The Story:

I formerly was a part of a group practice that focused on providing comprehensive and informed Dialectical Behavioral Therapy mental health therapy. During that time, my grandmother passed away on the afternoon of January 2nd, 2024. During the mourning of her death, I focused on the fond, neutral, and painful memories associated with her and her legacy. Frequent images and motifs of her blue hydrangea bush that was planted around an electric pole came to my mind.

On valentines day in 2025, my partner bought me a hydrangea plant from the store that was supposed to be blue just like my grandmother’s. I was shocked to see that it was pink. I did research into why the hydrangea flower was pink because I only ever noticed blue hydrangeas. What I read was influential!

In basic terms, depending on the minerals in the soil, the flowers of the hydrangea will change color depending on the soil’s PH content. It reminded me of life and how we are often born into “soil” not of our choosing, but we can have the autonomy of choice in cultivating our flowers in the soil we desire, to the best of our abilities. It reminded me of a quote from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

I wanted to build a practice were folks could feel authentic to themselves and make intentional shifts informed by their mind-body connection. That is the story of the Hydrangea Collective (so far)!