Today we’d like to introduce you to Keia Lee Lewis.
Hi Keia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello, thank you so much for the opportunity to share my story in your Hidden Gem series. I am a community herbalist, well-being practitioner, and the owner of Botánica Quetzalli based in Marquette, MI. I have been working in the holistic health sphere for over a decade.
My own journey back to balance and wholeness started roughly 20 years ago when I was around 18. In 2011 I felt the call to go deeper into living a more holistic lifestyle and was led to Kanyakumari Yoga & Ayurveda School, where I started in their yoga teacher training program. Kanyakumari created a safe space for me to start delving into aspects of myself that needed more healing and growth while simultaneously allowing me to gain knowledge and hands-on opportunities to help others also looking for assistance on their healing paths.
After yoga teacher training, I continued my education through their Ayurvedic Health Counselor program as well as a three-year, one-on-one apprenticeship with the school’s Director of Energy Healing. During this time, I also completed a work-study program in the school’s herbal apothecary and it was here that I first felt the power of our plant relatives and knew that one day, I would want to start my own business centered around herbalism.
As I was deepening my knowledge of Ayurveda, I also began looking into the traditional practices of my own cultures and lineages because I knew there had to be similar wisdom in my own ancestry. I started researching, asking more questions of my family and getting connected with elders. I learned that due to fear and forced assimilation, my family became disconnected from our cultural knowledge surrounding our traditional life ways. Two things I learned that affected me most greatly was the forced adoption of my great-grandfather’s mother, which led to our family becoming completely disconnected from our Ndee (Apache) lineage; something that I have worked tirelessly to remedy. And the second was that my other great-great-grandmother had been a Curandera (Traditional Mexican Medicine Woman) whose specialty areas of practice were as a partera (midwife) and yerbera (herbalist). It was at this moment that I knew the connection I felt when working with our plant relatives went much deeper than I initially realized.
This part of my journey, the reconnection, and reclamation, has been long, difficult, and beautiful (sometimes all at once!), and what I have learned along the way and what I continue to learn from my elders and teachers is truly priceless. I could write so much more about the path I’ve taken to get here, but I will stop here and say that as I continue down my path of discovery, the teachings of my ancestors, who they were, and what they did never ceases to amaze me. Learning the history and stories of my lineages helped me connect the dots of why I am called to do the work I do and why I started Botánica Quetzalli. My business has been 20 years in the making. I do this work to honor those that came before me, to ensure our ancestral teachings and wisdom ways are not lost or forgotten so they can be passed down to future generations.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest struggles for me was to let go of the myth that we have been taught in American culture surrounding success and what that is supposed to look like. When one deviates from the ‘norm’ of a traditional 9-5 job and all the benefits that it can bring, it can be a difficult road to navigate. Some folks thrive and love working in this type of work environment, and that is great. For me personally, I worked in such spaces for many years, and while I could play the game well and be what others would call successful, it never felt like success to me.
Due to my own personal programs and learned behaviors, I had fear-based thinking around fully leaving the realm of traditional work and going into the life of a full-time, self-employed business owner. It took me nearly a decade of working through that fear to finally let it go. Sometimes I wish I could have let go of that fear sooner because I am So Much Happier now, yet I also know that working through the roadblocks that I was creating for myself was a time of healing, learning, and tremendous growth for me, and I am grateful for that.
As you know, we’re big fans of Botánica Quetzalli, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Botánica Quetzalli is a Chicana Indigenous-owned business located in Marquette, MI, that specializes in herbal products and well-being services. Currently, I am offering various coaching programs, herbal consults, Ayurvedic bodywork, and reiki/energy healing appointments at Sage & Spry located in downtown Marquette. I sell my products at various markets and stores around Marquette County and will have a booth various weekends at the Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown Marquette. I hope to offer them in different locations throughout the Upper Peninsula in the coming year. By blending the knowledge that I have gained through my education in yoga, Ayurveda, herbalism, and energy healing with the wisdom from my cultural lineages, I strive to create unique products and healing services that I feel will benefit our community and the folks who visit our community. My ultimate goal is to assist others on their own journeys back to balance and wholeness.
In Latin American cultures, a botánica is a place of support that offers different herbs and items to help community members on their journeys of healing, growth, and transformation. Quetzalli is a Nahuatl (Mexica/Aztec) word that means “feather” or “precious thing.” The wisdom of my ancestors is very precious to me, which is part of what inspired the name of my botánica. Quetzalli, also refers to the beautiful Quetzal bird who is a symbol of freedom. Their feathers are so revered that they were once used as currency in Mesoamerica. The Quetzal is also connected to one of our Guardians, Quetzalcoatl, who is a symbol of healing, goodness, and light.
I currently have curated 3 unique herbal blends, 1 signature tea, tinctures, bitters, bath salts, and sauna/herbal bath blends. I am working on several exciting new products that will be launched in late Spring.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I received my MA in Public History and Museum Studies with the initial goal of becoming a Museum Curator. I am grateful that I followed my intuition and went down a different path!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sageandspry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botanicaquetzalli/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/botanicaquetzalli/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BotanicaQuetzalli
Image Credits
Moss & Fern Studios
