LOVE YOUR NATURE
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We must learn from those who came before us, and share our stories with those who come after.

Talking to Teens About Vaping

7/25/2019

 
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Vaping is generally understood to be less risky than smoking. But not vaping is healthier than vaping - even for a generation of teens whose cigarette use is at a 40-year low. So how do we have successful conversations with teenagers about the hazards of e-cigarettes? Here’s a guide to how you might address vaping — or almost any other form of risky business — with the teenagers in your life..."
Keep reading to see our QUICK GUIDE or view full article here.

Read More

On Lowering Standards & Doing It Anyway

7/20/2019

 
This morning I splurged on a babysitter and made it into the hills. I saw bunnies sunbathing, flocks of birds moving as one. I saw big bumblebees lost in giant violet thistle flowers, inspiration in the last wildflowers painted pink across the hills. I saw a family of quail with a bunch of fluffy new babies, so teeny tiny they'd all fit into my hands. I saw the sun and sky and wind across the dry land. And they all saw me. I was given a huge turkey feather, an owl feather, and some herbs as I walked.

To everyone but especially the mamas - Go. Just, go. It won't be enough. Go anyway. Bring less than you think you need. Go lightly. Weave yourself back into the village you long for with your steps, your breath, your natural pace.
Take off the weight of other people's needs, only your treasures in hand. Don't bring the book you've been wanting to read for months. Don't do any errands on the way. Go empty as you can. You don't have the time, money or freedom to do it. There is something else you're missing. Of the many gifts we're given, more time is not one of them. Go anyway. You are worthy.

Love you, Mama Emily

Sex Positive Parenting :: Raising Sexually Healthy Children One Talk At A Time

7/1/2019

 
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We love the SPP's latest article on Becoming the Sex Positive Parent I Needed.

We also appreciate their recommended reading about new books and resources to help all of us get in, or stay in, the conversations we need to be having - at any age. Like this
Let's Talk About Bodies: Sex Ed Rescue, or 10 Do's & Dont's of Sex Talks.

Power ColLABorative

6/30/2019

 
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A culturally responsive, SEL-based training for professionals who work with girls. Training Options around the Bay Area: August 1st-2nd, 5th-6th & 26th-27th

Our friends at Girls Leadership are offering an awesome Social Emotional Literacy training and collaborative workshop! My dear mama-sister Mia will be heading this up. She is a total bad ass! Check it out...

One of our girls created a film about Bullying!

6/13/2019

 
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One of our fabulous teens won special recognition for her animated film about Relational Aggression. What an honor to support Lily on her personal and creative journey ~ you are such a powerful, visionary young woman! May your challenges reveal many gifts, and benefit young people everywhere. Lily is not only a devoted member of our girls group, she is also an incredible artist, champion of inclusivity and kindness, and founder of a non-profit that distribute essential supplies to the homeless. GO LILY! Watch the film...

Girls Group Marking Ceremony

6/6/2019

 
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We did it! My first girls group has become a sisterhood. By the light of the dark moon we crossed the mountain, night hiking up Tennessee Valley, sleeping at the peak. It was very very very wet, windy and cold. We woke at sunrise to greet the ocean and descended to Muir Beach for an epic ceremony with all their families.

I held space for 20 people to honor the gorgeously messy journey of family, the girls transformation into young women, the power of nature, and the humility of simply being human. It was incredible. The ceremony lasted 4 hours! This is what conscious rites of passage looks and feels like ~ what a gift to all. More than 7 years together! Beyond words grateful for the support and willingness of all the girls, their families, and all our guides and allies. It was also my first night away from my son. May this beautiful ending reveal a powerful new beginning for all of us. Oh how the many layers weave. Surrounded in beauty, giving thanks ✨🌙

Adolescence Is Not Mental Illness

6/5/2019

 
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Developmental Psychologist and advisor to Love Your Nature, Diana Divecha PhD writes about the current state of affairs for American teens and why conscious mentoring is essential to their wellness. She discusses the possibility is that our society has forgotten about the important developmental task of adolescence, and how finding a healthy identity is perhaps the key task of this life stage. She writes...

"Teens benefit from, and want, relationships in which their understanding of the world and their place in it can be co-constructed in a healthy way. A mentoring relationship or facilitated group can help teens process their growing awareness with like-minded people while balancing it with a focus on healthy development. In such a setting, the skills for mastery and sense of control can gradually emerge at a developmentally appropriate pace that teens can manage.

In an APA study of stress, three-quarters of the teens surveyed said they wanted more emotional support... The more families can name and normalize emotions and emotional competence, the more successfully teens develop. Good relationships are essential to mental health and well-being.

Building emotional intelligence skills is always important, too. Every teen will benefit from a) the ability to be aware of their feelings and b) having strategies for regulation. As one woman on the Love Your Nature Teen Wisdom Panel said about meditation, “It’s real. You should try it.” (Read full article here...)

Thank you Diana for your devotion to understanding and spreading awareness around adolescence as "a period of transformation, not mental illness." We love you!

