Faculty & Staff

James Christian is a Medical Herbalist, having studied with the College of Phytotherapy in the UK and achieving a B.Sc. in Herbal Medicine. He has also completed a post-graduate Diploma in Herbal Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire with a specialty in Herbal Education.

James maintains professional membership in the Canadian Herbalists Association of BC (CHA of BC) and is the current President of the association. He is a past member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP) in the UK and of the oldest professional herbal association in the world, the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH).

James is very passionate about nature and the environment. He travels to various parts of the world to study their use of indigenous medicines. Aside from working with medicinal plants in South Korea, James has spent time in Peru, Nicaragua and Costa Rica studying their local use of plants as medicines. James is also passionate about growing plants and currently resides at Tiny Tree Herb Farm on the Saanich peninsula specializing in permaculture and regenerative systems of food and medicine production.

In 2008, Brea became a Director at Pacific Rim College. After the birth of her daughter in 2010, Brea started to focus her attention on pregnancy, birthing and parenting. She created the widely acclaimed Holistic Doula Certificate program. Brea is a Certified Pre-Natal Yoga Instructor and is passionate about the health-related, social, cultural and environmental aspects of birthing and parenting. She is also a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist and works closely with individuals experiencing trauma and grief.

Brea is also passionate about permaculture, biodynamics, and sustainable farming practices. She has travelled to more than 25 different countries and remains fascinated by various cultures.

Brea has extensive experience as a Business and Organizational Manager in a variety of fields including organizational development, business development, performance management and human resources. In early 2005, Brea joined Kirschner Consulting Inc. as a Senior Consultant, focusing on Merger and Acquisition Due Diligence and Organizational Assessments. Brea subsequently founded a consulting firm and has provided organizational and human capital assessments pre- and post-Mergers and Acquisitions for multi-million dollar businesses primarily in the environmental and construction sectors of the USA, Canada and the Cayman Islands.

When Brea isn’t at Pacific Rim College, you can find her working on her farm, growing food, painting, and playing with her son and daughter.

Todd Howard was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountain range in the eastern United States. He began his formal medical studies at West Virginia University where he graduated with distinction from the undergraduate School of Medicine, completing a thesis on the role of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in sports therapy. He has since explored the world pursuing studies in indigenous medicines. He has traveled on 5 continents in more than 35 countries, including a year of work at the world’s busiest clinic of Acupuncture and Homeopathy in Sri Lanka, 3 months interning in hospitals in China, 4 months as an Acupuncturist and lecturer on a world-class cruise line and 2 months as a medical volunteer in East Africa. Todd earned a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria, British Columbia.

Todd is the founder of Pacific Rim College and the creator of the college’s Global Outreach Program. From 2011-2013 he served on the Board of Directors of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC. In 2010 he presented on the global humanitarian TCM movement at the TCM Kongress in Rothenburg, Germany. In 2011 he was named ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ by the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. In 2017 he was named by Optimyz Magazine as one of Canada’s Top 100 Health Influencers. He is currently host of the college’s podcast, Pacific Rim College Radio.

Gillian Marsollier has been a Registered Acupuncturist in British Columbia since 2001 and an instructor of acupuncture for more than 15 years. After completing a 4-year Masters Program in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, she began her teaching career in Newfoundland where she wrote the bulk of the curriculum for a 3-year acupuncture program and served as the Acupuncture Program Director. Gillian was then transferred to Halifax where she successfully gained approval by the Board of Education in Nova Scotia for an acupuncture program. In addition to teaching, while residing on the East Coast she practiced at a very successful multi-faceted alternative treatment centre.

In 2008 Gillian went to Nepal to teach acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine modalities at a medical facility. They are still using the modalities to this day to treat the locals from the Himalayan hills.

For the last 5+ years, Gillian has been pursuing the media side of acupuncture and natural healing through the creation of LIFT Education. Through this online education platform, she has created many popular courses including bootcamps that have become the national gold standard for preparation for TCM registration exams.

Cordelia McFadyen, of Inspired Living Nutrition Inc., is a Holistic Nutritionist who works with brands, corporations and most importantly women to recover their digestive health and establish healthy boundaries in order to live a gutsy life. She is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition (B.C.H.N.) and is also a Natural Nutrition Clinical Practitioner (N.N.C.P.).

Cordelia believes that there is much to learn about health; we must deconstruct old thoughts and beliefs that prevent us from moving forward in order to claim the most optimal health that is available to us all. We are not what we eat but instead what we absorb and assimilate; strong gut health allows us to do just that.

Sumi is a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P), registered in good standing with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners of British Columbia (CTCMA).

She was born and raised in South Korea where Traditional Chinese Medicine has thrived and developed with its own style and blended in its own rich culture for centuries.

She loves introducing various modalities she has experience from East and West to her practice and applying them into her daily practice to benefit her patients accordingly.

Also as a life-time student, Sumi keeps expanding her comfort zone in Traditional Chinese Medicine with bottomless curiosities by interacting with her patients, colleagues and mentors.

Outside of her practice, she enjoys nature walking with her two rambunctious doodles and practising gratitude in her fast flowing daily life.

Bree received her Phytotherapy Diploma from Pacific Rim College, and as a PRC grad herself, she’s thrilled to be a part of the incredible community that enriched her life when she was a young budding herbalist. As the owner of Wild Yarrow Herbal Medicine Clinic & Dispensary in Edmonton, Alberta, Bree sees clients in her private practice and works with Naturopathic doctors and midwives to design custom herbal blends for their patients. Bree sat on the board of the Alberta Herbalist Association (AHA) and the Canadian Council of Herbalist Associations (CCHA) for 3 years, where she attended Health Canada stakeholder meetings in Ottawa, to represent herbalists Canada-wide. Due to her passion for herbal education, Bree has created and offered multiple herbal medicine courses and has been a presenter at the Canadian Herb Conference and the Alberta Herb Gathering. She is a Registered Professional Member of both the AHA and the American Herbalists Guild. When she isn’t engaging in the world of herbal medicine, you can find her hanging out with her beautiful daughter, and getting outside to soak in the bountiful gifts nature has to offer.

Kym Chi is a dedicated healer, grounding herself in service through earth stewardship, people care and regenerative action. As a dynamic woman, her main passions are Permaculture design, creative facilitation, visual art, holistic healing and community building.

To date, Kym has received 3 certificates in Permaculture Design, completed multiple teacher trainings, taken a variety of advanced trainings, completed a Diploma in Permaculture Education and has over 2000 hours facilitation experience. She has studied and taught with Permaculture Visionaries like Rosemary Morrow, Robin Clayfield, Starhawk, Robina McCurdy, Mark Lakeman, Michael Becker, Toby Hemenway, Larry Santoyo and Scott Pitman.

She is a chartered Herbalist and has completed advanced herbal studies with Susun Weed, Dina Falconi, Barbara Cotgrave, Robert A. Bartlett and Matthew Wood. With a love of learning, she continues to take courses that grow her understanding of the natural world.

Through her stewardship of a deepened connection with the environment, Kym wishes to inspire connection with the natural world, oneself and the greater community to invoke creative self expression and value-centred living, enriching and creating healthy, abundant habitats and communities.

With a focus on Social Permaculture, people care and connected living design, Kym works with empowerment models, enjoys encouraging others on their life path and focusses on ways to support organizations and communities to become more resilient. Her success is measured on the successes of her students, allies and friends.

Kym is a settler on the West Coast of Turtle Island on the unceded and stolen lands of the Coast Salish Peoples. She is dedicated to the continued process of decolonizing herself and creating right relations with the land and the original people where she lives, works and visits. 

Kym is a homesteader,  Permaculture Teacher, Holistic Healer, Mentor, HeArtist and is the Dean of the School of Permaculture Design at Pacific Rim College.

Alissa joined the administrative team at Pacific Rim College in 2012 and took on the role of Registrar in early 2014.  With a background in stage management and theatre administration, and a strong appreciation for natural health and healing, Alissa is able to unite many of her interests for her work at PRC. Alissa loves working with students and faculty and is grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community. 

Amy Klazek is a Medical Herbalist and a graduate of the Diploma of Phytotherapy program at Pacific Rim College. She is a professional member the Canadian Herbalist Association of British Columbia and operates a small private practice in Victoria, BC. As a member of the team at Pacific Rim College, she is proud to contribute to the education of holistic health as the Admissions Director, Assistant Director of the Holistic Doula Certificate program, and an instructor for the Holistic Doula Certificate and Community Herbalist Certificate programs.

Michelle Quintal is a life-long learner. She has been actively working as a community organizer for the past 15 years and is trained as a mental health worker, chef, and herbalist.

She completed her Western Clinical Herbal Medicine Diploma under the tutelage of Diane Kent and at The Institute of Traditional Medicine. Her Cook’s Diploma was completed at Liaison College of Culinary Arts in Toronto. Both were completed while also working at organizations offering services for people facing poverty and homelessness.

Michelle fuses her training in the culinary arts, mental health advocacy and herbalism to help organizations provide people with the tools they need to take better care of their health.

Most recently, Michelle is honoured to have been the Administrator to the Ontario Herbalists Association and is grateful to have found a new community of like-minded people in Victoria. When not on-campus, she is learning from nature and connecting with her family and friends.

Alexis graduated from Pacific Rim College in April 2014 with the highest of honours and as class valedictorian. Having been raised in a very health conscious and nature loving family, using natural remedies for health concerns has always been second nature for her. She first started down a career path in natural health in 2008, when she attended Mount Royal University and received her certification in Aromatherapy. This soon blossomed into an interest in addressing health concerns internally as well as externally, and a passion for plant medicine in general to help facilitate the healing process – supporting the body, mind, and spirit. In addition to her Diploma of Phytotherapy and her Certificate in Aromatherapy, Alexis also holds training in both Lomi Lomi and CranioSacral Therapy. She is a professional member of the Canadian Herbalist Association of British Columbia, and has her own practice as a Medical Herbalist in Fernwood. Alexis joined the Dispensary team at Pacific Rim College in 2014 and the faculty in 2016. She loves being a part of the PRC community.

Sumi is a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P), registered in good standing with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners of British Columbia (CTCMA).

She was born and raised in South Korea where Traditional Chinese Medicine has thrived and developed with its own style and blended in its own rich culture for centuries.

She loves introducing various modalities she has experience from East and West to her practice and applying them into her daily practice to benefit her patients accordingly.

Also as a life-time student, Sumi keeps expanding her comfort zone in Traditional Chinese Medicine with bottomless curiosities by interacting with her patients, colleagues and mentors.

Outside of her practice, she enjoys nature walking with her two rambunctious doodles and practising gratitude in her fast flowing daily life.

Dr. Jeannie Achuff, ND, is a passionate healthcare provider and educator. Her medical training and clinical practice has been focused in women’s reproductive health, including a certificate of midwifery and natural childbirth from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. She has been in private practice as an ND for 10 years, but her passion for herbal medicine, midwifery, and birthing emerged at age 16 when she felt moving in her the deep stirrings of the lineage of women-as-healers. Dr. Achuff has taught anatomy and physiology, as well as western clinical medicine, to massage and acupuncture students in California and Oregon, and takes great pleasure in creating a juicy learning environment for students to expand their sense of knowledge, their sense of self, and their own capacity as healthcare providers.

Dr. Achuff currently practices at the U-Retreat Spa and Wellness Centre in Victoria, with a primary focus in women’s pelvic health and reproductive medicine, and manual pelvic bowl healing techniques including Holistic Pelvic Care (trained by Tami Lynn Kent) and Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Therapy (ATMAT). She also maintains an active patient base in one of her previous locales, Berkeley, California. The undercurrent of Dr. Achuff’s service in medicine and healthcare is a passion for working with the vital energies of yin and yang, the healing of the feminine energy here on earth, and bringing healing and balance back into ourselves as humans so that we may live more tenderly and more respectfully with one another and in the web of this planet.

