You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Cheryl and Eileen explore different topics around the limited time we have on this earth to create a fully layered life. Because...You Only Go Once!
You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
KK's Passionate Pursuit of Plant and Mushroom Mysteries
Embark on an enlightening exploration with us as we're joined by the remarkable KK, a plant biologist and mycology aficionado. Together, we uncover the intricate symbiosis of plants, fungi, and humans, a relationship as old as life itself. KK's personal journey from childhood flower-picking to her academic pursuits in plant biology and mycology paints a vivid picture of passion turned profession. Her enchanting stories of the Amanita mushroom and the profound impact of these organisms on our ecological tapestry promise to captivate and educate.
As the conversation blossoms, we delve into the healing powers of mushrooms and the innovative applications they offer. From the turkey tail's embrace in chemotherapy relief to the Rishi mushroom's anti-inflammatory properties, we explore nature's pharmacy and the burgeoning field of sustainable materials crafted from fungi. Our self-taught paths highlight the accessibility of knowledge and the importance of curiosity, as we navigate a world where formal education in mycology is as rare as a Morel in springtime.
Concluding our session, we recount the birth of our podcast during a period of pandemic-induced reflection and the joy of sharing newfound fascinations with our listeners. Looking ahead, we're excited to unveil our 'Nerdy Jobs' series, aimed at shining a spotlight on career opportunities within plant biology and mycology. Join us on 'You Only Go Once' for an adventure in the wonders of the natural world, where learning is the journey and discovery the destination.
Hi, I'm KK. I hope when you look back at your life, you realize how connected we all are with plants, fungi and humans, because you only go once.
Speaker 2:All right, hello, hello, hello, welcome everyone. I'm Cheryl Kantefio, with my fantabulous co-host, eileen Grimes, and we're here today on the you Only Go Once podcast, where we explore stories around the limited time we have on this earth to create a fully layered life. Because you only go once, eileen. We have a fantastic guest today, so please kick us off.
Speaker 3:Thanks, cheryl. I am so excited to nerd out a little bit today with our guest. Today we have KK on with us. Kk is a plant biologist looking to bridge the gap between plants, fungi and humans. She is a thirst for mycology, the study of fungi, which we'll dive into, and would love to educate the importance of plant and fungi interactions. Mushrooms and plants can and will help save the planet, one high-fee at a time. If you like to get down and nerdy with plants, fungi and other science facts, find their podcast Flora and Funga and I highly highly recommend it. I was listening to a few more episodes and the one on cancer recently. Dive in, just dive right on in. So KK, welcome.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you, I am honored to have this opportunity on here, so thank you.
Speaker 3:KK and I were actually talking before we started recording and I showed them that I got my mushroom earrings on Also, Cheryl, I don't know if you can see these. Those are pretty, Yep, and then make me also.
Speaker 2:Oh, nice, you have the same ones. Yes, sacked out, nice. Yes.
Speaker 1:Nice, I am all emanita today.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 3:Very cool.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, and also you can put the socks on Do you really, I do, I just realized that I didn't even plan that.
Speaker 3:That's amazing. So yeah, KK, tell our listeners a little bit about you. I have had the pleasure of also listening to your episode where you were interviewed, which was so interesting and fascinating for me. Share a little bit about. Where did this interest come from? And it started at a young age for you, didn't it?
Speaker 1:Yes, yes it did. I always really liked plants. My mom kind of taught me gardening and how to get out in nature, so that was just kind of like the basics of it. I also every time went to greenhouses. I'd like collect those little succulent leaves that you find, or like I'd pick, like all of these flowers. I'd actually get in trouble when I was younger by going over to my neighbor's house and like plucking their tulips and my mom's like come on, you have to go, apologize, you can't just like pick people's flowers. So it was just like but they're so pretty, Like why couldn't I do that? And so that was just like one of those things.
Speaker 1:Climbing trees as well, it's just one of the ways that I relaxed and had my own alone time and I knew I liked plants but didn't really know what I wanted to do in college. I entered Mankato with a biochemistry idea and I was like that's not me at all. But one of the prereqs was plant biology and I took that class and it all just made sense, Like everything just clicked for me. I love the professor, so shout out Dr Ruland for that. Yeah, no, it was just. It all made sense and I went for plant biology.
