Herbal Certification Course

Kylie Prouty is one of SW Herb’s own teachers and the Senior Herbalist at SW Herb. She is a forever student and researcher, a nourishing homemaker, and a rebel of imposed systems. Over 13 years ago, she became aware of the toxins present in our modern food and consumer products, sparking a mission to rediscover how our ancestors supported health and well-being. After years of teaching others how to create toxin-free homes, Kylie completed SW Herb’s certification course, advanced formulations class, and apprenticed for over two years under the founder, Kathy Gould. She has worked with herbs for six years and founded Valley To Rim Wellness, where she formulates medicinal teas and herbal products and works with clients through nutrition, lifestyle habits, and circadian rhythm support. She is deeply passionate about reminding people that we are nature—and that our bodies respond intelligently to every situation. Her goal is to help people move beyond symptom treatment and uncover the root cause of imbalance.

Brenna Membrila, is one of SW Herb’s Own Teachers. She is a Vitalist Practitioner and Educator, is a community centered herbalist whose journey started as an apprentice under Kathy Gould at SW Herb. Since then she has operated multiple local apothecaries, completed practitioner programs and opened her own plant centered business. Her focus is in whole family health, medical astrology and astroherbalism, birth/postpartum support and in healing one’s mind, body and spirit. As an educator she enjoys bridging ancient healing systems such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, alchemy and physiomedical traditions. 

Cindy is a certified Qigong Instructor with over 15 years of study, practice, and training under the guidance of Taoist grandmasters, martial arts masters, Western physicians, yoga masters, shamanic healers, and numerous other teachers. Her teachings encompass self-care protocols rooted in Taoist alchemy. She shares healing techniques to align and balance energy within the body, mind, and spirit, ultimately leading to enhanced well-being, vitality, and longevity. In 2019, Cindy completed the SW Herb Certification Program in Mesa, Arizona. Since 2022, she has served as a volunteer apprentice at the SW Herb shop, where she passionately shares her experiences and teachings to continue the mission of discovering the herbalist and alchemist within oneself. 

Katie Brown is a sound practitioner, herbalist, recovery peer mentor, and devoted mother of two daughters. She is passionate about supporting others in reconnecting with their bodies, their healing, and their inner resilience.

In 2010, while living on the Islands of Hawai’i, Katie’s healing path deepened through herbal medicine, movement, sound therapy, and creative expression through art and dance.

In 2019, she made the life-changing decision to remove alcohol from her life and focus fully on healing childhood wounds through inner child work, plant medicine, meditation, movement, and sound therapy. She later completed her herbalism certifications and apprenticed for nearly five years under her cherished mentor, Kathy Gould, at SW Herb Shop in Mesa, Arizona. Katie is especially passionate about natural birth and supporting mothers in feeling empowered and cared for through pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood.

Katie believes life’s most challenging experiences can become powerful teachers. Her work is rooted in creating safe, heart-centered spaces where people feel supported in their healing and guided back to the joy that already lives within them.

Angelica earned her Herbal Certification in 2014 from SW Herb and grew up using plants as everyday medicine, learning to prepare remedios (remedies) as a natural part of daily life. This early relationship with the plants shaped her deep respect for ancestral healing traditions and continues to guide her work today. In 2020, Angelica began apprenticing with Kathy Gould, further refining her skills and deepening her understanding of plant medicine and holistic care. She is a practitioner of Mexica medicine, honoring Indigenous wisdom that views healing as an interconnected process of mind, body, and spirit.

Angelica studied Auriculotherapy in 2017 and now offers this gentle medicine at SW Herb. Rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, auriculotherapy supports deep nervous system calming, emotional release, and energetic balance. This work invites the body to return to harmony, supporting rest, regulation, and healing on both physical and spiritual levels.

Javante is a multidimensional healer, guide, and energy cultivator whose work transcends traditional Reiki. With over 8 years of experience and 5 years actively teaching Reiki alongside his wife Betty, Javante holds sacred space for deep energetic transformation that reaches beyond technique—into the unseen realms where real healing begins.

Rooted in the practices of Meditation, Qigong, and Self-Healing, Javante has developed a unique system of energy cultivation that activates profound shifts in the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual layers of the self. His mission is to guide others to remember who they are—powerful, sovereign beings capable of self-healing, alignment, and true fulfillment.

John began his healthcare career in 1989 at Mercy Hospital in San Diego while attending Physical Therapy school, working across trauma care, wound care, and a wide range of medical specialties before moving into rehabilitation with a focus on head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and stroke recovery. He later specialized in orthopedics, working in surgical settings, professional sports, and hands-on manual therapy, and retired from clinical practice in 2008. Following retirement, John shifted his focus to alternative oncology care and research, with an expanded commitment to whole-person healing encompassing body, mind, and spirit health, informed by self-study in quantum physics, plant-based wellness, holistic psychology, and energetic hands-on healing. Since 2011, John has worked with Southwest Herb in several capacities, supporting its mission of education and community-centered plant medicine.

Connor McDonnell, Herbalist and general manager of Rainbow Bliss Botanicals, is a community herbalist who has run a successful local apothecary for 13 years. He is trained through apprenticeship and first hand experience with the plant and fungi world. He holds many certifications through different niche courses. His focus stems in male vitality, respiratory health, mycology, mixology and biochemical and psychoactive mechanisms of the plants. As an educator, Connor offers a wealth of research knowledge along with first hand experience with the plants.

Natalija is a Holistic Healthcare Practitioner, Clinical Herbalist, and Herbal Medicine Educator with over 20 years of experience in natural healing and integrative wellness. She holds a degree in Holistic HealthCare (2008) which includes Western Herbalism certification, along with certifications in yoga teaching, nutritional coaching, and Reiki Master/Teacher training. Her work includes clinical herbalism, herbal formulation and education, yoga and meditation, Reiki training, nutritional support, and facilitation of private ceremonies and guided journeys. As an educator, she guides students to reconnect with nature’s living wisdom, release old patterns, and awaken their innate healing capacity by attuning to the rhythms of the natural world.