Herbs For Life
Sometimes Life’s Challenges Lead to Opportunity
Overcoming obstacles is part of everyone’s life experience. These cousins turned a personal health scare into positive lifelong learning. With the good fortune of a healthy recovery, coupled with the desire to learn how to use the body’s wisdom to naturally heal, they became motivated to share their collective knowledge to help other people.
Inspired by her own positive results using herbs to supplement her medical treatment, Leza Vaughan decided to study naturopathy, the practice of using natural plants to provide a healthier balance of internal chemistry. She began selling medicinal herbs out of her house while she was a student at Rutgers University. Her cousin Dawn, who helped her through her recovery, shared her interest in holistic practices and assisted with the home business. As their venture grew, she noticed an empty storefront on West Grand Avenue. Finding the space available, they decided to open to the public. As whole health practitioners, Leza and Dawn have successfully operated Herbs For Life since opening their doors in the early 1990’s. An interesting observation she made was when they first set up shop, they were one of the only businesses along that strip of West Grand Avenue. The success of their business eased apprehensions of other entrepreneurs to set up their own shops helping to create a progressive commercial zone for the neighborhood.
Leza finds that many of the complications her clients suffer from are caused by external stresses. The environment, today’s fast pace and demanding social pressures, and poor diet or lack of exercise can often exacerbate a medical condition. Depending on the seriousness of the problem, she’ll ask for a client’s blood work or x-rays, and through an in-depth intake interview create an overall health profile. From that information she’ll build a whole health plan outlining the best way to support the body’s natural healing processes. Using supplements along with lifestyle changes, clients can reap tremendous benefits, such as experiencing more energy, better sleep and overall better health as the body heals.
Most of their business is generated by people sharing their positive results. However, the use of Instagram and other social media generates interest as people search for alternative solutions. From this exposuare their client base has grown out of the local area producing customers from as far away as Chicago. The shift into the digital world from print has expanded the general knowledge base surrounding whole health practices, so people are more aware of the benefits of practicing a healthy lifestyle. What used to be a niche market of alternative caregivers is expanding as awareness grows.
