As the Woo-Woo World’s Crossover Hit, Mama Medicine Is on a Mission to Heal Hearts

Welcome to Next Gen of Wellness, our spotlight of the nine up-and-coming icons you need to know about *right now*.  Here, seeress and shaman Deborah Hanekamp (AKA Mama Medicine) shares her mindfulness tips, nutrition advice, and routine-simplifying hacks. 

When you walk into Deborah Hanekamp's Mama Medicine studio—an ethereal Soho space in New York City in floor-to-ceiling white, with lush green plants dotting the space—you feel like you're entering a palo santo-scented portal of sorts, far from the city streets below.

And with Hanekamp's renowned ability to read auras and cleanse energy (learned studying medicine readings for eight years in the Amazon), a Mama Medicine healing has become one of the most sought-after sessions in town—and made her the fashion world's favorite shaman, hands down.

Hanekamp makes the esoteric accessible with her down-to-earth, generous vibe.

Whether she's speaking to large crowds (like at a recent Well+Good TALK, where she taught everyone how to give your home a "ritual bath") or working with a client one-on-one, Hanekamp makes the esoteric accessible with her down-to-earth, generous vibe. She's all about the love—and making the world a better place, by healing one (urban, anxious) heart at a time.

Read on for her favorite good-for-you essentials—and what she sees for the future of wellness.

1. How did you get into wellness, and what's your personal mission in the wellness space?

I had a tumultuous upbringing that presented me with two different paths at a very early age. I could either let the pain of my past destroy me or I could rise like a phoenix from the ashes. I chose the latter. I began doing yoga, meditation, became a vegetarian, and 18 years later I haven’t found anything I love doing more, so I just stuck with it. I am grateful for my past as it helps me to meet people with where ever they are any not judge them. I am truly grateful for is the dedication to where this path of wellness and self discovery has brought me and for where I will be going.

My personal mission in the wellness space is to help people be their own healers through accessing the power of love within them. My wish is for everyone who comes for a Medicine Reading will bring a certain energy of compassion out into their communities. I hope to leave this world a more loving place.

2. Why do you think people have started prioritizing wellness in the last few years?

We are waking up and becoming more conscious. We are coming to a place where we are realizing the old ways are not working anymore and we are becoming more accepting of the mind-body connection. The way we treat ourselves is also the way we are going to treat our environment. The changes we make for the mind, body, and spirit can also positively affect our families, communities, and planet.

3. What does a typical day look like for you? How do you stay productive?

I wake up an hour and a half before my family to capture alone time to meditate, journal, oil pull, body brush, and enjoy tea or coffee. I will make sure to do some physical activity like yoga or running before getting ready to leave for the day. Before work, I bring my daughter to school. Then I venture to Soho, where I get to offer about five Medicine Readings a day.

Then I head home to bookend the day with medicine, like taking a ritual bath or enjoying tea with my husband. I stay productive because I believe in what I am doing. The work itself motivates me and it actually energizes me.

4. What are a few of your favorite wellness essentials?

My Biomat is my favorite wellness essential. It is the best way for me to recharge. If I have 10 to 15 minutes between clients, it is exactly what I need. Sakara Life is my new wellness guilty pleasure. Also: Mullein and Sparrow's facial steam.

5. What do you think the future holds for wellness as a movement?

We are going to see the interest in meditation, spirituality, and the quest for balance begin to influence our home environment. For example, the way we interact with our families, the way we work, the way we run our families and businesses. It won’t be about the work and life balance but we will bring more presence, compassion, and awareness into all that we do.

Want to see Hanekamp in action? Here's what it's really like to get your energy cleansed by a shaman—and how she prepares for a day of healing.