Laura Ash, Clinical Herbalist, Owner of The Scarlet Sage Herb Co.

Laura Ash (she/her) is a clinical herbalist, a mother, a teacher, a dancer, a storyteller, and a social entrepreneur. In 2006, Laura graduated from The California School of Herbal Studies in Clinical Herbal Medicine while running a chai tea company, and in 2008, Laura co-founded Avra Organic Spa in San Francisco, founded Herbal Anthropology Project, 501(c)3 in 2011, and in 2015 acquired The Scarlet Sage Herb Co. Laura's current passions are in supporting feminist business principles and encouraging sound financial education for healers.

Laura has studied with many teachers; David Hoffmann, Matthew Wood, Dr. Vasant Lad, to name a few. She has also been a guest lecturer teaching western herbalism at UW Madison. Laura has consulted with wellness start-ups exiting the Oxford School of Business. After living overseas in the UK and East Africa, Laura has felt a sacred obligation to support Indigenous People in their health sovereignty, and in 2011 she started a nonprofit called Herbal Anthropology Project which has protected Traditional Medicine through the framework of the Traditional Knowledge Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Laura’s business education includes Goldman Sachs, social impact finance, Indigenous impact investing, and product development in the natural channel.

Laura currently lives in San Francisco, California with her two children and her partner.

Casey Zabala, self-published author and illustrator

Casey Zabala is a self-published author and illustrator, practicing intuitive and witch, and the founder of Modern Witches Confluence. Casey started her journey into business when she published her first tarot deck, Wanderer's Tarot, and has built a thriving product and services business within the last 5 years. Wanderer’s Tarot has been featured on the Goop gift guide, and is sold internationally. Casey strongly believes that a business can be empowering and healing for both the individual and the collective.

Guided by this belief, her spirit team, and the deep desire to foster magical community, Casey founded the Modern Witches Confluence in 2018, which has grown to facilitate a weekend gathering for thousands of witches, and connects with a digital community of 18k and growing. Casey is currently pursuing a Masters Degree at the California Institute for Integral Studies in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness, in San Francisco, where she was born and lives on occupied Ohlone territory.

Casey’s spiritual practices have been cultivated from studies with the Reclaiming Collective and the Builders of the Adytum, as well as studying the works of Mary K. Greer, Rae Beth, and Rachel Pollack. Casey has been a student of Zen Buddhism and Shambhala Buddhism at Naropa University. Her first entrepreneurial inspiration was her mother, who established her own public relations business in the 1970’s.

Casey has since worked with Sarah Schulweis of Anchor & Orbit to fine tune and deepen her understanding of running her own business. She believes there is always room for more growth and more learning.

Lily Mazzarella, MS, CNS, Owner of Farmacopia

Lily Mazzarella, MS, CNS (she/her) is the owner of Farmacopia, an apothecary and integrative practice in Sonoma County, and co-founder of the 501c3 non-profit Botanical Bus: Bilingual Mobile Herb Clinic. Lily is a clinical herbalist and nutritionist, certified Forest Therapy Guide and California naturalist, positive neuroplasticity practitioner, teacher and writer. She is the formulator and creator of Farmacopia’s Signature Line of herbal products, and co-founder and formulator of Reishi Roast. Loving the spark of working with other creatives, Lily also collaborates with aligned businesses as a formulator and consultant.

Born in Rome, Italy, and raised in New Jersey by Italian and Estonian immigrant parents and grandparents, Lily’s journey for healing her own complex health challenges sparked an interest in herbal medicine, nutrition, mindfulness and other modalities of embodiment and true healing. She holds a BA in English literature from Wesleyan University, and a Masters of Science in Herbal Medicine from Maryland University of Integrative Health. In between the two, she pursued multiple trainings in herbal medicine (including 7Song’s Northeast School of Botanical Medicine), functional nutrition, leadership, self-directed neuroplasticity, and nature connection practices.

Most recently she can be found in her clinic at Farmacopia, teaching on the road or at the California School of Herbal Studies, serving as a Ceres Community Project Expert Advisor on herbal medicine, botanizing in the desert, and engaging in urban wildfire recovery. Loving the art and practice of business has been one of the greatest joys and surprises of her life.

Lily goes into the forest whenever possible.