Today we’d like to introduce you to Shalita O. Neale.
Hi Shalita, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After spending most of my professional career working in child welfare and supporting leaders in launching and growing their nonprofit and social enterprises nationally and internationally, I decided to prioritize my healing and delve into what brought me joy. I was drawn to child welfare because I was in the foster care system as a child and aged out at 21 after my mother was murdered when I was almost 3 years old. I officially went into foster care at the age of 13 and lived with multiple foster families and in a group home before going away to college. It was a very tumultuous and lonely time for me and right after aging out of foster care, I jumped right into advocating for other young people in foster care by starting my nonprofit in Baltimore City for young adults like me who were in search of support after leaving the system. I was able to help pass legislation and policy that provided more resources to foster youth and house and support over 1000 young people over the 8 years the nonprofit was in operation.
I started to become burned out and realized I had poured so much into others that I hadn’t made time to think about what I wanted for myself, how my trauma from foster care was still following me, or who I wanted to be outside of the child welfare world. When I started to explore these things, I realized I was drawn to gardening, and began to grow my food and share it with my family and friends. Also around this same time, I began to explore my spirituality and how I wanted to practice it and was led to spiritual herbalism as part of the journey. I fell in love with plants, their medicinal purposes, and how they teach, nurture, and nourish us. I now know that helping people, especially Black Leaders, community activists, and advocates, to center their self-care and healing and come back to the holistic healing modalities of their ancestors is my path and purpose. One of the ways, I have chosen to do this is through the launch of Ancestors’ Dream Apothecary; a holistic health shop with an online and physical presence that provides ancestral herbal medicine, spiritual tools, herbal workshops, and wellness events that help heal the mind, body and spirit.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, it has not been a smooth road but, I am thankful for everything I have experienced because it has made me who I am. Everything I have achieved, I’ve done so through literal blood, sweat, and tears.
There were many obstacles I encountered along the way, some due to internal conflict and baggage from childhood trauma and some due to external obstacles (like structural racism, accessing capital for my business endeavors, ageism, etc). These struggles have taught me about myself – what I want and do not want and what I will and will not accept from myself and others.
We’ve been impressed with Ancestors’ Dream Apothecary, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ancestors’ Dream Apothecary is a roughly 600 square food holistic health shop located in Baltimore’s walkable Canton area at 2220 Boston Street; we also have an online store at www.ancestorsdreamapothecary.com. Our mission is to provide holistic healing solutions that nurture the mind, body, and spirit, using ancestral remedies and spiritual tools. Our owner brings a wealth of knowledge from her experience working in retail and customer service before launching multiple nonprofit organizations and businesses, evidenced by the attention to detail at the Apothecary.
We believe in engaging all of the customers’ six senses. From the moment they walk through the door, they’re met with the calming aroma of our clearing spray and greeted by our friendly and knowledgeable Store Lead. Customers are welcomed to a hot cup of one of our tea blends to warm them up as they shop and are invited to sit at our farmhouse table to rest, contemplate, or get a little work done. The magic of ADA is in how customers are taken care of while they visit with us. It’s not just a place to buy natural remedies, it’s a respite for people looking to center themselves and recharge before returning to the grind of community change.
Ancestors’ Dream Apothecary differentiates itself in the community through our values-driven mission and holistic approach to wellness. We believe true health comes from within, and we aim to empower our community with the knowledge and tools for self-care and healing. Ancestors’ Dream Apothecary proudly supports and partners with herbalists and healers of color and collaborates with local black-owned businesses to promote community wellness.
We offer a diverse range of herbal products, including teas, tinctures, and salves, focusing on organic and ethically sourced ingredients; spiritual tools such as books, crystals, incense, and candles, tailored for meditation, spiritual practices, and energy work and body care items like lotions, soaps, scrubs, bath teas, and bombs; and provide Holistic Health Consultations with personalized herbal blends tailored to individual health and spiritual needs.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
In the next 5-10 years, I anticipate the holistic health and herbalism industry to have tripled in size. More and more people are getting curious about ways to naturally care for themselves and are intrigued with growing their food and using natural medicines.
Contact Info:
- Website: ancestordream.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ancestorsdreamapothecary
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ancestorsdream
Image Credits
Kfinch Photography, Design by Valentine, and GSHOTS Media
