I was excitedly awaiting the birth of my first baby, which I had been told would never happen. My husband and I had been through rounds of in vitro without success, and I had given up on the thought of ever becoming a mom. And then suddenly, the universe decided it was time. I was over the moon with joy; but, what about my career? What about the 20 years of experience I had gained working in social work and mental healthcare? How would I balance this and be successful at both my job and being a mother? I am quite sure this is the question all working moms ask themselves.
Building a Career in Social Work
I obtained my master’s degree in social work at age 26 and my LCSW in 2010 at age 30. I have navigated the ever-changing world of social work for over 20 years with experience in the juvenile justice system, community mental healthcare, and private industry. While my clientele has changed over the years, my desire to help others be their best selves is unwavering. Growing up with a mother who also had a career in social work, I had a solid understanding of how we can help others with their personal struggles and assist them in identifying their paths to success.
A New Chapter: Starting My Own Practice
Anticipating the birth of my daughter, I knew I needed to make a change in my professional life to accommodate the change in my personal life. I decided to move to private therapy and open my own practice. This was a daunting task, but I knew it would provide me the space to be present for my child and still maintain my career. I started with one small office, practicing therapy solo but enjoying the freedom of making my own schedule and balancing my home-work life. It did not take long to decide I wanted to expand my practice and provide a place for other women to have the same opportunities.
Empowering Women Through Paris Counseling
At this point, an amazing thing happened. Friends and colleagues started reaching out to me, asking to join my practice. Everything came together at the exact right time. Opening up my practice to other therapists empowered other women to have the best of both worlds. Paris Counseling became a sanctuary where professionals could work, help others, and maintain a healthy balance between their careers and their personal lives. Affording this opportunity to other women quickly became the mission of Paris Counseling.
The Challenges of Entrepreneurship
While the advantages of owning my own business are many, entrepreneurship still has its difficulties. My desire to grow the company and reach as many people as possible meant working hard, working efficiently, and putting in long hours. I had started my own practice so I could have more time with my new baby, and suddenly I found myself working endless hours each day, continuing to strive to meet my professional goals. New opportunities would present themselves, and I could not turn down anything that would grow my business and reach more people. Before I knew it, I had three podcasts, had published two self-help journals, and was publishing a monthly blog on our website. I had contracted 15 therapists, hired a clinical director, a professional relations manager, and an intern, who helped with the day-to-day operations. Women needed a space to meet their professional and personal goals more than I realized.
Lessons Learned and New Beginnings
Through this experience, I learned I was capable of so much more. I was able to work from home when I needed to, be an active parent, and still add more moving pieces to my growing practice. It was not easy, but with the right people around me and support from family and friends, it was doable. When schedules get complicated, I have learned that everything is “figureoutable.” With enough perseverance and a continued love for my clients, my employees, and myself, I have learned to be flexible but grounded in what I desire for my business.
Integrating Family and Business
My daughter Giuliana, now 6, was in kindergarten, and struggling with the transition into elementary school. Each day, she came home from school and we worked on coping skills to help her manage her emotions around her transition. She very intuitively asked how we could also help her friends manage these emotions, as she saw her classmates dealing with the same struggles. She asked if we could write a book, explaining coping skills and offering help to her classmates and their parents. I thought it was brilliant. I could not wait to get started. We enlisted the help of her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hendricks, as we knew she could help us navigate the classroom aspects as we dealt with the emotional journey from the student/parent viewpoint. Together, we partnered to create a wonderful book series called “Going to Kindergarten with G.” This has been a fantastic way to connect my daughter with my business. Along with the book series, we have a podcast together called “Feeling Better with G.” These pieces have allowed me to add to my practice but include Giuliana in the process. We spend time together while creating new things for Paris Counseling. She has amazing ideas and tremendous insight into what children her age need to feel emotionally safe. It’s been such a blessing and a pleasure to watch her grow and develop a love for helping others. She keeps my love for helping others alive and fresh.
Empowerment and Self-Care: A Message to Women
Through this journey, I’ve learned that we humans do not give ourselves enough credit and we downplay our capabilities. Women have the ability to accomplish big things while still giving attention to the little things in life. We can build a business and volunteer in the classroom if we choose. We can go to the office and then go to the soccer game. I would tell all women to stop selling themselves short; figure out what you want from your life and take action. Let others support you along the way. When you come upon a roadblock, find a new route. It might be off the beaten path, but we can make our own way. We don’t have to do things just as they have always been done; let’s break down barriers and remain steadfast on our goals. Above all, take care of yourself along the way. The term self-care is cliché, but that does not mean the concept is less important. In order to be your best for whatever you are managing, you must take time to care for your own needs. This is a learned process that is different for everyone.
Conclusion: A Vision for the Future
At one point in my life, I thought I would never be a mom. I thought owning my own practice would be too difficult. I am so grateful to have found a way to manage both motherhood and my career, and I hope I can continue to help other women do the same. As women, let’s empower each other. Let’s create environments that foster positivity, encouragement, and success. I am so proud of my business, my colleagues, and my family. I don’t plan to stop here; there is still more work to do and more people to help. Make your vision your focus. When you are disciplined, there is no limit to what you can accomplish. Be confident, be bold, be true to yourself, and ignore negativity. As I say at the end of every podcast episode, Go forth, and live fearlessly authentic.
About Paris Counseling
Paris Counseling offers in-person as well as telehealth sessions for individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and couples counseling, and we offer therapy for all age groups. We focus on cognitive behavioral therapy practices and strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental and comfortable place for clients to explore their emotions and learn how to be their best selves. Paris Counseling offers three podcasts for three different age groups. “Effing Breathe” is geared toward adults, “Breathing Better” is geared towards tweens and teens, and “Feeling Better with G” is for kids 11 years old and younger. Our podcasts offer a space to spend five minutes quieting the mind and practicing coping skills. We have an adult journal, “I Am Present, A Journey to Self Awareness,” and a journal for children to complete with their parents, “We Are Present, Journey to Self Regulation.” We continue to add to our series, “Going to Kindergarten With G,” having published two books thus far as well as an accompanying journal for the series. You can find these on Amazon, or you can find all our products, services, and blog posts on our website, pariscounselingllc.org. For direct access to our books and journals, please visit Paris Publishing.
![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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