Get rich in bodily wisdom

I came from 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 often, which meant being wrapped up at my Serbian Baba's house, spoonfed soup and given herbal medicine. Years later, I learned that herbs were part of how my parents were able to bring me into the world, so it makes sense that my work now revolves around them.

As an athletic yet clumsy teen, I ended up with two concussions and developed post-concussion syndrome. Although I lived with physical and cognitive symptoms for years, I didn't properly rehab my bodymind properly due to (internalized) ableism. Eventually, food and movement helped me heal. I thought I was hale and hearty again - until chronic illness arrived.

In 2017, two tick bites rendered me disabled. After spiraling from specialist to specialist, I began to reclaim my sick body by growing and studying 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 able to nurture this calling into a vocation.

For many, herbalism means neve-ending learning! At this stage, I'm currently in Emery Herbals' Advanced Clinical Herbalism Program and Student Clinic, having recently earned a Master of Public Health degree from Brown University.

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