Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Hardy.
Tiana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Like all great origin stories, it all began as a child where I instinctually would take spices from my mother’s kitchen cabinet to create “medicine” to save animals. This is a sign now for me, but wasn’t back then that I would become a healer one day. In 2016, my husband became very ill, and we spent the next year and half going back and forth to the emergency room without any diagnosis, any medication that aided the symptoms, or directions on how to get my husband the best help. I took it upon myself to do my own research on herbal and home remedies. Trying all that I could, I came across my mentor Patrick Delves via social media; he inspired me to take alternative medicine courses, and I became a certified herbalist in 2017. After Patrick gave me some sound advice, armed with knowledge about herbal medicine, I took my husband to the emergency room for the last time and demanded he receive a GI endoscopy. I had to argue with the medical nurse for about an hour when he finally left to get approval for the procedure, which then revealed that my husband had multiple ulcers in his body as a result of him quitting smoking cigarettes. Had I not taken the initiative and been persistent, our lives could live very different today. From The Earth Natural Products was born from a desire to help others heal like I do for my own family. I originally started the business in 2016 a few months before my husband fell ill. I had been looking at bath salts and scrubs health benefits and making products in-kind. Due to the severity of my husband’s condition, I shut down the company in 2018 to focus on his recovery and raising our children. In 2020, right in the midst of the pandemic, I found myself back in Texas, struggling to survive financially and spiritually to be honest. My husband, now in better health, suggested I relaunch From The Earth Natural Products because he knew I could help people holistically and suggested I add crystal healing to my services being offered. August 2020, I re-established and launched From The Earth Natural Products, but now I’m more focused helping others heal mind, body, and spirit rather than just holistic health through alternative medicine. My product line includes herbal salves, haircare products, crystals, and jewelry with intentional healing. My services include reiki healing, which is energy healing throughout the body, cartomancy, oneiromancy, palmistry, gemology, astrology, and a few other soft sciences that can be considered pseudoscience. Though I am a spiritualist, I respect all beliefs systems and will incorporate different belief systems into my work as well. For example, my husband carves wands, rods, and staves for my business that can be molded for anyone’s beliefs e.g. Norse, African traditional beliefs, Asiatic beliefs, etc. My business is about helping other connect and heal with their own being and the cosmos they are a part of.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel as though all startup businesses struggle in the beginning. You often hear that most fail in the first year, then about 1% or so fail after about five years. Yes, there have been many challenges in running my business, but I persevere anyway. Having working capital is my biggest achilles heel because I have to put a large amount of my profits back into the business for inventory, packaging supplies, etc, but also the other portion is dedicated to my family’s survival. Being that I relaunched during a pivotal time in the pandemic may or may not have been the smartest idea depending on who you talk to, but I did it anyway because I was seeking a way out of a financial slump and of course, because I love what I do. To overcome challenges and obstacles, I consult my husband for guidance, my babalawo, my ancestors, and trust in my own being that I am knowledgeable, capable, and can put in the work to regain my footing. If you give up and quit, you guarantee failure, whereas you can restart as many times as you need to as long as you have breath and a will to push through.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a certified herbalist, reiki master, shamanic healer, and diviner. I couldn’t tell you honestly what I’m most known for because I run in a few different circles. There are groups of people that come to me solely for my crystals and crystal jewelry. There are some people that come to me for tarot readings, palm readings, and other forms of divination seeking spiritual guidance from their spirit squad. Then there are the people who need physical healing, so they request and purchase herbal remedies from me. What I’m most proud of is my resilience to adversity and my tenacity. It’s a joy to have a returning customer rave about how my herbal medicine gave them the relief and treatment that they’ve been looking for. It warms my spirit to hear how my crystals are bettering their quality of life. I’d say what sets me apart from other beings is that I am who I am. What you see online is what you’ll get in person. I’m a flawed being like us all; even the orisha have human attributes that make them imperfect, but in being self-aware, I can show up as my best self and provide the best experience for my customers and clients.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding a mentor or network of like-minded individuals is like anything else in this life: effort-driven. You have to go where you may not be comfortable and get to know people. I vendor at various pop-up events across the DFW Metroplex with my core focus in Tarrant County, but I also host a pop-up market, the On-GO Market helping other small businesses make community connections and grow their businesses. It hasn’t been easy because so many people like to gatekeep. I’m not sure if it’s out of fear of the “competition” aspect or greed, and they want to pay for the information; either way, I do extensive research before I make a business move, and again because I’m a spiritualist I consult my own spirit squad to guide my steps.
Pricing:
- Raepunzel Hair Growth Oil $15.99 each 4oz bottle
- Raepunzel Hair Growth Pudding $12.99 each 2oz jar
- Herbal Salves (herbal topical ointment) $15.00 each 2oz jar
- Readings start at $10 and up
- Reiki Session are $55 for 55 min session until Dec 31, 2023
Contact Info:
- Website: shopftenp.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/fromtheearth_naturalproducts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fromtheearth.naturalproducts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtifCX-K7bIcHVQbPDBjjrA
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/ongomarket/
Image Credits
Tiana Rae
Thee Healer
