I was blessed with two moms. My first mom, Cheech, has been with me my whole life while my second mom, Carol, was only with me from the age of 14 until she passed away when I was 35. Both moms contributed to me walking the natural healing path that I have been on since before I became a mom myself.
When I was an early teen Cheech began the intensive process of becoming a Chinese medicine practitioner. During that time I learned about and experienced acupuncture treatments, cupping, and Chinese herbal remedies as well as other helpful healing tools. At the same time, Carol came into my life and introduced me to the world of living plants.
I was not born into a plant loving, dirt worshipping family. Carol introduced me to it, and from then on there was no turning back. When I found my plant friends, I found home. My first solo food garden was at a community garden plot in the heart of Denver, Colorado. I had two young daughters and I treasure the memories of them covered in dirt and sundresses, visiting with fellow community garden members and plucking tart cherries from the fruit trees.
The more time I spent with plants, and the addition of babies to my world seemed to unlock an intuitive knowing that the plants and natural medicine were essential for our health and wellbeing. I had directly experienced the positive emotional effects of spending time with plants in their natural setting, as well as the effects of plants as medicine. Those experiences inspired me to develop a deeper understanding about what plants had to offer for health and healing.
Aviva Romm, James Green, Susan Weed and Rosemary Gladstar were some of my first herb guides. I read their books and enjoyed sharing my adventures in herbalism with my family and friends. For a public speaking class in college I gave a lecture on how to make an aphrodisiac tincture. During this time I began to play with growing medicinal herbs in our family’s home garden. Mullein, comfrey and red raspberry were among the first of many medicinals I have grown.
As my passion grew I reached out to herbalists in the state of Colorado and beyond, leading me to study with Shelley Torgove, Ann Drucker, and Aviva Romm, among others. Eventually I was employed at a local herb shop where I learned so much, especially about blending herbal remedies, essential oils and flower essences. The owner was an inspiration. She was a strong herbalist, body worker and businesswoman. She encouraged me to add more tools to my box and I enrolled in massage school. I studied Thai massage in 2009 and soon after also trained in western style table massage and craniosacral therapy.
The magic of this field is that the learning doesn't stop! There are so many opportunities to learn more and more and I am a committed life long learner. I have been blessed to find new passions in the field and have studied aromatherapy, energy work, permaculture, mushroom cultivation and fungi as food & medicine, beekeeping, and even soap making! Through all of the lessons and growth opportunities that have been presented to me over the years, the plants have been the best of friends and the wisest teachers and have literally saved my life. Respect and gratitude for my elders who led me to this path.