Teachers 2025

We are so thrilled to welcome our 2025 Keynote Speakers!
Lottie Spady
​and 
jim mcdonald
Lottie V. Spady , community educator, wellness media maker, practicing herbalist and founder of Earthseed Detroit. Earthseed Detroit centers health via social justice, community empowerment, local access and affordability. Lottie teaches “Do It Yourself Community Health” classes in plant identification, herbal medicine making, and wild edible cooking, herbs an tarot, and self-development through vision collage. She also holds sacred space for nature based healing retreat work, camping/glamping, outdoor education and botanical studies in rural Michigan.   

Earthseed Detroit- www.earthseeddetroit.com/
In 1994, jim mcdonald's life changed when he drank tea from a wild plant he harvested from the land he lived upon. Since those first sips of strange tea, his life in the woods and meadows of southeast michigan has been centered on the plants & ecosystems of that land, and how he might share their virtues to restore wellness with those around him. jim's approach to herbcraft is deeply rooted in the land he lives upon, and blends traditional european folk influences with 19th century eclectic and physiomedical vitalism, which he conveys with story, experience, humour, common sense and lore to students, clients, random passersby and readers of his websites: www.herbcraft.org & herbcraft.podia.com.  He's taught classes throughout north america and is currently alternately writing “Foundational Herbcraft” and the “A Great Lakes Herbal”, in addition to articles for journals and other publications. jim is a community herbalist, a manic wildcrafter and medicine maker, and has been an ardent student of the most learned teachers of herbcraft… the plants themselves.
2025 Great Lakes Herb Faire Teachers

Friday Morning Intensive Teachers
My names Leslie Alexander and I'm interested in practicalities. I enjoy bending ideas and shaping protocols to make them asccessible and interesting. I think that this is most apparent in my clinical work, the mentoring I do and the Round Tables we teach. I work holistically, with an interst in many aspects of the mouth. I'm a big fan of working with local plants and kitchen medicine. I'm also very interested in maritime herbal medicine. In my decades of clinical practice, I enjoy working with others to sustain wellbeing, to address chronic conditions and acute health-related challenges. I enjoy making cyanotypes and weaving. You can mind me a www.RestorationHerbs.com and www.leslie-alexander.net.
Please reach out and say hi at the Faire....
Rosalee de la Forêt has spent over two decades wandering the meeting place between the wild and the tended, where plants and people come alive together. A lifelong lover of the green world, she’s known for her grounded humor, practical insights, and boundless curiosity about the way herbs weave their healing into our lives. Through her online school, books, and podcast, she invites others to join her in a hands-on exploration of herbalism that blends tradition, science, and a dash of wonder. When she’s not teaching, you’ll find her outdoors, marveling at the way plants make the ordinary extraordinary.  Herbs with Rosalee website
Jane Hawley Stevens began specializing in herbs in 1981 after earning her Horticulture degree from U.W. Madison. Opportunities in herb garden design evolved into using herbs in cooking and home remedies. In 1987 she began Four Elements Organic Herbals, continuing to grow herbs used for wellbeing. Grown and harvested on her 130-acre farm in the Baraboo Bluff of Wisconsin, products are handmade by dedicated local women and sold throughout the country. A pioneer in organic farming and the natural product industry, Jane has taken her love and reverence for nature to inspire others through her effective products and teaching at organic herb, garden and professional events. Her desire is to connect people consciously to that which sustains them. Her art and science of herbal wellness has expanded to create Four Elements Herbals product line that sells across the country.
