Our Team
Dr. Ashley Rieger, ND (she/her/hers)
Dr. Ashley discovered Naturopathic medicine while studying plant medicine at Dancing Willow Herbs in Durango, Colorado. Prior to attending the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM), in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Ashley worked as an educator, organic farmer, and herbalist in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State and in the San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado for over 10 years. It was in addition to these experiences and her love for the environment, combined with her curiosity for the plant world and all-things-wild that Dr. Ashley came to Naturopathic Medicine.
While attending NUNM, Dr. Ashley received her certification from the New England School of Homeopathy (NESH). She also holds a certificate in Myofascial Release and Visceral Manipulation from Moving Mountain Institute. Prior to medical school, Dr. Ashley completed a 3-month residential native medicinal plant internship with United Plant Savers in Ohio and a 10-month herbal and botanical internship with clinical herbalist Elise Krohn.
Dr. Ashley also had the distinct honor to study with herbalist and environmental activist Cascade Anderson-Geller in Portland, Oregon prior to her passing. Other herbalists who Dr. Ashley has also had the privilege of studying with, include, but not limited to, Dr. Deborah Frances, Dr. Jillian Stansbury, Jane Bothwell, Paul Bergner, Scott Kloss, Gradey Proctor, Dr. Eric Yarnell, and Dr. Glen Nagel.
Victoria Lauren, GM
Victoria is an avid explorer of both the physical and non-physical realms. A deeply curious human, she has a talent for illuminating internal motivators and helping others to see the beliefs and behaviors that keep them stuck.
She holds a profound reverence for Nature, music, and movement and weaves elements of all three into her ceremonies. Her easy laugh and sparkling energy puts people at ease and she takes great pleasure in creating sacred containers for transformation.
Her biggest teacher has been the grief encountered throughout her personal journey that has opened her heart to gratitude.
“When we allow ourselves to touch the deep pain of humanity we simultaneously open to the immensity of love.”
Find her paddling on a river, climbing a mountain, diving into alpine lakes, sailing blue water, cooking dinner with friends, cuddling her kitty, or simply gazing at the stars ✨
Leah Marsan (she/her/hers) Production Manager
Spending time in nature has guided my path and curiosities, which led me to work various outdoor jobs while living a nomadic lifestyle. From trail work on the PCT, kayak guiding in Alaska, farming and forestry in the PNW, learning the plants that were growing in the places I visited allowed me to feel grounded and comforted. My time spent in Alaska opened my eyes to a culture where foraging for food and medicine is still very present within people’s daily lives. This inspired me to purchase my first herbalism and foraging book, The Boreal Herbal by Beverley Gray, and thus that summer in 2016 my herbal journey had blossomed! I later completed an Ethnobotany Immersion Program and several herbal medicine making workshops at Ravens Roots Naturalist School in Skagit Valley, Washington. For a few years I lived with a community on the land where the naturalist school held classes, and connected with the medicinal plants we grew in our permaculture garden and nursery. I began to deepen my knowledge through self-studying and mentorship while apprenticing at Steller Botanical farm and apothecary in Gustavus, AK and at The Peoples Apothecary in fall 2022. I am currently enrolled in the Village Herbalist Program at Berkeley Herbal Center, where I am working towards completing a clinical herbalist certification.
Sarah Olson, Herbalist & Event Coordinator
Born and raised in southeast Wisconsin, Sarah wasted no time in packing up her bags and migrating to the west coast just before her 21st birthday. With an Associate Degree in Electronics in one hand and a snowboard in the other, she spent the first few years enjoying life as a ski bum. Coping with digestive issues and frustrated with the lack of affordable healthcare, she sought ways to support her health with "alternative" methods, which eventually became the welcome mat onto her path of herbalism. Diet and supplements quickly became teas and tinctures as she cultivated her knowledge of the green realm. Thirsty for more, she decided to pack up her bags once more and moved to the woods of Maine to formally study herbalism at Greenwood Herbals. After her apprenticeship, she traveled around the U.S. and Ecuador studying region specific medicines in different climates while her understanding of the interconnectedness between plants and people began blossoming. Shortly after Covid shut the world down and made traveling difficult, Sarah returned to where she considered home in Bend, Oregon. She found herself an opportunity to continue working with herbs at The Peoples Apothecary in December of 2021 and has been an integral part of the company since then. These days when she’s not formulating tinctures or creating a new tea, you’ll probably find her in the woods, foraging and feasting, helping to find ways to bring people, plants and medicine into balance to make the world a more mindful and connected place.
