Hi, I'm Kelly, a globetrotting Chicago native currently living in Spain. Growing up in Illinois I was always playing outdoors, collecting rocks and leaves, kissing flower buds, and trying to use roses as lipstick like Ursula does in The Little Mermaid. My curiosity even drove me to sample the deadly nightshade berries from my neighbor’s yard (oops)...Wild Apothecary is the physical realization of what my inner child has been telling me for years: Nature has so much to offer us!

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There have been hints along the way - little glimmers of clarity that this was supposed to be my path. I decided to become a vegetarian when I was 9, developing a deep interest and commitment to nutrition and a love of spending time in the kitchen. I’ve centered my life around the outdoors and take joy in helping others feel their best. So, in a way, I’ve been cultivating my inner herbalist for decades.

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I’ve spent the last five years traveling the world as a guide, and have had the opportunity to learn from communities that are still in touch with the supportive and nurturing energies of plants. I’ve learned about maca and cacao from Peruvian natives, sauco (elderberry) from a Patagonian healer, coconut and hibiscus from friends in Hawaii, stinging nettle and wild rose from a Catalan grandmother. I’ve befriended a gruff mountain hut keeper in the Pyrenees by talking about the native mushrooms I’d found while I was hiking. I’ve experienced firsthand how starting a relationship with plants can naturally nourish your community and build connectivity with the people around you.

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My hope in starting Wild Apothecary is to help facilitate a greater connection to the natural world around us. To help others appreciate the supportive and nourishing power of plants. To cultivate gratitude for Mother Nature and the bounty she is always providing us. And to encourage you to feel more physically, mentally, and emotionally in touch with yourself. I want to make sure you never look at the weeds in your backyard the same way again.