The Dancing Willow

The Dancing Willow podcast explores healing, herbalism, and the wisdom of the Earth. Hosted by Elliott Brinkley, clinical herbalist and owner of Dancing Willow Herbs apothecary, this podcast offers insights into plant medicine, herbal remedies, breathwork, and personal transformation. Whether you're new to herbalism or looking to deepen your practice, each episode provides practical tips, inspiring conversations with healers, and a holistic approach to wellness. Tune in for a journey of healing, rooted in the power of nature.

The Dancing Willow is a health podcast hosted by Dancing Willow Herbs, with 42 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Dancing Willow Herbs hosts The Dancing Willow, a health show with 42 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  The Dancing Willow

  Creating a Kitchen Apothecary with Sarah Kate Benjamin

  Aug 4, 20261h 6m

  Herbalism becomes far more sustainable when it is woven into the meals, rhythms, and rituals that already shape our days. In this episode, Elliott is joined by Sarah Kate Benjamin, herbalist, private chef, author, and creator of The Kosmic Kitchen. Sarah Kate shares how chronic fatigue and depletion first led her to bring herbalism out of the tincture bottle and into her everyday food. What began with adaptogens, nourishing meals, fresh herbs from the garden, and a jar of tea waiting in the refrigerator eventually grew into The Kosmic Kitchen- a beautiful and practical approach to making food and herbal medicine part of the same conversation. In this episode, we explore: Sarah Kate’s experience with chronic fatigue and how food and herbs became part of her healing Using herbal oils, vinegars, pestos, dips, dressings, teas, and other kitchen staples as everyday medicine An approachable introduction to Ayurveda, the five elements, and the vata, pitta, and kapha doshas Foods, herbs, spices, and lifestyle practices that can support each dosha The best herbs for cooling summer infusions, including tulsi, lemon balm, nettle, chamomile, marshmallow root, and cinnamon Seasonal self-care practices such as herbal body oiling, foot baths, salt scrubs, and movement How motherhood has simplified Sarah Kate’s herbal practice while making it even more essential Preparing deeply nourishing foods for pregnancy and postpartum recovery The importance of mothering and feeding the mother while she cares for a new baby Building confidence and creativity in the kitchen through flexible foundational recipes Connect with Sarah Kate Benjamin: The Kosmic Kitchen Join the Kosmic Cooking Club on Substack Explore Sarah Kate’s herbal recipes Follow The Kosmic Kitchen on Instagram The Kosmic Kitchen Cookbook: Everyday Herbalism and Recipes for Radical Wellness Resources mentioned in this episode: The dhyana Center of Health Sciences — founded by Sarah Kate’s Ayurvedic teacher, DeAnna Batdorff Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary Florida School of Holistic Living The Yoga of Herbs by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad Dancing Willow Herbs products for an herbal kitchen: Fire Cider- use in salad dressings, sauces, hot toddies Adaptogenic Honey Paste - add to recipes, toast, or tea Damiana Love Cordials- pour over ice cream, add to mocktails Delicious cold infusion teas: Flowers She Spoke, Tension Tonic Stay Connected If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it. Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs! Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.com Instagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dancing Willow

  The Language of Plants: Herbal Constituents with Lisa Ganora

  Jul 21, 20261h 23m

  Herbalist and phytochemist Lisa Ganora returns to the podcast for a lively exploration of herbal constituents and the ways plants communicate with the body. We talk about the tingling alkylamides found in echinacea and spilanthes, immunomodulating polysaccharides, carotenoids, mucilage, and how different medicine-making methods extract different aspects of a plant. Lisa also shares stories about brittlebush, nettles, calendula, dandelions, and the importance of combining scientific research with traditional knowledge and direct sensory experience. In this episode, we explore: Why herbal constituents are more than isolated chemicals What echinacea’s tingling sensation can teach us Alcohol versus water extraction for extracting alkamines and immunomodulating polysaccharides How immunomodulating polysaccharides work in plants like echinacea or brittlebrush as well as medicinal mushrooms The relationship between the immune and lymphatic systems Carotenoids in calendula, dandelions, leafy greens and fall colors Learning about plants through taste, texture, color, and sensation Why phytochemistry can deepen our respect and relationship with plants Links, resources & herbal products: Listen to our first conversation with Lisa Ganora: The Magic of Herbal Constituents: Plant Chemistry with Lisa Ganora Lisa's website: herbalconstituents.com Explore Lisa’s two-semester Herbal Constituents Course, which connects phytochemistry with clinical herbalism, energetics, and medicine making Dancing Willow Herbs products mentioned in the episode: Ultra Echinacea (double extracted Echinacea) Immense Defense Lymph Tonic Red Root Tincture Tummy Tea Reishi Tincture (double extracted) Mindful Mushroom Mix (double extracted) Stay Connected If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it. Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs! Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.com Instagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dancing Willow

  The Healing Path of Lei: Hawaiian Herbalism, Beauty & Belonging with Keya Guimaraes

