July 8, 2025 • 32 mins
Jessica Lowry never planned to leave academia. As a university professor with a clear career path, starting a business wasn't on her radar until a desperate prayer during financial hardship changed everything. When three of her teaching courses were unexpectedly dropped while her husband faced health issues, Jessica found herself on her knees asking for guidance on how to support her family. The answer came through elderberry syrup.
What began as a mother's attempt to create a natural remedy her daughter would actually take quickly evolved into a full-fledged business. Jessica and her husband found themselves working late into the night, learning everything from food safety regulations to manufacturing processes with absolutely no prior experience. "I felt completely unqualified," Jessica admits, capturing the doubt many entrepreneurs face when stepping into unfamiliar territory.
The journey wasn't just about creating a product. For Jessica, it meant reconciling her identity as an educator with her new role as a business owner. "I believe a piece of my heart is still sitting at the podium in Kearns Hall, room 201," she shares, describing the emotional challenge of leaving teaching. But the perspective shift came when she realized God didn't pull her out of the classroom – he simply made her classroom bigger, allowing her to educate people about holistic wellness on a national scale.
Through trademark lawsuits lasting three and a half years, financial struggles that left them unable to pay themselves, and constant questioning about whether this was truly her calling, Jessica persevered. Today, The Power of Elderberries ships nationwide and is recognized by holistic practitioners across the country. Rather than expanding into multiple products, Jessica remains focused on their signature elderberry formulation that supports whole-body wellness.
For anyone feeling called toward something that makes your heart race with both excitement and anxiety, Jessica offers this wisdom: "Stepping into what we're being led to can open up our greatest purpose in life, even when we don't feel qualified." Her story reminds us that sometimes our most meaningful work emerges not from careful planning, but from having the courage to follow unexpected guidance, one faithful step at a time.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Welcome to the SheSweet Society, a community
where women from all backgroundscome together to share their
stories, support one another andreveal the unfiltered reality
of our lives.
I'm your host, Dahlia, and thispodcast exists to give voice
and space to women whoseexperiences might otherwise go
unheard.
Today, I'm joined by JessicaLowry, founder of the Power of
(00:34):
Elderberries, whose storyperfectly illustrates what
happens when you drop to yourknees and ask for guidance and
then actually have the courageto follow it.
Jessica's journey fromuniversity professor to holistic
business owner wasn't part ofany master plan.
It started with pregnancy, flusymptoms, a desperate search for
natural remedies and atwo-year-old who refused to take
medicine.
(00:56):
What makes Jessica's story socompelling isn't just the
business success, but herhonesty about feeling
unqualified, fighting trademarklawsuits for three and a half
years and wondering if she wassupposed to be doing any of this
at all.
As someone who spent years inacademia with a clear path,
stepping into entrepreneurshipwithout experience or a business
plan required a level of faith.
Most of us can't fathom Whetheryou're questioning your current
(01:19):
direction, feeling called tosomething you don't understand,
or simply trying to trust thatyou're qualified for the life
you're living.
Jessica's journey reminds usthat sometimes our greatest
purpose emerges from our mostdesperate moments.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
You're in Myrtle Beach, is that?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
right, myrtle Beach, south Carolina.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
yes, your story is extremely fascinating from what
I could, from what you sent andthen what I could scrape and I'm
very excited to learn a littlebit more about you and for my
listeners to hear your story.
So thank you for joining theSheSweet Society.
I'm very, very happy to haveyou here.
Yeah, thank you for having me.
(02:00):
Yeah, tell me so.
Did you always grow up or areyou from?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
South Carolina?
I'm not.
I'm actually originally fromMichigan.
No, no way.
Where in Michigan and how longago was that I grew up in a
small town called Adrian,Michigan, and I lived in the
same house my entire life and Iactually moved down to South
Carolina to go to CoastalCarolina University for college,
(02:26):
and I moved down here at theage of 19.
I've been here for 23 years.
So I went to Coastal CarolinaUniversity for undergrad and
then I went to the University ofSouth Carolina to get my
graduate degree and then Ireturned to my alma mater to
actually teach public healthcourses in the same department I
graduated from.
(02:47):
So all my past professorsbecame my colleagues, which was
really, really awesome to teach.
And then God had differentplans for my life and a business
was born.
And here we are almost eightyears later something I never
expected for, you know,direction to take hold in this
way for my life.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
So how did that answer my story?
I know, I read about it.
I read about you were in yourpregnancy and you had the flu,
but I'm sure it felt awful andwould love to hear exactly how
was this born.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
It's interesting that you bring that up and we do
share that.
And I'm just kind of getting tothe place throughout this story
of really sharing even more tothe story kind of the untold
story and it being such a storyof faith that a lot of people
don't really know which.
We can get into that later, butit's oh no, go ahead, I'm here
(03:44):
for it.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I, first of all, I love a good story.
Second of all, that's part ofit.
That's part of it.
That's the whole point.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yes, so really it did start.
Back in 2013, when I waspregnant with my son Beckham, I
got cold and flu symptoms.
I was at the doctor's officejust desperate for a natural
alternative because I reallydidn't want to go Western
medicine route.
And I was at the doctor'soffice just desperate for a
natural alternative because Ireally didn't want to go Western
medicine route and I was moreconcerned about the baby than
anything.
So I started doing somesearching on my phone and it led
(04:13):
me to elderberries.
For the very first time Idiscovered this word, elderberry
, and started leaning in andlearning that it was nature's
top antiviral herb and that alot of people use it during cold
and flu season.
It's really great for yourimmune system.
So I had reached out to somelocal moms groups on Facebook
and they were like hey, doesanybody know of elderberry?
I have cold and flu symptomsright now I'm at the doctor's
(04:35):
office and I'm pregnant.
And they were like, yes, go getyourself some.
So I actually left the doctor'soffice, went and got myself
some elderberry and after a fewdoses my fever broke, my chills
went away and I could notbelieve the life giving effect
that it brought to my body, andI was instantly a believer.
Okay, so here at this time I hada two-year-old, I was pregnant
(04:58):
with my second and at that timeI was really wanting more
holistic remedies for mydaughter.
At the time I grew up sick allthe time, constantly on
antibiotics.
Hating the way that medicinetasted gave my mom such an awful
time when it came time totaking medicine.
And so here I had atwo-year-old daughter and I was
(05:19):
starting to have flashbacks likeoh my gosh, it's me all over
again.
She hates the way medicinetastes.
I want parenting to be like atease and just not this like
emotional distraught, like everytime I'm trying to put
something in her mouth it justbe a fight, you know.
