46: We All Need to do the Work with Fern Valley Botanics

Chatting with Elan of Fern Valley Botanics opened a world of inspiration and awareness. She is such a powerful and thoughtful force in the world! And she offers so much wisdom about listening to your intuition, creating a business and finding healing within the herbal and Black community. She just started a business and it is blasting off in the most beautiful way. Her work is so beautifully crafted and she operates from a heart centered space! She shares stories of her journey and the many reasons why she started her own business. We discuss issues about racial inequality and how we all need to do the work to make this a safe space for all. 

.

“I'm a fairly new homesteader that has been living in the Catskill mountains for the past four years! I came up from Brooklyn where I was born and raised. But the Brooklyn I knew had changed so much and didn’t feel much like home anymore but a place that really heightened my anxiety. I found some solace in the mountains and woods.

👩🏾‍🌾

A huge part of me moving up here was to hone in on skills part of the legacy of Black Americans such as agriculture, crafting, carpentry/architecture, rearing livestock, and so much more! Recently i've been expanding into my carpentry! I started building a little storefront for guest to buy some of our produce goods and my soap ofcourse. It will be my experiment for getting myself ready to build my own cabin studio next. I will keep yall posted on the progress!

👩🏾‍🌾

I was inspired to create a soap business after becoming a mom and wanting to create products where I had the agency to know what the ingredients were and making sure that they were safe and nourishing for my family and friends. I'm so happy to now share these same thoughtfully crafted soaps with you all!

👩🏾‍🌾

Thank you for supporting this one women artisanal soapmaker! I am a herbalist in the Catskills who loves partnering with plants. I work hard creating the highest quality, love filled, and sustainable soaps because you deserve it!”- Elan 

Fern Valley Botanics Links:

https://www.instagram.com/fernvalleybotanics/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/FernValleyBotanics

Thymelights:

https://www.instagram.com/olaminabotanicals/

https://www.instagram.com/harlem.roots/

Links Mentioned in the show:

https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/

https://www.instagram.com/harrietsapothecary/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/crafting_the_future/

https://www.instagram.com/resmaamenakem/

 Thyme in the Studio links:

https://www.patreon.com/thymeinthestudio

https://www.instagram.com/thymeinthestudiopodcast/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/403582056803336/

https://www.instagram.com/aida.zea.arts/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AidaZeaArts

https://www.aidazea.com/hire-us

Contact me: [email protected]

Music by komiku

Topics covered in this chat:

Began the business after having a child

Homesteading in the catskills

Starting a business in March

The beginning of covid-19

Mindfulness of cleanliness

Fear and uncertainty

Educating people about cleanliness and her products

Education with playfulness

Giving birth and starting a business

How to be your own boss

Public schooling

Racism within education system

Home schooling

False diversity

“Post racism”

Hierarchy of education perpetuating a racist system

Expectations creating outcomes

Issues with school system

Discouraging educational system

Mental health

difficulty with “learning” propaganda

Trust yourself and trust your body

Feeling safe and protected during pregnancy is crucial

Interested in home childbirth

Traveling to the city for doctor appointments

Stay home if you can

Mistreatment by the medical community

Not feeling heard

Leaving the doctor with more questions

Pressure to protect the life within

Responsibility of carrying child

Family was super helpful

The joys of being an aunt

Sister was her rock, ally and friend

New support

Moved upstate

Lost contact with some friends in the city

Farm retreat-  

Soul Fire Farm

Harriet’s Apothecary

Community 

Herbal community was healing

Nature connection

White “Ownership” of nature

BIPOC trauma 

Helpful retreat to meet other BIPOC and express and heal trauma

Talking about racism can be traumatic

Difficult conversations can be painful 

Detachment

Repetition of trauma

Fear that honoring BIPOC is a trend

Wave of change 

Detangling and ending racism

Moving away from educating white people

Public execution

Showing trauma in different ways

Shutting down

Reclusiveness as a form of protection and coping with trauma

Being tagged on social media

Work twice as hard to get half the recognition

Triggered

Traumatized and harmed by actions on instagram

Be conscious of others needs for self care

Privilege allows one to not be as conscious of others feelings

Distasteful:-tagging without permission and connecting with person

Helpful and thoughtful: dm and tune into person and their feelings

Do they want and consent to being tagged

Consent is crucial

Show that you see people as human and not just as a tag to help yourself

Inflated follows don’t help

Tell a story of a person to show them as a full person

“This is the least I can do” -ok, then do more!

Trend of Black People being seen

Realize your wholeness

Fern Valley Botanics Links:

https://www.instagram.com/fernvalleybotanics/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/FernValleyBotanics