Cultivate Upstate

Relationships act as mirrors and the image we see looking back at us is not always a comfortable one to take in. The people closest to us have a way of reflecting back the parts of ourselves we haven’t fully seen yet — our unmet needs, our old wounds, the places we’re still growing.
That’s not a flaw in the relationship. That’s the relationship doing its deepest work- the invitation for us to expand into more.
This is what we’re exploring in The Space Between — our next workshop in our new series on Relationships. If you’ve ever wondered why certain relationships bring up so much and what to do with that information to deepen the meaningful connection with yourself and others, this one is for you. ✨
📅 June 13 · Manlius, NY
Link in bio to register.
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There’s a Dave Matthews song called The Space Between.
 
And whatever your history, or lack there of, is with that song — the title captures something most of us have likely felt but rarely have language for.
 
The idea that the space between two people is not empty. That something real lives there — something that can hold us together or keep us apart, that we can feel but can’t quite name.
 
Neuroscience has a lot to say about what that something actually is. And it turns out it’s more biological, more measurable, and more within our influence than most of us realize.
 
The Space Between is a 2-hour experiential workshop exploring exactly this — what lives in the invisible field between us, how our brains impact each other with or without our awareness, and what it means to become more intentional about what we create in that space with the people we love.
 
📅 Saturday, June 13, 2026
🕐 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM (doors open at 10)
📍 314 E Seneca St, Manlius, NY
 
Link in bio to register!
  ✨

✨🌿 The roots and the branches don’t compete. They make expansion of the other possible. 🌿✨
Here’s what happens though when we forget that.
When we only focus on the We — we pour everything into the relationship, the connection, the other person. We become really good at tending to others and really bad at tending to ourselves. The branches grow. Meanwhile the roots don’t deepen. The tree is unstable. One hard season and the whole thing sways, branches fall, and the whole tree eventually collapses.
When we only focus on the Me — we do all the inner work. The journaling, the therapy, the self-awareness. We know our patterns, our triggers, our attachment style. Meanwhile, we barely, if ever, break the surface. We never let anyone actually in. Roots without branches aren’t growth. They’re just hiding underground.
The work isn’t choosing between knowing yourself and being in relationship. It’s trusting that one feeds the other.
The deeper your roots, the further your branches can reach. The further your branches reach, the more reason your roots have to grow.
Me. We. Not instead of each other. Because of each other. 🌳 We’ll continue along in our Me-We Relationship workshop series on Saturday, June 13th. Stay Tuned- more info dropping soon! ✨

✨“The Me grounds the We. The We grows the Me.”✨
This is the heartbeat of everything we’re exploring in our upcoming relationship workshop series — and it starts with a simple but profound truth: the work you do on yourself doesn’t happen in isolation. It ripples. Into your partnerships. Your friendships. Your family. The way you show up in every room you enter.
And it works in both directions. The deeper you know yourself, the more genuinely you can connect with others. And the more you allow yourself to be in real relationship — seen, challenged, held — the more you discover about who you are.
This isn’t a solo journey. And it was never meant to be.
Our next workshop, The Me-We Connection: How Knowing Yourself Changes Everything in Relationships, is coming up on Saturday, May 16th. This workshop signifies the bridge from self to others as we wrap up our inner child series and begin to shift to relationships. If something in this post landed for you — that’s your sign.
🔗 Link in bio to register.

You’ve probably heard a lot about inner child work. Maybe you’ve even been on that journey for a while now.
 
The journaling. The reparenting. The sitting with yourself in uncomfortable places.
 
The challenge that often comes with that work? Finding the both/and between self and others. Integrating all you learned in that inner work into your relationships.

You might find the part of you that learned to go quiet when things got tense? Still going quiet — now with your partner.
The part that earned love by being helpful? Still helping, still earning.
The part that learned closeness wasn’t safe? Still keeping people at arm’s length.
 
Our inner child doesn’t stay inside. They come with us into the We.
 
The Me-We Connection is a 2-hour experiential workshop exploring exactly this — how knowing yourself more fully changes the way you show up in your closest relationships. We’ll move through a grounded meditation, accessible brain science, structured pair conversations, and a creative mapping activity.
 
No prior experience with inner child work needed. Just bring yourself.
 
📅 Saturday, May 16th  |  🕐 10:30-12:30 (Doors open at 10 to ensure we start on time!) |  📍 314 E Seneca St., Manlius NY- Enter through the purple front door & meet us on the 2nd floor!
 
Link in bio to register. 🤗
 

🌿💪 Cultivate Community Event: Play & Purpose!