So I actually brought homeseveral different brands of
elderberry and she disliked thetaste of each and every single
(05:43):
one and it was frustratingbecause I was like I know how
good it is, not only for herimmune system, but hey, I know
that she doesn't feel well, Ican also give this to her
because it worked for myself,right.
So I kind of gave up becauseshe didn't like the way that
anything tasted.
So I knew that I could turn toit if things came my way and I
(06:04):
needed something and I couldtake it for myself, but it
wasn't worth the fight for her.
So fast forward five years andnow we are in 2018.
And at this time I have afive-year-old, a three-year-old
and a one-year-old.
Okay, so at that time in my life, here we are financially and
emotionally and physicallydistraught.
(06:26):
My husband was very, very sick.
He was having issues going onwith his health.
We didn't really have a wholelot of answers, but we did go
the holistic, functionalmedicine route, and I can just
remember an entire counter fullof supplements he was juicing
every day.
We were trying to eat really,really clean.
We were actually leaning intothe paleo diet together, which
(06:47):
means that we were eating nogluten, dairy, soy, refined
sugar, peanuts, you name it.
And so here we were trying toget his health in order.
And then, for the very firsttime in years, I get three of my
courses dropped for thesemester ahead that I was going
to be teaching at the universityfor, and so what that means is
that I wasn't going to get paidfor three classes, right, and
(07:09):
that was the first time that hadever happened.
They actually put too manycourses and sections in and they
had to retract and movestudents into more sections to
fill up the classes, and so atthat point I was like, oh my
gosh, like what are we going todo?
We have all these additionalbills piling up and now I just
lost work, right, so I canremember dropping to my knees
(07:32):
and just praying like God, showme, what is it that you want me
to do to show up for my familyright now?
Do you want me to get a secondjob?
Do you want me to wait tablesat night?
Are there things within thehouse that I can sell?
Like?
Just show me and I'll step intoit.
So meanwhile, here we are incold and flu season and ding,
(07:53):
ding, ding elderberry.
Like we need elderberry in ourhome.
Because I have three kids, Iwant to keep their immune system
supported and because of my ownexperience, I know that if
anything comes our way, we caninstantly have something as a
natural remedy.
So I was like you know what Roand my daughter never liked any
other brand I would bring home.
I'm going to make it and I'mgoing to tailor it to her taste
(08:15):
buds.
So she absolutely loves it nokicking and screaming and it's
something that all three of mykids can take each and every day
.
So that's what I did.
So I got all these ingredientstogether ginger root, cinnamon,
clove, raw honey because youknow nature's best sweetener the
European black elderberry and Iformulated this elderberry
syrup and I was like you knowwhat I need to tell people about
(08:37):
this.
I can't keep my own testimonialto myself.
Here we are in a flu epidemicright now.
I need to tell all my friendsand family about my experience
with this.
So I put a batch of what I hadmade in my own kitchen for my
own family and put it out thereand was telling everybody about
it and, to my surprise, a couplehours later, I had a couple of
friends ask if I had any extrathat I could sell them.
(09:00):
Okay.
And I was like, oh my gosh,this is the answer.
Prayer, right.
That I was looking and prayingfor.
And okay, here we go.
God, you're wanting me to makeelderberry syrup Like this must
be it, right.
So I looked at my husband.
I was like you're not going tobelieve this, but people want to
buy this.
(09:21):
Should I make some biggerbatches?
So I stepped into it, right, andbefore we knew it, we were
literally running a full-blownside business out of our home.
We were up from 7.30 at night to3.30 in the morning after
putting three of our kids to bed.
My husband was right next to me,by my side, each and every
single night in that kitchencooking and within a couple of
(09:43):
weeks, it's like we were gettinga business license and reaching
out to, you know, higheragencies and learning more about
consumer safety and qualitycontrol and food safety,
certification classes andliability insurance and all this
stuff that like went into it soquick and you know, so fast,
(10:03):
and that's kind of the originstory on how all this started.
So a couple months in, afteryou know, sleepless nights and
what these this one little batchstarted, turned into hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds ofbottles a week.
I looked at my husband and Iwas like, okay, so this is a lot
and I think this is too much.
(10:23):
Um, you're either going to haveto quit your job or we're going
to have to shut everything downbecause we're both trying to
keep up with full-time careersthat we thought we you know
we're leading down this road todo and God had other plans, but
it's just too much no, you justfollow your calling.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
You were called to do something different and push to
go.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Do it as you did it, and you're right.
And in that moment, though,when my husband said let's go
and I'm ready to jump, I wasn'texpecting that.
You know.
Honestly, I didn't know that hewould fully step in and support
me so quickly.
Yeah, and quickly.
After you know, he put in hisresignation for his job and he
(11:08):
was all in, and so at that point, uh, we found a space to start
manufacturing it out of our home.
Uh, we had hired someone that weknew personally to become our
director of operations.
That was a former chef, had allthe certifications for
compliance and, you know, foodsafety certifications and all
(11:28):
that that really knew what hewas doing in the kitchen.
So I, as a mom of three, wasn'tmaking this at a larger scale,
not really knowing much aboutcalibration and ph levels and
water activity and third-partylab testing and all this stuff
that we had to step into, and sowe just started to grow in that
way and get into wholesaleaccounts once we had to step
into.
And so we just started to growin that way and get into
wholesale accounts once we had aplace to start manufacturing it
(11:51):
.
And since then, we have beenblessed with this opportunity of
being recognized as a premiumelderberry syrup company
recognized by holisticpractitioners across the country
.
So it's been a blessing to notonly serve our local community,
which started out of peoplemeeting us at the libraries and
(12:12):
playgrounds on Saturday morningswith three kids strapped in car
seats and getting out of thecooler and checking off Google
forms, and now we're able toserve our country at a larger
scale and we ship nationwide,and so I'm now for you.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
What does that feel like for you to be?
To go from academia andcorporate jobs to being in the
holistic community full on 100percent.
100%.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
You're in this, quite frankly, a very powerful,
strong community of people thathave deep thoughts and feelings
towards medicine and justtreating your body a certain way
, and I feel like you grew upone way and embraced a whole
other way and a whole otheridentity.
Almost how does that feel foryou?
Absolutely Well.
I have to thank my chiropractorthat I got connected with at a
very young age of 19 years old.
That really shifted my thoughtprocess on Western medicine into
more of a holistic approach.
When I met him, he had sharedthat he had three children that
had never been on an antibioticand had never had a sick
(13:26):
doctor's visit in their life andI looked at him like he had 10
heads and I was like how is thateven possible?
And I really embraced him as amentor.
