Introduction
In this episode of Pathmonk Presents, we welcome Gina Paulhus, Co-Owner of Genuine Essiac, an herbal tea brand rooted in a centuries-old wellness tradition. Gina shares how she and her husband built a thriving direct-to-consumer business by combining community, content, and long-term customer trust.
From leveraging organic search and a 27,000-member Facebook group to building a powerful email marketing engine, Gina reveals how consistency fuels sustainable growth. She also explains their bold six month guarantee and affiliate program strategy on Shopify. If you’re building a mission-driven brand, this conversation offers actionable insights on retention, SEO, and authentic leadership in competitive markets.
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Hey everybody, welcome back to Pathmonk Present. Today we are joined by Gina Paulhus. She’s the co-owner of Genuine Essiac. Gina, delighted to have you here. Welcome to the show.
Gina Paulhus: Yeah, I’m excited to have this episode and this interview, and I’m really pleased with what you’ve been doing with your audience so far.
Rick: Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Maybe we start with the basics a little bit, Gina. If you can share with us a little bit about Genuine Essiac, what’s the big idea behind it? If you were explaining it to a friend over tea, how would you describe what you do?
Gina Paulhus: I love that because it is a tea. So Genuine Essiac is an herbal tea. It’s an ancient herbal tradition. Actually it started in the 1800s and over time various people worked on it. A woman named Rene Caisse, a Canadian nurse, worked on it for a bit. Ultimately that led to some research in the United States in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
My husband was fortunate enough to be introduced to it through that research process, and he began working with the product. About 21 years ago now, we both took the business online and that’s what created our website, genuineessiac.com.
So it is, like I said, an herbal blend, and it is primarily used to help support the body’s immune system as well as detoxification.
Rick: Okay, thanks for the overview. It leads me to my next question about your customers. Who’s the best fit for your product? If we get into the technical side of marketing, who’s your ICP, your ideal customer profile? What kind of key problems do they see, and how does your product help solve them?
Gina Paulhus: Absolutely. We’re really an alternative option for people either whose traditional techniques and methods failed them, or who would like to deal more naturally and organically with things while supporting their body.
This product can help people who have various health issues because it’s going to help their body reset back to what nature intended. It does this over a longer period than many programs. A lot of products say drink this for three days or two weeks. That’s a good start, but the things in life that make the most difference tend to take longer and require more commitment.
Our product is designed to be taken for six months to provide that full, thorough reset. Our bodies know what to do. They can heal a cut, and most of the time we recover from illness. But sometimes we need a little external support to bring that healing process forward.
Rick: That’s really interesting. We’re used to next-day delivery and quick fixes, but good things take time. Three to six months to reset your system and see health benefits sounds like a good deal to me.
Gina Paulhus: And just to clarify, we actually ask for the six months. You don’t have to buy six months at once, but we have a money-back guarantee. If you don’t see improvement in your health by the six-month mark, you get every dime back. Not a lot of companies in this space offer that kind of guarantee.
Rick: That speaks to the confidence you have in the product. How do most people discover you? Are there specific channels that have become your go-to for bringing in new customers?
Gina Paulhus: It’s pretty broad. About a quarter come through organic search. Around a third come through our Facebook page or our Facebook group called Genuine Essiac Users, which has about 27,000 people and is very active.
We also get direct traffic. We have Instagram and TikTok. What really helps us gain and nurture clients is our newsletter list. From day one, I was adamant about building an email list because social media and search engines can change, but nobody can take that email list away from me. That’s currently our most powerful conversion tool.
Rick: That makes sense, especially with strong copy and messaging. Most of your traffic ultimately points to your website, right?
Gina Paulhus: Yes. We do have Facebook Shop and TikTok Shop, but ultimately we want them on the website. We also offer phone support. It may seem old-fashioned, but people appreciate that human touch.
If we look at who’s most likely to purchase right now, it’s typically a 55 to 65-year-old adult who’s starting to take their health more seriously, maybe after seeing issues in themselves or loved ones.
Rick: That human touch is valuable. Is there anything you’re focused on improving on the website? And what’s working really well?
Gina Paulhus: We’re on Shopify. It serves our needs, though we may outgrow it eventually. Recently, our affiliate program has helped us the most. Shopify offers great apps, and we use one called UpPromote for affiliates. It allows better tracking, communication, and flexibility with coupons and links.
Since switching from 3D Cart, our affiliate program has grown significantly. It’s also helped with media outreach, like podcast invitations.
Rick: Love that. Let’s switch gears and talk about you as a leader. What does a typical workday look like?
Gina Paulhus: It’s evolved as we’ve grown. From 2024 to 2025, we doubled our sales and orders. I check in with my team daily through our collaboration platform. I have themed days: Mondays for financials, Tuesdays for affiliate outreach, Wednesdays for social media creation, Thursdays for newsletter and blog work, Fridays for reviewing social channels and our Facebook group.
I always have a project going. Right now I’m optimizing website pages for SEO—adding update dates, summaries, conclusions. I also create testimonial videos and work on thumbnails and descriptions.
Rick: Sounds like you’re involved in everything.
Gina Paulhus: I touch everything because it matters to me, but I’ve outsourced what I don’t enjoy, like emails and phone calls. I focus on my strengths and preferences.
Rick: Let’s jump into rapid fire. Ready?
Gina Paulhus: Ready.
Rick: Watching, listening, or reading?
Gina Paulhus: Reading.
Rick: Latest piece of content you read?
Gina Paulhus: A book by my friend Lori Vollmer called Broken to Unbreakable. It’s about adult gymnastics. She’s a 57-year-old competitive gymnast. I competed until almost 40, so it resonated with me.
Rick: If you could fix one frustrating thing in your marketing tech life?
Gina Paulhus: Having one central analytics portal instead of checking multiple apps separately.
Rick: One repetitive task you’d automate forever?
Gina Paulhus: Sales tax reporting. It’s not huge, but it’s monthly and annoying.
Rick: If you could give your younger entrepreneurial self advice?
Gina Paulhus: Lean into being yourself sooner. In a crowded landscape, copying others won’t get you far. We all bring something unique.
Rick: Final question. If people forget everything else, what should they remember about your work?
Gina Paulhus: Keep your mind open when it comes to your health. It’s easy to just do the obvious thing, but there are many beautiful options out there. Stay open to them.
Rick: If people want to check you out?
Gina Paulhus: Go to genuineessiac.com — E-S-S-I-A-C. Or find us on Instagram and Facebook at Genuine Essiac. Our Facebook group is Genuine Essiac Users.
Rick: Thanks again, Gina. Appreciate the work you’re doing.
Gina Paulhus: Thank you for having me.
Rick: Have a good one. Bye everyone.