Hello again! I'm Ashley, pleased to meet you.
I teach people about plants, lead wellness workshops and retreats, teach yoga, and spend copious amounts of time in the garden.
Nature has played a pivotal role in my life since I first opened my eyes to the wonder of the world.
As a child, I spent hours and hours outside: tracing the patterns and textures of plants, dreaming up mystical fairylands, and singing to the trees in my parent’s backyard. I felt at home in nature and called to tend to her needs.
Growing up, I also suffered from severe asthma and a potpourri of other health problems ranging from allergies to digestive issues. Doctors prescribed a checklist of steroids, inhalers, and other pharmaceutical medications—but these only temporarily relieved my symptoms, often with side effects. The root cause remained.
Then my mom took me to see a naturopath. Within six months, my symptoms virtually disappeared.
Around this time, I realized that plants are as vital to survival as the air we breathe. They nourish the body, mind, and soul in the most magical ways. Experiencing this magic in my own life set me on a quest to weave together the beauty, intelligence, and medicine of the natural world to help other people find the same health and healing.
Curious how we can work together?
As a Registered Herbalist (RH) with the American Herbalists Guild, I’ve been working with clients to achieve their wellness goals for more than 15 years—and I truly love what I do.
Reverse crescent during my first yoga photoshoot in 2010.
Photo credit: Christy Zuccarini
In 2011, my husband Adam and I co-founded Sky House Yoga, a donation-based studio and wellness center in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was in this space that my connection to plant medicine deepened, and by 2019, we evolved our focus, creating the Sky House Herb School & Apothecary—a place where I could guide others to discover the healing and magic of herbal medicine.
After moving my practice online, I dedicated myself to consulting, teaching clinical herbal medicine, and serving on the American Herbalists Guild board.
Following our family’s move to Minneapolis in 2021, I took a year-long sabbatical to recharge and renew my approach to herbalism. The time away allowed me to fully embrace a slower, more grounded way of working with plants.
Now, in 2024, I feel fully replenished and excited to expand my teaching, present at herbal conferences, and develop the Sky House Community Herb Garden. My work has been shaped by my training in clinical herbalism (M.Sc.) and the invaluable guidance of mentors like Matthew Wood, Margi Flint, Bevin Clare, Camille Freeman, James Snow, and Chanchal Cabrera.
Yoga and plant medicine have been my steadfast guides, and I'm grateful to now have the space and time to share what I've learned in a grounded and meaningful way.
Yoga Was My First Love—Herbalism Became My Calling
Yoga became my lifeline as a young adult grappling with self-trust and self-understanding. I took my first yoga class at 13 in St. Paul, Minnesota, with my hip aunt Kathy. After resuming my practice at 18 while in college, I saw how yoga helped heal my disordered eating patterns and guided me toward self-acceptance.
By 24, I trained as a teacher and was soon managing a new studio while pursuing a master’s in clinical herbalism. Leading retreats focused on whole foods, yoga, and meditation, I realized my passion for guiding others through transformational experiences. In 2010, I founded the Body Love Yoga Project to help teens struggling with body image issues and eating disorders, teaching in schools, programs, and communities throughout the Maryland/DC area.
Since then, I’ve taught yoga in diverse spaces—from schools and studios to the National Mall in DC and large conventions—turning each setting into a sanctuary for exploring the mind and heart. Teaching yoga saved my life, giving me confidence and connection to my body’s wisdom and inner peace. Today, I teach women in recovery at a local residency program, supporting them in finding stability and serenity through yoga. It’s a true gift to witness how yoga can help others, just as it did for me.
Rooted in the transformative practices of yoga and herbalism, my work is dedicated to guiding others toward healing and balance through the wisdom of plants and mindful living.
I’m part of an intricate and intelligent ecosystem—and so are you.
As fellow earthlings, plants teach us how to harness our strengths in creative ways and thrive in challenging conditions — whether it’s observing a fragrant herb thriving in the sun or an ancient tree standing strong amidst a burnt forest.
As our elders who predate even the earliest mammals by an estimated 275 million years, plants contain an inherent intelligence. Chemicals and energetic patterns. Science and wisdom.
When working with plants and people, I always look for a match between the person and the "essence" of a plant — whether phytochemical or energetic.
When we begin to connect with plants, a new world of possibility opens. We see ourselves not just surrounded by a jungle of green — but also surrounded by trustworthy friends.
I’m here to steward and share this world of possibility with you.
