- 1 week ago
This week on Shop Essence Live, we featured Nadine Joseph, CEO & Founder of Peak +Valley Herbal supplements.
NöNe:
How did you go from a neuroscience researcher to creating these amazing products?
Nadine:
Yeah, so I started off in the world of neuroscience and I was stressed out. I mean, I was running two different labs going back and forth between each one working over 14 hours a day. It was rough. And I started experiencing all the classic symptoms of adrenal fatigue or what people know as burnout, which is when you have trouble sleeping, some anxiety, a lot of fatigue all the time. And I really wanted to figure out a way that I could heal myself because even after I went back to a normal schedule, I was still experiencing all of those feelings and all those symptoms. And so I kind of had a holistic upbringing growing up, had a hippie, hippie mom. And so even though in science, I wanted to find out what herbs and remedies were out there that could help. Kind of delved into what scientific research was showing right now that helped and discovered adaptogens which has actually been used in traditional Chinese medicine....for centuries!
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NöNe:
How did you go from a neuroscience researcher to creating these amazing products?
Nadine:
Yeah, so I started off in the world of neuroscience and I was stressed out. I mean, I was running two different labs going back and forth between each one working over 14 hours a day. It was rough. And I started experiencing all the classic symptoms of adrenal fatigue or what people know as burnout, which is when you have trouble sleeping, some anxiety, a lot of fatigue all the time. And I really wanted to figure out a way that I could heal myself because even after I went back to a normal schedule, I was still experiencing all of those feelings and all those symptoms. And so I kind of had a holistic upbringing growing up, had a hippie, hippie mom. And so even though in science, I wanted to find out what herbs and remedies were out there that could help. Kind of delved into what scientific research was showing right now that helped and discovered adaptogens which has actually been used in traditional Chinese medicine....for centuries!
Shop the episode on Essence IG Now!
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of Shop Essence Live. My name is Noni, Vice President of Video here at Essence, and we're back to more shopping.
00:08When I tell you we have such an incredible shopping experience for you guys this week, if you're wondering how I got these luxurious curls, in just a little bit, we'll be giving you the latest and greatest in Afro tech.
00:22If you've ever gone to a salon and got a deep conditioner for your 4C curls, you know the process. You gotta get the wash condition, sit under the dryer.
00:31This is new technology where you have it all in one step. How incredible. So, not gonna give it away. We're gonna be joined by Dawn Myers a little bit later, but up first, we have something really incredible, right?
00:47We're gonna be nourishing your curls a little bit later, but up first, we have to nourish us from the inside.
00:53And this is near and dear to my heart as I'm looking to be as healthy as I possibly can be.
01:00We are gonna be talking to a former neuroscience researcher that created these incredible, holistic products to help us sleep.
01:11If you're having trouble sleeping, ladies and gentlemen, products to help with the brain fog, also products to help with stress.
01:20This is going to be absolutely incredible. I'm talking about Nadine Joseph of Peak and Valley.
01:26I am so, so excited to talk to her. So, let me see where she is.
01:30And once again, we're gonna be flying up products you purchase here at Shop Essence Live.
01:36You're purchasing directly from these Black-owned businesses.
01:39This is all in partnership with our New Voices family.
01:43If you're an entrepreneur and you're watching and you want me to talk to you right here and sell your products,
01:48make sure you join the New Voices family. They'll be in the comments to let you know how you do that.
01:52All right. I see you. I see you.
01:54Good morning, girl.
01:59All right. And remember, you can also, this is live for a reason.
02:03We want to give you guys the opportunity to ask questions.
02:05Nadine, hello and welcome.
02:07Hello, hello.
02:09Nice to be here.
02:11How are you?
02:11I heard you talking about New Voices.
02:13I love New Voices.
02:15I've been a part of the family for two years.
02:17And man, just the support as an entrepreneur.
02:21I love it.
02:22Like, just their educational support, everything.
02:25Fantastic.
02:26Join, guys.
