Today we’d like to introduce you to Elaine Morrison.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Elaine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My health meltdown taught me that beauty is an inside job.

The journey that would completely transform my relationship to wellness and beauty began in 2013 when my health took a complete nosedive and I built it back up from within. I was a vegan pilates instructor in my mid-40s working in sunny California, doing all of the things that women in the wellness industry do to stay fit and fabulous. I was energetic, vibrant, and on top of my game, when without warning, some strange changes started to occur.

My symptoms began with a new pair of pants that wouldn’t zip up, even though nothing about my diet or fitness had changed. Next came the fatigue that wouldn’t go away even after ten hours of sleep. My skin lost its glow, becoming dry and lackluster. Then, a chilling question from my hairstylist: “What’s going on with your hair? It’s breaking and falling out.” What on earth was happening to me? I read Sara Gottfried’s ​The Hormone Cure​ and the lightbulb went on when she described my exact symptoms and their cause: a thyroid autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s.

Despite feeling deeply overwhelmed and afraid, I’ve never been one for doom and gloom. Since my body clearly needed to recharge, I started my healing process by slowing down my schedule and taking a hiatus from the gym so I could rest and rethink my approach. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about reversing autoimmunity through diet, and even though this was not the route endorsed by my doctors, I had nothing to lose. I began an auto-immune Paleo diet – first eliminating gluten and dairy, then slowly adding fish to my repertoire after 24 years as a vegetarian and vegan. Collagen came up again and again as an important supplement for hair, skin, and nails so I added that in too. Within a matter of months, my labs had so drastically improved that the Hashimoto’s was completely reversed. All the psoriasis faded away, and to my delight and extreme relief, my hairstylist informed me that little baby hairs had started to fill back in.

Coming out on the other side of this experience left me with an unshakeable belief in the profound interconnectedness of health and beauty. And so I launched Elaine Wellness with collagen, not only because it played such an important role in my healing, but because it serves as a potent reminder that small changes in our diet can be completely life-changing.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entrepreneurship is not a smooth road. It’s the highest highs and the lowest lows. In 2017 I started out with a collagen water called Eviva Collagen Elixir. As a one-woman show learning the beverage and grocery business and also e-commerce all at once was a very steep learning curve.

In 2019 a competitor ordered product off of my website, copied my concept and took it to market having received a huge round of venture funding. I had bad advice from two attornies on registering my brand name and ultimately wasn’t able to do so. At the end of the day, entrepreneurship requires picking yourself up, dusting yourself and continuing onward. It’s been a spiritual journey where I’ve had to keep trusting my instincts and get comfortable with not knowing all the answers to how it’s all going to work out. Failure is often our best teacher.

All of these learnings have lead me to rebrand as Elaine Wellness and launch a direct to consumer brand with a message to inspire women to feed their beauty from within. Framing these perceived obstacles and challenges as opportunities for growth have helped to propel me forward.

I’ve found that surrounding myself with other women entrepreneurs has been incredibly helpful. We’re living in a time where women want to help elevate other women. I’ve never felt as much support and community as I have in these last few years of finding other women to collaborate with.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Elaine Wellness – what should we know?
Elaine Wellness is a community of women who know radiant beauty begins within and embrace aging as a privilege. We believe that investing in your health by nourishing your beauty with real foods and supplements will leave you feeling energized and glowing. I know first hand the benefits of eating a whole food diet on my overall health and wellness.

Our unflavored Pure Collagen powder packets offer a generous daily boost to your natural radiance and resilience, contributing to a wide range of known health and beauty benefits.

Our convenient single-dose 10-gram packs fit easily into your purse or gym bag and can be dissolved into your favorite drink or smoothie.

Quality is so important to us. Our bovine collagen comes from a German-owned supplier with state of the art processing facilities here in the US. They source from USA grass-fed, non-GMO cows that are Kosher. They use third-party testing to check for heavy metals, allergens, and glyphosate.

Changing the narrative around beauty and aging is what sets us apart. Women want to know that they’re enough just the way they are. The diet and beauty culture has shamed women for long enough and I believe there’s a better way to talk about beauty and aging. I’ve created a company that sells high-quality products to help women look and feel their best. There’s so much opportunity to create community and conversation around beauty, health, wellness and aging that has a positive, inclusive message. Very few companies are speaking to women 45+ and I’m here to fill that void.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think being an entrepreneur requires a lot of tenacity, street smarts, and resourcefulness. The ability to keep going when it gets challenging or uncomfortable. Success isn’t a straight line and being able to ride out the storm is really important.

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