Today we’d like to introduce you to Francia Telesford
Hi Francia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story has been about 20 years in the making. I’ve been a business owner for 3 years, but focusing on the wellness of others has always been a part of who I am. I love taking care of people and helping them to feel seen and heard. I started Gracelamp Wellness as a way to highlight the importance of being held in the motherhood journey and beyond. The idea came out of my expeiences suffering and healing from postpartum anxiety and trauma and is part of a bigger journey of reclaiming joy in motherhood for all women.
I’ve been doing social services and social work related volunteerism and work for several years working with various vulnerable populations like the homeless, foster youth, families and children, and those facing various truamas in the mental health and health fields. I’ve always been an advocate and also always had a creative side from early on. Gracelamp Wellness has been such an awesome way to turn pain into purpose while also honoring my creative spirit and my ability to connect with empathize with others.
I have bootstrapped my business without any outside funding and little by little have built a brand I am so proud of. I started with just sharing my business via text and email with family and friends, then moved on to selling on Etsy and various in person pop-up markets and fairs. I have grown to be able to partner with some amazing brands like GUESS, Inc., Anthropologie, and Kendra Scott and some wonderful service organizations such as ACCESS Transportation Services, Alexandria House, and UCLA Mobile Clinic to name a few.
I combine services that I have years of expertise and formal education in such as therapy, counseling, groups, and lactation, along with products that I’ve spent time creating, researching, and testing to help all moms better prioritize themselves and their needs. I continue the journey of growing my business by always seeking training and educational opportunities that allow me to learn and do better each day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but it’s been a road paved with opportunities to pivot and grow with each new challenge. Becoming a social worker has prepared me to deal with different personalities and challenges along the way as well as to ground myself in the truth and goodness of who I am even when I feel like I’m failing or there are one too many tasks on my plate at a time. Some struggles of entrepreneurship have been being a solo entrepreneur and not having a team, lack of adequate funding/support, predatory/ unethical pop-up market hosts here and there, as well as learning how to do business while doing business. I would say each struggle has also help increase my knowledge and joy as well because I get a certain sense of satisfaction from overcoming or falling forward and having the opportunity to reflect and learn how to move differently and help others going through the process as well along the way. It feels incredibly amazing to have something you can call your own and then also rewarding when you have a win all while knowing the many loses you have also overcome to get to that win. If the road was smooth then we wouldn’t learn anything or have as much passion to continue. While it can feel very isolating at times being a small business owner, it also teaches you even more resilience and builds tenacity.
As you know, we’re big fans of Gracelamp Wellness . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Gracelamp Wellness is an amazing heartfelt business that combines mental health support and services along with meaningful and luxurious products and gifts that align with improving mindfulness and mental health outcomes for moms. We offer trauma informed therapy, counseling, and trainings as well as handmade beauty items such as aromatherapy soaps, body butters, and oils and pair them with affirmations for motherhood. We are fully vegan/ cruelty-free and believe in allowing moms the opportunity to feel genuine and holistic self-care from the inside and out. What sets us apart is having a founder with the clinical expertise and formal education and training in maternal mental health, lactation, and social work as well as lived experience as a black mother who navigated adverse experiences with maternal health providers and navigating various stages of motherhood thereafter. We chose and make our scents based on personal experience and knowledge of how scents can impact mental health as well as using various social work and therapeutic tools such as journaling and affirmation offerings to help moms feel seen and heard in their experiences from pregnancy, the postpartum period, and every stage of motherhood.
We are most proud of the consistency of our brand where we are a one stop shop for motherhood self-care and being able to inspire others who enjoy our products and services for encouragement even outside of motherhood; we have built a community of love, advocacy, and care. It feels wonderful when customers and clients feel safe enough to share their stories about themselves and their loved ones and also feels amazing to be invited to help train and support other motherhood centered organizations on how to support themselves and their clients in the areas of wellness and self-care. The most important thing I want readers to know about the brand is that every single aspect is thought out and offered with the hope of offering safety and decreasing suffering. If customers feel comforted and affirmed when they get services and products from Gracelamp Wellness then the goal is reached. The business is a tool that I hope helps moms feel prioritized and worthy of care. I especially desire that those in marginalized and underserved communities get to feel joyful and celebrated from connecting with our business offerings.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
There are a few apps and resources that I love and that help me do my best in life working and in general. I like using the Abide app which has biblical meditations along with relaxing meditation music and scriptures. I used it a lot when I was going through postpartum depression and anxiety and was able to find a lot of peace and encouragement. I still use it almost daily to just set the tone for the day or when stressed; they also have really nice bedtime stories for kids that I use when my girls have a hard time getting to bed. In addition, I enjoy finding various podcasts and meditations on YouTube. My husband and I really love listening to podcasts from MrsKevOnStage and KevOnStage which are always funny and relatable to marriage, parenting, work-life balance, and business. I also enjoy listening to empowering women of faith like Sarah Jakes Roberts for various topics for women. As far as books I am pulling out my Bible to help me with different aspects of life. It always helps me remain in gratitude and recenter when figuring out steps for things that sometimes aren’t clear; it also allows me to give myself and others grace in daily life. I also enjoy reading various mommy blogs here and there just depending on what I’m seeking for that day or that week. It’s always fun to just find community with other’s in spaces like blogs and podcasts.
Pricing:
- Mommy Wellness Boxes $54.99
- Aromatherapy Soaps $12.99
- Healing Body Butters/ Hair Conditioners $26.99
- Wellness Groups FREE-varied pricing
- Support Services- varied pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gracelampwellness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracelampwellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GracelampWellness/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GracelampWellness
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gracelamp-wellness-los-angeles
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/ry7MwEc
Image Credits
Francia Telesford, Gracelamp Wellness
