Where did you grow up? What do you do now?
Mama Clyde:
I grew up in Chatham County, North Carolina on Chicken Bridge Road. This was in the days of tobacco farming, the old way. I now live in Charlotte, North Carolina and work with a large Third Party Administrator out of Baltimore, in their Compliance Department, producing employer’s group health plan documents.
Angela:
I was born in Lexington, N.C. The Barbeque Capital of North Carolina, and grew up in Greensboro, N.C. I’m the founder of Jiva-Apoha (Soul-Healing). A Well-Being, Green Beauty, Skincare brand.
Your relationship with each other is so strong and powerful, has it always been this way?
Mama Clyde:
Other than one small occasion in our earlier years, our relationship has been strong and solid, truly a wonderful loving mother-daughter and friendship relationship, one that I cherish.
Angela:
We’ve always had a strong bond and closeness. Being that she was a single mother for many years we kind of grew up together like sisters and best friends. We did have a time of evolution and self-healing when we both entered life changes. That time led us to establish healthy boundaries and understand our personal needs. Today we strive to make each visit as special as it can be while living states apart, and we’re hopeful to be living in the same state again soon.
What are three things you’ve learned from each other?
Mama Clyde:
1. Angela’s open and clear communication is powerful and has taught me to follow the same.
2. Angela’s admiration for others. She has the ability to see my weaknesses and provide her daughter self-loving therapist advice, which gives me the encouragement to improve my self-worth.
3. When times get discouraging in my life, Angela gives me her amazing and loving support. She stays strong, understands the reason and moves forward with a positive attitude reminding me that better things are yet to come. She always ends our conversation with a funny comment.
Angela:
1. My mom has taught me so much in general especially the meaning of being ‘honest’ and what that holds in our LIFE. Communication is key, being authentic in everything you do.
2. She has taught me morals & values since childhood and how to honor other people’s ideas, not to judge and to always keep an open heart.
3. She taught me how to be a survivor as a young child growing into womanhood, to stand up for women’s rights, equality & humanity and to always be grateful for what we have.
What do you respect and admire in the other?
Mama Clyde:
Angela’s passion for her work, Jiva-Apoha. She created it solely on her own through her courage, self-confidence, faith and trust. Jiva-Apoha oils are infused with Angela’s mission and guided by her heart to help others bring enlightenment, healing and love into this world. In my eyes, she is an Earth Angel. When times get tough, Angela gets stronger, never giving up on her dream. We always have each other’s best interests at heart, no matter what the subject may be. No matter how many miles apart, we remain a step away from each other. Angela’s support of women’s self-worth and strength is a very powerful influence in my life.
Angela:
I respect my mother’s willpower to keep moving forward in life. I have the deepest admiration that she has written, and completed, her novel about her childhood, a story about her mother, and father that takes place in Pittsboro, N.C. where she grew up on a farm called Chicken Bridge Road. It’s a compelling, haunting and deeply spiritual Southern story. A story that needs to be told for all women out there who have been abused, and need support; a story for all survivors. This empowering project is close to her heart and to mine as well. She has worked on this for nearly twenty years, and in return it’s been her own divine healing. Even though she had a challenging childhood, she chose the path to care, to nurture and to love. She always has the ability to make me feel strong when I’ve been down through life. She lifts a room with her natural and beautiful energy! I’m so proud of her in every way.
Do you believe you chose each other?
Mama Clyde:
I believe God first chose us. The moment I first held Angela in my arms and I looked into her big blue eyes, a powerful spiritual feeling ran through me, as though I was looking into her soul. It was then I knew God had chosen her for me. That powerful feeling resides within me today.
Angela:
Absolutely! I believe that I came here to protect her, and for us to learn from each other. I was actually told by a powerful medium that I chose her in this life to be her daughter. Apparently we’ve had many lives together in the Old World of France, and that we would always find each other in every life. Yes, I have been her mother too.
Has self-care always been important to you?
Mama Clyde:
Yes, but self-care grew more definitive when I turned forty years old and had thyroid surgery due to a large nodule that was on the borderline of cancer. Years later after leaving an unhealthy marriage, my life turned around for the better and I have stayed on a healthy daily regimen ever since. My mind, body and soul are high priorities in my life, and I continue to nourish them through self-balance, healing and purity.
Angela:
I’ve always had an attraction to self-care but not until the late eighties did I fully start learning about essential oils, aromatherapy, herbs, and Indigenous Philosophies. About fifteen years ago I had my awakening with early stage ovarian endometriosis and alopecia, mostly hormonal but stress induced, for sure. I learned to slow down, to change the way I was living, to seek help, to find balance, to find myself again, and to heal myself. And through the power of women (healers) in medicine, I am forever grateful that my life has changed for the better.
What does self-care mean to you?
Mama Clyde:
Taking care of my physical, mental and emotional health, which results in happiness, wellbeing and independence.
