About Aleksa
(she/they/he)
I came from a holistic household, taking lots of vitamins, doing cleanses and visiting wellness practitioners regularly. Thanks, mum! You could find me outside much of my childhood, scraped everywhere, muddied and maybe eating a flower. I would get sick often and end up at my Serbian Baba's house, to be spoonfed soup and given herbal medicine. I found out later that herbs were the reason my parents were able to bring me into the world, so it makes sense that my work centers them now!
As an athletic yet clumsy teen, I ended up with two concussions and developed post-concussion syndromes. Although I experienced physical and cognitive symptoms for years, I did not rehabilitate my bodymind properly because of internalized ableism. Fortunately, classical Hatha yoga and meditation later helped me to restore cognitive functioning, along with supplements and dietary changes. I thought I was hale and hearty again—until I became chronically sick.
It took three tick bites to destroy my health in 2016 and render me disabled. After spiralling from specialist to specialist, I reclaimed my sick body by learning to advocate for myself and studying herbal medicine. Thanks to my mentors, Tamara Segal, Rosemary Gladstar and Dr. Edward Bach, I nurtured this kernel and my passion grew from a hobby into a vocation. While herbalism is a lifelong learning process, at this stage, I'm taking Wild Rose College's Master Herbalist Program alongside a master's degree in public health at Brown University.
As for my heritage, I'm a second-generation Canadian of Serbian-Dutch descent. Some of my ancestors were healers, educators, refugees, farmers, scientists, midwives, activists and lawyers. I see my roles as a community herbalist and gardener as a homecoming; it's as though I've slipped my hand into the perfectly sized (gardening) glove to carry on time-old traditions.
The H&H Vision
Hale & Hart bridges biomedical and holistic approaches to mental health care. I do this using my integrative mental health model that centers human diversity, creativity and autonomy.
One day, I hope every household can reclaim herbal wisdom and apply it to regenerate their communities and the Earth. In the quest to transition away from destructive and exploitative ways of life, I know that plant allies can help us care for ourselves and others, better.
Values
Everyone's experience of health is unique. Here, it's not about conforming to wellness standards or comparing your body to someone else's. Exploring our bodyminds can be playful and affirming. I'm here to support you, mentally and emotionally, on the path towards personal and collective healing.
The inspo behind H&H
Do you recognize the saying, "to be hale and hearty"? Hale comes from "whole" or "safe" in Old English, while hearty means to be in a state of vibrant health. Hart is a portmanteau of "hearty" and my maiden name, "Hartog".
The alchemical symbol for salt inspired this logo. Salt represents the essence of matter and is renowned for its purifying qualities. Even the expression, "salt of the Earth", refers to the qualities of being honest, simple and hardworking. This reflects who I am (even though I cannot push my disabled body as I once did) as well as the folks I enjoy working with, who live with integrity, and make the world a more kind, safe and just place to be. H&H is here for you!
