Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Waterman.
Hi Danielle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Since I was a pre-teen, health problems would constantly bother me. Whether it was skin problems, asthma attacks, muscular pains, or brain fog or emotional issues, there was always something off.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college in 2016 that I decided to finally do something about my health problems. I was the heaviest I’d ever weighed, I had horrible edema and breathing problems, my injuries from playing collegiate soccer weren’t healing, and I felt like every day was a constant struggle just to wake up and show up to my life, let alone be a student-athlete at such a high level. It was the toughest time in my life, and I was living 3,000 miles away from my family in the cold New York winter.
Thankfully, with the help and support of my now-fiancé, I slowly started to change my diet, lifestyle, and mentality around health. I was shifting from looking good to actually feeling good, having energy, and increasing my vitality through holistic modalities. By 2018, I was certified as a health coach, lost 30lbs naturally, and on the road to having my own coaching business.
In that same year, I moved back to California to be closer to my family. It was never my plan to move back, but there was something that called me to home. Little did I know this was going to be the last year that my grandfather, Jim, would be alive. He was my hero and reminded me every day to take life with a grain of salt and to look at the good in things. Unfortunately, his passing was sped up by inconsistent medical care, and one day I had asked him if he would be willing to stop taking his pills that so clearly seemed to make him sicker and he looked at me and said, “Are you willing to be responsible if I die?”. This question shook me to my core. I had no answer. I had nothing to do or say but watch him continue.
This story is not to highlight the errors of modern medicine; without it our entire population would face terrible and heinous illnesses. However, it’s to share that his question sparked something in me. Most of the diseases my grandpa Jim experienced were preventable through diet, lifestyle, and simple education, and had there been “something” to ease his pains in the last months, I would’ve given them to him, but I didn’t have anything. There was nothing that my current education and life experiences could have helped further. I was out of tools to give him. I prayed for an answer.
Fast forward to October 2020, almost a year after his passing, I was introduced to the world of Herbalism. It was as though my whole life had been preparing me for that one moment where I discovered the world of herbs and Vitalist nutrition. Immediately, I signed up for as many classes as I could and knew this path was for me. I soon found the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine through listening to podcasts and knew in my heart this was the school for me. My prayers had been answered.
Now, I am a Certified Herbalist and Nutritionist with over 1,000 hours of training, clinical work with clients, and practice with over 50+ herbs and preparations. I serve both the people in my community, and online and have a beautiful budding practice. I carry a lineage of Vitalist Traditions with such great honor, and my work has helped dozens of people. I work as an Herbalist, community Nutrition Educator, and I’ve recently started a new adventure with my business partner, Courtney, with facilitating wellness groups for women living with chronic illness. Our new business is called “Chronic Wellness Women.”
This journey has been one of many lessons, tribulations, and discipline, but seeing the results with clients, and remembering that at one point, I didn’t have any of these skills reminds me that my grandpa Jim left a legacy, a blessing that I will share hopefully with everyone I work with.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No smooth road bears good fruit! I’m being facetious 🙂 But yes, there has been many struggles like death of a loved one, the pandemic completely shutting down my health coaching business, losing my corporate job during the pandemic, situations in the family that led to me becoming an overnight full-time nanny to my four young brothers (ages 3,5,7 and 9 at the time), living 3,000 miles away from my now-fiancé for over 18 months, financial struggles, starting a soccer training business in 2020, being diagnosed with Endometriosis after a year of ER visits and declining health.
It has been A LOT, but it isn’t about asking “why” these things happened, rather “how” did these situations shape me into being a more considerate human and service provider to my clients. These struggles that happened truly helped me develop more kindness, patience, and humility along with cultivating more respect and dignity to those suffering with illness — of any kind.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an Herbalist and Nutritionist. My work is teaching people about herbs and nutrition in relation to a holistic lifestyle. I also provide clients with herbal preparations, supplement, and lifestyle protocols, and support through in-person or online meetings, our online wellness group “Chronic Wellness Women,” my podcast “The Vitality Project” text, email, and phone calls.
My specialty is working with chronic illnesses. I especially enjoy working with those afflicted with autoimmune issues, female reproductive issues, and cannabis habituation clients (those looking to quit cannabis use). My practice is based off of science, well-executed research studies, clinical work, and traditional wisdom.
My nickname is The Radical Herbalist, because my approach is quite different than most herbalists. I don’t just work with someone’s illness and give them an herb. I look at the person as being a whole ecology: personality, habits, diet, lifestyle, emotions, occupation, and the most important aspect, their calling in life.
What’s next?
My plans for the future are to continue growing this practice as long as I’m able to. I believe this work is for something greater than myself and I hope to continue to show up and do the good work.
The Chronic Wellness Women business is my newest baby and it’s my hope that this organization will be the community that those living with chronic illness will soon call their solace. By offering these wellness groups online and bi-weekly, we look to facilitate education, community, tools, and resources so that these women feel seen and heard, confident in their journey, and able to positively shift their mentality from illness to wellness.
I’m also getting married in November 2024! My fiancé and I have been together since I was 18, and he was 21. Our goal in life has always been to serve those in our community. He is currently owner of a soccer training company, Futbol DLC, and our big dream is to one day have a facility or academy to teach kids the proper foundations of soccer, movement, nutrition, and rehabilitation.
Pricing:
- $40 monthly membership to Chronic Wellness Women online wellness group
- $250 Clinical Intake & follow up with me
- $60 1 hour Herbal consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: theradicalherbalist.com
- Email: chronicwellnesswomen.com
- Instagram: @theradicalherbalist
- Other: @chronicwellnesswomen and The Vitality Project on Apple Podcasts
Image Credits
Marissa K Photo
