We were lucky to catch up with Emily LaDouceur recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?
Currently, I manage all of my social media accounts by myself, except for a single Facebook post every couple of weeks, which is created by a friend I pay to include her humorous stories and quips about Appalachian culture. The Appalachian Spirit Substack also includes a series dubbed “The Reading Room” – where writers who have been inspired by the oracle deck share their insights for subscribers who love ‘readings.’ As I prepare to scale the business, I do plan to hire an agency to help me take it all to the next level. But right now, when you reach out on any of The Appalachian Spirit platforms, it’s a one-woman show and you’re talking to yours truly!
A helpful tip for those just starting out: If you don’t have strong design skills, I would suggest hiring a graphic designer to create branded templates for you to use in Canva. Shoddy or inconsistent graphics can quickly cheapen your brand.
Emily, 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?
For a long time, I used to say, “I wish I could find one job that encompassed all of my skills, interests, and background.”
This includes a degree in studio art, a master’s in human services, over a decade of experience in higher education and community-based learning, years of independent contracting as an artist, writer, and coach, and most recently, trauma-informed business coaching to help small business owners thrive.
Whew, I know – it’s a lot. And that’s not even the full list. For years, I tried to shrink myself to fit a single path. The Appalachian Spirit is my first foray into embracing all of who I am.
It’s art. It’s writing. It’s healing. It’s education. It’s connection.
The Appalachian Spirit is a brand centered around its flagship product: The Appalachian Spirit Deck – the first Appalachian-themed oracle deck for healing and self-development. Inspired by the tarot’s upright and reversed format, the 60-card deck and 168-page guidebook offer guidance and affirmation with a yin/yang balance, rather than the binary of good/bad so often felt in traditional tarot.
I created this deck at the same time as I was knee-deep in my own healing journey. Every morning, I would pull cards from various decks and allow the card meanings to serve as journaling prompts. Then, while visiting my hometown, I realized I carried shame about my Appalachian roots, which prompted me to search for a card deck that might help me heal that part of me, too. I went looking for an Appalachian-themed deck and found none that resonated with me. Then and there, I decided I had to create one and immediately started jotting down card ideas in my journal. In collaboration with illustrator Jessica Holly, The Appalachian Spirit deck was created over a period of 8 months. The deck celebrates the region’s rich diversity – of people, food, ancestry, and story.
Once I had a satisfactory prototype of the deck in hand, I launched the project on Kickstarter with a crowdfunding goal of $10,000 to pay for the initial print run of the deck. It closed three weeks later, having raised over $16,000, and the brand officially launched in November 2024. Since then, over a thousand decks have sold across the U.S. (every state except Montana!) and several countries around the world. And just as I hoped, it’s helping people heal, reflect, and connect.
For the first time, it feels like I’m showing up as my whole self – and creating something that helps others do the same.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
I sell from my website theappalachianspirit.com, but also on Etsy and TikTok. The highest profit comes from website sales, but the highest volume so far has been from using TikTok affiliate sales.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’m in the middle of a big pivot right now, but I often encourage others to EMBRACE THE PIVOT! Oftentimes, we limit our potential by remaining stuck or comfortable. My life has been a series of pivots – whether moving halfway across the country after divorce, or deciding to run for public office (which I did and served for two years), or deciding to put all of my energy into my own business venture by leaving my 9-to-5 (what I’m doing now). I’ve never regretted a single pivot, and I’ve found it’s a muscle that, when strengthened through practice, makes for a much more nimble business owner. So, don’t worry about the little news cycle in your sphere of influence, where your big decisions might be the topic of discussion – it is a temporary discomfort with long-term reward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theappalachianspirit.com
- Instagram: @theappalachianspirit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.appalachian.spirit.11111
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyladouceur/
- Other: @theappalachianspirit on TikTok , https://substack.com/@appalachianspirit
