Bear Root Wise Woman Collective
Cultivating a Living Tradition of Midwifery, Herbalism & Ancestral Healing
The Bear Root Wise Woman Collective exists to preserve, practice, and share traditional midwifery wisdom, herbal knowledge, and Wise Woman ways of knowing.
The Bear Root Wise Woman Collective brings together midwives, herbalists, birth workers, educators, artists, growers, and community practitioners who are carrying forward traditional knowledge and embodied ways of knowing.
We gather around the belief that wisdom lives not only in books and research, but also in plants, practice, story, relationship, intuition, observation, and lived experience.
The Collective creates opportunities to learn from one another, collaborate across disciplines, and share this knowledge through workshops, gatherings, clinical care, education, and community offerings.
Collective Events
Featured Offerings!
*
Featured Offerings! *
Join the Bear Root Wise Woman Collective for a hands-on immersion in botanical and integrative therapies across the full scope of midwifery care.
Together, we will explore herbal approaches relevant to well-woman and primary care, fertility and preconception, pregnancy, labor and birth, postpartum recovery, lactation, and reproductive life transitions. We’ll consider commonly used herbs, clinical applications, preparation methods, materia medica, safety considerations, and the thoughtful integration of traditional plant knowledge into contemporary midwifery practice.
This workshop is designed to move beyond simply talking about herbs. Participants will have an opportunity to see, smell, taste, and interact with the plants themselves, exploring how taste and sensory experience can deepen our understanding of herbal actions and make plant medicine more accessible in clinical and community care.
The hands-on portion of the day will be facilitated by clinical herbalist and farmer Hannah Popish of Poppysol, LLC, who will guide participants through an interactive tasting of herbs discussed during the workshop and share her approach to understanding medicinal plants through taste, relationship, and direct experience.
Come ready to learn, taste, ask questions, share experience, and spend a morning in relationship with the plants and with one another.
ACNM continuing education application submitted; approval pending.
Presented by the Bear Root Wise Woman Collective 🌿
Meet Hannah Popish: Hannah Popish is a clinical herbalist, farmer, and the cultivator behind poppysol, LLC, a permaculture-inspired herb farm and apothecary in Chatham County, North Carolina. With a background in social work and generations of nature lovers behind her, Hannah’s work centers on helping people become active participants in their own healing through relationship with plants.
Since 2017, she has cultivated poppysol as both an herb farm and a place for community connection. Her apothecary includes tinctures, herbal teas, bath soaks, body balms, and ritual items, and her farm hosts an annual spring plant sale as well as retreats and gatherings.
Hannah especially loves teaching through taste and direct sensory experience, helping people understand how the flavor of a plant can offer clues to its medicinal actions while making herbal learning more creative, intuitive, and accessible.
Learn more:poppysolnc.com | hannahpopish.com
Plant Allies for Perimenopause & Beyond
October 31, 2026
9:00 - 12:30pm, RiverSong Farm, Saxapahaw
$75
In this practical herbal workshop, we’ll get to know plant allies who can support us through this transitional time of life. We’ll focus on three common concerns—focus & memory, anxiety, and sleep—and learn about simple herbal preparations such as teas and tinctures that we can incorporate into our lives.
While we won’t get deep into the weeds of how reproductive hormones work, we’ll touch on the topic through plants and other strategies that can support overall balance. And I am happy to stick around after class to help brainstorm with folks who come with other perimenopause related concerns not covered in class.
The workshop will be held in my herb kitchen and apothecary. There will be plenty of herbs on hand to sample and purchase if desired.
Space is limited. Email lea@greenheartnc.com to register.
Digging Deeper: Beyond Pop Culture Herbalism
The 3rd Annual SENC Herbal Conference
On November 7-8, 2026, join us in Burgaw, NC for the 3rd Annual Southeastern North Carolina Herbal Conference – where local herbalists and the herbal-curious come together for a day of celebration, education and community!
The 2026 SENC Herbal Conference will leave participants feeling connected, inspired, and equipped to continue supporting their community’s health – physically, emotionally, and economically.
Surround yourself with other passionate, enthusiastic people who are excited to learn from one another and celebrate the rich ecosystem we call home!
You’re invited!!
NC Coastal Community Birth Celebration and Fundraiser
Saturday, November 7th 4pm-9pm
Join us in celebrating the NC Coastal Community Birth Midwives with an evening of food, drinks, games, music and fellowship.
We welcome families who have experienced community birth or midwifery care, along with midwifery advocates, supporters, friends, and family. Reunite with your midwife. Meet other midwifery-loving families. Enjoy a beautiful evening under live oak trees, overlooking Bradley Creek while celebrating (and helping to support!) our wonderful community. RSVP is $20/family.
With your help, our gathering will also support the crucial work of expanding access to midwifery care.The NC Association of Certified Professional Midwives is leading the effort to pass legislation to license and integrate Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) in North Carolina – work that requires significant legislative advocacy and lobbying support. As part of this effort, we’re inviting each family or supporter to set a personal fundraising goal of $300. Participation is completely optional, but every contribution helps us move closer to our goal.
