Friends from Wild Places

Detoxify Your Life: A Conversation with Mari

• Shireen Botha/Tanya Scotece ft Mari Gonzalez • Season 5 • Episode 20

Share episode

Mari shares her entrepreneurial journey from solving her own health problems to creating Yes2Detox, a business offering natural juices, smoothies, and gluten-free treats while maintaining her full-time job as an educator.

Marisabel Gonzalez


• Started making detox juices when commercial products failed to meet her needs
• Built business primarily through word-of-mouth referrals and Instagram (@yes2detox)
• Originally named her business "Munchie" after a childhood nickname from her brothers
• Creates products free from refined sugar and gluten using natural ingredients
• Recommends ginger, turmeric, and root vegetables to combat inflammation
• Struggles with time management while balancing full-time teaching and business
• Emphasizes the importance of movement, good nutrition, and surrounding yourself with supportive people
• Believes internal cleansing reflects positively on external appearance and overall wellbeing
• Focuses on educating customers about healthy choices rather than just making sales
• Plans to potentially return to original "Munchie" branding and open a storefront in the future

Join us as we support the Metro Life Church this month!

Follow Marie on Instagram @yes2detox or visit www.yes2detox.com to learn more about her natural products.


Send us a text

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Shireen's Bookkeeping Services LLC
Outsourcing your bookkeeping to Shireen’s Bookkeeping Services can save you time and money.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Stay Wild!


Leave a review!

Voiceover:

Tales from the wild, stories from the heart. A journey into the mind and soul of fired up business professionals, where they share their vision for the future and hear from a different non-profit organization every month as they create awareness of their goals and their needs. Dive into a world of untamed passion as we join our host, Shireen Botha, for this month's episode of Friends from Wild Places.

Shireen Botha:

Do you have you built a website and what is the website?

Mari Gonzalez:

Yes, I do have a website. It's www. yes2detox. com. People order through there, but I find that it's most convenient or most popular to order through Instagram, which is yes2detox. com. A lot of people have found me on Instagram. I have clients that keep on coming back. I have clients that do special orders, like Tanya. I try to accommodate all my clients because, like I said, I love to create. If you have something in mind, let's you know, talk about it. Do you have any concerns that you want to target or address? Let me see what I have for you. You, you know, to help you out in that area. Um so, yes, through Instagram, through the website. Um regular text people, people that have my number share oh, I know this lady. She sells amazing juices and then I get orders through through text. Um word of mouth has been my best friend when it comes to advertising. Um, people tell others and you know they reach out yeah, mine too yeah, you know what's interesting is?

Tanya Scotece:

um, when you asked shireen, we actually met through bni. That's how we actually met, because we did a one one. Yeah, that's how we actually met back in the pandemic days. Are you and me? Or you talk about you and marie? No, you and I, you and I that's right.

Tanya Scotece:

Yes, I agree, yeah. So, um, and I know I've met, I've invited uh, there's so many like different networking groups, right, and I'm like the marketer's dream, like I go to all the marketing, like you know, different chamber groups and bni and stuff, but you know that's where shireen and I actually initially met. So we, we both belong to a BNI chapter and that's a it's like a closed chapter, meaning one per profession, another way just to kind of expand. But but I always appreciate you. I mean, you've taken me from iron anemia. Female changes, woman changes every, every, every couple of days I'm texting her. Okay, what about this symptom? What about that? So I'm very appreciative of your expertise and, just you know, making me feel better so I can personally attest to her juices and treats and foods and baked goods and gluten-free items and smoothies and shots and everything else that you offer, right? So, and every day she must think like, like, as if she's creating stuff overnight. I'm like anything new this week.

Mari Gonzalez:

No, but if I could, I'd be in the kitchen from sunrise to sundown, if I could. But I do have a family, I do have a full-time job, but every time, every time that I have free time, let's go to the kitchen, let's create something, let's do something. So this summer I worked on a carrot cake Amazing. I also worked on a sweet potato chocolate cake, the garbanzo marble loaf bestseller, incredible. And these are all good-for-you ingredients no refined sugar, no gluten. Um, you know, we use better for you ingredients that are natural yeah, and the farmer's market's another um well, yes, the farmer's market.

Mari Gonzalez:

I did the farmer's market early on, I would say a couple years ago, um, but it's just so hot, it's hot, um, and then again you build that community and once people have your information, it's just a matter of you know texting or dming and and you know we deliver, we, you can pick up, we can meet.

