I am a natural health freak. If you know me, you may know my love of natural solution, homemade cleaning products and overall "there has to be a natural alternative" attitude. After years of resisting I've recently chosen to partner with doTERRA essential oils. (Heads up, unlike most of my blogs, this is a very information-based piece for people who may be experiencing similar resistance.)
I've been using essential oils for about 20 years. Always aiming to have a toxin-free home, making my own cleaning products and hand soap with essential oils was an easy no-brainer. When my Dad got diagnosed with cancer 7 years ago (he beat it by the way, so all good!) I upped my holistic health game. Like uber upped it! Researching preventative healthcare + natural solutions to every day ailments, I stumbled upon dōTERRA. Incorporating essential oils more deeply into my routine was easy...diffuse, use in the tub, make soap, body wash + cleaning supplies and use more rigorously should Mike or I get sick. Pretty basic, yet pretty good. We were reducing our toxic load, which was the goal.
Around the same time, I also reacquainted myself with the word wealth. Never really being comfortable with money, I came to realize that for me, wealth is so much more than dollars and sense. It is having great health, a spiritual practice that I connect to, incredible relationships through community connection. THAT is true wealth to me.
Over the years, many people had approached me about joining their oils (and other health-based product) teams. I never connected to the correct person, so it never felt in alignment.
Fast forward to beginning breathwork, then taking my breathwork healer training. Whoa. Essential oils were an integral piece of our training + used in each individual session to move energy + heal emotional blocks. NOW you are talking my language.....
Returning home and holding breathwork sessions with clients that, among other spiritual modalities, include the use of essential oils, the impact was apparent immediately. The energetic pull was present, so I began researching dōTERRA to understand the company, business model + culture. What I found was unbelievable!
dōTERRA, The Company was founded in 2008 by experts in the Essential Oils business. There are no outside investors with dōTERRA – the owners personally funded the start-up and own 100% of the company. They changed their lifestyles, took second mortgages, and worked without pay to make their own choices early on. dōTERRA is now the largest oil company in the world, debt-free.
dōTERRA is family-focused and pro-woman. One of the owners is a woman; Mothers, babies and families are welcomed, encouraged and supported through dōTERRA, from classes to conferences.
dōTERRA gives back. Healing Hands is dōTERRA’s non-profit, and it’s funded by members, employees and the executives. Our option is to donate each month on our monthly orders, and the company raises funds via events as well. Healing Hands has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and has changed many lives in several countries. In 2016, dōTERRA Wellness Advocates and Wholesale Customers donated over $500K to Operation Underground Railroad through donations to the Healing Hands Foundation. Operation Underground Railroad, also known as OUR, is a non-profit organization with whom dōTERRA has partnered to extricate as many children as possible out of sex trafficking. Our donations have also helped fund the construction of a facility in Thailand, with state-of-the-art technology to intercept trafficking before it happens.
We’re also supporting the victims’ aftercare. Some receive care through Days for Girls, another organization with whom doTERRA is partnered, educating girls and women on women’s health and sustainable feminine hygiene. Having helped over 640K girls and women to date, Days for Girls affords them the dignity and supplies to function in society during their cycle so they aren’t missing chances to learn and grow out of poverty. Without sustainable solutions to manage their monthly cycle, women are abolished from society for the duration of their menstrual time every single month. 1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, 113 million adolescent girls in India, and 30% of girls from rural areas of Brazil will miss school this year without the help of Days for Girls.
dōTERRA’s Oils are high quality. Pure, high quality, optimally-sourced Oils are at the heart of dōTERRA’s success. Sourcing the Oils where they flourish, making sure the soil is primed, harvested at the perfect time, distilled for the ideal amount of time at the perfect temperature – this leads to a high quality Essential Oil. dōTERRA also has many exclusives with their growers, so their Oils are exceptional. Visit Source to You for extensive information on the sourcing and quality testing of dōTERRA Oils.
Working with natural products can be sketchy, I totally get it, believe me. What I love is that dōTERRA’s testing practices are stringent. For transparent accountability, they’ve created an internal standard called Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® (CPTG), verified by third party labs. The name is a trademark; the standard is real and concrete. Stringent testing happens throughout the whole process (even monitoring soil quality) on EVERY liter. All of the basics are checked first: sight, smell, taste and touch. Then they test to rule out any presence of fungus, mold, pesticides, extenders and any other contaminants. Learn more about the science of their practices of testing here. Each location has its own specific laws and rules governing agriculture and collecting wild-crafted botanicals. If an oil fails the test, specifically pesticides, there is no secondary process for removing the pesticides or foreign matter. The oils failing the test would simply be rejected. Other than the careful distillation of the oils from the plant material, no other processing takes place. They are aromatic extracts, nothing added, and nothing removed; they either meet that standard or they don’t.
