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The Melanated Mindset™ is a self-improvement podcast for melanated millennials seeking to heal, evolve, and elevate through exploration and holistic wellness. Hosted by Tahj, each episode we explore mindset, personal growth, purpose, identity, healing, mindfulness, and intentional living through honest conversations and real-life transitions. Let this safe digital space serve as your reminder that, you don't have to have it all figured out — and you don't have to do it alone.
The Melanated Mindset™ is a Ground Guide Co. Production.
Ep 3 final
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[Intro]
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[00:00:00]
Hey, you. Yeah, you. You didn't stumble here by chance, so you might as well stick around for a while. This is a space where we don't just talk about becoming, we embrace it. I'm your host, Tahj, and in this safe corner of the internet, we're exploring everything that it means to come home to ourselves: mind, body, spirit, and everything in between.
This is a place where awareness meets embodiment, where we question what we've been taught, we reconnect with what we know, and most importantly, we give ourselves permission to evolve. So whether you're here for the holistic wellness tips, the wisdom, the real-life conversations, or simply just the reminders that you're not alone on this journey, you're [00:01:00] in the right place.
So take a deep breath, get comfy, and let's get into some things, because I got a lot to say. This is the Melinated Mindset, a Ground Guide Collective production
[Soundbyte]
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We all got 99 problems, right? But guess what? Climate change is number one
[Acknowledgmets]
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~As always, I have to start each episode by taking the time to thank you, yes, you. ~As always, I have to start each episode by taking the time to thank you, yes, you, for sharing space with me today. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I don't take your time or your energy for granted
[Moment of Mindfulness]
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Y'all should already know by now that the theme is wellness and that I'm starting each episode by guiding you back to yourself with a moment of mindfulness, if you will
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, just take a second. Pause real quick. [00:02:00] Close your eyes if you feel called to. If not, no pressure. Just stop what you're doing and sit still for a second
~Roll your shoulders down your back. ~Roll your shoulders down your back and away from your ears ~Take a slow, intentional, deep breath in.~ Take a slow and intentional deep breath in through your nose. Hold it at the top for three, two, one. Exhale back out through your nose
~And take another deep breath in through your nose.~ And take another deep breath in through your nose, this time holding for five, four, three, two, one, ~and this time exhaling out through your mouth ~ And this time exhaling out through your mouth. Release all that stale, stagnant air and energy And know that whatever you brought with you to this moment, to our moment together, You officially have permission to put it down. Matter of fact, leave it at the door and [00:03:00] enter this space, our space, just as you are, free of all expectations, of all stressors, of all baggage. While we're here, it's just me and you Now let's take our last deep breath in through our nose. No hold this time.
Exhale back out through your nose
Flutter your eyes open if you closed them. Resume whatever it is you were doing, Cause I know you was in the middle of doing something else. I'm not offended, don't worry. Now, let's get flowing, shall we?
[Flow]
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We left off last week talking about alignment and how being out of it can cause you to lose sight of your purpose. ~I even shared a really helpful tool to help anybody out there who might be lost.~ I even shared a really helpful tool to help anyone out there who might be lost find their purpose.
So if you haven't already, go back and listen to the episode before this one. Because why are you listening to them out of order anyway? Unless you're new here. [00:04:00] In that case, welcome. You're part of the tribe now.
~In last week's episode, in last week,~ in last week's episode, I also gave a few kind of major life updates. So if you just nosy and wanna know what I got going on, you gotta go back one
But this week, we have to peel this holistic onion back even more layers. Most people talk about wellness from an individual perspective, and I believe that's not only a problem, but the problem. So with our time together today, we're gonna talk about it from a collective perspective, because let's be honest, there is no wellness if there's not a well planet for us to live on.
Anyone who has been paying attention can clearly tell you, Mother Nature, oh baby, she is not pleased with her children at all. And according to [00:05:00] scientists, we are only a few short years of her putting us in a permanent timeout, and that is where the Fendi Fact comes in
[Fendi Fact]
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Today's spendy fact comes from NARDC, an acronym for the National Resources Defense Council. So you know it's legit, okay? And it's an article titled "Global Warming 101." Yeah, that, that's where we at with it. I'ma~ I'ma just read, I'm kinda jump aro- j-~ I'ma just read certain parts from it, I'ma kinda jump around, but if you're interested in reading this article, which you should be because, you know, we're critical thinkers and we do research over here, the link to this exact article will be in the description of this podcast.
