Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Weber & Paige Shields.
Hi Melody & Paige, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We are LIVINGOOD products. We started small, Just 2 Moms in the kitchen at home – to where we are now. We searched everywhere trying to find natural products that provided relief and reduced inflammation, & grew tired of finding products that were either ineffective, or made of toxic chemicals! We took matters into our own hands quite literally. We were former Massage Therapists who grew our practice so large we created a storefront spa to help train other therapists for the growing need of our clients with chronic conditions relying on us for their pain relief. We started researching plants, oils, and ingredients that did the most, and used them in our treatments. Their clients were so relieved they started asking to purchase the products. We realized we were on to something bigger than just ourselves, we wanted to share this with the world…and that’s how we created LIVINGOOD Products!
Melody and Paige were both Massage Therapists for many years before meeting. They were both single moms at the time, but they shared a similar passion in helping to deal with chronic pain without the use of Pain meds, or surgery. They, too, struggled with pain themselves between scoliosis and Herniated discs – they knew how beneficial their line of work was. They had a more Holistic approach than most. They realized what a powerhouse their potential together could be. They started working like yin & yang, and it helped balance the dynamic of talents they both had separately to offer. Paige worked a lot in the fascia, structural integration & gyro tonics with intuitive knowledge of the body – using tools and movement along with products to enhance the efficacy. Melody used structural integration & many other modalities, but quickly shifted to focusing more on the branding & design aspects required with opening the storefront and product line.
Together they created “LIVINGOOD”. Prior to Livingood, it was called “Corrective Body Therapy”, which had to be changed, So they were back to the drawing board. When most options had been taken; (foreseeing the direction they wanted to head in), Melody suggested using Paige’s former last name “Livingood” as their business name, which couldn’t have been a better fit! They opened a storefront location, where they began using their products during treatments on their respective massage clients, and were so successful in delivering the benefits of reduced inflammation & pain, that the clients started wanting to purchase the products. So they went from making products in their home kitchens, to actually sending it to a family friend’s manufacturing company in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, during the opening of their storefront, they met Meaghan. They interviewed so many people and when they met her everything clicked. Her love for wellness started at a very early age. With a chiropractor for a father who specialized in health and nutrition, she was quite literally born into a world of health consciousness.
When 2020 happened, it was a blessing in disguise. This led them to close the storefront to give their attention & passion solely on products. They brought Meaghan on as a partner as well. They have spent special attention and detail to all our products, and ingredients, as well as special detail to the branding. website & design. It was helpful for them to slow down and really focus, though it was hard to transition from the constant hustle of the spa, to now selling mostly online, however it was really necessary.
They started making their products in house as well. They sent their product profiles to multiple private label skincare companies, and manufacturers, & when they would make the samples to send back, it would never be right. The companies either diluted the products with filler & lotion bases of lesser quality ingredients, or added chemicals and perfumes changing the original formulation. The whole point of LIVINGOOD products is to deliver high concentrations of natural and superior-quality raw, potent, plant-based oils and ingredients to rejuvenate the look and feel of your skin while effectively combating inflammation to support the healthy function of your cells, muscles, and joints. If the main ingredients are changed – the product isn’t effective. After trying multiple companies, They decided to take it on themselves and stay true to their integrity.
This is where they are now, creating and manufacturing their own products in their warehouse space. 3 Women, sharing a passion for nature and health, working together to help others combat inflammation naturally.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has never been Smooth Sailing, that’s for sure! More like a rollercoaster. As we touched on in our background story, we started as a storefront/spa. (That in itself was a whirlwind). Training Massage Therapists, while also developing a product line, changing point of sale systems because one company lost thousands of $, maintaining client satisfaction, and ensuring recurring booking & quality. It was a lot, and we definitely experienced bouts of burnout. When 2020 happened, we were forced to shut down for months. We weren’t considered essential, which is crazy because we had clients in chronic pain coming religiously for pain relief, and we couldn’t do anything about it. And hair salons opened up before us! Not to mention, all our therapists were independently contracted so with so much unknown about the virus, everyone was scared to be exposed as well. It was a blessing in disguise to finally close the storefront.
When we started trying to find another manufacturer that’s where it was one thing after another. The first private skincare label company we used, sent multiple samples and it was never correct, and we found out they were not sourcing the ingredients from where we asked, they were using their brand lotion base with fillers and not adding the pure ingredients and lesser values to cut cost and make profit off out products.
