Patrick Tumamait is the son of Vincent Tumamait & Lucy Castro Tumamait. He grew up in the Ojai Valley and still lives in the Meiners Oaks neighborhood near the birthplace of his great, great grandmother, Maria Ricarda Alulalmeque, who was raised in the Chumash village of Matilija. Pat can trace his family lineage from his father to at least 11 known Chumash villages and as far back as the mid-18th century. “The culture and the people are still alive. Our life entails protecting the cultural history and ancestry of our people, having people recognize the past as a legacy to our future. Protection and awareness so that we can share it with others and preserve it for the future generations to come.”
Amanda McQuade Crawford practiced as a Consultant Medical Herbalist for decades before she became a licensed therapist (MFT). She graduated from Britain’s College of Phytotherapy, is a Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a founding member of the American Herbalists Guild, and a consultant in the natural products industry. She continues to serve the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a Review Panelist and the American Botanical Council as an Advisory Board Member. She is the author of two books on women’s health: Herbal Remedies for Women and The Natural Menopause Handbook.
One of the most clinically knowledgeable physicians in the U.S. in the field of medical cannabis, Dr. David Bearman has spent 50 years working in the substance and drug abuse treatment and prevention field. Dr. Bearman was a pioneer in the free and community clinic movement. His career includes public health, administrative medicine, provision of primary care, pain management and cannabinology. He is the former Executive Director of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine and the author of Cannabis Medicine.
Zhena Muzyka is a socially responsible business leader who founded Zhena’s Gypsy Tea in 2000 and helped to pioneer fair trade & biodynamics in the food & beverage industry. From authoring her bestselling book, Life by the Cup, she went on to become the head of her own publishing imprint at Simon & Schuster where she published 40 wellness, spirituality & ecology books which educated and entertained readers globally. Her latest endeavor, Club Magic Hour, combines organic tea & botanicals with transformational wellness teachings in a subscription box & is already finding a global audience. Zhena lives in Ojai and can be found at ClubMagicHour.com.
John Hickey, LAc has been actively involved in studying, teaching and practicing Shiatsu massage, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Classical Chinese Medicine since 1980, the year he attended Shiatsu Massage School of California in Santa Monica. He became assistant teacher to the owner DoAnn T. Kaneko in 1982. John studied at California Acupuncture College and became licensed in 1985. He went on to co-found the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine in 1987 where he served as Vice President, Academic Dean and Instructor. From 1998 to the present, he has been in private practice specializing in Shiatsu and acupuncture treatments while studying and practicing Classical Chinese Medicine with renowned Daoist priest and Chinese Medicine Doctor Jeffrey C. Yuen.
Dr. Elena Esparza, D.C., was born and raised in East Los Angeles. She has studied physical medicine, manual medicine, herbal medicine, and energetic medicine throughout the United States, Mexico and Central America. She received her Doctorate of Chiropractic Medicine in 1999 from the Southern California University of Health Sciences, Los Angeles. She also received her Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology with a Spiritual Emphasis, at the University of Santa Monica in 1996. Dr. Elena has a family practice in the heart of East Los Angeles and specializes in detoxing the body on all levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Her emphasis is focused on wholeness and integration.
Jim Adams is Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at the USC School of Pharmacy. He was trained by a Chumash Indian Healer for 14 years. Dr. Adams taught pharmacy students, medical students, doctors and other healthcare professionals for 33 years while researching the natural pharmaceutical compounds in native plants. He is co-author of the 4th edition of Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West.
Carol Wade has been a practicing professional herbalist and nutritional counselor for more than 30 years and is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild. She is the founder and Director of the Ojai School of Herbal Studies, a 22-month herbal studies program located in Ojai, California. Her garden, the Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden in Ojai, California, serves as a hub for several medicinal herb-oriented ventures that bring the idea of using medicinal herbs in daily living as a viable and logical choice to the community at large.
Enrique Villaseñor is a multi-ethnic Healer, naturalist, retired educator, cyclist and author with Indigenous ancestry. He was a public school educator for 35 years, teaching in elementary, middle and adult schools. Enrique learned traditional healing from his mother, a Healer, and Professor Emeritus James Adams. As part of this process, Enrique has researched and taught traditional healing, participated in field studies, co-authored several research papers, and is a co-author of the fourth edition of Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West.