Meet Phree Finney-Durham of Essence of Phreedom (E.O.P. Naturals)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phree Finney-Durham

Hi Phree, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Essence of Phreedom was started out of a strong desire to heal myself and those around me naturally and holistically. As a vegan of many years, I became aware that I was not living as “healthy” as I could be. Focused on what I was consuming orally, I still suffered from skin irritations, allergies and lacked a sense of overall wellbeing. Confused and discouraged because I thought I was doing things ‘the right way”, I started to study and research my conditions and found that the products I was absorbing and inhaling into my body were the cause of my discomfort. I was never a fan of big Pharma and did not do well with western medication so I knew I had to take a different route towards healing myself.

At that time, I was in a transitional part of my life journey and searching for purpose and belonging. As I started to create natural oils, butters and salves that actually worked on myself/family/friends, I wanted to test them out on others. From there I started sharing my healing creations for honest feedback from those that had no biases and were unfamiliar with me. The response was incredible and set my entrepreneurial spirit on fire! I’d formed two businesses prior but neither gave me the rush I felt as my hands created products with healing in mind and I was able to transfer my new found peaceful energy into each divine creation. I had found my passion and was able to walk in my purpose of healing others but in a way that was unbeknownst to me.

In December of 2021, my youngest daughter invited me to share a table with her at the Zora’s House Holiday Market and though I was apprehensive about showcasing my products to a large audience, I gathered a few items and pushed through. It was the first time I had ever sold my products publicly and didn’t know what to expect! In the first hour, I sold out of the inventory that I had brought with me and asked my other daughter to grab the inventory I had at home and bring it to me “as is” (Unlabeled). I sold everything but a couple of items that day and that was the push I needed to step out on faith and introduce my business to the world. What started as moral support for her business, blossomed into opportunities I didn’t know existed. I was filled with gratitude and appreciation for the earth that produces the ingredients for my products, God for revealing what I had been searching for and myself for having the discipline to listen and trust the process.

E. O. P. Naturals is a project fueled by passion and love for people and the earth. My products are handcrafted with the intention to create a sense of overall well being and self-love. I have created a very mindful sensory experience for you to enjoy. My products are designed to empower your self-care journey by use of 3 your senses.

SIGHT: My packaging and displays are designed to be esthetically pleasing and peaceful. My intention is for my customers to visually capture the essence of being grounded and at ease.

SMELL: Aromatherapy has been my saving grace the majority of my life. It has helped me to successfully navigate, trauma, abuse and physical/mental ailments. I intentionally create essential oil blends that promote mental and emotional wellness as well as relief from some physical pain.

TOUCH: The healing power of touch is very underrated. As you rub the natural, vegan oils and butters into your skin and hair, they are absorbed and the nice smooth feeling increases levels of dopamine and serotonin which assists in mood regulation and lessens anxiety creating a greater sense of peace.

Five years later, Essence of Phreedom (E.O.P. Naturals) has grown through trial and error and is thriving. I have products available for purchase in a few small businesses that have brick and mortars in Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia. I have an online presence via social media and my website, I host a vendor market called Phreedom Market to help other small businesses get exposure and sales, and consistently do numerous markets and events around Ohio. My latest venture is a collaboration of my business and another (S.T.E.P. Together LLC) called Step N2 Phreedom where we take a holistic approach to empower women entrepreneurs by creating community, and providing the knowledge and resources needed to grown and sustain their businesses.

Essence of Phreedom has products for your mind, body and home. The support from my community and my beautiful customers is the drive behind my desire to keep watering the seed I have planted for continuous growth.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting and maintaining my business has been a rocky road filled with trepidation and sometimes loneliness. Finding financial stability in an industry driven by sales is very challenging as a small business owner. Personally and professionally, I struggled to find ways to stay current with marketing trends and customer demands.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Essence of Phreedom (E.O.P. Naturals)?
Essence of Phreedom is a natural, holistic, vegan self-care brand. We offer handcrafted natural butters and oils as well as our own unique essential oil blends, diffuser jewelry, rosewater, aromatherapy room mists, natural cleaning supplies and hair care. Essence of Phreedom takes a natural and holistic approach to empowering your self-care journey by providing products that are created with healing and relaxation in mind.

We take pride in knowing that our customers trust us to provide them with ingredients that are safe and ethically sourced through fair trade. Essence of Phreedom strongly believes that we are a reflection of the people we serve and are committed to going above and beyond to provide customer satisfaction and create brand loyalty. We love that our customers are in love with our products and that using them has provided healing and peace.

Our Body Melts, Everything Oil and Rosewater have been our top sellers!

In addition to products, we also offer aromatherapy workshops and customized personal shopping to help you find products that best suit your self-care needs.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me as a business owner is that my customers feel appreciated and my brand has a positive impact on their lives. This is important because this is my “Why” when creating my business. I wanted to create with my bare hands a positive alternative to deal with stress, aid in achieving mental and physical wellness and simply bring peace to those I serve.

Pricing:

• Our product pricing ranges from $7.00 – $53
• Self-Care analysis and coaching $30 – $150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.essenceofphreedom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eopnaturals
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eopnaturals
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/eopnaturals