's really fascinating. And so not always does it have to be this as you're kind of saying, this beautiful manicured garden on the contrary, there could be just an area of your of your home, whether inside or outside, that you leave a little wild that you give space to see 

Rich Bennett 47:01
Yes. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 47:01
who arrives what arrives. And oftentimes that relationship that you create with those plants will really give you a lot of information. Last year I had randomness of randomness in a pot in my bathroom started growing a tomato plant, mine I don't Matoes. I do not like tomatoes. Tomatoes don't come into my house generally. So I never planted tomato. There's a little few guesses as to how a tomato plant. I thought I was planting an avocado plant in there and I don't even need avocados, but I was just trying to sprout the avocado and see because here they wouldn't give fruit anyway. So it's beautiful musician I've worked with in the past. So I was like, okay, I'm going to try somebody gave me an avocado pit and it ended up with a tomato plant. So I ended up like really having deep conversations with this plant of 

Rich Bennett 47:49
right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 47:49
like, why are you here? Because I don't like you eat. So you have to have some reason why you're showing 

Rich Bennett 47:56
to 

Tigrilla Gardenia 47:56
up and I did a whole podcast episode about tomato and basil who are actually complimentary, but basil also showed up in my house. Somebody gifted me two basil plants and I was like, why do I have basil and tomatoes and it's just 

Rich Bennett 48:11
and. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 48:11
weird 

Rich Bennett 48:12
Just missing the mozzarella cheese and the. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 48:14
Exactly 

Rich Bennett 48:15
vinegar. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 48:16
It's perfect here, not a problem. So I ended up being this really interesting conversation that I did podcast about. Like I said, it didn't episode about because it was fascinating to learn about myself about why, you know, what I was learning also from these plants 

Rich Bennett 48:32
to 

Tigrilla Gardenia 48:32
that we're 

Rich Bennett 48:32
uh-uh 

Tigrilla Gardenia 48:32
trying about life and death and about what it meant to be an annual versus a perennial like all kinds of different things. And all of that just came because this plant showed up and I was like, okay, well, I'm going to just water you. I'm not going and I did eat one because it was gross because I don't like tomatoes. But I tried. I said, okay, you're you're trying to feed me. I'm going to try to eat you. I'm doing that. And then I was like, I'm done. I've done my part like on this front. Can we can we try another way of communicating is 

Rich Bennett 49:02
that 

Tigrilla Gardenia 49:03
food type of thing? But you know, it's and it was fascinating. It was fascinating to see how tomato grew. It was fascinating to be there to spend time to just sit and like ended up moving from the bathroom to a pot onto the balcony and would sit next to and be like, all right, I'm just going to sit here with you all and figure out what the heck you're doing here. 

Rich Bennett 49:24
God, I want to talk about your podcast. But before I do because you do the coaching, you there's a lot of things on your website, including the five day challenge. So tell us a little bit about what everybody can find on your website. And then I want and the services that you offer because then I want to get into your podcast. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 49:49
Yeah, I do one-on-one coaching like mentorship and coaching. So it's mostly life coaching, which means basically everything because like 

Rich Bennett 49:57
yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 49:58
And as things transform. And all of my coaching has a has a one-on-one element, the idea of, you know, really I love, so I'm kind of a bridge. I love helping you get from where you are to where you want to go. And I work mainly with neurodivergent or multi-passionate people with 

Rich Bennett 50:15
of 

Tigrilla Gardenia 50:15
lots and lots 

Rich Bennett 50:16
really. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 50:16
ideas, lots of passions, lots of different things. Those people that have been told for their lives that you're distracted, you're jumping around from thing to thing, you don't know how to finish projects, I have a whole different philosophy. Come to me, come to me, I will show you how none of it is a distraction, it's all super, super useful. 

Rich Bennett 50:32
Oh, I love 

Tigrilla Gardenia 50:32
Because in an ecosystem, everything gets used. 

