The Herb Filled Homestead (2025)

12/10/2025

🌿✨ I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be presenting TWO workshops at this year’s . If you haven’t heard of the Canadian Herb Conference, it’s a diverse gathering of over 50+ brilliant herbalists, clinicians, and educators exploring 2025’s theme of DIVERSE MINDS, COMMON GROUND 🧠🌎

This year’s theme dives deep into the complex terrain of neurological conditions in modern society, and the ways in which health outcomes are transformed and shaped by the wise application of botanical medicine. I am honoured to contribute two sessions that explore the emotional and immunological roots of cognitive decline, elucidating the role that botanical medicine has in facilitating physical and emotional resilience to promote holistic well being 🌿

🧠 Workshop 1: Unspoken Minds Emotional Suppression, Dementia & the Botanical Path to Release explores how unprocessed grief and emotional stagnation shape the dementia experience. Throughout this talk we will explore how plant energetics can serve as a powerful catalyst in gently unlocking stored and residual emotions, and the ways by which we can combine them with sensory therapies (e.g., touch, music, ritual) to enhance neuro-emotional resilience.

🌿 Workshop 2: Unlocking the Neuroimmune Mind Botanical Medicine for Autoimmunity & Cognitive Decline enables practitioners to examine the powerful link between chronic inflammation, emotional suppression, and brain health to consider a holistic manner of crafting integrative herbal protocols that modulate immunity, enhance neuroplasticity, and support emotional resilience.

It is my hope that you will join us! Be sure to use my affiliate code HBH25 for a discount when you register. Let’s learn, connect, and transform together. I look forward to seeing you there! 💚

15/09/2025

🌿Future ND’s in the wild🍃I had an absolute blast with a few of my ND besties in our botanical medicine class which consisted of a plant walk and plant identification activity! One could say that I was in my element and loved this time immersed in nature as opposed to books. Our professor was incredible as he led us through the walk, often encouraging us to linger in certain areas to identify beyond the plant medicines we are studying this semester 🌿

Yet what was most enjoyable was the intercultural exchange that ensued regarding traditional remedies our families used growing up. It always amazes me to consider what we can learn from an ethnobotanical lens and the way that such learning can be leveraged as a connecting point and common ground. Not to mention, the sun was shining and the views were a beautiful respite from clinic and lecture halls!

Here’s to more days like where the sun is shining and the herbs are overflowing

06/09/2025

Week one of Year two is officially in the books📚🌿

Year two yields increased clinic and preceptor hours, more in-depth study of acupuncture, herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, counselling, and physical medicine/biomechanics, along with a much deeper dive into primary preventative care via case based learning. Biomedical studies the term includes enhanced focus on anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, histology, pharmacology and the list goes on….

Amidst all of this, I am continuing to proritize my own health via nourishing whole foods, lots of gym time (gotta love those deliciously heavy lifts 🏋️‍♀️) and time spent grounding myself in the healing presence of nature. Of course, I will be headed back as much as possible to my quaint yellow brick farmhouse to sip herbal tea, ship out orders of herbal goodness, and to soak in the presence of my kiddos who I adore and miss so very much ✨

While I should feel a sense of accomplishment to have made it to this point, I am walking alongside the heaviness of my mother’s drastic health decline that is culminating into her transition out of this world. Thus, I am being proactive by utilizing all of the tools, knowledge, and supports at my disposal to not only safeguard my academic progress but to carve out some space and time to process for the plethora of emotions that emerge.

This is where I am finding that just meeting myself where I am and displaying the same level of compassion to myself as I would others, is crucial. It enables me to remind myself when the emotional heaviness this presents while navigating an already intense program feels overwhelming that it is these exact human experiences which equips us as practitioners with the necessary skills to hold space for those navigating grief. While these life experiences feel incredibly painful at times, I am grateful that they keep me tethered to my humility as a practitioner. So here’s my gratitude to life for enhancing my capacity to be the heart centered provider I aim to be
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30/08/2025

Acupuncture as an Emotional Release:
Unlike the confines of Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine heralds the connectivity between health and our inner emotional terrain. Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points along the body’s meridians: energy pathways that carry Qi (life force). When emotional trauma or stress gets “stuck,” it can block the flow of Qi, leading to physical symptoms like tension, fatigue, or even chronic pain. Moreover, emotional distress can cause Qi to stagnate. Acupuncture serves as a powerful tool to to allow energy to flow freely again; unblocking stagnant Qi.

It does this by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation to allow suppressed emotions to surface.This is why acupuncture sessions sometimes resulting in crying, laughter, or unexpected mood shifts as it triggers a nervous system reset. This lies within its ability to influence and regulate powerful neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which stabilize moods and reduce anxiety.

