We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Baron and Betsy Osterholm and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal / Betsy, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balance, is like a unicorn. You want to believe it’s real but you don’t know that you’ve actually ever experienced it, or seen it for yourself. And if you have, you blink and poof! It’s gone. The truth is we’re all too busy to really be balanced or balanced for any real length of time. So the question for us, isn’t so much, how does one achieve balance, but rather how can you dial up your energy, the vibrational frequency of your being, so that when everything around you goes to chaos in a handbasket, you’re like, “well, that happened.” You’re able to just roll with the punches and still stay focused, still stay centered and productive. That’s what chaos & tonic is all about. Turning chaotic energy into harmonic energy. When you learn how to vibe through life at a higher, more harmonic frequency, you no longer have to seek out this magical unicorn, called “balance.” You’ve become the unicorn.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The name of our business is chaos & tonic and it really was borne out of chaos! I met Betsy Osterholm as the result of a chaotic crisis, which is exactly what happens when you spend years ignoring your authentic self. Betsy, on the other hand, has devoted her whole life to, what we call, “tonics,” antidotes to chaos. We instantly and instinctively knew we were destined to create something together. But our business partnership didn’t happen straight away. It evolved, organically.

chaos & tonic is one small star in the greater universe of health and wellness. And that’s a big universe. What sets our star apart is what we like to call, our “soul” purpose. We help you gain clarity on what your soul needs to thrive in this life you’ve been given. When you know your soul’s purpose, you’re better situated to navigate life’s challenges, lessons and yes, chaos.

We focus specifically on rhythm and flow. Life has an ebb and flow, a natural cycle, a natural rhythm. Each day has a unique energetic flow. Each person has a unique, inner rhythm. And then there’s also something called, “the flow state.” This really is where the transformative magic happens. When you can achieve the “flow state,” your body and mind are so perfectly in sync that your whole being just flows together effortlessly, allowing you to connect to your soul; to hear your inner voice without distraction so you can focus on and achieve what you came here to do; what your soul came here to do.

The idea of flow is obviously not new but our approach is. And we’re really excited about it because it’s super easy, accessible and we’ve seen it work. We do a mash-up between the old and the new by looking to the ancient and evolving study of astrology to understand your soul’s unique blueprint, your potential, your superpowers. As well as to understand the overarching influence the cosmos has on us, individually and collectively. We marry that with, what else? Neuroscience LOL! It may seem like an odd mash-up at first, but when you think that everything around us, including us, is comprised of energy; it makes perfect sense. We offer a unique, home-based, light, sound and vibration therapy platform, together with coaching, that can really level up your physical, mental and emotional health and wellness and get you into a harmonic rhythm and into your flow state.

We’re a young company and the road that got us here was filled with twists and turns. We conceived of chaos & tonic when we both had full-time jobs elsewhere. Our excitement and passion were limitless but our time? Our time definitely had limits. When we started, we lacked a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve, of what made us unique. Then the world shut down. And in response to covid, the health and wellness industry exploded. It became saturated. It became chaotic. And without a clear focus, we were getting lost. We also had personal challenges, like everyone else. There were definitely times our patience with one another ran thin. At times we cried. We raised our voices. We raised more than one glass of wine. And then we pivoted. It may sound corny or trite, but we listened when the universe spoke to us. We sought solace in the tools that have become the mainstay of our current business. In a nutshell, we changed our frequency and are responding not just with what we need, but with what the world needs now.

The lesson? There’s always going to be chaos. But chaos isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It teaches us. It presents us with opportunities; opportunities to make course corrections, to learn, to evolve. The question we need to ask is, are we listening to what the chaos is trying to tell us?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Our trip would start by renting a dance studio, gathering some friends and dancing like nobody’s watching. Betsy, our chaos & tonic co-founder, is an amazing dancer and an even more amazing teacher. That’s actually how we met, in dance class. Betsy will teach us a little contemporary choreography to connect our bodies to our emotions.

Then we’d head to one of my favorite breweries, “Bad Sons” in Derby CT for some mouthwatering pizza and beer – the unofficial food and drink of dancers. Okay, well maybe not ALL dancers LOL.

After we’re fed and watered, we’d uber to the airport and fly to Vancouver, Canada where we’ll stay at some swanky waterfront vacation rental. In the evening, we’ll go to Shiro Japanese Restaurant for the best sushi you will ever have in your life.

The next morning, we’ll hop on a seaplane and fly to Tofino on Vancouver Island in Canada. This place is pure magic. The creative energy is palpable. It’s perfectly chill and super serene. You are one with nature and this little coastal village has the best food I’ve ever had. Everything is fresh. Pure, clean ingredients.

After we’ve eaten our way through Tofino, we’ll spend the night digesting and glamping at “Wildpod” in one of their luxurious, supercool, waterfront geodesic domes where we’ll sip on a “blood and sand” cocktail (or two) and drink in the sun as it fades into the horizon.

For our next trip, we’ll stay more local. We’ll head into Koreatown in NYC, eat a little korean fried chicken, sing some karaoke and then watch the pros really sing in “Six” on Broadway. So, when are we doing this?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The chaos & tonic story is one of friendship and partnership. And that means, there are going to be times you disagree with one another. There are going to be times when you can’t give it your all because life has different plans for you. But that’s okay because friendship and true partnership means no matter what comes your way, you have one another’s backs. It means being there for the other person when they can’t be there for themselves. So our shoutout goes to all the partners in this world. The caretakers. The spouses. The friends. The family. The people who don’t judge you when you’re not your best. The people who don’t wait to be asked if you need help. They just jump into action like the superheroes they are and they carry you when you don’t have the strength to carry yourself.

Website: www.chaosandtonic.com

Instagram: @chaosandtonic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chaos-Tonic-102653625031809/

Other: info@chaosandtonic.com

Image Credits
Melissa Makris

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