We were lucky to catch up with Julie Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Julie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I grew up completely oblivious to environmental problems, in an oil industry family that didn’t really see a problem with that. In my late 20’s and early 30’s, I began to learn about our environmental problems, mainly out of a concern for running out of resources as our population continued to grow. I became fanatical about recycling and at least keeping everything in a circular economy. Later I learned about water and energy and toxins, and the impacts our consumer choices have on the environment, when I left the oil industry and moved to the Coors brewery. I earned a master’s degree in environmental engineering, and realized that all the toxic chemicals that they were teaching us about were in the very products that we buy off the shelf in grocery stores and hardware stores. I would read the labels of everything I bought, and finally lost patience with the available products, and the impossibility of refilling them in bulk, so I made my own. I would give them to friends and family, figuring every product I gave away was that much less poison and single-use plastic in the world, then I decided to start my own business and have more of an impact than I could with just friends and family.
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?
I make and market personal care products and castile soaps. We have refillable toothpowder, deodorant, lip balm, lotion bars, castile soap, foaming hand and body soap, sun screen, shampoo and more! It’s possible to get all personal care products from us without ever using a single-use container, because you can keep refilling it. You can be sure our products are safe for you and for the environment, because they are organic, non-GMO and free of toxins that are common in typical grocery store products. I love filling orders for new customers, because that feels like our Aspire impact is growing. Single use containers in the U.S. make up about 10% of our obscene carbont footprint compared to the rest of the world, so it really helps a lot to go bulk. Also, you save money by not paying for a new container every time you buy something.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I am a chemist at heart, my undergraduate degree was in chemical engineering, and I have spent a lot of time working in labs, developing products and processes in the oil industry, and later working in the Coors water lab. This segways well into designing and making personal care products, because design starts on the bench, and then is scaled up from there. I learned about our environmental problems by reading publications that I trust, such as National Geographic, High Country News, and Discover magazine, and I relate the information I see to my own behavior and how I can do things differently to lower my impact.
I am stubborn, and refuse to contribute to our problems. Even when we travel and have no access to our normal curbside pickup, I still avoid single-use containers, and when I inevitably end up with something, I collect it, take it home with me, and recycle it.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My number one obstacle currently is getting a following for my products. I feel serious urgency around our environmental problems, and find it nearly impossible to get a regular following and regular product sales. Even friends and family that I know personally will say they’re going to try my products, and then they never do. Even though I have an on-line store and delivery free locally. The complacency is disheartening for me, and if it continues generally I’m afraid we will seriously lose our planet in just the next few generations. A few of my friends and family have even made fun of me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aspirecolo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspirecoloradobodycare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AspireColoradoBodyCare/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/aspire-colorado-golden
Image Credits
Julie Smith