Embodied Divinity Botanica & Resource is the product of a deep spiritual yearning for autonomy and healing.
My name is Chioma Gathoga-Ogbuike. EDBR showed up in my life as a container for healing that I dreamed of for myself and my communities, but didn't know how to access, or even where to begin.
I grew up in a small city that had many first-generation families. I was raised by Dad and the village of people who loved him. My father's people are farmers, land stewards.
Before I turned 18, I had already had my first job as a Teen Health Ambassador at Girls Inc of Lynn(MA). From a young age, I have always been passionate about justice, advocacy, and creating effective systems of support for our communities.
After high school, I attended UMass Amherst where I received a B.A. in Women Gender Sexuality Studies and AfroAmerican Studies, with a certification in Reproductive Justice. I took on more roles in the field of advocacy and justice during my undergrad time until I graduated. Initially, I planned to enroll in law school and earn my JD in an advocacy law related field. I took the LSAT, scored decently for a first-timer who self-prepped, my family couldn't wait until the day I was officially a law student.
I've never been so profit-motivated that I could sign myself up for anything just because it guaranteed a big payout. As I began the process of choosing law schools to apply to, an emptiness in my heart echoed loudly. It became increasingly clear that this was not what I wanted to do, what I needed to be doing with my life at this time.
At first, I thought maybe it was the kind of school, and applied to MFA programs instead. The grueling application process yielded no seeds and that wasn't even disappointing for me, because that too was not what I was meant to be doing, then.
In 2021, I spent a brief stint living in Brooklyn. I had ended up working at a random a wholesale/retail plant shop in Canarsie Brooklyn. The love of houseplants that was exacerbated for me by the COVID19 pandemic led me to this random job, which would lead me to finally beginning on my path as an herbalist. One day a coworker that I got along well with told me about Sacred Vibes Apothecary, while we were marveling over the healing power of plants. Up until this point I had experimented with making my own herbal bath blends and yoni steam blends, but that was mostly it. (The tub is where I first fell in love with herbs).
My coworker friend told me about the magic of Sacred Vibes, and told me that they're based in Brooklyn and I must go visit ASAP. I went for my first visit that Spring and it was beautiful. Either by subscribing to their email list or following Empress Karen on Instagram, I learned of their fall conference, which I believe was their 2nd annual. I had just moved back to New Orleans in the middle of that summer, and we were completely thrown by Hurricane Ida that September. I really wanted to attend the conference but funds were tight amidst hurricane evacuation. Luckily, they were holding a sponsorship ticket for which I applied and won the lottery.
I attended the Sacred Vibes NYC Herbalism Conference that year, and my world was blown wide open. That year's theme was "Nourishing Our Creative Fire" and inspired the most beautiful long walk with the magic herb, ginger.
Before the conference ended, I went on the Sacred Vibes website and put in an application for the Art and Practice of Spiritual Herbalism Apprenticeship with Karen Rose. I didn't know whether the application was even open but I allowed my spirit to lead me. By December 1st of that year, I began my apprenticeship journey.
About two years later, I completed 2 of the 3 levels of the apprenticeship and received an invitation to complete the third and final level. If you’d like to support fundraising efforts to cover tuition, you can find the donation link here (every contribution and share is deeply appreciated, thank you!)
When I graduated Level 2, I was working in a local arts partial nonprofit organization that I had come to love as a community participant. Taking that relationship to the vocational/professional level was a terrible fit and I lost my job within a couple weeks of graduating Level 2 (saturn returns amirite 😅). Spoiler alert– it was divine guidance.
From 2023-2025 I worked as a community herbalist at the Rosalie Botanicals brick + mortar in New Orleans. At Rosalie, I facilitated beginner herbalist workshops, provided short-form herbal consultations, and created hundreds of custom herbal blends. Rosalie closed the doors of the brick and mortar in January 2025.
Divine guidance would continue to remove me from every space that became a distraction, a disconnection, to keep me connected to my life’s work. I am now full time as an herbalist entrepreneur, leaning more fully into my calling every day.
All the while Embodied Divinity Botanica & Resource has grown in its offerings as well as in its reach as I have grown as an entrepreneur. This work is everything to me because the plants give us so much of our God-given power and agency back. In a world where there is so much to heal from —self care, proactive care, holistic wellness, are all supported by the practice and integration of herbalism.
Herbalism is a holistic practice when it is practiced in its integrity. Herbalism is a lifelong journey that I get to be thankful for everyday.