Rich Bennett 50:35
it. Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 50:36
So, things that we think of as limiting beliefs, I have a completely different philosophy on all of these types of, they're all relationships that we need to rebuild and different tools that we to learn how to master. And then when we do, we start to see how they all fit together and how we jump from one to the other. So, my one-on-one work is really about holding that space for the kind of neurodivergent, multi-passionate mind to like dump everything in there and be like, okay, now, how do we look at this as if it's an ecosystem? How do we create this so that it all helps each other and that everything kind of finds its place in that you learn how to master all these techniques? And always, I have an element because I live in community, I believe in community and I have an online community called the naturally conscious community, which is all dedicated to human plant relationships across all different realms, arts and intellect and feelings and everything we've been talking about in books and all kinds of different aspects. And in there, you also have the community part that is, you know, having mirrors around you, having a space environment where you can also, because I'm not going to go and tell you what to do, but it's great when you share what you want to do and you have lots of voices that help you kind of like see it from different angles because 

Rich Bennett 51:54
it's the right 

Tigrilla Gardenia 51:55
thing as absolute truth in this world. It's all facets of the way that we interpret that truth. And so, therefore, when you can see that and then you have that safe environment with myself to be like, "Okay, I now have, you know, kind of mirrored this out and now this is the way I'm seeing and we can look at it and kind of give it into that space, that's really what helps you transform your life." It's this long term evolution, you know, that 

Rich Bennett 52:21
[inaudible] 

Tigrilla Gardenia 52:21
is together and the plants really help us understand, as mentors as well as models, what, and co-creators, like how do we bring in this alternative way of thinking? Because many neurodivergence really, when you look at it from the perspective of the way a plant thinks, man, you're just as typical as typical can be because plants all have their own unique way of dealing with things. 

Rich Bennett 52:43
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 52:44
Help us see other models and other ways of being that don't have to go through the box and allows me to communicate effectively to anybody, but still without losing my authentic voice and feeling really comfortable in my skin and really resilient that I can deal with things and being able to use the different aspects and characteristics of myself. So really my coaching is focused on that and that's why it's more of your overall life, whether that's your business life or your personal life. 

Rich Bennett 53:16
You do it all virtually, right? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 53:18
I do, I do it all virtually. I mean, I live in Dominar, so I do have a few clients here that are kind 

Rich Bennett 53:24
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 53:24
of want to, you know, Persell, but I do it all virtually. And to be honest, I love the virtual environment. We were just talking about this yesterday and one of our one by group calls because inside the naturally conscious community, we have a lot of different activities. So we meet a lot. 

Rich Bennett 53:39
Mm-hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 53:39
The possibility to meet a lot. It's drop in. It's, it's not like you have to be there, but it's more of, you know, you have the opportunity to be there. And we were talked, we often talk about, I mean, we have people inside the naturally conscious community that have traveled across the continents, to different continents to meet each other because we just feel so connected. And that's one of the things that I do really well. I love that supportive environment and so I'm really good at kind of, How would I say going beyond the idea of the online space as being detached, but instead feeling super, super connected, even 

Rich Bennett 54:15
mm-hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 54:15
though we might have never met in person. So I love that. And I also, because here in Domenna, I also represent and, and I'm kind of the coordinator of Domenna International. So I have a lot of cultural experience. I speak multiple languages and so I, I, it's another way that my multi potential I bring also can kind of go through. So I have a really expansive way of looking at the world that helps kind of hold like I said that, that overall space for people. 

Rich Bennett 54:47
I mean, different languages do you speak? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 54:49
I speak three languages really well. One 

Rich Bennett 54:54
Okay, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 54:54
language, crapally well 

Rich Bennett 54:55
crap! 

Tigrilla Gardenia 54:55
and then I've, I've learned, you know, I've studied a bunch of other languages so I'll, I'll be able to, it was funny because I was just in Croatia last week and I was at some point, some people were talking around me and they were looking me and they're like, oh, you understand. And I was like, no, kind of. 

