Meet Karissa

My
Journey


Hello! Thank you for stopping by my page. I started using essential oils to help bring balance to my clients during their Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry sessions. I quickly fell in love with these powerful gifts and started using them with my family when our 2 kids were little. I've had all kinds of mishaps and mistakes along the way i.e. peppermint oil in my eye (ouch)! Experience really is the best teacher! My goal is to educate safe, effective use of aromatherapy, so you don't have to make all the mistakes I did! My husband Tristan, of 23 years, is in the back office helping with all the business aspects of AromaWise and has been my biggest supporter and guinea pig.
Knowing that using aromatherapy came with a great responsibility, I studied to become an aromatherapist. In 2016, I was granted certification as a clinical aromatherapist through the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). I have a passion for approaching aromatherapy with a holistic perspective to support the health and well-being of an individual. My career has been dedicated to working in a variety of healthcare settings serving the geriatric population in several roles including as an Integrative Health and Healing Practitioner, Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant, Wellness Director and End of Life Doula. I have experience in training nurses and other healthcare professionals in using aromatherapy in safe and effective ways with a specialty in skilled nursing care settings, memory care and hospice. I also sat on an advisory committee to develop and implement integrative health and healing programs within the geriatric community. Another great passion for over 15 years has been through my work as a Healing Touch Spiritual Ministry Certified Practitioner.
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My love for plants started when I was just a little girl. Some of my earliest memories are digging in the soil helping my Grandma tend her huge garden on her farm. Today, I'm fortunate to have a garden of my own, although in a much smaller scale than my Grandma. In fact, most of my gardening happens in straw bales. Nothing stirs my excitement more than growing beautiful herbs in my Minnesota backyard garden. There is something so special about taking a seed and planting it with a prayer that it will grow and produce something wonderful and healing. The herbs and flowers are harvested at just the right time to capture the potency of the plant to create herbal oil infusions. The herbal oil infusions I make take time--a lot of time but are so worth the wait. Herbal oils like calendula and lavender are featured in my balms, body oils, and some of my roll-ons.
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So whether aromatherapy is brand new to you or you've been journeying for a while, I'd love to find out how we can work together!
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~Karissa
