I am AMARIS, (the A in AJ). I was born and raised in the country on a cattle ranch in New Mexico. I loved growing up outside, in a rural environment and some day hope to have a small ranch of my own but right now, I am loving my life as a city girl in Utah. I am a definitely a lover of the great outdoors and a sports enthusiast.  Almost my entire life was spent actively involved in a variety of athletics so staying healthy has always been important to me.  I played volleyball in high school and was on the track and field team, but my passion was basketball and I continue to play today.

During graduate school, I was introduced to doTERRA essential oils. At first, I didn’t think much about them. I thought they smelled nice but didn’t realize their full potential. I already had an active lifestyle and felt physically healthy.  I was doing well in school and was going to the gym every day and I even ate pretty well but primary relationships were declining and it was during that time, I turned to the oils.

After a few intensely emotional experiences, I started to see how my life was not balanced.  I had a lot of inner work to do if I wanted to be well rounded in the seven core areas of life. For me, this meant I had to put a fair amount of time into working on myself.  I had to let go of long-held beliefs about important things and I had to let go of relationships that were not mutually supportive or emotionally satisfying. The work is ongoing of course, but during the hardest times, I used the oils to support my journey.  And they worked!

Maintaining symmetry isn’t always easy.  Occasionally, an area gets neglected and I have to assess what is needed to restore harmony but I am willing to do the work it takes to be well balanced.  For me, that looks like being a good steward of our finances so I have the freedom to serve others and spend money doing stuff I enjoy; like being in the mountains and traveling. It is the understanding that rest and relaxation are pivotal to overall good health. It also looks like being ok with who I am and not allowing others to try and change me. Those are a few things that are pivotal for me to have overall good health. These are principles I am able to give our kids so they too will have a foundation of whole life wellness.

I am JOANIE, (the J in AJ). I am a city girl at heart. I grew up in Southern California where I was almost always rollerskating, swimming, playing softball or on my bike.  And as long as I was with my friends, I was happy. In my early 20’s, I spent a few years living along the coast of Maine, which I absolutely loved but came back west where I am living “life elevated” in Utah. I do love the mountains and multitude of outdoor activities here but I’d probably be content anywhere as long as I have my family and friends nearby.

While I lived in Maine, I really connected with my natural side and my health was a priority. I discovered vegetarianism, I stopped wearing make up, I biked everywhere and got my first pair of Birkenstocks! This is also where I started to become more socially aware and recognized that I could actually have an impact on people for good. I did spend some time in college but I was never able to narrow down my interests to any one thing.  I immersed myself in the study of women’s history and social issues for a time and then I enrolled in pre-med/nursing classes hoping to become a physician or midwife. School became more difficult as my family grew and medical school eventually seemed unattainable so I transferred to a Deaf Studies program where I was formally trained to be a sign language interpreter. Eventually, the reality of having a large family shifted my priorities and motherhood became my life’s work.

Even though health and wellness were important to me, quick meals and minimal exercise became a way of life when the kids were little. I felt like I got ‘life-ed’ a lot and taking care of myself took a backseat.  When the kids were older, a friend invited me to a class about how to use essential oils and that old interest in ‘all things natural’ surfaced once again and we started back down a wellness path. By this time, I was so far away from healthy that many things had to shift. I needed to lose weight (still working on that), had to figure out how to be physically active but with less time to do it in. We had to change our eating habits and that is an ongoing battle still but improving over time. I still have a really hectic life but I modeling for the kids that a healthy lifestyle is possible even with the demands of full-time work and family responsibilities.  

To understand more about why we are passionate about wellness, click here to read our story…