Founder Backstory Pt. 3: Becoming the Medicine: Herbs, Healing & Frogs

Hi Earth Keeper,

In case you missed last week’s newsletter, you can read my Founder Backstory Pt. 2 here! 

As a full-time artist, I found myself burned out — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I craved something deeper than performance and late nights. My desire to be of service to other humans and a steward of the plants led me to return to school, where I studied clinical herbalism and holistic nutrition science.

I dove in headfirst. Taking a job with a well-known legacy herbal company, I also started a part-time role as a community herbalist in Denver, grew herbs in my backyard urban farm, and studied Earth medicines in the classroom. I was all in. 

I fell in love with the alchemy of tinctures and oil infusions, enchanted by how herbs work with the human body, both scientifically and energetically. I was spending more time outside, listening deeply as the ecology around me came alive. I studied permaculture design.

The plants began teaching me how to be in relationship with them — to walk with their wisdom in service of the planet and its people. That chapter unfolded into formulating for herbal startups, studying corporate social responsibility, opening a coaching practice, running a backyard urban farm, and eventually working as a program coordinator and educator at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism.

I fell deeper in love with the plants — how they teach us, how they mirror us. I saw clients, held grief, celebrated breakthroughs, and supported healing.

The deeper I went, the more I felt a calling toward ancestral practices, toward the Earth’s oldest medicines. Deeper into a sacred relationship with the living planet.

That’s what led me to the Peruvian Amazon in 2022.

Seeking understanding, I journeyed with 8 new colleagues to meet a bright green frog called Kambô. I sat in ceremony with the late Maestro Jhonny Javá, an elder of Kichwa lineage, and revered healer in the Loreto region. In the final years of his life, Jhonny took to the internet and invited those willing to make the grueling trek by 2 planes, 3 boats, 1 mototaxi, and several miles of hiking to his home to receive his teachings and the hospitality of his family. 

The Javá family took our group of seekers in, and I began to learn more about how to serve Kambô and how to walk with it. With humility. With prayer. With responsibility to protect the Amazon. My heart was blown wide open, bursting from the profound kinship I felt with folks from a different culture, who spoke a different language, whom I was just meeting.

On this trip, our group was also invited to stay with the Matsés people on their recent settlement, a boat ride and half-day hike, in the jungle outside of Iquitos. I experienced firsthand the harsh realities facing the Amazon and its beautiful first peoples: poverty, lack of access to clean water and medical care, settlers displacing the indigenous, deforestation, hepatitis outbreaks, threats from transnational corporations, and corrupted governments…to say the least.

Our group sat in council under a canopy of trees and stars and a symphony of insects and frogs. We asked both of our gracious hosts: How can we help you?

Meeting on the shared values of conservation, stewardship, and indigenous sovereignty, the connection we felt transcended any language barrier or cultural difference.

I came home changed. The medicine of the Earth was in me, and I forged relationships with wisdom keepers and land stewards with an invitation to return.

I knew it was time to merge paths — the art, the healing power of Nature, my life purpose to help people and the planet— and build something that could hold it all. A container that could fund conservation work, support Indigenous families, empower 2SLGBTQIA+ artists, and stitch together a community of like-minded folks who are actively participating in planetary health.

Earth Medicine Apparel Co. was born from that vision, and it is my honor to introduce you to my brand vision. My mission is simple:

Earth Medicine Apparel Co. offers wearable art that champions planetary health through direct environmental and social impact.

I’m so excited to finally share this with you!

After years of dreaming, months of planning, designing, and revising, the very first capsule collection from Earth Medicine Apparel Co. is ready to be revealed—and early supporters like you get first dibs.

This limited-run, impact-driven collection features five original designs by our founder, Cloudsong, created in collaboration with our friends at Ecommunidad Nativa Kambo Family in Peru. Designs center the Earth Medicine at the heart of our first impact-mission: Kambô, and aims to create a web of support in honor of the legacy and family of one of the world’s greatest wisdom keepers of Kambô and Toé, Maestro Jhonny Javá. Jhonny sadly passed away in January of 2024, yet the impact on our founder’s life has expanded even further.

Each piece is printed by artist-run domestic print shops on garments made in ethical factories with sustainable materials. And every design is infused with purpose, beauty, and a story that ties directly into our first mission.

If it is true that you:

✅ Love the Amazon Rainforest, its people, and its medicines
✅ Think frogs and birds, and Nature in general are awesome
✅ Prioritize supporting eco-aware brands with social impact
✅ Like to support queer-owned businesses and artists
✅ Think your wardrobe is ready for an upgrade with awesome graphic apparel
✅ Are conscious about the materials your clothing is made from

Then be on the lookout for an exclusive link to preview our new designs and place your pre-sale order early next week!

When you pre-order by May 16, you:

💫Secure one of our limited-edition designs before they’re available to the public
💫Support our debut launch and help fund the next phase of our mission
💫Help us get one step closer to raising $5,000 in profits to support Maestro Jhonny Javá’s family and healing center in the Peruvian Amazon

Next Friday, I’ll share more about the mission and values of Earth Medicine Apparel Co. — and how every piece of wearable art is infused with story, impact, and spirit.

With reverence,
Cloudsong
Founder, Earth Medicine Apparel Co.
🧵🌎