To anyone who has ever written a book: I am in awe of you. I had no idea what it would take to complete a project of this scope—but if you’re reading this it means I finished it, which is unbelievable news.
So many people contributed to this book coming to life:
To my wonderful agent, Stephanie Tade, thank you for not only being a teammate but a dear friend. Thank you to Colleen Martell, for your feedback on my ideas and proposal. Michelle Garside, for igniting the initial spark that became this book. Thank you to my exceptional editor, Marian Lizzi, and the whole TarcherPerigee team at Penguin Random House: Rachel Ayotte, Allyssa Fortunato, Sara Johnson, Roshe Anderson, Anne Kosmoski, Megan Newman, Lindsay Gordon, Lorie Pagnozzi, Joel Breuklander, and Anne Chan. Thank you to Basak Notz for your gorgeous botanical illustrations.
Janna Hockenjos—thank you (and Cam) for your genius edits, and for talking me off the ledge with deep yoga breaths when it got hard. Richelle Fredson—thank you for your supportive guidance every step of the way, from book proposal to published book. Miles Rote—the light, enthusiasm, and unconditional support you poured into this entire project, and my process, was otherworldly. I am deeply grateful.
Special thanks to Martin A. Lee, Dr. Ethan Russo, John Michelotti, Dr. Dustin Sulak, and Professor Solomon P. Wasser for your generous fact-checking, contributions, and support.
Thank you to all of the amazing recipe contributors—Kris Carr, Chris Herko, Amanda Carney, Olga Cotter, Marco Canora, Seamus Mullen, Robyn Youkilis, Matcha Kari, Dr. Jeremy Goldberg, Kendra Adachi, Will Hickox, and Janna and Chad Hockenjos. Thank you to Ty Decaires, for sharing your story.
To Greg Prasker, Cheryl Boiko, Jo Anne Richards, Tradd Cotter, Paul Stamets, Raphael Mechoulam, Dr. Andrew Weil, Tero Isokauppila, David Wolfe, Dr. Annemarie Colbin, Rick Simpson, Eugenia Bone, Leonard Leinow, Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Steve D’Angelo, Dr. Aviva Romm, Rosemary Gladstar, Robert Rogers, Daniel Winkler, Tim Ferriss, Rick Doblin, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, Dr. Roland Griffths, and Michael Pollan, thank you for your work that has taught me so much. I look forward to spending the rest of my life in relationship with medicinal plants. Thank you to Project CBD, CannaCraft, the CannMed Conference, Catskill Fungi, Mushroom Mountain, and Remedies Herb Shop for being instrumental parts of my learning process.
Thank you to Brooklyn Yoga Project (and the hero’s journey that is Dennis Teston’s class) for being my weekly sanity checkpoint through this writing process. To my therapist, Melissa Daum, for witnessing and guiding me through it all. To Lift Floats, for the creative downloads. To Dani Shapiro, for your writing advice, and for Still Writing. Nicole Jardim and Jenn Racioppi—my book-writing group, I can’t imagine navigating this wild ride without you two. Thank you for listening to my late night voice texts during deadlines, and for your advice and loving support at every step. Joel Runyon—thank you for encouraging me, and reminding me that I can, in fact, do impossible things.
Gabby Bernstein, thank you for lighting the path for me for the past thirteen years. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you. Dr. Frank Lipman, for your generosity and wisdom. Jamie Graber, for being my sounding board through it all. Jeanne Grabowski, for being the Glennon to my Liz (and the Liz to my Glennon). Jim Curtis, for your continuous support. Kirk Hensler, for putting up with my photo shoot antics (again). Bria Anderson, for the gift of Maria. To the Girlfriends text, and all of my friends and family—thank you for your love and support throughout this project.
To Dad, Mom, and Lisa: I love you more than words could ever say. Dad—your courage, strength, openness, and optimism have made this journey the most meaningful experience of my life. Mom—you are the ultimate caregiver. Thank you for your positivity, unwavering support, and dedication to our family. Lisa—thank you for always being by my side in this lifetime. You are my forever best friend.
To the Healthy Crush readers who have been with me since 2008, to the readers who share their experiences with me daily, and to you reading this now: thank you for being in my life.