2024 Teachers

Teachers 2024

We are so thrilled to welcome our 2024 Keynote Speakers!
Rosalee de la Forêt
and Marc Williams

Rosalee de la Forêt is passionate about inspiring people to turn to herbs for food, medicine, and as a way to strengthen their connection to the earth around them. She’s a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and is also the author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transforming Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal. Rosalee and her husband live in a log cabin in the northeastern cascades of Washington state, where she’s an avid gardener and excels at cuddling up with her cat and a good book. You can continue your herbal learning with Rosalee through her podcast, website, and online courses. Get started at www.HerbsWithRosalee.com with the free Herbal Jumpstart course.

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 Bachelor's 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. Marc's greatest hope is that this effort may help improve our current challenging global ecological situation.

Main Faire Teachers:

Friday Morning Intensives

My name’s Leslie Alexander and I’m interested in practicalities. I enjoy bending ideas and shaping protocols to make them accessible 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 interest in many aspects of the mouth. In my clinical practice, I enjoy working with others to sustain well-being, to address chronic conditions and acute health-related challenges. I’m very interested in maritime medicinals and I enjoy making cyanotypes (sun prints) as well as weaving. I like food, kitchen medicine, talk, laughter and oh, I’ve a very cute dog!

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.

Cal Janae Wolfpack, is a clinical herbalist, botanist, farmer & plant educator located in the (formerly) prairie of the Midwest in the Raccoon River Watershed. They have been studying plants for their entire life: as a child they were led on plant and bird watching walks 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 7Song at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in Ithaca, NY where they then were employed and volunteered as a clinical herbalist at the Ithaca Free Clinic for several years. Cal currently works as an herb grower, a clinical herbalist & botanist in their private practice in which they offer sliding scale herbal consultations and provide herb kits to clients of Gentlyborne Midwifery. Cal is the creator of the herbal products line Profound Existence Herbs. In their free time Cal maintains a strong wanderlust and rapt interest in the botanical arts, bird watching & homesteading with their family.

Althea Northage-Orr, MA, AHG, L.Ac. CST, is a professional herbalist, master gardener, licensed acupuncturist and Structural Therapist She was the founder of the Chicago College of Healing Arts, an institution that had Illinois State Board of Education approval and which offered for over a decade a Massage Therapy Program, a number of herbal programs ranging from short to a three year clinical training program, as well as a number of other healing modalities. She currently owns an 80-acre herbal farm in Indiana that is utilized by her as an herbal education site, as a product source for her herbal pharmacy and as an experimental site for the cultivation of rare and endangered botanicals. She has over 40 years of clinical practice and 30 years as a teacher. She served two terms on the Governing Council of the American Herbalists Guild, as well over a decade on their Professional Membership Admissions Committee.

Main Faire Teachers

Robert Ayotte is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and has worked nationwide as both a forest ecologist and naturalist. He is currently a botanist/field technician for the Michigan Natural Features Inventory and Vice President of the Michigan Botanical Society. He lives locally and has ample experience exploring Waterloo State Recreation Area.

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.

Kristine Brown, RH(AHG), is helping parents teach their kids about herbalism, one herb at a time. A practicing traditional community herbalist and mother of four children and two stepchildren, two of whom she homeschooled for 11 years, Kristine created the only children’s herbal curriculum that uses all four learning styles (visual, auditory, reading, and kinesthetic). She has taught classes for homeschooled children locally and coordinated numerous herbal conference kids’ camps both locally and nationally. She is the writer and illustrator of the online children’s publication Herbal Roots zine, which she began publishing in 2009, and the creator of several online courses that teach children about botany, drawing, and herbs. Her latest venture in teaching herbalism is her membership offering, Herb Club, which gives kids and parents video lessons, expanded curriculum for preschool through high school, and a member forum for parents and for kids. She is also the author of Herbalism at Home, The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs, and Nature Anatomy Activities for Kids and Nature Anatomy Guided Journal for Kids books. Teaching others about plants and drawing and sharing her knowledge with children—our future—is her passion.

