Meet Raven Byrd | Life Coach, Aromatherapist and Spiritual Advisor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raven Byrd and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raven, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Art for me has always been an avenue of therapy. It has always been healing for me to create and let go of rapid thoughts and emotions, that may flood my mind. My choice to do something artistic was without thought. I wanted to do something that makes me happy, and creating with my hands does that. Going the direction I went for my career and business was so that I can create something beautiful, which is art. I see my business and career as art. Art makes me happy. I want to share that with the world.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So my form of art is creating things for healing and relaxation. My art is something you can see, and smell. I create candles, I create oils and a ambience for your living. I like to make candles with essential oils, and really fun fragrance notes. I blend together my own oils for assistance in healing and I create bath products to help with skin problems. I love to create home goods like room and linen sprays, and I love to tell people about what I do. So when I do pop up shops, I am excited to educate others on the candles, the oils and what my products are made of.

I believe what sets me apart from others is my spirit behind this. I didn’t have a plan when it came to this business. My growth didn’t sky rocket over night. I am just like everyone else, and I am very transparent about it. My authenticity behind my brand is what makes me stick out. I don’t do what others do. I do what feels good. I am excited about where this brand will go. I am excited about the people it will reach, and how it will impact lives.

Right now in my current state, I am at a place where people are knowing about my brand. They are looking at what I do, and are listening to me. I am one of the people that others come to about certain skincare, candles or how I built this brand. Professionally this was not easy. I had many sleepless nights, days where I questioned my choices about this brand, and wanting to give up. Honestly, its still not easy. I decided months ago that I will always choose me over anything, and that includes my brand. If I cannot take care of myself, I cannot be there for my brand either. So instead of stressing about what to do, or what to say or how to do this, I go to my altar space and pray. I don’t do anything without talking to my ancestors. That’s how I manage. I don’t overcome challenges, I go through them and I learn. I let things happen, I examine, I reevaluate and I reset. I take a lot of breaks. Because sometimes it is necessary for your mental health. I journal and I come back with a clear mind and better space. So if you ask me how do I overcome challenges, I would tell you, I take care of me first and I roll through the punches.

I often get asked what lessons I have learned thus far. I couldn’t even count on my hands how many times I had to stop, and think okay what is this teaching me. One of the biggest lessons I have learned, was to stop doing what everyone else is doing, and be you. We live in a society where social media tells us, this is how you should run your business. You have to put in x amount of hours, and post this everyday, and use this sound and make sure your caption says this, but according to who? Who said this works for everyone? So reality smacked me in the face when I wanted to be like everyone else. It didn’t work for me, so I started doing what felt good for me. Doing things with ease, not pressuring myself to work if I couldn’t, and not being someone I wasn’t.

I am a very spiritual person, and so is my brand, and I am a lover of all people. My brand is focused on the health of ones mind, body and spirit. I want my brand to be the platform for more holistic care, self care and nurturing our homes. There is a need for us to go back to the basics and do things we used to do. That includes taking care of home, taking care of us and our minds. I love to teach others by showing them how something can make a difference for them. I do that by educating people on essential oils, oil making, candle making and how to create a safe and loving space for them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh this should be fun! Okay, I am kind of a newbie to Georgia and its many places. Based off of the places I have visited I would love to take them to Milk and Honey for brunch or breakfast. We could visit the Ferris wheel and check out ponce city.

The next day we could go to atlantic station, check out the shops enjoy some food there and catch a movie at the studio movie grill.

Next, we could enjoy the aquarium if they have never been, I think it is the most beautiful thing ever. We could go to Iron age which is a korean barbecue place, and you cook your own food.

We could head to Atlanta beltline where there are tons of art, food, shops and more. There is a breakfast place there also called bomb biscuits, they have amazing chicken biscuits!

We could catch any local shows at the Fox theater, and enjoy some WnB wings! The botanical gardens is beautiful in the spring if that’s something they would like.

Lastly, we can enjoy some fun at round one! Its a huge arcade with volleyball, pool and skating!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First I want to thank my wife for always being my support system. Without her, my dreams would be just ideas on paper. She spoke life into me at my lowest and highest. I love you.

I want to thank my granny. She is one of the reasons behind this business. I named this business after her, and I couldn’t have made a better decision. She uplifted me, loved me and always supported me in any endeavor. She was the backbone to my family, and will always be my number one fan.

I want to thank my babies for putting up with me, being patient when I was late for something and being my testers for new products.

Rachel, thank you so much for believing in me when I couldn’t see my vision just yet. Thank you for being a friend and thank you for speaking life into my business.

Lastly, I want to thank little me. If it wasn’t for our dreams and ambition, where would we be? I want to thank her for always believing even when it got tough. When the world seemed to close in on us, we endured. Thank you for the spirit of happiness and enjoyment of life.

Website: www.mabelnmarysaromatherapy.com

Instagram: @mabelnmarysaromatherapy

Facebook: Mabel & Mary’s Aromatherapy LLC