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

Alright, Alyssa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success is perceived in different ways and the way that I measure my success is based on my ability to uplift others and inspire a vision to take care of one’s self continuously. Now, what does it take to be successful, perseverance and persistence are two key factors that have driven my success. When I first thought about starting a business, all I thought to myself at first is that how am I going to make it possible; how am I going to take my idea and make it a reality? I sought out feedback from friends and family and was discouraged at a point. Instead of letting go of my business idea, I decided to repurpose it into something that I was passionate about; which was encouraging others. That’s when NOVA Essence Inside Out came about, initially, my focus was just on starting a business it was really much on the type of business. After reflecting and going back to the drawing board I came up with my aromatherapy business that encourages people to take care of themselves first so they can pour out into others. Instead of giving up, I refocused myself and persevered and persisted through the doubt and discouragement.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an Associate Project Manager during the day and a small business owner at night and on weekends. I love expressing my creativity through songs and handmade crafts like candles. I started NOVA Essence Inside Out with a passion to inspire others to care for themselves and create a self-care sanctuary where they can use aromatherapy produce to enhance their self-care routine. Recently, NOVA Essence Inside Out has extended its product offering to party favor services; where we provide customized party favors to give that special thank you to guests. In addition to that, we have been spreading affirmations everywhere we go when we are granted the opportunity to attend pop-up shops. Our main collection that encourages the self-love aspect of self-care is our I AM collection. The I Am collection offers different affirmations that help s remind people that they are worth it and that they should continually affirm who they are and speak life into themselves.

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

During the height of the pandemic, I was financially impacted and worried about how I would be able to continue to grow my business and sustain basic life needs. In my time of need instead of letting my pride get in the way, I leaned on my family for help. They were supportive in investing in my business and helping me market it so I could continue the process of growing my reputation. I was able to overcome an unfortunate time with the support of family and I truly attest to the statement that we are not weak when we seek help, we are only stronger together.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson that I have to unlearn is that you need to give your 100% all the time to everyone. Giving you 100% all the time can quickly lead to burnout; leaving you feeling unmotivated to continue working. One of my mentors once told me that my 50 % could be 100% to someone else. I was mind blown by this statement but saw the truth when I started applying it to the way that I work. I realized that not everything requires maximum effort, that does not mean you do a halfhearted job it just means that you don’t need to over-extend yourself to get the job done. Similarly, this lesson that giving your 100% all the time is the best way to achieve things goes hand in hand with the lesson that practice makes perfect. What I’ve learned is that practice does not make perfect it makes progress. Continuous practice incrementally positions you in a better place than you were before. As you practice and progress you are able to acknowledge and celebrate the small wins as you get better over time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.novaessenceio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nova_essenceio/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NOVAEssenceIO
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-chambers20/

Image Credits
@Mascframes