Becca Daye is an inspiring Clinical Herbalist with a deep love for nature and a vibrant, folky spirit. She is a passionate herb mama, dedicated herb grower, educator, and writer on a mission to reconnect people with the healing powers of plant medicine and spirit—benefiting both individuals and the Earth. With nearly three decades of experience studying herbal medicine since the age of 19, Becca has apprenticed and trained under some of the most renowned herbalists across the US, continuously learning from both the plants and expert mentors.
She offers engaging herbal consultations, dynamic classes, and supports local herbal and herbalist training programs, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm to empower others on their healing journeys.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:05):
Hi, this is Dimitri Clark, the director of Harder Verbs Herbal
School. And today I'm Harder Verbs
Herbal School podcast. I know it's a mouthful.
We are here with Becca Day and Becca is going to share her
herbal journey. And I will start off by just a
little like disclaimer, Becca studied with me in 2004, right?
(00:31):
So welcome and and please let usknow a little bit about you.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for
having me. Yeah.
As I was reflecting on this podcast, Dmitri, I realized, oh,
my God, I studied with you 20 years ago.
Feels like in a completely different lifetime.
Even my husband remembers you. He came up to your place in
(00:55):
Vermont. He was.
So cute. He was so sweet, I remember him
too. Yeah, so like you're part of my,
you know, herbal mentor lineage and it's, it's really cool to
be, you know, doing this circle again with 20 years under our
belts of life and reflecting back.
But it was just a really cool time coming up to your place in
(01:18):
Vermont. And just, it was my first real
apprenticeship. So I've been studying like
plants and books. But to really work with an
herbalist and go out be with theplants and make medicine was
such a gift. I'll always remember it.
Oh, thank you so much. Well, you were one of those
students that obviously stick out in someone's mind because 20
(01:42):
years later, I want to connect with you.
So I appreciate you so much. So tell us, what is it that you
do and how did your herbal journey begin?
Yeah, so herbal Journey began when I was like 19.
I took some time off from college just like a gap year and
was like, what the heck do I want to do?
I love plants, I love all sorts of things, science.
(02:06):
And then I got into herbs and then it just became this like
lifelong passion. And I, I sway towards the
clinical herbalism world, but also growing herbs and making
medicine. So I've just gathered lots of
trainings and different ways of approaching herbs throughout my
(02:27):
life, and that's continued untilnow.
I never stop. But then I actually, right when
I was studying with you, I was in midwifery school at Yale.
And it was like such a differentcontrast.
And I reflect actually in my journal that I have from
Demetrius class like 20 years ago, just like this conflict of
(02:48):
me feeling like I want to serve all these women.
I really felt drawn to be a midwife.
I knew that midwives traditionally throughout time
had used herbs as part of their healing, not just for women in
childbirth, but actually throughthe lifespan and really felt
like halt to it. So they both merged.
But then being in traditional, even a community health based
(03:12):
clinic when I was interning and graduating, it just, it's hard.
It was hard to mesh it like there's no, you know, there's no
algorithm for it. Like no one's really not many
people are doing it. So it's kind of been a lifelong
journey of how do I merge these two worlds of being a medical
provider and being an herbalist at heart.
(03:33):
Like knowing I've that truly lights me up and brings me joy.
So I I continue to explore it. Right now.
I work was the midwife for like 18 years and mostly did
gynecology and prenatal post Natal care.
I kind of stayed out of the delivery room just because I
wanted a different lifestyle. I didn't want to be on call all
(03:54):
the time. Found my passion doing that.
It's amazing. Continued studying herbs, doing
clinical trainings. I'm seeing clients on the side.
And now let's see 2021 I graduated.
I went back to school in my 40s,surprisingly became a
psychiatric nurse practitioner because I was working with
(04:16):
patients or, you know, my women,seeing them.
I'm in West Virginia now, and I had no one to send them to.
They were all struggling with their mental health.
I didn't feel like I knew enoughhow to handle the more complex
things. So I just said, you know what,
I'm going to become that person and ended up having amazing
mentors throughout that process.And now I've created like a
(04:40):
whole service line at a hospitaland really been embraced by the
chief medical officer and like all these higher ups to just
say, cool, what do you need? Like, and I'm just got hired and
another person to help me do what I do because I can't see
all the women I need to see. So it's really near and dear to
my heart to work with women. That was my calling at 19 and I
(05:05):
have never swayed in some capacity or other.
I've always been working with women and now I get to work as
an herbalist in my local community and also as a a
practitioner seeing patients whootherwise might not have access
to compassionate trauma informedcare.
So that's kind of, in a nutshell, what I do.
(05:28):
Oh my gosh, that's incredible. OK, so totally not surprised,
right? Like you just had that vibe even
way back then. But I will say, you said
something that really struck me.And I think people forget that
herbalist and midwives were the first family practitioners, you
know? And so you're really kind of
(05:50):
almost going back to the very ancient form of care where
because midwives would take careof the whole family, herbalist
take care of the whole family. And, and it's only in recent
times, probably in the last few 100 years that that was even
divided between, you know, so it's just so cool to me that you
(06:14):
were not only just doing it, butlike you were really doing it.
And then the mental health component.
So I live in a maternal desert. So, you know, access to care is
really crazy for people who are pregnant or need other kinds of
care. Of course, that's that happened
(06:35):
right after I moved here. The hospital hang on, let's say
I moved someplace and they closed down their Family
Services. But I know that West Virginia
has its own deserts. And so it sounds to me like you
are you're filling in that, thatvoid, that mental health void,
which is like, I mean, it's not just West Virginia, it's
(06:58):
everywhere in the United States.So wow.
