Melinda Williamson
Founder & Owner
Morning Light Kombucha
Hoyt, KS USA
“When one door opens, more doors will continue to open.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationMelinda Williamson
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in environmental biology followed by a master’s degree in rangeland ecology and management.
I spent the first part of my career working in grassland ecology.
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness that doctors think is pre-lupus—I went from being a pretty healthy woman to having trouble walking unassisted.
Rather than rely on a bunch of medications, I decided to look to food as medicine—I changed my diet and became more focused on what I was putting into my body and where it was coming from.
This pivotal moment prompted me to reflect on my life and ask myself if there was anything I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t done yet—I realized that I had always wanted to own a business.
I made a five-year plan to save money, travel, brainstorm, and create a foundation for my business.
I took free business classes and started brewing kombucha with the goal of starting a food truck business that sells kombucha and smoothies.
I started Morning Light Kombucha in 2016 and have been building it up ever since!
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Associate's Degree
Natural Resources
Haskell Indian Nations University
Natural Resources
Haskell Indian Nations University
Graduate
Rangeland Ecology and Management
Oklahoma State University
Rangeland Ecology and Management
Oklahoma State University
Career
Founder & Owner
I own my own small kombucha business.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Food
Entrepreneurship
Working Independently
Day to Day
From 6 to 8 a.m. I have coffee and catch up on emails, bookkeeping, and ordering. I post on social media and plan my day. Then I get ready for the day. I do meetings and phone calls from 9 to 11 a.m. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I head to the kitchen to work on brewing, filling orders, canning, equipment maintenance, and cleaning. The next few hours are spent delivering orders. Then, a quick workout. I'm back in the kitchen from 7 to 9 p.m. to finish up anything that needs to get done.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Put yourself out of your comfort zone to connect with people. Introduce yourself to others in similar areas or programs, let them know what you're doing, and you'll find that more and more connections will start happening. Connecting with one person or one opportunity will lead to so much more. When one door opens, more doors will continue to open.
Hurdles
Challenges I Overcame
Physical Issues
Interviewed By
Native Way Forward
Rising Native leaders are fighting for a brighter future