02:26I absolutely love that.
02:28I want to get into Peek and Valley.
02:32And you're probably, see, she's in the woods.
02:35She's sending it all up for you guys.
02:36She's got her cup.
02:37You're probably drinking one of the products right now.
02:40So we are going to get into shopping your products.
02:44I would love for you to kind of take us through your collection, but then also let us know the benefits.
02:50And I think that people don't understand when you're stressed, when you're a lack of sleep, you have all those things and how that affects you in your everyday life.
02:58People can be out there straight up suffering and not know that there are natural remedies right there available to them.
03:04So I'd love for you.
03:05I'm going to give you the floor.
03:07Yes.
03:09Yes.
03:09First, tell us how you went from a neuroscience researcher to creating these amazing products.
03:17Yeah.
03:17So I started off in the world of neuroscience and I was stressed out.
03:22I mean, I was running two different labs, kind of going back and forth between each one, working over 14 hours a day.
03:30It was rough, real rough.
03:32And, you know, I started experiencing all the classic symptoms of adrenal fatigue or, you know, what people kind of know as burnout, which is when you have trouble sleeping, some anxiety, a lot of fatigue all the time.
03:46And I really wanted to figure out a way that I could heal myself because even after I went back to a normal schedule, I was still experiencing all of those feelings and all of those symptoms.
04:00And so I kind of had a holistic upbringing growing up, had like a hippie mom.
04:06And so even though I was in science, I wanted to find out what herbs and remedies were out there that could help.
04:15And so kind of delved into what scientific research was showing right now that helped and discovered adaptogens, which has actually been used in like traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic healing traditions for centuries.
04:29And I started off with, let's see what I've got here.
04:33I've got a reishi mushroom right here, kind of funky looking.
04:37Can you take us back?
04:38I'm coming from a consumer standpoint.
04:40I don't know any of this.
04:41Definitely not a neuroscientist.
04:44When you say adaptogens, can you just take us through what exactly, what is that?
04:48Yeah, so an adaptogen is an herb or a mushroom that can help balance your body's reaction to stress.
04:56And it does this by acting on the HPA axis, which is kind of where the conversation between your brain and the hormonal system really comes into play.
05:09And without getting too into the details, they kind of bring you back to the middle.
05:17So if you are too stressed, then they will lower your cortisol levels.
05:23If you are too fatigued, they'll raise them a little bit.
05:26It's really about bringing your body back to that level of homeostasis.
05:29And so it's, they're really intelligent herbs and mushrooms, and it's kind of amazing how they can have this sort of regulating effect on your body.
05:40This herb right here, it's ashwagandha, and it's kind of like the king of all adaptogens.
05:46So I hear this from my mom at least once a week.
05:49You got to take ashwagandha.
05:51So I was so happy to see that in your ingredients.
05:54So great.
05:55Mm-hmm.
05:56Mm-hmm.
05:58Yeah.
05:58And so, I mean, when I first started off, I formulated the kind of classic blend that we have, which is Balance My Stress.
06:08And that one is this one right here.
06:10And it's formulated with ashwagandha and reishi, the two that I just showed you, and Eleuthoro Root, which is known for helping fight fatigue.
06:20And it's like a really good kind of everyday, just for, you know, fighting the daily stressors of modern living.
06:27Because I'll tell you, our brains were not made to be receiving like 30 text messages a day.
06:33Oh, talk about it, Nadine.
06:36Yeah.
06:38And then why I noticed that your product that comes in a powder.
06:42If you're just tuning in, this is Shop Essence Live.
06:44We're here live with Nadine, a creator of Peak and Valley.
06:47These incredible holistic herbal supplements for many different things.
06:53And this right now, we're talking about Balance My Stress.
06:57And you have these in a powder form.
06:59Is there a reason why they're in a powder form as opposed to the normal everyday, you know, capsules that we see?
07:05Mm-hmm.
07:06Well, actually, so the powder was just the way that I started off.
