Vanessa Van Andel has been passionate about integrative health and wellness from a young age. Growing up she spent most of her free time learning about our modern food systems, experimenting in the kitchen, gardening with her Mom, and camping with her Dad, further fueling her interest in plants and food.

In 2018 she attended the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Kelowna B.C. where she obtained her certification as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN).

In 2020 she relocated to her current home on Vancouver Island and attended the 3-year Phytotherapy program at Pacific Rim College to obtain her certification as a Medical Herbalist. As the most comprehensive herbalist program in North America she focused on the traditional knowledge of herbal medicine along with modern- day scientific applications.

She has over 510 hours of clinical work obtained from the clinic on campus in downtown Victoria and has further clinical experience working with the unhoused at the Victoria Cool Aid Society, and folks at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre.  

Her comprehensive training includes education in the biomedical sciences including anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, biochemistry, phytochemistry, physical examination skills and pharmacology.

 As a multi-faceted being with many passions, she is dedicated to continuous learning and loves to share the knowledge she has acquired over-time. Vanessa takes a nuanced approach to most things in life, including her clinical practice and acknowledges the complexities of nutrition, herbal medicine and health while simultaneously simplifying it to make it approachable and accessible to all.

In Vanessa’s free time you can often find her sitting at a café sipping a yummy drink, biking around town, finding plants, practicing hot yoga, and having beach picnics at the ocean with her friends.