Meet Susan Gonzalez

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

Hi Susan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The one thing I promised myself never to compromise on was quality and authenticity of my brand. Honesty and integrity are at the heart of what I do. When I am creating a product for my customers or performing a service on a client I always stop and center myself and make sure I am doing for them what I would want to have done as a customer or client. I always ask myself “Am I giving the best I can give?” Being transparent with what I do and creating or performing from my heart has always been my number one rule. This created trust and a real relationship between me and my customers.

Please tell us more about your business. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I started MOON Organics when I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2005. I was a completely healthy 40 year old with no risk factors or family history, yet I developed a 3.5 inch tumor in my chest. While I was undergoing treatment and 4 surgeries, I was determined to look deeply into the mind, body, spirit connection to health and I set out to change my lifestyle and habits. One of the things I looked at was what I was putting on my body. The ingredient list for most things that I applied to my skin was a list of chemicals. When I learned that it only takes 26 second for the applied product to get to my blood, that’s when I started making my own skincare products. As I researched and tested different formulation, I discovered that my products felt and worked better than anything I was using and I began creating lots of products for skincare. My work eventually led to writing a book to help those diagnosed with cancer, 100 Perks of Having Cancer plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (Turner Publishing 2009). I then went on to acquire a state license as an esthetician so I could perform treatments to help those having issues with their skin. My approach is holistically looking at the entire lifestyle and not just focusing on skincare routines. I recently finished training on a facial sculpting technique that targets blocked and stored emotions and trauma to change the actual look of your expression. Along with other modalities, this technique can help remove very deep tension and emotions that are connected to facial muscles and in turn help with complexion, expression, and inner emotional healing. My mission is to educate everyone about the skincare piece of the holistic health puzzle and help them find their best skin through a mind. body, spirit approach.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta has come a long way from when I moved here in 1988. The city has exploded with diverse culture, food and fun things to do. I live a plant-based lifestyle and there are so many people who are incredible vegan chefs and offer an incredible variety of plant-based food. Some that come immediately to mind are Herban Fix Vegan Kitchen, Tassili’s Raw, and I always try to follow Chef Gulli with Vegetopiacart in her food truck. And there’s also Plant Based Pizzeria! That just names a few. I love to support local businesses especially if they make incredible vegan food. One of my favorite attraction spots is the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I love how it’s decorated at the holiday times with hundreds of thousands of lights. The Atlanta art scene is booming and you can see a lot of art all over Atlanta without even going into a gallery because we have the best local mural artists in the country. The thing I love about the artists here is that they tell a story and make us think. Their powerful images are meant to inspire and ignite, not just to be color on a wall. The Atlanta Beltline is fun to walk and you’ll see a lot of Atlanta from the backside. I also love to hang out at Oakland Cemetery. It sounds weird but Oakland is one of the oldest cemeteries and it’s set up Victorian style, which means it’s more like a park than a graveyard. There are some famous people buried there and the landscaping is breathtaking. There are plenty of spots to have a picnic or sit and admire the beauty of nature. My favorite time is the Halloween tour where volunteers dress up as some of the dead and tell their fascinating stories.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout would have to go to my two daughters, Grace and Annie. My daughters watched me create MOON from nothing and they were my honest sounding boards. They would help me design labels and test products and give me ideas for products when my mind was blank. They came with me and helped me at farmer’s markets when I was starting out and always were a source of encouragement.

Website: www.moonorganics.com
Instagram: @moonorganics
Twitter: @moonorganics
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/moonorganics
Yelp: MOON Organics
Youtube: www.youtube.com/moonorganics

Image Credits
Annie Gonzalez