Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Raven Byrd. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Raven, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

In 2016, I had surgery for endometriosis. After the surgery, My body was different, I was different. I started gaining weight and going through early menopause. I had no idea if the medication was helping at this point because I was not feeling like myself. I started doing some research (actually my wife) to find natural remedies for hormonal balance and endometriosis. The very first essential oil I read about was frankincense. I still use it today! So I started incorporating this in my daily routine. I picked up other oils, like lavender, spearmint and clary sage. From there I learned about herbs. Consuming herbal teas and using essential oils changed my life forever. This was all to help me, my health and create a stress free life for myself.

Once I moved to Georgia, herbs and essential oils became so huge for me. Moving to another state, and adjusting to new schedules and really figuring out what I want to do in this life, was not easy. So I put to use the things I look for daily. Something that was very important to me was stress relief. I love massages, I love self care and I love taking care of the home. So I thought, what could I do with this? I didn’t think that I could do aromatherapy. I am a masters level counselor, and I wanted to do aromatherapy. So I took my pain, my research and created this business. I am a wife, mom, an individual who loves her home and peace. My mission is to educate others on self care, ways to self care your home and how to create your own aromatherapy at home. I want to help others to care for themselves from the inside out as well. I want to educate people on how we should ground ourselves, using essential oils or other practices. I just want to help people by showing them aromatherapy, self care and peace. We don’t have to be stressed. We can be loose and relaxed. We can live a peaceful life. Its within us.

Raven, 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?

My name is Raven Byrd, I am 32, I am happily married to my bestfriend of 5 years, and I have two children. I currently reside in Georgia, for almost 4 years. I absolutely do not do labels, but I am a life coach, blogger, spiritual advisor, artist, podcaster, business woman, entrepreneur, yes I do a lot. I do enjoy drawing on my free time, I enjoy music, and I just love creating things with my hands. I am a very spiritual person and I enjoy adventure. I like to think my energy is very healing, and somewhat attracts people. I have a way of making people feel at ease and comfortable.

I like to say that I got into this business in 2016, when I was searching for peace. I was going through health issues that required me to dig deep and get my health into my own hands. I went through bouts of depression, weight gain, and hormonal issues. It was then, I realized the medications and things I was using wasn’t for my good. I started doing research on natural remedies and things for self care. I stumbled upon essential oils and aromatherapy. I never knew about essential oils and aromatherapy. So I went looking for items to help me self care. I wanted to learn how to care for myself. I started looking for bath soaks, candles and oils. The first tool I found was a soy wax candle. I wanted to learn more about candles and their benefits and I was amazed. Once I was confident in candle making, I made my own line for home and self care. The smell is the first thing people will notice when they walk into your home. Why not make it pleasant?

I guess you can say I birthed this business based on my own pain and need for self care. Along with creating something black owned for my community, I want to educate others on the importance of aromatherapy, self care and making your space feel good. My knowledge of herbs, oils and spiritual awareness grew my business into providing aromatherapy, and natural remedies to aid in holistic care.

I do think I fit into a category of what I provide. I am so versatile and so is my business. I provide personal care items like bath soaks, soap , body oils and body butter to help you care for your body and skin. I also provide aromatherapy items that can assist in calming, anxiety, sleep, and overall wellness. Of course I make home goods like room sprays and candles. These items are perfect for a fresh and clean smell of the home. My candles not only provide a wonderful smell to the home, but also can create an ambience of the space, and might I add they are beautiful for decor. So you can create a different feel to your home. Lastly, I do blend my own oils and herbs to create herbal teas and holistic oils. This gift came from my very own research on remedies for health concerns I had for myself. My products provide a variety of solutions to any customers. One that I am proud of is providing the sense of peace and tranquility in your home, and within your own body. Mabel & Mary’s is so unique compared to other brands because we are only one of one. I feel like we stick out because we are diverse. We cater to different things, and our mission isn’t to make money, but to educate. I want to help my community, and teach them about taking care of oneself and what that looks like.

I am most proud of how my brand is growing. I am not just sitting and making candles or products. I am collaborating with other brands, public speaking and helping other small businesses with products. I am telling my story to reach others, and to aid in healing, to bring peace, and something beautiful to any space. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I want people to know that we offer something so special. Behind Mabel & Mary’s, there were two beautiful ladies who adored me and saw this before I could. I do everything with the help of my ancestors and without them, this would not be possible. I do what I do because I was once looking for help with holistic care, healing and something different for my home. I am that shopper that looks for safe, clean and healthier options. So I provided soy wax candles, paraben free products including the scents in our candles, natural ingredients in our skin care and plant derived oils to assist in healing. I do my best to provide quality products and service. This is a one woman show. I am grateful for every opportunity to share with others.

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

So for starters, I was so afraid when I started this business. I feared how family would see me, how people from high school would react, just cared about what people thought. What I decided to do one day was to say yes to any opportunity that fell in my lap. That meant for me, I couldn’t fear anything for the remaining of that month. I had to be fearless and do what I needed to do. Well, to my surprise I got opportunity after opportunity to collaborate, to be a vendor or tell my story. This landed me with more traffic, sales, meeting new people and expanding my brand. This helped me speak out more about my brand, be confident in my brand and share my story more frequently. Therefore, my reputation wasn’t just making candles, I was helping aid in healing, and self care. So for me, I think this is what helped build my reputation. Saying yes to everything, using disconcernment, and being fearless.

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

Early on, I was groomed to be independent. So starting my own business was a no brainer. One lesson that I had to learn was that I cannot overwork myself and expect good to come out of it. I am a over worker, I definitely think it’s okay to have a million things on my plate. This is because of my huge heart and my willingness to help. As a young adult, I didn’t have as much help as people may think. I got everything out of the mud. No handouts. I went to school full time, worked two jobs with no car. I was a burden to a lot of people because I needed help. I was living with my mom at the time and it was the hardest time of my life. So from then on, I had to work, and work even harder to get what I needed and wanted. I purchased my first car at like 23. I ended up taking that back and getting a better car. I moved into my very own apartment with my girlfriend at the time (my wife now), and I was digging myself deep into work. We had to provide for two children, ourselves, a car and a apartment.

I ended up in a deep depression and put that into working more and more. I could go on, but once I started working for myself, I noticed that over working didn’t work for me. I was working for myself, and the money wasn’t showing like a regular 9-5. I was exhausted, I was angry, I was sick. It was then I knew that if you didn’t take care of you before anything, you cannot produce good. Nothing good comes from applying so much pressure to something that is already yours.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mabelnmarysaromatherapy.com
• Instagram: @mabelnmarysaromatherapy
• Facebook: Mabel & Mary’s Aromatherapy LLC
• Other: Tik tok : @mabelnmarysaroma Pinterest: @mmaroma20