Written by Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust
Clinical Herbalist & Co-Founder, Iwilla Remedy

Published February 8, 2023

Most people don’t know this, but right before launching Herbal Medicine for the Soul, I was limping. Yes, I’d overcome persistent musculoskeletal pain, digestive upset, and other chronic ailments by healing my childhood trauma, but a few years after that my knee started going downhill.

For 8 months my right knee was stiff, achy and tender to the touch. Sometimes a shooting pain would stop me in my tracks. One time I was getting up from the couch and my knee didn’t support me at all and I collapsed.

As a healer it’s a common belief that we must totally healed to help other people. We put so much pressure on ourselves, thinking that we must be perfect before we can start our work. But everyone has or will overcome challenge in their own lives and when you do this, you’re ready to start helping others who experience that very same obstacle.

It doesn’t mean you won’t have more to learn and that everything in your life will run smoothly. Being a healer means you’re committed to uplifting others. And through this commitment you’ll continue to do your work, follow the instructions you’ve been given, and share the wisdom you’ve learned along the way. If you think you need to have it all together to begin, you’ll never start. And the world needs you, so take it easy and contribute from where you are.

Oh you’re probably wondering what happened to my knee. Well...I got serious about developing Herbal Medicine for the Soul, started working on the curriculum and marketing the program and the pain went away. I kid you not. I never took medication, didn’t go to the doctor, didn’t even make an herbal salve or blend. I simply started following the instructions I’d been given. It probably lifted gradually, but I only remember one day being aware that my knee felt 100% better as I walked up the stairs.

In this video we answer two questions:

How to overcome imposter syndrome?

How can I help others when I’m not where I want to be?

This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust is a clinical herbalist, author, and co-founder of Iwilla Remedy. Her work centers health sovereignty, cultural lineage, and evidence-informed plant medicine.