LeKesiah Washington-Fleury, aka Natural Le, is the owner and majestic artisan of Geaux Naturalle, LLC since 2017. She has worked in the Accounting field for over 26 years, earned an Associates of Science degree in Accounting as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. To stay current in today’s society, she studied and earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems. Le founded Geaux Naturalle in 2017 as a way to transition into a more healthy and natural lifestyle. Natural in the sense of consuming no harsh chemicals into the body including hair, face, body, digestive system, etc. Healthy in the sense of detoxing and ridding the body of chemicals and harmful toxins. “I just find that when you take the Natural Approach it’s not a quick fix and people in society are looking for a quick fix. If you Nurture Something Naturally you fix it the right way.” Le is a widow and a mother of four. The healing abilities of aromatherapy and meditation has allowed her to remain healthy in the wake of becoming a widow. Her hobbies include fine dining, traveling, and being artsy… all in a luxury manner while enjoying the ambiance.
”It all started with me. Geaux Naturalle started off as a natural products company making candles, bath salts, bath scrub, body butter, loose leaf teas, and hair products. These were all things that I consumed but searched for a higher quality. In 2018, decided to take a different approach to the natural product and transition to natural wellness products with healing abilities. When I lost my husband in 2019, it fueled me to get deeper into the healing abilities of aromatherapy especially for my sanity. I’ve never been one to take any kind of meds and I didn’t want any anti-depressants either. I believe that the body naturally heals itself and I wanted to help others create a natural healing environment for themselves as I had done for me. This is Important to me because I just naturally want to help people. When I help people it feels good and to know I helped someone out in a situation they may have been struggling with. I don’t make Candles to just sell Candles, most scents are hand mixed by me and joined by essential oils and herbs to create to healing environment that creates calmness, happiness, and a beautiful ambiance.”
LeKesiah Washington-Fleury
Tell us about Geaux Naturalle, what makes it so unique?
It Starts With Me. I don’t make Candles to just sell Candles. I make candles because I’ve always loved them and I now understand that with the addition of Essential Oils, they can create a healing environment. An environment of calmness, happiness, ambiance. Most scents are mixed by myself and it’s a way to share my ambiance with the world.
What motivated you to start Geaux Naturalle?
Originally, Geaux Naturalle was an idea to open a Natural Retail store and sell all-natural products to help people transition to their natural lifestyle. To assess, plan and implement activities that will help people to be more aware, motivated, and skilled around life decision to increase their own and others’ wellbeing. I wanted to promote activities that would increase awareness on various health topics (e.g., healthy eating, exercise, relaxation methods). After about 2 years, I re-branded and changed the concept to Natural Wellness which is the same concept today but in the process of healing after becoming a widow, I had to find peace and create a certain aesthetic…I call it Ambiance.
What are the company’s plans in the next 5 years?
My plan for the company in the next 5 years is to be a national, if not a worldwide, household name. Not with online-only sales but at least one brick and mortar boutique with not only retail but wellness services and aesthetics such as yoga, meditation, a café, quiet space, etc. where wellness meets ambiance.
What type of products are your best sellers to your customers?
We offer a variety of luxury wellness products but our best selling products are our candles, the meditation collection in particular.
What inspired you to start working for yourself?
When I was in elementary school, I didn’t like sitting in a room, looking out the window at how beautiful of a day it was, having to ask to use the restroom, being told what time I could and how much time I had to eat. Of course the older I got, I kind of went with the flow of society and wanted to, and did, become a part of corporate America but I kept coming back to my roots. I didn’t want to be in a box with restrictions, which is what school basically prepares you for. I wanted freedom; Freedom of unlimited earning potential, going to the restroom when I needed, eating when I was hungry and not out of routine, taking a break when I needed, being available to be involved with my children in school activities, etc.
What are your current areas of focus?
My current areas of focus are: Meditation, Aromatherapy, Grief care, and Ambiance.
My candles awaken the senses to help the mind focus to be able to achieve a mentally and emotionally calm state.
My therapeutic herbal bath salts and herbal loose leaf teas, also aromatic, helps to relax the mind and body and has healing capabilities.
If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before beginning your career what would it be?
Don’t conform to generational routines or society’s standards. Do what’s in your heart, do what you enjoy, do what you love…money will come.
Share with us some tips on how to become a more happy and healthier person.
I would say, without a doubt, do what’s best for YOU. Think about the outcome of your feeling and status first. Practice self-care as often as possible. Always practice being positive. Get away from negative people, places, and things. As soon as a negative thought pops in your head, immediately figure out how to banish it and replace it with a posite one. Give life to your thoughts.
If you had an extra 6 hours in your day, what would you do?
I’d probably do more work but I would definitely take more time for self-care.
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
Being overly empathetic. Growing up in an emotionless family on both sides, I wanted different, I wanted to feel. I’ve learned that it’s ok to feel but different situations, people, and life in general will all call for different separations of feelings. It used to hurt my feelings when family and friends didn’t patronize my business and I spent a lot of time wallowing in that. I had to learn that even if the people I personally know don’t patronize my brand, there’s a whole world of people who would love to have the ambiance I create and that’s what I embrace now.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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