Banyan Tree | Photo by: Kiran Gopi; used under license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/in/deed.en
Real conversations. Living systems. Regenerative change.
Every so often, a piece of writing comes along that reminds us why we do what we do.
Our Co-Founder CEO David recently came across a reflection from Ann Armbrecht, founder of the Sustainable Herbs Initiative and a longtime friend and guide in our regenerative journey, and immediately sent it to our team with a note:
“From the time I was very young, I wanted to sit with other seekers, as if we were yogis of old, under the proverbial banyan tree sharing knowledge (or shooting the breeze ).
Banyan trees develop accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. It’s a powerful symbol of the interconnectedness of all things. For me heavily foliaged trees have always offered shade to pacify my pitta nature. Sitting under a canopy of trees, I have so often felt caressed by a gentle breeze. The solace of my felt-experience has been my intuitive guide to act with belief.
Watching Ann at work, in a world of commercially driven interests, gather around the campfire fills my heart with love and admiration. She is doing the work that many of us wish we could. In one exchange with her I complemented her on doing something I knew she found difficult. She shot back a little flexed bicep. It still makes me smile.
For those of you who believe or want to believe that doing good in small ways is a universal force bigger than any one of us, I’d recommend following Ann wherever she goes.”
This vision, of gathering, sharing, connecting, is at the heart of both evanhealy and the Sustainable Herbs Initiative (SHI).
In her recent blog post, Living Systems Thinking in Oregon, Ann reflects on a recent in-person Learning Journey she hosted in Oregon—a gathering of farmers, herbalists, brand leaders, and visionaries working to reimagine herbal sourcing systems.
“Speaking what is real and true becomes a campfire around which others gather. The fire weaves webs of light that nourish the seeds planted in our gatherings.”
-Ann Armbrecht, SHI
Seven years after writing those words on a scrap of paper, Ann realized: this is what SHI is doing now. Cultivating a gathering place, weaving a web of light, and a living system of regenerative relationship.
Why It moves us
Ann and David kicking off the evanhealy Learning Journey.
From our ongoing Learning Journeys with Ann (Sustainable Herbs Initiative), our Co-Founder CEO David has been deeply inspired by her approach, one that reflects and affirms our own.
A web of relationship, not just supply
Ann frames sustainability as a system of interwoven relationships. We share this belief: that true sourcing honors both people and plants, not just ingredients.
Seeing plants as whole beings
Herbal practice, as Ann teaches it, is rooted in reverence. She invites us to witness the spirit and presence of the plant, not as a commodity, but as kin. This mirrors our commitment to botanical wisdom with soul.
Spaces for truth, tenderness, and transformation
The Learning Journey model creates brave space: circle-based, heart-led, human. This kind of community container, a space where people show up as themselves, beyond their professional roles, is exactly the kind David believes the world needs more of.
Regenerative action, grounded in awareness
From mindset to material change, the SHI process is a living example of what’s possible when intention meets accountability. A vision we’re actively living with every partnership and every product.
A living tree of change
The SHI tree with our commitments for self, our companies, and SHI and the herbal products industry.
In the final moments of the gathering, everyone placed their commitments on a large hand-drawn tree, surrounded by flowers.
“If you weave your work with a cloth of love, you cannot fail.”
- Angela Willard, Co-Founder, Harmonic Arts
These words stay with us.
Let’s keep the spark alive
We’re honored to walk alongside visionaries like Ann and to bring this love, reverence, and regeneration into the products you use every day. Together, we tend the seeds and nourish the soil.
Read Ann's Blog post "Living Systems Thinking in Oregon".
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