The Becoming Podcast | Season 4; Episode 6 | Amber Magnolia Hill on herbalism, rites of passage and what it means to be human upon the earth

The Becoming Podcast

Oh my friends, this month's episode of the Becoming Podcast is so special, in so many ways.

First of all, I'm just going to come right out and say it: this is one of those fangirl episodes where I reach out to someone I adore and whose work I've been following for many, many years, and cross my fingers. It was such an honour to have Amber say an enthusiastic YES to my request, and to then have such a beautifully connecting, heartfelt conversation together.

If you're not familiar with Amber and her work, here's what you should know:

Amber is an herbalist, homesteader, and podcaster who is caretaking two daughters, four cats, and seven chickens on an herb farm in Northern California. She helps her online community remember what it is to be human upon the earth through earth and ancestor connection. Amber is the creator of the Mythic Medicinals line of herbal and mushroom medicines and the host of the Medicine Stories podcast.

The conversation I had with Amber was rich, meandering and deeply thought-provoking. We talked about:

> Amber's journey into motherhood and then into herbalism, and how that naturally led to a curiosity about ancestral lifeways

> Evolutionary mismatch theory, and how modern life is both burning us out and waking us up

> What it's like to parent in these times, where we often lack the traditional ways of knowing, community support and rites of passage (for us as mothers and for our children) that we need to guide us

> What it means to reclaim deep self- and inner-knowing as a way to navigate these challenging times with more ease, competence and integrity

This episode covers so very many of my favourite things, from herbalism and earth connection to mothering to rites of passage. I hope you enjoy the conversation I had with Amber as much as I did.