Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman

Be easy to work with

Camille — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:28:01 +0000

I have a tip for how to become someone who's known and trusted in your communities - whether they're online or in person, and it's a pretty simple tip. Be someone who's easy to work with.

By "easy to work with," I mean things like:

Get back to people when you say you will.
Don't make event organizers reach out to you three times to get the material they need to promote your event.
Don't run 5 minutes late or 20 minutes over when someone else is using the room right after you.
Deliver really great experiences rather than "phoning it in"
Assume good intent when things go wrong and act accordingly.

I'm not here to promote overwork or excessive unpaid work or running yourself ragged on behalf of other people. Have boundaries, absolutely. You can have boundaries and still be someone who's easy to work with.

We'll all drop the ball sometimes, and keeping up with everything is harder for some folks than others for various reasons. Even so, people remember who made collaboration easy and who created extra work. Over time, if you're someone people are glad they called, they'll be back.

Take care,

Camille

p.s. This week's podcast episode is a small nudge to keep steady with your marketing strategy this summer, even if you don't feel like it.

The post Be easy to work with appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Pretty websites

Camille — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:41:04 +0000

In my homepage workshop last week, we were looking at a few examples, mostly from other practitioners who likely DIY their websites like most of us do. It struck me as I was preparing the class the difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

It's one thing to know what is supposed to be on the homepage: a short, clear description of who you work with and what you help them with, a "next step" etc.

However, if you've ever thought about pulling your hair out when you couldn't get a button to display or when your headline sounds awkward and confusing, I 100% get it. Been there.

It's incredibly challenging to come up with a handful of words that accurately describe what you do in a way that's quickly legible to a visitor and to get those words on your website in a way that looks nice/is functional.

Most of us don't have tens of thousands of dollars and a whole team to work on this. Instead, we're updating as we get better at articulating what we do, as we get more clear on who we work with, and as we learn to get fancier with our website building software.

This is a friendly reminder that your website does not have to be perfect for it to serve its purpose. If you're in the messy middle of all of this, that's okay. Improve it when you can, and let it be good enough.

A pretty-good-but-not-quite-there website works just fine. These days, a bit of imperfection may even be desirable, as it shows that you're human.

Take care,

Camille

p.s. This week's podcast episode is all about how fennel was slandered in a recent paper about type 2 diabetes.

The post Pretty websites appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Supporting Clients with Hair Loss

Camille — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:43:30 +0000

Supporting Clients with Hair Loss

an online workshop for Practitioners | 1 NPCE Available

recorded May 2026

Hair loss is a challenging circumstance for many.

Hair loss is a common and often distressing concern for clients, and it can reflect a wide range of underlying physiological processes. In this 1‑hour class, we review the basics of hair biology and the most common patterns and causes of hair loss seen in clinical practice, including hormonal, nutritional, inflammatory, and stress-related contributors. We connect relevant physiology and pathophysiology to practical clinical strategies. The goal is to help practitioners think clearly and systematically about hair loss, ask better questions, and offer thoughtful, safe, and realistic support to clients.

After the class, you'll be able to:

Describe basic hair follicle physiology and the hair growth cycle, and explain how disruptions can contribute to different types of hair loss.
Differentiate between common clinical patterns of hair loss (e.g., androgen-related, telogen effluvium, inflammatory or autoimmune patterns) and their likely underlying drivers.
Identify nutritional, hormonal, and lifestyle factors that are most relevant to assess when a client presents with hair loss.
Apply evidence‑informed dietary, supplement, and herbal strategies to support hair growth and reduce ongoing loss, with appropriate expectations.
Recognize key safety considerations, red flags, and situations that warrant referral or collaboration with other healthcare providers.

You'll have ongoing access to the class, although I recommend that you try to complete it within a week for best results

Register for the Workshop

Instance 1

Purchase

You'll get access to the recorded class, slides, and resources.

$39

Monday Mentoring members, this is included for you! Check the webinar library for this class.

Find out about future workshops

Sign up to receive my Practitioner Notes in your inbox every Thursday. I'll send along tips and resources for clinicians and keep you informed about upcoming classes. Per my privacy policy, you can unsubscribe any time.

