Meet Gwen Taylor: Wellness Entrepreneur

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

Hi Gwen, what matters most to you?
Love. Just love. I work to harness love as the basis from which all things operate from, at the center of my center. Believe me, I don’t always get that right. But I sure do try. Through love we hold the totality of each other – the good, the bad, all of it. Let love just flow through. There is nothing else.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Once upon a time, I had big hopes and dreams of one day some day opening the Southeast’s first fully sustainable, eco-friendly, yoga & wellness retreat center. And then COVID happened. The world as we know it came to a screeching halt. Especially for hospitality and tourism. Oh, and restaurants? Nah. And of course travel. Pffft, no. And, you know, actual yoga classes. Nuh uh. So. Holy COVID pivot. For me that meant opening up an online store through Etsy offering handcrafted beauty and wellness products. (I know). Major strategy shift. But see I already made all my own shit anyway, turning my nose up at all the preservatives, chemicals, and artificial this and that in the so called overpriced “wellness products” you buy in stores. Plus, for small businesses it’s like go digital or die. Those are your options. So now I make hand poured beeswax candles, soaps, balms and salves, all natural cleaning products, and smudge sticks for energy purification and cleansing. And I sell them on Etsy (free shipping, beautifuls!) through Wind and Soul Wellness. All of the ingredients I use are 100% organic, plant-based, therapeutic grade essential oils and are free of dyes, perfumes, and anything icky or harmful to the body. Packaging and containers are all fully recyclable, reusable and compostable – so they’re good for the planet and good for you. Contact me any time for custom orders, y’all! I’m working on some fun things for summer, including repurposing oyster and coconut shells as earth-friendly containers for beeswax candles. They make beautiful gifts and a great addition to your personal self care regimen. I’m still hustling my dream of opening a brick and mortar wellness retreat center one sweet day. Because dreams. But until then, you can find me on Etsy and any number of the various Atlanta-based outdoor artists markets. Only ever love!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta is hella home – there’s so much to do, see and experience in this city! For a proper dose of the awesome, I’d suggest: Spending an afternoon at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. My favorite spot to visit there is the edible teaching garden, where you can sample a gorgeous assortment of the aromas and flavors of herbs & vegetables. After exploring the gardens, head next door to Piedmont Park to relax on a picnic blanket, hitch up a hammock or go for a stroll. On your way out, pop in to R. Thomas’ Grill for one of their fresh, delicious to-die-for healthy smoothies or fresh pressed juices chock full of all kinds of good for you goodness. Plus, you can check out the exotic birds that live there. Ponce City Market is also in the area and a dope place to play. For healthy + yummy dinner options around town, I’m a big fan of Desta Ethiopian in Decatur – the vegetarian/vegan sampler is a little slice of heaven right here on Earth. Soul Vegetarian is another gem in the city. To scratch your southern fare itch, get thee to Busy Bee Cafe, my loves. Hold up: breakfast. I haven’t been back since COVID, but my all time favorite breakfast spot in the city is Sun In My Belly in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Good lawd. I could also every single day of the week go for the irresistible scratch made biscuits and homemade jam (no seriously, it’s like that), at Flying Biscuit cafe in Midtown. Plus all day brunch whaaatttt? Gimme. Factoring in yoga as part of your travel adventures is a must for me. Like, not negotiable. Atlanta has loads of great yoga teachers and studios. One of my favs is Trap Yoga with Eazy on Sunday mornings at the Atlanta Loft. I also love the all levels outdoor yoga classes offered through Sacred Thread at the East Atlanta Farmer’s Market, and the super athletic heated vinyasa classes at Bring It Om Yoga in Buckhead. For a real treat and to shake things up, check out goat yoga at Double Durango Farm. Bring your boo, bring your littles, it’s good (but not at all clean) fun for the whole family. And if you’re into all things outdoors, it’s worth a day trip to explore Serenbe Farms on the south side. They are a fully sustainable wellness community with farmers markets, farm tours, cutesy coffee shops and all sorts of interesting and creative events. With COVID, a lot of stuff is closed or no more. So why not plan a day trip or two to the North Georgia mountains? Totally worth it to explore the great hiking, biking and jogging trails in our beautiful state. If you can’t make it all the way up to the mountains, a great spot for a scenic day hike not too far from the city is Red Top mountain. And if you’re like me, you schedule your days around catching the sunset. One of the best spots to drink it in is to hike up Stone Mountain or Arabia Mountain. Bring all your favorite snacks for a chill dinner picnic up top. All that pretty and you don’t have to spend a dime. I’m a huge supporter of Atlanta-based small businesses, being one myself. Our city is full to the brim of local, independent, black and women-owned small businesses with rare finds. I’d recommend stopping by Young, Gifted and Black Children’s Books & Workshop in Stone Mountain to browse and stock up on books for the kiddos in your life. “There’s a world to discover, but home is love.” – Jacob Banks Atlanta is a great place to call home and community. Grateful to be a part of it. 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: gratitude. Ten thousand gallons worth of thank yous. I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am without the richness of the yoga practice, which serves as a steady reminder for how to be better at life and living. Yoga teaches me to take a vaster view, to hold each other with infinite compassion. But mostly, my shoutout goes out to the people I simply can’t do without. My son, Miles. (The universe is inside you). And to these absolute treasures to the precious planet, the red hot force of our connection burning with strong and sweet: Todd Caulk, Katie Posey, Jessica Thompson and Sandy St. Fleur. Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn’t.

Website: https://www.windandsoul.com

Instagram: @windandsoulresort

Linkedin: Linkedin.com/company/windandsoul

Twitter: @windandsoul

Facebook: Facebook.com/windandsoulresort

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WindandSoulWellness

Image Credits
Bonnie Heath Photography, Dahlia Dew Photography