I was so excited to just jumpinto learning more immediately
after meeting him and naturallyI was moving towards a holistic
(13:47):
approach to wellness for myselfand my future family at a very
young age when I started collegeand you know leading down that
path and having three naturalchildbirths and can proudly sit
here and say that my kids havenever been on the antibiotic
outside of a spider bite that wecouldn't get rid of and they've
(14:08):
never had a sick doctor's visit.
They don't even know what it'slike to go to a doctor and be
sick.
So it's been such a blessing tounderstand the power that
nature has, and I believe thatGod put everything on this earth
to heal us and that our bodiesinnately have this ability to
(14:30):
heal itself if it's fed theright nutrition and given what
it needs to help heal.
And so stepping into thisholistic space fully embraced it
, because that's the road I wasdown already in my own parenting
, even prior to this businessstarting, and so it's been.
It's just been awesomeconnecting with people that have
(14:54):
lost hope, that are in pain,that tell their doctors what
they're experiencing and inreturn they look at them like
they're crazy and that theydon't really understand what
they've been through.
And I get to connect with mylocal community like
face-to-face and hear thesestories and see the agony in
(15:17):
their eyes and they have losthope.
But I think we're at an age nowwhere people are stepping into,
wanting to learn more aboutholistic health.
You know they're leaning in,they're starting to do their own
research, they want to feelbetter, naturally, without side
(15:37):
effects, and they just want tostart stepping into well, what
if I can use nature's healingproperties to help heal my body.
I've tried everything else.
I mean, why not try one morething to see if it can help me
feel well?
And that's been such a blessingwith our formulation that we've
(15:59):
created, because when I firststarted this business, I knew
that it was great for cold andflu.
I knew that it was nature's topantiviral herb and that it was
great for the immune system.
But, just like so many otherpeople, when you think about
immune system, you're justthinking, naturally cold and flu
season, right, to try toprevent myself from getting sick
(16:20):
.
But what people have tounderstand is that our immune
system controls our entire bodyright At a cellular level our
brain, our nervous system, ourcells, our organs, everything.
So supporting your immunesystem year round is imperative,
right?
And what also struck me is ourcustomers running to us very
(16:42):
early on, just sharing, jessica,you're not going to believe
this.
Running to us very early on,just sharing, jessica, you're
not going to believe this.
But I no longer have joint pain, like my hip, my knee, plantar
fasciitis, a carpal tunnel in myhands, like I'm able to switch
light switches on and graspthings again.
My daughter, she no longer needsher asthma inhaler.
My, my husband.
He's off his Zyrtec andClaritin.
(17:03):
My blood sugar it's likeregulated to like normal levels,
like this isn't.
This is just crazy, right?
So you want to talk about ablessing to be able to the
community and beyond in this wayof transforming their health
with what we call ourrestorative and reparative
formula.
(17:23):
It's not just supporting theimmune system, it's supporting
whole body wellness, and I thinkthat that in itself is why we
continue to wake up and put onefoot in front of the other,
because we're making such a bigimpact on people's health.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I'm a fan.
I was a fan of Elder Barry'sperformance and also, like you,
when I became a mother.
My firstborn, my son.
He had what is called his FPIfood protein enterocolitis
syndrome.
He also had GERD.
He had everything you canimagine to not want to eat.
He was in just a lot of pain.
(18:02):
A lot of pain all the time, andcertain foods would bring that
out of them.
So I started learning to readlabels, understanding what was
in everything, cookingeverything from scratch, and
started to embrace a moreholistic lifestyle as well.
That I still live to this day.
I'm a huge fan.
I'm so glad that we connectedbecause I will absolutely be
(18:23):
getting a few bottles ofelderberry yours only.
It's impressive how I think thepower of motherhood really does
bring us there.
It really does push us to wantbetter and for our, for our next
generation, like it's innate ina lot of us.
I just think that's it so whatis?
Speaker 3 (18:41):
what is your day today?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
like it sounds like you're in a few different
directions all the time.
Because of all these bothemotional, inspiring and then
educational parts of what you do, what does your day to day look
like?
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Well, I have to say here, most recently, it has
changed a lot, changed a lot.
I think stepping out of theclassroom and resigning in 2020
was one of the hardest thingsthat I've ever done in my life.
In fact, I recently caughtmyself saying that I believe a
piece of my heart is stillsitting at the podium in Kearns
(19:19):
Hall, room 201.
Oh, wow, yeah, I know that'swhat I'm saying too is just wow.
I think that, if I could behonest here, I really struggled
stepping into, like businessownership and taking on this
complete different directionthat I never imagined being part
(19:40):
of my life, and, quite frankly,I felt unqualified.
I had no experience, nor did myhusband, so we learned
literally everything fromscratch and reaching out to
people that knew more than us,that could step in and help,
asking a lot of questions, doinga lot of research and just
figuring it all out from scratch, and that is hard, it takes a
(20:01):
lot of perseverance.
Then you add additionalbusiness struggles that we've
had along the way, that we'vehad to overcome, and all the
while, you're just wondering,like, really what is my bigger
purpose here?
Like, is this really like whatI'm supposed to be doing?
Because I really love teaching,teaching and here recently it's
(20:24):
like well, no, jessica, Ididn't pull you out of your
classroom, I just made yourclassroom bigger, because I know
you're a storyteller, you havea powerful story to share and,
quite frankly, you haven'tshared the real, untold story to
very many people and I've beenwaiting for seven and a half
years for you to tell them aboutme.
(20:46):
And that was pretty convicting,right, because this entire time
my story always started withovercoming flu symptoms while I
was pregnant with my son Beckham.
But not very many people reallyknow that story of obedience
and stepping into this calling.
Even though I didn't feelequipped or really want to do it
(21:10):
, I was led to do it right, andI think that happens to a lot of
us in life and we're not reallysure what to think of it or
really what to do, and that'sjust kind of where I've been for
a really, really, really reallylong time, and so I feel like
I'm finally finding my voice andfinding my greater purpose,
(21:31):
even though this product isamazing and it's helped so many
people with their health, Ithink being able to share my
faith and how this story hastransformed my own life, but
also bringing back the power ofprayer and bringing hope to
people that maybe have lost it,and sharing my story.
(21:52):
And even though we havestruggles and we have these
weaknesses, they can become ourgreatest purpose and strengthen
life.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Yeah, they oftentimes do they.
Oftentimes it's almost like youhave to be broken down a bit or
you have to find some sense ofhumility, to remember what being
human is all about and to knowthat your life is exactly what
it is.
You make it.
You are qualified.
You are 100% qualified to liveyour life, otherwise you
(22:23):
wouldn't be here.
You are literally here to liveyour life, otherwise you
wouldn't be here.
