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Pull up a seat at our table, where badass women from all walks of life—fashion, beauty, design, music, philanthropy, art, and more—come together to share honest stories, serve truths, and dig into the realities of modern womanhood.
Johanna Almstea...: Hi everyone. Welcome back. This week, we are bringing you part two of our conversation with Raquel Garcia and Natalia and Nina Meehan, so if you haven't listened to last week's episode, you might want to go back and tune in there now and then join us for part two today. Let's dig in.
So I'd like to talk to you guys a little bit about personally, obviously you now have dedicated your lives to this and your professional lives to this, what does that feel like? Did you have a picture of what your life was going to look like and what does it look like now? I mean, this is, to me, it's a beautiful example of, God, discipline, holy moly, commitment on your guys' part, tenacity, but I imagine it's probably not what you imagined for yourselves. And so, if it's okay, if this is not too hard of a question, I'd like to talk a little bit about what you thought your life was going to be and how different it is now.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. So I've had a really long journey with this, to be honest, because... I guess I'll just take it back to how this all began for me. I've always had a very deep connection to my sister and it was something that I couldn't ever look away from. My relationship with her was so important to me, and even though I didn't have the tools at the time when I was a young kid, I just always tried my best to be there for her.
Basically, when I went away to college and was studying in university, I was trying to decide between going into special education or the environment or what. And I felt like I'd been through the ringer with everything, so I was like, I'm not going to go into studying special education, because I already felt that the systems were broken and that the teaching that was happening in the curriculum wasn't enough for what I wanted to learn. So that's why I took a different route with studying the environment and Earth systems and how our Earth works, and at the same time, learning about psychology and mental health and all of that.
But while I was away, I was living in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it was really challenging for me to be away from Nina, because I had so much guilt and I knew that what was going on with her wasn't good. And my parents are also divorced, she was spending time between my mom's house and my dad's house, and my sister, Paloma, and I were really the only ones who were with her all the time. So it was hard for me. I felt like I was disconnected.
Johanna Almstea...: And I imagine you couldn't communicate with her from far away, right.
Natalia Meehan: No. At that time too, when I wasn't physically in her presence, there was no way to communicate with her even more. So while I was in New Orleans, I ended up staying there after college and living there and really struggling with my health, to the point where I became extremely debilitated and ill and I had to move back home. That was never my plan. I was planning on moving as far away from home as possible.
Johanna Almstea...: Really?
Natalia Meehan: Yes. And during that time, that's when I came back to live with my family, with my mom in particular, and she really helped nurture me back to health, and we decided to bring Nina to live with us full time. And that's when we went 100% with this, with the spelling, we reintegrated everything into our life and to our lifestyle. We changed around our house. We were really intentional with the foods we were cooking and eating. I had to really work on my physical health.
And then, Nina broke open with the spelling and she was able to give us the guidance on how to support her, and not only that, she was able to support us. She was able to really work on things that I needed help with and guide me in the right directions, and it's just been absolutely beautiful. She pushed me to do all of this now and we've done it all together. That's why we opened Flowering Futures and The Nina Foundation and The Bridge now. So it's been a full life change for me. I know for my mom too.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. It's a beautiful reciprocal relationship once you're openly spelling with your non-speaker and it's like this beautiful unfolding that happens. And so, it becomes, for me, it was just listening, it was listening to all the prayers that I had out there, she was answering them by literally leading and guiding and having so much beautiful grace and compassion for us trying to figure it out. And literally, it was just as simple as that, which doesn't sound so simple, but when you work on your own resistances and your own programming and you can get out of your own way, and when you have this open communication going on, it's just this beautiful collaboration, like any other relationship would be.
And so, it's brought so much fulfillment and greater service to our family and to the world, because at this point, I'm 55 years old, it's like, what am I doing? It's like, I'm good, I love interior design and all of that, but this is it for me in terms of fulfillment and what my life service is. One of my biggest prayers was, if I can figure this out, I promise I'm going to share it, I promise. And so, that's what's leading me to working with families in their homes, and under Flowering Foundations, which is an arm from Flowering Futures, so that I can go into people's homes and just perceive what's going on, see what's happening, and help redirect the family and reorganize the systems that they currently have, so that way, they can flourish and heal as well.
Johanna Almstea...: Can you give me a couple of examples of the types of changes you guys made in your own home that helped support Nina and your guys' communication and regulation?
Raquel Garcia: I'll just say it.
Johanna Almstea...: Other than taking down the TV, which it sounds like was a good idea.
Raquel Garcia: Honestly, that was the biggest, because it's like having the monster in the house that the kid just doesn't want to even talk to you because they're so distracted. And going into people's homes... There's one family that the child just watches TV from like 6:00 in the morning till 9:00 PM at night.
Johanna Almstea...: Wow.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. It's really distracting to them, because they have that-
Johanna Almstea...: They're in the loop.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. You have to facilitate healing, and by taking it down, that's what's happening.
Johanna Almstea...: I imagine you get a lot of pushback about that.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. And I think too, we have, at least for me, learning from Nina and talking with her about all of this, going back to the simple things that are often the most effective, slowing down, because in our world today, especially here where we live in the United States, there's just such a push towards like material things and technology and-
Raquel Garcia: Distraction.