There are always links in the description for any and everything that is relevant to each episode.
~Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. Okay, ~so it reads, "What is global warming? ~Since the industrial revo-- ~since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than one degree Celsius or about [00:06:00] two degrees Fahrenheit, and the result is a planet that has never been hotter.
The 10 most recent years are the warmest years on record. The warmer it gets, the more probable it becomes that we trigger climate tipping points, such as rapid glacier melting or thawing permafrost that can transform natural systems into entirely different states and lead to more warming
Then it goes on to read: What causes global warming? Global warming results from the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide, AKA CO2, and other greenhouse gases that trap heat inside of the Earth's atmosphere. This trapped energy comes from incoming solar radiation absorbed by the Earth's surface and radiated back into the atmosphere as infrared energy
Then it reads: How is global warming linked to extreme weather? As the Earth's atmosphere heats up, [00:07:00] it holds more water, which in turn is changing weather patterns and fueling more severe rainfall events. At the same time, warmer air causes more moisture to evaporate from the planet's surface in dry weather, resulting in more frequent and intense droughts and heat waves.
Sound familiar?
What are the other effects of global warming? Each year, scientists learn more about the consequences of global warming, and each year we also gain new evidence of its devastating impact on people and the planet. They touch on every facet of our lives, our economy and livelihoods, our health, our food supply, and our ways of life.
Heat stress is killing workers. Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease outbreaks are becoming way more common due to increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed, higher [00:08:00] level of air pollution, And the spread of conditions favorable to ticks and mosquitoes.
Communities are migrating from scorched or flooded homelands. Melted ice is reshaping environments and impacting lives all the way from the mountains to the coasts
Though everyone is affected by climate change, not everyone is affected equally. Indigenous people, people of color, and the economically marginalized are typically hit the hardest due in part to environmental racism
Inequalities built into our housing, healthcare, and labor systems make these communities more vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change, even though these same communities have done the least to contribute to it
And I could honestly read a lot more from this article. It was an amazing read. I highly recommend you do so. But I'm not gonna do that because y- y'all see where I'm going with this, right?
Now, [00:09:00] all that being said, before we even dive deeper, we gotta talk about the name, right? Because I'm sure most of us millennials grew up hearing it referred to as global warming, while in today's verbiage, it's more commonly known as climate change. ~Have y'all ever wondered why that is? Well, it's okay.~
~Don't worry about it, 'cause Ty's gonna tell you.~
~You ever wonder why that is? Don't even worry about it. I got you. I'ma tell you ~You ever wonder why that is? Well, don't worry about it. Let me tell you. According to NASA, global warming is defined as the increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to rising levels of greenhouse gases, while climate change is defined as a long-term change in Earth's climate or a region of the Earth.
~Within Within scientifical--~ this is how the two terms are used. Global warming refers to surface temperature increases, while climate change includes global warming and everything else that increasing greenhouse gases amounts will affect
In other words, they needed a term that would wake more people up [00:10:00] to the fact that warming isn't the only thing we need to be worried about. Even though heat is the elephant in the room that no one can avoid, At the time that I'm recording this, it's the summer of 2026, right? And according to the news, this is the hottest summer ever recorded. This week specifically, ~and just so we're clear, obviously y'all know y'all are not hearing this in real time, but it is the la- it, ~it's the last two weeks of August, so y'all already know what that mean.
But by the time y'all hearing this, my birthday passed already. So if you haven't already, wish me a happy belated birthday,~ 'cause it's your favorite Virgo. It's~ because it's Virgo season, duh. ~Anyway, ~anyway, this week specifically that I'm recording this, multiple cities all over the East Coast will be above 100 degrees.
And actually, as of this morning, I literally heard the news anchor say, and I quote, "Miami will hit 100 degrees for the first time since accurate recording started in 1860." Hello? Did y'all hear [00:11:00] me? I did not say 1960. I said 1860. Yeah. We're chopped if we keep it up at this rate.