Four Elements Herbals
Erica Macrum is the owner of Sweet Fern Apothecary. She has a deep passion for the healing arts. The ancient wisdom of Earth based energetic modalities, keeps Erica engaged and continuously learning. As a clinical herbalist, She loves sharing about the healing properties and energetics of plant medicine and strongly encourages the people around her to hold healing in their hands.  Erica has been studying and practicing Chinese medicine for over 20 years. She is a graduate of the East West School of Planetary Herbology. When she is not working with herbs, you will find Erica in the garden, walking in the woods, or spending time with her family.  Sweet Fern Apothecary
Main Fair Teachers
​Abrar Al-Shaer, PhD, RD, LDN is the owner and clinical dietitian of Precision Women’s Care (previously named Nourish Women Nutrition), a women’s health integrative nutrition and herbal practice. In her practice, she helps women with their hormone health challenges which include PCOS, dysmenorrhea, infertility, prenatal/postpartum care, endometriosis,
perimenopause/menopause, and more. Abrar received her PhD in nutrition biochemistry from UNC Chapel Hill where she specialized in the field of nutritional immunology and completed her dietetic specialization in high-risk OBGYN. Abrar is also a clinical teaching professor at Stony Brook university’s School of Medicine where she teaches Case-Based Approaches in Integrative Nutrition Therapy. In addition, over the past 15 years Abrar completed botanical medicine in women’s health trainings from Drs. Aviva Romm, Tieraona Low Dog, and Tori Hudson. Given her interdisciplinary experience, Abrar frequently incorporates herbal medicine with medical nutrition therapy to improve her patient’s quality of care.
Precision Women’s Care (previously Nourish Women Nutrition)
​Abby Artemisia is a Botanist, Herbalist, Forager, and Founder of The WANDER School, a nonprofit making herbs and botanical education accessible, especially to underserved communities. She lives in Appalachian North Carolina, where she forages and wildcrafts her food and remedies and teaches Wildcrafted Herb School and the Botany Breakdown Virtual Course. She is the author of the Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders and The Wild Foraged Life Cookbook. You can find these and more at www.thewanderschool.com
​Rebecca Beyer is the woman behind the Blood and Spicebush School of Old Craft. She lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she teaches traditional witchcraft, foraging, primitive skills and Appalachian folk medicine and magic. She has a BS in Plant and Soil science from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Appalachian Studies and Sustainability, concentrating in Appalachian Ethnobotany at Appalachian State University. She is also a member of the Association of Foragers. She has written multiple books on herbal medicine and the folkloric uses of plants including “Wild Witchcraft”, and “Mountain Magic.”
Blood and Spicebush
​Lian Bruno is a clinically-trained herbalist, herbal educator, and the founder of Puff Herbals, an herbal wellness brand centered around the ritual of
smoking. Advocating herbalism for smokers of all plants, she writes all of Puff Herbals' educational content and either art directs or produces
all creative content as well. When not working on Puff Herbals, Lian enjoys teaching about psychoactive plants, visual branding, and bridging
the gap between holistic wellness and hedonism. You can read her work and get her herbal smoking blends at puffherbals.com
Rosalee de la Forêt has spent over two decades wandering the meeting place between the wild and the tended, where plants and people come alive together. A lifelong lover of the green world, she’s known for her grounded humor, practical insights, and boundless curiosity about the way herbs weave their healing into our lives. Through her online school, books, and podcast, she invites others to join her in a hands-on exploration of herbalism that blends tradition, science, and a dash of wonder. When she’s not teaching, you’ll find her outdoors, marveling at the way plants make the ordinary extraordinary.  Herbs with Rosalee website
Tyler Davidson is a board-certified holistic health coach, nutritional therapist, and detox specialist with a focus in reversing chronic disease and medicinal mushrooms. He ties his deep knowledge of holistic healing into the world of fungi for physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. In his offerings he intertwines research-backed medicinal use as well as hands-on experience covering foraging knowledge. Tyler crafts his wild-foraged mushroom extracts from forest to bottle through his company Magic Forest Medicine for those that wish to begin their mushroom healing journeys. https://linktr.ee/magicforestmedicine​