Natalia Meehan: ... speeding up past our own limits of what we can handle in a day. And going back to the basics, the simple things, being able to enjoy healthy food and meals that are actually nourishing our bodies and going to help with our health and regenerate us and create regulation versus dysregulation in our bodies. That's a simple foundational thing, food. That was a huge one.
Johanna Almstea...: And I feel like so many other countries have kept that, and America, I feel like, has forgotten that, gotten really away from our roots of just sitting down for a nourishing meal in quiet with our loved ones.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Reading out loud. Natalia and I would joke that we were living in an 18th century parlor. That's what we redesigned the house to feel and be like. So we would have, and these were all regulation techniques, soft music playing throughout the day, reading out loud, taking turns reading out loud by feeding the brain age-appropriate books, listening to podcasts, not just soft music, but fun music when it was time to do that.
Johanna Almstea...: Playing the piano forte? I feel like you need like a little piano forte in the corner. I love it.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Creating meals, menus together, what do we want to eat tonight, and then creating that, breakfasts, all that.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. Also, for many people with autism, finding the balance between a schedule and a routine that feels safe and predictable and reliable for them, and then also not being too rigid within that and having some flexibility, that's the balance. So we really created routines that were focusing on safety and relaxation for all of us, but then also being able to mix it up and have flexibility within each thing.
So another example of that is Nina had expressed that she really wanted to go on hikes and be out in nature, because she thought that it would be really beautiful and regulating for her body. And the first time we ever tried to go on a nature hike, bringing back the apraxia, we could probably last 30 seconds getting out of the car and trying to get her body to cooperate and walk into the forest. The first time that ever was attempted, it was really a challenge. But with persistence and being in conversation about it, "Okay, we're going to do this again tomorrow. We're going to do it again the next day." Having timers, being like, "Okay, we're going to do two minutes today. We're building tolerance. The next day, we're going to do five minutes." And then, now, she goes on hikes for hours and hours in the woods and talks about how soothing it is for her nervous system. So things like that.
Johanna Almstea...: So much patience. So much patience though with you guys. That, I think, is something that is rare and very special to your family, I think, the commitment and the discipline and the patience to just keep doing that every day. I think that's something you should be very proud of and aware of that it's special.
Natalia Meehan: Thank you.
Raquel Garcia: And we've created support around that too. So we have caregivers now and I've trained them immensely, because that's an ongoing thing, because as Nina meets a lot of her goals, we just create new ones and we keep expanding. And so, that's part of the expansion part, like getting into the community, traveling, things that I never thought were going to be possible, like, hello, getting her nails done, asking for a massage. What? Okay. I don't even get that. But I'm just saying, I would never have known that that was a thing. She goes to the nail salon once a week now. She asks for a back massage and a foot massage.
Johanna Almstea...: I mean, girl, get it. I feel you.
Raquel Garcia: She's just living her best life.
Johanna Almstea...: I feel you, Nina.
Raquel Garcia: Like, Nina, okay.
Natalia Meehan: She goes to Manhattan, she loves to go into New York City and do fun things and go to places that we've never even heard of. This is the biggest gift of spelling. Once somebody is able to have open communication, they're able to participate in their own life, and I cannot stress that enough, because for so many non-speakers, their existence prior to being able to openly and effectively communicate what they want is just a life on everyone else's terms.
Johanna Almstea...: Right. They're kind of just passengers in their own life, right?
Natalia Meehan: Exactly.
Johanna Almstea...: They're not really able to drive any decisions or give feedback. Yeah, that's huge. So you mentioned you now have help with caregiving. I would love to talk a little bit about that, what that looks like pragmatically for people, because I think probably as we're talking about things, like driving past McDonald's many, many times and trying to go on a hike and having it last 30 seconds, I think patience, time, resources, energy, stamina, mental stamina, I think all of those things are probably flagging in people's heads of like, "Oh my God, I'm already so overwhelmed. How am I doing this?" And so, I think it's important that we do talk about the fact that you now have built yourselves a support system who can support you both as communication partners and caregivers to her, but also can support Nina, obviously. Can you just talk a little bit about what that looks like pragmatically for people so that they know what else is possible out there for them?
Natalia Meehan: Sure. I would say having a care team of people is huge. And most families have also been through the ringer, having caregivers come in and out of our homes, and it can be a very taxing process, because it's so personal to have people in your home and working with you in such a vulnerable way. And just putting this out there, the main form of therapy that provides respite care and things like that is through applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, and that is something that we had previously been through with Nina her entire life. And I think it's really important to get away from behaviorism, because that approach relies on punishment and reward-
Raquel Garcia: And not presuming competence.
Natalia Meehan: ... and is based in compliance, and it doesn't necessarily work well for those with apraxia. And so, just putting that out there, and then being able to share-
Johanna Almstea...: Wait, can I just stop you, because I have a question there. So that system though is the system through which people could get government support to help with caregiving respite care, right?
Raquel Garcia: Well, there's insurance that covers ABA, applied behavioral analysis, and they have about $200,000 a year per person. It's a business and it's a system, a broken system, and that is why so many families lose hope, because this is all they know. And so, you have case managers that are in charge of the person and it's a system. And so, it's about understanding why it's broken and understanding how to use the system to help you, but you, the parent, becomes empowered through the spelling techniques and understanding what apraxia is so that you can best advocate for your child's needs.
