Hello Lovelies,
One of my favourite things, about what I do for a living, is meeting other amazing women who are also creating out there in the world and sharing the things that light them up.
Even better than this is when I get to collaborate and work on projects with these beautiful souls. One of those is my sweet friend, Terra. We have known each other for years and she is the creator behind my super popular LOVE TEA and one of my partners for our women’s retreats.
During the next year I am going to be highlighting other small businesses and the women behind them because I believe that when we come together as a community of like-minded souls and support each other we can all succeed and rise.
I asked Terra a series of questions so that you can learn more about her, her beautiful brand and also why she is passionate about what she does.
Tell us who Terra is ?
My name is Terra, and I am a white, cis-gendered woman of Northern European descent, living on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people. It is my absolute honour to live in such a beautiful place, and it is very important to me to continue learning about this sacred land that I live on, to teach my children how to be good humans (often they are teaching me!) and to grow my community of like-minded folks who care about the future of the Earth and all the beings that reside here. I practice folk herbalism, create and offer ceremonies and see clients for personal spiritual healing work.
When did you start your business and why ?
I started my herbal business Terrasoul a few years ago, when my children were quite young. Before it was a business, I was making useful herbal blends for my family. I wanted to find more natural ways to care for their needs, which is what inspired me to get better acquainted with herbalism in the first place. I grew up spending a lot of time in nature but wasn’t too fussed about gardening or plants until I had my own space and soil to grow them in. I began taking online courses and workshops to deepen my knowledge in the realm of plant medicine, and also began to deepen my relationship with my ancestral connection to plants. By that, I mean I wanted to know which plants were useful to my ancestors and what role they played in their every day lives. I’ll began my business because I wanted to share the connection I had found to plants with others, and find ways to help others incorporate this connection into their every day lives.
How did you decide on your brand ?
I’m a highly creative person, and enjoy using my hands in many different ways. I studied sculpture at the Alberta College of Art and Design and find that expressing oneself through art it’s a very valuable process. When creating my logo, I felt that it needed to be very personal, considering the intimate way in which I work with plants and their spirit energies. Because of this, I felt that I needed to put brush to paper, which resulted in the painted rose in my logo. Rose is a plant that has great meaning for me and has been working with me for a long time, having taught me many things about myself. It felt fitting that this plant should be the face of Terrasoul. I then hired a fabulous graphic designer (Lou) to take my image and create my logo, which I absolutely love.
What products do you sell ?
I sell a variety of products, including teas, tinctures, herbal balms, menstrual care, postpartum care and other herbals. My favourite “product“ is a membership, in which the member receives a monthly bundle of seasonal items as well as a self-care ritual. This is my favourite thing to prepare as much love and time goes into this process and it allows a person to experience the use of plants in a way that connects them to the current season and to their body and its needs during that season. The ritual aspect encourages self care on an emotional level so that the whole being is nurtured and nourished in this package. I also create unique botanical printed fabrics, including silk scarves, linen shawls and canvas bags. The fabric is eco-dyed with local plants using a completely natural process and yields a different result every time.
Why do you love doTERRA essential oils ?
I love doTERRA essential oils and use them in many of my products because I feel that they are a really useful and simple way to connect with one single plant or a combination of plants in a really pure way. Just as the spirit energies and properties of plants work to heal in their fresh or dried form, essential oils also have potent properties. Besides working with our physical bodies, they influence our emotional state and can help us in a variety of ways, like a key unlocking and unblocking.
What are your fav doTERRA products and how do you use them ?
My favourite doTERRA products currently are the yoga trio of essential oils, which I choose one to use depending on my mood during yoga and meditation/spiritual practice. I also love breathe (Easy Air) and frequently diffuse that during the winter. I also use it with a carrier oil on chest with breathing ailments or to support respiration. Another essential oil I love and use often is the blend, Deep Blue for muscle aches and pains.
Where do you ship to ?
I ship worldwide.
What is your most popular item ?
My teas are my most popular items, and I have quite a variety of herbal blends (some of which are infused with healing crystal energy, and all infused with love). My Healing Heart Tea and the Mandala Essential Love Tea seem to currently be the most popular, as I think we can all use a little extra tenderness these days.
What is your favourite part about what you do ?
My two favourite things are 1- making custom packages for people for gift giving, and 2- foraging for plant material to go into my products. There’s something truly magical and beautiful about humbly asking permission of a plant to harvest from it, giving an offering of thanks and then using that plant material to make something special for someone.
What do you like most about working alongside Mandala Essentials?
I love that Lou and I are in alignment about many things, including believing that everyone has a special light within them that deserves to be seen. I feel inspired working alongside Lou, seeing her light shine as she encourages others to unfold into their true potential and destiny path. In order to affect any positive change in the world, we must first work to heal ourselves. I look forward to working again with Lou in the future, and co-creating beautiful and magical self-care workshops.
To read more about Terra and the products she offers please head over to the Terrasoul website