Rich Bennett 55:11
I just- 

Tigrilla Gardenia 55:12
I 

Rich Bennett 55:12
[Laughs] 

Tigrilla Gardenia 55:12
get Say, I just don't understand the words you're saying, but I get what you're trying to say. And, in part it's because I've studied a lot of different languages, so you start- 

Rich Bennett 55:20
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 55:20
I understand structures, a lot is because I'm really good at reading people, and a lot of it is the plants. They've helped me sort of, again, hear the rhythm, hear the meaning beyond, and so I just trust my intuition. So oftentimes, two people will be talking and I'll like say something about what they're talking about, and they'll be like, I didn't know you spoke whatever language, norwegian, and I was like, I don't, but I kind of get what you're talking about, you know, and type of thing. 

Rich Bennett 55:45
Wow! When we began, you mentioned music, did you play music as well? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 55:53
I do. I mean, I used to. I don't really- I mean, I'm more of a singer now. My college instrument was actually piano. 

Rich Bennett 56:01
Oh, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 56:01
Which I switched over to voice kind of at the tail end in some part, and so I've played a few different instruments too, but I wouldn't say, again, it's another one of those things that for some would look at it as, "Oh, you never really whatever mastered it," and I'm like, 

Rich Bennett 56:17
right, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 56:17
"That wasn't the point." I was more 

Rich Bennett 56:19
enjoyed 

Tigrilla Gardenia 56:19
of an 

Rich Bennett 56:19
it, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 56:20
engineer, and what the music gave me was a sort of discipline. 

Rich Bennett 56:24
yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 56:24
I might not do scales today, and I might not, you know, play whatever the clarinet, which I played for years when I was younger. But the fact that I know how the clarinet works, and that I understand how woodwinds are, and the fact that I did do for years scales on the piano, and in my voice on a regular basis, gave me a sort of understanding of harmony, of, of discipline, of a whole series of other things that I now apply to other parts of my life. And that's really probably one of the things that I do best as a coach is I help you see how the thing that you did for a little bit and then dropped off. For example, I studied Japanese for several years when I was with Microsoft, and today I work with a lot, like, we have a lot of Japanese initiates in Dominoher, and there's cultural norms connected, or when I was with Cirque that I worked with a lot of Russians and Bulgarians and Belarus and all these different people. And there are cultural norms that are embedded in the language 

Rich Bennett 57:26
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 57:26
that I might not speak the language, but for example, I just had a call the other day with a group that is mainly around Tokyo. And it was, you know, you have to understand that the Japanese don't like to ask questions, and they have, like, a very specific ways of doing things, I was able to go beyond that. And it was not because studying the language, understanding these other pieces gives me the opportunity to blend, not blend, but like, connect into their cultural way of doing 

Rich Bennett 57:56
but 

Tigrilla Gardenia 57:57
things differently. And that's what I really look to help my clients do, which is, I don't want you to change. I don't want you to even have to finish projects. I want you to reap the benefits of whatever it is that you did do, and see how that can be applied to so many other things that you want to do. 

Rich Bennett 58:16
Right, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:17
funny, so 

Rich Bennett 58:17
I have 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:18
that it 

Rich Bennett 58:18
a 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:18
works the way your mind works. 

Rich Bennett 58:19
I have a funny feeling you, you're like me, you probably like all types of music as well. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:24
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, my, my, my music players are like super confused. 

Rich Bennett 58:31
I'm just my, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:33
go from like Iron 

Rich Bennett 58:34
it'll 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:34
Maiden to like Mozart and then like Poppy stuff and just like, what the heck is 

Rich Bennett 58:40
all right. Are we twins? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:42
I think so. We look very 

Rich Bennett 58:44
I'm serious. I mean, I can be, I could do the same thing. I can be jamming the Iron Maiden, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:49
similar. Hmm, 

Rich Bennett 58:50
and then I can turn right around. I can listen to an opera. I can listen to classical jazz, even rap. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 58:57
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 58:57
But I'm the type to where, I'm going to have headphones on if anybody's home. Because I like to crank it up. I like to pull out all the different instruments. And I 

Tigrilla Gardenia 59:09
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 59:09
love it. If there's lyrics, I love a song that tells a good story. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 59:16
story. Yeah, that's 

Rich Bennett 59:17
Oh, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 59:17
why I love musicals. I mean, I'm. 

