The start of something beautiful always begins from the ground-up: your roots. Roots are our essential foundation to creating your perfectly balanced and meaningful livelihood, but in order to bloom you must be willing to cater holistically and unconditionally to those roots. AMEDE HEALTH THROUGH WELLNESS, rooted in Pasadena, California, is a product line that is rejuvenating mental, physical and emotional health through a service of life coaching and holistic healing. Latia Youngblood, the incredible founder of this nurturing brand, wants everyone to know that “life is lifting”. You fall down; you lift yourself up. No matter how many times or how much it hurts, you always lift yourself back up. On Latia’s journey to self-love, Latia valued the importance of allowance; admitting to your feelings, so the healing path could be honest and authentic. It’s never easy facing your imperfections, but self-love comes when you’re able to graciously accept every single fiber of your being. AMEDE HEALTH THROUGH WELLNESS proudly stands as the foundation to building your best life; the roots that are destined blossom wonderfully. Latia recommends these two wonderful books from bell hooks, “Sisters of the Yams” and “All About Love”, to help nurture your roots. We are pleased to introduce you to Latia Youngblood, Queen of Holistic Health.

What inspired you to start your business? What motivates you to keep going?: I began my journey through health and wellness in 2009, attempting to heal myself naturally so that I could discontinue the usage of Western medicine after becoming ill from my second pregnancy. I had developed a heart condition that required medicines which did not allow me to be a hands on parent. I began to seek natural ways to live with my health oppose to masking it. I start studying apothecary, homeopathy and healing herbs. I became the go-to person for those seeking help to cure themselves naturally. After years of personal studying and numerous people using my home remedies, Améde was born. Through my love of healing others mind,body & soul, I am able to do what I love naturally. It does not feel like work to me. My motivation is to be able to show people that there is balance in life. Everything we need to cure us has been provided to us by Mother Earth. I am my own testimony. 

What does your company stand for?: AMÉDE HEALTH THROUGH WELLNESS is a mental, physical and emotional life rejuvenation service and product line that was birth from the roots of my ancestors, where using the methods of healing came from nature, before western medicine was created. The name Améde belongs to my great great great grandmother who was also the sister of American jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton. She was illiterate, not knowing how to read or write. But her strength through life proved to carry her, allowing her to break barriers for herself in order to provide a better life for herself, her siblings and her children. This is also what my company stands for. Through the Holistic Health & Wellness Life Coaching, I provide the basic fundamentals needed to help others find their strength so that they may move forward as well. 

How do you create the life you want?: The creation of life starts with your mental health. Your mindset is the foundation of all things you manifest. I have taken it upon myself to surrender to happiness, no matter what the obstacle is. A gift my husband has given me. I don’t want/need much for myself or require much for others. This allows for me to be optimistic in the journey and path that’s forever changing with consistent growth. Through this, life makes sense. 

What makes you HUMAN?: I’ve questioned humanity a lot more lately. As I look around at those who were raised differently then how I was raised or those who seem to run with opinions rather then facts, I believe that sympathy and empathy are what keep me grounded. In raising two young men, I have to make sure that I find the fine line between the two and lead by example so that they are given the best opportunity in how to process life for what it is. This process is what keeps me humbled and human in the purest form. 

What are three things your want people to know about self-love?: Self-love is understanding that you are and will never be perfect, and that it’s okay.  Self-love is being honest with yourself, when you’re having bad days and allowing yourself to heal properly from them. Self-love is accepting your own silence and not being afraid of how loud your own silence can be. 

What's something we can incorporate today to start loving ourselves more?: Self-love is birth through self-acceptance. When you wake up in the morning, examine yourself fully. Call out your flaws and make note of them. The more that you ACCEPT yourself for yourself, the easier it becomes to love yourself for yourself. Today, wake up and tell each flaw how perfectly imperfect they are. It is through this process that you’ll learn the true meaning of self-love. 

What has been your own journey with self love?: In my younger years, I battled the idea of wanting to remain skinny. I had self-esteem issues that were given to me in the form of highly critical parenting. I spent a lot of time in self doubt and in fear of not being pretty enough, skinny enough or social enough. It was this mental state that lead me to having health issues over time. After the birth of my first son, I had stretch marks to go along with the unwanted weight that child-bearing gives you. Immediately I was fixated on losing the weight more then healing. However, during my 2nd pregnancy, I developed a major condition that jeopardized the life of my unborn child and myself. I remained thin but it was due to my illness. Mentally I began to heal. Within this process of mental healing, I began to accept who I was as an individual, a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend... a wife. It took for my husband to tell me that he knew I was hiding my tiger stripes (Stretch marks) and that he liked tigers, for me to really look in the mirror and start the process of REALLY loving myself. I began to love my curves that eventually developed and how naturally wild my hair was. I smiled more as I began to accept my big teeth that were passed down to me and how tall I was. I learned to love all of me piece-by-piece until it was overall. 

Leave an affirmation for readers.....: Life will forever be lifing. Make sure to enjoy the ride. Everyday will not be great. Everyday will not be happy. Everyday you will not smile. This is what makes you beautiful. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to feel lost and confused. It’s okay to have self doubt. It’s all part of the process. However, it is not okay to sit in that sorrow. Life is lifing. Every 24 hours you are given a new chance to start over. Take advantage. Tell yourself, I AM WORTH TODAY! I AM WORTH HAPPINESS. TODAY WILL BE GREAT! And move forward. 

Email Address: Call_Me_Amede@gmail.com 

Website: 

Social media handles?: Instagram: Call_Me_Amede 

Any books or apps recommendations?: Books: SISTERS OF THE YAMS and ALL ABOUT LOVE by Bell Hooks.