AROMATIKA makes high quality organic and natural skin care products which are mostly vegan friendly, paraben, SLS and petrochemical free.

Lisa Hosking, who owns and runs Aromatika, is a qualified aromatherapist and is passionate about the products Aromatika makes. Business ethics are important to Lisa, a lifelong vegetarian. Her vegetarian principles led her on a path of no return when she discovered that many skin care products contain chemical 'nasties' which can be harmful to health. The average woman can absorb up to 2kgs of chemicals per year just through using skin care products, so skin care is as important as the food we eat.

Lisa has gradually developed Aromatika's comprehensive product range from scratch over the last 7 years and opened her first shop in Totnes last November where customers can watch products being made in an open plan environment. The aim is to show that Aromatika is a transparent and ethical business and also to de-mystify a little of the 'art' of making skin care products.

Aromatika has several aspects to its business, as it's Lisa's aim to build solid foundations for Aromatika so that it is not reliant on just one revenue stream. Alongside the manufacturing of products in Totnes, Lisa's shop also has a Treatment Room on the premises, which also means that customers can book in for a wide variety of treatments from aromatherapy facials to various massage treatments with qualified professionals.

OLA Chiropractic is a relatively new Chiropractic Centre that has set itself up in Totnes. Run by Dr Claire Ryan and Dr Catherine Crane, it is the very first of its kind to open in Devon, devoting itself solely to the practice of Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), which is a much softer approach to chiropractic treatment than any popping and cracking of the spine normally associated with the profession.

Instead, NSA involves gentle, precise touch to the spine which cues the brain to create new wellness- promoting strategies.

Ola is the Spanish word for wave, NSA is all about waves...healing waves.  Two unique healing waves develop with this work.

The Respiratory Wave consists of a spontaneous deep breathing pattern which releases tension and creates relaxation. The Somatopsychic Wave generates undulating movements up and down the spine, and research in the US has indicated that this wave phenomenon is associated with a dramatic increase in health, well-being and vitality.

Greater self-awareness and conscious awakening of the relationships between the body, mind, emotion and expression of the human spirit are realised through it.

It is for people of all ages, including babies and children, and can help with many conditions - neck and back problems, digestive disorders, drepression, anxiety, musculo-skeletal disorders, and chronic illness. It can also improve energy levels and focus. Patients report reduced pain, improved spinal flexibility, more energy, increased relaxation and well-being, fewer cold and flu symptoms, and a feeling of openness when relating to others.

It has become one of the most sought after methods of healing in the 21st century. It incorporates a whole body approach to healing, bringing different parts into harmony with each other.

To be introduced to NSA through OLA Chiropractic, every second week Claire and Catherine do a health talk! Explaining about Network Spinal Analysis, and how it works, complete with a demonstration. All are welcome and there is no charge, please call 07813200361 to find out when the next talk is being held. Having attended one I can thoroughly recommend it.

According to Neil Crofts founder of Authenticis, and writer of the book Authentic Business.

"Alignment around a shared and positive purpose is the absolute key to the difference between authentic and conventional business.

Authentic businesses have a purpose, which their customer, their suppliers and their staff can support and align with. Typically that purpose benefits society or the environment in some way that means that those who do not stand to benefit directly and financially from the success of the business can still feel the desire to support its purpose and therefore the business.

Typically authentic businesses benefit from massively lower marketing and HR costs (staff turnover and sick days) than their conventional counterparts. Up to 80% and 91% respectively.

This is primarily due to better decision making, as people are emotionally connected with what they do and can trust and use their intuition, more motivation, because people care about what they are doing (productivity can rise from as much as 30% - 80%) and more support from outside the company because other people care about what they are doing too."

A lot of what Set Your Spirit Free is setting out to achieve is aligned to what Neil is doing and consequently I am in the process of becoming an Authenticis Business Consultant too, which is designed to help support the Set Your Business Free product that I am offering to businesses.

The Set Your Business Free service has been set up to encourage conventional businesses to become more authentic and to support and inspire authentic businesses that are already in existence to achieve more. It involves coaching companies to align more of its staff to the more authentic brand it wants to create for itself and the common purpose it is setting out to achieve, helping encourage happier, healthier, more energised staff to lead the company forward.