Tony graduated with a Diploma in Phytotherapy from Pacific Rim College and is a member of the Canadian Herbalist Association of BC. He is a practicing Medical Herbalist at his home based clinic, Woodward Phytotherapy, in Brentwood Bay, BC. He has a keen interest in the areas of nervous system health, pain management and addictions having seen many such cases improve with the use of herbal medicine.

His personal journey to heal himself led him to change careers and study herbal medicine. Tony enjoys his time in the dispensary, making medicines and connecting with students. His experiences at PRC have been extremely valuable, expanding his awareness and understanding of working with plants and people. He is endlessly fascinated by nature, reality and the interconnectedness of all things. Tony brings his enthusiasm and commitment to healing to his clinical observation classes.

Elham Ansari is a teacher and practitioner of Ayurveda and Holistic Nutrition. With over 13 years of experience in the field, she has inspired thousands of students and clients on their healing journey.

Elham studied Ayurvedic medicine in New Mexico and India at the Ayurvedic Institute with Dr. Vasant Lad. As well as extensively studied Chinese Medicine, Yoga, energy medicine and the spiritual/esoteric sciences.

Elham’s first degree is in Fine Arts and Design from Emily Carr University. She majored in conceptual art and social and critical theory, inspiring her work as a social and cultural activist. Eventually, this led her to the healing arts, and healing, as the source of cultural revolution.

Elham has received Honorary Board Certification in Holistic Nutrition from the National Association of Nutritionists Practitioners for her work on their Credentialing Board, leading to her specialty in traditional and conventional diet therapeutics.

She spearheaded and directed one of the first wellness clinics in Victoria, the Awakening Wellness Centre, in 2010, where her commitment to the alternative and integrative medicine field began. Today, Elham maintains a private clinic, and her practice serves students and clients worldwide. Locally she teaches Ayurveda at Pacific Rim College, where she is also a clinical supervisor and the former dean of their Holistic Nutrition program. Elham also teaches Ayurveda at other institutions, including Ajna Yoga College in Victoria.

Jennifer Apedaile is committed to holistically supporting and empowering folks, families and communities towards health, well being and self governance in an equitable, diverse and inclusive way.

For over twenty years Jennifer has supported and advocated end of life living and dying, she is a Five Element and TCM Acupuncturist, an Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapist of complex trauma and a Full Spectrum Doula.

She longs to live in the wild places of which there are few, and practices leaning into creativity, passion, love and beauty… reclaiming the wisdom of her body, and remembering that healing is learning to trust life.

Jennifer is deeply grateful to her children, her teachers, to the elders who love and support her and to all Indigenous Peoples on whose Turtle Island she lives, works, learns and plays.

Judith is an ethnoecologist of British ancestry raised here in W̱SÁNEĆ territory. In addition to her experience working in the food sovereignty movement and forestry sector in British Columbia, she has also worked internationally on the restoration of traditional food ecosystems in Japan, Italy, and Mexico.

Judith is deeply passionate about the healing work of restoration as well as building community based capacity for long term and widespread ecosystem restoration with a core foundation of indigenous land sovereignty.

Dallas was born in New York City and was raised by a family who practiced alternative medicine. They guided her to work toward making people’s lives comfortable, whether by using folk methods, healing, or looking toward the stars. Dallas began studying Astrology in 1984 and has been practicing ever since. Her interest extended to Medical Astrology after attending a workshop on Evolutionary Herbalism. An ongoing fascination with the topic led her to pursue continuing education in Medical Astrology with William R. Morris.

Dallas moved to Victoria in 2017 and attended Pacific Rim College, graduating with a Diploma of Phytotherapy. Dallas has been running her own practice as an Herbalist, Medical Astrologer, and Maker of Medicinal products in Cedar Hill since the summer of 2019. Dallas believes that if people can understand themselves and their patients better, the mental, emotional, and physical body will allow a faster path to healing.

Dallas has traveled many roads to get here. She was a volunteer with the American Red Cross for over ten years as a Senior Disaster Response Leader. Dallas has worked in business management, accounting, and operations for corporate America and is currently a Notary Public in the States. She owned two businesses in the United States that guided her to continue seeking new ventures. She has done extensive work with the homeless and transgender populations in Washington, DC. She believes you should treat the Queen of England the same way you would treat a homeless person – there should be no difference. She believes all persons deserve care, respect, and access to health education. Dallas brings her experience, knowledge, and wisdom to the table. She is a big believer in intuition and listening to the signs.

Subsequent to graduating from McGill University with a medical degree in 1986,  Dr. Astley developed her interest in complementary medicine, studying Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at the Nanjing University of TCM in China.

As a licensed Medical Doctor and a registered Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dr. Astley has successfully integrated the two modalities in her busy practice for thirty years.

Dr. Astley has continued her studies in Canada and the US, with David Bray, Bob Flaws, Giovanni Maciocia, Kiiko Matsumoto, Julian Scott, Nigel Dawes, Jason Robertson, Brenda Loew and Dan Zizza.

Completing her studies with Julian Scott  in Seattle, she received a post-graduate certificate in Pediatric Acupuncture. In 2010, she completed the Japanese Acupuncture Certificate Program at Pacific Rim College in Victoria.

In 2009, Dr. Astley returned to China to study Fire Dragon Qi Gong and meditation with Grand Master Zhang Yuanming at Mt. Qingcheng in Sichuan.

Dr. Astley is the past President of the Association of Complementary & Integrative Physicians of BC, and helped organize two successful conferences on Integrative Medicine held at the University of Victoria as well as The Art & Science of Somatic Meditation retreat at Royal Roads University.

Since 2012, she has studied palpation-based acupuncture from the lineage of Master Nagano, with David Euler, Monika Kobylecka, Tsuyoshi Shimamura and Kiiko Matsumoto in San Francisco and Portland This style of acupuncture has now become the basis of her practice.

At the end of 2011, Dr. Astley retired from her integrative family practice to pursue her passion for Oriental medicine full-time at her new practice Bubbling Spring Acupuncture.

Amber Baker is a Victoria native who grew up in a self-described “meat, potatoes, and canned-corn kind of family” that never saw many fresh veggies. She realized her passion for health through sickness after a family member’s diagnosis. She began researching complementary care options and discovered the power of whole foods. Amber quickly dove into he world of holistic wellness and completed her Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP) diploma in 2012 and is now a Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP) and Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner (RNCP) through the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants. More recently, she also received her Certified Holistic Cancer Practitioner (CHCP) designation through Edison College.

Today Amber is a nutritionist at InspireHealth, a supportive cancer care centre, that she serendipitously discovered in her first week of school. On the weekends, you’ll find her leading cooking classes and educating others on the healing abilities of plant-based living, or perusing the farmers market in search of the perfect seasonal produce. She’s thankful to spend every day doing what she loves: sharing her knowledge of whole foods, learning how to better nourish her own body, and empowering individuals to become a part of their own health story.

Emma is a Registered Acupuncturist who aims to get patients out of their heads and into their bodies. She has seen in others, as well as herself, the amazing changes that can take place as the result of intuitive touch and a few needles, placed just so. After graduating with honours from Pacific Rim College in 2014, Emma honed her skills in a community acupuncture setting, where she had the privilege of giving over 12,000 treatments. In addition to acupuncture, she is a practitioner of Kruger Omni Healing, a gentle, hands-on holistic therapy that stimulates a healing response from the nervous system. When she’s not at Pacific Rim College, you can find Emma helping patients to zen out at Diversified Health Clinic and at her own practice, Barefoot Healing.

Paul Bergner is Director of the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism in Portland, OR. He has studied and practiced natural medicine, medical herbalism, and nutrition since 1973. He has supervised residents in teaching clinics for medical herbalism and clinical nutrition continuously since 1996, mentoring more than 250 clinical graduates, and has published and edited the Medical Herbalism journal since 1989. He has authored seven books on medical herbalism, clinical nutrition, ethnobotany, and naturopathic medicine. Combining information from both nutritional anthropology and biomedicine, he developed a successful protocol for treating insulin resistance between 1997 and 1999, and has been utilizing and teaching the protocol to residents in his teaching clinics since that time. He has lectured on this topic at professional conferences nationally and internationally since 2000.

Check out Paul’s nutrition course at PRCOnline.

Dr. Debra Betts, PhD, graduated from the London College of Acupuncture in 1989. With a practice based in women’s health in 1997 she commenced acupuncture courses for midwives in New Zealand. Debra is the author of The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth published in 2006 and now translated into German and French. Her PhD on the use of acupuncture in threatened miscarriage was completed through the University of Western Sydney, Australia. Debra is currently the Director of an online Master’s qualification in Chinese medicine for the New Zealand School Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She also supervises a hospital maternity acupuncture clinic and lectures internationally on the use of maternity acupuncture.

Illya obtained his Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diploma at the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria, B.C. (2002). He concluded his studies with an internship at Tianjing Second University Hospital in Tianjing, China. His intensive experience there sparked a profound appreciation for Chinese culture, philosophy and tradition. Illya’s residency in China also fostered a strong commitment to traditional Chinese medicine and he has been devoted to his practice ever since.

Upon his second trip to China in 2006, he worked at the reputable Shanghai East International Medical Hospital. After a year and a half of observing a wide variety of health modalities at the hospital – including physiotherapy, chiropractic and western medicine – he then moved to southeast Thailand where he joined the team at Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Resort.

Recognized for its outstanding Traditional Chinese Medicine department and signature health retreats, Kamalaya is one of the leading medical spas in Asia. While practicing there, Illya worked in a holistic capacity together with doctors from Naturopathic, Chinese, Ayurvedic and western medical backgrounds to achieve the health goals of his patients.

Illya returned to Canada in late 2008 and he has since launched Victoria Community Acupuncture + Spa (2011). Blending together the practice of community acupuncture, Chinese herbal therapy, registered massage therapy and holistic spa services, the center reflects his passion for alternative medicine. Illya has been working with the community acupuncture model for over 7 years in Victoria and he looks forward to sharing his diverse experience with students at Pacific Rim College as well as learning new insights.

Lacy Brandt is a Registered Acupuncturist and alumni of the Diploma of Acupuncture program at Pacific Rim College. She grew up in Alberta where she worked as a Physical Therapy Assistant in Hospitals and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies from University of Calgary. Her approach to health is an integration of her Traditional Chinese Medicine education with her work and personal experiences in the Western Medical world. She loves helping individuals achieve a state of wellness with acupuncture because it allows her to unwind all these hidden psychological, emotional, spiritual, and physical connections as complex patterns versus viewing them all as separate parts. Mental health and trauma-informed care is a focus of her practice with educating and creating awareness of how it plays into the physical functions of the body. She also has interest in treating chronic pain, sports injuries, reproductive health, autoimmunity, and digestive health.

​ Sugandhi completed her Diploma of Acupuncture at Pacific Rim College. In addition, she studied at the Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences in Nelson. Since completing her studies she has practiced in three countries, including with the Acupuncture Relief Project, providing primary care to patients in rural Nepal.

As a registered acupuncturist, Sugandhi’s goal is to help others achieve optimum health and wellbeing, that is a state of balance and wholeness. She is passionate to educate others on how the underlying principles of Chinese Medicine can not only improve the qualities of our own lives, but also support the health and wholeness of our communities and the planet.

Being deeply committed to service, Sugandhi handed off a busy practice on Vancouver Island to head to India. There she runs a busy charitable clinic for Embracing the World. She is very happy to connect with students and colleagues back in Canada by contributing to PRC’s online offerings.

Ian began his studies in electrical engineering in the UK but soon developed a strong parallel interest in the environment and sustainable technologies. This led to further studies in biology and later, after moving to Canada in 1997, environmental management and ecological restoration.

