Discovering herbalism changed everything for me.
I have always found the natural world fascinating and deserving of deeper exploration. As a young girl growing up on a farm in Franklin, TN to my time studying barrier island ecology on St. Catherine’s, GA, nature’s brilliant design managed to both humble and impress me. In nature, everything has its place, nothing goes to waste, and creativity is endless.
Seeking a profession that allowed me to infuse nature’s wisdom into human spaces, I landed an apprenticeship at a permaculture school in North Carolina. Permaculture is a philosophy that incorporates the ingenuity of nature into everyday living with applications in farming, city planning, and even relationships. As an apprentice, I was able to work on medicinal herb farms and learn about herbalism firsthand- an eclectic tradition that has nourished humanity for thousands of years.
In practicing herbalism, things began to fall into place. Pesky health issues I had dealt with since 1st grade began to find resolution and I started feeling more and more confident in my body’s ability to heal. Diagnosed with Lyme Disease at age 6, I had to take long-term antibiotics that did a number on my gut. This was before microbiome was a thing, so my gut continued to degrade. Riddled with constant stomach aches and passed from one doctor to the next who could only diagnose me with IBS, I simply stopped eating because everything made my stomach hurt. This worsened into a full-fledged eating disorder with gastroparesis by high school and lasted well after college. My gut-brain axis was completely shot and my body was rejecting everything I put into it because of underlying food sensitivities and increasingly deep-rooted neurological imbalances as a result of malnourishment - quite the vicious cycle (as are many chronic health issues). Through studying herbal medicine and traditional healing systems, I began to realize there was nothing broken about my body; it was only trying to talk to me in the only language it had. When I slowed down and started listening, everything changed. Now, my health is robust and growing stronger by the day.
I’m a sucker for learning so went on to pursue a Master of Science in Functional Medicine and Human Nutrition. I love applying what I’ve learned in grad school with my personal experience to help clients learn the language of their bodies so they can feel their best.
In my spare time, I try to be outside as much as possible. Nothing makes me happier than being in my garden or on a trail with my baby strapped to my back! I also love to cook, draw, learn, move my body, go to the beach, and spend time with family.