Rich Bennett 59:18
Oh, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 59:19
I love going, I was just in New York a few weeks ago and I had been a while since I had gone, and it was wonderful. I got to see one of the only musicals that is completely dedicated to a tree, which is 

Rich Bennett 59:32
really? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 59:32
Redwoods. I just, just closed. I was so lucky to be able to see it. It's a very modern musical where in the center of the stage is a, the trunk of a Redwood tree, named Stella. And so it was really fascinating to see, you know, how, I mean, it's still a little bit too human-centric from my perspective. I would love... I'm like, if anybody from Redwood wants to hire me to help you kind of plan to size it a little bit more, to give Stella 

Rich Bennett 59:56
a 

Tigrilla Gardenia 59:56
little bit more of her spotlight, because she deserves it. I'm here. I'm here. I would. we'll do this. But I do love the fact that this whole aspect of 'plant' intelligence, of 'plant neurobiology', of understanding 'plants' that 'plants' as 'mind' and how is it that the 'plants' think, is starting to see more into every aspect. So, we see it with 'plant' music, we see it with, 

Rich Bennett 1:00:20
Mm, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:00:21
you know, in different aspects of movies and of clothing and of different and it's not just the sustainability of that to use 'plants'. Although there are still a lot of people that are doing that, but there's much more of a trend now to be like, it's okay to listen, like you said. We've talked for years about talking to your plants, but now all the message is starting to come out of 'listen', 'listen' to the plants. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:47
And I mentioned something in the very beginning about grabbing your herbal tea or 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:00:53
know, 

Rich Bennett 1:00:53
you mushroom coffee, that is okay, right? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:00:59
Yeah, and I'm 

Rich Bennett 1:01:00
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:01:00
glad that you actually came back to that because I wanted to say this because I have one of my classes, one of the courses that I have, reconnect with 'plant' kingdom, I have an entire module around food, because food is a difficult topic, especially-- 

Rich Bennett 1:01:12
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:01:12
Like when you start to work with plants, work with them rather than use them, it's really interesting how things change. Like spent a long time where I didn't know how-- I still have my moments, which is good, I find it, I love it, but where I-- if I need to step on grass, for example, or you know, I was just taking a long walk through grass and all different kinds of plants that were out there, you know, do I step, do I not step? I love that because it's that hiccup of a moment of, let me connect, yes this is okay, because plants are different, their anatomy is different, and they are here to be food for us, you know, it's not a bad thing for us to eat plants, and as a matter of fact, I find as a person who has had situations around like eating disorders and other kind of things way back in my past, I love the fact that my connection to plants actually helps create a bond, which means I, like, sustainability is not something I do, it just comes 

Rich Bennett 1:02:17
natural. Natural. Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:02:18
It's something that I naturally kind of don't buy extra food, I don't throw away a lot of waste. When I do do it, I'm very conscious and I think about how did it happen, what did it happen, how can I make it different, but because out of respect, out of respect for the plants that gave-- my clothing is all natural, clothing, I don't do polyesters and stuff like that, I slowly start to switch a lot of things out there are some stuff. I'm human and there are some stuff that in our human world, we still don't know how to do, I mean, I still have technology sitting on my desk, but-- 

Rich Bennett 1:02:53
Right, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:02:54
Phone is a fair phone which is the world's most 

