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Soap & Soul is The Quintessential Dr. Bronner’s Book

For those of us who are fans of Dr. Bronner’s, the company’s products have a constant presence in our households, and we use them to clean our bodies and physical surroundings on a daily basis.

While this is unquestionably a critical component of our lives and imperative to maintain good health, cleaning transcends removing whatever is on our skin, on our clothes or on our kitchen countertops. It also affects our emotional well-being and directly impacts how we show up in the world.

And this is precisely why Lisa Bronner’s Soap & Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps spoke to me so much, as it squarely touches on the importance of cleaning both the tangible and intangible — an essential formula for a meaningful life.

Lisa Bronner’s background and lineage provide real credibility when it comes discussing this subject, and she does it with empathy and eloquence.

Her grandfather, Emanuel, founded the company in 1948, and her two brothers David and Michael, cosmic engagement officer (CEO) and president, respectively, now run Dr. Bronner’s, alongside her mother Trudy (chief financial officer) and her husband Michael Milam (chief operations officer.) Aside from having a serious soap pedigree, Lisa’s family company is rooted in the culture of elevating the spirit of those around them, which is demonstrated by Dr. Bronner’s donating approximately 5% of yearly revenue to environmental, organic and social causes, in addition to officers’ salaries being capped at 5x the lowest-paid fully-vested position.

Sharing her expertise of the company’s soap products began on a formal basis in 2008, when Lisa’s brother, Michael, asked her to help answer email inquiries from customers. Two years later, she launched her Going Green with Lisa Bronner blog, where she expanded this knowledge base to also include a wide range of eco-friendly lifestyle topics. And now with the new book, it is yet another forum to share this information.

“There are so many parallels with cleaning the physical and emotional space, and I wanted the title of the book to encompass both of these realms,” she said.

“My grandfather used to tell the story of someone who called him with real distress. He told this person to ‘clean your house and call me back.’ He was right. If our problem is a spirit that is burdened, taking control of something that you can see is very empowering. There is value to physical engagement with our environment, and it is very easy not to make the connection.”

While Lisa fully acknowledges that such a philosophy is hardly novel, there is something powerful about being reminded of this message, especially given the context.

Soap & Soul is about as perfect of a book for this iconic brand that I can imagine, primarily because it is a meditation on both soap and life, and the biggest compliment that I can give Soap & Soul is that I still think about it often, even though I read it weeks ago.

(At Natural Products Expo East 2023 with Lisa and David.)

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Company Stories

Trailblazing Marketing and Communcations Firm Christie & Co. Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

(The brain trust of Christie & Co — from l. to r., Alissa Sears, vice president of strategy & navigation; Gillian Christie, founder/CEO)

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When people think of the pioneers in the natural products industry, the founders of iconic CPG brands often come to mind.

However, what cannot be forgotten is that a select number of very savvy people were working behind the scenes to popularize these companies, in the media and with consumers, through storytelling. And without them, the success of the organic food sector would not be where it is today.

One such individual is Gillian Christie, the founder/CEO of Christie & Co., a marketing and communications firm based in Santa Barbara, CA. Along with her daughter Alissa Sears, vice president of strategy & navigation, Gillian leads this full-service agency, which has just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

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A message from E3Live

"My Everyday, Must-Have Green Organic Aquabotanical"

The best testimonial that I can give is that I drink this every single day, as it impacts my mood in an incredibly positive way.

E3Live + BrainON is certified organic, fresh-frozen AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) with a concentrated, aqueous, organic extract of Phenylethylamine and Phycocyanin.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Company Stories

Naked Juice Faces Class Action Lawsuit for Using GMOs and Synthetic Substances in its “Non-GMO” and “All-Natural” Products

The lawsuits against industrial food companies just keep piling up.

First, it was Wesson Oils who got sued for using GMOs in its products that the company claimed were “100% Natural”.

Then, Kashi got sued for using prescription drugs, irradiated substances, pesticides that are a by-product of uranium mining, and federally declared hazardous substances in products that it claimed were “All-Natural” and contained “Nothing Artificial”.

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Living Maxwell

Company Stories

Dr. Bronner’s Releases Cannabis-Scented Bar Soap to Support Sun+Earth Certified Campaign

Dr. Bronner’s, the beloved soap brand that donates 8.6% of its revenues to social and environmental causes, has released a limited-edition, cannabis-scented fragrance of its classic bar soap to support a new consumer education and crowdfunding campaign for Sun+Earth Certified.

Founded by the International Cannabis Farmers Association, Cannabis Conservancy and Certified Kind, along with deep support from Dr. Bronner’s, Sun+Earth is a program inspired by and aligned with the Regenerative Organic Certification standard but tailored to the way cannabis is grown and produced.

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