Get rich in bodily wisdom

I grew up in a holistic household, taking lots of vitamins and visiting wellness practitioners on the regular. You could find me outside for much of my childhood, scraped, muddied and maybe eating a flower. I got sick lots, which meant being sent to my grandparent's house to be spoonfed soup and given folk herbal medicine. Years later, I learned that herbs were part of how my parents brought me into the world, so it makes sense that I'm obsessed with plants now!

As an athletic yet clumsy teen, I ended up with two concussions. Although I dealt with many symptoms, my recovery was slowed by a lack of awareness of post-concussion syndrome. Eventually, nourishment and movement, yoga and meditation recalibrated me. I thought I was hale and hearty again - until chronic illness arrived.

In 2017, tick bites carrying Lyme and co-infections rendered me disabled and home-bound. After spiraling from specialist to specialist, I reclaimed agency and vitality by growing and learning about herbal medicine. Thanks to the guidance of mentors like Tamara Segal, Rosemary Gladstar, Dr. Terry Willard, Colleen Emery and Dr. Edward Bach, I've been turning this enthusiasm into a vocation.

For many, herbalism means never-ending learning, and it's important to note that I'm still a clinical herbalist in training. At this stage, I'm in Emery Herbals' Advanced Clinical Herbalism Program and Student Clinic, working to earn all the clinical hours needed to become a Registered Herbal Therapist.

In terms of my background, I'm a second-generation settler on stolen Mississauga lands (so-called Ontario, Canada). My Serbian and Dutch ancestors include healers, educators, refugees, farmers, authors, midwives, activists and lawyers. This work feels like a homecoming: like I've slipped my hand into a well-worn (gardening) glove to carry on