Malawi, nestled inland from Mozambique in sub-Saharan Africa, is a place where the basics—food, water, shelter, education—are not guaranteed. Yet, it’s also a place filled with strong hearts, unwavering faith, and dreams for a better life.

Through our CommuniTea sales, we’ve been able to provide vital support that literally keeps this family alive and moving forward. The strength of this tea is not just in its flavour—it’s in its purpose.

Education: The First Step to Change

In Malawi, education is not a given. School fees are high, and the cost of uniforms, supplies, and transportation can be overwhelming for families already struggling to meet basic needs. For many children, especially girls, education often ends early.

But CommuniTea is changing that story.

Because of your purchases, every school-aged child in the Moyo family—boys and girls alike—is attending school. For teens and young adults who previously had to leave school, new opportunities have opened up to return and continue their studies.

This is not a simple handout. These students walk kilometers daily in extreme heat—often without shoes—carrying dreams bigger than the weight of their backpacks. They study at night by candlelight, if at all, and attend classes even when sick, because they know education is their key to a better future.

Exams, Then Back to the Fields

In North America, exam season might mark the start of summer vacation. For the Moyo youth, it marks a shift from schoolbooks to hard labour.

Immediately after exams, the older children head to the family’s “far away garden”—a plot of land leased with the help of tea sales. There, under the guidance of Stella, who lives on-site with her two-year-old son Joseph under a plastic canopy, they plant, harvest, and process rice and sweet potatoes by hand. Each seedling is placed in the ground manually, every rock and weed removed with basic tools. The work is grueling, but the reward is survival.

The rice crop, stored in 50kg sacks and carried by foot, helps feed the entire family for months. Without the garden, without this food, there would be hunger.

Women’s Leadership, Family Unity

This story isn’t just about what we give—it’s about what we receive. Watching how the Moyo family supports each other, how they refuse to send orphans away or separate their family, is profoundly moving.

The family is led by Peter Moyo, his wife Stella, and Maria, the widow of the late Stephen Moyo. Together, they ensure that every child has a place, a purpose, and a future. Whether it’s tending the gardens, fetching water, cleaning clothes, or walking children safely to school, everyone plays a part. No one is left behind.

Their love, unity, and faith in the face of overwhelming challenges inspire us to reexamine what community truly means.

The Strength of a Cup

The tea you enjoy—fragrant, comforting, and uniquely Canadian—is more than a beverage. It is part of a global story of resilience and possibility. CommuniTea is literally helping fund school fees, notebooks, shoes, rice sacks, transportation, farming tools, and land leases. It’s funding life.

And every cup you raise connects you to this story. It says, “You matter.” It says, “I see you.” It says, “We’re in this together.”

The Moyo family often says, “Without you, we were nothing.” But we know the truth: they are everything. Their courage and commitment teach us about perseverance, faith, and the true power of community.

Business with Heart: The Power Behind the Cup

This story wouldn’t be possible without the compassionate and committed businesses who have embraced CommuniTea as more than just a product—they’ve embraced it as a purpose. From local shops that proudly carry the blend on their shelves to dedicated vendors and community groups like the Wine Country Tai Chi Society, AmplifYouNetwork.com, Amplify Impact Academy, and in Sydney, Nova Scotia the AbiliTEA’s Cafe, your partnership has fueled every success we’ve shared. By offering shelf space, sharing the story, and encouraging customers to connect with their cup, you’ve become a vital bridge between worlds. Your efforts prove that when business is led with heart and aligned with intention, the impact can be truly global. Thank you for being the hands and hearts that have helped lift the Moyo family—and for showing us all how commerce can be a force for deep, meaningful change.

What You Can Do

Keep drinking tea with intention. Share this story. Talk about it at your tea table. Host a CommuniTea gathering. Tell others about how a simple cup is part of something so much bigger.

Because when we combine purpose with action, we magnify the good in the world. And when we choose to stand beside those who need us, the world becomes smaller, kinder, and more united.

Thank you for being a vital part of this journey. You are the reason CommuniTea is strong enough to change lives.

With gratitude,
~ Charlene Waines
June 25, 2025

The post How Strong Is Your Tea? The Global Power of CommuniTea first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Have you ever picked up a paintbrush and felt your whole body soften? Or looked at a colour and instantly felt more grounded, energized, or at ease? That’s not just creativity at work — it’s science.

This week we begin an extraordinary 16-week journey with the Magnifying Peace Project, and our very first video release is led by artist and intuitive guide Marian Egan, founder of Heart Art Magic. In her video, Marian paints her vision of peace, letting colour, movement, and emotion guide her hand. It’s not just a painting — it’s a peace practice in action.

Colour and the Brain: Why It Matters

Research shows that colour stimulates the limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotion, memory, and behavior. Different colours evoke different responses:

• Blue can lower heart rate and calm anxiety.
• Green is associated with harmony and balance.
• Pink promotes compassion and care.
• Yellow can lift mood and spark creativity.

When we consciously engage with colour — through painting, visual art, or even clothing — we’re using a non-verbal language to process emotions, reset the nervous system, and return to center.

The Calming Power of Art

According to a 2016 study published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, just 45 minutes of creative activity significantly reduces cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone — regardless of skill level or experience.

Art isn’t about being perfect. It’s about:

• Slowing down
• Accessing intuition
• Processing emotion safely
• Creating new neural pathways for peace and healing

When Marian paints with both hands, she activates both hemispheres of the brain — creating an integrated experience that enhances focus, creativity, and a deep sense of presence.

