In a world dominated by the "fake it 'til you make it" mentality, I have felt challenged to embrace authenticity and to understand who I really am. If we haven't met yet, hello, I'm Haley. It's nice to meet you. And if we have met before, thank you for continuing to be here with me on this journey.
Who am I? You may ask. In short, I am a 27 year old digital marketer turned interior designer, now a passionate creative entrepreneur focused on health in all areas of the home. Starting down this new path has helped me to realize that I am still searching for my place in the world and that I don’t have it all figured out yet. What do I really want from life? What are we all doing here, anyway? Did I mention I’m also a deep contemplator of life’s biggest questions and the meaning of our existence on earth? Clearly, I dive deep - perhaps too deep for some - but my introspective nature is a core part of who I am. Does anyone every really have it all figured out? I don’t believe so.
As someone who proudly identifies as a polymath (a person who knows a lot about many different subjects), I have found that operating in our modern day society and corporate world has been extremely challenging for me. Former bosses of mine loved that I was a 'jack of all trades' and even called me a 'unicorn' for being so versatile. An indispensable employee who could do anything I was asked to do with efficiency. Yet in my ability to adapt and conform to fit the needs of others, I lost sight of who I really was at my core and who I was meant to be. What was beneath the conforming, the people pleasing and the doing-it-all-because-i-can mindset?
In the beginning of 2021, when the pandemic felt like it was never ending, I started to ask this question daily and finally listen to the voice beneath. I was so out of touch with this voice, but knew She was there. All I could hear from my intuition at the time were the words of "interior design", "homes" and "creativity." I knew there was a feminine force inside of me that no longer wanted to be suppressed by the spreadsheets, data analysis and strategic work that I had been specialized in within my career up until this point.
I honored that voice, took a leap of faith and quit my agency job, venturing out on my own. With this vision of eventually working as an interior designer, I turned to support independent artists in building up their online businesses, offering strategic support for their marketing efforts. I took on any client I could, even a contract role with another ad agency, as some sort of final confirmation that the marketing world was, in fact, not my path. Eventually, I made my way back to school to study interior design at a local trade school here in Denver and after completing the intensive 6-month program, started working as an interior designer with a staging firm looking to expand their services to include interior design. Everything I dreamed of was coming true. Interior Design. Homes. Creativity.
However, as I continued to network the Denver and Boulder design communities, I felt like there was a big piece of my story that was still missing: my 'why'. After networking with likeminded people, doing my own digging, and spending many hours reflecting and iterating, I found myself drawn to the topic of health, learning about the many toxins that are commonly found throughout our homes, specifically in our clothes, kitchen tools, furniture, interior finishes, building materials and even our drinking water.
All of this information felt somehow revolutionary to me and also insanely confusing that no one else was talking about it. The concerns I voiced in my work were met with silence, or at the very least, apathy. I observed what I can only describe as a depressed acceptance of what is the norm and so many in my network just seemed to move on to the next topic. But I could not. I could not be a bystander to this conversation, knowing the health impacts of not only the end users, but of the people in the entire supply chain.
From there I jumped, straight into the deep end.
I started with Alden Wicker's To Dye For, which exposes the highly toxic and unsustainable world of the fashion and textile industries. The book reports stories from affected consumers who experienced life-altering health impacts including burning skin rashes, compromised breathing, migraines and memory loss (just to name a few); all from highly toxic dyes, flame retardants and many other hidden chemicals found in clothing.
Then I came across the movie Dark Waters that follows the story of corporate defense attorney, Robert Bilott (played by Mark Ruffalo), in his environmental lawsuit against DuPont, most commonly known for their Teflon product line. DuPont knew that the PFOAs chemicals used to create the non-stick coating for Teflon products, was immensely harmful, even known to cause birth defects like bulging eyes and facial deformities. They, along with the US government, hid this knowledge from their employees and customers all in the name of profit.
And just a few month's ago I came across the article "How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe" that interviews Kris Hansen, who worked as a chemist for 3M in the early stages of her career. They too knew about the harmful health impacts of PFAs (one type of "forever chemical") and gaslit Kris and her physical evidence that proved this to be true. The article shares that "between 1951 and 2000, 3M produced at least 100 million pounds of PFOS and chemicals that degrade into PFOS" and that just "in April this year (2024), the EPA took two historic steps to reduce exposure to PFAS. It confirmed that that PFOS and PFOA are 'likely to cause cancer' and that no level of either chemical is considered safe; it deemed them hazardous substances under the Superfund law, increasing the government’s power to force polluters to clean them up." And yet, today [99% of Americans have PFAs in their bloodstream](https://www.ewg.org/what-are-pfas-chemicals#:~:text=The 'forever chemicals' in 99,system harm%2C and other diseases.) and at least 45% of U.S. tap water is estimated to contain one or more forever chemicals.
Holy. Shit.
Companies have gotten away with unethically reaching capitalistic goals over every other factor, including health impact, for decades and we are now just fully seeing the effects of their greediness.
This has trickled down far into our society where money and status are arguably the most prioritized factor in almost every consumer decision as well. As average American consumers, we have been conditioned to look for the cheapest option, and to find the best "bang for our buck." We now settle for our furniture to be sourced from the Wayfairs, Amazons and Targets of the world, that are cheaply manufactured overseas. And we buy from fast fashion brands, like Shein, that are literally whose workforce resembles modern-day slave labor. In the past, I was oblivious to these facts that I’m extremely aware of now, and regret my support of these brands. The fact of the matter is that people value price over quality, durability and sustainability every single time.
And this mindset must change.
Many people reject change due to fear, yet I have found personally, that change is the only constant. I believe we are constantly meant to evolve through questioning what is "known fact" and through seeking a better way. A way that is better not only for the individual, but also for the whole of the collective community. And for our planet.
So back to the purpose of this long-winded post...who am I? I am a researcher. A strategist. A visionary. An artist. A holistic-living advocate. A young woman, figuring out life, who wants safety and belonging and acceptance and love, just like the rest of us. And in our society that puts us into boxes and tells us that we need to be successful in one career path; to hone our skills so we can be the "subject matter expert," I will embrace the polymath in me and refuse to be limited to a title.
In our society, we are conditioned to believe that we are most safe when we show up to a stable job, avoid interrupting the status quo, limit our desires, fit in with the crowd, follow the trends, please everyone but ourselves, work hard knowing that we will be rewarded in the end, to ultimately conform. But with this autopilot mentality, we become lost. Out of touch with our Soul. Our intuition. Our purpose. Our connection to who we are meant to be.
But what if this isn't the reality that you have to live? What if you embraced a different version of reality? One where health is a priority and a connection to nature is accessible, available and celebrated? This, my friend, is what I am here to do. I am here to uplift others through finding healthier solutions for living. I believe that one aspect of my role here on Earth is to educate and be a voice for all things related to health in the home. I am here to help you find your voice. To support you in choosing to take care of yourself. To help you come back in alignment with the mission of your Soul. To help you find peace in your home, one step at a time. It does not have to be overwhelming. And I kindly remind you of your autonomy of choice.
There are healthier, non-toxic and low waste options available whether it's cleaning supplies, the clothes you wear, home decor or even building materials that impact your indoor air quality and long term durability of your home.
It's no question that the world is a mess. I don't know about you, but I don't know what lies ahead for our communities, for our society or for our planet. And I truly don't believe that any human on Earth really knows either. But I do know that through choosing better solutions, we choose to heal ourselves. And when we choose to heal ourselves, I believe we heal our communities, our society and our planet. Everything is all far more connected than we might think.
I'm here for you on this mission of life. And just know that I'm figuring it all out right alongside of you.