an interview + a giveaway {laura emily at good earth living}

i’m not sure exactly how or when i found laura emily.  somehow i linked to her blog from someone else’s blog…as so often happens in this blogging world.  however it occurred, i’m so happy i made that one click.
laura emily is funny and dear and soulful and real.
and i’d love for you to meet her.

can you tell us a bit about your business, good earth living?

Good Earth Living started small as a Christmas gift operation. I’d spend the month of December preparing my bundles of herbs that been hang-drying all autumn. I’d make tinctures, lip balms, bath salts- all wrapped up in gorgeous Christmas fabrics and ribbons. Come spring time I’d get requests from my gift recipients for refills. Stepping into the role of a healer was a huge blessing to me, and I aim for all my good intentions to carry over into each order. Good Earth Living is made up of herbal earth medicines for just about everything. General pain management with White Willow Bark, to managing anxiety and depression with St. John’s Wort.  I work with a small number of organic herbs that I know them well and intimately. I don’t sell anything that hasn’t helped heal me in the past. And I’m super excited to reveal some new products later this summer. More scents, dried herbs, and practical day to day household products!

is there a product that you particularly enjoy creating?

Most of the earth medicine I craft doesn’t exactly encourage indulgent behavior- but who doesn’t love a little self love from time to time? So anything in my shop that uses my original essential oil blend ‘of Sea & Forest’ is my favorite to put together. It comes in a mist, as the base for the ‘Restore’ bath salts, and will be available as an essential oil blend later this summer. It is my favorite scent. The perfect high notes of lemongrass over a velvety and citrusy bergamot- goodness, divine. When I work with it the entire house fills up with this glorious scent. Love, love, love. And considering it’s my best seller, I imagine the love is contagious!

can you recall when your interest in holistic living began?

I’ve always been drawn to earth medicine- as a young girl I’d be smashing up roses with a mud paste and delivering  my medicine to the neighbors! The holistic lifestyle, however, really started growing roots when I was ill with Lyme disease several years ago. I was tired of the medical field telling me I couldn’t be healed, but I could manage it by living out my existence as a drugged up zombie. That just wasn’t for me. And it turns out a holistic lifestyle could heal me. And it did. I’ve never looked back since.

if you had to pick one powerhouse food or nutrient, what would it be?

Spirulina! Now, to be fair, Spirulina absolutely tastes disgusting…a blue green algae scent, with a taste of old fish! But the single second it takes to swallow this wholefood superfood in capsule form is worth it. Spirulina has over 100 nutrients, it a whole protein that is proven to have a better absorption rate than meat protein, it is environmentally safe and friendly to produce, and it helps fight off disease and illness. I don’t put a lot of stock into vitamins. I actually avoid them- but Spirulina works differently. It is not a vitamin, and it is not a dietary supplement. It is a whole food staple, made perfect and complete by nature, ready to give you energy and vibrancy. It really changed my daily life.

now for some fun ones…
what did you eat for breakfast this morning?

Oh no- all I’ve had was some rose hips & hibiscus tea. I’m really horrible with breakfast. I don’t go out of my way to avoid it. I just don’t think about it until it’s the afternoon and I’m ready to snack. I need to work on adding dark, rich greens and citrusy fruit to my morning routine.

what was your favorite book as a child? 

It might be cliché today to say it, but ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was my absolute favorite book as a child. I was constantly living within a world I imagined, filled with fancy and terrifying creatures. And every night while I tucked in my stuff animals I would say,  “I’ll eat you up, I love you so!” And while the recent movie didn’t hold all the magic of the story, I think they nailed the key ingredient to what makes this story special and telling: childhood can be insanely lonely.

What music are you enjoying lately? 

So much, where do I start?  I’ve been revisiting Neil Young a lot. He is the perfect backdrop while I work. My two favorite bands have been my favorites since I was 14, and will always continue to be in my daily life: The Dandy Warhols, and the Brain Jonestown Massacre. Iron & Wine and Sufjan Stevens have been rotating through as well. I’ve discovered working from home can be lonely at times- but I love these familiar voices that carry me through the day.

What was the best part of your day today? 

Receiving a delivery of self igniting charcoal blocks! I’ve been working with a lot with smoke therapy. It isn’t for everyone, but I find I get the medicinal benefits of some herbs quicker and more efficiently if I burn them as incense. We usually just light them up and fuss and tweak as the flames go out and the smoke ceases, so I finally indulged in some charcoal blocks. I’ve been burning a lot of peppermint with sage and lavender. Favorite combo to battle headaches and tension.

now for the giveaway part:
laura emily has very generously offered to give away a free slot in her upcoming 10 day fast, which runs august 1-16.  you can read more about her fast here.  if you have any specific questions about what fasting might mean {there are many kinds/definitions/types of fasts}, email her.  she’s incredibly accessible.

if you’d like a chance to win a slot in laura emily’s next 10 day fast, just leave a comment by midnight EST tuesday, july 24…that’s all you have to do!  the winner will be selected at random and announced back here {so come back to this post!} on wednesday, july 25.

also…because laura emily is super great…she’s offering a special discount for you…yes, you, my dear readers!…of 20% off items in her shop until august 1st.  how cool is that?  you can find her etsy shop by clicking here.
***the coupon code is HERBALGOODS

sending a little love your way, m

THE WINNER OF THIS GIVEAWAY IS TRACEY!!!
{laura emily and i will be in touch, tracey!}