07:12I love mixing them in with like a coffee or a tea in the morning.
07:16But we are coming out with capsules in November.
07:21We'll be launching into Kroger with capsules.
07:24So for those of you who, you know, maybe taking a powder every day isn't your jam, capsules are on the horizon.
07:34Very, very cool.
07:35Okay, so Balance Your Stress, right?
07:39Balance My Stress is the first product.
07:41I have this whole herbal kit up.
07:44But you guys can go to the full store to see the full array of all the products that she has.
07:48Just want to remind you, when you purchase here at Shop Essence Live,
07:51you're giving directly to Nadine and her crew over at Peak and Valley.
07:56So make sure you support.
07:57I see it going in the cart.
07:58I see it going in the wish list, which we love.
08:01Is there anything else that we should know about Balance My Stress?
08:04Should you take this every day?
08:06Should you take it when you're feeling stressed and you need relief?
08:09How do you, what's the best way to use it?
08:11Definitely taking every day.
08:14You have to take it consistently in order to feel an effect.
08:17Our bodies take a while to get used to these really powerful herbal ingredients.
08:23And so it's something that it's going to be a daily routine.
08:27So what I like to do is kind of couple it with a routine that you already have going on.
08:31Like if you drank coffee every morning, put a teaspoon in there.
08:35Um, so yeah, I mean, daily use is definitely recommended.
08:41Really, really great.
08:42Now you have some more, uh, products for us.
08:45What else do you have that you'd like to highlight?
08:48Yeah.
08:48So I have got the Nourish My Brain blend right here.
08:52So this right here kind of looks like this.
08:54So this has got a few really awesome ingredients in it,
08:58but it's known to help with just your overall cognitive health.
09:02And then it does provide you with that stress support too.
09:06So it contains ashwagandha, um, that kind of funky root I was showing,
09:10which helps with that daily stress management.
09:13But it also contains some key ingredients like lion's mane mushroom.
09:17It's kind of this fluffy white mushroom that really helps with your learning and memory ability.
09:23Um, and then it also contains maca, which helps with energy.
09:27And so I created this blend really for those of you who are kind of like trying to,
09:33you know, just kind of keep your edge every day.
09:35Yeah.
09:36And if you have like a really kind of mentally challenging, um, job,
09:41or if you just feel like you need some extra cognitive support,
09:44like this is there to help and be that herbal ally.
09:48That is so great.
09:49And you hear a lot of people talk about brain fog.
09:52Oh, I'm having brain fog.
09:54Um, I'm guessing this would also be really great for that as well.
09:59Yeah.
09:59Yeah.
10:00So I think a lot of people experience brain fog at around like the 3 p.m. time.
10:04Um, and that's just, it's very common, very common.
10:09And the, it's actually due to a whole variety of things.
10:14Yeah.
10:14But this could be a really good support for that.
10:17Um, so if you have brain fog that's induced by stress, then this could be a way to target that.
10:23Really great.
10:24And you know what, just thinking about it, I actually love the powder that you have the
10:29powder options because I'm speaking from experience, people like myself, it's a little
10:34bit hard to add into your everyday routine, taking a bunch of pills and supplements.
10:39And so to have this option to where I can just add it to my cup of coffee or tea every single
10:45day, that's something that's already in my routine and I'm getting incredible nutrients,
10:51um, and brain sharpening tools.
10:54So great reminder, you guys, it's not every week.
10:57We had a neuroscience researcher.
11:00Okay.
11:01On the show.
11:01So if you have any questions at all, please do ask.
11:04I am watching the chat if you have anything.
11:06Um, so you have one more product to highlight.
11:10Oh, yes.
11:11So I've also got the nurture my skin blend here and this contains a few amazing ingredients.
11:18So, um, this is really just for overall skin support.
11:22Like if you have inflammatory issues with your skin, it really helps cool things down.
11:26Um, but the key thing here is that it targets for mortal skin issues.
