Self-care essentials made from the heart with the healing powers of CBD. Jen Mitchell of Secret Squirrel handcrafts each product and is happy to highlight all the benefits of CBD. You can absolutely feel the joy and care poured into every item!
Here’s our full interview with Jen in her own words:
How did you get started creating your pieces?
I got started creating CBD wellness products after spending several years as an educational director of a cannabis dispensary. I saw how many patients were nervous to try cannabis for the first time, so I launched my brand in efforts to help new patients get acclimated to trying cannabis and hemp based products.
CBD helps bridge the gap with first time patients and consumers who want to try plant based medicine but don’t want the intoxicating effects of THC products.
What’s the favorite part of your work/what you make?
My favorite part of my work is seeing and hearing how my products help other people feel relief. Whether it’s from pain, inflammation, neuropathy, or even anxiety and depression - I feel accomplished when someone tells me that my products have helped them regain a sense of themselves and giving them an alternative to controlled substances, like harsh pharmaceuticals.
How do you express your creativity through your work?
I am able to express my creativity by creating uniquely designed and produced items. I have several unique steps in my production methods that allow me to share my creativity with my clients. Even down to mixing each blend of my bath bombs with hand selected, holistically beneficial botanicals - each blend is made for a specific effect in mind.
I created my own logo and labels also, so I’m never short on ways to express my creativity with my CBD wellness products.
Love is the most important ingredient and I really feel as if the love I put into them, transfers to the people who use them.
What brings you joy?
I feel immense joy when I am foraging for ethically and locally sourced, seasonal botanicals. Traveling around our beautiful state, to find the highest quality ingredients, many sourced from our diverse desert landscape, gives me a sense of creativity and joy that I cannot explain. Also seeing my clients feel better, from the relief my products can provide, also fills my heart with joy and motivation to keep going.
I also donate a percentage of all sales to several philanthropic and charitable organizations, ones that mean the most to me & the community I live in. Even though the impact is small, it still brings me a lot of happiness being able to make contributions to these organizations, knowing that people and animals in need are getting the benefits that come with my hard work and dedication.
What challenge(s) have you overcome?
Secret Squirrel CBD is no stranger to adversity. I founded my CBD business in 2018 after a heartbreaking experience. I launched a vegan and gluten free THC/CBD edible company in 2018 called Secret Squirrel Snacks and it was sold to licensed medical dispensaries for over 6 months before I had to pull the edible line due to mismanagement of profits via the licensing dispensary I was working under.
It was out of that heartbreak that Secret Squirrel CBD was born. Over the years it’s been difficult to keep other brands from profiting off of our intellectual property and ideas, but I’ve remained consistently driven by my loyal customers to keep my head up and to keep going. It’s been tough. Especially as a one-woman operation. But I’m still here and still dedicated to helping people feel whole again. Healing from my own trauma has helped shaped my brand to what it is today.
Anything exciting in the works/coming up for you?
I have a few new products that are in the research and development (R&D) stage of production, which is my favorite aspect of making new products.
I am heavily interested in expanding on collaborative products with other local, likeminded brands and look forward to attending / vending at events that share our common values.
Finding new and exciting ways to network is vital to the growth of my brand. I am excited for what the future holds.
What do you wish for the world?
I wish for more empathy and compassion. Whether it be for one’s self, one’s neighbor, one’s community or even for the animals we share our planet with, I wish for more of a collective effort to spread kindness and compassion.
We all could use a bit more of it in our daily lives. Kindness and understanding go a long way, and can literally make our world a bit more comfortable if we all just showed more of it to one another.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I’m an open book and love to help educate others on the benefits of CBD. Even if you chose not to utilize my products, I feel education is key and love to help others expand their knowledge and options for relief.
If anyone has any questions about how CBD can help you, please reach out to me at jen@secretsquirrelcbd.com or give me a follow on Instagram.