After a career in various industrial design roles, Ian has spent the past 20 years working as an educator in the fields of environment and technology at various institutions in Alberta and BC. He is passionate about ecological restoration and design and helping students on their educational journey.
Ian has also trained as a yoga and martial arts instructor, enjoys the outdoors, playing music, practicing improv, and making his garden into a mini wildlife haven.

Jon Cain is a Certified Athletic Therapist who graduated from Camosun College in 2014 with a Bachelor’s in Athletic and Exercise Therapy. He is a Victoria-born local with background in running, rock climbing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. With several years of experience in coaching young athletes as well, he brings an active approach to orthopaedic treatment and rehab to clients in his private practice. A mind-body approach to health and guiding the body’s natural abilities to recovery are central philosophies to his treatment style.

David Caudwell completed his studies in Herbal Medicine at the College of Phytotherapy in South East England and was awarded a BSc (Honours) from the University of Wales. After graduating David settled in Sussex, dividing his time between practice, clinic management and teaching responsibilities at the college where he trained. He has taught for the Universities of Wales and East London, and for the “Discovering Herbal Medicine” program run by Dr. Anne Walker. David is a member of The College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy, a professional body of herbalists established to champion the role and development of traditional herbal medicine in the modern world. David has a lifelong passion for wildlife, the outdoors and the world’s indigenous medicine systems, which has led to travel on five continents. In his practice, David takes a particular interest in Women’s Health, Fertility Issues and Cancer Care.

Kym Chi is a dedicated healer, grounding herself in service through earth stewardship, people care and regenerative action. As a dynamic woman, her main passions are Permaculture design, creative facilitation, visual art, holistic healing and community building.

To date, Kym has received 3 certificates in Permaculture Design, completed multiple teacher trainings, taken a variety of advanced trainings, completed a Diploma in Permaculture Education and has over 2000 hours facilitation experience. She has studied and taught with Permaculture Visionaries like Rosemary Morrow, Robin Clayfield, Starhawk, Robina McCurdy, Mark Lakeman, Michael Becker, Toby Hemenway, Larry Santoyo and Scott Pitman.

She is a chartered Herbalist and has completed advanced herbal studies with Susun Weed, Dina Falconi, Barbara Cotgrave, Robert A. Bartlett and Matthew Wood. With a love of learning, she continues to take courses that grow her understanding of the natural world.

Through her stewardship of a deepened connection with the environment, Kym wishes to inspire connection with the natural world, oneself and the greater community to invoke creative self expression and value-centred living, enriching and creating healthy, abundant habitats and communities.

With a focus on Social Permaculture, people care and connected living design, Kym works with empowerment models, enjoys encouraging others on their life path and focusses on ways to support organizations and communities to become more resilient. Her success is measured on the successes of her students, allies and friends.

Kym is a settler on the West Coast of Turtle Island on the unceded and stolen lands of the Coast Salish Peoples. She is dedicated to the continued process of decolonizing herself and creating right relations with the land and the original people where she lives, works and visits. 

Kym is a homesteader,  Permaculture Teacher, Holistic Healer, Mentor, HeArtist and is the Dean of the School of Permaculture Design at Pacific Rim College.

Angeli Chitale is a Queen’s University Graduate in Molecular Biology and Genetics. During her final year of post-grad level work in genetic research at the Department of Pathology, she treated her chronic knee injury with natural medicine – nutrition, herbs and supplements. The impact was so life changing, it inspired her to pursue formal studies and training in Naturopathic Medicine.

While a student at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM), Angeli pursued further hands-on training in botanical medicine with the Ontario Herbalists Association. Upon graduation, she obtained further qualification in Restorative Medicine for the treatment of Thyroid, Adrenal and other endocrine/metabolic conditions.

Angeli has served as an Executive Board Member, Medical Editor for the OAND (Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors), Chair of the Naturopathic Legacy Committee and has worked overseas with NGO’s such as Naturopathic Doctors International providing natural medical care to patients in remote and isolated areas of Central America, including running women’s clinics and teaching Global Health, Botanical Medicine and Clinical skills to prospective ND candidates from all over North America. Angeli is a professional member of the AARM (Association for the Advancement of Restorative Medicine) and continues to remain politically active in natural health access.

Angeli views health as maintaining balance with all aspects of a person: emotional, mental, spiritual, environmental, social, physical – and that healing happens on all levels.  When not consulting, Angeli enjoys teaching, writing articles for publication, gardening, hiking, kayaking and painting.

Malcolm’s unique outlook allows him to meet clients and students in their individual needs. He turns old art forms into very practical life skills and has built techniques to relieve physical, environmental and emotional stresses. Client involvement is an important part in healing, which he encourages through hands-on bodywork, communication and home exercises. He has been inspired by practices such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Feldenkrais and Zero Balancing. In addition to teaching at Pacific Rim College in the Acupuncture and Doula programs, he also offers Bodywork and classes at U Retreat Spa and Wellness. 

Malcolm and his wife Melanie live in Sooke, BC, with their 3 active, joyful, home-learning children. He is passionate about playing music and spending time in nature. 

Rudy is French and has lived in Canada for more than 15 years. His passion is helping people in their journey to recovery while educating and inspiring them about all things Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. His multi-cultural and inter-disciplinary experiences brings many perspectives to his view of human interactions with modern and traditional Chinese therapeutic methods.

He furthers his education on the Balance System under the teaching of Dr. Sonia F. Tan, raising Acupuncture treatments to higher levels of knowledge and competency for the benefit of his patients.

Elke is an experience natural builder. She enjoys life as it unfolds every moment and believe in the mystery that we share. Elke loves helping people make dreams come to reality with 20+ years of natural building experience.

She loves working with people who are keen to practice. Theory is easy…doing it is where the courage is. Elke has taught hundreds of people like to build with earth. Some have gone on to become professional builders, others have built their own house. Some just had a fun adventure away from their day to day.

Elke calls her designs, “Houses that love you back” – because that’s how natural homes feel.

Peter Conway is a leading herbalist (Phytotherapist) with a core interest in contrasting and integrating approaches to healing from both traditional and contemporary sources. He enjoys testing the alleged boundaries between disciplines and approaches and seeing what happens when these give way to open up to allow new connections and potentials. Peter combines his clinical practice in Tunbridge Wells (where he has a special interest in working with people experiencing cancer) with herbal educational and political work.

Peter is a Fellow and former President of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy, a Fellow of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and a former Director of the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association. He teaches on several herbal medicine courses – including co-teaching one for veterinarians. Peter helped develop the UK National Professional Standards for Herbal Medicine and sat on the UK Department of Health Steering Group looking at the regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture.

He has written several books including his recent textbook The Consultation in Phytotherapy: the herbal practitioner’s approach to the patient published by Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone.

Liza is a Medical Herbalist and Holistic Nutritionist deeply committed to expanding her knowledge about all things plant-related. She has lived and worked on various organic farms studying regenerative agriculture, gained experience as a health consultant, and collaborated with various wellness-based start-ups. Since 2017, Liza has helped to develop Pacific Rim College Online, a digital platform for holistic health education. She is currently the Assistant Dean of the Community Herbalist Online program. Offline, Liza is setting up her private practice and works closely with Ravenhill Herb Farm where she grows herbs, leads tours, and hosts events. She also is the creator and curator of a tea project that blends herbs grown at the farm. Liza is a graduate of the Diploma of Phytotherapy program at Pacific Rim College.

Leila Darwish is a community organizer, bioremediation educator, author, and disaster response and recovery worker with a deep commitment to providing accessible and transformative tools for communities dealing with the toxic contamination of their lands and waters, and responding to natural and environmental disasters.

Her work is rooted in environmental and social justice, inspired by the power of community action, mutual aid, and regenerative earth repair. Over the last decade, she has worked as a community organizer for different environmental justice organizations and community groups in Canada and the USA on a variety of climate justice and watershed protection campaigns.

She currently works in the field of emergency management, disaster resilience and disaster recovery, supporting communities on the frontlines of climate chaos. Leila published her first book “Earth Repair: A Grassroots Guide to Healing Toxic and Damaged Landscapes” in 2013, and has taught numerous bioremediation and oil spill response courses in communities across North America.

Dr. Jaime de Melo is a Naturopathic Physician and Educator. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. He has a special interest in treating disorders of the Respiratory and Digestive Systems. Dr. de Melo is the founding Naturopathic physician for the Healthy for Life program at Aids Vancouver Island in the Access Health Centre. The Healthy for Life program provides free Naturopathic medical care and more (including need supplements) to individuals with low income, some with HIV, Hepatitis C and addictions who would otherwise not have access to appropriate medical care. He has published research in the area of botanical medicine with a focus on reporting quality guidelines. He holds faculty positions at both the West Coast College of Massage Therapy and the Pacific Rim College in Victoria, where he teaches courses on Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology and Nutrition.

Stephanie has always been fascinated by the connection between physical and emotional health. When she discovered Traditional Chinese Medicine, she knew it was a healing paradigm that could address the effects of emotional experience on our physical health.

While studying acupuncture at the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Vancouver, she became pregnant with her first child and developed an interest in how acupuncture can support a healthy pregnancy and birth.  After completing her acupuncture diploma, she immediately launched into continuing education in the area of obstetrics and studied to become a member of the Obstetrical Acupuncture Association. She also continued her education in pediatric acupuncture and enjoys supporting parents before, during, and after birth.

In 2019, she moved to Victoria, BC, where she currently practices at Nurture and Flo Wellness. In 2021, she completed the Compassionate Inquiry practitioner training program with Gabor Maté and now incorporates Compassionate Inquiry into her acupuncture practice. The mental health of her clients is a major focus of her practice, and she continually works towards being a trauma informed practitioner.

Megan completed her Bachelor of Arts in cultural anthropology (2003) and Bachelor of Education at the secondary level (2005) from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. She returned home to Victoria upon their completion and was introduced to alternative holistic medicine after trying allopathically to cope with chronic digestive issues and failing. She graduated from the D.TCM program at Pacific Rim College in 2014. She is the owner/practitioner for Lavender House Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic located in Victoria, BC. Megan believes that we are the sum of our mind, body, and soul, and that our health and wellness comes from within all these levels of our being. Being able to balance these levels allows us to find our true selves, true happiness, and optimal health.

Mareena Dufault, BScH, RAc, has been working in healthcare for over 14 years. She started her professional life in Toronto and followed a windy but direct path to the Gulf Islands a decade ago. She graduated magna cum laude from Pacific Rim College in 2015 and has since run her mobile clinic in Victoria and the Gulf Islands. She worked at Heart & Hands Healthcare Collective in 2017 prior to taking a maternity leave from Victoria life while continuing to operate her business White Bear Medicine from her home and farm on Saturna Island.

Mareena is excited to return to Pacific Rim College as a clinical instructor and practitioner in September 2022. She believes that “when one approaches mastery one learns that truly a master always remains a student.” She is thankful for the many traditional medicine teachings that have been passed down to her here on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen-Speaking, in Victoria, BC.

Bryn Eliot earned her B.Sc. (honours) and her M.Sc. degrees with an emphasis in biochemistry, plant ecology, physiology, and the symbiotic associations of plants with other organisms. She has been teaching at a post-secondary level since 2007, both introducing students to the breadth of biological study, and expanding their knowledge of these concepts in the fields of biochemistry and plant biology. Since 2014, Bryn has prioritized making science accessible to all students at Pacific Rim College, teaching students how to integrate multiple systems of knowledge into clinical practices.

Bryn is passionate about teaching, and commits herself to lifelong learning, especially as it relates to the natural world.