Colleen Donahoe is a yoga teacher, environmental educator, and herbalist from Indianapolis, IN where she and her husband run Persimmon Herb School out of their home. They have two children, two cats, one Great Pyrenees, some chickens, and LOTS of plants.   www.persimmonherbschool.com
Lindsey Feldpausch, RH(AHG) is a clinical herbalist and educator. Lindsey's work has been focused on education and clinical herbal practice, teaching for online and in-person herb programs, as well as at a variety of conferences, while maintaining a private practice of her own. She has worked professionally in the field of herbalism for 15 years and is currently Program’s Coordinator at the Herbal Academy. Lindsey's herbal works have coalesced into her business, Plant Matters. Which is an herbal consulting, educating, and products business. Plant Matters products are made with wildcrafted, cultivated, or sustainable sourced plants, and crafted into a variety of magical, medicinal plant creations. As an herbalist, Lindsey's goal is to connect plants with the humans who need them. She believes in our innate ability to engage the with the power of plants, and one of her life’s intentions is to kindle this belief in others. Aa an experienced educator, she aims to balance both science and the magic of the natural world within her teachings.  Plant Matters
Herbal Mentor, Margi Flint owns and operates EarthSong Herbals in Marblehead, MA. Her filters of wisdom include 20 plus years in galleries showing her etchings, over twenty years of labor coaching, certification in Polarity Therapy and Reiki, and forty-plus years of herbal practice. She is on staff at Pacific Rim College in BC. She has been caught lecturing at numerous amazing herb schools, Bastyr University, Tufts Medical School, and Mass. College of Pharmacy. She is author of the The Practicing Herbalist IV. The plants and her clients are her revered teachers. She is retired from active practice, focusing now on teaching, and learning how to play.  Earth Song Herbals
Hannah Forest is a mountain-dwelling Australian folk herbalist, bachelor-qualified naturopathic practitioner and passionate supporter of community herbalism. She is a mother, a maker of plant elixirs and an avid writer with a background rooted in both clinical practice and nature based spiritual craft. With over a decade of experience working with the plants, Hanna has a passion for cultivating nourished nervous systems and exploring herbal energetics, astrology and flower essence medicine in clinical work for a deepper and more individualized practice. ​HannahForest.com
Erika Galentin is the Lead Creatrix, Clinical Herbalist, Grower, Distiller, Educator, and Clinical Mentor, and Formulator at Sovereignty Herbs. She is the host of the Herbal Practice Connexion (HPX) and the Herbal Sensorium podcast. Her home base and medicine gardens are located just outside of Athens, OH but she serves a national and international community with her renowned herbs & wellness coaching, online and in-person classes and workshops, and clinical mentorship programs. Erika holds a degree in Herbal Medicine from the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK and Scottish School of Herbal Medicine, Glasgow, UK. She is a professional member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK) and the American Herbalists Guild (USA). Over 15 years of clinical practice has provided a platform for witnessing the efficacy of medicinal plants and aromatics within a clinical environment. It is through this clinical practice that Erika seeks to encourage positive, learned relationships between plants and people and people and their bodies. She is a firm believer in celebrating the role that emotions and the psyche play in the ecology of our physical terrain. Sovereignty Herbs
Leanne Hatfield is a family practice physician dedicated to natural healing modalities, nutritional medicine, herbalism, and midwifery. She crafts botanical medicine with herbs that she either grows or wildcrafts. Leanne and her husband run Seeds and Spores Family Farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Their diverse farm, which is a United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, incorporates “beyond organic,” regenerative, and authentic farming techniques to offer nutrient dense foods and quality herbal medicines.  Seeds and Spores
Jane Hawley-Stevens
Patricia Kyritsi Howell​, an herbalist, educator, and author, grew up in the Midwest and has lived in the North Georgia mountains for nearly thirty years. She is the author of Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians and the founder and director of the BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies in Clayton, Georgia. In the early 1990s, she and Althea Northage-Orr founded The Living with Herbs Institute, Chicago’s first herb school.