Speaker 1:Specifically after that, I also have had some relatives that lived in Phillips, Wisconsin, and I was driving around seeing aminitas, actually this mushroom on the ground, and I had to go check it out. I was like, what is this thing? It was like huge, it was like orange, it was gorgeous. So I took some pictures with it and learned how much plants and fungi are all connected. So that was just kind of the one spark where I was like whoa, I need to learn more about this, Like why aren't people talking about this? So this was like 10, 10 years ago or so and yeah, so my mom supported me all the way. She got me my ceiling running. So that's like the number one book that I would recommend by Paul Stammets and, yeah, that's kind of what led me into everything.
Speaker 3:And Paul's here up in the Pacific Northwest. So yes, he's on my list. Of people want to eventually meet at my life.
Speaker 1:I know I've been trying to like contact him. I know all of his friends and he's like, oh, this is his email, here's his phone number. Like he's probably just so busy that he doesn't even, I'm sure, crack of his own phone.
Speaker 3:Totally get it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and then the episode that you were talking about was with Howard Sprouse. So he's actually friends with Paul Stammets and he was saying I interviewed him because he was a listener. And then he was like, hey, why don't I interview you? And then you could just have like a little blurb about how you got into this. And I was like wow, really Like thank you, so we're friends to this day. He invited me out to OP fun guy fest. So I'm in the middle of kind of putting that documentary together. So that was really cool.
Speaker 1:I'm now starting to get like invited to mushroom festivals and document stuff for them.
Speaker 3:That's amazing. It's been a dream, yeah, and that was. You went recently. Again. This is me watching, yes, looking through all of your social media and everything like that. Yeah, so it was in October. Yeah, my gosh, incredible.
Speaker 1:I know Perfect time to visit the Pacific Northwest.
Speaker 3:Definitely for that especially. Yeah, so I just poor listeners. I reached out to KK1 because just the podcast in general was amazing. I'm actually in the middle of a psychedelic practitioners program, a one-year program, which is amazing and fascinating, so really going through and understanding our first module was really in diving into meeting the mushroom right and so having that background and understanding and educating ourselves from a cognitive lens, a embodied lens, a sacred lens, like all of these different pieces. And somehow I stumbled I can't remember if it was one of the resources or if I stumbled somehow, but I found your podcast and I was like I have to meet KK at some point and have you on the podcast. I just this podcast is so much fun because we really talk about, we talk to people and hear their stories about how they're living their lives on purpose and in the way that's fullest for them. And seeing your passion and understanding what that looks like and how you get to live that out loud Every day is just incredible and being able to share that from a wonderful geeky lens of like I get to geek out with you on this because I love all my plants in fungi too, so it's just it's so much fun for me to bring you into here One of the things that you were talking about, too, for those listeners who might not necessarily have as much in-depth knowledge or understand.
Speaker 3:You were talking about the relation between plants and fungi, right? So we'd love for you to share even a little bit more on sort of what that relationship looks like, I mean, during my program. Like, oh, fungi aren't plants, Like they're not even in the same kingdom. They're not in the same kingdom, right? So, like this is a whole new piece for me to learn. So, yeah, I would just love for you to kind of share some of that part to educate our audience and let them know why they're so cool and how they're all interrelated.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I really fell in love with the whole plants and fungi just because there's plants and fungi out there that can either heal you or kill you, and I thought that was just very interesting how they can kind of do both in different concentrations. So yeah, that's pretty interesting. And there's multiple different types of like connections. So there's like types of fungi that go inside of plants, roots and give nutrients that way, so they're kind of like intertwined. And then there's other ones that kind of are just connected and share nutrients in that way. There's also parasitic ones and mutualistic ones. There's multiple different types and that's what's fascinating is how there's different, I guess, varieties of plants and fungi connections.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I just I think it's so interesting and I mean, I was even one of the things that we were starting to learn about was like how, at the beginning of life, even right, and how much they required each other basically to like to even evolve and grow and become all the life forms that we have now. Was that interconnection and I just think it's a really magical thing. We don't, you know, some people look at mushrooms and it's like God, there's just like get them out of my yard. I know.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is sad A lot of people are afraid of even touching mushrooms and so I'm also trying to, I guess, get away from that stigma that you can't even learn about mushrooms Like you can touch them. Fun fact, you can technically like nibble on them like any mushroom as well. You just can't swallow mushrooms. So how mushrooms kind of affect your system is if it goes through specific organs. So that's kind of like a party trick. If you want to like nibble on some mushrooms, you're like, hey, but don't do that.
Speaker 2:Don't do that.
