Meet Our Herbalist, Katherine Roberts

My name is Katherine Roberts. I would love to introduce myself and explain where my passion for herbalism stems from.

When I was a child, I was always sick. I was in and out of the hospital and put on medication to make my symptoms dissipate. No one was ever able to tell me what was wrong, just that I had issues that would persist for the rest of my life. I was also told that these issues could be managed with medication.

I was put on medications but continued to have various issues that progressively worsened. I ended up in the hospital on numerous occasions, and almost died from sepsis when I was in high school. In college, things deteriorated even more. As I studied to get my bachelor's degree, I became increasingly debilitated and I had to drop out due to medical reasons.

I finally got a diagnosis after about 10 years; an incurable autoimmune disease. I asked my doctor what I could do to heal and if there were any natural options or diet changes I could make so that I didn’t have to be on medication for the rest of my life. He simply said no and put me on more medication. He also informed me that it was unsafe to get pregnant.

At age 21, I was on more than eight prescriptions and could feel myself continue to deteriorate. I was sleeping more than 20 hours a day and would fall asleep if I drove anywhere. I knew that I could not continue living this way. My husband mentioned an herbalist and I started to look into their philosophy, the herbs they used, and the impact of nutrition on health.

In the fall of 2018, I applied the wisdom I gained. I prayed, I made lifestyle changes, I used herbs, I cut out processed foods, and my life was miraculously changed. I was healed of the “incurable” disease I was diagnosed with. I completely stopped all the prescriptions I was taking, and have not needed them since.

In the spring of 2019, I found out that I was pregnant. My pregnancy was great and I was so thankful to be off all the medication I was previously on. My first son, Elijah, was born at home in January 2020. To my shock and horror, he was born with a birth defect. We had to rush him to the NICU where he needed surgery and a colostomy bag. (He needed emergency surgery a few months later, and the doctors reversed the colostomy. He hasn’t had any more complications since then.)

It was during this time that I first met Montika. My chiropractor referred me to her when I described my struggles with breastfeeding. Montika helped my husband and me navigate the difficulties of raising a medically fragile, tongue-tied child amidst a global pandemic. It was incredibly comforting to have someone who knew how to help us care for our son’s disability while providing us with natural remedies to ease the discomfort of his condition.

I started to read more about herbs, and I started my first garden full of medicinal herbs and vegetables. I was determined to develop a skill that I could use to help others. By the time my second son, Josiah, was born, I had read many books about herbalism and was looking into furthering my education. After Josiah was born, he struggled to nurse properly and began to lose weight. We saw Montika again and she knew exactly what to do.

The hardships of my children led me to one of my greatest friends and granted me the opportunity to work with and learn from her. It is through these hardships that I have learned about the beauty of holistic care. These maladies have taught me that no matter what the diagnosis, there are choices we can make to achieve wellness, not only for ourselves but for our families. That is why it is my honor and privilege to serve women and their families through Total Family Wellness.

I hope to connect with you soon, be blessed.