Daily Inspiration: Meet Amber McMurray

Both have had a great impact on the human I am today. Through my journey in life, I have been encouraged by remembering my mother’s grit, my late grandfather’s tenacity, and strong work ethic, and persevered by repeating to myself, my grandmothers’ off the wall, silly, but very pertinent, and truthful sayings.

I am a single parent raising three kiddos- my two children Onesti (17) & Presley (8), and my nephew, Andrew (10). Onesti, Presley, and Andrew are very involved in Simply OP. They help make products, test products, label products, attend events and sometimes run our booth at events. Simply OP is truly a family ran business!

Approximately 13.5 years ago while living on 39th and Wyoming in K.C.MO, my daughter, Onesti (pronounced honesty) was having some health challenges. While researching, I brought some of my questions and concerns to nurse Angela at Operation Breakthrough, K.C.MO which is where Onesti attended daycare. She and I started on this very in-depth conversation about food and how it truly affects your, body, mind, soul, and future. I can see in my mind’s eye the exact conversation, where we sat, and my fast-talking, animated 24-year-old self asking her SO many questions while also providing my off-the-wall theories.

Angela held space for me. She kindly and truthfully answered and educated me. This was the most pivotal part of this journey! The intense and profound conversation had my wheels turning and almost made me miss the metro bus home. While riding the metro bus with Onesti, I was smiling and felt like I had awakened a part of me for the first time. Actually, now that I think about it, I truly had finally seen the bigger picture for the first time.

I knew that I could switch things around for Onesti just by paying closer attention to the things we were ingesting. I honestly believed we were eating healthy because we ate a lot of chicken, vegetables & fruit. Unfortunately, I had never thought of where those things actually came from until I became educated, aware, and determined to shift my daughter’s health and future.

Fast forward to 2010- Onesti and I made the leap to move to Dighton, KS (SWKS). Her body was accepting the changes we had implemented, and I could see a huge shift in her and her rapid growth challenges. However, my options to clean organic food and other healthier options (minus the farm-fresh meat) plateaued due to our new home. Some additional challenges with our bodies started to occur and we were taking a step backward.

To put it bluntly- SWKS is years behind in the latest “fads” and sometimes tends to have a  “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Often, this way of thinking challenges me because I am a “question everything” kind of gal.  But, none the less, we’ve learned to coexist.  Over time I’ve learned to mostly love my small-town life, and have been honored to meet several individuals who share the same familiar rebellious streak I do, and march to the beat of their own drum.

I started having hives every single day. Onesti started having some weird skin issues too. We started swelling & bloating and feeling MISERABLE a good majority of the time. I attributed most of these symptoms to our lack of the many healthy options we had become so accustomed to and the stress of a new life in rural America. As we continued to have symptoms, I started down a path of learning what could truly be causing these weird symptoms.

Once again, I began educating myself, focusing on everyday household items like laundry detergents and household cleaners. I was disgusted by the number of poisonous things that were placed in items that we were using daily. Thus began my journey into making my own laundry detergent, household cleaner, planting my very first garden, and learning how to compost! During this time, I also discovered that I had a terrible allergy to wheat (triggered by moving to a predominantly wheat farming community, with intense wheat dust, says my allergist). Once I started using my own handmade items and removing wheat from our diet all of our skin issues dissipated. Our health improved!

Two years later, while pregnant with my son, Presley, I knew I wanted to incorporate additional natural, earth-friendly & holistic practices. I began educating myself on natural things I could make to use for him. Before Presley was born, I started making a spray from essential oils, witch hazel, and carrier oil that I would use in place of wipes, natural bug repellent, and a diaper rash cream. Once Presley was born, I continued on the path of learning things I could make to use in place of store-bought items; and started hand-making- soap, candles, body scrubs, chapstick, bath salts, holistic rollers, and hand balms.

Each year, the things I made expanded and evolved and I started to grow all of the botanicals that I would use for products. I started to gift my handmade items to friends and family in order to use them as guineapigs and obtain truthful feedback. They were brutally honest with their feedback. It was exactly what I needed to change things, add or eliminate ingredients, or squash certain products. Truthfully the whole process made me feel extremely vulnerable, but it was exactly what I needed. Their opinions and honest reviews helped me.

When Onesti was 11 and Presley was 2, I attended a local craft fair with my products and had some pretty great responses to the things I offered. While visiting with my then-husband a few days before my very first event, I realized I hadn’t officially named my “business”. I knew I wanted to incorporate my kids in the business name because I had done everything for them, while also somehow incorporating that everything was made from what Mother Earth provided. Meaning- simply of the simplest ingredients from Earth and O for Onesti and P for Presley. If I wouldn’t use it for my kids or on my kids, I wouldn’t offer it. And Viola -Simply OP was officially named!