Speaker 3:Don't do mushrooms?
Speaker 1:But it is interesting how yeah, it only really affects you if it goes through a specific like liver and organs and things like that.
Speaker 2:I kind of feel like 2023 has been the year of the mushroom because more and more people on social media that are active faragers, especially around the. I know nothing, so I'm just going to say words and hopefully these are right, but the oyster mushroom seems to be big and popular, especially in the culinary world. I've seen social media chefs create vegan alternatives to fried chicken using oyster mushrooms, which is fascinating, and for somebody I will freely admit I can't eat mushrooms because I have a reaction so sad. It is sad because every time I look at something I'm like oh, that looks really good. So I'm constantly fascinated by the way people are approaching foraging in general and just saying, like ha-za for the mushroom as an alternate source of just food.
Speaker 2:Because, again, there's been a lot. You know, there's always the talk about the reduction of the carbon footprint by, you know, eating less red meat and things like that, and people are focusing on alternatives that not only are good for you but taste good. So you know, I'm excited to hear more around what you've discovered, and then two more things and then I'll. You know, we'll get back to this. I do this, I just shoo, I go off. If you're looking for an interesting festival on mushrooms. I don't know if you've heard about Kenneth Square, pennsylvania.
Speaker 1:I actually just released an episode today on a fair-earing mushrooms and so I actually interviewed the. So the guys mom, I think, puts on that festival.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's huge. It's huge in this area.
Speaker 1:Mushroom Capital of the World.
Speaker 2:Mushroom Capital of the World?
Speaker 1:Well, maybe, the United States. I was going to say maybe the country, but that's not the world.
Speaker 2:But, you know, give them what they need, yeah, so it's just really interesting and I also am interested in hearing more around. You had mentioned that they, you know, we always look at mushrooms and plants in general as like these things that float above the land. And what you don't realize, what I've come to realize, is that there's a whole communication system that goes on underneath right and there's especially with and again I'm going to be your and then I'll come back and I promise but especially they've noted with trees. So like if there's like a whole forest of trees and if one of the trees isn't thriving, they all kind of get together underneath the ground and kind of supplement the nutrients that that tree needs to thrive. Is that the same way that it is with mushrooms too?
Speaker 1:Yes, Yep, and they actually both go hand in hand, like how we bridge the gap between all of them.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:So there's specific mushrooms that are associated with specific trees, so they already have their relationship. So that's like morels, or mostly like the parasitic ones, so the hen of the woods, the oyster, things like that.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Kind of favor one specific tree, just because they have like all of the things that they need. But then you know, you see a whole forest and all of that's also connected underneath. So, yeah, it's there's different trees connecting, trying to shuttle nutrients to other things, and then those mushrooms are on top of that, and then don't even get me started on all the other microbes in the soil. So it's just like let's see what are some of those, like different little invertebrates or little insects to little worms and then microbes just in general, like there's endless amount of those. So having like the big biodiversity underneath the soil is really what drives all the connections and yeah, it thrives that way.
Speaker 2:That's great. So I don't know if you know this about Eileen and I, but we are women in STEM, so you know we've yep and we actually co-founded a women in IT organization. When we work together and I always think back to when I was in school and I went from being really interested in science and math to not being interested in science and math, which is kind of a thing with girls in particular, right, what advice would you give to budding young women who are interested in STEM about your particular area of interest? So you talked about, like you know, obviously your mom gave you support, although not plucking tulips from neighbor's yards, but what you know? What? Where would you say they could start learning more about biodiversity, fungi, all the things that you're interested in as well? You know how do they get started and how do they build community in that space.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess I always. I'm always like a forever learner, so I always have library books on hand, like I have some books behind me. Literally the books that I have is like phosphorus and like the nature of plants, like how do you plants work? Like that's the stuff that I'm reading while going to sleep. So, yeah, finding your local library is probably my biggest advice is, like, look at all of the areas of like biology or whatever topics that you're interested in, and or ask for help to try to find those topics, Because I learned so much from public libraries.
Speaker 1:You can rent them Also. The internet is crazy now. Yeah, if you're, youtube kind of covers so many different things. But I just loved learning so much and that's why I wanted to go to school. You don't even have to get a degree to do what I'm doing or other mycologists. It's just kind of like an easy way to have a schedule, but if you're really determined, then it's probably more beneficial to teach yourself. So that's a lot of mycologists right now, just because they don't really teach that. Like when I was at Mankato, I kind of made my own like emphasis with mycology, because they only offer like soil science. So it's kind of unfortunate that they only offer like thank God they offered plant classes and so right now they're starting to, I think, get more of those professors in with the mycology field. But I'm thinking about that could be like my thing to bring back is trying to do a class on the connections of both plants and fungi. I think that would be really fun to be like a professor that way.
