My work as a healer
The magic of Plants
For hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived in complete harmony with the natural world. Immersed in the fields and forests, we used to be intimately connected to the seasons, the cycles of the moon, and the flora and fauna that we depended on for our existence. During this time, humans and plants developed a synergistic relationship. Our ancestors knew how to read the language of the plants (doctrine of signatures) and exactly what plants to use as medicine and food. I believe that in the bones and blood of our modern bodies, we are still connected to the wisdom of those ancestors. Our bodies remember and yearn for the energy of the plants and the relationships we had with them. While modern medicine has made amazing progress in saving and improving lives, herbal medicine can be a gentler and more holistic approach to rebuilding and remembering our natural state of wellness - one that taps into the spiritual and emotional journey of being a human in relationship.
Based on ancient practices, we turn to the forests and meadows to heal, by matching plants not just with the diseases and symptoms they cure but with the spiritual, emotional, and energetic uniqueness of the individual. We see this model of healing reflected in some of the oldest healing practices: Traditional Chinese medicine, Ayeruvedic Medicine, Greek Humoral Medicine, Southern Blood Typology, Homeopathy, and the vitalism, eclecticism, and energetic model of modern Western herbal medicine (which I now use today).
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I have spent 24 years studying plant medicines and 17 years practicing and teaching. In my work with plant medicines, I match the plants to the people. I look beyond just the symptoms you are experiencing and examine a holistic picture of patterns that surround the dis-ease. We look at all the layers of the imbalance: body, mind, emotion, home, family, community, and soul. Then turn back toward the most ancient teachings about the energetics of plants to allow them to serve as a map, guiding and nudging the whole being back in the right direction.
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When working with plants, together, we will be a team in your journey to better health.
Get to Know Me
In 2002, I was just a punk living in Minneapolis, MN. I found myself struggling with intense and chronic immune dysregulation. I was young, poor, and had no health insurance. That's when I met my teacher and mentor, Matthew Wood, Ms.C. Matt was willing to help me with my health problems in exchange for work-trade in his clinic and at his farm. So, every Saturday, I drove out to his place to tend plants, harvest herbs, and refill tincture bottles. That is when my passion for plant medicine was ignited. I spent the next eight years studying extensively with Matt and sitting in on consults with him. I also studied with one of his students, Lise Wolff, midwife Erin Pioier, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Francis Bonaldo.
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In 2006, with a big push from Matt and Lise, I founded Woven Branches Healing Arts. I had a clinical practice in Minneapolis, MN, and taught all over the country. I was also teaching survival skills and basketry at the time.
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By 2016, I had landed in Olympia, WA where I co-founded the Hawthorne School of Plant Medicine with my dear friend and magical human, Sean Croke.
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In 2018, I moved to California to enhance my work as healer by studying the 8Shields and permaculture with the Weaving Earth School of Relational Education. I also embarked on a beautiful journey to learn how to facilitate somatic-based healing through dance and movement therapy with Open Floor International.
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I now find myself in yet another place and another life, having just moved to Cleveland about a year ago. As I settle in, I am excited to begin making medicines, teaching classes, and sharing my work with all of you.
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