Can a Mom With Lyme Disease Start a Beauty Company?

What can a mom living with chronic Lyme disease share with you about building a sustainable skincare company? On today's interview conversation with Stephanie DePisa, we're going to talk about this. Stephanie launched Solara Sun Care at the age of 40 with zero beauty industry experience, and she's built a successful brand that's sold everywhere between Target, Neiman Marcus, and other high-end stores. But her journey with Lyme disease taught her 3 critical things about building a business that lots of entrepreneurs learn the hard way. Today, she's sharing exactly what happens when you try to push through chronic illness symptoms while scaling and growing your business, and why she's choosing to turn down major growth opportunities that would expand her business way too quickly, and the strategy that lets her build a profitable business without burning out her body. If you're tired of feeling like you have to choose between your health and your business success, there are going to be these 3 insights that you're going to be able to walk away with that will change the way you think about growing a sustainable business, especially if you're living with a chronic illness, going through burnout, transitioning in different stages. This conversation and this interview is for you. Can't wait to hear what you think. Before you go, be sure to like and subscribe to the show. I am so excited Stephanie on the show. We are gonna dive into some stuff, I feel like. We are. I am so excited to have you on. Please tell us how you would describe yourself.

Oh goodness. Well, it's great to be here. I'm so excited to talk to you. Myself, well, I'm a mom first and foremost. I'm a mom and a founder. I'm a wife, a sister. So I wear a lot of hats like many of us do. So I would describe myself as like kind of the ultimate multitasker here at this point. Point in where I am in my, in my journey.

Yes. And I was, when I was researching and learning about you and your business, I was just like, this woman has done some amazing things. You have built a business during some really big pivots in your life and in, in the world even. I, I think you launched, uh, Solara during the pandemic or right before it, or during that time. Tell us about your empire. That's what I want to call it. It feels like an empire.

Well, thank you. That's the ultimate compliment. We, we'd love for it to be one day. But you're right, I, I have— Solera came to me during an interesting pivot in my life and in my health, and then it took us a couple years to build it and formulate it. And when we did put it into the universe, it was late 2019, so it right before the pandemic, which was, you know, we were only a few months in. We'd only soft launched when the whole world closed down. So we have definitely been through a lot over the last 5 years.

Yes. And I think what's so cool about this is that this wasn't like what you had been doing. Like, this was kind of a pivot point in your life, right?

It, it really was. Prior, in my prior life, I'll call it, you know, in my, in my 20s, uh, I worked in New York and I worked for, in the agency world doing marketing and PR for an agency, working with a lot of big brands, uh, mostly in CPG, no beauty brands. And I left that world behind when I had my first son and I decided that I wanted to, to stay at home and, and to give that a try and to, to raise my kids. And I have 3 kids. And that, that same son just graduated high school yesterday. But along that journey, long before his graduation, I kind of came up with the idea for Solara and, and I was doing some consulting work, um, while I was staying at home. So I hadn't kind of fully left the world of, um, PR and marketing. Um, but I was doing it at night, you know, when they're sort of, when they were taking naps, I was, you know, really just as a consultant. Um, but once I started to ruminate on the idea of Solara, I decided to jump into that full force. And, um, that transported me to a completely different next step in my journey. And that's led me to where I am today, which is obviously this is a full-time, a full-time role, and we're building, um, every single day.

Yeah. I mean, I love when I have moms on the show because I'm, you know, I joke, I'm like, I have fur babies, but I know it's different. Like, I know it's different. My mom, when I was growing up, had a daycare, and I used to to help her with that. And then I just can't imagine the, the capacity conversation we have a lot when managing chronic illness and then also having children and all, all of that while you're building, right? I'm gonna keep calling it an empire because I feel one day I'm just gonna walk into your store and there's like, so this is your space, like, and everyone knows, like, I just love it. I love it. I love it. How have you been able to manage your capacity day-to-day, chronic illness. And let's, let's talk a little bit. First of all, first of all, what is the chronic illness that you've been kind of navigating through your journey? Yeah.

So actually when I first started kind of coming up with the idea of Solara and working on what that looked like, I, I actually was going through some significant health issues that for a very long time doctors could not put a label on it. They just couldn't figure it out. And turns out I actually had both Lyme disease and some co-infections. Um, Babesia was the kind of my co-infection, and that really truly threw my whole life for a loop. And it's been an ongoing journey because it was a late-stage situation by the time I found the right folks to kind of figure it out and help me through it. I'm very lucky and happy and proud to say that I made it through those tough parts for sure, which I know not everybody has that same story, but it is something that persists, you know, long after the diagnosis and long after you've kind of made it through that initial rough patch. So, so that's what I was dealing with in that moment and continue to deal with even today.

