When Becca Stevens started what would become Thistle Farms nearly two decades ago, she didn’t know much about making natural bath and body products as a business model.

“I grew up with a woman who really knew about making crafts,” she says of her mother. “And I had experience taking a lot of baths,” she jokes modestly.

Those early days—with groups of women gathered around a table or counter, making candles, lip balm and body bombs—“felt like a quilting bee,” Stevens remembers. “The point was economic empowerment. We would tell stories and weep. It was a blast.”

Today, Thistle Farms is not just a natural bath products company, and it’s far from a quilting bee; plus, Stevens has far more experience under her belt than just taking baths. Thistle Farms is an international nonprofit social justice powerhouse, helping women who have endured hardships like prostitution, sex trafficking, abuse and addiction.