Meet Daisy Amanda Jones

We recently connected with Daisy Amanda Jones and have shared our conversation below.

Daisy Amanda, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Finding purpose is a funny thing sometimes. I always knew I wanted to be an educator of some kind, so I went to college and majored in Bioloy and Secondary Education. Out of college I taught high school biology for 4 years. I then worked in places like Sylvan Learning Center, Head Start and other afterschool programs. When I moved to the west coast, I truly thought I was on my path as an marine educator/manager as I loved it. Not until we had a professional development day away from that did I realize I was in the wrong field.

I worked in an Aquarium and our director wanted to give us an experience outside of the marine world. It was a brilliant idea as it got us away from thinking about our work and a place where we could all just relax, learn something different and enjoy each other.
We were signed up for a plant walk in our local mountains. I had never done anything like this so was super interested in what we’d be doing and learning. Never did I think this walk would change my life.
On the walk, the guide showed us all the plants that were there, native and non-native, edible and medicinal, plus some history and survival skills. I was totally into this. I hadn’t been this excited about anything, including my work in marine science (and I was super passionate about that) ever. I realized halfway through the walk that I was in the wrong science field.

I was so excited about that walk that I reached out to the guide later that week. I signed up for more classes and started going to as many as I could. I was learning so much so fast. I’d go home and research the plants; edibility, medicinal and all the rabbit hole info on them. The guide became my mentor for many years and we would forage, plant identify, plant search and talk about our new recipes or methods together.
I was obsessed and would go out every weekend foraging and plant identifying, cooking and making remedies with said plants.
I’m a certified Biology educator and naturalist, so this did seem to fall in alignment. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Honestly, finding my purpose took a lot of trial and error. I had to keep trying until I found what was my jam. I knew that teaching/educating was part of that equation, but didnt have the right topics until now. Not giving up was crucial to finding it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Currently, I have a business, Daily Daisy Botanicals which encompasses products like non-toxic candles, room sprays and wax melts but the main focus is herbal/plant education.

I’m unique with my herbalism as I was trained by my mentor to cook with foraged plants so cooking, fermenting, baking and creating with plants and herbs is my niche and very different from others.

I have a series of classes I teach at The Stinking Rose in San Antonio called The Kitchen Witch Series. We work with herbs and foraged plants to make not only herbal remedies, but food items for health and wellness. We also include plant spirit, nature connection and plant identification into the mix as well. This makes the classes a well-rounded education of natural herbalism.

Learning to connect to the plants to hear what they have to teach us is so powerful. When we get out in nature, no phones, no computers, just the outdoors, you hear nature. You hear what it’s saying because we can catch our breath and relax. The trees and plants speak, not in traditional ways, but they speak to us in their ways. We just have to observe the and listen. It’s necessary to connect with the natural world if we realize it or not. That’s where I come in, to explain and create that space to learn how to connect. So many of us have never been taught or have forgotten how to connect.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The first step is to find a knowledgeable mentor. Without mine, I would have had very little direction. They help guide you, answer questions, and help you critically think (if they are really good!). They allow for teaching moments, trial and error and stability. I cannot recommend a mentor in your field, whatever it is, enough!

Another step I’d take if I was serious about growing in a field is to take classes from different instructors. You will gain perspective and knowledge very quickly if you truly immerse yourself in the topic you want to be an expert in.

Lastly, I’d do as much research as possible yourself, keep it in a yearly journal, and be consistent with this.
I remember when I was learning the plants in Southern California, I was going out every weekend and taking photos of the plants I didn’t know. I’d journal, sketch and add info when out in the field so when I did research I could see the holes I was missing in my information. I would also give myself the goal of learning a new plant every week. In a year that’s 52 plants! Be consistent and the work will show.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always looking to spread the herbal goodness to others, especially to those that want to learn. So, I’m always looking for shops and stores that would allow me to teach there.

Also, I do home classes for groups of 8 and up. I have an assortment of class types to choose from such as cooking within your own spicerack, charcuterie boards, basic herbal remedies, immunity elixirs and more.
I’m always looking for hostesses for these classes as the hostess gets a free class.

If interested in either or both, please email me at dailydaisybotanicals@gmail.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.dailydaisybotanicals.com
• Instagram: @dailydaisybotanicals

Image Credits

All photos are by Daisy Amanda Jones