Back to my Roots
Garden musings and important practice update!
Welcome to the Michelle Seguin MD newsletter! A newsletter about thoughts on health and wellness from a doctor-gardener. I’m Dr. Michelle and I’m so glad you’re here! I have big news to share this week!
Hello friends,
As crisp, cool mornings and hints of orange on the horizon signal a time of change and reflection, I find myself at a pivotal moment in my life. Our 5-year-old son starts kindergarten next week and I transitioned into a new medical practice. (Deep breath - whew)! As you can imagine, these deeply meaningful transitions are filled with a wide range of emotions. I’m riding the waves as one can only do, but truth be told abundant gratitude and genuine excitement far outweigh the bittersweet notes. In this newsletter, I’ll share new practice details and musings from this year’s garden. Enjoy!
With deep gratitude,
Dr. Michelle
Practice Update: Root Functional Medicine
After two transformational years with Parsley Health, I’m excited to share that I’m returning to my roots in Michigan as a telemedicine physician with Root Functional Medicine. In this seasonal shift, I am filled with gratitude for the relationships I’ve cultivated and all that I’ve learned in this beautiful chapter. Just as trees shed their leaves to make way for new growth, this change allows me to deepen my commitment back home to the core values that first inspired my journey in medicine.
I look forward to nurturing new connections and continuing our shared path to health and healing in this new chapter through thoughtful, authentic, innovative, and empowering care.
If you’d like to learn more about the practice and how to work with me, please click the link below.
In the Garden
Is anyone else asking themselves, “how could it possibly be Labor Day weekend?” Yet here we are, and the garden never lies. The beans have come and went. The deer ate most of the brassicas, but they appear to be making a cool season revival. The garlic is pulled and curing for winter storage with the onions to soon follow suit. I find comfort in these rhythms and curiosity in the variations from season-to-season. Some years are better than others in terms of yield, but that’s not the primary metric in my mind anymore. I measure the greatness of the garden now by the joy, peace, and awe it brings me. As you reflect on your garden this year, I encourage you to expand your evaluation metrics beyond yield. Below is a peek into this year’s garden:
Early August harvest of little gem lettuce, mixed collards + kale, Row 7 Beauregarde snow peas, cipollini onions, and nasturtium.
Return of the sunflower
Coe Creek garlic - a hardneck variety saved year after year by Dan’s great aunt & uncle from the family farmstead in Tustin, MI
Aplenglow zinnias by Floret Farm
Assorted calendula destined for the dehydrator
More collards, snow peas, and assorted bush beans including: maxibel french filet, dragon’s tongue, purple, and red swan.
How do you measure the “greatness of your garden”? Let me know in the comments below!
A Piece of My Mind
Here is a space where I share quick updates on what I’m learning, doing, loving, & more! The title is a riff on the popular JAMA series, which often highlights the joys, challenges, and hidden truths of practicing medicine in the modern era. Both are enjoyable, yet mine tends to be a bit more lighthearted.
What I’m reading: The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth. This is by far my most captivating read of 2024. If you are a gardener, a plant person, or just generally curious, I think you’ll love this thought-provoking book. I’m already trying to track down a few adjacent Radiolab podcast episodes to keep the conversation going.
What I’m loving:
’s stone fruit chia pudding from her cookbook “Whole Food Cooking Everyday”. I made a peach version with fresh farmstand peaches after returning home from a trip downstate last week. You can read about my introduction to Amy’s work and love of her seasonal, whole food cooking style in this past issue of the newsletter.What I’m exploring: Stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new styles of yoga. During my onboarding week with Root, I attended an outdoor Satya Sound Vinyasa class at Kula Yoga in Grand Rapids, MI. Satya means right speech, truthfulness, and skillful listening. Soothing melodies and nature sounds played through the headphones along with prompts from the yoga teacher. Such a unique, sensory-based class - highly recommend!
What I’m looking forward to: International Travel in September! Oh my, more details to come soon! While I travel domestically a few times a year for family vacation and conferences, I haven’t been out of the country since 2015. An amazing opportunity to a bucket list destination came up and I cannot wait to share about this experience in the newsletter.
Disclaimer: All products listed here are those that I purchase and support. I have no financial ties to products shared in this publication.
This newsletter is a work in progress and your feedback is valuable to me. If there are topics of interest or columns you’d like featured, please connect with me and/or leave a comment. Thanks for being here!
Yours in health,
Dr. Michelle
P.S. If you are enjoying this newsletter, I’d love if you’d share it with a home cook, gardener, and/or nature lover in your life!
In Case You Missed It:
Here are my most recent Substack sharings:
Newsletter Returning in August: … with exciting updates coming soon!
Whole Food Kitchen - Part 1: Let’s talk pantry staple and how joy can be a powerful motivator for change.
In Defense of Winter: Winter walks, soup season suggestions, and a cookbook round-up.
Love this seasonal theme 🦋. We have so much to be grateful for even in the processing of letting go and change.
Gorgeous photos Michelle. I wish you all the joy in your new medical practice 🙏🏽❤️🌻