Large Branches of Hope Necklace - Aquamarine

I recently had the opportunity to  interview Waves of Gratitude founders Cheryl Nordyke and Kim Wierman. The Waves of Gratitude website sells inspired jewelry and inspired apparel – all with the aim to let you wear symbols of gratitude. I asked them about the name of their company, balancing business with vision and the quality of gratitude itself. Not only are they talented women who know what they’re doing (and doing it well), but I really do believe that they’re grateful for everything good in their lives. The products from Waves of Gratitude are not only designed to be an investment in making your life more stylish, but enhanced on a personal level, too. What could be better than that?

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As two women who were already friends, was deciding to go into business together an easy decision?

Cheryl (C): Having met Kim at work and knowing that she was committed to doing any job well, I had confidence that she would make a great business partner for Waves of Gratitude. I am not sure how successful I could be running a business with someone I didn’t consider a friend, especially with a start-up because you have to share so much of your time and personal data including finances.

Kim (K): It took a natural progression that we had the same goals and life style we wanted to accomplish with our line of Inspired Jewelry and Apparel. As friends working towards that common goal it made the necessary daily tasks needed to run a business more enjoyable.

How did you both decide on the name Waves of Gratitude for the company? Were any other names considered?

C: The name Waves of Gratitude is actually our DBA name. Our first choice was Wavelet Productions. Our idea was that anyone no matter how small could make a change and by making that change create a ripple effect on those around them. However, no one we talked to understood wavelet so we knew we needed something that stood out and told the story we wanted to tell in the name of the company. It was funny, actually having read The Secret and going through the Science of Getting Rich Program the one constant that seemed to remain was gratitude. Then I’m honestly not sure – somehow the ripple effect from the name Wavelet merged with Gratitude and we wanted to create a Wave of Gratitude.

Signature Wave Necklace

K: We knew we wanted something with the name Gratitude in it and because of the balance of nature we wanted a natural element to be a part of the name. The tie to the constant movement of the ocean reminded us of how we wanted to affect gratitude not only in our own lives but to everyone that wore our products.

You both have such extensive (and impressive!) backgrounds in business, yet I know you both also have artistic avenues of expression. Do you find it difficult to keep a balance of business vs. artistic vision?

C: Sometimes I know Kim wants to stop me because the desire to express the artistic side and new ideas seems to distract our focus. However, I think that is the great thing about our partnership. I am always looking in all directions and when I do Kim keeps me focused. However, when she does it I do the same for her. We are fortunate in we both don’t venture out on that limb at the same time.

K: For some people creativity is just a part of them and for other it is something you have to develop. I think Cheryl represents the first and that is how she has been successful – creative solutions to business situations. I on the other hand am pretty good at following through on copying what other creative people have come up with. We do have to be careful not to get ahead of ourselves with the ideas of new products or markets and take a careful approach to introducing these.

Do you each have a signature Inspired piece of jewelry that you wear most often, or does it depend on the day?

C: Mine definitely depends on the day, when I am feeling bold and strong I love to wear the Branches of Hope and find myself throughout the day reaching for it to remind me anything is possible if you have hope, and the drive to follow that hope where it leads you. I also love the Signature Wave. The combination of our Health, Family and Accomplishment Waves has a lot of meaning for me, and I get a lot of compliments whenever I wear it.

The Hope Top - Silver on Black

K: The Branches of Hope has special significance for me and I wear it most. When Jessica Fields designed the piece it looked representative of the tree of life or a family tree to me. In fact Jessica had sent us the first silver casting just a week after my husband died. He loved it from the initial concept and I have it etched on his headstone with the words families are forever. When I wear it I feel strengthened in my personal faith.

Do you think we forget to be grateful?

C: Absolutely, I think that technology has caused us to become so attached at all times we never really detach. For me I find gratitude in the solitary moments when something happens that reminds me how much there is in the world, my life, my day to be grateful for. Even being unemployed for 2+ years and maxing out all my credit cards and using my entire 401k plan I could always find something to be grateful for if I took the time to look for it. When I did, in that moment everything seemed to be better and those moments bleed over into hours. Without gratitude I could have never made it this far. That is why for 2010 we have made a personal commitment to do a daily blog of what we are grateful for or inspired by. We believe after 365 days of this it will be as much a part of us as breathing in and out.

K: I know I forget to be grateful at times but gratitude is a strong emotion in helping me have a much bigger perspective of my narrow view of a current struggle. The more I focus on gratitude the easier it becomes to see what there is to be grateful for no matter what the circumstances.

Inspired Apparel T-shirts all have specific words associated with them (Awakening, Creativity, Hope, Inspiration, Legacy) – how did you decide which words were most important to use as inspiration for these shirts?

C: Legacy, Hope, Inspiration, Creativity and Awakening are all the core foundations of our company. The great thing is the Laidlaw Group was able to pull out our company’s core purpose and help us create shirts that allow the person wearing them to express themselves in an inspiring and positive way.

K: The main focus of the shirts ties in well with the jewelry line. With the jewelry there are the individual waves named accomplishment, family, health, strength, serenity, and nature. The idea is that whether you are wearing a top or a piece of jewelry there is a message that you as the wearer remember in a much more stylish way than just words stamped onto metal or cloth.

What is your favorite item on the site and what is your connection to that particular piece?

Nature Wave Necklace

C: Having lived in Northern California, one of my favorite road trips was Carmel. I love the ocean and the rocks and the beautiful cypress trees and the way they stand so strong against all the elements of nature and the more weathered they are the more beautiful they are. When we asked Jessica Fields to create pieces for us our inspiration was the cypress tree and the ocean waves. Strength and movement. So my favorite piece is the Branches of Hope because it represents the potential that lies with each person, each day. Also, reminds me so much of women in my life that are strong and beautiful and amaze me of what we can accomplish with hope.

K: The Branches or Hope is my favorite piece because of the connection I see to family, faith and strength. I like that it represents a tree that becomes stronger and more beautiful in spite of what it goes through.

Whether it’s your flavored toothpaste of something you overheard in the grocery store, can you name five little things you are each grateful for on this particular day?

C: Opportunity to participate in this interview and share our hope and inspiration with others, my beautiful daughter that daily makes me strive to be a better person, books with words that encourage me to grow and enrich my life, the co-owner of my company for her support that never faltered, and the investor that believed in our potential.

K: It is hard to limit it to just five, I think that is something that has also grown for me personally. The ability to be grateful on any given day for so many simple things. Today I am most grateful for a warm home, (snow storm) my fuzzy mohair blanket, a plentiful supply of diet coke the laughter I hear from my children in the next room and the internet that allows me to work from home where I can overhear this laughter.

Shop the site: Waves of Gratitude

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