Our Instructors

Ashley Davis

Founder, Director & Primary Instructor

Ashley Davis is a clinical herbalist, permaculturist, and co-founder of Tonic Herb Shop in Shepherdstown, WV.

She took her first herbal medicine class while still in college in Vermont, studying anthropology & visual art. She immediately fell in love with the herbs and connections that she found between gardening, medicine-making, art & spirituality.

After college, Ashley moved to Charlottesville, VA where she continued to study Permaculture and herbal medicine. She completed a 3 year clinical training program with Kat Maier through Sacred Plant Traditions.

After moving to WV, she began to see clients, teach workshops, and make herbal products from her home. She completed a 500 hr certification in Ayurvedic Nutrition through the Joyful Belly Institute in 2014. And in 2016, she opened  Tonic Herb Shop along with her intrepid partner, Carmela Cesare. From here, she continue to deepen and expand her knowledge through interacting with customers, seeing clients, teaching, writing, attending conferences and formulating products.

She has over 13 years of clinical and teaching experience. The Sacred Garden School is now in its 7th year, and the teachings continue to grow and deepen with each passing year.

Elizabeth Baker

Elizabeth Baker

Guest Lecturer

Elizabeth is an herbal practitioner, nurse practitioner, and energy worker. She was also a student at Sacred Garden School in 2020. Elizabeth has also studied with Aviva Romm, with much of her nursing career spent in labor and delivery, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and women’s health. Elizabeth incorporates energetic medicine, functional medicine and nutrition into her practice. Most recently, she has been focusing on mineral restoration to help her clients achieve optimal wellness.

Amy Boldt

Amy Boldt

Guest Lecturer

Amy is a clinical herbalist, currently living in Westminster, MD, where she offers holistic consultations and manages a small herb farm. You can find Amy selling her homegrown herbs and remedies at the Westminster Farmer‘s Market. Having struggled with digestive issues most of her life, Amy came to herbalism through personal experience, and went back to school to obtain a Masters in Therapeutic Herbalism from Maryland University of Integrative Health (now called Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Integrative Health). Amy’s practice is focused on GI health, anxiety, sleep, and getting people back into their natural rhythms.

Becca Daye

Becca Daye

Guest Lecturer

Becca is a clinical herbalist, nurse practitioner and certified nurse-midwife. Becca has been studying herbal medicine for almost 3 decades, while also practicing in the world of allopathic medicine and focusing on women‘s health and perinatal mental health. She teaches the women’s reproductive health classes at Sacred Garden School, and this year will be co-teaching the clinical practicum with Ashley.

Geo Giordano

Geo Derrick

Guest Lecturer

Geo Derick, MSc, RH(AHG) is founder of Geo‘s Joy Herbal Medicine, LLC. She is also a founding owner of the Sanctuary Wellness Center in Berryville, VA. Geo received her Master’s degree in Herbal Medicine from Tai Sophia Institute (now the Maryland University of Integrative Health) in 2008 and has been a practicing clinical herbalist ever since. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University.

Kimber Hyatt

Kimber Hyatt

Guest Lecturer

Kimber teaches our Intro to Ayurveda class. Kimber started practicing yoga in 2005 and completed her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in 2012 and her 300 hr Advanced Yoga teacher training soon after. In 2017 Kimber completed her 600hr training as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor and in 2018 at Kirpalu. She has also studied through Sacred Garden School and loves to show students how to maintain health and balance through the changing seasons with the help of yoga, food and herbs.

Kat Maier

Kat Maier

Guest Lecturer

Kat Maier, RH (AHG) is the founder and director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a center for herbal studies in Charlottesville, VA. She has been in clinical practice for over 30 years and is the author of Energetic Herbalism, founder of the non-profit called Botanica Mobile Clinic, and has been an Earth advocate and teacher of herbal wisdom for over three decades.

Meaghan Thompson

Meaghan Thompson

Guest Lecturer

Meaghan is an herbalist, doula, artist and founder of Blooming Mountains Botanical Sanctuary where she and her husband grow dozens of medicinal plants. They offer a fresh plant CSA, herbal consultations, classes and hand-made herbal remedies. Meaghan has studied and worked with herbs for over 10 years and completed clinical training with Teresa Boardwine of the Green Comfort School. She has been a guest teacher with us since 2020, leading the tongue & pulse and Hydrosol-making classes each year.