Yeah. I mean, first of all, I want to shout out the, the Lyme community because one of the first guests that I had on my show that talked about chronic Lyme, that, that community is amazing. Like, I think the positive I call them like the posse. Like they are literally the posse. They are so kind and inclusive of not just chronic Lyme because there are so many co-infections that are amplified because of Lyme, right? And that community has just— one of the first communities that asked me to come and speak at an event. Like they've just been amazing community and I don't have Lyme. Like I'm like, I just support women who do. So have you found support? Through sharing your story or connecting with those resources in your own journey?

I have, and I, I could not agree with you more that, that the Lyme community is incredible. And I did not discover that community until after I kind of was working through some of the challenges that I had early on. Because it was so many years ago, I wasn't as on— as much in social media and online as I am today. And so I really went through it trying to find people who I could connect with that really understood. And I was lucky enough living in the New York City area to find a couple of those people. But as time has passed, I found so many more people that we're really all so interconnected. And that is one of the great, wonderful things about social media is that you're able to see that you're not alone. And there are some amazing advocates like outside of Global Lyme Alliance and Project Lyme, which are amazing. Like there are, people like Allie Maresco and the Tick Chicks, you know, that are really out there every single day sharing the message, connecting people. And I think the— it's such an important part of a healing journey to know that you're not alone and to share resources. And so I wish I had discovered that early on. And now, thanks to you, I'm open to sharing my story a little bit more. I never realized anybody would care that it would really be such an important thread of where I am today. But the more I speak about it, the the more I realized that there's so many people that are dealing with similar things on every level. Yeah, maybe not Lyme, maybe it's celiac, maybe there's so many things. And if we can all help each other and feel less alone in the journey, it's, it's incredibly powerful to do that.

Yeah, and I appreciate you coming on and talking about it because I, I, I'm always surprised and also nervous sometimes to talk to you know, business owners, because it is— there is kind of— I'm hoping I'm changing this. I'm hoping the community in the world of women who live with chronic illness, because we already feel like we have enough stacked up against us as women in general. Right. Let's not add on the fact that we got some health issues that are affecting maybe our capacity or energy today and to talk about it openly. But do you feel like going through what you've gone through and still going through has actually added to the reason why your business is successful and why you have found, you know, the systems that you need in order to make it work.

Yeah, I— a million percent, I think yes. And I feel like, you know, when you're in the moment, you're like, why am I going through this? Like, why? And now I kind of feel like, well, now I'm starting to understand it. And my own personal, like, experience with Lyme I was very fortunate enough, after going through many doctors that didn't know what it was, to find a few that did. And, and one of them in particular, um, Dr. Pamela, Pamela Yi, I can't say enough good things about, but really opened my eyes to this world of integrative medicine and integrative healing. So not just all natural, like a mix of conventional and homeopathic and all kinds of things to help treat and rebuild the immune system. And it was there that I learned about ingredients that I actually use in our products today. And it was there that I learned that what I put in my body and on my body actually matters a lot to my healing journey. Yeah. For inflammatory purposes, for, for many reasons. And so if it wasn't for that experience, I don't think our formulations would have ended up as— at the time they used the word clean. We're always careful with those kind of words because it's not like a regulated term.

Yeah.

But it informed us to take out some of the very common sunscreen ingredients that are known to be disruptive to, um, our endocrine system, build up in our bloodstream, cause inflammation, all things that people with chronic illness have to pay attention to. Yeah, inflammation is like, you know, a huge one. And so I, I do think it's informed that incredibly, and It's what sets our brand apart is that we, we do have a North Star. Sunscreen is such a popular category right now. People are jumping right into it because it's trendy. And, um, but, but this has really been our mission from day one, 5 years ago. So, um, I think because of that we have a very loyal community that can continue to be a part of other people's healing journey too.

Yeah, and I'm glad you brought like how this journey has reflected into the way you approached products, like building up, creating a product that affects our bodies. You know, there's not a lot of, uh, how do I say this in the most correct way I can say? There's a lot of brands that don't care a flip about what's in their products and how it affects the endocrine system, especially when it comes to women. Right? It's just like, just like there hasn't been a lot of research in medical world comparatively to male versus to women, it's the same thing in the beauty industry and the wellness industry. One of my good friends, Nikita Williams, she talks about this a lot, about how we're just supposed to take it. Like, we're just supposed to, we're just supposed to take it. And so for you as a founder and as the creator and like the formulating these products, right? What has been something that's been eye-opening that you would think more people should consider when they're considering creating a product, knowing it's going on a woman's body?

