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

Cari, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The Soul-Care Garden Nook was birthed in a moment of stillness, not in a strategy meeting, but in the quiet of my own exhaustion.

I was in a season where I was leading, building, serving, encouraging others, and managing multiple projects under Her-Being Matters and In My Own Skin Boutique, both birthed from a deep desire to help women embrace wholeness, wellness, and faith-based self-love. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was running on empty… I wasn’t giving that same care to my own soul.
I had all the tools of wellness at my fingertips, yet my soul was aching. Strong on the outside but exhausted on the inside. That’s when I knew, it wasn’t my body that needed a reset, it was my soul.

I looked successful on the outside, I didn’t look like what I’ve been through, and what I was going through, but my soul was tired. Not from work alone, but from disconnection. I was busy helping women prioritize themselves, but deep down, I had been neglecting the inner sanctuary where my healing begins. One early morning, I walked barefoot into my garden, seeking clarity. The air was crisp, the breeze was gentle, and in that sacred stillness, I felt the Lord whisper:

“Daughter, tend to your soul like you tend to this garden.”

That whisper planted the seed. I knew in that moment that I wasn’t just being called to rest, I was being called to create a place of rest. A space where soul-care meets sacred design. That was the beginning of the Soul-Care Garden Nook , a deeply personal extension of my mission with Her-Being Matters and In My Own Skin Boutique.

What made this idea worthwhile was simple: I was the woman I was called to serve.
And I realized I wasn’t alone. So many women are spiritually dry, emotionally depleted, and silently suffering while performing strength. The world was giving us temporary fixes , but not lasting restoration. No one was creating intentional self-care spaces rooted in the Word of God. That gap was the opportunity, and my obedience became the solution.

What made it feel so right, so necessary, was that it filled a gap I had been living through. The wellness world focuses so much on the physical and emotional, but neglects the soul. I realized: women don’t just need self-care routines; they need a return to soul-care, and a redefining of self-love that aligns with the Word of God.

The Soul-Care Garden Nook became my way of saying:
“You can care for yourself without conforming to the world. You can love yourself without idolizing self. You can rest and still be deeply rooted in purpose — God’s purpose.”

Through intentional spaces, soul-nourishing products, biblically infused practices, and even retreat-style experiences, the Nook evolved into a sanctuary, not just in my home, but in my brand.

It excited me, and still excites me, because I know what happens when a woman reconnects with her Creator, in the garden of her own healing. I’ve seen her tears turn into purpose. I’ve watched women walk into their Nook depleted and walk out restored. And to me, that’s not just a business, it’s a ministry of rest, rooted in the garden and drenched in purpose. That’s Kingdom work.

This is redefining self-love God’s way, because it is through soul-care that restores identity, renews the mind, and revives the spirit.

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

Hi, I’m Cari Katoya, a Soul-Care Mentor & Advocate, Biblical Self-Love Pioneer, and founder of Her-Being Matters, In My Own Skin Boutique, and the Soul-Care Garden Nook. I’m also a garden coach, herbalist, creative entrepreneur, and Kingdom woman devoted to helping women heal, rest, and thrive through a holistic, faith-based approach to wellness.

My journey into this work wasn’t something I picked, it was something that picked me.
Years ago, I was in a season where I was leading, building, and serving with everything I had. On the outside, I was the strong one. But on the inside, I was soul-tired. That weariness led me back to the garden, not just physically, but spiritually. It was in that sacred stillness that God whispered, “Daughter, tend to your soul like you tend to this garden.”
And that was the seed that birthed my business.

Her-Being Matters was created as a faith-based wellness brand focused on guiding women to prioritize their mind, body, and soul, not from a worldly lens of self-love, but from a biblical foundation of healing, holiness, and identity in Christ. My mission is to help women redefine what self-love looks like God’s way, rooted in truth, wrapped in grace, and led by the Holy Spirit.

As I walked deeper into my own healing, I realized the need for sacred spaces where women could meet with God and themselves, without judgment, pressure, or performance. That’s when I launched the Soul-Care Garden Nook, a curated oasis designed to help women reconnect with their soul, rest in God’s presence, and restore the garden within.

From there, In My Own Skin Boutique emerged as a lifestyle extension, not just a place for clothing or decor, but for affirmation-based tools, soul-care kits, scripture cards, teas, and products that serve as daily reminders that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The boutique is where fashion meets faith, and where every item speaks life.

