Jackson Free Press

Beth Herzig, owner of Discount Trophy in Ridgeland, traveled the world before eventually settling down in Mississippi and raising her two daughters, ages 16 and 11, in a quieter life than what she experienced growing up.

Born in Kansas and raised by “an American dad and a British mum” and a stepmother from Thailand, she has lived and schooled in different countries besides the United States, including England, Bolivia, Panama, Thailand and Turkey. Herzig says she believes her tenures across these different continents have given her a unique perspective on life.

After graduating from a high school in Maine in 1995, she moved to Mississippi for the first time to be with her father. She attended Holmes Community College in Ridgeland and later enrolled in Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., graduating in 1999. Following graduation, she says she could not leave the state fast enough.

“The first time (being in Mississippi) as a kid, it was like I was begrudgingly here. Later, I had the maturity to move here and buy a house, and that has helped to get me grounded,” she says.

Reasons for returning to Mississippi also included the lower cost of living and being closer to her father and sister, who were in the state at the time.

Herzig set up shop in Mississippi, buying Discount Trophy from her family in 2008. The business produces recognition items like plaques, medals and trophies and caters to a cross section of clients from churches, schools and civil organizations—which she says allows her to become better acquainted with the community.

“I feel like I have made a lot of contributions to Jackson. The people can depend on me, and I depend on them,” she says.

Each year, March, April and May provide the most business for Discount Trophy, making the pandemic that has arisen in the state over the last month a severe setback. She has since decided to close the physical location of her business, due to the overhead proving to be too much. Starting with its 12-year anniversary on May 1, Discount Trophy will operate remotely from now on.

“For 12 years I have never once contemplated the season not coming. It's our ‘Christmas at the mall,’” she says.

With COVID-19 hitting hard in Mississippi, Herzig is not shying away from admitting that her work is non-essential. Rather than try to seek ways to continue earning money through the company, she has decided to focus on improving her business by paying attention to responsibilities like cleaning and invoicing.

Before the statewide shelter-in-place order, Herzig also regularly led meditation groups in various locations across Jackson. She hopes to return to running those sessions once the current health crisis has subsided to a point where she can responsibly do so.

Herzig says that bringing people together to practice mindfulness before the novel coronavirus struck—and regularly practicing mindfulness herself—has helped her prepare for the quarantine.

“When people say that you cannot go anywhere, I just say, ‘This is what I have been practising for some time now,’” she says, crediting meditation for helping the present reality not be as severe a shock for her as it has been for others. “I think that everyone is now in a forced meditation retreat, whether they take advantage of it or not.”

As a meditation and mindfulness practitioner, she advises others to, despite the circumstances, do their best to not complain and instead look inward and examine their lives, identifying and cutting out behaviors that were mostly filling time and not contributing to their wellbeing.

For more information on Discount Trophy or Herzig’s meditation courses, call 601-957-1800. She also offers meditation online and through Zoom and meditation consultation over the phone. To learn more, visit bethherzig.com.