Today we’d like to introduce you to Renata Portes.
Hi Renata, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is really one of reinvention.
I began my professional life as an attorney in Brazil. After moving to Michigan in 2015, I had to rebuild my career in a new country, a new language, and a completely different professional environment. I worked in legal support and project management, and although those experiences may seem far removed from what I do today, they taught me how to listen closely, solve problems, manage complex projects, and understand what people truly need.
At the same time, I was becoming deeply interested in personal growth, holistic wellness, mindfulness, energy work, and the connection between our thoughts, habits, emotions, environments, and overall wellbeing. I began studying and practicing different wellness modalities, initially for my own personal development. Over time, I realized that helping people reconnect with themselves and create meaningful change was the work I felt most called to do.
That journey led me to create The Universe Stuff. I started by making handcrafted natural wellness products and soy candles from home. Candles felt like the perfect meeting point between creativity and wellbeing because they can transform the feeling of a space and turn an ordinary moment into something more intentional. Lighting a candle while journaling, enjoying coffee, taking a bath, or simply pausing at the end of a long day can become a small ritual of reconnection.
What began as a small creative business gradually grew into something much bigger. People connected deeply with the candles and natural wellness products, and the business expanded through local retailers, community partnerships, markets, and events across Southeast Michigan.
Over time, I began to notice that customers were craving more than a product. They wanted to understand how things were made, create something with their own hands, spend meaningful time with friends, and enjoy an experience that helped them slow down and reconnect. That interest naturally led me to begin offering candle-making workshops in wineries, breweries, coffee shops, private celebrations, community spaces, and workplaces.
As I facilitated more workshops and connected with more people, I realized that they were not only coming for the candle. They were coming for the experience—the opportunity to step away from the pressure of everyday life, do something creative, connect with others, and be fully present for a little while. That realization helped me understand the larger purpose behind my business.
Today, The Universe Stuff has evolved beyond products into a multidimensional wellness brand offering creative experiences, corporate wellness programming, and personalized support—all connected by the intention of helping people live with greater presence and alignment.
The formats may be different, but everything I offer is connected by the same purpose: helping people move out of autopilot and come back to themselves. Sometimes transformation begins with a major life decision. Other times, it begins with a candle, a conversation, or a quiet moment when we finally give ourselves permission to listen.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a completely smooth road, but every challenge has shaped the way I work and the business owner I have become.
One of the first major challenges was starting over after moving from Brazil to Michigan in 2015. I had already built a professional identity as an attorney, and suddenly I was navigating a new country, language, culture, and job market. Rebuilding my career required humility, adaptability, and the willingness to begin again. It also taught me that our identity is not limited to one profession or one version of ourselves.
Entrepreneurship brought a completely different set of challenges. When you own a small business, you are rarely responsible for just one thing. I have had to learn product development, production, marketing, sales, event planning, customer service, partnerships, finances, and countless behind-the-scenes responsibilities—often through trial and error.
There have been busy seasons and slower ones, products that people immediately connected with and others that did not, events that sold out and others that had to be reconsidered or canceled. Those experiences taught me resilience and, perhaps even more importantly, how not to take every outcome personally. A product or event not taking off does not necessarily mean the idea was bad or that I failed. Sometimes the timing, audience, location, messaging, or circumstances simply were not aligned.
I have learned that experimentation is an essential part of entrepreneurship. Every challenge gives me information. It becomes an opportunity to reflect, adjust, improve, and make a more informed decision the next time. Instead of seeing an unsuccessful idea as a dead end, I now try to ask, “What is this experience teaching me, and how can I use that lesson to evolve?”
Another challenge has been allowing the business itself to evolve. The Universe Stuff became known primarily for candles and natural wellness products, and I am incredibly proud of that foundation. At the same time, I began to recognize that my work was growing into something broader. People were seeking experiences, connection, stress support, personalized guidance, and opportunities to create meaningful change in their lives. Expanding into workshops, corporate wellness, and The ALIGN Experience required me to trust that growth does not mean abandoning what came before. It means building upon it.
I have learned that success is rarely a straight line. Sometimes it requires persistence, and other times it requires the courage to pivot. The most important thing has been continuing to listen—to my customers, to the people I serve, and to my own sense of where the work is meant to go next.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Universe Stuff?
The Universe Stuff is a Michigan-based wellness brand that creates products, experiences, and personalized support designed to help people slow down, reconnect, and bring more intention into their everyday lives.
The business first became known for handcrafted soy candles and natural wellness products. Our candles are made with 100% soy wax, wooden wicks, and premium fragrances, but what has always mattered most to me is the feeling they create. A candle can transform the atmosphere of a room, but it can also become part of a personal ritual—a reminder to pause, rest, reflect, celebrate, or simply enjoy the present moment.
