Meet Danae Hersha

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danae Hersha a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Danae, 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?

It all started with my daughter, Fox.
You see, I was a tattoo artist for 15+ years before I had her. And I was very rough on my body. I ate like garbage, had horrible sleep schedules, smoked cigarettes, I was so unhealthy.
My husband and I struggled with infertility and miscarriages for some time, and it made me reflect on how I treated my body. I had slowly shifted my life towards this more holistic way of living but it wasn’t overnight. Once I finally had her I thought I had everything I figured out.
But at 1 year old, she got very sick. She ended up having what’s called a complex febrile seizure lasting over an hour. Doctors concluded our hospital stay and brain scans with one simple summary: it’s just how she responds to fevers. She will probably have them every time she gets sick and if true, she will be on medication for the rest of her life.
They sent me home with an emergency suppository and wished me luck. My motherhood was shifted from my biggest joy to my biggest fear.
But something happened within me when I left that hospital, this narrative of fear that I simply could not keep was tearing at my mind.
So I refused the narrative. I went to work and I asked hard questions. We ended up jumping headlong into holistic health and did a lot of tests. We learned she had a genetic mutation that kept her body from detoxing toxins or absorbing nutrients properly. So try as we may to eat healthy, her body was still morbidly deficient in nearly every vitamin and nutrient. This was also why any time we did give her medication she would have terrible reactions. Her body was just too sensitive for pharmaceutical efforts.
We flipped our world on its head at that point. Her health was our purpose in life and in being her advocate I realized I had a passion for holistic health. I went back to college for massage therapy and graduated at 36 weeks pregnant with my son, Wolf. I started online courses in herbalism, read every herbal book I could get my hands on, and fell in love. Even my commutes were filled with herbal or medical podcasts.
I finally found a way to better support my daughter’s body through herbs and gentler methods. In 2020 I made over 100 “Covid care packages” taking supplements and herbal blends to peoples doors helping them get over their sicknesses within days.
It thrilled me to see that I could help my community, I found I had this voice amongst the chaos to bring empowerment to people about their own health in a time when fear was the loudest in the room.
Eventually, thanks to some magical believers in the idea and a lot of encouragement from my wonderful husband, I opened the doors to my small studio, the Apothic Fox. It wasn’t easy, but the community helped put it together piece by piece. From the electrical work to interior design, I had people in different fields ready to help.
It was here that I began helping the community both as a massage therapist and an herbalist. After one year, I began our product line, AF herbal. So now I sell my own herbal products, help people in pain with bodywork and now offer my holistic life guide practice, teaching people how to take control over their health.
There has become a huge following of people who have discovered the answers we need are found in the roots, in the places we left behind to advance in our culture. And I’m happy to be there as one of the people who grow that following.

Now years later, I can tell you one thing. It is often tragedy that changes our trajectory. My life has been forever shifted, and now it almost feels imperative that I continue.
And I am happy to report that Fox never had another seizure. And she is happy, healthy and according to her labs she is a thriving (nearly) six year old. She is also a huge celebrity in town, everyone that knows about Apothic Fox knows that Fox is the reason.
In fact, the community created our studio motto, “We are all just healing for Fox sake.”

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?

Right now I think our biggest focus is the launch of our herbal product line, AF Herbal. I realized quickly that my time in the office with people one on one is valuable, but I am very limited. I have a much farther reach with my herbal products.
We began with functional teas like blends that supported hormone balancing, tea that could aid in headaches or teas that were great during pregnancy, for example. Now, we are beginning to sell many more of our fun creations. We now offer our remineralizing tooth powder, bath soak teas, magnesium spray, herbal tattoo aftercare, tinctures and even encapsulated herbs for people who aren’t fans of teas but want the medicinal effects.
We also have many exciting things that will be launching very soon, such as monthly subscriptions.
Currently we are signed up for a lot of farmer markets this year too, so if you’re in Lakeland, Fl come find us we’d love to meet you.
We just launched our online store at theapothicfox.com so if you’re not in Florida hop online and take a peek.

