Nature is our medicine, and we are here to listen.
Herbalist and Entrepreneur since 2000
Discovered the world of Aromatherapy.
Dancing is my first language. The arts enthralled me as a young girl being raised in the Sierra Nevadas of Northern California.
In 2000, I was sick with pneumonia, which I had many times before, and stumbled upon an old Aromatherapy book at a used bookstore by Jean Valnet called “The Practice of Aromatherapy”. I perused it, purchased it, and acquired some lavender essential oil which cured my lung condition. I dove into the world of medical aromatherapy and natural healing with whole foods and herbs.
The same year I discovered the my individual spirituality path after being raised in a Mormon family. I started studying Tibetan buddhism, Hinduism, and connecting with my spirit guides & ancestors. This was a major ’aha’ time for me.
From dancer to Clinical Herbalist
In 2001 I moved to Seattle to go to dance school, but life had a different agenda for me. I was hired at an herbal apothecary and mentored with the master herbalists for two years. Even then, I didn’t know herbal medicine schools existed.
I moved back to California, and attended the California School of Herbal Studies in 2005 & 2006 in their western clinical herbal medicine program. To fund my studies, I started a small chai tea company in San Francisco, delivering it to cafés on the weekends.
After graduating, I started seeing clients and dove into Ayurveda + Western Herbalism and studied with herbalists such as Dr. Vasant Lad, David Hoffmann, Matthew Wood, Aviva Romm, to name a few.
Spa Life + Herbalism
I co-founded an organic spa in Fisherman’s Wharf in 2007 and sought to bring together the world of beauty + herbal medicine. I ran my small clinical practice out of the spa, which allowed me to grow my experience.
As the Creative Director, I designed all the skin care products, back bar, and teas. I created and built the interiors of the spa, and trained our staff on personalized herbal product recommendations for our clients.
I found my unexpected bliss in the intersection of the world of beauty + holistic wellness. Integrating the arts + product aesthetics with herbal medicine fueled both of my passions.
Motherhood + Indigenous Wisdom
I became a mother in 2010 at moved overseas. This massive change came with new experiences that I could not have foreseen. I had a strong desire to seek out my own ancestral knowledge.
I traveled to Norther Lapland Sweden to meet with Sami people to find my ancestral traditional Medicine, realizing quickly that so much plant medicine wisdom was lost and there was little to find.
The following year I moved to Tanzania where I was approached by a Maasai herbalist to help him document his traditional knowledge.
In 2013, I founded Herbal Anthropology Project, 501(c)3 to support Traditional Knowledge preservation for Indigenous people around the the world with Intellectual Property protection.
SF + Scarlet Sage
In 2015, I moved back to San Francisco and acquired The Scarlet Sage Herb Co. It has been the beacon of wellness and support for me, my community, and my family.
At Scarlet Sage I increased the revenue by 75% within 5 years and created a product line of 169 natural products for our e-commerce and brick and mortar. I have learned the art stewarding a healing community, growing a small business, and leadership - a constant spiritual teacher for me.
In 2018, I started the School of Traditional Healing Arts in the basement of Scarlet Sage.
In 2024, Scarlet Sage could no longer withstand the retail climate of San Francisco, and, with a very heavy heart, I shuttered the store.
Land of Verse + the future
March of 2020, our Herbal Medicine certifications moved from in-person to online. Soon afterward, we realized that our online education was something unique: a blend of modern ways with traditional plant medicine. And, we weren’t wrong.
In 2021, we launched Land of Verse, an inspiring intersection of healing arts, spirituality + plant medicine education.
I bring all of my experience in wellness and business into each of my sessions with compassion, empathy, and deep understanding.
I continue my spiritual path with daily yoga practice, ancestral connection, and Vipassana meditation. I currently tend my garden in Oakland, California with my wife, two fantastic children, and two doodles.