What I Offer:
• Faith-based courses, retreats, and workshops focused on soul-care, spiritual growth, and self-love God’s way
• The Soul-Care Garden Nook experience, including product kits, digital guides, and home sanctuary curation
• Herbal wellness products, teas, and garden therapy tools that honor God’s creation
• Journals, devotionals, and planners that help women reflect, study, and grow in intimacy with God
• One-on-one and group mentoring for women needing healing, spiritual alignment, or lifestyle redesign
• Creative content and teachings across blogs, YouTube, and podcasts

The Problem I Solve:

I help women who feel burned out, spiritually disconnected, and emotionally depleted rediscover their worth, identity, and wellness through a Christ-centered approach. I provide tools and spaces for women to experience what I call “soul restoration,” because when the soul is well, everything else flows.

Most wellness brands stop at the surface. I go deeper, to the heart of the matter, to the soul, and to the Source of our healing: Jesus.

What Sets Me Apart:
• Biblical foundation: Every product, program, and post is rooted in scripture.
• Sacred aesthetics: I combine beauty with purpose, creating peaceful, Spirit-filled spaces.
• Holistic healing: I address the whole woman, body, mind, soul, and spirit.
• Garden-based wisdom: As a garden coach and herbalist, I weave God’s creation into every experience.
• Authenticity: I’ve lived what I teach. I am my own first client.
• Multi-dimensional offerings: From self-care boxes to soul-care courses, I offer both tangible and transformational tools.

What I’m Most Proud Of:

I’m most proud of the women who have walked into their own “nook,” whether physical or spiritual, and found healing, rest, and renewed identity in Christ. I’m proud that God trusted me with this calling. And I’m proud that everything I offer doesn’t just point women to themselves, but back to Him.

What I Want You to Know:

This isn’t just a business, it’s a ministry.
It’s not just about rest, it’s about revelation.
It’s not about chasing trends, it’s about cultivating timeless truth.

I want every woman to know:
Your soul matters. Your being matters. And your healing is holy.
You don’t have to perform to be loved. You don’t have to hustle to be whole.
You can come back to stillness. Back to the garden.
And back to who God always intended you to be, loved, restored, and rooted in Him.

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

Yes, and it’s a part of my story that’s still tender, but full of God’s grace.

Right in the moment when I was being called to expand my business, to pour deeper into Her-Being Matters and In My Own Skin Boutique, I experienced the unimaginable, I lost a son. Grief took over. It wasn’t just emotional pain; it became a physical weight I carried. On top of that, I found myself living in my car. I was houseless, but not homeless, because I knew God still dwelled within me.

My body was weakened, my spirit was weary, and relationships I thought were secure had been painfully severed. I was walking through loss, loneliness, and uncertainty all at once,a wilderness season in every sense.

But even in that dark valley, God whispered and reminded me, “Daughter, tend to your soul like you tend to this garden.” That whisper gave a rebirth to the Soul-Care Garden Nook. A sacred space created from the soil of my suffering. It became a vision of hope, not just for others, but for me first. A place where I could breathe, be still, and meet God again.

Resilience, for me, wasn’t about putting on a strong face or pretending everything was okay.
It was about letting God rebuild me, from the inside out.
I kept showing up, to the calling, to the garden, to the healing, because I believed there was still purpose in my pain.

Now, when I see women find peace, healing, and rest through the work God called me to do, I know it wasn’t in vain. I know that even through loss, I was being pruned… not punished.

And that’s what resilience looks like to me, surrendering in the storm, staying rooted in God, and trusting that beauty will rise from brokenness.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn, one that ran deep, was the belief that self-sacrifice meant holiness and strength meant silence. I grew up thinking that the more I gave to others and the less I needed for myself, the more “godly” I was. I wore burnout like a badge of honor and called it faithfulness. I thought if I wasn’t constantly serving, sacrificing, or showing up for others, I was somehow failing.

But then life unraveled.
I experienced intense loss, including the heartbreaking death of my son. I became physically challenged. I lost my home and lived in my car. I was carrying grief, pain, and brokenness… yet still trying to be strong. That’s when God lovingly disrupted the lie I had built my life around.

In that sacred breaking, He taught me that rest is not rebellion. Soul-care is not selfish. Needing God is not weakness.

He led me into the garden, a literal garden, but also a spiritual one, where I could unlearn striving and relearn surrender. That’s where the Soul-Care Garden Nook was born. It was the fruit of a lesson I needed to live: that tending to yourself is holy work. That resting in God’s presence is the deepest form of strength. And that redefining self-love His way means allowing Him to heal you, fill you, and remind you, you matter too.

Unlearning that old narrative didn’t make me less spiritual…
It made me whole..

“I am living to love on purpose, and I encourage you to do the same!”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.herbeingmatters.com and inmyownskinboutique.com