Like so many of us, I spent years trying to do what I thought was “right” (fitting in, staying agreeable, staying busy) while ignoring the quiet restlessness and need for connection to something greater. Over a long period of time, that disconnect took a heavy toll. I struggled deeply with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. I knew something had to change, but I didn’t know where to begin.

Life has a way of pushing us forward, whether we think we’re ready or not. In my early twenties, I realized that I was deeply unhappy. And almost as soon as I admitted that to myself, everything that I had built (my job, my relationship, my home, my health, and my friends) fell away at once. I moved back to Northern Virginia, broken hearted and completely unsure of who I actually was. Over the coming months and years, I became increasingly physically sick, with symptoms that doctors couldn’t explain or understand. And yet, that loss and illness brought me to my knees and opened the door to something far greater: faith, hope, and the willingness to really listen.

As I began to pay attention, I noticed how much I had ignored my body’s signals, how much energy I gave away trying to please others, and how repressing my emotions and soul’s voice had actually made me sick. Out of necessity, I began exploring healing (nutrition, energy work, herbalism, shamanism, psychic practices, and more) and found myself drawn again and again to practices that taught me how to reconnect with my intuition. Slowly, I realized that healing was about coming home to myself. It was about realizing that I knew how to heal myself and what I needed; I had the power to select the modalities, practitioners, food, herbs, books, environment, and more, that my healing required.

What helped me most wasn’t a single method, but the process of learning to follow what felt nourishing, true, and alive. From that place, my depression eased, my body began to quickly strengthen and repair, and I felt a deep sense of connection I had been missing for years. It sure wasn’t glamorous, but damn I felt every cell in my body come to life!

That journey is what shaped Western Spirit Alchemy. Over time, I became certified in/studied (and still study!) Reiki, Hypnotherapy, Spiritual Coaching, Herbalism, plant spirit medicine, and many other traditions. But more than techniques, what I bring to this work is the belief that every person carries their own inner medicine, and that my role is simply to help you find it.

I genuinely love what I do; it lights me up inside. My spare time is often spent researching, reading about plants or my new favorite occult topic, plant foraging, or just meandering through the woods. I love being human and savoring the simple joys of life; the wind and sun on my face, my feet in the water, roadtripping with a good playlist, watching my dog frolic around, and a damn good matcha latte.

And at the heart of it all, however, my greatest honor is guiding others back home to themselves. Helping people reconnect to their intuition, their soul’s voice, and the medicine that has always been inside them. It’s what makes this work meaningful. Because the truth is, you are the healer you’ve been searching for, and I feel honored to walk beside you on that journey.

~ Natalie