In this episode of NOWINCLUDED Unfiltered, Michelle Brantley-Smith invites us back to the root.

What began as a personal journey through burnout became a powerful reconnection to plant-based healing, ancestral wisdom, and the rituals our communities have relied on for generations. Through her work in herbal wellness as the founder of The Good Root Grove Co., Michelle explores the intersection of science and spirit — and challenges the colonized ideas of medicine and nutrition that have disconnected us from what truly nourishes us.
We talk about why Black women deserve rest without guilt, food without fear, and rituals that go beyond survival. This conversation reframes wellness as remembrance: trusting ancestral practices, honoring nature, and choosing joy as a form of resistance.

If you can’t pronounce it, don’t consume it — because our roots were never the problem. They were always the remedy.