Daily Inspiration: Meet Brandi Carlock- Green

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Carlock- Green.

Hi Brandi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My soap making began 26 years ago when my sons, niece and nephew faced the challenges of skin issues, including Psoriasis and Eczema. Frustrated with conventional remedies that often relied on steroids and medicated creams, I stumbled upon a local Soap Artisan at a small craft fair in our workplace break room. Intrigued by the use of Shea and Cocoa Butter in her creations, I purchased several products and witnessed the remarkable improvement in my children’s skin. Inspired, I embarked on my own soap-making journey, fueled by the desire to provide effective, natural alternatives.

My career has always been rooted in finance—specifically the mortgage industry—where I’ve had the privilege of helping people achieve the dream of homeownership. But in 2004, I took a leap and opened a storefront laundry service. It was an incredible experience that taught me so much about entrepreneurship, service, and the power of community.

As my children grew older and life became filled with sports, school events, and family time, I chose to close our storefront and solely focus on my full time career in mortgages. Through it all, soap making quietly remained in the background—a creative outlet that brought me peace, purpose, and a deep sense of joy. Oddly enough, soap and home loans have a lot in common: both center around care, comfort, and making a house feel like home.

In 2023, I faced one of the biggest challenges of my life—open heart surgery to remove a Myxoma Tumor. That experience changed me. It reminded me how important it is to live with intention and invest in the things that truly feed your soul. That’s when I knew it was time to breathe life into something I’d always loved. I rebranded my company to Old Hickory Lake Soap Co., named after the water I’ve always loved and the amazing community I call home. It’s where my family spends time reconnecting, unwinding, and enjoying life.

With the encouragement of my sons and their families, grandkids, the encouragement of my niece and nephew, and the unwavering support from my mom and sisters, I was able to step forward in a big way. In 2024, I became a vendor at Old Hickory Social & Marketplace in Old Hickory, TN, and at Beach Waves Salon in Hendersonville. These spaces have given me the chance to connect directly with my community and share the heart behind each product.

Now, in 2025, we’re stepping into something even more exciting—partnering with incredibly talented local TikTok influencers to help launch our TikTok Shop. It’s been such a fun and inspiring new chapter, and I’m beyond excited to continue growing this brand with intention, creativity, and love.

Whether I’m helping someone secure a home or crafting a bar of soap that becomes part of their daily ritual, it all comes down to the same thing: creating comfort, building connection, and making people feel at home.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been terrible, but it definitely hasn’t been easy. One of the biggest challenges in the past few years has been the dramatic increase in the cost of raw materials. Ingredients that are essential to creating high-quality, natural products—like olive oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter—have more than tripled in price. That made it incredibly difficult to maintain any kind of profit margin.

Despite that, we made a conscious decision not to raise our prices. We understood that so many people were already feeling the financial strain—from job losses to the rising cost of groceries and daily living. We wanted to do our part to ease that burden, even in a small way. Holding our prices steady wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one.

Staying focused on the bigger picture helped us push through. We’ve learned so much in the process—about budgeting, supply chains, and the value of staying true to your mission. At the end of the day, there is still tremendous value in self-care, and the people seeking clean, natural handcrafted products will always be there.

Our hope is that as we continue to grow and increase volume, we’ll be able to purchase our ingredients and packaging in bulk. That will allow us to improve our bottom line without compromising the quality or values we’ve built this business on.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in handcrafted self-care and home essentials that are made with love, intention, and high-quality ingredients. I create both hot and cold process soaps, body lotions, scrubs, body butters, wickless candles, and all-purpose home cleaning items—like powdered and liquid laundry soap, mop soap, and dryer ball oils.

Every product is crafted to help people feel good while also being good to their skin, their homes, and the environment. We blend and make all our laundry products right on site, using our own cold-process coconut base soap. In fact, we even source our coconut oil locally from Sumner County whenever possible—because it’s important to us that our success also supports our local community.

One thing we’re known for is using phthalate- and paraben-free fragrance oils, many of which are luxury fragrance dupes. Our goal is simple: to help our customers feel pampered and boujee on a budget, without ever compromising on quality.

One product that truly sets us apart is our wickless candles. These are an incredible alternative to traditional candles and are especially loved by people who are sensitive to smoke or can’t be around open flames—like those on oxygen, or families with small children and pets. They’re also perfect for apartments, dorm rooms, RVs, houseboats, and anyone who wants a beautiful scent without the soot or fire risk.

Our wickless candles are used with warming lamps or candle warmers, and we offer convenient wax liners so you can easily swap out scents as they burn down. It’s a clean, safe, and elegant way to keep your home smelling amazing.

What I’m most proud of is hearing from our customers. We receive messages from clients sharing the many ways they use our products—from their laundry rooms to their mop buckets—and how much they appreciate the care and thought that goes into everything we make. That’s what keeps us going: knowing that what we create is part of someone’s daily life, helping them feel a little more comforted, a little more cared for.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in a very hands-on, traditional, and business-minded family. My parents never left us at home—we learned by being out in the world with them, experiencing different people, industries, and situations firsthand. It was a huge gift. That kind of upbringing really shaped how I see the world and how I approach challenges.

Outwardly, I was a quiet kid—not shy, just observant. I was always thinking of ways to improve a situation or lend a hand. My parents used to say, “The world is full of talkers, but we come from generations of doers.” That stuck with me. I was never the kid complaining about being bored—I was always creating, helping, or dreaming up my next project.

I’ve always thrived in environments where there’s a problem to solve or someone to help. Whether it was taking care of animals, pitching in with chores, or brainstorming business ideas, I found energy in productivity and purpose.

Some of my best memories from growing up are rooted in simple joys—watching movies as a family, spending time out on the lake, and of course, everything about Christmas. Watching others succeed brings me real happiness. And now, seeing my sons grow from boys into men and step into their own purpose—that’s been one of my proudest joys of all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oldhickorylakesoapco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldhickorylakesoapco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Old-Hickory-Lake-Soap-Co-100094352498291/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@old.hickory.lakesoap