Stephanie Cottrell, Production Assistant, LMT
Hello, I’m Stephanie Cottrell, a Licensed Massage Therapist dedicated to promoting relaxation, realignment, and rejuvenation. I believe in the transformative power of massage and am committed to helping individuals achieve optimal health and well-being. I understand that massage alleviates not only physical tension but also fosters emotional and spiritual balance. My approach combines Eastern and Western practices, integrating traditional Ayurvedic techniques with local herbalism to provide a personalized experience for each client. Incorporating aromatherapy and botanical oil blends enhances the healing process, restoring balance within the body, mind, and spirit. My practice serves as a sanctuary for physical and emotional healing, blending ancient wisdom with modern techniques. I am passionate about empowering individuals to take charge of their health, helping them break free from pain and stress to lead vibrant lives. Thank you for considering my services; I look forward to supporting you on your journey to wellness.
Maddie Seder, Production Assistant & Shopkeep
Maddie was born and raised in the Great Lake State and felt a profound pull toward Mother Earth’s grounding energy from a young age. She grew up playing in forests, making mud potions, and searching for rocks along Lake Superior. She knew that a part of her soul resided within that lake, and it was there that she first realized medicine exists in many different forms. Ever since, she has felt called to a journey of reconnecting with the earth and natural medicine, while teaching others along the way.
In 2021, Maddie and her best friend packed up their belongings—and her cats—and moved to the PNW. Her first job here was as a wilderness therapy guide, where she had the honor of facilitating connection and healing conversations beneath the Ponderosas. She also worked as a Forest School teacher, spending her days journeying through the forest, teaching about the local flora and fauna, and witnessing the curiosity and excitement of young stewards of nature.
Maddie is currently enrolled at The Herbal Academy, where she is completing her Advanced Herbal Course. Her next step is pursuing a clinical herbalist certification. One of her dreams is to open an herbalism summer camp for kiddos, creating a space where children can build their own relationships with nature and plant medicine.
When she’s not working at the apothecary, Maddie can be found curled up with a book, on a backpacking trip, swimming in lakes, or making her own potions in the kitchen.
Kat Gregory (she/her/hers) E-RYT, CRRT, BS, AHC
Wise & Wild Yoga and Ayurveda
Kat has been teaching yoga since 2006 after completing the 200 Hour YTT with Roots & Wings Yoga RYS in Vista, California. She has taught thousands of hours and completed the Advanced Relax and Renew Teacher Training with Judith Hanson Lasater PhD. PT, Trauma Sensitive Yoga Teacher Training through Connected Warriors. Trained in prenatal and postnatal teacher training with Liza Janda E-RYT, and Power and Strap Yoga internship with Rached Maalouf. Kat has enhanced her yoga training by completing a rigorous 600-hour Ayurveda Health Counselor program. Kat has also completed an in-depth two year Primitive skills and Naturalist Program with Nighthawk Naturalist School. She is a graduate of The Peoples Apothecary apprenticeship. Kat holds a B.S. in Marketing from Colorado State University and worked in finance a previous life.
Kat has studied and taught multiple styles of yoga, this allows her to provide individually tailored classes based on experience and the five elements that are the most beneficial, restorative, and fun for her students. Kat identifies the best approach for the level and health of her students and provide the proper instruction based on her assessment. Her goal is to convey a lasting love of yoga and wellbeing to her students so they can realize the lifelong mental and physical benefits of the practice of yoga, ayurveda, and herbalism.
Kim Hoover, Shopkeep
Kim Hoover was born on Earth Day (April 22) in Misawa, Japan, and she strives to live her life in service to the planet and all its inhabitants, fauna and flora. Raised on three continents before she was 7, her early life would teach her adaptability and resilience, but most importantly, respect for diverse ways of being in the world. As she aged through the education system, she became very passionate about social justice, which would later extend to the environment itself.
She has also loved writing as long as she can remember and completed her PhD in English in 2021 to both immerse herself in the teaching of writing, as well as a deep education in the Humanities. Based on loving exposure to "alternative" medicine early in life from her mother and grandmother, and a growing passion in yoga, she wrote her dissertation on the immense power and privilege the US healthcare system has to substantively or superficially integrate diverse cultural medicines into standard "western" medicine. The focus of her dissertation on accessibility of culturally diverse medicine in the US Healthcare system landed her in Salem, Oregon. Here, she served 3.5 years as a program lead primarily on Medicaid initiatives designed to serve the most systematically disenfranchised in our country.
When hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid were issued by the US Congress in early 2025, the program she was working on to bring Medicaid into Oregon's prisons and jails was shuttered. This premature ending sent her searching for roots back in the core of community-based medicine she cares so deeply about, and she began teaching yoga again in October of 2025 at Yoga Shala Bend, then found The Peoples Apothecary in Bend in May of 2026. She eagerly applied to seek out the mentorship of the dedicated herbalists on staff. She is still a novice herbalist studying under the wisdom and guidance of Dr. Ashley and the rest of the team at TPA. Her favorite ways to learn are identifying plants in their natural habitats, as well as academic research on their medicinal properties, and, of course, medicine making!