  Jul 7, 20261h 26m

  Most of us know lei as something beautiful- flowers placed around the neck in welcome or celebration- but in this conversation, herbalist Keya Guimaraes invites us into lei as formula, prayer, ritual, and medicine. Together, Elliott & Keya explore Hawaiian herbalism, lei making as medicine, and what it means to become naturalized to the land beneath your feet. This conversation moves through beauty, ancestry, reverence, daily practice, bees, plant communication, and the ways we can return to the earth through devotion and presence. Keya speaks to the sacredness of weaving plants, the importance of place-based relationship, and how even simple daily rituals can become an umbilical cord back to the living world. In this episode: How to become naturalized to the land you live on What lei making teaches us about plants, prayer, and impermanence The difference between beauty as surface and beauty as a feeling How plant rituals support rites of passage, grief, birth, death, and transformation Why daily practice matters in rebuilding relationship with the earth The meaning of reverence and why it goes deeper than gratitude How bees, flowers, and animals can help us remember how to belong Keya’s work with Hawaiian plants, hydrosols, lei, herbal consultations, and place-based healing Links & Resources: Ecotone Kauaʻi: ecotonekauai.com Ecotone Essex: ecotoneessex.com Keya's Instagram: @ecotonekauai and @keyaflowerandfern Stay Connected If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it. Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs! Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.com Instagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dancing Willow

  Letting the Light In: Summer Solstice Herbalism

  Jun 23, 202652 min

  What if the summer solstice is not just about celebrating the light, but learning how to truly receive it? This solo episode, Elliott Brinkley explores herbs for the summer solstice, including St. John’s Wort, Mugwort, Lavender, Rose, Elderflower, and the sun-faced plants of the Asteraceae family. Through seasonal herbalism, plant folklore, and practical medicine, this episode looks at how midsummer herbs help us connect with solar energy, protection, pleasure, boundaries, intuition, and the slow return toward darkness. This is an invitation to gather the medicine of the season and ask: what light do you want to carry forward? In this episode: The meaning of the summer solstice as a celebration of light and a turning point in the year Why St. John’s Wort is one of the great herbs of midsummer How St. John’s Wort teaches us about hope, protection, sunlight, mood, and letting the light in The folklore and meaning behind Hypericum perforatum Why St. John’s wort is best used fresh, and what to know about medication interactions How sunflowers, calendula, chamomile, yarrow, dandelion, and other Asteraceae plants reflect community, radiance, and shared abundance Lavender, Rose and Elderflower and their connection to summer solstice Mugwort as an herb for balancing summer solstice by honoring the darkness within the light Simple ways to work with summer solstice herbs through oils, teas, flower essences, sun teas, rose water, smoke bundles, and seasonal ritual A reflection on what light you are ready to gather, embody, and carry into the darker half of the year Links & Resources: Herbal Allies for Summer Wellness (free e-book) when you sign up for our newsletter here: https://dancingwillowherbs.com/ Summertime Herbal Collection of Dancing Willow Herbs products Herbal Allies for Summer Wellness Podcast Episode from last year! Fresh Plant St. John's Wort Tincture St. John's Wort Plus Tincture Fresh Plant St. John's Wort Oil Fresh Plant St. John's Wort Liniment Rooted Heart Elixir Mesa Verde Lavender Our episode with Katie of Mesa Verde Lavender Stay Connected If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it. Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs! Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.com Instagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dancing Willow

  Honey, Venom & the Sacred Medicine of Bees with Courtney Cosgriff

  Jun 9, 20261h 12m

  Honey is more than a sweetener- it is a spiritual substance born from land, flower, bee, and devotion. This conversation with Courtney Cosgriff of Honeybee Herbals is a journey into the mystery, medicine, and ancient wisdom of bees. More than a discussion about honey or pollination, this episode invites us into the hive as a living temple- a place of devotion, protection, nourishment, transformation, sweetness, and sting. Courtney’s perspective moves us beyond extraction and into reverence, reminding us that bees are not simply here to serve us, but to teach us about right relationship with the land, the flowers, the medicines of the hive, and the wider web of life. This episode is a beautiful listen for herbalists, plant lovers, tenders of the earth, and anyone longing to remember a more reciprocal way of being with nature and the sacred buzz of a bee. In this episode, we explore: How Courtney’s path with the bees began through near-death experiences, dreams, and synchronicity The ancient connection between bees, priestesses, temples, and the feminine mysteries The Melissae, or “bee women,” and the lineage of women who served the Mother Goddess through the wisdom of the hive Why the hive can be understood as a womb, a temple, and a mirror of the earth herself The deeper medicine of beeswax, venom, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, and honey How venom teaches boundaries, protection, humility, and the sacredness of sting Why honey is not just a sweetener, but a reflection of land, flower, bee, devotion, and immense labor The ethics of harvesting hive medicines and the importance of moving from extraction into relationship Why “saving the bees” begins with growing flowers, restoring habitat, and supporting all pollinators How to begin connecting with bees even if you are not called to become a beekeeper Links & Resources: Courtney’s website: honeybeeherbals.co Instagram: @honeybeeherbal Stay Connected If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it. Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs! Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.com Instagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Dancing Willow. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.