06/20/2025
**Time to finally introduce myself**
Hi! My name is Amanda Adams. I’m a mom, wife, Army Reservist, water treatment operator, environmentalist, and all around, all-over the place person who has always tried to live by my values.
Last year, I decided to share my homemade natural goods with the community by creating Sparrow & Spice Apothecary.
I originally came to this area to earn a degree from Mansfield University; which was supposed to be in nursing. Here’s where my ADHD will be obvious- As I learned more about life, I got stubborn and was against this idea of health businesses being for profit, and pill pushing. I changed my major to Community Health Education and Prevention. After another year of courses, I got the opportunity to learn more about our environmental impacts by taking an environmental issues elective. I thought, we can’t have a healthy community without a healthy environment, and changed my major again! Guess what happened after that…..
I ran out of financial aid 😬 oops. I went into college not really knowing who I was or what I truly wanted to get out of it, changed my major too much, then didn’t have the means to finish.
Cool..so I joined the Army Reserve as a Water Treatment Specialist. This experience helped me become a way more disciplined and organized person, got me into water treatment in the civilian world, and allowed me the means to finish obtaining my degree in environmental science!
I learned so much from the university, but I also learned from my friends and fellow students about what the plants in our area have to offer.
A very special friend and I got into foraging. One of my main motivators was that I couldn’t afford health insurance at the time. I learned which plants I could use to treat common and simple maledies, and which plants would offer nutrients, mainly because I was a super broke college kid. (Along with still being stubborn at the time)
Learning how to embrace nature and being a steward for our environment has become engraved in me, first by necessity, and now as a passion. I absolutely love to see the herbalist in our area share their knowledge and passion with others, and was happy to join.
I wish I could spend all my time shaping and creating natural products and watch Sparrow & Spice Apothecary grow, but as an herbalist, sharing my products was never about the money. It was and will always be about showing people that we can do better by avoiding toxic chemicals, reducing our carbon footprint, and learning to care for our resources by embracing the gardener’s relationship of giving and receiving-living sustainably in every way.
Because of these values, I have to face it. I currently don’t have the time and money needed to have this be financially sustainable. As a full time worker, reservist, mother, and busy body, I have decided to take on another truly time-taking endeavor. I’m stepping out of the environmental and water treatment career field, and taking on something new-again!
My ADHD is doing its thing, and I hear the medical world calling. I feel that I’m finally at a place in my life that I can accept this challenge and move back into nursing school. I truly hope with my environmental background, basic knowledge of herbalism, and anticipated nursing career, that I can tap into my potential and help others in an elevated way. Life has offered so many lessons…such as a big business sale is usually somebody creating an insecurity to get you to buy their product, and that with capitalism , most (or all) idustries and ideas will have to put money making first. I’m ready to accept the ugly side of the medical field and step in to make a difference.
I will continue making my own products, but will not have the energy and efforts to share while taking on school, so, please take time to learn who else in the area is making and selling natural products, and please make your own! Seriously! It’s so calming and you won’t regret trying if you haven’t already.
Thank you so much for the support and love I’ve received. Continue to support local. Embrace sustainable living, and stay cool. Our planet needs you 💚
Maybe I’ll be back on market someday 😉 but I’m pulling back for now. Thank you! ☮️