You were literally here.
Now you have to follow yourpath that's set before you,
which is a lot scarier and a lotharder for people to grasp.
I find that for a lot of people,they have to go through some of
the hardest times in order tohear that calling the loudest.
Otherwise, it gets muffled bythe normal noise of social media
(22:46):
and people around you, andsometimes just even work,
because work can be dominatingin so many ways.
Did you hit any sort of I hateto use the term rock bottom,
because there's always a morerockier bottom than rock bottom,
but did you find that you hitthat space or was it more of a?
Enough's enough?
Did you find that you hit thatspace or was it more of a
enough's enough?
(23:06):
I'm putting everything down andI'm listening.
I'm going to reclaim my power,or was it more gradual for you?
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Well, it's been a long journey over the last seven
and a half years.
About a year into our businesswe actually were booming and
having such great success andthen we get served a cease and
desist letter, yeah.
And so now we have anotherbrand coming after us with a
(23:35):
trademark infringement lawsuitand we fought that for three and
a half years.
So that was really really hard.
Gosh, I can just remembercrying just so often and just
feeling so defeated and like whyus Like we are so innocent,
we've done nothing wrong, ourname is nothing like yours Like
(23:57):
why do we have to be in thisfight right now, you know?
So that was debilitating.
Then you add, bringing onprobably more employees than we
could really handle.
But looking into the investmentof our hope of them helping us
grow our business and not payingourselves for years and just
(24:21):
being financially under, andalmost like, really like, why
are we doing this, like this,like we just worked so hard?
So that was really hard, youknow.
And then, just kind of mecoming to this point of
realization that I've beenhiding for years and that my own
(24:43):
community of people that thisproduct is been so restorative
for in their health, they don'treally know me as a person and
they know our brand and whatwe've created, but they don't
really know our story.
They don't really know the gritand the faith and the mission
(25:04):
and the purpose behind we dowhat we do.
I always tell people what I wantfor my own family is also what
I want for yours, but maybesaying that they don't really
understand really what thatmeans, that they don't really
know the backstory and how allthis got started Right?
So, coming to terms of okay,jessica, we can't be scared to
(25:25):
be in the spotlight.
Terms of, okay, jessica, wecan't be scared to be in the
spotlight.
Like, we know that you've beenhiding underneath the rug and
you might not feel qualified oryou might not want to be in the
spotlight.
But what if there was adifferent way to bring this
incredible, inspiring story ofnot only faith but also purpose
(25:46):
to a broader audience, to justbring hope to them and, you know
, make this story much biggerand something that someone can
appreciate as they understandwhere we've been, where we are
and our vision to where we'regoing.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I love that.
You started because you hadyour calling no business plan,
no real clue, just you knew thatyou had a good product, you
knew that you had something thatcould help people and you knew
that it is for the betterment ofyour community and the people
around you, quite frankly, foreverybody.
Do you see any growth?
Because there's so much faithin the holistic I've heard so
(26:28):
many things about like Lion'sMane and things like that have
you thought about expanding yourproduct line Because it's all
in alignment with your mission,it's all in alignment with who
you are.
I can tell just by meeting you.
You mean the words you say whenyou say you want for other
families which you have for yourown.
I feel that you want that foreverybody.
(26:49):
So I wonder for you does itstop at elderberries or does it
keep going?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Well, you know, that's a great question and a
lot of people have asked us thatwhat's next?
What's next?
What's next?
And I feel like, because ofwhat our product is doing for
people in their health, addingadditional supplements to our
line may distract or detour themfrom actually getting that
bottle that they need in theirhouse, right, that he ultimately
(27:17):
formulated to heal from within.
So I don't want it to causedistraction from what really the
one product they need in theirbody.
So, with that being said, Ialways tell people, you know
there's fast food restaurantsout there, right, that are known
for just chicken fingers andFrench fries and they do it
really, really well.
(27:38):
And that's kind of what we seehere at the Power of
Elderberries is, we have oneformula and it's working across
all sectors, young and old, andwe even have people giving it to
their pets and we are yeah,it's just incredible on how this
(27:59):
whole body wellness issupporting you know, just
everything that our body needs.
So, to answer your question,we're going to stick with our
one formula.
We have in two different formsa liquid form that's
refrigerated.
A chewable form that we callour bites, at a shelf stable so
that people can reap the samebenefits of our liquid wherever
(28:19):
they go.
And then we're also going to bestepping into supporting dogs
with our formula as well, sowe're super excited.
And then, beyond that, we areimplementing employee wellness
programs to help supportbusinesses and their workforce
and helping keep their employeeshealthy.
We're tapping into supportingathletics and working with some
universities, so there's a lotof opportunity out there to just
(28:43):
continue to share what we doreally, really well, that is,
supporting the body in a waythat we never imagined.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Oh, I think that's just a beautiful plan and I'm
here for all of it.
So, interest of time, I endevery episode exactly the same,
where I ask you to provide us,the audience, people listening,
with a piece of advice.
It can be life advice, it canbe any advice.
What's a piece of advice thatour listeners can take away with
(29:14):
and use as they go throughtheir day or their lives?
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Well, I think we can all agree that there are many,
many moments in our life whereour heart is racing.
We feel anxious, we know thatwe're being called to do
something, to say something, toreach out to somebody, whatever
that may be, and it can feelreally scary, and sometimes
we're a little bit confused andnot really understand why we're
(29:39):
being led to do that, whateverit is, and I think I would just
encourage listeners to step intothat this week or this month or
this year ahead, and I thinkthat stepping into what we're
being led to can open upsometimes our greatest purpose
and calling in life.
And it's just that step, evenif we don't feel qualified, even
(30:02):
if we don't feel like we knowhow that is going to help lead
us to a greater purpose in life.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Oh, I love that.
Well, thank you so much,Jessica, for your time today.
I appreciate it and I can'twait for our listeners to hear
all about you and the power ofelderberry.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Well, thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
What I love most about Jessica's story is how it
reframes the concept of beingquote-unquote qualified.
She spent years feelingunequipped for business
ownership but, as shebeautifully puts it, God didn't
pull her out of her classroom,he just made it bigger.
Her realization that she's beenhiding the faith-based
foundation of her story speaksto something so many
(30:43):
entrepreneurs struggle withshowing up authentically,
whether you're not sure peoplewill understand.
Jessica's advice to step intowhat we're being led to do, even
when we feel unqualified,resonates deeply because it
acknowledges that our heartracing might be guidance, not
fear.
The idea that confusion andanxiety could actually be
(31:03):
calling us toward our greatestpurpose challenges everything
we've been taught aboutfollowing clear, logical paths.
