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

Tiffany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

It is my firm belief that the AMerican educational system suffers when compared to other countries educational systems. Many do not know that I was and remain an educator in addition to my business Herbal Phoenix STL.

I have seen first-hand how the system has failed our children. We need to first provide the proper funding to schools, educators, and extracurriculars. Without the proper foundation the educational system will continue to fail regardless of what new initiative or trend the board or government may try.

Children need to know that their school is a safe place, and they will not experience judgment when they go to their educators, deans, and counselors for help. Children need to have that feeling that at least one person has complete utter confidence in them and their ability to accomplish anything. Often times, these are the teachers when someone talks of that one person who pushed them to success.

In addition, we have failed to provide basic life skills to our youth. Do our young adults know how to handle credit related issues? Do they understand how to build and keep a strong home? Do they know how to parent? Do they know how to keep their peace and balance? DO they understand that speaking to a professional to find their peace is not a display of weakness? Do they know how to grow their own their own food or herbs to be used for medicine? Most do not, sadly.

Early in my career I was teaching at what would be considered a “last chance” school. Walking in my first day, I was informed that four teachers quit in the first semester after teaching the class I was set to instruct. Were the students, the environment and the community a challenge? Absolutely and showing the children and their families that I was with them for the long haul did not happen easily, but once they saw my intent, they were the highlight of my career.

It was there, that I first saw the hunger of an adult’s approval, support, and unwavering faith in the eyes of the children that society tried to tell that they would never make it. Society, media, community, etc told these wonderful children that because of where they lived, where they were from, what race they were, what nationality they were, what language they spoke, what family they came from, and more that they would never amount to anything.

It quickly became my mission to inspire each of the children in my classroom to aim for heights they had thought never possible. We talked about their goals, the things they enjoyed doing, they came to me with their problems, and I worked with their families to help them overcome hurdles that others had put in their way.

There were three brothers in particular that touched my soul. My heart ached for the lack of support they had. I longed for them to have the support system they needed. Later, decades later, they would come back into my life to tell me that it was their teacher at that “last chance” school that was always in the back of their mind telling them to push harder and press past the limits others put on them. Each one of them achieved those goals they set when they were in kindergarten, first grade, and third grade.

Teachers matter. Support systems inside a safe space that is non-judgmental matters. Education and foundational beliefs matter. It is never too early to build a child’s heart, soul, and mind.

Tiffany, 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?

Herbal Phoenix STL was founded with the belief that all people from all areas deserve access to health, wellness, and peace. While we serve all people from all communities, we are often found in communities that are known to be low income or have a lower percentage of individuals with access to quality healthcare.

The communities that we serve know they can come to us and experience zero judgement. We will walk with them through their journey to wellness and peace whether it be a physical ailment or spiritual ailment they suffer from. We perform private consults to obtain key information and use nature’s gifts to guide our customers (who we call family) to their relief. Our customers often become lifelong partners and supporters.

The greatest joy we have at Herbal Phoenix STL is seeing the smiling, peaceful face of a previously troubled individual thanking us for serving them when no one else would. That is why we exist. We exist so every person knows they matter. Every person knows there is hope. Every person knows they have an advocate and are not alone in their battle.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We have a website our customers can subscribe to in order to stay up to date on all of our events, products, etc. In addition, we used our site host to work with us in building an app. This has been huge for our business! We have the capability to chat, email, send push notifications, invoice, apply badges, and advertise our classes from the application!

In addition, we exploit Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to reach our audience by any means necessary. Being a business owner in 2023 means adaptability and staying ahead of the trends in marketing and communication.

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

Stability over Passion. At some point my viewpoint of dreaming the biggest dreams faded into the “adult” world and were replaced with a desire for stability. Like so many people, I sacrificed my dreams and happiness for what others found acceptable. Such a long story!

After years of building a very well-respected career and conquering the corporate world, I recently was reminded that we can be whoever we want to be. We shouldn’t have to find pockets of fulfillment in our daily life but instead should experience a life full of passion and fulfillment to the point that peace and joy overflow to anyone near us. When we settle, we change and often who we change into is not in alignment with our core values and mission.

We shouldn’t have to sacrifice who we are to survive.

It is interesting that in my pursuit to help others see their limitless future, I became stagnant- maybe not to the outside world’s view but to myself regarding the pursuits I craved.

I choose to thrive not survive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://authenticwriting19.wixsite.com/authenticwriting and www.herbalphoenixstl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyinthelou
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Tiffany-West/61551356946595/ and https://www.facebook.com/herbalphoenixstl/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@authenticwritingandliving