Shireen Botha:

It's very flexible you know, the one thing that stuck out to me while we're chatting here is the fact that you are running a business while having a full-time job, and I think a lot of people have done that. Some people, they have the funds flexible funds that they've saved up to resign from their job and start a whole brand new business, and they make it and they succeed. Some don't, but they try again, they get up. There's so many different stories and journeys that we've Tanya and I have heard being on this podcast with all the different guests we've had on the show, but I think it's important to hear this story because this story is saying hey, you know, I don't have the flexible funds sitting in my back pocket that I can just resign from my job and start a business on my own.

Shireen Botha:

Or it could be I actually like my full time job as well and I also enjoy my business that I've started on the side, and I think it's important to acknowledge the different journeys that each entrepreneur and business owner are doing it themselves their own way, and I think it's important to actually highlight that. So, thank you, marie. Marie, your name for your business was Munchie right, and you were mentioning it, and please share with the listeners how actually the name Munchie means something to you. Uh, but why the change then?

Mari Gonzalez:

so Munchie was a nickname given to me by my younger brothers. There's two, wad and Anwar, and we grew up so close. I was a little tomboy just playing football, soccer with them all the time Outside, riding our bikes or skateboards. I love that, but at the same time I was a girly girl, you know like. I did my curls and my jewelry, my nails, and my sister is three years older than me and at that time we were more like arch enemies than friends or sisters or best friends. Now it's a totally different story. Friends or sisters or best friends Now it's a totally different story. I love my sister, we talk all the time and share stories and stuff like that. But the nickname Manchi came from my two brothers, my two younger brothers. As in every day, I don't know, marissa Bell is my name, but for some reason they call me Munchie, munchie, munchie, come here, munchie, let's go play. So it's got meaning, you know, it's got that emotional connection. So I find that when you have that emotional connection to something and you share that with the public, there's a connection. You're connecting with the world outside of yours.

Mari Gonzalez:

The change came later because of that, because it was so personal, I started listening to some advice and people told me if you want to one day make this a big business or have your own storefront, you know it can't be so personal. At the time I agreed and then we brainstormed, my husband and I you know it was mainly my husband's um calling to say yes to detox. He was like you have to put the word detox in there because that's that's the main product. But I said, but there's so much more. I feel like detox is going to limit us to just detox and a lot of people associate that with um. It's not very positive if I put it that way. Um, so I said yes, yes, yes to detox. I'm like, okay, that sounds catchy, yes to detox, so we kept it, believe it? Or that sounds catchy, yes to detox, so we kept it, believe it or not? I am thinking about going back to Munchie, just because it's personal and there's nothing wrong with that, and we have so many items today that yes to detox.

Mari Gonzalez:

Sometimes I don't share on Instagram. I'm guilty of not sharing enough of what we do, and it's because of that. Because if I were to share, let's say, a sourdough loaf that I'm making, what does that have to do with the juices. What does that have to do with the detox? So I want to inform the public, share what we do, but also be true to who we are. So possibly in the near future we would either change the name one more time or go back to Munchie Blends, because the idea is to one day have a storefront. You know where you can come and you can buy the gluten free bagels and the shots, and just you know where you can come and you can buy the gluten free bagels and the shots, and just you know. Come in and out and get what you need. You know, yeah.

Shireen Botha:

I love that. I love that. Just before we continue, I just want to jump in here with a little bit of a buzzsprout ad for the listeners. You already know this, but Friends from Wild Places is a place to share stories, just like we're doing today, from other business owners and professionals from all over the world. It is a safe space to show support for other business owners and entrepreneurs as well. We do also feature nonprofits every month to try and make a difference and give a helpline to someone in need, to someone in need. So if you have a message you want to share with the world, or maybe you just think it'll be fun to have your own talk show, podcasting is an easy and expensive and fun way to expand your reach online. To start your own podcast, please follow the link in the show notes. This lets Buzzsprout know that we sent you and it helps support the show. The team at both sprout is passionate about helping you succeed.

Shireen Botha:

You know, uh, marie the, the one thing that I I find so interesting about fruits and vegetables is there's something I struggle with and that's inflammation inside of my body. Um, I, I feel it. If I'm hiking a lot, um, and I don't, I'm not a. I think that the word I'm going to use is incorrect. Um, I'm not an extreme gym goer. I don't go to gym. Uh, I.

Shireen Botha:

My form of activity comes from being out in nature, comes from hiking, backpacking, and for me to be able to do what I love out in nature, I do need to do a couple of bodyweight trainings for about 30, 45 minutes from home or from wherever I am, but I try twice a week, so it's really not a lot of activity.

