I grew up in Michigan in the country; it was a small farm town, and my parents certainly gave me and my two sisters a unique childhood. They bought land in the middle of a dairy farming community, and we lived on the land while they hand-built a house! They grew a big garden, viewed the land and nature as medicine for the body, mind, and soul, and they always chose natural foods and plants as medicines first. We learned to make things and were always encouraged to pitch in and contribute. I remember driving a long distance to a chicken farmer who sold more natural raised meats, and we shopped at health food stores, which were not commonplace then. They got us a horse and gave us each plants to tend in the garden and encouraged us to enjoy exploring the nature around us.
I am so grateful for the upbringing I had. It gave me such a great foundation, love for a natural lifestyle, a creative spirit, and a deep appreciation for family. Now my parents and sisters’ families live on the beaches in Florida, so I get the best of both worlds: beaches and mountains!
I have been lucky enough to live and raise my daughters in Golden. Being a mom is the most beautiful part of life! They have grown up with my business, Tilvee, and both know the ins and outs of making natural skin care products as well as about packaging, shipping, and just running a business in general. They have been able to explore this beautiful town, graduate from the awesome Compass Montessori School here in Golden, own horses and ride all over the beautiful state of Colorado, rock climb, hike, camp—just all the fun activities here. I have a wonderful, loving fiancé, who was raised here and also has a business in Golden. We have a blended family and his parents live here. They are all just fun, hilarious, inspiring, amazing individuals. Life is so good here in Golden!
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career/accomplishments. What do you love most about what you do?
In college, I was fascinated with my science, ecology, chemistry and botany classes. I started to learn about plants and their therapeutic uses for our bodies, particularly skin care, and I grew some plants on my parents’ land so that I could learn how to harvest, extract, and use them to make topical products. I also worked at a health food store, “Foods For Living,” and my education and exposure to plant knowledge exploded! I started to research and experiment constantly, honing on my formulating skills. The store owners, John and Wilma, were very business savvy, and John taught me a lot about costing ingredients, cost of goods sold, marketing, customer service, etc. John and Wilma took me under their wing and inspired me to start selling some of the products I was making that had gotten the “approval” from friends and family. I officially launched my products in 2000. I made them at home so that I could be a full-time mom and grow my business. With the help of my family, I grew my business locally, then nationally. I launched in Natural Grocers around that time and am still selling my products there. I launched in Whole Foods Market in 2009 and moved my business to my first space in Golden. Through the years, I have continued my education in formulating, marketing, and business in general and have grown my product line. In 2017, I developed my first CBD products after I had a back injury and could not find relief from any topical I purchases anywhere! A few years later, I began selling those products in Natural Grocers stores, and, as my presence in the CBD category really took off, the products really started doing very well at stores, chiropractic offices, gyms, pilates and yoga studios, and online. In 2021, I purchased my own building and have really enjoyed owning my maker space. Something that I love so much about my company is reading the reviews that come in and getting calls from customers telling me how much my products have helped them, particularly the CBD muscle and joint balm. I receive stories all the time about how the balm has changed their life. That to me is the biggest accomplishment and career goal I could have. Improving someone’s quality of life, particularly when it comes to mobility and someone being able to literally feel better, is everything. I also have people who have suffered from terrible skin problems get relief, and their stories are just incredible. I always tell them that it’s the plants that deserve the praise; they are the stars here. I just learned how to combine them and come up with processes to bring them to the market for others to enjoy and benefit from!
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants or breweries in our community?
For a healthy, fresh, light place to eat, I love Kona Bowls. For a sweet treat, I love Windy Saddle Cafe for their berry bars! For a delicious salad, I love Table Mountain Inn.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
15 + years
Q: What is one of your favorite hiking or biking trails?
South Table Mountain. I love that hike and the views.
Q: What advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago?
I would tell myself to slow down, trust my inner voice more, and simplify.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
The former Golden Mill, where we would go to buy everything for our horses, dogs, guinea pigs and rabbits. It was all in one place, right in town!
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I love the history here. It’s so interesting, and I love all the trails and beautiful spaces.
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I worked at the plant research department at Michigan State University studying heritage varieties of wheat and how they performed compared to more commercial varieties. We also researched how modifying tilling practices could prevent certain diseases in soy beans as an alternative for farmers to using toxic chemicals. It was fun!
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
There are several people who stand out. My parents, who are constantly learning and sharing about what nature provides to heal our bodies. They have been advocates for an active, healthy lifestyle; eating organically; and being mindful of how to nurture your body (and mind) since before I was born. It’s empowering to know that simple, healthy choices everyday have a huge impact on your life and the aging process. My fiancé, who inspires me everyday by his consistency in kindness, loving actions, and good core values. That ripple effect on everyone around him is a reminder that how we show up and how we treat others matters so much! My kids. They stretch me to learn more about the world so that we can share more with each other. They deepen my understanding of others’ perspectives, and they challenge me to not get stuck in my thinking or ways of doing things. I learn from them! All these people are a constant inspiration.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Peace. Lead with love. Consistency.