11:31Um, it contains two ingredients that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for a
11:36very long time, um, for helping with skin support and angelica sinisus and, um, astragalus.
11:46And yeah, I mean, just helping like cool things down the turmeric in there is a really high
11:52curcumin content turmeric.
11:54And, um, this one in particular, I love taking it with like orange juice.
12:00So like, if you have like a gallon of orange juice hanging around, you just like put your
12:04gallon in a pitcher, add in your seven teaspoons and then just shake it up.
12:08And you've got it for, you know, a tonic for the rest of the week.
12:12Um, so really easy to take.
12:14Um, but yeah, I love the nurture my skin blend.
12:17I really developed that one for myself because I had a lot of issues with hormonal acne around
12:23my jawline.
12:24Um, and it's not quite a bit.
12:26Oh my gosh.
12:27Where I wish I would have known about this when I was pregnant.
12:30Cause that was my main symptom.
12:32I broke out all year and that was all because of stress.
12:36So really, really amazing that you have put together all of these bundles.
12:41Again, if you guys shop with shop essence live, you are contributing directly to these black
12:46owned businesses.
12:47Um, and these incredible products.
12:50So Nadine, incredible.
12:51I'm looking, I do see one, um, question asking, are there any contradictions to medication?
12:59Like anything, if you're on some kind of medication, whether it's thyroid medication, um, does any
13:05of your products conflict?
13:07Should people stay away from?
13:09Mm-hmm.
13:10Um, yeah, and I also saw another question pop up again on whether or not you take it
13:14every day.
13:14And yes, I saw that too.
13:17But, um, the thing is, is that each medication is wildly different from the other.
13:22It's really hard to make a broad statement.
13:25Um, that's something you're going to have to ask your doctor about.
13:28So really just taking, you're taking a picture of the supplement facts panel, sending that to
13:33your doctor and saying, Hey, does this work?
13:36Um, one thing that I should say is that this is not to be consumed by if you're pregnant
13:42or for kids.
13:43So one thing to keep in mind, um, generally any herbal supplement shouldn't, you shouldn't
13:49be doing that while you, or for kids, anyone under the age of 18, but yeah.
13:54Really, really great note.
13:56Um, and I do see people, someone asked, how does one get on shop essence live?
14:01And we opened up the show kind of talking about new voices.
14:04Nadine, you are a part of a new voices family.
14:08I'd love for you to just share a little bit about what it's been like as a black female
14:12entrepreneur and being brought into the new voices family.
14:16What has been the biggest benefit for you?
14:18Oh my gosh.
14:19I mean, I have been a part of the new voices family for two years and I recommend it to
14:25every entrepreneur.
14:26I know the biggest benefit is the education.
14:29Um, I mean, I attribute them with me getting into a lot of the retailers that we're in because
14:35I now had the education on how to talk to those retailers.
14:39Um, before it was, you know, I was kind of like I was stumbling around in the dark because
14:44people doesn't answer a lot of these questions.
14:46And so having access to, you know, their daily or their, um, learning labs that they do on
14:52a bi-weekly basis, or even just, you know, the one-on-one mentorship that you can get
14:57through the new voices family, it's been invaluable.
15:00Yeah.
15:01Yeah.
15:02Really great.
15:03Okay.
15:04Were there any kind of trial?
15:05Was there any kind of trial done with these mushrooms?
15:08I can imagine.
15:09So, but if you want to go into that, there is a lot of research.
15:14Um, so on our products in particular, they have to be tested for their polysaccharide
15:20content before we take them in and incorporate them into our blends.
15:23And so right off the bat, we're testing for that, like the level of beta glucans that each
15:29mushroom has and a lot of the other like active constituents, um, just to make sure that
15:35yes, it's in there, it works.
15:38Um, but if you want to talk about mushroom research, I don't have enough time for that.
15:44We need more time.
15:45Yeah.
15:46Um, oh my gosh, the, the research on medicinal mushrooms and adaptogens has been absolutely
15:52groundbreaking.