Courtney Cochran (she/they) is a queer, gender nonconforming, plant freak living on 16 acres of occupied Anishinaabe land near Knife River, Minnesota. Courtney comes from a white, Celtic, mixed European ancestry and always works to bring in ancestral plants into their practice. Courtney has been listening to and learning from plants their entire life, but they have been intentionally studying herbs since 2018. Courtney is a passionate gardener, forager, food preservation enthusiast, and chicken caretaker. Courtney grows herbs, worships trees, and regularly cleanses their energy in the freezing cold waters of Lake Superior. With a background in social work and queer liberation organizing work, they come to herbalism with a unique healing lens that weaves a community of plant, animal, and human relations into your healing journey.

Mary Colvin RH(AHG) is a dedicated Clinical herbalist and rural herbal practitioner, author, formulator, educator, and mentor. She founded Ancestral Herbology, LLC located in Wakeman, Ohio, which values the philosophy of “Healing the way nature intended" and is one of the formulators for Sprigs Life, Inc. She has dedicated her time in guiding students on their journey within herbalism. She is the host of Herbology Talk Free monthly meet-ups and the Herbology Talk Podcast both offering tools for all levels of students in herbalism, as well as the host of the Training in Herbalism series on TikTok. She is the author of "The Herbalist’s Guide: How to Build and Use Your Own Apothecary" which is a guide for the self-studied student into the basics of herbalism and offers hands-on training to create their own home apothecary. Check out all of her resources to navigate the study of herbalism by going to www.herbalistmentor.com or visit her website and join her mailing list for future announcements and events at www.ancestralherbology.com . You can follow her on TikTok @simpletrainingherbalist, Instagram @ancestralherbology, or Facebook @MaryColvinClinicalHerbalist.

Rebecca Culley-Healey is a traditional naturopathic doctor and herbalist. She has a BS in biology, with an emphasis in genetics. She is the owner of Hawthorn & Violet Naturopathic Services and Herbal Apothecary in Fenton, MI, a friendly hometown herbal apothecary where folks can come in and choose from among 200 organic bulk herbs and teas. She offers consultations to clients to help them on their path to greater health, and classes to her community on natural health topics, including herbalism. She shares a home and garden on the edge of the Shiawasee River with her husband, 2 teenage daughters, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and honeybees. One more child has flown the nest and is living an adult life nearby. https://www.hawthornviolet.com/

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

Abigail Duncan has planted her roots in the rural outskirts of Toledo, OH. As a farmer and certified Herbologist, she is crafting her own community space and Homestead, Wishing Willow Farm. As the co-founder of HelloBoundless.com and a certified Life Coach, she has vast experience weaving intention with her words in support of her community. Abigail fills her spare time as a RYT 200 yoga teacher and manifesting ceremonies as the founder of Wild Women to honor our natural cycles and divine feminine spirit.

Ruth Glass MA is a clinical herbalist and educator in St. Petersburg, FL. She teaches all ages in her community about herbs and their magic, wonder, gifts and developing a deep relationship with the plants. She loves being outside in the sun listening to laughter and the sounds of nature.

Sam Greene says, "I am a Clinical Herbalist practicing in Cleveland, Ohio. My approach blends herbalism, nutritional science and functional lab work to help clients with health issues. My experience is mostly with chronic health issues and my specialty is the Gut-Immune System connection."

Lindsey Feldpausch RH (AHG) is a clinical herbalist and educator. She has worked professionally in the field of Herbal Medicine for over a decade. Lindsey's work has been focused on education and clinical herbal practice. She currently holds the position of Programs 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, 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 healing powers of plants, and one of her life’s intentions is to kindle this belief in others. As an experienced educator, she aims to balance both science and the magic of the natural world within her teachings.

Margi Flint saw clients, ran clinics and worked every holiday for over forty years. She taught at Tufts Medical, Mass College of Pharmacy, Bastyr University, and is on staff at Pacific Rim College in British Columbia, Canada. Numerous herbal symposiums and schools grab her yearly to lecture.

