Vanessa Chakour

Vanessa Chakour is an author, herbalist, former pro-boxer, environmental activist and the founder of Sacred Warrior, an experiential school offering plant medicine, wildlife education, and therapeutic arts through courses, workshops and retreats. Nature as Self is at the core of Chakour’s work. A fierce defender and advocate of the land, she embodies the practices she teaches. She has spearheaded land-based education programs to inspire ecological awareness and land stewardship, facilitating personal relationships with the plants and animals around us. She works in partnership with organizations such as the Wolf Conservation Center and United Plant Savers in the US, The Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica, and Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands.

As a nonprofit, sustainability & arts consultant, Chakour has created experiences, compelling storytelling, educational initiatives for organizations and companies seeking a holistic, earth-centered, and social justice approach. She collaborated with Hip Hop icon KRS-One, creating the vision, partnerships and programs for the The Stop the Violence Movement, a non-profit organization deeply rooted in the Hip Hop community and coordinated HOPE, an event and vision, at which His Holiness The Dalai Lama was the main speaker and honored guest. Other work includes curriculum building for the Hip Hop Loves foundation and acting as the sustainability advisor for the True Athlete Project. Chakour’s work has been featured in Spirituality & Health, Town Hall Seattle, The Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation, Aligned Magazine, Ravenous Zine, Culture Trip, and more. Her explorative artwork continues to be a daily practice and has been featured in prominent private collections, art publications, and public exhibitions. She has shared her work as an inspirational speaker at the United Nations, Brown University, the Muhammad Ali Center, and Harvard University.

Her recent book, "Awakening Artemis: Deepening Intimacy with The Living Earth and Reclaiming Our Wild Nature" was recently published by Penguin Life in the US and UK, and Ullstein Press in Germany. She is working on a new book, "Earthly Bodies: Embracing Our Animal Nature" that will be published by Penguin Life in 2023.