Meet Trista, founder of Empower BodyCare. We carry her delicious CBD bodycare products at Purple Cow and love not only the products, but the brand and what it stands for. In celebration of International Women’s Day we asked her a couple of questions. Read on to learn more about how you can incorporate self-care and empowerment into your days.
- What does “empowerment” mean to you?
To me, empowerment is when an individual becomes stronger and more confident. When I feel especially empowered, I have a deep knowledge that I can do whatever I set my mind to, regardless of the challenges before me. It’s my goal, as a woman and as an entrepreneur, to help empower as many people as I possibly can in life. When one is in pain, it’s difficult to feel empowered. But if we can help empower our customers (many of whom are women) to feel better with our products, we have the honor of helping to empower them to do more of what makes them happy, to feel more empowered to overcome their own challenges, and to pass the empowerment along to others in their own ways.
- As a woman-owned company, what are the two most paramount considerations you’d recommend other woman entrepreneurs to consider?
In my experience, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to bringing in investment to grow their companies. Women-founded startups raised 1.9% of all Venture Capital funds in 2022. I was once told that people invest in people who look like themselves, and since most VCs are men, this does tend to put women at a disadvantage. That said, studies show that female entrepreneurs can do way more with less. Women-owned businesses produce 2.5X more revenue with the same amount of investment as startups led by men. Our challenges, as women, have made us more resourceful. And as women, we must know that it’s our duty to invest in ourselves and after we “make it,” and to invest in other women-led businesses.
That’s the hard to hear news. The good news is that doing what you love and investing in yourself, in your own dreams, is so much more rewarding than doing anything else. So, I advise other female entrepreneurs to follow their dreams! Which leads me to another super important aspect of being a female entrepreneur. You must take time to take care of yourself, otherwise you will burn out and have nothing left to give to fulfilling your dream or making a difference.
Having daily self-care routines can be super empowering. And, as women, sometimes we forget to go the extra mile for ourselves and incorporate self-care rituals into our daily routine. As an entrepreneur, although it was initially a challenge for me to add self-care into my life, over the years, I’ve been able to do so and am now grateful for the little things I do to take care of myself. Every morning, after my shower, I use our deeply moisturizing Empower CBD Luxury Body Cream in Lavender Bergamot scent on my legs, arms, and hands, and decolletage. CBD is a powerful antioxidant, and our formula has organic aloe, organic shea butter, organic green tea extract, and organic jojoba oil, all ingredients that when combined, work to soothe, soften, and hydrate skin. This keeps my skin looking younger and healthier. Then, after I brush my teeth, I use 5 drops of our Full Spectrum CBD Drops (they’re flavored with refreshing organic mint). They really help me get focused on my work. Speaking of CBD, we source all our CBD from organically grown hemp. This is important because hemp is a bio accumulator, meaning that it draws toxins from the soil it’s grown in. We only want to use the best ingredients in our products, which is why we choose to use organically grown hemp from small, organic farms to make our products.
That said, after my day, which is often long, I have trouble winding down before bed. On days that it’s especially difficult, I love taking a long, hot bath with our soaking salts. The aromatherapy in the organic lavender and bergamot is both calming and uplifting, the salts are uber hydrating and a great detox due to the magnesium in the Epsom salts, and the combination of it all with the CBD helps me relax. Right before bed, I use a bit of our Luxe Body Oil on any parts of my body that could benefit from a little soothing, and I take 5 more drops of our CBD Drops to help me have a restful night’s sleep.
All women can use a little more self-care in their daily routines, and for female entrepreneurs especially, this provides an example of some of the ways I’ve learned how to maintain a self-care routine. Drinking plenty of water and breaking up the day with a brisk walk are also important in taking care of ourselves. We love to work with companies that have high standards of quality and require the products they carry in their stores to do the same. That’s why we’re so pleased to work with the folks at Purple Cow and Purple Cow CBD Boutique – which are partly women-owned (yay!).