Speaker 2:Oh, I think that would be great, because it has to start with somebody right, exactly.
Speaker 2:I want to switch a little bit because prior to us starting our recording, you had mentioned, or you and Eileen had started mentioning, some of the new not research but real, I guess findings with mushrooms in relationship to cancer. Cancer is something that is very cancer. Research is something very personal to me. I lost my mom to pancreatic cancer last year and I lost my mother-in-law to metastatic breast cancer back in 2012. And it's just curious to see, like you know, chemo almost seems worse than the disease, and I mean no disrespect because they have come. Doctors and scientists have come so far with chemotherapy and what it does Right, and it would also be interesting to see what from nature might be able to combat this awful and city is disease.
Speaker 2:So I was wondering if you had any insights around that.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, turkey tail is. So I don't. I don't want to like butcher this, but my partner is the one that always like he's that he's the chemist. So when we do mushroom presentations. I'm like, yeah, the botanist, like the biology and he's all like all right, we got this chemical and then like it's got the trans, like Formation that way, and I'm just like wow, but turkey tail is one of the mushrooms that is well studied. It's actually prescribed in Europe because it has a specific molecule in there that when you take it, it actually helps with the chemo.
Speaker 1:So it actually like is a synergistic effect and helps you go through chemo easier. It's also used for immune boosting and yes, a turkey tail would be. It's kind of like the number one thing that we talk about at farmers markets and also Rishi is another very well studied mushroom from eastern like traditional medicine, and that's like an overall immune arthritis is what I take for as well.
Speaker 1:So I actually was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis like three years ago and so I actually learned all about this because somebody approached me to be on the podcast. But they were like, hey, I'd love to do like a holistic approach of helping you heal, and so they went through and Rishi was like the number one powder that they recommended that I take. So I've been. I take a specific mushroom stack every day to help with different things.
Speaker 2:Okay, Okay, that's fascinating too, yeah, from the rheumatoid arthritis perspective too yeah.
Speaker 3:That's fascinating. So I also sorry. I'm just going to jump in real quick.
Speaker 1:Jump in, jump on in.
Speaker 3:I take these at nighttime.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:Okay, Chill gummies, yeah, yeah, but it's got the Rishi and like it's so fascinating because there's just so many and like I'm literally I'm drinking some mushroom coffee right now. Yeah, Not in preparation for you. I've literally been doing this now for a while and I've just I've found some benefits with with a lot of that and focus and clarity and a lot of things too with them, like a daily mushroom right and I just it's been kind of incredible having that and but yeah, there's just there's so there's so many different things right now. I feel like a lot of this stuff is now starting to pop up. I was researching the other day on mushroom fabric right and just how, how there's potential for using that. Obviously, there's still some you know work that they that needs to be done and making sure that it's flexible enough and that you're able to move in it and things that like.
Speaker 3:Walking like this, right, but it's so fast, like it's just fascinating seeing that world now being like, oh, and it's, it's replenishable, right, that's easy to grow and and all those things, and it's just it's just fascinating seeing how much is accessible to be able to bring in terms of sustainability, right, but then also really the benefits that we get by actually taking those that are that are really supportive. So sorry, I was interrupting.
Speaker 1:No, no, you're okay, I remember the molecule polysaccharide K is what's in Turkey tail, so I just want to make sure I say that specifically. I wanted to talk about lines main as well. So when we're at this market.
Speaker 1:Tons of people. So I'm in the villages, florida, so 55 plus retirement community, and people come up to our stand and about like three months ago nobody really, you know, knew the benefits of mushrooms. And recently people are coming up to our stand. They're like, hey, do you guys have lines main? And we're like, yeah, we actually do. Like, what form do you want? We got tinctures, powder, fresh, dried, like all of these different options for people. And I love how mushrooms are trending right now, just because now people are coming up to us and asking what mushrooms we have. And so, yeah, if you don't know what lines main, it is very like it's a white, fuzzy mushroom and honestly tastes it's like a pull apart string cheese or like crab meat texture.
