OUR STORY

 

The company was born in 2002 alongside the birth of James and Amanda's first child, Wesley. They lived on a small farm in Northern California. While James worked to support the family, Amanda began her study of growing herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees and their nutritive and medicinal uses.

 

The new baby gave Amanda the incentive to make her own mother and baby lotions, using the plants growing on the farm. It was not long before the small production of lotions extended itself for family and friends.

Living in rural California the family was fortunate to develop a deep, transcendent relationship with the land. Amanda spent several hours each day identifying the wild plants growing in the nearby fields and woods. Observing them in all seasons and stages of growth, she came to know them intimately; learning about their preferred environment, how they like to grow, their smell, taste, subtle energies, and medicinal affects. By living closely with these plants, the family directly experienced their potential for healing.

 

In November of 2005 Amanda received a certificate from the California School of Herbal Studies in The Roots of Herbalism, cultivating her skill in Herbal Therapeutics, Materia Medica, Medicine-Making, Physiology, Botany, and Growing Plant Medicine. This, and the birth of their second child Josaphina, created the solid foundation for In Joy Botanicals in February of 2006, in the surroundings of Lake and Sonoma Counties.

 

Just after their third child Violet was born, they moved back to Colorado to be closer to family. This was the birth of In Joy Botanicals in Colorado!

 

From 2006-2017, Amanda has gained inspiration and guidance studying with Native American Healers, as well as Indigenous plant healers from South America. She has created more products for her children as they‘ve grown and faced the challenges of school, food allergies, and the emotional difficulties of becoming teenagers. She also has gained much inspiration to create products to support the healing journeys of her clients in her Massage Therapy and Spiritual Healing practice.

 

Having gone through the challenges of becoming a single mother, Amanda has cultivated a passion to educate and help all mothers and their families to raise their children naturally and with greater use of herbal oils and nutrition for preventative medicine.

 

“When we connect with the medicinal qualities of plants and discipline ourselves to have regular self-care rituals using these great allies, we become more in tune with the voice and vibration of our hearts. With reverence for the plant medicines and their powerful healing vibrational frequencies, I hope to touch your lives in ways that will help you to heal from the traumas you've encountered and create a life of beauty, balance, prosperity, and peace. It is my greatest joy to inspire and help you honor the sacred temple of your body, mind, and spirit and learn to live in balance and harmony with nature, your families, and your communities.” ~Amanda