Quavin Johnson of Elements + Alchemy
This interview is part of the Lady Boss Co-Host Series
Quavin Johnson of Elements & Alchemy is co-hosting the June 2017 edition of Lady Boss at Chhaya Café in Philadelphia. Purchase tix here.
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Let's get to know her
Q: What's your current guilty pleasure?
A: Cupcakes from Sweet Life Bake Shop and Zsa's peanut butter ice cream. Not eaten together. I hate cake and ice cream together.
Q: What are you listening to lately?
A: I am a music junkie and always have something spinning or streaming. My current soundtrack features Mayer Hawthorne, Bonobo, Hiatus Kaiyote, A Tribe Called Quest and Donald Byrd.
Q: What's your favorite app or resource of the moment?
A: Square hands down. I've just started wholesaling my teas and things and it's made the process of setting up my new accounts with wholesale pricing and invoicing super easy.
Q: Who are you crushing on?
A: Not to sound at all conceited, but I'm kinda crushing pretty hard on myself at the moment. The last few years have been a major transition for me in every aspect of my life and I've had to do a lot of inner work to get to where I am at this moment. So, in the process of reflecting back on where I was, looking at where I am now and all that's opening up for me, I have really come to love the woman I am and the one I hope to be. Self love, baby! [Editor's note: get it, girl!!]
Q: Current mantra (or phrase, or Affirmation...)?
A: I have two. "It's all happening," because I tend to be impatient when I get excited about things and need to see results instantly. It reminds me that things are happening all the time and to honor the process. And the other is, "live your joy." I've been allowing this on to be my guiding principle for the last four years and it hasn't steered me wrong.
What makes her a boss
Q: Tell us about your business.
A: Elements + Alchemy is a physical manifestation of my ongoing journey of healing and becoming a healer. It just so happens that it is also my work. I bring together many different aspects or "elements" of whole person wellness, such as massage, movement, yoga, herbal and crystal therapies, even astrology and merge them together into a unique expression of bodywork/wellness therapy. Being a licensed massage therapist, I work closely with clients to help them to release tension and restrictive patterning and find their place of balance and awareness in their bodies.
As a self-taught herbalist and aromatherapist (having worked extensively with both for the last 20 years), I also create a line of small batch, organic herbal teas, tinctures, essences, and skincare products that encourage healthy rituals, helping people connect with themselves and their surroundings in meaningful ways.
Q: What accomplishment are you celebrating right now?
A: This year has been so crazy good already and I feel like there's so much that I could say right now. But, I guess, the most recent is getting myself set up for wholesale and getting my very first wholesale order from Snapdragon Flowers in West Philly!
Q: What keeps you motivated?
A: I am extremely fortunate that I've been able to create a livelihood doing the things that I'm most passionate about and that bring joy to my life. It keeps me learning and growing and continuing to create a life that I truly love for me and my boys. That being said, the connections that I make with people while sharing those passions and the transformations I've witnessed by helping to empower people to find the joy of being present with themselves, their bodies, and their lives in healthy and loving ways is certainly motivation to not only keep going, but to also keep expanding and innovating.
Q: What's one tip you want to share with other entrepreneurs?
A: Take your time and don't compare yourself and what you're doing to anyone else. Owning a business is a process with a lot to teach you if you let it. If you plan to be in it for the long haul, you have to respect and honor that process, whatever that may look like for you.
Q: Why should others join us for Lady Boss?
A: Being a business owner can be really isolating sometimes and Lady Boss is a wonderful way to meet and connect with other women who are thinking, feeling, and struggling with the same things you are. It takes the edge off of putting yourself "out there" with other business owners and encourages openness and community as you get to share who you are, the very real parts of doing what you do, and get feedback and insight from people who understand.
The studio