Bobby Eng is a summa cum laude graduate and valedictorian of the Pacific Rim College Diploma of Acupuncture program. He enjoys fusing Traditional Chinese Medicine practices with a more Western view of Anatomy and Fascia to create a holistic and integrated healing experience. You may find his treatments to consist of local and distal needling, Cupping, Gua Sha, Tui Na, and Electro-Stimulation Acupuncture. Bobby has a passion for fitness and is also a firm believer is using movement therapy and exercise to reinforce and maximize the benefits of treatments. Consequently, he is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has worked for over 5 years in various fields of Personal Training such as Rehabilitation, Sports Performance, and Injury Prevention.

Bobby wants to work alongside patients on their healing journey to ensure that they have a safe and beneficial return to their optimal state of function and also prevent the chance of future occurrence. His areas of passion include: sports injuries, repetitive strain injuries, general practice, sports performance, acute and chronic pain, digestive issues, anxiety, and sleeping issues.

Bobby completed a five-year degree in Recreation and Health Education from the University of Victoria where he also played Varsity Soccer. He currently enjoys ultra running and spending time with his wife (Rylee), new baby (Arrow), and dog (Charles Barkley) in the Saanich Peninsula.

Sally Fallon Morell is the founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation and the author of the best-selling cookbook Nourishing Traditions. She is a world-renowned advocate for a return to traditional foods such as butter, whole raw milk, organ meats, bone broth and cod liver oil.

Heidi Fink, a Red Seal Chef and an award-winning cooking instructor, has been teaching cooking classes for over 20 years. Her fresh recipes, down-to-earth teaching style, and many cooking tips ensure that her students leave class with the confidence and enthusiasm they need to cook delicious food at home.

Previously Executive Chef of the renowned ReBar Modern Food restaurant in Victoria, Heidi now owns her own business teaching cookery classes and hosting culinary tours. In addition, she works as both a culinary instructor and instructional assistant in the Professional Cook Training program of Camosun College. She is the host of CHEK TV’s cooking show, Cookin’ on the Coast, and the chef representative for Vancouver Island’s own Country Grocer.

Heidi’s cooking classes and food writing have won multiple local awards for her contribution to culinary education on Vancouver Island. She has been a long-time supporter of local food systems and sustainable agriculture, and is thrilled that to have been able to contribute to this community over the course of her career.

Margi Flint owns and operates EarthSong Herbals, a busy family practice and herb school in Marblehead, Massachusetts. For over thirty years she has worked as a labour coach, polarity therapist, and herbalist. She has been Adjunct Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine where she taught a four-week rotation in clinical herbal medicine for Fourth Year Medical Students and practitioners at Union Hospital and her clinic in Marblehead, Massachusetts. She continues to teach Herbal Pharmacology at North Shore Community College, and for The Masters of Applied Natural Products course at Massachusetts College of Pharmacology. She is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild and serves as an Herbal Mentor for those who aspire to professional membership in the organization. She oversees two Practitioners Circles, one at her clinic in Marblehead and one in Newport Rhode Island.

Dr. Hong Fu is currently a Research Associate and Instructor in the Faculty of Education, University of Victoria. She has been an English language instructor for post-secondary students in China for 10 years and she is now involved in preparing teacher candidates to teach English language learners. She also has experience in Education Leadership programs for school teachers and administrators outside Canada.

Jenica Geisler (R.Ac, KOH.P) completed her Doctorate studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Academy of Classical & Oriental Sciences (ACOS) in Nelson, BC, in 2012. She began practicing as a Community Acupuncturist shortly after at Poke in Vancouver and Stillpoint Community Acupuncture here in Victoria, which motivated her to use her skillset for positive social change.

In 2018, Jenica opened up her private practice, Passage Wellness & Acupuncture, on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen-Speaking, in Victoria, BC. Her foundational training is in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. In addition, her practice is informed by training in Dr. Tan and balance method needling, Kruger Omni Healing, somatic bodywork, grief theory, trauma-aware support, healing justice, cultural somatics, interpersonal neurobiology, and animist values.

Jenica believes our well-being is a reflection of the intersections between our bodies and the culture that infuses and surrounds us. At a time of cultural and ecological crisis, she can see that many of us are grieving the waning connection to ourselves, each other, and the land we call home. Jenica is passionate about reconnecting to what it means to be an embodied, relational human, and is inspired to connect with others on re-imagining wholeness at the intersections of intergenerational trauma, current structures of oppression, and a generative and co-creative future.

Ashley Gillies is a Community Psychologist, Somatic, Earth-based Therapist and Deep Democracy Facilitator. She loves people and has a lifelong passion for bringing the marginal into the center and deepening justice, understanding and belonging. Her background of praxis includes anti-oppression work, participatory dialogue, grief ritual, sacred clowning, focusing-oriented therapy, community farming, psycho-spiritual nature connection and education. Ashley is a white settler of Scottish/English/Irish descent currently living on Lekwungen territory. She has a private counselling practice focused on assisting people process grief, transitions, relationship struggles and finding soul purpose through deep mythology and dream work, body awareness practices and nature-based approaches to healing and transformation. She also collaboratively hosts dialogues and trainings on various issues of systemic oppression, and facilitates meetings and retreats for organizations focused on relationship building, conflict engagement, rank dynamics analysis and deep visioning. Her favourite places to be are underwater, on her bicycle, in a tree, among the stars or getting down on the dance floor. Find her at www.ashleygillies.ca.

Alex Greenwood is a bicoastal woman. Born and raised in Halifax Nova Scotia she grew up exposed to the elements and deep roots within the community. She went on to travel the world and live in countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Guatemala before landing on Vancouver Island in 2020. Alex has a deep curiosity of humans and their nature which lead her to pursue a multidisciplinary career in the healing arts. With a BA in psychology from Bishop’s university she found herself curious in the pursuit of understanding consciousness and the human condition. She went on to become a registered holistic nutritionist through CSNN Vancouver in 2014 followed by an intensive 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in the jungles of Costa Rica in 2017 through the Akhanda yoga lineage. Psychology (mind), nutrition (body) and yoga (spirit) became the foundation of care and inquiry into the human condition. Alex became a full time yoga instructor as well as a birth worker in 2018 studying under the DONA Institute, as well as studying under traditional birth keeper Kate Varsava. In 2019 Alex landed at Pacific Rim College to deepen her practice as a Doula. She also started studying cranial sacral therapy at this time. Alex now offers birth and craniosacral services in the Cowichan Valley.

Michael Greenwood trained at St. John’s College, Cambridge, and St. Mary’s Hospital, London, and practiced Family Medicine in Victoria for many years. His interest in deep healing arose out of his own experience of chronic pain, which began with a motorcycle accident while he was a medical student. The pain, unresponsive to all that conventional medicine could offer, forced him to face the limits of his own medical training. His search for an answer led him on a fascinating journey to a new understanding of health and illness, stress and deep inner tensions, and how they affect our lives. Many of those insights were recorded in Michael’s first book, Paradox & Healing: Medicine, Mythology and Transformation, co-authored with Dr. Peter Nunn and first published in 1992.

Michael’s explorations into alternative approaches led him to study Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and meditation before they became generally fashionable. He was one of the founding staff-members of the Canadian College of Chinese Studies, where in addition to teaching, he initiated a research study into the use of acupuncture for post-MVA chronic pain. That research gradually evolved into the highly successful residential program at the Victoria Pain Clinic. His second book, Braving the Void: Journeys into Healing, arose out of his experiences at the Pain Clinic, where he developed many of the interactive techniques discussed more fully in The Unbroken Field: the Power of Intention in Healing.

In 1993, Michael gave up his Family Practice to devote his time to people suffering from chronic pain and other chronic illnesses. He is the Medical Director of the Victoria Pain Clinic.

Growing up in the wilds of Alberta surrounded by family, community and nature, from the very beginning Marika has been in awe of the magnificence of life and fascinated by what makes it all work. This fascination and awe has taken her around the world to learn from the land, cultures, shamans, healers and many educational institutions, as well as to teach in South Korea, India, Tanzania and Canada.

It was on her first trip to Tanzania that she realized how blessed she was to have grown up and been raised by a village of people and how most of us are missing this experience being detached from the land, our bodies, birth and death. This sent her to seek out training to help people and families connect back into their bodies, their lineages, the land and Spirit.

This seeking brought her to the Holistic Doula Program which she graduated from in 2013. Since that time she has become a mother, a registered Acupuncturist and Shamanic Practitioner and works with Individuals and families as they navigate the transformative portal of pregnancy, birth and parenthood.

Shima Hashemian is a Medical Herbalist and the co-founder of Heartsease Herbs. She has been in private practice since graduating with highest honours from PRC’s Phytotherapy Diploma Program in 2016. Prior to this, she studied Food, Nutrition, and Health at the University of British Columbia, obtaining her Bachelor of Science Degree (Hons) in 2011. There she specialized in Food Market Analysis, with a special interest in Food Security Issues, which took her traveling and farming both at home and abroad. 

Shima has been a supervisor at the PRC dispensary since 2017 during which time she has overseen thousands of herbal formulations. In addition, since January 2020, Shima has served as a supervisor in the student training clinic.

Shima combines her knowledge of health, herbalism and nutrition with her spirituality in all her professional roles. She uses this compassionate, heart-centered, and holistic vision to guide and support her students and patients on their own unique journeys. 

Melissa is a registered Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the CTCMA of BC. She graduated magna cum laude from the Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Program at Pacific Rim College in 2014. She has since practiced in collaborative multidisciplinary health clinics both in Victoria, BC, and New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Melissa now practices out of two clinic locations: Copper Mountain Centre in James Bay and Pure Body Health downtown Victoria.

Prior to studying Chinese Medicine, Melissa completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Psychology and a minor in Religious Studies from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS, graduating with honors magna cum laude.

Melissa has a special interest in women’s health, mental health and digestion, but enjoys treating a wide range of health issues. She is passionate about the holistic approach of TCM and takes pride in customizing each unique treatment, employing acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha and food therapy depending on the needs of each individual.

In her down time Melissa enjoys spending time in nature, going for walks, often while listening to podcasts. She’s an avid reader, both of novels and health and wellness books. Melissa loves food, cooking and exploring all the great places to eat in the city.

Alexis graduated from Pacific Rim College in April 2014 with the highest of honours and as class valedictorian. Having been raised in a very health conscious and nature loving family, using natural remedies for health concerns has always been second nature for her. She first started down a career path in natural health in 2008, when she attended Mount Royal University and received her certification in Aromatherapy. This soon blossomed into an interest in addressing health concerns internally as well as externally, and a passion for plant medicine in general to help facilitate the healing process – supporting the body, mind, and spirit. In addition to her Diploma of Phytotherapy and her Certificate in Aromatherapy, Alexis also holds training in both Lomi Lomi and CranioSacral Therapy. She is a professional member of the Canadian Herbalist Association of British Columbia, and has her own practice as a Medical Herbalist in Fernwood. Alexis joined the Dispensary team at Pacific Rim College in 2014 and the faculty in 2016. She loves being a part of the PRC community.

Patrick completed the four year masters program in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture at CCAOM and has been registered with CTCMA and in private practice in victoria since 2001. At his clinic, Luminous Island, he enjoys incorporating a variety of healing modalities into his treatments. In addition to Acupuncture and Tui Na he offers iRest Yoga Nidra, and Zero Balancing. Patrick has taught at the Canadian College of Acupressure and has developed workshops and events that make energetic healing concepts and practices available to a wide range of people.

Ryan Hilperts is committed to the art of transformational education. She guides processes of individual, group, and community discovery through workshops in facilitation, interpersonal communication, group dynamics, visioning, and living with purpose. She designs her work using ecological systems as inspiration and guides. 

Ryan directs the Redfish School of Change, a field school dedicated to fostering a community of leaders working for sustainability and justice on both sides of the international border in the Salish Sea. In addition to teaching courses on farms, in the wilderness, and by kayak, Ryan also works in classroom settings.  She is an assistant teaching lecturer and field school coordinator in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria.  Her academic research focuses on the ways that communities can engage in meaningful ways with the natural world through ecological restoration.

