We recently connected with Ronnié Gurley and have shared our conversation below.

Ronnié, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Momma Earth Apothecary was created because I, Ronniè Gurley, wanted to make my own crystal jewelry. I began incorporating crystals and herbs into my healing, because I was suffering from a tragic loss and experiencing the chokehold of a toxic relationship. I wanted to be able to take my crystals and incorporate them in my life and throughout the day. I was using them at home during spiritual baths, moon rituals, and self-love spells. I was starting to gain Metaphysical healing and it had become extremely impactful in my self-care practice. Through crystals, herbs, self-love spells and moon rituals, I was able to connect with my higher self, strengthen my psychic abilities, believe in my intuition and harness the power within.

In August 2020, I was invited to join a local NOLA club, Boss Babes Institute which is a club for women entrepreneurs. At the time, It felt as if the universe was aligning for me. I didn’t have experience when it came to creating a business so when I received this invite, I had to take it. Not only was I going to be surrounded by like-minded women, I also had two mentors who were already multi-business owners. At the first club meeting, I was asked to share my business idea and why I wanted to start it. Initially, I was just going to make crystal jewelry yet after I shared how this metaphysical healing was helping me to heal, I received positive feedback from the owner of Boss Babes, our mentors and the members of the club. They started showing immediate interest in my ideas. Members in the club began asking me questions not just about crystals, but about my self-care practices. A few women said they were interested in learning more about self-love and spiritual baths, how to use crystals and working with herbs energetically but they weren’t sure how to. I was excited to give them advice and at this first club meeting, it really felt like I was already beginning to make an impact. My target audience was women who felt like they had lost themselves and lacked self-love after experiencing trauma. After a few meetings, my idea grew from making crystal jewelry, to helping others become their own healers. I began teaching others how to heal themselves from within. I was helping others start their own self-healing journey.

My best friend also joined the club because she too, was starting a business based around metaphysical healing. Her focus was on crystal waist beads, healing after childbirth and becoming a mother. When our club mentors heard our ideas, they suggested we combine the two businesses since they were so similar. We discussed this suggestion and decided that we both related in our journeys and could offer different perspectives. It became a journey of healing and sisterhood.

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

Hey yall, my name is Ronnié Gurley. I am a 30-year-old dog and porch cat momma. I was born, raised and currently reside in New Orleans, Louisiana. Being of service to others has always been something I have enjoyed doing. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a business owner. The years 2019-2020 was a turning point for me. After losing my grandmother, leaving a toxic and abusive relationship and getting fired (from the industry I thought I was destined to work in) all in the same year, I had to start living for myself. Self-care practices became a way of life for me.

Momma Earth offers Metaphysical & Spiritual Tools – raw and tumbled crystals, handmade crystals jewelry, handcrafted herbal blends, incense, palo santo, sage bundles, zodiac kits, crystal kits, bath salts and waist beads. Not only do we provide you with the tools for self-healing, but we also give you the information so you can educate yourself on how to work with your tools.

Metaphysical healing came into my life when I was lacking a lot of self-love. I was in a relationship where I felt powerless and stuck. I wanted to get out but didn’t know how. A former co-worker was incorporating metaphysical healing into her self-care routine and suggested I do the same. She gave me a few tarot readings and I was intrigued when the readings were very accurate to what was going on in my life. I seemed to be finding all the answers on how to get out of the toxic relationship I was in. One of the answers was that the only way out of this relationship was through self-love, which I did not have at the time. The cards suggested that I was needing to connect to my own divine, feminine power. My coworker suggested that I start working with crystals and learning more about the feminine power of the moon. As I started incorporating metaphysical healing in my life, it became a staple in my healing. For the first time in years, I was doing something for myself. Through crystals, herbs, candle magic, self-love and moon rituals, I started to love myself again.

I am most proud of my personal growth I have seen over the past 2 and a half years. Becoming a business owner, I’ve had to change a lot of myself. I was forced to face the ugly sides of myself. I had to kick some bad habits that were getting in the way of my business. Becoming disciplined in all areas of life was key to my growth. I have always wanted to own my own business and I am now finally living my dreams.

I would like future customers to know that Momma Earth Apothecary was created to help you connect with yourself on a deeper level through; the handcrafted metaphysical tools made with the gifts provided by mother earth. Self-love is the heart of our mission. We are here to share our experiences and be a reminder that loving yourself is most important. No matter what that may look like for you, we welcome you along the journey of self-healing.

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

Losing my grandmother has been the hardest thing to deal with in life. My paw paw and my grandmother raised me since I was a young child. To me, she was more than a mother, she was my person. If no one understood me, my grandmother did. Her love was one of a kind. She had a way to make everyone feel special. She left this realm too soon. I always pictured her there for the big moments in life, getting married and starting a family, building my own house, and starting my own business. I shared with her my dreams and told her how she was gonna be with me every step of the way. When she transitioned, I felt lost and broken. I was still in a toxic relationship, and I did not know how to handle both. I barely had an appetite and was losing weight. I started picking up bad habits to cope, like smoking cigarettes, drinking, and staying up all night. It became harder before it became easier, but I knew my nani wouldn’t want me to give up. She was no longer here to give me her love, so I had to learn to love myself the way she did; and that was selfless and unconditional. 5 months after my grandmother transitioned, I eventually broke up with my ex and I finally felt free. Though this was the beginning of a hard healing journey, every day after, I woke up and chose me. I never went back to that relationship. I started eating normally again and I wasn’t using cigarettes or alcohol as a coping mechanism. I began to strengthen my relationship with my ancestors which allowed me to stay connected to my grandmother. A year later in the summer of 2020, I began to share my healing journey online which gradually turned into Momma Earth Apothecary.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

On May 6, 2020, at 4 in the afternoon I received a text from my supervisor informing me that my employment at a local veterinarian hospital was terminated. This came to me as a complete shock because less than 24 hours prior, my supervisor approved my request for time off due to mental health reasons. I wasn’t given an explanation, only instructions to come and collect my belongings. I had been employed for 3 and a half years and quickly advanced in my department. I truly loved my career as a supervisor kennel. I had been working in the pet care industry for 7 years at that point. I have always had a love, understanding and connection to animals. At this point my job was providing a sense of peace for me as I was still grieving from the death of my nani and leaving a 5-year toxic relationship.

I had to rely heavily on self-care and metaphysical practices to get me through this time. I couldn’t imagine myself going back to an industry that did not value me. I was being pulled in a different direction and started to look for a sign that confirmed my feelings. Two months later, I had no luck with getting a job in the pet industry. I had gotten a natal birth chart reading. A natal birth chart is when an experienced astrologer reads a chart of the planets’ precise location when you were born. With this information they can provide insight into personality traits, motivations, passions, your talents and weaknesses. I thought this would be a good way for me to understand why life was going the way that it was. During my natal chart reading, I was told I was currently in a time period where my life was about to change drastically, especially my career. I needed to be open to going through these changes as they would not be easy but necessary for my personal growth and development. I was being called to start on another journey in life. I decided to follow my dreams and start my own business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mommaearthapothecary.com
• Instagram: mommaearthapothecary_
• Facebook: Momma Earth Apothecary or New Orleans Healing Apothecary
• Twitter: @letsgetearthy
• Other: Tiktok: @letsgetearthy