Women in Wellness: “Protecting nature is important for our mental health and can be very healing” with Dr. Cindy Jones and Dr. William Seeds
Sustainability encompasses so much. Eating less meat uses fewer resources making it more sustainable and decreasing environmental changes. Protecting nature is important for our mental health and can be very healing. And the natural world is so important for mental health. Everything fits together.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Cindy Jones. Dr. Cindy is a biochemist and owner / formulator at Colorado Aromatics and Sagescript Institute. She is a cosmetics formulator, herb farmer and distiller. She and her husband live on their Colorado farm. She is a highly sought after consultant and formulator in the natural skin care industry. Her websites are http://www.coloradoaromatics.com and http://www.sagescript.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”?
I love science and nature, and earned my Ph.D. in biochemistry. I worked in research labs for several years but didn’t feel like that was my main calling. After having children, I pieced together jobs in medical writing (much of which dealt with herbs) and teaching (anatomy/physiology, microbiology, and phytochemistry). All this time I was growing and learning about herbs, something I felt passionate about. I soon started making skin care products and realized that my background in biochemistry allowed me to make a very sophisticated and functional product. This, I realized, was my passion and calling.
I found that herbs were powerful and effective, especially when paired with other actives. This became the basis for the Colorado Aromatics line. I also loved getting my hands dirty in the garden and knew I’d need a farm in order to grow the line. My husband and I bought a farm, with a beautiful view of the mountains. Now I spend part of my time in the dirt and part in the lab. I also distill herbs that we grow, creating hydrosols and essential oils.
Because Colorado Aromatics Skin Care line is a farm to skin line, we began selling products at the Longmont and Boulder Farmers Markets. This also allowed us to be part of a larger community of people concerned about health and environmental issues.
Through Sagescript Institute, I work with other skin care lines. I formulate products, do microbiology testing, and small scale manufacturing.
Can you share your top three “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
Lifestyle tweaks that I think are important are being mindful, getting outside to walk and eating healthy (vegetarian). Mindfulness is important to really be in ourselves. Everything we do is a statement, including how we spend our dollars. Sometimes we make compromises, but it’s important that we put the thought into our decisions; supporting agriculture, supporting hand made, and supporting sustainable products.
Getting outside to hike or exercise reminds me that we are part of something bigger. We are all part of something larger; a community and an ecosystem. The rhythm of walking helps to clear my mind and relax me. Because I love the outdoors, our skin care line was formulated for others who love the outdoors.
How we eat is not only important for our personal health, but for the health of the planet. Eating less meat reduces our risk for cancer and other diseases and also reduces our impact on the environment.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
My favorite thing about having a business is the great people I get to meet. I don’t know if this is the most interesting, but I was able to host a group of women entrepreneurs from Africa a few years ago. We gathered around a table, shared tea and talked about some of the challenges we all have in the skincare industry. I was really excited that the organizers of the event found me as a host. I loved talking to these women of different cultures, halfway around the world.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
A big mistake I made was not getting out there enough as a beginning entrepreneur. I sort of had the idea that all I needed was a great product and everyone would come rushing to the door. I learned that it is not so easy. Getting that message out there to people is the hard part and I wished I’d learned that earlier.
When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
In health/wellness, we have to acknowledge our place in the larger ecosystem and how we affect the health of that ecosystem. That is why farming is a big part of wellness. Farms are important for producing food of course, but they go well beyond that. Farms are important for medicines, cosmetics, clothing, wildlife and so much more. By farming, we are producing a renewable ingredient for our skin care line and saving on the impact of transportation.
I like to educate people on the value of herbs in health, wellness and skin care. We try to apply conservation practices on our Certified Naturally Grown farm, improve the soil and put carbon back into the soil. I want our customers to know that our products are safe, effective, and sustainable. They do not have to give up efficacy to protect the environment.
I do a lot of education both for our own customers and for colleagues in the cosmetics business. There is a lot of fear mongering that goes on and we try to present the facts. I give talks and workshops at national meetings on various topics dealing with cosmetics, farming, herbs and distilling.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Not a particular story, but we all need cheerleaders to keep us going and people to listen to our disappointments. My customers have been great about pushing me on to new achievements and my husband (George Wahl) has also allowed me the space to pursue these dreams.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
There are so many people with their own niche in the wellness industry. I’d like to bring together the women I know who are all about being outdoors and hiking, the women who love yoga, the farmers, herbalists and aromatherapists, and chefs. Only good can come by bringing together the best in all these fields. I think we could build a wellness revolution.
What are your “3 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
Don’t be afraid to get out there initially. You need to show your product to as many people as you can. I had to learn to get over the awkwardness of that.
Don’t take it personally. Reading “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz really helped me to understand this. I think everyone should read this book. Not everyone is going to like your product or want it. Some may say terrible things. Don’t take it personally.
Hire people early on to help you do the things you do not want to do or the things you don’t know how to do. Two heads can be better than one and just having someone to talk to about things helps. That second person will also tell their friends about your business and that alone doubles you sphere of influence!
Do you have a “girl-crush” in this industry? If you could take one person to brunch, who would it be? (Let another “woman in wellness” know that you respect her as a teacher and guide! )
There are so many women who are doing so many wonderful things it’s hard to say. Dr. Christiane Northrup has done so much to bring awareness to women’s health and wellness.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Sustainability encompasses so much. Eating less meat uses fewer resources making it more sustainable and decreasing environmental changes. Protecting nature is important for our mental health and can be very healing. And the natural world is so important for mental health. Everything fits together.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
http://www.facebook.com/coloradoaromatics
http://www.instagram.com/coloradoaromatics
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Thank you for these fantastic insights!
