Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn and Kristen Edmond.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We started Sunya in August 2012 along with Ashley (Carolyn’s eldest daughter). All three of us knew we wanted to work for ourselves doing something we truly love. Skin care made sense as we all spent a lot of time experimenting with how to take care of our bodies. Each of us also has an inherent skill for the culinary arts (we’re Italian); making skin and body care is much like cooking.
Six years passed before we finally manifested formulations we felt confident in offering to the world. Lots of research, trial and error, sampling our products out to our friends and receiving honest feedback happened long before packaged product came to be. We as a family struggled to agree on certain aspects of the business. Eventually Ashley stepped down and we weren’t sure if we’d continue forward. My mom and I decided we’d carry on with the business, officially launching in December 2017.
Carolyn comes from the medical world; 35+ years’ experience as an RN, shifting through a variety of units. Witnessing firsthand the most radical of wounds and health issues, she’s developed a keen understanding of health beyond symptom management. She brings the scientific mind to Sunya and is responsible for researching, formulating and hand-making the bulk of our products.
My experience is rooted in visual arts, developing into an interest in healing arts, movement therapy and working with plants. From graphic design, photography and creative direction to herbalism, reiki and yoga to landscape design and interior design… somehow all my passions weave together in a way that makes sense to me. I bring the aesthetic vision to Sunya and am responsible for the bulk of operations. I also assist with product formulation.
We’ve come a long way since the beginning but our ultimate vision remains essentially the same. This venture is an opportunity for us to generate a new way of living for ourselves and allow us to contribute more to others. We still have so much to learn which excites and motivates us. Sunya starts with skin care, a simple yet powerful practice of self-care, but is really a broader conversation about life as art; an intentional creative process, an opportunity to take ownership of our experience. We all deserve to do what we love, feel good and live well, not just an exclusive few.
The home within which we currently live is serving as a vehicle for our work, which we refer to as “The Sunya Sanctuary.” The space is currently under renovation to reflect the next level of where we’re taking things. It’s our prototype for healing spaces we want to create in the future. The idea is that our space, the energy we generate within it, influences what we create and how that impacts the world around us. We as individuals really have the power to change things. It starts with loving ourselves and believing in our ability to create the reality we desire. Sunya is the dream we’ve manifested as a result of loving and believing in ourselves.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our biggest obstacle was staying the course despite family disputes. Skin care product formulation is a bumpy road, there’s no way around that. You have to mess up a lot of product before you create something that’s stable, safe, effective and authentically your own. There’s so many other issues that you couldn’t possibly understand until you find yourself immersed in them: the tedious task of labeling bottles, the discrepancies around the language you use to articulate what your product is, managing your own PR, the administrative details to streamline everything, maintaining consistency when producing product.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sunya story. Tell us more about the business.
Sunya is a holistic skin and body care line consisting of five skin care products and one adaptogenic herbal blend for internal use (we’re working on expanding this concept into its own line). We specialize in products designed to not only promote radiant skin but also serve to relieve a variety of chronic inflammatory skin issues and promote the regeneration of serious wounds. We are known for our healing balm which we call “The Cure” as customers rave about how rapidly relieving it is. We’re proud of the fact that we stayed the course and took our time with formulation, developing products that we ourselves, as well as others, need and desire. Our products stand out for their potent simplicity; our brand holds its own as both vibrantly fresh and elegantly timeless.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We do not think in terms of “luck.” We thinks in terms of belief. What you believe about yourself and your business is what you will manifest. We own every failure and success of our business. We believe that every obstacle and breakthrough is of our own creation in order to push us to the next level.
Contact Info:
- Website: sunyala.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @sunya.la
Image Credit:
Rick Elias, Dantae Azez Imix Guadalajara, Kristen Edmond
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
