For a long time, my work has been deeply rooted in place.
It comes from the land.
It comes from memory.
It comes from teachings passed down through the medicine women in my family.
And it comes from years of listening — to plants, to people, and to the quiet ways healing has always moved through Indigenous communities.
The products I make are not just creams, herbal teas, or wellness items to me. They carry story. They carry relationship. They carry a way of understanding healing that is both practical and deeply cultural.
That is why this next chapter in our business matters so much.
Right now, I am working through the process of getting some of my products certified for medical purposes. On the surface, that may sound like a technical or business step. And yes, there is a lot of paperwork, research, lab work, cost, and patience involved. But for me, it is much more than that.
It is about creating a path for Indigenous healing to travel further.
It is about making what I do in healing available to more people in more places.
And it is about doing that in a way that honours where these medicines come from.
This Journey Is About More Than Growth
When people hear that a business is getting products certified or looking at export markets, they often think in terms of expansion, scaling, or new revenue.
Those things matter, of course. Small businesses need to grow. Indigenous businesses deserve the chance to grow too.
But this journey is not only about business growth.
For me, it is about access.
There are people far beyond my own community who are looking for a different kind of wellness experience — one that feels more connected, more intentional, and more rooted in relationship rather than mass production. There are people who want products that carry integrity. There are people who are tired of disconnected wellness and are seeking something with meaning behind it.
I believe Indigenous-led healing products have a place in that conversation.
I also believe they deserve to be represented properly.
That means taking the time to do things the right way.
Carrying Traditional Knowledge With Care
As an Indigenous woman and traditional healer, I carry teachings that were never just about products. They were about ways of being. They were about respect for plants, respect for the land, respect for timing, and respect for what healing asks of us.
That kind of knowledge is not a trend.
It is not branding.
And it is not something I take lightly.
So when I talk about bringing my healing beyond borders, I do not mean removing it from its roots. I mean carrying it carefully. I mean creating ways for more people to experience the benefits of this work while still protecting the integrity of where it comes from.
That balance matters to me.
There is a real difference between sharing culture and diluting it. Between honouring plant knowledge and commercializing it without care. Between expanding reach and losing meaning.
My goal is not to leave the heart of this work behind as I grow. My goal is to keep the heart intact while building a stronger bridge for others to receive it.
The Certification Process Is Part of Building Trust
One of the biggest things I have been learning lately is just how much work goes into this next level.
People often see a finished product on a shelf or online and do not realize what stands behind it. Especially when you move into medical claims, approvals, and new markets, there is a whole unseen world of formulation reviews, lab testing, ingredient strategy, stability testing, microbiology, regulations, and documentation.
It is a lot.
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, especially as a small business owner wearing many hats.
But I also understand why it matters.
This process is part of building trust. It is part of making sure that when my products reach new customers, retailers, practitioners, or international markets, they are backed not only by lived experience and traditional Indigenous knowledge, but by the formal systems that allow them to travel further.
That does not replace the Indigenous Secwepemc cultural foundation of what I do.
It strengthens the bridge between traditional healing and broader acceptance.
In many ways, certification becomes a translator. It helps open doors that might otherwise stay closed.
Sometimes Growth Means Adapting Without Losing the Essence
One of the hardest parts of this process is realizing that sometimes you have to adjust how a product is presented in order to move it through modern systems.
That can be emotional.
When you know the value of an Indigenous medicine through generations of use, it can be painful to see that it is not always recognized in the same way by government frameworks or official monographs. It can feel like the system only validates what it already knows how to measure.
That is a difficult reality.
But part of being an Indigenous entrepreneur is learning how to navigate those systems without giving up the deeper truth of the work.
Sometimes that means being strategic. Sometimes it means changing how something is classified or which ingredient leads the application. Sometimes it means understanding the language of regulation while still holding onto the language of tradition in your own heart and practice.
That is not giving in.
That is learning how to move forward wisely.
Why This Matters Culturally
For many Indigenous businesses, growth is not just about selling more. It is about visibility, sovereignty, and presence.
It is about showing that our knowledge systems are alive.
It is about reminding people that healing traditions did not disappear. They are still here. They are still practiced. They are still helping people.
And when those traditions are carried into the marketplace by Indigenous people themselves — with care, consent, context, and integrity — something important happens.
We are no longer being spoken for.
We are speaking for ourselves.
We are shaping how our products are introduced.
We are deciding how our stories are told.
We are creating economic pathways that are connected to identity instead of separated from it.
To me, that matters deeply.
Every time an Indigenous-made healing product reaches someone new, there is an opportunity for more than a sale. There is an opportunity for connection. An opportunity for education. An opportunity for respect.
That is part of what motivates me to keep going, even when the process is slow.
Healing Beyond Borders Also Means Responsibility
I do not take lightly the idea of entering new markets.
It is exciting, yes, but it is also serious.
Different countries respond to wellness products in different ways. Some markets want science-first explanations. Others connect more strongly with story. They all require significant financial readiness, travel, relationship-building, and long-term planning.
So this is not a quick leap.
It is a thoughtful one.
I am doing my research. I am asking questions. I am learning what it takes not only to become approved, but to become truly ready.
That distinction matters.
There is a difference between wanting to expand and being prepared to serve people well when you do.
I want to do this with care. I want to grow in a way that is sustainable. I want to protect quality and plant medicines as demand increases. And I want to make sure that if my healing reaches further, it still feels personal, intentional, and true to its origins.
What This Season Is Teaching Me
This season is teaching me patience.
It is teaching me that meaningful growth is often slower than we want it to be.
It is teaching me that the next level of a business usually asks more of you before it gives more back.
It is teaching me that behind every bigger vision is a lot of invisible work.
And maybe most of all, it is reminding me that being called to do something bigger does not mean it will be easy. It just means it is worth committing to.
There are days when the creative energy comes easily, and there are days when I feel stretched thin by all the moving parts. Like many small business owners, I am balancing the dream with the details. But I also know that this work matters enough to keep walking it through.
A Journey I Want to Share
This is only the beginning of this chapter.
Over the coming weeks and months, I plan to share more about this process — the milestones, the lessons, the challenges, and the hopes I have for where this journey may lead.
I want people to see what it really takes for a small Indigenous wellness company to grow into new markets.
I want to share what happens behind the scenes.
And I want others — especially small makers, Indigenous entrepreneurs, and people carrying healing work of their own — to know that these paths are possible, even when they are complex.
For now, this is where I am:
Doing the research.
Making the adjustments.
Building the foundation.
And preparing, step by step, to carry this healing further.
Beyond borders.
Without leaving its roots behind.