Mandy is a trained herbalist and certified yoga and meditation teacher. She guides regenerative practices which build outer and inner resilience.

Her company, Plantchanters Garden, nurtures and circulates plants and herbal knowledge, and crafts home remedies and tasty herbal foods. Her work aims to inspire deeper connection with the plant world and closer listening to the land.

Bob and Shannon live with their three children in the Longfellow neighborhood of Iowa City, where they’ve transformed their small urban yard into a thriving edible landscape that feeds their family, supports pollinators, and inspires neighbors. They were part of the collaborative effort to create the McPherson Edible Forest, a community food forest designed to grow food, habitat, and connection.

Their home garden and family’s journey toward everyday abundance have been featured in the Iowa City Lawn Love series and by Seed Savers Exchange.

They homeschool their children and enjoy cultivating a life rooted in creativity and connection to place—biking through their neighborhood, swimming in their backyard natural pool, making music and handcrafts together, and practicing a culture of care and repair through their small leatherworking business, Longfellow Leather.

Jen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC), and holds a professional certificate in Horticultural Therapy. She is also co-author of Low-Maintenance Eco Gardens.

Over the past decade, through her work in therapy, health coaching, and as Wellness Director at EarthMind, she has taught classes and worked one-on-one with individuals navigating both physical and mental health challenges while seeking new paths toward healing. She is especially passionate about helping clients reconnect with nature and intentionally shift lifestyle patterns that restore vitality, regulate the nervous system, and support the body’s innate capacity to heal.

Jen believes that the natural world offers profound wisdom and grounding, nourishing human well-being in ways both ancient and deeply relevant today.

As a practitioner, she seeks to truly understand each person and meet them where they are, creating a sense of safety that supports growth. She helps clients access their inner knowing, cultivate curiosity, and build on their existing strengths.

Emmie holds a Wild-harvested Mushrooms Certification from Iowa State University and currently studies Anthropology and Sustainability at the University of Iowa.

She discovered a love of foraging in her hometown of Iowa City three years ago. Immersing herself in the abundance of the land ignited a passion for environmental stewardship, community resilience, and food sovereignty. By sharing her ever-expanding knowledge of gardening and local ecology, Emmie hopes to empower her Iowa City neighbors to forge deeper connections with the land, their food, and each other.

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Emmie keeps community abundance flowing as manager of the downtown Iowa City Edible Classroom.

Melinda is what happens when an "animal kid" grows up. Her love of living things led her to a BS in Biology, and her particular fascination with reptiles led her to complete Master Herpetologist certification through the Amphibian Foundation.

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She is the founder and director of the nonprofit Extant Relatives. Her work with EarthMind primarily focuses on the coexistence and mutual well-being of humans and reptiles.

She is a staunch supporter of evidence-based, ethical herpetology and herpetoculture. She also adamantly believes that no one can be truly happy without getting a little bit muddy.

Fred is the Executive Director and founder of EarthMind. He knows that creating a thriving garden isn’t about perfection—it’s about discovering simple, joyful ways to connect with nature, no matter your space, budget, or experience level. As a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), master gardener, permaculture designer, and seasoned wilderness guide, Fred has spent years helping everyday people—from busy parents to retirees—transform small yards, balconies, and community spaces into beautiful, low-maintenance sanctuaries that nourish both body and soul. He is also co-author of Low-Maintenance Eco Gardens.

Blending his love for wild landscapes with practical design, Fred teaches as adjunct faculty at the University of Iowa and leads hands-on classes through EarthMind. His work spans urban residences, farmsteads, school gardens, mental health centers, spiritual retreats, and businesses, always with the goal of making eco-friendly gardening approachable, affordable, and deeply rewarding.

Emelia is owner and foundress of Good Medicine, a forest therapy practice located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is a certified nature and forest therapy guide.

Her heart’s work is a juicy mash-up of spending time with the land and providing opportunities for humans to connect with self and with our nature relatives. She believes that Forest Therapy helps us fall more wholly in love with ourselves and with the world around us.

Annie is a clinical psychotherapist and death doula who applies a social justice and holistic lens to her work. Her practices borrow from a variety of resources including ecopsychology, nature wellness, resilience theory, and empowerment perspectives to help communities and individuals create lifestyles that are ecologically sustainable and psychologically healthy.