Rolling Stoner Sessions with Rolling Nymphs
It’s About Frequency
Interviewer and writer: Andrew Macfarlane
There’s something about chatting with someone who simply aligns with your ideas and thoughts, as the Rolling Stoner crew does with Carla, the owner and founder of the Rolling Nymphs.
Chatting with Carla via video chat, there was an aura of subtle warmth that just crept into the conversation, and somehow that comfort helped veer the logical flow of the interview off track, but in the best way possible.
So, here’s what we discussed, starting with the first question.
Can You Tell Us How Rolling Nymphs First Came To Life?
As first questions go, it was a fairly standard place to start. But the story of how Rolling Nymphs first came to life begins long before Carla discovered the Red Herring Trading Post for her Noordhoek store.
Carla originally studied physiology and computer science, and health has always been central to her life. While studying, she played squash professionally, which gave her the opportunity to travel the world and experience diverse cultures, people, and healing traditions.
“I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world as a professional athlete, but after my injury, I went back into the corporate world and worked my way up the ranks,” says Carla.
Changing Direction
After several successful years in corporate life, Carla’s world changed dramatically following the traumatic farm murder of her father. While taking time to recover emotionally, she was directed towards therapy and psychiatric medication.
However, that route did not feel right for her body or her healing process.
“I became numb to the world on the medicine and felt like there had to be an alternative to dealing with emotional trauma,” says Carla
Rather than settling into the treatment, Carla began looking more closely at natural medicine and alternative forms of healing.
She started growing her own mushrooms, learning about the care, patience, and precision involved in plant and fungal medicine. From airflow and temperature to timing and environment, the process taught her that natural medicine requires attention, reverence, and balance.
Over time, Carla realised this was more than an interest. It was her calling.
The Journey Begins
Once Carla had decided on her path, she knew exactly where she wanted to begin this natural healing journey.
“When I walked into the Red Herring Trading Post and saw where my first store would be, I knew it was the perfect spot. It is surrounded by old indigenous milkwood trees, and nearby you have the ancient rock formations of Chapman’s Peak, which many people in alternative healing circles associate with powerful natural energy and ley lines. For me, the trees, stone, mountain, and sea all come together there. That gives the location its soul,” says Carla.
For those unfamiliar with the idea, ley lines are often described in alternative healing and metaphysical traditions as invisible energetic pathways across the landscape.
Some believe these lines connect spiritually significant places, natural landmarks, ancient sites, and powerful geological features. Around Chapman’s Peak, the meeting of mountain, ocean, indigenous trees, and ancient rock formations adds to the sense of natural presence often associated with the area.
For Carla, that belief added another layer to the location. In plain terms, the setting mattered.
The old milkwood trees, mountain energy, coastal air, and quiet rhythm of the Red Herring Trading Post all helped create a space that felt aligned with the work she wanted to do.
She described it as a place of peace, grounding, and restoration.
If you have ever visited this location, you will know exactly what she means. There is a stillness in the space that feels almost tangible or forced, the kind of calm you notice before you even find the words for it.
In many ways, Rolling Nymphs did not simply begin as a store. It began as a response to personal healing, a connection to natural medicine, and a deep sense that the right work had found the right place.
Question: Let's Shift Toward Talking About the Stores
Rolling Nymphs Noordhoek
As described, the Noordhoek outlet is quaintly nestled into the corner of the soulful Red Herring Trading Post centre.
Noordhoek, as an area, is known for its wide-open landscapes, long beach, mountain views, horse trails, wetlands, farm-style living, and slower pace. It is a place where the city begins to loosen its grip, giving way to big skies, ocean air, and a strong sense of natural calm.
It’s the environment that really suits the Rolling Nymph’s ethos, as the area has attracted people who’ve been drawn to wellness, creativity, nature, conscious living, and a more grounded way of life. Between Chapman’s Peak, the surrounding mountains, the wetlands, and the sweep of Noordhoek Beach, the village carries a deeply restorative atmosphere.
Rolling Nymphs Kalk Bay
Rolling Nymphs Kalk Bay feels perfectly placed in one of Cape Town’s most characterful coastal villages.
Set along the famous Main Road, with the Southern Line railway running directly behind the store and the ocean just beyond the tracks, the outlet is woven into the everyday rhythm of Kalk Bay. It is a place shaped by sea air, mountain slopes, the energy of a working harbour, old stone buildings, independent shops, cafés, galleries, and the slow pace of village life.
There is something naturally suited about the Rolling Nymphs brand being based here. Kalk Bay has long attracted artists, healers, travellers, ocean lovers, and those drawn to a more alternative way of experiencing Cape Town. For both spaces, visitors can expect a welcoming space where CBD, cannabis wellness products, mushroom supplements, botanical extracts and natural remedies are available.
When asked what products were sold at these outlets and whether there had been an uptake in interest in these items, Carla was direct with her response,
“Yes, many people are becoming more curious about natural medicine and what plant medicine can offer.
Some come in looking for flower, while others want to understand blue lotus, CBD, THC-A, and other supportive natural products.
We prepare and select these medicines with care, because people are not just looking for something recreational.
They are looking for something that feels aligned with their body, their healing, and their lifestyle.
There has definitely been an uptake in curiosity. People want to learn, try it, and feel supported throughout the process.”
Are Tourists Interested In Your Offerings?
When asked whether natural medicine outlets are popular with tourists, Carla confirmed that they are. She also explained that many visitors who discover an alternative remedy will contact her directly from across the globe.
“We have tourists popping in for medicine while travelling, and many ask about shipping so they can continue using the products once they leave,” says Carla.
For anyone wanting to explore alternative medicines and natural healing, a visit to one of the Rolling Nymphs outlets offers a thoughtful introduction.
Visitors can learn more about plant medicine, ask questions, and discover products in a space that feels calm, welcoming, and deeply connected to the Rolling Nymphs approach.