Masters in Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine from The Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine (2016)
Diplomate of Chinese Medicine (2016)
Volunteer with Open Hands Medicine (2017, 2018, 2019)
Obstetrics Mentorship (2018-2019)
Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture provider (2019)
Certified Chinese Medicine Dermatologist (2019) listed on the International TCM Dermatology Association
Aroma Point Mastery (2020, 2023)
Hello there.
I have been a resident of Decorah since 2005. An East coast transplant I moved here after my undergraduate studies to deepen my knowledge and experience with organic farming systems. After years working on a CSA farm, cultivating wildflowers, learning about seed production in a variety of systems, and managing the greenhouses at Seed Savers I decided to follow a calling I had been ignoring for years. To learn about herbal medicine and embark on a journey in alternative medicine.
So, in 2013 I set out for Seattle and in 2016 I received my Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (SIOM). SIOM is known for it’s rigorous curriculum and excellent clinical experience with apprentice style training starting the first year of school. This was the most challenging and most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I trained under Dr. Craig Mitchell, Dr. Yi wen Su, Daniel Altschuler, Stephen Brown, Jason Robertson, Yefim Gamgoneishvili, Josh Lerner, Susan Scott, Susan Moore, Marguerite Dinkins, Christina Jackson, Dr. Yun Wang, Dr. Liangxi Zheng and Dr. Hong Yu (gotta give thanks to my mentors - they mean the world to me).
My professors and my patients pushed me to reach new limits, challenged me to do my best every day and encouraged me to pursue my own passions within the field. I was fortunate to have many incredible mentors who pushed me to excel and it’s because of them I am able to share this amazing form of medicine with you, my community.
In 2015 I received certification from the National Acupuncture Detox Association (NADA) upon completion of 40 volunteer clinical hours at the Evergreen Detox Center in Seattle where I saw 20-40 patients a day under the supervision of a trained acupuncturist. I have experience working in a variety of clinical settings and have gathered tidbits from each that will continue to inspire and inform my private practice.
My years of living in remote areas of Northeast Iowa cultivated a deep passion in me for native plants, wild crafting, wild spaces, alone time and the healing that can be done when we let ourselves ‘re-wild’ for a period of time. I love cultivating my garden, spending time soaking up the sunshine, foraging and taking camping trips to reconnect with the wild places that have attached strings to my heart, namely the boundary waters and Olympic peninsula.
The natural world has an innate ability to inspire and through this offers a unique healing experience to each of us. Wildcrafted herbs often possess the most potent healing properties when used as medicine because they are exposed to a range of environmental stressors that increases their production of medicinal compounds. This process creates potent wild medicine and is such a beautiful analogy for life. We can either become disheartened by the challenges we face or we can become our deepest, most potent selves.
Chinese medicine often looks to nature for learning, inspiration, guidance and understanding. In the fast paced lives we are engaged in these days, finding time to step away, unplug and reconnect with the world around us is one of the ways we can reconnect with our body and restore our reserve. I encourage you to make time and space for this, to gather what you need from the places you love so you may grow into your healthiest, most vibrant self.