Margi simultaneously was a well-known etcher in galleries, a certified Polarity therapist and a labor coach, raised kids and kept her house clean.

She is now hired to lecture on advanced clinical studies including the work of her mentor, the late William LeSassier. Other than the joy of teaching, Margi is focused on having more fun. She offers jazz concerts, with the most accomplished players on the east coast, in her gardens Sunday afternoons. Healing all the way. earthsongherbals.com

Keith Hess is an herbalist, Eurythmist and founded Spring of Life Herbs in 1994, which now offers over 300 wild medicinal plant species that he gathers in wild places throughout the USA, as well as 100 formulas for a variety of ailments. He directs the Spirit of Life institute, a center for education in herbology, eurythmy and anthroposophy, now based in Viroqua, Wisconsin and conducting 7 day Herbal Adventures all over the country. He is an advocate of Nature-based, simple living. He neither owns, nor is owned by, a cell phone or a computer. When not in the woods, he's reachable by landline phone: 608-OF-TONES

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 at MI Folk School in Ann Arbor, MI, and is a consulting Mixologist for Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) and Michigan GROWN Michigan GREAT, a division of the Michigan Ag Council.

Mel Kasting, RH (AHG) is a practicing clinical herbalist, educator and emergent facilitator. As Clinical Program Director and Free Clinic Manager of 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.

Her passion lies in both serving clients and empowering students to develop the essential relational health and clinical skills required to excel as herbal practitioners. Through Mel's clinic work, art and class facilitation, she explores the intersections of herbalism, botany, society, and somatic experiences to support plant-centered botanical medicine and celebrate the teeming diversity life has to offer.www.forestedgeherbals.com

Amanda Klain says, "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 rare plant surveys, researching both invasive species and rare plant species, doing aquatic vegetation surveys in Michigan lakes, and collecting native seed for a seed bank program for the Chicago Botanical Garden. I am also a full-fledged plant spirit woman whose heart is made of chlorophyll I think :) "

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.

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

Elizabeth Moriarty is a practicing apothecary and clinical herbalist, operating the Midsömmar Apothecary in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Midsömmar maintains a selection of commonly used remedies on the shelves, along with body care, artisanal herbal foods and craft beverage formulas, teas and wellness tools, and offers custom formulation for clinic clients. Midsömmar distinguishes itself with a focus on ancestral northern European principles and practices, more specifically Nordic herbalism, leaning into Great Lakes bioregionalism and the Scandinavian cultural heritage of the community. We also teach occasional workshops on ethical foraging and the culinary and medicinal uses of invasive or abundant local plants. Additionally, Elizabeth owns Luminary Medicine Company, offering both custom formulation & manufacture to brand clients, with a focus on cannabis therapeutics. Luminary produces several of our own brands, including Curious and Empathica. Curious products support sexual health, and Empathica centers on hemp cannabis, including a range of valuable minor cannabinoids designed to work in tandem with other plant medicines to provide complete formulation. She is particularly interested in reassessing and revising our current conceptualizations and medical / psych models for understanding and approaching conditions of pain and suffering. She’s also weirdly excited about the role of traditional remedies in biofilm busting. Trillium Center

Heather Mourer (she/her) is a Highland Park/Detroit-based community herbalist, herbalism teacher and reiki practitioner. Mourer studied energetic folk herbalism, while building deeper relationships with the native plants of the Great Lakes bioregion and apprenticed with jim mcdonald; studied holistic nutrition therapy with KP Khalsa; and trained in Usui Reiki I & II with Adela Nieves Martinez and Paula Terrero. She has continued her herbal education through courses with Rebecca Altman and Rosemary Gladstar. Mourer is also an alumna of the SEED Wayne Fellowship in Community Food Systems Planning at Wayne State University – with her research focused on food access and food as medicine in the Banglatown neighborhood of Detroit. In addition to formal education, Mourer has over two decades of self-taught experience in working with plants and food to help friends, family and herself and continues to attend workshops and classes with some of the most revered herbalism teachers in the country, as often as possible. Mourer's specific areas of interest in herbalism include: mental wellness, grief and matters of the heart, abortion and miscarriage care, and LGBTQ+ health.

