My Story - Erin Willis

My Story: Battling Mental Health Illness to Cannabis Expert, Certified Integrative Health Coach & Mama-of-two Blogger

Hi! My name is Erin Willis and this is my blog.

I first started blogging in 2016 when my firstborn was just 6 months old. Since my blog was about using medical marijuana to help cope with my postpartum depression, I used the pen name Erin Evergreen to give honest testimonial as an anonymous mother, hoping I wouldn’t run into repercussion. Little did I know that tiny blog would lead my career into the cannabis industry as a cannabis educator and content marketer. Currently I’m a practicing nutritionist & health coach, and work in digital marketing and content production for various small businesses. One of my greatest joys in this field is getting to work with Onda Wellness (the world’s first Certified Biodynamic® and Verified Regenerative CBD oil) as this small hemp oil company rides massive waves in the hemp industry.

When I’m not juggling these hats, or loving up my own young children, I lay more of my love and passion right here on my blog. It’s here where I get to fully (and digitally) express what I know about mental health, motherhood, homemaking, cannabis and real food nourishment. I am SO glad you’re here!

As the name suggests, Mother Indica is a motherly guide and resource for mothers and homemakers alike curious about living a more conscious, simplistic life where mental, physical, and spiritual well-being are prioritized. Infused with cannabis, plastic free home goods, and real food nourishment, Mother Indica is your digital companion for the unconventional, yet domesticated family life.

MI Mission

Create a community of women and mothers that value ancient and traditional plant medicines and food over corporate and governmental reliance, and can confidently implement these understandings and practices into their own home, body and mind.

MI Values

Truth and sovereignty of the human body, mind and spirit. All people deserve to know truth and healing, whatever that healing looks like for them. I value cannabis as a healing food and medicine that can live in conjunction to a healthy, holistic lifestyle.

My Philosophy & How I Got Here

To live like my body is filled with anandamide. This is the bliss molecule my entire brand is based on. Our natural THC molecule, if you will. It’s the naturally-occurring molecule that makes us feel euphoric (think runners’ high), it takes away the pain, helps stimulate the appetite, and helps the mind ease and flow with creativity.

My perfect blissed out day involves a beautiful, outdoor patio in the midst of spring, surrounded by blooming jasmine, lilacs and wisteria. I’m sipping my favorite lavender cappuccino and enjoying a sungrown, organic Blackberry Kush joint. My children are off in the distance chasing each other in a meadow of dandelions, clovers and pansies. They are laughing and playing as I slowly and fully breathe in the floral aromas surrounding me. I’m reading a book by my favorite author, Barbara Kingsolver as I look up every so often at my two boys. Life is but a dream.

Here’s the thing about anandamide – it’s one of the most fleeting molecules our bodies produce. It shows up, then it breaks down soon thereafter. And like anandamide, my happiness and perhaps yours, is hard to obtain and even harder to keep hold of.

My mental stress began when I was just a young child. After experiencing a family fragmented, frequent moves, and a remarriage, I found myself during a vulnerable, impressionable age amongst inadequate company and with peers that often took advantage of me. Life is hard for most, and the challenges that presented me occured at far too young of an age. My innocence stolen, and all was internalized.

By the time I was eight years old I thought about death often. This unusual curiosity only exacerbated when learning about my brother’s best friend commiting suicide at the age of 14. It tore me up inside, knowing he could do that to himself and because of how beautiful and loved he was. After this initial shock settled, I began to question this idea of death by self; what it was, how it could easily occur, and how definite and permanent it is. I was both curious and terrified. There was a way out of my torment, and that knowledge brought me peace. I carried that knowledge with me through all the panic attacks, the anxiety and severe moments of self hate.

When I was 14, after an emotionally heated event at home, I finally caved to my compounding and irrational depression and tried taking my own life. The doctors thought I would either die or need a liver transplant. It was the worst decision I have ever made that still walks with me today. The internet, school bullies and my abilities to hide who I was on the inside all contributed to this downfall. It was invisible to everyone but me. More of this theme throughout my work, I’m sure.

I didn’t discover peace until around age 20 after I got out of my small town and traveled to Italy, when I found my passion for slow living, nutrition sciences and teaching children how to live healthier lives. Purpose drives life. And I finally found the desire to live a full and passionate one.

Mental health, as I mentioned earlier, can be an invisible trait. We know when someone is physically hurt and even when someone is physically healthy. But this is not as easily detected when it is mental pain. My drive to contribute to mental health awareness in young people happened during a defining moment when– after confining in my family over a few glasses of wine and NYE games, a close family member of mine turned to me and said, “Oh honey, you just made all that up in your head.” It was one of the most validating moments in my life. The kind of validation where I can look someone who I thought knew me and say, you have never known me. And having peace with that, knowing I too can better communicate my struggles with others.

