We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sierra Stover. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sierra below.
Sierra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for my business during one of the most tender and vulnerable seasons of my life — right after becoming a mom. My daughter was under one, and I was praying daily for a way to provide without having to leave her in someone else’s care. I couldn’t stomach the thought of handing her over to a stranger just to clock into a job that drained me. I knew deep down that I was meant to do something different — something that aligned with the values I wanted to raise her with.
Around that same time, for my birthday, my dad gifted me a big ceramic pot. I repotted this aloe plant I had been growing, and it left me with a bunch of extra aloe leaves. I didn’t want to waste them, so I made a fresh gel and used it to craft what became my very first product: a homemade lash serum. I made just four bottles, posted them to my Instagram story, and they sold out almost instantly.
That’s when I felt the spark — this quiet but powerful sense that maybe this was it. Maybe I could actually build something beautiful and sustaining from home, with my daughter by my side. A little while later, I was preparing to attend a festival and decided to create my own mineral sunscreen. That eventually led me to discover the incredible benefits of tallow, which I started incorporating into my formulas — beginning with a tallow-based sunscreen, and then growing into a full line of whipped body butters, balms, and herbal skincare.
What made this feel worthwhile wasn’t just the early success — it was that I was meeting a need I saw everywhere: people looking for truly clean, handcrafted skincare, made from whole, nourishing ingredients, not lab-made chemicals. I wasn’t just creating products — I was creating trust. And it felt deeply aligned with who I am: a mother, a nurturer, and someone who believes in healing through nature and intention.
More than anything, it was the impact that got me excited. The messages from women who said their skin had never felt so healthy, the moms who trusted me to care for their babies’ sensitive skin — those are the moments I knew this wasn’t just a business. It was a calling.
Sierra, 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 Sierra, the founder of Living Grace Apothecary — a small-batch, faith-rooted skincare brand born from prayer, motherhood, and a deep passion for non-toxic living. I started this business shortly after becoming a single mother. My daughter was under one, and I was desperate to find a way to provide for us without sacrificing my presence in her life. I prayed for direction, and what followed was the most unexpected but beautiful answer: a gifted ceramic pot, some extra aloe leaves, and an idea.
That moment led to my first product — a homemade lash serum made from fresh aloe. I made just four, shared them on Instagram, and they sold out instantly. Since then, my product line has grown into what it is today: tallow-based whipped body butters, mineral sunscreen, lash and brow serums, botanical cleansers, baby balms, and more — all handcrafted using organic, clean, whole ingredients with purpose and prayer poured into every batch.
What sets my brand apart is our whole-plant infusion method, our use of grass-fed and finished regenerative tallow, and the deep intention and integrity behind each product. I don’t just sell skincare — I offer people a chance to simplify, to trust what they’re putting on their skin, and to reconnect with the healing wisdom of nature.
I’m proud that this business allows me to raise my daughter with both presence and purpose — and that I’ve built something that empowers other women to take charge of their health, beauty, and wellbeing without compromise. Whether it’s in-person at farmers markets or through my online shop, I want every customer to feel seen, nurtured, and safe in their skin.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Absolutely. One of the most defining parts of my journey — and a true test of my resilience — was becoming a single mother while trying to build something from nothing. I didn’t come into this business with a team, a plan, or investors. I came into it with a baby on my hip, an aloe plant in my kitchen, and a prayer in my heart.
There were days I had $30 to my name and chose to spend it on ingredients instead of comfort. I hand-labeled jars during naptime, delivered orders with a baby in the backseat, and figured everything out as I went — from branding and pricing to learning the chemistry behind tallow and herbs. I made mistakes, I got sick, I had no backup plan — but I never stopped showing up.
Resilience for me looked like trusting that God would provide, even when I didn’t have clarity. It looked like holding my daughter through teething and fever, then staying up past midnight to fill orders. It looked like saying yes to a farmers market with no car, no tent, and no idea how I’d make it happen — but figuring it out anyway.
Today, I look at my daughter and my business and I see proof that resilience isn’t loud or glamorous — it’s quiet, faithful persistence. It’s deciding again and again that your calling is bigger than your fear.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the biggest pivots I’ve had to make in my business journey was changing the name of my brand. I originally launched as Mama Medicine, which felt so fitting at the time — I was a new mother creating healing, natural products, and the name reflected that season beautifully. But not long after, I was contacted by a spiritual advisor from outside the U.S. who had trademarked the name. Her legal team gave me an ultimatum: change the name or face a lawsuit.
Even though we weren’t in the same industry and there was a lot of legal grey area, I wasn’t willing to risk everything I had worked so hard to build — especially as a single mother who had poured her heart, time, and savings into this dream. It was heartbreaking at first. I felt like I was losing part of my identity, and it was hard to let go of the name that launched it all.
But through prayer and reflection, I realized something deeper: while I started this business as a mama, it has grown into something far more expansive. This brand is a testimony of what the Lord has done in my life — how He carried me through seasons of struggle, refined my purpose, and called me into something greater. My daughter’s middle name is Grace, and as soon as Living Grace Apothecary came to my heart, I knew it was meant to be.
Not only did the new name reflect my faith and the heart behind my work, but it gave me more room to grow beyond just “mama” or “beauty.” It opened the door for a bigger vision — one rooted in healing, grace, and intentional living.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shoplivinggrace.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livinggraceapothecary?igsh=MXZjbHM5cTA3NmxrYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Jessieca Driver