​BotanoLogos Herbal Studies
Heather Irvine​ is an herbalist passionate about teaching phytochemistry. She began her studies at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in 2003, while studying Natural Resources at Cornell. She was in the first group of participants and graduates of the Clinical Herbalist program at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in 2009. Over time, she has combined plant physiology, mycology, chemistry, ecology, human nutrition and health, psychology, and other topics with her herbal studies, establishing a foundation for curiosity about the how and why of medicinal plants. In Vermont she had an herbal tincture business for ten years and then a clinical herbalism practice. She also lived, worked, taught, and engaged in clinical practice for several years in Boston and Brookline. She currently supports a Medicinal Plants program at Cornell year-round, and two semester-long courses Herbal Constituents I & II taught by Lisa Ganora and Kat Martello. Heather has begun writing an exciting book on the relevance and characteristics of constituents of medicinal plants. She enjoys life in Ithaca New York, and exploring Northeast Canada. 
learnmedicinalplants.com
Angie Jackson, known as the Traveling Elixir Fixer, is a Master Culinary Mixologist, Brand Consultant, and Author. In her 30-year career she has designed and executed award-winning beverage programs for Chicago's top bars and restaurants, numerous Midwest distilleries, national distributors, as well as global brands and celebrities. She is a graduate of the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service (Chicago), BarSmarts Advanced Bar Education Program (New York), and the Advanced Culinary Mixology Academy (Chicago). Angie taught mixology (HOS 123) in the Culinary Arts, Food Beverage, and Hospitality Department at National Louis University's Kendall College in Chicago before moving back to Michigan to nurture her home state's growing culture of farm-to-table culinary experiences, local agriculture and distillation, wild-crafted elixirs, as well as herbalism and foraging. Angie currently instructs an array of monthly workshops and is a consulting Mixologist for Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) and Michigan GROWN Michigan GREAT, a division of the Michigan Ag Council. The Elixer House website
​Brittney Jergovich is a family doctor with big dreams. She is a fierce advocate for her patients and believes in empowering people to take charge of their health. She has found family medicine and herbalism to be perfect complements and believes the future of healthcare (and her sanity) depend on their cooperation. When she's not practicing the healing arts, she's
likely daydreaming in the woods or has her nose stuck in a book.
​Mel Kasting is a clinical herbalist and educator. As Clinical Director and Free Clinic Manager at the Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine, she helps clients to get the support they need while guiding students through the rigorous process of preparing for and participating in active clinicals. Through her business, Forest Edge Herbals, she provides mentorship and training in clinical skills and relational health for both emerging and experienced practitioners, helping folks understand how social context, lived experience, and personal biases shape both their own work and their clients' healing processes.
Amanda Klain- What began in the 1990’s as a piqued interest in herbs, soon developed into a passionate lifetime dedication to plants. I have been working professionally with the Michigan flora since 2006, and have extensive knowledge in plant identification, botanical field work, herbarium work and more. I work as a field botanist conducting plant surveys and other various forms of botanical field and research work. ​
Kat Maier RH, (AHG), PA is the founder and director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a center for herbal studies in Charlottesville, Virginia. In clinical practice for over 35 years, Kat teaches internationally at universities, conferences, and herbal schools. She is a founding member of Botanica Mobile Clinic, a nonprofit dedicated to providing accessible herbal medicine to local communities. This grew out of her school’s free clinic which was one of the first on the east coast and went on to be a template for other schools. She began her study of plants as a Peace Corps volunteer, and her training as a Physician’s Assistant allows her to weave the language of biomedicine into her practice of traditional energetic herbalism. She is coauthor of Bush Medicine of San Salvador Island, Bahamas and author of Nautilus Award winning Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism. Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine. As a passionate steward of the plants, Kat also served as president of United
Plant Savers and was the recipient of the organization’s first Medicinal Plant Conservation Award.
