How Herbs Saved Kita Centella’s Life & Maybe Yours?
EPISODE 46 / 10.22.2025
Addiction, healing, and one powerful cup of tea. Todd and Bettijo talk with Kita Centella, who discovered herbal healing through a smudging ritual—in prison. It planted the seed for her recovery and for the Loose Leaf Tea Market.
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Show Notes
In this powerful and personal episode, Todd and Bettijo sit down with the incredible Kita Centella, founder of the Loose Leaf Tea Market. Kita opens up about her journey from being what she calls an “everything addict” to finding purpose and peace through plant-based healing while incarcerated in the 1980s.
She shares how a Native American mentor introduced her to smudging with sacred sage smoke—a practice that became her first non-substance coping tool and planted a lifelong passion for herbal healing. Kita is a graduate of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), and today her work as an herbalist is focused on helping women over age 40 navigate health challenges naturally.
Kita also shares fascinating science behind her tea blends, explaining how the herb Gymnema Sylvestre can actually block the brain’s ability to taste sweetness and curb sugar cravings—the sweet stuff she says was even harder to quit than drugs. (Don’t miss our episode on sugar addiction).
The conversation turns raw and real as Todd and Kita talk about the painful process of cutting ties with toxic circles, the parallels between substance and sugar addiction, and the skill of learning to truly listen to your body. Todd wraps things up with his ToddFlix pick, The Godfather of Harlem—a show that echoes one of this episode’s biggest themes: how hard it can be to go straight when your past keeps knocking.
This episode is best served with… tea of course! Check out Kita’s organic herbal blends, Bettijo’s favorite is the Detox Chai.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Kita’s story of spiritual healing begins with a true medicine woman she met in prison. (01:08)
- Kita explains how herbal smudging works and its history. (5:32)
- Todd shares his personal experience, noting that being prescribed Depakote provided a crucial filter and a second thought process that significantly aided his own addiction recovery. (10:29)
- The unique properties of the herb Gymnema Sylvestre. (12:25)
- Kita shares business insights that led to founding Loose Leaf Tea Market. (31:20)
- How listening to your body is a skill you must consciously develop to maintain health and avoid relapsing into addiction. (33:35)
- ToddFlix: Todd reviews the acclaimed show The Godfather of Harlem starring Forest Whitaker. (35:14)
- Todd and Kita discuss the crucial need to cut ties with old friends when committing to a path of addiction recovery. (36:05)
ToddFlix Pick
Tune in to learn
- How small daily rituals (like smudging or tea) can ground your body and calm your mind.
- The herb that can literally block your brain’s sweet receptors and curb sugar cravings.
- Why listening to your body is a skill worth practicing—and how to start.
Whether you’re craving balance, connection, or just a really good cup of tea, hit play now and let Kita Centella show you how simple shifts can change everything.
24-HOUR National Helpline
If you’re struggling with your mental health, you don’t have to face it alone. The SAMHSA National Helpline is available 24/7 to provide free, confidential support (in English and Spanish), information, and resources for individuals and families facing mental health or substance use challenges. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) to speak with someone who cares. Help is just a call away.
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