By Sean Delaney
Elisa Colella believes that a little positive reinforcement, a little ‘affirmation’ leads to constructive growth for children and families and uses her own experiences with it as the inspiration for her business, Bud Sprout Bloom.
And when the back story is revealed, it is tough to think of this mother of two’s venture as a business, because the initiative is genuinely inspired by her passion, and her own positive experience.
“I am a child of divorce,” the long-time Emery resident said. “My parents split up when I was quite young. And there was no real talk in the house about why the divorce happened, so I grew up in fear and not really building my confidence.”
There were no tales of abuse to accompany the divorce, nor, Colella said, was she one of those unlucky children who internalized the divorce and began to blame themselves for their parents split. However, she realized her own limitations due to the family change.
Much of what went on, didn’t get communicated openly, so she never understood quite what split her family apart. And growing up without a father in her life simply became normal.
“As I grew into a young lady and started dating, I started to feel like a lack of worthiness, definitely trust issues,” she said. “So, when I met my boyfriend, who is now my husband, I had some deep-seated issues, when it came to trusting men. I went through my own mental health crisis in my early 20s. That’s when I sought out help.”
A life coach who began to aid her with her struggles taught her about affirmation. Short positive statements you can repeat to yourself or your child every day. And she found it was making a real positive difference.
“It led to a difference in the trajectory of the day,” she said. She developed the habit of writing out an affirmation for the day when she woke in the morning, as well as healthy habits she could follow, practiced meditation for her mind, and continued on with the guidance of a professional through her challenging times.
“I found the combination of things really helping me. And it was then I started thinking, wow, I really wish I had this stuff as a kid and when my parents were going through their divorce. It would have allowed me to speak up, ask some questions, even learn and use some words to develop an emotional literacy to outline what was going on in my head.”
And so, the proverbial lightbulb went off, and she developed the idea of affirmation cards for kids.
“I went back to school to become a nutritionist because I became more interested in the health world,” she said. “And while doing that, I developed this idea as well.”
She wanted her own daughter to grow up with confidence. To know that things could happen around her, and she wouldn’t internalize any of it.
“I wanted her to have power over her own feelings and own mental state. That’s when these cards started to come to fruition. Two years later, I finally got them in my hands and launched them.”
The final set of cards first arrived in her hands in September 2020 and are now available for purchase on her website.
The cards range from lines on nutrition, nourishing the body, mind and soul. There are cards about empathy, compassion, intelligence, kindness, respect and caring, positivity and optimism, as well as some that touch upon friendships and inviting new friends to play.
To find out more contact Colella at: hello@budsproutbloom.com
Or look her up online at:
www.budsproutbloom.com