Hi, I’m Gina Badger (they/she). I am a clinical energetic herbalist and the founder of Long Spell. I am a queer nonbinary femme of mixed western european ancestry born on Cree territory and currently living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. My lifework is contributing to a collective vision of holistic health care that’s equally heartfelt and irreverent, down-to-earth and visionary, gentle and rigorous.
I launched Long Spell in 2018, and I have been growing and making my own medicine, offering workshops, and serving as a community herbalist for more than ten years. As a Registered Herbal Therapist (RHT, BCHA), I have completed 2,500+ hours of training in herbal medicine, botany, and first aid. Before pursuing herbalism as a career, I worked as a visual artist and editor for over a decade, having earned an MSc in Visual Studies from MIT (2010) and a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from Concordia University (2008).
Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes of the Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine and Colleen Emery are my primary herb teachers, and I continue to benefit from their mentorship. Thanks to their teachings, my practice is informed by both Indigenous energetic principles (via Karyn’s Choctaw lineage) and the western herbal tradition. As a white settler practicing earth-based medicine on occupied Indigenous lands, I am committed to a lifelong process of transparency and reciprocity with respect to the knowledge I have been entrusted with. I strive to be holistic about this commitment, which includes honouring the teachings by working with them to the best of my ability; making regular financial and herbal donations in support of Indigenous-led organizing, herbalists, and herbal education; ethical herb sourcing (avoiding wildcrafting and wildcrafted herbs); citing my practices and rejecting cultural appropriation. I don’t have this all figured out and I welcome engagement on this topic for those who are interested—get in touch using the form below!