Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Hughes.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I never pegged myself an entrepreneur and, short of a couple of MLM ventures I’ve dabbled in throughout the years, I didn’t know the first thing about small business ownership when I started The Brave Kind last year. My business idea actually began in my online yoga community. At the beginning of 2020, we launched into a year-long course to bring a dream to life. For some, it was a creative project or personal growth milestone. For me, I wanted to begin working on a much longer-term goal: to host retreats on mine and my husband’s twenty acres in Central Texas.
As months passed and I envisioned a retreat space focused on holistic health, I got discouraged that the dream felt so far away. After all, our hobby farm life was a “ten year plan” which began in 2018. We were only two years into our farm development and I was already hosting guests in my mind–with no lodging to speak of. I realized that logistics aside, the retreat weekends would need a formal curriculum, and that was something I could flesh out in the short-term. A huge fan of Brene Brown and other thought leaders in the courage and compassion space, I named my business “The Brave Kind”. I had been writing a kindness blog for over a year by then and had begun to share more stories of my travel adventures and networking meet-ups. People pegged me as “brave” even though I didn’t see it in myself, but I soon realized bravery doesn’t have to be big, bold rescue–it can be small acts that push you out of your comfort zone daily. I maintain that courage and compassion are key pillars of personal growth, especially with the bravery it took for me to stop drinking over three years ago.
As I put together a platform for future retreats, it opened the door for immediate ways to share my message, even if retreats would be in the distant future (especially in light of the pandemic). I created an online course, worked with artisan friends to create products representative of bravery and kindness, and got my reiki certification. I made all of these offerings available on my newly launched website and blog, wearethebravekind.com.
I have taken a fairly significant step back from the business over the past few months to see my memoir to the finish line. However, my husband and I are still busy each weekend DIY’ing the lodging for future retreats guests. My hope is to even offer some The Brave Kind day workshops in 2022, as our land is just a little over 100 miles from DFW in Hamilton County.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Launching my small business was one big lesson in imperfect action, which was a key message I was learning during my year-long yoga course. When it came time to create the website, I had no idea what I was doing. I researched platforms and grew impatient with Youtube videos explaining the process. I considered hiring an expert, but learned quickly that professional web development was not in my budget, especially when I didn’t have any big ticket items to recoup those expenses. I would be launching my online course at a time when the digital space was being saturated as a result of canceled workshops and retreats around the globe. I managed to create a beautiful, robust website through Wix, even though I’m sure there are always opportunities to improve. Building a subscriber list for my blog, for example, has proven challenging because of my lack of knowledge in marketing funnels and ways to streamline sign-ups.
My biggest challenge to running The Brave Kind is that I’m still a full-time sales professional. The services and products I offer through my website are creations I am passionate about, but being new to this entrepreneurial space, I rely on income and benefits afforded me by my “day job.” I grateful to have a supportive team who cheers on my extra-curricular activities, including my publishing journey. I’m sure they will be the first to sign up for a retreat once they are open to the public!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When I launched The Brave Kind last year, it was really centered around my weekly blog writing–stories of my volunteer work for Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, work travel adventures, and creating personal connections. When I did a publicity shoot for the website in a custom-made logo t-shirt, it opened the door to the possibility of selling handcrafted merchandise. I was a retail buyer for over a decade, so curating an assortment was in my wheelhouse. I quickly reached out to maker friends for custom designs. Items like yoga tank tops, crystal bracelets, and custom essential oil blends are available in the shop.
In addition to tangible items, I offer distance reiki healing and chakra balancing. I began receiving reiki in early sobriety and quickly realized its magic. As I began to practice this energetic healing modality myself, I learned that I could tap into intuition that helps others unlock their potential and grow from their “stuck” space. I use custom ceramic chakra stones to guide my sessions, and I finish each session with a spirit animal card pull as guidance for my clients.
What I’m most proud of is taking the time over this past year to write a memoir, which covers not only my sobriety journey, but my transformation from shy, introverted wallflower to business owner and future retreat host. I’m currently working with a publishing industry coach on future opportunities under The Brave Kind umbrella.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The inception of The Brave Kind would not have happened without the support of The Body Mind Soul Studio and the guidance of our leader and yoga instructor, Allie Van Fossen. She helped us understand how to manifest our dreams using chakra lessons and yoga practices. There are too many individuals within that community to list, but needless to say, a countless number of my very first orders came from that group, including orders of my newly published book. I owe my interest in reiki and the healing arts to Kasey Bell, and my ongoing growth in the practice to the entire team at Indra’s Grace in Weatherford.
Within my maker’s circle, my neighbor Crystal Bullard created my first logo wear and has graciously donated her time to take all of the photos I’ve used in my business, on my blog, and for my book publicity. The other makers–Chelsea Rausch, Dawn Hoppe of Elevate Adornments, and Natalie Fairbrook of Satya Essential Oils–are all part of my yoga or sobriety online communities, proof that you can create strong connections even within the digital space.
And while I hope to someday dedicate all of my time to the retreat business, my current “day job” teammates, Lindsay and Taylor, are two of my biggest fans. Taylor not only helped me spread the word as I began my reiki services, but she has also dedicated her time to help with publicity photos. It is pretty amazing to have not one, but two hobby photographers on my dream team!
Contact Info:
- Email: kindchristy@gmail.com
- Website: www.wearethebravekind.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_bravekind/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kindnesschristy
Image Credits
Crystal Bullard
Caitlin Alexander
