Meet Wendee Saunders | Founder, eclisse, BETWEEN YOU AND THE SUN

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

Hi Wendee, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2020 I had Open Heart Surgery and while I was grateful to have my heart issue fixed I was concerned about having a scar on my chest and wanted to heal it the best way I could. I got with on of my Estheticians to help me make a plan for my scar and she gave me all the things I needed to do and then said to me that none of these things will work if you don’t keep it out of the sun. She said you cannot get one drop of sunlight on it for a year. Not through your shirts, your car window, not one drop. Being a Skin care enthusiast, I understood this so I proceeded to look for sun protectiving clothing and scarves and could not find anything that I felt was cute and fashionable, everything was, in my opinion, boring or very thick and hot. It occurred to me that Fashion and Beauty are my sport so I decided that I was going to create the first ever chic, fashionable, beauty focused Sun Protective Clothing brand. That is how my brand, eclisse, BETWEEN YOU AND THE SUN, was born.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think my super power is that I do believe I can Be, Do or Have anything I want in this lifetime. I know how I was created and that if I make a ‘decision’ to do something then all I have to do is ‘figure it out’ What do I need to learn? Who do I need to follow? Who do I need to be? Throughout my life I have strived for Freedom and Abundance for myself and my family. I am most proud of the fact that I am not afraid to Go For It. Starting eclisse has definitely been challenging. I knew from the beginning that the only thing that would stop me…. is me. I work daily to maintain my mental and emotional strength so that it guides me in the right direction. Anything worth having requires work but it doesn’t have to be ‘hard’ I would encourage people to not say it’s ‘hard’ – but rather, It is What It Is. You can’t get to the top of the mountain without climbing it. Don’t stress, just push forward. Stay excited about the game of reaching the goal. A fun fact about my brand is that my logo is my late Mother, Dale’s, handwriting. Anyone who knew my Mom got cards and letters from her in her beautiful handwriting. She wasn’t alive at the birth of eclisse and I so wanted to include her somehow. I found old recipes and traced the letters and had someone help me make the eclisse logo. I love that my customers get a little piece of her in our products and everyday when I see it I am reminded of her. She was an incredible woman.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love where I live. Arizona is awesome. If I were putting together the perfect itinerary for your best friend visiting here for a week here’s what I would do. I would definitely spend an evening in Old Town Scottsdale and enjoy all the shops and then have dinner at Pizzeria Virtu on Main. Take a two day jaunt over to Paige, Arizona via Contour Airlines and go to Antelope Canyon and Horeshoe Bend. It is incredible. Spend a day at one of our amazing spas, I love the Phoenician! It’s an Arizona classic. If you golf, you are in heaven here. Definitely book a tee time somewhere I think a trip to Phoenix is not complete with a quick day trip to Sedona. Writing this makes me want to plan my own fun staycation. 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be where I am today without a few very important things. First and foremost, my family. They are not just my greatest cheerleaders and confidants but also my reason why that keeps me pushing forward. Secondly, without the work I have done on myself I never would have the mental fortitude, self belief and unwavering faith in what’s possible. I want to acknowledge The Landmark Forum, Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch and Abraham Hicks for their transformational courses/message. Thirdly, becoming a fashion designer and manufacturer was a very foreign world to me. I found a brand incubator local here in Arizona called FABRIC and their program, mentors and constant support is what helped me get my business off the ground.

Website: www.eclissebeauty.com

Instagram: @eclissebeauty_

Facebook: www.facebook.com/eclissebeauty