Rich Bennett 1:02:56
all right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:02:57
ecological phone out there, and so it has an entire series of set of properties around why it is most ecological and why I won't have to change that phone for eight to ten years, because of the way that it's built, because how I can the modules, because of all these different parts. And so these types of things start to naturally come into your sphere because of that connection. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:20
A fair phone? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:03:22
Fair phone, yep. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:22
I've never heard of that, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:03:24
I know. It's a Dutch company, started up several years ago and over the years has just really done a fantastic job. There's a second phone that's kind of like the second ecological phone, which is a German company named SHIFT, but the fair phone in particular has done a wonderful job at creating a phone, and also I have a pair of earbuds from them, and their whole premise, like it even has a little app of how can I get you to keep this phone for the longest period of time. So it comes with little screwdriver and everything inside of it is components. They, besides the fact that they source all their materials from, 

Rich Bennett 1:03:58
right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:03:59
you know, the most ecological kind fountains. They recycle everything, but the whole premise of the phone is that if anything happens, you can open the phone yourself and you can change the parts, and they always encourage you, for example, the box that it comes in. They're like, "Please don't throw this away, because whenever you send anything to us, we want you to use this same box." And it's all kind of done with the intention of, we want you to be able to slowly, if necessary, make changes, you send everything back to us, so that we, you know, we'll send you the new part, you put the new part in yourself, so you don't have to worry about any of that kind of stuff. And then you send us the old part, and we're going to, like, we are building things with a circular economy in mind, which means I know how to take it apart, we know how to grab all the sources and the resources that we can, and all these different things. So my actually has a timer, and it says, "How long do you want to keep this phone for?" I think I have it set for eight years, and I think I'm like two years into this eight-year cycle, and so, you know, they tell you little things to do to just make sure that, you know, you can keep the 

Rich Bennett 1:04:57
Right 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:04:57
phone for period of time and stuff. But it's designed with the idea that even after those eight to ten years, if you can get to 10, you will still be able to send them back the phone and they'll be able to again dismantle the phone, bring it back. But they're already building it with that intention. We don't want you to have to replace this phone over time. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:16
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:16
Sleeve, we don't want you to create waste and stuff. And these types of things naturally come into your sphere when you start to shift because I am connected. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:24
Hmm. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:24
And so I certainly look for them, but I also give space for them to come in front of me and to show me and to allow me to connect into that. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:33
I'm going to have to look into this now. I, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:36
oh, I love 

Rich Bennett 1:05:37
I 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:37
my 

Rich Bennett 1:05:37
heard 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:37
fair, 

Rich Bennett 1:05:37
of that. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:38
I love my fair phone. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:39
Never heard of it. All right, so reconnect with Plant Wisdom. You started a couple of years 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:47
ago. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:47
Why? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:05:49
Because these conversations, so I find that there are just some amazing, so the podcast started really as a solo podcast as an opportunity to make it easy for people, because when we talk connection to nature, sure that all sounds great, but then getting into the bells and whistles of it and trying to get into it, you know, most people will just think like, yeah, yeah, whatever, 

Rich Bennett 1:06:12
Right, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:06:12
whatever. So I wanted to find a really easy way to share with people the transformations, the things that happen, the, especially around that original trauma that I was talking about, the idea that the anxiety and all these things that we tend to try to give lots of different titles to, but it's like, seriously, folks, plants. Like, if you make friends with plants, so many of these things, naturally kind of go away. And then I started to meet, you know, I've always worked with great artists and really amazing thinkers that are working with plants in really unusual ways. I always do a little pre-interview for all of my guests because sure there's lots of people that are using plants, so it's not an herbalist show. You're not going to get that kind of stuff. You're going to get relationships that people are forming, deep, deep, deep relationships that they're forming with specific plants and what those relationships are taking them 

Rich Bennett 1:07:04
right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:07:04
towards, art, to relationship, friendship, healing, all these different things. I had an amazing, for example, medical doctor who went into, you know, was talking about how, for his own healing and he started to work on kind of a more somonic path and he's like, I realized that it wasn't about going out into the jungle and finding such and such plant, but like, the rosemary in my house could really help me with all these things, not because that rosemary has that property, but because the rosemary was connected to me in my yard was growing with me and rosemary really helped me find so many parts. And this is a medical doctor, you know Bordeaux. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:46
Yeah, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:07:47
I modified all these different aspects. And so I love the podcast being able to really enrich that relationship and understand deeply. And just with no holds bar, like, you know, let's just have a deep conversation about wherever things are taking us from music, from creation, from seeing the world through different eyes, to what changes in you when you allow yourself to reconnect back to this part of yourself that is an innate part, your planness. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:20
right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:08:20
And that's why it's called reconnect with plant wisdom. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:24
You're doing a great job with it. I've listened to a few episodes already, and it's like, this is thinner, and it's good because there's no other podcast out there. I like it that I know of. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:08:37
I don't 

