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They looked healthy to the untrained eye–lifting five days a week, meal prepping, doing everything “right.” But in 2020, John and Nadja started reading labels. The more they looked, the more they questioned whether working out hard meant they were actually well. Pantry, medicine cabinet, cleaning closet... nothing was off-limits. If an ingredient list read like a lab report, it no longer made the cut.
They swapped grocery aisles for farmers' markets and learned from ranchers who raise animals the right way. That opened their eyes to a bigger truth: many small farms keep America fed while juggling two or three jobs just to survive. If real food was this difficult to produce, maybe all the “cheap and easy” products around them weren’t the blessing they seemed to be.
When Nadja couldn’t find skincare she could trust, she started making it. Nutrient-rich. skin-friendly tallow became the base. She sourced it from U.S. ranchers practicing regenerative methods, not anonymous bulk suppliers. Batches were small, ingredients were simple, and every addition had a purpose. What began as solutions for their own home quietly spread to friends and family who felt the difference.
They called the brand Born to Be Free, because freedom begins with the choices you make daily: what you eat, what you put on your skin, who you support with your dollars. American-made isn't a marketing line; it's a conviction. They kept production in the U.S., paid more for domestic inputs, and worked directly with ranchers, choosing relationships over shortcuts.
Along the way, they kept learning. Being “natural” didn’t mean much if the label hid preservatives behind vague terms. “Clean” didn’t count if the sourcing ignored the people who raise and craft the raw materials. Born to Be Free would be transparent about both: short ingredient lists you can pronounce and supply chains that trace back to real families.
Their hero products tell that story. The Face Butter pairs grass-based tallow with purposeful essential oils for everyday nourishment. The Breathe Free Balm offers simple comfort when you need it, without a cabinet full of synthetics. Each jar is hand-made by John and Nadja, no white-label, no mass production, because quality you can feel doesn’t roll off an assembly line.
What started as a health reset became a mission. John and Nadja share what worked for them: morning sunlight, better sleep, real food, fewer chemicals. Feeling good is contagious, which is why customers write with their own wins, from calmer skin to cleaner homes to finally meeting the rancher who grows their food.
Born to Be Free isn’t just about products; it’s about priorities. If we keep buying cheap goods that don’t last, we lose more than money; we lose craft, land, and the people who care for both. Supporting American makers is how we keep that heritage alive, one jar and one purchase at a time.
In the end, John and Nadja didn’t set out to be founders. They set out to be well. The brand is simply the overflow of that pursuit: label-literate, faith-filled, American-made, and built to serve families who want the same. Shop their collection of personal care goods at borntobefree.store and get serious about your health today.
