How did you become interested in this line of work? (tell us a little bit about your background)

I was a creative writing major at UC Santa Cruz when I began looking for answers to my own health challenges, and went to an herbalist for the first time. I had always been deeply drawn to the magical, spiritual nature of life, and though I didn’t really get going strongly with herbs for another few years, this first meeting planted the seed. Herbalism and earth connection would come to ground my spirituality, and blend the magic of Nature into my day-to-day living. I went on to become known as “The Green Witch* of New York” because I spent my first decade as an herbalist living in the heart of New York City! 

*(In her book Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living, Bennett defines a green witch as having “a special love for the plants and trees of the earth, and is often gifted in working with them as gardeners, herbalists, artists, and teachers.”)

Please share a wellness tip or word of advice that relates to the workshop you will be presenting.

Learning to take time for yourself, regularly, is one of the greatest things you can do for the health of your nervous system. Let’s say you’re having a cup of Melissa/lemon balm tea to soothe your mind and calm your belly. You can slug it down as you send out a text or check your email, but if you sip and savor it, it will support you more deeply. We need to reclaim stillness and connect with rhythms that replenish us, especially now, with so much spinning wildly all around us.  Simple, effective, inexpensive and accessible herbal medicine is radical in today’s world.

What or who inspires you? (This could be anything from your mentor to your favorite quote)

What personal or professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

I love silence, and also care deeply about words, about thought-provoking creativity and precision of expression. I’m thrilled that I wrote my non-fiction books: Healing Magic and The Gift of Healing Herbs; it’s fulfilling to hear how much readers love them and find these books useful and inspiring. I am first and foremost a storyteller, so I’m looking forward to finding the perfect publisher for my latest completed work, a novel! I can barely wait to share it with readers everywhere! I’m also delighted to have spent the last three decades helping people all over our beautiful planet to become more deeply attuned to their loving connection with the plants, and to see how that has helped foster personal and cultural healing in myriad ways.