We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Victoria Makinde. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Victoria below.

Victoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

At Hello Wellness, our mission is to make wellness simple, accessible, and transformative—especially for those who’ve ever felt overlooked, frustrated, or hopeless about their health.

But that mission didn’t come from a textbook. It came from my life.

My childhood included a lot of hospital visits with my mom. When I was younger, I didn’t always understand what was going on—I just knew I was scared. I remember the bright lights of emergency rooms, the long waits, the smell of antiseptic, and the way my heart would race when I saw her in a hospital bed. I felt helpless and worried, but also fiercely protective.

As I got older, I found myself by her side more and more—during appointments, surgeries, and recovery. I became her advocate before I even knew what that word meant. I asked questions, took notes, spoke up. And through it all, I felt a deep love and compassion not just for her, but for anyone navigating illness or pain without answers or support.

Later, I faced my own health struggles—living with endometriosis and navigating a system that often dismissed my pain or handed me solutions that didn’t feel like true healing. It was exhausting and disheartening. But it also sparked something deeper: a determination to find natural, supportive ways to care for myself—and eventually, to offer those same kinds of solutions to others.

Those experiences didn’t just shape me—they gave me purpose. They showed me what it means to truly care, to hold space for others, and to seek healing in every form.

For a long time, I believed becoming a doctor was the only way I could help people. I studied medicine in college, but something didn’t feel aligned. After a lot of reflection, I realized that healing can also happen in everyday rituals—in the things we touch, smell, and feel. In the quiet moments of choosing ourselves, again and again.

That realization led to Hello Wellness.

Through natural, therapeutic products that soothe chronic pain, calm irritated skin, and restore balance, I’m able to support others in feeling better—inside and out. Especially those dealing with eczema, arthritis, and stress who feel like they’ve tried everything with no relief.

This is more than skincare. It’s care—rooted in lived experience, fueled by purpose, and guided by love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello Wellness is more than skincare—it’s your daily reset.

We’re a natural wellness and lifestyle brand rooted in the belief that everyday rituals can transform how we feel—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We help people who are tired of feeling like they’ve tried everything. Chronic pain. Eczema. Inflammation. Stress. Our customers often come to us after prescription creams, over-the-counter solutions, and “clean beauty” products have failed them. What they find with Hello Wellness is something different—something that’s both natural and effective. Something that finally works.

We make therapeutic products that soothe, support, and restore. From deeply nourishing body butters that calm eczema, to fast-absorbing pain relief oils that ease arthritis, endometriosis, and sciatica pain, every formula is made with intention—and a lot of love.

All of our products are:
Handcrafted in small batches
Made with organic and plant-based ingredients
Gentle, non-toxic, and designed to work with your body, not against it
Created to restore balance and offer moments of relief in a busy, overstimulated world

We’ve had customers cry after using our Eczema Relief Body Butter—finally finding relief after months of discomfort and burning. Others say our Pain Relief Oil allowed them to sleep better, move more freely, or reduce their use of pain medication. That’s what makes this work meaningful. That’s why we do what we do.

But Hello Wellness isn’t just about products. It’s about empowerment. We offer hands-on wellness workshops and daily tools that help people reconnect with their bodies, slow down, and feel supported in their healing journey.

What sets us apart is our blend of therapeutic results, sensory experience, and soul-centered intention—because every product we make starts with a real person and a real need.

Our flagship collection wasn’t born from a trend or a marketing brief—it was born from love. I created those first formulas to help people close to me who were dealing with chronic pain, eczema, inflammation, and stress. That same problem-solving mindset is still at the heart of everything we do.

At Hello Wellness, we don’t create just to create. We make products with purpose—natural, effective solutions that actually work. Products you can feel. Results you can trust. Relief you can count on.

This isn’t about chasing trends or following 12-step routines. It’s about reclaiming wellness on your own terms—and feeling supported every step of the way.

What I want people to know most is this:
You deserve to feel good in your body. Every single day.
And if you’ve been searching for something that finally works—and feels aligned with your values—you’re in the right place.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Funny enough, my biggest business pivot came almost immediately after officially launching Hello Wellness.

In June 2018, I made the decision to turn my handmade products into a real brand. I’d been making products for friends and family, and the results they were experiencing—relief from eczema, pain, inflammation—were too powerful to ignore. With their encouragement, I started taking it seriously.

I spent the next year perfecting formulas, working on packaging, building the website, designing the logo—laying the foundation. Everything was leading up to a 2020 launch where I’d start small, do a few local vending markets, and ease into things.

Then… COVID hit.

What was supposed to be a part-time, in-person brand turned into an overnight ecommerce business.

I suddenly had to rethink everything. I shifted all my energy into building out our online experience—upgrading the website, learning how to market on social media, and figuring out how to connect with people I couldn’t see in person. I’ll never forget the first few online sales. I remember being shocked and grateful that someone out there thought, “Let me try this.”

That season forced me to grow fast—but it also showed me the potential of what I was building.

For almost two years, we operated entirely online. Then, once the world opened back up, we finally got to meet customers face-to-face—two years after launching. That first market was surreal. After connecting with people online for so long, it was powerful to see their reactions in person and hear their stories.

That pivot taught me how to stay flexible, trust the demand, and keep showing up—no matter the circumstances. And it built the foundation for what Hello Wellness is today.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Yes—I personally manufacture every Hello Wellness product by hand in small batches.

When I first started, I wasn’t thinking about “manufacturing” in the traditional sense. I was just trying to help people I cared about feel better. I began researching herbs, essential oils, and natural remedies—studying how ingredients work together to support the body. Then I started experimenting: creating body butters, pain relief oils, and skin-soothing formulas in my home, testing them on friends and family who were struggling with things like eczema and chronic pain.

The more people experienced results, the more I was encouraged to keep going. Over time, I refined my process—learning everything I could about clean formulations, ingredient safety, shelf stability, and effective delivery. I invested in better equipment, built out a dedicated workspace, and created systems that allow me to scale while still maintaining quality and care at every step.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that how you make something matters just as much as what you make. Ingredient quality, batch consistency, environment, and even the energy we put into each batch—it all makes a difference. Because I manufacture in-house, I have full control over every single element of the process.

And that’s exactly why I’m committed to keeping production in-house as we grow. It ensures I can continue to guarantee ingredient integrity, product freshness, and consistent results for our customers. It also creates future opportunities to hire and train others locally—something I’m really passionate about. Building a business that supports both healing and job creation feels like a natural extension of the mission.

I’m proud that every Hello Wellness product is made with my hands, my heart, and a deep respect for the people who use them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hellowellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellowellnessnaturals
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellowellnessnaturals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hello-wellness
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shophellowellness