Meet Erica Salinas

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erica Salinas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Erica, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

Firstly, I’m an Aries LOL. So I think I was innately born with it. As a fire sign, accepting challenges and having determination to accomplish things really keeps us going. But there’s a curiosity within me and a need to push myself that I have to explore to be fulfilled. I am way too much of an overthinker to go back and wonder “what if I would have done this” or “should I have done that”. Like no- do it. Now. Or else you’ll regret not knowing. And taking risks doesn’t always equate to success! But it definitely leads to experiences which, in my opinion, are more valuable anyway.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I specialize in crafting non toxic and eco conscious alternatives to home fragrance! All of my candles and wax melts are made with all natural soy wax and clean scent fragrance oils. This means they are free from phthalates, carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, etc. I became super passionate about candle making when I realized my asthma was being triggered by my store bought candles. It sort of led me down a rabbit hole about what we are burning in our homes and why we should care. So I set out on a mission, determined to be in charge of creating something eco conscious without sacrificing scent, performance, and quality. I had no real plans to turn it into a business but I am so happy that I did. It’s allowed me to go beyond candle making and start to teach my own courses. I realized there are lots of folks that don’t know the difference between waxes, oils, etc but once they know they genuinely make changes to cleaner alternatives and that makes me really happy. 🙂

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

It’s so hard to narrow down because the journey is in process and always evolving. But in this chapter for me it’s: persistence, authenticity, and trust. It’s really easy to be hard on yourself and feel like maybe you aren’t doing enough. Or maybe you’re comapring yourself and questioning whether you should be farther along than you are. But trusting the process is so crucial- it is literally EVERYTHING. Trust the process, be persistent, and be authentically YOU.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

I love this question so much because it gives me an opportunity to acknowledge all of the incredible people in my life who have helped me grow. I am SO blessed to have an amazing support system. My family, friends, boyfriend- they are all so special to me because they believe in me and what I’m doing. They give me feedback when I need it without limiting or putting down my creative freedom. That’s actually a really hard thing to do but somehow they deliver. And they are a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to when I’m feeling overwhelmed which is so necessary. My boyfriend will sit there with me for hours helping me prep jars or label candles because he knows it will lessen my load. My sister has attended almost every single candle making class I’ve hosted. My best friends hype me up so much and share + support my events/classes. My parents always cheer me on and make sure I know that they’re proud. I’ve got a small tribe but they mean the world to me. I always say, it’s not the amount of people in your life that matters. It’s the TYPE of people that you surround yourself with that makes the biggest impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bohemianlilyco.com
• Instagram: bohemian.lily