Guiding Principles & Values
Commitment to Health Equity & Justice
I believe all people should have affordable and accessible holistic wellness services and health-care regardless of race, gender, ability, or socio-economic status. In this regard, sliding scale and payment options are available for those truly in need and want to do this work. Please see our Sliding Scale Form to learn more.
Earth-Based Healing
I deeply believe in the philosophy that when we heal ourselves we heal the Earth. And, when we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves. The modalities of healing that I use promote this type of healing and growth. Part of this process includes giving back to the Earth which provides us with everything we need--food, water, shelter, medicine, and so much more. Giving back can look like spreading seed in a garden or wild spaces, communing with and singing to plants, and sharing water, nutrients and a lock of hair with plants.
Vitalism
Vitalism sees nature as the primary source of intelligence and guidance in the healing process. It focuses on removing obstacles to a person's vital life power and addresses the root causes of dis-ease so that the body can restore balance in the tissues and ultimately heal itself. The tools a vitalist practitioner uses include herbs, flower essences, nutrition recommendations, nature cure, and lifestyle practices to facilitate healing physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Trauma-Informed Herbalism
Having a trauma-informed approach when working with my clients means recognizing the role trauma plays in one’s life and its impact throughout one’s healing process. I strive to continuously recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, and learn and understand the impacts it has on physical, emotional, and mental health. As a result, I provide a compassionate, inclusive, safe and trustworthy space for healing so that clients can make empowered choices to achieve their health and wellness goals.
Individualized Holistic Wellness Approach
Every body is unique in its various compositions, therefore I create wellness protocols in our sessions that are unique to the client based on their constitution, health history, present symptoms, diagnosed conditions, tissue states, nutrient imbalances, etc. Depending on how the client is presenting to me, I will use wellness tools that best benefit the client to achieve optimal health and vitality in mind, body, and spirit. Examples of tools I utilize during sessions include herbal medicine, nutrition education, lifestyle recommendations, astrology, mindful meditations, breathing techniques, yoga asana, and energy healing.
Body Positivity & Health at Every Size
Our body's size does not determine the status of our health and wellness. We can achieve vitality regardless of our body's size. I work through the lens of body positivity and Health At Every Size ® (HAES®) which are supportive approaches in working with clients of all sizes. These approaches help to promote size acceptance, end weight discrimination and lessen the cultural obsession with weight loss and thinness.
Reciprocity
Every quarter, a portion of our proceeds get donated to a BIPOC healer, astrologer, herbalist, and/or farmer. Our wish is to support BIPOC healers who are holding space for BIPOC folks to heal. As this business grows, we will publicly share where the money is being redistributed as to highlight the much needed services of these wellness providers. Additionally, we provide sliding-scale wellness services throughout the year for those in need with priority given to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, organizers/activists, or people with more than one marginalized identity.
Sustainable Sourcing
My commitment offering medicinal plant medicines is that all herbs provided through consultation are sustainably grown and harvested. Most herbs either come from my garden, local farms (<50 mile radius), or ethically wildcrafted in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. For those plants I cannot receive locally, I source from farms or herb distributors who are committed to ethically and sustainably produced plants and fair trade principles.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge our occupation on the unceded territory of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapahoe Nations. Also, we recognize the Kiowa, Comanche and Lakota Nations who lived and hunted within the present boundaries of Colorado. We acknowledge the history of injustices committed against these tribes. Despite white colonizers who promised land sovereignty to the tribes in the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, a series of illegitimate and coercive treaties followed including the 1861 Treaty of Fort Wise which took away their sovereignty and established Colorado Territory. This was largely due to the influx of white settlers during the Colorado Goldrush. Eventually the actions of the U.S. resulted in the complete displacement of the Cheyenne & Arapahoe. Despite promising them reservation land in Eastern Colorado, they were moved to present day Oklahoma and Wyoming. Northern Ute bands were also eventually forced out of the State and only Southern Ute bands remain on their reservation in Southwest Colorado.
We acknowledge the Little Arkansas Treaty that promised reparations to Cheyenne & Arapahoe who were killed in The Sand Creek Massacre, an unjust, unprovoked, deadly attack on the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes, despite Chief Niwot’s desire to remain peaceful. We are committed to paying an annual portion of our proceeds to these tribes as reparations via organizations that promote the resilience of Colorado’s First Nations people, such as the Four Directions American Indian Council.
We recognize that the land we live on is leased by these Nations. We have an important role to play in contributing to the healing and wellness of this land, and are committed to taking care of it while we are here. Most importantly, we are supportive of returning sovereignty of this land to the aforementioned First Nations tribes.
Commitment to Dismantling Systemic Racism in Western Herbal Medicine
Western herbalism and western herbalists have historically not been inclusive spaces for BIPOC folks, due to systemic racism, financial and cultural barriers. I feel it's important to acknowledge white supremacy and racism, including cultural appropriation, inherent in our society and in herbal medicine. I am passionate about including anti-racism education in my classes. And, I offer sliding-scale pricing, payment plans, and highly discounted workshop pricing, prioritizing access for BIPOC in hopes to empower those who constantly have to face systemic discrimination.
Please Note: In some pictures you will notice that I am wearing Minnetonka moccasins. Although Minnetonka is not Native-owned, the CEO has issued a statement of commitment to the Native American community which you can read HERE. Minnetonka does state that they have donated to Native-causes in their home-state of Minnesota, and they are developing a more comprehensive and impactful plan to do better for the Native American communities who originally made and wore these shoes. I will continue to support companies and organizations directly benefitting Native-American Nations, and check myself of cultural appropriation.
“The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.
All things are connected like the blood that unites one family.
Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
The earth is sacred and men and animals are but one part of it.
Treat the earth with respect so that it lasts for centuries to come and is a place of wonder and beauty for our children.”
― Extract from Chief Seattle
Disclaimer
Evolving Heart Holistic Wellness does not claim to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any disease. These statements are not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Evolving Heart Holistic Wellness is not a licensed medical doctor and operates on educational purposes only.