Betsy Miller, RH (AHG), CNS is a clinical herbalist and nutritionist in Northern Virginia. She specializes in women’s reproductive health, and works with a local midwifery practice to provide herbal and nutritional support for pre and postnatal clients. Betsy also teaches herbal pharmacy, Materia Medica and botany at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Her favorite plant at the time of writing this is skullcap, but ask her again in 20 minutes and she’ll have a different answer
​Greg Monzel is the co-founder and community herbalist of Persimmon Herb School in Indianapolis, Indiana offering interactive plant medicine and foraging workshops and consultation for over 15 years. Revering the plants and their teachings, he is dedicated to the conservation and honorable harvest of nature's primary producers. Greg has worked in community farms, food co-ops, regional parks, and nature-based classrooms to connect people and plants. He is currently a full-time student in field botany and president of the Central Chapter of the Indiana Native Plant Society. Persimmon Herb School
Jessicka Nebesni is the Senior Marketing Strategist and Herbal Liaison for Mountain Rose Herbs. Her passion is to share the most educational, empowering, and useful resources with the herbal community and on her IG account @herbalasfolk. Her passions include preserving food, gardening, practicing herbal wellness, making DIY skin and body care recipes, and living a lifestyle of minimal impact on the Earth. Mountain Rose Herbs
Khetnu Nefer, CHHP, LMT, Herbalist, Sound Therapist, is a Gullah/Geechee holistic health practitioner originally from John's Island, SC who is a passionate womb warrior and women's health advocate. An Army veteran, uterine cancer survivor, Certified holistic health practitioner and licensed massage therapist of almost 20 years, Khetnu fuses various modalities to assist women on their path to well being. She is an author, West African dancer/instructor, Egyptian yoga instructor, herbalist, certified birth doula, certified sound therapy practitioner, certified earseeds practitioner, certified Kukuwa African dance instructor and former massage and African dance professor. As a graduate of the American College of Healthcare Sciences in Portland, Oregon, Khetnu established her mobile holistic wellness company, A Soulful Touch Wellness, now located in Washington, D.C. where she provides various workshops, products and services to assist women in healing their wombs and their lives. Khetnu is also the founder/director of the Gullah Geechee Herbal Gathering, a herbal conference for black and indigenous herbalists. She has taught at several herbal conferences around the country to include the New Orleans Herbal Gathering, The Chesapeake Herbal Gathering, The Black Walnut Herbal
Botantical Conference, The Great Lakes Herb Faire, and the South Eastern North Carolina Herbal Conference. To learn more about Khetnu and her services please visit her website:
www.asoulfultouch.com
​Esstin Niganobe (Mcleod), Anishinaabe Kwe from the Mississaugi First Nations in Mid- Northern Ontario, Healer/ Anishinaabe Medicine Practitioner, provides Wholistic Healing Consultations for various Indigenous Health Care centers. As Healer, Esstin’s work is influenced by ceremonial practices and as a Practitioner she uses Plant base remedies for physical and spiritual symptoms. Esstin’s years of study, teaching and promoting Anishinaabe Healing Practices, she has developed and delivers a workshop series “Anishinaabe Wisdom Healing Practices,” she facilitates the use of Plant Therapy and Spiritual development for healing personal disorders and physical ailments. She can be reached at [email protected]
Althea Northage Orr
​Olatokunboh Obasi, MSc, CNS, RH (AHG) is the Owner of Well of Indigenous Wisdom School an online international program in herbalism and healing arts. She is a board-certified nutritionist, medical herbalist, and birth doula. Olatokunboh Obasi has been working in the wellness field for almost 20 years. Committed to community holistic health, social justice, and education, she works heavily in community service. Currently, a Board Director of the American Herbalist Guild, and Chair of the Admissions Review Advisory Committee, she was the 2019 award recipient for her notable work in supporting, diversity, equity, and justice in herbalism with the organization. Her commitment to training local and online students in clinical herbalism and healing arts is an important purpose as it represents leaving the earth responsibly for future generations.
