December 2023 Special Needs Living Magazine

All-Natural Personal Care Products With A Purpose THE BOHEMIAN MAMA

BY SARAH SMITH

The time came. Her boys were just about finished with high school, and she needed to find her new purpose. Vivian Brinkman had been a stay-at-home mom for 17 years, a role she embraced and loved and in which she thrived. The thought of working in a corporate setting for 8 hours a day just didn’t seem to fit.

Vivian is a first-generation American. Her parents, immigrants from Chios, Greece, brought with them an entrepreneurial spirit. “I believe each of us was created on purpose for a purpose and most of the time we can’t see past our own limitations to live to our fullest potential. Whether it’s physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual, I want to help people unlock these potentials!” Vivian said.

Having been introduced to the world of essential oils and botanicals in 2014, Vivian wanted to learn more. She attended her first wellness seminar with Dr. Phillip Freitchy, a botanist and professor with Trinity Health, and her passion was ignited. She then received certification in an essential oil treatment called Raindrop Therapy and began giving the treatment to new clients.

“Once I learned how many toxic chemicals were in our everyday personal care products and how they affect the body, I couldn’t unlearn it.” added Vivian. With this knowledge, she created an allnatural deodorant for her family.

Never expecting to have her own business, Vivian started working on formulating more products for family and friends for her own pleasure. In 2016, Debbie Marshall from Marshalls Antique Warehouse invited Vivian to a “Meet the Maker” event in her shop.

“We still laugh about this,” Vivian explained. “I didn’t see myself as a maker, just a stay-at-home mom wanting to help others live a better quality of life by sharing what goes on your body is absorbed into your bloodstream and can wreak havoc with hormones, the endocrine system, and so much more. I just wanted to share.”

With that Vivian’s new purpose was discovered. Using her Instagram name and the love of being a mama, she created The Bohemian Mama, a health and wellness company that hand-makes all-natural personal care products and remedies. The company makes and sells products from Arnica rubs that help with muscular pain and inflammation, to sinus balms to aid with sinus pressure, to the number one selling magnesium body butter which helps moisturize as well as replenish an essential mineral in the body.

Today, The Bohemian Mama participates in more than 30 Maker’s Markets a year, sells its products in roughly 20 shops, and has a growing online store. The company makes about 25 products using herbs and minerals that help restore balance and support the body’s natural healing process.

“I never expected this small product-based business to make such a huge impact on the world around us, or for it to support our family,” exclaimed Vivian. “I still pinch myself any time an order comes in, someone sends a message to let me know how our products affect them, or when we receive a raving review.”

The company hosts wellness workshops and retreats, featuring various wellness experts, at its newly renovated BoMa Barn, in Diamond, OH. Vivian also supports her artist friends every year at an open house in the BoMa Barn, showcasing several vendors and their products. “The vision of the BoMa Barn is still coming to fruition,” said Vivian, “but as a friend once said to me, the barn is the perfect metaphor for our lives. We’re all still a work in progress, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get started on our dreams”.

Vivian’s number one piece of advice in life is to not be afraid to say YES to what God has called you to do. “There’s a world of people depending on you to live up to your full potential and you have no clue where your yeses will take you,” she added.

Vivian is madly in love with her husband of 24 years, her kids are her heroes, she loves Jesus, and she has a passion for making an impact in the world around her by following her purpose and being the best version of herself.

The Bohemian Mama is located at 3525 McClintocksburg Rd. in Diamond. More information can be found at www.boma.guru or by calling 330-936-4645.