Speaker Spotlight ā Maia Toll
Author, Community Creator, &Ā Founder of Herbiary
Follow Maia: WebsiteĀ |Ā FacebookĀ |Ā Instagram
Follow Herbiary:Ā Ā WebsiteĀ |Ā FacebookĀ |Ā Instagram
Theme: RestartĀ |Ā November 2018
What did you want to be when you grew up?
All my childhood dreams revolved around horses. I wanted to be a jockey, an Olympic rider, a horse trainer and, as I got older, I envisioned a riding academy that was kind of a cross between a Steiner school and an overnight camp.
Beyond the horses, I was enticed by the community which formed around horseback-riding. I never wanted to lose the sense of place and purpose which I always felt when I was at the stablesā¦. So itās not surprising that I now run The Medicine Keepers Collective, a community for women exploring the pathways of spirit and seeking a sense of place and purpose.
Can you remember when you first learned about your field of work? How did you discover what it was, and how did you know it was what you wanted to do?
The writing part of my work I discovered early on. I remember months of heading straight to my room after school to secretly write the story of a unicorn who got shoved into a glass bottle and thrown out to sea.
The herb work came later, although itās probably safe to say I wanted to be a witch or an alchemist from a pretty young age. I experimented in the kitchen constantly and at nine years old was quite proud of both my tuna casserole and chocolate chip cookies. Herbalism is advanced cooking so it wasnāt too big a jump from casseroles to skin creams. The big leap was an intellectual one: moving from dependency on doctors to trusting myself to manage my own healing. And I didnāt have much choice in that– I got sick and my doctor said āI can see youāre ill and I know that Western medicine isnāt going to figure this out.ā Thatās what started me down the rabbit hole which, after many years and many teachers, led to opening Herbiary. Ā
The womenās wisdom piece grew out of the juncture of the herb work and years of studying religion, spirituality, and rites of passage… And then seeing that it all came together in understanding the cycles of growth in the natural world as a metaphor for spiritual growth. At this crossroads the witch becomes the wise woman. I love sharing and passing on this information because it helps women find wholeness.
What is the best part and hardest part of your job?
The best part of my job is words… and the hardest part of my job is words. Theyāre kind of like puppies: adorable and frisky and all-consuming. Ā At the end of the day Iām exhausted from tussling with them and so grateful when the verbs finally wind down and the nouns curl up and go to sleep.
Iāve written a stupid amount in the last year and a half and I just signed my fourth book deal. Itās like finding out your word-spaniel is pregnant again!
What on-the-job tools do you use every day?
As a writer and leader of an online community, itās all about the laptop. I love how portable my work is. I can write and connect from just about anywhere which has opened my life up in ways I never could have imagined.
What about your community inspires you?
My community– those in the natural healing realms, my writer friends, and the women in my online programs– inspire me everyday with their soul-searching, their honesty, and their bravery. Itās hard to live outside the lines. It takes a certain amount of rigor to question, and question, and question again. Itās easier to step into the status quo, to go with the flow. It takes strength to stand up over and over and say āthereās a better way.ā Iām in awe of the people in my communities and the fortitude with which they live.
What is the best piece of business advice youāve been given?
My partner (in life and in business) once coached me to take the long view: look at a year, not a month. Running your own business is a lesson in riding lifeās roller coaster, but Iāve found that if you can take that long view most of it works itself out.
Can you name a moment of failure in your business experience that you learned from or that helped you improve your business or the way you work?
My online business had a big growth spurt a few years back and I decided to reward myself with a new online website and classroom. What a disaster! I went from a fairly easy system to one which needed to be maintained by a coder. And the maintenance, as well as the stress, was constant. Instead of focusing on my online community, I spent a year focused on Wordpress updates, and plug-in compatibility issues, and emergencies of every flavor imaginable.
Now Iām back on an easy, done-for-you platform and I celebrate my successes with a chocolate milkshake from The French Broad Chocolate Lounge.
Who are your favorite creators and makers, local and beyond?
I love Hib Sabin. He creates sculptures which lead you straight into the mythic. We seem to vibe with the same animal spirits so Iām always checking to see how owls and ravens are showing up for him and in his work.Iāve also treated myself to some new jewelry by Savannah King for my last book tour. She uses techniques from the Roman era to make modern, simple pieces I adore.And then thereās the local crew! So many people doing amazing work. Iām fond of ceramics myself: I collect mugs by Akira Satake and Julie Covington; I get offering bowls for my retreats from Melissa Weiss; and I adore Blue Fire Studioās Owls. Iād also put a number of our local chefs in the āartistā category: dinner at Sovereign Remedies or Night Bell is always a creative romp. And then thereās the herbal creators– Iām exposed to so many through Hebiary that I wouldnāt know where to start!
