How Your Side Hustle Can Become Your Career (Tips from the Trenches!)

Hiya Gorgeous,

If you’ve ever felt the tug to step into a new career that aligns with your heart, this interview is for you. When I met Lucy Sherwood, I knew that I had to share her story with my treasured readers. I know so many of you yearn to follow your dreams, and I hope Lucy’s story inspires you to do just that.

I can certainly relate to the leap of faith she took (you’ll learn all about it through our conversation below). When I was diagnosed with cancer over a decade ago, I quit my job, sold my apartment and went on a healing adventure. That was the beginning of all things Crazy Sexy. It was a major risk, and it was scary at times, but it was one hundred percent right for me.

Lucy took a leap of faith and left a stable career in law to pursue her passions for design and creating beauty in the world. In 2014, she founded Rock and Raw, a London-based ethical jewelry company that aims to make the finest products for spiritual warriors, wonderers and wanderers alike.

So, without further ado, let’s get down to business and learn how Lucy turned her dream into her career…

Kris: You had a job as a lawyer before pursuing your passion. What was your experience moving from that world to creating your own business? What did you have to overcome?

Lucy: The truth is, leaving my job was relatively easy. When you follow your heart and your passion, life tends to just flow. But yes, I was in a place that I felt was safe. I was ambitious, pursuing a career in law and making my parents proud… but I also felt like this was not my true calling—like I should be somewhere else. I could feel my life slipping away on my computer screen or in my law textbooks, so I started to listen to that voice a little more. I meditated, I practiced yoga and I enrolled in various arts and crafts courses.

I left my job having sold only two pieces of jewelry to friends of friends. And yet on that same day, the Four Seasons Hotel Group asked if I could stock two of their hotels.

A few weeks later, we were asked if we could come to the Oscars to gift our jewelry to celebrities. We couldn’t—I didn’t have the budget, and I certainly didn’t have the capacity, but I was getting some pretty big signs that this was what I was meant to be doing.

Kris: What advice would you give to your former self now that you know how successful you’ve become as an entrepreneur?

Lucy: I don’t think of myself as a successful entrepreneur. I don’t think I can be that reflective—yet. I am still so much in the thick of it. But, the answer is trust. Believe in yourself. If I’d known how the business would blossom, I’d never have doubted myself or it.

My current self-advice is to look after myself. You are the beginning and the end of your business—its center and its edges. Meditation, yoga, self-care, healthy eating and rest. When I’m rested and happy, everything flows smoothly. When I’m tired and stressed, everything is difficult.

Kris: How has pursuing your passion changed your creative life?

Lucy: I’ve always been creative. When I was little, I wanted to make things from scrap. We had a craft box at home full of toilet paper rolls, pipe cleaners and old cardboard—I loved it. At school, we were asked what we would take to the moon, and I said, “The craft box!”. And, my teacher wouldn’t have it. She said, “Don’t you want something fun, like a toy?”. I replied, “No way! Let me make stuff!”.

It is a privilege that I get to do this as a job. I feel on the verge of tears thinking about it. I get to create something every day. It makes my life a lot easier, in many ways, because I’m using my natural skills. Using your gifts, especially those that you have developed and honed over the years, is one of the most life-changing things you can do.

Kris: What makes your jewelry so different?

Lucy: When I make jewelry, I am being called to create something really beautiful and really meaningful. It has to be stunning. I think jewelry is so intimate. It’s your talisman and your armour. It’s how you go out into the world—your intention.

With meditation, I developed this amazing sacred practice. With my jewelry, I could take that vibration everywhere. That feeling you get from a three hour workshop, or from your own morning meditation, you can carry in a crystal, in a beautiful form. I love it.

Kris: I want to know about the stones used in your jewelry. What do you experience while working with them?

Lucy: You get drawn toward different stones. When I needed grounding, I was drawn to the deep, dark stones, and that’s where the Ultimate Guardian Labrodite Pendant came from—my need to be earthed. I am drawn to amethyst when I need healing. If I need elevating, I go to diamonds. And, as you can see, I draw inspiration from my own life.

Crystals are a personal journey. The meanings that different pieces carry can vary for everyone. We use the finest crystals, and they are hand-carved by our own cutters. It’s a privilege to support them, and I think those relationships are part of our jewelry. The pieces are more beautiful because they represent our energies and commitment to ethical living.

Kris: You told me that you breathe intention into every stone you work with and so does your team. What does that look like?

Lucy: We hold an intention-setting meditation ceremony. We work with energy in practices similar to reiki and sound healing. We focus the specific intention and feeling we’ve raised into that crystal, charging it with high vibes. It’s beautiful knowing how much the customers enjoy receiving the energy we’re offering.

Once we’ve charged the crystals with their intentions, we send them out with a beautiful hand written mantra. For example:

I surrender my fear
I trust
I surrender my worry
I have faith
I am supported

We can charge your crystal according to your needs and your circumstances—same with the mantra. We want your piece to be you: to reflect your victories, your progress and your beliefs.

Kris: What’s one nugget of advice you could give an entrepreneur on the verge of leaping into building their own business?

Lucy: It’ll be the most amazing thing you’ll ever do: challenging, fulfilling, terrifying, uplifting, etc. You’ve got to be really courageous, strong and prepared to stick to your guns. You can do it if you have a great product or idea that you believe in. It will be an intense and deep process, and it will change you. But, that’s what it is meant to do—right?

Kris: Tell us about the new range of products.

Lucy: My first line was made on my kitchen table with zero experience—just instinct and love—and I’ve kept that template for all the subsequent ranges. The new collection is beautiful. We have hand-carved head chains, and the exquisite crystals (amethysts, clear quartz, labrodite) can rest on your 3rd eye during meditation. They amplify your resonance. But if you want to wear it out, you can pull it down so it transforms into a necklace. They are completely unique and actually came to me during a meditation.

Kris: Thanks, Lucy!

Your turn: Have you taken a risk in your life? And, did it work out? If you haven’t, what’s keeping you from taking that leap? Share in the comments below!

Peace & passion,