Hi,

I'm Camille Freeman (she/her).

I offer community and continuing education for highly-trained herbalists and nutritionists who want to feel solid and supported in their clinical practices. I've been in practice as a nutritionist and clinical herbalist for 15+ years, with a special focus on menstrual & reproductive health. I'm a registered herbalist with a doctorate in clinical nutrition. I also served as a professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health for almost 17 years, where I taught physiology, pathophysiology and mindful eating.

Bloom & Grow Nutrition, LLC is accredited by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists℠ (BCNS℠) to provide Nutrition Professional Continuing Education (NPCE) credits for Certified Nutrition Specialists® (CNS®). Bloom & Grow designates this activity/material for a maximum of 1 NPCE Credit.

Bloom & Grow supports clinical herbalists and nutritionists by providing community and continuing education. This space strives to be welcoming for people who are BIPOC and those who are members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Bloom & Grow does not participate in social media (for now!). If you'd like to stay in touch, please sign up for the newsletter.

Programs & Courses

Monday Mentoring

2026 Courses

On Demand Courses

Herbal Observation Groups

2027 Romania Bulgaria Trip

Work with Camille in clinic

Community Clinic

1:1 Herb Consultations

Legal Bits & Pieces

Connect

This work by Camille Freeman/Bloom and Grow Nutrition, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

The post Supporting Clients with Hair Loss appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

On doing things for free

Camille — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:27:13 +0000

I often get asked about how to decide whether to give a presentation or talk for free. There's usually a vague idea that it may come with "exposure" or be good practice, accompanied in some cases by feelings of being undervalued or disrespected.

I'm not opposed to doing free talks and presentations. In fact, I do them fairly often. If you're weighing the pros and cons, here are some thoughts to consider.

I recently listened to an episode of the Sequence over Strategy podcast where the host, Michelle Warner, recommended thinking about talks and presentations as fitting into one of three categories:

Market research: if you want to get real feedback on an idea, thought, concept, etc. doing a free presentation is a great way to gauge interest, hear what questions come up, and get feedback.
Part of your marketing/promotion plan: when you're confident that people who you'd like to work with will be there, you have a chance to build your community and invite people to work with you.
Paid products: If neither of the above apply, you need to be paid.

Beth Pickens has a slightly different perspective in her book, Make your Art, No Matter What:

An invitation must do at least one (preferably more than one) of the following: it pays (actual money, not just exposure), it boosts your career (not a lateral move), [or] it nourishes you (you love the other people, the place, the cause, etc.)

I hope this gives you a bit of food for thought the next time you're asked to do a presentation.

Take care,

Camille

P.S. If you didn't see this last week, it's not too late to vote on the ideas I've proposed for next year's Deep Dive theme.

The post On doing things for free appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Someone to walk with

Camille — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:52:25 +0000

I take my dog for a walk every morning, and our usual loop takes us up a hill that overlooks the track at Mary Baldwin University. There are two older men that meet up at the track almost every day, rain or shine, to walk together.

Every time I walk by, especially after years and years of spotting them, I think about how having someone to meet every morning for a walk outside is probably more valuable in the long run than almost anything else. I'd rather a client have that that all the herbs, supplements, or fitness devices that money can buy.

I don't know that having great friendships is something we can realistically recommend - it's easier said than done - but I'm very interested in thinking about our recommendations in order of importance. What's most likely to make an actual difference for the client, especially over time? What's really going to stick? When I think about someone's health over years and even decades, the ideal suggestions nearly always wind up back to the basics: listening to your body, being around people you enjoy, spending time outdoors, moving your body in ways that feel good, cooling what's hot and heating what's cold, and so forth.

No big takeaway message here, just a bit of food for thought. May we all have walking partners, or something equivalent, to see us through.

Take care,

Camille

P.S. I'm already in prep mode for our 2027 Deep Dive. If you have a second, could you please vote on the ideas I've proposed for next year's theme and/or add your own suggestions? Some ideas include a Perimenopause/Midlife Health Deep Dive, Mast Cell/Histamine Deep Dive, Skin and Integumentary Deep Dive, or a GI Deep Dive v2. You can upvote as many as you like.

