I grew up in the boreal forest of northern Alberta, Canada. My love of the natural world was cultivated at a young age by numerous days of fishing,> camping, and foraging for berries and mushrooms in the woods. I was always fascinated with how the world worked and loved my science classes in high school. After graduation I got my diploma in Chemical Technology and set out for a career as a lab tech. It didn’t take long for me to realize that a career in chemistry was not what I wanted to do long term. For the next several years I bounced around from job to job. My favorite one was working at a tree nursery for a summer. I loved being around the plants and began to think about what type of career I could have that would allow me to work with plants more. Shortly after, my mom got really sick from a medication that her doctor prescribed and she began seeing a naturopath. She told me all about the new things she was learning. I had never had any exposure to alternative medicine before and I found it fascinating. My husband, seeing my new found passion, suggested that I make a career out of it and become an herbalist. I spent months researching herbal courses online and signed up for the East West program in 2009, around the same time that my husband and I started building our off-grid farm. I began reading the course books but didn’t do much with the program for the next five years. In 2014 I decided it was time to hit the books for real! I attended my first seminar in 2015 and Intermediate track this year. The teachers at the seminars do such a wonderful job of bringing the course material to life and really motivated me to work even harder on my studies. Once I finish the course I plan to open an herbal practice in my community and would like to do some local teaching and retreats here on our farm. I am also considering continuing my education and getting my acupuncture license. When I’m not playing with herbs I can be found helping my husband with our farm critters, crafting handmade bath and body products for my company Roots of the Earth Wellness, walking in the woods with my dogs, or curled up by the wood stove with a mug of tea.