Rich Bennett 1:08:37
So 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:08:38
think so. I mean, I've invited, like, I mean, I listened to a lot of plant podcasts that are connected to plants in some ways, biophylia, biomimicry, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:47
you 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:08:47
know, sustainability things, plant botany, all these types of aspects. And I love them. I mean, I think they're great. But it is true that we didn't have, and that's the reason why I also created the naturally conscious community. I wanted a place where we could be like, I mean, we have hard conversations. Both. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:03
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:09:03
The podcast as well. Things that you're not sure. You're like, like, I had to go buy such and such a thing. And I realized that I'm buying from, you know, a plant that's being killed with no perspective. And I don't know how that makes me feel and blah, blah, blah. And we get into like questions that we don't have answers for because I'm convinced that part of what is making it difficult for us to reconnect with plants is the fact that if you think about it, so much of it will change. Like I was at a conference, a scientific conference. And I was listening to these amazing people who are talking about the intelligence of plants. And I make a comment. I'm like, well, do you ever think that you will get to a place where the experiments that you're doing to prove that plants have mind and probably consciousness and intelligence and sentience and whatever word you want to use are actually going to, you're not going to be able to carry out those same type of experience because once you reach consciousness, then at that point you can't just dissect the plant because you feel like it. Like you can't just go and grow a plant to destroy the plant to kill the plant. I mean, I know we still do it with animals, but there's a huge movement of like we don't want to do this with animals. And and one scientist was like, I don't think so I'm never going to stop doing this and I was like, uh, isn't that kind of like. like and so there's a lot of fear of well like you said, what do I eat? What 

Rich Bennett 1:10:23
Yeah, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:10:23
do I wear? How do I build my house? How do I, you know, if plants. So we have a whole paradigm shift that is not about looking at plants as humans or even as animals where we think of life and death in the same terms. It's, it's going to take us to rethink this whole thing in a completely different way. And honestly, we don't even know what that thing looks like and that's okay. That's where we are in our evolution and we should have spaces where we can have that conversation without having to say, I know that plants and like animal rights and plant rights, plant rights and animal rights are not the 

Rich Bennett 1:10:58
yeah, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:10:58
same thing. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:58
now 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:10:58
They are two completely different worlds and we don't really even know what plants rights look like because animal rights have been mirrored behind as a matter of fact, people who do animal rights work do not like plant rights movements because plant rights are not anthropomorphic in nature where animal rights are anthropomorphic. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:20
Okay, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:11:20
So there's like this entire thing where they're like you're hurting us because now people are trying to say, oh well, it's in the natural world and it's like, no, they're all different. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:32
yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:11:32
And so, you know, fungi rights are going to be different from, you know, microbrights are going to be different from plant rights are going to be different from animal rights are going to be different from human rights. But these types of conversations are long, they're hard, they're confusing, they're emotional, and I want to have them all. And so, 

Rich Bennett 1:11:49
and you learn from them, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:11:51
You learn from them, you explore, you do not pretend that you have the answers, 