Johanna Almstea...: So you're not necessarily recommending that people abort this entire program, because they get the financial support that they need to help get in there.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: It's about supplementing that through the spelling and the training yourselves as family members, and getting in there and advocating for what you want for your kid.
Natalia Meehan: Exactly. And I think-
Johanna Almstea...: Okay.
Natalia Meehan: ... there's a lot of education that goes into caregiving just for somebody who's coming in also, like being able to equip yourself as a parent or somebody in a position where you're making the decisions, but also the people who are going to be spending 24/7, most of the day, with these individuals needs to have the tools in their toolbox that are going to best serve them, and that's why-
Raquel Garcia: Learning how to spell for them is just as important.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. And that's why I'm talking about ABA, because there are a ton of government resources, but us as family members need to be able to understand how to best utilize them in a way that works and benefits us instead of outsourcing all of our judgment calls and power to people who are coming in and out all the time. So that's why I say that.
Johanna Almstea...: So everybody who works with Nina as part of your support team knows how to spell and communicate with her, and that's a deal-breaker-
Raquel Garcia: Yeah, they have to learn how to spell.
Johanna Almstea...: Yes.
Natalia Meehan: And also, I would say too, these are the big things looking for people in caregiving, and when it comes to presuming competence, it's hugely important to have an open heart and an open mind, because all the things that we're talking about go against the systems that are already in place. So if somebody is really rigid in their beliefs, it's probably not going to be the right fit to do a new approach.
Raquel Garcia: We're not here to convince anyone. We're here to educate and help them be a really great support system for our non-speaker child and family. We're looking for collaborators. We're not looking for people that are already in the system, that think they know everything, which is a broken system. We're not looking to convince or... If they're open to reeducating themselves, absolutely.
Natalia Meehan: But yeah, I think the biggest thing is just to find people, and this is just for everybody, find people around you who are willing to grow with you.
Raquel Garcia: That's right.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. And again, I think that takes patience, discipline, tenacity, resilience, all the things. But I think what I really want people who are listening to take away from this is that there is hope, that there are those people out there that are collaborators and who are interested in learning more or already know some of the information that you want them to have, and that they can be great team members when it comes to supporting your family and your child.
So I know there are many, but I do always feel like it's important to talk about the sacrifices that have been made to you guys as individuals. So Natalia, you talked a little bit about what was happening when you were away at college and feeling. But you're in this place now which is so beautiful and so hopeful and so meaningful and so... It's making me choke up just thinking about how you've dedicated your time and your life and your purpose to the doing this. What are some sacrifices you've made along the way?
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. Well, I feel like... I mean, this is an interesting question, because there's different aspects of myself that show up when I'm doing all the work. So as my mom was saying, there is a spiritual component to this, because being able to best serve a non-speaker who is highly sensitive and attuned to information and energy and other people's feelings and how we're showing up on a day-to-day basis, I guess for me, on a soul level or my deeper purpose in life, I feel extremely fulfilled in a way that I almost feel like I signed up for all this and I was put in this position by the non-speakers and have been in deep collaboration with them, and with Nina in particular, in a way that doesn't feel like sacrifice. It feels like ultimate fulfillment and just gratitude, extreme gratitude for being able to do this.
And then, at the same time, my personality aspect of myself, the more ego side, I'm 26 years old and sometimes I'm like, "Oh, I don't go out and party, or I don't do things that other people my age are doing." And I guess there's some sacrifices that I've had to make to live the life that I live. But it's been an honor.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, man. It's beautiful. It's really beautiful. I mean, I think number one, being so young and finding your purpose so early, what a gift, that's a huge gift. And seeing it as an honor and not a sacrifice, I also feel like there's a lot of 26 year olds who would not think that way, so that's quite beautiful. Raquel, you're a mother, you're a working mother, we all make many, many sacrifices. You are a working mother of a non-speaker and two other daughters, so I know the list is long, but what are some sacrifices you've made?
Raquel Garcia: Well, I have to say that when Nina was not speaking, she was not spelling to communicate, I felt like my whole life was a sacrifice. I felt like, "What the hell did I do wrong to deserve this life?" It was really treacherous. And so, when I say that I had to get out of my own way, that thinking was poisoning me. It was victimhood, it was not empowerment. And what I did to help that mentality, that personality, egocentric mentality, was really dive in with a teacher that I have in meditation and in understanding spirituality and development in order for me to grow internally, because I did see myself as... I wasn't going out at night. I wasn't even able to go to basketball games for my second daughter, she was an athlete growing up. There was a tremendous amount of sacrifices. I was judged by other mothers because I wasn't on the sidelines of the lacrosse games, and you know what? Go F your mother effing self because I don't talk about what I'm actually doing. I went through a tremendous amount of that for years.
Johanna Almstea...: You were the sacrificial lamb of your own life.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. And judged on top of it, it's like, really? Whoa. And so, it was just deep compassion for the misunderstandings of people, not really holding onto it at all. But yeah, it was a reorganization of my internal self, to be able to show up for myself, my purpose, and the greater good of my family, because if not me, who else would be doing this?
