About the Episode
So many people have the experience of feeling like they are in the wrong profession. But they stick it out for years even when that work environment is so bad it feels like it’s going to break them. We have gotten so used to sacrificing our selves in the name of survival, that it is hard to even imagine what another kind of existence could look like.
This episode’s guest, Sukie Jefferson, is someone who allowed herself to pursue another way. Sukie and I share the experience of both being young Black women who left corporate jobs to launch our own businesses. Her company is called Sukie’s candle company and she’s a new kind of leader. I call her the soulful CEO. In this interview conversation Sukie takes us inside the experience of how her life changed when -in an act of self-love- she made space for and listened to the messages from inside herself and allowed them to guide her decisions. And let me tell you this…Sukie is not continuing on with business as usual.
About Sukie Jefferson
Seattle born & raised, Sukie is the proud daughter of 2 Waldorf School artists/educators. Encouraged from a young age to explore the world, Sukie spent 4 years in Atlanta, GA becoming a cum laude graduate of Spelman College where she double majored in Sociology and Anthropology while completing a minor in Public Health from Morehouse College. After completing her Masters and settling in Los Angeles, she soon felt deeply called to channel the aromatic essence of her global travels in to high-quality candles.
Understanding that she had a gift to share, she spent the next 2 years perfecting the science of her craft as candlemaker, specifically looking to attain the “perfect burn”- candles which she describes as emitting strong fragrance while burning evenly every time, and leaving no residue.
What began as a passion project soon grew in popularity among her friends, co-workers and family, such that she opted to launch her growing business for the broader public in the spring of 2018. Today, Sukie’s Candle Co. now sells in over 13 stores, has grown to a beautiful team of 6 and proudly ships her handcrafted candles across the country!
Find Sukie online:
ABOUT KIESHA GARRISON
Kiesha Garrison is a professional emcee and public speaker whose work focuses on personal discovery and courageous conversations that connect us to our true selves and community.
