Hey, sister! Welcome back to A Taylored Adventure to Happiness. If you are new, welcome! If you are a regular, I love ya, I love ya, I love ya!
How are you feeling today, lovely soul? If you’re not quite sure, that’s okay, just take this moment to breathe deeply and check-in with yourself. Note how you’re feeling spiritually and emotionally. Now, I want you to take another breath. As you release it, let your body sink into the chair and your shoulders relax. Check-in with how your body feels. Don’t try to find any solutions, just be aware.
If you’re dealing with any brain fog or chronic illness, feeling under the weather, or wanting to improve your mindset, you are in the right place! Today I have the privilege of talking with Carly Stein, the founder and boss babe CEO behind Beekeeper’s Naturals. I started using her company’s Propolis Spray after being introduced to it by a fellow mastermind member. For the last two years, I’ve kept it stashed in my pantry for any moment I feel a cold coming on.
But truth be told, I didn’t know the potent life-giving formula I was integrating into my life until this conversation with Carly. If you’ve been looking for natural remedies that actually work or are interested in building a product-based business, you will love what Carly shares.
Before I say anymore and give away all the fun facts, let’s dive!
Who Is Carly Stein?
Carly grew up with an autoimmune condition that led to a chronically low immune system. On top of that, she is allergic to most antibiotics and over the counter medications, including NyQuil. All this led to chronic tonsil issues that were extremely painful. Because of this, she developed a voracious appetite for researching and trying natural remedies at an early age. While she found some exciting products that were even backed by research, they never seemed potent enough to get her the promised results. Here’s how she explained it:
“I found there was a real disconnect with the natural product market — lots of products that promised the world but didn’t necessarily have the science behind them to deliver or just weren’t quite strong enough. … And I started just sort of losing faith [in natural remedies], but I kept looking [be]cause when I would get sick, I entered that sort of desperation cycle again [and researched more options].” – Carly Stein
During college, Carly studied abroad in Sweden and traveled all over Europe. While she was there, she developed severe tonsillitis. It was so bad she was having breathing problems and considered coming home. But this was devastating because she had worked her butt off waitressing to get to Sweden and was sick of missing out on things from being ill. So, she kept looking for remedies.
Eventually, she went into a pharmacy in Florence. When the pharmacist saw her swollen chipmunk cheeks, she immediately said, “Oh, you need propolis.” Because of the language barrier, Carly didn’t know much more about propolis other than it came from bees, but she bought it anyway.
“I bought this propolis bottle, and it was like a little black glass tincture. … In about five days, I made a full recovery, which was just a totally new experience for me — recovery itself. I had never used anything where I was able to actually feel a remarkable difference, and propolis is the first time that I actually saw the shift take place. And so I completely fell in love with propolis.” – Carly Stein
Thanks to propolis, Carly was able to finish her semester abroad. The following year, when midterms rolled around, she got sick again. So, she went out to buy propolis, but couldn’t find it anywhere. When she finally did find it, she had a severe allergic reaction. At first, she was confused, but then she guessed that the propolis must have pesticides in it that she was allergic to. Because she was taking a chemistry class at the time, she decided to run some tests on it herself.
Sure enough, there were pesticides in the propolis. Carly got upset:
“I was so angry because I was like, ‘This is a product that’s meant to heal. You shouldn’t be putting toxins in your body [when you take it].’ … After being a little bit depressed for a minute, I was like, ‘You know what? I need to take matters into my own hands.’ … So I started beekeeping, and that became my hobby.” – Carly Stein
After college, Carly worked in finance for three years while beekeeping on the side. Eventually, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was unhappy and made for something more. So, she quit her job at the end of 2016 to pursue her passion, which became Beekeeper’s Natural.
Sister, one of the things that stands out to me in Carly’s story is the power of saying “yes” to what feels good to you. She said “yes” to pursuing natural remedies to help her feel better. Then she said “yes” to staying abroad as long as she could, even if it meant trying something she wasn’t entirely sure about. And she said “yes” to following her passion for beekeeping and producing pesticide-free propolis.
More often than not, the things that feel good to you aren’t random but are leading you into the purpose you were created to fulfill on this planet. So, ask yourself, “Is there something that feels good to me that I need to say ‘yes’ to?”
What Is Propolis?
We all know what honey is, right? Beyond being a sweet thick golden liquid that’s edible, honey is also the primary source of carbohydrates and energy for bees. They go from flower to flower sucking nectar. Then, they bring it back to the hive and put it into combs where all the water evaporates out, and it ferments. So, honey is made from floral nectar and gives bees their energy.
Propolis is made from plant and tree resin. Just as bees go from flower to flower collecting nectar, they go from tree to tree or plant to plant collecting resin substances. Propolis is the bee’s medicine. They use it to line the entire hive and keep it germ-free. They also line the insides of the cell walls to create a sterile environment for baby bees. They even have a propolis mat at the front door to disinfect everyone that comes in.
