Meet Kala Dickherber

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kala Dickherber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kala below.

Kala, so great to have you sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our readers and so let’s jump right into one of our favorite topics – empathy. We think a lack of empathy is at the heart of so many issues the world is struggling with and so our hope is to contribute to an environment that fosters the development of empathy. Along those lines, we’d love to hear your thoughts around where your empathy comes from?
My childhood wasn’t great. I lived various places, including a chicken shed & a concession stand at different points, and I witnessed much violence & abuse. I never had much which would later on give me a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what I do have, including the smallest things which I now think are the most important things. My teenage years included many sexual & physical assaults, and other violence as well. This resulted in having my wonderful son at the age of 16, which I couldn’t be more thankful for. He’s the best thing that came from that time in my life. He & his entrance into this world was the starting point for my journey to self help and wellness. This is why I always say my son saved my life. I wanted his life to be completely different from mine, and I wanted to better myself and my surroundings for him.
Much work on myself through counseling, journaling, art, etc, and the realization that my past doesn’t have to be a part of or effect my present or future helped my mental helth tremendously. It also made me realize I could help others with these trials, troubles, & experiences, which made me want to do so as much as possible.
I’ve always had a very strong sense and connection to how others are feeling. I’ve figured out over my journey to self wellness that I am what is considered an empath. This makes me not only feel what others are feeling, but also the need to help do something about it.
I’ve always wanted to change the world for the better. I believe my journey, my experiences, my past & acceptance of it, the will to move forward, the need to help others, & my positivity have given me my empathy & the means to use it to the best of my ability.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a free spirit with a love of nature, traveling, writing, photography, art, and spending time with my son. I find joy in simplicity and natural beauty which is what I have based my business brand around; promoting a natural, organic lifestyle, valuing the mind, body, and soul of every living being.
I focus most on the small things in life, positivity, self love, helping others, and mental health.
My business is not just about making money. It’s about helping others be physically and mentally healthier through my Holistic and natural approach, and for my art and words to connect with them in a way as to lift their spirits and promote mental wellness.
I am an entrepreneur with a background in EMT work, cosmetology, fitness training, and psychology, but I enjoy the freedom of owning my own business. It allows me to make my own hours, travel more, meet & help many new people, make new connections & friends, and be there for my son and others when they need me.
My soul isn’t the type to have a life of being tied down to one spot or doing the same thing everyday, and my business is very much the opposite of that lifestyle; it makes me feel free and happier about each new day.
Owning a small, traveling, online business, especially that’s still pretty new, is very difficult at times, especially financially, but what in life worth doing is easy? I would rather struggle a little and work harder to be able to do what I love, help others, and focus on my mental health than to settle for something that will make feel that I’m not fulfilling my purpose in this life.
I love, believe in, and use my organic products, and I thoroughly enjoy the creative process of my art, writing, photography, and jewelry.
I’m very excited about what the future holds for the business, the opportunities I’ve been given, the goal of advocating for more mental health, women’s, and survivors organizations, the new partnerships with other small businesses and artisans, and the possibility of furthering this into even more partnerships and affiliations. I can’t wait to launch our upcoming subscription boxes, and to see what God has planned for us next!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My journey as a small business owner was completely self taught and has been quite bumpy at times. The best advice I could give is don’t give up.
There will be many financial struggles; if it’s your dream and you’re surviving, it’s worth it.
There will be lost sleep at night, long hours, feelings of being overwhelmed, and wanting to give up; I like to think on these days of worse days or times that I’ve survived, and then tell myself that I’ve survived them all so far so the odds are I’ll survive this one too and be better off for it, and then give myself some needed selflove and selfcare time.
There will be times of no orders, no money being made, no clients, and feelings that your work isn’t good enough; remember this isn’t true, we all go through it, you’re worthy, you’re creative, you’re strong, and things will change if you keep going!
Stay true to yourself, don’t try to be like others because your uniqueness is what will make your business great, reach out to friends and other small business owners to talk, ask for help when needed, don’t be too hard on yourself, and give yourself the necessary selfcare time without feeling guilty for it.
These are all things I have struggled with and still do at times, but using the methods listed have helped me tremendously and I hope they will help you too.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for other small businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs to collaborate and/or partner with! I believe that growing our businesses and work together is so beneficial and great. I love finding like-minded people that love or use the organic approach with their products, people that make unique art or products, people that love or want to help others, and people that advocate for good causes to work with. I think the whole artistic process is amazing and I love the fact that we are all unique and see things differently. I believe this gives us the ability to help one another.
If you’re looking for a business like mine to collaborate with please don’t hesitate to contact me on my social media platforms, my website at www.echorises.com, or by email, text or phone at [email protected] and
(706) 816-5352. Thanks, I can’t wait to connect with you!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Joseph Wilson (Tattoo Work) Gary Roberson (Photography) Kala Dickherber (Photography)

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