Ryan co-facilitates a weekly Sacred Ecology group based on the work of Joanna Macy, is a songwriter and singer and an avid chef.

Jude Hobbs is an internationally recognized permaculture designer, educator and co-founder of the Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA). With over 30 years’ experience she utilizes whole-system techniques in urban and rural settings to co-design environmentally sound solutions that inspire sustainable actions. Through her business, Agro-Ecology Northwest, she specializes in optimizing resource conservation, biodiversity, soil and watershed enhancement and income diversification for large and small-scale acreage.

As an educator, she conveys her passion for permaculture to students worldwide by providing curricula developed to encompass diverse learning styles with teaching techniques that are accessible, inspiring and information rich.

Jude tends Wilson Creek Gardens, a 7-acre homestead and demonstration site located in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Learn more at www.cascadiapermaculture.com

Aditi’s childhood was spent in the waters of Canadian lakes, rivers and oceans. Her childhood home, passive solar/wood stove-heated situated among forests and gardens, forged in her a strong relationship with nature, the elements and their teachings. One morning a few years back, while sitting on the River Ganga at dawn in India, she realized this upbringing was the strong foundation for her own sense of spirituality.

Being brought up in rural queer community, lent to an early understanding of what it meant to live outside of cultural norms, to know homophobia via association to community/family, and at a early age witnessed the effects of oppression, later coming to understand it as a root of disease.

Along with a love of travel, and a love for anyone who walked/thought/expressed themselves outside of the lines – she discovered the subject of Anthropology. This fascination had her completing an Honors Degree with a focus on First Nation Social Studies/Contemporary Representation in Media, as well as a Masters Degree in Medical Anthropology (including research in the social/cultural context of disease) straight out of high school.

She was urged by her thesis advisor to attend medical school at that time. She ignored his suggestion and instead chose travel, in an effort to feel more empowered with her sense of responsibility for coexisting and living on this planet. This included years of learning, working, teaching in organic/permaculture/biodynamic/herbal fields, across North and Central America, Europe, and India. It also included completing an 8 month Ecological Gardening and Permaculture course on Cortes Island, BC and creating/teaching over 14 workshops with a Sandinista NGO in Nicaragua~ based in medicinals and permaculture.

In 2005, after completing 500 hours of Yoga teacher training, she spent 6 months in ashram and was gifted the name Aditi, ‘the living dynamis of the mother’. Since none of her Indian friends could pronounce ‘Jeanette’ with ease, the name stuck. From there her passion for grassroots accessible healing, for plants as food and medicine, for Ayurveda and the elements, and for meditation (she has completed over 10 Vipassana sits) led her into Naturopathic Medical College (more than 4500 school hours in western holistic medical training), from which she graduated in 2009.

She has since become owner and practitioner at Birdsong Naturopathic Clinic, has written and instructed four years of courses at Pacific Rim College (Homeopathy for Doulas, Patient Communication, Ayurvedic Foundation/Herbal/Nutrition classes). She has also spent 4 years being supervisor/instructor with Boucher Naturopathic College at the Free Family Naturopathic Clinic in Victoria.

She has continued her education by completing two herbal apprentices and studying Homeopathy (studied/worked with teachers in India, Africa and Europe) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (she did an additional 1.5 years of training at the Master’s level in Berkeley). She has also trained and done assistant teaching with 3 different teachers in Cranial Sacral work with 400+ hours and now 8 years clinical practice.

Other training has included courses with Vandana Shiva in India, accessible Midwifery in Peru, many intensives in Ayurveda, and with Paul Pitchford (author of Healing with Whole Foods). One of her deepest loves is being a student of Martin Prechtel’s at Bolads Kitchen, New Mexico, since 2012. Recently she has also completed trainings in community at Tamera Healing Biotope, Portugal, and has been committed to sitting with the teachings of a local Haida Gwaii Shaman and Elder.

Amanda Howe has been a Herbalist for over 35 years. She trained in England in the early
’80s and became a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK). She went on to
receive her MSc in Herbal Medicine from the University of Wales. Amanda worked in England in
a multidisciplinary clinic before moving to Vancouver Island 30 years ago. Since moving to
Canada Amanda has been active in practice as a Herbalist and as a herbal educator. She has
served on the board of the provincial Canadian Herbalists Association of BC as well as the
national Herbal Practitioners Council – the Canadian Council of Herbalists Associations
(CCHA), working to ensure continued access to herbal medicines for Herbalists and the general
public. And she also sat on Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Expert Advisory
Committee.

Amanda spent several years teaching at Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC. as a teacher in
their excellent full-time Herbal Practitioner training program, and was involved in funded
research projects with the Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology at Royal Roads University.
Amanda is passionate about herbs and herbal medicine and about sharing the connection to the
natural world that can be found through connecting with and learning about the healing power of
plants. Amanda loves to teach and is happiest when she is in the garden teaching people how
to grow, harvest, use and listen to the magic of the plants that are thriving there

Juan Huang received her PH.D. in internal medicine of TCM at Beijing University of TCM and Pharmacology, Beijing, China. She has been involved in several research projects both experimental and clinical at the municipal and national level in China. Dr. Huang has 20 years of teaching experience both in China and Canada. She has been principle instructor at Academy of Classical Oriental Science in Nelson, BC, for 13 years and at Calgary College of Acupuncture and TCM for 3 years. She has taught a broad range of courses from Diagnosis, Acupuncture therapeutics, Herbology, Formula, internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology, Pediatric and classic courses. Additionally, Dr. Huang was a highly esteemed lecturer at the Capital Medical University (Beijing).

Dr. Huang has 28 years of clinical experience both in China and Canada, including 13 years practicing both at Guixi municipal Hospital (Jiangxi Province, China ) and Dongzhimen Hospital, which is the affiliated hospital of Beijing University of TCM and Pharmacology (Beijing, China) and 15 years practicing at TCM colleges in Canada. She has successfully treated many difficult diseases in internal medicine and gynecology with acupuncture and herbal medicine. Dr. Huang has numerous articles published in academic Chinese medicine journals.

Lonny Jarrett is a world-renowned presenter and authority on Chinese Medicine, has been practicing Chinese Medicine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts since 1986. He is a founding board member of the Acupuncture Society of Massachusetts and a Fellow of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Lonny is author of Nourishing Destiny: The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine and The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine, as can be seen at http://www.spiritpathpress.com/. He runs a cutting edge community for students and practitioners of Chinese medicine online at www.nourishingdestiny.com.

Amy Klazek is a Medical Herbalist and a graduate of the Diploma of Phytotherapy program at Pacific Rim College. She is a professional member the Canadian Herbalist Association of British Columbia and operates a small private practice in Victoria, BC. As a member of the team at Pacific Rim College, she is proud to contribute to the education of holistic health as the Admissions Director, Assistant Director of the Holistic Doula Certificate program, and an instructor for the Holistic Doula Certificate and Community Herbalist Certificate programs.

After Alyssa Jean Klazek had her first child, she took her 200hr RYT Yoga Teacher Training in 2011 with Rameen Peyrow and SATTVA School of Yoga. Shortly after she moved to China and had her second child while teaching music to children. When she moved to Victoria she began teaching Prenatal, Postnatal and children’s classes at Mothering Touch and other areas in the city. In 2016 Alyssa took her Prenatal Yoga training with Ann Kathrin Martins and Moksana Yoga and her Dona Doula Training with Mothering Touch. She began working as a doula right away and continues her work in Yoga and music for all ages. 

Rory Knapp-Fisher is a student of movement and the human body. He has been actively training in martial arts for over 20 years and completed his BA in Anthropology at Malaspina University (now VIU) with a focus on traditional medicines. These two fields of interest combined in 2008 when Rory went to China on a language study exchange at the Shanghai University of TCM and in 2009 he enrolled at Pacific Rim College. In 2013 he completed his Diploma of Acupuncture and began his professional practice.  Finding that he had a particular knack for injuries, pain and mobility issues he began to direct his practice and advanced training towards Sports Acupuncture techniques. In the summer of 2015 he synthesized his various interests and opened Jin Therapeutics Sports Acupuncture in downtown Victoria. Rory believes that movement is a profound medicine and loves using acupuncture and tui na to enhance his clients’ quality of life. When not in clinic or teaching, Rory can be found walking around Victoria, climbing trees, practicing his martial arts or reading in a coffee shop.  

Hillary has been a practicing Registered Holistic Nutritionist since 2004. Her professional experience has spanned from clinical settings in supportive cancer care and private practice, to nutrition programming for people living with HIV, with a specific focus on not-for-profit and social justice settings. 

Alongside clinical practice, Hillary is a freelance writer for various health and wellness publications and companies, and has taught cooking classes and developed content for community health programs and initiatives. She is passionate about travel and our relationships to food with a special interest in cultural diets and the various ways and contexts in which we nourish ourselves, both individually and collectively.

When not focusing on nutrition, she can be found tasting her way around the world or channeling the ‘50s with her vintage clothing business. 

Mark Lakeman is a co-founder of the City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon, and served as the Co-Director of Creative Vision from 1995 to 2008. He is presently active as a core member, overall mentor, and project coordinator in City Repair’s annual urban permaculture festival known as the Village Building Convergence. Mark is also the founder and principal of Communitecture, Inc, a cutting edge eco-architecture and planning design firm with sustainable building and planning projects at all scales. These highly popular projects include such social-ecological innovations as The ReBuilding Center, numerous ecovillage projects and urban infill co-housing examples. Many current projects involve low income and homeless people in the self-development of tiny-home based villages. All of these initiatives were developed out of the Planet Repair Institute, which Mark co-founded, including PRI’s acclaimed urban permaculture design course which is currently taught in collaboration with Permaculture PDX and Witch Hazel Inc.

After working for several years in the 1980s as a lead designer of large scale corporate projects, in 1988 Mark embarked on a series of cultural immersion projects with numerous indigenous societies in order to derive place-making patterns which could be applied to urban settings across North America. These patterns include broad participation, local ownership, and transference of authority to local populations, creative expression in planned and unplanned processes, and social networks as the primary economic medium of change. His travels lasted until 1995 when he returned to Portland to undertake a series of creative, culturally restorative initiatives. His cooperative initiatives include the Last Thursday Arts & Culture Project, The City Repair Project, Communitecture, Inc., the Intersection Repair Project, the T-Horse mobile public gathering place, Dignity Village, the annual Earth Day celebration of localization, and the Village Building Convergence (VBC), and Planet Repair Institute.

Dr. Agni Larsen (she/they) is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine in good standing
with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of
British Columbia (CTCMA). She is a member of the British Columbia Association of
Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Practitioners (ATCMA) and an instructor at
Pacific Rim College. Agni practiced, taught and supervised student-practitioners for five
years on Lekwungen territory in Victoria, BC and then moved her practice to Vancouver
where she acknowledges and thanks the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-
Waututh Nations for allowing her to live, work and play on their lands.

Dr. Larsen earned her 5-year Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diploma with great
distinction at Pacific Rim College and holds a B.A. in Buddhist Studies and Himalayan
Language from Kathmandu University, Nepal. She has a special interest in outreach
acupuncture and returned to Nepal in May 2022 as team lead for the Acupuncture Relief
Project, a non-profit organization that provides free medical support to those affected by
poverty, conflict and disaster.

Dr. Larsen believes acupuncture and Chinese Medicine add value to society by
addressing growing healthcare needs and offering an effective and integrative approach
to health. She focuses her practice on mental and emotional health, addictions,
autoimmune conditions, digestive health, hormonal balancing and pain modulation. Her
goal is to provide an inclusive space where health care needs will be listened to and to
create a collaborative, personalized treatment plan to help individuals reach their health
goals.

