Where it all started
— From Karen’s Diary
My wellness journey began in my early years as a dancer, but it truly came into focus as I was raising my family. Along the way, I was guided—sometimes gently, sometimes profoundly—by the people in my life who showed me that healing didn’t always come from a prescription, but often from nature itself.
It began with my nanny, Estelle Paris. On her coffee table sat a well-worn copy of Prevention Magazine, and in her kitchen, there was always whole wheat bread and honey. She lived simply, but intentionally. My mother, Marcia Waxman, carried that same philosophy into our home. She believed homemade was the only way. We didn’t have store-bought bread with long shelf lives or ingredients we couldn’t pronounce—freshness wasn’t a trend, it was a standard.
Even our dentist was part of this quiet education. His side passion was herbs, and he taught us about echinacea when we were feeling run down, garlic drops and cohosh for earaches, and how chicken soup with cayenne pepper could help the body sweat out illness. These weren’t abstract ideas—they were lived remedies, shared with care.
My dear friend Faygie introduced me to calendula lotion, which brought relief to itchy, inflamed skin. Arnica became another trusted ally—something I turned to again and again. DB and Dr. Judith showed me how ginger and turmeric, along with acupuncture and other herbs, could support my daughter when she needed it most. My best friend Barb reminded me of the simple power of peppermint and eucalyptus in a diffuser—the way breath itself could become medicine when we were congested and uncomfortable.
There were times I had a cough that lingered for weeks, when nothing seemed to work. And I began to understand something important: sometimes we look for a dramatic cure, but often what the body needs is a gentle nudge. Healing is rarely a single moment. It is a relationship. A listening.
Dance taught me that movement itself is one of the most fundamental healers. It taught me to trust the body—to respect its rhythms, its signals, its resilience.
Over the years, these experiences formed something deeper than knowledge. They formed trust. Trust in nature. Trust in the wisdom passed from one person to another. Trust in the idea that relief, care, and healing could be created with intention.
When I finally made the commitment to begin creating HerbKare, it wasn’t from a place of invention—it was from a place of continuation. HerbKare is the natural extension of a lifetime of learning, sharing, and caring. It is rooted in family, friendship, and the quiet, powerful remedies that supported us when we needed them most.
HerbKare is not just a brand. It is a story. It is a lineage. It is care, made tangible.
