How Gardening Transformed My Life & Helped Me Heal (+ Tips for Your Own Garden)
Social Media Influencer @ Cocoon Raw
University of Florida Graduate with a Bachelor of Design, College of Architecture
After 28 years designing for high-end spaces, I realized something: the most beautiful places are the ones that feel like home.
Now, I help you create your oasis, whether it’s in your garden, on your patio, or even on a small balcony. I currently run my own social media lifestyle company, Cocoon Raw; blog, YouTube, Pinterest, Bluesky, and Clapper
Want my best gardening tips? Sign up for my newsletter and start your own garden sanctuary today!
MY STORY
Gardening became my way to heal, grow, and create a space that nurtured my body and soul. More than just plants, it gave me purpose and peace.
Now, providing others with healing garden ideas for small spaces is my most important duty.
Cocoon Raw Featured
Cocoon Raw has been featured in these incredible spaces where I share my love for mindful gardening and design.
Featured in LawnStarter’s “Ask the Experts,” 2025
Cocoon Raw was invited to LawnStarter’s Ask the Experts panel in the 2025 editorial, “Sprouting Cities: Best Cities for Urban Gardening,” to share calm, small-space strategies.
COCOON RAW IS HONORED TO HAVE BEEN FEATURED AT:
* Hometalk
* Thistlewood Farms
* PEACOCK Ridge Farm
My Gardening Love!
I wanted both flowers and food, so I found a way! If you have limited space, I can show you how to make every inch count.
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Your garden can be more than just a space; it can be a source of peace, creativity, and renewal. I’d love to help you create a garden that truly feels like home. Join my newsletter and let’s grow together!
I have become a master at fitting a whole lot into my small garden.
Why? Because I could not give up flowers to grow food, I want it all!. And having a cozy outdoor living area was critical, also.
After all, I need a space to hang out with my flowers and a cup of coffee every morning.
Read up on some tips for you if you are beginning your adventure of creating a garden ‘Gardening for Beginners | You Must Know this First!
Why gardening became my healing?
Gardening saved me. It started as stress relief, but soon I realized it was more than that, I could design my space to heal both my body and mind.
They loved to surf, skateboard, the water, nature, and animals, it is what we all had in common and shared daily. But even with this wonderful life I suffered daily starting when I was young, with an immune disease.
Planning the design of the garden to be able to use every square foot available was critical. Yes, I wanted a beautiful garden to heal my soul, but I also needed to boost my immune system with plants by growing the critical plants I needed to improve my well-being.
It is not a linear path, it took trial and error, but today I keep improving methods and understanding that a more holistic approach to the garden counts, on planning, nature connections, and adding immune system plants. Even the air I breathe feels fresher, and the colors brighter; it is home.
If you are suffering from an immune disease, you are not alone; so many of us are. The healthcare system let me down, and I was determined to find ways to get the most out of my garden. Let me share some of what I have discovered.
Visit ‘IMMUNE SYSTEM PLANTS | My Story on Healing’, I speak more about my living with Hashimoto’s.
My older brother was also an inspiration. He would save a frog by giving it chest compressions, whatever needed to be done! He taught me to love and respect every living being.
My love for nature was born at an early age, but my love for design, flowers, and plants was born from observing my Mom’s unrelenting love for making her house a home and her garden a part of it. I learned so much from her! She still helps me at the age of 92 in the garden to this day!
My Babies
My garden isn’t just for me—it’s a space where my English Angora, Kai, and my quails bring life and joy. They remind me that a garden is more than plants—it’s a sanctuary for all living things.
Kai is such comfort and allows me to take a moment to rest and spend time with her.
I began raising quails as part of my healing journey in 2022. The eggs are packed with nutrition, and raising the birds has been an unbelievable experience, a reminder of the fragility of life.
Read up ‘Urban Homesteading for Beginners | The real meaning will surprise you! to learn more about my journey with quails and creating my Mini Homestead.
A Creative Journey
This blog is a place to continue the creative journey that has been a part of most of my life.
Whether I am decorating, painting, photographing, gardening, camping, sailing, cooking or working on crafts, nature is a part of it all.
I want to share the knowledge I have gained through the years and inspire you to create your own cozy ‘COCOON’ lifestyle using ‘RAW’ materials inspired by nature.
Our home is our Oasis, our safety net, our emotional ‘COCOON’ and our entertainment.
COCOON RAW will provide you with a place of well-styled ideas for inspiration that will transport you.
You will find ideas that will make you think you are on a Staycation, just like a luxury spa or luxury resort can inspire your home or garden. I will show you some tricks of the design industry that can transform your space from anybody’s home to your Own’ personal ‘Cocoon’.
I love to be inspired by nature. Read this blog post to learn what it means to me, ‘What does it exactly mean to achieve a Home Decor Nature Inspired!’
Make your space feel balanced and with a touch of nostalgia. Bringing you into the design transforms the feel to an intimate one and makes it ‘Like Nobody Else’s’.
We all can find so many beautiful things, they are more accessible than ever but here I want to show how to, not only, bring the Design together to speak of ‘You’.
By thinking as a Designer you can take it to the next level.
“My philosophy is that we are surrounded by true beauty, when nature-inspired designs become our lifestyle”. It is not only about what we decorate with, but how they fit in our everyday life, our daily rituals.
Let’s create your garden oasis together!
Subscribe for tips, design inspiration, and behind-the-scenes from my garden.
You want to learn more about me?
Here is a little Manifesto that goes more in-depth about my background and design philosophy.
(note that I am no longer employed at the firm on the Manifesto)
