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

Rita, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Pack Light Candle Company was born during a season of restriction and emotional heaviness.
I currently work in healthcare in a hospital setting, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, I experienced firsthand the emotional weight that so many of us were carrying. The world felt uncertain, travel was paused, and daily life was compressed into survival mode.
Travel has always been one of my most meaningful sources of inspiration and restoration. Losing that outlet felt heavier than I anticipated.
I remember craving small sensory experiences—walking into a boutique hotel lobby, exploring a new city, even something as simple as walking into a store and discovering new candle scents. None of that was accessible.
Years prior, I had experimented with candle-making but never fully committed because I was chasing perfection. During the pandemic, I revisited it—but this time with clarity. If I couldn’t travel physically, I could recreate the emotional experience of travel through scent.
That was the spark.
The logic made sense to me. Scent is directly tied to memory and emotion. If fragrance could trigger nostalgia, comfort, or inspiration, then why not design candles intentionally around destinations and experiences?
I wasn’t trying to reinvent candles — I was reimagining how they could be experienced. Many candles smell beautiful. I wanted mine to feel like somewhere.
What excited me most was the idea of offering people a sensory escape—something intimate, transportive, and emotionally grounding.
Pack Light became about more than candles. It became about shifting atmosphere and reclaiming small moments of joy.

Rita, 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?

I’m Rita Wright—an Occupational Therapist by profession and a fragrance curator by passion.
My background in biology and healthcare significantly influences how I approach my craft. I enjoy the science behind formulation—the testing, researching, adjusting, and refining. But equally important to me is how an environment impacts well-being.
Through Pack Light Candle Company, I create travel-inspired fragrances designed to elevate spaces and evoke emotion. Each scent is curated to feel immersive—like stepping into a destination, a mood, or a memory.
What sets my brand apart is intentionality.
I don’t release scents randomly. I build experiences. Whether through intimate scent gatherings, curated collections, or storytelling through fragrance, I aim to create connection—not just consumption.
I am most proud of my growth—not just as a business owner, but as a woman willing to step into visibility. Entrepreneurship wasn’t something I initially envisioned for myself, but stepping into it has expanded my understanding of what I’m capable of building. Building this brand has stretched me personally and professionally.
What I want people to know most is that Pack Light is about atmosphere. It’s about creating environments that feel elevated, grounding, and transportive—all at once.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Pack Light began as a creative outlet during an intense season in healthcare. What started as personal restoration quickly revealed itself to be something much larger.
While I continue to work in healthcare, Pack Light has grown far beyond a side project. It has become an intentional extension of how I think about atmosphere, healing, and environment. Working in healthcare has sharpened my awareness of how environment affects mood, recovery, and overall well-being. That awareness directly informs how I curate fragrance experiences.
What began as small-batch experimentation grew into structured collections, intentional branding, and a deeper vision for experiential fragrance.
Key milestones include:
Refining my signature aesthetic
Hosting scent experiences and gathering direct feedback
Leaning into travel storytelling as a brand pillar
Becoming more comfortable being the face of my business
Expanding beyond simply “selling candles” into curating environments
I’ve chosen measured, intentional growth. Building something sustainable and aligned matters more to me than rapid expansion.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the belief that everything had to be perfect before it could be shared.
Earlier on, I delayed action because I was refining formulas, adjusting aesthetics, or second-guessing readiness. My background in science conditioned me to test endlessly before presenting results.
Entrepreneurship taught me that clarity often comes through movement—not endless preparation.
I also had to unlearn the idea that I could stay behind the scenes forever. Visibility felt uncomfortable. But growth required it.
The backstory is simple: I was more comfortable perfecting the product than presenting myself.
Unlearning that has been one of the most transformative parts of this journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.packlightcandlecompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/packlightcandlecompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/packlightcandlecompany
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/PackLightCo

Image Credits

Denise Benson Photography