TCM sees emotions not as isolated mental states but as deeply connected to physical health given that each organ system is associated with a specific emotion:
🪡Liver: anger, frustration
🪡Heart: Joy, anxiety
🪡Spleen: worry, overthinking
🪡Lung: Grief, sadness
🪡Kidney: Fear, Anxiety

Overall, TCM doesn’t separate emotional and physical health. Instead, emotional imbalances are treated by restoring harmony in the corresponding organ system using acupuncture, herbs, and lifestyle change. As a future ND, I often utilize meridian mapping to leverage specific meridians that address emotional blockages. This application allows acupuncture to become a kind of emotional detox; gentle, profound, and deeply integrative. Therefore, if you’ve ever felt like your body “remembers” stress or trauma, TCM would say that it absolutely does given that it’s theory recognizes and acknowledges the cellular memories and epigenetic imprints we carry within our physical body. Thus, Acupuncture isn’t just about needles, it is a doorway into emotional healing.

29/08/2025

I had the absolute pleasure of spending a whole entire day ! My favourite circuit consisted of grounding myself in the salt room which is nothing short of magical, followed by time spent in their steam room (you have the option of citrus or eucalyptus), as much time as I could possibly stand in the sauna to then lounge on a hot stone bed.

Once fully relaxed, I spent hours swimming in their salt pool which felt incredible given the added buoyancy that the salt provides. After lunch, I repeated the same circuit one more time for good measure with the only difference of adding in some time in the whirlpool bath, a small nap in one of their hammocks followed by some time reading in the relaxation room. I sadly did not get a chance to take advantage of their cold plunge due to my cold, damp constitution although I was told it was beyond refreshing by those who partook. I finished the day in the salt room, marveling at just how relaxed and rejuvenated I felt after disconnecting from technology to reconnect with myself.

Overall, I cannot tell you how incredible it was to be in a phone-free atmosphere, just enjoying time connecting and tuning into my body. I could feel the difference in my nervous system on the way home which made me realize just how much stress and tension my body was carrying.

For anyone feeling dragged out and needing some rest and relaxation, I highly, highly suggest a day away at this beautiful spa 🌿

24/08/2025

And just like that… my first year 2.0 is complete! 🥼🩺🌿After two weeks of intense exams, I spent the day in the hospital with my mother, surrounded by family as we soaked in the limited time we have left with her.

To state that this year was challenging would be an understatement. But somehow, I pulled through, and surprisingly, excelled academically despite not knowing how I would possibly meet the demands of each week, let alone each semester. I am grateful that over the course of two intense semesters, I had the honour and privilege of spending countless hours within CCNM’s teaching clinic as well as being preceptored by amazing medical doctors who specialize in women’s health and fertility within a functional medicine framework. The added benefit of working alongside of medical doctors as a student is that it afforded me a refresher on what it is like to practice medicine within a full scope of practice 🩺 This provided me with the rare opportunity to dust off and reclaim skills that had laid dormant due to regulations surrounding licensure in Canada.

The experiences that contributed to my learning throughout this year, enabled me to appreciate that as much as I felt as if I had lost myself, I was in fact, being afforded both the time and space to listen & reexamine.

Yet, my achievements would not have been possible if it were not for the multitude of individuals cheering me on, professors who not only reminded me of but leaned into my prior training and expertise, and of course, for the beautiful friendships that emerged throughout this chaos to become like family.

To say that I have gained much would be to simplify what was an expansive year of growth that has empowered me to actualize the dreams I have held within my heart to serve others, as well as the promises I made so very long ago to the woman who first recognized my desire to live in service or others and of humanity.

So here’s to continuing to boldly step forth into the unknown, following nothing but a purpose and a calling 🌿⚕️

ns st

15/06/2025

Since venturing away from the confines of my herb gardens, I have found myself soaking in their very essence each time I return. These fleeting visits back home have served as the necessary space to breathe as I navigate the heaviness of my second semester after successfully having completed the first. While I should be basking in all that I have accomplished thus far, I find myself processing what has transpired within the span of a mere 6 months.

While I had anticipated expanding my knowledge of therapeutic modalities, I never anticipated venturing into the unknown territory of an aging parent and the rapid decline of their once vibrant body and now, mind. This painful process of letting go has catalyzed an intense period of personal growth and transformation.

Traversing this uncharted territory has enabled me to observe just how every single regret, every single unfulfilled call to action residing within our hearts and minds have the potential to manifest a state of dis-ease so powerful that it overburdens our nervous system with the arduous task of superseding compounded and residual grief.