From Canvas to Connection

Painting doesn’t just change the way we feel — it changes how we relate. When we allow our creative expression to flow, we soften defensiveness, enhance self-awareness, and open space for compassionate conversation with others.

This is how peace starts.
Not in policy. Not in perfection.
But in a quiet moment with colour, breath, and intention.

Watch Marian’s Painting of Peace | Video 1 Now Live!

We’re so excited to release the first episode of the Magnifying Peace Project on both of our YouTube channels.
Watch now on:
Marian’s Channel @marianegantransformationalhealth
Michelle’s Channel

New videos will release every Wednesday for the next 16 weeks, offering you small, PEACEful actions to inspire your body, mind, and spirit. Whether it’s movement, intention, breathwork, tea, or art — there’s a pathway for everyone to discover peace from within and ripple it out into the world.

Take Action With Us

Want to participate in the Magnifying Peace Project? Here’s how:

Watch the weekly videos
Create your own PEACEful moments using the inspiration shared
Comment, Like & Share to magnify our impact
Reflect on how your daily choices create a more peaceful life — and world
Use the hashtag #MagnifyingPeace and tag us to show your creative actions!

Peace isn’t passive. It’s a practice.
And it begins… with you.

Let colour be your guide. Let your hands move freely. Let your heart speak in strokes and softness. And above all — let peace be something you choose today.

Looking for a peaceful tea? Begin with Mission4Change CommuniTEA. You can learn more here. Order from the shop and have it delivered right to your door.

Wanting to find peaceful movement? Join our special Movement and Music Class, and get started with your daily practice.

Did you miss the podcast about the Magnifying Peace Project this week? Check it out…

With peace and creativity,
Dr. Michelle Greenwell
Greenwell Center for Holistic Health
www.greenwellcenter.com

The post 🎨 Painting Peace: How Art, Colour & Intention Calm the Mind and Transform the Moment first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

We are very proud to have the Mission4Change CommuniTEA supporting fundraising for the Moyo Family. If you have a group gathering, a business group that you meet with, a community group you gather with, or a family gathering where you could feature the tea and help us fundraise, please reach out to info@greenwellcenter.com.

If you are interested in supporting the fundraising efforts for school supplies, shoes, Grace Pads, a home, farming supplies or seeds, training for family members, final land payment, or medical support, we would love to hear from you. You can reach out to the Greenwell Center, or to Charlene Waines on Facebook or through info@greenwellcenter.com.

Both Wine Country Tai Chi Society and Tai Chi Cape Breton have been fundraising with these teas, and the latest Wellness Retreat offered by WCTCS raised more funds for the Moyo family with purchases. Thank you to these two groups for their efforts!

The post Tea for Compassionate Care first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Here is the podcast version

Check out the mini clip

More about the podcast

Welcome to the 99th Episode for the Be Well with Dr Michelle Greenwell podcast. Today we explore what you need to bring energy and vitality into your day, and how to make this a habit in all that you do. This habit comes with ease and flow, so it is not meant to be more work or a burden in your day, but rather a life choice that brings you energy and vitality and changes your quality of life.

The BioEnergetic Wellness Formula is derived from the dissertation work that Michelle did identifying the key aspects of the Touch for Health process for balancing the body. This formula empowers all those who enjoy working in the field of health and wellness, specialized kinesiology (as it is referred to outside of Canada), and complementary and alternative medicine. Michelle explores the science and background of the formula as well as the layering of content that empowers and builds the effects of the formula. If you have wanted to empower your day by setting goals and ambitions in a much better way, be sure to listen to this episode to know who and why you are doing so.

Michelle shares more about the Mission4Change CommuniTEA tea, the relationship of the herbs found in the playlist on the YouTube channel @michellegreenwell, and how the tea has empowered her meetings, social gatherings, and understanding of the power of herbs to activate energy changes. You can find the “It’s in the Cards” deck and the “Affirmations for the Body and BioField” deck in the shop. You can easily enjoy learning more about the tips and tools that make up a vibrant day for Dr Michelle.

Stay tuned for the 100th episode from Be Well with Dr Michelle Greenwell

Want to Learn More?

Through the Touch for Health community, Michelle shares a passion with an incredible global network. A recent email sent from Adam Lehman shared more about his love for HeartMath, and a clip from a conference he attended. In this clip, Howard Martin talks about intuition and how it is empowered by being in heart coherence with others around the planet.

When we bring our bodies into balance so all the systems are in harmony we create a frequency that others can find enjoyable to be around. Our beacon of frequency through being in balance is recognized by others and the way they interact with us. It also helps us to become an antenna for other coherent activities. This is how our intuition is expanded and heightened.

As you engage daily with the BioEnergetic Wellness Formula, you will discover how your intuition will grow and what is inspired because you found a way to be coherent within, so you could be coherent with others.

If you want to develop these skills consider one of the programs Dr Michelle offers online and inperson. Starting this week is Movement Made Easy and Touch for Health Level 1. Continuing is the Energy of Nutrition in the Qi YINtegration class. Tai Chi class is happening regularly, and the AME for Greatness Project has one spot left for anyone suffering from a chronic illness that has not been able to find resolution through regular health channels. What a powerful week ahead!

The post Living by the BioEnergetic Wellness Formula first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.