The post Someone to walk with appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Student-mode

Camille — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:52:43 +0000

I wrapped up teaching a 4-week intensive on finding more clients through the American Herbalists Guild last week. Even though I've taught the material many times, I always find that preparing it in a new context shifts how I think about it.

One thing that stood out to me this time was how important it is to make the transition from being a student, mostly in information-gathering mode, to being a clinician and business owner, where you're taking what you know and actually using it.

When someone's struggling to find new clients in the early years a practice, I sometimes notice they're stuck in a student mindset: waiting for someone to tell them what to do, or feeling like they need just one more class before they can move forward.

My suggestion in those moments is to stop gathering information and start working with what you have. It's all an experiment, and you can't get the results until you start running trials.

Rather than taking another class this week, is there a way you can put something you've already learned into practice?

Take care,

Camille

The post Student-mode appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Caffeine: Evidence, Risks, and Clinical Considerations

Camille — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:46:56 +0000

Caffeine: Evidence, Risks, and Clinical Considerations

an online workshop for Practitioners | 1 nPCE Available

June 16 from 12-1 pm ET

Let's discuss how to advise clients about caffeine use.

This class explores caffeine use through an evidence‑informed clinical lens. We’ll review caffeine pharmacology and physiology, including absorption, metabolism, and key effects on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, sleep, and stress response. We’ll also cover common risks and downsides (anxiety, sleep disruption, GI symptoms, bone health considerations, and drug–nutrient interactions) along with population‑specific concerns (pregnancy, perimenopause, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and cardiovascular risk). We'll focus on how to advise clients about caffeine without defaulting to either avoidance or overuse.

I'd love for you to join us

here's what we'll do together:

Explain the basic physiology and pharmacokinetics of caffeine and how genetic and lifestyle factors influence individual responses.
Evaluate the evidence on benefits and risks of caffeine across different health contexts, including sleep, mood, cardiometabolic health, and bone health.
Identify common clinical patterns related to caffeine use (fatigue, anxiety, dysregulated energy, GI issues) and assess when caffeine is helping versus harming.

A recording will be available for everyone who registers, and I highly recommend that you attend live if you can

Registration Options

Instance 1

Paid registration

Straightforward and easy

$39

Free registration

Attend for free if you share the workshop with others.

learn how

This option is only available through May 6th

Monday Mentoring members, registration is free for you! Check the weekly email or the discounts page for your code.

How to Register for Free with Social Sharing

You can attend this class for free by sharing it with your community. This is my way of keeping classes accessible while also spreading the word about my work. The social sharing option is only available before the live class, so please register sooner rather than later if you're interested.

Step 1: Share the workshop

To register for free, please share the class in a space where it reaches a group of people. This could be a social media post, a newsletter mention, or a message to a group you’re part of (study group, accountability group, classmates, etc.).

Here is the URL to share: https://www.camillefreeman.com/2026/04/caffeine-evidence-risks-and-clinical-considerations/ If you could add a quick note about why you recommend the class or why you're signing up, that would be lovely.

Note that the social sharing option is available prior to the live class! After that, this workshop is only available via paid registration.

Step 2: complete this form

Use this form to let me know where you've shared the workshop. I'll send along a discount code so you can register ASAP! You will also be added to my mailing list. Per my privacy policy, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Step 3: Attend the workshop or catch the recording

You'll receive an email right away with information about how to register for the workshop at no charge. Check your spam/promotions folders if you don't see it come through. We have a lot of fun during live classes, so try to attend in real time if you can. If not, we'll get the recording posted within 24-48 hours. You'll have ongoing access to the recording to reference later.

Hi,

I'm Camille Freeman (she/her).

Bloom & Grow does not participate in social media (for now!). If you'd like to stay in touch, please sign up for the newsletter.

Programs & Courses

Monday Mentoring

2026 Courses

On Demand Courses

Herbal Observation Groups

2027 Romania Bulgaria Trip

Work with Camille in clinic

Community Clinic

1:1 Herb Consultations

Legal Bits & Pieces

Connect

This work by Camille Freeman/Bloom and Grow Nutrition, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

The post Caffeine: Evidence, Risks, and Clinical Considerations appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Uva ursi rant

Camille — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:52:27 +0000

One of my pet peeves is taking in vitro or out of context laboratory research and applying it authoritatively to clinical work. I think physiology is fascinating, and even so it kills me when we act like an herb (or worse yet, a single constituent or nutrient) will behave in the human body the way it does in a petri dish, a test tube, or a cellular model.