15:53Um, I mean, if you just go on to, if whoever asked that, like you could DM me and we could
15:59have a conversation.
16:00Come on, Lauren.
16:02She's right here.
16:02Going, going into, um, PubMed and really just typing in the mushroom that you're looking
16:08into and you'll see all of the research that's come up.
16:11So for instance, for Vichy mushroom, there's been a ton of research lately on its immune
16:16supportive benefits.
16:18Um, it's also had, so in China, actually, this mushroom has been used to help with cancer
16:22treatment.
16:23Um, hasn't been approved in the United States yet, but I mean, just the, what kind of amazes
16:30me is just the sheer variety of things that each herb and mushroom can actually help you
16:36with and how over here in the West, we're really just like, like scraping the ground
16:42on the research and, um, digging in and really conducting those clinical studies.
16:47So, yeah, I mean, if you go on our website, we actually, I actually analyze a whole bunch
16:52of clinical trials that have been done on each mushroom and herb.
16:57So yeah, there's a lot of information on there.
17:00So great.
17:00So make sure you guys, number one, follow Pink and Valley, Pekin Valley Co.
17:06Um, on Instagram.
17:07Uh, I would encourage you guys come back to this stream.
17:10It'll be posted to Essence's page.
17:12Ask your questions and tag them.
17:14I'm sure that you guys can keep the conversation going.
17:16Cause I do see more and more questions coming in.
17:19Uh, I know, speaking of your website, you have some amazing recipes on there.
17:24Yeah.
17:25You can kind of use the products in different ways.
17:27What, what would you say your favorite one is?
17:30Oh my goodness.
17:31Definitely our cocoa cardamom latte is the one that I've been chugging.
17:34That's what I have in this cup right here.
17:36Um, it's with a balanced my stress blend.
17:39I had a little bit of cocoa powder, some cardamom, some nut milk, a little bit of maple syrup.
17:43It's amazing.
17:44It gives like a little bit of spiciness if you're into that.
17:47Um, so yeah, definitely check that one out on the website.
17:52That sounds incredible.
17:54Well, Nadine, you are such an inspiration.
17:56First of all, you're brilliant.
17:58And all of this research that she has done for us, all of this packaging and being so thoughtful
18:03and how she puts it together and helps with the everyday things that are kind of being roadblocks in our lives.
18:10Try the products.
18:11I see you put it in your wishlist.
18:13Turn those wishlists into purchases.
18:15That all goes to Beacon Valley.
18:18Um, before you go, I would love for you to leave us with a positive note.
18:21I know this was not an easy journey for you to go from being a neuroscience researcher to now you're in the vitamin shop
18:28and you're making capsules and you're making capsules and having more, um, uh, products put in stores.
18:34What has been your go-to for your wife?
18:38How you can keep going through all of the no's and all of the roadblocks?
18:42Mm-hmm.
18:43I think the biggest thing is just take things one step at a time.
18:48Just, you know, you don't have to conquer Rome in a day, as they say.
18:52Um, just create small, actionable goals.
18:56And eventually, that'll lead to the major goal that you're trying to accomplish.
19:00Um, and don't be afraid to reach out to people if you need help or guidance.
19:04Um, I mean, I don't know where I'd be without the New Voices community and with the other entrepreneurs that have helped me along the way.
19:12So, yeah, those are my two things.
19:15So incredible.
19:16Well, Nadine, thank you so much for being on the show.
19:19You guys, make sure that you support.
19:22Continue to ask your questions in this stream.
19:24They'll be in the comments, um, answering any and all questions that you have.
19:29Um, thank you again so, so much.
19:31Uh, so if you're just tuning in, this is Shop Essence Live.
19:35We're talking to Black-owned businesses week after week.
19:39Nadine, you gotta, you don't have to stay.
19:40You have to stay.
19:41Okay.
19:43I'll be talking to Black.
19:44Bye, guys.
19:45Bye.
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