By Josie S., Lakewood, Colorado
In 2020 I decided to take a very early retirement from being a Finance Executive where I had a wonderful career but the excessive stress and long work hours were causing major burnout and several health issues. I went through a major life transition last year, and had been working with my Naturopath on what was next for me in my life’s journey, what was I passionate about and excited me. Through his help and some self-discovery I realized that I had a real passion for natural medicine, helping others, and have been dipping my toe in this since I was a little girl. I was that kid with the National Audubon Field Guide walking around the woods gathering wild flowers, drying and classifying them in a 3 ring binder. I have always loved reading and researching natural remedies and when I am on Nature walk, I am always asking myself – I wonder what that plant is, can you eat it, and does it have any medicinal properties.
Natural medicine for me has been a wonderful positive experience and has helped me to heal in more ways than I knew were possible – in body, mind, and spirit. I have received mental clarity from ensuring I am eating the right foods. I have received the ability to help my body deal with life’s external challenges by utilizing teas, tinctures, homeopathy, and natural supplements. I have received a calmer nervous system through walks in Nature, meditation, breathing exercises, and massage therapy. All of the positive experiences with natural medicine making me whole again are what led me to pursue a certification as a Clinical Herbalist which will be completed in June 2021. My previous career always felt like something I had to do and not something I got up every morning and wanted to do. Finding natural medicine became an extension of my soul. I felt alive again and excited about each day and what I was going to discover in this new found world of natural healing. I suddenly felt a calling and purpose and a desire to learn more about how to help people.
I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do an internship with my Naturopath who had helped me find this path. He gave me a series of 5 of his former patients and I was to write up a full analysis of their conditions and full protocols. I absolutely loved it and found myself thinking about how best could we help this patient and how could I become a better clinician each week. This is when I knew that I wanted to become a Clinical Herbalist and I felt a deep sense of calling to natural medicine and being able to help others understand there are alternatives to allopathic medicine. I love puzzles and working through the puzzle of conditions to come up with the correct pattern and truly help someone change their life really brought tears of joy to my eyes.
As I have continued on the path to become a Clinical Herbalist, I have found myself writing in the protocol several of my clients in the clinic program – that they may benefit from homeopathy. I feel that homeopathy is what is missing from my toolkit of healing for my clients. Instead of referring these clients to a homeopath, I feel called to be able to offer homeopathy as part of my overall practice.
When I think about the future chapters of my life, I would like to either open my own private practice with a focus on chronic conditions or to work with a Naturopath as their Homeopath and Herbalist. I will forever be grateful for being introduced to the spectrum of natural healers that have graced my life and helped make me whole again. I would be most honored to be considered to join these amazing practitioners in helping people as a Homeopath.