Meet Mercedes Hudson | Founder of Raw Soul” Foods & Content Creator”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mercedes Hudson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mercedes, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting a business was a thought that occurred naturally overtime. In 2016 I decided to fast from eating meat for three months after noticeable falling asleep after a big 4th of July fest with family. When I woke up I wondered why I fell asleep in the middle of the day, I’ve always had a lot of energy and this was abnormal. After my initial observation I didn’t think anything else of it until the next day. We had leftovers and I had another portion of meats off the grill: a hot dogs, ribs, a bite of a burger, beans and coleslaw. I didn’t finish the plate but I fell asleep again! When I woke up I knew it was the food and in that moment I decided to give my body a break because my body shut down after eating. I knew that wasn’t normal. Moving forward three months turned into eight years. I took baby steps towards better health after noticing how good I felt. I went vegetarian in 2016, vegan in 2017, and in 2022 I decided to eat more raw foods and less processed foods which is considered in the health community a raw vegan lifestyle. This transformation peaked the curiosity of my family and friends. They started to ask questions in regards to their own health. In return I introduced them to home cooked vegan meals, ginger tea made from scratch, and fresh cut fruits to aid them on their health journey. I witnessed many of my loved ones improve their quality of life: high cholesterol went away, headaches became a thing of the past, mental health increased and healthy weight loss happened easily. At this point I knew without a doubt that I had to share this goodness with my community! I genuinely love seeing people thrive and I know food heavily contributes to a persons overall wellbeing. These are the thoughts and the process that lead to my families business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In addition to “Raw Soul” foods I create content on YouTube. My channel is called “Mercedes Lynn.” What sets my creation a part is my story! I’m a woman that was diagnosed at the age of two with Sickle Cell Anemia and I’ve experienced many health complications but I’m most proud that I’ve overcome this diagnosis in so many ways. I’m excited to know I’m healthier, happier, and thriving in a way that was thought to be impossible with this condition. Being a content creator is fun although there is a business aspect to it. I started creating in December of 2019 and I create consistently which has connected me with great people and brought a lot of good opportunities my way. Creating content is simple enough but there are some challenges. The biggest one for me has been keeping the balance and not burning out in between coming up with ideas to film, recording, editing, releasing the video, answering comments, and marketing. Throughout the years I’ve learned not to completely disappear off the platform but to simply take a break while being active in a small way so my YouTube family knows I’m okay and thinking about them. You can watch my personal health journey on my channel. You will see the highs and the lows. I talk about health, sickle cell, self-care and business. Thank you for tuning in and please don’t be shy, leave a comment lol.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When you visit Memphis, TN there are foods you must try and places you have visit. Since I’m passionate about health our itinerary goes a little something like this!

1) For a good massage visit “A great massage.” Their deep tissue massage will make you feel brand new but if you need something more gentle inquire to see which one would be best for your body.

2) For good pho visit “Pho Saigon.” This soup is delicious and if you need a good cold-care remedy or immune support this is a must try.

3) For a beautiful walk in nature visit “Shelby Farms.” There are many nice walking trails, benches, swings, canoeing, bikes, scooters, friendly faces and if you have an electric car there are charging stations.

4) For a fun night visit “Midtown,” the strip has many restaurants and it’s nice for walking with friends.

5) For some spring and summer time fun visit “The Memphis Farmers Market.” The vendors have home made foods and creations. It’s a good time in nature with nice people.

6) For good Ethiopian food visit “Abyssinia.” The injera is delicious and the veggies platter will have you in heaven.

7) For Raw vegan food place your order online at Rawsoulfoods.com or visit Raw Girls in downtown Memphis.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank God for insight, my fiancé Trey for all the emotional support and financial investments towards my dream, my son Hayden for being a bright shining light and encourager, my mom for all her love and support since I was born, my sister Jasmin for being a true friend and business partner, and our customers for allowing us to be apart of their lives and health journey. This paragraph would be so long if I went down the list so to everyone who was not mentioned specifically but you have shown support up close or from a far I thank you too. Your prayers, good thoughts, words of wisdom and financial investments have meant so much to me. God Bless!

Website: https://rawsoulfoods.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@MercedesLynn

Other: https://linktr.ee/MercedesHudson

Image Credits
Yes I have permission!