Yeah, I wish more people would ask exactly that question. And I know there's like a variety of schools of thought. The cosmetic chemist might have a completely different opinion than I have. Or maybe a dermatologist might also disagree with my perspective. But the way I see it is that I'm not a fan of saying that chemicals are bad. I don't think they are. I think there's plenty of amazing chemicals. Everything's a chemical. Yeah, that are wonderful. So we should never label it as natural versus not. But I will say I wish more testing would be done on specific types of ingredients that are known to be endocrine disruptive, specifically for women. A category that I look at besides sunscreen, obviously I feel that way. Fragrance is another one, right? Like little things like that where they say, oh no, no, it's safe, it's safe at the use levels that we are using them at. But the truth is, I personally believe all of it builds up in our body. And so yeah, this one has a little bit, and this one has a little bit, and this one. But when you add it up over time, in one single day of all the things, and then over time all the things, I think we do have to take a bigger look at the trends, yeah, of women's health now versus 10 years ago. We're dealing with so many more challenges with hormones and infertility and things like that, that I think overall, um, we should be encouraging tests and on things that we thought previously were completely fine and safe. Um, yeah, it's opening Pandora's box.

I know, I know, it is, it is a huge conversation. I mean, it really is.

I mean, it really is.

But I definitely appreciate you sharing that because I think the more— I think The point of me asking that question, and I love your answer, is bringing awareness to where, whatever spaces we're navigating, these are the type of questions we, we need to be asking to create awareness around having these conversations and actually having research being done. Because if we don't know that this is even something to think about, no one's going to care. It's like, um, I was listening to a podcast episode recently and it was with, uh, my favorite girl, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, right now. Like, I cannot get enough of her. And Sarah Blakely. And they were talking about, um, I want to say they were talking about the, the industry as far as like shoes, just women's shoes, right? And she was watching something on like CBS and a Good Morning America show, and it was like, I think it was some famous designer who's a man who was like saying basically, I wouldn't, I don't, I don't want a shoe that is comfortable for a woman. Like if, if that happens, like I don't want to be in business if my shoe is comfortable. And I thought, how nice for you to say, cause you don't have to wear them. Like how nice, you know, what a thing. And I think in general, we have a lot of these products to your point that we have that because they're main, main, they're not wearing them. They're not collectively putting all of these things on to even think, oh, this is probably not healthy long-term. We have to advocate for ourselves. So I love that you shared like, yeah, what you did. So thanks.

Or at least ask the questions, you know, like I said, I know in the world of beauty there's a lot of disagreement between, say, someone on my end that would be like, I'm so conscious of specific ingredients and maybe perhaps a cosmetic chemist that is looking at the science and the data from that perspective. So Um, you know, there's multiple ways of approaching it, but I think if you're someone like we are that has had a health need or has had a challenge to overcome where looking at those things and removing them from our day-to-day where it has had healing effects, I think you have to question the overall picture of, um, long-term— yeah, that's long-term effects. Yeah, long-term effects nowadays. They're being used younger and younger and younger. We're seeing all the teenage girls or young preteens, you know, getting into the world of beauty at much earlier, much earlier timeframe with not a lot of restriction on what's being put in the product or on their skin.

So, so true.

Yeah. If we just, you know, educate people, people should be able to make whatever choice that they choose is right for them. They should just be aware, right? I think that's, that's my only thing. Just be aware and then make the decision that's right for you. Do I have a cocktail occasionally on Friday nights? Yes, 100%. You know what I mean? So it's like about what's balance in your life and what makes sense in your life. But I do think there are things that we're putting in our body and on our skin multiple times a day, every single day, and that really should get a little extra scrutiny, in my personal opinion.

I, I feel, I feel you. I think So those of us with chronic illness understand the collective load of things, right? When it comes to capacity, when it comes to stress, we understand that, oh, you didn't just wake up with a chronic illness today, or you didn't just have a flare-up today. Like, there's been layers and layers, and we have become much more aware about those things. And so the way we see the world, right, is a lot different than if you are not living with that and one day all of a sudden waking up with a chronic illness and realizing, oh no, this happened over time.

That's exactly right. And, and sometimes over long periods of time where you can then not really put a, you know, finger on exactly what may have caused it in the first place. So yeah, I agree.

I think what's really interesting about your story, Stephanie, is that you did this in the middle of your life. Like, like at this point of your life, I just turned 38 and I was thinking, I'm, I'm kind of pivoting in a way in my business. And I was thinking if I was coming from a corporate environment and then I was like, I'm going to start a business, my husband would look at me like, what are you talking about, chick? Like, don't do it. So like, how, what has been some of your, like, what was, what was the motivation? And then also was there fears around doing this at this point of your life?

