WILD ROSE COLLEGE OF HERBAL MEDICINE - Key Persons
Ali is responsible for our accounting needs at the college. He brings his international finance experience (all the way from London, England!) and flavour for automation to the team. Ali has a love for all things natural. His passion for fitness and healthy living started over 8 years ago and he takes pride in being a part of WRC's mission and culture of helping others find natural ways to improve their health. When Ali isn't focused on accounting, you can find him enjoying 80's music, watching Seinfeld, or indulging from time to time with a nice greasy burger from the local pub!
Job Titles:
- Education & Marketing Manager
Becky Starling is a Community Herbalist and Education & Marketing Manager with Wild Rose. She manages our popular Herbal Village, a herbal membership group and site with hundreds of members, where she teaches webinars and tutorials while supervising and managing incredible events and a steady lineup of experts and teachers.
She also runs our popular Clinical Herbalist Apprenticeship Program, pairing students with clinical mentors across Canada, the US, and beyond.
A prolific organic gardener and reiki practitioner, Becky creates herbal remedies and inspires and educates folks about plants and their many uses. She is the founder of Cedar Hill Herbs where she creates herbal tea blends and remedies from homegrown and ethically wildcrafted plants.
Becky is a mother of two and is authoring the new and upcoming Natural Pregnancy & Childbirth course at Wild Rose College.
"I respectfully acknowledge that I am a visitor to these lands and that I live, work and play on the traditional and ancestral territory of the Syilx tmixʷ (Okanagan) and Secwepemcúl'ecw (Secwépemc) First Nations."
Job Titles:
- Marketing Coordinator
- Founder of Blue Jay Botanicals
- Marketing Outreach Coordinator
Cherianne is the marketing outreach coordinator at Wild Rose College. She's a "social media herbalist" - a community herbalist who is thrilled to connect folks with their herbal path through the mycelial interwebs.
With a background in Outdoor Education, Cherianne bridges her commitment to guiding and teaching others through impactful experiences, with her skills in herbalism to help the college inspire future herbalists.
Cherianne is the founder of Blue Jay Botanicals where she offers plant walks and medicine-making workshops along with creating botanical subscription boxes and herbal remedies. One of her favourite things to do is take people on plant walks and see their eyes light up with wonder and awe as they uncover the wonderful world of plants.
She loves to explore the outdoors, camp and travel and you can often find her planning her next roadtrip adventure along the Atlantic coast (Ontario life has her always dreaming of the sea).
Cherianne respectfully acknowledges that she lives, works and plays on the traditional territories of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Algonquin, and Anishinaabe. As a settler there, she is grateful for all the generations of people who have been stewards of the land and is thankful to be able to work at reconnecting people with plants.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- College Founder
- Faculty Member
Terry Willard, Cl.H., Ph.D. is recognized as one of North America's leading Clinical Herbalists. After over 40 years of clinical practice and teaching, he is now in semi-retirement. He founded Wild Rose College in 1975, and continues to teach with us. His latest course is Cannabis for Healthcare Providers.
He spends most of his time writing, formulating nutritional products and researching. He is the author of 12 books. Terry has spent many years representing the Health Food industry interests at both federal and provincial levels. Currently Terry continues to occasionally travel worldwide; he often lectures conveniently online to places far and wide including Scandinavian, England, Japan, and Australia.
He is the past president of the Canadian Council of Herbalist Associations, past president of Canadian Association of Herbal Practitioner and a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.
Dr. Terry Willard, Cl.H., Ph.D. is recognized as one of North America's leading Clinical Herbalists.
After 40 years of clinical practice and teaching, Terry is now in semi-retirement on an organic farm on Vancouver Island. He spends most of his time researching, writing, developing new Wild Rose College courses & keeping course content up-to-date. He continues speaking, consulting, and formulating nutritional products. Currently Terry continues to travel occasionally worldwide, he often lectures conveniently online to places far and wide including Scandinavian, England, Japan, and Australia.
Experience and History
After finishing his BSc in Environment Biology at University of Calgary in 1974, Terry moved into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to study the indigenous plants of Alberta. From here he started teaching courses on the Edible and Medicinal properties of the local plants through a continuing education program at U of C. This later expanded into the beginning of Wild Rose College of Natural Healing.
An active practitioner and teacher for 40 years, Terry retired from his clinical practice in Calgary, Alberta in June of 2014.
Dr. Willard is the author of twelve books on herbs including the "Wild Rose Herbal Series" - a series of three textbooks written to educate herbalists. Two of his books, "Reishi: Herb of Spiritual Potency and Medical Wonder" and "Dr. Willard Encyclopedia of Herbal Uses", have been particularly popular with the general public. His most recent book is "Flower Essence: Emotional Alchemy and Spiritual Evolution".
Farrah Thompson is a Scottish born and Canadian raised herbalist, educator, mama, and medicine maker.
As a graduate of the Botanical Medicine program through the National University of Medical Sciences, Farrah has completed extensive studies in herbal medicine. Her focus is on women's health, stress prevention, and disease. She has a deep passion for plants, their medicine, and the profound transformations they inspire in us.
Farrah combines her knowledge and enthusiasm for botanical medicine with her business, organization, and leadership skills in her role as GM at Wild Rose College. She is responsible for overseeing and coordinating across all departments and is committed to making the Wild Rose experience better for all those involved.
