Ep. 45 Living Life Clean and Experiencing the Power of Pure with Allison Evans of Branch Basics
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Happy #SeekTheJoy Tuesday!
On the podcast this week is Allison Evans, one of the co-founders of Branch Basics.
Photo courtesy of Allison Evans, Branch Basics
Branch Basics provides non-toxic cleaning products and educates on the importance of removing toxins from our daily lives, including home, body care and cleaning products.
I was SO excited to connect with Allison. Her incredible story of healing through removing toxins from her lifestyle and environment, and Allison and Branch Basics commitment to creating non-toxic cleaning products to support others in their non-toxic lifestyles and healing, is beyond inspiring.
On today's episode we chat all about Allison's incredible healing journey reversing PCOS and chronic pain, living life clean by getting back to basics and the power of pure. We also chat about what it's like starting a business and working with her aunt Marilee and best friend Kelly, misconceptions around transitioning to a non-toxic lifestyle, joy in Allison's life, what the future has in store, and SO much more!
In 2007, as a 20-year-old college student, Allison called her Aunt Marilee desperately seeking relief from sudden unexplained chronic pain and loss of motor skills that over a dozen doctors could not diagnose. Marilee linked Allison’s physical breakdown to chemical exposure from the building materials in her newly-constructed apartment.
“I am just over the moon passionate about all things clean living. It’s not because I read a book or was convinced by a friend . . . I had first-hand experience with infertility and chronic pain.”
Over the course of several months, with Marilee’s guidance, Allison began a real-food diet and supplement program which brought her tremendous relief. However, she still had home and body products containing toxic ingredients lingering in her apartment. It wasn’t until she spent a summer living with Marilee - where everything Allison put in, on and around her body was truly clean - that her symptoms disappeared and she experienced whole-body healing.
To say she was sold on this lifestyle is an understatement! She went on to naturally reverse one of the worst cases of PCOS her OB/GYN had ever seen, and, in 2016, conceive a beautiful baby girl, something doctors told her would never happen. To read more about Allison's fertility journey you have to check out her blog post here
Allison's healing journey is incredible - I'm still speechless thinking about it, and it's what inspired her to co-found Branch Basics, as she is beyond passionate about helping others experience "The Power of Pure."
Photo courtesy of Allison Evans and Branch Basics
“Our goal at Branch Basics is really to help people experience what it’s like to live in a home environment that is free of toxins. ”
On today's episode Allison breaks down everything Branch Basics. Branch Basics sells a multi-purpose Concentrate to make cleaning simple, affordable and sustainable. All their products are refillable and can be used for ANY cleaning job. No seriously, any cleaning job. It was designed to replace everything in your cleaning cabinet and laundry room. The Concentrate is significantly less expensive than similar single-use products - which, if you ask me, is a game changer. Oh, and have I mentioned that they've created their own formula?! YUP! Over the course of 18 months with a ton of trial and error, they worked with multiple chemists and labs to create their own entirely natural, non-irritating cleaning product that worked on everything.
Photo courtesy of Allison Evans and Branch Basics.
There are a ton of companies out there that promise safe, clean, and eco-friendly cleaning products. The truth is - not everything is, and it's important to do your research (I'm definitely learning this!) That's, in part, why I was so excited to talk with Allison. Studies continue to confirm that exposure to chemicals in cleaning supplies can cause health issues, and if there's ever anything that I can do to help prevent chronic illness or cancer - well, count me in!
Allison and I also chatted about the bodies amazing ability to detoxify and heal. In Allison's words (and I'm totally paraphrasing here!) our bodies have this amazing ability to detoxify, but if they're spending all of their energy at night detoxifying what's in your home and what it's been exposed to throughout the day, rather than restoring and resting, you're going to feel it.
There are so many misconceptions surrounding transitioning to a non-toxic lifestyle. The top ones? That it's too expensive, that we can pick and choose what we switch over, and that it's hard. Allison breaks these misconceptions down. When you're switching over to a more natural and non-toxic lifestyle, it's about embracing a holistic approach. It's about really sitting down and taking a look at the most toxic things in your diet and environment, what you're exposed to every day, and deciding what you can do and what efforts you can take to minimize those things. Once everything toxic and chemical based is removed from your home, you can start to replace them piece by piece.
“It’s truly amazing what you can do by just removing things that are currently undermining your health.”
You know I had to ask Allison about joy in her life, and we had a wonderful conversation about what it's like bringing more joy into your life as a mom and entrepreneur. Allison also shared what the future has in store for Branch Basics. For Allison, joy is really having a little bit of space to breathe and not having days filled with total chaos. You know those days - where you get into bed and you think, wow is this really the first time I've sat down all day? (Been there!) The chance to go on a walk, to breathe, to be in the moment, all bring Allison joy. It's really the little things. As Allison shared, "in times of chaos you start really appreciating the little moments instead of just the big highs!"
I would say my biggest takeaway from this week's episode is this: we can have a huge impact on our health and our bodies by changing our diet and eating clean, but if you're really not living in a clean and healthy environment free of toxins, the body can only do so much. One thing I know for sure - it's really important for all of us to become more educated about the products that we're using in our homes and on our bodies, and Allison and Branch Basics are incredibly passionate about educating and empowering people to make healthy decisions, and it absolutely shows. Knowledge is power (truth!) and it's up to us to spread the word.
This shift is really doable and tangible - and I'm so happy that Branch Basics is making this transition so easy for all of us! I am so inspired by Allison's journey and I can't wait for you to listen to this week's new episode!
To learn more about Allison and Branch Basics and to sign up for their newsletter visit their website branchbasics.com
You can find Branch Basics on Instagram @branchbasics and Facebook @branchbasics and on Twitter @branchbasics
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