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?

First off would be grit. Reading Grit by Angela Duckworth explains the concept in a very impactful way. But it helped me categorize my goals and helped me cultivate my own grit. Now, I feel aggressively self disciplined about my goals. It’s not just hustle, it’s grit, that builds empires. Its the passion and perseverance toward a goal despite being confronted by significant obstacles or distractions. It’s a narrowed focus, an inability to give up. You have to develop a mindset to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to challenges, and persevere through difficult times.

The second would be adaptability. When I began Apothic Fox I had a much different vision. But I learned quick you have to be open to change, step out of comfort zones and be flexible. Write all plans in pencil, only until the vision becomes clear should you write in pen. And honestly, expect your plans to fall apart because they probably will at least once. And half of the battle is learning to flow.
There is this wonderful example I like to explain to my clients:
Scientist once had no idea why bees can fly. Their little wings shouldn’t be able to lift a fat, fluffy bee. But recently they found that a bee will actually vibrate its wings at a certain frequency, the earths frequency. And because of that it creates this bubble like field around it. Which is why bees can fly straight through great storms and high winds. They are in sync with the frequency of the earth so they become protected from outside elements.
And I feel that deeply in my spiritual life as a Christ follower. If I can find that spiritual zen, that moment where I flow with Creator and allow Him to guide me, I’m okay. I just have to find that frequency, that safe place, and I’m a zen little bee, unbothered by the storm and shifts around me.
So adaptability to me also involves just a little surrender. Surrendering to a plan that is much bigger than you.

And lastly, I would say ask questions- and when you have exhausted all outlets, ask more. Become the professional in your field, then become the best in your profession. I still spend my time listening to herbal podcasts, medical podcasts, reading books on the body systems or the subtle body systems. Because in the end, I want to be trusted and have integrity in my practice, and I want to be the best in my field. I wont become the best or gain the knowledge to do so by playing candy crush. So I always ask questions,
I know I probably drive my husband crazy. I usually have books upon books on the floor of the living room trying to understand something. When Fox was sick, I would spend hours with late night online searches, online classes, meetings with people in the field, I was starving for more information. with every answer I was given, I created 100 more questions. (Special shout out to the people I’ve cornered in random doctors and chiropractic offices asking you a plethora of questions. You guys are great.) I just can’t help it really, I’m like that about everything. I hate not knowing things, I love knowledge and understanding. But being this way I feel gives me an edge in the business world as well as in my own personal life. It should be a priority. If you want to be something, strive to be the best something.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

I feel like imposter syndrome and fear is something that paralyzed me in the beginning, like I didn’t know enough so I didn’t have a voice or I wasn’t qualified to say anything.
I had changed my career in my 30’s. I was always an artist, but now I found myself with this explosive passion for heath and a hunger to pour out what I knew but it was all so fresh and new to me, I was an enthusiast at best.
So I decided to put a magnifying glass on the root of that imposter feeling and sought to eliminate all evidence of it.
I had already went back to college. I took additional studies and online courses to absorb myself in education. I did the hard work, yet doubts never left. Was I capable of running a business? Was I worthy of success? Was I even really helping anyone?
Through that journey I found some great people in the community who also had these problems. Apparently it’s quite common.
Their advice was simple, keep looking forward. I am not where I am because I am an imposter, I’m here because I have worked for it. I have helped people. I have listened and took action. Imposter syndrome or not, I chose to answer to a calling.
My imperative need to help my community talks louder than my insecurities. And now, even when I feel less than adequate, I remind myself that the majority of business owners all feel the same. And I remind myself that I am totally capable and worthy of whatever success I choose to work towards. Fear and self doubt will never serve you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Theapothicfox.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/theapothicfox
• Facebook: The Apothic Fox

Image Credits

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