In addition to running a growing community herbalism practice and online/pop-up apothecary, Mourer is also a co-founder and co-producer of the Witches Night Bazaar, along with Shiva Honey of Serpentīnae and The Pentacle Path. Together, Mourer and Honey produce seasonal vendor market/ritual/performance events for the community and smaller ritual events throughout the year. In 2022 Mourer contributed a chapter on Herbalism for Death + Grief to Honey’s book, The Devil’s Death.

Khetnu Nefer is a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Educator, Massage Therapist, Herbalist, Reiki Master, Author, Sound Healing Practitioner, African Dance Professor, and founder of A Soulful Touch Wellness, her mobile holistic health and wellness practice for women located in Washington, DC. She is also the Founder of the Gullah Geechee Herbal Gathering, an annual herbal conference for Black and Indigenous herbalists and community, happening this year in October on picturesque John's Island, SC. You can learn more about her works at www.asoulfultouch.com and www.gullahgeecheeherbalgathering.com

Esstin McLeod Niganobe is a member of the Mississaugi First Nations in Mid-Northern Ontario, Canada. She is a practitioner of Anishinaabe Healing Methods and her work stems from a spiritual energetic perspective influenced by ceremonial practices and Elder Teachers. Through her 30 years of study and experiential learning she has designed and facilitated “Anishinaabe Wisdom Healing,” a series of workshops promoting the healing benefits of Spiritual Development and Spiritual Plant Therapy.
Through her development of facilitating and promoting Anishinaabe Women’s retreat, her goal is to instruct women on how to achieve a balanced spiritual life, by initiating women’s sweat lodge teachings, women’s roles when conducting spiritual ceremonies and the use of plant-based remedies for blessings and prayers for Creation. Her research is based on the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel teachings identified as a Wholistic Approach to health and healing. Esstin can be reached by email: [email protected]

Althea Northage-Orr, MA, AHG, L.Ac. CST, is a professional herbalist, master gardener, licensed acupuncturist and Structural Therapist. She was the founder of the Chicago College of Healing Arts, an institution that had Illinois State Board of Education approval and which, for over a decade, offered a Massage Therapy Program, a number of herbal programs ranging from short to a three-year clinical training program, as well as a number of other healing modalities. She currently owns an 80-acre herbal farm in Indiana that is utilized by her as an herbal education site, as a product source for her herbal pharmacy and as an experimental site for the cultivation of rare and endangered botanicals. She has over 40 years of clinical practice and 30 years as a teacher. She served two terms on the Governing Council of the American Herbalists Guild, as well as over a decade on their Professional Membership Admissions Committee.

Cici Pfeifer - Cici Pfeifer has been exploring herbs since about the time she learned to walk. A Neuro-divergent homeschooler and student of Schantell Puamaeole Taylor, she enjoys exploring ceremony and ritual as a way to connect to her own energy and that of the earth.

Lea Pfeifer held a secondary teacher certificate in Michigan and studied brain development as a franchisee and program developer with Gymboree Play & Music. One of her favorite things, both as an herbalist and as a mom, is sleep.

Angie Pietraszewski is a clinical 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 in 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 based out of both Manitou 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 and the natural world. Her approach helps shift patterns of health and wellness by using herbs that improve structure and function 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. www.lavendernhoney.com

Joseph Quade, MPT, CHTP, of Great Lake Therapies, is a Physical Therapist specializing in manual and movement therapies for chronic and acute pain, injury prevention and rehabilitation, in addition to utilizing herbs and energy based therapies for overall physical/mental/emotional healing.