Angela:
To love yourself. To have self-awareness aligned with mind, body & spirit. And to encourage happiness as much as possible.
What words of advice do you look to when times are challenging?
Mama Clyde:
Listen with an open heart and don’t be judgmental. Give loving support and share words of wisdom.
Angela:
I look to my higher power and listen. Noone is perfect and life can be hard but we must be supportive in everything we do. Staying strong is work, and creating peace is work. We must keep faith. I always remember what my Mom says, ‘God has a plan’.
I know music is incredibly important to both of you. What is it about this medium that speaks so strongly?
Mama Clyde:
Music brings out feelings and emotions that speak to me and that has been a beautiful thing through my life’s journey. For the most part, music makes me feel good and sends an instant pulse to my brain, lifting my spirits to a higher level. I love when music makes me jump up and dance!
Angela:
Yes! I’m very proud to say thanks to my mom I grew up loving up rock n’ roll but all music in general. My first real introduction was attending the Love Valley Music Festival in 1970 where the Allman Brothers was the main performance. I was 4 yrs old hanging with the coolest hippies of the South and listening to the best music under my mom’s wings.
Midnight Rider is still one of my all time favorite songs today! The medium is the feeling, the story, the vibration, and a personal connection to a memory.
You are inspired by Native American ritual, what parts of this culture are you drawn to and why?
Mama Clyde:
I have worn Native American jewelry since the early 1960s, beads, silver and turquoise (Sky Stone). A famous myth surrounding the stone tells that Native Americans cried tears of joy when the rains came and seeped into Mother Earth to become the “Sky Stone.” I’m inspired by their spiritual beliefs around the idea that the universe, and all natural objects within the universe, have spirits. Their colorful culture and art has always carried such beauty. Angela has had a strong interest in knowing more about our possible heritage to the Cherokee tribe.
Angela:
Ever since I can remember I collected indigenous artifacts, stones, and would love to get lost in the fields. My mom took me to music & craft festivals, and flea markets from country up to the mountains. She taught me the art of trading and buying, so like my mom, I too was drawn to turquoise and skins early on. I felt more Native American at heart than anything else; and have a lot of questions. I’ve always connected to nature on a spiritual level. I envision it and feel it through my every day. I’ve been researching DNA and our genealogy. One recent test shows that I have a small percentage of Native American. Between my grandmother, grandfather and father’s side, there’s much to look at between our family trees. I have a strong pull to the Cherokee, so hopefully more to come soon. I thank my mother for allowing me as a child to choose my own path.
What are three practices that you incorporate daily to stay radiant and grounded?
Mama Clyde:
1. Eating fresh fruit. I rub the inside of watermelon rind over my face which is so nourishing to my skin. I call it my “fountain of youth”.
2. Whether I’m on a walk or in the gym or a yoga class, I thank God for what I have in life and for the unknown blessings that come my way.
3. A must have, I moisturize my skin with Jiva-Apoha oils, and rub Baby Jiva Body oil around my neck and ears at night, which relaxes me into a healthy sleep.
Angela:
1. I acknowledge the love in my life and my surroundings with prayer.
2. I squeeze half a lemon into 8 ounces of room temp water and drink it immediately.
3. A healing body ritual whether it’s taking a bath, oiling my skin, practicing yoga, going for a walk or a bike ride.
Do you have a favorite quote?
Mama Clyde:
My own quote is “Love is loving Love.”
This one speaks to me: “We can only be what we give ourselves the power to be.” (Native American proverb)
Angela:
“I can learn to nurture myself gently, a little more each day” and “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” – Abraham Lincoln, also “Don’t judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins” – Indian Proverb
What books are on your nightstand?
Mama Clyde:
The Secret, A New Earth, Your Inner Awakening, and my manuscript, Chicken Bridge Road.
Angela:
Uwe Blesching, PhD The Cannabis Health Index, Dudley Fitts Sappho, Ernest Rhys Romance, Rumi Mystical Poems, S.C. Gwynne Empire of the Summer Moon, Grace Jones I’ll Never Write My Memoirs, Patti Smith M Train, and my mom’s manuscript, Chicken Bridge Road.
Always in your fridge?
Mama Clyde:
There’s always almond milk, blueberries, raspberries, cage free eggs, yogurt, spinach, baby kale, watermelon and a jar of chow-chow (fermented cabbage with turmeric) in my fridge plus a bottle of probiotics.
Angela:
Spinach, kale, ginger, basil, mint, blue-black-straw-berries, yogurt, liquid Vit B12, raw probiotics for women, cold press green juices, super food cravings such as Substantial Chocolate’s Kundalini Rising, CAP Beauty’s Coconut Butter, Sakara Life’s Salad Dressings, Moon Juice’s Mulberry Overnight Oats and Brain Dust, Sun Potion’s Anandamide and Chlorella, and my latest obsession, Dr. Siva Mohan’s Signature Chai Blend at Ayurveda by Siva.