Speaker 1:So a lot of people are using it as like a crab meat substitution and so it's a very like vegan driven product right now. So we have a recipe that covers how to make lines main crab cakes. So you replace crab with lines main one to one, and it's a perfect, perfect recipe and then you can feed it to your vegan friends and impress them. But lines main is very good for, like, cognitive benefits, so reducing the like the risk of ADHD, dementia, alzheimer's so it's exactly the group of people that we're targeting for our market. So it's just want to make sure that we talked about lines main at some point. Very tasty mushroom.
Speaker 2:It's very fluffy, it looks very fluffy I mean, it looks fluffy, that's you know.
Speaker 1:I looked it up.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and there's multiple types within the same family, so it's a Hresium species and there's like multiple of that in that family. That is wild. Yeah, yeah, super cool, these Cheryl. Yeah, see, I'm so fascinated now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I feel like every time, like you got me.
Speaker 2:I feel like every time I record one of these I'm like, oh, and I go right down the rabbit hole and I'm gone. So if you see me like looking to the side, it's because I'm like what is lion's mane? And I'll boop, boop, boop, boop. And I'm like, oh, that's neat. Boop, boop, boop, boop, boop. So where's the most interesting place you've traveled to see?
Speaker 1:mushrooms yes.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so for school we got to study abroad somewhere. So I really always had this idea of visiting New Zealand, like it's just one of those like mystical places where you never can go. It's like a 12 hour flight to go there or more.
Speaker 1:Yes, so it's already a journey to get there. But yeah, I found this, what was it called? I'll circle back to the company. But I was there studying abroad in New Zealand for a month, so two weeks. You were there doing rehabilitation of plants. So you could technically pick if you wanted to build a school or like help children or like plant stuff, and I was like plant stuff, right. So I'm one of those people. Where I was, we were on this island with no electricity, like you had to bring your own trash off of the island because there was no, no trash. You know pans anywhere.
Speaker 1:And so we would bring all of our food for the two weeks and we were with a big group of people and we would plant native trees. We would go out and collect seeds and start to replant them and try to germinate them and then also tackle any invasive species that we're seeing. So that was a really fun two weeks of just getting our hands dirty and trying to get down and nerdy with some plants. So that was really cool. And then the following two weeks we got to actually adventure around. So we started at the Southern Island and then we ventured back up to Auckland. So that was a life changing experience for me, just because I felt like at that point I was just starting to get to know the plants in the US and so it was kind of fun. When I left I was like, wow, I feel like I know more plants in New Zealand than I do here, which now is the opposite. But but yeah, it was just a really fun experience and I found that nobody really knew what mushrooms were.
Speaker 1:And New Zealand is just the perfect place for biodiversity because you have all of these winds coming in from different angles from this island, so you're getting like a different combinations from each each area and so it's kind of its own hodgepodge of different species and it's not. It doesn't have a lot of animal species on there just because it is so secluded, so it's super diverse with plants and fungi. So it was just really fun on our bush walks, which Bush means the native forest there, so we'd call it like going on a nature walk in the forest, but there the bush is like native. So I was one of those people where I was in the beginning of our hikes and I'd be like, hey, look at this mushroom. Or like people would be like, hey, what is this mushroom, come check it out.
Speaker 1:And so I try to like take some pictures, and at the end of the whole two, four weeks, people were actually really interested in mycology and I thought that was really cool and to have I could get also a credit for studying abroad. So all I'd have to do was teach a class on something, and I wanted to teach a class on the importance of fungi, and so it was cool. We got to go out and I told people to collect all of these different types of mushrooms that they found and then we kind of divided them into whatever family they were and how they grew. So fun, yeah, I got people really interested and I think that stuck with people along the way. So I just love teaching and educating and impressing, you know, yeah, Well, and then to have a podcast too, to go with that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, now I have a podcast.
Speaker 1:So wow, full circle.
Speaker 2:So awesome.
Speaker 3:So do you have I mean, obviously you've been to a few places now since then, right, and you've been able to go on some of these different trips and things. Do you have a dream place that you want to go visit and learn more and see more?
Speaker 1:Yeah, my goal overall, I think, is to retire to New Zealand.
Speaker 3:I think there's so much more to learn.
Speaker 1:And every time a family member or friend says they want to visit, I'm like oh my god, can I come with Like I want to? Tour you around, like I feel like I did a little bit of everything and if I were to pick another place, probably Thailand, I would love to visit more of, like the Asia area. I haven't really been there at all, and I think that'd be. I mean, it's super tropical, so I think that would be even the same diversity.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think that'd be next on my list.
