We recently had the chance to connect with Rachel Guffey and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Outside of work, I have lots of hobbies that I tend to dabble in but what’s bringing me the most joy right now is learning how to cook! I specifically have been working hard to learn to cook on cast iron pans and that’s been a whole journey in itself! The things I’ve really enjoyed about learning how to cook is that you have to be super in the moment while you’re cooking and that’s something I struggle with in general. Being in the moment has forced me to slow down and try to get really good and the thing in front of me instead of trying to balance too many things at once! Like the great Ron Swanson once said, “Never half ass two things. Whole ass one thing.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi again! I’m Rachel Guffey and I co-own Jungle House (a plant & gift store) and Squishington’s (a candy shop) with my husband, Jhami.
Jungle House was our first born and we’re here to have a good freakin’ time- plain and simple. We sell plants, housewares and other gifts but we are REALLY proud of our programming schedule. We offer workshops, events and other community gatherings to bring together community and just enjoy being together.
Squishington’s embraces “like a kid in a candy shop” to the fullest. We’re here to make your day and enjoy a sweet treat or two along the way.
I think what’s special about my husband, Jhami, and I (and our team!) is that we have instilled positivity and fun into our workplace. The importance of brick and mortar retail environments is connection and community & we’re here for it!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
This is a deep one, friends! It’s also something that I’m actively working through as we speak: embracing domesticity and leaning away from being the #bossbabe I once dreamt to be (and quite frankly, I think I achieved it!)
I realized that not only can I not do-it-all, I don’t want to.
We had our kiddo a bit later in life- I was 38 when she was born & we worked really freakin’ hard to get to the stage in business we are currently with a team and managers in place that can not only run the show without our physical presence but they are making our places their own which is beautiful to watch.
I want to lean into this season of my life as being a really, really good mom. My kiddo is only 3 and I want to soak up all the years I can with her and watch her explore so many things.
No one offered me the option of being a stay-at-home mom growing up. I always knew I could be a teacher, a doctor or a nurse, or a business owner, but I never knew that being a really good mom was a professional option. And why not? It’s actually radical as fuck to embrace the domestic arts because they bring ME joy. (I freakin’ love scrubbing our bathtub and I’m not being facetious. I’ve gotten it down to an art featuring my favorite scrubber attachment for a battery powered drill and a steam cleaner. As a person living with ADHD there’s not many things in life that bring me as much joy as uninterrupted hyperfixation time to scrub the ever living crap out of a surface. It’s bliss!) Also, no one else offered me to be a part-time work from home mom who owns a couple businesses with her husband AND who is also learning to cook in her 40’s while raising a toddler but, here we are!
After spending 41 years pushing back against the idea my joy & happy place were misguided, I am reclaiming the domestic space for me. I’m choosing to make and keep a home that nurtures my family and fuels my own spirit as I continue to dabble and support our workplaces as well. I’m whole-assing this mom thing and it’s really cool!
When did you last change your mind about something important?
This question ties in well with the previous! I really thought I had to be able to do-it-all and it’s just not the way my brain works! I do best if I can chunk work into time slots that work for our family and myself rather than the other way around. I think growing up with younger parents, I saw the grind lifestyle as necessary and just the way it has to be- and there was a time in my life that I did have to grind (for about the first 6 years of our business, working 24/7 365, always on call, always some emergency to attend to, etc.) After grinding like that, I’m here to say that it was worth every bit because it got me to where I am now, which is a huge blessing that I can slow down and take time to be with my family. Life is cool!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Amy Poehler! Have y’all listened to her podcast, “Good Hang?” It’s the best and so inspirational! She focuses many of the episodes on millennial women and the path they’ve walked in their life (and being an Elder Millennial myself, it’s been very inspiring.) Amy uses her platform to lift up other folks, especially women, and promotes them in her business Paper Kite productions. Big fan!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What light inside you have you been dimming?
Girl, I really want to do a podcast! I’m just not all that sure I have the vision for it yet. I’m wanting to formulate a podcast on the idea of living positively, saying “yes” to life and soaking up the moments! I am inspired by the “This American Life” style podcasts that interview everyday people and hearing stories. I also love telling stories (if you couldn’t guess by my long windedness!) and I think a story telling podcast similar to The Moth but with people in my community would be so fun! I need to lean into that light, I’m just not confident with pulling it off (yet!)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.junglehousegoods.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/junglehousegoods
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/junglehousegoods
Image Credits
Photos by Leah Evans Photography