You all know this is my thing. dōTERRA focuses on education. I LOVE educating on anything + everything so people can make their own empowered choices. On the dōTERRA site, you’ll find hundreds of hours of free education, guidance, recipes and other support for both oil users and those building businesses. Company-wide resources are supplemented by our team’s resources, from forums to weekly calls, and those who have businesses with dōTERRA are amply supported. Product support of any kind is one email or knowledgable phone call away, detailed PDFs for each oil can be found at doterratools.com.
I've been making my own cleaning supplies for a very long time. Looking more into the brand + it's offerings, I realized that dōTERRA has products to help detoxify our households. No need for harsh, toxic chemicals to clean your home. No risk of spreading toxins throughout the air – or into your cells. Our home smells and feels incredible with the use of dōTERRA’s On Guard Home Cleaner Concentrate, Hand Soap, and Toothpaste. With Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary CPTG® Essential Oils, the Cleaner concentrate provides natural protection – this powerful blend is combined with plant-based derivatives for a non-toxic and biodegradable way to clean and eliminate odors, safe for loved ones as well as the environment. I use it everywhere, for everything. (In fact prior to writing this I literally just cleaned the entire house with on guard!)
This also made me giddy + emotional - I'm such a nerd! dōTERRA is committed to Co-Impact Sourcing worldwide. dõTERRA searches the globe to find the best locations to grow the plants for each oil; they team up with local farmers whose families have been growing and harvesting that plant for generations. The company then forms cooperatives, teaching the farmers improved growing techniques, harvesting and distilling methods, and elevates their quality of life. Paying them above fair wages, dōTERRA often brings in the Healing Hands foundation to improve the community as a whole as well. Visit dōTERRA.com and click “Our Caring” to explore projects in Bulgaria, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, Guatemala, Haiti and Somaliland.
As I'm sure you can see, I found my alignment.
In addition to all the awesomeness above, partnering with dōTERRA amazingly supports my personal definition of wealth. I am healthier in my body, my spiritual practice + mySelf through my connection to the oils. (for those of you commenting on my skin these days...let's talk oils!)
Some examples of incorporating these beauties into my daily life:
- Each morning on rising, I have a glass of water with one drop of lemon oil...it detoxes + tonifies my system for the day
- Prior to meditation I chose an oil, place one drop in my hand, rubs my hands together, then inhale deeply 3 times.
- I then diffuse my meditation oil throughout the day. Some times blended with other oils.
- Our daily green smoothie includes a drop or two of lemon or lime oil....wild orange if we're feeling crazy!
- On Guard and/or Lavender goes on the bottoms of our feet each night to boost our immunity + support our sleep respectively.
In addition, I have an amazing community of women to connect with daily + I'm able to contribute fully to the lives of those I love and have yet to meet.
Lastly, as a self-employed woman, I have no Canada Pension Plan. Sure, I have RRSP savings, and I'm not certain it will be enough when the day comes and I choose to retire. What I came to recognize is that simply sharing what I love and use everyday and empowering those in my community to do the same provides me with earning potential, whether actual income or earning free products.
More importantly, it creates the ability for me to combine so many of my passions: working with a team of people I love, developing women into the leaders they are here to be + acquire abundance from that leadership and, most incredibly, inspiring people to reach for a natural remedy instead of a bottle of pills.
Nature provides all we require, and for me, dōTERRA makes natures healing power accessible.
If you are curious about the healing power of essential oils, want to join one of my classes (both locally or via zoom), are interested in the possibility of creating a business, or simply want to purchase the products at wholesale pricing, please reach out below and I'll send you more information.
*** The option to purchase the products at wholesale cost is absolutely possible - what I love about doTERRA is you don't need to jump into the business side of things to benefit from their generosity. You can become a wholesale customer and get all the perks - 25% off products, free product and lots of education. They've created a Costco-type membership: you pay an annual fee of $40 and get membership benefits. There is absolutely need to be interested in building a business. Get connected and we'll get these gifts of the Earth in your hands.