Earlier, I mentioned that most people think about wellness and specifically even climate change from a personal perspective. ~I have read people online say things like, "Well, I'm gonna be long gone by the time that... Well, I'm gonna be long gone by then." I have read people online say things like, "Well, I'm gonna be long gone by then, so I don't care."~
I have read people online say things like, "Well, I'll be long gone by then, so I don't care." Or things like, "One person isn't gonna make real change." And to be fair, both of those statements are true, but they are so damn ignorant and selfish. I'm, I'm sorry. I am sorry. There's no way to cake that up. And respectfully, if you're somebody that thinks like that or feels like that, this is not the space for you.
We hug trees and we touch grass around here, okay? ~And you wanna know why? Because-- ~And you wanna know why? Because we all got 99 problems, right? But guess what? Climate change is number one. [00:12:00] newsflash for anybody that needs it, Earth's problems are all of our problems. And whether you desire to start a family or not, you will be leaving people you love and care about behind, whether that be a parent, a sibling, a friend, whatever, whoever, someone that you care about is going to outlive you.
And that's not me wishing death on anybody. That's just a hard truth. We're not gonna be here forever. The people you love and care about are not gonna be here forever, and somebody gotta go first
And the even harsher reality is that whoever you leave behind will be left to deal with the effects of climate change. If we wanna get into how we got here, outside of the contributing factors that we discussed in the Fendi Facts, so this CO2, the greenhouse gases, we know that [00:13:00] planes, things like natural gas, those are the biggest emitters of CO2 into the Earth's atmosphere, right?
~However, in my opinion, one of the newer contributing factors to our climate change pr- ~however, in my opinion, one of the newer contributing factors to our climate change problem that I don't think many people are tracking is overconsumption. As a collective, we have to stop buying so much shit. And I feel like I've been doing real good not cussing this season so far, but, like, y'all, we don't need it.
You don't need it. Let this be your sign to delete that Amazon cart. Delete that Fashion Nova cart, that Shein cart, and that godforsaken Temu cart, 'cause please, y'all don't be buying none of that cheap ass shit. enough. We have enough. You have enough. We have more than [00:14:00] enough. ~Last season, I talked about my YouTube video that went viral about this very...~
Last season, I talked about my YouTube video that went viral about this very topic,~ and you know what? There is a link,~ and you know what? There's gonna be a link to that video in the description if you're interested. Just know I made some very valid points that resonated with well over 60,000 people. And also, that video is your proof that I'm not just here sitting up on some high horse just talking.
I'm doing my part. Now, what exactly am I doing to help reduce my carbon footprint? Well, you just gonna have to watch that video to find out. Sorry. No, but seriously, I bring that video up because when I was researching this topic for that video, I was trying to understand how we got here. How did overconsumption get so bad?
And that is when the light bulb went off and I figured it out. For us millennials, it's just like our parents be saying, y'all. It's these damn phones. Even more specifically, [00:15:00] it's the influencers on the damn phones. No shade, because we cannot pretend like there's not an influencer to hoarder pipeline ~Who said that?~
~Who said that? Nah, but~ we've all been there. Your favorite influencer makes a video showing you a product that maybe you wanted to try it out, or maybe it wasn't even on your radar. And then they got the audacity to have a coupon code to save you some money. So what do you do? Oh, and by you, that includes me too, because I'm not even gonna sit here and act like I haven't done it.
But that discount, it just makes you think, "You know what? Let me support my favorite girly." And you know what? Why the fuck not? I wanna try something new. I deserve to buy myself something nice. Next thing you know, you adding it to your cart and you checking out. Don't even get me started on the TikTok shops or the buy now, pay later options that people is getting in trouble with because of all [00:16:00] of this.
And before you know it, how many times a month have you done that? How much money have you spent on things that you didn't even want to buy, but someone else told you that you should? Yeah. Yeah. I think that's how we got here And I'm not saying that to judge anybody that is a self-proclaimed shopaholic.
I'm not... I ain't trying to tussle with the TikTok shop warriors, okay? But I'm saying all of this to make you a more intentional shopper. And if you watch that YouTube video that I'm talking about, then you would know I've been on this type of time for the last few years, and it's not easy. It's mad easy to go on Amazon.
It's mad easy, "Oh, I got somewhere to be. Let me go on Fashion Nova. Let me go on Shein real quick." It's easy, it's convenient, but convenience comes at a cost, y'all. It always does, and usually it's off the backs of [00:17:00] other people. However, today we specifically talking about the cost that is coming at the cost of our planet Okay?