I mean, that's pretty freaking incredible.
So what is that like for you? What?
Which part exactly? Just doing well.
I don't know, like I guess all of it, like how, how do you find
the the balance and then how do you assess what your community
needs? Oh, got it.
(07:18):
Yeah, I mean, for me, throughoutmy life, I just think I have a
natural ability to just listen and observe, right?
That's so literally. It was just so apparent to me
that this was a huge need, just maternal mental health care.
I also work with women who have had pregnancy loss and then just
(07:41):
like, hey, how do I make this happen?
I will say our community, it's very small of doctors, midwives,
but we are everyone here is likejust super committed to patient
care. I have met such amazing people,
the O BS, the midwives, everyone.
Once I said this is what I'm doing, they embraced it so
(08:04):
wholeheartedly. You know, OBGY NS were like,
please see them all. And it's just this constant
referral base and it tells me how many women need help because
my practice is just full. I mean, I can't like, I can't
see everybody in the timely manner.
That's how big it is. But I think anywhere, if you
(08:25):
have a passion and it what you want to do doesn't exist, you
can create it. Like you can be that innovator.
You can be that person who says this is what needs to happen.
Figure out who the people are tosupport you and go learn what
you need to learn to feel confident to do it.
But also know you get confident by practicing anything
(08:48):
herbalism, medical, you, you don't have to arrive and be
perfect. You just have to show up and do
your best and continually learn and listen to people you're
seeing. And I think we could do
tremendous things, whether it's wanting to do mental health,
merging mental health and herbs is such an amazing Ave.
(09:10):
If anybody else out there wants to create that, that would be
embraced, I'm sure, by your community.
People are looking for solutions.
We don't have awesome solutions for everybody right now.
Just in the modern pharma world,it's limited.
It's not really doing what people are looking for.
Like it's band dating, but it's not it's not quite it.
(09:35):
So we need great people to listen, counselors, people who
know how to work with the body, know how to prescribe
medications or clinical herbalists or family community
herbalists. There's so many avenues to be of
change. And I just this is my
philosophy. I'm just how can I be of
service? Like that's how I enter the
(09:57):
world and I felt that since I was 19.
So I just keep going back to that.
How can I be of service but alsoknowing I've got to take care of
myself to SO? Yep.
Did I lose you? So I think it's great that you
(10:26):
were saying how can I be of service?
I've always joked that I have two like running jokes in my
life. They told me that I could have
it all. They didn't tell me I had to do
it all. That's like a running thing.
I feel like a lot of women feel like that.
Like holy crap, like you said, Icould have it all.
I mean, literally, I'm doing everything and then show me the
(10:49):
problem because I'm one of theselike, I can come up with like a
million solutions to any problem.
So when you were saying like the, the, you know, where can I
be a service? How can I, you know, I'm just
like, Oh, I love that so much because I really feel like you,
you are the epitome of that. As I snooped around on your,
(11:09):
your bio, nice reading. I was like, Oh my gosh, like, so
you are a, you are a Walker, notjust a talker.
And I love that. I really love that.
I think that more people need tounderstand that we can all make
a, a cool whatever, but we've got to deliver it and offer it
(11:31):
and, and, and be able to say this is something that's of
value and I want to help you andconnect with you.
And it's not just about a sound bite or a little video or, or
whatever, right? Like, so I love that you do
that. So I would have been one of the
some of the greatest challenges in doing the work that you do.
(11:53):
I think it's staying within a system that makes there's a lot
of rigidness around it. I mean, I have to see a lot of
patients every day. But you do.
I'm so busy, but I look at it asI'm honored to be able to do
that. But that is the contract.
(12:15):
When you're in what I do, that'smy full time job.
It is a. You're expected to be able to do
this and you better keep up. Wow, So what do you do to
decompress from that? Yeah, so it's my herb gardens
like I. They're nice.
(12:36):
Virginia I knew from 8 years agofrom like Northwest or Western
Mass up near Vermont. So you know, really well using
like super short here. Just like spring begins in
March. And I'm lucky to live down the
road from a friend that owns an herbal sanctuary.
(12:59):
Yeah, like I literally bought a house and then I realized, Oh my
God, she lives down the road. So that's been amazing.
I teach herbal classes there now.
I do herbal consults in on her property so this morning I.
Can people find you there? Yeah.
So if you look up my name Becca BECCADAY e.com, that's my direct
(13:26):
thing to work with me. But my friend sanctuary is
called Sacred Roots Herbal Sanctuary and we're in
Shepherdstown, WV and it's just this beautiful property.
She's growing so many medicinal herbs.
It's it is her passion, her mission, and she teaches people
how to grow herbs. We have lots of community events
(13:47):
there. So it's been such a blessing to
get a mentor too in the growing process, right.
So there's so many ways you can be an herbalist.
You can be a grower and you know, the community herbalist or
I'm doing kind of the clinical and teaching.
So it's been what such a blessing to be there and just
(14:09):
taught a class called Viva La Vulva that was super.
And there's been a call to do itagain in the fall cause a lot of
women in the community were like, I didn't get to go.
I want to, I want to do that. So amazing to just bring like
midlife women together to talk about our bodies and changes and
what we could do to support it herbally.
(14:30):
And also just like learn real anatomy, talk about things that
are not talked about or. It's not all the vagina.
These are the parts like super cool, but just that
conversation, women were just like at the end, just women
(14:51):
holding space together is is sacred.
And I felt like completely honored to be there and do that.
So that's been my my balance. How I keep myself balance is I
have built my community of friends and like minded people
and just being out with the plants.