Completely. So I really started it as kind of a mom on a mission. I have 3 kids, like I mentioned, and 2 of them actually have adverse skin reactions to chemical sunscreen. They're, they're the kids that get the burning, the itching, the rash. And so we were on vacation one year and I was putting it on my son, a very popular spray, over and over and over, thinking that's, well, that's what you're supposed to do, right? And it really didn't end well. It ended up in the doctor's office and the dermatologist. And, and that's where I really learned about the way that sunscreen works and how it does the chemical sunscreen absorbs and it builds up into the body. And if you have sensitive skin, if you have autoimmune issues, whatever your case may be, it can then cause a reaction that's unpleasant. And so that's really where the idea came from. And back then, so we launched 5 years ago, 2 years it took us to formulate. So we're talking like a good 7 to 9 years ago when this was a problem for me and he was little, but there wasn't a lot on the market. We didn't invent zinc oxide. It's been around forever. I mean, we all had it in the '80s. And put all the bright colors like Lifeguard Zinc, but it wasn't pleasant. It's like toothpaste and white. And so, um, I just was trying to find a solution and I couldn't find one I loved. And so I said, I think I can maybe— let me see what I can do. And, and so I kind of stumbled on it. I didn't set out saying I really want to own my own business one day, and I, I stumbled into it and through a lot of research realized I wasn't the only one with the problem. And then I decided to kind of try to solve it for my family. And when we launched it, it, it really, like, it must have— other people must have been able to relate. Yeah, because we, we really, um, gained quickly a following and, um, retail interests. And then it kind of grew from there. So it was like almost like an accidental, you know, entrepreneurship. But it's been a wild, wild ride.

I can't imagine. I mean, in such a different I mean, you've been in business and you've been for— so first you formulated the— I'm, I'm sure you worked through like, you know, formulating the product, finding the right— before you came to like the market, if you will, with the product, right? And so that's right, while you were building and testing this, what kind of like mind drama that you have around, okay, Is this gonna work? Am I crazy? Like, were there those thoughts and how did you work through them?

A million percent. In fact, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have those thoughts every single day. And I think anybody that owns any business whatsoever, whatever it is, probably has those thoughts at least 10 times a day. Um, you know, because it— the highs are highs and the lows are lows, and your day can look just like this. And I think, um, for me, that was something I I didn't know, right? And so you kind of learn it very fast and then you strap in for the ride. Um, but it's definitely not easy. It's not for the weary, that's for sure. Um, these are things that perhaps I didn't realize, you know, kind of entering it in the way that I did. I, I never owned my own business before outside of consulting, and so it truly was from the ground up. I was learning it, but trial by fire, you know. And I don't come from the industry, um, and that's the other piece which I think to be honest with you, was a superpower in the moment because you don't know what you don't know. And so you continue to push and push and push on things that maybe if you'd been in the industry for a while and you kind of get a little jaded, right? Um, formulation being one of them. We kept hearing, you can't do that, you can't do that. And we're like, no, no, you can, you can, you know. And we figured it out, but Yeah, it was a, a long road, that's for sure.

I can't imagine. I mean, what I hear in that is like determination and also just like, this is, it seems like because it was a personal mission of like, I have to make this work even if it's just not like for my kids. I know that like my kids have this and they're dealing with this and I might be dealing with this. Like, was there a part of you in this? This, you know, industry, especially of all industries. I feel like anything like skincare, beauty, it's like the one of the hardest industries in general to like do anything in.

It is.

So it is. What was your motive? Like, what was your constant like grounding foundation of like, this is hard as heck, but I'm gonna keep going?

Yeah, I think it was the core of why I even wanted to do it in the first place, which is why I think, you know, like I said, as the category explodes right now, trend-wise, like people look at data and they're like, it's the fastest growing category in skincare. Let me hop on the bandwagon. But for us, like, genuinely, there was a reason that I really wanted to solve this problem. For my kids. And then the more research that I did, the more outside professionals that we got involved— I'm not a formulator, right? So we, we have an amazing chemist, dermatologist, estheticians, holistic medical doctors. Like, we really put together a team of people that felt the same way. And the more I realized some of these ingredients are not good for us, like, so for me, that was really where I was like, I cannot give up on this because there, the proof is there. Even the FDA right now is reevaluating some of the sunscreen filters it allows here in the United States, which Europe doesn't allow.

Right.

There's a lot of that.

Right.

