Moms on Mondays - Natalia from Generation Pure

This week I am SO honored to be able to feature Natalia from Generation Pure, and shed some light on her awesome business.  This mama is working hard for all of our children and her company helps not only us now, but the future of our planet/civilization.  This is something I am very passionate about, myself - I actually teach a 9 week Environmental Unit in my 11th grade English class because I think it is so important for students to be learning about chemicals, food and Global Warming (we even read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson).  This is a mama after my own heart (and is doing a job I wish I was doing!), and I just love her website!  Head on over to her blog, learn some ways to "green" your home and then hire her for a consultation - she is just awesome.  Maybe one day, if she's in Arizona, she will come talk to my kids - I would just love that!  (Natalia also sent Lemon the cutest shirt, it has a tree on it and her logo, and it was softest little tee we've ever received.  But, of course, I archived all my pictures on a hard drive and now it's not working properly for me to open past pictures - ugh.  I will post a picture if I can get it to work, but this shirt was so cute!)

My name is Natalia Lazarus and the name of my business is Generation Pure.  We are a non-toxic living resource for parents.  Clients come to me to get guidance on living a cleaner, greener life. I get questions about buying safe body care products, designing a non-toxic registry, improving air quality and everything in between. 

It can be overwhelming to make changes and break habits, and to know which changes are most important to make. Honestly, you don't have to do it all and it would be unrealistic to think you can avoid everything that is potentially harmful to your health, but we do need to be informed. Children are the most vulnerable to toxins and we need to protect their health. The average infant is born with more than 200 toxins already in their body, and with more than 80,000 new chemicals introduced each year we have to protect them from as many harmful substances as possible. 

When my daughter was born she was very sick and suffered from allergies, ezcema, colic, acid reflux and sleep issues. She was a very difficult baby and we could tell she was having a hard time adjusting to her environment. In our journey to improve her health we learned that there were environmental triggers that were causing many of her issues.  I started to learn about formaldehyde in furniture, flame retardants in mattresses, phthalates in baby lotions, BPA (now BPS) in our baby bottles; and I realized our newborn baby was living in a toxic soup of chemicals. I was terrified to learn that there is very little testing for these chemicals, and no testing done on their synergistic effects. No one really knows just how dangerous they are for our kids. 

My research made me angry and gave me a purpose. The more I learned about the effect these dangerous toxins have on developing children, the more I felt I had a responsibility to share my knowledge with other moms.  I started my blog last year as a way to inform other moms, and shortly after I took the full leap and became a Certified Eco Consultant and created Generation Pure to serve families looking for an individualized approach.  My ultimate goal is to inform and empower moms to make small changes to improve the overall health and safety of their homes.

Generation Pure has been a dream of mine for years, but has only recently become a reality. I had spent many years in sales, working very hard and making good money but never really feeling connected to my true purpose. I was constantly fighting off thoughts of "What am I doing with my life?" and "How can I make a difference?"  

When I became a mom it was even more important to me because my time was so limited, and time with my family is so valuable. With incredible support from my husband, I was able to stay home, with my family, and build a business during nap times, late nights and early mornings. 

I'm the mother of two vibrant and active little ones, now four and two years old. We have a very holistic family. My husband, Ryan, has a Wellness practice in Napa, Ca.  Our family values are centered around healthy and well living. We have a home garden and try to teach our kids to be connected to the earth. It's important to us that our kids learn to appreciate healthy, organic, whole foods and know where they come from. Sometimes we're "that family" that brings our own cupcakes to birthday parties and applies our own homemade sunscreen at the pool - but I'm proud of it. My job is to protect them and that means challenging the norm.

Ultimately, Generation Pure serves my community, my family and my soul. It allows me to be a mom and an entrepreneur, and build something my kids can be proud of. In the past year I've learned to build a website, write a blog, create and manage a business and develop my marketing and advertising skills. It allows me to be creative and live with purpose. Most important, I can schedule business around our family schedule and stay home to raise my kids. 

I have many mentors that I lean on for advice but ultimately GP is a one woman show. I always want to do more and do it faster but my that's just not my reality right now. It's fun and fulfilling to always be working towards a bigger goal. I make the best of nap times and the few hours a week when my kids are in school. It can be a struggle to find time.

What I really love about this business is the ah-ha moment when I'm working with a client and they see how easy it can be to replace toxic products with safer ones. I want them to feel good about every change they make because it matters.  My biggest challenge has been getting the word out about what I do. Many people don't know that an "Eco Maternity Consultant" exists. I spend a lot of time networking with like minded professionals so they can educate their client base.

My goals are to inform myself, empower others and create change on a larger scale. I want to grow the consulting business, continue to do speaking engagements and eventually write a book.  One of my favorite services that I offer is building a non-toxic registry. This is an opportunity for moms to create a brand new space for their baby full of safe materials. Why not spend money on safe, non-toxic furniture, organic bedding and natural baby care products?

Every mom is in some way a mom-preneur and deserves so much credit. My advice is to follow your dreams, confide in other moms, ask for help, and always trust your gut. 

Some of my favorite sites are HealthyChild.org, SaferChemicals.org and EWG.org. These sites give great, user friendly information and they campaign for change on a larger scale.

Thank you for the opportunity. the stories you share of moms using their talents and creativity are so inspiring.

Thank YOU, Natalia, what a great thing you are doing for our children - and our future.  :)