What's New at HomegrownUrban

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while since I communicated, posted, had an event and so much more. It's been quite the ride since starting this business. I went from homeschooling my kids to having kids camps, to starting supperclubs for adults to hosting workshops and webinars online. It has all been wild, exciting and a lot of fun. So, let me update you on what's new and some changes you will be seeing on my website.

Since January of 2022 I have been taking a LOT of online courses. I went from studying herbalism to studying naturapathic and functional medicine, rooted in Ayurvedic principles, to becoming a certified Integrative Health Coach. Food has always been the focus of my interest and passion, and using food as medicine became very apparent to me in the last few years but I wasn't sure how to go about this. I had some clarity, things just started to fall into place, and I dove back into the world of academia. I have loved studying the human body, how we function on a biological level, but also emotional, psychological and spiritual need for community, touch, recognition and acceptance.

My course work has 2 levels and I have completed the first which allows me to practice seeing clients to help them with their personal health and wellness journey. I decided to postpone the Level 2 until March to give myself some time to establish my business and focus on things. The universe has other plans it seems, for I was contacted by a non-profit to be a reoccurring guest chef to teach health and nutrition to one of our local communities. All of this is done through grant funding and is free to the community (I will write more on this later). As it turns out, my passion for teaching and focusing on individual health have lined up so perfectly with my other desire to go back to non-profit work. It is part-time and therefore even more perfect.

With all this lining up so well, I also enrolled in a 5 week masterclass on trauma therapy and the vegas nerve- stemming from Polyvegal theory. Now, I have decided to go all in for a 16 week course to really dive in. Neuroscience in how it relates to our body and emotions and healing has always been something that fascinates me, but I never knew how to pursue it. Working with kids over the years, I knew we had to relearn and try a new approach to how we work with neurodivergent children. But in so many ways, our society has change, we are different people, we have experienced global trauma and we are in a state of constant fight or flight so this is no longer about kids, but the state of all of us.

I now know that I have to keep learning. I want to. So, as much as I was ready to start my business and "get going" I understand that for now, my focus is on learning and teaching. I am focusing on the content I share through my social media on Instagram and via Facebook groups. While I do this, I have the privilege of teaching health and nutrition at the kitchen. All this allows me to have a little more time with my own kids and help them navigate their teen years.

I also hope to find time to write. I have spent the last year taking voice memos, writing bit and pieces on random papers, taking notes on my phone and musing in my head on walks or while driving. I'd like to find time to put it all down. I'm not sure who is interested, or who will read- which is what held me back from doing it all these years, but now I no longer care. This whole journey in studying health has helped me heal, has helped me realize AND actualize my potential. It has helped me see myself for my capabilities and recognize my strength. It has shown me my passion and most importantly my purpose. It may have taken me well into my mid-40's to realize this, but at least I have. I am thankful for what this experience has taught me, to trust my self, to trust my own judgement and not to follow the path that others lead me down. We spend so much of our lives listening to others tell us who we are, and what we should do, and then we grow up doing things to please others and we stray from the path we always knew we wanted.

So, I'm not sure who will continue to read what I post, but I hope to write more about all this, and as I learn more, I hope to share more. There is no HomegrownUrban without a community. The community is what makes us whole. The community is where we find comfort, recognition and the opportunity to share and grow. Life is a community, we live in community, we are part of a community. I have always enjoyed this work of building community and so, I hope you will join me on any of those social media platforms, and if not, on here.

Thank you for all your interest in all the programs I have offered and hopefully find time to offer again. Just know that I am prioritizing (as I am learning to do this) my focus and learning new information. I hope to get back to teaching since this is part of my purpose. There is no need to abandon 20+ years of what I have built and done, since it has all led to who I am.

Thank you again for your support and I hope to be able to support you through our community, and eventually one-on-one.

Sincerely,

Cham