Yet conversely, I have also come to identify the numerous protective benefits of psychosomatic manifestations: physical manifestations that arise from emotional and mental stress. These benefits are that just as our body begins to call to us loudly, they gift us with an opportunity to not only challenge, but re-examine many of the internalized limitations life thrusts upon us. The acknowledgment of such entitities catalyzes the process of unearthing the many hopes and dreams that are too often buried for the sake of meeting the needs of others at the expense of failing to meet our own.

Thus, health is culminated not only through the lifestyle we keep, but the maintenance of healthy boundaries that resonate within the very core of our being, as opposed to the superficial plane of social acceptance. So if you are reading this, take this as your sign to reevaluate whether the choices you are making derive from the need to please others or if they are fuelling your pathway to living your life to its fullest potential. Your health will thank you for it.

12/03/2025

Not much happening on this front unless it’s school and more school. Things will pretty much stay the same in this space as I am slowly moving into finals, meaning that the season of prepping for practicals in TCM, acupuncture, clinical medicine and MSK palpation as well as final written exams is full speed ahead!

Here’s just a small glimpse into my world via a photo dump! Enjoy and I shall see you on the other side of exam season

12/02/2025

There’s something to be said about recognizing the subtle signs of your nervous system moving towards a state of dysregulation and providing oneself with a moment to decompress. After having written two exams while still attending classes, clinic, and continuing to study for upcoming exams, I could feel every cell within my being screaming for just a moment to pause and breathe. Given that my schedule is so heavy, I did not know where I was going to find such a moment.

That is, until I sat down with some of my favourite ladies ✨ There’s nothing quite like that surge of oxytocin (the bonding neurotransmitter) that is released within the presence of female friendships and the way that one’s parasympathetic nervous system kickstarts itself instantaneously. I cannot tell you how badly I needed this moment to unwind and centre myself. It was honestly the medicine of laughter I required along with a moment to unwind amidst the chaos of what is my life for a few years to come. It was even more comforting to sit amongst those who appreciate the feeling of juggling many things and wearing the many hats that women do simultaneously.

Interestingly enough, science has revealed how having close friendships with other women improves a woman’s mental and physical health, as strong female bonds can reduce stress, boost mood, and can even increase self-esteem. Most importantly, there is overwhelmingly strong evidence to suggest that such friendships even contribute to a longer lifespan due to the increased social support and emotional intimacy these relationships provide. For me, the friendships that I have been blessed with near and far have become such a foundation of support given that being away from my family at this time presents an additional layer to my academic journey.

So here’s to the blossoming of more incredible and nourishing friendships along this journey and making it to the finish line ✨✨

07/02/2025

Nothing like a tongue and pulse diagnosis class with some of the best future NDs I know ✨School has been all encompassing so there has been little to no activity here! Yet despite the insanity of balancing time spent in clinic, studying, attending practicals, and classes, I been taking a deep dive into sports medicine and MSK which has been facilitating a much deeper appreciation of the ways that naturopathic medicine can address injury and strain.

Aside from this, I am only five weeks into my semester but midterm exams are already here beginning this week and continuing for the next two weeks! So here’s to studying and moving past midterms

15/01/2025

Things have been much more quiet on here as I have been adjusting to what is a new normal; a new cohort which also means a new graduation date. While this was a reality that I had embraced when I deferred my studies initially, new scenarios always usher in a slight adjustment period.

Yet despite this new beginning, I have found that remaining tethered to my roots has continued to serve as the grounding force within my life. In fact, when reciting as powerful of an oath such as one that directs your life’s work, you cannot help but to reflect. All I could think about while reciting the ND oath was the journey I took to get to this point. I also recalled those that helped me along the way; my husband, my children, my family, friends, and the mentors in my life; Dr, Werner Fabian and above everyone else, my prababcia.

In fact, for this induction ceremony, I cloaked myself in subtle remnants of her. The heavy weight of this folk skirt (it weighs about 15 pounds and could fit two of me if we are being honest💗) and some modern Korale; a red beaded necklace that was traditionally coral, to serve as a reminder of both the sweetness and the hardships of the past.

I can say that as I have been re-inducted into this profession as a student, I am doing so with greater awareness of my past training, experiences, as well as the ancestral wisdom imparted upon me directly from the woman who once told me that as long as I remember and utilize what she has taught me to assist others, she will never be forgotten. While this knowledge has always remained utilized and valued, it is only now that I begin to see its role in being leveraged to transform health outcomes within a regulated health profession. Thus, unlike the first time I recited this oath, I am fully honouring the promises that I made many years ago to the woman who taught me so very much about health, healing, the resiliency of the human spirit, and the interconnectedness of life on this earth. It is this awareness and the connection it generates that has not only sustained my heart while being away from my family right now, but has reinforced my decision to return as a decision to honour my life’s purpose.

The Herb Filled Homestead

12/10/2025

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06/09/2025

30/08/2025

29/08/2025

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