We live here. ~What?~ What they they said? I gotta live here, you don't. Guess what? We all do. If you know, you know So, we talked about some problems, but what about some solutions? Now, the first one is definitely a double-edged sword because it is part of the problem, I would argue the biggest part of the problem, but it's also part of the solution, and that is traveling.
I know, I know. Hear me out, y'all. And I know y'all probably like, "Tahj, you just told us about the CO2 emissions being one of the biggest factors." I know, I know. But traveling can also be the solution. That's what we call nuance around here because in, Lord, in today, 2026, the kids is acting like [00:18:00] they don't know what nuance means.
And to be fair, I done seen a couple of those can you read this sentence from high school students, they probably don't even know what nuance means, which explains a lot. But again, story for another day. I'm going off on a tangent. I'm saying that to say A lot of people in the US don't understand the gravity of the situation when it comes to climate change, and that's because it's not directly affecting them yet.
Because it's not a matter of if climate change will affect you. Yes, you. It's a matter of when However, traveling to more affected areas may be what people need to wake the hell up and realize this shit is not a joke or a hoax. 'Cause I know, I know that y'all not up in here, but you know it's some of them MAGA people that think it's giving fake new- Child, child Insert Tamar GIF.
[00:19:00] Child But I know I don't gotta worry about that here. Just so you, we're clear. This ain't that
~Personally, ~personally, I can tell y'all that Malik and I have been on two trips that really put things into perspective for us. Like, I could think of them off the top of my head. The first one was just a domestic cabin trip to the Rocky Mountains up in North Carolina, specifically like right outside of Asheville.
I forgot specifically what the city was called, but it was right outside of Asheville, and I booked this beautiful cabin for Malik's birthday. It overlooked this huge lake in the distance, and the pictures really sold it. I said, "Oh yeah, my man need to wake up and go out on the balcony with his hot cup of coffee and his little lumberjack fit, and he need to see this view for his birthday.
That's what he deserve. He work hard. I work hard. I wanna do that for him." So I did that for him, and then we got there, stepped out onto the balcony to get the view of [00:20:00] the lake, ~and y'all, we were fl- like... ~And y'all, we were shocked. You could literally see how much the water level in the lake had decreased.
There was a very distinct line of demarcation on the rocks. Mind you, we like miles and miles away from this lake. We up in a mountain. Like the lake, we're looking down on the lake. We miles and miles away and hella high up, so we looking down on this lake, and from as far as we were, we could still see that.
There was a very clear indicator that the water used to be up here, but now it's down here. And don't get me wrong, the view was still very breathtaking, but we couldn't help but really think about climate change every time we went out on that balcony and looked out at it. And if you're like me and you're a visual learner and you wanna see what I'm talking about, I actually vlogged that trip for my YouTube channel.
You know where I'm going with this. There's a link to that video in the description of this podcast. The second trip that [00:21:00] really, really opened my eyes up was when we went to my family's home country of Panama for my 29th birthday.
On that trip, we wanted to go to the infamous Panama Canal to learn more about the history. For me, that was specifically important because I recently found out that my ancestors aren't even originally from Panama like I had thought they were my entire life. Which is why when I told y'all to go talk to your elders a couple weeks ago, I meant that because that's what I did and it blew my mind.
But in s- doing that, I found out that my ancestors are originally from Jamaica, but they immigrated to Panama during the construction of the canal for work, like many other Caribbean families. So when I told y'all last week that my ancestors have been migrating for better opportunities, which is why I'm not afraid to do the same, that's what I meant.
Like, this shit in my bloodline, you feel [00:22:00] me? But anyway, part of that canal tour, the tour guide was explaining all of the details and all of the workings of the canal, and I think it's important for you to note that we visited Panama during rainy season. Fun fact, if you didn't know, Panama only has two seasons, rainy season and dry season
So when we went, it was rainy season, and the line of ships waiting to cross the canal was miles long. The tour guide ended up explaining that the line was so long because the companies and countries try to get as many ships as possible through the canal as they can during rainy season.
Because during dry season, where there's months of literally no rain, due to climate change, the ocean levels have been decreasing every year, so much so that there is barely enough [00:23:00] water in the locks to get the ships through the canal mechanism. And if you want a visual representation of, like, what I mean by the locks and all, and essentially if you wanna see how ships actually cross through the canal because it's actually so amazing to watch them take this big ass cargo ship and y'all, they pretty much essentially, like, put it on a conveyor belt and then lower it, and then put it on another conveyor belt, and then lower it some more, and then put it on another conveyor belt, and then lower it some more until it's on the s- the whatever side of the, the, the ocean they trying to get to.
