5 years of Circular Bodies!

Wow. This month Circular Bodies turns 5! I have to pinch myself as I remember to take a few moments, reflect and celebrate. This blog post is filled with my reflections, where I share about my personal journey as a founder - which is inherently the journey that got Circular Bodies here. (Spoiler alert: it has drama, challenges and overall, it is not what you would expect!). 

-

If I had told my 25 year old self that I would be running my own business full time without compromising on my high standards of how to honor the Earth, she would not have believed me. 

During my college years, I was deeply invested in sustainability, living a mostly zero-waste life, eating clean, making my own skincare products and buying mostly used clothing. As an immigrant in America and about to graduate, I was told by the collective (conscious and unconscious) that I needed to find a job to make a living, and that that was the only available next step in my life, in my career, in my existence as a human being on Earth. With a degree in Fashion Design, I scavenged for a sustainable job in the fashion industry EVERYWHERE. But with no real work experience except for a couple brutally traumatic internships (oh those New York intern days..!), I was met with not a single sustainable brand that was willing to hire me. Starting my own business was not an option at that point - it was not even on my radar! Besides that, with no savings and no experience, all I wanted was the opportunity to join a team doing good work to bring sustainable clothing to the world.

Eventually, I was met with a single job offer on the table, from a big fast fashion brand I despised. After months of fighting it, my only option was to take the job, at least until I had a bit more experience and money saved to do something else. So I did. And off I went from New York City to Columbus, Ohio, to work for corporate America.

My values remained intact as I tried to navigate my new office job. I joined the sustainability committee, I was constantly inquiring about better material sourcing, and brought news articles and innovation ideas around sustainable design to our brainstorming meetings. In every area where I brought a fresh perspective, I was met with resistance (and honestly some hostility). My passion for innovation, for the Earth and for good design was neither welcomed nor celebrated. I soon realized I was trying too hard to create a positive impact in an environment which had no interest in the betterment of anything other than individual and financial career advancements (can you tell I did not have many friends at work??) . I felt stuck, and had no idea how to leave a job that was crucial for my financial survival and yet, went against every one of my values on how life should be lived on Earth. 

At the time, I would carpool with my only friend from work, Kaia (I love you Kaia!!!!). One day, she came over after work and noticed I hand-made every single one of my body products - my vanity had a handmade face and hair oil, a tonic and a homemade deodorant. Kaia tried some of my products and said "these are so good! Have you ever thought about selling them?" - I hadn't.

I had originally started making my own products because I could not find anything that matched my sustainability standards, especially something that I could afford. My standards are still the main pillars of Circular Bodies today: No fragrance or synthetic ingredients, no single use plastic, no ingredients I can't read and understand (which means using only unrefined and organic ingredients from the Earth). And... simple formulas that actually work, without costing a fortune.

The idea of sharing the few products I used often with others started brewing in the back of my mind, and the concept of working for myself on something that was actually aligned with my values felt a little less impossible in that moment. (While I come from a family of immigrant entrepreneurs, there was little encouragement for me to start my own business, and I have to admit that social media was a huge help in that department - seeing young women online who were sustaining themselves by running their own businesses was revolutionary for me at the time!).

I started a spreadsheet tracking how much it would cost to make and sell these products, but I never got to buying ingredients because my full time job took most of my time and mental energy. A few months later, a surprisingly aligned opportunity to leave my job came up (through a miraculous and dramatic HR encounter that I am not allowed to disclose - think racism, bullying, toxic work environment and everything in between!). I had a tiny bit of savings to live off of for a couple months, so I bought enough ingredients to make a small batch of my products. My initial investment was  $300. I made a simple label using my thrifted printer. I bought overstock glass bottles. And I posted these few products on IG. In a week, I had sold my first 10 orders to friends and family! With that money, I doubled the next batch and kept going.

I moved back to New York City right after that and worked 2 to 5 jobs at a time to pay for rent as I was running my tiny skincare business. Luckily, these jobs were much more fun than my office job, and included teaching fashion design in schools and private practice, babysitting and freelance designing - all of which were more aligned with my sustainability values. These jobs brought me coherence and peace of mind. In the meantime I worked on ethical ingredient sourcing andpackaging and continued to refine the products I was selling.

At the time, I reached out to Package Free Shop (which was one of my favorite businesses!) asking if they would carry our products (they agreed!). I slowly learned different ways to spread the word and share our products. - I even organized a summer internship where incredible students helped me with blog posts, social media, marketing and design!

When covid hit, I moved to California to stay with my mother, and Circular Bodies was officially created, with the help of friends and family (an honorable mention to my friend Cristina Molinari and my mom, who tackled creative direction and order fulfillment, respectively). With a brand established, I embarked in the magic of Farmers Markets, and started selling at the one in Oakland. The farmers market community was so supportive, responsive and energizing. I had found my happy place! I would trade soaps for vegetables with local farmers, which led me to eat better, more seasonally and have time outdoors weekly. - Circular Bodies had just become my full time job!

3 years ago,  I moved back to Columbus Ohio both for Graduate school and listening tor a spiritual calling. It felt like a weird full circle moment. I had my first ever sale here years ago, and moved back in 2022 as a new person: fully confident I could work for myself doing what I love, and unwilling to ever compromise my values for a job again.

I had to start some things from scratch, such as a seller permit and farmers market applications. But the Columbus community welcomed me with open arms and within a year of being back in Ohio I was vending at my favorite farmers market of all times, had a community of entrepreneur friends who became my biggest support system, and had partnered with some of my favorite online businesses to sell online and in retail stores.

A year later, I welcomed  my friend Sierra into the team, which fully transformed my once-upon-a-time tiny fulfillment operation into our amazing studio. And then this year, we welcomed Lauren into the team, who has been turning our world upside down with her energizing presence at pop-ups and markets. Growing a team has allowed me to put more energy towards refining our product offerings, updating our website (ish!) and showing up for aligned markets.

From making soap in my bedroom in 2019 to running a studio and a full market schedule today, I never thought I would start my own business - let alone live off-of making skin and home cleaning products that support the health of the Earth! My commitment to honoring the Earth brought me from fashion to wellness as organically as a flowing spring slowly becomes a big river. This unclear journey of unknowns came together with time, and the perfect puzzle of challenges gave me confidence to not only run this business, but inspire and help others start their own (I now freelance as a creative consultant for other businesses as a fun side gig!).

I would like to believe the Universe brings us the most potent blessings when we least expect them. A traumatic first job gave me the push I needed to start working for myself. My first friend at that job gave me the idea to sell what has now become our Circular Bodies line. The midwest town I randomly moved to, is now my home and the home of Circular Bodies. I am thankful for every challenge along the way,  they made me stronger. This strength, paired with my endless creativity and love for design and sustainability, is what now allows me to serve my community and the Earth, wholeheartedly and with so much gratitude and joy. 

My wish is for all humans to have the opportunity to do what they love. May we take every step needed to get there with faith and courage, knowing that there is space on this Earth for all of us to live the lives we are here to live.

I want to thank you for being part of our journey, for trusting our service and for honoring the Earth with your everyday habits as much as we do. For 50 more years of spreading love for the Earth and building businesses that fill our hearts with joy, our lives with abundance, and our Earth with Medicine. 

With love and gratitude,

Dominique