Lea Pfeifer is an educator, herbalist and neurodivergent homeschooling mom. She is co-founder of the Detroit Region Herbal Collaborative, which aims to equip member herbalists in local communities. You’ll find her under construction at www.VerdantSuburbia.com.
Brenna Pixley is a gatherer of plants, ideas, and people. She has taught in Southwest Michigan for 8 years, leading medicine making courses and plant walks. Her passion for Anthropology, craft, and community led her to found and kicked-off the 1st Annual Earthcraft Skillshare, an ancestral skills family gathering in 2024. 
Angie Pietraszewski is a clinical and community herbalist who was previously a registered nurse. She left the field of nursing to become a feet  in the mud, hands in the dirt, digging the earth kind of herbalist, and to serve her community with the plants growing around us. She is the owner of Lavender & Honey Herbs and Wellness base out of both Mantiou Beach (farm) and Blissfield (apothecary) in Michigan. Her passion is providing "for real" natural products and helping folks take charge of their wellness with local herbs the natural world. Her approach helps shift patterns of health and wellness by using herbs that improve structure and functions to maximize the vitality of the body. Her business is led by faith and continues to grow in a tiny country town. When not playing with herbs Angie loves spending time with her horse Gemini and trail riding.​
Lavender and Honey 
Paul Richard Saunders, PhD, ND, DHANP, CCH is Adjunct Professor of Materia Medica at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and has been in private practice in Dundas, Ontario, Canada since 1991. He earned a PhD in plant ecology from Duke University, was on the faculty at Clemson University, and tenured at Washington State University.  He earned his ND from Ontario (now Canadian) College of Naturopathic Medicine, and did additional training and residency at National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon, earned a second ND, served as their interim Research Director, and initiated their Institutional Review Board.  Paul earned a Diplomate from the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians (DHANP) and Certified Classical Homeopath (CCH) from the American Council on Homeopathic Certification in 1993.  He completed chelation board examinations from the International College of Integrated Medicine in 1998.  As editor of The Canadian Journal of Herbalism, 2000-2002, he instituted peer-review.  He does grant reviews for the NIH, NCCAM.  He has been honoured as Ontario Naturopathic Doctor of the Year in 1994 and 2002.  In 1999 he was a member of the Transition Team that established the Office of Natural Health Products, Health Canada, served on its Expert Advisory Committee to 2006 and now serves on their Product Advisory Subcommittee. Paul has co-authored three books, served as an expert legal witness, conducted clinical research, published numerous papers, and lectured frequently on naturopathic medicine.  He has practiced at the Dundas Naturopathic Centre since 1991 using the full scope of naturopathic medical modalities, including acupuncture, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathic medicine, naturopathic manipulation, intravenous parenteral therapy, and lifestyle counseling.
7Song has been interested in plants for a long time (though not nearly as long as his interest in reptiles and amphibians). He went to his first herb school in 1981 (the oddly named Platonic Academy of Herbal Studies in Santa Cruz, CA) and has been diligently studying the medicinal and botanical aspects of plants ever since. He started the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in 1994 and has been a clinic herbalist at the Ithaca Free Clinic for 17 years. He appreciates all the support he had been given over these many years.
​Patti Travioli is a traditional herbalist, horticulturist, and steward of the land at Heartwood Forest Farm in Cedar, Michigan, where she specializes in cultivating culinary and medicinal herbs. With a deep connection to the land, she draws artistic inspiration from the diverse plants around her, using nature as her canvas. Patti is passionate about sharing the healing and creative potential of the natural world, encouraging others to step outside and immerse themselves in the beauty and wisdom nature has to offer.
heartwoodforestfarm.com
Seva Van Why, HHP, LMT, AP, PKT, E-RYT is founder of Seva Ayurveda Academy,  successful hybrid programs for CEU’s in Ayurvedic Education, Bodywork and Polarity Marma Therapy. Seva also shares her passions through ayurvedic education, author of 3 books, and has held staff positions at The Chopra Center, Optimum Health Institute, California College of Ayurveda, and is currently the Director of Continuing Education and Certification with NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association).