Fast forward to late 2018: Onesti is now 14 and Presley is 5 and we were all in a weird place in life- a family still learning how to cope and balance with divorce, while attempting to co-parent amicably, losing a job I loved tremendously, and healing my mind/body/spirit. I knew I was needing something more, an outlet, a way to really hone in on my creativity and truly find myself. I was becoming really curious about branching out more with Simply OP. But I was fearful to dive in headfirst, and deeply afraid that I would lose the love of making all of my products, extremely afraid of failure, and negative feedback… You know, every worst-case scenario!

So… Eventually, I started scoping out farmers’ markets and potential larger events just to get a feel for things. Shortly after my first few visits to farmers’ markets & events, I realized this shift was totally doable! Simply OP could really be something, my legacy, something started for my children, that I could also give to my children!! With loving support and encouragement from Kyle (my partner, my sunshine in a human form) & Jenny (my best-est friend and biggest supporter in the whole wide world) I took a leap of faith. January 2019 I officially registered Simply OP as my very own, woman-owned small business! Over time I’ve also started to incorporate my art as products offered.

The support I’ve received from my mother, sisters, brother, family, and friends has been amazing. They are ALWAYS throwing my name out there and encouraging people to check me out. But, the most surprising and most humbling experience, has been the support I’ve received from customers, other business owners, peers, and strangers.

Although I am far from where I want to be, I am definitely on the path that was made for me. There have been many failures, which have helped me gain wisdom. The success I have received both small and large have been mind-blowing. Basically, here I am a tree-hugging hippy (as my kids so lovingly refer to me as), whose ultimate goal is to provide nature-infused, holistic products, leaving the smallest carbon footprint, handmade with love, to as many humans as possible. I’m living my dream!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There have been several obstacles along the way: A less than desirable divorce, car accident, finishing school (I’m also a birth & postpartum doula, breastfeeding counselor, and hypnotherapist), navigating through single parenthood, taking legal guardianship of my nephew, advocating for him, and tackling the very archaic and severely deficit mental health system and his daily school challenges. (You can sign our petition to help make a change at www.change.org/advocate4andrew). And last, but not least, 2020’s MANY obstacles!

There have also been many beautiful things in the midst of chaos; loyal, supportive & encouraging humans holding my hand and kicking me in the ass when needed. Knowledge gained. Small business support from so many amazing customers, and above all-love and growth! Life is hard sometimes, but what you gain from those hardships and how you allow them to penetrate your momentum is what matters. From failure comes wisdom. Use that wisdom to become who you want to be.

Most importantly if you don’t like something, change it! Don’t be a complainer of all the injustices, trials, and tribulations, be someone who helps facilitate change for the greater good. Someone as my grandmother put it, “who pulls up their bootstraps and keeps trudging through”.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a handmade artisan and specialize in handmaking natural, Reiki & love-infused, holistic products, and art; maintaining a standard in which I am always conscious of the impact on Earth and my carbon footprint.

I do this by using glass containers or biodegradable containers for almost all of my products; in addition, I use repurposed wood to paint on, consigned and repurposed supplies for my peace catchers, and glass Oui jars for contained candles. To encourage reusable supplies, I also offer a discount option on new purchases to anyone who brings back their empty containers.

Not only do I make all of my own products in small batches using 100% natural and organic ingredients, but I also grow all of my own herbs and botanicals used for, and within my products. Some of my free mold candles do have colorant added to them, but colorant is non-toxic and derived from broken crayon pieces.

I make sure that anything I offer outside of what I make and grow, is ethically sourced. If I am known for anything, it would be for my tree-hugging morals, my utmost respect for Mother Earth, what she provides for us, and my deep love for nature, it’s cures, and what our own bodies can do when given the proper knowledge and tools.

What are your plans for the future?
Currently, I’m working on revamping Simply OP’s website and adding my latest products & art. I’ve been scoping out new events to participate in, in addition to all my favorite events/farmers markets, Simply OP will already be attending.

I’m also hoping to expand my garden!

My future plans are to continue what I’m doing by staying on this beautiful path that I’ve been gifted, keep learning, educate humans, and offer as many healthy alternatives as possible. Jokingly I’ve said that I want the whole world to smell like Simply OP and to have the knowledge on how to embrace nature, the ultimate provider. Honestly, I don’t believe that is such a far-fetched goal!