On Sunday, October 4, Tea & Recovery became an afternoon of warm cups, stretching, unwinding, and people helping one another find a softer landing after a busy weekend. I am so grateful to everyone who showed up and participated—thank you. You each helped make the afternoon so welcoming and comfortable. I’m grateful for this little community, and I’m forever and deeply grateful for your continued support, participation, and interest in the work that I do.
Making room to unwind
Before the first pot was poured, I put care into preparing the space. I began with cleaning and a rosemary-scented room refresh, then arranged the tea tables, cups, mats, blanket, and body-care tools. I wanted people to walk into a room that felt intentionally ready to welcome them—not just somewhere we happened to be drinking tea.
Throughout the afternoon, returning visitors told me that the space smelled and felt different, and that it felt especially relaxing and inviting. Hearing that meant so much to me. The atmosphere was something I had carefully worked to create, and it was lovely to know that people noticed and felt welcomed by it.
Three teas, three kinds of tired
When someone asks which blend to try, my shortest explanation is:
- Exhaustion Recovery: physical depletion.
- Burnout Recovery: mental depletion—the to-do list is there, the energy to do it is there, but your brain does not want to even look at it!
- Hydrate & Chill: “OMG, I forgot to drink water all day.”
It gives people an easy starting point for choosing a cup. Some enjoy a little tea flight and try each one. Others find a favorite and keep coming back to that pot. When someone tells me, “This is exactly what I needed,” my heart absolutely swells with joy.
Beginning with Exhaustion Recovery
We started the afternoon with Exhaustion Recovery, the blend I created with physical depletion in mind.
How it started: I created Exhaustion Recovery after working a convention all weekend and coming home without an ounce of energy to unpack or get my house back in order. Even several days later, I was staring at the chores I needed to do and feeling like I had nothing left in the proverbial tank to do them with. So, I created this blend, made a pot, and took a moment for myself before returning to my to-do list. That experience became the beginning of Exhaustion Recovery—not a promise of instant energy, but a personal reminder to make room for care when the body feels spent.
Ingredients: nettles, oatstraw, lemon balm, and linden, listed from the largest share of the blend to the smallest.
Nettles and oatstraw form the nutritive herbal foundation. Lemon balm adds a bright, lemony aromatic note and was chosen for its traditional use in calming and emotionally uplifting herbal preparations. Linden brings a soft floral character. Together, they make a cup I associate with pausing and tending to the physically worn-out kind of tired.
Burnout Recovery, by special request
Our next round was Burnout Recovery, by special request.
Where Exhaustion Recovery grew out of physical depletion, Burnout Recovery was created with mental depletion in mind: those moments when you may still have physical energy for your tasks, but cannot bring yourself to even look at the to-do list.
I developed this blend when my partner was feeling deeply burnt out. We made a pot that day, and after a cup and a pause, the to-do list felt more approachable. Since then, I have brought it to conventions and heard people describe their own appreciation for it when their brains felt crispy and the practical business of getting home still lay ahead.
That is the moment I have in mind: packing the suitcase that somehow no longer fits everything, figuring out transport or dinner arrangements, or deciding where to begin when you still have things to do but very little mental bandwidth. Rest matters, and sometimes there are still necessary tasks to navigate. This blend was created as a supportive tea ritual for that in-between space.
At Sunday's event, two people specifically told me that Burnout Recovery was exactly the cup they needed while feeling mentally depleted. Someone liked it so much they took a bag home with them. Those conversations are part of an ongoing history of personal feedback that means a great deal to me—not a guarantee that everyone's experience will be the same.
Ingredients: lemon balm, nettle, rosemary, rosehips, and skullcap.
Rosemary is an important part of this blend: I chose it with memory, focus, and mental clarity in mind. Its traditional association with remembrance is complemented by promising findings from small human studies of memory and cognition. It brings a purposeful, aromatic lift to a blend created for the mentally worn-out kind of tired.
Lemon balm is a herb I think of as sunshiny: bright, lemony, and traditionally associated with calm and emotional uplift on ordinary gray-feeling days. Skullcap, a member of the mint family, is traditionally described as a nervine and nervine tonic—herbalists' terms for its use in calming and ongoing nervous-system support. Nettle supplies the nutritive foundation. Rosehips bring tart brightness, naturally occurring vitamin C, and antioxidant plant compounds. They also have a history of traditional use for exhaustion and calming the nerves—a lovely complement to the intention behind this blend.
Closing with Hydrate & Chill
Our last round was Hydrate & Chill. This one is special to me: it grew out of those days when you suddenly realize, “Oh, crap. I haven't had any water today!” It is an invitation to stop, drink, and give yourself a little extra care alongside your everyday hydration.
Originally, it was just linden: the flowers and leaves of the linden tree. In herbalism, a preparation made with a single herb is often called a simple, while a multi-herb preparation may be called a complex. That simple linden cup became a favorite with both of my partners, and over time I began experimenting with chamomile, nettles, and marshmallow root to shape the blend we shared yesterday.
Ingredients: linden, chamomile, nettle, and marshmallow root.
Linden is one of my favorite herbs for its honeysuckle-like aroma and the thirst-quenching quality I experience when drinking it. Although the blend has changed over time, my partners' affection for it hasn't: it is still a favorite for both of them, with the other two in this lineup close behind.
When I was developing the blend, I chose chamomile to complement the gentle, mildly calming cup I was aiming for; it also adds another soft floral note. Nettle brings the nutritive foundation, and marshmallow root was selected for its traditional demulcent qualities—the soothing, mucilaginous character of the herb.
Getting the balance right took some experimentation. An earlier version contained more marshmallow root, but it tasted too woody and earthy for the cup I wanted to create, so I dialed it back.
I think of it as an afternoon tea rather than a sleep-focused blend: a softer edge to a long, hard day, with room left for evening plans. People often tell me they find it relaxing without feeling sleepy, though individual responses vary and people sensitive to calming herbs may prefer it later in the day.
More than what was in the teapot
Between rounds of tea, people stretched, used foam rollers and lacrosse balls, and shared their own body-care approaches with one another. There was space for conversation, quiet lounging, and optional tarot and oracle decks. What I appreciated most was how people helped make the space welcoming—not only by showing up, but by participating and caring for one another.
That combination—an intentionally prepared space, thoughtfully chosen teas, and people sharing what helps them feel comfortable—is what I love about Tea & Recovery. I put care into setting the stage, and everyone who joins helps make it their own.
Join us November 1
Tea & Recovery takes place monthly on the first Sunday of the month. Our next gathering is Sunday, November 1, from 4–7 PM Central at HEAT in Houston, with an essential-oil blend workshop alongside Tea & Recovery.
Choose the afternoon that suits you:
- $10 — Tea & Recovery: herbal tea, stretching, body-care tools, relaxed conversation, and room to unwind.
- $50 total — Tea & Recovery + essential-oil make-and-take: all the Tea & Recovery amenities, plus guided blending, materials, and your own ½-ounce bottle of a custom topical aroma blend to take home. We will explore fragrance notes, dilution, and safe use together. The make-and-take workshop is capped at 10 participants.
Register for November 1 — Tea & Recovery or the essential-oil workshop. I would love to welcome you.
These teas are offered as part of a supportive wellness practice, not as treatment for illness or a substitute for medical care. Herbal ingredients are not suitable for everyone; check ingredients and seek individualized advice when pregnant, nursing, taking medicines, or managing a medical condition.