This episode is a proud partnership with American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) & United Plant Savers (UpS)

This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by two dedicated and passionate advocates, educators, and leaders within the herbal industry, Alexis Durham and Susan Leopold. Tag along with Tommy and these two inspiring women for an episode exploring the six days of back-to-back educational botanical events coming to the Cincinnati area this September! Join us for the 17th Biennial International Herb Symposium, the AHPA Small Business Bootcamp—led in part by Tommy Nevar, our very own host of Herbal Radio—and the first-ever AHPA Botanical Congress: Back to Our Roots, to gain invaluable knowledge alongside the ever-growing plant people community.

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Email us at [email protected] to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is pleased to invite customers of Mountain Rose Herbs to register for the 2025 AHPA Botanical Congress and Small Business Bootcamp at the discounted AHPA member rate. To redeem this special offer, please contact Alexis Durham at [email protected].

🪻Join the biennial global gathering of herbalists, healers, and plant lovers alike! 🪻

17th Biennial International Herb Symposium

September 12th – 14th | Cincinnati, OH

📓 Learn the ropes of the herbal and dietary supplement industry! 📓

AHPA Workshop: Small Business Bootcamp

September 15th, 2025 7:30am – 5pm EDT | Cincinnati, OH

🌲 Wrap up your week of non-stop herbal education with a brand new AHPA event! 🌲

AHPA Botanical Congress: Back to Our Roots

September 16th – 17th, 2025 | Cincinnati, OH

This episode discusses some Appalachian environmental and sustainability initiatives that could use your help:

🌱 United Plant Savers 

🌱 Rural Action 

🌱 Appalachian Sustainable Development 

Learn more about Alexis and Susan below! ⬇️

🌻 Alexis Durham is the Director of Education for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), where she develops and manages AHPA’s educational programs in addition to planning and coordinating AHPA meetings and events. Her work ensures that members are well informed of issues impacting the industry and that members have forums to collaborate with each other and AHPA staff.

Alexis earned her B.Sc. in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University and began teaching while serving as Education Coordinator for the American Botanical Council in Austin, TX. A desire to learn more from the plants themselves brought her to southern Oregon, where she worked for Horizon Herbs and taught for Herb Pharm’s Herbaculture Internship Program. She coordinated the 23rd Annual Symposium for the American Herbalists Guild and served as Bastyr University’s garden supervisor and adjunct faculty, as well as program coordinator for the Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design, teaching students to create healing landscapes with medicinal and edible plants.

Alexis spent several years working at Herb Pharm, most recently as their Director of Botanical Affairs, where she was involved with herbal education, regulatory compliance, product development and community engagement. She is passionate about plants, herbalism, and conservation, and serves on the Board of Directors for United Plant Savers. Her happiest moments are spent in nature, listening to birds and caring for her garden.

🌿 Susan Leopold is an ethnobotanist and conservation biologist known for her work in the fields of plant conservation, sustainable agriculture, and ethnobotany. She is the Executive Director of the United Plant Savers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their habitat. Leopold is an advocate for ethical wildcrafting practices, community-based conservation initiatives, and the preservation of traditional plant knowledge.

💿 Consider yourself more of a visual creature? 💿

Check out the video version of this interview on our YouTube Channel!

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