Posted: by Jo Tuesday, 27 March 2018 @ 14:10
This year, in our quest to step up and be our best selves, we wanted to learn from truly remarkable women, to see if they have a mantra they live their life by; and to find out what motivates them.
We are absolutely thrilled to talk to Emma
Heathcote-James for our series of talks with truly inspiring women. Emma is the Founder of Little Soap Company,
creators of pure organic cruelty-free soap, available in supermarkets from
Waitrose to Tesco. Hers is a remarkable story from kitchen table to national
supermarkets, with a product range that we love here at Mantra.
I began by finding out more about how Emma
got started.
Emma’s story
In 2008 Emma left
both the city and her high-flying media career behind to start a new life in
the Cotswold countryside, which she’d made her home but seldom been there to
enjoy. Little did she know that a chance encounter a few weeks later at a
village fete would be the catalyst which led to her founding the multi award-winning
and eco-savvy Little Soap Company.
Emma is a fireball of energy. A mix of high
heels, eco-warrior and wellies interlaced with running and yoga to keep her
sane. The Little Soap Company’s rollercoaster journey includes accolades of
being the first company to be taken on by Waitrose within its first year, to
being the first organic bar soap to line every supermarket shelf, up-scaling
from making 350 handmade bars of soap a day, to producing over 40,000! Now
stocked in all the leading supermarkets and chemists… and currently the first
organic soap to roll out in niche hotels too.
So – we were very keen to find out from Emma
what her mantra for life is; and what motivates her.
Do you have a mantra you live your life by?
“Yes, I can” and “Sometimes things must change so you can change”.
What do
you think gave you the drive and determination to succeed?
I love being told no. “You’ll never make a
living making soap” was my first red flag…
How
important have role models been to you?
Positive (and negative) role models are
intrinsic… to learn how to (and more over, how not to) act and be.
A dear friend of mine died far too young of
hereditary bowel cancer and I am the person I am today from all I learnt
through him. I loved how he lived, how he laughed from the bottom of his boots,
his love of the countryside, converted barns, sunsets, dog walks, lazy Sunday
lunches, the arts. He was one of the world’s nicest gentlemen.
Everyone he knew still smiles when they
remember him – he made people feel good…
If ever there was a positive and perhaps most
unsuspecting role model, then John was and is mine.
When
you were young, who were your role models or people you truly admired?
I always loved strong people… actresses,
politicians, writers.
People who are prepared to stand up, speak
out of turn and say what they believe in, people who aren’t afraid to stand up
and make a difference.
And as
your entrepreneurial career has progressed - who inspires you now?
Having your own business is a rollercoaster.
With the huge ups come the downs, and I am so inspired by others who have had
challenges, and learning from them about how they got back on their feet and regained
the fire back in their belly again.
Arianna Huffington, Sheryl Sandberg, Rachel
Elnaugh…
(Images kindly reproduced. Copyright: Rachel Elnaugh,
Huffington Post and Forbes)
Emma’s Mantra
We have picked the Phoenix as the Mantra necklace that best represents what inspires and motivates Emma. A positive and uplifting message of hope and
overcoming life’s challenges, the Phoenix rises from the ashes to be reborn
again and again.
Take a look at our other inspirational Mantra necklaces here and find the one that inspires you the most.
Many of our pieces can also be engraved with your own personal mantra or message on the back of the pendant, making a wonderful, meaningful gift for a friend - or a gift to yourself!