Sue Stuart-Smith on Nature, Childhood and The Garden as Medicine

Sue Stuart-Smith is a psychiatrist, gardener and the author of The Well-Gardened Mind. She has spent her career making the case that going outside and getting your hands in the soil is one of the most powerful things we can do for our mental health.Sue runs the Serge Hill Project, along with her husband, Tom Stuart-Smith — a garden and events space where children and groups from disadvantaged backgrounds come to learn about the profound link between gardening and wellbeing.   Her research isn’t just scientific; it’s rooted in her own family history. Her grandfather found solace in gardening after the trauma of being a prisoner of war and her mother restored a large garden to cope with the death of Sue’s father. The episode builds on these stories to explore the positive hormonal effects of gardening on the body, the growing movement of green prescribing and how beauty can be a lifeline to those in recovery.This is a conversation about stepping outside, tuning into the natural world and finding a gentler rhythm.A full tour of Sue’s beautiful private gardens is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at hello@mattgibberd.comMatt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineThe full catalogue of home tours is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★