Meet Rita Saliba | Founder of Blissful Seeds Inc.

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

Hi Rita, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I want Blissful Seeds to be a model for other people to follow, to practically give adults with disabilities a voice. Fighting for people with disabilities involves a lot of doing, and I want to be remembered as someone who was not afraid of doing the work.

People with more pronounced disabilities are often destined to aimlessly go through the motions of life; and while very few overcome obstacles with tenacity and will power, many continue to struggle to get their basic rights met.

In my journey as a parent of a child with severe autism, I got the privilege to meet those whose voices were silenced and needs were neglected. Blissful Seeds came to be, to arm these amazing souls with self-worth and courage to be themselves. It is not only about soap/candle making or resin art; it is about giving them back their lost voices and stolen dreams.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
At Blissful Seeds, a nonprofit organization, our mission is to employ adults with autism and other disabilities. I love the saying “do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life”; and when I help building jobs around our contractors’ talents and interests, I know that I will be giving them the building blocks to a blissful life. This is I think what sets me apart from others.

My journey as a parent of children with special needs was not easy. I am guilty of feeling bitter and angry for a long time. I knew I needed to shift that anger to something more productive, so I found myself attending conferences and taking courses to learn how to better support my kids. I learned that true advocacy and valuable service work happen only when we listen to those we are advocating for and rally behind them.

Sometimes as professional advocates, we allow our own prejudices and beliefs to misguide us.

But it is never about us, it is always about those who we are defending and advocating for.

At Blissful Seeds, it is never about me; it is always about my contractors, what brings them joy and fulfillment. I try my hardest to grasp what it is they love doing and how they can make a living doing it.

My brand is not about me. Yes, Blissful Seeds is the vehicle, but they are the drivers.

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?
San Diego county offers a lot but my favorites are a dinner and a glass of wine on one of the many awesome restaurants on the beach (Del Mar, Carlsbad…) or a more cozy dinner and a tasting of wine in the many wineries such as in Temecula or San Marcos.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out my board members (Elizabeth, Fady (my husband),

Vanessa and Zahra) that push me forward and support me all the way yet keep me in check from becoming too stretched out!

Website: https://www.blissfulseeds.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blissful_seeds/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rita-saliba-b32834239/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blissfulseeds

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blissful-seeds-poway?osq=blissful+seeds

Image Credits
Donna Coleman Photographie