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

Francia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Gracelamp Wellness has always been a part of my heart and soul ever since I had my second child. It was inspired by my journey navigating the various stressors of motherhood and more specifically a healing tribute to the postpartum depression and anxiety I experienced with my second daughter. It serves as a legacy for both of my daughters and an example for them about how to turn your pain into passion. Gracelamp is a combination of the meanings of both of my daughter’s names. One name means “Lamp of the Lord” and the other means “God’s Grace”: hence the grace and lamp. I also designed my logo with the birth journey in mind by utilizing two placentas. I wanted to highlight the purpose of my business as a tribute to healing in motherhood.

I have been in the helping profession for almost 20 years working as a social worker in various settings and am currently a maternal mental health therapist. I was lucky enough not to experience any deep feelings of postpartum anxiety or depression with my first daughter, but with my second there was some birth trauma that made me more susceptible and so my baby blues continued on past the first 3 weeks and lingered on for several months. There are things during that time I don’t remember as I was experiencing somewhat of a “fog” and at the same time I can remember feeling anxious all the time and unmotivated to care or myself in the way that I normally would. I also experienced a lot of shame because I felt as though someone who helps others and has knowledge of these types of things somehow should have been able to avoid it. I was eventually able to heal by utilizing motherhood support groups, journaling, meditating on scriptures, taking time for myself, and reaching out to other mom friends who normalized things for me. All of these tools let me know that I would eventually get through it even though I couldn’t see the other side at the time. These experiences are what helped to birth Gracelamp Wellness and Mommy Wellness Boxes being the cornerstone of my business.

I envisioned the things I would have wanted and needed at the time and so I sought out to create a business with an emphasis on Motherhood Self-Care. This vision would include aromatic scents to align your senses with healing and goodness, journals to remind you to write down your feelings even if you didn’t feel safe enough to share out loud yet, and soft colors that reminded me of birth and motherhood. I pictured someone giving me a wellness box to remind me that I was a good mom and that even though I was suffering, I deserved wellness. Through creating Gracelamp Wellness and Mommy Wellness Boxes, I thought I could lessen some of the suffering of other moms and women. I envisioned them being a much needed a reminder that it was ok to slow down and take care of themselves. The larger mission and vision continue to be that as much as we pour into others, we deserve that same pour into ourselves. I had no formal training in business but had lots of training in social services so with the encouragement of my husband I just sat down and made my first 25 boxes and gave them to family and friends and thus began my journey as a small business owner. Prior to that I was taking lots of notes in my phone about what I wanted to do, how I wanted things to look, and what I wanted to include while also noticing there didn’t seem to be anyone like me offering this type of care from lived experience. While I was scared to get out there and start, I knew that my experiences and passion would drive this business forward because it serves a larger purpose for healing in the maternal mental health space. It’s a business to show my daughters, all women, and moms that while we are powerful and can do anything, we also deserve to be held and cared for.

Francia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Of course, thanks so much for this question. I am a wife, a believer, and a mom of two little girl leaders. I was born in St. Ann’s Bay Jamaica and immigrated Los Angeles when I was about 4 years old. I live in Los Angeles and work as a maternal mental health therapist and lactation counselor as well. I have a BA in Psychology from UCLA and a Masters degree in Social Work from USC. I got into the industry of manufacturing my wellness products and creating Mommy Wellness Boxes inspired by my work helping others in the area of mental health and then experiencing perinatal mood disorder myself and wanting to help other moms in a unique way. I found a way to combine my love for helping others, my creativity, and my passion for healing and wellness. I offer physical wellness products and also mental health and support services all with the mission of motherhood self-care.

I create aromatherapy vegan body butters and vegan soaps and offer them along with my mini journals and other wellness items included with my Mommy Wellness Boxes. The problem that my business solves is prioritizing the person in the family that often holds and juggles a lot of things internally and otherwise. I remember learning in my study of maternal mental health that often times the happiness of mother in the family often increases happiness outcomes for the rest of the family. We all serve a unique and much needed role in this world, but motherhood often involves so many different hats and a lot of times women and mothers are suffering in silence and not allowing themselves permission to rest and pour back into themselves without experiencing guilt. The most important thing I want potential clients and followers to know is that my wellness items and services are things that serve a larger purpose for normalizing taking care of ourselves and our mental health. Self-care sometimes is looked at as a trend, but it’s actually necessary. My hope is that anyone who receives one of my wellness items or works with me feels seen, heard, and thought of as someone who is worthy of care.

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

One lesson I had to unlearn and still have to remind myself of at times is that you don’t have to have every single thing together to be impactful. As someone who deals with anxiety, I tend to like to be in control and have all of my ducks in a row before I present things or say yes to something. I learned that when I started my business, I didn’t have to have every single thing done to start. For example, I didn’t have an official website until August 2023 on my 2-year anniversary. When I started in August of 2021, I just made my first few Mommy Wellness boxes and text and emailed friends and family. I wasn’t even on social media at the time, so I asked for others to help spread the word for me at first. I also didn’t know how to make a website and for a while I let imposter syndrome make me feel like I wasn’t a real business owner without one. Nevertheless, I continued to learn along the way and rolled things out gradually and in a way that made sense for me. I got an Esty page in October of that first year, then in December I did my very first pop-up market and then I just kept going from there. On my journey as a new small business owner, I’ve had many ups and downs, but I’ve learned that they are a part of business. There are so many brands that we know today that had to start somewhere and had to learn and pivot and change things as they went along. The sooner I accepted this then it became easier to move along and roll with things. I also learned more about resources for small businesses last year that I wasn’t aware of and started utilizing mentorship and other things to help drive my business more in the direction I wanted it to go. I would say for anyone who wants to start a business but has reservations, do some research, take what you have and just start. It doesn’t have to be perfect all at once. As a matter of fact, the imperfections and willingness to learn and be flexible will help you more than anything.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think the thing that helped me build my reputation within my market is being genuine and having a personal experience with the problem my business aims to solve. When people meet me in person at my markets or interact with me online, I am myself. I have a passion for what I am doing and a larger goal and mission for healing. I do my best to offer kindness to everyone I encounter and explain with pride about the things I have made and how I want them to make others feel. My experiences as a social worker and supporting people from all walks of life really helps me to be able to listen and empathize with others no matter what their background. I also like to pay attention to how things look and feel; as such, I make things in small batches so that there is care and attention to every item. I am consistent and customers who have met me at markets can attest that I am attentive and remember the stories they tell me about who they are buying a wellness gift for and why. I just do my best to show love and I know that God put this vision in my head for reason, so I am always trying to live it out even when I feel discouraged or unsure of my next move. I know my physical products work and are healing and I know that when someone comes to me for mental health support that I am helping to plant a seed for them to care for themselves and hopefully pass on that kindness to others as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gracelampwellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracelampwellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GracelampWellness/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GracelampWellness
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gracelamp-wellness-los-angeles
• Other: Google Business: https://g.co/kgs/unqcHyF

Image Credits
Francia Telesford