Eneka Rising | Voyage Phoenix Magazine Interview

by Anicka Martin

 Check out our highlight in the Voyage Phoenix Magazine February 2020 edition.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anicka Martin.

Anicka, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I look at my story as building a brilliant bonfire of success and purpose using what I have. Some seeds need to be burned before they can even grow in nature. My journey is a fire activated seed similar to a eucalyptus tree. I think I was gathering kindling even as a kid. I loved to beautify from the beginning. I would give my grandma manicures and we would talk and tell stories. I would play dress up in my mom’s clothes and makeup and my friends would always volunteer for the hottest fashion fabulousness and folly. It was all about fun and I had lots of fun as a kid learning about textures and colors and design through trial and error. I have been an artistic scientist from the beginning.

Piling up the wood stack was my learning in college and the various jobs I have held over the years since graduating. I studied neurofeedback and how to retrain brain waves using neurofeedback and targeting ADHD/ADD. I loved it and I was in college for Human Services to become a Marriage and Family Therapist. I have always had a curiosity for observing and improving lives and relationships. After graduating with my Bachelor’s degree at Cal State Fullerton in California I was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis. That was a big turning point because it allowed me to do research and track data at a detailed level. I was able to bring fun and music to my programs and a level of heart-centered work that continues to amaze me. I made games from scratch paper and markers on the spot if needed. I am big into sustainability, upcycling and recycling. On top of that, I had to convert raw data into spreadsheets and it taught me computer skills that serve me in my business today. I am good friends with Microsoft Excel. I was honored to work alongside some amazing families to help increase and decrease certain behaviors to improve relationships and lives. Seeing the effect of chemicals and preservatives made me realize just how many daily skincare and eating routines could be improved by embracing the holistic approach. It was not all easy but it was completely worth it. I worked with a lot of families who have children with Autism and it was so fun and rewarding. They are superstars in my eyes.

A flame ignited when I decided to do a handmade Christmas for my family and was big into garden and kitchen creations from Pinterest inspiration. I created a lime salt scrub and some infused oils with herbs and peppers. It was well-received by my family and friends. My aunt Stefanie was impressed enough to commission me to make her some salts similar to what she picked up while on a cruise to the Caribbean. I loved the salts but they had artificial coloring and some things I felt I could improve on holistically without compromising on the beauty. It got me researching and applying my love of beauty and holistic ingredients to work together to help improve her life and it improved our relationship. She enjoyed the salts and ordered more. My Aunt Stefanie encouraged me to think about creating a business. I felt so blessed having someone see my gifts and pour encouragement and life into my creations. That was the spark to start Eneka Elements.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The first year was slow and challenging while building a strong foundation for my business. It was all about research, creating and patience. I also had to focus on watering one seed and completing one project at a time. That was a bit tough at times because I had so much I wanted to bring to life as a product. The next year was about Dream, Plan, Act. That for me was powerful because my ability to brand started to emerge at this point. The Dream was already in play, making and selling a holistic self-care brand and becoming a one-stop holistic self-care shop. The Plan started to come together as I put all the individual pieces I was focusing on together, from creating the recipes to finding the containers, designing labels and packaging together as a whole. The Act element was to combine everything to create a one-of-a-kind, luxury self-care moment and put it out there. A lot of things took a full year to culminate, for instance, the first article I did for my local Awhatukee newspaper spoke about me excited to get my domain name and website. I was on Etsy from the beginning. I used a CD rack as a display stand that was what I had and I worked with it. I am always making the best of what I have at the time.

Scaling my business and mentorship are where I am currently. I seek to be around more people with experience that will help me thrive in business and life. I listen to podcasts and interviews about people who have done big things with humble beginnings. I have listened to Oprah, Gary Vaynerchuck, Jeff Bezos, Jay-Z, and Lisa Nichols just to name a few. If you do not have mentors find them online to help on the journey. Mentorship is important when you know better you do better. As I learn I hope to help others to grow to. That is why my Youtube channel and podcast on Castbox is so important to me. I can reach more people and share my gifts as I learn amazing ways to live my best life now. Eneka Elements is about starting a self-care revolution. We like to help mothers because when you do it helps the whole family. Mothers usually take care of everyone and do not ask for much. Now that I am a mom I make sure to put self-care into my routine to ensure I am balanced. I call myself the self-care phoenix because I had to rise from the ashes of my neglect. When I neglect myself it serves no one. When I take care of myself and my needs I have more to give to everyone else and all is well.

It hasn’t been a smooth road. Containers have been a big focus and challenge at times for me. I want to be as eco as can be without losing the safety aspect. I do a lot of research on plastic alternatives. The best thing I found so far was biodegradable plastic wraps. I have a whole article on our website about sustainability and containers. The future is so exciting when it comes to innovative ideas of plant-based plastic replacements.

I have overcome a lot of challenges from creating my website from scratch multiple times on multiple platforms to learning product photography. I have so many more skills because I couldn’t afford someone to do it for me. I love the empowerment in the end. I have so much more value because I did the hard work and research to become knowledgeable on skills to get me to my next level. I do everything one dollar at a time and I focus a lot on trademarks and ownership of everything I create.

In the beginning, I also switched my focus over from food to career and passion. I lost 80lbs during this journey and feel better than ever before. I switched my lifestyle and walk my talk. My body, my hair, and my attitude have all changed. I am so blessed with my success and do not take it for granted.

