Today we’d like to introduce you to Cham Edussuriya.
Hi Cham, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began my career as a Montessori teacher about 20 years ago. In the classroom, my favorite areas to focus on was the geography cabinet. This allowed us to discuss cultures from around the world and take a look at the lives of people in how they live, dress, communicate,dance, and most importantly eat.
I incorporated a lot of cooking activities and began to invite parents to come cook with the students. It evolved into an understanding of how important food is to our heritage and well being.
I also loved to be outdoors camping, hiking and taking kids outside, as I saw it was important to their development. I have always been passionate about the environment and how to become stewards of it. Joining the local chapter of the Children and Nature Network helped me lead small groups out on hikes and events.
When I decided to step out of the classroom just before COVID, I was spending a lot of time discussing all of this with parents and I realized the education needs to be for both children and parents. I decided to start with summer camps and workshops. This evolved into so much more.
I took regenerative agriculture classes at Wild Willow Farms and also attended Soil Summit workshops and events. I wanted to understand more on our climate crisis and how to bring this into my work. I knew that all this was impacting our personal health and the health (metal and physical) of our children, but I was at a loss on how to share this with people.
In 2022 I joined the Integrative Health Practitioner course and became a certified IHP health coach. Later I took a Trauma Informed Movement training to understand more about our nervous system health.
So for the past few years, I have been incorporating my passion for cooking, heritage, nature and stewardship for the environment as part of what I offer my clients in understanding their personal whole health and well-being.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a lot of struggles from mourning the identity of who I believed I was as a teacher, to homeschooling my kids while also starting a new chapter in my life. I injured my back and broke my foot within a year which was the biggest blessing to slow down and pay attention to my health.
Learning to reach out to others, learn from them, invest to better myself, have all been part of the lesson in the struggle. This idea that “I can do it all by myself” had to be abandoned, it was the biggest lesson in looking within.
Finally, the biggest struggle has been understanding financial security and self worth and that they are not married to each other. Going out on my own has been terrifying for financial reasons, but it’s been the most rewarding in building a sense of purpose.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Homegrown Urban?
My business is supporting people in their health journey both for children and adults. I offer a variety of programs from cooking classes, workshops, and 1:1 health coaching.
I love working with children so I offer a variety of camps that focus on history, culture, botany and lots of cooking and eating!
I also work with some non-profits to help educate our local adult and teen communities understand where our food comes from, how to work within a budget, and how to create delicious healthy meals to support the individual or a family.
I am most proud of creating sustainable practices by connecting people within our local community. I believe in community and that we need this to take care of each other and our planet. Our farmers are the ones that will save us from our health to saving our soil.
My services are about total health. My classes, workshops, and coaching include a little on all the above. We need to understand where we came from, who we are, before we know where we are going.
What matters most to you? Why?
The environment is the most important and this determines how I shop, live, teach, eat, and create. It has always been a passion and will continue. It was how I was raised, it was part of my culture as a Sri Lankan. We have a beautiful country and sustainability is rooted in our culture.
The wisdom that comes from cultures that look to food, nature and movement as healing practices have existed for thousands of years. I am proud of my heritage and for my mother teaching me these things. It is important to me that we don’t lose this wisdom and practice passing along this information to our future generations.
Pricing:
- $55 – Student single day classes
- $100+ Online Workshops
- $750+ One-on-One health coaching and consultation.
- $350+ Guest speaker/Workshops
- *Non-profit pricing varies
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.homegrownurban.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homegrownurban/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2563420963691008
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cham-edussuriya-85b014232
