Gina Badger (she/they) is the energetic clinical herbalist who runs Long Spell. They are a queer nonbinary femme of Norman, Huguenot and Anglo-Saxon ancestry born on Cree territory and currently living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Gina’s life work is contributing to a collective vision of holistic health care that’s equally heartfelt and irreverent, down-to-earth and visionary, gentle and rigorous.
Gina launched Long Spell in 2018, and she has been growing and making her own medicine, offering workshops, and serving as a community herbalist for more than ten years. Gina has completed over 900 hours of training in herbal medicine, first aid, and botany. Before training as an herbalist, they worked as a visual artist and editor for over a decade, having earned an MSc in Visual Studies from MIT (2010) and a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from Concordia University (2008).
Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes are Gina’s primary teachers, and she continues to benefit from their mentorship. Thanks to their teachings, her practice is informed by both Indigenous energetic principles (via Karyn’s Choctaw lineage) and the western herbal tradition. As a white settler practicing earth-based medicine on occupied Indigenous lands, Gina is committed to a lifelong process of transparency and reciprocity with respect to the knowledge she has been entrusted with. She welcomes engagement on this topic for those who are interested.
Gina regularly accesses additional mentorship and training to expand their capacity as a practitioner. They are currently pursuing professional development with Colleen Emery, they participate in a Blue Otter peer mentor group, and they have benefitted from the visionary support of the Turtle Tank School for Radical Purpose.
