In Northport, Isabelle Scott, affectionately known as “Isa,” has been forging her unique path as a herbalist and the proprietor of Circles & Cycles.
Since its inception in 2019, Circles & Cycles has grown from a personal passion project to a thriving business offering a range of herbal products.
Isa started the business in 2019 when she was determined to pursue her passion of alternative medicine and holistic healing. After dabbling in making various products while giving them to family friends she thought this could be a viable business option.
In 2021, Scott opened up the online shop and things began to take off from there.
“It still felt really much like a side hobby or side gig, and I wasn’t sure if I could go fulltime,” Scott said.
A few years into her endeavor, Scott discovered a problem that most people would like to have; keeping up with demand.
“I’m a one person show. I haven’t hired anyone yet to help me in the garden or to help me with manufacturing products … that’s been really hard in learning how to scale,” Scott said. “I really want to show up for my customers who really want it consistently. I think it’s getting to a point where I need to look at ways that can support the growth ... I’m just selling my art and products that I really believe in … it’s just my passion and it doesn’t feel like a business a lot of the time.”
Scott possesses a traveler’s heart and found her way through central and South America while living in Bolivia for a year after graduating from Leland High School in 2013. Scott lived in Bolivia as an exchange student through Rotary International and traveled there when she was 17. While living with a host family, Isabelle garnished the nickname “Isa” (Spanish pronunciation) that her dad liked so much he brought it back to the states and it has stuck from there. After that year in Bolivia she traveled in-between semesters at NMC before leaving school and traveling out of her backpack for six months in South America.
“I was away from home for a while and then I bopped around to different colleges, kind of just not really finding something that clicked in terms of schooling or a career,” Scott said.
Events in her life have guided her into this direction of alternative medicines.
In Scott's late teens and early twenties she was going through chronic health issues and couldn’t figure out a solution. Then she came across a book called “Perfect Health” by Deepak Chopra that illustrated the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, a system of traditional medicine that is native to India.
“I got super into Ayurveda and learned about the different practices, different herbs they would use and their diet and whatnot. I actually found a lot of healing through that,” she said. ““I became a firm believer that like there’s alternative ways that we can find healing and find good health there’s not just a quick fix or something ... The things that are hiding how you’re feeling. And so it was really about getting to the root cause that was the core of Ayurveda.”
Her connection with Ayurveda is why she started her skincare journey after using various different pharmaceutical acne medications like Accutane that presented many problems.
“I never felt super confident in my skin,” Scott said. “I wanted something that was non-toxic, really great for sensitive acne prone skin. That was super effective too ... I saw a big improvement once I started eliminating a lot of toxic chemicals and swapping them out for super rich nutrient rich phytochemicals.”
Scott has had a detective sense for finding the intersection of a problem and solving it.
“It’s the art and science of plant extracts,” she said. Scott found her way back to Northport in 2017-18 and started working at a plant nursery and that’s where everything began to snowball from there in loving plants. Isa has always been interested in alternative medicine and holistic healing from a young age.
Circles and Cycles started with a small selection of products as Scott learned more about chemistry including formulation of different phytochemicals and bioactives that’s allowed her to create a larger array of herbal products.
“I really love learning … to expand my knowledge the best I can … excel in this like field that I’m really passionate about,” Scott said Her mission is to care for plants, people and the connections in-between; to integrate sustainable, environmental & socially responsible business practices; to offer effective, nutrient-dense & supportive remedies that inspire others to cultivate a healing relationship with nature, community and self.
Customers can catch Circles & Cycles at Leelanau Farmers markets in Northport and Glen Arbor starting in June or online at circlesandcyclesalchemy.com. During summer, you can find Isa in a garden at her old copper still doing aromatic distillation with fresh plants from May until October.
“I just love that process. It forces me to slow down a little bit,” she said.
