Episode 10: Natural Mixologists - Donica Johns

About the Artisan

Donica Johns is the self-proclaimed Natural Mixologist. Being a parent of two children with special needs and an aunt of a child with autism, her family was looking for chemical and toxin free skincare. She found that most commercial skincare lines, even the expensive ones used questionable ingredients formulated with toxic synthetic fillers. It was at this point that her journey into organic apothecary began. She wanted to create a plant-based skincare line that utilized the healing properties of natural ingredients (no fillers or additives of any kind). All of her products have an herbal base, many are infused with calendula flowers and comfrey leaf, and they soothe and regenerate the skin. She approaches her skin care products as nutrition for the skin, to heal and renew the skin. Every product in her line is touched and handled with care by Donica herself. The result is luxurious and effective skin care, gentle enough for your baby or even the most sensitive skin types.

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• You need to have a website; you need to have a presence.
• There is some truth in people not buying from you because you are a person of color.
• There is a revolution of black-owned businesses providing products for the black community.
• It is essential that you educate your customers.
• Practice what you preach by supporting other black-owned businesses.

Check Out These Highlights:

• The people who buy natural products are those that understand that the products that have been marketed to you your whole life may not be the best thing for your body and they want to know how they can use the things that grow on this earth instead(7:49)
• Why Donica did not initially have a picture of her and what led her to embrace who she is as a woman of color (8:23)
• Moment of meditation with Dr. Crystal (15:40)
• How it feels to be a woman of color trying to sell a product to boutiques and other companies. (19:10)

Quotes:

• “We have to also be bold and say we are coming through this door regardless of if you open it for me or not.”
• "I feel the doubt in their minds when they see us come into their store for whatever reasons it may be, it might not be based in racism, but it is definitely based in prejudice or bias that is not allowing us on their shelves.
• “It is up to us as the people who own the brand to educate our customers.”
• “We have to be intentional with what we’re doing. Without the intention then you don’t have a purpose.”

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Magnolia Yoga Studio- https://magnoliayogastudio.com/

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