Today we’d like to introduce you to DeeAnn Tracy.
Hi DeeAnn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Looking back, my whole life, from my childhood to my rebellious teenage side, to my college experience, and beyond, was leading me to create Peak Scents, giving me the lessons, the wisdom, and the connection to the earth that prepared me to launch this business.
I grew up in my mom’s herb shop in Flagstaff, Arizona. Back in the 70s, far before the essential oil craze and the CBD hype and the resurgence of natural healing and holistic medicine, she knew the power nature offered. She’d studied with Southwest legend Michael Moore and trained in ethnobotany. Creating herbs was cathartic for her, a way to heal to give back to the earth, to share and connect with others.
She met a curandera—a Latina healer—and began to apprentice with her. She wanted to open up her own shop, creating tinctures and tea blends from herbs. Back then, there was a very limited market for that kind of thing. The curandera, Señora Valencia, didn’t understand what drew this young woman into her world. She asked her, “Why would you want to do this? There’s no money in this.”
My mom didn’t care. She wanted to heal the world. Her passion ran greater than her doubts, and she was determined to build her business. As she had studied, she’d spent a lot of time with Native American healers, learning about the earth and how to use herbs the best way. So she got the idea to sell Native American art in her store to bring in money and supplement her passion. That’s what she did. She sold tinctures and blends crafted with herbs, while the art brought in most of her income.
Being raised by my mom wasn’t quite like the average family. My sister and I had experiences that most of our peers would never have. We had a strong connection to Native American culture. Many of my earliest memories are of visiting reservations with my mother while she consulted with the elders about art and herbs. In a way, we were her “in.” The elders trusted her because she brought us. They watched us play, saw our joy, and accepted her.
We also developed a deep relationship with nature. Even before we were old enough to understand my mom’s business, we were taught to respect the earth and feel the energy from it. I remember hiking in the San Francisco Peaks, a mountain range just north of Flagstaff. It’s a spot considered sacred by many Native American tribes. I could feel the energy even as a child.
The wind whipped through my hair, the earthy smell comforted me, and I had an overwhelming sense of peace. Nature and the outdoors always called to me. But most importantly, we met people from all over the world. The shop drew in Native American patrons, travelers stopping by on their way to the Grand Canyon, and a worldwide community of people who believed in the power of nature. We talked to so many amazing people, heard their stories of healing with plants and herbs. There was a connection between people who had experienced this, people who knew the value in these herbs. I loved hearing their stories, seeing how far they would come to speak with my mom and buy her products, knowing how strongly they felt and believed in what she was doing.
Then…things changed. From Natural Healing to Western Medicine. As I grew up, I became rebellious (as so many teenagers do.) In high school I pulled away from my mom, from nature, from the healing power of plants—I didn’t want anything to do with any of it.
In my senior year, I took a job in a pediatrician’s office. I started thinking that maybe I would go into Western medicine (no doubt just to spite my mom). What I didn’t know was that the person I was really spiting was myself. I went off to college and completely deserted caring for my body. I got sick pretty soon after, so I went to the wellness center on campus. They wrote me a prescription for antibiotics, and I got better. Until I got worse. Then I went back and got more meds. Over and over and over.
I spent the better part of college sick every month, destroying my body, wrecking the health that I’d always taken for granted. Finally, I woke up. I’d turned away from nature’s healing gifts, turned my back on what I knew was true, the world I’d been raised in. And my rebellion had brought me nothing but discomfort and illness.
I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I had to walk my own path. I had to experience for myself the importance of holistic wellness, of healing myself and caring for my body. But now it was time to return to my roots.
So I came back, not only physically back to Flagstaff, but also back to the way I was raised, with a belief in nature and health and healing. This time, I was ready to dive all the way in. I followed in my mom’s footsteps and studied with Michael Moore. I even started managing my mom’s store. The connection to nature that I’d always had deep down rose to the surface. I loved it. In the meantime, many of my friends were working as river guides at the Grand Canyon. The outdoors had always called to me, always inspired me. As soon as I went on my first river trip, I was hooked.