Farrah gives recognition and respect for the First Peoples of Canada, acknowledging that the land on which she lives includes the traditional territories of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Erie, Anishinaabe, Attiwonderonk (Neutral), Huron-Wendat, and Mississaugas. As a settler here, she is grateful for all the generations of people who have been stewards of this land. She recognizes and deeply appreciates their contributions in shaping and strengthening not only this community, but our country as a whole.
Jacqui (she/her) boasts an illustrious half-decade tenure with Wild Rose College, where her multifaceted expertise as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Clinical Herbalist has flourished. Guided by an unwavering reverence for the innate wisdom of plants, Jacqui adeptly channels this knowledge into bespoke counsel for each individual. With an affinity for the delicate art of tea appreciation, she indulges her penchant for inquiry over comforting libations. Beyond her role as a compassionate query-handler and adept guide through academic currents, Jacqui's hours gracefully intertwine with literature immersion, crafting botanical elixirs, and seeking refuge at the confluence of mountains and sea. Amid the lively tapestry of local farmers markets, she derives pure contentment. Hailing from Victoria, BC, as an herbalist, she extends profound gratitude to the Lekwungen People-the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations communities-for allowing us to live, work and play upon their sacred lands.
Jacqui manages student services, admissions, and college administration at Wild Rose Herbal College.
Job Titles:
- Student Services Coordinator
Katie (she/her) is a passionate herbalist who is pursuing her designation as a Clinical Herbalist with Wild Rose College. Previously working in a multi-disciplinary healthcare field, she has experienced the benefits of different treatment methods for overall health and wellbeing. This inspired her to practice herbal medicine. She is also a Reiki Master and draws great inspiration from nature and frequently practices Shinrin-Yoku. Her dogs are her adventure buddies, and they are frequently out hiking for hours.
She has an ambitious indoor food and herb garden which is unabashedly taking over her house. She uses these plants to not only feed her family but to provide herbal products to her friends and community.
Living as a settler in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, she acknowledges and respects that she resides on Treaty 6 Territory and Metis Nations of Alberta Region 4 land, which was originally known as Birch Hill and home to the Nehiyawak and Hohe Nakota peoples. The surrounding land offers many opportunities to explore and connect with plants and people. She sends her appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of these lands.
At Wild Rose College, Katie provides guidance and assistance to students who are traveling along their own herbal paths. She is one of our Student Services Coordinators and takes great pride in helping students reach their herbal goals. She is committed to creating a safe space for all peoples, all genders, all ethnicities, and all backgrounds within the College and the herbal medicine community.
Job Titles:
- Herbal Village Coordinator
Megan is a Registered Herbalist (OHA) who grew up feeling most at home in nature and as a child could often be found using flowers and grasses to make magical ‘potions'. She worked for a number of years as a chef and her interest in food, especially wild foods, led her to studying the medicinal qualities of plants.
She began incorporating more herbs into her life and found relief from several conditions that conventional modern medicine had had very little to offer in the way of treatment. These profound healing experiences inspired her to dive deeper into herbal studies, self studying for many years before beginning her first program with Wild Rose College in 2017.
Along with her formal academic and clinical training consisting of over 2300 hours of study and practice, Megan has also completed hundreds of hours of apprenticeship in various settings including a herbal clinic, a contract manufacturing facility and an at risk plant sanctuary. The majority of Megan's training is from the Western Herbal Medicine and Alchemical perspectives, with additional introductory training in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Megan is an avid herb grower and spagyricist, and incorporates the principles of medical astrology into her herbal work.
Along with working at Wild Rose College, Megan runs a clinical practice and makes herbal products through her company, Wild Medicinals. For Megan, being able to support her friends, family and community's health, as well as the health of the earth is as great a responsibility as it is a gift.
When she's not working with herbs, you may find her hiking with her dog, practicing with one of her bands, reading or cooking. Megan is based in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough, Ontario, the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg.
Nathan McCready is a budding herbalist, avid urban gardener, and yoga teacher/practitioner. He loves to share his practice and experience with all who are interested.
Having worked in traditional education systems in I.T. for over 25 years, Nathan has drawn on his extensive knowledge in education technology to help the college provide a safe and reliable online learning environment for the students.
You can check out his online seminar in the herbal village on how to use OneNote to help to stay organized while studying/researching, or you can find him hanging out and sharing on our herbal village Facebook group.
Nathan acknowledges and respects that the land on which he lives includes the traditional territories of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Erie, Anishinaabe, Attiwonderonk (Neutral), Huron-Wendat, and Mississaugas. As a settler here, I am grateful for all the generations of people who have been stewards of this land.
Yarrow Willard is a Clinical Herbalist and Wild Rose Alumnus, co-founder of Harmonic Arts.
He enjoys sharing health-empowering teachings on advanced nutrition, and cultivating a deeper connection with the natural world. He strives to continually update his knowledge in the growing-edge science of natural wellness.
He is the current director of Wild Rose Herbal College. Yarrow teaches our seasonal Medicinal Mushroom course, and co-teaches several Wild Rose courses along with workshops and webinars in the Wild Rose Herbal Village.