Ashwood Estates

Ashwood Estates Apothecary Naturals, once a tiny seed planted early in life, bloomed and grew to the success it is today. “Our relationship and my business both began on Ashwood Avenue,” Bari writes.

Devoted to a wholly organic lifestyle, founder Bari Marley believes in the balance between the body, mind, and spirit. Keeping that balance thrives not only on the products we use but how they are made. A master herbal mixologist and essential oil expert, Bari uses the depth of her knowledge to create a wealth of products – for the whole family and home.

Imagine relaxing at the end of a long day using the bath salt mix, Detox. Or treating your skin to Drench Body Butter. Clean It Up is a multi-purpose spray to clean, disinfect, and degrease. Every product available carefully designed for purpose, and contains only organic, sustainable plants found in nature. The labels list the ingredients and are easily recognizable. Remember the secret but miracle working salve that seemed to cure “all that ails you” recommended by our grandmothers or great-grandmothers? There’s a science behind those – using only naturally-occurring components.

Ashwood Estates Apothecary Naturals is locally owned and operated in Nashville. One of the most popular products, the Healing Salve, was one of the distinguished items included in this year’s CMT Music Awards Artist swag bag.

The entire line of products is available to purchase in the online store. The gorgeous design of the labels on the dark brown containers or silver tins give a nod to an earlier time.

For those local to Nashville, Ashwood Estates does offer free local pick- up at Pia's Antiques on 8th Avenue where Bari also works.

There’s no secret when it comes to Bari’s success. The proof is in each handmade creation.

Check out the amazing products of Ashwood Estates Apothecary Naturals online and like the Facebook page to keep up with current news and events.

Written by Heather Clift for Live Laugh Love Nashville's Small Business Saturday piece.

Making Mental Health a Priority

Making Mental Health a Priority

When it comes to our wellness, it’s easy for us to focus on the apparent. You know? The things that are easily seen by the naked eye and require little in the way of investment to manage. We try to be careful of the things we eat and we make sure to get our bodies even just a little more active to maintain our physical wellness. We are socially encouraged to get regular physical check-ups and most schools require records of said exams and records of immunizations to further our education. We talk about washing hands to prevent communicable disease; we encourage rest when we catch the common cold. It almost seems we have concluded, as a society, that wellness isn’t just about treating major illness but preventing it, and addressing minor infections before they become big.

This awareness, however, stops a few paces short of being holistic because the same approach isn’t being used for mental wellness. We’re getting to a place of awareness in our society as it pertains to mental health, and that is a good thing! Unfortunately, we are still approaching it from the vantage point of mental illnesses rather than on a continuum of wellness. As it stands, many healthcare plans that cover regular physical examinations exclude counseling. At work, we can call in sick for fevers or vomiting, but if we aren’t having a healthy mind day, we are often reduced to feigning physical illness to be excused. The same schools that require batteries of physical exams and preventative shots for admission have students on roster that have never even had a psychological evaluation, let alone 30 minutes of counseling.

Let’s be very clear. Just like every human being hiccups, coughs, encounters bouts of the common cold, food poisoning and the like, EVERY SINGLE human being experiences mental un-wellness. Every single human being and subsequently our society would benefit greatly from a yearly mental wellness exam. How many people found, in a simple routine examination, the early stages of cancer and could tackle it head on because it was caught early? Would not the same happen with fatal mental illnesses if we caught the early stages in routine exams? What would it look like if we could rest through a heavy anxiety day in the same way we rest through a feverish one? What would it look like do things DAILY to maintain our mental wellness in the way we wash hands to maintain our physical wellness?

Our beings are whole entities. We are body and mind. We must tend to both our physical and mental selves to attain to our highest level of wellness. Sometimes that means looking past the readily apparent and taking time to sit with the tougher sides. At the end of it all, our lives depend on it. Let’s be well!

Written on 05/15/17 for Live Laugh Love Nashville's Wellness Wednesday Blog by Del-Amina

Doghaus Productions - Sam Pita

Doghaus Productions - Sam Pita

There’s more than country music in Nashville. Just ask Sam Pita of Doghaus Productions. “There is an incredibly diverse scene full of rock n roll, singer-songwriters, electronic music, rap, soul, bluegrass, I mean, I've really heard it ALL,” she writes.

Doghaus Productions is a full-service music company located in East Nashville. Sam Pita, owner/engineer, made Nashville her permanent home after growing up in Boca Raton, Florida and attending college in Philadelphia. “I experienced all four seasons for the first time. I loved it. I feel like experiencing life in different parts of the country has shaped me for the better and is a big part of who I am. I know how to slow down and live in the moment.”

BREAKING NEWS:

Sam, and Doghaus productions has started a new series,  "East Nashville Sessions", that will feature local artists playing in local or unusual places in the neighborhood. I want to be able to allow people to be able to discover new places and music this way. If any businesses want to participate as a location, feel free to reach out to her!  The next video will come out next month, shot on the patio of Beast Pub.

Recently featured as Nashville's popular radio station Lightning 100's Local Artist of the Week, Diamond Carter is making waves. With his honest lyrics and raw voice, he can make you cry just by picking up a guitar. Here he is singing his song "Santa Cruz" in Sam's house in East Nashville (You can even hear his pup, Rita, cry for attention in the beginning of the video).

