{"id":277132,"date":"2026-09-02T07:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T07:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/277132\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T07:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T07:05:02","slug":"life-work-with-bethlehem-degef-of-los-angeles-voyage-la-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/277132\/","title":{"rendered":"Life & Work with Bethlehem Degef of Los Angeles \u2013 Voyage LA Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today we\u2019d like to introduce you to Bethlehem Degef.<\/p>\n

Hi Bethlehem, we\u2019d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins in Wolkite, Ethiopia. A small town near the capital is where I was raised by a village. That sense of collective culture shaped my entire worldview. I spent a lot of my formative years with my late grandmother, Wodenish. Although my parents shaped my values, her home was my anchor and my first classroom. In 2012, my family won the Diversity Visa Lottery, and we moved to San Diego, and my grandmother followed shortly after. That was when my education in wellness and holistic medicine truly began. I grew up watching her and my mother create homemade cures and self-care routines for everything. At the time, it felt bizarre seeing my emaye chewing raw garlic in the morning or putting turmeric on everything, and putting kibbeh (clarified butter) on my hair. My mother never wore makeup because her beauty was maintained through her various at-home remedies that didn\u2019t require a trip to Sephora. <\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until I moved away for college that I realized those \u201cbizarre\u201d remedies were actually a profound legacy of raw beauty and holistic health. As a 21-year-old Black woman, I see how the current beauty industry pressures women, especially women of color, to indulge in endless consumerism to meet rapidly changing beauty standards. In defiance, I returned to my roots. In my return, a wellness brand rooted in dismantling consumeristic self-care and building community through public health initiatives was born. <\/p>\n

Currently, in Los Angeles and San Diego, I host community-based events because I started with a village and continue to believe that wellness is incomplete without meaningful connection. By fostering spaces where individuals can come together, we create relationships that uplift and remind us that healing and growth are not meant to happen alone. Through Holistic BD, I honor my grandmother\u2019s wisdom by proving that we are our healthiest when we heal together, naturally.<\/p>\n

Alright, so let\u2019s dig a little deeper into the story \u2013 has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you\u2019ve had to overcome?
Being a founder is never a smooth road. It is a vulnerable process to constantly bet your reputation on ideas that might sound confusing or insane to others until they are physically brought to life. I\u2019ve learned the importance of having immense, almost radical faith in yourself. One of my biggest hurdles has been navigating the pressure to have a large crowd or high engagement to prove that an idea is working. In a very digital age, it is easy to let metrics dictate your efforts. However, I\u2019ve learned that growth happens in the persistence of the future, not while hyperfixating on current outcomes. Enjoying the process of building an intimate foundation where people can connect deeply and gain a true community is a lot more fulfilling. <\/p>\n

This contributes to why I\u2019ve intentionally delayed monetization. I always get the question, \u201cAre you selling products (any of the remedies I share)?\u201d But I am unwilling to slap a price on wellness until I have a foundational space where people feel seen and supported. Navigating the tension between \u201chustle culture\u201d and my personal commitment to public health requires a lot of discipline, but I believe building long-term community before earning short-term profit provides a longevity that hustle culture could never offer.<\/p>\n

Thanks \u2013 so what else should our readers know about your work and what you\u2019re currently focused on?
I am currently an undergraduate student studying Health Administration with a Biotech emphasis and Africana Studies minor, integrating my academic background into the growth and vision of Holistic BD. This is more than a wellness brand; it is a commitment to dismantling the consumerist version of \u201cself-care\u201d and replacing it with traditional, communal healing. I specialize in bridging the gap between holistic, Ethiopian-rooted medicine and the modern, everyday need for nurturing beauty and movement. I am known for my personal brand and my relentless push for a more authentic version of wellness. I advocate for the idea that health isn\u2019t something you buy but something you cultivate through community and holistic healing. While I can recognize that the innovation of new-age technology holds a powerful place in modern medicine, I believe we overlook the sophistication of our biological roots: community, movement, and traditional remedies regulate our nervous systems in ways a manufactured product cannot do so. <\/p>\n

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The characteristic most vital to my success is being faith-centered. I believe it is essential for humans to have a connection to something higher than themselves. A private, healing space that remains separate from the noise of the world. For me, that is my relationship with God; it anchors my self-fulfillment in ways words truly cannot describe. This relationship is the true birthplace of my vision. Before I ever bring an idea to my mentors, family, or peers, I take it to God first. In many ways, God is my creative director. I am given direction and trusted to see it through. When asked what I attribute my success to, the common denominator will remain the same. In a world that often feels chaotic, being faith-centered allows me to move with a level of peace and conviction that I couldn\u2019t find anywhere else. <\/p>\n

Contact Info:<\/p>\n

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