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Kim and Lucca
In today's Do It All Mamas (& Papas) the spotlight is on Kim Walls mom to 6 year old Owen and 3 year old Lucca and the mom behind the eco-friendly line of baby products - Episencial.
Examiner: Tell me something unique/interesting about yourself.
Kim: Becoming a parent has made me a better business woman. Over the past five years of raising my two boys I have honed my skills in conflict resolution, negotiation, patience, understanding the needs of others – all critical for success in business and life.
Examiner: What is your business all about?
Kim: First and foremost Episencial is about supporting and defining the new, vivid green generation. Epicuren Baby products are 100 percent natural with one of the highest concentrations of organics available to deliver products that are effective, safe and actively healthy. We continue our commitment to a baby-sized carbon footprint by using sustainable packaging and solar powered manufacturing.
The children of today will have the knowledge and understanding to make importance choices for their health and the health of the planet. By the time our children take an active role in the consumer market, they will hopefully be able to identify responsible companies that produce with integrity. Our products serve as an example to children on what it means to be truly green and actively healthy. To help accomplish our mission we are partnering with the network of childbirth, postpartum and parenting professionals to teach mothers about healthy lifestyle choices, sustainability, and the role of skin care in maintaining overall health. The bottom line is we need to reduce the use of toxic chemicals – they aren’t good for our bodies and they aren’t good for the Earth. We’re putting our stake in all natural skin care because it is what we know and it represents a nexus of opportunity to create awareness for actively healthy and eco-conscious choices.
Examiner: What is your favorite product that you make or sell and why do you like or recommend it?
Kim: 
My favorite product is the Epicuren Baby Diaper Spray primarily because I designed it with moms in mind. Pediatricians recommend zinc to prevent and treat diaper rash – it is a time-tested, traditional skin care ingredient in many cultures. But – as any mom knows – it can be really messy to use. Anyone who has gone to work in a navy suit with a white smear across her waist or found diaper cream under her nails an hour after changing the baby knows what I’m talking about. Not to mention that a baby with a really nasty, painful diaper rash doesn’t appreciate you rubbing it with anything. By creating the spray with a highly effective concentration of zinc, we solve these two problems. It is an industry innovation of which I am particularly proud.
Examiner: Why did you start your business?
Kim: After having my children I went shopping for skincare for them and was devastated by what I found – or more to the point, what I didn’t find. After 15 years of experience in the lab of Epicuren I developed a deep understanding of how to use natural, plant-based ingredients to safely and effectively treat the skin. What I found on the market for children was either filled with toxic ingredients, or natural products for natural’s sake, without actually taking care of skin. In short, there was a problem and I had the know-how and motivation to fix the problem. As a skin care clinician, mother, environmental advocate and serial entrepreneur, I was compelled to start my business.
Examiner: What secret do you have to share with other parents about "having it all" with your family and business?
Kim: Delegate. I would be nowhere without the amazing people, mostly other mothers, around me who support the business as well as me personally. They not only get orders out on time, find great editorial opportunities, create amazing label designs at ten o’clock at night after their kids go to sleep, help balance the books, and more, they also listen and share their personal experiences and share my vision of nurturing a vivid green generation.
Examiner: What is the number one piece of advice you have for other parents?
Kim: Establish limits for your children, but keep the rules to a minimum. I believe that children raised in a respectful, cooperative environment become confident and caring adults.
Examiner: What is your (and your kids) favorite family activity?
Kim: Traveling. I love to see the wonder in their eyes when they see new things and meet new people. When we can’t go somewhere far-away and different, I like to take them to the park.
Examiner: Anything else you want to add?
Kim: Skin is a window into the body’s internal condition and mirrors its external environment. Teaching children proper skincare is essential for their wellbeing and a first step in being responsible for one’s own good health. Choosing exclusively all natural skin care products from companies that embrace green production practices provides an opportunity for children to learn how to care for the planet while taking care of themselves.
Read all the other moms and dads stories and inspirations that have been featured in this series HERE.
Want to be featured in a Do-It-All Mamas (& Papas) story or do you know someone who should be?
The goal of this series is to feature hard working parents who have started their own business or venture and are using their skills/knowledge to make other parents’ lives better.
Does this describe you or someone you know or do business with? Then email me at parentingexaminer@gmail.com with a short one or two sentence description of your business and what makes it/you unique. Also provide a link to your website so I can see what you’re all about.
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