Stacey Quade says, "I have been studying and practicing herbalism since 2002. My mentor is Margi Flint. The bulk of my learning has come from her, Matthew Wood, jim mcdonald, and Nicholas Schnell. I see clients privately and teach many different small group classes. I am also a COTA-CHTP. I have been a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and experienced energy bodywork practitioner since 2002. I received my Healing Touch Certification in 2004, Level 1 instructor certification for Healing Touch in 2014, and Level 2 Instructor certification in 2018. Retired from 33 years of Occupational therapy at Essentia Health (1988 to 2022); those years have helped me to hone my skills in the practical application of whole health. My herbal remedies are both grown and made by me. My approach enables you to experience healing on all the levels of your being – body, mind, and spirit – engaging in an active role of regaining the awareness and focus of your life’s purpose."

Andrea and Matthias Reisen have been community herbalists and growers of medicinal herbs for over 30 years, co-founding Healing Spirits Herb Farm and Education Center located in Avoca, New York. Healing Spirits Herb Farm hads been producing high quality certified organic medicinal herbs both, fresh and dry, for shipment throughout the United States and some foreign countries. They have co-created their line of value-added products under the Healing Spirits label. Both are former Peace Corp volunteers in the Philippines.They have studied numerous body therapies and are certified as Zero Balancing Therapists. Together they have raised five children, and there are three generations living on the farm. Their goal is to live and work in balance and harmony with mother nature and humankind.

Brandon Ruiz (he/him) is a Community Herbalist and Urban Farmer based on Catawba Land (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Lenape Land (New York City). He runs Yucayeke Farms, a farming and herbalism project that works to provide equal and affordable access to herbal medicines, culturally relevant crops and preserve traditions in the diaspora. Brandon works to preserve his Puerto Rican roots by practicing and teaching about Traditional Caribbean Herbalism online and in person, and is an educator, chef, farmer and more. He has taught throughout the world in conferences, school programs, universities, at individually organized centers and in one-on-one programs.

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.

Schantell Puamaeole Taylor

Schantell Puamaeole Taylor is a seeker and keeper of Hawaiian culture. Protector of land, and advocate for culture-based education. She is a practitioner of Hula and somatic practices and holds space for others' transformation and healing that uses dance as a grounding practice. She has studied and practiced lomilomi, cranial sacral, chi nei tsun, aroma therapy, acupressure, wellness consulting, breath work, esthetics and yoga. She is a facilitator of self-care practices through ritual and ceremony.

Lottie V. Spady , Community Educator, Wellness Media Maker, and Practicing Herbalist is the founder of Earthseed Detroit, an educational community health program that is focused on imagining and co-creating the afro-future of our health through love, wellness, respect, and deep joy. Earthseed Detroit centers social justice, community empowerment, health, local access and affordability through healthy media making, herbalism for healing, medicinal plant identification, foraging, gardening and the creation of wellness supports such as tea blends, tinctures, elixirs and salves. Founded in 2014, Earthseed Detroit evolved from fifteen years in Detroit activism, non-profit management, and program direction with workshop facilitation working specifically with children, teens and adults to promote, educate, and empower communities at the intersections of media justice, food justice, environmental justice, community health, and civic engagement. Lottie currently teaches “Do It Yourself Community Health” classes in seasonal plant identification, herbal formulations and medicine making, and wild edible cooking. Other courses include herbs and tarot, plants as spiritual allies, 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

Gigi Risberg Stafne MH, ND is a clinician, educator and writer within ecological, health justice and natural medicine fields. She is Director of Green Wisdom School of Natural & Botanical Medicine in the Upper Midwest United States and Ontario, Canada and former longtime Executive Director of Herbalists Without Borders International, addressing issues of health and social justice globally. She has been teaching for 37 years in herbalism and healing arts. In this special gathering, Gigi will share her Scandinavian ancestral herbal and healing arts traditions of the north, as well as her passion for people, plants, and this precious planet.
www.greenwisdom.weebly.com

Taylor Rae of Raeflower Holistics is a community herbalist, clay worker and archivist who grounds their work in Black medicine traditions. After studying plant science in university, Taylor craved a way of relating to the land that was more rooted in her ancestry. Now, Taylor works to create avenues for collective remembering for herself and her community, especially as a method of combating the systemic barriers that exist between Black folks and our land relationships. https://www.raeflowerholistics.com/