Diamond Carter is doing a "Live at 5" show tomorrow "Sunday" on Facebook live, via his Facebook page.

Why ‘Doghaus Productions?’

It took me a long time to think of a name for my company that I would actually like... I came up with Daughaus Productions because a lot of my most favorite, laid-back recording sessions have taken place in studios in people's sheds, garages, bedrooms, etc. I love that people can figure out how to create an authentic, awesome sound pretty much anywhere nowadays with the right equipment and brains behind it. My music production company is also sort of homegrown and spun out of the Nashville DIY scene, so I thought the idea of a ‘dog house’ kind of encompassed that idea... the idea that something built in your own backyard can be full of love, creativity, and passion.

Fan-girl moment

While I was a college student, I interned at Milkboy the Studio. It's a beautiful sounding studio that a lot of famous musicians have used. One time Patti LaBelle was recording vocals there. I got to meet her briefly and I definitely fan-girled (on the inside... I kept cool on the outside). She was just so sweet and kind and gracious. There were a few not-so-nice celebrities that I encountered... so I really appreciate when "big" stars like Patti are just normal, down-to-earth people.

Cue the goats

I play guitar. I dabble in piano and took some lessons here and there growing up, but I forgot most of it. I'd like to learn the violin but I hear you sound like dying mountain goats for a while until you get good. That's kinda terrifying. But you're supposed to do what terrifies you, right?

Sam beautifully describes recording music as painting, creating images with sound as the color. She became obsessed when she was younger, not expecting to make it a career until she was accepted into the prestigious Drexel University.

Since college through the inception of Doghaus Productions, Sam’s portfolio reads like a who’s- who in the music industry. She has lived, eaten, and breathed the music scene in two major cities and been introduced and worked alongside some of the top-players in the industry Her talent and professionalism shines; moreover, she is absolutely personable and wickedly funny.

Visit the website to catch a glimpse of Doghaus Productions at work as well as a list of services she and her team provide.

Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Written 5-6-17 by Heather Clift for Live Laugh Love Nashville - Small Business Saturday

Pet Wants Nashville: Shawna Cohen

Type ‘healthy food for dogs’ or some derivative of the subject into any search engine, and you’ll have several million links for your browsing pleasure.

When Shawna Cohen looked for alternate options for Enzo after a bout of undiagnosed health issues, she stumbled onto the ideals of cooking actual, whole food. Finding some success led her to educate other pet parents on the benefits of homemade food. She quickly outgrew her home kitchen and needed something on a bigger scale.

Opening a store would mean sharing her passion and mission for healthy living on an even larger scale. Enter Pet Wants. Ready for a big adventure, Shawna packed up her life in New Mexico and headed to Nashville.

I recently interviewed Shawna, intrigued with Nashville’s new and hip residents:

I read on the About page of your website you learned of Pet Wants and decided to leave New Mexico to come to Nashville. Why Nashville?

The one and only reason I chose Nashville was because it was the only city I knew someone in and by that, it really was just one person!

I had lived in Phoenix, Arizona and South Dakota and did know people there, but knew I didn't want to live in either of those places again - so Nashville it was!  After doing research and seeing what a dog- friendly city along with so many events and festivals for dogs made the choice even easier!  Also, learning what was happening in East Nashville with all the renovations and being the new and up-and-coming area of Nashville and such a welcoming pet community, I knew this would be a great location for the store.

I love that you have a delivery service for your products. You are quite possibly the only shop in this area doing this.

When I was in the midst of trying to figure out how to start a pet food business, delivery was something I wanted to incorporate. I knew it would be a great convenience and incentive for people. The delivery service is part of the Pet Wants Model. We had a choice of doing just a mobile delivery service or retail store with delivery.

Being that I'm the only Pet Wants in Nashville, I can deliver anywhere I want. My limit is about 40-45 minutes – about a 50 mile radius.  As it is now, I go to Franklin, Brentwood, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Hermitage, Madison, Inglewood, Smyrna, Bellevue, Green Hills, West Nashville, East Nashville, and any areas that are close to those cities. I will expand the area even more as business progresses.

A lot of pet parents (myself included) may think that good, whole food for our pets is priced high. But your prices are in-line with the major national brands. How are you able to keep your prices so low?

Our prices are just below the most premium brands and obviously higher than the lowest so we try to stay comparable without devaluing our premium ingredients and most of all, the freshness of the food.

What helps us stay competitive is that Pet Wants is its own brand of food that is manufactured specifically for and sent directly to us right from the plant rather than going through other distribution companies. 

It is a small, family-owned manufacturing plant that doesn't manufacture pet food for too many other companies. 

Being that it is made only once a month with limited ingredients cooked in smaller batches allows the ingredients to be fresher and most of the ingredients, with the exception of our proteins, are locally sourced as much as possible to cut down on costs.

Being a part of Pet Wants is also about the passion of our pets and being able to provide a superior product at an affordable price.

Shawna is warm and inviting. Her passion for healthy living for all members of the family shines through. She resides in Nashville with her first love, Enzo, and Shelby, both Husky mixes rescued in New Mexico.

Pet Foods Nashville is conveniently located at 962 Woodland St. and is open seven days a week. Food for cats and dogs, as well as a variety of supplements, bones and treats are available.

Find her online and Facebook.

Written 4-13-2017 by Heather Clift for Live Laugh Love Nashville - Feature Friday