Seva Ayurved Academy
​Racquel Washington, M.A./ Reproductive Justice Birthworker -shares her gifts with the world as a Birth worker, Yoga Teacher, Sound Alchemist, Author, Grief Docent and Holistic Healer. She combined traditional and ancestral practices in all of her work. Racquel is the founder and owner of
The Queen’s Collective Birthing- offering a variety of products and services to support women & their families through pregnancy, birth and loss. Combining passions for advocacy, support and information, she arms her clients with the tools they need to feel empowered in their decisions on their birthing and as they begin their parenting journey even as it includes grief, pregnancy and infant loss. She focuses on supporting families to achieve healing holistically, offering support in diet & nutrition, movement, mental and spiritual wellness, herbal remedies & more. She also works with systems and organizations to ensure birthing people are supported in the entirety of their journey especially as it includes abortion and pregnancy loss. In 2023, she published Embracing Light After Loss- a guided journal for healing after pregnancy loss, as another sacred medicine for the people's
hearts. Racquel, comes to this work as the Sum Total of all of her life experiences including her own pregnancy losses, allowing her to help ease the fear and focus on the sacredness of these transitions. For more about what we do, please visit out website to learn more and get in touch:
The Queens Collective Birthing
Shana Weddington is a Michigan based clinical herbalist, writer, and local food systems champion. Recognizing the impact that herbs and diet had on her own health, Shana dove deep into study and practice over a decade ago and has primarily worked with the youth and elder communities. Shana is the owner of Giving Root Wellness, an education-based service that focuses on building health and resilience through connection. Shana also sees clients through The Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine's Free Clinic alongside Thomas Easley. You can find Shana teaching classes, offering consults, growing the local food and herbal economy, and hosting community events at Agricole Farm Stop or in her office at the Welfare Building in Chelsea, MI.
http://www.givingrootwellness.com
http://www.agricolefarmstop.com 
Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine
Cody Westendorf of Dirty Roots, has been fascinated with plants from a young age. Trained in western herbalism over a decade ago, she continues to further her studies in many facets. Beekeeper, kitchen witch, fungi fanatic and fermentation fairy. She has a deep love of kitchen experimentation, nature exploration, and being a mother to her three daughters. ​
Yuma "Docta Yew" Bellomee is a Certified Holistic Health Consultant, herbalist, wellness advocate/educator, and musical artist, who has been featured in numerous radio programs, natural hair, health & beauty expos, magazine articles, and community and school programs as a speaker and workshop facilitator on wholistic wellness & herbal medicine. He is also the founder of Yew-360 Wholistic Health & Wellness, LLC, and a member of the African Wholistic Health Association (AWHA), and the Collective Health Initiative (CHI) in Washington, DC.
Yew-360
Herbalist Briana Wiles began wildcrafting her own remedies from the medicinal plants found right in her own backyard. She is a mother, teacher, and has written two books ‘Mountain States Foraging’ and Mountain States Medicinal Plants’. With a strong passion for keeping toxic products out of the home — along with the deep knowledge she had of plant medicine, medicinal herbs, and wildcrafted ingredients — Briana’s the founder of Rooted Apothecary, which first took root at local farmers markets, where she could share her herbal remedies and holistic solutions with those in her Colorado community. Ten plus years later and those roots have just kept growing — leading to two bustling retail stores in the Colorado Mountains and a thriving online shop. She recently relocated her family part-time to Hadley, Michigan where they are growing and Herbal Homestead and have moved their shipping and manufacturing HQ.
