Jenn | Savage Souls Botaniks
Girl Talk PHX: 1. What first drew you to herbalism and working with plants, and what was the moment or experience that made you realize this was more than a hobby — that it was your calling?
Jenn Soul Savage Botaniks: “I have been connected to plants since I was a little girl, we grew tomatoes every year and we always had tiger lilies and tulips, I was an earth girl for sure growing up always creating and playing, making dandelion mud pies, I didn't know working outside let alone working with plants could be a career. I loved tea from a young age drinking black tea with cream at my grandmothers kitchen table. I think the path started when I began making life changes, eating organic, working at more natural salons, learning about chakras and energy healing. I left the salon world to farm, and slowly began making my own natural products and then I saw the medical industry, the pushing of pills and treatments, when there were these natural ways to heal our bodies, to see people suffer unnecessarily, I wanted to be able to help especially after seeing people I was close to battle cancer, some lost,and some won the battle but I knew herbs could provide comfort and maybe even healing.”
GTP: How do you incorporate the wisdom of plants into your everyday life and teachings?
Jenn SSB: “I love having a garden and tending to plants. It teaches us so much about life, and ourselves, Most mornings I start my day with a cup of tea, and morning journaling, when the weather is nice I attempt to do this in my garden. This tea helps me connect to my plant allies daily, or I listen to something about plants, or read something, but I love the physical of touching or tasting a plant. As far as teaching, I love teaching people how much herbal medicine they have just sitting in their kitchen cabinet and how to use it! We have so much at our fingertips that we are unaware of , and here in the desert there is a lot of medicine like mullein, st. johns wort, and rosehips that can be harvested up north, and then theres creosote, brittle bush, california poppy, bursage, ocotillo and so much more that can be harvested right here outside phoenix of course you always want to be honorable and sustainable in harvesting, you don't want to harvest in an area that is too close to the road or a highway, and you never want to pick from the first stand of plants you see, really the first 10 because you want that plant to be able to come back year after year, and you always want to ask the plant permission, they have their ways of answering, and always leave an offering of gratitude that feels right to you, some people leave hair, some leave sage, some leave spit, its what feels right to you, just be mindful that if you are leaving a plant offering its not toxic to the animals around, and if its not a native plant offering that there aren't any seeds <3”
GTP: For women who feel called to connect more deeply with nature or herbal medicine, what advice would you give them as a starting point?
Jenn SSB “Connecting with nature first thing is so important and having that time to be in your own energy, I think a slow morning is so valuable, and how you start your day really matters. Sipping herbal tea is a great way to connect with the plants and energetics, you can start with just mint if you tend to run hot, or ginger if you tend to run cold in the morning and drink that tea everyday for a week or two weeks, taste it, smell it, notice how your body feels, invite the plant in and build a relationship with the plant, If you don't know what plant to start with before you go to sleep, ask what plant could best support me right now, what plant could I benefit from guidance from, and allow your dreams to work their magic of connecting to your subconscious, we all have the power to connect with the plants, just do your research before consuming the plant that comes to you, it may be drop dosage or something that a flower essence would be more suitable, but the answer will come. You can also pick a house plant you already have, or buy a house plant and sit with it everyday, notice it, and tend to it, and meditate with the plant daily. I believe experiencing the plant in different ways especially growing a plant is the best way to connect.
GTP: Since joining the Girl Talk table, how do you feel its community has impacted your personal and business growth? What type of woman would you recommend to join the table?
I feel that girl talk has helped me gain confidence and clarity. It’s so lovely to have a table of talented entrepreneurs that have been through the same struggles you’re experiencing and receive powerful tools to get through, I love the suggestions that come about when we all chat. It’s so vital to have women at the table supporting eachother and helping eachothers businesses grow. It’s an amazing community and I always leave every meeting fired up and ready to go! I would recommend anyone who wants to feel empowered and supported and work along other businesswomen to join. I think it’s a wonderful community space to grow together and learn together and that all ideas brought to the table are appreciated. While not technically a mastermind it gives that energy and it’s been shown in studies that having groups like this makes you more successful who we surround ourselves with and spend time with is important and impacts our future.
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