We recently connected with Kendra Collier and have shared our conversation below.

Kendra, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Candle Therapy was born from my passion for mental health and my family’s love for candles. Mental Health Awareness is something that has always been near and dear to my heart. When I was considering starting my business I knew I wanted to incorporate mental health in some way but I didn’t really know how. I began to think about the things that I wish I would have heard more of as a child and the things that I wanted to pass down to my own children. For me and many other people that I know, some of our fondest memories are connected to smells. For instance, the smell of Sunday dinner being cooked at grandma’s house or the smell of a fire place burning on Christmas morning as the family gathered. So why not associate therapeutic aromas with self affirmations and positive mantras that may help you get through a tough situation or just uplift you at the end of a tough day? We also use our candles to encourage those of us who struggle with making time for self care. Self care does not look the same for everyone but it is extremely important. It can be something as simple as sitting in your car for an extra few minutes and singing your favorite song as loud as you want to. The point is to just make time for you. In all that you do make time to do something that you love or enjoy even if it is only for a few minutes, you would be surprised at the difference that it makes

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My love for all things mental wellness is what lead me in the direction that I went in with my candles. I didn’t want my candles to just be another candle that someone just bought just because if how it looked our smelled. I wanted my candles to be lit with intention; the intention to commit to loving yourself enough to make sure that you are taking care of your mental wellness and the intent of becoming a better you everyday while encouraging others to do the same. Our candles lines are all about motivation, self care and positive self affirmations. Our intention with every candle that is poured is to bring light where there is very little or none at all and not just in the literal sense. We are committed to being a part of the growing conversation surrounding mental health by continuing to inspire each one of our beautiful clients with every candle that we pour and partnering with different organizations that share out mission.

I am most proud and appreciative of the reception that I have gotten from every last one of my clients. It really warms my heart to read the reviews on our business page or to receive messages about how just having their Candle Therapy candle around the house has positively affected their self care routine or lack there of.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

When I originally go the idea to start making candles, I had no idea what I was doing or where to start. I have always heard that you can learn just about anything you need to know from YouTube, so I decided to put that theory to the test. When I began watching videos and researching, I had no idea that there was so much that went into candle making. There are so many different waxes to choose from and with that you also have to find the correct wick and vessel combination. So the first 3 months of my candle journey was used for researching and testing until I found the perfect combination that worked well for me and my future customers.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I got started I didn’t know anything about business all I knew was that I wanted to make a difference in peoples lives. I didn’t realize how went into the “business” aspect of running a business. From filing for your EIN to establishing business credit to finding an insurer ad the list goes on. My business grew really fast and eventually being a novice in business practices while also working a full time job and having a family caught up with me. For the most part it was just me trying to do it all with the help of my husband. After almost 2 years in business I came to a point that I was completely burnt out, so I decided to to take a break for my mental health. I used this time I took some time away from Candle Therapy all together and also used it to brain storm new ideas and ways to make it better and I can’t wait to see what this upcoming year brings.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.candletherapyllc.com
• Instagram: the.candle.therapy.co
• Facebook: Candle Therapy Co.