Shireen Botha:

And then I do try and run for stamina to keep my stamina up once a week and that'll be between 8 to 10 Ks. And the reason why I'm telling you this is not to show off because I'm actually I'm really not even close to some of these, the other people that you see that go to gym two hours a day and the professional sportsmen that really take what they do seriously. I'm quite on the the lower side. But my point being is I do struggle from like pain in my knees and inflammation in my body. I mean, I woke up on Saturday to go for a run and I just felt like my shin was hurting, middle of my back was paining for no good reason. It's not even like I worked out, I missed my workout, you know, the few days before that. So do you have any recommendations when it comes to what specific fruits, what specific vegetables and, more specifically, what could we order from your menu that would help with inflammation?

Mari Gonzalez:

So anything that you can give your body that comes from earth is going to help you with that. The inflammation is caused by everyday movement, lack of movement. The toxins that we breathe in that come into contact with our skin because they're all over, they're everywhere. Mainly fruits and vegetables nourish and repair our bodies. So there's certain fruits that are targeted for that. There's certain vegetables, so especially the root vegetables, like the beet, the ginger, the turmeric, the radish. They have amazing properties that heal our bodies.

Mari Gonzalez:

There's been research done that people have been diagnosed with cancer and terminal illnesses. They change their diets completely. They don't eat meat anymore, they don't eat fats like oils and stuff like that. They consume fruits and vegetables, sort of like the Daniel's diet I don't know if you guys are familiar with that and they live, they heal their bodies, they fast. You know they have a process that they follow for days and their bodies have healed. So I always go back to that ginger. Ginger is your best friend.

Mari Gonzalez:

I try to consume my ginger shot every morning on my empty stomach. Sometimes I do it before my workout, then I do the workout, I work out at 5 am before heading out to work here at home. I don't go to the gym anymore. I have a home gym and I do it with my daughter. She's 25 years old, she's my partner, so we work out together, motivate each other to do so. But, yes, the ginger, the turmeric is magic. It's magic.

Mari Gonzalez:

But again, again, you cannot expect to have a shot and continue doing everything else that you're doing. There has to be change. You have to move. You have to move with purpose, you know. Move with purpose, eat with purpose. What's the goal? You want to heal, you want to restore, you want to lose fat, you want to lose weight, you want to longevity? What is the goal? So there has to be a purpose, uh, in everything that you do. But yes, um, there, my recommendations are um, the, the ginger, the turmeric, the shots, also, the, the milks, I, I milk almonds, I milk cashews. We all know these nuts are superfoods, they have natural healing properties. Dates are superfoods. Again, cinnamon, all those things are going to, you know, stop that inflammation, help with inflammation in your body and help you move, which is what we need more of.

Shireen Botha:

That's so good. It's just I struggle because I'm not really the healthiest person. So I like a good old burger and fries and pizza and probably all the stuff that I shouldn't be eating, and I know that there's nothing wrong with that.

Mari Gonzalez:

You can have your finger. Just, you know, omit the oils. You know, try to do the 93.7 lean meat, turkey meat, when possible. Instead of having a bun, have a sweet potato, bake a couple slices of sweet potato and use that as your bread, or do a lettuce bun bun. It's so satisfying and and you feel amazing after you had your burger, which is what you really want that you know satisfaction. I had a burger, but you had a healthier, you know, burger. That is actually good for you, with benefits.

Shireen Botha:

That's true. I just I've got to try and just make better choices. I think when you talk about radishes and beetroot, my little nose just wants to scrunch up like that's not my fave. But it's just better choices, and you're right, I should just make better choices when it comes to what I put in my body. But my next question for you is what is one of the biggest lessons you've learned on this journey as an entrepreneur and how have you overcome that lesson learned?

Mari Gonzalez:

Yeah, so, like we mentioned earlier, I do have a full time job and it's a high demand job. It requires a lot of me. I a lot of times come home and continue working from home. I have to lesson plan, I have to grade. You know, we have meetings, we have trainings, and I do love my job, my full time job.

Mari Gonzalez:

I like making that impact, not just in the kids and the young kids, their lives, but also also in the families. You know you, you build that relationship with the parents and, till this day, I have um moms that follow me on Instagram and we've been in touch. Every now and then we hang out and I get to see these kids are growing up and they remember. You know, um, but one of the struggles is finding the time, finding the time to create, finding the time to prepare, to do the orders, because you're human and you do get tired, you do get burned out, like Tanya that you know she is a loyal customer since day one. I can't say no, morally, like I feel, like I can't. I can't do that to Tanya. Um, somebody reaches out at 10, 30, hey, do you have juices for tomorrow? Like, I might not have juices for tomorrow, but I can accommodate you for the next day. So time is. It's one of those things.