Johanna Almstea...: Right. Right. What is something you're really proud of, Raquel? Because you have a lot to be proud of, but what's something you're really proud of?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. I don't even know if proud is the right word, because it feels shallow in comparison. I'm just so in awe of my children and their growth and humbled and like, wow, it's just not of me, it's of God source, it's not of me at all. I just...
Johanna Almstea...: I disagree. I think it's a lot of you. Just saying.
Raquel Garcia: Thank you.
Johanna Almstea...: God source can have all they want to do with it, but you also as a mother.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Just really seeing my girls and just helping them thrive on all the levels, I'm just so proud of that. I'm so proud that I was able to do that for them and that they're just on their mission now and I'm just here to support.
Johanna Almstea...: They're cruising. Natalia, how about you, what's something you're really proud of?
Natalia Meehan: I'm so proud of the non-speakers and all of the work that they've done, because I really feel like they're creating a movement at this point and we're all just finally getting it.
Raquel Garcia: Yes, big time.
Natalia Meehan: But they have been working so hard. I mean, talk about sacrifice. Their life has been full of sacrifice, and now we're getting to the fruit of all of it and being able to actually enjoy what's to come versus be fearful about the future, and I'm really excited and proud of them taking on positions of leadership. They really want to be out in the world like everybody else, and all the advocacy that they're doing, educating the public, going head-to-head with people who really don't believe in them and fully doubt their way of communicating and who they are, basically, but they continue to show up and they have so much grace for everybody. That's what makes me so humbled. They are very forgiving, they're very loving, they're very compassionate and understanding, and now it's time for them to shine. So there's a lot of good things coming.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. You guys both talked about other people when I asked you what you're proud of, so I want to know, how do you nourish yourselves? You're giving a lot to the world, you're giving a lot to each other, you're giving a lot to the rest of your family, to your clients, your non-speaking community. How do you nourish yourself, Natalia?
Natalia Meehan: I nourish myself by taking time for myself, and that can look so many different ways. I love taking care of my body and cooking, making beautiful teas and herbal remedies. I really lean on plants for support and for self-care. They help me so much to feel good. Obviously, friendships and having people around. And just time to reflect on everything that's happened, having little rituals that are just for me. And being able to have creative outlets also, whether that's through dancing or writing or anything, singing, all those things.
Johanna Almstea...: I'm glad you have those things for yourself. What about you, Raquel, how do you nourish yourself?
Raquel Garcia: I really need to move my body, it's somatic for me, and I find that to be the most grounding for me as well, because I can get in my head a lot with all the responsibility and all the things, the checklists. And so, moving my body for me is a somatic release, and taking very long walks, like two and a half, three-hour walks in the morning before I even talk to anyone is really important. Foods that are nourishing, understanding how foods affect me hugely and not... A lot of parents can get into emotional eating, because it's just so difficult sometimes. Just learning, I'm always learning. I'm always learning from people that are making a difference in the world and implementing them into my life. So I'm always growing, in the growth projection of mind, body, spirit. That's what nourishes me the most is finding hope everywhere I go.
Johanna Almstea...: That's amazing. Natalia, what are you dreaming about these days? Do you dream?
Natalia Meehan: Yes. I feel a lot of big dreams.
Johanna Almstea...: Can you tell us some of them?
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. So I think this is a good time to bring in some of the other projects that we've been working on and people that we've been working with. For those who are listening, they may have heard of The Telepathy Tapes. I'm not sure. Maybe you have or not.
Johanna Almstea...: Well, they have lots of listeners and followers, so I imagine there may be a crossover audience here.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. It's become really big. And that was also a collaboration that just happened serendipitously, and so we've been working with them and their team. And I'm dreaming of so many huge opportunities for non-speakers to be able to thrive and to show who they are, whether that's in educational settings. So many of these individuals want to be able to go to school and get their degrees and be presumed competent and be taken seriously. I'm dreaming of having a space for all of us to be able to regulate and grow together in nature, and that's full of abundance and all the things that can be supportive, and for people to be able to come and learn and implement these different tools and practices, that's a huge dream, having-
Johanna Almstea...: I'm picturing a summer camp.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Beautiful-
Raquel Garcia: [inaudible 00:29:20]
Johanna Almstea...: ... cozy cabins in the woods with pads and lakes and birds. I don't know.
Natalia Meehan: Exactly. Horses and streams of water and huge gardens.
Johanna Almstea...: Yes, all of it. I want to come. I want to come.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah, it'd be great. And that's actually a dream I've had since I was really young, since I was probably five years old. When anyone ever asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would always say, "Oh, I want to have a farm and a school."
Johanna Almstea...: Well, there you go. She knew.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: She knew.
Natalia Meehan: Apparently, that's still my dream. I'm also just dreaming of finding the right people to collaborate with even more, having the support that we need to really get things further along. I've been participating in scientific research, working with some amazing scientists who are validating the spelling and also diving into this non-vocal communication that's happening with non-speakers that The Telepathy Tapes covers. So so many different things.
Johanna Almstea...: Do you know the volume, which one is the one that has the story about Nina in it of The Telepathy Tapes?
