Meet Katrice Smith

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

Hi Katrice, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I feel like there’s only one response for this question, and that’s God. I didn’t have to find my purpose; it was shown to me, and I have always been placed right where I needed to be. Often times we may be upset that something we wanted didn’t work out or didn’t go as planned. We feel like doors are being closed and we can’t seem to understand why. Truth is, we have our plans, but sometimes our plans don’t line up with the plans that God has for us. There was a time I was so distraught that I was forced to take a break from nursing school. I cried all the time and was in a state of depression. I was in my 2nd semester of nursing school, headed to 3rd and I was 1.51 points shy of receiving the grade I needed to move further. I was told I had to take a 2-year hiatus before I continued on with my studies. I was DISTRAUGHT! All my life, up until that point, I wanted to be a doctor or nurse practitioner. The high school I attended was a health-centered magnet school with above standard graduation standards. The medical field is all I knew, at that point. I couldn’t wrap my mind around not being good at something. I have always been the person that excels, especially in school. I was always in the gifted and talented classes, the pre-bachelorette class, the Pre-AP classes. How was it that I was failing to meet minimum standards? Nursing school was the plan I had for myself, but I guess God was like, “Nah, that’s not for you.” This was a point in my life where I was forced to really sit down and listen. Listen and watch what was being prepared in front of me, for me. Outside of nursing, I always had the dream of having my own adoption center/shelter. When my nursing dreams crashed, I started to research what education route I needed to take to do just that. All roads pointed to social work. The crazy thing is, when you are now pursuing what your actual purpose is and what you were put on this Earth to do, things just fall into place. I decided that I wasn’t going to wait 2 years to continue my undergraduate education, I made the decision to change my major to social work. The first sign of me knowing that this was a God thing, was the fact that, majority of my credits were able to fulfill many of the credits I needed for my social world degree plan. It only added 1 more year to my undergraduate journey. Not only that, I excelled in all of my classes. When I began to do my internship, I LOVED it. When I was doing clinicals in nursing school, I disliked my clinical rotations, very much (because hate it a strong word, lol). It made me question being a nurse. It made me question, is this what I really want to do? When social work came to mind, there was no such thing. All this to say, it was at this point, when I knew. I knew, “This is what you’re supposed to be doing.” God will always show you your path. I graduated with a BA in social work and began my career working in social services as I worked my way up receiving my master’s degree in social work and 3 years after that, receiving my license to be a Licensed Master Social Worker. Any job that I’ve held, I have left a mark whether it be on the company I worked for or the many patients/clients/students that I have helped along the way. Knowing the work and dedication that I have poured and continue to pour into my career, has helped confirmed that this was the plan for my life all along. The next thing I say is very cliche, but very true. “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

By day, I am a dialysis social worker, any time outside of that, I am your favorite natural and vegan skincare crafter. I hand-make, from scratch, facial and body care products that are natural, plant-based and overall, healthier for your skin. During the Summer/Fall months, you can usually find me at one of your local Farmers Markets. Other than those markets, I attend any other market/event/pop up that I am either invited to vend at or events that I apply for and have gotten accepted into. From now until the end of year, I have a list of events that I will be a part of. It’s a great opportunity for you to come out and see what we have to offer. What’s better than gifting your loved ones healthy skin for the holidays? If you’d like to stay in touch and see what events we’ll be attending, what sales we may have going on, or new product releases, head over to www.unrefinedessentials.com and sign up for our e-mail subscription (shameless plug, lol).

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Consistency, dedication and grit have been some of the most impactful qualities on this journey. One of my biggest pieces of advice I have to give is to JUST…KEEP… GOING! Consistency and dedication will be 2 of the major pillars of success on any journey. There will be so many days when wake up and want to quit. There will be many days when you feel overwhelmed. There will be days when you question whether you’re “good enough.” There are times when you will think, “will I ever be successful?” The thing is, you will never know if you give up. There are going to be bumps in the road, but you have to push through. One of my strengths is knowing what I want and putting in the work to attain what I want. I can very ambitious and my tenacity to withstand tough times and situations has propelled to me the place I am in today. In the beginning, it may seem as if you’re not growing at the rate you want to or you may feel like you’re not where you want to be. If you stay the course, I promise you’ll begin to see the fruits of your labor.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

The current challenge I’m currently facing is overcoming doubt. The skincare industry is HUGE! I sometimes wonder, “how will my products shine through all the others?” How can I separate myself from the crowd? As I mentioned before, you have to keep going. I know that there are many popular store brands out there that people buy and have bought for years. They have become staples in people’s homes. What I also know, is that my products are better for your skin than a lot of those over-the-counter products that contain so many harsh ingredients. I know there are also many small businesses that specialize in skincare, but they aren’t me. My formulas aren’t the same. My packaging is different. My approach is different. There is no one out there like Unrefined Essentials. That could sound arrogant to some, but that is nothing but confidence exuding through me and my business. I am confident that there is a need for my product in this market. I am confident that God has gifted me with the talent, the knowledge and the creativity to create these products. My products may not reach everyone, but it will reach exactly who it is meant to reach.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.unrefinedessentials.com
• Instagram: @unrefinedessentials