((PKG)) CLEAN BEAUTY
((TRT: 06:36))
((Topic Banner: Clean Beauty))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera/Editor: June Soh))
((Map: Leesburg, Virginia))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub character: 1 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Natalie))
So, this is exfoliator. This is avocado and sea moss exfoliator. As you can see, we still do everything 100 percent by hand. And of course, everything's all organic.
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
I'm Natalie Schulz White and I am the founder and CEO of Be Well Company Skincare.
((NATS/MUSIC))
We launched Be Well in 2017.
((NATS: Natalie))
Sea moss is a wonderful nutrient you can add to your smoothies. It's great, great for the skin.
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
I had no idea I was going to start this company.
So, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis [a disease of the central nervous system] on July 2nd in 2014, and also known as MS, the shorter version, which is much easier to say, especially when you slur words like me. That's one of my MS symptoms, is I slur words when I get really tired or my feet start to kind of drop or my speech starts to slur, my vision can go a little wonky. And these are all MS symptoms for me, but it can look like I'm drunk. So, if you don't know me, you would think, “Oh, she's been drinking.” But I can control these symptoms today through food.
((NATS))
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
So, as I began researching and I found a book by Dr. Terry Wahls. I consumed it within three days and it was very thick and very technical because she's a doctor who reversed her MS symptoms.
((NATS))
And I began implementing immediately all her ways of clean eating and clean living. But it was mainly clean eating I focused on. And so, we got rid of everything in the house that was, had preservatives or had sugar. And we just really focused on real, whole, organic foods.
((Text on screen:
While there is no scientific proof of a “best diet” for treating MS, a healthful diet is likely to help overall well-being.
- National MS Society))
((NATS: Taking the smoothie to Mitch))
Smoothie, babe. I made this and it’s good.
My husband, Mitch, has been my greatest supporter from day one. From the moment I changed my diet, he jumped all in with me.
((NATS: Natalie making salad))
So, he changed his diet completely with me and he's been doing this with me. He lost 40 pounds [18 kg] immediately. His eyesight has improved.
((Courtesy: Be Well))
Having been a former pro-athlete, he had a lot of inflammation and joint damage in his body that began to heal itself and he began to feel better.
((NATS: Natalie and Mitch))
Natalie: Here, babe. You got to eat that. You think you can eat all that?
Mitch: Oh, yeah.
Natalie: Oh, yeah.
Mitch: Absolutely.
((NATS: Mitch eating salad))
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
So, as I began feeding my body and flooding it with all the nutrients from plant based, anything that you can think of, I started looking at other things that I could do to improve my life and improve reversing my MS because I was feeling so good.
So, I began using all the same ingredients I had in my kitchen and transferred them over into recipes and expanded on it for skin care. From the shampoo we use, to the lotions we use, to our makeup and to our skin care. Our bodies absorb 80 percent of everything that we put on them.
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
I remember the day, and this is a really cute story. We were driving back from Virginia to Charleston, which we used to live in Charleston 10 months ago. I told Mitch, I said, “I think I want to start a skincare company.” Just like that. And he's driving and he says, “Okay, sounds good. I think you should do it.” And that was it. He was in. He supports me at every step of the way.
((NATS: Natalie))
We play ping-pong once or twice a week.
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
Mitch and I play off of each other very well in every way in our personal life and our business life.
So, for the first two years, he's behind the scenes. He's still working on his company, but he would come home and help me and kind of bounce ideas off of each other and help me structure it. But I ran the Be Well Company for the first two years by myself. And then, when Mitch, I invited him to come in and be my business partner and COO [Chief Operating Officer].
((NATS: Natalie))
And you can always repurpose these bottles, too, which I think is amazing. And then Mitch will come in and give a “born on” date for these little babies that were just born today. And I always record how many I made and what it was.
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
And he helps me make the products. He typically is the labeler. So, if you see a crooked label, email Mitch.
((NATS: Mitch labeling the bottles))
((Mitch White, Partner and COO, Be Well Company Skincare))
My role in Be Well is basically make orderly all the stuff that Natalie creates, everything that she does, from creating products, to marketing, to putting the products out into the market space and sales.
((NATS: Mitch Making samples))
((Mitch White, Partner and COO, Be Well Company Skincare))
Well, the demand on her products has been phenomenal. You know, she may have already shared with you, but she originally created them for herself. They were not something that she was looking to put out into the market necessarily. But they were so effective and having friends and family try them, that's when she decided to go ahead and move forward with it. And the company has doubled in revenue each year since starting four years ago. So, the demand is continuing or has continued to grow. This last year and a half, during the COVID lockdown, everybody was focused on selfcare. And it was really, it was actually quite a big growth for us because that was something people are looking for.
((NATS: Natalie))
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
This is a fun fact. I have a lot of shaking from my MS that can get, that can get kind of crazy sometimes. And this helps me work on my fine motor skills too. So, it's a win-win. I get to pour lots of love into the products and work on my MS shake.
((NATS))
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
How I feel about my MS diagnosis is the same as I felt a week after I had the diagnosis. I had started a website called My MS Battle on Facebook. And Mitch said, “No, no. MS saved your life.”
((Courtesy: Facebook))
And I immediately changed that Facebook page to MS Saved My Life. And I, to this day, feel very much the same. MS saved my life.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Natalie Schultz White, Founder, Be Well Company Skincare))
I get so much joy out of sharing the products and inspiring people to open their eyes to understand that “Oh, natural can be this amazing!”
((NATS/MUSIC))
