My name is Ericka and I am the creator of The Soul Advantage.

This shop is my passion and was created to save my life… And I mean that in the literal sense. After the sudden loss of two loved ones and suffering from severe depression and panic attacks that landed me in the hospital on multiple occasions, I woke up one morning feeling completely hopeless. I laid there in the bed and spoke to myself out loud stating “I just want to go home”. I knew immediately what I meant by that, and I also knew that was not an option. I had lost my brother to suicide a couple years earlier. My mother and I had no idea of his struggles because he hid everything behind his smile and warm hugs. His passing came as a shock and I could not fathom bringing more of that pain and devastation that it left behind for those who knew and love him. I lost my mother-in-law about a year later due to stage 4 cancer at initial diagnosis. The sudden loss of my loved ones was haunting my thoughts and screaming at me… “life is too short to be unhappy!”. I knew I had to make some major changes, so I took time to work on ME.

As a young girl I was enamored by the shimmer of a sparkling crystal. I always felt  there was a magical connection of some sort but only attributed it to what I viewed as “pretty”. As I got older I knew there was something more… more than just a visual appreciation for what my eyes could see… but a physical and emotional correlation between myself and a stone. My educational journey of minerals began in my teenage years as I sought out to understand the metaphysical properties associated to different minerals. I used these healing modalities lightly as a teen and it helped me to overcome challenges I faced at that time. When I realized that I was in an extremely unbalanced state of being; I decided to reach out to the support of nature once more. Over the last several years I have delved deeper into the magic of Mother Earth and armed myself with her minerals. In the process of my own healing I realized that I could help others in this way by providing a compassionate ear and sharing my knowledge of minerals and their healing properties.