You know what I mean? But if you want a visual representation of what it looks like when a ship crosses through the canal, sh- Last shameless plug, I swear. But I did vlog that trip to Panama on my channel too, and there is a link to that below. I know, a lot of shameless plugs to my YouTube channel. That wasn't even really intentional.[00:24:00]
I just know me. I'm a visual person. I need to see what are you talking about. And if you're like me, I got you. Just go to my YouTube channel
~Now that we got the unnecessary shit--~ now that we got the shameless plug out the way, I remember looking around at all the other people on the tour with us, and everybody was so busy taking pictures and videos and pausing and trying to get the ships to honk as they was coming through the canal, and I'm like, "Yo, nobody got the same reaction that, that we got?
Like did y'all hear what he just said? Did y'all hear that man say that every year it gets worse and worse?" And I know I'm biased obviously, ~but I don't think people understand just how much--~ but I don't think people understand just how important the Panama Canal is to the world. Not even just the US, to the world, Craig.
If you get it, you get it. ~And especially now because of the war in Iran and the clo- ~especially now because of the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. If you've been [00:25:00] following the news, which I'm hoping you have, y'all see what that has done to gas and electricity prices in just a few months, right?
Now imagine that same inflation effect on your clothes, on your furniture, on your tech gear. That Shein package that you tracking and waiting for comes through the canal. That new iPhone that you just pre-ordered comes through the canal. That new DJI camera that you got your eye on that come from China is gonna come through the canal.
I estimate about 80% of everything in your home right now came through that Panama Canal. So imagine what prices are gonna look like when ships can't get through for months, months at a time during dry season, and every year less and less and less and less and less of them are gonna be able to get through.
[00:26:00] Yeah. Enough said, right? So although traveling is one of the main contributors, seeing how other places are affected can really open your eyes.~ I know it did for me.~ I know it did for us
~So, ~so that leaves us with how can we collectively do our part? ~And I'm about to trigger the millennials,~ and I'm about to trigger the millennial ears. But you know what the answer is, y'all? Reduce, reuse, say it with me, recycle. How many times we heard that growing up as kids? They meant it. It wasn't just a catchy slogan.
Had we been reducing, reusing, recycling from then, maybe Mother Nature wouldn't be so vexed with us. And if you not West Indian, vexed is just another word for mad
~ But,~ and you know what the problem really is? They just was telling us that and it sounded good. Reduce, reuse, recycle. What does that mean? ~That means cutting the plastic where you can, and~ that means cutting the [00:27:00] plastic where you can. Getting a reusable water bottle. I ain't saying you gotta go out and ball out on a $40, $50 Stanley, but just a bottle you could reuse.
If you one of them water bottle warriors, you got all them water bottles in your room, all them water bottles in your car, it's not a shot, I swear. ~But you know what, baby girl? ~But you know what? Christmas soon come. How about you treat yourself to a nice reusable water bottle, yeah? Y'all already see the grocery stores stop with the bags, and although that is something, then they turn around and just selling us reusable plastic bags.
Still plastic, but, you know, reusable nonetheless. Something better than nothing, right? Cut the plastic where you can. Use glass instead wherever it's feasible. Throw out all of that stained up Tupperware. Yes, you're reusing, but you shouldn't be microwaving all that plastic no way. Get you some glass Tupperware.
Put it on your Christmas list. Okay?
Even more effective, cut back on the shopping. [00:28:00] Because honestly, y'all, let's, let's keep it all the way funky. In this economy, half of the shit we buying is not worth the price. I know it, you know it, we know it. And the only way that these companies will lower the prices is if we stop paying them. Hello.
It's not rocket science, y'all And that's just not for me, that's not just for you, but collectively. We want them to lower the prices, y'all gotta stop buying the shit, and then they gonna realize, "Oh, we just sitting on this product." Then they don't have no choice from a logistical standpoint but to lower the prices.
But if everybody complaining about the prices are still turning around and buying it, and I ain't talking about the necessities like groceries, although we need to do something about that 'cause the shit is getting out of hand I'm talking about the unnecessary spending, the frivolous spending. [00:29:00] The same way we haven't stepped foot back into a Target or a Starbucks, at least I hope you haven't.