https://www.rooted-apothecary.com/
Ethnobiologist Marc Williams has studied the people, plant, mushroom and microbe interconnection intensively while learning to employ botanicals and other life forms for food, medicine, and beauty in a regenerative manner. His training includes a Bachelors degree in Environmental Studies concentrating in Sustainable Agriculture with a minor in Business from Warren Wilson College and a Master’s degree in Appalachian Studies concentrating in Sustainable Development with a minor in Geography and Planning from Appalachian State University. He has spent over two decades working at a multitude of restaurants and various farms and has traveled throughout 30 countries in Central/North/South America and Europe as well as all 50 states of the USA. Marc has visited over 200 botanical gardens and research institutions during this process while taking tens of thousands of pictures of representative plants and other entities. He has taught hundreds of classes to thousands of students about the marvelous world of people and their interface with other organisms while working with over 100 organizations and particularly as a key contributor to the work of United Plant Savers, Plants and Healers International and online at the website www.botanyeveryday.com.  Mar's greatest hope is that this effort may help improve our current challenging global ecological situation.
Leah Wolfe is an archetypal herbalist. You know the one, living at the edge of town with all the weird plants. A childhood in a village sandwiched between two national forests led to a lifetime study of the wild. Leah travels all over the U.S. to forage and learn about healing plants. In 2013, Leah started the Trillium Center in NE Ohio, an educational project for natural arts offering hands-on and online experiences in herbalism, foraging, homesteading, folk arts, and disaster preparedness. Leah's background is in literary and health research, public health, and disaster response. Her obsession with herbs, art, and culture compels her to explore and cultivate folk art and folklore.
Cal Janae Wolfpack, is a clinical herbalist, botanist, herb grower, forager and plant educator located in Milo, IA in the Raccoon River and Des Moines River watersheds. They have been studying plants for their entire life: as a child they were led on plant and bird watching walks in Iowa and Minnesota by their father before they could walk on their own. Later, they formalized their passion for the natural world and living sustainably in it with a degree in Ethnobotany from Drake University. Cal then studied and apprenticed with herbalist 7Song at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine where they were later employed. During this time Cal practiced as a clinical herbalist at the Ithaca Free Clinic in Ithaca, New York for several years. Cal currently works as a self-employed herbalist and botanist in their private practice offering sliding scale, holistic herbal consultations, growing and foraging herbs for medicine making, teaching herbal medicine and botany, leading plant walks and offering plant identification. As a clinical herbalist Cal is a general practitioner with focus in areas of women’s health, queer health, first aid, mental health, harm reduction, addiction and recovery. They are the owner of the Profound Existence Herbs products line available through online ordering and shipping. In their free time Cal maintains a strong wanderlust and rapt interest in the botanical arts, bird watching and homesteading with their family.
Nathan Wright
Giizus Su Win en eh, is an Indigenous Herbalist and descendant of medicine people from both sides of his family. His ancestral knowledge of plant medicine has been passed down through generations and he continues this legacy by ethically wild harvesting and preparing medicines using traditional methods.
As the owner of the Herbal Lodge, a Native American and veteran-owned company, Nathan focuses on creating natural and organic pain relief and medicinal tea products using wild-harvested herbs and mushrooms. He is dedicated to revitalizing lost Anishinabek medicines and traditions, while also incorporating modern techniques for the benefit of his community.
Nathan is not only an Indigenous Herbalist but also a certified mushroom expert. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in both fields, making him a highly sought-after teacher and speaker. His teachings about Indigenous Treaty Rights and the need to protect our lands and waters for harvesting herbal medicines have been featured in the film "Troubled Water," which can be found on popular streaming networks.
Currently residing in Petoskey, Michigan, Nathan shares his wisdom with others through various online videos covering Anishinabek culture, healthy lifestyles, cold water experiences, and herbal teachings. He has also taught plant-related classes at libraries, universities, and other institutions throughout Michigan.
To learn more about Nathan's work and the Herbal Lodge, please visit www.herballodge.com.