(15:14):
I literally throughout the winter would just put on a parka
and go out, sit there and just be supported by them and Mother
Earth because I I need to have this well of energy to tap into.
And that's what they're, they keep telling me they're like,
we're here, we got you, just keep doing your work.
(15:34):
We will support you. Yeah, no, it's so nice.
I remember when my kids were little, sometimes we'd go
wrestle out in the yard 'cause Ijust really needed to connect,
but I needed to be a mom at the same time.
And they were always like into wrestling and, you know, all
this kind of stuff that little, little guys sometimes do.
And so like, I get that. Like sometimes you just need to
(15:56):
like lay there and be pinned to the ground by your kids while
they're giving you a noogie and be like, OK, I'm, I'm absorbing
my, my earth energy. Yeah, I love that.
So I just so wow. So you just moved into the
neighborhood to be in, I know everyone now is like looking up
houses for sale in your area. That's right.
(16:19):
They're going to be like, what'sright?
A sanctuary. A school.
Like I didn't even mention there's an amazing herbal
apothecary in our downtown called Tonic and super amazing.
I mean, there's custom formulas like tinctures, dried herbs,
body care. And I have this amazing
(16:43):
opportunity to Co lead this herbal clinic we're starting.
I'll Co lead it in the fall withAshley Davis who runs the
school. She's got a three-year clinical
training, but it's just local, not online.
And we we're running a low cost herbal clinic.
So for $25, anyone in the community can get a consult and
(17:05):
it's just the lead herbalist with herbal students.
So the students get a chance to actually practice and be
supported and how to create formulas and how to do an
intake. So that's just fell in my lap
again to, to start doing that. And I, I love just giving, you
know, low cost herbal medicine to people in the community is
(17:28):
also a nice addition to my mission, I think.
Wow, that's awesome. How cool.
Like, I just think that's so freaking amazing.
We have lots of cool people in this community, so if you ever
around Shepherdstown, WV, it's it's quite a magical little
(17:48):
place. Oh wow, it sounds like.
How did you end up there? My husband, you know, he's into
Civil War stuff, just history and basically found this area on
a map and was like there's the Antietam battlefield like 10
minutes from us. Like there's so many historical
places. Shepherdstown was very pivotal,
(18:10):
hospitals during Civil War and such.
So basically he looked on a map and we're like we, you know,
climate wise, this is really nice.
It's not too, it is hot. It's going to be really hot next
week, but. Yeah, I know, right, but.
You still get snow and there's seasons, right?
So we then and there was that. We basically put it like picked
(18:31):
it on a map, came down here, spent a week camping with our
kids. And we're like, are we going to
do this? Yeah, We're going to sell our
house. We're going to uproot and we're
going to find a new location. And it's taking time.
Like it takes time to build a community, especially when
you're working and parenting andlife is busy.
But it's, it's slowly evolving for me and for him.
(18:55):
And our kids are doing great here.
And yeah, we're happy. I just, I, I mean, I was saying
before we even started recording, like, I don't know if
people know this about me, but West Virginia I think is the
most beautiful place in the United States.
And I've always thought that I remember I was 15 years old with
the man who is my husband now and we are driving a cross
(19:17):
country long story. But when I woke up when we were
driving, the sun was coming up over the mountains in West
Virginia. And I remember saying this is
probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life.
So I definitely, I mean, I like our, our, our mountains and in
Virginia, but I just think there's something special and
(19:38):
magical about West Virginia thata lot of people don't know.
And they really it's kind of like one of those hidden gems of
just beauty and the people are just really super nice.
So when you said WI was like, Ohmy gosh, I'm a little I'm a
little jealous. You're.
Welcome in. Too far away, but you know, I
think it's just cool how we how people end up places and, you
(20:01):
know. So what is coming up for you?
Let's see, I'm basically it's well, my big life thing is
sending my eldest kid off to college.
So my summer is about hanging with the family and I just
teaching. I was teaching a bunch teaching
(20:22):
for intermediate level students,advanced level students, my Viva
la vulva. So I'm taking a little break.
I'm planting, just working with my gardens, harvesting, and then
fall herb clinic starts up. We take the summer off, probably
teach a Viva la vulva class again for women in the
(20:45):
community, and keep doing my other job.
Thankfully I have help now. An amazing nurse practitioner
that I trained for six months has now officially started.
And now I do not have to carry the load by myself, which I
think is a good lesson for all women of like, you can have your
mission, but it's OK to have help too.
And like you do not have to do it all by yourself, like
(21:09):
advocate for help because I think we're a lot of us take on
like, this is my responsibility.This is so important to me.
But then we have this idea we have to do it alone.
And I think that's the big thingI'm seeing in mental health,
right as women are feeling superisolated.
(21:29):
They feel like they're the only ones going through it, and
people are going through it for sure.
Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely. I agree with you.
I definitely agree with you. I feel like a lot of people
they'll call to talk to me abouttheir homework, but it has
nothing to do with their homework.
You know what I mean? Like I'm like, I'm like, I take
classes every year to make sure I can like handle stuff better.
(21:52):
So obviously you do in your job,but it's just like I try to keep
some of the, the other skills upbecause it's like all of our,
all of our work is kind of growing and expanding and taking
on different formats. And so it sounds like here's
this too. So I like that message that you
share with people like you don'thave to do it.
(22:14):
All and we definitely feel like we do, but I feel like I'm
moving in the phase of like I don't have to prove anything
anymore and that seems to be a theme among like high achieving
women or just like this need to be productive all the time and
what does that look like and what is non productivity
(22:35):
actually isn't that relaxation Isn't that just being there are
things as I age. I'm just you know, naturally are
coming up as I have more space, even though my life sounds busy
it's you know, the parenting journey changes and they're more
independent leaving the nest. I'm like wow, there's like space
to do things. You know, it's a it's a
(22:58):
reclamation in a way of things that were really important to me
and I'm grateful to bring them back as part of my daily.
