Meet The Body & Soul Team + Careers
Note:: Sorry, we are not hiring in 2024. You can send a resume to hi -@- bodysoulsoap.com if you'd like to be considered in the future.
Vanessa Alvarado
Co-Owner , Lead Herbalist , Designer, Marketing
Tasks: Product Formulator, Marketing, E-commerce, Photography, Design
MBTI: INFP
Zodiac: Libra Sun, Aries Moon, Sagittarius Ascendant
Certifications: Details here various related to holistic healing, Also trained in raw vegan food prep
Hobbies/Interests: fine and folk art, design, studying psychology and philosophy, metaphysics, small business, Japan, minimalism, movie trivia, tea/coffee culture, soul music, Prince, Michael Jackson, greyhounds, nature, ALL the Halloween/witchy things all year 'round
Hello! I'm Vanessa,the lead certified herbalist behind the products, labeling, & design of Body&Soul. A lot of people ask how I "got started" making our products and running this business. It's hard to answer because I've always lived a life infused with home remedies, herbs, plants, natural care and, definitely, hand-crafting many different things! Herbal remedies, like it is for many families, goes back generations. The compulsion to create with this knowledge cannot be contained! I made my own body care products in my teens and twenties and would get requests to sell them, but I was working as a copywriting and web marketer full-time and running a antique reselling business at the time.
Herbs "called me back" full-time after I sold my first business. Without a definite plan, and as if by fate, I landed an opportunity to be certified in Clinical Herbalism and many other healing holistic arts like reiki, animal aromatherapy/flower essences, medical aromatherapy and much more. (Details here.) From there I formulated products with my mom, Connie (also a clinical herbalist!) and started selling them with my partner, AJ. A year into regular selling events we opened our local shop and apothecary. Then 5 years into our business we opened our second shop in Brunswick, Georgia!
I hope to see you at the shop or at one of our markets! Never hesitate to ask any questions! My long-term plan is to make our stores a complete healing center :)
AJ Copeland
Co-Owner , Personnel & Sales Manager, Accounting/Finances
Tasks: HR, Sales, Assembly Assistance, Accounting/Bookkeeping
Certifications: Personal Training
MBTI: ESTP
Zodiac: Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon, Cancer Ascendent
Hobbies/Interest: Flag Football, Football trivia, Weight Lifting, Nutrition, & Personal Training, Investing, Small Business, Essential Oils, Holistic Care, Greyhounds, Dogs, Politics, Business
AJ is the co-owner of Body&Soul. He and Vanessa bonded over a deep passion for holistic care, nutrition and small business on the first date. Body&Soul came not long after! AJ has played on a flag football league for years and is a certified personal trainer.
Before he started Body&Soul with Vanessa he ran a successful lawn care business. You can thank his long nights and hard work for Body&Soul's existence, he worked 3 jobs during the first year to fund the store! He never lost the vision for the business or had a doubt that it would be successful and was one of the first strong believers and fans of Body&Soul's herbal products.
Ask AJ any and all of your fitness, football or detailed nutrition questions, he'll have the answers!
Connie Alvarado
Herbalist and Product Formulator
Tasks: Develops and produces additional products for Body&Soul! She now helps us part time at our Jacksonville store, ask her any of your herbalism questions, she's also certified in Clinical Herbalism and researches on the topic daily! She is always developing herbal remedies for her family.
Hobbies/Interests: herbalism, gardening, aromatherapy, soap-making, crafting, Chihuahuas, dancing, cooking, spirituality/new ageism, disco/funk music, thrifting, holistic health care
Myers-Brigg: ENFP
Zodiac: Sagittarius Sun
Connie Alvarado is the herbalist behind Body & Soul's famous bug spray, medicated bath bombs, tinctures, eczema lotion and various speciality items and soaps. Her #1 passion as an herbalist is digging deep and researching to create complex compounded formulations that work *amazingly* well! She has an apothecary on her own right in her home studio where she produces products for Body&Soul as a freelancer.
Connie is also a passionate (and extremely knowledgeable) gardener, crafter, and thrifter.