And so I think it just really fueled me of like, we've got— like, this is not right. Like, we have to— we have to find a way through it. And I've learned a lot over the years, things that I was really concerned about or had a problem with early on, I've come to learn through research and data, maybe weren't as scary as I thought, and vice versa. So it's evolved through the years, but I think that's what's kept me getting up every day, day after day. And, and I get— some of the messages that I get from our customers are life-changing. Like, I'll hear from someone that has chronic illness of how this is the only product they can use that doesn't give them a rash on their face, or someone that went through skin cancer and, and Mohs surgery and trusts our products, you know. So And for me, like, that's— it makes you feel like, okay, there is a need for this and we're solving that need for someone. And as long as we're doing that, I feel good about it, you know, and makes the harder days a little easier.

Yeah.

Right.

Because there's hard days.

There's hard days.

Yeah.

It is not sunshine and roses every day. Like, Instagram definitely feels that way, you know, when you see all the entrepreneurs launching things. Looks like so glamorous and amazing. And yeah, not a lot of times do people show the, the peek behind that curtain is sometimes not beautiful. Yeah.

And you know, that is so true. And you know, we keep it real and legit on this show.

Like, yes, you do. That's why I was excited to talk to you. Like, let's be real with each other because we're not in it alone.

No, we're not. No. And I think, I think, you know, for me, because I, I talk to a lot of business owners There's a handful of business owners that I feel like they have in a way have had a relatively smooth, um, go of business, but the majority of people have that roller coaster, like business itself. And I think to your point, like Instagram and just, I think the way we've been taught about business by other business gurus, if you will, gives us the impression sometimes that the ups and downs are really aren't that bad. They don't really happen as often as we think they do and that you have it wrong and that's why it's not working versus like, no, we're all still trying to figure this out, especially if you've never done it before.

That's right.

I wonder too, Stephanie, if, if in your life, like being a mother and then living with chronic illness, There's, I'm, I know with chronic illness, there's definitely like, I didn't expect that. I didn't know that. Okay. I thought I had it right, but I definitely gotta have it right now.

Right.

Did having that kind of prerequisite before you built, started building this support you in the really hard times?

I think so. I definitely think so. Because when you are dealing with something like we do with chronic illness, I feel like every day you're fighting for something. Every single day. You're fighting maybe for a doctor to hear you. You're fighting to find the solution that works for you that maybe, you know, didn't work for other people. Like, I think there's always something that you're trying to, like, you know, overcome. And so it makes you a little— makes you tough.

Yeah. Yeah.

And, you know, and yeah. So I think in that respect, it's definitely prepared me in a lot of ways and even mentally. Because being an entrepreneur can be very lonely. You know, it can be, and so can having chronic illness. Like, you can feel very isolated and alone, and, you know, you find ways through that, through community and through research and all the things. And so I think there's some synergy there. Yeah, maybe that I only just realized saying that out loud right now that I was like, oh, I never really thought about that. But it, it, it It's true. They both can be kind of lonely journeys, but also rewarding when you get to the other side of it. Yeah. Um, but the flip side of that is that when you're dealing with chronic illness and you're an entrepreneur or any profession really, but especially the highs and the lows, I, I've noticed for me have become harder because I sometimes ignore the signs of when I start to know the times I need to rest, or I know the times that things are getting a little haywire. What stress does. Um, and then because of that, I think it exemplifies even more my symptoms, right? Like when I stop listening to myself, and, and I have been not listening to myself right now, you know. So that's the other side of the equation, is like I think it can also take its toll maybe a little quicker or in a bigger way, um, than someone without chronic illness.

Yeah, no, I Yes. Like, yes, I, I'm curious to know, is that because of where you are in life and business that you have found yourself ignoring what you know within yourself? Like, no, I probably need this, but I'm going to do this instead. Is there a pressure from the outside or whatever that's adding to the way you're moving through the world right now?

Yes, I think yes. I think, um, without a doubt, for sure. Um, because we still— we, for— in my case, like, we're still a family-owned brand by choice.

Yeah.

Um, and so we still have a lean and mean team by choice right now. Um, we, we've, we've not ventured out into the world of venture capital or private equity. We get the calls all the time, but for now this is the right fit. But because of that choice a lot does fall, um, on my shoulders, right? Because this is our life savings. This is everything that our family has, you know, put in and believes that it's going to be something, and, and it, and it has been. But because of that, I think the pressure is definitely there for no days off and no, you know, so I have to really constantly remind myself because my personality is to just keep going, keep going. It's just another hour, it's just another meeting, it's just, you know, um, I'm not gonna miss my kids anything, right? And I'm doing the call from the car and the way, and not having that downtime to recharge and relax, um, does take its toll for sure. And I have not been listening to that. We're in our peak season. So to me, every moment feels like a missed opportunity. But to my body, every moment that I miss is like a little fire that gets ignited. And over time, not good.