Boombastic side eye if you have. But boycotting these companies, that's the only way, that's the only solution. You saving your money, you not consuming as much, and we forcing these companies into a corner to lower their prices because l- because we know after COVID these companies price gouged like a motherfucker, okay?
Them prices went up and they never went back down. Unfortunately, that's how inflation works, but it don't have to be that way We have to get serious about boycotting these companies, y'all. Those who don't listen must feel. Yeah? If you know, you know. ~So we have to make these companies,~ so we have to make these companies feel it, nah?
Hit them where it hurts, the bottom line Now, I [00:30:00] know you're probably like, "Tahj, what the hell do any of this have to do with wellness?" And I know that we're focusing on wellness, but I had to use our platform, 'cause it's not just mine, it's ours, to talk about the things that people are ignoring. And unfortunately, no matter how much we ignore it, That doesn't make climate change go away.
And like I said earlier, there is no wellness if the planet we live on isn't well. Point blank period. ~And I know that's kind of depressing to think about, but we have to~
I know that's kind of depressing to think about, but we have to for our wellbeing and for our overall wellness. And speaking of wellness, the best way that I have found to ground myself in my wellness practice as it specifically relates to climate change, it's gonna sound mad cliche, but going to touch grass.
I know, I know, very woo-woo, very Tahj be for real. But no, literally going outside, sitting outside, [00:31:00] observing outside. When's the last time you've been outside, not on your phone? When's the last time you've sat in a park or any type of nature and just paid attention to what's going on around you? People watch, bird watch, nature wa- whatever.
When's the last time you did that?
Like, I'm not even kidding y'all, I just did a yoga flow in the park literally last night. I'm talking shoes off, feet in the grass, AKA grounding, which is something we'll go a little bit more in depth about later in the season. But just laying on my mat, looking up at the sky as the sun set, it was the perfect way to end the night, but also the perfect way to see and feel what's going on outside.
And you know what I realized, y'all? I seen a tweet about this a while ago, but I realized it last night laying on my mat in my shavasana, looking up at the sky that was all nice and dark, moon shining, [00:32:00] and I realized, number one, as a O positive girly, I wasn't getting bit up the way I normally get bit up.
Now, although I am grateful for that, that is a red flag, 'cause what's going on? Where the bugs at? ~Number two, y'all. ~Number two, y'all, when the last time you seen a firefly Exactly. I'm literally laying on my mat. I live in South Carolina. This the South. It ain't no buildings. ~I'm in a na-~ natural park and the sun going down.
It's supposed to be fireflies around here. Not a firefly in sight. You wanna know why? Climate change. Don't believe me? Look it up
I can speak for myself. I really needed that grounding session last night. It, it really opened my eyes and it kinda is what sparked this, the not seeing the fireflies is really what sparked this whole podcast episode, if you wonder. I was pissed. I just knew I was finna lay on that [00:33:00] mat, sun was gonna go down, and it's, I'ma see the little fireflies buzzing.
It was gonna look like a Disney movie. No. Just a bunch of goddamn gnats However, I enjoyed my grounding session ~and I highly recommend you try it ~ And I highly recommend you try it. ' Cause think about it, right now, aside from when's the last time you sat in nature without your phone, when is the last time that your feet, your bare feet, felt the earth beneath you at a time that was not the beach?
Don't worry, I'll wait You can't even remember, can you? Don't feel bad. Before I really got myself grounded in my spiritual journey, I couldn't remember either your answer are probably the same as mine when you were a child. So how about we do something about that collectively and get back to our roots?
Pun intended. ~Ch-ch-ch.~
[Herb of the week]
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~We have made it.~ We have made it to our herb of the week. This week's herb is [00:34:00] oregano, ~and we are gonna be talking about it from two different perspectives, from the physical, from the physical perspective and the spiritual perspective. So if we wanna talk about~
~ And,~ and this week we're gonna be talking about the herb in two different ways. One, how it can help you as an individual, but also how it can help us as a collective because yeah, there's a plant for everything. First, how is oregano beneficial to us individually? ~Well, it's known for having, well, it's known for ha-~ well, it's known for having antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
It can be eaten raw, blended into sauces. It can be used as a garnish. You can ingest it as a oil and let's just sidebar real quick about the benefits of consuming it in oil form. Oregano oil supports digestion and gut health. It is known for clearing acne ~and hearing wounds~ and healing wounds because of those antimicrobial properties.