Additionally, Dr. Larsen has a special interest in dermatology and holistic skincare and
loves to treat acne, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, and fine lines with her functional
training in facial cupping, gua sha, microneedling, ACUSCULPTING® Cosmetic
Acupuncture (abdominal, thigh and glute sculpting and cellulite reduction), Mei Zen
Cosmetic Acupuncture (neck and jowl protocols), Dien Chan Multi-reflexology and
Chan’beauté facial reflexology.

Dr. Butch Levy is an integrative MD and Licensed Acupuncturist with thirty years practice and experience in Chinese Medicine. His instruction was initially in TCM, but his clinical education has been from a Japanese perspective on TCM principles and applications. With decades of mentorship from his teacher, friend, and colleague Dr. Miki Shima, he gained extensive clinical experience in Extra Vessel and Channel Divergent acupuncture as well as the Kampo approach to herbal therapies.

His current clinical practice focuses on complex chronic diseases. In addition to providing patient care, he teaches and writes about acupuncture and herbal therapies. He coauthored a Shang Han Lun case book with Dr Shima in 2018 titled Miraculous Cures by Shang Han Lun Masters, and he recently completed a second edition on Kampo herbal medicine, titled Secrets of the Herbal Masters.

Michael Lium Hall has accumulated more than twenty years of study and practice in the fields of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Massage, Yoga Therapy, and Addictions, all of which inform his practice. For the past 14 years he has been practicing channel-based acupuncture in his community acupuncture clinic, where he has given more than 40,000 treatments. Michael has served on the faculty of both the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and Pacific Rim College.

Dr. Martha Lucas holds a PhD in Psychology as well as certification and licensing to practice TCM. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience and is described as “a dynamic speaker who keeps her classes engaged and who can explain complex information in an understandable form”. She teaches Pulse Balance System internships that integrate classical pulse models for use in contemporary clinical applications, Qi Gong, Women’s health and herbal prescriptions, and Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture. Her private practice is based in Denver, Colorado, where she specializes in treating serious chronic illness, couples who are having fertility challenges, and anti-aging treatments.

David came to Chinese medicine by way of the comparative study of Eastern and Western philosophy at the University of Victoria’s departments of philosophy and religious studies. There, he developed a deep reverence for the Taoist and Mahayana world views, which inform both his practice and day to day life.

After graduating with a degree in philosophy, David spent five years in Asia teaching and traveling, where he was introduced to Tai Chi as a student, and Chinese medicine as a patient. Deeply impressed by acupuncture’s ability to treat pain and speed recovery from injury, David decided to pursue studies in Chinese medicine, learning the medicine based upon the metaphysics he finds most convincing.

He graduated magna cum laude from Pacific Rim College in 2019, and became a registered acupuncturist the following year while continuing studies in Chinese herbal medicine. David embraced the challenges brought by the pandemic in 2020 and took over a local clinic, determined to learn to run a small business while providing exceptional clinical care.

David realizes the high level of privilege experienced in his life, and understands it to render him in a debt of service to others.

He is also astounded daily by the profundity of the clinical encounter, and its interplay of identity, power, politics and humanity.

David practices with humility and gratitude at Haultain Health Centre, a dedicated healing space located on the traditional and unceded territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ, Esquimalt, and Songhees peoples.

Anna is a graduate of the Pacific Rim College Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems program, and also has an academic background in Sociocultural Anthropology. She has been practicing permaculture gardening through working on various sites: in a tropical savannah climate in Colombia, in the Kootenays, and on Vancouver Island. Her passion and love for the natural world permeates all aspects of her life. She currently resides and works as part of a community land trust on Cortes Island, that operates as a farm, community hub, and ecological education centre. When she’s not in the garden, she loves spending time in the woods or the mountains rock climbing, hiking, or camping.

Back in university, Bev earned a reputation as a tenacious inquisitive driven to make sense of nature through scientific endeavors .  This reputation has withstood the test of time.  Today, as a practicing Medical Herbalist and international speaker at medical conferences and colleges, Bev focuses on demystifying menopause for patients that don’t respond to traditional medicine.

Bev’s unique background informs her deep investigative approach.  Her science studies led her to work in fundamental research, pharmaceuticals, anesthesia, oncology, urology, transplantation and neurology for twelve years before training as a Medical Herbalist and opening her own clinic.  This unique blend of education and experience provided her with a rare ability to study the intricacies of our nervous, endocrine and digestive systems for physiological, emotional and spiritual root causes to medical concerns associated with the menopausal process, some of them deep seated and lifelong.

Bev’s inquiring personality (encouraged by both parents being teachers) has lent itself to her style, as a generous and passionate speaker particularly adept at empowering her audience to deconstruct complex ideas into their simplest form and apply this learning in the context of their own medical practices.

In addition to her work at Maya Natural Health, Bev also works in collaboration with several Medical Doctors specializing in wholistic solutions during midlife at Westcoast Women’s Centre for Hormone Health, Vancouver, B.C.

Cordelia McFadyen, of Inspired Living Nutrition Inc., is a Holistic Nutritionist who works with brands, corporations and most importantly women to recover their digestive health and establish healthy boundaries in order to live a gutsy life. She is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition (B.C.H.N.) and is also a Natural Nutrition Clinical Practitioner (N.N.C.P.).

Cordelia believes that there is much to learn about health; we must deconstruct old thoughts and beliefs that prevent us from moving forward in order to claim the most optimal health that is available to us all. We are not what we eat but instead what we absorb and assimilate; strong gut health allows us to do just that.

Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Leslie is a child of water, with early years dedicated to sailing with her father and racing in local regattas. Other interests included soccer and field hockey, but Leslie attributes her ease with public speaking to her years in theatre. Participating in theatre also served her well during her years with the traditional Kwagiulth Dance troupe, The Hunt Family Dancers. Under the direction of her uncle, Chief Tony Hunt, Leslie learned how to convey the importance and cultural significance associated with traditional dance to a variety of audiences from special interest groups to museums.

Today, Leslie represents the 5th generation of her family to work in the field of Cultural Awareness, a legacy that began with her Great-Great Grandfather, George Hunt, who worked with anthropologist, Franz Boaz to record the cultural heritage and practices of the Kwakwaka’ wakw People. Leslie is also a great-granddaughter of the late Chief Mungo Martin and the eldest granddaughter of the late Chief Henry Hunt, both of whom were internationally renowned artists as well as Master Carvers for the Royal BC Museum’s totem pole restoration project. The Royal BC Museum is also home to a replica of a Cedar Big House belonging to Chief Jonathan Hunt, Leslie’s paternal great-grandfather. Leslie’s grandmother, the late Helen Hunt was a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, where Leslie was employed for twenty-six years.

With this inspirational legacy as a guiding force, and working with many community partners, Leslie provides opportunities to enhance and/or develop awareness and appreciation for the cultural diversity within Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. In her capacity as a First Nation Cultural Liaison, Leslie relays information that reflects a First Nations perspective from pre-contact to post-contact history with cultural authenticity and integrity. From developing school programs in cooperation with the Royal BC Museum to providing cultural support for the BC Legislative Assembly’s Parliamentary Education Office, Leslie provides a cultural component derived from the stories, legends, values and traditions that have been passed down through her family for countless generations. Drawing on her own family history and cultural background, Leslie offers guided tours of the Royal BC Museum’s First Peoples Gallery, providing her audience with a First Nations perspective that serves to enhance the visitor’s experience of the exhibits. Leslie relays information that compliments the gallery, while offering her audience a personal glimpse into the cultural histories of BC’s First Nations.

Leslie and her husband Michael, married for 33 years, are the proud parents of three exceptional sons and grandparents to two beautiful grandchildren.

Kayla’s dream of finding a comprehensive herbal medicine program came true in 2009 when she discovered the Diploma of Phytotherapy program at Pacific Rim College. While completing this program, she quickly and passionately fell in love with traditional Chinese medicine, which inspired her to continue her studies. She went on to graduate as a Medical Herbalist and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Prior to her education at Pacific Rim College, she completed various trainings in aromatherapy, birth and postpartum doula, massage, and reiki.

A dedicated yoga practice over the past decade led her to India twice to immerse herself in this spiritual tradition. On her first trip, she completed a yoga teacher training and returned a year later to teach yoga and do volunteer acupuncture at a charitable hospital through the ashram she was living at. The profound effects that herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and yoga have had on her life are what inspired her to study these ancient healing traditions. She is deeply passionate about helping people connect to their innate healing potential. 

She is currently registered with the CTCMA as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and focuses her practice on women’s health. She is deeply committed to her patients and her greatest joy is supporting women in the areas of fertility, gynecology, pregnancy, digestive health, and mental wellness.

Born and raised just outside of Montreal, Heather began working in holistic health around 2003. This path eventually led to Pacific Rim College where she graduated with highest honours from the Phytotherapy program in 2016. Since then she has merged herbalism and energy work in her practice. Heather is also a writer and content editor who loves to help others improve their writing. In 2011, Heather graduated with distinction from Concordia University where she did a double major in Specialization Psychology and Linguistic Science. With over 10 years of experience in the areas of writing, editing, and holistic health, Heather is now pleased to be sharing her knowledge with others.

Christina’s background is in landscape gardening, architecture, and design. She has been teaching organic horticulture, landscape design, and plant ID at Gaia College for 15 years. Christina has designed many Victoria gardens as well! She is a SOUL Certified Organic Urban Land Care Professional and a volunteer with, and past board member of, SOUL (Society for Organic Urban Land Care). Currently she runs a local fertilizer business, The Organic Gardener’s Pantry, retailing fine fertilizers and microbial products. If there is time left, she can be found in the garden, getting her hands dirty.

Trained at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Donna received her Doctor of Naturopathy degree. Donna is certified by the College of Naturopathic Physicians of BC to practice acupuncture as well as naturopathy.

​Donna received a Master of Science from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Victoria. She is a biologist and ecologist, as well as a post-secondary education instructor.

​Donna studied yoga for many years and is an IKYTA certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor.  Donna is also a parent, nature-lover, and community-minded spirit.

Julie is a Queer Indigenous facilitator and healer who began her studies in 2002 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With her first teacher Dorothy Becker, she studied all levels of Reiki. After completing her Reiki Master certificate Julie knew her next teacher was in Vancouver, British Columbia. In August of 2006 she moved across the country alone with a few bucks and an old trunk. By August of 2007 she had signed up for a four year shamanic studies program with a Celtic Shaman. During those four years she studied everything from – traditional seasonal ceremonies to soul retrievals to passing the dead.

After studying the ways of her mother’s ancestors for so long, Julie began to look for a First Nations teacher to help honour her father’s. This is when she found a kind Indigenous teacher who took her under her wing for a few years – helping Julie feel apart of the community while finding her own roots. These teachings will always be very scared and dear to her.

In 2015 she decided to move to Victoria, British Columbia to study Holistic Nutrition with the hopes of helping people reconnect with their bodies and the Earth through the food on their plates. She believes that if we can be in proper relation to our food then we will be in proper relation with our bodies and the Earth.

This inspired her, in 2018 to start Inclusive Wellness – a health company that blends together nutrition, mindfulness and spiritual connection, to help people reconnect to themselves and the planet. Each session is so different, some focus on designing meal plans while others on past life healings. Regardless of the theme she meets her clients where their at to develop an individualized, practical, and workable plan – so they can reach their goals easily and affordably. All services are offered on a sliding scale as Julie understands the barriers to accessing health care – she also teaches Social Equity for Healthcare Practitioners, Indigenous Perspectives in Permaculture and Nutrition for Marginalized People at Pacific Rim College.

For more information or to book an appointment please go to www.inclusivewellness.ca or email julie@inclusivenutrition.ca

Brook Paulin was born and raised in the harbour town of Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada. He is a lifetime student and practitioner of the healing arts who realized his passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) over 12 years ago, and has since been on this path.