Do you feel like in, in, in this season right now, in this space right now, that there's anything in the earlier version of your business, like before you got to this space, that you're looking at implementing to give you more of that capacity to be able to say no without your— without fear of like, okay, this is the, you know, the end of it, you know what I'm saying?

Yeah, yeah. I think a couple of things, um, I think in the beginning, sort of the— I don't say like the naivete, like of not, you know, being, um, as aware or focused on some of the external elements, like whether it's retail partners being the gold standard or specific, you know, milestones financially, all the things. Like in the beginning, it was just like like, let's put this into the universe and see what happens and take things as they come and be like very strategic. But then at one point it grew so fast and you're like, say yes to everything, and we want to be in every big retailer and every— and, and that comes with a price. So I think what, what I've been trying to do over the last 6 to 9 months is always a pivot, right? Is go back to our roots and say, wait a minute, maybe we— to be successful, we don't need to be in every store in all of America where we are today, right? Like like, we, we have a lot of ways that you can define success, and maybe getting back to that. And that has been helpful because saying no sometimes is quite freeing.

Yes.

Because we were saying yes to everything for a long time.

Yeah.

Um, and it stresses the system, right?

Yes. Yes.

The business system, the personal system.

Yes. Yes. Um, yes.

Yeah. And asking for help.

Yes.

That's the other thing. Like, we're now growing enough where we can hire some people full-time, and, and, um, relinquishing some of that um, responsibility has been very freeing. Yeah, um, yeah, to open up a little bit of space for maybe a meditation in the morning, or, you know, things I'm working on, Nikita.

I'm working on— no, I get it. You know, it's because, you know, we're— I'm curious, when you first started your business, were you still like at the— were you still really going through chronic illness? Like, were you aware that it was chronic Lyme? Was it Or were you kind of like, oh, we know it's chronic Lyme, now we're finding our tools to deal with it while you like started building Solera?

Such a good question. I actually started building Solera and took a whole year off. Um, so we, we really would have launched in 2018 if, if Lyme hadn't changed my journey.

Gotcha.

Um, so I was starting to formulate and come up with the idea and everything. Many years ago. And it was during— in that time, I was like, that's when I was dealing with maybe the worst of the worst. And I didn't know it. I didn't know it. The doctors thought— the number of diagnoses that I had were wrong, were scary. I mean, some of the things that they thought I had or needed to treat me for. And so that was a whole year of wrong decisions medically. And that paused all the Solara work because I couldn't I, you know, if you had to ask me then if I'd ever have a business, I'd say, oh gosh, there's no way. I couldn't even think. I couldn't— my brain didn't work at all. And so I was like on a roll and then it just like screeching halt. My body just didn't— couldn't do it. And then, and then as I got further down in my healing journey, I think it inspired me even more of like, I don't want to just make a zinc sunscreen. Now we're going to make something that's good for us. Like before, I didn't know all these other ingredients that I didn't want. And then went through this whole process and spent a lot of time with Dr. Yi and Dr. Cameron and learned. And so I think it was all happened for a reason because the formulations we came up with after the fact were very different than what— where they started before I paused. So it's funny how the world works.

Yeah. And you know, it's really cool too because what I hear in that is that And I do this on the show, so yeah, you might be like, Nikita Williams, it sounds like in that space of being like, oh, we were on this momentum, we're going, we were going, and then your body said, no, we're not, we have to pause. That the best part of what needed to come into the world happened when you did, when you reset, when you took a moment to really prioritize, okay, I like, there is nothing else I can do. And it sounds like maybe now you're in the season where that might also be something that's coming forward again, of being like, I know you want to run this runway, but are we, are we in a space where we actually need to like reset a little bit to kind of get back into that space? And that's what it kind of sounds like you're moving into right now.

You're so right. Yes, the answer is yes, because it was definitely an awakening moment over the past, you know, 6 to 9 months. I started getting my symptoms again. I started, you know, all the things. And you're right, like, it, it also makes you question, like, okay, what can I be doing differently? Can I lead differently? Can we, can we structure differently? What changes do we have to make, frankly? Because it's not sustainable.

Yeah.

Um, for me personally, like, I don't— if I continued on that path, I'm not really sure where it physically or health-wise I would be at the end of that year wouldn't be good. And that would've meant that all this wasn't, it wasn't, um, it was for nothing, you know? And so you're right.

Yeah.

It's, it's, it's that time you just have to, you know, clear, clear things out and, um, and restart again.