The next company we used, they went through a whole transition of people working so by then it was nobody we started with, and no communication. They sent back products that were not binding together because again it had literally been watered down, and a large amount of natural oils in the product wouldn’t bind with water.
The next company did the same thing, took money and told us they followed the ingredients and sourced from our contact, but used their own ingredients full of emulsifiers and chemicals, and by this time we were already on to them, which is why we ended up manufacturing ourselves.
When 2020 hit, we also faced issues sourcing packaging, ingredients, and tools for our products, which were delayed or non-existent for a long time. That really limited the selection and really drove up the costs for quality. It also happened with things like labeling, and little things we all took for granted.
We also have been through several websites, our original website was linked to the storefront and didn’t have retail capabilities, so naturally, we switched platforms. I actually designed a few in the beginning, but when trying to run the storefront, and design on top of creating a website, I couldn’t get it to the level it needed to be. So we hired help. Which only led us to disaster! We probably went through 3-4 web designers, all suggesting building a website from scratch, charging months’ worth with very little progress and losing out on sales with no functioning website up. Then one actually sold our domain to some other country out of spite! So unprofessional. At this point we finally threw in the towel and decided to do it ourselves.
Needless to say, I started trying to re-learn very basic coding, (which brought me back to the ole-myspace days lol). We are finally in the final phase of getting things to run smoothly, and setting up the warehouse. The trial and error has really shown us the irony of the statement “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” Nobody is going to care about your business as much as you yourself does, and we’re really passionate about our LIVINGOOD Products.
We’ve been impressed with LIVINGOOD, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What separates us from some well-known pain relief products on the shelf that contain drugs, & artificial ingredients, is that we pride ourselves in using the best of nature’s pure healing plants, with high concentrations of natural and superior-quality raw, potent, plant-based oils & ingredients to rejuvenate the look and feel of your skin while effectively combating inflammation to support the healthy function of your cells, muscles, and joints.
We’re proud to provide plant-based, non-GMO, and vegan products. All Livingood products are free of synthetic emulsifiers, artificial fragrances, parabens, phthalates, phosphates, sulfates, aluminum, microbeads, and gluten. These topical formulas are effective for pain relief and gentle enough for sensitive skin.
Our brand, LIVINGOOD, is deeply rooted. Not only is it a clever play on words, It is actually The former last name of one of our founders. When Melody and Paige started Livingood, it was Corrective Body Therapy, and when we were branching out into the world of products and trademarks, we wanted something that extended past just the storefront spa we had at that time. We got 3 searches with our trademark lawyer and on our 3rd round, Melody suggested to Paige that they use her last name, and how it embodied everything they were trying to achieve. Not only that, but technically it’s been her last name since birth so less likelihood of it being used and the potential of a lawsuit on name and branding. Sure enough, on our final try the lawyer researched it and gave us the green light! It really showed us that what we needed in life is what we have had all along.
When creating the branding, at that time we wanted a very unisex look, because our target market wasn’t men or women, it was people in pain, looking for relief. We chose monochrome with metallic accents so it looks sleek and classy on your shelf, instead of your bright and loud bottle of BENGAY, BIOFREEZE or TIGER BALM, that makes you feel like your grandparents!
How do you think about happiness?
There are so many things that make us happy, However, I’d say our health. Everything our bodies are capable of doing effortlessly we sometimes take for granted. When we face the trauma of all sorts- whether its illness, injury, disease, or the death of a loved one, you really begin to appreciate the “normal” days. You begin to appreciate your body. You become grateful and happy when everything is functioning the way its supposed to and it doesn’t hinder your ability to just live! You become in tune with your body and learn to listen and understand it better. When you feel good, you start LIVINGOOD, and we want to share that joy with everyone. It makes us so elated to be able to offer that. To help people feel better brings us so much joy!
Pricing:
- Repair Lotion – $45
- Ice & Enhance – $45
- Ease – $28
- Comfort Candle – $50
- Destress – $20
Contact Info:
- Website: LIVINGOODPRODUCTS.COM
- Instagram: @LIVINGOODHEALTH
- Facebook: Facebook.com/livingoodtherapy
Image Credits
LIVINGOOD Products LLC
