The Dancing Willow

Being sexy is the byproduct of embodiment: slowing down, feeling yourself more deeply. In this episode we explore how movement and herbal medicine can help facilitate this feeling and bring you back into relationship with your body. Join herbalist Elliott Brinkley and dancer and movement teacher Ana Hyatt in a conversation around  sensual movement, somatic awareness, dance, embodiment, vulnerabili...

Sophia Rose used to spend her days doing what she called "the traveling medicine show", where she was wildcrafting, teaching and selling herbs as she road tripped around the country. Now her life looks really different as she landed on her 2.5 acre homestead in Truchas, a rural town in northern New Mexico- it looks slower, more intimate, and rooted in her local community of plants &...

Herbalism becomes far more sustainable when it is woven into the meals, rhythms, and rituals that already shape our days. In this episode, Elliott is joined by Sarah Kate Benjamin, herbalist, private chef, author, and creator of The Kosmic Kitchen.  Sarah Kate shares how chronic fatigue and depletion first led her to bring herbalism out of the tincture bottle and into her everyday food. What began...

Herbalist and phytochemist Lisa Ganora returns to the podcast for a lively exploration of herbal constituents and the ways plants communicate with the body. We talk about the tingling alkylamides found in echinacea and spilanthes, immunomodulating polysaccharides, carotenoids, mucilage, and how different medicine-making methods extract different aspects of a plant. Lisa also shares stories about b...

Most of us know lei as something beautiful- flowers placed around the neck in welcome or celebration- but in this conversation, herbalist Keya Guimaraes invites us into lei as formula, prayer, ritual, and medicine. Together, Elliott & Keya explore Hawaiian herbalism, lei making as medicine, and what it means to become naturalized to the land beneath your feet. This conversation moves through b...

What if the summer solstice is not just about celebrating the light, but learning how to truly receive it? This solo episode, Elliott Brinkley explores herbs for the summer solstice, including St. John’s Wort, Mugwort, Lavender, Rose, Elderflower, and the sun-faced plants of the Asteraceae family. Through seasonal herbalism, plant folklore, and practical medicine, this episode looks at how midsumm...

Honey is more than a sweetener- it is a spiritual substance born from land, flower, bee, and devotion. This conversation with Courtney Cosgriff of Honeybee Herbals is a journey into the mystery, medicine, and ancient wisdom of bees. More than a discussion about honey or pollination, this episode invites us into the hive as a living temple- a place of devotion, protection, nourishment, transformati...

Are you dreaming of building an herbal garden, or just curious what it actually looks like to begin? In this cozy solo episode, clinical herbalist, Elliott Brinkley shares the story of building a brand-new herbal garden on raw land- starting with compact clay soil, active deer, harsh sun, and a big dream. After years of focusing on building their home, Elliott and Aaron are finally in the process...

How do we find our way back into the body after trauma, pain, and the complete unraveling of the life we thought we were living? In this powerful episode of The Dancing Willow , Elliott Brinkley sits down with herbalist Emma Prescher to explore a healing journey that defies convention. After a near-fatal cycling accident left her with devastating injuries and an uncertain future, Emma turned not t...

This one is part adventure story, part herbal deep dive, and part reflection on what it means to come back to your most natural, human state. In this solo episode, clinical herbalist Elliott Brinkley returns from a once-in-a-lifetime rafting journey through the Grand Canyon- 280 miles of raw beauty, challenge, connection, medicinal plants and profound transformation. From navigating powerful rapid...

What if better sleep, balanced energy, and a calmer nervous system all started with one simple shift, how you begin your day? In this episode of The Dancing Willow , Elliott Brinkley sits down with clinical herbalist and Acorn Herb School founder Heather Luna to explore the real roots of chronic imbalance and the everyday practices that truly support healing. From gut health and sleep to nervous s...

Struggling with seasonal allergies, histamine intolerance, or chronic spring congestion? In this solo episode, clinical herbalist, Elliott Brinkley explores the root causes of spring allergies through a holistic and herbal lens. Rather than focusing only on pollen or quick-fix antihistamines, she breaks down the deeper terrain that shapes histamine overload- including mast cell activation, liver d...

