From Breast Cancer To Forest Bathing: A Filmmaker’s Path To Integrative Healing

A breast cancer diagnosis can compress life into appointments, lab results, and hard choices. We explore that reality and step into the woods with filmmaker Lisa Landers, whose path through stage one breast cancer led to surgery, tamoxifen, and a powerful integrative toolkit: targeted nutrition, community support, and the restorative practice of forest bathing among the redwoods.

In today's episode you will learn more about Lisa's personal healing journey as well as the power of the forest to enhance healing. The research is compelling: lower cortisol and blood pressure, improved sleep, and increased natural killer cell activity are just a few of the benefits tied to time among trees and their aromatic compounds.

Lisa also shares the creative arc behind Giants Rising, her PBS-featured film about redwoods, awe, and our relationship with forests. We close our conversation with simple ways you can step into this healing practice...like five-minute houseplant sessions, a morning sit spot before your phone, or a local guided walk—so the practice becomes yours.

As always, if this conversation resonates with you, please follow the show, share it with someone who needs a gentler path, and leave a review to help more listeners find us. Your support helps bring evidence-based, integrative tools to people navigating cancer and beyond.

Resources mentioned in today's show:

👉 Lisa's Website: https://www.forestremedy.earth/

👉 Article: Why Harvard Docs are Seeking Out Forest Bathing

👉 Study: Effect of Forest Bathing on Immune Function

👉 Study: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes

👉 Find a Forest Bathing Guide

👉 Giants Rising Film

🌿 Let's Connect 🌿

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Lisa’s Background
• 2:26 The Diagnosis And Decisions
• 5:08 Treatment Plan And Tamoxifen
• 8:33 Food, Supplements, And Support
• 12:30 Community And Emotional Anchors
• 14:29 Nature As Medicine
• 15:01 From Filmmaking To Forest Bathing
• 19:47 What Forest Bathing Really Is
• 24:12 Science Behind Trees And Stress
• 28:08 Safety, Access, And Guided Walks
• 31:12 Bringing The Practice Home
• 34:21 Finding Guides And Building Access
• 37:02 Daily Practice And Monthly Walks
• 40:09 Giants Rising: The Film
• 44:24 Awe, Redwoods, And Timelessness
• 46:28 Closing Thoughts And Resources