Trees are losing their leaves to make way for new growth to come, and I find that I am doing the same. When I first opened Island Wellness nearly ten years ago, I imagined myself tending shop forever. I thought I’d found where I was meant to be, doing the work I was meant to do, providing healthy inspiration and resources for my community. As life threw curve balls and I continued to learn how to navigate my world as a small business owner, I was forced to look at how I was taking care of myself. My go-go-go, please-everyone-else-at-all-costs mentality was doing a number on my health. Working 50 hours a week, even doing what I loved, was not exactly my original idea of work-life balance. I embraced my yoga practice, became a yoga teacher, and began to wonder if staying within the 4 walls of my brick-and-mortar business was where I was meant to remain. Expenses continued to grow with sales barely keeping up, which prompted the move into a shared space 4 years ago with Salty Dog Yoga. It was a scary transition, letting go of the smoothie bar and trading in the “health food store” dream for something smaller, yet something that allowed me to better pursue my desire to help people find health and wellness in bigger ways. I was able to teach more yoga classes and connect with those around me on a deeper level. I began leading yoga and wellness retreats with Mandy at Salty Dog and found that this combination of yoga and wellness really lit my soul on fire. Being healthy was about more than what we put in our bodies, but also how we nourish our minds and spirits. I wanted to continue to explore the benefits of yoga for healing and enrolled in a 3-year yoga therapy program, which had been on my vision board since I completed my initial yoga teacher training.

And then… COVID. While sales at the shop skyrocketed at the onset of the pandemic with everyone anxious to boost their immune system and stay well, it was short lived. Keeping a business going over the last year and a half has been a struggle, yet the downtime has also offered me the opportunity to dive into my yoga therapy studies full force. As I near completion of the program and as sales at the shop continue to wane, I feel the Universe is pushing me yet again in a different direction. Change is scary, and I’ve been making myself crazy the last few months worrying about what to keep, what to let go, and how to move forward. Yet the idea of change is also exciting, and that’s how I know that it’s time to shift once again. While I’m still figuring out exactly how my business will look in 2022, I’m trusting the reroute and will be clearing out a lot of inventory to make space for what’s to come. I’ll continue to carry some of the same high-quality, best-selling supplements you expect, with a focus on pain, sleep, and stress, along with a few local items and other favorite things. Sale starts on Black Friday and will continue through November with 15-40% savings storewide. Thank you for supporting Island Wellness over the years, and for supporting the evolution, shedding and new growth to come.