Episode 4

004 Creating Ritual with Tea

Published on: 29th March, 2022

In this episode, my dear friend Amy Truong joined me to talk about tea and ritual. We reminisced about how we met and came to work together as we were both building our businesses. Amy shares the journey to bring Paru Tea Bar to where it is today, and also gives us a Tea 101 lesson.

About Amy

After earning a degree in International Business from UC Irvine and a decade of working in consulting, tech, and wellness, Amy took the leap and started PARU in 2017. The idea quickly grew from a pop-up with tea educational workshops to a full-time business, operating both two locations in-store and online.

In addition to leading the team, Amy serves as the primary tea educator, buyer, and master blender. She enjoys working with her hands and creating nostalgia-inspired teas like Blue Chamomile and Pandan Waffle.

Featured in this episode

Featured candle: Beeswax candle from Mithras Candle

Featured Tarot deck: La Flora Tarot Deck

Paru Tea Bar's Specialty Tea Subscription

Episode Highlights

03:08 - Card pull from La Flora Tarot

09:34 - What home is to Amy

12:49 - The story of how we first connected and became friends

16:50 - Amy's experience creating a physical location for Paru Tea Bar, separate from the home

21:18 - The intention behind the creation of Paru Tea Bar and how it came to be

26:56 - Amy shares the process of setting up the new shop in La Jolla, and what makes this space unique

29:16 - Amy talks about craft tea and the overall experience at the La Jolla shop, where they grind and brew fresh matcha on site.

40:32 - Amy gives us some Tea 101

48:32 - We talk about what goes into Paru's monthly Tea boxes

50:40 - Rituals Amy is currently practicing to ground and recenter

54:32 - What's coming up for Amy and Paru Tea Bar

Connect with Paru Tea Bar

Website

Instagram


Are you looking for advice on the design of your space? Rachel is hosting Design Refresh episodes on the the podcast. This is perfect if you have that one room that you aren't sure what to use it for or what to do with it. This is your opportunity to get one on one advice from a holistic interior designer. These are booked on a first come first serve basis. You can book your session here.

Receive your copy of the first Zine here.


Connect with Rachel Larraine

Website

Instagram

Patreon

Interior Design Services

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Holistic Interior Design Podcast

About the Podcast

Holistic Interior Design Podcast
Designing with Intention promoting health and well-being.
Welcome to The Holistic Interior Design Podcast — where your space becomes a tool for healing, alignment, and beauty.

I’m Rachel Larraine Crawford, your host, guide and interior designer. I work with conscious homeowners, wellness practitioners, and boutique hospitality brands to create intentional spaces that feel as good as they look.

This podcast is an invitation to get to know me, my process, and what it really means to design from a place of energy, emotion, and soul. Whether you’re redesigning your home, refreshing your business, or just craving more clarity and connection in your environment, you’re in the right place.

Each week, I share raw, unedited episodes full of:
Energy-shifting design tips rooted in Feng Shui and intuition
Rituals and seasonal inspiration for your home or business
Real-life design audits and answers to your questions
Behind-the-scenes insights into my holistic design work

This podcast is interactive — I want to hear from you. Submit your design dilemma or question, and it might be featured on the show at speakpipe.com/hid

Whether you're holding space for yourself or for your guests, this is where beauty, purpose, and energy meet.
Ready to design a space that reflects who you truly are — and supports who you’re becoming? Let’s begin.
Support This Show

About your host

Profile picture for Rachel Crawford

Rachel Crawford

Rachel is a Mystic, Reiki Master, Tarot Reader, Feng Shui Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Holistic Interior Designer, whose intimate connection to her intuition and ancestral roots enabled her to rise above a challenging childhood and blossom into the powerful and impassioned healer she is today.

Committed to empowering others by teaching modalities that support connection to intuition, Rachel hosts workshops and retreats focused on the ancient practices of Feng Shui, Tarot, crystals, herbs and oils, ritual and ceremony, astrology and metaphysics — in addition to live and virtual new moon and full moon circles.

Rachel also lends her harmonious and balancing acumen to the creation of energetically aligned spaces through Holistic Interior Design. Since earning her Associates Degree and Certificate in Interior Design 2005, she has created and collaborated on a multitude of award-winning residential and commercial spaces, including Realm of the 52 Remedies (with Onairos Design), all while becoming certified in Classical Flying Stars Feng Shui through the International School of Feng Shui (2015), studying the practices of Land Healing, Ritual, and Ceremony under Amanda Sophia & Alex Stark in Ireland, and with "House Whisperer," Christian Kyriacou.
Rachel's work has been featured in several exhibitions, including KAABOO, a music, comedy, culinary and art festival held in Del Mar, CA, where as part of an experiential art installation by Carly Ealey and Madeleine Tonzi, she created a crystal grid below the piece, clearing the participating auras before entering the installation. Her designs have been published in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles, Modern Luxury Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Exquisite Weddings, Style & Decor and Serendipity Magazine.

You may also connect with Rachel on a regular basis through Patreon, where she is is creating Mystical Rituals and Sacred Spaces, providing Tarot Readings, and nurturing spiritual connections.

Her Interior Design Projects can be found here Tigerveil.com