Life & Work with Kelsey Gordon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Gordon.

Hi Kelsey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am an Ayurvedist, and Western Herbalist, with a little geekery and Shamanism tossed in for funsies. I may take a playful attitude, but I am serious about wanting to aid people in balancing their health and lives using Ayurveda and Herbalism.

My background started at the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) with a Community Health degree and for six years, I worked in various capacities in Public Health. I always say that I had my “quarter-life crisis” and changed my life. I realized that I was competent in Public Health but it wasn’t my passion. I quit a Master of Public Health degree and changed it out for an apprenticeship in Herbalism with Regina Compernolle, owner of Sacred Earth Arts.

My time with Regina opened my eyes to herbalism, shamanic techniques, and a spirituality. I started doing research and realized that Western Herbalism has a beautiful holistic approach. Looking at the whole body and using balancing techniques to get to the root of the problem. Eventually, I came across some Ayurvedic herbs, and well… I fell in love and found my passion (who knew it wasn’t cookies!?). Ayurveda comes from the same wisdom source as yoga. Both look at the body in an energetic way and does a lot of little healings each day to maintain a long and healthy life.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I virtually opened my doors January 2020… yep right before a worldwide pandemic. I already knew introducing an Ancient Indian Spiritual Medical approach to the mid-west was going to be challenging enough and then a pandemic happened.

I am hoping to open a physical location in 2022! Can’t wait to see what other fun twists and turns I get to experience.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Ayurveda is fairly new to this country. It’s so fascinating to see it slowly become a bit more mainstream. I have several Ayurvedic friends who already were in the medical field and are enhancing their medical practices with these holistic approaches. Others are nutritionists who are using food as medicine to help people battle symptoms every day.

Me personally? I don’t think that healing should be a chore. We should be celebrating our bodies and let inner child play. I bring a unique view to Ayurveda because my Inner Child is always in the driver’s seat. That is why earlier this year, I published a children’s book (with the aid of local Kansas City artist Hazel Cooper!). The children’s book is titled “Three Little Dinos Visit the Ayurvedist” and talks about the three Doshas of Ayurveda in dinosaur format.

I also teach live classes where we bring food, nature walks, meditation, journaling, and lots of laughter into every event.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Kansas City is where I always seem drawn to. I live in Topeka, play in Lawrence and grow in spirituality in Kansas City. So even though I am Kansas City area, I feel like my “tribe” is in Kansas City. The Kansas City area can feel spread out, distant, and sometimes a little too mid-western. But once you find the people you resonate with, you realize that the miles don’t matter. The conversation, the local sports (Go Sporting!), and the local beer are all pretty damn amazing.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.Vedasaurus.com
• Instagram: @The_Vedasaurus
• Facebook: Vedasaurus

Image Credits
Quinn Kavanaugh at Quinntessential