Yeah. It sounds like a question I love to ask is like, what keeps you grounded in the growth? Because I think when we feel like when we're scaling and when I'm talking to like CEOs who are building these empires, I'm like, there's a fear. And I think for a lot of folks who aren't quite there yet, who haven't even gotten to that point, one of the biggest fears I hear from them, and I think this kind of needs to trickle down from here down, is like the fear of like, what if I get too big and it crashes? And I, and I'm like, well, how does it look like to be in that space, to be like, actually, you can turn the faucet down a little bit and readjust. Is that possible? As scary as it is.

Yeah.

Is it something we can do? Because I think a lot of folks who are getting growing and wanting to scale, that is a huge fear, especially for those living with chronic illness, because they're like, if that happens, I'm going to be broke. Like, like broken physically. And I don't want that to happen, right?

That's right. That's right. And, and that— and I'll let you know on the flip side, because that's exactly what we're doing right now, is, is we're trying to turn down the faucet because it really, like, following COVID and, you know, it blew up in all the great ways that you want it to. And with that comes a price tag. And then you start to realize, okay, well, to stay focused and to stay growing and to stay who we want to stay.

Yeah.

Um, what changes do we need to make? And is it taking on a bunch of capital and growing as fast as we can and trying to sell it? Or is it taking a pause, remembering who we are, and stay, you know, true to who we are? And that might mean, um, slowing the growth just a touch to make sure everything that we're doing is intentional. And, and that's what we chose to do. We chose to keep it intentional, um, because I'd like to be here for the long haul. Um, the goal wasn't to just hurry up and build something fast and quickly sell and the goal is to be around for a long time and continue to make products that people need.

Yeah.

Um, and to do that, we have to stay true to who we are and not dilute what we built. So I'm hoping that that's the right decision. It seems to be working okay. So for anybody contemplating that, so far so good. We're all right. We're all right.

I think you'll be fine. We might have to do a 6-month check-in. Check-in.

Nikita, we're good today.

I think you'll be fine. You know, something that I have just my part of my mission and part of my like goal is I get that people burn out in their businesses and I get it. Like, I know that happens.

Yeah.

But I would like for people to be like, I never burnt out, I just grew differently. And that is where I want to continue to grow. And like, I get that we're going to do things where it's like, oh, that was maybe not the best decision. I think for those of us living with chronic illness, there's a tendency when we take those pauses to feel like now we have to catch up. So we make a lot of decisions based on catching up, right? Like this fear of like, I'm already behind. So we make some of these decisions in that space. I call it the fear, the fear paradigm space. We're making those decisions from that space. And that's what ultimately I feel like creates the burnout. It creates the, like all these decisions. And I just hope that when people hear these conversations, they, they hear it and say, oh, okay, there's a different way I can do this. And my foundations matter, and your why matters, and the reason why you're doing what you're doing matters. And so do you, like, you the person running the business matters, right?

Yes, yes, I— yes, all of those things. Yes, because without that, I think it's easy to get lost. It's easy to get swallowed up in the whole process. And, um, it can be dangerous, you know, dangerous for health, dangerous financially, dangerous for all the things. And I love what you said about, you're right about making decisions from a place of fear. And I, I've found in my experience, every time I do that, it doesn't end up the way that I would like it to. And that sometimes taking the extra beat, the extra moment to dial it down. Remove the fear, wait till you can make a, a sound decision, whether it's health-wise or for the business. Um, it tends to always be the better choice. It's just hard to learn how to do that.

Yeah.

When you feel like, like you said, you're always trying to catch up. I love that you said that because I think so many of us, especially with chronic illness, can probably relate to that. Like, oh gosh, well, if I take tomorrow to like reset and like get myself like physically and health-wise back on track, what will the next day look like? Like, oh my gosh, you know. But if you can reset that thinking to like, maybe the next day will be even more productive. Yeah, because, right, but that's hard. That's hard to reset your mindset. It's hard.

Yeah, no, it is. It is really a challenge, especially if that's the, the way you've been thinking, that's the way you've been operating. I think it's really difficult.

Um, that's right.

Steph, can you tell me— I keep calling you Steph because you remind me of a good friend I just call Steph Beth. And I'm like, okay, good.

My good friends call me Steph too.

Oh, okay, sweet. Um, do you— what is one thing you want us to know about your product and about what your dreams are for it going forward in the space that's like grounded in where you really wanted it to be?

Right. Well, I think what I'd love people to know, uh, is really our mission and what makes us different, because I think there's a lot of clutter and a of things happening in the beauty industry right now. And it's, can be a confusing space as a customer and as a business owner for sure. So I think for me, really staying true to who we are and that being the message that people can take away is that if you are searching for something that you haven't been able to find, maybe you're dealing with something health-wise or maybe it's just a lifestyle choice. That you can come to our brand and feel confident that you can find a solution on— in our, in our assortment. Because not only am I saying that, you know, but we've gone through all the extensive testing and the third-party credentials to prove that out from a clean ingredient, safety, efficacy. We really credential everything that we say specifically because it's built for people that have a need.

