Hi I’m Éimear (she/they)

:^)

I grew up in Cavan, Ireland on a rural hobby farm, gleefully surrounded by many plants and animals. After my BA in Psychology, Sociology, and Politics at the National University of Ireland, Galway I was introduced (or re-introduced if you count potion making as a child) to herbal medicine and nutrition science in 2018.

A year of searching for the right school brought me here to Victoria BC where I have been living on the unceded ancestral lands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples and the WSÁNEĆ peoples since 2022. The school that encouraged me to move so far was Pacific Rim College, where I’m currently completing my final year of both Phytotherapy and Holistic Nutrition. These comprehensive programmes have been 3+ years of learning the traditional wisdoms of herbs and food, integrating it with extensive training in biomedical sciences and putting it into practice by providing care through the student clinic.

My approach to health and wellness is one that is centred on integrating science with tradition, connecting people to the wisdom of their own bodies, to plants (as food, as medicine, as friends), and to the land – with the overarching vision of creating mutual liberation for all. My work is also informed by the knowledge that herbalism has a long history of being the people’s medicine for healing and empowerment in an anti-colonial and anti-capitalist context.

It is my aim to bring this awareness of the historical and ongoing colonial and capitalist policies that impact our food, land, and cultures into every session. It is my belief that our individual well-being allows us to be better participants in our communities – adding to the intricate web of collective care.

My personal passions include art, sea swimming, reading, floristry, crafting, poetry, music, hiking, cooking, dancing, horses, cats, local organising, justice work, decolonial learning and generally being a playful weirdo.