Hidden Gems: Meet Rachel Buckley of Nature Mama Body Care

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Buckley.

Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My journey with herbal protocols, plant medicine, Ayurvedic and Holsitic Health was when I was battling Crohn’s Disease. With lifestyle and dietary changes I was able to avoid an array of surgeries and conventional care. During these treatments I realized my skin and reproductive health were also improving. This is when I gained knowledge in Gardening and Cultivation Master Herbalism, Nutrition, and Clinical Aromatherapy. I healed my gut enough to have a successful pregnancy and birthed our son against all odds in 2015. Like me, he had very sensitive skin.  I began taking courses and gaining certificates to properly prepare skin and body care formulas for myself, him, close friends and family. On 2/22/16 we registered Nature Mama Body Care, LLC as a business in FL. Word of mouth grew our company fast and before we knew it, I was quitting my conventional job to pursue my business full-time. I was helping people with their health, wellness, and skin! I completed my degree in Cosmetic Formulation Chemistryand was ready to take the next steps in providing Natural Skincare. We are affiliate partners for other companies we are passionate about that organically fit our grand like whole food supplements, vertical tower gardens, medical grade essential oils, irish sea moss gel, exotic rice water infused hair care.

We decided to move to Colorado in 2017 to connect with like-minded individuals and families looking for high-quality, made-from-scratch skincare that was cost-effective. Most of our raw materials are grown organically, extracted or infused in-house. Others we locally or exotically source. We are so proud of the consistency in quality, and continued positive feedback from our clients.

Like so many of our loved ones, our customers live in chronic pain or are dealing with skin ailments that can be challenging on a daily basis. We pride ourselves in excellent customer service, being able to relate and understand, listening to what you need, and providing just that.  If we can’t help you – we can point you in the right direction between our network of Physicians, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, and Estheticians. In 2021, we were able to open our own brick-and-mortar salon and shop in Divide, when before we were showing up at farmers markets and live events and working out of a single room in a spa. This opened the doors for 15 other small women businesses to be highlighted and featured.

We LOVE to uplift and encourage other companies we care about in our community and have made a huge impact with this space. Our shop in Divide is located in the same building as historic Russ’s Place and ShippingPlus which are both staples in the area. Our door is located on the right side, with our logo on it. People may wonder why I decided to take the risk post covid shut down, but when the Pandemic hit, people were running out of essentials like SOAP, and cleansers and sanitizers. I was compelled to get a shop to serve people in my community with high quality products and services.

Other than my Holistic Health and Reiki Services, we now offer a resident Esthetician, Medical Massage Therapist, Lash Artist, Wax Specialist, Nurse Practitioner, and a Chiropractor that takes clients by appointment only. We are so proud of how far we have come in a year there and are open 6 days a week!

What an incredible journey it has been, the best part is people FINALLY finding relief, or products that HELP them. We are now licensed manufacturers for Estheticians, Massage Therapists, and Chiropractors all over the country offering our skincare and potent topicals. We organically grow and extract our own CBD heavily focusing on the topical side, and have worked hard to be a one-stop shop for many patrons.

Another specialty we offer is CUSTOM Skincare. We can formulate any type of personalized product for you once I have a consultation and learn about what it is you need. Our products are naturally sensitive without harmful toxins, fragrances, or common allergens but if you have something specific we need to avoid – we are trained in knowing alternatives with the same benefits that won’t work against you.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No this has NOT been a smooth road. We were raising a child during the beginning stages of the business while working as a Licensed Healthcare Insurance agent AND at a restaurant while my husband got a job welding. We faced exponential growth, faster than we imagined and quickly faced difficulties in learning how to separate and balance work life and family life.

Moving from Florida to Colorado To grow our business had its own set of challenges. Finding new friendships, networking groups, and starting from scratch with new childcare, schools, and support.

We first moved to Colorado Springs which was very high cost of living. My husband is skilled in construction and structural welding, but due to the increased volume of the business, we decided to make this a family owned and operated company as our sole income. I’ve had to work through pregnancy loss, breaking my leg and some other health issues that we had to work through.

This raised financial issues and stress, but we knew we couldn’t give up until I was able to find some decent help and employment. That has been a struggle on its own as one of our best employees had to move due to a family emergency and we have struggled to find proper assistance since.

Having NATURAL attached to your brand makes people think the products aren’t as worthy or effective, so I had to work 10 times as hard to prove myself. It’s the best when a customer comes to me saying they’ve tried everything and OURS is the ONLY one that has worked for them.

I organically compound our own hyaluronic acid. We formulate our own plant and seed oils, exotic fruit enzymes, botanical retinol, and vitamin c all in-house. I learned that huge conglomerates cannot compete with our high quality, small batch custom formulas that are always improving with more knowledge we learn every day! We now have around 800 documented testimonials across all our platforms, host workshops and DIY courses to help others learn the craft.

Like many others, our company has to adapt a lot since the Pandemic, we have added the task of asssiting families with growing and cultivating their own produce and plant medicine. That has been another focus of ours in helping families achieve their health goals, and teaching them to be more self-sustainable. Which is highly appreciated in such an uncertain environment we’re all in these days. I still am at work very late hours most weeks don’t have a day off.  Nonetheless, we are happy to see the positive changes we have helped others with and that’s what keeps us going.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Nature Mama Body Care, LLC.?
What makes us different is we grow and produce a lot of our raw materials. We offer custom formulations for those who are sensitive or allergic to common ingredients. We help your health improve from the inside out.

We offer Live plants, propagation, microgreens, dried herbs and botanicals,  gardening support, teaching survival skills and self-sustainability. We feature 15 other small businesses- some in the same industry. We encourage other women in business. Our company is HUGE on education and we will be taking our live events online soon!!!!

In the last few years, we have qualified for two grants out of a very small range of businesses. We give a small percentage of our sales to those in our referral program who help share our products, and some of our profits go to LOCAL organizations helping those in our community. We host giveaways for those without the means to try our products.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I enjoy dancing, aerobics, fitness, and even SINGING. My son and I sing and dance together often ! Since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer or pursuing something in the performing arts.

Pricing:

• Holistic Health Consult $30 for 60+ minutes
• Open Heart & Mental Clarity Reiki Session $90 for 120+ minutes (can go to three hours)
• Skin & Body Care Collections starting at $25
• Best Face Forward Facial Care Collection $85
• FREE SKINCARE CONSULTATIONS

Contact Info:

• Website: https://naturemamabodycare.com/
• Instagram: Instagram.com/organically_natured
• Facebook: Facebook.com/naturemamabodycare
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-buckley-278b83a5
• Etsy: Naturemamabodycare.etsy.com
• Youtube: @NatureMamaLLC
• Yelp: Yelp.com/naturemamabodycare
• Affiliate Websites:  https://bio.site/naturemamabodycare
• Google: https://g.co/kgs/PqtqXk