Listen to the interview here!
Rachel Mummolo
Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece. Welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living magazine. Today I am with Rachel Mummolo. Rachel, welcome to the Get Inspired! Project.
Rachel Mummolo: Thank you, Toni. Thank you for having me today.
Toni: You’re quite welcome. Rachel, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Rachel: I have my own organic and natural skin care line called FAR Earth Creations. The “F” in FAR stands for my daughter Fallen, A stands for Aiden, R stands for Rachel. Because of my love for the earth and the people in it, I picked Earth, and then Creations, because I created all the products.
Toni: That is a very cool way to come up with the name of your product line. Let’s go into the first question of the Project, okay? What does inspiration mean to you?
Rachel: Inspiration means to me going outside and seeing all the lavender and all the flowers and the plants, and the different fruits and nuts, and how they’re so good for the inside of us, but then they’re also good for the outside and for our skin, and all the calming and nourishing effects they have on our skin.
Toni: How did you find out about all of this?
Rachel: I met somebody about six years ago that was an herbalist, and I told her I was always into starting my own botanical line. Then I just started buying books and reading and studying for hours each day and each night and experimenting with different carrier oils and different flowers and herbs and plants, and then I came up with my product line.
Toni: So you are inspired by nature and what it does for the sensory system on the outside, correct?
Rachel: Yes.
Toni: And then also what all of the good stuff, good food, does for us on the inside, so you decided to make a product out of that.
Rachel: Yes.
Toni: That’s pretty cool.
Rachel: I’ve had quite a success with it, and a lot of my friends and family I tried everything on first, and they were very happy and pleased, and they all had positive things to say about everything. I said, “Now I think I need to get my product out there.” I got into a salon and two health and wellness centers, and now I’m into a health food store. I was very proud to say that.
Toni: Absolutely. This is a great lead-in. How do you put when you are inspired into practice here in Berks County?
Rachel: I’d like to try to get my products into all eco-friendly salons all over the East Coast to start out with, and health food stores, and then just create an awareness to people about how certain chemicals they might use they could have a reaction to, and that we can get all these good effects for our skin in carrier oils like grape seed oil, almond oil, apricot kernel oil, and olive oil, and then also putting the plants into that and how they can heal certain problems. Someone might come up a rash, or …
Toni: Rachel, how did you figure out what works and what doesn’t as far as a plant-based skin care line? How did that happen?
Rachel: I have a product. I call it a Body Butter, and the reason I call it a Body Butter is it does have three different butters in it – shea, mango, and cocoa butter. I was thinking, “I’m going to put some oils in with that,” and I was reading and thinking about other herbs and plants that could go into that that could help skin problems like psoriasis and eczema. I just started experimenting and fusing, and then I made a product.
I guess it took me probably about four times until I made the product, and then I tried it on family and friends. They said it really helped their skin. One little boy tried it, and he was six years old. In two days it helped his skin condition. He had eczema. It made me think, “Wow!” It’s been one of my biggest sellers.
Toni: Has this been something you’ve always wanted to do?
Rachel: I’ve always wanted to do this for years. I just didn’t know how to go about it.
Toni: So what gave you the courage?
Rachel: A friend of mine that was an herbalist, I think I spoke about her before, she’s very positive, and she helped me come into my empowerment, I want to say, as a woman. She was very wise and kind of like a mentor to me. She said to me, “I did something, and you can do the same thing.” I said, “You know, I am going to start my own skin care line. I’m going to do this.” Trial and error, and here I am today.
Toni: That’s what people love to hear, and I imagine that her name is going to be the answer to this question. Who in Berks County inspires you?
Rachel: Her name is Ann Piccone, and she is an herbalist and co-owner of Pathways To Healing Health and Wellness Center in Bernville. I’ve not only been a client of hers, but she also became my friend, and like I said, a mentor. She’s very wise and very smart, and a very good, caring person.
Toni: Did you ever think you would own your own business, or is that part of what she empowered you to be able to do?
Rachel: I never thought I would own my own business. I don’t know. I just started experimenting, and I just said I always wanted to have my own business. I just always wanted to work for myself, and I’m really blessed and really lucky that I’m where I’m at today.
Toni: And you’re inspired by the work that you do, aren’t you?
Rachel: Yes.
Toni: So what would you tell other women or men who will be listening to this podcast and listening to your story about what inspires you? You actually have put what inspires you into practice and created product from it – that’s coming full circle. What advice would you give somebody as far taking that first step towards something they may want to create?
Rachel: I would just tell everyone to go after your dreams and your goals, and you can do this. I would just be very positive and tell them to be optimistic and know that you can do this, and you have the courage inside you.
Toni: What do you want your legacy to be?
Rachel: I want people to know that I want to be the best mother I can to my children. I want my children to say one day, “That I was the best mom I’ve ever had,” and I want to always be a good friend and a caring and considerate person to all my friends and family.
Toni: And I hope to continue to walk through your inspiration to create more and more product. Before we go, what is the website people can find your products on?
Rachel: The website is www.farearthcreations.com. I hope you go and visit it today.
Toni: Thank you so much for being part of the Get Inspired! Project.
Rachel: Thank you, Toni. Thanks for having me today. I really appreciate it.