We’re so excited to announce that Cultivate Upstate will be participating in the Daniel Barden Mudfest on Saturday, May 2nd! 🥾🏅

Mudfest is more than a mud run — it’s a celebration of community, resilience, and heart. Named in honor of Daniel Barden, one of the Sandy Hook first-graders remembered for his kindness and generosity, this event raises money for a truly meaningful cause. We couldn’t think of a better way to embody what Cultivate is all about: showing up for each other and making a positive impact together. 🌱

And we’re not just jumping in on race day — we’re building toward it together. 🙌 In the weeks leading up to Mudfest, we’ll be hosting two community walks at Green Lakes State Park to help us get moving, get outside, and get connected:

🥾 Walk #1 — Sunday, April 19 @ 4PM · Green Lakes State Park
🥾 Walk #2 — Sunday, April 26 @ 4PM · Green Lakes State Park

Come walk off the Sunday Scaries with us! 🌅 These walks are all about:

🏃 Getting our bodies moving
🌬️ Soaking up some fresh air
🤝 Building deeper connection with one another

These walks are rooted in something we deeply believe: that movement, time in nature, and genuine human connection are powerful medicine — for our bodies and our minds. This is especially meaningful as we step into May — Mental Health Awareness Month. 💚

Whether you want to run, walk, cheer us on, or simply support a great cause — DM us! We’d love to have you be part of this.

Let’s get muddy. Let’s stretch & grow. Let’s cultivate. 🌿

Our experiences in relationships early in life shape who we become as an adult. Most of us have spent years learning which parts of ourselves were not lovable, acceptable, or worthy. The too-sensitive part. The too-needy part. The one who felt too much or asked for too much. And slowly, maybe without even realizing it, we learned to hide them or leave those parts of us behind.
Here's what the science of whole-brain integration tells us though: those parts didn't disappear. They're still with us. Still showing up in our relationships, our reactions, our patterns — asking to be welcomed back.
And that's exactly what we're going to do together.
✨ Whole Again: Integrating the Parts of You That Got Left Behind✨ is happening this Saturday, April 11th from 10:30am–12:30pm at 314 E Seneca St in Manlius, NY.
This is a 2-hour experiential workshop where we'll move through a grounded meditation, accessible brain science, meaningful pair conversations, and a creative integration activity — all designed to help you stop running from your story and start integrating; start coming home to yourself.
Space is limited. If something in this post made you pause — that's your sign.
🔗 Link in bio to register.

Some of us learned early that certain parts of ourselves were too much.
 
Too emotional. Too needy. Too loud. Too sensitive.
 
So we left those parts behind… or so we thought. They didn’t disappear. They’ve been waiting for you.
 
✨Whole Again✨ is a 2-hour experiential workshop designed to help you go back for the parts of yourself that got left behind — and begin to feel integrated, whole, and at home in yourself again.
 
We’ll move through a guided grounding process, accessible brain science on integration and the inner child, structured partner conversations, and an expressive activity.
 
📅 Saturday, April 11th, 2026 | 🕐 10:30-12:30 (Doors open at 10:00AM) | 📍 314 E Seneca St. in Manlius- Enter through the purple front door & meet us on the 2nd floor
 
Link in bio to register 🤗
 
MentalHealthMatters

What if the hardest part isn’t the wound itself — it’s the energy we spend making sure no one, including us, ever gets too close to it? Brené Brown names something we may know but rarely say out loud: running from our story costs more than facing it ever could. The reality is when we own our stories, when we become the author of this life we’re living, we get to write all the chapters that remain. So how do you learn to pick up the pen? How do you begin to shift that energy towards healing and wholeness?

If this resonates with you, our next Cultivate Growth Workshop could be an important step in creating that shift; an opportunity designed to help you stop running — and empower you to start coming home to yourself.
Stay close. More information is coming! ✨

Ever notice how your Inner Critic shows up uninvited and suddenly you believe everything it says? Or how anxiety can flood your entire system and you lose access to the calm, capable version of you?
Here’s the thing: you’re not just one static self. You’re a whole cast of characters—the Perfectionist, the People-Pleaser, the Scared Child, the Confident Leader. Sometimes they work together. Often? Total chaos.
This workshop is about reclaiming the director’s chair. Learning to step back, observe your inner world, and become the author of your story—not just a character reacting to the plot.
MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY: Becoming the Author of Your Inner Story 📅 Saturday, March 21 | 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM 📍 Manlius, NY
In this 2-hour experiential workshop, you’ll: ✨ Learn the Wheel of Awareness ✨ Map your inner cast of characters ✨ Practice returning to your centered self ✨ Build skills to integrate all your parts
This is for you if: You’re curious about what’s happening inside you, deepening your personal growth work, supplementing therapy, or looking for practical tools to bring more choice into your daily life.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just be curious. Come as you are—all of you.
🎯 First-timers: Use code IMATEN for $10 admission
Link in bio to register ✨