Rich Bennett 1:11:55
right? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:11:55
you just, you just try. You're like, let's try it and then let's go ask a plant. And, you know, my community has that mix of science as well as spirituality. It gives more space than the academic world does. And so, I can have a conversation where I'm like, hey, I just read the study and this, this, and this and this, and then hey, why don't you all go and try connecting and communicating with a plant to get an answer, right? And this scientific world would be like, I have to build an experiment and we're like screw that, we're going to all. And so, I have like, you know, 30, 40, 50 plant communicators that are asking, and then we can coilate information, and we can look at it from a different perspective. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:30
Right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:12:31
It's, it's a little bit, it gives that fluidity of experimentation without all those rigid rules. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:38
And speaking of conversations, and especially where you're at, and I know you do most of your stuff virtually. Have you ever considered like hosting a retreat where 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:12:54
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 1:12:54
you're 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:12:54
I 

Rich Bennett 1:12:54
at? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:12:55
do. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:55
Oh, come 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:12:55
I do. As 

Rich Bennett 1:12:55
on. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:12:55
a matter of fact, I was just in a meeting the other day, because I, upon request, I have a, you know, like a seven day and like a 10 day plan. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:05
people. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:13:05
Also that 

Rich Bennett 1:13:05
Okay. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:13:06
And so if somebody wants to create a group, I have, I mean, I've hosted it multiple times. I love doing it here. So if there are people out there that want to come to dominant her and have like an immersive experience that again allows you 

Rich Bennett 1:13:19
Life 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:13:19
to. You 

Rich Bennett 1:13:20
changes. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:13:20
know, explore exactly the the scientific with the spiritual with that whole connection piece. Please feel free to reach out to me. I love hosting them. And then dominant her is also putting together between myself and two other plant commune three other plant communicators that live here. We've created kind of a three day experience as well that isn't going to go up on our website soon on dominant her dot travel. That is exactly that. It's the opportunity for you to come and really use the container of this kind of Hogwarts container that I keep saying. To connect to learn about dominant her also, but also to have these deep experiences with plants. So super excited because it's been a while since we've. You know, hosted one of these as dominant her and I love working with these ladies who are just. Each one of us is so different in our style. Some are really somatic and some is one is a very musical. She's a jazz singer and she's very connected. One is got an academic background. I'm kind of the one that mixes all of this together. And so it's going to be fantastic for us to, you know, host these types of things. I love doing retreats here in down in her. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:29
So, with these retreats, how many people have come there and didn't wanna leave? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:14:35
Oh, yeah. That happens 

Rich Bennett 1:14:36
much… 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:14:37
too. As 

Rich Bennett 1:14:37
Uh-huh. I was gonna say, I know if I had there, I'm not leaving. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:14:41
Yeah. And as a matter of fact, in August, we're gonna be having our 'Domin' her fast, which is a three-day festival that we do here. And, uh, myself, I have two different activities. And I'm gonna be hosting, but I'm also kind of one of the co-hosts, there's four of us that are the co-hosts this year for the fast. And it's a great, another great opportunity to kind of just calm and experience 'Domin' her and, you know, come a few days early and do the visit to the Temples of Humankind so that 

Rich Bennett 1:15:04
Hmm, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:15:04
you… See the Temple space and then come and immerse yourself in a lot of the different aspects from alchemy to, you know, communication with the plant world, to community building. Because obviously, as a community, we do a lot of teaching and of giving people the experience of what it means to really build community. And, 

Rich Bennett 1:15:22
yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:15:22
you know, be together in these types of things. So, in a lot of healing work, we do… We have various different schools, like the School for Spiritual Healers, the School for Awakened Dreamers, the School for the Alchemy School, the Mystery School. So, we have a lot of information, a lot of knowledge that we love to share. And so, the Fest gives you kind of an opportunity. Plus there's gonna be a… it's gonna be special this year. There's some really special things happening right now. So, I'm excited for what's gonna come of it. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:51
I do have to get to Italy to visit my best friend. So, I might have to try to plan to visit right around this time. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:15:59
Feel free to contact me. I'm here. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:01
And 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:16:01
I'm here. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:02
he already warned me. He told me, "I won't want to leave." 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:16:05
Yeah, you won't want to leave. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:06
Probably why he sounded to stay there. Some very important. Tell everybody the website and how they can get in touch with you. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:16:14
Yes. So, my is really simple. It's just my whole name. So, tigriagardaniah.com, which I'm sure you'll put in the shunnotes of people… 