Speaker 3:Interesting. So I'm curious. Just sorry, it just sparks. As you were talking about New Zealand, so you said there's a limited amount or very, very few of animal species in there. So I know one of the things that please educate me if I'm incorrect here One of the things that helps or can help grow is like manure, right, and so with the lack of that, but without the sort of added piece of that, what changes without that and how does that sort of work then when you don't necessarily have that sort of input?
Speaker 1:Yeah, now New Zealand's actually known for like the most sheep or something like that. Like there's tons. Ah, okay, like the rolling hills was something that was just like mind blowing when you drove by. It was just like hills on hills and like all of these like cattle or livestock are just roaming free and so that's a huge difference from here. But they have animals they just don't have like major predators.
Speaker 3:So, there's a lot of birds.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of insects I think we saw like iguanas and like specific reptiles, wow. But yeah, there's not like something that will kill off a lot of other animals, if that makes sense. So, they kind of have to make sure that if a cat is brought on then you have to get it checked and goes through quarantine, so you can't really just bring. I think it takes like a month or two to get your pet even okayed to come into New Zealand because of that reason.
Speaker 1:But yeah, there's there's a lot of diversity of like insects, birds and smaller animals, but yeah, that would affect probably some of the land. But yeah, it was fun to see all the sheep, so there was a lot of livestock there.
Speaker 3:So you decided to start a podcast. How did that happen? What did what did that look like? Why, when, where, you know? And then what do you want to do with it going?
Speaker 1:forward, yeah, yeah. So it started, um, I guess, during COVID. Um, to be honest, I was working at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, so I was analyzing blood samples all day Super exciting stuff and I always we could listen to music and podcasts and things. So I started diving into learning about plants, learning about mushrooms, but I never could find a podcast that bridges both Like there is a lot of house plant podcasts and then a lot of like mushroom podcasts and I was like, well, they're all connected, why isn't there a podcast like that?
Speaker 1:And so I was like, no, I'm going to make my own. So that's kind of like where it started from. I just wanted to be selfish and learn the specific questions that I had, and so I was like I'll just make a podcast and then record it, and then maybe this will help me get into, you know, a masters or whatever. And just networking, I think, was the main draw to that as well, as I think everybody should practice public speaking. It was something that everybody, I think, dreads in middle school, college, high school, all of that.
Speaker 3:So I think it's, it's something that now, with practice it becomes more easy.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of where that all started from. But yeah, I was working at Mayo and I honestly had so much downtime that I started up my whole podcast while at work. So, yeah, that's, I had the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, and what's so amazing? So I actually have both of my kids in Montessori. For me, and this was important for me growing up, I had two teachers who were my parents and the love of learning and knowing how to learn was so incredibly important for me growing up and like that was instilled in my brain and that's why, like I have my kids in this Montessori approach. It's like how do you, how do you learn, how do you know how to learn Right, and so you know? For you to create a podcast, it's like I don't really know what I'm doing. I didn't major in sound engineering, I didn't major in any of these things. Yet here you are.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's, it's so many avenues, so I wanted to. How I kind of started was I got really meta with it. I was listening to a podcast called how to Start a Podcast, and so that was done by Buzzsprout, which is the platform that I use to do my podcast, do my stuff, so same I think you'll yell do to you, we do too.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly. So they have a whole checklist on their website or something like that. And it was like literally just step by step. So every day I was like I'm going to tackle this, I'm going to tackle that, make a website, make an icon. I don't know how to do any of these things.
Speaker 1:Like I was, so not tech savvy, but one day I just I made a website and I did it and I was like no, what now? Now I'm going to do this. So we were talking prior about editing, video editing, and so that's where I started with the audio editing and I was like, okay, I have an app, I have that. I understand that I got social media. Now I want to like increase it a little bit more, a little bit more.
Speaker 1:And so that's where the video editing started, and so that's been going really nice and yeah, just kind of learning as you go and don't crush yourself to do everything at once, because you can't physically do everything at once. So why are we even worried about doing everything at once, right? So I just kind of took it one step at a time, also with like releasing and recording podcasts. Like I don't want to, I guess, lockdown, I have to release something every week because I don't have that time. So then I started with every other week and now I'm two once a week. So I tried to just tackle what I knew I could do and then it free sit when I was ready.
Speaker 1:So that's advice if you're trying to start your own podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's solid advice too.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, I know when we were starting it is.