I'm particularly moved by hertransparency about the struggles
, the lawsuits, the financialstrain, the years of not paying
themselves, while buildingsomething that helps others heal
.
It's a reminder thatpurpose-driven work isn't always
easy, but it's often exactlywhat the world needs.
(31:26):
For those of you sitting withsomething that makes your heart
race, something you feel calledto but don't understand why,
maybe Jessica's story ispermission to take that step
anyway.
Sometimes our greatest giftsemerge not from qualifications
but from our willingness to showup despite feeling unprepared.
If today's conversationinspired you to consider your
(31:46):
own calling.
Share it with someone who needsto hear it.
Remember she Sweet.
Society exists to amplifywomen's voices from all walks of
life.
Proving that purpose oftenfinds us when we are least
expecting it.
Until next time, this is yourhost, Dahlia, reminding you that
your life is your message tothe world.
Why not make it extraordinary?
Welcome to the SheSweet Society, a community
where women from all backgroundscome together to share their
stories, support one another andreveal the unfiltered reality
of our lives.
I'm your host, Dahlia, and thispodcast exists to give voice
and space to women whoseexperiences might otherwise go
unheard.
Today, I'm joined by JessicaLowry, founder of the Power of
(00:34):
Elderberries, whose storyperfectly illustrates what
happens when you drop to yourknees and ask for guidance and
then actually have the courageto follow it.
Jessica's journey fromuniversity professor to holistic
business owner wasn't part ofany master plan.
It started with pregnancy, flusymptoms, a desperate search for
natural remedies and atwo-year-old who refused to take
medicine.
(00:56):
What makes Jessica's story socompelling isn't just the
business success, but herhonesty about feeling
unqualified, fighting trademarklawsuits for three and a half
years and wondering if she wassupposed to be doing any of this
at all.
As someone who spent years inacademia with a clear path,
stepping into entrepreneurshipwithout experience or a business
plan required a level of faith.
Most of us can't fathom Whetheryou're questioning your current
(01:19):
direction, feeling called tosomething you don't understand,
or simply trying to trust thatyou're qualified for the life
you're living.
Jessica's journey reminds usthat sometimes our greatest
purpose emerges from our mostdesperate moments.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
You're in Myrtle Beach, is that?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
right, myrtle Beach, south Carolina.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
yes, your story is extremely fascinating from what
I could, from what you sent andthen what I could scrape and I'm
very excited to learn a littlebit more about you and for my
listeners to hear your story.
So thank you for joining theSheSweet Society.
I'm very, very happy to haveyou here.
Yeah, thank you for having me.
(02:00):
Yeah, tell me so.
Did you always grow up or areyou from?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
South Carolina?
I'm not.
I'm actually originally fromMichigan.
No, no way.
Where in Michigan and how longago was that I grew up in a
small town called Adrian,Michigan, and I lived in the
same house my entire life and Iactually moved down to South
Carolina to go to CoastalCarolina University for college,
(02:26):
and I moved down here at theage of 19.
I've been here for 23 years.
So I went to Coastal CarolinaUniversity for undergrad and
then I went to the University ofSouth Carolina to get my
graduate degree and then Ireturned to my alma mater to
actually teach public healthcourses in the same department I
graduated from.
(02:47):
So all my past professorsbecame my colleagues, which was
really, really awesome to teach.
And then God had differentplans for my life and a business
was born.
And here we are almost eightyears later something I never
expected for, you know,direction to take hold in this
way for my life.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
So how did that answer my story?
I know, I read about it.
I read about you were in yourpregnancy and you had the flu,
but I'm sure it felt awful andwould love to hear exactly how
was this born.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
It's interesting that you bring that up and we do
share that.
And I'm just kind of getting tothe place throughout this story
of really sharing even more tothe story kind of the untold
story and it being such a storyof faith that a lot of people
don't really know which.
We can get into that later, butit's oh no, go ahead, I'm here
(03:44):
for it.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I, first of all, I love a good story.
Second of all, that's part ofit.
That's part of it.
That's the whole point.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yes, so really it did start.
Back in 2013, when I waspregnant with my son Beckham, I
got cold and flu symptoms.
I was at the doctor's officejust desperate for a natural
alternative because I reallydidn't want to go Western
medicine route.
And I was at the doctor'soffice just desperate for a
natural alternative because Ireally didn't want to go Western
medicine route and I was moreconcerned about the baby than
anything.
So I started doing somesearching on my phone and it led
(04:13):
me to elderberries.
For the very first time Idiscovered this word, elderberry
, and started leaning in andlearning that it was nature's
top antiviral herb and that alot of people use it during cold
and flu season.
It's really great for yourimmune system.
So I had reached out to somelocal moms groups on Facebook
and they were like hey, doesanybody know of elderberry?
I have cold and flu symptomsright now I'm at the doctor's
(04:35):
office and I'm pregnant.
And they were like, yes, go getyourself some.
So I actually left the doctor'soffice, went and got myself
some elderberry and after a fewdoses my fever broke, my chills
went away and I could notbelieve the life giving effect
that it brought to my body, andI was instantly a believer.
Okay, so here at this time I hada two-year-old, I was pregnant
(04:58):
with my second and at that timeI was really wanting more
holistic remedies for mydaughter.
At the time I grew up sick allthe time, constantly on
antibiotics.
Hating the way that medicinetasted gave my mom such an awful
time when it came time totaking medicine.
And so here I had atwo-year-old daughter and I was
(05:19):
starting to have flashbacks likeoh my gosh, it's me all over
again.
She hates the way medicinetastes.
I want parenting to be like atease and just not this like
emotional distraught, like everytime I'm trying to put
something in her mouth it justbe a fight, you know.
So I actually brought homeseveral different brands of
elderberry and she disliked thetaste of each and every single
(05:43):
one and it was frustratingbecause I was like I know how
good it is, not only for herimmune system, but hey, I know
that she doesn't feel well, Ican also give this to her
because it worked for myself,right.
So I kind of gave up becauseshe didn't like the way that
anything tasted.
So I knew that I could turn toit if things came my way and I
(06:04):
needed something and I couldtake it for myself, but it
wasn't worth the fight for her.
So fast forward five years andnow we are in 2018.
And at this time I have afive-year-old, a three-year-old
and a one-year-old.
Okay, so at that time in my life, here we are financially and
emotionally and physicallydistraught.
(06:26):
My husband was very, very sick.
He was having issues going onwith his health.
We didn't really have a wholelot of answers, but we did go
the holistic, functionalmedicine route, and I can just
remember an entire counter fullof supplements he was juicing
every day.
We were trying to eat really,really clean.