But I think that we're all feeling very isolated and any
chance we can to make that community.
That's why we had an herbal gathering here last weekend at
my friend's farm. And just like, you know, 80s, I
(23:21):
don't know how many people were there, but just that coming
together, I think it's so important.
So if it's finding your plant people or finding who your
people are, circles, something to just make you feel connected
to other humans on a regular basis.
So important. Oh, I agree.
(23:42):
And I do love what you're sayingabout reaching out.
So in my, in my work, I will, you know, I have like a
therapist that when work gets bad, we just make a few
appointments. And I don't mean bad in a bad
way, just mean like bad, like there's a lot of stuff going on
way. Or like during COVID, I was
(24:02):
like, wow, students are emailingme 24 hours a day, seven days a
week and wanted me to answer them now or hospitals are
calling to verify stuff. And I was like, you know what,
I'm going to get someone on speed dial my own therapist and
be like, just so I could like work it through and vent and
make sure. Because I think if we don't do
that, we're going to suffer fromburnout.
And I think that's what you werealluding to, like this idea that
(24:23):
if we do it all, you know, or ifwe're going to crash.
And so I'd love that you say that.
So thank you for reminding us all he's better.
Yeah, it's all live lessons, just things I keep working on
myself. You know, everything you hear in
others is is a reflection sometimes for yourself.
So the people I see who are suffering, I can resonate with
(24:48):
so much that they're saying, andI'm not there to heal them.
I'm just there to hold space so they can see what they need to
do, right? Trust their guidance.
So that's how I look at being anherbalist, being a healthcare
provider. I'm there to hold space and
bring whatever tools I have thatmight be helpful at that time.
(25:09):
But most of us, we know what we need to do.
We just could use the guide and the cheerleader and the person
who just cuts through and says, yeah, you, you already know you
could do it when you got this. Yeah, yeah.
Like you, you know how to advocate for yourself.
So let's do this. Yeah.
(25:30):
Yeah. Like I can't do this for you.
Let's let's. Yeah.
No, I think that's great. So is there any.
I'm going to let you go here soon because we'd like to keep
these under 40 minutes just because people listen better
that way. But is there any, anything else
that you want to share with us about your work or what you're
(25:51):
doing or ways people can contactyou, get in touch with you?
Because I think a lot of people who are going to be like, I want
to go to this, these, these classes.
OK, well, you know, right now pretty much I'm a, I'm a in
person provider, like herbalist here.
I'm not doing really anything online, but that always expands
(26:14):
for me as life shifts and I'm always happy to just be a
resource. Like I love helping.
I think as I age my role is to more helping like people who are
20 years younger, right? And they're like starting that
journey. I love talking with people who
are just like beginning a journey.
And maybe I can shed some light on, hey, this is a way you can
(26:39):
kind of uniquely like bridge being a medical provider, being
a herbalist, or hey, I'm, I'm wondering about Demetrius
programs. Which one do you recommend for
me at this point? I, I can help people guide, you
know, guide them that way. But right now I just have my
website so people can find me todo local consults.
Everything's super word of mouthfor me, and that's how this
(27:01):
community rolls. It's just word of mouth, which I
love. But beccaday.com.
I will be. And it's DAYE, right?
Yeah. OK.
OK. Good, good.
I want to make sure that people find you.
So thank you so much for being here today.
I really appreciate it. I can't wait to see more of what
your your work as it grows and expands.
(27:25):
And I would love to have you on again sometime and so we can
catch up and see like how thingshave changed.
And I just know that I've alwaysbeen so impressed with
everything that I see that you're doing.
So thank you for sharing so muchwith the world because I don't
(27:47):
think people realize what's out there and that we get stuck on a
few people doing things and thenthey're the only things and
there is so much more out there.And so I just love that you're
out there in your community, serving your community, asking
(28:07):
the question every day. How can I be of service?
How can I? And that's just amazing to me.
And that's a good reminder for me to get my ass out there and
do more of that myself because it's good.
It's good to make connections and fall in love with your
community more. So I do love that.
(28:28):
So thank you for that reminder. Well, thank you.
You'll, you'll always, you know,be this special place in my
heart, Demetria. I'm going to cry.
Thing about and I alluded to it,the whole the midwifery thing,
and I was like, she's always been a family practitioner since
(28:51):
the day. And you know, it's just so funny
like that, that feeling that like this person knows some
shit, you know, and I was just so I was so I was so I'm so glad
I got to meet you and I'm so glad that I get to see all the
things that you're doing becauseit's so impressive and you just
(29:12):
radiate. You radiate so much love and
compassion and thoughtfulness and you you have since the
second that I met you actually, I have to find it.
I have a picture of you someplace in a garden with a big
hat on. I still have that hat and I wear
the. And I have to find it.
If I find it, I will send it to you because I said to my
(29:34):
husband, I said, oh, yeah, I'm, you know, I'm talking to this,
that former student. And he goes, who was it?
He said, the one who's wearing the big white hat and the
picture. He goes, oh, I remember that.
I would love to that was. Like a million years ago, Yeah.
I mean my kids are like 6 feet tall now.
All grown-ups like I didn't, I was a baby.
(29:57):
You know, it's like 20 something.
I just and I I think it's just cool to have that shared
history. And yeah, you've always been
this like minded spirit for me. Oh, well, that's so sweet to
hear. I'm just so glad we got to talk.