Natalia Meehan: It's season two, episode six.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. So I didn't want to dive too much into this, because it's literally 17 more episodes and I don't want to take away what The Telepathy Tapes is doing, but it's gorgeous and beautiful and incredible and you really get to hear Nina's voice and Nina's perspective on life, and I think it's a really important part of her journey and your guys' journey too. So I didn't want to poach it from them because they've already done it. But for those who are interested in hearing more about it and basically how telepathy has played into this part of communication, pre and post-spelling, how telepathy was actually a big part of your guys' way of communicating, or Nina's way of communicating, or trying to communicate with you guys once you were open to it. But it's a beautiful, beautiful... I think The Telepathy Tapes in general is amazing, and so please tune into that, guys, if you have more interest into it.
Okay. Raquel, what are you dreaming about these days? What are you dreaming about, Mama?
Raquel Garcia: I know, right? Well, I'm just giving myself permission to finally dream outside of the girls, and that's been really beautiful. And I'm really dreaming about making a difference in other families' lives in the same way that I was able to help facilitate healing in my family. That's a big dream of mine. And we're moving into a house coming up that was part of Nina's, "Mom, you need to move into a mans. You need to find a mans." I'm like, "What? What's a mans?"
"A mansion, Mom."
Not that this is a mansion, but we're moving into a big Victorian 18th century house. I think we-
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, for your parlor. For your parlor quiet time.
Raquel Garcia: [inaudible 00:32:05] so many times that that's actually what happened, and we're the third owners. It's a house from 1839 and it has a carriage house that Natalia's taking over and it's absolutely stunning. There's room for guests to come and visit from other places now that we've made so many beautiful family friends with other non-speaking families all around the country. It's just going to be so beautiful. And I'm picturing future babies there from the girls and just being able to do all the things. It's just really coming all together.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, it sounds heavenly. I can't wait to come see it someday, because I'm sure it's going to be stunning.
Raquel Garcia: Yes.
Johanna Almstea...: I love that Nina was the driver behind it. She was like, "Mom, come on."
Natalia Meehan: That's why, it's like-
Johanna Almstea...: "Get there."
Natalia Meehan: ... that's what I'm saying. It's been a whole topic of conversation to get into the telepathy aspect, but that's why I'm creating The Bridge, because I want to be able to talk about the fullness of our experience with working with non-speakers and who they are, because they've already been silenced enough, and already, in so many of the communities out there, there's like, "No one talk about anything of the sorts, it's not allowed." But meanwhile, Nina has been behind some huge things that have happened-
Raquel Garcia: Huge.
Natalia Meehan: ... and made a lot of things come to light.
Johanna Almstea...: Love it. She's like the puppet master behind the scenes. She's like the Wizard of Oz. She's getting in there and creating all this magic.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: We all need a Nina. Geez.
Raquel Garcia: Well, they're there, they're there. They're just waiting to be able to speak.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: We just need Nina to dream for all of us, it sounds like. It sounds like she's got all the good dreams going on.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Well, she sees people in their full expansion. So when she talks with you, she'll go into your subconscious and really pull things out that might be hopes and dreams that she'll tell you, and then you're just like, "Oh, shit, yeah. Okay."
Johanna Almstea...: Well, if Nina says it, I guess I've got to do it, right?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: I love that. I love that. Okay. So this has been a very long chat, and now we're at the very silly, fun, lightning round of questions that really have nothing to do with what we were talking about today, but a little bit, how we nourish ourselves, how we think about life, how we think about words, which I think is interesting in this context. And so, I would love to do the lightning round of silly questions with you two. Do not overthink this. I know you are very, very thoughtful people, clearly, but we're just going to quickly go through some fun things. Okay. Natalia, favorite comfort food?
Natalia Meehan: I think chocolate.
Johanna Almstea...: Ooh. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate? What kind of chocolate? All chocolate?
Natalia Meehan: All of it, yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: All of it? Okay. Raquel, what's your favorite comfort food?
Raquel Garcia: Pasta, spaghetti, linguine-ish.
Johanna Almstea...: Yum.
Raquel Garcia: Don't have it very often, but yeah, when it's good, from Italy.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. Okay. From Italy, ideally on a boat off Capri or whatever, yeah.
Raquel Garcia: Exactly.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Natalia, what is something you are really good at, other than all the things we've talked about today, something completely different that you're really good at?
Natalia Meehan: I think I'm good at writing and organizing things.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Raquel, how about you, what are you good at?
Raquel Garcia: I'm really good at delegating.
Johanna Almstea...: Ooh, I like that. Yeah, you are. Natalia, what's something you're really bad at?
Natalia Meehan: Oh, I'm really bad at texting.
Johanna Almstea...: Really? Like you just don't do it or you actually don't text well?
Natalia Meehan: Yeah, I'm just bad at it. It's hard for me.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Okay. Raquel, what about you, what is something you're really bad at?
Raquel Garcia: Tech, it's not fun for me. Technology, it's just not.
Johanna Almstea...: Amen, sister. Amen. Okay. Natalia, what's your favorite word?
Raquel Garcia: I don't know.
Johanna Almstea...: Come on. You deal with words all day.
Natalia Meehan: I know.
Raquel Garcia: Seriously?
Johanna Almstea...: Don't overthink it. It doesn't have to be your favorite word tomorrow. It can just be right now.
