Meet Bree
Hi! I'm Bree Nabholz.
Registered Herbalist. Herbal Educator & Teacher. Prairies Girl at Heart (give me a river over an ocean, any day of the week). Nature Gawker. Coffee Lover. Podcast Junkie. Personal Health Cheerleader. Single Mama to Phénix. Plant Enthusiast. And Obsessed with Getting You the Support You Need to Get Your Health Back on Track.
I wasn't always into herbal medicine and natural healing...
In fact, when I moved to Victoria, BC on whim to explore a new city (See ya, Edmonton!), I was pursuing my culinary career. I had an interview as a sous-chef at well-known, high-end seafood restaurant and was in conversation with the Chef about options, when my grandma passed.
So this is my grandma. She was a character! One minute you could catch her ranting very loudly about how useless doctors are, how people just need to take more vitamins and get adequate nutrition, and the next minute she'd turn on fox news and out came the conservative rants about the state of the world. While I can't say I shared her political views, one thing is certain- my grandma was a powerhouse.
She started up 3 health food stores from the ground up, back when women weren't really business owners. Her stores were bustling and customers would come in just to see her. With a fiery conviction she would tell them they NEEDED certain supplements. And not because she was a saleswoman, but because she truly believed in them.
You see, when my grandma was 30 years old, with a whole family to take care of, she got rheumatoid arthritis. She experienced debilitating pain and was bed ridden for months. But being who she was, she wasn't going to accept this as her reality, so she began to explore alternative healing practices, like herbs and supplements, and cured herself. Completely.
Like I said, when I moved to Victoria I was pursuing my culinary career, and if it weren't for me rushing back to attend my grandma's funeral, I may have continued down that life path. You see, after getting back from her funeral, the job at the restaurant was no longer an option.
It was then that I ended up taking a herbal class, just on the side, not really thinking much of it. Little did I know I would absolutely FALL IN LOVE with herbal medicine and natural healing, and it would lead me to sign up for the full 3 year Western Herbal Medicine Program at Pacific Rim College... and I've never looked back since.
I believe there are no coincidences in life, and that my grandma was working her magic to steer me down the right path and...
Now it's my turn to be obsessed with natural healing!
(thanks grandma, for having my back.)
My Very "Official" Bio (If you're looking for a little more!)
I received my clinical training in Phytotherapy from Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC, which offers one of the most elaborate Western Herbal Medicine programs presently available in North America. I also received a Holistic Health Practitioner Diploma from Grant McEwan University.
For 3 years, I was a board member for the Canadian Council of Herbal Associations (CCHA), which is an organization that represents herbalists across Canada and liasons with the federal goverment about important issues related to natural health products and access to natural medicines in Canada. I went to Ottawa 4 times to sit in meetings with Health Canada officials (it was actually a lot of fun, although nerve-wracking at times). I also sat on the Alberta Herbalists Association for 3 years and co-ran the Alberta Herb Gathering in 2018.
Back here in Edmonton, AB- When I'm not seeing clients or teaching, you can catch me enjoying a good meal (OMG, I love food!), hanging with my baby girl, sipping on a good cup of coffee, listening to a podcast or watching a good show on Netflix!