I remember the day my husband and I were drywalling a house on a country property. There were mounds of sand from the site excavation and on top of one of them was a beautiful bunch of wildflowers. It wasn’t planted in a manicured garden and yet it seemed to be thriving in the sand and rocks. The sight of it stirred my heart and has stayed with me for the past 11 years.
My home-based venture, Thrive Like a Wildflower Holistics, is rooted in what I learnt from my parents. My dad instilled in me a passion for natural health, medicinal plants, and the value of learning in life. My mom taught me about gardening, harvesting and inspired me to persevere through her stories of the homestead farm she grew up on. Over the past 20 years I have enjoyed growing and harvesting herbs, foraging for wild plants and making medicinal preparations.
Two years ago, we moved from town to an incredible 320 acres of land where my opportunities to forage grew. We’ve enjoyed setting up a homestead complete with gardens, a greenhouse, chickens and an outdoor kitchen. Having brilliant artists as neighbors inspired me further to open myself up to the possibility of developing my passion for herbs into something more than a hobby.
My vision for Thrive Like a Wildflower Holistics is to inspire others to thrive through sharing my love of medicinal plants, holistic health and our homesteading life.
I practice traditional folk medicine (traditional medicine as practiced by nonprofessional healers). Though I have taken a number of courses over the years, much of what I know has been passed down from my dad and from books. I craft and sell products such as salves, dried herbal teas, essential oil roller blends, infused massage oils, bath salts, and tinctures. Almost 100% of the plants, barks and roots that I work with are carefully wild foraged from our own land and gardens.
I sense a growing desire in people who want to learn more about plant derived remedies for mental, physical and emotional health. Medicinal plants are powerful and effective, yet gentle. It’s empowering to think that much of our wellness is within our own hands, in fact, it’s probably growing in your backyard or garden and can be crafted into a medicine in your own kitchen. It does not have to be complex; it can be simplistic.
As the future unfolds, I want to take things organically and as they come. Though I hope to continue expanding the handcrafted products that I offer, my vision for Thrive goes beyond that. I would love to develop teaching workshops on topics such as: growing, harvesting and making herbal remedies, sourdough bread baking, relaxation therapies/self care, cooking with herbs, and wellness through essential oils.
I see on the horizon, another piece of Thrive to be about meaningful connections and a creative place to share, listen and be inspired to make choices that will improve our personal well-being. Life brings us down some difficult roads and to have one on one or small group support is invaluable.
I owe gratitude to many people for their encouragement, especially my Dad and Mom, my sister Shannon, my friends Heather, Dèbora and Bibiana, and my cousin Crystal.
If you would like to learn more, you can call me at 204-371-5247, visit my website thrivelikeawildflowerholistics.ca or find me on Facebook.
May you Thrive!
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