More from Diana and her valuable work at developmentalscience.com

Weaving the Social Fabric

6/1/2019

 
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We are honored to have Mindful Digital Life founder Claudia L’Amoreaux share her thoughts on our recent Teen Wisdom Panel in her blog post Weaving the Social Fabric. Claudia started Mindful Digital Life to support parents and young people on the journey, helping build skills and mindfulness practices to live in this digital age with care and intention. Thank you Claudia for the work you do, and for attending our panel!
"The teens had worked together in advance to create a series of questions on a range of topics that they all addressed throughout the evening. I took a lot of notes. I was especially struck by how much these weaving spaces are needed—spaces for young people to be held in safety and non-judgment to do the vulnerable work of weaving themselves, authentic & caring relationships, and the world they will inhabit. I was grateful to attend such a rare event featuring teens’ voices. As one of the young women shared: Young people need “tender reverent space.”  (Read full post 'Weaving the Social Fabric')

We especially love your words from another recent blog post... "Epic isn’t easy. I don’t think you get to epic without working hard for it…epic demands a leap out of the comfort zone. And there’s usually a lot of learning involved." (see full Epic post here) "Epic" pretty much sums up the panel for us and especially the girls - thank you for describing why.
An honor to walk the path with you,
Emily, Quetzal & the girls

Mother Daughter Day Retreat

5/19/2019

 
We did it! Another beautiful Mother Daughter Retreat for a dozen amazing mamas and daughters (and grandmas!), with Quetzal François by my side. We shared #realtalk, time all together, mama:mama, teen:teen, and with the flowers and gentle rains. We took off the masks and explored the depths. We offered wishes and simple truths to the creek, witnessed each other soften through the day.

None of us have it all together, we mostly are feeling our way through, trying to figure out what we need every day, and it hurts when we disconnect. Moms and teen daughters have this wild way of knowing exactly how to squeeze lemon into each other's papercuts, so friggin' frustrating! And somehow that same deep knowing holds healing for the whole system. Whether we are the #angstyteen or #worrymom, there is always another side, needing tending, needing some space, needing some care.

I love this retreat because there is no hiding. Whether you're a teen or a mama, being "seen" together is vulnerable. It's one of those days where you know everyone is seeing whatever it is you're not saying. And by sticking in that discomfort etogether, we all, every age, emerge from our day a bit more willing to keep doing this life thing together.

The mama-daughter relationship is so rich, complex and important. What a privilege it is to be let in on the process. I’m once again deeply humbled and grateful for this work that in so many ways chose me. And thank you to my mama, who because of and despite all I think about "us" - I'm here because of you!!!! Special shout out to the first grandmother to join us for our potent #motherdaughterday! Your wisdom brought tears to more than just my eyes. Love you M!
Some of our favorite love notes:

"I'm a grandmother and I stumbled on these two powerful, warm, kind women, Quetzal and Emily, and the wonderful work and mentoring they provide for teenage girls. What a relief! I'm not as concerned about the world my granddaughter is growing up in now that she has their support. She will be ready!" - MD Retreat grandmother

"At first I didn't want to do this but it was one of the best days I've had in a while" - Real Talk Teen

"This stuff may seem scary or weird, but this is a very loving and accepting group, and I highly recommend giving it a shot." - Real Talk Teen

"The Mother Daughter Retreat has provided a safe and nurturing environment to address all the variables our teens sort through. Highly recommend!" - MD Mama

"Quetzal and Emily make it so easy to be authentic. They create a truly safe place to share." - MD Mama

Happy Spring, Beltane & Season of Blossoms

5/1/2019

 
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Wishing everyone a happy Beltane, the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Ancients celebrated this day by fertility and the ancient life force of nature, the wildness within and all around us. We celebrated by taking our East Bay girls groups into a local regional park, admiring wildflowers, making magic with nature, and howling into the cloudy abyss. HOOOOOOOOWWWWWLLL }

All my life
I have loved best
how the flowers rise
and open, how
the pink lungs of their bodies
enter the fire of the world
and stand there shining
and willing - the one
thing they can do before
they shuffle forward
into the floor of darkness, they
become the trees.
- Mary Oliver
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    EMILY FROST is an artist and mentor working with youth and families in the Bay Area. She is the founder of LOVE YOUR NATURE, a movement devoted to girls and women awakening to their inherent wisdom, power, and purpose.

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All CONTENT copyright Love Your Nature LLC 2025, CALIFORNIA USA


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We are a women and queer owned business. We stand with and are committed to serving historically excluded and marginalized families, in particular LGBTQ+ and BIPOC families. We are supported by community, and in turn support our local community. We live and work on unceded Ohlone land. We pay a voluntary land tax in support of Indigenous life. Learn more here.

  • Donate
  • Offerings
    • Teen Girls Groups East Bay
    • Teen Girls Groups Marin
    • Teen Girls Groups Davis
    • Teen Summer Retreat
    • Teen Summer Daylong Davis
    • Teen Summer Daylong Marin
    • Young Women's Online Group
    • Coaching for Teens, Young Adults and Parents
    • Rites of Passage Ceremonies
    • Consulting
  • Us
    • Emily Frost
    • Quetzal Francois
    • Our Team
  • About
    • Our Philosophy
    • Teen Curriculum
    • Media
    • FAQ
    • Praise
  • Connect
    • Contact
    • Calendar
    • Journal
    • Resources