We were actually leaning intothe paleo diet together, which
(06:47):
means that we were eating nogluten, dairy, soy, refined
sugar, peanuts, you name it.
And so here we were trying toget his health in order.
And then, for the very firsttime in years, I get three of my
courses dropped for thesemester ahead that I was going
to be teaching at the universityfor, and so what that means is
that I wasn't going to get paidfor three classes, right, and
(07:09):
that was the first time that hadever happened.
They actually put too manycourses and sections in and they
had to retract and movestudents into more sections to
fill up the classes, and so atthat point I was like, oh my
gosh, like what are we going todo?
We have all these additionalbills piling up and now I just
lost work, right, so I canremember dropping to my knees
(07:32):
and just praying like God, showme, what is it that you want me
to do to show up for my familyright now?
Do you want me to get a secondjob?
Do you want me to wait tablesat night?
Are there things within thehouse that I can sell?
Like?
Just show me and I'll step intoit.
So meanwhile, here we are incold and flu season and ding,
(07:53):
ding, ding elderberry.
Like we need elderberry in ourhome.
Because I have three kids, Iwant to keep their immune system
supported and because of my ownexperience, I know that if
anything comes our way, we caninstantly have something as a
natural remedy.
So I was like you know what Roand my daughter never liked any
other brand I would bring home.
I'm going to make it and I'mgoing to tailor it to her taste
(08:15):
buds.
So she absolutely loves it nokicking and screaming and it's
something that all three of mykids can take each and every day
.
So that's what I did.
So I got all these ingredientstogether ginger root, cinnamon,
clove, raw honey because youknow nature's best sweetener the
European black elderberry and Iformulated this elderberry
syrup and I was like you knowwhat I need to tell people about
(08:37):
this.
I can't keep my own testimonialto myself.
Here we are in a flu epidemicright now.
I need to tell all my friendsand family about my experience
with this.
So I put a batch of what I hadmade in my own kitchen for my
own family and put it out thereand was telling everybody about
it and, to my surprise, a couplehours later, I had a couple of
friends ask if I had any extrathat I could sell them.
(09:00):
Okay.
And I was like, oh my gosh,this is the answer.
Prayer, right.
That I was looking and prayingfor.
And okay, here we go.
God, you're wanting me to makeelderberry syrup Like this must
be it, right.
So I looked at my husband.
I was like you're not going tobelieve this, but people want to
buy this.
(09:21):
Should I make some biggerbatches?
So I stepped into it, right, andbefore we knew it, we were
literally running a full-blownside business out of our home.
We were up from 7.30 at night to3.30 in the morning after
putting three of our kids to bed.
My husband was right next to me,by my side, each and every
single night in that kitchencooking and within a couple of
(09:43):
weeks, it's like we were gettinga business license and reaching
out to, you know, higheragencies and learning more about
consumer safety and qualitycontrol and food safety,
certification classes andliability insurance and all this
stuff that like went into it soquick and you know, so fast,
(10:03):
and that's kind of the originstory on how all this started.
So a couple months in, afteryou know, sleepless nights and
what these this one little batchstarted, turned into hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds ofbottles a week.
I looked at my husband and Iwas like, okay, so this is a lot
and I think this is too much.
(10:23):
Um, you're either going to haveto quit your job or we're going
to have to shut everything downbecause we're both trying to
keep up with full-time careersthat we thought we you know
we're leading down this road todo and God had other plans, but
it's just too much no, you justfollow your calling.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
You were called to do something different and push to
go.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Do it as you did it, and you're right.
And in that moment, though,when my husband said let's go
and I'm ready to jump, I wasn'texpecting that.
You know.
Honestly, I didn't know that hewould fully step in and support
me so quickly.
Yeah, and quickly.
After you know, he put in hisresignation for his job and he
(11:08):
was all in, and so at that point, uh, we found a space to start
manufacturing it out of our home.
Uh, we had hired someone that weknew personally to become our
director of operations.
That was a former chef, had allthe certifications for
compliance and, you know, foodsafety certifications and all
(11:28):
that that really knew what hewas doing in the kitchen.
So I, as a mom of three, wasn'tmaking this at a larger scale,
not really knowing much aboutcalibration and ph levels and
water activity and third-partylab testing and all this stuff
that we had to step into, and sowe just started to grow in that
way and get into wholesaleaccounts once we had to step
into.
And so we just started to growin that way and get into
wholesale accounts once we had aplace to start manufacturing it
(11:51):
.
And since then, we have beenblessed with this opportunity of
being recognized as a premiumelderberry syrup company
recognized by holisticpractitioners across the country
.
So it's been a blessing to notonly serve our local community,
which started out of peoplemeeting us at the libraries and
(12:12):
playgrounds on Saturday morningswith three kids strapped in car
seats and getting out of thecooler and checking off Google
forms, and now we're able toserve our country at a larger
scale and we ship nationwide,and so I'm now for you.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
What does that feel like for you to be?
To go from academia andcorporate jobs to being in the
holistic community full on 100percent.
100%.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
You're in this, quite frankly, a very powerful,
strong community of people thathave deep thoughts and feelings
towards medicine and justtreating your body a certain way
, and I feel like you grew upone way and embraced a whole
other way and a whole otheridentity.
Almost how does that feel foryou?
Absolutely Well.
I have to thank my chiropractorthat I got connected with at a
very young age of 19 years old.
That really shifted my thoughtprocess on Western medicine into
more of a holistic approach.
When I met him, he had sharedthat he had three children that
had never been on an antibioticand had never had a sick
(13:26):
doctor's visit in their life andI looked at him like he had 10
heads and I was like how is thateven possible?
And I really embraced him as amentor.
I was so excited to just jumpinto learning more immediately
after meeting him and naturallyI was moving towards a holistic
(13:47):
approach to wellness for myselfand my future family at a very
young age when I started collegeand you know leading down that
path and having three naturalchildbirths and can proudly sit
here and say that my kids havenever been on the antibiotic
outside of a spider bite that wecouldn't get rid of and they've
(14:08):
never had a sick doctor's visit.
They don't even know what it'slike to go to a doctor and be
sick.
So it's been such a blessing tounderstand the power that
nature has, and I believe thatGod put everything on this earth
to heal us and that our bodiesinnately have this ability to
(14:30):
heal itself if it's fed theright nutrition and given what
it needs to help heal.
And so stepping into thisholistic space fully embraced it
, because that's the road I wasdown already in my own parenting
, even prior to this businessstarting, and so it's been.
It's just been awesomeconnecting with people that have
(14:54):
lost hope, that are in pain,that tell their doctors what
they're experiencing and inreturn they look at them like
they're crazy and that theydon't really understand what
they've been through.
