Anna-Lena was initiated as a Mara’akame, a traditional healer and ritual leader, in 2007, in the lineage of the Wixárika (Huichol) peoples of the highlands of the Sierra Madres of western Mexico. As a Mara'akame she has served her local Catskill community and beyond as a traditional healer for more than 20 years. In 2019 she was asked by her teacher and mentor Eliot Cowan to be his successor in leading pilgrimages to three sacred sites in California, work that is opening a doorway for receiving much needed help for people seeking a better life.

Anna-Lena was a Plant Spirit Medicine practioner for many years, having graduated from this training in 2000. She was part of the teaching team for Plant Spirit Medicine, working with students from 2007 to 2013.

She has been a Firekeeper for the last 20 years working with the Sacred Fire Organization, holding monthly Sacred Fire gatherings at her home hearth.

Anna-Lena has been the Director for the Huichol Art Project since the project moved to Blue Deer Center in 2012.