Our Story
Its all about plants... and love!
We are Kealy and Solin.
Our journey together began in 2015.
Solin was having a profound realization of the erosion of his indigenous family's and community's cultural roots and their connection to the land. Witnessing the disinterest of local teenagers in the natural world, engrossed in modern distractions instead of the beautiful and wise jungle surrounding them, Solin recognized the urgent need to rekindle appreciation for their ancestral heritage.
As time passed, within Solin’s community, the decline of plant-based medicinal knowledge and the encroachment of chemical remedies became evident, alongside a shift towards processed foods and environmental neglect. Solin's vision emerged from a desire to honor local traditions and culture while redirecting focus towards the sacred duty of caring for Mother Earth.
At the same time, Kealy was practicing herbalism, energetic and spiritual body work, intuitive healing, and gardening, dedicating her days to teaching children in Washington D.C. public schools how to grow and cook their own food. After spending two years in Costa Rica, she has been taking winter breaks from her DC life to immerse herself in the jungle and Mastatal community.
Over time, Solin and Kealy, with their similar passions and life missions, formed a friendship. During a 9 hour hike, sparks flew between them as they laughed and struggled up the mountain, they realized another layer of their connection: both use the language of the Elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) in their work.
Solin asked Kealy to help him create a project to preserve his indigenous culture and connect people to Earth. It quickly became clear that their lives were intertwined for a deeper purpose. Within a year and a half, Kealy moved permanently to Costa Rica, they started KIS Botanicals, got married, had a child, bought a 4 hectare farm, and built a house. Thus, KIS is not just a business, but a love story too.
KIS has emerged as a harmonious blend of herbalism, energy, elements, and education, celebrating Solin's indigenous culture and integrating Kealy's earth and energy work.
Together, our mission is to deeply, energetically, and spiritually reconnect people with the elements, plants, the Earth, and themselves while nurturing a profound appreciation for unconditional love and sustainable living practices.
Additionally, we craft artisanal herbal products on our organic four-hectare farm where we utilize permaculture and indigenous farming techniques. We weave together our understanding of the energy of both people and plants to curate products and experiences that deeply resonate with the soul. We are forever grateful to Kealy’s friend and Solin’s cousin, Ivannia, for helping us formulate and create our first line of herbal products.
Presently, Kealy is immersed in the realm of the theory and practical application of the elemental framework, spiritual connection and soul paths, energetic practices, seasonal and nature-based ceremonies, guided meditations, crafting medicine, and showcasing our world and offerings on social media. Meanwhile, Solin flourishes in tending to his plants on the farm, imparting cultural knowledge of plant uses, fostering resilience within his community, and crafting and distributing medicine for visitors and community members.
Togther, Kealy and Solin, offer transformative educational experiences in herbalism, the elemental framework, meditation, and energy medicine, infused with cultural, spiritual and energetic frameworks.
Interested in learning with us?
-> We offer several transformative courses throughout the year. Check out the “Our Courses” tab.
-> We also offer day programs for small to large groups. Check out the “Our Day Programs” tab.
-> Kealy offers one-on-one spiritual counseling and energetic healings. Please send a WhatsApp message for more information.
Kealy Rudersdorf
Kealy is a mother, teacher, writer, herbalist, mover of energy, intuitive healer, lover of homegrown food, a community builder, a tree hugger, a lifelong student of the 5 elements, a mentor, a jungle dweller, a silly song singer, a medicine maker, a truth teller, a joyful laugher, and friend to all. Kealy’s path has twisted and turned, from structural engineering to elementary school garden teacher to energy medicine and herbalism. Kealy’s fiercest passion and truest life purpose is connecting people to Mother Earth and themselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Through curiosity, crafted experiences, the 5 elements, and the 5 senses, she delights in observing her students understand nature and themselves more deeply. Kealy has been studying and practicing holistic medicine since 2013, and co-founded KIS Botanicals with Solin in 2017. Kealy teaches courses on herbalism, energy medicine, permaculture, gardening with kids, and provides private healing sessions. She is passionate about connecting people to nature, working with kids, building resilient communities, and spreading joy in everything she does.
“Kealy is an incredible teacher. Her patience, love of what she does, and depth of knowledge is evident during every minute of her class. Her classes are like being wrapped in a big hug because she fills them with ceremony, knowledge, and joy! She continues to be my mentor in energy medicine and am so grateful I found her.”
“I am a yoga teacher and have been practicing yoga for over 20 years. Kealy’s element course has profoundly affected my practice. She had a beautiful way of weaving movement with herbalism, art and body work. Her knowledge is both deep and wide. Her classes are detailed and well-paced to fully understand each element. I feel like I will return to my class notes for a long time to come.”
“I 100 % recommend Kealy’s element course. She is an incredibly gifted healer and teacher. I am so lucky to have her work with me and help me though some really rough times as well as now as a teacher. Her intuition is unmatched, she knows exactly what I need and how to push me towards healing myself. Her connection to spirit is evident and I love how she introduced me to my guides during the course. I can’t wait for our next session together!”
Solin Garcia Sanchez
Solin is a father, Huetar Indigenous tribe member, a knowledge keeper, a plant lover, a farmer, a community builder, a water and land manager, a passionate environmentalist, a gifter of food and plants, a medicine maker, a jokester, self-taught botanist, a keeper of cultural traditions. Solin has spent his entire life living near his plants. He grew up deep in the jungle before there was ready access to a city and was lucky enough to have learned from his grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles the cultural traditions, uses of plants, and how to live in harmony with nature. His deepest desire is to live simply with nature. You are hard to find Solin without a machete on his side, a plant in his hand, and a new question to ask. When Solin co-founded KIS Botanicals, his purpose was to resurrect and give value to his culture's plant knowledge.
"The best part of the Element's class was, by far, Solin. Just him... and in his way of being with nature and plants. He is constantly doing such important work, and doesn't stop joking around while doing it. His knowledge is incredible and I am forever grateful for his willingness to share it."
"Solin is very 'air' or intellectual teacher. Meaning he doesn't always ask how the plant makes us feel or dives deep into the water or emotional aspect (although Kealy does - they make a great team!), but can go on and on about a plant's uses and how his family survived using it. You can tell his stories are all first hand. I loved learning from him, his knowledge should be shouted from the mountain tops!"
"Solin is a treasure! I really admire his goal of trying to keep his culture and family's knowledge alive. I have studied herbalism in the past, but never quite with someone like Solin. He eats, breathes, thinks, and cherishes the plants in a way that is unmatched."