Yukon Soap Company’s recipe for compassionate connections 

Joella Hogan did not intentionally set out to make a difference in her community when she first began her business, the Yukon Soap Company. But over time, that’s exactly what happened. Northwestel sat down and spoke to her for mental health week to hear how she uses her strengths to promote mental well-being in her community, and how she keeps her own mental health in check being a busy entrepreneur.  

This year, Northwestel is giving its employees soaps from the Yukon Soap Company’s Grandmother Line for Mental Health Week to promote self-care. Read on to hear how the Yukon Soap Company helped its small community of Mayo further grow their sense of pride, purpose, and a way to re-connect with their culture. Click here to jump to mental health resources in the North. 

In the beginning 

The Yukon Soap Company began in the heart of the Yukon, on the traditional territories of the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation. This is where many of Joella’s ancestors lived and still live, thriving amongst the Na-Cho Nyäk  River (AKA Stewart River, meaning Big River in Northern Tutchone language) and boreal forest -- the land that would one day provide plant medicines for her celebrated self-care products.  

After finishing university, Joella moved to Mayo to be close to family and learn from her culture’s knowledge keepers. She also worked at the First Nation Lands Department, where she focused on re-integrating her community’s cultural practices. 

When Joella saw an opportunity to embrace her entrepreneurial side, she took it and purchased the soap company. Like any business owner, Joella had ambitions to make her business financially successful. However, when she started to, in her words, “walk the talk, and practice what she preaches” by aligning her values and teachings from her prior career, she saw her business take off.  

Wellness and self-care, Yukon style  

Using traditional plants and plant medicine is what makes the Yukon Soap Company stand out in a highly saturated market. Joella discovered that customers loved everything Yukon. Big skies. Untouched nature. Pristine lakes. A wild and free spirit.  

This fascination for the territory made it possible for Joella to create opportunities for women in her community, where she felt she could make a direct difference. So instead of hiring one full time employee, Joella created flexible roles that would benefit many women who gravitated to her unique workshop.  

“I try to meet people where they’re at. I try to help build their strengths so they can go on to their own paths, whether it's secondary education or starting their own business.” - Joella. 

Learning on the land 

“Going out on the land is such a huge part of Indigenous culture and the more people we can get going out on the land, the better for mental wellness,” says Joella. The Yukon Soaps Company uses many natural plant medicines that are native to the boreal forest that makes up the land around Mayo. To acquire items such as fireweed, wild rose petals, juniper berry or sage, Joella relies on local harvesters to pick and care for the plants until they reach her workshop.  

“There’s so much love that goes into the foraging of these plants. When harvesters go out and hear the birds and feel the energy of the trees, that’s all a part of it,” Joella explains. Not only does it help re-connect her community to the traditions of their grandmothers, giving them a purpose to go out on the land, but it infuses the products with a positive energy that is passed on to the person lathering up.  

Taking plants from the land doesn’t go without some important teachings first.  

 “We created a booklet that incorporates our cultural practices on how to respectfully pick the plants. It teaches to never take more than what is needed, that we are stewards of the land, and to leave no trace.” This acts as an informative guide that also shows how to care for the plant once it is harvested so it doesn’t go to waste.  

(Joella Hogan, the Yukon Soaps Company) 

“The land cares for us, it recharges us, feeds our spirit, and provides our food sources, so by being able to harvest the plants that go into soap making builds that connection and awareness that we’re caretakers of the land.”- Joella Hogan 

Language in the shop 

Reclaiming the mother tongue of the northern Tutchone language has become another aspect of learning while soap making. Practicing phrases such as “pass me the bowl”, “weigh the oils”, and “pour the flowers in”, have become part of their active living language.  

Joella is now working on developing on the land phrases for this season, such as, “how’s the berries over there?” to further re-educate people whose language was taken from them. 

It’s not just Joella who’s doing the teaching. The young women she employs are always offering up suggestions and showing her a thing or two when it comes to processes, organization in the shop, or keeping current with trends.  

(Taiya, Zoe and Joella at the Yukon Soaps Company shop in Carcross, YT.) 

Balance and entrepreneurship 

The same way Joella teaches balance when picking plants, she also tries to incorporate into her own life. While the demands of entrepreneurship can easily take over, she does ensure to make self-care for mental wellbeing a priority. 

"I like to take my dog for walks, read, and spend time with my partner. It’s also important to get out of town for a little while and travel,” she says.  Recently Joella took a trip to Arizona, where she met with Navajo women, who she is considering co-creating with.  

During specifically challenging times, Joella seeks the companionship of her 92-year-old grandmother.  By stepping away from the chaos and sitting down to do some beading or other arts and crafts can help to reset. “It is easy to feel helpless and hopeless sometimes when enduring the challenges our communities face,” Joella says, “but that’s when I try to focus on my strength's where I can help and remember the small wins.” 

Joella also mentioned how her community practicing their culture together helps them get through grief and other difficult life experiences. Instead of hosting a grief workshop, folks feel more comfortable coming together to work on a moosehide, for example. There they can open up, without feeling pressured. 

  (Grandmother soap line - Eshchūa means grandmother in the Tagish language)

Mental health programs across the North  

Northwestel is proud to support northern resources for Mental Health Awareness Week and throughout the year. The theme this year for CMHA’s Mental Health Week is a call to be kind. You can learn more about how #CompassionConnects here.  

Learn more about mental health resources in your community below: 

All of Canada 

You can call or text 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, nation-wide, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Nunavut

Embrace Life Council  

Kamatsiaqtut Nunavut Helpline   

Yukon   

Canadian Mental Health Association Yukon   

Mental Wellness Substance Use Services   

Northwest Territories 

NWT Help Line   

Strongest Families Institute