Victoria Sadtler is the owner of Lionheart Rising Apothecary. She and Amber Thomas have come together to create Earth Warriors Empowered. On April 19, they protested at three different locations downtown. Their mission was to bring awareness to the looming destruction of our true national security, public natural resources.
Victoria has been the owner of the Lionheart Apothecary since November. She describes it as a hub for other artists, healers, and creatives to promote their offerings. Everything in the store, including essential oils, incense, metaphysical books and tools, hand-crafted jewelry and more, is natural and organic.
“Wholistic is not just about treating the symptoms of a physical ailment,” Victoria said. “It looks at food, media intake and energetic exchanges. Wholistic healing is the whole being – body, mind and spirit.
“Lionheart symbolizes strength, courage resilience, wisdom. That is the heart, the pulse, the beat of my being. Lion hearts rising above the system of oppression. The name of the business goes hand-in-hand with the mission of Earth Warriors Empowered.
“That’s why we call our little coalition Earth Warriors Empowered. Because when you feel empowerment, you feel that you can do something about it. That’s why we are putting educational material out.”
Earth Warriors Empowered was created in early March and immediately began planning this April 19 protest. They peacefully protested at the top of New Delhi Café, Basin Park and City Hall. They said that Police Chief Billy Floyd was extremely helpful and voiced appreciation for their cause.
“The White House has signed multiple executive orders directly targeting 59 percent of US National Forests, with additional impact expected on BLM [Bureau of Land Management] land. The language used in the order refers to exploiting public lands for natural resources. It also seeks to expedite the Endangered Species Act review process, clearing the way to begin logging more quickly,” Amber said.
“We are not here to spread fear. We are here to raise awareness and stand in defense of our forests with truth, integrity and an understanding that we all make mistakes and can learn from them. Our message is simple. Our forests are sacred, finite and essential. They are not a resource to be exploited.”
“What our protest is about is the federal government is going right through the Endangered Species Act,” Victoria said. “As of April 9, an executive order was signed that makes it non-negotiable that all these different wildlife conservation acts and treaties have a sunset date within no more than five years. It is effective September 9, 2025. The Endangered Species Act will be completely gone by September 9 and all other acts of environmental protection with it.”
Earth Warriors Empowered is circulating petitions. “It is beneficial to start our own petitions so we can speak to local Arkansas and be up to date on the new issues, as well. It seems like every day, something new is coming from the White House. It’s so important for us to vote. I’m realizing that even more,” Victoria said.
“We have been distracted in a variety of ways from learning our laws. Starting with the school system and media. It’s psychological manipulation in so many ways. That’s why half the people you talk to don’t like to get involved with politics. And that was me, too. It is a foreign language that we weren’t properly educated on in school.
“Also, there is a misconception that only one person doesn’t have a say in anything or can’t do anything about it. Well over half the world’s population doesn’t get involved in politics. So, it’s a small amount of people making the choices for us.
“If we all were educated and helped each other understand, our voices would matter, and we would be able to take it back into our own hands. We the people. If we educate ourselves and others and come together we stop feeling so disempowered. I’m coming to realize that there are lots of other environmental enthusiasts.”
Earth Warriors Empowered is selling t-shirts made by Victoria’s mother. Proceeds go to purchasing trees from the Arbor Day Foundation. The suggested donation is $10-15.
“We started with just us and at the first protest there were 15 people. There are 200 people in our group now, after one month. We keep pushing forward even if at moments it feels like it’s not going anywhere. If we give up in those moments, we lose. It is a chaotic thing we have to navigate through to educate people properly.”
Earth Warriors Empowered next protest will be on Saturday, May 10 at Basin Park. “I called Amber immediately,” Victoria said. “First thing Monday morning, I’m going to go up there before I open the shop. I’m going to get a permit packet and we’re gonna reserve Basin Park.”
Lionheart Rising Apothecary is at 69 S. Main, Eureka Springs.