Haley Terpstra owns and operates Herbal Meadows Botanicals LLC. As an avid gardener, forager, herbalist, and beekeeper, she loves sharing her goods with her customers. Her focus is on all natural products infused with wildcrafted and organic herbs. Many of her products include plants that she has harvested right here in West Michigan. She is also a local beekeeper and supporting member of the Kalamazoo Bee Club. Beeswax is the only wax used at Herbal Meadows Botanicals. Sharing the journey of natural care is a passion of Haley's and she invites you to join in the process. Catch her on social media including Facebook, Instagram & YouTube @HerbalMeadowsBotanicals and on her website at www.HerbalMeadowsBotanicals.com

Seva Van Why, HHP, LMT, AP is a passionate and perpetual student of Ayurveda and higher learning for 25 years. She runs a successful Ayurvedic Lifestyle consulting practice involving Ayurvedic Body Therapies as her special niche. Seva is a retired midwife, a holistic educator, Ayurvedic Body Therapy instructor, and author, and has held staff positions at The Chopra Center, Optimum Health Institute, California College of Ayurveda, and is currently the Chair of Continuing Education and Certification with NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association).
https://www.sevaayurveda.com/

Panoka Walker is of mixed European and Anishinabe decent from the Deer Clan, her traditional name is Waa-bskaa Waa-waash-keshi , (White Doe ). Panoka strongly identify with her Native roots as a traditional story teller, song carrier, hand drum maker, and traditional crafts women. Encouraged by her elders after years of apprenticeship inside the sacred circle of life, Panoka is a facilitator of women's ceremonies. Panoka is a life long student of the plant nation. She also teaches workshops and group presentations to adults and youths. Panoka is affiliated with the Mother Earth Water Walkers who bring awareness to the Water, the Life blood of the Earth. Panoka is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters being brought up in the traditional way. She along with her husband Deer Walker, make their home in Monroe, Michigan. Panoka Walker has share her gift of creativity through story telling for many years at school programs, libraries, museums ,workshops and cultural events. To schedule a program for your origination Panoka can be reached at [email protected]

Racquel Washington, M.A./ Reproductive Justice Birthworker/ Author/ Herbal Healer/ 200HR YTT
Racquel shares her gifts with the world as a Birthworker, author, Yoga Teacher, and Holistic Healer. 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. She focuses on supporting families to achieve healing holistically, offering support in diet & nutrition, movement, mental and spiritual wellness, herbal remedies & more.

Racquel comes to this work as the Sum Total of all of her life experiences, allowing her to help ease the fear and focus on the sacredness of these transitions. She has launched The Queen's Circle: an online platform for guided healing after pregnancy loss and in 2023 published Embracing Light After Loss: a Guided Journal for Healing After Pregnancy /loss, available on Amazon. Connect with Racquel by visiting https://www.queenscollectivebirthing.com/

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

Growing up working closely with nature, Tom Wall's work has been shared around the world. Shedding light on music, herbalism and all-natural gardening practices that many might have missed, the idea is to help people understand we need to turn back to Mother Nature and learn to work with her in order to create a better future for the universe.

Cody Westendorf is an experienced herbalist, forager, backyard beekeeper, chef, and more. She enjoys sharing her skills with others to help enable them on their journey.

Sarah Williams has been practicing herbalism for nearly 20 years, and teaching since 2014. She is the owner of Willow Moon Botanicals, a founding organizer of the Great Lakes Herb Faire, and has written for Crazy Wisdom Magazine. Like many herbalists, she sees clients, makes products, wanders the wilds, and grows herbs, but her focus is on education. She believes that good health is rooted in connection - to the earth, each other, and ourselves - and strives to support others on their journey toward wellness. willow moon botanicals

Nathan Wright, also known by his spiritual name Spiritman from the Sun or 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.