Since that moment I have been determined to tell more of my story to help young lives (and mothers) hold onto their sanity and health by strengthening their minds, bodies and spirit. The traumas I went through were very real, and so are yours.

How I can help you and others.

I would like to help you with seeking natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and other more abrasive approaches we can rely on while trying to rebound after a traumatic event (like having a baby). Motherhood, self-image, and how we treat ourselves, at any stage, are intertwined and balance-able. Whether your journey is at three weeks postpartum, three months, three years, or thirty, or perhaps still only maternal, you’re still a mama who needs nurturing and support so you can reach your highest, shining self.

I would really like to help you live free from corporate reliance, unhealthy processed foods, medical bills, failed dieting books and programs, and the reliance on copious amounts of coffee and wine (ahem, me). Living more naturally means you have the freedom to be and do whatever you want.

I’m great at making people smile and being a mirror for others so they can look within and feel good about themselves. It’s all one. I’m almost always in a good mood and that’s mostly due to having a robust endocannabinoid system, a healthy gut (well, mostly) and for counting my blessings often. I lived with depression for over 10 years, so these blessings are felt deeply. When you’ve known the dark, the light can be both blinding and warm.

I’m a nutritionist and cannabis coach & educator and have helps dozens of women move away from prescriptions and into self-reliance and freedom. I have a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition, I am a Certified Cannabis Coach and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

To now for my present day story, I am a mother of two raising my all-boy family in upstate New York. I am a mama above all else. I love to help all walks of life feel good about themselves, especially through the help of Mother Earth. I’m also really good at helping mothers find their confidence. Because moms are just so beautiful. The world needs to understand that.

My life only recently (and kinda dramatically) changed when I packed up my family and moved from Oakland, California to Lafayette, Colorado…. And then FLX, New York shortly thereafter. Oh, also, we had a baby somewhere during our stay in CO. His name is William. 🙂

I started Mother Indica in 2016 when I was in the midst of experiencing postpartum depression. The year prior to getting pregnant, I had graduated from college at San Francisco State University with a science degree in nutrition and dietetics. My greatest passion was teaching children about healthy eating habits, gardening and home cooking.

Some fun-ish things to know about me:

I was born in LA County, raised in the San Francisco-Bay Area, CA.
I’m a proud cosleeper and love sleeping in with my two baby boys.
I love all things coffee, but only drink half the cup.
I love, love my morning bong hits. Deep and slow. Ya know?
I’m wildly insecure but work on it daily.
When I get stressed I clean the house, or pretty much anything in my sight.
My love language is words (maybe that’s why I love blogging so much?) and acts of service.
I really like walking through big beautiful neighborhood gardens.
My family is my world and I’ll do anything for them.
I see my clients as walking goddesses who are just bursting to be recognized!
I am a Cancer, and my Human Design is Projector 4/2.
I’m highly sensitive. Whether over sadness or beauty or deep happiness floods me, I cry. I’m here for all the motions.
I love fantasy and learning about the antiquity era,. I ache for the day I can go back into a renaissance fair… in full peasant costume.
I live in my head, and have to constantly remind myself to live more within my body. This means I’m wildly low maintenance. I swear this is why I have healthy skin 😀
My purpose in this life is to uplift and protect children. My heart was made for little ones. This is why I am a mother, a soccer coach and a children’s cooking instructor. I was made to serve those who cannot yet serve themselves.

Thanks for tuning in! I genuinely appreciate your interested in who I am and the work I offer this world. Please stick around and explore my blog posts, sign up for our monthly newsletter, or find out how to work together by checking out the “services” page.

Wonderful words from past clients:

“For the past few months, I had felt like my life was in a rut that I didn’t know how to get out of by myself. With the help of the Evergreen Wellness program and Erin’s amazing coaching, my mental health, stress management, weight loss, and cannabis insight have improved drastically. I’m finally confident in my goals and in the direction life is heading!”

- Sierra, Oregon

“My relationship with cannabis has completely changed. I used to feel paranoid and a lack of control when using it, and now I feel an expansion in my being. I have an understanding that cannabis is a gift to humankind to increase consciousness.”

- Kylee, California

"Although just beginning my journey to and through how to make better life decisions and remove things that no longer serve me. I’m glad to be on it with Erin. She’s candid, kind, and a great cheerleader!"

- Stephanie, New York

Get in Touch

(607) 375-7411

Available from 10:00 – 5:00 PM ET, M-Thurs

Address PO Box, Watkins Glen, NY, 14891

Email hi@motherindica.com