And so thank you everyone for listening.
And we're going to let Becca Dayget back to her day.
(30:19):
So I appreciate you being here with us today.
And when we put the buy up, we'll put up the link to your
website so people can find you. So thank you so much for being
here. Bye.
Hi, this is Dimitri Clark, the director of Harder Verbs Herbal
School. And today I'm Harder Verbs
Herbal School podcast. I know it's a mouthful.
We are here with Becca Day and Becca is going to share her
herbal journey. And I will start off by just a
little like disclaimer, Becca studied with me in 2004, right?
(00:31):
So welcome and and please let usknow a little bit about you.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for
having me. Yeah.
As I was reflecting on this podcast, Dmitri, I realized, oh,
my God, I studied with you 20 years ago.
Feels like in a completely different lifetime.
Even my husband remembers you. He came up to your place in
(00:55):
Vermont. He was.
So cute. He was so sweet, I remember him
too. Yeah, so like you're part of my,
you know, herbal mentor lineage and it's, it's really cool to
be, you know, doing this circle again with 20 years under our
belts of life and reflecting back.
But it was just a really cool time coming up to your place in
(01:18):
Vermont. And just, it was my first real
apprenticeship. So I've been studying like
plants and books. But to really work with an
herbalist and go out be with theplants and make medicine was
such a gift. I'll always remember it.
Oh, thank you so much. Well, you were one of those
students that obviously stick out in someone's mind because 20
(01:42):
years later, I want to connect with you.
So I appreciate you so much. So tell us, what is it that you
do and how did your herbal journey begin?
Yeah, so herbal Journey began when I was like 19.
I took some time off from college just like a gap year and
was like, what the heck do I want to do?
I love plants, I love all sorts of things, science.
(02:06):
And then I got into herbs and then it just became this like
lifelong passion. And I, I sway towards the
clinical herbalism world, but also growing herbs and making
medicine. So I've just gathered lots of
trainings and different ways of approaching herbs throughout my
(02:27):
life, and that's continued untilnow.
I never stop. But then I actually, right when
I was studying with you, I was in midwifery school at Yale.
And it was like such a differentcontrast.
And I reflect actually in my journal that I have from
Demetrius class like 20 years ago, just like this conflict of
(02:48):
me feeling like I want to serve all these women.
I really felt drawn to be a midwife.
I knew that midwives traditionally throughout time
had used herbs as part of their healing, not just for women in
childbirth, but actually throughthe lifespan and really felt
like halt to it. So they both merged.
But then being in traditional, even a community health based
(03:12):
clinic when I was interning and graduating, it just, it's hard.
It was hard to mesh it like there's no, you know, there's no
algorithm for it. Like no one's really not many
people are doing it. So it's kind of been a lifelong
journey of how do I merge these two worlds of being a medical
provider and being an herbalist at heart.
(03:33):
Like knowing I've that truly lights me up and brings me joy.
So I I continue to explore it. Right now.
I work was the midwife for like 18 years and mostly did
gynecology and prenatal post Natal care.
I kind of stayed out of the delivery room just because I
wanted a different lifestyle. I didn't want to be on call all
(03:54):
the time. Found my passion doing that.
It's amazing. Continued studying herbs, doing
clinical trainings. I'm seeing clients on the side.
And now let's see 2021 I graduated.
I went back to school in my 40s,surprisingly became a
psychiatric nurse practitioner because I was working with
(04:16):
patients or, you know, my women,seeing them.
I'm in West Virginia now, and I had no one to send them to.
They were all struggling with their mental health.
I didn't feel like I knew enoughhow to handle the more complex
things. So I just said, you know what,
I'm going to become that person and ended up having amazing
mentors throughout that process.And now I've created like a
(04:40):
whole service line at a hospitaland really been embraced by the
chief medical officer and like all these higher ups to just
say, cool, what do you need? Like, and I'm just got hired and
another person to help me do what I do because I can't see
all the women I need to see. So it's really near and dear to
my heart to work with women. That was my calling at 19 and I
(05:05):
have never swayed in some capacity or other.
I've always been working with women and now I get to work as
an herbalist in my local community and also as a a
practitioner seeing patients whootherwise might not have access
to compassionate trauma informedcare.
So that's kind of, in a nutshell, what I do.
(05:28):
Oh my gosh, that's incredible. OK, so totally not surprised,
right? Like you just had that vibe even
way back then. But I will say, you said
something that really struck me.And I think people forget that
herbalist and midwives were the first family practitioners, you
know? And so you're really kind of
(05:50):
almost going back to the very ancient form of care where
because midwives would take careof the whole family, herbalist
take care of the whole family. And, and it's only in recent
times, probably in the last few 100 years that that was even
divided between, you know, so it's just so cool to me that you
(06:14):
were not only just doing it, butlike you were really doing it.
And then the mental health component.
So I live in a maternal desert. So, you know, access to care is
really crazy for people who are pregnant or need other kinds of
care. Of course, that's that happened
(06:35):
right after I moved here. The hospital hang on, let's say
I moved someplace and they closed down their Family
Services. But I know that West Virginia
has its own deserts. And so it sounds to me like you
are you're filling in that, thatvoid, that mental health void,
which is like, I mean, it's not just West Virginia, it's
(06:58):
everywhere in the United States.So wow.
I mean, that's pretty freaking incredible.
So what is that like for you? What?
Which part exactly? Just doing well.
I don't know, like I guess all of it, like how, how do you find
the the balance and then how do you assess what your community
needs? Oh, got it.