Mari Gonzalez:

Something else is not having the desire to do it because you're tired. You got to just push. You have to push, keep pushing, and you know, once I'm down there in the kitchen, I just start going and one thing leads to the other and sometimes I amaze myself and I said, wow, I was only supposed to do this, but I did all of this. So you push yourself and you will find that you do have it in you. You have that energy. Giving up is not an option, and I know that sounds very cliche, but, yes, we're not giving up. It's not that we're quitters or you know, we have somebody to impress, or what are people going to say? It's not about that. It's about you, what the goal is. People are counting on you. Your family, my kids have seen, you know the growth, have seen the work that we put, the um commitment that we have.

Tanya Scotece:

So, yes, time, effort and you know, push yourself and don't give up I have a question too, marie, when you, when you first started and I think I met you, I know where I met you I think it was next door, the next app, right, right, meet these two beautiful women. Yes, serene was BNI and Mari was um. It was the next door app, which is a local community app, and that's that's where I met you initially. So when you described your whole journey about, um, you know, not having juices available for your own family, how did you go from doing that to turning it into a business? Right, because, very easily, you could have just kept like, okay, I'm just gonna make food for my own family, make juices for my own family, make treats for my own family. How did you take it to the next level and what did that process look like?

Mari Gonzalez:

So, like I said, I was my own customer. Right, I had that need because I was feeling like shriek inflammation. I was feeling that I was gaining weight, I was feeling just not myself. So I seek that through the detox that I had purchased. And since it did not work out for me, I said, okay, this is what we're going to be trying. We tried it. We developed the new recipes. Fine, we tried it. We developed the new recipes, um, and then they worked for me. So after that I'm sorry, after that I started giving it to my my gym friends and my co-workers and the rest of my extended family and, little by little, oh, I got your number from so and so-so I'm looking to do a detox.

Mari Gonzalez:

A lot of people have questions, a lot of questions. They're kind of afraid, like I was. If I wish I had somebody to tell me don't buy this detox, buy this one instead. Or, you know, go to this place instead of that one when I was seeking for my own personal use. So that's how it started. It started with me having that need to cleanse my body, to feel myself, to feel better, to lose a few pounds along the way, and word of mouth, and somebody told somebody else, and then that somebody else told somebody else, and then people would come to the gym, people would go to the farmer's market, people would call me, text me they still do. They write me.

Mari Gonzalez:

I have questions. Can you answer some of the questions? And a lot of times they end up not buying, which is okay, because I'm not here to make a sale. I'm here to educate you. What is your goal? I tell people all the time these are not magical juices. You're not going to be a different person from day to night, but they will help you and a lot of the times that's what we need. We need that from the inside out. When you're clean inside, it reflects on your skin, it reflects on your hair, it reflects on the way you see yourself, the way we smell. Everything. Everything comes from within. So you are clean within, it's going to reflect in your, in your outside and your surroundings.

Tanya Scotece:

That's beautiful, beautiful journey and I just imagine I mean women. It seems like we just kind of get the raw deal all over right, I mean from young teenager, puberty, pregnancies, adulthood, menopause. I mean it's like we just can't catch a break the whole journey. So if you had to share maybe three tips for our listeners out there for any of these situations women related let's just focus on women's health for a moment what would you say that you see and or any words of wisdom that you could share?

Mari Gonzalez:

So be active, move, hike, walk, surround yourself with people that are like-minded, like you or above you. There's nothing wrong with that, because if we stay with people that are the same as us or below us in a certain you know maturity level, professional level, there's no growth. We might be taking them, you know, helping their growth, but we also want to grow along the way. So surround yourself with people that are a good for you, a good support system, um, move, exercise, take care of you. Take care of you, um, by eating healthy, by giving your body what it needs, it needs, uh, nourishment. You need fruits, vegetables, you need healthy foods that are just going to help you be your best you know version, your best version. I find that when I do that, I'm better for my family, I'm better for my students, I have more clarity, I feel more rested, more focused and a better person overall.

Shireen Botha:

Tune in next week for part three of Friends from Wild Places.

Voiceover:

You've been listening to Friends from Wild Places with Shireen Botha. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast from the links to catch every episode and unleash your passion.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Shireen Botha

Host
Head Shot

Tanya Scotece

Co-host
Head Shot

Marisabel Gonzalez

Guest

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.

Take the Leap Artwork

Take the Leap

Colleen Biggs