This summer we will be introducing you all to more people from the collective. Our team has grown more than double and since we’ll be out in community more connecting with folks, we want to make sure you know who you’re talking to. First we’re getting started with our Co-Directors of the Wellness Center, beginning with Dr. Adriana Berusch Gerardino. We asked her some questions so we could learn more about her interests and who she is.
Introduce yourself please.
Hello, I am Dr. Adriana Berusch Gerardino and I am a family medicine and mental health Naturopathic Doctor in Arizona. My pronouns are she/they. I am the Co-Director of Wellness at Cihuapactli Collective and have a private practice in the valley. I enjoy practicing naturopathic medicine because of the versatile and flexible treatments I can offer my patients. I grew up in the warmth of the Caribbean mostly between Florida & Dominican Republic and have been in Arizona since 2017. I am a daughter, tia, prima, wife, and dog mami.
What kind of hobbies do you have?
I enjoy ceramics, mosaics, wild-harvesting plants and seeds, plant and fungus ID, hiking, kayaking, camping, and sharing meals with friends.
How do you practice self-care and wellness?
My hobbies are interwoven with my self-care and wellness practices. I do my best to listen to my body and what it asks for. Stable meals, consistency with my contemplative practices, movement, fun, art, and lots of loving connection to the people and world around me.
How has your family lineage impacted the way you navigate the world, or the way you do your work?
It absolutely has. My family immigrated many times over to different places throughout the world, usually for safety or opportunity. It left me doing the same, traveling around with a deep desire to set roots and enter in community. It has added the challenge of learning to weave the different parts of myself into the present moment where I am today. It’s helped me see the importance of having a home and a community that knows me. It has reminded me of the tenderness of long-friendships and taught me to appreciate the little things that can be found within each place I’ve lived.
How do you show up for your community?
That’s a good question. Currently, it looks like being present with people, throughout joyous moments and also challenging times, listening, providing support, reassurance, and resources when needed. Working in healthcare it’s been a joy to be a resource for people in meaningful health-related ways. Healthcare in this country can be hard, and sometimes I get to play a part in someone's life and that is special for me.
What do you appreciate about the collective?
I appreciate the authentic ways the collective moves. An unlearning of colonial and capitalism-centric ways of working in the world and prioritizes an intentional integration of Indigenous, body-based wisdom, and connection. It’s taught me a lot about the ways I’ve worked and required me to unlearn dysfunctional ways of being to move towards a healthier way of working.
What is a strength or positive quality of yours that you bring to the collective?
I believe I bring genuine care for people, creative ways of thinking, and health-centric ideas for community wellness.
What do you look forward to in the work with the collective?
I look forward to seeing our current visions come to life and the future visions revealing themselves with time. Our dreams come true within the collective and it’s a gift to witness the power of our shared visions. We all dream big and consistently encourage that.
What book are you currently reading? (It can be an audio book). Or what podcast do you often like listening to?
For medicine, I listen to podcasts that keep me up to date on the latest research and clinical recommendations, lol. I also listen to Buddhist audiobooks (The Wisdom of No Escape) and reach for books centering desert gardens (The Hot Garden) and earth-based practices. I would say I mostly listen to music and my current fav is Lagartijeando.
Thank you Adriana for sharing about yourself. We’re so happy to have you be a part of the Collective!
To read Adriana’s full bio, visit our About Us page here.