Hi, I'm Virginia Mitchell

Before I found Shaklee, I was working as a medical office assistant in a very busy practice, with long days and a 45-minute commute each way. By the end of the week, I was completely exhausted.

I was first introduced to Shaklee through my sister, who told me about a product called Basic H. I was drawn to it because it was natural, biodegradable, and gentle. I have always been sensitive to strong chemical products, so the idea of something cleaner and more concentrated really appealed to me.

At the time, I was hoping to start a family and wanted to be home more. But once I was home, I found myself missing the sense of purpose I had at work and the connection with people. The idea of building a business I could run from home spoke to me, even though I had a lot of self-doubt. I have always been on the shy side, and I honestly was not sure I had what it would take.

What changed things for me was how I felt once I started using the products myself. I had more energy than I had in a long time, and that made an impression on me. I realized I wanted to help other people feel good too. I have always been someone who likes to help others, which is why I went into the medical field in the first place. So this just felt like the right fit.

48 years with one company

I started with Shaklee in 1978. That is 48 years of the same company, and a lot of the same customers. Some of the people I look after now were introduced to me by their mothers.

I mention it because this is a category where things appear and disappear. New brands, new claims, a new miracle ingredient every couple of years. I have watched a lot of that come and go from the same desk. If you are deciding whether to order from someone you found on the internet, how long she has been doing it, and whether she is still there in five years, is a fair thing to want to know.

Calvin and I built this together. He passed away a few years ago, and I will be honest that the business took a back seat for a while after that. I am putting proper time into it again now, which is really what this website is: a way for me to keep doing the part I have always liked, which is helping people work out where to start.

• 1986President's ClubShaklee Canada Inc.
• 1992President's ClubShaklee Canada Inc.
• 1994President's ClubShaklee, ms Westerdam
• 2002High AchieverShaklee, Leadership Convention, San Diego, California
• 2010Senior Executive CoordinatorShaklee Canada

Transcribed from the awards themselves. There are more in a box somewhere, and one plaque whose engraving has faded past reading. Shaklee Canada also named us in 29 issues of its BRAVO newsletter between March 2007 and October 2018, which is a better record than the one we kept ourselves. Those are Shaklee’s records rather than mine: BRAVO is still published on Shaklee’s own server at images.shaklee.com/canada, one PDF a month named bravo_YYMM-e.pdf. I have putevery one of those 29 mentions on one page, with the page from the newsletter and a link to the original.

The two things I actually help with

After all this time it comes down to two, and they are the two most people are already thinking about when they find me.

You do not have to do both, and you do not have to do either all at once. Start with one thing.

What I believe

Small, steady swaps add up. You don't need to overhaul your whole life overnight. Start with one thing, see how you feel, and build from there. That's how I work with everyone I help.

I also believe the person selling you something should be reachable afterwards. You get my phone number and my email, not a contact form that disappears into a queue. If something is not suiting you, I would genuinely rather you told me and we changed it than that you quietly stopped.

I also like that I don't have to take the ingredient claims on faith. Many of the Shaklee products I recommend are independently rated by the Environmental Working Group — it's a good gut-check, and part of why I trust what I'm putting in front of my customers.