Women-Owned Businesses

Patricia Tedeschi, Owner

Bio: Balance is when many component parts come together to create a harmonious state of mind, body and soul. The concept of balance is important in every aspect of our lives, particularly skincare. Ayurveda is the pursuit of balance–and a life of balance has no painful extremes, and little fragmentation. Ayurveda sets extremely high standards, because its basic view of health and its concept of “natural” are at once more encompassing and more refined. Better Botanicals is committed to this standard of skin care.

Ayurveda changed my life, shifting it toward yoga, meditation, and a more conscious awareness of life and the part I am meant to play. After adopting this outlook, it was no surprise when I had a serendipitous opportunity to become a co-owner of Better Botanicals. What a synergy between what is important to me and the opportunity to share these wonderful products with other people. And in this way, my desire led to balance in my own life!

Rachel Alston, Owner

Bio: Growing up in a family business, I've always aspired to start my own company.  I had the professional experience, but didn't know what to focus on.  I wanted to develop a business with a mission that I truly believed in.  As a health and budget conscious woman, I've always been appalled by the 'poisonous' beauty products on the market (not to mention their outrageously high cost).  This is how Earth Diva Cosmetics was created.  My simple mission is to provide my customers with a healthy, affordable, earth friendly alternative to traditional makeup products. I want women to be themselves - naturally beautiful.

Eileen Walsh, Owner

Bio: My formal education is in psychiatric occupational therapy and after working for many years developing and managing mental health programs I turned my attention to the design and fabrication of furniture. I grew up in San Francisco and now work in my Bay Area studio. I love the process of designing in wood and uncovering the beauty that lies beneath the bark. Seeing a piece unveil it's beauty is always like unwrapping a very special gift.

Caroline Villella, Owner

Bio: Green Ostrich was inspired by the following observation: the energy-intensive retail stores that we frequent do not offer many Earth-friendly, green products. That, and I was spending a lot of time and energy driving in our car to and from these stores. So, I decided to create an online store dedicated to Earth-friendly, green products to spark a consumer movement that requires environmentally-sound solutions for our lives. At Green Ostrich we help people make changes, not sacrifices. The power to make change rests with the individual consumer. We help them live well and refresh the Earth.

Kim Rosen, Owner

Bio: Kim Rosen, MFA, has touched listeners worldwide with poetry’s power to awaken, inspire and heal. She is the author of Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words, and the co-creator of 4 CDs of spoken poetry and music. Contact Kim at info@kimrosen.net.

Laurel Lyons, Owner

Bio: Laurel Lyons is a woman who appreciates sacred life energy. She has offered intuitive counsel and healing support for over 15 years. Laurel has been a Certified Usui Reiki Master - Practitioner & Teacher for 10 years and she has also received her certification in Karuna Reiki® in 2010.  Laurel has a deep and well centered understanding of the Spirit to Human, Human Self to Higher Self and the Human to Human energy exchange since early in her childhood.  She holds a solid connection to the Physical/Spirit/Soul body of an individual for both the subtle and great healing potential that is available.

Lisa Dorsel, Owner

Bio:

We are a world full of intelligent and innovative people with the capacity to do great things. And, now we have the knowledge that we need to take drastic and very quick steps to mend the damage we have caused to the one thing that sustains our life on earth…the earth. We would like to challenge each of you to make the commitment and take every step within your reach, no matter how small, to help in providing a greener and healthier tomorrow.

RECYCLE, REUSE, and REFUSE to buy products that are not environmentally friendly. And, thank-you for joining the ranks of a consumer who can make a difference. To bird lovers everywhere, with an eco-friendly conscience, we hope you will visit www.polypolly.com and then revel in your intelligent and innovative product.

Katie Hess, Owner

Bio: Lotus Wei Founder and Formulator, Katie Hess, has spent a lifetime cultivating her expertise as an organic alchemist, and sourcing flower essences from around the world. Having witnessed countless inspiring transformations in her one-on-one consulting practice, Katie took her expertise with natural health and flower essences in a new direction and now her company, Lotus Wei, incorporates energetic infusions of flowers into a variety of media that transform daily life into a vehicle for profound awakening.

Mickie Bellah, Owner

Bio: It has been an amazing journey to reach the place I am today ... from dropping out of high school art class to completing the Famous Artists Correspondence course to owning and running a business for 20 years ... I have finally arrived doing what I love doing ... being the conduit through which Spirit creates amazing non-traditional abstract paintings.

Alina, Owner

Bio: Several years ago my son got diagnosed with serious health problem. It was my last day as an employee. We did whatever we could: we moved out of town, started organic gardens and spent days and nights on health research. It was disheartening to confront the effects of toxins in our lives, our food and the condition of the environment that our children are inheriting. My research opened the door to meeting a lot of caring people, especially women who are doing so much - helping their families, neighborhoods and our planet. Lots of inspirational stories and examples to follow. Eating organic food, living close to nature lead me to my business: Natural Clothing Company.

Peggy English, Owner

Bio: Inspired by the beauty of the natural world and committed to the health of the environment, my sister, Patty, and I were determined to find a way to encourage people to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. We launched OrganicBug.com, an eco-store for conscious consumers that provides a venue for artists, individuals and companies devoted to bringing about awareness and change for personal well-being, social justice and a sustainable future. Researching and reviewing green products to offer on Organic Bug fuels my optimism about the future as I meet the many wonderful people whose ideas change our world for the better. It is from this platform that I draw the inspiration to believe in myself and trust in the power of the universe to guide me along the sometimes rocky road to success.

Eileen Bradley, Owner

Bio: When I created my company, Sacred Circles, I did so to share my mandalas with others and to make them accessible to everyone.  The main focus of my business has turned out to be creating personal mandalas for individuals - something I love doing.  The success of my business has come in the joy and delight brought to those I have created mandalas for.  It has been a most rewarding experience and continues to feed my creativity, and my soul.  What I do as an artist and as a business woman is truly my life’s work. For more information on commissioning a personal mandala painting, please contact me at eileen@sacredcircleart.com.