We recently connected with Alesia Alexander and have shared our conversation below.

Alesia, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

Back in 2012 I almost lost my life due to another reckless driver. With that accident came unbearable pain which resulted in me not being able to work. The idea of not being able to pay my bills, indulge in my self-care rituals, or just simply live my day-to-day regularly sent me spiraling into a deep depression. Not being able to indulge in things that were important to me and my mental health drove me to research ways to meet my needs by creating products on my own. Those were the days of YouTube University (lol)I started with a shea and cocoa butter mixture that was easily used from head to toe. It became the holy grail of my business and from there I began to incorporate other products such as body scrubs and natural hair care products. Lotus By Alesia was a creative outlet that allowed me to express my vision of what self-care means for the modern woman, coupled with sharing my beauty and skincare routine secrets.

My love of skincare drove me to complete an esthetics course so that I can truly dive into the work that I’m passionate about. Graduating from the course not only allowed me to improve my current product line, as we go through a rebrand, but also allowed me to provide my customers with skincare education and services (facials & waxing) so that they can feel comfortable in their skin at all times.

Alesia, 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?

I’m a school teacher by day and an ‘always-on’ entrepreneur. From teaching scholars to providing my clientele with skincare education, I guess we can say the two careers mesh perfectly. As a licensed esthetician I not only provide self-care products such as body butters, body oils, and scrubs but we now offer skincare treatments such as facials and waxing as well. The brand began as a way for me to manage during my depression as it gave me an outlet to be creative. I always used the analogy of cutting up and partitioning ingredients as me dissecting myself and my problems and the end result, the product, as a representation of the beauty in putting myself back together again. I’ve stumbled along the way in terms of consistency due to my depression but I’ve always returned because this is literally my baby. This is the thing I come back to to make me whole over and over again.

Recently in therapy, I was asked the why behind my brand and I was stumped for a while because I realized that it’s no longer the same. This was my defining moment! In that one session, I realized that mental health and self-care have been a big part of my brand’s story solely because it’s where it all began. Creativity has always been an outlet but I never understood how big of a part it played in bringing me to a more optimistic mindset amid my depression. Crafting products for Lotus allowed me to look forward to better days but it also provided me with an opportunity to indulge heavily in self-care rituals such as self-love baths, exfoliating, and moisturizing my skin. This helped me to rid myself of the past and reveal a new version of myself every time. Knowing that I can bring this same warmth and happiness to my customers allowed me to realize that I’m part of the solution to bridging self-care and mental health. This is what I’m most proud of.

Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to assist in reducing or eliminating anxiety and depression, reducing stress, improving concentration, minimizing frustration and anger, increasing happiness, improving energy, and so much more. Knowing that I can bring a sense of peace and happiness through my services and products makes this entrepreneurial life all worth it.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The lack of business knowledge was a challenge, having started when I was only 24. I didn’t have the awareness of what it took to profitably run a business alone, while also focusing on completing my education. The experience was trial and error, and I ran into circumstances of having to halt production due to lack of funds, battling depression, and being inundated with the challenges of being a solo act. Years later, I’ve expanded my business network to create a more efficient operation which helped create a more consistent and profitable revenue stream. One challenge that I’m overcoming is marketing. In the world of social media and algorithms, I’m still learning how to maximize my brand’s awareness to generate new prospective customers that I’m confident will fall in love with my products.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

My best piece of advice for readers desiring success in any field is to ignore the noise. Throughout your journey, you may encounter people that downplay your vision or can’t see it with your eyes. Take it with a grain of salt. If you’re looking for advice or mentorship, pay attention to those who take risks and bet on themselves – their courage is infectious. Also, live on your own terms. No one wants to look back on life and be haunted by “what ifs?” Lastly, show up for yourself and always give your best. When obstacles come, stand firm, fall if you need to, and regroup. Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster, but when you follow your gut, it’s a wildly rewarding ride.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lotusbyalesia.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lotusbyalesia
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lotusbyalesia
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lotusbyalesia?_t=8XZLA1tgiQl&_r=1