Meet Kimberly, WOC, Founder & CEO of TERRA-TORY Skincare

My passion was in fashion design. I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and started my career as a Technical Designer for 6 years. Being the only WOC in my field,  I had to deal with a lot of adversities; being overworked and underpaid, having no overtime, and being asked to work from home or over the weekend. This caused me a tremendous amount of stress and that caused a chain reaction of bad habits, drinking, smoking, and poor hygiene due to exhaustion. Due to stress, I hated how I felt, my diet was terrible, I didn't get good rest, and I neglected myself. I was a mess, mentally. 

My mom started her soap and candle business when I was 10 years old. So I've always known how to make soap. In my 6th year in the garment industry, I was fed up with being mistreated, so I decided to leave for good. The freedom of walking away from the corporate world gave me back my time to heal and restore myself. I improved my diet, quit alcohol, submerged myself in gardening/nature, slept better, studied yoga and martial arts, and just had an overall better sense of self through meditation. Doing this changed the way I felt and the way I looked, my skin saw tremendous improvement as well. 

But there was one last thing on my list I needed improving; my skincare routine. I had a reoccurring breakout of eczema and KP. Itchy, patches of sensitive, irritated skin or various parts of my body. After a few dermatologist appointments, I then learned two things: it was a sensitivity to the soaps I was using in the shower, only making matters worse. The soap that I was using either came out of a plastic bottle or was loaded with skin-stripping ingredients. 

My increasing frustration of finding a simple shower product that didn't dry out my skin was impossible. With my 20+ years of soap making, I decided to do some experimenting in the kitchen (I had the free time). I wanted to create a soap that was not only non-drying but incorporated skin-healing ingredients. So, I turned to the one thing that I found changed my life for the better and it was the power of food. 

This is where TERRA-TORY was born. Today, TERRA-TORY is a wellness brand that handcrafts all-natural, organic superfood-based soaps such as our best-sellers Aloe Detox Cube, Fresh Sea Moss Cube, and Sweet Plantain & Coffee Cube. This brand derives from my passion for wanting to guide others along their wellness journey. Whether it be stress, personal care, diet, or adopting healthier habits, by reconnecting to self, nature, and food.