My name is Rachel and I lead with many identities, including settler, river woman, medicine lover, magic keeper, American immigrant, naturopathic doctor, entrepreneur, teacher, storyteller (aka Gemini), philosopher, and lifelong learner.

I have been working in, on, or around rivers since 2006, beginning on the Lower Youghiogheny River before moving up to so-called Canada in 2010 to work on Algonquin territory. Since then, I’ve called the Madawaska River home, though I’ve had privilege of travelling, living and working from coast to coast on Turtle Island, making friends with many rivers (people too!).

With 8 years as a guide in my tool bag, I wanted to pursue wholistic healthcare so I began my studies in naturopathic medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. I graduated in 2018 and, after a rest, began practicing in 2020, uniquely positioning me to practice medicine as the pandemic came onto the horizon.

In 2020, I wanted to weave Land and medicine together and began Braiding Rivers with my dear friends. Braiding Rivers is an ecocentric guiding company for folks who identify as female with a vision to foster gentler relationships with ourselves, each other and the Land.

In the falls, winters and springs, you can find me in my clinic, Sacred Grove Naturopathic, as well as teaching wilderness medicine courses for WMA Canada and facilitating herbalism, embodiment and Chinese Medicine workshops in her community of Barry’s Bay, ON.

In the summer, she’s on the Madawaska, Dumoine and Nahanni Rivers.