The 'essential' life of Reilly

By Laurie Gordon
FREDON — There’s mention of them in books of old and legends and even the Bible. Essential oils haven’t just hit the mainstream; they’ve actually been around for thousands of years as a way to increase emotional, physical and spiritual wellness.
Aromatic diffusion, topical application and dietary consumption are the three main ways people can reap benefits.
Meredith Reilly of Fredon had heard about essential oils, and about a year-and-a-half ago, with two of her sons each having some health issues and determined to fight her Lyme disease naturally—plus get the toxins in the form of cleaners out of her home—she delved into a whole new world.
Now she is a wellness advocate for doTERRA Essential Oils, which she used to greatly improve the health of herself and her family, and has a thriving business.
“It’s not just about the oils. It's all the positive feedback I get and knowing I made a difference in someone’s life,” Reilly said.
Starting with her own.
“In the spring of 2017, I wasn’t in a great physical or mental state,” she said. “I was grieving the loss of my mother, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and was coming off a long winter with my three young boys in the house, which as any mom knows, can be challenging.
“I had been taking some medications to help with the Lyme and was feeling pretty sick. I had been following a friend’s essential-oil journey for a while and thought, ‘Why not?’ There’s no harm in trying what nature gave us. If it’s good enough for Mother Nature, it’s good enough for me. So, I made a conscious decision to try to better myself both physically and mentally, and help my family along the way. Little did I know it would be the best decision I had ever made.
“When I go for something, I give it my all,” she continued. “So, with some divine guidance from my mother, I dove in and purchased a starter kit (that carried the top 10 essential oils that cover hundreds of bases). I wanted to tackle my aches and pains, balance hormones, help with my boys’ asthma/allergies/digestive issues, swap out toxic cleaners, uplift my atmosphere, and, most important, I wanted to be an empowered mother who was prepared for what life throws at you on a daily basis.”
Reilly had tried essential oils before, but , she said, “I am extremely picky when it comes to products that I’ll be using, especially if I’ll be using them on my children as well. So, I did my homework and knew right off the bat, this was by far the most trusted essential oil company in the world.
“I felt 100 percent comfortable using them on myself, my husband and my children.
“Within one month of incorporating the essential oils into my daily regime, I was feeling like a new woman. My Lyme symptoms had nearly vanished, hormones were naturally being managed and overall our home had a different positive vibe than it had in a long time. I was able to get of my 6-year-old off daily medication for a life-long autoimmune issue he was tackling, and also completely managed severe respiratory issues.”
Reilly added, “What had happened is I found my spark that I thought was long gone. I felt recharged. So naturally, I started sharing with my friends and family as I wanted them to feel the same benefits I was feeling. To this day, in my free time, I constantly research and educate myself, listen to podcasts about mentoring and try to be the best version of myself I can possibly be I want to make sure I’m sharing as much knowledge as possible, so my clientele can get the most out of their oil experience. To me, this doesn’t feel like ‘sales’ or a ‘job.’ Aside from being a mother, this is the most fulfilling experience and I feel blessed that I get to do this on a daily basis.”
“I come from a servant-leadership perspective; I feel like I have the tools to literally help so many people on so many different levels: mentally, physically and spiritually. Keeping these tools to myself is almost a disservice to the public. My mother was a personal trainer for 30-plus years, and now I understand why—the continued positive feedback is the best thing in the world.
Growing my team of leaders has also come organically;-each person being someone that had an experience with a doTERRA essential oil that I shared with them. Now I’ve not only got leaders locally, but also in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York and North Carolina. I love mentoring and watching what this business can do for an individual. It truly is a soul-fulfilling journey that can bring financial freedom.
“I’m always looking to connect with like-minded individuals that are passionate about improving other lives.”
As her business has grown, time management has been Reilly’s biggest challenge.
“Working from home is amazing, but if you don’t know how to manage your time, you’ll never be fully present with both your family or your business. My family is my top priority, so I have learned to carve out work hours, and I try hard to honor them. I stick to a schedule when doing team-mentoring calls, and luckily I have the most amazing women in my tribe and we all respect each others family time. My goal is to be 100 percent present in what I’m doing, whether it be time with my family or educating my clientele or leading a team call. I feel so blessed that I can be a stay-at-home mother and not miss a beat with my children, and have a thriving business at the same time.
“My husband has been a rock-star support system and fully takes over while I’m out helping my leaders.”
Reilly harnesses social media to build her business. She has a Facebook page and uses it to educate people about the oils. She’s a very social person, and her favorite way of way of introducing people to the world of essential oils is doing a class or a one on one in person. She also educates herself daily through vast resources provided by the company as well as a number of other sources.
“What has been really entertaining is watching my husband and brother-in-law, and basically all the skeptics out there, buy into the essential-oil world. My nonbelievers are now wearing homemade cologne and diffusing at their desks.”
Reilly generally has a combination of peppermint and wild orange essential oils defusing in her home.
“It’s the perfect blend to get everyone up, happy and out of the house in the morning,” she said. “
Another favorite in the Reilly home is On Guard, a combination that mimics oils bandits would use during the plague to keep themselves from getting it while they stole jewelry from the dead. A little morbid, but the combination supports the immune system and cleanses and purifies the air.
“As a Wellness Advocate, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t allow us to say it treats this or that,” she said. “Instead, we focus on overall body and emotional wellness.”
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, many essential oils are antibacterial: In a study that tested specific oils against 22 strains of bacteria, peppermint, lemongrass, eucalyptus and orange oils were found to be effective against every strain.
Rather than “multi-level marketing,” otherwise known a pyramid form of sales, doTerra uses “relationship marketing", because the building of relationships is as important as multi leveled aspect.
Said Reilly, “Personally, I have enjoy being in the network marketing industry, and like the team aspect of growing a business with other people. Everyone seems to be happy if someone is gaining success, because I believe that we all want the same thing, to have a happy and successful life and to share these products in which we truly believe.”
The company has a foundation called the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation which partners with other charitable organizations to offer hope to millions around the world. These organizations include Feminine Hygiene, Micro-Credit Lending and Combating Sex-Trafficking.
“It's huge for me that this foundation exists,” Reilly said. “This non-profit is committed to improving lives by helping to build schools, medical facilities and provide fresh water around the globe.”
As for Reilly, she's happier and healthier than she's ever been. Her husband, Vincent, and sons, Jameson, Dylan and Shay, all use the essential oils for better health, and all the chemical cleaners in the Reilly home have been replaced with natural ones. Reilly's business is doing fantastically, and she truly believes part of the reason is because her mother, Donna Lentini Scheibner, is watching over her from heaven.
For further information, e-mail Reilly at: Meredith@morvillereilly.com or by connecting with her via her Facebook group - Essential Oils with Meredith Reilly – Essential Oil Boy Mom (IG). She also has a website to ask questions, view and purchase products at www.mydoterra.com/meredithreilly.