Speaker 2:It is, I know, when we started, you know Eileen and I definitely have different strengths. Like Eileen, again, you know she, she talks about ADHD, but it's more of her research prowess that she kind of goes okay, well, we need to do this. And da, da, da. And I mean, while I was like so I'm almost on board with the podcast, and meanwhile she was like I've got the headsets, I've got the microphone, like what are you, what are you waiting for? Like we're doing this. This is a thing. I was like, all right, well, I guess I'm joining, yeah. And we learned along right, just tell me what I'm supposed to do, I'll show up. And then I learned too that, like Eileen is not a fan of social media, like posting, doing that stuff, whereas I love it, I'm a junkie. I'm like, okay, like I will, you know, I'll be on there, I'll be happy to do that. So I think the both of us have found synergy in what our strengths are for doing that. But I love that there was a podcast about doing a podcast. Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I had I had started.
Speaker 2:Years and years ago, I read a book on adventure. It wasn't called Adventures in Podcasting, but it was by. It was one of the first MTV VJs and I wish I could remember his name, but he was really into podcasting and he gave solid advice as to how to do that, what equipment you should use and that kind of thing, because he got into it. Yeah, but and then it was like 15 years later I was like, oh, podcasts, I think I should listen to these. And I started listening to them. I thought that would be a lovely thing.
Speaker 2:And then Eileen one day said, hey, we should do a podcast. And I was like, oh, that's interesting. And she's like, so, I've already got this and this and this, you need to update the website. And I was like, well, okay, I guess we're doing this. This is a thing, this is happening, and it's lovely, right, because the amount of connections that you make, I mean it's very. You know when I think about what you do with your exploration around biodiversity and you know, and mycology did I say that right, mycology, mycology, it's almost very. It seems almost like a natural evolution for you to go to podcasting, because there's all this behind the scenes coming together. You know working with people, understanding what's going on and making those connections, so just you know. Good, I feel like a pseudo-mycologist now.
Speaker 2:So I'm feeling pretty good about life right now.
Speaker 1:That's good. Yes, it's who you know, not what you know sometimes. That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2:I'm just taking a really big leap on that bridge. So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Now it's very helpful when you have, you know, two people and you kind of have you get to work with each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I I couldn't also have done this without my partner helping me. He actually helped purchase my first mics for me because I didn't have the money or the resources. So he was like, hey, I'm going to get this for you because I know you're really excited about it and I just want to support you. So he's been my number one first supporter of the podcast and now he's my I call him my technical advisor Fantastic. So, when we go, when we go out for festivals, he's kind of the cameraman.
Speaker 1:Also the director of, like he kind of knows, you know how things will look and yeah so. So yeah, it's been very helpful to have another person, because I don't know how I could have like, All right, here we are Like recording by myself and directing and thinking of all that. So right.
Speaker 2:Very helpful. That's great. That's great. We're getting close to our hour and Eileen has an infamous question and I was hoping that Eileen would ask her infamous question of UKK. So yeah.
Speaker 3:So, as Cheryl kind of already shared, there's three words that she knows when they come out of my mouth something it is taking us down a whole new adventure. This is happening right, and for us in the podcast, I just I knew that you know we had talked about it. We'd actually talked about it for a while, to be fair, cheryl for me at least about doing some kind of podcast for a while, and there got to be a point where I was like I just feel like the, the intuitive part of me. It was like this is actually going to be something that's going to exist in this world. I know that. I know that I'm willing and wanting to put the effort in to make it here. I want this to be something that exists and it feels right to do that, and I can't imagine having left my life behind without doing that right.
Speaker 3:So this is happening, or some three magic words that Cheryl knows there's a whole new adventure. She's not always a part of them. Some of them for me, like I'm doing an aerial arts class tonight and I was just like this is happening, I'm going to learn how to spin myself in the air on silks, because why not Right?
Speaker 2:Why not? That's exciting, that sounds so fun, okay, cool.
Speaker 1:Way harder than you think I've done it and I'm like I, I lift heavy weight and that was that's crazy. I was like sore for days, yeah, whole different version of body weight conditioning stuff.
