Next Steps: Stone Soup for the Soul
It’s been a minute.
I’ve been pondering my next steps with the help of some of bright lights and innovative humans and I’m more hopeful than I’ve been in a while.
The Next Steps Conference this past week on Lanier Islands, GA, was heart opening.
I’ve been writing about the need to balance the lover and the fighter in each of us. Tia Severino’s solution-oriented conference provided a safe space to strike that balance, bringing together a community that set its sights on shifting the paradigm so that we can build forward together.
This isn’t defeat the enemy. This isn’t “there will be an answer…Let it be”.
This is let’s stop propping up a world we don’t want and become the foundation for the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. These folks are planting seeds and building the future. Literally.
More Confluence than Conference
With each presentation, and every subsequent conversation, I caught another glimpse of that world. I thought I was pretty-clued in with regards to the incredible work that is being done to advance health freedom and create a better future for our children. But there is soooo much more. So many shining stars lighting the way.
I already knew about Susan Sweetin and her incredible work at Freedom Travel Alliance. I knew because she saw this coming and was solution-focused from the start. Susan was not content to let vaccination status determine who could travel and who couldn’t, so she spent much of the last couple of years chartering planes and finding ways to get people to where they needed to be, shot or not. She’s now working on launching Freedom Health Connect, so patients and practitioners can join forces to reclaim health choice.
But I did NOT know about Tag Meyer, who walked away from a successful career in response to COVID shot mandates and started “freesteading”. He has since built a 5,000 sq. ft. house, created a power-generating station and a water treatment facility and grows 70% of his own food. He also started Freesteading.com, a social media platform for those looking to take ownership of their lives.
Louise Milleman, Nicole Sauce, Zen Honeycutt, Jim Gale and Sherrie and Bobby Black also shared their lived experiences as well as their self-reliance tools. The lives they have created are rooted in a connection to the earth and the forgotten ways of the past. These folks presented us with dozens of ways to begin a journey towards health and sovereignty. If you’re not ready to grow your own food forest, start by giving up non-organic and processed foods (apparently hummus has some of the highest glyphosate toxicity - yikes!) and get yourself a good water filter. If you’re not up to homesteading, how about homeschooling or unschooling? Or just start with a tomato plant and get your hands dirty.
I knew about Dr. Cammy Benton, who has spent much of her career making sure people get true informed consent and healthcare options. Cammy has created Benton Integrative Health with the goal of providing a holistic approach to health care.
But I had never heard of Derrick Broze, who accessed his own healing potential to break the cycle of addiction and incarceration and went on to create The Conscious Resistance Network, “an independent media organization focused on empowering individuals through education, philosophy, health, and community organizing.”
I’ve admired Polly Tommy’s work since VAXXED and have joined Stephanie Locricchio at countless rallies and events. I’ve watched them lend their voices to the health freedom movement and the plight of the vaccine-injured. Both skilled interviewers and storytellers, they came to share some of their journalistic “secret sauce”.
But I had never seen CHD.TV’s Riley Vuyovich step out from behind her camera and editing equipment. Her first ever on-stage presentation walked us through the history of propaganda and inspired everyone in the room to become a citizen journalist. She also walked us through some technology basics to help us get started. Riley’s youth, wisdom and compassion speaks to a new generation of Children’s Health Defenders and I’m excited to see how she’ll grow the movement.
I knew about Dr. James Lyons Weiler, who founded the the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge (IPAK) and is Unbreaking Science. “Dr. Jack” is challenging scientific dogma and helping all of us learn how to review the available science and data.
I knew about Dr. Brian Hooker, who worked with CDC whistleblower, Dr. William Thompson, to expose fraud and corruption within vaccine safety research in the CDC. Brian gave us all a lesson in the value of making FOIA requests and understanding study design.
I knew about how Dr. Pierre Kory, Dr. Peter McCullough and so many others accessed the courage to see beyond medical groupthink and sacrificed lucrative careers to call out the corruption and scientific shortcomings that are now causing mass suffering. These folks have since turned their attention towards life-saving solutions.
But did you know about Nurse Ashley Grogg? In addition to creating The VAERS Project, Ashely is working to facilitating the healing of “moral injury”- helping people to access compassion, grace and forgiveness as we all confront some of our missteps throughout the pandemic.
I knew about Robert Scott Bell who has been modeling and championing natural health and bodily autonomy for years and whose podcast constantly reminds us that “the power to heal is yours.” But I had never heard of Tim Ray or the United Intentions Foundation. You can check out his UI Media Network if you’d like to take your red pill with a side of hope.
I knew about Brad Skistimas of Five Times August, mostly because he is an essential part of my Freedom Playlist and I sing along to his music all the time (I Will Not Be Leaving Quietly is my personal favorite). Brad is proof that music and entertainment needn’t poison our minds or dumb us down. There are ways to infuse the painful truth with hope and even make it catchy and fun.
But I hadn’t anticipated the power of music, dance and community. Furthermore, even the people I have seen and heard many times have evolved and continue to grow.
Each one of these individuals (and there were plenty more) contributes some unique and beautiful gift. But something happens when you bring these folks together and sprinkle them among a large group of curious, engaged people who are hungry for change.
It’s magic.
Tia seems to understand that hearts don’t synergize over Zoom. These are things that happen better around firepits, between hugs, over coffee or kombucha… maybe with a little musical accompaniment to enhance the alchemy of intentions and good ideas.
It’s kind of a compassionate deprogramming that takes place when new perspectives chip away at our calcified thinking and limited beliefs. Love and community have a way of healing PTSD and melting the film of fear that has obstructed our vision of a brighter future for our children.
Since getting home, I’ve had to throw out a few items from my fridge and have reached out to some people with greener thumbs than me. My playlist is a little longer and my spirits are a little higher.
My next steps may be baby steps, but it’s a start.
Thanks so much for this. I wanted to go very much but was unable to for severe reasons. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to listening to the links.
Thank you for the recap and perspectives Ann, was great meeting you and everyone else. Definitely a lot of thought-provoking presentations, conversations! Tia puts on an awesome program :)