It all started with a cough.
I had pneumonia as a baby, and many lung ailments as a child. I discovered the power of plants when I healed myself from a serious lung condition when I was 19 years old, and I have spent the rest of my career in the field of herbal medicine.
I knew, from the beginning, that I needed to be an entrepreneur to do be a professional herbalist.
After founding multiple businesses over the past two decades, one truth became undeniable:
Herbalists don’t struggle because they’re unskilled - they struggle because no one taught them how to build a values-aligned business.
And I believe, deeply, that the more herbalists who succeed in the world, the better the world becomes:
more people supported with natural medicine
more women-led, regenerative business models
more community health and access
more lineage keepers in leadership
more healers resourced enough to continue their work
This is why I feel called to teach business as part of my herbal work — and why Holistic Business Folk exists.
xo Laura
Laura Ash – Herbalist, Educator & Founder of Holistic Business Folk
A life shaped by plants, community, and the belief that we grow stronger together.
I grew up in the Sierras of Northern California, where the mountains held their own kind of wisdom and wild herbs pushed through the cracks of sun-warmed granite. Before I ever had words for herbalism, I understood what it felt like to be supported by the natural living world. That early sense of connection was the beginning of everything.
A Life Rooted in Herbal Medicine, Entrepreneurship & Community
Since 2000, I’ve devoted myself to the study and practice of Western herbalism, weaving clinical training, ethnobotany, and the teachings of remarkable mentors like David Hoffmann, Dr. Aviva Romm, Dr. Vasant Lad, Chanchal Cabrera, and my spiritual teacher Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. My formal studies took place at the California School of Herbal Studies, where I trained in Western Clinical Herbal Medicine, and at The Ayurvedic Institute, where I focused on pulse diagnostics and reproductive system health.
From the very beginning, my herbal path and entrepreneurial path grew together.
While still in herbal school, I founded a medicinal chai company, blending botanicals into functional, restorative beverages. Not long after, I opened a small clinical herbal practice, supporting clients one-on-one and refining my approach to individualized herbal care.
In 2007, I co-founded Avra Organic Spa, where I created every product and treatment on the menu - an early expression of my passion for botanical formulation, sensory experiences, and healing environments. These formative years taught me how to build offerings from the ground up, how to listen to what people need, and how to bring ideas from inspiration into form.
My path also carried me abroad, living and working in both the UK and East Africa. These years deepened my understanding that healing is not only about remedies, it is about relationship, culture, and sovereignty.
In 2011, I founded the Herbal Anthropology Project, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Indigenous Traditional Knowledge. Our work documenting Maasai traditional medicine in Tanzania remains one of the greatest honors of my life and continues to shape the ethics and ethos of my work today.
In 2015, I became the steward of The Scarlet Sage Herb Co. in San Francisco, carrying forward a legacy of community herbalism. In 2021, I launched Land of Verse, a global learning platform for herbalism and the healing arts. After closing Scarlet Sage in 2024 - a deeply emotional decision - I dedicated myself to expanding my consulting, teaching, and clinical practice.
I continue to see private herbal clients and support my students in developing their clinical herbal skills.
Business Education + Acumen
My formal business education began with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and continued with Venture Capital Executive Education at UC Berkeley. Over my career, I’ve generated more than $15 million in sales, acquired a million-dollar business, secured investor funding, and won pitch contests, all while building companies rooted in values, story, and service.
I am a Climatebase Fellow and remain a lifelong student of the intersection between sustainability and profitable small business. I’ve hosted retreats from Provence to Sonoma County, consulted with hospitality groups, and led private programs for global tech companies all through the lens of plant medicine and conscious entrepreneurship.
Current Work: Bridging Traditional Wisdom & Modern Research
Today, I serve as Director of Operations at the Beneficial Plant Research Association (BPRA), founded by Dr. Andrew Weil in 1979 and revived in 2024. In this role, I work alongside physicians, ethnobotanists, and conservation leaders to preserve biodiversity, safeguard traditional knowledge, and support whole-plant research grounded in reciprocity.
Holistic Business Folk: My Newest / Oldest Calling
Holistic Business Folk is the culmination of my herbal lineage, my entrepreneurial experience, and the teachings I’ve gathered over two decades of building businesses rooted in meaning. I created this space because I believe herbalists deserve not only to practice their craft—but to thrive in it.
I am honored to share this work, and to support the transformation that becomes possible when you love what you do and learn how to bring it confidently into the world.
Join me in weekly sessions…
Let’s connect. Let’s work on your business. Talk to others with the same concerns. Build something with heart, holding the earth at the center, and your community in your heart. You are not alone. :)