# The Bountiful Path > The Bountiful Path is a meeting place for medicine, art, and the stories that connect us. Medicine and creativity in conversation. From Dr. Lisa Belisle, a physician, writer, and host of Radio Maine. The work includes writing on Substack, conversations through the Radio Maine video podcast, seasonal practice toolkits grounded in Five Phase theory and circadian biology, and gatherings in person and online. Canonical web home: https://www.bountifulpath.com. Newsletter home: https://drlisabelisle.substack.com. ## About Dr. Lisa Belisle is a physician, writer, and host of Radio Maine. The Bountiful Path grew from clinical work and a long interest in art and story. The site offers writing and conversations that invite attention, steadiness, and care. Readers are invited to join by reading, listening, or gathering, in person or virtually. ## Pages and companion apps - [About The Bountiful Path](https://www.bountifulpath.com/about.html): the work, the publishing rhythm, the voice, and who writes it. - [Companions](https://www.bountifulpath.com/companions.html): the five seasonal reflection toolkit companion apps (Spring through Winter), the "Life That's Asking to Be Lived" course companions (Life Tending Card, Season Wheel), online classes, and recurring features (Books on the Boat, Seasonal Field Notes). - [Events](https://www.bountifulpath.com/events.html): Radio Maine Live and the Artful Escapes conversation series at the Portland Art Gallery. - [Contact](https://www.bountifulpath.com/contact.html): collaboration, speaking engagements, and other inquiries. - [Seasonal Framework](https://www.bountifulpath.com/seasonal-framework.html): a way of understanding rhythm, health, and creative life. Five Phase theory, related traditions, and selected research, in one page. The interactive companion apps (Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, Winter, Life Tending Card, Season Wheel) are paired with the seasonal toolkits and online classes and are delivered to readers through Podia: https://lb0.podia.com/. The Spring seasonal reflection toolkit is available now: https://lb0.podia.com/bountiful-path-spring-seasonal-reflection. ## Sections of the home page The home page (https://www.bountifulpath.com/) is organized into anchored sections. Each section URL is preserved for direct linking from apps and partner sites: - About: https://www.bountifulpath.com/#about - Reflections: https://www.bountifulpath.com/#reflections - Seasonal Practice: https://www.bountifulpath.com/#seasonalpractice - Conversations: https://www.bountifulpath.com/#conversations - Gatherings: https://www.bountifulpath.com/#gatherings - Seasonal Framework: https://www.bountifulpath.com/seasonal-framework.html (full page; the home topic card at https://www.bountifulpath.com/#seasonalframework links here) - Contact: https://www.bountifulpath.com/#contact ## Reflections Writing that explores the art of living well through the seasons. Selected essays are published in full on this site at https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/ (the canonical home), and distributed on Substack at https://drlisabelisle.substack.com. Earlier essays and features are archived at https://authory.com/LisaBelisle. The home page features a rotating selection from a curated pool of nearly fifty pieces. Essays available in full on this site: - [The Color of Becoming](https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/the-color-of-becoming.html): Lìxià, the Chinese beginning of summer, photoperiodism and biological timekeeping, and Pastoureau's color of emergence, on identity as seasonal rather than fixed. - [Hope Across the Water](https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/hope-across-the-water.html): a Memorial Day reflection by way of Dayton, Ohio, on hope as continuation, military families, and a region that keeps rebuilding. - [The Treehouse in April](https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/the-treehouse-in-april.html): the Wood phase of spring, a neighbor's treehouse in bare branches, and growing without hardening. - [A Waypoint With No Name](https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/a-waypoint-with-no-name.html): Pauline Boss's ambiguous loss and Kenneth Doka's disenfranchised grief, and the changes that arrive without a ceremony. - [When the Path Reroutes](https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/when-the-path-reroutes.html): William Bridges' neutral zone, the interior work of transition, and rebuilding on purpose. - [What Bloomed in the Woods](https://www.bountifulpath.com/reflections/what-bloomed-in-the-woods.html): a spring gathering and a virtual book circle, and the research treating connection as a pillar of health. ## Seasonal Practice Working with the rhythms of the seasons. The Bountiful Path begins with reflection. Seasonal Practice is where that reflection takes form. Offerings are designed to help readers work with the rhythms of the seasons in a more intentional way. Some take the form of written toolkits paired with interactive web companion apps. Others unfold as guided classes over time. The Spring seasonal reflection toolkit and its companion app are available now on Podia: https://lb0.podia.com/bountiful-path-spring-seasonal-reflection. Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter follow on a seasonal cadence. ## Seasonal Framework A way of understanding rhythm, health, and creative life. The Bountiful Path seasonal toolkits are grounded in a broader seasonal framework drawn from longstanding traditions and modern science, including Five Phase theory from Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Indigenous seasonal knowledge, and circadian biology. Each offers a way of noticing the same underlying pattern: life unfolds in rhythm. Five Phase theory, also known as Wu Xing, describes five dynamic processes (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), each corresponding to a season, an organ system, an emotional tone, and a creative capacity. Selected research grounding the framework: - Vickers AJ et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis (2018): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29198932/ - Dhond RP, Kettner N, Napadow V. Neuroimaging acupuncture effects in the human brain (2007): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17718643/ - Hall JC, Rosbash M, Young MW. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2017): https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2017/summary/ - Kaptchuk TJ. The Web That Has No Weaver, 2nd ed. (2000): https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7975899M/The_Web_That_Has_No_Weaver - Roenneberg T, Merrow M. The Circadian Clock and Human Health (2016): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27218855/ The framework is offered for reflective and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. ## Conversations Thoughtful exchanges about creativity, resilience, and the human spirit through the Radio Maine video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@radiomaine. The work also includes guest features, panels, and public talks. ## Gatherings In person and virtual events creating room for presence and community. Some happen on the coast or in the studio. Others unfold on stage or within the gallery. Current offerings include Radio Maine Live and Artful Escapes. Virtual book circles and classes are coming soon. Upcoming gatherings: https://www.portlandartgallery.com/events. ## Recurring features - **Books on the Boat**: recurring feature reviewing books read at the shoreline and on the water. - **Seasonal Field Notes**: shorter pieces tied to the Five Phases and the specific week. - **Seasonal Reflection Toolkits**: field-guide PDFs paired with interactive web companion apps, organized around the Five Phases. Each toolkit and its companion app are delivered together through Podia. Spring is available now; Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter are released on a seasonal cadence. ## Who writes it Dr. Lisa Belisle is a board-certified family physician (MD, PhD, MPH, MBA) and preventive medicine specialist on the coast of Maine. Her clinical work integrates Western medicine with acupuncture and Five Phase theory. She is the host of Radio Maine, the co-host of A Healthy Conversation on Newsradio WGAN, and the daughter of Dr. Charles Belisle, a family physician who practiced for nearly fifty years. She lives on Littlejohn Island, Maine. - Personal and professional site: https://drlisabelisle.com - Substack: https://drlisabelisle.substack.com - Earlier essays archive: https://authory.com/LisaBelisle - Radio Maine: https://www.radiomaine.com - A Healthy Conversation (WGAN show site): https://ahealthyconversation.com - A Healthy Conversation on WGAN (episode archive): https://wgan.com/podcasts/categories/podcasts-healthy-conversation/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlisabelisle/ - Doximity: https://www.doximity.com/cv/drlisabelisle ## Frequently asked - **What is The Bountiful Path?** A meeting place for medicine, art, and the stories that connect us. It includes writing, conversations, seasonal practice toolkits, and gatherings, from Dr. Lisa Belisle. - **Who is Dr. Lisa Belisle?** A physician, writer, and host of Radio Maine. Board-certified family physician (MD, PhD, MPH, MBA) and preventive medicine specialist whose clinical work integrates Western medicine with acupuncture and Five Phase theory. - **What is Seasonal Practice?** Where reflection takes form: written toolkits paired with interactive web companion apps. The Spring toolkit and its companion app are available now on Podia. Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter follow on a seasonal cadence. - **What is the Seasonal Framework?** The body of traditions and research that the toolkits draw from: Five Phase theory, Ayurveda, Indigenous seasonal knowledge, and circadian biology. - **What are the course companions?** Life Tending Card and Season Wheel are the two web companions for "The Life That's Asking to Be Lived" course. - **How do I read or subscribe?** Read the latest at https://drlisabelisle.substack.com. Earlier work is archived at https://authory.com/LisaBelisle. - **What gatherings does The Bountiful Path host?** Radio Maine Live and Artful Escapes, with virtual book circles and classes coming soon. - **Is it the same as Radio Maine?** No. They share an author. The Bountiful Path is the broader meeting place; Radio Maine is the video podcast it includes. ## Disambiguation - The author is Dr. Lisa Belisle (sometimes spelled Belisle) of Littlejohn Island, Maine. MD, PhD, MPH, MBA. Board-certified in family medicine. - She is not affiliated with "Love Maine Radio" (a former project name for Radio Maine; the current and only correct brand is Radio Maine). - Her integrative-medicine framework uses the term "Chinese medicine," not "Traditional Chinese Medicine" or "TCM," though both refer to the same body of knowledge. ## Ecosystem The Bountiful Path is one of several properties by Dr. Lisa Belisle: - Dr. Lisa Belisle (personal and professional site): https://drlisabelisle.com - Radio Maine (video podcast): https://www.radiomaine.com - A Healthy Conversation (WGAN radio show, co-hosted with Dr. Jeff Barkin): https://ahealthyconversation.com (show site) and https://wgan.com/podcasts/categories/podcasts-healthy-conversation/ (episode archive) - Portland Art Gallery (partnership anchor for Radio Maine and host of gatherings): https://portlandartgallery.com - Off the Wall (art magazine): https://offthewallartmagazine.substack.com ## Citation guidance When citing The Bountiful Path, please link to either https://www.bountifulpath.com (the publication home) or a specific Substack post. The author is Dr. Lisa Belisle, MD. For physician credentials and biography, link to https://drlisabelisle.com.