Piyalli! Hello!
My name is Leona Se Sipaktli and I am so grateful you are here!
Some of my story...
I had the beautiful experience of growing up in Hawai'i on the Island of Hawai'i. Through Hawaiian elders in school, hula, and outrigger canoe paddling , I learned from a young age that spirit is in all things. My childhood spent in the ocean paddling and surfing and hiking and hunting with my parents from a young age rooted in me a love of the land, plants, and animals as well as an understanding of the cycles of nature.
​
I have a background as a pediatric Registered Nurse, working for five years with children with special needs. When my son was born however, I chose to leave nursing and turn my attention to being a mother and small farmer after moving to the country in 2014. (And since this is a space for stories of life, I also needed space to learn more deeply about myself and work through postpartum depression and anxiety.) My family and I started a small Community Supported Agriculture or CSA subscription for 25 families and we did so for five years.
​
At the end of 2019, I was faced with chronic pain and fatigue and I realized I need to take a break to figure out my physical and mental health and we stopped the CSA. COVID came and the whole world paused as well. This mountain brought me to the deepest parts of myself: "Who am I?" Through forced stillness, willpower, courage, and LOTS of support from my family, I discovered that my true passion was bringing the love of nature and learning to children and holding space for beings to listen deeply to themselves.
​
Currently, I still live in the country and my time is filled with homeschooling, crafting, and continuously diving deeper into remembering ancestral languages, culture, songs, and worldviews which I then share with my family. I am of Nahua, English, Spanish, Scottish, Basque, Irish, German, Portuguese, Swedish and African ancestry and have learned from elders and teachers across cultures. My greatest teacher has been my son, Lincoln, and my body's disease process. My current teachers are in the Toltekatl tradition of Mesoamerica, Ixpahuatzin Gonzalez and Akaxe Gomex from Machtia Toltekatl.
​
​