We recently connected with Martha Jackman-Bivas and have shared our conversation below.

Martha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I don’t think there is a straightforward answer to this simple question, lol. The answer is that a series of unfortunate and fortunate events collectively helped me to form the idea for my books, business, and profession. Let’s start at the beginning…

In 1990, in 8th grade, I had an accident leading to knee surgery. Following that surgery, I was unable to bend my knee, which made my life at that young age very difficult. Despite my handicap, I was determined to live as normally as possible. I began to volunteer at my local hospital that summer (as a candy striper). There I discovered the wonderful yet unheard-of occupational therapy (OT) profession. I learned as much as I could from the occupational therapists, and when the summer ended, I already knew what I would become when I grew up. What did I learn? I learned how to function with my disability. I vowed from that age that when I became an OT, I would not let anyone suffer the way that I did after my knee surgery. I often wonder what would have happened had I not volunteered that summer.

Yes, I eventually became an OT, and after several years, I decided to use my OT skills to help my community. I volunteered my time at my local soup kitchen and formed a gentle exercise program for the soup kitchen guests. Every Friday morning, for 30 minutes, I worked with my group of dedicated participants. One thing bothered me, though, while working with the group. The participants would arrive with what appeared to be depression; I included positive feedback, encouragement, and whatever else I could include to help the situation (I specialized in Gero-Psych as an OT for several years). On a Friday, after the exercise class, I sat down and tried to figure out what else I could do to make the participants hold on to the joy they experienced during the class; what happened next will sound strange. I fell asleep.

Lol, yes, I fell asleep. But, during that sleep, I had a dream about soap and lemons. When I awakened, I went on a frantic search for soap-making classes. I found one that would be held on Sunday; I was determined to make lemon-scented soap for the soup kitchen guests, so I did that. I took the class, and six weeks later, I delivered A LOT of soap to the soup kitchen. Some called it the lemon drop soap. The soap was a hit! Word spread, and my little soap endeavor eventually became my little soap company,

After several years of running my company, Covid happened. I saw firsthand how the events affected my children. Because of this, I decided to make children’s soap with fun characters… something to cheer them up. The soap was a hit. During the outdoor market season, during covid, more and more children came to my soap stall. This was when I came up with the idea for my children’s book series, Soap Tales (Yes, I wrote a book about little soapy characters, lol).

Ironically, the driving force behind everything I have done has always been helping people while doing things I love.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I grew up in a very strict Guyanese- American household. I am the second of four children. I was not allowed to do many of the fun things my peers were allowed to. Reading was always my escape. I was an avid reader, and because of that, I learned about many different places, people, and cultures. I strongly believe that my books helped to shape my personality. I am married with five children and live in Upper Montclair, NJ.

Currently, I own a small business. Clean Temple Body Essentials. I love my little company! I create handmade soap made with olive oil, body moisturizers, jewelry, different types of aromatherapy, and books! Speaking of books, I am writing two more that will be out this year; ‘Lulu’s Little Stand’ and ‘Moon-Crossed Dreams.’

About my work: I love to create! Whether I am writing books, creating soap, or creating therapeutic experiences for patients, it stems from the same place; a creative force from within- a desire to create positive experiences for the world around me.

I have always been told that I have a unique way of doing things lol. In high school, my words were known as “Marthaisms.” I always moved to the beat of my own drum.  Not much has changed. When treating my patients, my methods were never your typical cookie-cutter therapy experiences. Of course, I had to make my soap float, and when writing books, my characters are rather unique.

What am I most proud of? I am most proud of the experiences I can create for my customers. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful individuals over the years; one of my books is actually dedicated to one of my customers. Also, I am very proud of the products that I make. Every precious item that I make is created with love and good intentions. I sometimes feel that my customers are not purchasing items but receiving a piece of me.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

My Company started with just soap and body care products. The books I wrote are all related to my business and have provided a supplementary revenue stream. It all goes together very well. The soap company provides a platform for the books. The books are sold through my company as well as on Amazon, which in turn brings customers back to the company.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the pandemic, my life changed drastically. I was working as a geriatric homecare occupational therapist at that time. All of a sudden, I was unable to treat patients. At that point, I had been practicing occupational therapy for 18 years. I felt lost. I cried. This was the pivotal point of my business. I put all my effort and energy into my already-established ‘side hustle.’ As my business began to grow, I was unable to return to occupational therapy full-time. Only recently have I returned to occupational therapy, but I treat very few patients.

Contact Info:

• Website: CleanTempleBodyEssentials.com
• Instagram: @CleanTempleBodyEssentials