Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Patterson.
Hi Ashley , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Zyry Wellness was born in 2020, during a time when life felt incredibly uncertain and overwhelming. Like so many people, I was navigating the anxiety that came with the pandemic while also trying to balance being a mother, a partner, working 2 jobs, and simply figuring out how to make it through each day.
During some of my most anxious moments, I found myself turning to candles. I would light one, watch the flame, focus on the scent filling the room, and use that moment to bring myself back to the present. It became a simple grounding ritual—a reminder to slow down, breathe, and focus on what was right in front of me instead of everything happening around me.
That feeling became the foundation for Zyry Wellness. I wanted to create products that could give someone else that same little moment of peace, comfort, or joy in the middle of real life. Even the name is deeply personal to me—Zyry is a combination of the names of my two sons, Zyon and Emory. They are at the heart of everything I do, so it only felt right that they would be part of the name and story of the business.
I started with hand-poured candles, but over the years Zyry has grown into so much more. Today, I create candles, room and linen sprays, wax melts, diffuser oils, carpet fresheners, and other home fragrance products. I’ve also been able to bring the brand into the community through vendor events and interactive experiences like our room spray bar, where customers can create a scent that feels personal to them.
One thing that has remained constant is the intention behind the brand. Many of my products carry names like Affirmed, Abundance, Blissful, Calm, Manifest, and Purpose because I want the experience to be about more than just something that smells good. Scent has always been tied to emotion, memory, and atmosphere for me.
What started as a way for me to find a little peace during an overwhelming time has grown into a brand centered around helping other people create those moments for themselves. That is still the heart of Zyry Wellness today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a completely smooth road, but I think that’s part of entrepreneurship. One of my biggest challenges has been learning how to build and grow a business while also working a full-time job, and being a present partner and mother. Zyry is something I’m incredibly passionate about, but there are still only so many hours in a day, and finding the balance between all of those roles can be difficult.
I’ve also had to learn almost every aspect of running a business as I went—from product development and testing to inventory, pricing, marketing, social media, vending events, and figuring out what my customers actually respond to. There have been products I thought would do amazing that didn’t, events that weren’t as successful as I hoped, supply issues, slow sales periods, and plenty of moments where I questioned what I was doing.
One of the biggest lessons has been learning that growth isn’t always linear. There are seasons when business is great and others when things slow down, and I’ve had to learn not to let a difficult week or month make me question everything I’ve built.
I also started Zyry as an outlet for my own anxiety, so there’s a little irony in owning a business that can sometimes become another source of stress. I’ve had to remind myself of the same thing I want my customers to remember: slow down, be present, give yourself grace, and keep going.
Every challenge has taught me something, though. Zyry today looks very different from the business I started in 2020, and I’m proud that I’ve allowed it—and myself—to evolve along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Zyry Wellness is a home fragrance and wellness brand built around the idea that scent can change the way a space feels—and sometimes, the way you feel in it. We create hand-poured soy candles, room and linen sprays, wax melts, diffuser oils, carpet fresheners, and other home fragrance products designed to make everyday spaces feel a little more intentional.
I like to describe what we offer as approachable luxury. I want my products to look beautiful and feel special without making people feel like they have to save them for a special occasion. Light the good candle. Spray the room just because. Make your home smell amazing on a random Tuesday. You deserve to enjoy the things that make you feel good now.
One of the things that sets Zyry apart is the intention behind our fragrances. Our scents have names like Affirmed, Abundance, Blissful, Calm, Manifest, Purpose, and Beautiful. I want customers to connect not only with how a fragrance smells, but with how it makes them feel and the energy they want to create in their space.
We’ve also expanded beyond traditional home fragrance with our House of Zyry Room Spray Bar, an interactive experience where customers can choose and blend fragrances to create their own custom room and linen spray. It has become one of my favorite parts of the business because customers get to participate in the fragrance experience rather than simply purchasing a finished product.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that Zyry has continued to evolve without losing the reason I created it. What began with candles has grown into a full home fragrance experience, but the heart of the brand is still the same: encouraging people to slow down, be present, and intentionally create spaces that feel good to them.
And while wellness is at the foundation of Zyry, I never want it to feel overly serious or perfect. Real life is messy. Sometimes self-care is meditation and quiet time, and sometimes it’s lighting a candle, putting on your favorite music, cleaning your house, and enjoying how good everything smells afterward. There’s room for all of that here.
How do you think about luck?
I think luck has played a role in my journey, but I’ve learned that luck usually needs something to work with. I’ve been fortunate to have people recommend my business, introduce me to opportunities, share my name when I wasn’t in the room, and support Zyry in ways I couldn’t have planned for.
At the same time, I believe a lot of what we call “luck” happens because you were willing to show up. Some of my best opportunities have come from simply saying yes, setting up at an event, having a conversation with someone, or putting myself and my business out there even when I wasn’t completely sure of myself.
There’s been some bad luck too—events that didn’t go as planned, supply issues at the worst possible time, slow seasons, and plenty of unexpected challenges. Running a small business will definitely teach you that you can make the perfect plan and life will still laugh at it.
But even those experiences have usually redirected me or taught me something I needed to know. So I don’t know if I would say that I’ve been especially lucky or unlucky. I think I’ve been blessed with opportunities, supported by some really great people, and stubborn enough to keep showing up. And sometimes, that combination creates its own kind of luck.
Pricing:
- Standard 8.5oz candles- $22
- Room and linen sprays- $7
- Carpet Fresheners- $9
- All purpose cleaners- $14
- Wax melts- $6
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.zyrywellness.com
- Instagram: @zyrywellness
- Facebook: Zyry Wellness
