My first experience of Gary Young (the founder of Young Living) was when I heard him on The Missing Link cassette. His wisdom and deep knowledge of essential oils inspired me to want to try the Young Living oils.

I then had the opportunity to meet him in November 1998. My respect for him deepened, and I wanted to do everything I could to learn from him. So I saved up my money, and began travelling to different events that he held around the world. That was my life for 20 wonderful years, until his passing in 2018.

Because Gary had a larger-than-life presence with a beautiful mix of humour, passion, authority and inspiration, he was like a magnet. So many people wanted to meet him, to speak to him, to ask him questions, and (like me) to learn from his endless flow of knowledge about essential oils and health.

But although he was often our focus, he wasn’t doing it alone. Gary had a special “someone” by his side, and that was his wife Mary Young. I want to introduce you to this amazing woman, who sits at the helm of our company and who I’m blessed to call a friend. Enjoy!

The early days of Young Living

Gary often told the story of his sweetheart, Mary. They met in October 1992 at an expo at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City (the same place that Young Living holds its International Grand Conventions).

Mary began ordering the products just to try them out, and she attended a talk with Gary where they were briefly introduced.

A month later, Mary received a phone call from Gary’s office asking if she could pick him up from the airport and drive him

to where he could buy a few things that he needed on his way to Egypt. 

Mary wasn’t sure if she wanted to be that involved with this new company, but she changed her mind after meeting with Gary. He shared his vision for his company and took her to lunch, and before she knew it he’d offered her a marketing job.

Mary wasn’t in need of a job or the money.

She had already grown a successful network marketing organisation with another company. But there was something in Gary’s vision that called her, so she offered her help free of charge.

At that time Gary’s original essential oil and supplement business was experiencing some challenges. It made sense to start afresh, so after more discussions Gary and Mary decided to start a new company together, and Young Living Essential Oils was birthed in 1993.

Gary’s genius was his knowledge of farming and distillation, his understanding of the human body, and his ability to formulate powerful and life-changing essential oil blends and supplements.

But he wasn’t a marketer, so in those early days he was using hand-written labels on his bottles, and calculating everyone’s commissions by hand.

When Mary came on board, she brought her marketing expertise. Suddenly we had real labels and better systems to match the quality of the products inside the bottles.

Mary said, “We started in an old, dilapidated building with 5,000 usable square feet. Gary put up walls and built his laboratory and the offices. He did all the painting, while my mother and I did the cleaning and organising. Gary blended the oils and

travelled all over the country giving meetings and seminars, while I took care of the office.“

When Gary asked Mary to go to Europe with him for a medical seminar he was attending, she told him she’d only go if they were married. I guess you could say she proposed to him!!! So on September 2nd 1994 they were married, and the very next day they were on their way to Europe.

“Gary came from the mountains, and I came from the opera stage” says Mary in the book D. Gary Young: World Leader in Essential Oils, “and yet we thought alike….We believed that health and vitality were to be found within the wonders of Mother Nature, and not in the chemicals of the laboratory. We had the same goals: to help others discover true wellness, so they could share and help carry Gary’s vision to the world…”

“Gary was the visionary and I was the realist, but it was a great dynamic that worked very well….Gary’s personality was bigger than life itself. He always gave 200 percent, never allowed the word “can’t” to be spoken, and always looked for the solution, the best way to accomplish a goal.”

And so, with both Gary and Mary at the helm, Young Living went from hundreds of customers and distributors to thousands, and then to millions.

Mary continues to run Young Living to this day, with the help of her sons Jacob and Josef, Jacob’s wife Kait, and an amazing Executive Team. Here she is pictured below with Young Living’s President, Ben Riley. 

Although Young Living continues to innovate, there’s also a great deal of humility always present behind the scenes.

Gary’s commitment to capturing the entire fingerprint of the plant’s essential oil, and to using holistic farming practices without allowing manmade chemicals to touch the fields is the compass that continues to guide Young Living’s farming and distillation practices today.

Gary Young is as alive in Spirit as he ever was in the physical, and his legacy lives on through the many people (corporate staff, customers and distributors) who have seen the power of these amazing products, and who will continue to carry his flame for generations to come.

Mary Young – the wind beneath Gary’s wings

I asked my Young Living friends to share some of their best memories of Mary Young, and here are some of my favourites. Enjoy!

Sarah L. writes:

When Gary passed over, like all of us I was feeling devastated. I had already purchased a ticket to the International Grand Convention, but was debating whether to go because I could not imagine it without him. But I went, and was so glad to see that they were celebrating his wonderful life everywhere. 

But when I went to the farm, my favourite day, I was looking at the horses when in walked Mary and the two boys. I tried not to cry when I told her that she and the boys had been in my heart and prayers.

Tears started to flow down my face and this brave, wonderful woman who had just lost the love of her life put her arms around me. She patted my shoulders and said:

“There, there Sarah, we are all going to be OK. Gary is up there watching down on us and guiding me in everything I do.”

This is a great testimony to the strength and compassion of the amazing woman who is leading our company. We are so fortunate to have her.

Margit K. writes:

I had the privilege of reading Mary’s pregnancy protocol, which gifted Mary and Gary with two wonderful sons (Jacob when Mary was 54, and Josef when Mary was 57).

It was just before my 44th birthday, and reading this just before we fell pregnant with our joy-filled girl, Tijania, gave me so much reassurance, trust and faith in the magical

abilities of the female body…..as well as the power of nature with our priceless oils and supplements to help with everything along this journey of bringing a new soul into this world.

Together, we envisioned and manifested an empowered and natural birth together with our baby. 

This spark is still glowing and helps me to support and empower other women to trust themselves and their body’s wisdom, in combination with the power of our wonderful oils and supplements. With deep gratitude to Mary and Gary Young.

Kylie B. writes:

One of my favourite Mary Young quotes, that really helped me when I decided to start sharing Young Living with others is this: 

“Money in the hands of good people, does great things!”

Caroline M. writes:

Seeing Mary Young talk during our European conventions was truly inspiring. It reminds me not to give up, and to believe in what I am doing. She radiates love, patience and kindness.

Meeting her is just amazing and helped me to know that choosing Young Living is the only choice.

Sue P. writes:

I’m so grateful that I was able to attend YL30 last year and hear Mary speak and sing for the first time. OMG! What an absolute pocket rocket!

She spoke with the most heartfelt dedication and passion to Young Living and Gary every time she spoke.

Gary has always had a very special place in my heart from the first time I heard about him and Young Living, but after seeing Mary on stage and speaking her truth, she now has a place as well. I can’t wait to see her again on stage in Brisbane, we are so lucky to have her visiting Australia.

Artemis writes:

I have so many wonderful memories of both Gary and Mary. It warmed my heart in 2004 when Noel and I went to Idaho on our honeymoon to visit Young Living’s Lavender and Melissa farm there. It just happened that Gary and Mary had chosen those same days to visit there with their 2 boys. Josef was only 6 months old at the time. They welcomed us like family. Gary cooked us pancakes one day,

and we even went white water rafting with them, to celebrate Mary’s birthday. 

It was that trip that began our friendship, which has continued to this day. This pic was taken at Diamond Retreat in 2023, where I had the joy of catching up again with Mary, and sharing some wonderful memories from our years of connection. 

Both Gary and Mary love all of us at Young Living. We are their family as much as any blood relatives. They have always loved connecting, hearing our stories, and sharing some laughs and adventures. It fills their cup, just as much as it fills ours.