Today we’d like to introduce you to Liberty Cordova.
Hi Liberty, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in the Wasatch Mountains. Growing up, I was surrounded by artists and creatives, so I have been expressing myself creatively in some way for as long as I can remember. I started dancing at three years old and have been singing and acting on stage, in commercials, on film, and in live productions from the time I was seven. When I wasn’t performing, I was in nature: hiking, camping, and skiing. Later in life, I discovered what eventually turned into my love affair with rock climbing. I was always outside, developing what grew into a deep reverence for nature.
Taking breaks in nature and getting outside as much as possible has always been crucial for me to regroup and recharge from the time I moved to Los Angeles at seventeen. My relationship with the elements, and the way nature attunes the body and awakens the senses, is a source for inspiration in any work I do. Whether it be visually with photography, sonically with making music, feeling through things with dance, or using scent to stimulate the olfactory nerve and elicit different moods and memories for characters with acting. I feel like it was a natural progression for me to create my business, Liberated Ascent. This is why I call them elevated plant essences with a purpose. I wanted to create a line of safe scents where I could bring nature with me to awaken the senses wherever I go.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has definitely had a lot of peaks and valleys; I think everyone has their challenges at one point or another. I was fortunate enough to start auditioning and working professionally as a dancer, actor, and singer soon after I moved to LA. There came a point where I found myself moving away from dance and shifting my focus. It was taking a toll physically, mentally, and emotionally. Dancers are some of the most committed and hard-working artists out there. They train as professional athletes from a very young age and dedicate their lives and all of their energy to their craft, but there’s no union to protect that. I found myself needing to step away from it all and reevaluate what I wanted my relationship with dance to look like.
I had to take a hard look at the entertainment industry as a whole and the massive imbalance of power, especially in the dance industry. Having grown up in it, it took a while to see the full picture because I was too close to it. There is a lot of abuse that gets normalized and ignored, and the need for change is very apparent. I see people becoming less tolerant and exposing the injustices more and more. I think that’s so important, even if it’s difficult at times for people to watch. I look forward to seeing everything come to light to create the change we need in the very near future.
I involve myself in that world in a very different way now, and I am so grateful to work with dancers and choreographers who foster respectful, safe, and healthy environments for dancers. I do my best to inform and encourage the up and coming dancers. I know to trust their instincts and know their worth to be able to enjoy their own journey as dancers. I learned so much during that time, and my love for being an artist and for dance itself actually got stronger in the long run.
As you know, we’re big fans of Liberated Ascent. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I created Liberated Ascent in Los Angeles, California. Born because I wanted to create a safe, gender neutral scent that is free of synthetic fragrances, phthalates, parabens and other chemicals. Each ingredient is consciously and ethically sourced using some of the safest USDA Certified Organic and Wildcrafted ingredients from around the world. We believe in supporting sustainable farming and sourcing from companies that provide complete transparency with the purity of each individual oil, using their lab-tested results from farm to distillery.
By choosing Liberated Ascent, you can have a more personal and subtle experience, as well as using them as a tool for mood management emotional support, and even contribute to improving your overall physical health. The best scents are truly all around us in their purest form in nature, so we decided to blend them, hand bottle them and bring them to you.
Liberated Ascent is now available online and will be in stores in Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco very soon!
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
During the time of reevaluation, I discovered my love for rock climbing. I was going back and forth from LA to New York for a couple of years, working, auditioning, and traveling a lot. I was also healing from a long-term injury, and my health was compromised from pushing my limits to the edge. Eventually, my body really forced me to slow down. It was around that time that I started to discover how scent impacts our emotions and learned about the olfactory nerve. The olfactory nerve is part of the limbic system, which connects us to the parts of the brain that process emotion, memories, and instinct. I also noticed the positive influence scent had on my stress levels and my productivity, especially when I was in pain or fatigued. I knew I loved the way I felt with different aromas, but I’d eventually get a headache or feel nauseous from perfume. So, I started to try out oil rollers and more seemingly natural fragrances, but the same thing would happen, and I’d even develop skin sensitivities because of the quality of the products and synthetic fragrances that were added to it. That’s how I started down the rabbit hole of discovering what synthetic fragrances were and how dangerous they can be for your health. I joke a lot that I felt like Erin Brockavich. It was a pretty eye-opening experience.
In most cosmetics and beauty products, synthetics are almost always present. So, finding something that was non-toxic was something I became passionate about. I discovered that the FDA didn’t have any regulations for cosmetics and perfume when it came to toxic ingredients that were hidden under the term “trade secret”. Researching and finding something safe that smelled good and made me feel good became a bit of an obsession. I couldn’t find any perfumes that were non-toxic, and the other products I did find didn’t elicit the response I was looking for. I tried so many different things and started chatting with perfumers. Most of them told me it was too hard to make and not profitable enough for anyone to bother making. No one had any suggestions for me, that was just the way it was.
After a lot of research and figuring out what I liked the most, I decided to create my own line of safe, gender-neutral scents using plant essences free of synthetic fragrances, phthalates, parabens and other chemicals. I use some of the safest USDA Certified Organic and Wildcrafted ingredients from around the world. I also wanted to be sure to support sustainable farming and source from companies that provide complete transparency with the purity of each individual oil, using their lab-tested results from farm to distillery. It was a long process that took a lot of patience. That’s how my company Liberated Ascent was born. All that to say, I think the lesson was that you never know where life might be taking you. What you see as a setback, or being forced to slow down and not do the things you are used to normally doing, can be the beginning of a whole new adventure that takes you places you didn’t know existed. When life forces you to slow down, if you really take the time to pay attention, you can actually find some pretty powerful stuff.
There are a lot of things that set Liberated Ascent apart from the rest. But for me, the relief you will experience having found scents with safe ingredients and the benefits each blend has been designed to bring you is key. When you try all three blends, you can feel the difference in each one and use them to help enhance focus with Symphonics, get grounded with Suelo or relieve stress with La Loba. I get a lot of feedback that people have a new favorite each day or week depending on how they’re feeling and what they’re using them for.
It has been really cool to watch Liberated come to life and see people not only enjoy them as much as I do but also create their own rituals. I’m excited to see how that evolves and I can’t wait for more people to be able to experience Liberated Ascent for themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.liberatedascent.com
- Instagram: @libertycordova // @liberatedascent
- Twitter: @libertycordova
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/rC6ALc7WoDNJVVac7
- Other: www.imdb.me/libertycordova
Image Credits
Floriana Lima Liberty Cordova
