soy_candle_making
About Ria
‘Love Ria’ was founded in 2021 and yet has been a work in progress since 1979 (when Ria was born!). Here are a few core values which define who and what we are.
- Ria is about learning to love the awkwardness of our two halves, loving who we are now while working towards who we hope to be in the future. Ria is about taking a stand for a life where we choose to love, kindness and growth over fear, judgment and the sinking feeling of being stuck in a world which does not quite work for us.
- Ria is about being brave enough to step out of the chaos which seems so normal in modern everyday life and committing to prioritising yourself and learning to find your happiness from within.
- Ria is about understanding that nothing is, nor should it be, perfect. Perfection is an illusion and together we should celebrate the freedom which comes from leaving the concept of perfect behind,
- Ria is about listening to what you believe deep in your soul and learning to speak these truths when it is appropriate without fear of judgement, ridicule or shame. You are who you are and that is a beautiful thing.
- Ria is about embracing the journey we are on and accepting that bad/uncomfortable / sad things will happen. It is about approaching these life events with a curiosity of how we can use the experience to deepen our connection to self, to use it to let go of things which do not serve us and to use it to help us ultimately grow instead of allowing ourselves to abandon ourselves.
My hope is that through Ria’s aromatherapy & self-care gifts and other helpful products, events and services (grouped together as Ria-rituals) we can move towards a lighter future where we can feel free to be fully who we were born to be. To step into our future selves no matter how much out of our current comfort zone that might be, as we know deep down that on the other side of this discomfort lies all that we dream of.
Why Ria?
Our founder Victoria was having a midlife crisis about who she was and her name was a massive part of this. She used to be Vicky growing up but when she started her first business (The Keepsake Co) she started networking in her 20s and so began introducing herself as Victoria as it was more ‘grown up’. She was a young 20-year-old surrounded by men in suits looking down on her… she needed something to put a boundary between her scared inner child and who she was trying to portray herself as. From then she became confused as to who she was. She was a blend of many opposing traits and when she introduced herself to friends she became lost for what to call herself. Vicky seemed young and silly as this is how she felt growing up and yet Victoria was standoffish. She went with Victoria but cringed every time someone called her it. During her exploration into names she landed on Ria but decided that no 40-year-old woman announced a change of name so she ignored these desires. A few months later she launched Ria as a business, a vehicle to share her message and desire to help others. The letters stood for what she wanted to help others do
R – receive: Before we can let go of the old we must first open ourselves to receive all that we would like in its place. We must see ourselves receiving it first so that we expand our capacity to ensure that when it arrives that we don’t inadvertently turn it away.
I – imagine: In order to create something new we must first imagine it. It all starts with our imagination and the key is to learn how to imagine your future in a way which allows you to experience it in the present moment while knowing for sure that it is just a matter of time before you are living it for real.
A – achieve: This is a nod to the practical steps one must take in order to create change in their life in order to achieve something new. To create the legacy they wish to leave behind. This is not all about big dreams and visions but about the hopes we each hold for our future selves and knowing that it will take work to get there.
But a few short months after launch she saw that she was indeed Ria. That Ria and she were linked in all the good places so little by little her circles started to refer to her as Ria and the change of name began.
Even her name is a sign of what she is here on earth to teach and hopes it gives you permission to play with yours too if it no longer feels like a fit. Names are energy and why should we not change them if they no longer feel ‘us’
The Story B.R. (Before Ria)
Written by Victoria:
All of my life I had followed the advice of ‘other people’ and played it safe wherever possible. When I finished school, I once again followed the sensible path of graduate placements and was set for a lucrative career in IT. I started my studies in 1997 and then in 2000 I successfully completed my Computer Science Degree with a first ready to make it BIG. The world was my oyster…
Although, it didn’t happen quite as gloriously as that….
One day I found myself driving to work praying for a small car accident in the hope that I could have time off work because I was depressed. I was numb and confused that this ‘grown-up’ existence was slowly killing my soul day by day. After being prescribed medication to silence these depressive thoughts, I realised in my early 20s that working for someone else was not for me and all I needed was to break free and follow my heart instead. I never ended up taking those tablets – but I did end up leaving my job to set up my own handmade business (much to the surprise and confusion of some of the people in my life).
Along this entrepreneurial journey, I’ve not only set up a high street shop ‘Ceramic Cafe’ and sold wholesale and retail all around the world, but I’ve also spent the last 10 years supporting the most incredible women to follow their own creative dreams of being their own boss!
From my own journey, and that of my clients, I can see how much the state of our inner thoughts, our emotions and the view we have of ourselves as well as the world around us affects our ability to succeed in our creative endeavours. You can do ALL the work, have ALL the plans and do EVERYTHING right – but if you are not energetically and emotionally aligned then you can literally block it all from fruition.
Surrounding ourselves with love, lightness and messages of support and positive affirmations really could be the difference between giving up or going on to fight another day.
This is why RIA is so very important to me. It is my contribution to the world in the hope that I can encourage, support and cheer-lead more women to become the CREATOR in their own lives by growing beyond who they are today to live the future that makes them happy.
Ria now offers aromatherapy & self-care gifts and other helpful products to help people find their inner-self.
If you’re interested in checking out our Aromatherapy and self-care gifts then come and check out our shop