I have strong feelings about uva ursi in this regard. It's the classic UTI herb, and you'll often hear people saying that it should always be taken with baking soda or another agent to alkalinize the urine, since one of its key constituents, arbutin, works best when urine is alkaline.

There is some truth to this, and I still think asking everyone to take baking soda with it is a huge leap that isn't justified. I explain why in the latest episode of my podcast (~10 min).

The short version is that we don't have any evidence in humans that alkalinizing the urine helps uva ursi to be more effective, there are possible downsides, and arbutin isn't the only part of uva ursi that matters (not to mention that uva ursi isn't the only herb to consider when someone has a UTI).

Hope you enjoy my mini rant on the subject

Take care,

Camille

p.s. I haven't been great about letting you know when I publish a new podcast episode. I also published one about dosing herbal extracts recently that might be of interest.

The post Uva ursi rant appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

Updating your Home Page Workshop

Camille — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:32:50 +0000

Updating Your Home Page

an online workshop for Practitioners

recorded May 2026

Let's refresh your home page.

Your home page is often the first interaction you have with a potential client. The words on the page, the button(s) you add, and the overall feel of the page can help clients quickly determine whether they're in the right place. In this workshop, we discussed small changes you can make so that your home page more clearly communicates who you help, what you do, and how people can work with you.

We review several example home pages and discuss simple design and copy tweaks to improve your home page. This isn't about doing a full overhaul - just suggesting minor updates that you can make in less than an hour.

If you think this would be helpful, I'd love to share the class with you

here's what cover:

Review and update your home page headline and introductory copy
Identify the primary goal of your home page and map a simple visitor pathway towards booking an appointment
Review the overall tone and feel of your home page for alignment

You'll have ongoing access to the class, although I recommend that you try to complete it within a week for best results

Register for the Workshop

Instance 1

Purchase

You'll get access to the recorded class, slides, and resources.

$25

Monday Mentoring members, this is included for you! Check the webinar library for this class.

Find out about future workshops

Hi,

I'm Camille Freeman (she/her).

Bloom & Grow does not participate in social media (for now!). If you'd like to stay in touch, please sign up for the newsletter.

Programs & Courses

Monday Mentoring

2026 Courses

On Demand Courses

Herbal Observation Groups

2027 Romania Bulgaria Trip

Work with Camille in clinic

Community Clinic

1:1 Herb Consultations

Legal Bits & Pieces

Connect

This work by Camille Freeman/Bloom and Grow Nutrition, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

The post Updating your Home Page Workshop appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.

First impressions

Camille — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:43:54 +0000

I decided to take an asynchronous creative writing class this spring, just for fun. I've taken several amazing classes from Firefly Creative Writing in the past (highly recommend!), but I decided to branch out a bit and try a new writing school with an asynchronous format, since my schedule is wonky right now.

The first week didn't go well. The course platform was either broken or remarkably unintuitive. The first assignment felt vague. The other people in the class, who were mostly returning students, didn't comment on anyone else's posts. The instructor feedback also didn't land for me.

If just one of these things had been off, it probably wouldn't have mattered. If I had already had great experiences with other classes from this writing school, I might have been more inclined to ride it out.

But, as it is, I've decided to let it go. I'm at a point where I don't want to troubleshoot something that's meant to be fun. Lesson learned, moving on. Nothing against the school, and it's just not for me, at least right now.

I think the same thing can be true for new clients, new students, new people coming into our orbits. The first few experiences someone has with you matter quite a lot. If it's hard to sign up, if the client can't easily find/complete the forms, if your first email seems brusque or robotic, that can color the entire experience.

This has me reviewing how I'm welcoming people into my programs and practice, updating little things to see if I can make the experience smoother and more friendly. Maybe it's a good time for you to double-check, too?

Take care,

Camille

The post First impressions appeared first on Bloom and Grow with Camille Freeman.