Luxury essential oil candle for stress relief and relaxation

At 57, I Was Supposed to Be Planning Retirement

I want to Create a Life Rooted in Healing and Calm!

There’s a certain narrative society expects from you when you reach your 50s.

You’re supposed to slow down.
Protect your savings.
Stay comfortable.
Count down the years to retirement.

I built a successful corporate career in corporate IT. I worked hard. I showed up. I delivered results. I spent years helping large organizations grow, transform, and become more profitable. From the outside, it looked like success.

But somewhere along the way, I started asking myself a question that I think many people silently carry:

What if success still feels exhausting?

What if your calendar is full, your career looks impressive, and yet your nervous system feels overwhelmed?

What if you’ve spent decades helping companies grow… but now you feel called to help people heal?

At 57 years old, instead of planning retirement, I found myself starting over in a completely different way — building a wellness and aromatherapy brand rooted in calm, intentional living, self-care rituals, and emotional healing.

Not because it was easy.  Not because it was trendy.  Not because I knew how.

But because I felt deeply compelled to create something meaningful.

Something that could help people like me.

People struggling with stress.
Anxiety.
Burnout.
Overstimulation.
Disconnection.
The feeling that modern life has simply become too loud.

That brand became Sheba Scents and our evolving spiritual wellness collection, Scentual Spirit.

And at the center of it all is one simple belief:

We all deserve to be given the permission to pause.

The Hidden Cost of Modern Success

For many women — especially high-performing women — stress becomes normalized.

We become experts at functioning while overwhelmed.

We manage careers, households, relationships, responsibilities, caregiving, deadlines, expectations, and emotional labor while quietly telling ourselves:

“I’m fine.”

Until one day, we realize we’re exhausted in ways sleep can’t fix.

For me, anxiety wasn’t just occasional stress. It was racing thoughts. Difficulty relaxing. Feeling overstimulated. Panic attacks. Difficulty sleeping. A nervous system constantly “on.”

Like many people, I initially looked toward conventional solutions. But over time, I became deeply interested in prevention, coping skills, grounding rituals, and natural ways to support emotional wellness.

I began searching for what I called “quick shifters” — simple sensory experiences that could interrupt anxious moments and gently bring me back into my body and calm my mind.

That journey changed my life.

How Aromatherapy Became Part of My Healing Journey

One of the most powerful discoveries I made was how deeply scent affects the nervous system.

Aromatherapy is not just about making a room smell good.

Scent has a direct connection to the limbic system — the part of the brain associated with emotion, memory, mood, and nervous system regulation.

Certain essential oils can create an immediate emotional shift.

Lavender can soften tension.
Frankincense can create grounding.
Bergamot can feel uplifting.
Vetiver can feel stabilizing.
Sandalwood can encourage stillness.
Peppermint can help create mental clarity.

I began carrying essential oils with me.

I started building calming rituals around scent.

I used candles intentionally instead of passively.

And I noticed something profound:

When you engage the senses intentionally, you can gently guide yourself back toward calm.

Those results are the foundation of Scentual Spirit.

Because self-care isn’t a nice-to-have.

It’s wellness, mental health, and nervous system support.

Why I Started Making Candles

Ironically, candles were never originally meant to become a business.

They started as a deeply personal project.

As I became more intentional about wellness and reducing toxins in my home, I also became aware of how many conventional candles contain ingredients that didn’t align with the calm, healing environment I was trying to create.

At the same time, I found myself reconnecting with something much older and more natural within me.

I grew up as a small-town farm girl.

I loved flowers, gardens, nature, animals, and being outdoors. There was something deeply grounding about simple living — about growing things, creating beauty naturally, and slowing down enough to appreciate it.

Making candles became therapeutic.

The process itself became a ritual:

  • blending scents

  • pouring wax

  • choosing oils intentionally

  • creating peaceful spaces

  • slowing down

  • working with my hands

  • building beauty with purpose

And eventually, people around me began responding emotionally to the products.

Not just because they smelled good.

But because they made people feel something.

Calmer.
Safer.
Grounded.
Seen.
Comforted.

That’s when I realized this was becoming something much bigger than candles.

Wellness and Spirituality Often Want the Same Thing

One of the most beautiful discoveries while building this brand has been realizing that wellness customers and spiritual customers are often searching for the exact same thing:

Peace. And, believing that things can be better.

The language may differ.

Some people call it:

  • nervous system regulation

  • mindfulness

  • intentional living

  • emotional wellness

  • self-care

Others call it:

  • grounding

  • energy cleansing

  • moon rituals

  • chakra healing

  • sacred space

But underneath it all is the same desire:

To feel more connected.
More balanced.
More calm.
More intentional.
More whole.