Yeah.

And we want people to trust what they're putting on their skin and not just what we're saying. Mark, Marketing can be crazy, we all know that. So, you know, so I think for me that's like the most important thing is, is for people to feel like they can find a solution on our shelf and feel really confident in putting it on their skin or their family's skin. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think that would be— that would be good. Yeah.

So you can go and like connect with Solara and the company. We'll have everything in the show notes so for you guys to go check out where we can find you, where are you stores or online and all of that jazz. I have one more question for you. Sure. What is something that you believed at the very beginning of this journey that you thought 100% is true that now you know, nope, that it was not true at all?

Well, that's a great question. Oh my goodness. Did we have a few more hours?

I'm like, oh, there's so many. There's only so many of them. Yeah.

There are so many things, where do I even start? Um, no, I think for me, I, I don't know, I thought that, um, owning my own business, my own brand was going to be a bit more linear, um, that it was getting really hard in the beginning and then kind of get easier as we grew and I learned more and all the things. And I would say that's not been the case at all. Every day is a new adventure, learning experience, and it's more of an up and down every single And I think if I knew that sooner, I would have felt a little bit more confident in my own abilities. Because when that happens to you and you don't realize that's the way that it goes when you own a business, yeah, I think you're doing something wrong. You're second-guessing.

You're—

and I think, um, that's something that I'd want my, my previous version of myself to know is that this is actually normal. The up and down is never going to change if you're building something special. And so Um, I love that you shared that.

I needed to hear that reminder cuz I know that to be true, but I, I needed to hear that. That's, you know, part of the reason why I started asking that question cuz there's a lot of messaging that will tell us about things and we're thinking there's only one way to do one thing. And you're like, but there isn't, you know, that you've seen it work for other people and you see companies, you know, ebbing and flowing, but somehow we get in our head like, no, you're failing because you're down this month, this part of the year, right?

That's right. Or you have one upset customer or one account that you wanted to get, but they said no. Or the truth is, in 6 months from now, they could say yes, you know. So these are things that I think if I knew then, maybe I'd be less hard on myself. And I think the social media too has been such a blessing in the fact that I can connect with community and my brand can be shared in places that I could never afford to advertise, like back in the old days. The downside of it as an entrepreneur or someone building something with chronic illness is that sometimes it is easy, even as a grown adult, to forget that you're seeing the highlights. And so to not compare someone's journey, because every journey looks completely different, and most of the time it's not as, um, upward as maybe you would think for others as well.

I feel like I want to tell people there are more lows than there are highs to just, just be prepared for that and be like, that's normal. That's actually normal.

Yeah, see, I needed to hear that today because it's been a day, it's been a Monday, and I'm like, oh my gosh, why did I do this again? No, you're right, you're, you're right. I really like that you said that because it's, it is true.

Yeah.

Um, but the highs are what keeps us going, and we hope that eventually it evens out, right?

Yeah, and it, and it really does. It really does. It's just, I I think the expectation— we're not failing, we're just becoming, we're just moving through, we're just growing through. And it's such a good reminder. And I think for those of us living with chronic illness, we also make it mean that our chronic illness is making this even harder, harder, harder, harder, harder. And it's like, well, I think it's hard for other people too. It's a different kind of hard, but they are also having lows. They are also having this ups and downs kind of experience. And I don't want to give my chronic illness more power than it already has, to give it all this credit for creating the mayhem. That's also life, right? Right. So, right, I, I'm glad that you shared that for you too. It's like, yeah, it's not, it's not all ups and down, like just not all up.

No, it's not, it's not all up. And it, it doesn't get easier, just the challenges become different. That's really what it is. And it's just learning how to navigate that with less stress in your mind and your body. And that's a daily learning process.

Absolutely. Well, I so appreciate you coming on and chatting with me.

Thank you for having me.

This was fabulous. I feel like the last time I talked to you when we were like doing a pre-chat, I was like, I feel like I can talk to you forever.

Oh, I love it. I feel the same way. We need to do this more often, my friend, because you know what, maybe we would both like feel okay, all right, I can now tackle tomorrow. Alone here.

Yes, I love it, I love it. Well, if everybody wants to find you, tell them real quick. Well, of course we'll have this in the show notes. Where can they find you online?

Um, so on our website, it's solarasuncare.com, which is also our handle for social media, @solarasuncare. And we have products from Blue Mercury to Whole Foods and Target if you want to buy us online as well.

That's awesome. So excited. Well, thank you so much again.

Thanks for having me. It was so great to talk to you.