We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chai Coles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chai, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I’ve always been a naturally curious person, and many of the things I’ve learned and become successful at felt intuitive to me from the beginning. A lot of what I do comes naturally, almost as if I already had an innate understanding of it. Whether through observation, prior experiences, conversations, or what I would describe as ancestral knowledge and instinct, many processes simply made sense to me.

That said, I still value research and self-education. Whenever I begin something new, I take the time to verify information, fill in any gaps, and ensure that I’m following best practices. Learning has always been a continuous process for me.

Knowing what I know now, I may have accelerated my learning by pursuing more formal education earlier, such as taking classes in herbalism, soapmaking, or product formulation. My learning style is highly curiosity-driven, so I tend to explore topics organically rather than through structured programs. While that approach has served me well, additional formal training could have provided a stronger foundation and helped me develop certain skills more quickly.

The skills I believe were most essential were preparation, attention to detail, and understanding the business and compliance aspects of my work. Creating a quality product is important, but so are proper labeling, safety considerations, regulations, and protecting both the customer and the business.

As for obstacles, I don’t believe there were many external barriers that prevented me from learning. If anything, the biggest obstacle was my own reluctance to pursue more structured educational pathways. I often preferred learning through experience and exploration, which sometimes meant taking a longer route to knowledge than a formal program might have provided.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am Chai, founder of Chai’s Healing Corner Holistic & Metaphysical Artistry. My journey into this industry began through beauty. For several years, I worked as a makeup artist, helping women enhance their external beauty, build confidence, and see themselves in a more positive light. Over time, my passion evolved beyond cosmetics and into natural skincare, herbal wellness, and holistic healing.

My transition into this work was deeply personal. After experiencing a pregnancy loss several years ago, I found myself searching for ways to reconnect with my body, mind, and spirit. During that healing journey, I turned to herbs, affirmations, ancestral wisdom, intentional self-care practices, and spiritual wellness. I began creating rituals centered around herbal baths, self-love, mindfulness, and intentional healing. Through that process, I discovered something powerful: healing doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.

Today, I create handcrafted skincare products, herbal wellness offerings, metaphysical tools, and herbal tea blends designed to support self-care, emotional wellness, and intentional living. However, I often tell people that I don’t simply make products-I help create healing experiences. My mission is to encourage and empower women to love themselves back to health by nurturing their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being.

What sets me apart is that everything I create is rooted in intention. My products are infused with care, positive energy, affirmations, and a genuine desire to help others reconnect with themselves. I believe healing is essential, not a luxury. You don’t need an expensive spa retreat, designer items, or lavish experiences to begin your healing journey. Sometimes healing starts in your own bathroom, speaking kindly to yourself while using products that nourish your body and spirit.

One of my greatest accomplishments is building a brand that authentically reflects who I am and what I believe in. What began as skincare and metaphysical wellness has grown into a movement centered around self-love, empowerment, feminine healing, and holistic wellness. Most recently, I’ve expanded into herbal tea blends, which beautifully complement my mission of helping people nourish themselves from the inside out.

More than anything, I want people to know that my brand is about transformation. Whether through skincare, herbal wellness, tea blends, affirmations, or spiritual self-care practices, my goal is to remind people that healing is possible, self-love is powerful, and they already possess many of the tools they need to begin their journey within.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

At the heart of my creative journey is one word: Alchemy.

My mission is to transform pain into purpose, challenges into lessons, and wounds into wisdom. I believe that life will inevitably present us with moments of heartbreak, disappointment, grief, anger, and uncertainty. What drives me is the decision to create something meaningful from those experiences rather than allowing them to consume me.

I often say that my crash out should look like art, not destruction. And if destruction is necessary, it should be the kind that clears the way for growth, healing, and transformation. I challenge myself not to sit in distortion, self-sabotage, or suffering longer than necessary. Instead, I ask myself, “How can I turn this into something beautiful? How can I use this experience to help someone else?”

That philosophy shows up in everything I create. A painful experience may become a poem. A personal healing journey may become a workshop. A difficult lesson may inspire a new product, affirmation, tea blend, or self-care ritual. My goal is to take what could have remained pain and transform it into something that educates, empowers, heals, or inspires others.

Alchemy is the foundation of my work. It is the practice of turning life’s hardest moments into opportunities for growth, connection, healing, and beauty. Through my creativity, my business, and my healing work, I hope to show others that transformation is always possible, even when it begins in our darkest moments.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is seeing the process through from beginning to end.

As creatives, we often start with a feeling, a vision, a message, or an idea. Sometimes we know exactly what we want to express, but we don’t yet know how we’re going to bring it to life. Other times, we know the medium we’re working with and the emotion that’s inspiring the work, but we have no idea what the final outcome will look like.

For me, the magic happens in the process itself. It’s trusting the journey, allowing the work to evolve, and staying committed even when the destination isn’t entirely clear. There’s something incredibly rewarding about taking an idea that only existed in your mind and watching it become something tangible that can be experienced by others.

Whether it’s a poem, a skincare product, a workshop, a tea blend, or a healing ritual, my greatest satisfaction comes from seeing a vision all the way through and witnessing the impact it has once it’s shared with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chaishealingcorner.square.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaishealingcorner
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chaishealingcorner