An aromatherapy candle can simply be a calming ritual after work.

Or it can become part of a meditation practice, journaling session, moon ritual, prayer time, or personal moment of reflection.

Neither approach is wrong.

Because the real purpose is creating space to take a few deep breaths and 'feel' better.

Permission to Pause Is More Than a Tagline

Over time, one phrase kept appearing naturally in everything I created:

Permission to Pause

Because so many people — especially caregivers, professionals, mothers, entrepreneurs, and high achievers — feel guilty slowing down.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that productivity determines worth.

That burnout is normal.

But our bodies were never designed to live in constant overstimulation.

We need rituals.

We need stillness.

We need moments that remind us we are human beings, not machines.

Sometimes permission to pause looks like:

  • lighting a candle before bed

  • taking a bath with essential oils

  • journaling for 10 minutes

  • stepping away from screens

  • spraying lavender linen mist on your pillow

  • sitting quietly with a cup of tea

  • diffusing grounding oils during stressful moments in your office

  • creating a sacred evening reset ritual

These moments may seem small.

But small rituals repeated consistently can completely change how we experience our lives.

Why I’m Building This Brand at 57

Some people might think starting a brand at this stage of life is risky (just ask my husband).

And maybe it is.

But I also think there’s something powerful about building a purpose-driven business after decades of lived experience.

This brand wasn’t created from trends.

It was created from real life.

From anxiety.
From overwhelm.
From burnout.
From healing.
From searching.
From wanting something softer and more meaningful.

At this stage in life, I’m less interested in simply building revenue.

I want to build impact.

I want to create products that help people feel:

  • calmer

  • safer

  • more grounded

  • emotionally supported

  • connected 

I want people to open a package from us and feel cared for.

Building a Wellness Brand in Midlife

There’s also something important I want to say to anyone reading this who feels “too old” to start over.

You are not too old.

You are not behind.

And your life experience may actually be your greatest advantage.

Midlife often brings clarity.

You stop chasing approval.

You become more intentional.

You start asking deeper questions:

  • What truly matters?

  • How do I want people to feel?

  • How can I help?

  • What impact do I want to make?

For me, the answer became clear:

I want to help create a gentler world.

One ritual at a time.

The Future of Wellness Is Intentional

I believe people are craving a return to intentional living.

We are overwhelmed by noise, speed, technology, notifications, stress, and constant stimulation in addition to toxins in everything around us.

People want:

  • quieter homes

  • healthier routines

  • meaningful rituals

  • cleaner products

  • sensory comfort

  • emotional support

  • authentic brands

  • deeper connection

This is why aromatherapy, wellness rituals, mindfulness, and spiritual self-care continue to grow.

Not because people are trying to “escape reality.”

But because they are trying to survive modern life in healthier ways.

And honestly?

I think many of us are simply trying to remember what it feels like to be ok.

Our Products Are Designed to Create an Experience and Take You on a Journey

Scentual Spirit's mission is to create experiences that support the body, mind, and spirit.

That’s why our collections 'take you on a journey' and offer:

  • aromatherapy candles

  • essential oil roll-ons

  • bath soaks

  • room and linen sprays

  • ritual guides

  • grounding experiences

  • intentional scent pairings

Everything is designed around emotional intention and sensory wellness.

Some collections focus on:

Because healing isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Sometimes people need calm.
Sometimes they need hope.
Sometimes they need grounding.
Sometimes they just need five quiet minutes to breathe.

Come Along With Us

This journey is still unfolding.

We are still building.
Still learning.
Still creating.
Still dreaming.

And honestly, there’s something beautiful about building a brand slowly and intentionally.

Especially in a world obsessed with overnight success.

If you’ve ever:

  • felt burned out

  • struggled with anxiety

  • craved a slower lifestyle

  • wanted a calmer home

  • searched for meaningful self-care

  • felt disconnected from yourself

  • longed for peace

  • wanted rituals that feel grounding and supportive

…I hope you’ll follow along with our journey.

Because this brand isn’t just about products.

It’s about creating a community of people who are choosing softness over chaos.

Presence over pressure.

Healing over hustle.

And intentional living over constant overwhelm.

Final Thoughts: It’s Never Too Late to Build Something Meaningful

At 57, I may not be building the kind of future people expected.

But I am building one that feels aligned.

One rooted in purpose.

One centered around helping others feel calmer, safer, and more supported in their everyday lives.

And maybe that’s the kind of success that matters most.

So, whether you’re here for wellness, aromatherapy, spiritual rituals, nervous system support, or simply because you’re tired of the noise of modern life…

Welcome.

You belong here.

And this is your permission to pause.

Thanks for following,

Corrine

@shebascents

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