Kate Weiner is the Founder and Creative Director of Loam, an active community publishing vibrant print publications to facilitating immersive workshops, Loam's constellation of creatives is committed to building a better world through arts-as-activism.

Kate is an environmental educator, writer, and gardener. She facilitates workshops across the country on regeneration and resilience, and has a Certificate in Permaculture Design from the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center and a Certificate in the Science and Art of Herbalism.

1. What are a few things that help you find a rhythm in your daily life with everything going on?

My morning routine is very sacred to me. Before I check my phone, before I intake news, before I get to work, I go for a run outside or take a dance class or walk to the community gardens to soak in all the life-giving vibes. I’m very sensitive and daily movement helps me to meet the reality of the moment we are living in with greater compassion and care.

I also check in with friends and family throughout the day. It’s such a hard time and when I’m really mired in the muck, sending little love notes to my people—sometimes it’s a short text, other times a handwritten letter—helps sustain my spirit. My life is rich because of the communities I am a part of and accountable to, and relationships (like everything else) need consistent care. Tending to my connections is part of how I find my flow.

2. What are three things you do to be well + immune healthy during the week?

Each morning, I make myself a dandelion root, chicory, chaga, and cinnamon decoction blended with a spoonful of Goldmine and a slick of almond butter. It’s my favorite elixir—supportive to the liver, nourishing for the immune system—and it’s especially sweet to share with my friends as a little treat.

Throughout the day, I sip on herbal infusions to support specific issues I’m facing. When I’m feeling stagnant, I turn to a blend of red clover blossom, nettle, oatstraw, elderflower, ginger root, and tulsi to energize, balance, and uplift. And when I’m experiencing digestive upset, I like to brew a big batch of plantain leaf, chamomile, lemon balm, marshmallow root, rose, and calendula to soothe my gut.

Nighttime is harder for me, because when I’m tired, it’s hard for me to do what I know I need to do to take care of myself. I so often will feel fatigued and overwhelmed and anxious. But when I’m in a good groove, I sip on a mug of magnesium and milk thistle as well as stretch to a favorite (funny) podcast before bed. Laughter is good medicine.

I’m a big believer that personal wellbeing is intertwined with community wellbeing. When I find something that helps me cope with my anxiety and show up stronger for my community in my work as an educator, it’s important to me to share that offering with others. I want everyone to feel supported, held, and at home. I want everyone to be able to nourish themselves on their terms with greater ease.

3. Stress is inevitable — What stresses you out?

On a macro scale, I’m stressed by political inaction on issues such as climate change, police brutality, and social injustice. I’m stressed by the fear that there is not enough time to do what needs to be done. I’m a deep empath and although I’m working on creating stronger boundaries so that I can show up better to my work, I still struggle with knowing how to hold everything— the good and the bad, the need to take action and the necessity of pause—in balance.

On a micro scale, I’m stressed when a timeline for a project doesn’t align with my own emotional and energetic timeline. I am someone who has to go through a lot of fallowness to bloom, and even though I understand and respect that doesn’t always mesh with others’ flows, it can still be stressful to push through my (sometimes slow) process to get something done.

4. When you’re feeling under the weather or having a suboptimal day, how do you take care of yourself?

When I’m feeling under the weather, I give myself permission to indulge in a favorite TV show or a silly book as part of resetting and repairing. I think it’s okay every now and then to truly veg out. If I’m being real, I still have a lot of shame about vegging out—I want even my “unproductive” time to be of benefit—but I really do think giving our bodies and brains the space to “freeze” can ultimately help us move through physical sickness and spiritual stagnation. I will even text my best friend “Permission to [fill in the blank]?” when I’m navigating what to do because even though I know I’m my own permission slip, sometimes it’s sweet to have a little extra push.

I also like to do a respiratory steam with chamomile flowers, make myself a mug of bone broth, and take a hot shower. Hot water is incredibly healing.

5. If you recall an intense or stressful period in your life, what/who helped you move through it?

When I moved cross country to California a couple of months after graduating from college, I was going through a very hard time. I felt overwhelmed by climate collapse and political inaction, lonely at work, far from my beloved best friends, disconnected from the daily practices that brought me joy, and unsure how to be of better service. I spent a lot of time crying.

What helped me move through it was my big brother. He lived in the same neighborhood that I did and every night, made me a really beautiful meal (the only real meal I likely had that day). His generosity in feeding me was so above and beyond. Especially because I wasn’t in a place then to reciprocate (I don’t even remember helping him with the dishes—I was always way too tired!) Like me, he’s very sensitive to what’s going on in our world. But he also is someone who understands that to take care of our people and planet we need to take care of ourselves, too. He helped me return to myself.

I think that’s one reason why feeding my friends, my community, is so important to me—it’s a way to pay forward the gift that my brother gave me. Food is a conduit for connection and a catalyst for healing. A good meal makes us feel loved, seen, supported, and experiencing that kind of energy is truly world-building. There are a million reasons we encounter stress, and one small way we can ease anxiety is by supporting our physiological resilience through good, nourishing food.

6. When you think about the little things in life, what brings you joy?

Flowers from the farmers’ market, meandering walks with friends, luscious herbal remedies, and cooking a big beautiful dinner with my roomies just because.

7. What lessons have you learned that help you keep things in perspective?

Through my work, I get to learn from so many amazing people on the frontlines of climate justice who have shown me that man-made systems can be (un)made, that joy is a necessity, that big wins take sustained work and deep trust, and that community is the bedrock for blossoming. On my hardest days, I hold these lessons in my heart as a reminder to continue to show up, work, rest, imagine and connect.