We want to make this as easy as possible, so here are some ways to consider:
Give directly: Bring cash or a check to the event, or donate when you RSVP online. This can be a tax-deductible contribution, if requested.
Donate over time: Commit to a smaller monthly contribution that adds up to $300.
Create a fundraiser: Invite friends and family to support a cause that's meaningful to you through our easy-to-use Peer to Peer fundraising platform.
Support the event: Contribute food, beverages, décor, photography, set-up, clean-up, or another skill or service. Email Meredith at BirthwConfidenceNC@gmail.com with your ideas.
As a special thank-you, families and supporters who contribute or commit $300 or more will receive a complimentary family photo mini-session. Business owners will also have the opportunity to share their businesses with our community.
Business Networking
If you own a family business - we’d love to share it with the community. Email us your business logo, and any additional information to be added to our website, socials and event signage - we’d be happy to have brochures, fliers or business cards on display and for attendees to take home
Free Family Photo Mini-Session
We will have photographers on site ready to capture your family photo. Consider this year's holiday card photo taken care of!
Coming from out of town?
Discounted king rooms are available at the Hilton Garden Inn 6745 Rock Spring Rd Wilmington NC 28405 for $99/night. To reserve a room at the discounted rate, email nicole.jones3@hilton.com.
We look forward to bringing our community together and celebrating with you in November!
The Collective
Meet the people and practices that make up this community!
Midwifery + Community Birth
Haw River Midwifery
Saxapahaw + Central North Carolina
Homebirth midwifery, fertility, primary care and gynecologic care, with herbal and holistic approaches woven throughout the practice. Their homebirth service area extends across much of central NC.
Visit Haw River Midwifery
Sacredsong Birth & Wellness
Chapel Hill + the Triangle
Holistic childbirth education, birth consultation, doula mentorship and somatic coaching with Gabe Lazarus. Sacredsong serves the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area and also offers online education.
Visit Sacredsong
Wild Moon Midwifery
Wilmington, Leland + Coastal North Carolina
CNM-led homebirth and holistic women’s health care with Casey Hartell, DNP, CNM, WHNP. Wild Moon serves Wilmington, Leland, Brunswick County and surrounding coastal communities.
Visit Wild Moon Midwifery
ILM Birth
Wilmington + Southeastern North Carolina
Nicole Havelka, CPM, offers individualized midwifery care rooted in the Midwives Model of Care, supporting families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.
Visit ILM Birth
Midwifery Services
Hampstead, Wilmington + Southeastern North Carolina
Longtime CNM Olivia Marshburn and her team offer homebirth maternity care, gynecology and holistic woman-centered care throughout southeastern North Carolina.
Visit Midwifery Services
Jillian Bretz: Birth & Beyond Doula
Wilmington, NC
Birth doula support • childbirth education • placenta encapsulation
How to Birth Like a Badass Class: fun, practical and judgment-free childbirth education series created to help families understand their options and build real skills for pregnancy, birth, postpartum and newborn feeding. Classes include hands-on activities and opportunities for partners to learn and practice together.
Visit Childbirth Education & Doula Services
Herbalists + Plant Medicine
Poppy sol, LLC
Chatham County, North Carolina
Clinical herbalist and farmer Hannah Popish grows medicinal herbs on a permaculture-inspired farm and offers herbal consultations, an apothecary, community offerings and opportunities to experience plant medicine directly. Her work is rooted in accessibility, relationship with plants and community healing.
Visit poppysol
Green Heart Healing Arts
Saxapahaw, North Carolina
Clinical herbal consultations, herbal remedies, therapeutic bodywork and hands-on herbal education at RiverSong Farm.
Visit Green Heart Healing Arts
Seagate School of Holistic Herbalism + Gray Cat Botanicals
Carolina Beach / Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathryn Sisler Waple offers hands-on herbal education, workshops and community learning centered on whole-plant medicine, practical medicine making and relationship with the plants.
Visit Seagate School
Art, Ritual + Creative Practice
Deipnon Studio
Saxapahaw, North Carolina
A woman-led tattoo studio approaching tattooing as art, offering, marker and ritual. Deipnon’s work draws from ecology, mythology, symbolism and the magic of thresholds and transformation.
Visit Deipnon Studio
MNAE’ Wellness Durham, NC
Offering sound guided frequency therapy sessions (in person ) and life coaching (in person, virtual or over the phone) to help restore balance and promote healing in person.
Gatherings + Places to Learn
Southeast North Carolina Herbal Conference
Burgaw, North Carolina
An annual gathering of herbalists, teachers, growers and the herbal-curious devoted to education, community and connection with the rich plant traditions of southeastern North Carolina. The 2026 gathering is November 7–8 at Old River Farms in Burgaw.
Explore the SENC Herbal Conference
Red Earth: The Mountain West Women’s Herbal Gathering
Carbondale, Colorado
A women-centered herbal gathering bringing together plant medicine, ceremony, teaching and community. The next Red Earth gathering is scheduled for July 30–August 1, 2027 at 13 Moons Ranch in Carbondale.
Explore Red Earth