And I get to connect with mylocal community like
face-to-face and hear thesestories and see the agony in
(15:17):
their eyes and they have losthope.
But I think we're at an age nowwhere people are stepping into,
wanting to learn more aboutholistic health.
You know they're leaning in,they're starting to do their own
research, they want to feelbetter, naturally, without side
(15:37):
effects, and they just want tostart stepping into well, what
if I can use nature's healingproperties to help heal my body.
I've tried everything else.
I mean, why not try one morething to see if it can help me
feel well?
And that's been such a blessingwith our formulation that we've
(15:59):
created, because when I firststarted this business, I knew
that it was great for cold andflu.
I knew that it was nature's topantiviral herb and that it was
great for the immune system.
But, just like so many otherpeople, when you think about
immune system, you're justthinking, naturally cold and flu
season, right, to try toprevent myself from getting sick
(16:20):
.
But what people have tounderstand is that our immune
system controls our entire bodyright At a cellular level our
brain, our nervous system, ourcells, our organs, everything.
So supporting your immunesystem year round is imperative,
right?
And what also struck me is ourcustomers running to us very
(16:42):
early on, just sharing, jessica,you're not going to believe
this.
Running to us very early on,just sharing, jessica, you're
not going to believe this.
But I no longer have joint pain, like my hip, my knee, plantar
fasciitis, a carpal tunnel in myhands, like I'm able to switch
light switches on and graspthings again.
My daughter, she no longer needsher asthma inhaler.
My, my husband.
He's off his Zyrtec andClaritin.
(17:03):
My blood sugar it's likeregulated to like normal levels,
like this isn't.
This is just crazy, right?
So you want to talk about ablessing to be able to the
community and beyond in this wayof transforming their health
with what we call ourrestorative and reparative
formula.
(17:23):
It's not just supporting theimmune system, it's supporting
whole body wellness, and I thinkthat that in itself is why we
continue to wake up and put onefoot in front of the other,
because we're making such a bigimpact on people's health.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I'm a fan.
I was a fan of Elder Barry'sperformance and also, like you,
when I became a mother.
My firstborn, my son.
He had what is called his FPIfood protein enterocolitis
syndrome.
He also had GERD.
He had everything you canimagine to not want to eat.
He was in just a lot of pain.
(18:02):
A lot of pain all the time, andcertain foods would bring that
out of them.
So I started learning to readlabels, understanding what was
in everything, cookingeverything from scratch, and
started to embrace a moreholistic lifestyle as well.
That I still live to this day.
I'm a huge fan.
I'm so glad that we connectedbecause I will absolutely be
(18:23):
getting a few bottles ofelderberry yours only.
It's impressive how I think thepower of motherhood really does
bring us there.
It really does push us to wantbetter and for our, for our next
generation, like it's innate ina lot of us.
I just think that's it so whatis?
Speaker 3 (18:41):
what is your day today?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
like it sounds like you're in a few different
directions all the time.
Because of all these bothemotional, inspiring and then
educational parts of what you do, what does your day to day look
like?
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Well, I have to say here, most recently, it has
changed a lot, changed a lot.
I think stepping out of theclassroom and resigning in 2020
was one of the hardest thingsthat I've ever done in my life.
In fact, I recently caughtmyself saying that I believe a
piece of my heart is stillsitting at the podium in Kearns
(19:19):
Hall, room 201.
Oh, wow, yeah, I know that'swhat I'm saying too is just wow.
I think that, if I could behonest here, I really struggled
stepping into, like businessownership and taking on this
complete different directionthat I never imagined being part
(19:40):
of my life, and, quite frankly,I felt unqualified.
I had no experience, nor did myhusband, so we learned
literally everything fromscratch and reaching out to
people that knew more than us,that could step in and help,
asking a lot of questions, doinga lot of research and just
figuring it all out from scratch, and that is hard, it takes a
(20:01):
lot of perseverance.
Then you add additionalbusiness struggles that we've
had along the way, that we'vehad to overcome, and all the
while, you're just wondering,like, really what is my bigger
purpose here?
Like, is this really like whatI'm supposed to be doing?
Because I really love teaching,teaching and here recently it's
(20:24):
like well, no, jessica, Ididn't pull you out of your
classroom, I just made yourclassroom bigger, because I know
you're a storyteller, you havea powerful story to share and,
quite frankly, you haven'tshared the real, untold story to
very many people and I've beenwaiting for seven and a half
years for you to tell them aboutme.
(20:46):
And that was pretty convicting,right, because this entire time
my story always started withovercoming flu symptoms while I
was pregnant with my son Beckham.
But not very many people reallyknow that story of obedience
and stepping into this calling.
Even though I didn't feelequipped or really want to do it
(21:10):
, I was led to do it right, andI think that happens to a lot of
us in life and we're not reallysure what to think of it or
really what to do, and that'sjust kind of where I've been for
a really, really, really reallylong time, and so I feel like
I'm finally finding my voice andfinding my greater purpose,
(21:31):
even though this product isamazing and it's helped so many
people with their health, Ithink being able to share my
faith and how this story hastransformed my own life, but
also bringing back the power ofprayer and bringing hope to
people that maybe have lost it,and sharing my story.
(21:52):
And even though we havestruggles and we have these
weaknesses, they can become ourgreatest purpose and strengthen
life.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Yeah, they oftentimes do they.
Oftentimes it's almost like youhave to be broken down a bit or
you have to find some sense ofhumility, to remember what being
human is all about and to knowthat your life is exactly what
it is.
You make it.
You are qualified.
You are 100% qualified to liveyour life, otherwise you
(22:23):
wouldn't be here.
You are literally here to liveyour life, otherwise you
wouldn't be here.
You were literally here.
Now you have to follow yourpath that's set before you,
which is a lot scarier and a lotharder for people to grasp.
I find that for a lot of people,they have to go through some of
the hardest times in order tohear that calling the loudest.
Otherwise, it gets muffled bythe normal noise of social media
(22:46):
and people around you, andsometimes just even work,
because work can be dominatingin so many ways.
Did you hit any sort of I hateto use the term rock bottom,
because there's always a morerockier bottom than rock bottom,
but did you find that you hitthat space or was it more of a?
Enough's enough?
Did you find that you hit thatspace or was it more of a
enough's enough?
(23:06):
I'm putting everything down andI'm listening.
I'm going to reclaim my power,or was it more gradual for you?
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Well, it's been a long journey over the last seven
and a half years.
About a year into our businesswe actually were booming and
having such great success andthen we get served a cease and
desist letter, yeah.