Rich Bennett 1:16:21
Of 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:16:21
Click 

Rich Bennett 1:16:21
course! 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:16:22
it and make it easy. And that's the easiest way to get in touch with me. And also, like I said, the naturally conscious community is.com. So, naturallyconsciouscommunity.com or tigriagardaniah.com, either way, we'll take you to, you know, different aspects of my website. And from there, you'll find everything, the podcast and quizzes to connect into your spirit wild plan to understand different parts of yourself. I do live commentary. I have book club. I have a writing group. I mean, I really do a 

Rich Bennett 1:16:49
Wow! 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:16:49
lot of different things because, again, as a multi-potentialate who loves to explore plants and that relationship in all different aspects. I got lots of ways for you to connect. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:00
All right. So, my last question for you. Very important, if a listener is feeling lost, disconnect it or burnt out. What's the first thing you would encourage them to do today? 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:17:12
Book a call with me. That's what I would say. Simple. tigriagardaniah.com/contact. Book a call with me. Super low pressure because the reason I say that is because, if you're already burned out and overwhelmed and you go to something like my website, I understand that it could be overwhelming. Because you're like, oh my god, it's too much. I don't know where to start. But let's have a conversation because what I love doing more than anything like I said is holding that space. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:39
Yeah. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:17:40
And I am sure that with that space you will, we will find the right path. Even if that right path is somebody else, like, I've got a roll of decks. Did I just date myself with the roll of decks? Roll of decks. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:53
I've 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:17:54
got a, I don't know what you call it. What is it called? My phone index, whatever 

Rich Bennett 1:17:58
is, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:17:58
it 

Rich Bennett 1:17:59
your contact list. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:18:00
My contact list, that's 

Rich Bennett 1:18:01
one, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:18:01
the I've got a contact list. No more roll of decks. No, don't date yourself that much. But I've got a contact list filled with people who are amazing. And so, and again, like an ecosystem, that's what I love to do. It doesn't have to be me. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:17
yeah, 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:18:17
But if I can just help you find that path that works for you, whether that's working with me, coming into the community, or even pointing you to somebody else, I am happy to do it because we all have so much to give. And, you know, we don't, we need support. Like, I really believe in the whole ecosystem idea. You do not need to go through this alone. And 

Rich Bennett 1:18:40
right. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:18:40
so let me help you. So, first and foremost, book a call. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:44
Yeah, see you, you still sing it so much. Pretty. God, I want to thank you so much. And I gotta get you on again because I have a funny feeling you and I could sit there and talk about music for hours. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:18:59
I am in agreement with you on that 

Rich Bennett 1:19:01
works for me. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:19:02
That that would be so much fun. 

Rich Bennett 1:19:04
Oh, it would. It could be dangerous. Thanks a lot. Take care. 

Tigrilla Gardenia 1:19:08
Thank you so much. Bye. 

Rich Bennett 1:19:12
Thank you for listening to the Conversations with Rich Bennett. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and learned something from it as I did. If you'd like to hear more conversations like this, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you have a moment, I'd love it if you could leave a review. It helps us reach more listeners and share more incredible stories. Don't forget to connect with us on social media or visit our website at conversationswithrichbent.com for updates, giveaways, and more. Until next time, take care, be kind, and keep the conversations going. You know, it takes a lot to put a podcast and together. And my sponsors help add a lot. But I also have some supporters that actually help me when it comes to the editing software, the hosting, and so forth. There's a lot that goes into putting this together. So I want to thank them, and if you can please, please visit their websites, visit their businesses, support them however you can. So please visit the following real life prosthetics, cutting-edge solutions, restoring ability since 2001, go to reallifeprostetics.com. Full Circle boards, nobody does charcuterie, like full circle boards, visit them at full circle boards.com. Sincerely, Sincerely, Sincerely, solar photography. Live in the moment. They'll capture it. Visit them at SincerelySawyer.com.