Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sean Rose. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sean, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

In 2019, I was working at an organic market in the produce section where I met a good friend named Grace. One day, Grace asked me to go to a local herb shop nearby. So, we hopped into the car and headed out. This herb shop was in an old house surrounded by medicinal herbs and trees. It was mid-Spring. As we climbed the steps to the porch, over to the right we saw two people sitting on the steps putting price stickers on little potted plants. As it turns out, one of these people was Olivia MacMillan, at that time general manager of that local herb shop, but now one of the co-founders and current co-owner of STROB Apothecary.

At this time I was in a phase of my life where I was learning more about real food and natural medicines. In the produce section at the organic market, I learned a great deal about how our customers there were using food as medicine. In my research and study, I always wanted to know more particularly about how to use herbal remedies, food, and other natural methods for supporting mental health, as I had always struggled with depression and anxiety. I didn’t know exactly how I was going to learn about herbal medicine, but I knew I was hungry for it.

We got to talking with Olivia about how to get involved and learn more about herbalism. She offered my friend and I both part-time work at the shop so we could start learning more. My first gig there was working their spring festival. By July, I had a regular weekly shift in the shop. By October, I became the assistant manager, directly assisting Olivia with daily shop operations.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, there was a tonal shift at that shop. In August of 2020, a group of five of us decided to leave that shop to do things our own way. We came together as the five original co-founders of STROB Apothecary, and named the shop after the first initial of each co-founder: Sean, Tiffany, Risikat, Olivia, and Bonnie: STROB.

Sean, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a clinical herbalist, herbal educator, and death doula, as well as one of the co-founders and co-owners of STROB Apothecary. I also operate a clinical services business called Tenderhearted Wellness, where I specialize in mental health support for neurodivergent and queer individuals. I also practice as a generalist, able to help with a wide variety of health concerns through herbal remedies as well as lifestyle and dietary recommendations.

STROB Apothecary is a custom-formulating herb shop, tea, crystal, and metaphysical shop, and a community hub for local herb- and crystal- lovers, weirdos, and people looking for a different way to approach life. We approach herbal medicine in particular from both the scientific and traditional lens, supporting both biology and spirit through our work. In the combination of these two ways of looking at the world, we can accommodate a wide variety of clientele and talk to them in the way they understand the world best. It also helps us to look at the world, the customers, and the herbs more holistically.

We carry a wide variety of house-blended herbal teas to support a wide range of concerns, as well as herbalist-formulated and -crafted tinctures and supplements as well. My co-founder and co-owner, Olivia MacMillan, is a certified clinical aromatherapist and a master of perfumery, as well as infused oils, body butters, salves, and other body care crafts. She also practices crystal healing and is our current crystal expert on staff.

All of the work we do is guided by our five guiding principles, authored by our late co-founder and Root Woman, Risikat Okedeyi:

1. Reciprocity: We believe in the power of three. What you put out comes back threefold.
2. Discernment: We believe in the power of discernment. Your instincts are the way your soul guides you.
3. Humanity: We believe in humanity. No one is better or above another.
4. Abundance: We believe in abundance. Having enough is possible for everyone.
5. Love: We believe in love. It is through this we move and are moved.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

In herbal work, as well as in clinical aromatherapy, crystal healing, or really just customer service in general, you have to have good people skills.

When we train our wonderful interns who help us out here at the shop, I always tell them that I have a very simple goal for every customer who walks in through our doors. Every customer, whether we are able to assist them or not, whether we can help them with what we have or if we have to refer them somewhere else, should walk out feeling three things: seen, heard, and understood.

In my clinical training, we talked often about the power of the therapeutic relationship. This is something discussed in therapy circles as well. The therapeutic relationship is the concept that a portion of the therapeutic value of any sort of intervention, whether that be pharmaceutical, herbal, talk therapy, massage, or any other modality, is the relationship between therapist and client, in and of itself. When a client or customer feels seen, heard, and understood; that is, that they feel that they are truly being witnessed, their concerns truly taken into account and believed; therapeutic outcomes tend to be better. So, I built this into our staff training here at the shop. I’d like to think this is one of the reasons we have such great reviews. It is a core value here at STROB Apothecary.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

STROB Apothecary has been through a number of challenges in its almost six years of life. We started with 5 co-founders, all equal co-owners in the shop, and this has since reduced to just two. For a few years, we ran the shop this way. One of the largest challenges we faced together was losing one of our co-founders, Risikat Okedeyi, who named our shop and wrote our guiding principles, to cancer.

Risikat was larger than life. You can google her right now and you’ll see the enormous impact she had on her community here in D.C. and Maryland. She was a fierce advocate for Black people, a professor, an artist, a Cultural Architect, an herbalist, a root woman, and entrepreneur, and so, so, so much more. When she lost her fight to cancer, it wasn’t just us who felt this profound sense of loss. Her passing left our entire community in shock.

Grief is not something you ever truly fully recover from, and recovery isn’t our goal in this case. In our grieving, we find ways to move forward, to carry her spirit with us, and to continuously remember that we can hear her voice whenever we just open ourselves up to listening. Risikat had a few sound bites of wisdom she would share. One of the most memorable I hear all the time still when I’m listening for her is “Drink water and talk to your people.” In this case, “your people” meant especially your ancestors, your guardian spirits, those who are looking out for you and your well-being.

I also hear her speaking directly to me at times. She had a nickname for me, one that I’ve never fully felt comfortable claiming and taking into my identity: she would call me the “Conscious King.” She told me that this meant that my words had power and that people would listen when I used my voice for the right reasons. I try to carry this nickname as a badge of honor, and as a relatively soft-spoken person, I try to use her wisdom to speak up for what’s right when it really matters.

In this case, resilience doesn’t mean that we overcame a challenge or that we necessarily recovered from a setback. Rather, it means that when the winds of life blow, we learn to move with them like willow branches. We will never recover from losing our friend, mentor, and partner Risikat Okedeyi. But we will continue to fight, to carry her wisdom in our guiding principles, and to listen for her voice when we need guidance.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.strobapothecary.com / www.tenderhearted.love
• Instagram: @strobapothecary / @mentalhealthherbalist
• Facebook: @wearestrob
• Other: Skool.com/strob-education-hub-1286
  For online community, education on herbal medicine, aromatherapy, crystals, and other topics, and live online events!

Image Credits

Margarita Stamatolopolous
Mariana Mahoney