Meet Trailblazer Colleen Sinclair

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Sinclair.

Colleen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
A lifetime of exploring my love for art, people and nature has guided me on my path.

After working in the beauty industry for 20 years, I decided to go back to school. I wanted to get into the medical field. The beauty industry allowed me to be creative and to work with people but I wanted to go deeper and help people with their health needs.

After phlebotomy school, I ended up working for Dr. Abram Ber.

He was a Homeopathic MD that changed my life. I was not educated about natural healing at that time and I was very skeptical about it. Working for him was amazing, I learned how to administer natural therapies to help patients with numerous health issues. I witnessed the healing of so many patients right before my eyes. Working for him allowed me to play an integral role as I administered the therapies Dr. Ber ordered.

The skepticism took a 180 and turned into a fire breathing dragon of passion for helping myself, and anyone I could, to heal using nature.

You see, your body wants to heal. If you remove what causes illness and give your body what it needs you can heal.
Living a happy healthy life and sharing how to do that has become my passion.

Just under 5 years of working for Dr. Ber unforeseen life circumstances put me at a crossroads where I had to quit working at the doctor’s office, so I could be home to care for my family.

Shortly after, my husband and I decided to create a business that encompassed all the things we desired and knew to promote the healthy lives we enjoy.

Siphon Draw Apothecary was created in 2014.

We filled the shelves with everything we loved. That’s when I began to handcraft my skin care products.

One of the lessons I learned was, if you can’t eat something you shouldn’t put it on your skin.

This blew my mind, especially after spending two decades lathering poison on my body while working in the beauty industry.

I remember joking about that. We would say how funny it was that you find so many toxic chemicals in a salon where we go to be beautiful.

At this point in my life, I realize how it’s not funny at all.

Our environment is polluted, our food and the soil it grows in is poisoned and most skincare is very toxic.
So, what did I do?

I began to create non-toxic skin care options.

All of my skin care is 100% non-toxic. It’s made with Organic food, herbs, spices, oils, clays, wild harvested botanicals, etc.

Speaking of food, I forgot to mention, I am a holistic nutritionist too!

I began school at Energetic Health Institute the same time we opened the Apothecary. That education was a phenomenal resource for me as I created my skin care formulas. The first few recipes were made in my kitchen at home! All the ingredients came out of my pantry.

Since opening the Apothecary, I have created about 70+ recipes and I’m not done.

It’s been amazing to get feedback from customers about how skin problems have resolved as a result of using my skin care products. It feels really good to offer options that can actually make a difference.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say the road has been fairly smooth so far aside from good ole’ hard work and staying focused. Maintaining the courage to believe in your dreams can be challenging. This is where you learn about yourself.

Being an entrepreneur is wonderful, amazing, fun, exciting and it can also be the biggest challenge of your life.
You are steering this boat. It’s not all fun and games when it’s your livelihood. You learn a lot about yourself in the process.

What I have found to work best for me so far is to always be honest and true to myself and everyone in my life. Be exactly who you are and create a business doing exactly what you are in love with.

When you do that the work is much easier and people will support you.

I am an artist. Creating is my jam.

I’m good at it and my excitement becomes excitement for others.

Balancing the time when you work and the time you are not working can be difficult as an entrepreneur. Especially if it’s your passion because it’s going to be something you think about all of the time.

Burn out is a real thing.

You absolutely need to turn off that thinking cap sometimes or you will lose it.

This is currently my biggest challenge.

Creating a routine that involves specific hours of work and specific hours of self-care is vital.

You will see as you do this that those hours of self-care allow you to step into your business refreshed.

You become more productive and often during this down time there will be moments where your most innovative ideas will emerge!

Take time to chill out. It’s good for your health and the health of your business.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Siphon Draw Apothecary – what should we know?
I specialize in creating non-toxic skincare products. All of the ingredients are food!

I have about 70 products. You will have many options to choose from. It’s all handcrafted at the Apothecary in small batches. It smells so lovely there.

I make a lot of soap, lotion, salve, lip balms, bath bombs, lotion bars, beauty oils & creams. We also do a lot of herbal infusions to add the benefits of botanicals to the products.

I’ve created a variety of products that are used, sold and recommended by Naturopaths, Chiropractors and Pharmacists.

I’ve been involved with the Arizona Derby Dames, a local roller derby league, since 2005.

I was a competitive skater for many years. Currently I am a referee.

One of my most popular products is the Superstition Pain Relief Stick. I made it initially for my roller derby peers to give them some relief after all of the intense competition which includes a lot of falls and hard hitting.

It didn’t take long before others used it for a variety of other ailments. The feedback about this product has been so rewarding.

I am most proud of my ingredients and their results.

There’s a lot of pride in my recipes. I would go toe to toe with just about any other skin care formula confident to say my ingredients are the highest quality non-toxic organic ingredients you’ll find on the planet.

There are a lot of “Natural” or “Organic” skin care products out there that still include toxic ingredients in the formula.

My ingredients are what sets me apart from everyone else, including the products that claim to be safe or natural.
I take this seriously!

You get 100% transparency in my products. Please! Read my ingredients. Check your skin care labels.
You’ll get an education about what it is and how it works too.

Many of our customers are excited to learn more about how to improve their skin care choices to support health. We love to give information.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
Ha!!! So many wonderful and inspiring women in my life.

I was raised by a bunch of very strong, confident, Italian women. I’m sure all the cooking played a huge role in my passion for food and talent with creating a recipe. So many recipes in my head! The women who raised me nurtured this. They encouraged my creativity.

My mother is absolutely the number one, most inspiring and die hard supporter of all my endeavors.

I learned confidence and strength from her. Her love and support has and still does give me the strength to keep going even when it gets tough.

She has had so much adversity in her life but still to this day, she loves with her whole heart and is always there to support the ones she loves.

Both of my grandmothers cooked constantly and taught me as I watched in amazement.

My sisters and cousins are so dear to my heart. We all look out for one another and support each other.

Roller Derby is a whole other army of women that have inspired me to be confident in myself. Roller Derby elevated me to another level that showed me what I am capable of.

Well, there’s no lack of women to inspire me in my life!

It’s truly a gift.

I am fully aware and grateful for each and every woman that has inspired me in this life. I’ve seen so many who have been knocked down in the dumps only to rise again stronger than before. This is when we learn we are capable of so much more than what we think.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4650 N. Mammoth Mine Road
  Apache Junction, AZ 85119
• Website: SiphonDraw.com
• Phone: 480-528-6247
• Email: siphondrawapothecary@gmail.com
• Instagram: @siphondrawapothecary
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siphondrawapothecary/

Image Credit:
Siphon Draw Apothecary

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