My name is Erica (she/her). I haven’t always been good at listening to myself, but I have always been good at listening to others - human, animal, or otherwise. I spent at least 15 years in K-12 education, but came to see that an educator and a teacher are not always the same thing - and that I am the latter. In my work at SoulFood I draw on my experience as a soul guide, Reiki healer, intuitive, ecofeminist, sex educator, artist, writer, birth doula, teacher, librarian (yes, it fits in, too), activist, and imperfect human navigating this beautifully crazy life right along with everyone else. Despite college degrees and professional titles, it seems to me that being a mother, sister, and friend, along with the endless hours I spend in the natural world, have taught me far more than I will ever learn in a book or classroom. Perhaps a hypocritical statement coming from someone who just identified herself as a writer/librarian/teacher, but everything has it’s place.

Last, but not least, I love this next section in which bio’s describe what people do in their free time…I don’t generally find that I have a lot of free time. Or that my interests are all that separate from what I do at SoulFood. Be that as it may, I have three human children (and many more plant children) who occupy most of my time and attention, but I always have some knitting or sewing and a good book in my bag while playing mom-taxi. I am grateful to my mother and grandmothers for sharing their love of gardening from my very earliest days, and working with the energetics of flowers has become an extension of that. The garden is where I find a fascinating blend of peace, and a reconnection to the vibrant energy of just being alive. I’d love to say that that I am a musician, but all of my instruments find more company with each other in my closet than they do with the light of day - it’s funny how we often identify with parts of ourselves that we haven’t really used in quite some time…one of these days…