Jacqui Edgerly, founder of Nettles Nutrition, preaches diets consisting of real, wholesome food. PHOTO BY: PRISCILLA DU PREEZ/UNSPLASH
PHOTO BY: ELLA OLSSON/UNSPLASH
HOMEGROWN HERBALIST
A former professional skier and Aspen local returns to the Roaring Fork Valley as a nutritional therapy practitioner and clinical herbalist.
Aspen native Jacqui Edgerly, 32, has competed in the Freeskiing World Tour, won the World Heli Challenge and the South American Freeskiing Championship. She also has starred in major ski films and skied around the world, from Denali to Turkey. But a professional ski career came with injuries, which took a toll, physically and mentally. She found an answer in massage and went on to earn her certification in massage therapy from the Crestone Healing Arts Center, which sparked a passion for holistic health, mainly herbalism.
Plants are in Edgerly’s DNA. Growing up on acreage in Old Snowmass, she was surrounded by gardens and greenhouses full of flowers, fruits and vegetables that her mother, a ski instructor, passionately tended to. Edgerly studied small-scale sustainable agriculture at Prescott College, then volunteered at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute before starting her own project reintroducing native and medicinal species, foraging and making her own medicine. Edgerly went on to study human and plant physiology at the Hawthorn Institute in Oregon and advanced clinical herbalism in Boulder before joining the Nutritional Therapy Association’s Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program in Revelstoke, British Columbia. Her path comes full circle this summer, as she returns to Aspen and opens her own practice, Nettles Nutrition (nettlesnutrition.com), which focuses on a scientific and holistic approach to addressing the root cause of imbalance. We sat down with this worldclass athlete to chat about her best-in-class solutions to better health.
Jacqui Edgerly, creator of Nettles Nutrition PHOTO BY: ISABELLA AND LOUISA FISCHER/UNSPLASH
What are your professional and client goals here in Aspen
To be a reliable source of health information that’s backed by science and learned through experience. I will continue to guide people through their health issues by addressing nutritional deficiencies and imbalances—digging deep to find the root cause. I’m inspired to share my knowledge through teaching workshops and lectures on nutrition and herbal medicine.
What knowledge and experience do you bring back to your hometown?
I want to shine light on the body’s inherent wisdom to heal. By removing the stressors and supporting the body with the tools it needs, it can return to a state of balance. I believe that it’s possible to create a lifestyle that revives the soil within ourselves and that of the planet by eating consciously grown plants and ethically raised meats, while using natural healing remedies such as plant medicine.
You focus on digestive issues. What have you seen is the most common culprit of poor digestion?
The combination of processed foods and blood-sugar imbalance. The foods most people consume are full of additives, chemicals, refined sugars and processed carbohydrates—they’re detrimental to our health. Alongside our diet, we’re constantly operating in a fight-or-flight state, where our digestive system is essentially turned off. We aren’t necessarily what we eat; we are what we absorb, and we need to be in a calm state to digest and absorb the food we eat.
PHOTO BY: HEATHER BARNES/UNSPLASH
What’s your favorite story of a client you helped?
I worked with a young athlete who was at her wits’ end with her ulcerative colitis. She was experiencing severe abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue and general discomfort. Multiple physicians had attempted to convince her that nutrition and lifestyle likely wouldn’t alter my diagnosis. Unfortunately, their teachings didn’t lead her down the right path. After working together for about six months, adjusting both her nutrition and lifestyle, she underwent a follow-up medical test that determined her condition had improved by 95%—something her physicians never thought possible. It’s always the client that’s the hero in a success story, as it takes commitment and dedication to create change. I work as a team with my clients to create clarity and next steps toward their desired health goals.
PHOTO BY: MITCHELL COGHLAN
Why is Aspen a place that supports natural medicine?
Aspen is an amazing place to heal, with fresh air, clean water and endless exploration to be had. But it is centered around social events, art, dining, music and finances—not necessarily nutrition and health. I believe there’s potential for growth here. I was born into the adventurous lifestyle of Aspen—skiing, biking and outdoor exploration. My time spent running wild as a kid instilled a deep connection to and love for nature. As I grow older, I appreciate having the energy and strength to move freely, think clearly and repair quickly to fully enjoy the magic that nature has to offer. I believe we can reach optimal wellness with a nutrient-dense whole-foods diet, supported by therapeutic nutrients and herbal remedies.
Photography by: Isabella and Louisa Fischer; Unsplash
