For nearly two decades, Odette Shirley has thrived in the airline industry, until the pandemic abruptly halted her career. Undeterred, this steadfast entrepreneur and passionate advocate for health and wellness embarked on a new adventure in 2020. It was then that she founded Maison Jouvence, a groundbreaking luxury self-care, fragrance, and wellness company offering a wide range of products. At Maison Jouvence, Odette’s focus goes beyond traditional boundaries. In addition to their organic, plant-based, vegan, and chemical-free self-care products, she expanded the company to include a fragrance line. Embracing the power of scent to create a transformative experience, Maison Jouvence now offers an array of beautifully crafted candles, room and linen sprays, body sprays, diffusers, and perfumes.
Q: You’ve had a pretty interesting start to the business that you have. What has that experience been like for you?
A: I was an executive in the airline industry for almost two decades – almost 20 years. The airline industry tanked when the pandemic happened. With that, the job was gone. To be honest with you, I wasn’t thinking about being an entrepreneur, but that I just wanted to make a great living. So when the pandemic happened, it’s as if I took a nap, and then woke up and said to myself, “okay now what?” The pandemic made me realize that you have to take care of yourself, because at the end of the day, the job can be gone and you have to remain you and be healthy, and take care of yourself. So I wanted to do something that I could remind people, whether they are in a corporate world, or if they are entrepreneurs, that self care is important. So I started with the candles but the loss of my best friend at the time, was due to inhaling chemicals that come with soot as she was never a smoker.S o that made me rethink some of my choices. With research on clean wax options, I started to bridge the gap between educating people and doing something I like. Thus, Maison Jouvence was born!
Q: What does luxury mean to you? What is your idea of luxury?
A: Luxury means a lot of different things to different people. To me, wellness in itself is a luxury that we think we can’t afford, like self care. Someone getting a massage may be luxury, but it’s also self care. It’s an investment; something that you need just for you. So to me, luxury is muted and simple, but it’s quality. When something is quality, you know that it’s vetted and people are going to enjoy it. That’s why I insist on quality! When we check the labels, and if it’s crooked, we have to do it over. Some people won’t realize it, but we’ll realize it because if I see it, then somebody else will see it too.
Q: Are there any misconceptions about the holistic product industry as it relates to products that you’d like to shed a little light on?
A: Yes! People think, and it was my own conception too, that when something is listed as a green product that it tastes or smells weird or it’s not pretty. That it’s not cute or it’s not something you want but you go get it when you need it. Or that it’s not pleasing to the eye. I’ve learned that holistic can be everything; it can even be luxury.
Q: How do you find balance in order to have some of those blissful moments you promote with your products?
A: It’s not easy! Even with me being a fierce advocate for wellness and self-care, it’s not easy for me. But, one thing that works for me, is to just remember, “don’t forget about yourself.” Because life is happening. Nothing ever is gonna be everything’s gonna be perfect so you need to be able to recognize moments that bring you bliss.
Q: What is your superpower?
A: Most definitely resilience. I’ve been through a lot sometimes and when you start thinking about yourself writing it down, I recognize I’ve been through it and with resilience. In the midst of that, I also have faith. I believe in God and knowing a higher power gives me the strength to go through it.
Explore more about Odette Shirley and Maison Jouvence:
Website: Maison Jouvence
IG: @maisonjouvence
Facebook: @maisonjouvence
