My name is Christina Q. Slotin and I live in Cocoa Beach Florida with my husband Michael and our two teenagers.  As a child, my family moved from Mexico to a small farm working town in Florida named Immokalee. Plants have always played a role in my life, my childhood includes fond memories of grinding fresh herbs and spices for meals on a daily basis and my mom’s herbal remedies that she relied on including cleansings or limpias that she would conduct using aromatic herbs, eggs, and prayers. My working path brought me close to plants as well, as a child I worked alongside my parents in the vegetable fields and during high school and college, I worked at the UF agriculture research center in the entomology department. I majored with an Environmental Science degree and taught science and outdoor education and throughout the years have been my husband’s sidekick on all of his entrepreneurial pursuits from nature tours, outdoor fitness classes, summer science camps, to our latest venture, Fitness Therapy; a fitness and massage therapy studio since 2015.

Prior to opening our studio in 2015, I took my first herbalism course with Joanna Helms RH of Mama Jo’s Sunshine Herbals in Indialantic, FL.  Although I had been learning and using herbs and alternative healthcare since I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of twenty-four, this was the first time I had learned about the history of herbal medicine. In this class, I also learned about the AHG, Michael and Lesley Tierra, and their pioneering work in the herbal world. I was introduced to beautiful systems of herbalism including TCM and Five Element Theory, Ayurveda, Western, and Native American plant medicine. I fell in love with learning about the energetics of plants and the history of use by different cultures. This course reconnected me with my own experiences with traditional forms of herbal healing that my mom had introduced me to as a child. It really opened my heart to what I wanted to do and I left wanting to pursue a new career path as an herbalist. Soon after completing this course, I knew that I had to sign up for the East West Professional Herbalist Course and registered in November of 2015.

Last year I attended my first East West seminar and after the seminar, I also completed my first Hit Medicine Course by Miles Coleman.  Currently, I’m in the process of opening up a commercial kitchen and herbal practice. I am thankful for my EW teachers who’ve given me the confidence to go forward with my dream.  Although it’s a busy time, I’m also making time to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes, searching for wildflowers, and learning new plants and discovering mushrooms growing along the east-central Florida coast. You can visit our studio website and find me on FB.