If you could share one thing with each other that they might not know, what would it be?
Mama Clyde:
Ever since I first watched “Grace and Frankie,” I have fantasized about sleeping with Sam Elliott every night.
Angela:
Mom knows how much I love music but she doesn’t know that I wished all these years I had listened to her advice about taking piano lessons as a child.
If it speaks to you, I would also love a shortlist of what you’re listening to now and some of your all time favorite albums, bands or songs.
Mama Clyde:
I still listen to old time favorites, from “Blueberry Hill” and “Ain’t That A Shame” by Fats Domino Later, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Big Joe Turner, “Hound Dog” by Elvis, “I Lost That Loving Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers, “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” and “Like A Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan, “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones, the best of the Rolling Stones, “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley, “Hey Jude” and the best of The Beatles, love all of Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees, “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Fly” by Prince, “The Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, “Better Be Good To Me” by Tina Turner, “Honey Bee” by Stevie Ray Vaughn, all Blues artist/song writers, “Pretty Polly” by Ralph Stanley, and the best of Bluegrass.
Angela:
So many classics, and incredible artists that are in my heart forever; David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Cat Power, Fleetwood Mac, Allman Brothers, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin, Taj Mahal, R.L. Burnside, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Ralph Stanley, Jane Birkin, Nina Simone, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Lucinda Williams, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Niko, New Order, Blondie, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar. Lately I was turned onto Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa’s So Purkh, That Primal God which is currently on repeat. Other artists that I’m also into, and currently listening to; Nikki Hill, Moon Duo, Quilt Band, Gap Dream, and Tame Impala.
Has starting Jiva-Apoha affected your relationship in anyway? Is it something you ever work on together?
Mama Clyde:
I am extremely proud of Angela’s accomplishments and grateful for her caring helpful knowledge of Green Beauty that she shares. It has affected me daily in a wonderful and positive way. I have great admiration for Angela and Jiva-Apoha. If I have done any work, it is through listening and learning.
Angela:
Mom plays a big part in my decision making. More than she knows. She helps guide me while listening, and also by listening to her. Our body constitution is practically the same. She has shown me that one can change with taking better care while choosing Green Beauty at anytime in life. We’re both into researching new progressive ways for more healing. My mom and I share the love for health facts, and studies. There are no real hidden secrets between us because we’ve found such a comfort zone with our healing in life. Our lives are very parallel, so close with a small age gap. We talk about ideas all the time, and about her working with me when she retires soon. I need her mama flower power, and would be so lucky to have her involved with the company. Youth of all ages is the vision of where we grow from here.
Were natural remedies something you incorporated into your lives growing up? Did this have any influence on your interest in natural beauty?
Mama Clyde:
Yes, I have always been fascinated by natural remedies. Going natural feels healthy and sexy and I can’t imagine being without it.
Angela:
Yes, ever since my teen days. There’s a particular memory in the sense of smell for me. I always thought about how can I bottle up an amazing scent but keep it pure, and simple. I always had lavender and chamomile EO nearby. Today, I don’t leave home or travel without my medicine bag of oils and a couple natural beauty compacts that I live by.
Has your mom been an inspiration to you for starting your line?
Angela:
Most definitely. I think at first she was worried by the fact I was changing directions, a life-changing one during the last recession. It was the only way for me to do what I’ve been feeling for years and needed to do at that time especially. I watched my mom take care of her youngest brother (my uncle) during his battle with AIDS. As painful as it was we both learned so much but here I learned more about her courageous ability to care and to give. Her strength helped me to have the ability to want to help others.
What’s the most important thing to you when formulating your line?
Angela:
The most important thing is keeping humility close, and remembering each day why I created Jiva-Apoha. At the end of the day, I just want to help provide a small difference in one’s wellbeing. Soul-Healing is for everyone.
Clyde, what is your favorite thing about Jiva-Apoha?
Clyde:
The fact that my daughter has created balancing blends of oils out of love. My body craves the rejuvenating and replenishing oils as I get older my skin gets dryer. After I shower and before bed I oil my skin with a Jiva blend. I have learned that nourishing the skin is also soul-healing. The name is a perfect way to describe the feeling. I can’t go to sleep without my Baby-Jiva oil. I don’t leave the house without a scent of Jiva-Apoha as it is part of my life now. I’m always being asked, “What is that wonderful scent”? The first thing I do is smile. And you know the second thing I do.
Top Five Picks from CAP?
Mama Clyde:
1. The CAPtivator by CAP Beauty
3. Jiva-Apoha Parutka Body Oil
4. Pai Rosehip Oil
Angela:
1. Shiva Rose’s Pearl Milk Cleanser
2. May Lindstrom’s The Honey Mud
4. Pursoma’s Resurrection Bath
