NutraWomen Wednesday: Beth Lambert CEO, Herbalist & Alchemist

24-Nov-2021 - Last updated on 24-Nov-2021 at 18:05 GMT

Prior to her professional reinvention, Elizabeth Lambert had a successful career making money for high profile clients.

The CEO of Herbalist & Alchemist started off on Wall-Street in the '70s.

“That was it was an exciting time, but it was a time where you worked 80 hour work weeks and you can't keep that up forever,” explained Lambert, who was living in New York City at the time. “And when you have an apartment in the city, everybody wants to visit you. It just happened that a good friend of mine from college said, ‘Oh, we're bringing through this fellow who's headed to get this amazing livelihood award. Can we stay in your apartment for the weekend? And you ought to come meet this guy because he's really special.’”

As it turned out, this fellow was none other than permaculture pioneer Bill Mollison.

“Bill was one crazy, charismatic guy. And I literally stayed up all night talking to him,” she said.

Lambert explained that was a lightbulb moment in her life that triggered a different way of thinking for her and ultimately a new career path, leading her to dedicate the rest of her life to making products that are healthy and sustainable.

After this career change, Lambert taught at Rutgers University and ran a sustainable agriculture publishing business and a community-supported farm. She began consulting for Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc. and eventually joined the company as CEO in 1995. Lambert now co-owns the company with founder David Winston.

“It has been a really good partnership. It is so nice to be working with a man who just appreciates and understands how to work with a strong woman,” said Lambert. “It's really based on mutual respect. And I think that's so important.”