My childhood was spent in an old farmhouse in Wisconsin, roaming hundreds of acres of hillsides dotted with cattle and teeming with life. It was there, where my grandfather came to garden. Every spring, he would plan out his garden and in summer everything transformed and blossomed. I dug in the dirt for carrots, eating them straight from the earth, green beans snapped from their vines and gladiolas bursted with color. To me it was alchemy, pure magic.

Outside of the garden, my family witnessed my mother’s extremely challenging postpartum experience, suffering a mental break. I was only 6 months old when my mom was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. She was hospitalized, medicated and told she would not be breastfeeding because of the high levels of medication. She continued to be in & out of the hospital while my dad did his best to keep four children fed while navigating his wife’s complicated diagnosis and life experience. The lack of support she received shaped both of our lives, in ways I could not comprehend until now.

Many years later, I unknowingly, followed my grandfathers path and my mother’s healing journey.

I moved to the big city to pursue dreams of university and become an autonomous adult, leaving the child-like magic behind. Academic life left me broke, uninspired & undernourished. Feeling disconnected our food systems, I dug deeper to find out more about how our food arrived to the table. My curiosity was peaked when I started a part-time job at an organic farm outside the city. I was humbled quickly by the demanding physical labor and the relentless weather conditions. It was there that I met my first Herbalist. I had no idea that the world around me was filled with medicine and nutrition. The grass I walked on contained plants that remedied bee stings, the roots of the dandelion could stimulate my appetite and the berries in the elder trees would boost my immune system. Why didn’t everyone know this?

Fast forward to a decade later, I took a deep dive years of self-studied Western Herbalism while working for organic, regenerative agriculture systems across the States, I found Ayurveda, or it found me, its hard to say. I barely remember applying for an Internship through Banyan Botanicals, but less than a year later, I was farming in southern Oregon, making herbal medicine & studying Ayurveda in the evenings. The women I lived with, the land I tended and the medicine I made would change me forever. I had no idea this eastern-philosophy would capture my heart. When that summer came to an end, I would never be the same.

I began my studies to be an Ayurvedic Practitioner in 2021 and am still working towards that goal. One of my required classes was named “Birth and Beyond,” and it focused on healing birthers postpartum. After one class, I was enraptured! I enrolled in the Sacred Window Studies “Conscious Postpartum Caregiving Program” immediately and received my certification and mentorship from dear and wise teachers. When my sister-in-law gave birth, my heart stirred with this opportunity, my hands & intuition knew what to do! I had to feed her well, and it kickstarted my doula program with her success.

I now live in the PNW, specifically in the Columbia River Gorge, straddling Washington and Oregon. I tend a few acres, grow medicine and organic food and feed my community well. “Let food be thy medicine..” My mom is my biggest cheerleader to this day, always gushing about how her daughter is helping birthers!