Roxanne Joubert – The Lady of the Herbs

Roxanne Joubert is a Gauteng city girl who moved to the Garden Route in 2015 and found her roots in nature. Roxanne Joubert has always been passionate about nature, but living in the city didn’t give her much time to really explore these passions. When her feet touched the Garden Route soil, things started to awaken within her and she realised how disconnected to nature we’ve become as a human race – and so Roxanne’s life’s mission began.

Let’s get to know Roxanne Joubert a little better!

Tell us how Lady of the Herbs came to be – and how it has impacted your life.

Since I can remember I’ve always tried to approach things from a more natural side. In 2015 I discovered the wonders of a cup of chamomile tea for stress I was carrying in my stomach, and never went back to pharmaceuticals. I started to self study and experiment with herbs for all kinds of ailments my friends and family were struggling with. In 2017 I decided to study Herbal Medicine so I can officially start to help those around me with the powers herbs have to offer. After my studies I brought out a herbal range of teas, tinctures, aroma oils and salves.
While studying Herbal Medicine, I learned that as a herbalist we need to look at a lot more than just symptoms and herbs to combat those symptoms. We should also look at the causes of disease, a person’s diet and their lifestyle choices as everything we do affects our health. That’s when I decided to study nutrition as well, as food plays a vital role in health. In the beginning of 2020, I expanded my services by doing Holistic Health Coaching. I build health plans for people to help them find balance in their bodies by choosing the correct herbs and foods for their individual needs. I am also currently specialising in our indigenous
medicinal plants and will hopefully soon bring out an indigenous range too.
Lady of the Herbs and this journey I have been on has changed my life. I have discovered who I am and that my role in life is to help people live healthier by reconnecting them with nature.

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

“The Story of You” by Satsang. It’s a feel good and affirmative song with a great message to live your life to its full potential. I’d love to share some of the lyrics with you:

Through my life I have found, fear comes in all shapes and sizes. A master of the fortress, a master of disguises. We used to run free, no fear of where we’d go and we used to love free, not scared of being alone. These times can be returned to if we use the light that was shown on from above in our quest for wrong and right.
We got to be, be like the tree, firm in your roots but expanding to see. See, use both your eyes, and if they are covered then look inside. Go do you. Travel far. Share your stories and earn your scars. It’s you. You are the one, you will answer to when this life is done. Don’t waste a minute, jump in the river, wash yourself clean so you can deliver you.
The story of you.

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken?

Starting Lady of the Herbs and making my passion a career without financial security.

If Mars were liveable, would you accept a one-way ticket there?

I would kindly decline the offer as I love Mamma Earth WAY too much.

If you were given one thousand acres of land what would you do with it?

Oh that’s easy. I would split the area up into different sections which include restoration and conservation of the land, organic food gardens and forests, indigenous medicinal plant cultivations, and a retreat setup for people to come learn about nature and heal by reconnecting with mamma nature. Overall I’ll work with the land by using permaculture and biomimicry practices to create sustainable and thriving ecosystems as well as relationships between human and nature.

Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?

Definitely a gatherer.

If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

If it was cold weather, a vegetarian lasagna; if the weather was hot, a vegetable and salad wrap.

How would people communicate in a perfect world?

With respect, trust and honesty.

Where do you find your inspiration?

In nature or with like-minded people and informative conversations.

If you woke up to 300 unread emails, how would you prioritise which ones to answer?

I’ll identify and remove the non-important and advertising or marketing ones from the list before starting with the ones that need replies. I’ll probably also take a break and go for a walk in the Garden Route Botanical Garden (which is around the corner from my house) to clear my mind before continuing to work through them all.

Where do you go and what do you do to find peace and recharge?

I go hiking in nature.

If you could write one new law that everybody had to obey, what would it be?

People have to respect nature with everything they do, in other words protecting natural systems before anything else.

What, if anything, have you ever re-gifted?

Clothes or home utensils that I don’t use.

What is the most interesting thing you have seen or read this week?

I went for a short hike on/up the Outeniqua Mountain from George after work yesterday and got very excited when I found hippia frutescens and centella asiatica growing wild right there along the path.

What skill or craft would you like to master?

Wild food harvesting.

What would you say are some small steps that people can take to improve their relationship to the environment?

Get out into nature. I believe that by spending time in nature, your mind and thoughts change as you learn to appreciate the beauty around you. Mamma nature has her own way of making us feel good which in return makes us want to go out more and protect our environment.

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