Natalia Meehan: Okay. Maybe...
Johanna Almstea...: We're not etching it in stone anywhere, so don't worry.
Natalia Meehan: Oh gosh.
Raquel Garcia: Just let it out of your mouth.
Natalia Meehan: I don't know. I'm blanking.
Johanna Almstea...: Should we call Nina? Should we ask Nina what your favorite word is?
Raquel Garcia: Go ask her.
Natalia Meehan: Okay, you go.
Raquel Garcia: My favorite word is love. I think it holds so much beautiful frequency, and I love hearts and it's like my thing. And I was just in Costa Rica, and I went for many, many, many, many walks, and I found stone hearts everywhere. I never thought that was a thing. I wasn't able to bring it back because they took it back from me at the airport. I collected-
Johanna Almstea...: Who's the crazy lady with the suitcase full of heart rocks? I've been that lady. I understand.
Raquel Garcia: But I love the word love, it's such a great word.
Johanna Almstea...: It is.
Natalia Meehan: I guess fun would be a good word.
Johanna Almstea...: That's a good one. I love that.
Natalia Meehan: Just short.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Raquel, least favorite food? It's not touching your lips, no way.
Raquel Garcia: Frog legs.
Johanna Almstea...: Ooh. Yeah. Okay. What about you, Natalia, least favorite food?
Natalia Meehan: I think pork chops, pork food. I don't really-
Johanna Almstea...: Pork food, okay. Got you. Raquel, least favorite word?
Raquel Garcia: Hate.
Johanna Almstea...: That tracks. How about you, Natalia?
Natalia Meehan: I think scary.
Johanna Almstea...: Scary, yeah, that is scary. Natalia, best piece of advice you've ever received?
Natalia Meehan: That's a hard rapid question.
Johanna Almstea...: I know. I feel like you're so thoughtful and you're so calm and deliberate that this whole thing is just putting your nervous system out of... This is dysregulating to you, I can tell. I'm sorry.
Natalia Meehan: The best piece of advice, I had this debate with my professor one time in college, and we landed on this agreement that the best way to create a new paradigm or create progress is not to be fighting against the old, but to create the new so that it makes the old systems obsolete.
Raquel Garcia: Love that.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, I love that.
Raquel Garcia: So true. That's what we're doing.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh my God. I just got chills. I literally just got goosebumps everywhere. That's what you're doing.
Raquel Garcia: That's right.
Johanna Almstea...: Amazing. I love that. Okay. Raquel, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received, other than that that you just got from Natalia?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. The best piece of advice is to believe people when they tell you who they are.
Johanna Almstea...: I was just having this conversation with my daughters last night in the car. I said, "I don't know why you guys keep expecting that person to behave differently. They've told you who they are. They've shown you their true colors over and over again."
Raquel Garcia: That's right.
Johanna Almstea...: "Believe them."
Raquel Garcia: Yes.
Johanna Almstea...: "Believe them."
Raquel Garcia: Yes.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Oh, I feel like, Natalia, this might put you over the edge. If your personality were a flavor, what would it be?
Natalia Meehan: Ooh. I like bitter, but that's the herbalist in me.
Raquel Garcia: You like sweet bitter.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Sweet bitter.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. All right. Raquel, what about you, if your personality were a flavor, what would it be?
Raquel Garcia: It's like spicy sweet. I don't even know. Does that answer?
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. I mean, it's a flavor profile, I would say. And you are not alone on this podcast, many people have said that combination of things.
Raquel Garcia: Okay, cool.
Johanna Almstea...: Spicy and sweet. Okay. Last supper, we're just going to the next realm. It's not scary, it's not sad, we're all just going to have a great dinner. What are you eating for your last meal, Natalia?
Natalia Meehan: Maybe a French chicken roast with [inaudible 00:40:12] and butter.
Raquel Garcia: Herbs of Provence.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. And some cookies and milk.
Johanna Almstea...: Ooh, I love cookies and milk. Okay. Raquel, what about you, what are you eating your last supper?
Raquel Garcia: I love a good rib-eye steak and just yummy onions and maybe that spaghetti thing.
Johanna Almstea...: Are you drinking anything with your dinner? I mean, you're going out with a bang, so you can do whatever you want, it doesn't matter.
Raquel Garcia: Right, I know. I love the taste of a really good tequila. I just don't love drinking as much as I... Not that I really ever did. But yeah, I love a really good tequila... What was it?
Natalia Meehan: Mezcal?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Mixed with really beautiful salt.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah.
Raquel Garcia: On the rocks.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. That sounds good with your ribeye. Okay. Natalia, I feel like this probably doesn't even apply to you, because you seem quite deliberate in how you speak, but have you ever had a moment in your life where you've had to eat your words?
Natalia Meehan: Yeah, definitely.
Johanna Almstea...: Do any come to mind?
Natalia Meehan: I mean, probably in just that we're talking about sister fights. I have my other sister, Paloma, who I mentioned in the beginning, and we should have eaten our words.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, it scares me so much, because I never had a sister and I have two daughters, and the meanness between two sisters can be heartbreaking.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Well, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who has it in my house. Raquel, how about you, have you had a moment in your life when you've had to eat your words?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Well, it's interesting, because I've never used that term before, so I love how intelligent that is. I think a lot of things that I've talked about with my ex, I would take back.
