Gratitude Blooming Podcast

As we transition to a new year, we revisit the concept of tenacity and how it is represented by the dandelion.
The dandelion is a symbol of transformation, going from a yellow flower to a white puff ball to seeds. Similarly, we can transform our minds by practicing gratitude and shifting our focus from negative thoughts to positive ones. This helps us to cultivate a growth mindset and become more resilient.
As we enter the new year, it's a good time to reflect on this theme of tenacity and how we can cultivate it in our own lives. Remember, we have the power to choose which thoughts we want to focus on and to transform our minds for the better.
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If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.
Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners.
And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.
Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

In this podcast episode, author and therapist Jor-El Caraballo talks about the importance of presence, permission to grow, sensitivity, memory, security vs. safety, and belonging.

He compares himself to an orchid, a plant that needs very little water, and encourages listeners to focus less on creation and more on spontaneity. He also mentions the importance of consent, disclosure, and reflection in order to save us from the shadow, which is more than the addict of our psyche.

We hope you'll join us on this journey of connecting with nature, culture, and self.

Please consider making a donation to support the Gratitude Blooming Podcast and sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date with new episodes and other exciting updates.

Every donation helps us continue to bring you inspiring stories — and as a thank you, you'll receive a digital card deck subscription worth $200!

Support our listener-driven podcast with a donation today!

More about our guest:
Jor-El Caraballo is a licensed therapist and cofounder of Viva, a therapy practice with locations in New York, California and Pennsylvania. Caraballo earned degrees in psychological counseling from Teachers College at Columbia University and is the author of the recently published The Shadow Work Workbook: Self-Care Exercises for Healing Your Trauma and Exploring Your Hidden Self now available wherever books are sold.
You can keep up with Jor-El and Viva on Instagram. @jorelcaraballo and @vivamentalhealth

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.
Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners.
And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.
Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

In this intimate conversation, we look back and look forward on the year and the lessons our team has learned from being in close connection to nature.
Belinda talks about how nature has been a profound and lifelong learning experience for her and how it is accessible and universal to everyone.
Omar shares about the importance of gratitude and mindfulness in allowing us to adapt to change and be present in the moment.
Arlene reminds us of the eternal and our shared humanity through nature.
Nature is a source of stillness and presence, and it can help us to understand the cycles and transitions of life. Experiencing nature allows us to deepen our practices of stillness and presence, and provides an anchor points for understanding the world around us.
This week we invite you to take a moment to go outside. Find some soil to put your feet or your hands in. And remember that connection that we all have to the earth that is always available to us.

Please consider making a donation to support the Gratitude Blooming Podcast at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=XB4YL5S75X6S2

Every donation helps us continue to bring you inspiring stories — and as a thank you, you'll receive a digital card deck subscription worth $200!
Go to www.gratitudeblooming to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date with new episodes and other exciting updates.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.
Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners.
And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.
Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

At the heart of Gratitude Blooming is art. All the art is an attempt to bring some kind of healing into the world.
According to the artist and co-founder Arlene Kim Suda, even if the expression of a work reaches just one person at a time, it feels like the slow work needed to build the momentum to create the world we hope and dream to live in.

This week we talk more about the power of art - both creating and interpreting it. Inspired by Oren Slozberg, the Executive Director of Commonweal, we explore Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) as a process of looking at art that leads to deeper understanding and interpretation. The first step is simply to look at the art.

• What do you see?
• What colors are used?
• What can you describe of the plant?

Once you have a good sense of what you're looking at, the next step is to start asking questions.

• What do you think is happening in the illustration?
• What might the artist be trying to say?
• What does this remind you of?
• What is the plant saying?

There is no right or wrong answer in interpreting art. It is a practice of making meaning.

We appreciate your support and help so we can bloom!
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For the holidays or mindful gifts, check out the Gratitude Blooming shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Use code: BLOOM22 to get 20% off everywhere in our shop!

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.
Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners.
And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.
Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

In this episode of the podcast, "Impermanence - embracing loss," we dedicate it to our beloved podcast producer, Brian Vasquez, who recently passed away. Brian was a self-taught and Grammy-nominated audio producer who never forgot the magic of audio and had a deep appreciation for the craft. He will always be remembered for his love for sound and storytelling.
Brian’s love for audio began at two years old with his first Fisher-Price cassette recorder. On any given day, this small wonder of technology gave his imagination permission to run wild as a sportscaster, a preacher or a musician. He would always remind us that “sound is eternal.”

We also feature our conversation with Karen Mack, the founder of LA Commons, an arts organization that helps communities tell their stories and artists create dynamic works of public art, including with nature. Karen shares her insights on how art and community work together to create meaning, and how technology can both connect and disconnect us from each other. She also reflects on the importance of imagination and the beauty of nature.
We hope you enjoy the closing practice of listening with presence as a way to cherish the relationships that truly matter to you!
Support for Brian Vasquez’s family can be made here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-rally-for-brians-battle-against-leukemia

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.
Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners.
And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com to help us sustain this podcast or sponsor us here.
Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!