In June 2014 I launched The Little Herbalista as part of a Nationwide competition called TestTown, run by the Carnegie Trust UK. The idea was to get young people to test a business idea by creating a pop-up shop and trade in town centre locations. I used the competition as a platform to introduce people to the wonders of herbs and was honoured to have won the local heat in Coleraine. I then took part in the Grand Final in Cambridge the following October. The entire experience was amazing and a little overwhelming, it gave me the opportunity to test trade within a town centre location and inspired a passion to engage with people about their health in a more open setting.
With an interest in Irish folklore, I fell in love with the magic of plants around the age of 15 and it was a few years later that I discovered that a degree in herbal medicine existed - instinctively I knew it was the path for me.