I’m known for being: The director of the School of the Sacred Wild, an herbalist, teacher, author, green witch, regenerative gardener, formulator, consultant and earth-loving mother to my daughter, Flora. 

I’m talking about: Teaching and creating experiences and healing spaces for people to connect to the Earth, themselves and spirit. As a healer and earth activist, I see that modern humans are deeply struggling and so is the natural world and her ecosystems. By teaching people how to heal themselves with medicinal herbs, how to heal the soil with regenerative gardening, how to grow their food and care for their human and non-human family, I hope to weave bridges of connection, love and reciprocity between the Earth and people.

You can find it at: schoolofthesacredwild.com.

Before I began this work, I was: On the path to become an architect! I was interested in creating intentional communities where people could work together to create more just and sustainable cultures and care for the lands they lived on.  

What inspired me to launch it was: The plants, the earth and my love of wild nature inspired me create opportunities for people to learn these ways. Also, having the personal experience of how healing it was to come back to the folk traditions of my ancestors and the pace of the Earth. This work has been a living garden and tapestry of the many passions and gifts I cultivate within myself, as a teacher, gardener, activist, artist, writer, healer and devotee of the Earth and the great mysteries. 

How it works is: Students sign up for a ten-month long journey called, “The Apprenticeship to the Sacred Wild.” Each month, we work with different healing herbs; they learn plant meditation, rituals and practices for self-care and earth-care. You can also experience my work through my book, The Witch's Herbal Apothecary: Rituals & Recipes for a Year of Earth Magick & Sacred Medicine Making. I also offer some retreats and will be offering a five-day immersion in Costa Rica this spring. 

What makes this special is: It is unique to teach people the language of the plants, and how to learn about the medicinal properties of plants directly from their experience of a tea meditation. It also is so empowering to learn that anybody can do it; this path of spiritual herbalism, deep ecology and regenerative living is what we are all made of, and it feels like a coming home. 

One thing you can’t miss is: I will be announcing the Spring Retreat in Costa Rica soon. I am opening all in-person offerings to my enrolled apprentices first, but, if you want to hear about it, I suggest signing up for my mailing list on my website. 

My favorite secret detail is: Connecting to the earth every day. It can be as simple as going outside and taking my shoes off, or taking a five-minute break in the middle of a busy workday to step outside and close my eyes, feeling the sun on my face. It is so incredible how just a few moments of being fully present in nature, and away from our devices, can bring us back to ourselves, calm our nervous system and dramatically reduce inflammation in the body. 

For me, what it means to feel grounded is: Feeling at peace with myself, life and the Earth. Feeling grounded is the best feeling! There is a calm foundation to everything that happens, an ease and a feeling of trust in my heart. When we are grounded, we do not react unconsciously to life, but we respond from a deep place of groundedness, which allows our choices, actions and relationships to flourish. 

Grounding is so important because: As humans, we are made of the Earth and we get sick when we are ungrounded, so physically it is critical to our survival. Emotionally, being grounded means we are kinder to ourselves and others and so we enjoy healthier relationships. Spiritually, being grounded means we have faith in life and can be open to the magick all around us. 

One ritual for grounding is: Take off your shoes, so your skin is touching the skin of the earth, her soil. This will not be as effective on concrete. Find a patch of grass, rock or any part of the Earth’s body. Lay down with your back on the Earth and close your eyes. Place your palms facing the Earth and take some deep breaths, releasing energy from your body and hands into the Earth. This is called “dumping energy” and is a way to release anxiety, inflammation and nervous energy. Notice your breath beginning to feel calmer and your body feeling more relaxed.

After a couple of minutes, when feeling relaxed, place your hands on your heart and belly and continue to breathe and relax with your eyes closed. Lastly, turn around and lay with your belly and heart against the Earth. You will be surprised to see how much more grounding happens and allow yourself to really relax, as if you are a baby, laying the Earth Mother's chest. Close your eyes and spend as much time as you like. Once you feel grounded and rise, you will see that your nervous system feels totally different. You will experience both a sense of calm and also rejuvenation. Even ten minutes of this is profound; 20 minutes is ideal and is shown to reduce inflammation in the body by 80%. Do this daily and you will become a grounded person.