(07:18):
Yeah, I mean, for me, throughoutmy life, I just think I have a
natural ability to just listen and observe, right?
That's so literally. It was just so apparent to me
that this was a huge need, just maternal mental health care.
I also work with women who have had pregnancy loss and then just
(07:41):
like, hey, how do I make this happen?
I will say our community, it's very small of doctors, midwives,
but we are everyone here is likejust super committed to patient
care. I have met such amazing people,
the O BS, the midwives, everyone.
Once I said this is what I'm doing, they embraced it so
(08:04):
wholeheartedly. You know, OBGY NS were like,
please see them all. And it's just this constant
referral base and it tells me how many women need help because
my practice is just full. I mean, I can't like, I can't
see everybody in the timely manner.
That's how big it is. But I think anywhere, if you
(08:25):
have a passion and it what you want to do doesn't exist, you
can create it. Like you can be that innovator.
You can be that person who says this is what needs to happen.
Figure out who the people are tosupport you and go learn what
you need to learn to feel confident to do it.
But also know you get confident by practicing anything
(08:48):
herbalism, medical, you, you don't have to arrive and be
perfect. You just have to show up and do
your best and continually learn and listen to people you're
seeing. And I think we could do
tremendous things, whether it's wanting to do mental health,
merging mental health and herbs is such an amazing Ave.
(09:10):
If anybody else out there wants to create that, that would be
embraced, I'm sure, by your community.
People are looking for solutions.
We don't have awesome solutions for everybody right now.
Just in the modern pharma world,it's limited.
It's not really doing what people are looking for.
Like it's band dating, but it's not it's not quite it.
(09:35):
So we need great people to listen, counselors, people who
know how to work with the body, know how to prescribe
medications or clinical herbalists or family community
herbalists. There's so many avenues to be of
change. And I just this is my
philosophy. I'm just how can I be of
service? Like that's how I enter the
(09:57):
world and I felt that since I was 19.
So I just keep going back to that.
How can I be of service but alsoknowing I've got to take care of
myself to SO? Yep.
Did I lose you? So I think it's great that you
(10:26):
were saying how can I be of service?
I've always joked that I have two like running jokes in my
life. They told me that I could have
it all. They didn't tell me I had to do
it all. That's like a running thing.
I feel like a lot of women feel like that.
Like holy crap, like you said, Icould have it all.
I mean, literally, I'm doing everything and then show me the
(10:49):
problem because I'm one of theselike, I can come up with like a
million solutions to any problem.
So when you were saying like the, the, you know, where can I
be a service? How can I, you know, I'm just
like, Oh, I love that so much because I really feel like you,
you are the epitome of that. As I snooped around on your,
(11:09):
your bio, nice reading. I was like, Oh my gosh, like, so
you are a, you are a Walker, notjust a talker.
And I love that. I really love that.
I think that more people need tounderstand that we can all make
a, a cool whatever, but we've got to deliver it and offer it
(11:31):
and, and, and be able to say this is something that's of
value and I want to help you andconnect with you.
And it's not just about a sound bite or a little video or, or
whatever, right? Like, so I love that you do
that. So I would have been one of the
some of the greatest challenges in doing the work that you do.
(11:53):
I think it's staying within a system that makes there's a lot
of rigidness around it. I mean, I have to see a lot of
patients every day. But you do.
I'm so busy, but I look at it asI'm honored to be able to do
that. But that is the contract.
(12:15):
When you're in what I do, that'smy full time job.
It is a. You're expected to be able to do
this and you better keep up. Wow, So what do you do to
decompress from that? Yeah, so it's my herb gardens
like I. They're nice.
(12:36):
Virginia I knew from 8 years agofrom like Northwest or Western
Mass up near Vermont. So you know, really well using
like super short here. Just like spring begins in
March. And I'm lucky to live down the
road from a friend that owns an herbal sanctuary.
(12:59):
Yeah, like I literally bought a house and then I realized, Oh my
God, she lives down the road. So that's been amazing.
I teach herbal classes there now.
I do herbal consults in on her property so this morning I.
Can people find you there? Yeah.
So if you look up my name Becca BECCADAY e.com, that's my direct
(13:26):
thing to work with me. But my friend sanctuary is
called Sacred Roots Herbal Sanctuary and we're in
Shepherdstown, WV and it's just this beautiful property.
She's growing so many medicinal herbs.
It's it is her passion, her mission, and she teaches people
how to grow herbs. We have lots of community events
(13:47):
there. So it's been such a blessing to
get a mentor too in the growing process, right.
So there's so many ways you can be an herbalist.
You can be a grower and you know, the community herbalist or
I'm doing kind of the clinical and teaching.
So it's been what such a blessing to be there and just
(14:09):
taught a class called Viva La Vulva that was super.
And there's been a call to do itagain in the fall cause a lot of
women in the community were like, I didn't get to go.
I want to, I want to do that. So amazing to just bring like
midlife women together to talk about our bodies and changes and
what we could do to support it herbally.
(14:30):
And also just like learn real anatomy, talk about things that
are not talked about or. It's not all the vagina.
These are the parts like super cool, but just that
conversation, women were just like at the end, just women
(14:51):
holding space together is is sacred.
And I felt like completely honored to be there and do that.
So that's been my my balance. How I keep myself balance is I
have built my community of friends and like minded people
and just being out with the plants.
(15:14):
I literally throughout the winter would just put on a parka
and go out, sit there and just be supported by them and Mother
Earth because I I need to have this well of energy to tap into.
And that's what they're, they keep telling me they're like,
we're here, we got you, just keep doing your work.
(15:34):
We will support you. Yeah, no, it's so nice.