And so now we have anotherbrand coming after us with a
(23:35):
trademark infringement lawsuitand we fought that for three and
a half years.
So that was really really hard.
Gosh, I can just remembercrying just so often and just
feeling so defeated and like whyus Like we are so innocent,
we've done nothing wrong, ourname is nothing like yours Like
(23:57):
why do we have to be in thisfight right now, you know?
So that was debilitating.
Then you add, bringing onprobably more employees than we
could really handle.
But looking into the investmentof our hope of them helping us
grow our business and not payingourselves for years and just
(24:21):
being financially under, andalmost like, really like, why
are we doing this, like this,like we just worked so hard?
So that was really hard, youknow.
And then, just kind of mecoming to this point of
realization that I've beenhiding for years and that my own
(24:43):
community of people that thisproduct is been so restorative
for in their health, they don'treally know me as a person and
they know our brand and whatwe've created, but they don't
really know our story.
They don't really know the gritand the faith and the mission
(25:04):
and the purpose behind we dowhat we do.
I always tell people what I wantfor my own family is also what
I want for yours, but maybesaying that they don't really
understand really what thatmeans, that they don't really
know the backstory and how allthis got started Right?
So, coming to terms of okay,jessica, we can't be scared to
(25:25):
be in the spotlight.
Terms of, okay, jessica, wecan't be scared to be in the
spotlight.
Like, we know that you've beenhiding underneath the rug and
you might not feel qualified oryou might not want to be in the
spotlight.
But what if there was adifferent way to bring this
incredible, inspiring story ofnot only faith but also purpose
(25:46):
to a broader audience, to justbring hope to them and, you know
, make this story much biggerand something that someone can
appreciate as they understandwhere we've been, where we are
and our vision to where we'regoing.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I love that.
You started because you hadyour calling no business plan,
no real clue, just you knew thatyou had a good product, you
knew that you had something thatcould help people and you knew
that it is for the betterment ofyour community and the people
around you, quite frankly, foreverybody.
Do you see any growth?
Because there's so much faithin the holistic I've heard so
(26:28):
many things about like Lion'sMane and things like that have
you thought about expanding yourproduct line Because it's all
in alignment with your mission,it's all in alignment with who
you are.
I can tell just by meeting you.
You mean the words you say whenyou say you want for other
families which you have for yourown.
I feel that you want that foreverybody.
(26:49):
So I wonder for you does itstop at elderberries or does it
keep going?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Well, you know, that's a great question and a
lot of people have asked us thatwhat's next?
What's next?
What's next?
And I feel like, because ofwhat our product is doing for
people in their health, addingadditional supplements to our
line may distract or detour themfrom actually getting that
bottle that they need in theirhouse, right, that he ultimately
(27:17):
formulated to heal from within.
So I don't want it to causedistraction from what really the
one product they need in theirbody.
So, with that being said, Ialways tell people, you know
there's fast food restaurantsout there, right, that are known
for just chicken fingers andFrench fries and they do it
really, really well.
(27:38):
And that's kind of what we seehere at the Power of
Elderberries is, we have oneformula and it's working across
all sectors, young and old, andwe even have people giving it to
their pets and we are yeah,it's just incredible on how this
(27:59):
whole body wellness issupporting you know, just
everything that our body needs.
So, to answer your question,we're going to stick with our
one formula.
We have in two different formsa liquid form that's
refrigerated.
A chewable form that we callour bites, at a shelf stable so
that people can reap the samebenefits of our liquid wherever
(28:19):
they go.
And then we're also going to bestepping into supporting dogs
with our formula as well, sowe're super excited.
And then, beyond that, we areimplementing employee wellness
programs to help supportbusinesses and their workforce
and helping keep their employeeshealthy.
We're tapping into supportingathletics and working with some
universities, so there's a lotof opportunity out there to just
(28:43):
continue to share what we doreally, really well, that is,
supporting the body in a waythat we never imagined.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Oh, I think that's just a beautiful plan and I'm
here for all of it.
So, interest of time, I endevery episode exactly the same,
where I ask you to provide us,the audience, people listening,
with a piece of advice.
It can be life advice, it canbe any advice.
What's a piece of advice thatour listeners can take away with
(29:14):
and use as they go throughtheir day or their lives?
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Well, I think we can all agree that there are many,
many moments in our life whereour heart is racing.
We feel anxious, we know thatwe're being called to do
something, to say something, toreach out to somebody, whatever
that may be, and it can feelreally scary, and sometimes
we're a little bit confused andnot really understand why we're
(29:39):
being led to do that, whateverit is, and I think I would just
encourage listeners to step intothat this week or this month or
this year ahead, and I thinkthat stepping into what we're
being led to can open upsometimes our greatest purpose
and calling in life.
And it's just that step, evenif we don't feel qualified, even
(30:02):
if we don't feel like we knowhow that is going to help lead
us to a greater purpose in life.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Oh, I love that.
Well, thank you so much,Jessica, for your time today.
I appreciate it and I can'twait for our listeners to hear
all about you and the power ofelderberry.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Well, thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
What I love most about Jessica's story is how it
reframes the concept of beingquote-unquote qualified.
She spent years feelingunequipped for business
ownership but, as shebeautifully puts it, God didn't
pull her out of her classroom,he just made it bigger.
Her realization that she's beenhiding the faith-based
foundation of her story speaksto something so many
(30:43):
entrepreneurs struggle withshowing up authentically,
whether you're not sure peoplewill understand.
Jessica's advice to step intowhat we're being led to do, even
when we feel unqualified,resonates deeply because it
acknowledges that our heartracing might be guidance, not
fear.
The idea that confusion andanxiety could actually be
(31:03):
calling us toward our greatestpurpose challenges everything
we've been taught aboutfollowing clear, logical paths.
I'm particularly moved by hertransparency about the struggles
, the lawsuits, the financialstrain, the years of not paying
themselves, while buildingsomething that helps others heal
.
It's a reminder thatpurpose-driven work isn't always
easy, but it's often exactlywhat the world needs.
(31:26):
For those of you sitting withsomething that makes your heart
race, something you feel calledto but don't understand why,
maybe Jessica's story ispermission to take that step
anyway.
Sometimes our greatest giftsemerge not from qualifications
but from our willingness to showup despite feeling unprepared.
If today's conversationinspired you to consider your
(31:46):
own calling.
Share it with someone who needsto hear it.
Remember she Sweet.
Society exists to amplifywomen's voices from all walks of
life.
Proving that purpose oftenfinds us when we are least
expecting it.
Until next time, this is yourhost, Dahlia, reminding you that
your life is your message tothe world.
Why not make it extraordinary?
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