Brook attained his Diploma of Acupuncture and Diploma of TCM Herbology from the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He then earned his Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diploma, graduating magna cum laude, from Pacific Rim College. He is a Registered Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine in British Columbia. He is also certified in Jin Shin Do, Mei-Zen Facial Rejuvenation, 5-Element Acupuncture, and Sports Medicine Acupuncture.

RoseMarie Pierce, B.Sc. Pharm, is the owner of Pharmacy-Alternatives Corporation, a consulting firm specializing in natural health product research and development. In 1972, she earned her Pharmacy degree from Dalhousie University, Halifax. While at university, she partook in the “Opportunities for Youth” program, managing the dispensary for the Storefront Health clinic located in the under-privileged area of Halifax. In the early part of her career, she taught prescription compounding to 4^th year pharmacy students at The College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University. RoseMarie studied Herbology for a number of years with Clinical herbalist Terry Willard, Ph.D. at Wild Rose College in Calgary. Following extensive studies in herbology and nutritional medicine, RoseMarie integrated these disciplines into her pharmacy practice to become one of Canada’s first holistic pharmacists. She is widely recognized in Canada as a well-loved integrated health spokesperson, media personality, and writer.  

Throughout her career, RoseMarie has researched and formulated natural medicines and lectured across Canada on holistic health with an emphasis on women’s hormonal health, digestive issues, cognitive and ocular wellness, inflammation, immunity, pH balance, and drug-nutrient depletions. RoseMarie has a natural ability to present technical information in an easy-to-understand format and acts as a catalyst for individuals who wish to improve their health, enjoy vitality, and realize their potential.

RoseMarie is on the faculty (as a visiting Professor) of Pacific Rim College, an award-winning institution specializing in Holistic Medicine and Sustainable Living. She presents weekend workshops as part of the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition program and now has her first online course on Drug–Nutrient Depletions and Drug–Food–Herb–Nutrient Interactions, debuting through PRCOnline in Fall 2020.

RoseMarie serves as a senior technical adviser for Prairie Naturals Health Products and GFR Pharma Manufacturing. She has over 48 years of extensive experience in both the Natural Health Industry as well as in conventional medicine.

RoseMarie has two grown daughters who spent 9 and 11 years in Waldorf education. She was a founding director and second president of the Calgary Waldorf School and served on the board of the Sunhaven Waldorf School once she and her husband moved to the Sunshine Coast. Anthroposophical medicine and home remedies, Waldorf education, and the work of Rudolf Steiner remain dear to her heart.

RoseMarie and her husband David have been offering community development workshops known as “Heart-to-Heart Communication” to groups and individuals of all kinds in both North America and Europe since the early 1990s. This heart-opening process, helping individuals develop deep human connections, is one of the ways David and RoseMarie feel they can contribute to the betterment of humanity. You can locate her at www.holistic-pharmacist.com.

Krista is a Medical Herbalist in private practice in Victoria, BC, balancing her private practice as a faculty member at Pacific Rim College, teaching courses in herbal medicine and medicine making, along with supervising clinical training.   Krista is passionate about medicine making and has a full dispensary created 95% from herbs she has grown or from tinctures she has made herself from either percolations or macerations. Ethical wild-harvesting, cultivation, and developing those intimate relationships with plants fuels her spirit and her practice.

Krista has focused her continuing education within hormonal health with herbal mentors such as Aviva Romm, as well as Fertility Symposiums and Women’s Health conferences. Krista has spoken at the Kootenay Herb Conference in 2016 and 2018, with Colleen Emery’s Mentorship Program in Winlaw, the Herb Gathering on Vancouver Island in 2017, American Herbalist Guild in 2019, offered a combined practitioner intensive workshop with Bev Maya in the Winter of 2018 and 2019 at Pacific Rim College and will be speaking at the Canadian Herb Conference in 2020. Krista continues to offer through Pacific Rim College Online a three part online course on Menstrual Cycle Tracking and Herbal Medicine for the general public and for practitioners. 

Krista maintains a professional membership with the British Columbia Herbalist’s Association (BCHA) and is actively involved with this organization as a member of the Board of Directors. She is also actively involved in the People’s Apothecary, a community Herbal Medicine garden located in Quadra Village.

Sarah Pritchard was one of the first westerners to practice Tui na in the UK and is known as an inspiring teacher and workshop leader. She originally trained to be an actor at RADA where she was introduced to Alexander Technique, Qi Gong, yoga and meditation as well as the performance and communication skills that have proved invaluable for teaching. Her Chinese Medicine studies began in 1992. She trained at the London School of Chinese Clinical Massage Therapy, the Nanjing University of TCM, and the London College of Traditional Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She has been a member of the British Acupuncture Council since 2000.

Sarah is the author of two Tui na books Chinese Massage Manual, originally published by Piatkus in 1999 and re-published with Singing Dragon in 2015, is the definitive introductory text on Tui na Massage currently published in English. Her second book Tui na: A Manual of Chinese Massage Therapy, published by Elsevier Churchill Livingstone in 2010 and re-published by Singing dragon in 2015, is a comprehensive handbook for the 21st century student and practitioner of Tui na working in the West. Both books are used as essential texts on Tui na training courses in the UK, Europe, and the USA.

Sarah has 17 years of teaching experience. In 2001, she wrote and developed the professional Tui na course for the LCTA London College of Traditional Acupuncture. She was course co-ordinator and senior lecturer until the college closed in November 2010. She is currently senior lecturer and Tui na course co-ordinator at the City College of Acupuncture in London. Sarah has run courses, workshops and postgraduate seminars on Tui na and the integration of acupuncture, moxa, and Tui na for the LCTA, the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (CICM), the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM) in the UK, for Total Health in Holland, the Florence Tui na Congress, the ScuolaTao Milano in Italy, and for Pacific Rim College in Victoria BC. Sarah has been in private practice since 1994. She is the founder and Director of Blackheath Complementary Health Centre in London, established in May 2000. More can be found on her website at www.sparktheshen.com.

Dr. Carlie Reidlinger graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in Vancouver, BC, after obtaining a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology at the University of Victoria. She currently has a general practice, as a licenced Naturopathic Physician at Vancouver Island Naturopathic Clinic in Victoria where she has a special interest in helping people with digestive disorders, hormone balancing, menopause, men’s health, anxiety, and stress management. She has obtained additional training in pharmacy and has prescriptive authority in BC, as well as advanced training in Women’s Health and hormone therapy. In her practice, Dr. Reidlinger emphasizes nutrition, digestion, and sustainable lifestyle practices – principles she tries to incorporate into her daily life after a history of managing her own health challenges with celiac disease. She utilizes a combination of current and traditional practices to optimize health through a range of treatment modalities that include clinical nutrition, acupuncture, botanical medicine, IV therapies, and physical medicine.

Dr. Elli Reilander is a licensed naturopathic physician in Sidney, BC. She has completed a bachelor of science degree from the University of Victoria and a 4-year doctor of naturopathic medicine diploma from Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine.

Local to Sidney, Dr. Reilander is excited to be back improving the lives of those from her hometown. She focuses on patient-centered naturopathic care and creating individualized, clinically effective, evidence supported treatment plans. Her personal health concerns have allowed for a unique perspective and have directed her to special clinical interests in autoimmunity, digestive and hormonal health.

For fun, Dr. Reilander loves to dance and is still actively involved in her dance community on the Saanich Peninsula. She is also an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends as much time as possible exploring our local wilderness.

Sky Richarde began her herbal education in 2010 with the Science & Art of Herbalism by Rosemary Gladstar. From there she was inspired to deepen her knowledge, move to Canada from the U.S, and go on to complete the Diploma of Phytotherapy program (with honors) offered by Pacific Rim College. She is now a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild and owner of White Owl Medicinals, her personal home-based clinic located in Esquimalt, BC. Besides her work as a clinical herbalist and educator, she is also a personal caregiver, working 24-hour shifts helping to support the lives of those who would otherwise not be independent. 

Sky has a special interest in sleep and dream support where she finds herbal medicine can shine and really make a difference in people’s lives, helping to assist those who are left behind by the conventional medical system. She also works closely with honeybee medicine connected to older European and Gaelic practices, as well as North American medicinal mushrooms. You’ll often find Sky deep in the woods excitedly exploring the flora and fauna and sharing her knowledge with anyone willing to listen, even if it’s just the birds and the bees. 

Jason Robertson is a licensed acupuncturist and educator in Seattle, Washington. He spent 8 years studying Chinese language and medicine in Taiwan and China. He is the author of numerous articles on acupuncture channel theory and palpatory diagnostic techniques. In 2008, along with Professor Wang Ju-Yi, he co-authored Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine. Jason was a key speaker at the 2010 TCM Kongress in Rothenburg, Germany. His clinical practice, Kentucky Ginseng, is located in Seattle, and he is a core faculty member at Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine.

Robert Dale Rogers has been working with flower essences for nearly forty years. He is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild and has written 37 books on plants and fungi of the boreal forest. The Fungal Pharmacy: The Complete Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms and Lichens of North America is a great resource for health practitioners.

He is an assistant clinical professor in family medicine at the University of Alberta, and teaches both introductory and advanced flower essence courses at the Northern Star College of Mystical Studies.

His newest book Mushroom Medicines for the Soul: Fungi Essences and Spiritual Growth will be published in Fall of 2015.

Dr. Shoshana Scott started in Organic chemistry and won the gold medal at the University of Winnipeg. She switched to Homeopathy after working in a busy homeopathic clinic under a Homeopathic Doctor in Winnipeg. Inspired by Dr. Leelamma Nielsen, Dr. Scott completed a four year degree in Homeopathic Medical Science with an internship at Father Mueller’s Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital in Manganlore, India. Dr. Scott has a strong interest in bringing Homeopathy into mainstream medicine as a gentle, effective choice in health care. Dr. Scott now practices at the integrated medical clinic at the Victoria Community Health Cooperative in James Bay, Victoria, BC. Dr. Scott’s complete bio is available on her website at www.thehomeopathicdoctor.ca.

Delvin Solkinson is a community gardener, student and teacher from British Columbia, Canada. Collaborating with a global team including his beloved wife Grace, a homesteader, herbalist and creative cook, he creates free learning and teaching tools, card decks and books, articles, podcasts and videos. Delvin co-facilitates intro days, Permaculture Design Certificates, Advanced Courses and Diplomas.

Extensive study in permaculture include completing a PDC, Diploma and Masters Degree with Bill Mollison, the co-originator of permaculture. He has taken 13 advanced courses and 13 teacher trainings with Permaculture Pioneers across the planet like David Holmgren, Looby Macnamara, Geoff Lawton and Robin Clayfield. Life long learning includes a PDC with Rosemary Morrow in Greece and with Toby Hemenway in Portland, a second Diploma through the Permaculture Institute and a third Diploma through Permaculture Association. Delvin completed a five year Doctoral Degree under Larry Santoyo and currently pursues a Post-Doc in Permaculture Education with the Permaculture Academy. He is a Diploma Tutor with the Permaculture Association (UK) where he pursues continuing professional development. Delvin is a Field Mentor and the Diploma Program Co-ordinator of the Permaculture Institute (NA). He is also a certified teacher with the Permaculture Research Institute (AU).

Delvin loves creative learning in nature and is an optimist about the positive power of permaculture.

Mercy Southam holds a Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and is a Registered TCM Practitioner practicing in Victoria, BC. She is the Founder + Lead Practitioner of Eir Mobile Medicine, Canada’s first Mobile Acupuncture and Natural Medicine clinic, and was recently recognized as a “10 to Watch” new business on Vancouver Island by Douglas Magazine.

