Meet Trailblazer (Erika) Elizabeth Peterson

Today we’d like to introduce you to (Erika) Elizabeth Peterson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Elizabeth. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Since I was 15 years old, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in holistic wellness. When I was 18 years old, I moved from Wisconsin, out to Boulder, CO, to attend Bauman College for Holistic Nutrition Consulting and Natural Cooking. As I was finishing up the program, I started to experience a variety of symptoms that, from the surface, seemed inexplicable. I had lost my period and began to experience severe anxiety and insomnia. I felt like I was constantly wired and incapable of ever shutting off. I remembered back to our unit in school on adrenal health, as things started to progress, it was very clear that all of my symptoms were in response to my high levels of cortisol (stress hormone). I went to get blood work done and sure enough, cortisol had hijacked my entire endocrine system.

At this point, I had already been using adaptogenic herbs in my diet, as a lot of our education at Bauman involved herbal remedies. However, after realizing that my state of health at that time was completely stress induced, I began to use adaptogens religiously. I would wake up and make an elixir with herbs like ashwagandha, shatavari, and maca, and typically repeat this 3x/day with various herbs and adaptogens. This was the one remedy that reminded me of what my midline felt like. Most of the time I walked around anxious and out of my body, upon having an elixir, I would feel a sense of calm energy and stability. Over time, I watched these herbs completely revolutionize my health.

When it came time to graduate and begin working with clients, I knew that I wanted to work with individuals like myself. From the outside looking in, I seemed healthy and balanced, but internally, I was suffering deeply. Living in Boulder, Colorado, it wasn’t hard to find clients just like me. They were active and ate better than most of the population, but still didn’t feel good. Each time, we could trace it back to hormonal imbalances and some level of adrenal fatigue. I began to give my clients smoothie and elixir recipes that featured adaptogenic herbs, and they too reported a direct shift in their energy and mood upon consumption.

There came a point where I knew that I had to share these elixir blends, that I had been personally consuming for years, with the world. I had no intention of ever creating a product line, but when the inspiration came, I truly felt choiceless in it.

Since the launch of the Original Adaptogenic Elixirs in June of 2017, we’ve received nothing but positive feedback and success stories of people finding a solution for their anxiety, sleeping through the night, getting relief from their migraines, women gaining their menstrual cycles back, etc. I feel honored to be an advocate for these potent plants that have so much to offer and are so relevant to our current health epidemic. Too many people have become victim of a stress-induced disease. Now, more than ever, people need innovative and holistic solutions for their stress, and that is what By Erika Elizabeth is committed to providing.

By Erika Elizabeth consists of 100% organic, plant-based, synergistic herbal elixirs and single herb products that work on the level of reducing stress chemistry within the body while de-exciting the nervous system. Simultaneously, they enhance beauty, digestive capacity, cell regeneration, immunity, detoxification, brain power, creativity and so much more.

Inspired by ancient healing modalities like Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine, our products fuse together tradition with innovation. By Erika Elizabeth utilizes nature’s intelligence to promote balance, vitality + radiance, ultimately, bringing us back in touch with what is inherent.

Has it been a smooth road?
There are always obstacles to overcome! I launched By Erika Elizabeth at the age of 20 years old. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t have a business background, I didn’t have a ton of money saved up, I didn’t have a mentor or a team behind me… all I had was an idea that I knew came from something beyond myself and I needed to take action on it. The last two years have been all about learning, and to be honest, in a lot of ways, it feels like we are just getting started.

The weekend I launched our Original Adaptogenic Elixirs, I didn’t sell a single product during the entire yoga festival. However, I invested several thousands of dollars leading up to that weekend. Luckily, I was selling smoothies with the product in it, and the smoothies were a hit, so I broke even on our booth. I could have beaten myself up over it, but instead, I chose to be grateful that I broke even, and from there, I saw it as an opportunity to sell all of the inventory that I had prepped for that weekend. In the coming weeks, I signed on four new wholesale accounts and that really was the start of gaining traction and validation for By Erika Elizabeth. Perspective is everything. You can always utilize an obstacle as an opportunity to grow if you are willing to do so.

We’d love to hear more about By Erika Elizabeth.
My official background is in Holistic Nutrition and Mindfulness Functional Medicine, but my real area of expertise comes from my direct experience. My stress made me sick and it ran my life. I watched stress nearly take my father’s life. I watched stress take away from the quality of life of all of my clients.

I personally experienced the repercussions of a stress-filled lifestyle at a strangely young age. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, but at the same time, I wouldn’t take it back because it forced me to dig deep in order to find true wellness.

I wasn’t willing to mask my experience with a pill that came with 20 different side effects. I wasn’t interested in “just dealing with it” and relying on coping mechanisms to get by. I wanted to get to the root.

As a company, our mission is to provide innovative solutions, via products and education, that address the stress epidemic, and the various imbalances that coincide with stressful life. But it doesn’t stop with that. Something we talk a lot about at By Erika Elizabeth is that being well and feeling good is not the end, it is just the beginning. We are here to elevate ourselves and then from there, inspire others to elevate with us. This is what By Erika Elizabeth is all about.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
I didn’t grow up in a community or environment where women were really empowered or doing inspiring things. I was hungry for an example of a powerful female role model as I was finishing up school and entering into adulthood. My meditation teacher, Yashoda Devi Ma, became that. She is the embodiment of everything she teaches. She is graceful, yet powerful. She shows up to life fully and gives her all to her work. Her work is in service to others. She is a single mother, a business owner and a mentor and teacher to hundreds of individuals. Somehow, she manages to show up to it all. I would not be the woman I am today or be doing what I do if it weren’t for her teachings and her mentorship in my life.

Now, I am grateful to say that all of the women I surround myself with on a regular basis are true inspirations to me. In fact, there are too many to name. But I learn and grow from these women daily. It’s such a gift.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.byerikaelizabeth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byerikaelizabeth/

Image Credit:
Tamara Muth-King, Alexis Ahrling

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