Howdy.

My name is Katie Green and I call myself The Potion Maker, I am the founder of The Boozy Botanist.

I can now proudly say that I am thankful for the madness of 2020; I was provided the gift of time and like so many of us, the opportunity to evaluate the path I was on and how I wanted to move forward as life came to a screeching halt. I have lived in Colorado my whole life but I moved to Denver in 2015 to attend college. I studied Human Development and Family Relations intending to study Art Therapy in my master's program. I know now that I was trying to become an artist and an herbalist, but I will always be thankful for the experience my education provided.

For the first time since I had moved to Denver, quarantine put time on my hands- mandated by the city. I was informed on March 16th, in the form of a text message, that I had been "furloughed," an unfamiliar term at the time, with the cryptic advice to pursue unemployment services as quickly as possible. The site crashed within the hour, the news was blaring and no one seemed to know anything.

I was no longer able to measure up all the things I had to do with my level of self-worth. I had to learn new ways to feel productive and confident without being busy. I had to embrace free time. I had to learn to relax. I had to learn to trust myself and my creativity. I had to embrace myself. I read books for pleasure for the first time since high school. I went on long bike rides, explored the city on foot, made art, cooked, and took naps. For the first time in my life, I was no longer being led by someone else's schedule. And in this chapter of the unknown, I chose to pursue a course in herbal medicine at The Denver Integrative Massage School, catering to a dormant passion. Before classes had even started I had decided I was going to explore making cocktail bitters. Within seconds of "How to Make Cocktail Bitters" entering my search bar, The Boozy Botanist was born. On August 18th, 2020 the name entered my mind and my life has never been the same since. The magic became intoxicating, literally and figuratively. I began mixing herbal concoctions in my food truck-sized kitchen and making ridiculous flowery messes. Through all of this, I also realized that it was just as risky to become my boss as it was to go and work for someone else. I had to make myself “essential” and I trusted myself to learn how.

We are now 2 years in and the decision to chase my creativity has changed my life in every facet. The way I make a living has altered the company I keep along with the way I spend my time, money, and attention. I am constantly amazed by the community I am surrounded by and the endless support I have received. And, what you are capable of when you believe in yourself (and how valuable that fuel is when the tank runs low).

I always knew the career I would hold was never going to come with a traditional job application or title, just happy it found me sooner rather than later.

Love,
Katie Green
The Boozy Botanist