Mercy has devoted the majority of the last decade to studying Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. Having worked in both the USA and Canada, Mercy has immersed herself in a variety of healthcare systems, identifying ways to improve on existing structures. Her studies led her to residencies at Rady’s Children’s Hospital (San Diego, CA) and the MHS Family Recovery Centre (Oceanside, CA), where she witnessed first hand the power of collaboration between Eastern and Western medicine, and the importance of providing Acupuncture and Natural Medicine to the community.  

Prior to becoming a TCM Practitioner, Mercy explored a variety of industries and professions. She competed throughout Europe and North America as a Rhythmic Gymnast, lived alongside indigenous communities in the Kalahari Desert as a Medical Anthropologist, and has worked throughout North America and Uganda as an international non-profit Programs Specialist.

DJ graduated from the Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine program at the Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences (formerly ACOS) in 2019 and is currently licensed as a TCM
Practitioner under the CTCMABC. He began learning Chinese medicine several years before taking the program at KCCIHS under the tutelage of Kevin Wallbridge, spending most of his time focusing on YinYang and five phase theories while training Chinese internal martial arts and QiGong. Taking the Chinese language skills learned in the D.TCM program, he taught himself classical Chinese and uses this to study the Chinese medicine classics, especially the HuangDi NeiJing which he studies daily. In his clinical practice, DJ focuses on internal medicine with acupuncture techniques derived from his work with the NeiJing and herbal medicine that also follows classical thinking.

Brandt Stickley is an Assistant Professor of Classical Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and is also faculty at Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. He has studied Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis for 10 years with Dr. Leon Hammer, MD. According to Dr. Hammer: “Brandt Stickley has been an esteemed student and colleague for over a decade during which time he has demonstrated a grasp of my message that has illuminated my way to new and inspiring insights. While occupying his own growing special place in the continuum of Chinese medicine he is furthering my own contribution and is clearly in the tradition of creative and innovative minds such as my teacher, Dr. John H. F. Shen who I was blessed to follow.”

Milo’s passion for ecological design and rainwater harvesting has evolved from puddles to ponds. He has been managing farms and installing water harvesting earthworks in various climates for nearly a decade.
In addition to running RAINWALK Design + Nursery, he manages Harvest Farm in the Burgoyne Valley on Salt Spring Island, B.C. and works with Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds and the Seed Sanctuary to ensure the preservation and promotion of heritage seeds.

The design systems of agroforestry, silvopasture, keyline and permaculture influence his work. Creating abundant and regenerative systems has become a driving force in this rapidly changing world – coaxing life into landscapes and leaving room for natures welcomed surprises.

Dr. Sonia F. Tan, BA, BA(H), DAOM, RAc, RTCMP, is an educator, author, practitioner and consultant. She has been helping guide people on their pathway to balance in the Chinese Medicine and
metaphysical world since 2006. She is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM degree), a Registered Acupuncturist, and a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner. Dr. Sonia Tan obtained her clinical research Doctorate degree from Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Los Angeles, California. She is also a graduate of the five year Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine program from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Vancouver. Dr. Sonia F. Tan is one of few certified Gold Level practitioners of the late Dr. Richard Tan. His most advanced level courses after all Balance Method levels, were first completed by a group of 16 senior students. Sonia was among those 16. With the blessings of fellow senior students to pass on the Balance Method legacy, Dr. Sonia Tan developed and created the very first Balance Method/System Acupuncture Certificate program at an accredited public post-secondary institution–Langara College –launched in 2018. Dr. Sonia Tan is the author of The Foundations of Balance Acupuncture: A Clinical Reference Manual.

In addition to Balance Method and following in her grandfather’s footsteps, the Tan lineage, and the classical umbrella of Chinese Medicine, Dr. Sonia Tan has completed apprenticeships in Chinese Metaphysics in the areas of Chinese Astrology, Face Reading, and Classical Feng Shui under various teachers, and has been certified since 2011. She is a certified Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui practitioner under Master Marlyna Los, and a certified Ba Zi Chinese Astrology practitioner and direct and first graduating class disciple of the late Grandmaster Dr. Richard Tehfu Tan. Dr. Sonia Tan has also completed many adjunct and advanced courses, such as Sound Healing, TCM Clinical Aromatherapy & Essential Oils, and Dr. Jeffrey Yuen & Dr. Yvonne Farrell’s Eight Extraordinary Vessels approach. She is also an ongoing student of a variety of Martial Arts since 1995, and is grateful to her Shifu the late Dale Johns for her foundation, and to Shifu Matthew Dyck for continued guidance.

Dr. Sonia F. Tan is immersed in all aspects of Chinese Metaphysics, and thoroughly enjoys educating and inspiring others!

Andrea is a dancer, healer, mother, and chaser of transformation and depth. Andrea’s life has been driven by her passion for healing and helping others – she recognized this calling from a young age. A wide range of life experiences have shaped who she is: growing up in Mexico as part of a bicultural and bilingual home, earning a Bachelor’s and Postgraduate degree, extensive world travel, commitment to a spiritual path, and creating multiple businesses. As a result of these experiences, she is able to readily reach out across cultures and remain open to a broad array of healing approaches.

She is the founder of Mā, a project dedicated to supporting women’s sexual and reproductive health, specializing in postpartum care. Her goal is to help women thrive by helping them heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. She does this through one on one sessions, workshops, and retreats to educate and empower women to take charge of their own health.

After completing the Holistic Doula Program at Pacific Rim College in 2014 she has devoted herself to continue to study and learn within multiple healing modalities. She has trained in various bodywork styles including Holistic Pelvic Care (Tami Lynn Kent), Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Therapy (Arvigo Institute) and Women’s Pelvic Floor Bodywork 200 hr Training (Beaudoin Bodywork), as well as multiple trips to Mexico learning traditional bodywork therapies from indigenous healers. She has completed other professional trainings in Herbal Medicine for Women’s Health (Aviva Romm), Body-Mind Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy (Ontogony Evolution Ltd.) and Shamanic Healing (Ontogony Evolution Ltd.). Along with her professional trainings she has learned from a variety of teachers and healers from different spiritual traditions such as Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra, Taoism and Shamanism. She weaves together all of these modalities to create containers for deep exploration, magical awakenings and profound medicine.

Amber has been guiding families through transitions for the last 7 years, sharing her time between welcoming wee ones earthside and releasing others to a realm those of us remaining can not yet go.

Trained as a Wholistic Doula and Registered Nurse, Amber has invested into many families as a Doula and Palliative Nurse, creating successful business for both ends of the spectrum. She created a Doula business where she practiced full time for four years. She now is a part-time Doula while balancing being a full-time business owner of Central Alberta Palliative Care, employing numerous nurses.. She splits her time between attending births and supporting families to welcome a life and attending deaths where she supports families to journey through their loved one’s last breath.  She has been a preceptor for Doula students as well as an educator at Red Deer Polytechnic in their BScN program for nursing students. She is passionate about creating ways for the care of Doulas and Nurses to meet clients in their places of comfort: their homes.

Ted has been a Registered Acupuncturist in British Columbia since 2001, and an instructor of acupuncture for more than 15 years. After completing a 4-year Masters Program in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, he went on to lecture extensively to the public and practice in multidisciplinary clinics, hospitals, mental health and addictions programs, and other social services. Ted has been a faculty member of Pacific Rim College since it’s inception, teaching many core classes, and supervising in the clinic. Ted is passionate about both medicine and education, and has a private practice here in Victoria at www.acupunctureman.ca.

Anne has been practicing Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine since 2001. After trying acupuncture for the first time she was hooked. She began her studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria and continued with a hospital internship in China. Anne is also a practitioner of Craniosacral Therapy.

In addition to running her own practice for many years, she has also worked as an instructor and clinical supervisor at Oshio College of Acupuncture and Herbology and now Pacific Rim College.

When not working with patients or students, Anne can be found spending time with her family or running away to the mountains.

Gigi began her studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Taiwan. Dr. Liu, her local TCM Doctor, became her mentor and inspiration for becoming a Doctor herself. After living and teaching there for over 4 ½ years, she was drawn to Victoria to complete a five-year Doctor of TCM program at the International College of TCM. Gigi later returned to China to complete an internship at Zhejian University Hospital in HangZhou.

She has successfully challenged the Acupuncture and Herbal Board Exams and is currently a Registered Acupuncturist and Herbalist under the College of TCM in BC. Gigi has over 15 years of clinical experience in Acupuncture, Herbology, TuiNa Massage, Moxa, Cupping, Reflexology, GuaSha, Shonishin, and listening. Her experience, practice and teaching of Yoga, Taoism, Qigong, and Meditation continue her precious journey inward to reflect our collective truth and light as human beings. Gigi is married with two beautiful children who encourage her to dream big!

Gigi practices out of her beautiful clinic in downtown Victoria. For over 15 years, she has had the pleasure of being and practicing TCM with generations of Victorians. She is a mentor, a teacher, a lecturer, a doctor, a student, and a lifelong learner. Visit her website if you are curious to learn more at www.gigivincentine.ca.

“The Teacher and the Taught Together Create the Teachings.” An Eastern Proverb

Dr. Carrie Watkins is a Naturopathic Doctor, Yoga Teacher and Educator. She obtained her Bachelor of Science at McGill University with a focus in Wildlife and Plant Biology and is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. Dr. Watkins has spent many years leading health education and wellness programs in hospital, corporate and community settings. She holds a faculty position at Pacific Rim College teaching biomedical sciences and nutrition.

I am an internationally trained midwife currently living in Metchosin, BC. I grew up in a large family on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and was a founding member of West Coast Doulas in 2007. I spent 4 years supporting families as a birth and postpartum doula in Port Alberni, Ucluelet, and Tofino before traveling to New Zealand to study midwifery in 2011. Upon completing my education, I had my own child, which rounded out my experience and renewed my passion to advocate for holistic, and truly client-centered maternity care for my clients. I proceeded to practice midwifery in the Victoria region for a total of 5 years between 2016-2021. I have a passion for teaching and the development of holistic maternity care and am especially interested in developing resources and education to support the marginalised and those who face barriers to accessing culturally safe care.

It is an honor to support growth and education in the doula community. I am very much looking forward to discussing the intricacies of current, evidence-based, and client-centered maternity care through our own unique lenses.

Candice Wray is a Vancouver Island local and mother of two wonderful children. She is also an experienced perinatal and pediatric Registered Nurse, helping childbearing families on Vancouver Island for 6 years out of 12 years as an RN. In April 2019, she added IBCLC to her credentials by sitting and passing the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Examination (IBCLCE). With that, a private lactation company called “two moons lactation consulting” was created and a spark for breastfeeding education has been lit. Candice thrives to find new and exciting ways to share her knowledge and experience supporting breast or chest feeding families on Vancouver Island.

Dr. Zhang completed a Bachelor of Medicine degree (specializing in acupuncture and moxibustion), a Master of Medicine degree (specializing in integrating TCM and modern medicine) and a PhD in Internal Medicine of TCM at the Chengdu University of TCM, Sichuan Province, China. Dr. Zhang has extensive experience in teaching, research and clinical practice in the field of Internal Medicine, Gerontology and Rehabilitation as well as the integration of TCM and Western Medicine. From 1999 until 2008, Dr. Zhang worked as a TCM doctor, acupuncturist and teacher at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM.

Dr. Jin Tripp is a registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner with 11 years of training in Western and Traditional Medicine areas and 30 years’ experience working in Canada and China. After graduation from Jin Zhou Medical University (China), Dr. Tripp worked and taught in China for over 20 years. During that time, she became a chief physician, and this gave her extensive medical experience. While in Canada, Dr. Tripp upgraded her skills by studying Traditional Chinese Medicine in English, and earned the TCMP registration in BC. Her TCM clinic, Jin Tripp Health Service, has been open in Victoria in 2006. She has also worked as an instructor and clinic supervisor in TCM colleges since 2008.