Carly said the third thing bees do with propolis is her favorite:
“This is my favorite propolis fact: … Let’s say a predator, like a mouse, gets into the hive. The bees can sting and kill it, but they can’t physically pick up a mouse and carry it out of the hive. … So they’ll mummify it in propolis, and propolis is so powerful of a substance that it protects the entire hive from this decaying rodent in their living room. … It’s just a testament to propolis’ antibacterial and antimicrobial effects.” – Carly Stein
Carly went on to explain that the first recorded human use of propolis dates back to 300 BC, and in the 17th century, it was listed in the London Pharmacopeia as an official drug. Both Carly and I are excited about the way medicine is shifting back to some of its natural roots and realizing that nature has been supporting us all along!
The Powerful Healing Properties of Propolis
Propolis is basically a super-food. You can add it to your daily immune support routine as prevention from colds. You can also use it for chronic issues, like Carly. Here are four ways Carly recommends using propolis:
#1. Daily
Propolis is high in Vitamin C, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories. It also carries strands of probiotics. As a result, Carly said she was able to replace a lot of her supplements and multivitamins with propolis:
“I used to take a lot of green supplements and spirulina … for energy-boosting. … And I stopped taking vitamin C cause propolis contains a good amount of vitamin C. … I also stopped taking multivitamins.” – Carly Stein
In place of your typical multivitamin or to prevent colds, you can use the throat spray once a day or incorporate propolis via powder or pill. Yep, it’s that simple!
#2: Common Cold
Because propolis is high in anti-inflammatory properties, the throat spray is not only effective in helping your body fight the cold, but it’s also quite soothing for a sore throat. If you want to try it for yourself, you can get the propolis throat spray from Beekeeper’s Natural.
#3: Topically
Again, propolis’ anti-inflammatory properties make it ideal for burns, whether you get them making dinner or playing at the beach. This is one of the reasons people used to put honey on burns — honey contains a trace amount of propolis.
You can also apply propolis to canker sores and blemishes like pimples or acne. Carly said the propolis would leave a sticky residue, so be ready to cover it with a band-aid after applying.
#4: Digestive Enzymes + Internal Inflammation
Carly used to take digestive enzymes with all her meals. Now she just takes propolis:
“I used to take enzymes with all my meals because I also used to just struggle with bloating and digestive issues. … It’s also really good for things like colitis and any sort of intestinal inflammation. The other nice thing about propolis is it helps to strengthen the lining in the gut. So for leaky gut, it helps to prevent that. It also contains a component called Pinto San Fran that acts like a fungus in the body. So it’s really good for candida.” – Carly Stein
I don’t know about you, but I think propolis sounds like an incredible way to simplify any immune support routine!
Royal Jelly and How It Helps with Brain Fog and Concussion Recovery
Royal Jelly is a clear-ish white substance that is the superfood of a hive. Carly explained that all newborn babies are given Royal Jelly for the first three days of development. After that, they’re transitioned off of it onto a diet of honey and pollen. Only the bee destined to become the queen continues on her exclusive Royal Jelly diet. Anecdotally, Royal Jelly has been used across cultures for many things. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has been used for fertility and hormonal balance.
After Carly had a concussion, she learned that Royal Jelly also supports neurogenesis:
“A study came out of the University of Warsaw that found that regular consumption of Royal Jelly improves your spatial reasoning and supports the neurotransmitter responsible for brain-body connection. So you can think of it as naturally supporting your transmission system. … It contains two fatty acids. One is called 10 HDA, and the other one is called AMP monoxide, and they act as catalysts for neurogenesis. So they literally help your brain create new clean neurons.” – Carly Stein
Sister, taking Royal Jelly is like getting the queen’s power! I fucking love it. If you’re struggling with brain fog, remembering things, or just want to improve your mental game, Royal Jelly could be the support you need! Go get yourself some queen’s power like the Queen you are!
Carly’s Three Secrets to Starting a Product Based Business
I hope you loved learning about bees, propolis, and Royal Jelly as much as I did. If you did, be sure to listen to the whole episode on Apple Podcasts where Carly talks about the anti-aging and anti-allergenic properties of honey and propolis!
In closing, I want to leave you with the top three tips Carly shared for anyone interested in starting a product-based business:
“The first thing is, make sure you’re truly passionate about [what you’re getting into]. … [Being an entrepreneur is] very hard. There [are] a lot of challenges, and you have to keep coming back to you why you really want to succeed. … After that, make an action plan…. and contact people you’re inspired by and ask them questions. Three, get learning — figure out what your weak points are and learn enough about [what you’re doing] so that you can manage it until you have the ability to hire it out. Get really comfortable with all the things that you’re bad at because that is what starting a business is.” – Carly Stein
I love how honest Carly is, and I want to second what she said: In business, shit is going to happen. You’re going to do all of the dirty work in the very beginning — it’s just a fact. But if you keep coming back to your why and remind yourself of why you started — why you want your vision to thrive — it will light you up, and you will be unstoppable!
So say “yes” to the things that feel good to you, know why you’re doing what you’re doing, make an action plan, and don’t give up — even when it gets messy and looks impossible!
Thank you for learning about bees with me! I thought what Carly shared was marvelous and intriguing. If you did too, be sure to follow her on Instagram, @stein.carly, and check out the work she’s doing at Beekeeper’s Natural!
As always, if you loved the message, help me get it to more people by taking a screenshot of this and sharing it on Instagram. Tag me, @iamtaylorsimpson, and let me know what fun fact you learned today!
I love you. I see you. And as always, choose happiness because, well, why the fuck not?