As the business evolved, candle-making workshops became an important part of what I offer. I create welcoming, hands-on experiences where people can make something of their own while connecting with friends, coworkers, or their community. These workshops have taken place in wineries, breweries, coffee shops, private celebrations, community spaces, and workplaces throughout Southeast Michigan.
Today, I also design customized corporate wellness and team-building experiences for organizations that want to support their employees in a more thoughtful and engaging way. Depending on the needs of the group, an experience might include candle-making, mindfulness, stress-regulation practices, guided reflection, or a combination of creative and wellness-focused activities. My goal is to create something that feels genuinely restorative and connecting—not like another obligation added to an already busy workday.
Another important part of my work is The ALIGN Experience, a personalized one-on-one wellness program for professionals and entrepreneurs who may be functioning well on the outside but feel overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck, or uncertain about what needs to change. Rather than focusing on one isolated area, we explore the whole picture—their health, habits, work, relationships, environment, mindset, and personal priorities. From there, I create personalized guidance, tools, practices, and a realistic roadmap to help them move forward with greater clarity and intention.
What sets The Universe Stuff apart is the way I combine creativity, holistic wellness, practical guidance, and genuine personalization. I do not believe in offering the same experience or solution to everyone. Whether I am working with an individual, a private group, or an entire organization, I take time to understand the people in front of me and what would actually feel meaningful, accessible, and supportive for them.
I am especially proud that the brand has been able to grow without losing its heart. It began at home with products I made by hand, and it has expanded through local retailers, community partnerships, public events, corporate experiences, and individual client work. Each new direction has grown from listening to what people were seeking and recognizing that, beneath the product or service, many of us are looking for the same things: connection, presence, relief from constant pressure, and the space to hear ourselves again.
There are several ways to experience The Universe Stuff today. People can bring a customized candle-making or wellness experience to their company, event, retreat, or private gathering; explore personalized support through The ALIGN Experience; or begin more simply by bringing one of our Michigan-made candles into their home.
What I want readers to know is that wellness does not have to feel complicated, intimidating, or disconnected from real life. It can begin through creativity, conversation, community, or one small intentional choice. My role is to meet people where they are and create an experience that feels personal, meaningful, and genuinely supportive.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up in Brazil shaped me in many ways. I grew up surrounded by tropical weather, and vacations almost always meant going to the beach and spending time in nature. I developed a deep connection with the ocean—the feeling of the salt water, which has always felt cleansing to me, and the soothing sound of the waves. Even today, the ocean is one of the places where I feel most grounded and restored.
I also grew up appreciating fresh, flavorful food, although I did not fully realize how special that was at the time. Fruits and vegetables tasted incredibly vibrant and were a natural part of everyday life. After moving to Michigan, I became much more aware of the difference. So much produce has to travel long distances and is picked before it is fully ripe, and the experience is simply not the same. It made me appreciate even more what I once took for granted.
Creativity was also a very important part of my childhood. I was especially connected to music and dance, and I took piano lessons for more than ten years. Music became a major part of my life during those years. I also loved crafts. My grandmother and my mother taught me how to knit, crochet, and bake, while my aunt taught me how to sew and embroider. I would learn paper crafts and other projects through magazines. Creating things with my hands was always calming and fulfilling, which probably explains why making candles feels so therapeutic to me today.
I grew up before cellphones, apps, constant notifications, and social media. We had very limited television programming, and the internet only became part of my life when I was already in my later teenage years. At first, we mostly knew it as a place to use Google for school research. We were not spending hours online or scrolling. Free time meant playing, reading magazines, listening to music, creating things, and spending time with friends. Looking back, I am grateful that so much of my childhood was lived in the real world and not through a screen.
I was also a very dedicated student. I was never afraid of reading, studying, or going deeply into a subject that interested me. Even as a child and teenager, I was fascinated by astrology, tarot, personal development, and the deeper questions of why people think, feel, and behave the way they do. I was naturally a good listener, too, which later became an important part of both my legal career and my work in wellness. Before you can offer someone a meaningful solution, you first have to truly hear them.
Sports, on the other hand, were never my strength. For a long time, that made me feel as though I was somehow failing in that area. As I grew older, though, I became more open to adventure and stopped defining myself by what I was not naturally good at. Today, one of my favorite hobbies is riding my motorcycle, which is something my younger self probably never would have expected.
Looking back, I can see that the person I am today was already taking shape through all of those experiences: my love of nature, music and creativity, my curiosity about people and personal growth, my willingness to learn, and my need to make things with my hands. They may have seemed like separate interests at the time, but they have all found a place in the life and work I have created.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theuniversestuff.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.universe.stuff/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theuniversestuff
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renataportes/
