Meet Annelee Dunkley | 3rd Generation Herbalist & Health Insurance Advisor.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annelee Dunkley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annelee, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Before actually starting the business, the business idea has always been a dream, but before even thinking of it becoming a business idea, I always thought of my purpose. I have always felt like My purpose in life was to HELP. Whether it was to help myself, help my parents, help a child learn how to read or just helping my community as a whole. One of my favorite sayings is “Each One, Teach One”, I believe that if you can help one person, you can help an entire village! If we all have a drive to help one another, I believe that we can help solve a lot of the issues we face in todays society.

Focusing on mainly health was the first issue I wanted to tackle. According to one of my sources, “5 million people die every year because of poor quality health care.” That sparks a fire in my eye, because that shows a drastic amount of people that didn’t have the resources, proper education or just overall direction on taking care of their health.

I was born and raised in Jamaica for the first 12-13 years of my life, growing up on an an island, especially with my grandparents around, forced us to use the resources around us to survive. For example, my grandma always lived by the saying “Ginger cures everything”….. you have a cold? “Drink some Ginger tea” – Grandma. You have a broken toe? “Drink some Ginger Tea?” – Grandma. (Ginger is a Natural Herb, a superfood which has antioxidant & anti-inflammatory properties that help you get rid of toxins in the body and prevents cell damage.)
The funny thing is, I actually hated Ginger but when I drank it, the effect was always fast and so direct that I never realized how impactful it was because I was back to normal in no time. It was when I got older that I started looking at the Cause&Effect of Ginger and Natural herbs, God Made Herbs. That is one of the main reasons I wanted to get into this industry because I know the benefits and impact that it can have on the world, and it does no good to keep this valuable information to myself.
Offering my hands-on experience and studies with natural herbs and healthy habits can help minimize those health-based death statistics, and that means saving a lot of lives, which is a life changing goal of mine.

I’m a firm believer in God and I know God put us on earth to love one another, and to me, love comes with help and care. I’d be doing myself a disservice to not offer any form of care & help, to aid my community in knowing how to take care of them selves, not only physically but mentally because when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you look good! – Made By Anne

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started my brand, Made by Anne, with the intent of showing off my Creativity and Value. I am constantly thinking of ways to create trends, create answers & solutions, create different outlets etc.

I am mostly proud of my journey and the accomplishments I’ve made thus far. On my logo, there’s a Compass and an Arrow. The “Compass” represents the destination and the end goal. The “Arrow” represents the journey to the destination. I always say “It’s not about Where You Come From, It’s about Where You’re Going.” It doesn’t matter how long it takes and the bumps that I may face along the way, what matters is the smile on my face and the impact once I cross that finish line. It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint. I’m excited to learn a lot more on this journey and keep overcoming milestones one step at a time.
I want the world to know that this has been a work of progress for years and I am just so proud to show the world that you can really do anything you put your mind to. This is my greatest accomplishment, although it’s not easy, its 100% worth it, . I’ve went through many trials&errors, Do’s&Dont’s and I can honestly say I am proud of those bumps in the road because those are the lessons that have helped me learn and apply, building me into the woman I want to be.
Pick yourself up, Dust yourself off and keep it pushing. Focus on the Positive, Never the Negative and Always Always keep your Faith. Always.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live a pretty Organic lifestyle, so whenever people come to visit, I just include them in my lifestyle.

Here’s an itinerary of an adventurous day during their week long trip to visit me.
After we wake up and we Pray. I always start out with a morning refresher, which is a tea I make that consists of Hot Water and Lime, I do this first thing in the morning to help break down mucus build up. After that, I would make breakfast for us, my go-to usually is an Egg, Avocado, and Plantain sandwich, or if my friend wants to go out to eat, Some of my favorite refreshing breakfast spots are First Watch, Soco, Se7en Bites etc., which all have regular & vegan menus as well.
Depending on what he/she chooses, I’ll make sure I make an Energy Smoothie to go with it, which consists of Berries, Peanut Butter, Ginger, Almond Milk, and of course one of my favorite Herbs, Maca Root Powder, which is also a Natural Herb that is available for purchase on my website, Byanne.co.

After getting our Energy up and ready for the day, I love going to the gym, and if my friend isn’t into the gym, I love taking them downtown and riding bicycles or scooters by Lake Eola, where sometimes they have vendors, good music, art, etc. Its a vibe!

My #1 go-to spot is a little food truck Right by my house, that sells Acai Bowls. Acai is a palm fruit, a superfood that is great on its own but tastes amazing with other fruits. On the bowl that I always get is made up of Acai, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mangoes, granola, coconut flakes. I eat Acai bowls at least 3 times a week, and that goes to show how good they are. I guarantee once my friend tries it, its something they will grow to love and go back home with the plan of finding it in their own city.

I love to cook, so instead of going out to eat for dinner, my friend can save money and we can bond over cooking one of her favorite meals. I know one of my favorites is Steamed Red Snapper, steamed with Okra, Peppers, Onions, and sometimes Bok Choy. With White Basmati Rice on the side. I always make plantains with every meal too to add a bit of sweetness to each meal.

I love making my famous Maca Hot Chocolate to end a day of adventure, while we talk about life.

Overall I’m all for having a great time, especially when a friend is in town. I am open to everything but I definitely like when my guests can relax and enjoy their visit, especially if it includes being healthy and active at the same time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d first like to dedicate my Shoutout to God. Without God, I wouldn’t be here to talk about the Natural Resources he put on this earth for us to take advantage of in abundance.

I’d also like to dedicate this Shoutout to my family for always having our best interest in health. Passing down the knowledge, generation after generation on how to help keep us healthy and live a long life to pass down our Natural teachings to future generations to come. I am forever grateful and will continue to help my community, as my family helped me.

Lastly, I’d like to give a huge Shoutout to my life partner, my team (even though its 1 person lol). For the past 3 years I have evolved and grown so much and I am happy to say, he is a big part of it. Constantly pushing me to strive to be a better version of myself everyday. We are truly a dream team.

Website: ByAnne.co

Instagram: byanne.co

Facebook: Made By Anne

Other: Personal Instagram: Heavenly_Caramel

Image Credits
Thank you @BADUFIT_ for sending her transformation using Maca Root. Visual Artist for Maca Root Powder @adunkleyportfolio