Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mona Bahraini. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mona, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To me, it’s not about being successful, it’s about having emotional success. I think we are given one life to discover what we are good at and how we can implement it into our community in a positive way. Most people shy away from sharing their talents or even identifying their talents to themselves. We are all good at something(s) and it’s our job to discover it, nurture it and implement it in our community whether it be on a small or big scale. As a woman who came from an immigrant family, we are told often to stay within the chains of culture and religion but it’s so important to break those chains and explore, that’s where your true happiness and success lies. When you honor yourself and mold your own life, that’s where emotional success is found and that leads to overall success. I started my plant shop in 2017 and it continues to thrive every year.

Mona, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My small business all started because of a freak accident. By 2017 I had been a seasoned dental hygienist for 9 years, a huge succulent and cactus collector that I did not share with anyone and I loved honoring the earth in everything I did from the food I ate to the products I used on my skin (which was really hard to find). One day during my lunch break from my dental office I went on a quick grocery run, that hour my entire life changed. Just a couple hours later I found myself in an emergency room with severe pain and I was told weeks later that my hip was severely damaged which would likely need surgery in hopes that it to go back to normal one day. I was only 30 years old. Being the optimistic person that I am, I allowed myself a limited pity party for a week and then I decided I will do something with my time since doctors told me I would not be able to go back to dental hygiene for at least a year. So I turned to what I loved most, plants and community. By 2017, I had collected over 300 succulents and cacti… my passion for these types of plants came from growing up in Phoenix, Arizona where you are surrounded by desert landscapes, especially prickly pear cacti. You can eat every part of the prickly pear cactus and as I got older I learned that the fruit it produces is not only great in prickly pear margaritas but is jam-packed with vitamins and benefits for your skin when used topically. Since life had dealt me a card that changed everything I knew on a day-to-day basis, I decided that I wanted to share my love for plants, honoring the earth and the knowledge I had gained over the years about cacti, especially prickly pear cactus and its fruit. I started a plant blog on Instagram called @the.prickly.pear in 2017 and now is a plant shop, garden venue and cactus skincare line. The Prickly Pear is located at 816 U st., sacramento, ca in a historic sacramento home converted into a greenhouse, shop, desert botanical garden and venue! I launched PPBody, a minimalist cactus oil skincare line in 2020 and it is just so rewarding to see how many people watch their skin transform from using 100% all-natural products with pure mama earth ingredients aka prickly pear fruit oil extract. The skin industry is full of 5+ step skin routines that actually do the complete opposite of what our skin needs. Our skin is the biggest organ in our body and it sure knows how to take care of itself, the more products we use the less it is able to function properly. I started my skincare line to disrupt the skin industry, LESS IS MORE. You can learn more at @ppbody.co or www.ppbody.com

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

You never know what life will bring you and it’s always important to find light from every situation.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Creating authentic content myself and sharing it on my social media platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thepricklypear.com
• Instagram: @the.prickly.pear
• Facebook: The prickly pear
• Youtube: @wildgoosefarms

Image Credits

N/a