Johanna Almstea...: My friend, one of the former guests on this show, answered, she was like, "Well, yeah, I'm divorced, so that tells you that there were lots of words that should have been eaten that weren't." It's like, "Yeah, I guess so." Yeah, we all have it. Okay. If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, and you don't have to worry about it nutritionally sustaining you, it's just going to, I know you're probably going to want to support it with lots of plants and other things, but you don't need to, just pure pleasure, you're going to eat it all day, every day, for the rest of your life, Natalia, what would you eat?
Natalia Meehan: I mean, my vice has always been chocolate chip cookies, so I'm going to go with that.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, they're so good, right?
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: And do you like nuts or anything in them, or cranberries, or is it just a straightforward chocolate chip cookie?
Natalia Meehan: Just straight-up.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. I mean, they're kind of a perfect food.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Raquel, what about you?
Raquel Garcia: A delicious sundae, but everything's homemade version, the ice cream, the chocolate syrup, the nuts, the whipped cream. I just had one in Costa Rica and it was so delicious, it was like, wow.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. Ice cream sundaes all day long for the rest of your life, I love it. Natalia, where is your happy place?
Natalia Meehan: I have a few, but I would say there's this one pine tree that I hang out with and that I like to go and sit underneath and just take time for myself, so that's my happy place.
Johanna Almstea...: There you go. Raquel's like, "Tell me where it is." How about you, Raquel, where's your happy place?
Raquel Garcia: I actually love my bed and I do so much processing there and it's super therapeutic for me, so I take my bedtime very seriously.
Johanna Almstea...: I love that. Natalia, what did you have for dinner last night?
Natalia Meehan: Ooh. I think I had a combination of seaweed snacks and chicken and some sweet potatoes and carrots.
Johanna Almstea...: What about you, Raquel, did you have the same thing?
Raquel Garcia: No, I had steak and I had avocado and some onions.
Johanna Almstea...: I love it. It's so funny when I ask this question, because I feel strongly about people nourishing themselves, and sometimes it's steak and avocado and some vegetables and very good, and some people are like, "I ate a sweet tart and a beef jerky." And you're like, "Okay, so let's go back to the nourishing thing for a minute. We're just going to revisit that."
Raquel Garcia: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Natalia, what do you wear when you feel like you need to take on the world?
Natalia Meehan: Ooh, I live in dresses. That's been my thing for a while.
Raquel Garcia: A while? Her whole life.
Natalia Meehan: So I always like to wear a flowy dress that is comfortable for me and makes me feel feminine and strong.
Johanna Almstea...: Giving some goddess energy. I like it. Raquel, what about you, what do you like to wear when you feel like you need to take on the world?
Raquel Garcia: Well, I know, in my taking on the world with my family, it was just not how I would present myself to the world, so that's a tricky question for me.
Johanna Almstea...: Right, you're right, because you had to take on the world every day in your own home.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. And so, comfortable clothes that I can actually belly breathe from, nothing constricting is really important, and also make it cute.
Johanna Almstea...: Belly breathing, but make it cute.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Nothing too tight. But in the real world, I love wearing a beautiful men's Celine jacket with, I don't know, comfortable jeans and a cute t-shirt or just simple cotton. I love real fabrics.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah. So great jacket, great t-shirt, great jeans.
Raquel Garcia: And really structured shoes that are comfortable at the same time.
Johanna Almstea...: I love it. So chic. Go-to coping mechanism on a bad day, so things are very hard, things are going sideways, things are not going the way you want them to go, Natalia, what do you do?
Natalia Meehan: I love a good comedy show, so I used to rewatch Friends or New Girl on repeat. That would probably be my comfort on a bad day.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. How about you, Raquel?
Raquel Garcia: A long-ass walk.
Johanna Almstea...: Yeah.
Raquel Garcia: Doesn't matter what the temperature is, hot or cold, I just need to get out and breathe.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay.
Raquel Garcia: Nature.
Johanna Almstea...: And you actually do it, you go and do it?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. Dream dinner party guest list, you can invite anyone you want, dead or alive, they're all going to come because they love you and they think you're great. Even if you don't know them, they're going to come. Natalia, who are you inviting to your dream dinner party guest list?
Natalia Meehan: Oh, goodness. This one's really hard.
Johanna Almstea...: It's a hard one, right?
Natalia Meehan: Oh, no. You go, Mom.
Raquel Garcia: Well, honestly, I think everyone's great. I really love learning from spiritual-
Johanna Almstea...: You don't have to feel bad, it's okay. No one's going to be mad that you didn't invite them.
Raquel Garcia: ... people, like Jesus. I'd love to have Jesus there. I would love to have Buddha there. I would love to have Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary all together in the realm of people to just be near and talk with.
Johanna Almstea...: I love that. Any ideas, Natalia?
Natalia Meehan: I think maybe having people who have done big things throughout history, so like Helen Keller is from Connecticut, that would be a cool person.
Johanna Almstea...: So she's local.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah.
Johanna Almstea...: No problem.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. Yeah. Maybe Martin Luther King Jr, and some friends that I have right now, and then a few others, but I'll have to let it come to me later.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay.
