“It builds this real sense of trust and safety, and you learn a lot about yourself in an environment where that is happening”
Tea. Is there anything more revered, historical, fabled, sought after, in the entire history of humanity? Some might argue wine, but there’s something special about a non-alcoholic beverage that can command so much respect and reverence. It tries to tell us a story in its very composition. Containing both caffeine to stimulate and theanine to calm the mind, it promotes the yin-yang balance in life that is so important and so valued in Eastern culture. Today’s guest, Travis Sigley, knows all about this balance and tries to cultivate the calmer, more connected side of tea drinking that is almost absent from Western culture. He tries to bring this knowledge and presence to the guests of his own teahouse and the campers at the adult summer camp, Camp Grounded. Today he’ll tell us about both.
“What you’re used to doing every single day is something you can’t even really access, so you can make these really deep connections…completely out of the context of every day life”
“We see how much we can pack into three days of experience, and it’s pretty amazing how much we can”
Contents
4:00 – Getting lucky finding your passion.
4:30 – Working at Camp Grounded.
5:10 – What is Camp Grounded?
6:50 – The magic of summer camp.
7:30 – Reinventing yourself at camp.
8:55 – Age range at camp.
9:55 – People opening up as the weekend goes on.
11:25 – A typical day at camp.
13:55 – Crafting campers experiences.
15:15 – Does Travis have more freedom during the day since he runs the Tea Yurt at night?
16:40 – The talent show.
21:35 – Being with someone as they undergo a major transformation.
23:45 – Alcohol and drugs at Camp Grounded.
27:05 – Length of camp / locations / cost.
28:05 – Food and coffee?
29:55 – Travis’s thoughts on the philosophy of camp and what he tries to bring to the Tea Yurt.
35:15 – The origin of Travis’s love for Tea.
41:25 – Membership based teahouse.
44:10 – Rules at Travis’s teahouse, Tea Oasis.
45:30 – Size of Travis’s space.
46:10 – Everyone learns, Everyone teaches.
48:40 – Learning about tea.
53:25 – Travis’s favorite teas.
59:30 – Pu-erh tea.
1:02:45 – Tea, light and refreshing to dark and heavy.
1:03:50 – Advice for getting into tea.
1:07:20 – Has Travis completely given up alcohol due to tea?
Links
The electric kettle I have (affiliate link)
Tea steeping times and temperatures
