Trying to Fit In:

During my teenage and early adult years, I lost myself trying to fit into the social mold of how I “should” think and behave. I gave up time in nature to study and “get ahead in life.” Yet, I always felt like I didn’t fit in, couldn’t quite keep up, and I experienced lots of stress and overwhelm. 

Due to several decades of living with chronic illness and pain, I became invested in learning about the connection between mind, body, and spirit. I drew upon my anthropology degree as I considered how people from different cultures approach disease and healing in various ways.

My Menopause Experience:

Through my study of yoga, meditation and energy healing, I learned tools and strategies that served me well through periods of immense stress and difficulty.

But the stress kept coming! During my mid-late 30’s, I experienced irregular and painful periods as well as the heartbreak of secondary infertility due to early menopause. I felt the confusion, silence and shame that many others often experience during this initiatory phase of life.

During this time, the plants began calling to me, and I slowly began rebuilding my relationship to them through hiking, gardening and drinking herbal teas. I eventually answered the call to formally study herbalism, tapping into my childhood love of plants on a whole new level.

My Late-Diagnosis:

Herbal medicine opened my eyes to the mask that I was wearing for the world as I tried to fit into society’s neurotypical environment. I realized that despite my best efforts to recover from burnout, the approach I was using wasn’t a good fit. After pursuing a formal diagnosis in 2024, I learned I am neurodivergent! This awareness has uncoiled a lifetime of false beliefs and trauma, and led me deeper into my own healing.