I remember when my kids were little, sometimes we'd go
wrestle out in the yard 'cause Ijust really needed to connect,
but I needed to be a mom at the same time.
And they were always like into wrestling and, you know, all
this kind of stuff that little, little guys sometimes do.
And so like, I get that. Like sometimes you just need to
(15:56):
like lay there and be pinned to the ground by your kids while
they're giving you a noogie and be like, OK, I'm, I'm absorbing
my, my earth energy. Yeah, I love that.
So I just so wow. So you just moved into the
neighborhood to be in, I know everyone now is like looking up
houses for sale in your area. That's right.
(16:19):
They're going to be like, what'sright?
A sanctuary. A school.
Like I didn't even mention there's an amazing herbal
apothecary in our downtown called Tonic and super amazing.
I mean, there's custom formulas like tinctures, dried herbs,
body care. And I have this amazing
(16:43):
opportunity to Co lead this herbal clinic we're starting.
I'll Co lead it in the fall withAshley Davis who runs the
school. She's got a three-year clinical
training, but it's just local, not online.
And we we're running a low cost herbal clinic.
So for $25, anyone in the community can get a consult and
(17:05):
it's just the lead herbalist with herbal students.
So the students get a chance to actually practice and be
supported and how to create formulas and how to do an
intake. So that's just fell in my lap
again to, to start doing that. And I, I love just giving, you
know, low cost herbal medicine to people in the community is
(17:28):
also a nice addition to my mission, I think.
Wow, that's awesome. How cool.
Like, I just think that's so freaking amazing.
We have lots of cool people in this community, so if you ever
around Shepherdstown, WV, it's it's quite a magical little
(17:48):
place. Oh wow, it sounds like.
How did you end up there? My husband, you know, he's into
Civil War stuff, just history and basically found this area on
a map and was like there's the Antietam battlefield like 10
minutes from us. Like there's so many historical
places. Shepherdstown was very pivotal,
(18:10):
hospitals during Civil War and such.
So basically he looked on a map and we're like we, you know,
climate wise, this is really nice.
It's not too, it is hot. It's going to be really hot next
week, but. Yeah, I know, right, but.
You still get snow and there's seasons, right?
So we then and there was that. We basically put it like picked
(18:31):
it on a map, came down here, spent a week camping with our
kids. And we're like, are we going to
do this? Yeah, We're going to sell our
house. We're going to uproot and we're
going to find a new location. And it's taking time.
Like it takes time to build a community, especially when
you're working and parenting andlife is busy.
But it's, it's slowly evolving for me and for him.
(18:55):
And our kids are doing great here.
And yeah, we're happy. I just, I, I mean, I was saying
before we even started recording, like, I don't know if
people know this about me, but West Virginia I think is the
most beautiful place in the United States.
And I've always thought that I remember I was 15 years old with
the man who is my husband now and we are driving a cross
(19:17):
country long story. But when I woke up when we were
driving, the sun was coming up over the mountains in West
Virginia. And I remember saying this is
probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life.
So I definitely, I mean, I like our, our, our mountains and in
Virginia, but I just think there's something special and
(19:38):
magical about West Virginia thata lot of people don't know.
And they really it's kind of like one of those hidden gems of
just beauty and the people are just really super nice.
So when you said WI was like, Ohmy gosh, I'm a little I'm a
little jealous. You're.
Welcome in. Too far away, but you know, I
think it's just cool how we how people end up places and, you
(20:01):
know. So what is coming up for you?
Let's see, I'm basically it's well, my big life thing is
sending my eldest kid off to college.
So my summer is about hanging with the family and I just
teaching. I was teaching a bunch teaching
(20:22):
for intermediate level students,advanced level students, my Viva
la vulva. So I'm taking a little break.
I'm planting, just working with my gardens, harvesting, and then
fall herb clinic starts up. We take the summer off, probably
teach a Viva la vulva class again for women in the
(20:45):
community, and keep doing my other job.
Thankfully I have help now. An amazing nurse practitioner
that I trained for six months has now officially started.
And now I do not have to carry the load by myself, which I
think is a good lesson for all women of like, you can have your
mission, but it's OK to have help too.
And like you do not have to do it all by yourself, like
(21:09):
advocate for help because I think we're a lot of us take on
like, this is my responsibility.This is so important to me.
But then we have this idea we have to do it alone.
And I think that's the big thingI'm seeing in mental health,
right as women are feeling superisolated.
(21:29):
They feel like they're the only ones going through it, and
people are going through it for sure.
Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely. I agree with you.
I definitely agree with you. I feel like a lot of people
they'll call to talk to me abouttheir homework, but it has
nothing to do with their homework.
You know what I mean? Like I'm like, I'm like, I take
classes every year to make sure I can like handle stuff better.
(21:52):
So obviously you do in your job,but it's just like I try to keep
some of the, the other skills upbecause it's like all of our,
all of our work is kind of growing and expanding and taking
on different formats. And so it sounds like here's
this too. So I like that message that you
share with people like you don'thave to do it.
(22:14):
All and we definitely feel like we do, but I feel like I'm
moving in the phase of like I don't have to prove anything
anymore and that seems to be a theme among like high achieving
women or just like this need to be productive all the time and
what does that look like and what is non productivity
(22:35):
actually isn't that relaxation Isn't that just being there are
things as I age. I'm just you know, naturally are
coming up as I have more space, even though my life sounds busy
it's you know, the parenting journey changes and they're more
independent leaving the nest. I'm like wow, there's like space
to do things. You know, it's a it's a
(22:58):
reclamation in a way of things that were really important to me
and I'm grateful to bring them back as part of my daily.
