by Jazmine Otey
Darion Boisseau has always been fascinated by the different meanings of other people’s names. Her first name, she says, means “helper of mankind.”
“It’s crazy how much your name can represent. Sometimes it gives me motivation because I have to be who I am and look at the purpose I have at hand,” she said.
Since she was a child, Boisseau knew her purpose was to be a light to others. Now at age 26, she has fulfilled her calling through both her business, Nedarion, and non-profit organization, Yung Mami.
Nedarion is a health wellness company she founded in February 2020. It is partnered with J. Spencer, a renowned West Indian herbalist from Washington, D.C. Through Nedarion, Boisseau strives to better the physical and mental well-being of Roanoke community members. On its website, nedarion.com, customers can purchase cold-pressed juices, empowerment resources, detox water and a variety of other wellness resources which according to Boisseau, is gradually becoming “proficient in homeopathic medicine and holistic practice.”
A percentage of Nedarion’s profits goes to Yung Mami, with the aim of creating a support system for mothers of various backgrounds. She emphasized that the organization is also open to surrogate mothers and women who want to have children but are physically unable to. Motherhood is broader than it appears, she added, and even if individuals don’t have kids they can still have a mother’s heart.
“You have surrogate moms, big sisters taking care of little kids. There’s so many dynamics of motherhood and I feel I’m unifying it in a different way,” Boisseau said.
Yung Mami has hosted a plethora of free events that featured life coaching, yoga and even “mommy walks” with personal trainers. Her 3-year-old son, Nedal Brown Jr., walks beside his mother at every function and helps inspire Yung Mami.
“There’s no amount of classes or books that can prepare you for motherhood,” Boisseau said as she recalls how difficult her pregnancy with Nedal was. She’d been working and was on bedrest for the majority of her pregnancy due to extreme nausea, dizziness and stomach pain. When she and Nedal’s father split and she had to face everything on her own, she fell into deep depression and two months before her due date, her mother was diagnosed with a serious medical condition.
Despite it being a difficult time for Boisseau, she used her “fear and fueled it into faith,” and they became each other’s support system and helping each other stand tall through life’s trials and together they persevered! Boisseau’s mother fully recovered from her condition through holistic practices and eating healthier with a diet that consisted of different herbs and various vegetable and fruit juices. It was then that Boisseau developed a love for juicing.
“I started to be cognizant of the things I put in my body; not just food but words. We all have power over ourselves. The things that we say can surely happen,” she said.
Now she spends two to three days a week preparing juices for her customers. According to Boisseau, Nedarion averages about 15 to 50 orders a week from its commercial kitchen. But regardless of the high demand she pays close attention to the quality of fruit and vegetables she uses for each drink. She added with a gentle laugh that fruits have different fingerprints just as humans do.
For Boisseau, Roanoke’s unwavering support was highly unexpected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Nedarion products are being sought after wholesale in some local stores. She is excited to continue using her products to help improve the mental and physical health of individuals within our community and that her items help bring out the good in people.
“People don’t know the power that they have or how great they are. Just the fact that you can let someone know that they’re beautiful or powerful, sometimes that’s all they need for it to be activated,” she said.
Nedarion is currently in the process of creating COVID-19 and herbal kits that will include such items as nasal spray, herbs and other wellness products to ensure that one’s central nervous system is in good health. She hopes that the kits can help prevent getting COVID-19 and can also be used to lessen the symptoms.
Boisseau has future plans to start another venture, “Alexandra’s House,” to provide therapy for abuse survivors. She is currently working on a “Cyber House” that provides survivors with assistance, healing and information to help them cope with the psychological effects of abuse.
Through her organizations and her passion to serve others, she hopes to continue spreading positivity wherever she goes!
“When you look at life as an opportunity to give rather than to receive, you learn more,” she adds.
