Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Ranney.
Hi Isabel , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My path into this work began as a way of caring for others in order to feel needed, accepted, and worthy, and over time evolved into an empowered, intentional practice of walking alongside people as they reconnect with themselves and find their way back to their own hearts. As a child, I rarely felt like I fit in. I learned early how to adapt and how to become who I thought I was supposed to be, how to move through the world in ways that felt acceptable to others. Over time, I lost myself in others dialogue, spending the first quarter of my life, living out versions of other people’s dreams and values instead of my own.
As I slowly reclaimed my inner wisdom and trust, my work has expanded to include Reiki energy work, ancestral healing, intuitive channeling, folk herbalism and death and life-transition support. These practices do not feel like separate paths, but like different expressions of the same thread, weaving together who I am today. Which has lead me to learning how to stay present with change, and how to hold space through grief, burnout, illness, and transformation.
In 2020, I founded Bella Cacao, which has since evolved into Wild Willow Alchemy, allowing me to weave these threads together in a way that felt honest and aligned. Presently, I support individuals and communities through one-on-one sessions, group gatherings, and herbal ritual tools offered through Veil & Root Apothecary.
At the heart of my work it is a simple intention: to create spaces where people feel safe enough to soften, to listen inward, and to remember who they are beneath expectation and survival. My work continues to evolve, as do I, but it is grounded in presence. Walking alongside others as they navigate life’s most tender thresholds and find their way home to themselves.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road at all. It’s been full of ups and downs, and many moments of asking myself, what am I actually doing with my life? There has been a lot of loss along the way. Death to old versions of myself, to identities and paths I thought I had to follow, and to ways of being that were no longer sustainable.
There has also been a lot of deep work: therapy, somatic healing, learning from teachers and mentors, and sitting with the grief that comes with ancestral trauma and unlearning long-held patterns. I experienced burnout in jobs that felt impossible to keep showing up for, yet I stayed far longer than I should have because of people-pleasing and the belief that I couldn’t choose myself without letting everyone else down.
This path has involved deep learning and the loss of relationships, friendships, and ways of living I once held close. I was a single mother for seven years before meeting my husband, and even then the work didn’t stop. We nearly divorced at one point, caught in inherited patterns from our families. It took deep honesty, accountability, and a willingness to reimagine our relationship to heal and move forward together.
None of it was easy, but all of it shaped me. Each struggle taught me how to stay present through discomfort, how to listen more closely, and how to choose alignment over survival. Those experiences continue to inform how I show up today with humility, compassion, and a deep respect for how nonlinear healing really is.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At its core, my work is about supporting people through grief, transition, and moments of unbecoming. Through Wild Willow Alchemy, I work with plant allies, ancestral wisdom, and gentle energetic practices to help individuals reconnect with their inner knowing and restore balance during times of deep change.
I specialize in holding compassionate, non-judgmental space for experiences that are often misunderstood or rushed in our culture: grief, loss of self, burnout, death, and life transitions. My approach is slow, relational, and deeply grounded. Rather than offering fixes, I focus on presence, listening, and support that honors each person’s unique timing and lived experience.
What sets my work apart is how these practices are woven together. Herbalism, Reiki, intuitive channeling, ancestral work, and death and life-transition support are not offered as separate services, but as interconnected ways of tending the whole person. This also extends into my ritual tools and self-care products through Veil & Root Apothecary, which are created to support energetic hygiene, grounding, and sacred space-holding for both practitioners and individuals.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is the integrity behind the work. Accessibility, trust, and care are built into everything I offer; from sliding-scale support and community offerings, to how I source, make, and share my products. My work is not about spiritual bypassing or productivity-based healing; it’s about honoring complexity, allowing space for grief and transformation, and walking alongside people as they remember who they are beneath survival and expectation.
What I want readers to know is that this work is deeply human. It is rooted in lived experience, lineage, and a belief that healing happens when we feel seen, supported, and trusted in our own process. Whether through one-on-one work, group spaces, or the ritual tools I create, my intention is always the same: to offer steady, heart-centered support for those navigating life’s most tender thresholds.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
One other piece that feels important to share is the role martial arts has played in my healing. Over the last fourteen years, my training has been intermittent, showing up whenever space, time, and access allowed but even that ebb and flow has been part of the work. Jiu jitsu has helped me rebuild trust in my body, grounding me through my own unbecomings, unravelings, and the transformations that come with them. It taught me discipline without punishment, boundaries without rigidity, and how to stay present under pressure. Lessons that continue to inform how I hold space for others.
I also work with animals, including pets, which feels like a natural extension of my practice. Animals hold grief, transition, and emotional shifts in their own ways, and supporting them and the humans who love them, has been deeply meaningful. Whether I’m working with people or animals, the thread is the same: listening, attuning, and offering gentle, respectful support during times of change.
At its core, my work is informed by lived experience and a continual return to practice, humility, and presence. I don’t teach or offer anything I’m not actively living myself. All of these paths: plants, energy work, grief care, martial arts, and working with animals continue to teach me how to show up with integrity, trust, and compassion, and to support others in finding their way back to their own hearts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildwillowalchemy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildwillowalchemy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1K2RkfEFjf/