But I think that we're all feeling very isolated and any
chance we can to make that community.
That's why we had an herbal gathering here last weekend at
my friend's farm. And just like, you know, 80s, I
(23:21):
don't know how many people were there, but just that coming
together, I think it's so important.
So if it's finding your plant people or finding who your
people are, circles, something to just make you feel connected
to other humans on a regular basis.
So important. Oh, I agree.
(23:42):
And I do love what you're sayingabout reaching out.
So in my, in my work, I will, you know, I have like a
therapist that when work gets bad, we just make a few
appointments. And I don't mean bad in a bad
way, just mean like bad, like there's a lot of stuff going on
way. Or like during COVID, I was
(24:02):
like, wow, students are emailingme 24 hours a day, seven days a
week and wanted me to answer them now or hospitals are
calling to verify stuff. And I was like, you know what,
I'm going to get someone on speed dial my own therapist and
be like, just so I could like work it through and vent and
make sure. Because I think if we don't do
that, we're going to suffer fromburnout.
And I think that's what you werealluding to, like this idea that
(24:23):
if we do it all, you know, or ifwe're going to crash.
And so I'd love that you say that.
So thank you for reminding us all he's better.
Yeah, it's all live lessons, just things I keep working on
myself. You know, everything you hear in
others is is a reflection sometimes for yourself.
So the people I see who are suffering, I can resonate with
(24:48):
so much that they're saying, andI'm not there to heal them.
I'm just there to hold space so they can see what they need to
do, right? Trust their guidance.
So that's how I look at being anherbalist, being a healthcare
provider. I'm there to hold space and
bring whatever tools I have thatmight be helpful at that time.
(25:09):
But most of us, we know what we need to do.
We just could use the guide and the cheerleader and the person
who just cuts through and says, yeah, you, you already know you
could do it when you got this. Yeah, yeah.
Like you, you know how to advocate for yourself.
So let's do this. Yeah.
(25:30):
Yeah. Like I can't do this for you.
Let's let's. Yeah.
No, I think that's great. So is there any.
I'm going to let you go here soon because we'd like to keep
these under 40 minutes just because people listen better
that way. But is there any, anything else
that you want to share with us about your work or what you're
(25:51):
doing or ways people can contactyou, get in touch with you?
Because I think a lot of people who are going to be like, I want
to go to this, these, these classes.
OK, well, you know, right now pretty much I'm a, I'm a in
person provider, like herbalist here.
I'm not doing really anything online, but that always expands
(26:14):
for me as life shifts and I'm always happy to just be a
resource. Like I love helping.
I think as I age my role is to more helping like people who are
20 years younger, right? And they're like starting that
journey. I love talking with people who
are just like beginning a journey.
And maybe I can shed some light on, hey, this is a way you can
(26:39):
kind of uniquely like bridge being a medical provider, being
a herbalist, or hey, I'm, I'm wondering about Demetrius
programs. Which one do you recommend for
me at this point? I, I can help people guide, you
know, guide them that way. But right now I just have my
website so people can find me todo local consults.
Everything's super word of mouthfor me, and that's how this
(27:01):
community rolls. It's just word of mouth, which I
love. But beccaday.com.
I will be. And it's DAYE, right?
Yeah. OK.
OK. Good, good.
I want to make sure that people find you.
So thank you so much for being here today.
I really appreciate it. I can't wait to see more of what
your your work as it grows and expands.
(27:25):
And I would love to have you on again sometime and so we can
catch up and see like how thingshave changed.
And I just know that I've alwaysbeen so impressed with
everything that I see that you're doing.
So thank you for sharing so muchwith the world because I don't
(27:47):
think people realize what's out there and that we get stuck on a
few people doing things and thenthey're the only things and
there is so much more out there.And so I just love that you're
out there in your community, serving your community, asking
(28:07):
the question every day. How can I be of service?
How can I? And that's just amazing to me.
And that's a good reminder for me to get my ass out there and
do more of that myself because it's good.
It's good to make connections and fall in love with your
community more. So I do love that.
(28:28):
So thank you for that reminder. Well, thank you.
You'll, you'll always, you know,be this special place in my
heart, Demetria. I'm going to cry.
Thing about and I alluded to it,the whole the midwifery thing,
and I was like, she's always been a family practitioner since
(28:51):
the day. And you know, it's just so funny
like that, that feeling that like this person knows some
shit, you know, and I was just so I was so I was so I'm so glad
I got to meet you and I'm so glad that I get to see all the
things that you're doing becauseit's so impressive and you just
(29:12):
radiate. You radiate so much love and
compassion and thoughtfulness and you you have since the
second that I met you actually, I have to find it.
I have a picture of you someplace in a garden with a big
hat on. I still have that hat and I wear
the. And I have to find it.
If I find it, I will send it to you because I said to my
(29:34):
husband, I said, oh, yeah, I'm, you know, I'm talking to this,
that former student. And he goes, who was it?
He said, the one who's wearing the big white hat and the
picture. He goes, oh, I remember that.
I would love to that was. Like a million years ago, Yeah.
I mean my kids are like 6 feet tall now.
All grown-ups like I didn't, I was a baby.
(29:57):
You know, it's like 20 something.
I just and I I think it's just cool to have that shared
history. And yeah, you've always been
this like minded spirit for me. Oh, well, that's so sweet to
hear. I'm just so glad we got to talk.
And so thank you everyone for listening.
And we're going to let Becca Dayget back to her day.
(30:19):
So I appreciate you being here with us today.
And when we put the buy up, we'll put up the link to your
website so people can find you. So thank you so much for being
here. Bye.
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