However, disclaimer, short-term [00:35:00] use is generally well-tolerated and recommended. Long-term daily use is not recommended with oregano oil specifically for gut health because it can disrupt your beneficial bacteria over time And at our big age, in our 30s, we know there's good bacteria, there's bad bacteria, and you gotta keep the balance.
~Yeah. ~Especially if you're a woman because we don't wanna throw off that pH, okay? So short term use only. This is not something-- oregano oil is not something that you use every day for the rest of your life, okay? A little drop under the tongue ~once,~ once a week, give or take, you know? Just use, use your discretion and as always, consult your doctor before you incorporate any of these suggestions into your own wellness practice.
I am not a doctor. Okay? All right
~No. ~Now, I wanna talk about oregano [00:36:00] in regards to today's topic of climate change because would you believe me if I said that oregano could help save the planet? I know you ain't gonna believe me, so don't worry about it. There's a link where? In the description of this podcast because it is well known that oregano might actually help save the planet and it can help us fight global warming.
I'm actually gonna read you a little mini Fendi fact. I'm gonna read you a little bit from an article I found doing some research
~All right.~ So it reads, "Can a simple herb help fight global warming? The aromatic herb oregano, a staple in most modern kitchens, commonly meets our taste buds mixed with tomato sauce as a topping on pizza. ~This versatile plant's virtues, however--~ This versatile plant's virtues, however, extend far beyond the kitchen ~into human and im-~ into human and animal medicine.
In 400 BC, ~the Greek physician,~ the Greek physician Hippocrates used oregano [00:37:00] as an antiseptic and an aid to digestion. Flash forward to today, where oregano has emerged as a promising digestive aid for cattle." And if you think this is not a major issue, consider the numbers. According to the UN report, livestock worldwide release 80 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere.
In the United States each year, 100 million cattle release 5.5 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere, a significant 20% of US methane emissions. And it's important to understand that methane, or CH4 if you're a science geek, is a greenhouse gas 23 times more efficient at trapping heat than the more common greenhouse gas, CO2
And that's where I'll stop [00:38:00] with the, the science and, and the geeking. The, the article gets very geeky. ~But essentially, ~but essentially, cattle release gas through flatulence and belches, just like people. They fart, they burp. However, cattle, as I just read y'all, are releasing methane. So there was a scientific study shown where they incorporated oregano into the
cattle's diet and it significant- and it significantly decreased the amount of methane that the cattle released into the air
So not only is oregano an herb that you can cook with, that can help your, your gut health, it quite literally can help save the planet. Ain't that crazy? When they say that God gave us everything we need, that's what they meant. And if you don't believe in God, listen, somebody put it here to grow, okay? ~And we should be using it as--~ And we should [00:39:00] be using it for as, as many properties as it can offer With all that said, our time together is coming to an end, unfortunately.
And I hope that this episode was an eye-opener for you guys to just be more intentional consumers in whatever way you feel called to, however you feel called to, whether that's your shopping, whether that's, you know, your social media intake, if you're somebody that's easily influenced by the influencers It all just starts with small daily decisions that could eventually have huge impacts on the state of the planet that we call home.
My intention for this episode was to help remind you that we don't call her Mother Nature for no reason. And just like our mamas used to say, she brought us into this world, she can take us back out, okay? 'Cause none of us would be here without Mother [00:40:00] Nature. ~We are all,~ we are all her children, and she loves us all just the same. But as of late, we are unfortunately and without a doubt Earth's problem child. And on that note, ~period. That's a wrap. Episode three. Yeah~
[Outro]
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That's where I'll leave you today. If something in today's conversation resonated with you in any way, do your girl a favor and make sure that you rate and review the show on whatever platform you're listening on. It really helps me out because it tells the algorithm that people actually want more content like this, and it helps us grow our tribe.
Oh, and while you're at it, please share this episode with anybody that you think needs to hear the message. And lastly, as if I'm not giving you enough to do, make sure that you're following the Melanin Mindset on socials so you never miss what's coming next. Until next time, stay conscious, stay grounded, and [00:41:00] remember, the work isn't becoming someone new, it's remembering who you've always been.
This is the Melanin Mindset, a Ground Guide Collective production