Finding Healing Through Plants, Intuition, and a Slower Life with Brenda Grate
There are some conversations that feel less like interviews and more like sitting around a kitchen table with a close friend, sharing stories that matter. Today’s podcast episode was exactly that.
I sat down with Brenda Grate, my right-hand woman, dear friend, and resident herbalist, for a deeply personal conversation about healing, plants, intuition, and the path that led her toward natural medicine from a very young age.
As two Canadians now living in the Mediterranean, we also explored how changing environments, rhythms, and lifestyles can completely transform the way we feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Brenda’s connection to herbal medicine didn’t come from trends or social media wellness culture. It came from experience, curiosity, and years of learning to listen more closely to nature and to people. In this episode, she shares how working with herbs became less about “fixing symptoms” and more about building a relationship with plants and understanding the body as a whole.
One of the things I love most about Brenda’s approach is that it’s deeply intuitive while still being grounded and practical. She talks about how she works with clients gently and individually, recognizing that no two people are the same, especially when it comes to women’s health and menopause.
We also dive into one of her favorite tinctures, Happy Juice, which has become especially popular among women navigating menopause and perimenopause. Brenda explains why certain herbs can be supportive during this phase of life, particularly for mood, stress, nervous system support, emotional overwhelm, sleep, and the general feeling that your body suddenly started speaking a completely different language overnight.
What I appreciated most is that this wasn’t about chasing perfection or pretending herbs are “magic cures.” It was about reconnecting with slower, more traditional ways of supporting the body and understanding that healing often begins when we stop overriding ourselves all the time.
Another fascinating part of our conversation centered around the idea that plants communicate with us if we slow down enough to notice. Brenda shares how simply spending time with herbs, growing them, touching them, smelling them, and learning their personalities can completely change your relationship with natural medicine.
We also discuss how surprisingly easy it is to start making your own herbal remedies at home. Brenda breaks down simple ways beginners can begin experimenting with tinctures and herbal preparations without feeling intimidated.
And of course, we couldn’t avoid talking about life in the Mediterranean compared to North America. As two Canadians who chose a different pace of life, we reflected on how much healthier, calmer, and more connected life can feel when there is more sunlight, more walking, more community, more time outdoors, and less constant urgency.
This episode felt honest, grounding, and deeply human. If you’ve been curious about herbal medicine, menopause support, natural healing, or simply slowing down enough to reconnect with yourself, I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation.
Explore Brenda’s work here:
Mugwort & Meadow
Follow Brenda on Instagram:
@mugwortandmeadow
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