Who we are

(Alaska hiking trip 2023)

Welcome to Forest Cradle!

We’re Alisha and Freeman, co-founders and partners in Forest Cradle — a place where herbal medicine, outdoor education, and permaculture come together to support resilience, healing, and self-sufficiency.

Alisha’s Path

Alisha grew up in a tiny rural town in South Georgia — the kind of place with no stoplight, a country store down the road, and plenty of space to roam barefoot. Her childhood was shaped by trees, dirt roads, ponds, and animals. She spent her days climbing trees, swinging from a tire swing, and picking up every creature she could find — worms, snakes, rabbits, toads. If an animal needed help, she was the one to step in. Those early years taught her independence, resilience, and reverence for the living world.

At 25, she felt the Appalachian Mountains calling her home. She left Georgia, packed her car, and moved to North Carolina with no plan other than to follow that pull. Soon after, she discovered the Outdoor Leadership program in Bryson City, NC, one of only two of its kind in the nation. She applied on a whim, was accepted, and graduated with honors. For nearly a decade, she has guided groups of all ages through the woods, teaching backpacking, climbing, paddling, primitive skills, plant identification, and more.

Herbal medicine became part of her journey after years of struggling with endometriosis and PCOS. Conventional medicine left her without lasting answers, but an integrative approach with herbal protocols changed her life. Through that healing, Alisha found an even deeper connection with the natural world as an herbalist specializing in women’s reproductive health, offering consultations that empower women to reconnect with their bodies and the wisdom of plants. She’s nearly completed her Bachelor’s degree in Integrative Medicine from one of the few accredited colleges offering programs of study in natural medicine. Additionally, she participates in a weekly roundtable for professional herbalists and continues her studies with a mentor who has run a successful herbal clinic for over 20 years.

Freeman’s Path

Freeman’s journey began with a deep love for the land and the question of how humans can live in right relationship with it. He studied permaculture intensively, blending hands-on practice with academic research. His Master’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences focused on the connection between permaculture ideology and addiction recovery, exploring how regenerative systems can also heal human communities.

Freeman has designed and implemented permaculture systems that are both practical and regenerative — from homesteads to community projects. His work centers on helping people create sustainable, land-based lifestyles that support ecological health while meeting human needs. At Forest Cradle, he offers permaculture design consultations, bringing grounded systems thinking and visionary design to the work.

The Beginning of Forest Cradle

Forest Cradle didn’t begin as a polished vision, but as a raw dream and a promise — a promise we made to our dogs, Rosco and Lulu, that one day they would retire on a farm. When we first found our land, it was wild, overgrown, and overwhelming. At the same time, we were living paycheck to paycheck, bartending and waiting tables to keep food on the table.

We moved onto the land in an old RV, determined to make a home here. We’ve lived without reliable electricity or running water, hauling what we need by hand, cooking simple meals, and learning to live close to the rhythms of the earth. It hasn’t been easy — there are days when the challenges feel bigger than us — but each step we take carves this dream into reality. Clearing brush, planting gardens, tending animals, and building soil are the quiet victories that move us forward.

Together at Forest Cradle

Our paths converged through a shared dream: to live and work in close relationship with the land, fostering resilience and self-sufficiency while supporting others to do the same. Forest Cradle is the weaving of our journeys — Alisha’s expertise in herbal medicine and outdoor education, Freeman’s devotion to permaculture and regenerative living, and our shared belief that connection to nature heals and empowers.

For us, Forest Cradle represents this truth: we are all children of the earth, cradled and sustained by her like a mother. With that care comes responsibility — to learn, grow, respect, and step into our own strength.

Alongside Rosco and Lulu, the faithful companions who inspired this dream, we are grateful to welcome you here. Forest Cradle is more than a business — it’s our life’s work unfolding day by day, a commitment to creating spaces of growth, healing, and reconnection. We look forward to walking this path with you.