Thinking about starting a medicinal herb garden but not sure where to begin? In this episode of The Dancing Willow , Elliott sits down with Crystal of Growing Creations Herb Farm for a rich, grounded conversation about biodynamic growing, medicinal herb farming in the high desert, and what it really looks like to build relationship with plants from seed to medicine. Crystal shares her journey into...

If you feel called to herbalism but don’t know where to begin, this episode is your starting point. In this solo episode with clinical herbalist, Elliott Brinkley, we return to the foundations- creating a soft landing place for beginner and budding herbalists alike. Elliott shares her early entry into working with plants, from the overwhelm of sitting with herbal books that felt like another langu...

Are you being unconsciously shaped by culture and being dreamed into a reality you didn’t intentionally choose? This episode is one for the feelers, the sensitives, and those who like to go deep. Elliott sits down with herbalist, writer, and teacher Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue to explore what it means to live, teach, and heal from the heart. Woven with poetry, ancestry, plant wisdom, and lived experie...

Aphrodisiacs aren’t just about sex. They can be utilized to help us deepen our love of life, and awaken pleasure with the world around us.  In this solo episode of The Dancing Willow Podcast , clinical herbalist, Elliott Brinkley explores herbal aphrodisiacs as allies for embodiment, pleasure, mood, creativity, and heart-centered connection, especially during the quiet, inward season of late winte...

What if gentle, intentional touch could realign your organs, regulate your cycle, ease digestion, and reconnect you to your body’s innate wisdom? In this episode of The Dancing Willow , Elliott sits down with longtime friend, licensed massage therapist, abdominal therapy practitioner, and artist, Cara Sheahan of Gold Pine Wellness for an intimate, wide-ranging conversation on abdominal massage, bo...

What if your New Year didn’t start with resolutions but with fire, intention, and deep relationship to the Earth? In this expansive and intimate episode of The Dancing Willow , Elliott sits down with her Uncle David Elliott, healer, teacher, and ceremonial leader, for a powerful conversation on ritual, intention-setting, and the living intelligence of the natural world. Recorded just before the Ne...

If you’re craving a grounding, calming episode to carry you through the darkest days of the year, this is the one to press play on. In this winter-solstice-timed conversation, Elliott takes us deep into the green heart of one of her favorite seasonal allies: pine, a plant that offers medicine for the body, steadiness for the spirit, and a gentle reminder that resilience lives in us, even during th...

If you’ve been craving a deeper way to move through winter, one that honors the mystery, the magic, and your personal inner fire, this conversation will feel like stepping into a portal. The winter solstice brings us into the darkest days of the year — a time when many of us feel pulled between the desire to slow down and the very real demands of December. In this deeply nourishing conversation, I...

The holidays are nearly here, and so is the opportunity to transform how we show up with the people we love-  with more regulation, presence, and real connection. In today’s conversation, Elliott is joined by Eliza Rose Kane to explore her new offering, Family Breathwork, a program designed to bring families together through nervous system regulation, emotional attunement, and being truly witnesse...

What if the key to lasting health isn’t the next super herb or supplement but removing what’s quietly draining your vitality? In this illuminating conversation, herbalist and teacher Paul Bergner joins Elliott Brinkley to explore the foundations of true healing through vitalist therapeutics addressing lifestyle, nutrition, and the spiritual dimensions of wellness. With over five decades of clinica...

As the wheel turns and the nights grow longer, we step into the liminal season of Samhain or Halloween - the Celtic New Year and the sacred threshold between worlds. In this solo episode, Elliott explores the herbal allies of protection and boundary-keeping that support us as we descend into the dark half of the year. From Yarrow and her tightening, astringent magic to Hawthorn’s thorny guardiansh...

Two besties, a pot of strong herbal decoction, and a year that tested their roots, this is a conversation about finding magic in the mess. In this deeply personal and heart-centered conversation, Elliott welcomes back one of her best friends and fellow “witchy sister of the West,” Katie Ramos, for an honest exploration of herbal magic, spirit dosing, resilience through hardship, and the power of r...

Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 people with a uterus, yet in the U.S. it still takes an average of 7 years to receive a diagnosis. In this episode, herbalist and teacher Kat Mackinnon joins host Elliott Brinkley to explore the often misunderstood condition of endometriosis, a journey that weaves together personal story, clinical insight, and the wisdom of plants. Together, they unpack: What endometr...