Tell us more about the business.
Eneka Elements creates “Legendary Hair & Skin For Women & Men”. We are the one-stop holistic shop and we are located here in Phoenix. We started by bringing an option to the people who wanted holistic products they could trust. We answered the call and focus on providing holistic products targeted toward living our best life now, inside and out. We provide luxury baths for skincare and total relaxation moments. Our focus is the “Me Time Revolution” selfless self-care. You may not have a lot of time but there are always a few moments for self-care.

By formulating and creating self-care products that are quick to use and quality we provide something valuable to everyone. We specialize in spa-quality products to use at home. Bring the relaxation home with Eneka Elements. We provide the moment for you, it is up to you to take it. Celebrate yourself with Eneka Elements and Join in on the “Me Time Revolution”.

We aim to collaborate with local businesses to provide quality spa products that are fresh and effective. We provide skin care products such as clay masks, ocean baths, body creams, and exotic oils using ingredients you may not have heard of before. We specialize in exotic and solution-focused ingredients with origins from Africa to Arizona. Our business goal is to provide products for use in the comfort of your own home with options for boxes and subscriptions to increase wellness and relaxation. Focusing on quality products for women and men. We welcome local boutiques, wellness businesses, and spas to contact us for further inquiries.

What I do is show people how to get self-care by starting with myself. I film videos about self-care on Youtube and also record self-care and business podcasts. I am the “Self-Care Phoenix” and I am on a journey of rising from the ashes of my neglect. When I became a new mom I was so completely about my son Kingston that I forgot about my self-care upkeep and neglected myself as a woman. I needed to get the balance back. I love and cherish my son and I also value myself as a woman. I love that I can value both my motherhood and womanhood and I do events and classes on being a woman and goddess. I love myself and have had a long journey to get to this beautiful place of self-love and acceptance.

I specialize in hydration and minerals! When it comes to Eneka Elements I refer to myself as the Empress of Shea Butter it is sacred to me. I have so much love for Shea Butter and the Karite tree it comes from. It is a woman’s tree and sacred. It is a plant that gives life to many women and families from Africa to Arizona. I also utilize less commonly heard of butter varieties such as Shorea Butter, Kombo Butter, Mafura Butter, and Kpangnan Butter to get the healing properties for people with other health needs.

The Moment Boxes are special to me because we all talk about self-care but not “how” we are supposed to get it. If you find the time, even as little as 10 minutes, my Moment Boxes are targeted to give you the moment of self-care you were wanting and needing.

I also am a big fan of magnesium and have been researching and studying it for years I do a lot with magnesium to help my body with inflammation and also migraine. It has been a blessing to my family by helping my Uncle Mike with his heart palpitations. That is why Mag Mist is really important for us in my family is that we have the first-hand experience with it working. Heart palpitations are a side effect of magnesium deficiency and so are migraines and sore muscles. So knowing these signs that the body exhibits has helped me to further my research. I did a youtube video on the power of magnesium and Mag Mist.

I have great sleep and so does my family thanks to our superstar sleep cream. My mom brought me back French lavender from her trip to Europe so I could make it that much better.

What I am most proud of is the fact that my business has helped bring me closer to my family and my best self as a woman and mother. I am so honored that I get to specialize in self-care and help others become aware of amazing options nature-based and eco-friendly.

I am happy to see how well my ability to brand my business has set it apart from others and the products are just as quality as the golden packaging. My self-care and sip events begin in 2020 on February 16th with the first one being at Abundant Space in Scottsdale tickets are available on Eventbrite. The theme is “Restoration and Roses” and it is luxurious and affordable with limited spaces. If you feel like getting ways to pamper yourself and want to bring a friend to have fun with it is the perfect event to bask in the love of self-care.

My dedication to a holistic approach. Where others may take short cuts I am super picky about quality. I find a way to make it more holistic no matter what even if it takes time and extra research to find the perfect holistic ingredients. This is something I see expanding as I grow as well.

I have a strong passion for building brand awareness and I am just getting warmed up. In addition to that my incredible ability to brand, I also care about people and families. I focus on bringing holistic solutions in the form of products and educational speaking to Phoenix Arizona and beyond. I focus on bringing gold quality products to people in need of holistic skin and hair care solutions. Bringing self-care and beauty to a bathroom near you. We do fun and unique items like “Do not Disturb Donuts” which are the healthiest, albeit non-edible, donut I know of due to the magnesium in them. We have ones with roses “The Rose Goddess” and some with sprinkles for your big day called “It’s My Birthday” for when your birthday arrives and they are great as a gift. A personal favorite is a donut called “The Phoenix” which has saffron on it and looks like it is taking flight when it fizzes in the tub. It is all about fun while you enjoy your self-care.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is opportunity and preparation according to Oprah and I agree. I am a fan of synchronicity and being in the right place at the right time but it comes down to are you ready? Doing pop-up shops and community engagements around the Phoenix and Scottsdale area have prepared me for so much more success in 2020. Eneka Elements has a goal of adding value and beauty wherever we are.

I was looking to find a photographer when I was approached for this article. I was doing a community event and met Megell Strayhorn. He is a local multimedia producer who just graduated. He happened to have dropped by to take photographs of local businesses. I told him I love to work with local talent and for him to contact me. He sent me photographs and it was perfect timing for this article. That is the kind of divine synchronicity I love.

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Click here for full interview: 

http://voyagephoenix.com/interview/meet-anicka-martin-eneka-elements-east-phoenix/

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