Speaker 3:So, anyway, we'll see how that goes. I, as long as I don't face plan on the floor, that's all I'm really hoping for for tonight. So, anyway, with that being said, though, you know, with whether it's your podcast, or travel experiences, or things that you know you're kind of wanting to bring into this world, is there anything on your this Is Happening list that we can be excited for with you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great question. So what Cheryl was saying or asking, and I totally forgot about mentioning, was the future of the podcast and what my goals would be, and what I am trying to manifest is doing a traveling type of podcast. So I bet everybody knows what dirty jobs is right.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, I want to do something called nerdy jobs and so I would venture around and do the jobs of these different people with plants or fungi, so like a conservationist or a lab technologist or you know, vice versa, and I would want to do their job for a weekend or a week and just kind of see what it entails. But I so because I think a lot of the youth right now, you know, don't really know like I didn't really know what I could do with a plant biology degree. So it'd be really nice to show people like what the options are. And I think it's just such a broad topic, Like I was interviewing somebody yesterday on, like how broad mycology is you can go with like the medicinal, the psychedelic realm, the culinary realm, the research realm, it's. It's like endless taxonomy and just endless learning with mushrooms and most of the stuff we don't even know yet.
Speaker 1:So I think it's really interesting to educate the youth on what their options would be surrounding nerdy jobs, plants and fungi, so I think that would be my main. Next thing that I want to do is travel more and do something like that I love that that is going to be.
Speaker 2:That's exciting, yes. And let us know right now, yeah, manifest it and we'll we'll, definitely we'll need to have you back. Yes, and kind of like yes and hear more about that, because that would be fantastic. I'm really excited for it. Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:TV show book. I'm available All right Put it out there, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Absolutely yeah, and if you ever sorry this is another part of my problem Keep going, it's not a problem. If you ever happen to do, or want to do, retreats, where you're taking people to do stuff like that, where you get to go. I know it was actually funny. I was reading I need to go get the Mason Goes Mushrooming book that I saw when you yeah, there's a kid's book, cheryl it's. I'm going to get it for you to put in your library, oh please.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:Anyway, but yeah. So even to go, like I would pay, to go on a retreat with you to like show me around and educate, like that could be a really cool thing also right as a piece of that. But yes, I love that idea and I would love for my kids to see that and I could see it being so many different things.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh, PBS time, so educational it could be on so many different channels, right?
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah, that's exciting.
Speaker 3:Okay, we're putting that out there for you.
Speaker 2:Yes, we're putting it out there for you. And if you happen to take nerdy jobs to New Zealand, please give a snuggle to the Velay Black Nose sheep, because they are the cutest teddy bear looking sheep ever. I love them Need to lift this up.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, they are. They are so stinking adorable. They look like like they're just so cute. So, yeah, as soon as you said that, I was like, oh, she's going to receive the Velay Black Nose sheep Very exciting. Well, okay, so let's, let's make sure that people know how to get to you into your podcast. So share some of your social media handles with us. Yeah, please, yes, yeah, I am on.
Speaker 1:Get connected. What social media platform am I not on that's probably where I could start. But yeah, at Flora Funga podcast, f-l-o-r-a, f-u-n-g-a, podcast, P-O-D-C-A-S-T, so that is like my handle for all things. I'm pretty sure. Okay, from YouTube, tiktok even that's a new thing that I'm on TikTok Instagram. I'm even on Twitter or X I don't know how X even makes sense Like who even says?
Speaker 3:yeah, I'm on X.
Speaker 1:Like, that doesn't even make sense.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so, and then I also have a website that you can venture to wwwflorafungapodcastcom. So that's where you can actually look at my merch which is so good, it's so good.
Speaker 3:I'm okay with that. All right, we're wearing one right now. Do you see this?
Speaker 2:Yes it's very cute. This is my.
Speaker 1:OG one. I actually just don't feel bad about reaching out for help. Also, that's another advice about podcasts. Like my little icon, I paid somebody on Fiverr to do and recently I just paid three or four people to actually do more merch ideas. So that is also coming soon, manifesting that in 2024. I've got like three or four ideas already lined up.
Speaker 2:Fantastic Love it, love it, love it.
Speaker 1:Listen and watch wherever you can find your podcasts Awesome.
Speaker 2:Very good, kk. What a pleasure to talk with you about this world that you've opened my eyes to certainly.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I know that I feel like now I'm going to have to do a whole bunch of catch up with you and Eileen on this Get down and nerdy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 2:I'm going to go get down and nerdy, exactly so, on behalf of my co-host, eileen Grimes and I, I thank you so much, everyone for joining us for this installment of you Only Go Once and KK. It was an absolute pleasure and until next time, take care everyone. Bye, see ya, peaches.