Natalia Meehan: That's a good question.
Johanna Almstea...: So Raquel, what is one thing you know for sure right now in this moment today? You don't need to know it tomorrow, you didn't need to know it yesterday, what's something you know for sure right now?
Raquel Garcia: That I have to believe in myself.
Johanna Almstea...: I love that.
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. Really deeply, and trust.
Johanna Almstea...: Oof, that's huge. What about you, Natalia, what is one thing you know for sure right now?
Natalia Meehan: One thing for sure is that anything is possible, and things that you didn't think were possible at one point can be in the future. Keeping hope alive is really important, even in the moments where it feels like nothing's possible.
Johanna Almstea...: I love that. That's huge. So can you please tell people where they can find you when they want to find out more about the things that you guys are doing, like websites and social media handles and all of that stuff? Because I'm sure there are people listening that are in need and are feeling very inspired by this conversation today.
Natalia Meehan: Yeah. So you can find us on our website, which is floweringfutures.com, and we are going to be adding to it basically all of the things that we're up to and working on. And we're also on social media, flowering.futures. We also have a website for our herbal business called thethreesisters.com, all spelled out. And Nina has thenina.foundation, that's her website. So those are all the places you can find us. And The Bridge is also being created with the website and the online courses that are hopefully going to be done in August of 2026, and that's, I believe it's bridgetothriving.org.
Johanna Almstea...: Okay. And so, if people have questions or want to find out more information, they can reach out to you on all of those platforms. And Raquel, your Flowering Foundations part, is that also on the Flowering Futures website?
Raquel Garcia: Yeah. So we're creating it for the services, it'll be there, and then it'll link to the website.
Johanna Almstea...: And that's the part about people being able to reconfigure their homes to a place that sounds so lovely. I think we all need the regulation and the routines and the things that will help everybody thrive. Okay. This has been a beautiful and mind-blowing and glorious two hours of our time. I want to thank you both so much for sharing your story, for sharing part of Nina's story, and for sharing the work that you're doing, and sharing the belief that you have in hope and in change and in possibility. And so, I really, really appreciate you taking this time out of your day. I know it's been a long conversation, but I hope that it was okay for you guys. And I'm very, very, very grateful to you both for sharing your story and for sharing Nina's.
Natalia Meehan: Thank you.
Raquel Garcia: I'm so grateful to be here and to have you being such a light in the community and putting all of your energy into your beautiful work and helping people learn new things and expand in their own way, so thank you for your service to the world.
Johanna Almstea...: Oh, you're so sweet.
Natalia Meehan: Thank you.
Johanna Almstea...: We also asked Nina to answer some of our lightning rounds of questions. So her mom and her sister and communication partners took our questions back to her and we have new answers, so I would love to let you know what Nina's answers are. Nina's favorite comfort food is steak. What is something you are really good at? Telepathy. Nina is very good at telepathy. What is something you are really bad at? She says we'll come back to this. Did she ever come back to it, guys? Nina's favorite word is steady. What is her least favorite food? Kale. What is her least favorite word? Testing. I asked her if she had any hobbies. To walk in the wooden, steady forest is her hobby. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received, Nina? Nina's best piece of advice she's ever received is never give up.
I asked Nina, if her personality were a flavor, what would it be? Spicy. For her last supper, what would her last meal be? Nina's answer is meatballs from Italy. Her beverage of choice? Nina's answer is tea of herbs. When I asked Nina, have you ever had a time in your life when you had to eat your words, her answer was this, my whole life before spelling. Imagine that. I asked Nina, if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Nina's answer is steak and arugula. Yum. Oh, I guess I planned the menu well then. We asked Nina where her happy place is, and she said the hill. We asked Nina what she had for dinner last night, meatballs, salad, and Japanese yams.
What do you wear when you feel like you need to take on the world? Nina answered, to wear braids, it's a power hairstyle.I asked Nina what her go-to coping mechanism is on a bad day, and she answered warm baths. I asked Nina who her dream dinner party guest list would be, and she answered friends from everywhere. And I asked Nina, what is one thing you know for sure right now today in this moment, and Nina answered faith over fear. That's so beautiful. Thank you so much to Nina and to her communication partners for helping us get these answers and these insights into her heart and her mind and her beautiful, beautiful brain.
That was a big, long conversation, spread over two weeks. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope you enjoyed getting to know Natalia and Nina and Raquel, and I hope you learned something today or it made you think. As always, if there's anyone that you think might benefit from this episode, please share it with them. You can copy the link in your media player and you can send it over text, you can just paste it into your text, you can paste it into an email, you can post it on your social media, you can send it over to DM, and we appreciate any and all sharing of these episodes.
If you're not doing so already, please follow us on social media. We're at @eatmywordsthepodcast on both Instagram and TikTok. And we are thrilled to have brought you this conversation today. I hope it made you think, I hope it ignited something in you about finding your purpose, about finding your voice, about sharing your inner thoughts and helping the world. So thank you, thank you, thank you, as always, for tuning in, and we will catch you on the next one. This podcast has been created and directed by me, Johanna Almstead. Our producer is Sophy Drouin, our audio editor is Isabel Robertson, and our brand manager is Mila Boujnah.