I started river guiding, basically working for free, just so I could be a part of it. I thrived on the river, feeling the wind on my face and in my hair, taking in the wonder around me. Once again, I found a community drawn together by nature, by something more than ourselves. Our differences were left in the rest of the world. We were brought together, connected by a love and respect for the earth. We felt at peace, whole and fulfilled.
Unfortunately, our skin didn’t quite feel the same way. The elements outdoors that we loved so much wreaked havoc on our skin. I watched the people around me start to break out in terrible rashes, their skin suffering from the wind, the sun, and the heat. These were the kinds of people who didn’t pay much attention to skincare. They weren’t fussed by the way they looked—they were busy focusing on other things. They would take a day in the woods over a spa day anytime. They couldn’t tell you the first thing about moisturizing or nourishing or protecting their skin.
The sunscreen they bought in stores wasn’t cutting it. In fact, the chemicals in those products just made it worse. I saw this happen, and I knew that I could help. I understood the way the elements were affecting them, the way the chemicals were harming them, and the way herbs could protect and heal their skin.
I didn’t see a business idea. I didn’t see my future. I just saw my community suffering from something I had the knowledge to fix. So I started making healing salves, passing them around to the other guides for free. As they worked their magic, I decided to make a sunscreen to share with them as well. The more I shared, the more people loved it. So I decided to make it a side hustle. I built the business out of my house, pouring bottles and packaging everything myself.
I even collaborated with my sister on a line of products. She had walked her own wild path back to her roots. She had ended up studying in the same herb school with Michael Moore, finding her own way back into the world my mom had always known we belonged in. She’d even married a river guide, so she, too, knew the power of what we were doing. Just like a plant, it grew and bloomed and blossomed. It took me a long time to see what was in front of me the whole time. This was the path that had been waiting for me my whole life. From the time I was a child, letting the breeze blow through my hair on the San Francisco Peaks, listening to Native American healers on reservations, watching my mom connect with world citizens and adventurers over the power of herbs, to my own denial and resistance, to realizing where my roots were and coming back ready to listen and learn and heal, to finding my community on the river.
This was the path I was meant to walk. One of nature, healing, nourishment. One of community, spirit, and energy. I’d grown from seeing my mom heal others in her little shop to using the power of nature to heal my newfound family. So I opened my eyes, opened my arms, and embraced it. When it came time to really dive in, I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t run away this time. I stepped in, ready for the adventure.
I had all the pieces—the knowledge, the products, the clientele. Now all I needed was the name. I thought about myself as a child. I thought about thriving in the outdoors, connecting to nature in a way that I now know was passed down to me from my mom. I thought about all the questions I’d ever had and the way that I’d always gotten the answers I needed. Most of all, I thought about my safe place up in the peaks. The place where the scents of the pines, plants, and earth comforted me on even my toughest of days. The place where I knew I was safe, that everything would be ok.
Just like always, the answer was there. And that’s how Peak Scents was born.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been many road blocks to over come along the way. From finding a truly all natural food grade preservative that would give my products an extended shelf life to formulating without using chemical emulsifiers, there have been many challenges along the way.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Peak Scents is a truly natural skincare brand offering effective and affordable products for all skin types. We recently launched our tinted mineral sunscreens with 4 shades to choose from that are reef and river safe, totally biodegradable and made with only 8 ingredients. We were mentioned in Forbes online as being one of the best non-toxic sunscreens for summer 2021.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Stay the course and listen to your heart. Know why you want to do this and what differentiates you from the others.
Pricing:
- Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 31- 1 oz $12
- Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 31- 4 oz $28
Contact Info:
- Email: info@peakscents.com
- Website: www.peakscents.com
- Instagram: @peakscents
- Facebook: peakscents
